#since I’m back on my bullshit I figured I’d bring this one back to the top to join the party fffff

[stevieschrodinger]

“I’m just saying it’s manipulative.”

“Manipulative? Eddie you can’t be serious.”

“I am, now, where’s the dish? It’s got to be around here somewhere.”

“Maybe in this box, clearly labelled ‘kitchen’?” Dustin snarks, “and I don’t see how you can say behaving in a way that’s been dictated by your very biology is...manipulative. That’s not fair, man.”

Eddie digs in the box, bringing out the baking dish he wants, and then heads back into the kitchen, swerving around clutter and open boxes as he goes, “yeah, I get that a lot of Omega act the way they do because of what they are, alright. I get that, I do. But all this...kind of, 'oh my oh my, can’t the big Alpha come and save me...I just need looking after and...and protecting'. And I get that it works, a lot of Alphas eat that shit right up, I’m just not one of them.” Eddie bangs around in the kitchen fixing Wayne’s famous corned beef hash casserole, “it’s just not for me, you know? I don’t want someone who’s just going to do as they’re told and roll over on everything, I want someone who is equal, not someone who wants looking after all the time. I will not be loosing my head over any Omega, no matter how pretty they are.”

“So you...wouldn’t look after your Omega?” Dustin squints at him.

“Firstly, not happening, not ever, I’m sticking to Beta’s and that is final...but, I mean, yeah, of course I’d look after my partner, but I’d do that for anyone. I don’t want this hormone driven need to...to I don’t know. It’s just not for me Henderson, okay? Now help me with the books.”

Dustin whines, “but there’s like, fifty million of them...and I still don’t agree that it’s manipulative. They’re just...playing to their strengths, or whatever.”

“Right, so an Omega bats their eyelashes and every Alpha in sniffing distance is falling over themselves to do whatever the Omega wants, and that’s not manipulative?”

“Welllll…no, especially since it only works because of the Alphas in the first place, if it’s anyone fault, it’s the Alphas, right?”

“Fucking...just shut up Henderson.”

Eddie’s just put their plates on the table when there’s a knock at the door, “I’m not waiting,” Dustin sits down and starts shoveling, and Eddie mutters curses all the way to the door, he’s absolutely starving-

“Hi, I am so sorry,” it’s an Omega. A ridiculously pretty one. A very, very pregnant one. “I’m from next door,” the very very pretty Omega is on tip toes, trying to look over Eddie’s shoulder. He’s clutching a plate to his chest, “I know you’ve just moved in and, again, I am so so sorry about this, but is there any chance I could try what you’re cooking? Please?”

He smells so good. Even better than a regular Omega; Eddie’s sure it’s because he’s pupped, probably some biological bullshit about protecting pups and whatever. But still, he’s...he’s cute, standing there with his plate, sniffing after Eddie’s cooking.

“I could smell it in the hall. It could just be the tiniest bit, but I just would really like to try it, I’m so sorry for interrupting your dinner but-”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Eddie says, taking the guys plate, “just hang there a second.” Eddie goes and...well, if he fills the plate of what was going to be tomorrows dinner, no one needs to know. Eddie might have opinions on gender, but he’s not a dick. The guy is very pregnant, plus he was being super polite about it. He even brought his own plate.

It’s another human being, pregnant and hungry; Eddie would do the same to help anyone out. This is absolutely nothing to do with the guy being the prettiest Omega Eddie’s ever seen in real life.

Eddie delivers the plate back, “oh my goodness,” oh okay, that’s adorable. Eddie’s pretty sure he’s never heard anyone say ‘oh my goodness’ in real life, like, ever. “Thank you so so much, is there anything I can do? I can contribute to the ingredients or-” and that’s when Eddie figures that not only is the guy very pretty, he’s actually a reasonable human being too, lots of people wouldn’t have even thought about that sort of thing.

“No, we’re good just, ah, let me know what you think.”

“I will, I will,” the guy is saying as he turns to leave, carefully carrying his laden plate. He’s big enough that he’s kind of waddling, and Eddie watches him long enough to see him go into the next apartment along the hall.

Eddie shuts the door, turning back to find Dustin watching him, both eyebrows raised, a very accusatory look on his face, “oh shut the fuck up.”

“Just let me know what you think,” Dustin mimics back, like a little bitch.

[coldbronzemoon]

Danny Fenton, Totally Mortal Hero Consultant (DPxDC)

Snippet for an AU I'll probably never fully write where Danny takes a job as a consultant for the Justice League to help with ghost and demon bullshit. It's a pretty good cash flow to help him with college, after all, and very flexible hours.

He just claims all his knowledge comes from his parents. Unfortunately, the JL has caught word of the elusive yet active hero Phantom, and want Danny to help them meet and assess him. Whoops.

Over the phone, Tucker sighed. “Good Christ, Danny, why do you keep doing this?”

“I’m not doing anything,” Danny said immediately. He winced at the vague sound of screaming below. Demons sucked. “I didn’t know the JL thing was gonna have me finding Phantom. How would I? They were talking about tracking down powerful ghosts, I was assuming Ancients!”

Tucker sighed again, which was really quite unfair of him. “Mhm. Well, Fenton Catcher?”

“Probably not. They know me pretty well at this point, and unlike what Sam says I can be professional. I’d confuse them with the… uh…”

“Stoner shtick?”

There was more screaming happening, but judging from the pitch it was a demon screaming this time. Danny checked the situation. Yep, demon getting their ass kicked. He didn’t need to get involved with a blaster. Yet.

Instead, he scowled at his phone. “Stop calling it that.”

“You’re gonna tell me flanny Danny wasn’t a pitch-perfect stoner, huh? With the chill vibing and the dopey look?”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, bud.” 

The sound of a clacking keyboard that had underlined their conversation stopped. “But seriously, Danny, what the hell are you gonna do with this?”

“Uh, lie, probably,” Danny said, because it was very likely.

“Alright, smartass, what are you going to do when that lie backfires on you like literally every other one does?”

“That’s when I start gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing, babe.”

He had a hard time hearing Tucker’s distant groan of “Why am I still your friend?” on account of the sudden explosion. Danny checked again. Hm. Demon dude had a nasty fire thing going on.

Danny switched on his Fenton water gun—holy water included!-- and shot the demon in the face. They let out a cracking hiss of rage, but dropped the fire spell thing. He waited for them to stop looking around wildly for the culprit for a moment. 

He went back to the call. “‘Cause you loooove me, Tuck. From the bottom of your twice-dead heart.”

“Unfortunately,” Tucker deadpanned.

Danny just cackled. It was lost amongst the sound of supernatural bullshit below.

“Anyway, I’m still figuring out my plan A, honestly. Might bring in gray-man?”

“Amorpho’s an asshole, though. He’ll ruin the whole thing by taking the opportunity to shift into a JL member for a bit.”

Hm. True.

“Yeah, but he’s the main guy I know with that power set.”

“Ask after Desiree?” He could hear the immediate distaste in Tucker’s voice. “Ugh, pretend I didn’t say that. That’s worse than Amorpho.”

“It’s awful,” Danny agreed easily. 

Desiree was actually pretty alright nowadays, mostly on account of Danny remembering the last couple minutes of Aladdin and wishing she could refuse wishes she didn’t want to grant. That had made her happy enough to stop actively picking fights. 

Unfortunately, spending the entirety of one’s afterlife twisting the wording of wishes to their worst form made it hard to stop being an asshole. Who knew! So getting Desiree to split him in two for like a week had a 50/50 chance of fucking up his work relationship with the literal league of superheroes irrevocably. And this was his main cash flow right now.

So, no Desiree, no siree.

“Come up with something better then, asshole.”

Danny hummed and, since the heroes below were focused on the demon, lifted up a little and did a thoughtful back flip. What to do, what to do…?

Oh!

“My cousin!” he exclaimed.

“What cous—? Oh, Ellie.”

“Yeah, Ellie, Tuck. Which other cousins do I have?”

Tucker scoffed. “You literally have that whole Nightingale thing going on through your dad?”

Danny couldn’t help the face he made. The remaining Nightingales were worse than his parents somehow. “The Nightingales don’t count.”

“You can’t just say they don’t count.”

“I can say that, actually, and I will. They’re, like, cousins through my great-great-great-grandpa anyway.”

“Isn’t there a fight going on over there? Should you be shooting someone?”

 “Yeah, probably.”

He peaked down through the window once more. The heroes must have gotten the first demon to leave while he was talking, because the horned demon fighting them now was a truly unfortunate shade of yellow-green instead of purple. Or maybe it had transformed for some reason? They had it about as in-hand as the other one, though, so Danny definitely didn’t need to go down there. He shot the maybe-new demon in the face real quick.

“Anyway, Ellie can totally help out, she’s been practicing with changing up her looks. She’s also more, uh, malleable than me, what with her situation and all. Looking fully like Phantom shouldn’t be hard.”

Tucker hummed. “She’d try to embarrass you though.”

“Yeah, that’s a problem.” Danny spun in place. “I could bribe her?”

“With what? Her life doesn’t involve needing much cash.”

“She doesn’t get out to the Zone very much. Not many of the inhabited places, anyway. I can promise her the weird apple things Dora’s been growing with Sam’s help, she loved those.”

“If you think that’ll work…” Tucker trailed off dubiously.

Danny laughed. “She’s annoying sometimes, but she’s not gonna fuck over my job if I ask her not to. I’ll just bribe her extra hard for resisting the temptation to mock me.”

“Fair enough.” The clacking of keys resumed. “I’ve really gotta pay attention now, someone’s trying to stop me from getting into this database. Someone half-decent, actually, did they upgrade? Hm. Make sure no one died, yeah?”

“They’re alive. Bye, Tuck,” Danny said, and ended the call.

He shoved his phone back into his jacket pocket and made his way down the stairs. The fight outside he had been stationed for was basically over—Captain Marvel and Green Lantern (Danny was pretty sure he had accidentally learned the dude’s actual name at some point, but hell if he could remember)—had pulled out the magic restraints one of the other consultants had handed out.

That had probably been Constantine. Ugh. Constantine. Dude could stand to lighten up a little; skulking and smoking all the time wasn’t the base state of someone enjoyable to be around. Then again, Danny knew he annoyed the shit out of some of the league with his own attitude, so he maybe shouldn’t talk. But at least he was annoying with a smile!

Case in point: Danny grinned at the heroes. “Got it handled?”

“Suppose so,” said the Green Lantern, “though a little more help would have been nice.”

Captain Marvel was too busy getting in a minor tussle with the demon to say anything either way.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m like, pretty mortal,” Danny said. “I’m not fucking with demons right where they can hit me. And I did shoot him!”

Green Lantern rolled his eyes, but admitted the point. Danny cheerfully flipped him off anyway.

“I’ll be heading out, then, the hellmouth this guy crawled out of is like three miles away.” Captain Marvel said, hauling the handcuffed demon over his shoulders like a very angry backpack.

“Oh, one more for the road!” 

Danny hit the demon with a final water gun shot. Hissing and scrunching their face like a cat, the demon tried to lunge at him. It wasn’t very successful. Weirdly non-verbal for a demon, who usually had to talk to make deals and steal mortal souls, but Danny wouldn’t judge. Might be a minor demon. A really basic imp? Who knew.

“Stop being a little bitch and you won’t get spray-bottled, asshole,” Danny chided.

With a loud laugh, Captain Marvel sped away.

[unfinishedslurs]

stonathan fwb (steddie)

this one is inspired by this fic by fivecenturiesverse

“Nancy and I broke up.”

“Shit,” Steve says, somehow managing to sound surprised. As if he and Nancy weren’t teetering on the verge of something throughout spring break. “That sucks, man.”

“It…was a long time coming, I think,” Jonathan admits. There’s a soft thump, like Steve clapping Jonathan’s shoulder in solidarity. 

They don’t say anything else, and Eddie almost leaves to go eavesdrop somewhere else when Jonathan speaks. 

“Are you…going to do anything about that?”

“About what?” Steve asks, genuine confusion in his voice. 

“Nancy.”

“Oh.” Steve doesn’t say anything for a moment, and Eddie braces himself to hear the truth. That he’s going to ask her out, ask to get married, ask her to have his six little nuggets and travel across the country together. “No.” 

Eddie’s brain record scratches. 

“Really?” Jonathan sounds rightfully skeptical. 

“Yeah, I don’t…” he lets out a nervous laugh, and Eddie can picture him raising a hand to scratch at the back of his head. “There’s…someone else, and I can’t…she’s amazing. Nancy, I mean. She’s, like, this huge person in my mind, you know? I wanted to love her so much, and I convinced myself she loved me back because it was easier than admitting I was clinging onto something that wasn’t meant to be. I kind of put my whole future on her. Figured if I could love any girl, it’d be the perfect one right in front of me.” He laughs again, hollow. “She was right, to call it bullshit. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“If it helps, I think she really did love you,” Jonathan says, sounding fake as all hell. 

Steve brushes him off. “No you don’t. It’s okay, it was never really real. Not like you guys. That…that really sucks, man.”

“It’s for the best, I think.” There’s a long pause. “You said…if you could love a girl, it would be Nancy.”

“…I did say that,” Steve says warily. Eddie has a feeling he really, really shouldn’t be listening to this, but he can’t bring himself to back away. 

“Do you…are you…” 

“If you’re going to be an asshole, I should tell you that I’ve been working out a lot since ‘83,” Steve interrupts. 

“I noticed,” Jonathan mutters. 

What. 

“What?”

“What?”

“I…nothing,” Steve sighs. 

There’s another, longer pause, filled with tension that Jonathan decides to take an emotional jackhammer to. “Do you want to fuck me?” 

What the fuck. 

Oh, God, he’s going to have to save Jonathan Byers from his tragically straight crush. From their mutual tragically straight crush? …their mutual tragically straight crush, who admitted to not liking girls? 

Something’s not adding up. 

“What the fuck, Byers?” Steve sounds angry, and Eddie prepares to jump in. “What, you think just because I’m queer I automatically want to sleep with you?”

What. 

“No!” Jonathan yelps. “No, that’s not it, it’s just…we’re both queer, and stuck here for the foreseeable future, and I’ve never been with a guy but I trust you.”

There’s a stunned silence. 

“You’re queer.”

Jonathan doesn’t say anything, probably dying of mortification. 

“You trust me?”

“Steve,” Jonathan says gently, and Eddie nearly bites through his tongue. “Of course I do.”

“You and Nancy just broke up,” Steve says, wavering. “And I can’t…there’s someone else. I wasn’t lying about that.”

“It doesn’t have to mean anything. You can say no. I just figured I’d ask.”

“Fuck,” Steve mutters. “You realize I’m just as in the dark here as you are, right? I’ve never been with a guy either.”

“We can find out together,” Jonathan says. “Only if you want to, though.”

A heavy silence, where Eddie has to bite his tongue to keep his cool. 

“Fuck it. Why the hell not?”

Then Eddie has to leave for the sake of his own sanity. Not before he hears the wet smack of a kiss, though. 

Eddie might be going insane. 

It’s like everywhere he looks he sees signs of Steve and Jonathan’s… development. Steve leans forward to grab something and his eyes catch on a hickey under his collar. Jonathan sits a little too gingerly one day, and Eddie’s immediately caught up in a fiery inferno of jealousy that he’s not the one sore from whatever Steve did last night. He has to leave the room. 

It gets even worse when Steve comes by DND wearing a shirt that is clearly Jonathan’s. 

“What are you wearing?” Dustin demands before he can. It’s probably a good thing he did, Eddie might have just started biting him to stake a claim. Which is a useless thought, because Steve isn’t his to claim at all. Steve is Jonathan’s. And stake a claim he did. 

He kind of wishes he could hate Jonathan, but he can’t. The guy’s just so sweet with his brother, and it’s obvious in the way he takes care of people that he’s a good guy. The kind of guy who deserves someone like Steve. Someone would have to be a crazy, fucked-up, jealous asshole to hate him. 

Eddie is all of those things. He’s also great at lying to himself. If he doesn’t admit he hates Jonathan Byers, fellow freak, for sleeping with the most unfortunately spectacular jock imaginable, he never has to confront his own failure to keep to his code. The doctrine that Steve cheerfully set on fire and then stomped the ashes into dust. All without knowing it, the asshole. 

He really can’t blame Jonathan. Eddie’s well aware that he’s made up some weird, one-sided rivalry in his head over Steve’s affections. It’s not his fault that one of them got the guy, and the other got to scream into his pillow at 2am. 

Sure, they both said they were hung up on other people, but how long would that really last? He’s fairly sure Steve was lying about having feelings for someone. Eddie can’t help but watch him, and he’s never once seen a sign Steve was interested in any of the other men he hung out with. 

Steve colors. “It’s Jonathan’s,” he says, picking at the band tee like he’s self-conscious about it. Which is ridiculous. He obviously knows he looks good in anything. “I…uh…spilled something on mine.”

From the way he talks, Eddie has a pretty good idea what exactly got on his shirt. He takes deep breaths, and tries not to chew through the table. He wishes Steve were in his band shirt instead. He’d look great in Judas Priest merch. 

He tries not to picture him in a Corroded Coffin shirt. He fails.

[bbygirlpascal]

Unexpected (Pedro Pascal x Fem Reader)

18+ NSFW: Please do not interact with my posts if you are under 18.

Summary: Your called-off engagement has left you dating shitty men and having even shittier sex. Luckily, your best friend Pedro is always there to cheer you up and keep you entertained.

You always thought of Pedro as a friend, nothing more. Someone you can hang out with at the ungodly hours of the night when no one else was awake, you could count on him to be up. Ever since you’ve been living on your own in your home you’ve felt lonelier than ever. Your engagement to the man you thought was your soulmate had been called off almost 5 months now but it has yet to get easier.

Mindless, no strings attached flings here and there surely kept you occupied, but never pleased. Going out on dates with men you knew only wanted one thing, and spoke big game on their performance but always failed to deliver when you actually fucked.

Tonight was no different and you just wanted this guy out of your house. He was jabbering on about something you weren’t even paying attention to, you were just nodding your head and zoning out.

“Listen, I don’t feel so good. I think I want to lay down and sleep the night off. I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?” you said to him.

“Sure, no problem (Y/N), it was great meeting you,” he sheepishly smiled as you walked him over to the door. Not giving him any ounce of a hint that you needed or wanted a goodbye kiss. Turning around and slumping onto the couch, you grabbed your phone and called Pedro.

“Hey Pedrito,” you said to him and chuckled.

“Hey mama, what’s up?”

“Just ended my date, he was going on about some bullshit like crypto or something I almost fell asleep, no joke and he kept staring at my tits all. night.” you turned around and laid on your back, “Are you up to anything tonight? I’m bored.”

“No I’m free, I’ll be there in about 20,” he hung up and you pushed yourself off the couch to get yourself unready for the night. This part of your night was your favorite, almost ritualistic when you thought about it.

You were in the middle of brushing through your hair and you heard your doorbell ring. Making your way to the front door you opened it to a smiling Pedro, holding a bottle of your favorite liquor.

“I had some of your favorite so I figured I’d bring it with me,” he stepped in to the door and gave you a peck on the cheek, “Good to see you.”

“You too. I’ll get us some glasses.”

Pedro made his way into your living room, the glow from the pool in your backyard reflecting onto the ceiling, making silver ripples bounce and dance on the wooden beams. You walked out with glasses in hand and Pedro was standing in front of the sliding glass door looking outside at the pool.

“I think we should go for a swim.”

“What about a float swim? I don’t want to get my hair wet,” you said, recalling the labor you just went through to get your hair to its current state.

“What is a float swim?” he chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

“You know...just sit on our floats in the water. No swimming involved,” you said to him, “A float swim.”

“Ah, make sense. I’ll meet you out there.” he scurried to your guest bathroom to get changed.

You made you way into your bedroom to put on your bathing suit. Most of your suits barely covered anything on your body, your ass was out and your breasts peeking out of the sides of the triangle shaped fabric that hardly covered them.

You and Pedro floated around for awhile, sipping on your vodka martinis and laughing about the stories you told each other. Soon you felt too prune-y and figured it was time to get out, plus it was getting a little chilly. As Pedro so lovingly pointed out and joked about your nipples being hard enough to cut glass.

You stepped into the guest bathroom to go pee and hang up your bathing suit, your normal routine since you didn’t have room to hang up your bathing suit in your master bath. Naked and drying yourself off, you heard the door knob move and turned around to see Pedro. He didn’t even realize you were in there until he looked up.

“Oh god, sorry (Y/N), sorry,” he swiftly moved to step back out of the door frame. Slightly embarrassed but not enough to make things awkward, you finished drying yourself off and wrapped your towel around yourself.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t notice the light was on, I should’ve knocked.”

“Pedro,” you walked over to him and placed your hand on his arm, “it's okay. I think we’re bound to see each other naked at some point.”

You’re not really sure why you even said that, the vodka was definitely speaking more so than you thought.

“Sorry, that came out differently than I thought it sounded in my head,” you chuckled nervously, “but seriously, don’t worry.”

Pedro moved closer to you, “So, you want me to see you naked?”

Your cheeks felt hot, you could feel his gaze on you and you tried to avoid eye contact with him.

“Have you thought about me like that, (Y/N)?”

You nodded your head yes. Pedro was inches from your face now, he used his finger to tilt your chin up, your faces nearly touching. You inhaled his scent, his familiar scent. He caressed your cheek with the back of his hand, you leaned into his hand fluttering your eyes closed. Nerves and bubbling excitement coursed through you. Never did you think you’d be in this position with Pedro of all people. You’d thought about him romantically, sure and when you first met him you had a crush on him, but he was taken – so friends it was. But now, it was different.

Pedro came closer to you and kissed your lips. Gentle but with so much passion and want you could hardly contain yourself. You ran your hands along his bare arms, still droplets of water on them from the pool. You laced them into his hair, nudging his head closer to your face. He pulled away and looked into your eyes.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he looked at you intently, “Cause if we do this, I don’t think I’m going to be able to stop.”

You bit your lip and looked into his eyes as you crashed your lips back onto his. He backed up and you both made your way into the kitchen. He grabbed you by your waist and plopped you on top of the counter. The cold ceramic counter against your bare ass make you squeal but you kept your lips locked. Sloppily tonguing at each other, letting saliva coat each other’s lips.

Pedro made his way down towards your collar bones, stopping to lick and suck on the sensitive part of your neck. Giving you goosebumps all along your body. He lowered your towel and exposed your breasts instantly latching his mouth around your nipple. Cupping your breast and kneading it with his calloused hands. You threw your head back letting out small whimpers as he teased the sensitive bud and send waves of pleasure to your core.

Subconsciously spreading your legs to rub your pussy on him, needing even an ounce of friction to ease the pleasurable pain.

“Patience baby girl, I’ll help your little aching pussy soon,” he growled as he continued to suckle on your breasts. You could see his hard on in his swim trunks, you certainly didn’t think Pedro was small but you never thought he was that big. You thought about his thick cock entering you and bit your lip.

“Pedro, please baby,” you begged him, your cunt dripping with wetness. Pedro grabbed your legs and lifted them up, your pussy off the edge of the counter, totally exposed to him and he was aching to devour you.

“So pretty baby, your pussy is so pretty,” he said, looking you in the eye as he licked his tongue from your entrance up to your clit, “Mmm, and you’re so wet for me mama.”

You were practically already about to cum at his words. You mercilessly rubbed and rolled your hips against his tongue as he sucked and lapped at your clit. The wet, obscene sound filling your ears was like music. He slid in two of his fingers into your entrance, you could hear how wet you were and he was fingering you so perfectly you were on the verge of screaming.

He continued at his pace, licking and sucking and fingering you into oblivion, until you couldn’t take it any longer. “I’m gonna cum baby,” you whined to him, gripping his hair.

“Cum in my mouth mama, come on,” he talked you through it and your core contracted around his fingers, the pleasure bursting from your belly. He continued fingering you through your orgasm, “Yeah that’s it baby. Cum for me.”

You breathlessly propped yourself up, ready to please him and aching to have his cock in your mouth. Your lips locked once more as he grabbed you from your ass and led you to the bedroom. Sitting down on your knees on the carpeted floor, you pulled down his swim shorts.

His cock spring out, his head glistening with drops of pre cum that made your mouth water. You puckered your lips onto his tip, swirling your tongue around it before deep throating his length into your mouth. He practically growled as he dropped his head back, shallow breaths escaping his lips every time you bobbed your head up and down.

“Yes (Y/N), your pretty little mouth feels so good,” he said to you, gathering your hair into a ponytail in his hand, “Sucking on my cock so good, my little slut.”

He thrusted his cock into your mouth, drool dropping onto your tits as it spilled from the sides of your mouth. You crept your hand up to cup his balls, Pedro straining to not cum right then and there.

He pulled his cock out of your mouth and you rose up off of your knees, towards the bed.

“Turn around mama,” you obliged and Pedro gently nudged your top half to the mattress. You stuck your ass up and buried your face into your duvet. A sharp smack to your ass made you yelp and Pedro let out a soft hum as he rubbed the reddened area. He ran his tip along your folds, collecting your wetness before plowing himself into you.

Your walls stretched out to accommodate his size, almost painful at first but the pleasure quickly overpowered it as he rolled his hips and stuffed his cock into your pussy.

“Pedro, oh my god baby,” you said to him, gripping the comforter as he plowed into you, hitting your spot perfectly every time.

“Baby, I’m gonna cum. Holy fuck. You feel so good, so big.”

“Cum on my cock princess, I wanna hear you scream.”

Your moans were feral, your walls clenched around his cock. You were seeing stars and you could feel the heat of his seed coating your walls and he smacked and gripped your ass. You lifted the top of your body up, leaning back into his chest. Taking in his scent and feeling his chest heave up and down quickly.

“That was...amazing,” you said to him, thighs shakily trying to keep yourself up.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” he said and sensually kissed your neck, leading his way to your lips and wrapping his arms around your waist as he squeezed you tightly.

[esha-isboogara]

lyrical lies

i am a fuckinf degenerate and i’d like to apologize for how disgusting i have become.this is the longest thing i’ve written in a while..i’ve gone off the deep end if it isn’t clear🤭

here is more rick stuff not one person asked for find it here and here and here and here and here and here

✰let’s be honest rick is his own warning, smut , afab reader, age gap!!, calling him god, a bit of manhandling, a bit of dacro (?), shitty porn trips turned full blown story

“he doesn’t bite..just go ask him”. summer whispered, nudging you towards the garage door.

you shook your head in muted panic. you’d seen how angry her grandpa could get over small things and the last thing you were going to do was set him off over a stupid question.

“why don’t you do it summer ? this was your idea, plus he’s your grandfather”. you shot back.

she looked just as scared as you were. “he’ll totally yell at me if i go in there. he can’t be mad at you, you’re a guest”.

“yeah but what if he does ? i don’t want to get on his bad side”.

summer took hold of your shoulders. “y/n. the quicker we get this done the quicker we can get away from my grandpa and do something more fun”.

the garage door opened suddenly caused you both to jump back in shock.

there he stood , an annoyed look on his face. “i’m right in the middle of something very fucking important- is there a reason the two of you are bickering right in front of my god damn door”?

his piecing gaze was enough to make you want to cry. “i..we need help on a science project mr. sanchez sir”. you managed to say fighting back the urge to turn around and leave.

he cocked his head in amusement, his demeanor softening a bit. it was clear you had played right into his ego for better or for worse.

“that’s it ? why didn’t you just say that come in come in”.

you followed him into the garage the papers clenched in your hands.

“not you summer, you - you forbidden from entering. i know you went through my shit two days ago”. rick said, slamming the door in her face.

if only that had actually been the reason. he couldn’t wait to have sweet,innocent little y/n alone. every since she’d bonded with summer over some college tour bullshit he was obsessed. he needed you and needed you bad, as embarrassing as that was.

“what can i help you with sweetheart”? his voice as sweet as saccharine.

you fidgeted with the papers once more. “well i have this project based around quantum physics and since you’re the smartest person i know i figured you’d be the best person to ask mr. sanchez”.

he couldn’t help but smile at that. he WAS a fucking genius and hearing it out loud always made him puff up in pride.

and she has manners too. this was not going to easy. it’s not that he cared about his granddaughters feelings - quite the opposite. but if summer were to find out how he really saw her friend she’d stop bringing you over. and that would just make things a million times harder for him.

“you’re not wrong, i am the smartest person you’ll probably ever meet. and lucky for you i have something that’ll give your professor a run for their money”.

as he rifled through us cabnets filled to the brim with countless inventions he piped up “and sweetheart”?

you felt yourself melting into his trap. “yes sir”?

“you’re a grown fucking woman right ? you can call me rick”.

—————————————————————————

you were like putty in his hands at this point and he’d be lying if he wasn’t loving every second of this. and it only took 30 minutes. maybe you weren’t as innocent as you acted but he wasn’t complaining.

not when you sat atop his lap so pretty asking- no begging him to please you.

“p-please mr. sanchez” you whined, wrapping your arms around his neck and grinding yourself against his leg. “i want you to touch me , use me please, please mr. sanchez”.

oh god how could he say no to those sweet noises. he’d take you apart right fucking there if he could but alas his family was home and they did not need to catch wind of the things he was doing. he messed with the idea of erasing their memories in his head for a while but figured it would be way too much work in the long run.

“fuuuck. i’ll give you everything you want and more but you have to promise me you’ll shut up. i would hate for your best friend to walk in and see what a slutty mess you’ve become”.

you nodded your head vigorously, happy to finally get some kind of satisfaction. as terrifying as rick was you’d be lying if you said the way he towered over you with such control didn’t turn you on.

“you’re so obedient- smart girl. do me a favor will ya ? get up and lift up that skirt for me , let me see what i’m workin with here”.

you did as you were told, climbing off his lap and giving him a slow twirl.

“good girllll”.

he clenched his hand into a fist. holy shit you were a fine piece of ass. he couldn’t wait to make you his. fuck what summer thought he was going to fuck you so good you’d come back for more.

“fuckk you’re a pretty thing huh ? it’s a wonder you haven’t already been claimed, guess it’s a good thing you came here cause i plan on doin just that”. with those words he was was hovering above you pressing your face down on the metal surface of his work table.

“you look even b-better like this holy shit” he admired from his standing position.

“fu-fuck mr. sanch- rick”. you corrected yourself mid sentence. drool was already starting to pool beside your mouth but you barely noticed with how hot and bothered you were growing.

“mmm that’s a good girl”. he flipped your skirt up. and pulled your panties down to your knees ignoring your small please for him to be gentle.

he smiled- a shit eating grin looking at how soaked your sex was. “you poor thing- i’ve d-denied you much too long haven’t i ? left this perfect pussy empty for weeks? how did you ever survive”?

usually he engaged in a little foreplay only because his partners were so dead set on it. but he was far too eager to do any of that bullshit right now. he’d been waiting for this.

without so much as a warning he thrust himself inside you, a scream leaving your lips.

his hand flew to your mouth covering it word word word

“shhh shh shhh. i know how much you love my cock but you have to stay quiet. got it y/n”?

he removed his palm for a moment to hear you answer.

you don’t answer though. you’re a babbling drooling mess already. the feeling of his cock filling you up and stretching your walls felt like heaven.

“you’re my god rick - please decide what to do with me and treat me like your slave. you control all my actions i’m nothing but your stupid worldly servant to fill with seed when you please”.

he was a bit taken aback as that comment seemed to come out of nowhere. when it sank in it gave him even more of a reason to keep you to himself.

if he wasn’t carful he’d be giving beth a new little sibling. but oh fuck- she looked and sounded so perfect begging for him.

“fuck yeah i am your god ! i’m a god among men and you’re my mortal pet i can use as i please”.

the whine that escaped her throat was almost pornagraphic. it was hard to keep your composure under the circumstances.

“good pet”.

[universitypenguin]

The Princess and the Lawyer - Part I

Summary: Lloyd catches you crying at work.

Word Count: 3,045

Warnings: Suggestive content, inappropriate for minors but no outright explicit writing. (18+ readers only. No minors.) Foul language, references to criminal activity, internal angst from the reader. Mentions of virginity. Implied cheating by the reader’s ex-boyfriend.

My Masterlist

Part I

“Why are you crying?”

You wiped away the tears and turned so the man darkening your door couldn’t see your wet cheeks.

“I’m not.”

Your ragged breath and trembling voice said otherwise.

Lloyd Hansen strode into your office and came around the desk. He propped himself on the edge, crossed his ankles and reclined back, studying you from his towering height. He shoved his hands in his pockets and regarded your poorly concealed distress.

“Bullshit.”

You sniffed to push back the tears that had drained into your sinuses and searched a drawer for more tissues. From the corner of your eye, you saw Lloyd glance into the wastebasket. It was overflowing, since you’d spent the last fifteen minutes filling it with half a box of Kleenex. Lloyd reached into his breast pocket and held out a fresh tissue.

“Here.”

You took it with a mumbled thanks.

“What’s wrong, princess?”

You shook your head.

“It’s not any one thing. It’s just a bunch of stuff all bottled up, and it happened to all come pouring out… right now.”

You wiped your nose and tried to smile.

It didn’t persuade Lloyd. He crossed his arms over a well-built chest.

“Is Weston giving you trouble again?”

“No, no.”

At the mention of your supervisor’s name, you couldn’t help but scrunch your nose.

“I overheard him giving you grief about the Collins report an hour ago. You’ve got to speak up, Princess. The bastard has been walking all over you.”

“I finished the Collins report early.”

Lloyd’s eyebrows went up.

“Because Weston has been riding you for it?”

“No. The security company sent me their report this morning, so I finished it. When Weston hassled me, I told him he was out of line and I’d send him a copy of the report as soon as you approved it.”

A deep chuckle sounded from Lloyd’s chest. He let his head fall back and snickered, likely imagining the expression on Weston Tafferty’s turtle-like face.

“Atta girl, princess. You did good. I guess I owe you a drink now, don’t I?”

You perked up at the reminder of the drink Lloyd had promised you, as a reward once you put Weston in his place.

“I could use one tonight.”

“Come on, let’s grab that cocktail over dinner. I’m starving.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Weston Tafferty was a gaslighting jerk. His style of communication differed from anyone you’d ever worked with before. He suggested, implied, and always left you guessing what he really meant. You were used to people who were direct. It was why you’d clicked with Lloyd, though at first you had despised him.

Lloyd despised Weston with a passion. He’d run the man off on his second day in the office and hadn’t dealt with him since. You weren’t as lucky. Though you worked with Lloyd almost exclusively as a research assistant for Bishop & Howard, you were under the authority of the paralegal team. Weston had joined the firm as lead paralegal six weeks ago and begun his insidious campaign to drive you insane within days.

It was as if he resented your assignment as Lloyd’s personal researcher and needed to bring you to heel. Lloyd had dismissed Weston immediately. He figured the matter was closed until this month, when he’d walked in on Weston upbraiding you for skipping a paralegal team meeting. It had been humiliating and then disastrous when Lloyd had gotten in Weston’s face and took the matter to Mr. Bishop himself.

Bluntness, thy name is Lloyd Hansen.

You’d ended up in the corner office with the firm’s senior partner for half an hour, explaining the problem. The problem, as Bishop had summed it up, was: Weston is squirrelly and interfering. Because of his micromanagement, you can’t do your job, which pisses off Lloyd. Nobody liked it when Lloyd was in a bad mood.

He was the head of the investigative wing of Bishop & Howard. Underneath him was a team of three lawyers and, by technicality, you. Lloyd had joined the firm just before you had begun your internship there almost four years ago. Completing an internship was a degree requirement for your criminal justice program. You’d clashed with Lloyd, then learned he wasn’t as awful as he seemed in your first impressions of him. He respected your work and rewarded it by stealing you away from your internship and training you to be his personal research assistant. You loved the variety of investigations. Everything from insurance fraud in an art theft to preparations for murder trials and divorce cases had come across your desk.

You’d become the office’s ‘Lloyd whisperer’ for your ability to tame the sharp tongued beast. When Bishop had offered you a job after graduation, it surprised no one.

He came to the firm with a shadow hanging over his head. The Princeton pedigree, followed by a stint at King’s College, was blacked out by his involvement in a major European scandal. He’d practiced corporate law on the continent after leaving ‘government work.’ You had never found out what kind of government work he’d done, but rumor had it he’d been in the CIA. The news article on his trial in France for unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, and witness intimidation had corroborated those claims.

During your internship, Lloyd’s reputation had been horrid. His snarl was already a legend in the office by the time you’d gone toe to toe with him. But somehow he’d become your best friend. You realized he felt genuine remorse for his actions in Europe and could see the effort he was putting into the second chance Mr. Bishop had given him.

Did he have rough edges? Yes. Were his people skills lacking? Also, yes. But his issue wasn’t a lack of emotion. He had feelings. It was in expressing them he was handicapped. The second thing you realized was that he was alone. No friends, no family, not even a pet. His ugly reputation followed him everywhere, and it disturbed you to see how unkind people could be. They judged him before they met him.

Those remarks were illuminating because of how they affected Lloyd. His eyes would drop. He’d struggle with eye contact, but make it anyway, holding his ground. The set of his broad shoulders might have gone stiff, and his jaw would clench, but he showed shame more than anything. He never spoke about the incident with you.

It wasn’t something he needed to discuss. You accepted the hard man for who he was and then came to love him for it. Three years had gone by from internship to employment, and then turned into an uncomplicated friendship. You loved being the one who could snap Lloyd out of his dark moods. He barked at other members of the staff, glared, seethed with bitter sarcasm, but he’d unwind for you.

A crazy side of you - one that you would often beat back - longed to bridge the gap. You wanted to help him grow back the damaged parts of his heart. The man was an iceberg. Even three years of knowing him hadn’t revealed everything you wanted to uncover. But of course, you were sane. You knew your limits.

Fixing Lloyd Hansen’s level of brokenness was above your ability.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“The way you react to him is just weird. If I spoke to you like he did, you’d hang me out the fourth-floor window by my toenails.”

You sloshed the wine in your glass, watching it swirl.

“I don’t want to talk about Weston anymore.”

“We’re not talking about Weston,” Lloyd said. “We’re talking about you. You’ve been acting weird.”

“He’s a whole other category of asshole, okay? I’ve never come across a specimen quite like him before. And I hope I never do again. The world couldn’t handle two Weston Tafferties.”

“Don’t even bring it up while I have a full stomach, Princess.”

You laughed. “Fair.”

Lloyd sipped his whiskey and eyed you over the rim of his glass. He sat opposite you, in a horse-shoe shaped booth against the east wall of the Chinese restaurant. It was a place you frequented together to celebrate finished cases and blow off steam before the weekend. Song-Li, the restaurant’s host, noticed Hansen and approached your table with a wide smile. The men exchanged greetings in Mandarin and spoke rapid fire as you settled back to listen.

Lloyd was doing better at making friends. He’d mentioned reconnecting with some of his old government friends in the area, which had worried you at first. The concern he might leave Bishop & Howard made you anxious. Instead, he went out to brunch and played golf. It was ridiculous how happy you were that Lloyd was playing golf with a bunch of ex-military men. His friends occasionally stopped by the office, sporting regulation haircuts and uneven tans on their hands. This also made you feel giddy. Lloyd had friends and a hobby. You were expecting a pet in the future, maybe even this year.

“Are you tired?”

The question took you by surprise. “No, I’m alright.”

Lloyd’s eyes narrowed. Song-Li was back at his podium, handing menus to a couple. You wondered how long you’d been off in your own world.

“Why were you crying? What’s going on with you, Princess?”

His question made you recoil, sinking into the vinyl upholstery. The inquiry turned your mind from the safe, happy thoughts of Lloyd adopting a dog to your issues. He scooted closer to your side of the horseshoe booth.

“Look, I’m sorry about-” you waved your hand in reference to the crying incident, but didn’t know what to call it. “It was unprofessional.”

“Did I say that?”

“No. But crying women aren’t exactly your forte.”

“Are they any man’s?”

You choked out a laugh. “Touché.”

“Answer the question. What the fuck happened, Princess? Don’t say ‘nothing.’ I know you. You don’t cry over nothing.”

“I… uh…”

Your breathing accelerated as emotions bubbled up again. You buried your head in your hands.

“Is it your family? Your parents? Are you sick?”

“No, nothing like that… it's personal. Not family. But, uh-,”

“Don’t tell me you were crying because the fuck boy. What, he broke it off? That’s why you were crying?! Princess…”

Lloyd’s eyes shot blue sparks, but it was the disappointment in his voice that stung. How he’d phrased the comment added insult to injury. You snapped at him.

“He wasn’t a fuck boy! He was nice, and we were dating.”

“That guy wanted one thing and one thing only. Trust me.”

Humiliation made your cheeks burn.

“Lloyd, shut up. He’s moving to Saudi Arabia. Neither of us wanted to do the long distance thing, so we called it.”

There was no answer. You peeked up through your lashes to check his reaction and found his expression was murderous. But he wasn’t looking at you. His gaze was fixed over the top of your head on the door. Following his line of sight, you gasped.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Aiden LeDoux stood in the foyer, a pack of his friends crowded around him. You could recognize a couple of them, but most of the faces were unfamiliar. A petite blonde tugged on Aiden’s shoulder. He bent down so she could speak into his ear. Reasonable, since the chattering of the restaurant patrons was a dull roar. But something in the casual way she touched him triggered a female instinct that had your heart dropping to the pit of your stomach. The savory after taste of orange chicken turned sour in your mouth.

Aiden had been playing you.

A warm hand grasped your arm. The seat cushions sank, tilting you to the side, as Lloyd moved around the center of the curved booth. He settled beside you, so close his body brushed against yours. His hand stroked the length of your upper arm, starting from your elbow up to your shoulder. You turned away from the disturbing sight to stare at the back wall.

“Well, fuck me.”

The epithet was befitting and ironic at the same time.

You giggled, and it triggered an avalanche. Your shoulders shook. Giggles dissolved into peels of laughter as tension crumbled into flippancy.

Aiden had fucked you over.

Except he hadn’t fucked you, which was the problem.

At twenty-three years old, you were a certified virgin. It sucked. Aiden had been your carefully selected partner to help you remedy that status. If he’d taken care of your problem last week, tonight wouldn’t feel like such a crushing blow. You would be initiated into the world of sex and the uncomfortable challenge of losing your V-card forever in the rearview. Now, you were stuck. There were no new candidates on the horizon to help you with this stubborn little issue.

You were going to die a virgin.

“Settle down,” Lloyd said. “He didn’t see us.”

Your hands clenched into fists. “This is perfect. He was probably doing her the whole time.”

Maybe that was why he’d skipped out early on your date last week. The blonde girl was waiting on him.

“Come here.”

Lloyd curled his arm around your shoulders and drew you against his side. You leaned into the embrace and sighed.

His display of affection wasn’t entirely unexpected. He was getting better at the physical aspect of emotional expression, if not the verbal component. You sank further into his chest and out of Aiden’s sight.

“What do you think?”

“He’s a douche. Don’t spare him the time of day.”

“Not him, the blonde. Did you see them? They looked way too comfortable.”

“Maybe she’s his ex or something.”

“That’s pretty familiar for an ex.”

“Look at us right now. Would you buy that we’re just friends?”

You shifted your weight, tucking yourself closer to Lloyd’s muscular chest. He was warm and you were chilled. The air conditioning was cranked up to the maximum in the small room. It didn’t help that you were also processing the shock of Aiden’s betrayal. Lloyd rubbed your arm, his body molding itself against yours.

“Princess, don’t look now, but he just sat down at a table. Your eight o’ clock position.”

You stiffened.

“Shhh… It’s okay. Don’t worry about him.”

“Worry? I’d like to slap him.”

“For not inviting you to his going away party?”

You glanced over and saw Aiden accepting a red gift bag with sparkly tissue paper from the blonde.

“So, he breaks up with me, then parties with his friends and his ex. My taste in men is fantastic.”

Your wine glass was empty. The tumbler of amber liquid Lloyd had ordered sat by his elbow. You reached across the table and swiped it.

“Hey!”

“I need this.”

You tossed back the drink, gritting your teeth at the burn, and coughed.

“Whoa. Slow down.”

Lloyd patted your back to soothe your coughing fit.

“Trust me, that stuff isn’t your speed.”

“It’s exactly my speed tonight. Excuse me?”

You flagged down a passing waiter and asked for a refill. Lloyd sighed.

“Is he worth all this?”

“What do you mean? I’m upset. He’s taking off to the end of the earth and I didn’t even get to…”

You broke off and clamped your lips together, holding back the rest. Lloyd was your closest friend, but he was also a man. He wasn’t who you chatted about sex with.

“You deserve better than a selfish prick. I knew he was trash when he showed up late to your first date.”

The waiter brought your drink. You picked up the glass and stared into it as if it were a crystal ball. Maybe if you focused your energy on it hard enough, it would show you your future. Would you die a virgin? Or perhaps there was a man out there, somewhere, who you could trust to complete the deed.

“Fuck boy just spotted us. The look on his face is priceless.”

Your head turned, but Lloyd placed his hand on your chin. His fingers curled around your jaw and controlled the movement before you could look.

“Ignore him. Focus on me.”

The buzz from your first drink was starting to hit. You picked up the fresh glass and took a small sip, cautious of the burn. When you were done, Lloyd took it from you and tossed back most of the liquid.

“That was rude. Loosen up - I’m over age.”

“Duly noted. When you wake up tomorrow without a massive hangover, you can thank me.”

Liquor was really starting to hit now. You sank into Lloyd’s side and examined the half full glass with a frown.

“This stuff tastes nasty. They should give bigger portions though.”

“No, they definitely shouldn’t.”

You didn’t want your pleasant buzz to fade so you forced down the rest. Lloyd turned, and pretending to adjust his hold on you, glanced left, to where Aiden sat. A gentle pressure from his hand on your back urged you closer. In your buzzed state, you eagerly took the invitation and tangled your arms around his neck.

“What cologne do you use? It smells amazing.”

He chuckled. “Does it? C’mere, take a whiff.”

You nuzzled his throat and breathed deeply. His hand stroked down to your hips. Lloyd tugged you a few inches closer. Your knee bumped the table stand and you winced.

“Sorry, Princess.”

He reached down, scooped up both your legs in one arm, and hauled them into his lap. You slid forward on the vinyl. The movement brought the backs of your thighs flush with the top of his. Your knees dangled in the space between his splayed legs. He curled his right arm around your shoulders and kissed your forehead.

“Comfy?”

You tilted your head back and grinned up at him. The effect of the alcohol surged in your blood, even more potent when combined with the drugging pleasure of his affection.

“Mmmhmm. You’re a really good cuddler.”

Lloyd smirked as your head lolled against his shoulder in a drunken state of relaxation.

“Y/N… uh, hey, I thought I saw you over here.”

Your eyes lifted to meet Aiden LeDoux’s unhappy stare. His lips compressed into a flat line and he regarded the man you were snuggling with suspicion.

“Who’s this?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Next - Part Two

[my-name-is-jefferooni]

Have you ever even heard of…

BECAUSE OH MY GOD SEARCH FOR THE LOST IS SUCH AN UNDERRATED GEM OF A FAN-MADE SONIC SHOW

Okay, allow me to give you some additional context before just bombarding you with all the many reasons why you need to watch this show.

Search for the Lost is a fan-made production created by Creative Planet Entertainment on YouTube. This shit has been around for 6 whole years, and it is such a good show! Made entirely out of g-mod screenshots/screen recordings and Sonic gameplay, Search for the Lost is a show about Silver the Hedgehog and his friends figuring out what Melhiles of all people is doing back in action, and why the fuck he’s working with Eggman of all people. Also, why is Infinite back… AND WHAT’S ALL THIS TALK ABOUT A PROPHECY!?

OH AND BLAZE IS HERE TOO!?!?

AND THERE’S THIS NEW GUY CALLED FORGE WHO IS LITERALLY THE BEST IN THE ENTIRE SHOW HANDS DOWN 100000P0/10 BEST BOI BEST ROBO BUDDY EVER HE’S SUCH AN IDIOT AND SUCH A HILARIOUS GUY HE’S LIKE THE ONLY ONE WHO MAKES GOOD JOKES HE IS LITERALLY THE BEST EVER I LOVE FORGE

Aight lemme just give a quick spoiler-free explanation about Forge because I know yall are looking at this like “Who tf is Forge?? Some kinda fan character or something??” Because… Yeah, he is a fan character, BUT A VERY GOOD ONE AND HIS DYNAMICS WITH EVERYONE WORK LIKE A CHARM I TELL YOU HE IS NOT JUST SOME RANDOM SONIC RECOLOR.

Cuz he’s a Metal Sonic recolor! 🤩 Haha, well to be fair, they literally call out Sonic recolors in the show with this fact. It’s in Forge’s story! Basically, Forge once worked with Silver in his bad timeline in Crisis City, but the ashes and the chemicals were too much for his small little itty bitty bird lungs. So, to keep himself from slowing everybody down, he managed to shove his consciousness into an old Metal Sonic model. A black-and-yellow one, kinda like the one from Archie except a lot less like Sonic personality-wise and a lot more like Sonic visually. With all these new robotic upgrades, Forge became a force to be reckoned with, and became one of Silver’s bestest friends after the whole Iblis thing. Oh, and he ships Silvaze like it’s nobody’s business, so that obviously gets an A+ from me lmao

I may have gotten carried away with that explanation and maybe there’s some spoilers in there but it’s late and I’m sleepy so you’ll only know if you watch the show~! ✨🙂

Seriously tho. This show is very underrated. I’ve been keeping tabs on it for years now, ever since episode 5 came out! Trust me, that’s a long time. They have their plates full when it comes to personal things and it’s a big project so episodes come out after a long time in production.

There are only 7 episodes so far, but each episode is jam-packed full of lore and giving us more questions on top of every answer! It brings back characters we haven’t seen for a long while, and it always provides a reasonable explanation as to why some of them have been gone and why some just like. Cut contact or something. There’s characters from previous games, from Sonic X, from Archie, from IDW, BRO WE GOT GAMMA IN HERE BAYBEEEEE IF THAT AINT FREE REAL ESTATE IDK WHAT IS.

AND DON’T FORGET HEAVY AND BOMB FROM KNUCKLES CHAOTIX. PLEASE. PLEASE DON’T FORGET ABOUT THEM THEY’RE HERE TOO AND THEY’RE LOVELY

So. Please. Please just watch this show. Please look at all the additional content with Forge on their channel too, it’s fucking hilarious! Just… I wanna talk to someone about this show who isn’t just my lil bro. Like I love getting to bombard him with bullshit about characters he’s never even heard about until watching this show but I gotta know I’m not the only one. Please. These people are working so hard on Search for the Lost and I’d really appreciate if you even saw just one or two episodes. The story is very intriguing, the characters are all so well-written, TEAM DARK IS THERE, FORGE GETS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION, so I say it’s all totally worth it!

[iheartmomochi]

Dear Vocalist Momochi A•CHI•KO•CHI ＼No Limit!!!／ translation

Important: i DID NOT make this translation. I commissioned currytantou on twitter (an entire month ago LOL), so all credit goes to them! I 10000% recommend you also commission them if you want a jpn -> eng translation!! And please do not repost this translation anywhere or use it for re-translations into another language.

You can listen to the cd here

0:04

[closes door] Ahhh, just cramming the luggages and it tires me already. It doesn’t make sense how I have to drive now. Ugh. I should have hired a mover to carry all this stuff. In the first place, why do I have to keep costumes at the office? If there’s no space to store them, just add a new building or something. It’s not like they don’t have the money.

Anyway, the interior of this car really sucks! Wood paneling?! Seriously, why did he buy this of all cars? I’d definitely refuse it if he offered it to me even for free. Way too lame. Well, not that it matters. It’s not like I’m gonna get in this car anymore after this. Actually, how do I start the engine? Where’s the key?

1:10

Huh? Of course I have a license. I just didn’t tell you about it. Well, I’ve only driven twice since I got the license though...Besides, I can survive in the Tokyo metropolitan area without driving. Actually, it’s a bother to have a car. What is this button? Ah, it’s on. Geez, what’s the deal? Nobody needs cars to be so high tech. Why can’t it just be like those cars at driving school? Just use a key and we’re all set. We’ll go now- ..oh right. Gotta set the navigation. I have it but it’s a hassle so can you set it up? You remember my home address, don’t yo- Ah.

2:08

Ahem. If so, then what? It’s fine. Just a slight scrape on the mirror won’t affect the driving. It’s their fault for parking next to a pillar. Put that aside, hurry up with the gps! I told you to set it up, right? Figure it out by the time we come out of this basement parking.

2:45

[beeps] Tch, so noisy. I just gotta turn right next. I know that much. [beeps] Ugh!! That red car keeps tailgating us, right? Stop bullshitting me. Now I can’t enter the right lane! Whatever. I’m going straight. [beeps] Shut up. Why don’t you drive, then? It’s not like we’re in a rush anyway. Can you not complain just because we’re taking the longer way? Ughh. How irritating. Oh. We can just enter that family restaurant. We’re taking a break. A break. [horns from other cars] Huh???! Shut it!! You don’t have to horn that loud. I can hear it just fine!

3:46

Ughhh. Huh? I just need drinks. If you wanna eat, just go ahead. Anyway, will you bring me anything to drink? I’m tired from driving. No way I can move even one step from this seat. Whatever works. Ah, but not that lemon squash from earlier. The one at this place tastes so awful. Also not coffee or tea. I’m not in the mood now. Also, don’t add any ice. It’s so inconvenient anyway. (sighs) I still gotta drive after this. It’s unthinkable we’re not even halfway to home. I’m so fed up, seriously. Ahhh! I wanna go home soon!

4:55

Tch. How long do you think I waited? You’re too slow. Come on, let’s go. Huh? Where else? Obviously back home. We’ll grab a taxi somewhere. The car? Just leave it here. I’ll just make up some random excuse and have one of the members pick it up. I can just ask them to carry the luggages while they’re at it too. I see. Then stay here by yourself. If you’re that concerned about the car.

5:48

[car slows down] Hm, I’m gonna read out the address so can you insert it in the navigation? Yes, please do- Ugh! Hey, what are you doing? You’re gonna get those hands caught! Ehehe! Sorry about that. Seems like this girl is a little drunk...Hey, what are you crying for?! Stop it! Uhh, I’ll get off for now. I’m really sorry, after I made you stop the car! Alright. [car leaves]

6:32

(sighs) Hey. Stop your bullshit. The driver gave me a weird look! Seriously, what were you thinking? Not only you wrench opened the door I’m about to shut, you even cried out loud! Nobody knows who’s watching us on this high traffic road. You’re seriously unbelievable. Come over here!

Looks like nobody’s around here. Hey, will you get over it? I’m already irritated enough..! Huh? It hurts? You got those grass as a cushion, so isn’t that fine? Or maybe I should’ve pushed you against that wall? Huh? Roses? Ahh, the thorns hurt you. I see. Huhhh..! Haha! I know, and that’s why I did it. Nggh...! Feel more pain! There! There!

8:07

Hm? Are you gonna cry again? Even when everything is your fault? I really don’t get it. Hm? Your neck is bleeding. Did a thorn pierce you? [sucks] Hey, what are you doing? It’s teared up because you moved unnecessarily. I was being kind enough, because that cloth looks new. But I guess it’s too late. You fell down the grass and you already got yourself dirty earlier. I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore. This cloth..! (tears) Ahhh, it tore up more than I thought it would. Now you’re gonna be full of scars, no? Hehe! But what can I do? Because everything is your fault..!

9:20

Haha! Feel more pain! I’ll ruin you even more while we’re at it! You have such a pathetic look right now. But that makes me feel a little better. Depending on how you behave, I might feel like driving again. Actually, isn’t it going to be inconvenient for you if I don’t drive? How are you coming home when you’re like this? Your clothes are all torn. Your makeup, hair - all messed up. You probably can’t even catch a taxi so that means you have to rely on me, don’t you agree? So, there’s only one thing that you can do. Do your best and put me in a good mood. I told you before, remember? That I’m the only one who can love a miserable girl like you. Don’t ever forget that. Your answer? Don’t tell me you already forgot. If you get it then be desperate and behave in my favor. If you don’t want to be abandoned. Okay? (kisses)

[canumoveurseatup-no]

It’s Time

summary: it’s hard to accept the truth

pairings : eddie x Sinclair!reader

warnings: angst, grief, in denial about death, breaking down

a/n: I don’t know if anyone did this concept for Eddie already but if they did I’m not trying to copy anyone!🤍

————

“Hey, Y/N are you coming to Steve’s tonight?,” Dustin asked. Everyone has been tiptoeing around you since you all defeated Vecna and you’re not sure why. Sure some lives were lost but you still have Eddie and your little siblings and that’s what matters most.

“Uuuh I don’t think so, I have some studying to do,” you give the freshman a smile, even with you smiling, Dustin looked at you like he had something to say, “I’ll catch you all at lunch though, okay?”

“Yeah!” He gave a weak smile and turned to walk over to his friends, seeing your younger brother.

“How is she able to smile?,”

“I don’t know, but I’ll take it as long as she’s okay. She doesn’t talk about that night,” Lucas shrugged, “Literally the next day she woke up happy as ever asking Erica if they wanted to go on a shopping date,”

“We all wear grief differently,” Max added in, “I drowned myself in music and isolation. At least she’s trying to move forward and remain normal,”

Dustin frowned, knowing the pain you’re avoiding. He knows it’s going to build up and he doesn’t want that for you. Dustin hasn’t been able to sleep well since that night and everyone has just been able to move forward. He knows issues with the upside down have been a reoccurring issue, but something about this time around just stuck with him and no one else understands because they’re in such a rush to move on and live normal lives.

“Avoiding grief isn’t normal,”

———

“Baby why don’t we go spend time with your friends?,” Eddie questioned. Mindlessly strumming his guitar, admiring the little frown you have on your face from focusing, “you’ve been studying super hard with no free time,”

“The only free time I need is with you,” looking up at him and smiling, “I almost lost you that night,”

“You almost lost all of us,” Eddie corrected.

“Yeah but you’re the one I plan on spending the rest of my life with so that night solidified it that I need to be with you more, especially after your name was cleared,”

“Thank God,” he huffed, setting his guitar back on the wall to come over to you, towering over you to give you a kiss on your cheek, “orange isn’t my color and I don’t think I’d be able to survive not being with you all the time,”

“It’s okay, I’d break you out,” you giggle and just stare at him. He looks much more tired than usual, everyone does but Eddie has been through a lot. Being blamed for murder, being in the run being attacked in the Upside Down and having to heal from that.

“Cmon, let’s stop studying for tonight and go be with your friends,” he helped you stand up but you wrapped your arms around him bringing him down for a kiss.

“How about we just stay in and talk about our plans to leave this hellhole,”

Eddie just smiled at you and you both got ready for bed, once you are, you’re wrapped in his arms and feel so safe.

“I’m thinking we should just go to California like you said before,” you started, right before all this Vecna bullshit you Eddie was actually starting to get the attention of record label executives and had many offers, he just couldn’t figure out which deal to go for, then shit hit the fan.

But everything is fine now.

“Why the change of heart?”

“I think we’ll just thrive better there. You have your music, I’ll graduate with my cosmetology license so I don’t have to go to college. We could be big out there, Eddie!” You signed dreamily.

“Eddie and Y/N Munson. We could be big names in a big city,” you added. Eddie squeezed you tighter as you dreamed about your near future together.

“California it is. You sure you’re going to be able to leave this place behind? Your home?”

“Home is wherever you are, Eddie”

———

Eddie had some deals to make and told you he’d meet you at school. When you pull up, Lucas wastes no time jumping out of the car to be with his friends and Erica jumped out walking over to her friends over at the middle school. Nancy pulled up beside you to drop Mike off and waved happily when she saw you. She hasn’t seen you in a few days because you lock yourself away studying and spending time with Eddie.

You quickly get out of your car and get to her. She gets out and gives you a big hug, “I’ve missed you!” She squeals.

“I miss you too! Sorry I’ve been busy studying for my cosmetology license so it’s been time consuming,”

She smiles and nods, happy that you’re at least keeping up with your grades in the midst of grief.

“They’re going to do a moment of silence for Chrissy today,” you let her know. She knows Chrissy was your best friend and she knows what it’s like to lose a best friend, so she empathizes, “It’s been a month since she’s passed”

“I’m glad they’re doing that for her, I’ve seen the vigils for all those who were lost during that time. You let me know if you need anything okay? Any of us, we’re here,”

“I know, Nance and I love you guys for it. I’ll meet up with you guys after school,”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you later,”

You two say your goodbyes and Nancy goes over to meet with Jonathan as you head into school, waving to your brother’s friends who you have adopted as little siblings as well. Will and El are back so it’s good to see them finally have a normal life and school year.

You meet up with Robin as you two have lockers right beside each other. She sees you in your cheerleading uniform, white cardigan with a button that has Chrissy’s face on it. She doesn’t want to bring it up, she knows you’re hurting.

“Hey, how you holding up?,” She asks quietly. While you have been moving through life normally, you still haven’t really been chatting much.

“I’m okay!! How are you?” You question, she looks exhausted, you all are. The school year ends in a few months so it’s crunch time.

“Classes are kicking my ass but I’m hanging in there. We miss you, we’re going to Lover’s Lake after school for a bonfire if you’d like to come,”

You weigh your options, not knowing if you want to stay in with Eddie or go with them. You figured you’d take Eddie’s advice and hang out with your friends, he’d probably just go over Rick’s.

“I know the lake is still a sore spot but we figured we could give it a new history,” she adds.

“Y-yeah,” you send a soft smile, “I’ll be there after I stop by to see Chrissy’s family. We’re having a memorial for her,”

“That’s so sweet,” Robin gives you a hug and takes a deep breath, it seems like she needed this hug more than you did, “Be safe and we’ll see you later okay? We’ll be at the lake at 6:30,”

“I’ll be there,”

———

By the time lunch came you were finally able to see Eddie. You did tell Jonathan in third hour that you were going to sit with them at lunch but you hadn’t seen Eddie since this morning. So, you took your lunch box and walked out to the clearing with the picnic table and he was sitting there, smiling at you.

You’d never forget that smile, nor get sick of it.

“Hey there, handsome,” you say softly as you walk closer.

“Hey, sweets,” his big brown eyes looked at you like you hand painted all the stars in the universe.

“I packed your favorite,” you sat down and opened your lunchbox handing him a bologna sandwich with pickles, mustard and pepper Jack cheese. He thanks you and waits for you to get all of your lunch out before eating, he always waited for you to start eating before he did.

“Chrissy’s memorial is tonight,” you tell him.

“Yeah I heard. I don’t know if I should go. Even though my name is cleared I feel awful,”

“It’s okay, baby. It’s something small so don’t feel pressured, okay?” You reached over to squeeze his hands to comfort him, this entire situation has been traumatizing for everyone but especially Eddie.

“Robin also invited us down to Lover’s Lake if you wanna come but I know you probably have some deals to make, it’s a Friday night,”

“Yeah me and Rick have a party to deal to so it might take a while,”

“Don’t worry if you can’t make it. I don’t think I’m gonna stay long anyway,”

“Yeah I’ll probably get up with Steve and tell him I can’t make it,”

A comfortable silence fell between you two as the both of you ate. You were the first to finish, you hadn’t eaten breakfast this morning because you overslept. Eddie’s arms are just too comfortable, so it’s safe to say you were hungry.

“I love you,” you let him know. Adoring his smile lines, his frizzy hair, his hands, everything about him. You wear your favorite ring of his 24/7. It was the skull one, you always played with his hands and that’s the ring you gravitated to.

“I love you more,” he stared at you with this longing, like he missed you and never wanted to let go.

The two of you sat and talked for the remainder of lunch. Cracking jokes and talking about movies and conspiracy theories. It was always fun like this, until the bell rang.

“Ugh, booooo,” you huff packing up your belongings and trash from lunch.

“It’s okay, we’re done with classes soon so it’s okay,”

“Yeah yeah” you pout. He kisses your poked out lip, pushing it back to its normal position and smiles against your lip.

“You’re just too cute. I’ll see you at the memorial okay?”

“You’re coming?!” You smile brightly. You know Chrissy would want him there.

“Of course. For you and for her,”

———

The memorial was emotional as expected. No one batted an eye that Eddie was there and that was a relief to both of you. You had talked to Chrissy’s mom, even though she wasn’t the best mother, that was still her daughter that is no longer here. Your cheer team performed a routine in Chrissy’s honor and the basketball team was there too. It was a short gathering, you were glad you two went.

You miss Chrissy more than words can describe. You can’t take anymore loss.

“All right, sweets. I gotta go meet Rick okay?,” he helps you get in your car and gives you a soft kiss before whispering “I’ll see ya later. I’ll even bring you a surprise,”

“Well now I can’t wait,” you laughed. You sat and made sure he got in his car okay and then you both went your different ways, honking at each other and waving as you two went opposite directions.

You went home and had dinner with your family. You were quiet, still emotional after the memorial.

“You okay, Y/N? You’ve been very quiet lately,”

“Yeah dad, just… I lost my best friend a month ago today. Still fresh,” you mutter.

Lucas and Erica make eye contact that you don’t notice. Talking without using their mouths, they understood there’s more going on that you’re not talking about and they’re trying to be patient with you.

“We’re having a gathering at Lover’s Lake. I can take the kids to hang with their friends. We’ll be home by 9,”

“9?!” Lucas exasperates

“It’s a Friday, Y/N!,” Erica rolls her eyes.

“Well I’ll be leaving at 8:45. I don’t want to stay out all night,”

“Yeah cause all you’ll do is sulk in your room about-,”

“Lucas!” Your mom reacts, wide eyes and glaring at your brother.

“It’s fine,” you tell her shaking your head. You’re not even hungry anymore, “Be ready by 6:15 if you guys are going,”

———

You couldn’t really enjoy the night without Eddie there. You were hoping he was safe and not getting in any fights or robbed since he’s making deals tonight. You just want him by your side so you know he’s safe.

“Earth to Y/N!” Steve shouts. You’ve been doing that a lot lately and they never mention it, but best believe they notice it. Before all of this went down, you didn’t zone out like that. They know zoning out here and there is normal, but it’s a constant state of mind for you when you’re around them.

“Yeah?” You snap out of it and look to see him across from you. Once you’re brought back to focus, you can feel the heat of the fire on your face, you can hear the wind rustling the leaves, you can hear the water rippling, you can feel them staring at you with concern.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do after we graduate?,”

“Going to California,” you deadpan. There was no doubt in your mind about it.

“California?,” Robin screeches, “When the hell were you going to tell us?”

“I just decided it,” you shrugged, “Eddie always talks about going there and making it big. So I’m going to try and make it big,”

All of their eyes soften at your words and you don’t know why.

“You can make it big here,” Mike adds.

“I’d crash and burn if I stayed here,” you answer. Sulking once again. Thinking about all of those who were unfortunate, unsuspecting victims to the dark secrets of Hawkins. You don’t want to stay here anymore. You need to move out and move on. It’s time.

“But family is here,” Erica said. Sure she was a little brat but she’d miss you if you left, because she knows if you did… you’d never come back.

“Pain.. is here,” you looked to her and take a sip of your drink, getting up and walking to the edge of the lake, staring out at the moonlit water. Your mind flashed to that night. You, Eddie, Nancy, Steve and Robin diving in through the gate, you all fought tooth and nail to get out, fighting against the creatures that lived there, even through the final battle.

A shiver runs down your back at that thought. You all made it out but at what cost? Now you barely sleep, barely eat, barely talk. All of this left a stain on your soul and it won’t come off, it’ll be there forever.

That ache will never leave.

———

For the next few days you avoid the others. You haven’t been wanting to hangout, you’ve been staying at home, locking yourself away from your siblings in your room, making the plans for California with Eddie.

It’s been a week since you’ve talked to any of them. Avoiding them in the halls, at lunch, after school- you haven’t even muttered a word to Lucas or Erica, they were more worried now than ever.

Nancy and Robin always tried to invite you out to the movie or out for milkshakes but you always declined. Dustin always tried to come to you about science things and what not but you’d just tell him you’d catch him later. Max would try to tell you she was there and she understands the pain of losing someone and to not shut yourself away.

You’re not shutting yourself away though, you’re just focusing on yourself and your relationship. Mike and Will always tried to get you to join them at Hellfire Club but you denied them that satisfaction, leaving that to be Eddie’s thing, you never did understand D&D much so you gave up a while ago. El would come to you about girly things but you wouldn’t engage much. Steve and Jonathan always invited you to smoke but you didn’t have time for that- you had plans to make.

So it’s been a week of torture for them. You ignoring them and when they are finally face to face with you it’s like you don’t see them. They even invited you to Max’s tonight for a horror movie marathon but you declined, you’ve had enough jumpscares to last a lifetime.

So instead, said you couldn’t make it and planned a movie night with Eddie at his trailer. Wayne would be at work and you have a spare key, Wayne telling you you’re welcome over at any time. You brought snacks and drinks and his favorite pizza, BBQ chicken.

What you don’t know is that Steve sees your car pull up at Eddie’s trailer.

“What’s Y/N doing?” He asks aloud.

“She’s not here what are you talking about?” Lucas questions.

“Yeah because she’s over at Eddie’s,” the other come join him in the kitchen to watch you through the window struggling with all the items in your hand. They can hear you talking, but… no one is home? They know what Wayne’s truck looks like and he left an hour ago.

“I got your favorites! and I got that new comedy movie you were talking about,”

They don’t know who you were talking to and majority of them got a sinking feeling in their stomach.

On the other side of Eddie’s trailer though, he had his arms wrapped around your waist, smothering you in kisses and muttering I love yous and I miss yous.

“Hahaha okay okay! I’m excited to see you too, handsome,” you kiss him deeply and pull away, just smiling. You were so glad you had someone like him in your life.

You get everything set up and you and Eddie are talking about your day when you hear a knock on the door.

“You expecting anyone?” You ask him as you walk to the door

“Only you, that’s it,”

You open the door and see the others staring at you with questioning eyes and skeptical looks. Looks of pity and looks of concern.

“Hey what are you guys doing here?,” you smile brightly and move aside to let them in.

“We were going to ask you the same thing,” Dustin says.

“Well,” you look around you, smiling at everything put together, “We’re about to have a movie night!”

“We?” Robin looks between all of you, “our movie night is at Max’s,”

“Not us, silly. Me and Eddie,” you say and that’s when the room gets eerily quiet.

“Y/N,” Steve mutters your name as if it’s a warning.

“What?,” you ask, eyes wide as you lick the barbecue sauce off your finger.

You really aren’t acknowledging it.

“You’re serious?” He gives an airy chuckle, this isn’t funny he just doesn’t understand.

“Yes! Eddie wanted to see this movie so we’re watching. Right babe?” You turn to him and he nods, “See?”

“Y/N… Eddie is gone,” Max steps forward but you move around them all to finish setting up. You got the drink and your cups, setting them on the table.

They notice the two plates, two cups, two drinks.

“Why are you talking about him as if he’s not standing right here?!” You snap, “He saved your lives have some respect,”

You never raise your voice at any of them but their attitudes are pissing you off.

“Because he’s not,” Lucas says, “Y/N, you need to snap out of it and realize this is an unhealthy coping mechanism. Eddie died a month ago,”

“Shut up!,” you scoff, you weren’t believing their words not when Eddie was standing right beside you.

“He mattered time too,” Dustin stepped in, getting real close, “What you’re experiencing is called bereavement hallucinations,”

“What are you trying to say? That I’m crazy?!” You’re angry now. How dare they come in here, making space for themselves and hurl these words at you?!

All of them realize your anger is just masking you being in denial.

“No, what I’m saying is you’re grieving and you’re trying to keep yourself together and this is how you’re doing it… but it’s not helping. It’s going to hurt you more in the long run,”

“He’s standing right..,” you look and he’s not there, “Eddie?”

Your voice cracks and you look around to look for him but he’s not there. You run to his bedroom calling his name, “Eddie, where did you go?” You call out, sadness bleeding into your tone.

“He’s here. H-he’s still here. This isn’t funny!,” you shout as you enter the living room again.

“This isn’t some joke,” Lucas says softly. He can see you cracking around the edges. Reality was seeping into the cracks and dripping down into your perception. You were starting to see the truth. “You’re my big sister, Y/N. I can’t stand seeing you like this,”

You close your eyes and use emotional tape to heal those cracks. Then you hear his voice again.

“I’m right here, baby,” he whispers and you calm down again, wiping your tears.

“Can you tell them to leave? They’re ruining our movie night,” you plead, looking over your shoulder.

But there’s no one there. Not for them to see. They were watching you talk to a wall and they didn’t know how to handle it. Their dearest friend was falling apart at the seams and they can’t do anything to make it instantly better.

“Y/N seriously,” Erica softly begs, “you’re scaring me… a-and I’ve seen some freaky shit,”

“Get out!!,” you scream, “Eddie tell them to leave!”

“Y/N… maybe you should listen to them,” Eddie says softly. He’d been wanting to say this. This part of your conscience, has been wanting to say this.

You snap your head to him and your demeanor softens

“N-no! No they’re ruining everything!,”

“Eddie is gone,” Dustin says.

“No,”

“He died in the upside down. You were there. You held him in your arms,” Robin adds. She knows how all of this went. She found you with his lifeless body, you weren’t even crying, you were just talking to him. Holding him.

“No! You’re lying! He made it out, he’s been here the whole time”

“Eddie died shortly after Chrissy did,” Max says sadly, “You stayed there with his body for two days. We thought you were gone too,”

“Why are you guys lying? Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because you’re hurting yourself with these illusions,” Robin comes forwards. There’s so many of them here. Too many and all you want is Eddie.

“No,” you wrap your arms around yourself, the smell of his hoodie engulfing you, “W-we were just talking the other day about moving to California, starting a family a-and… and,”

You turn to Eddie and he’s there but… not fully. It looks like he’s disappearing and you start to dry heave.

“You were there for his funeral. You wouldn’t leave his tombstone,” Nancy speaks up.

They’re all trying to snap you out of it. It may seem harsh but you’re hurting more when you’re doing this to yourself.

“He was just playing guitar for me!” You sob. Hands flying over your ears to shut them up.

“He died saving us all, he died for you,” Mike interjects.

“He wouldn’t leave me,” you shake your head, glaring at Mike, you turn to Eddie and shake your head even harder, “You wouldn’t leave me,”

“It’s okay,” Eddie nods and it makes your chest hurt. You can barely keep yourself up, stumbling backwards.

“He didn’t leave to hurt you, Y/N. He’s a hero. He saved us and I know it hurts but you’re going to be okay,” Steve comes forward and grabs your wrists, but you fall and slip through his grasp, clenching at your chest.

“No! No! Shut up, shut up, SHUT THE FUCK UP!!” Voice hoarse, eyes burning with tears.

Eddie comes over and kneels down to be to your level, lifting your chin up and giving you the softest kiss ever. It was a goodbye kiss.

“It’s time,” he says.

The scream that you let out is one that shakes the trailer. He disappears before your eyes and you’re so lightheaded you feel as though you could pass out.

“Eddiiiiiee!!!,” calling for him wouldn’t work. He wouldn’t answer. You’re hyperventilating and you’re crying out his name.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay!,” Lucas rushes to you and engulfs you in a hug but it doesn’t help, it’s not Eddie’s touch.

“No please! Pl-please. This.. this is some sick joke!” You push him off. He doesn’t take offense though. Your fairytale world is crashing around you and the debris is suffocating you.

“He’s still h-here. He’s st-still here,”

“No, Y/N… he’s gone,” Dustin cries. Dustin is crying because he knows the pain of losing Eddie. The others are crying because they’re seeing their sister and loved one have a completely emotional breakdown and it’s hurting them to not be able to fix it.

“You’re l-lying,” you spit. You’re violently shaking, choking on your own saliva as you cry. Your body is aching as you’re finally allowing grief to consume your body.

“Y/N.” El comes forward to console you even if it wouldn’t 100% help.

“W-we we’re just talking about California… w-were sup-supposed to be Eddie and Y/N Munson…”

You held on tight to your brother as he rocked you, Erica holding your hand.

He’s gone… he’s never coming back.

And it’s time to move forward.

———

You finished packing the last of Eddie’s things that you wanted to bring with you. The last few months have been hard and it’s been even more difficult to keep your head above water but you did it.

You did it for him.

You were heading to California. You made sure to spend as much time with everyone as possible, making up for lost time. You slammed the trunk to your car shut and put your sunglasses on. You double checked everything , making sure you had all the important things. Your money, your cards.

Your license… the new license that had your new name on it. Y/N Munson.

Even if he wasn’t here, he’s still with you.

You pull out of the trailer park driving past the sign. You take one last look in your rear view mirror and see the apparition of Eddie Munson blowing you a kiss and slowly waving. A deep sob escapes your lips as you move your eyes from the mirror, focusing forward.

This is what he would want.

You have to embrace your pain, that is the only place you can truly heal and find growth.

—————

IM CRYIIING I CRIED WRITING THIS OMFG 😭 I probably won’t be doing a tag list for this so please reblog, comment and like!!!

I love you all and will be coming back full force very soon 🤍

tags: @blackreaders-assemble @mbaku-babygirl @babybubastis @honeyjasminetea @warmchick @valentinevirgo @persephones24 @dumbchick @micki-smiles @here-for-your-bullshit @dayasvalkyrie @xye-weirdo @disaster-rose @dumbchickwrites @pastelastronomy24 @baphomet-wears-gucci @buckybarnesplumwhore @valkryienymph @mariahthelioness29 @taylortheeshowpony @alyssaj23 @endlesslymedusa @areubeingserved @9daykrisr @missdforever @bitchacho25 @ijustrepost @suchababie @queenoftheworldisdead @beautiful-loserr @the2daily4scoop @jin0 @smoothy-ve @oh-nohoney @sambucky8 @princess-toshii @sebbyslut @titty-teetee @ilovefanfic86 @topshopwhxre @berrybimbo

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

Another auvember prompt!! This one is a song ficlet for an au where Splinter and the turtles are human. He adopted them with his partner I have left very vague.

Here is the link to the song, it’s from a musical you can find on YouTube for free called Nerdy Prides Must Die!: https://youtu.be/ebetUH8KWfg?si=5tQtF1bW_SKCCr8M

@daboyau

@tmntaucompetition

BBQ

Yoshi stepped inside, closing the sliding door behind him. The noise of the party outside became muffled. His partner was left outside to handle the grill.

He just needed a second away from everything.

Several more steps and he found himself in the living room. There had an opportunity to see the font yard in full view. It was empty since all of the guests were in the back.

Saturday we installed a new bay window,
And it was something right, out of a dream, I never had.

He didn’t hate the window. It just wasn’t what he wanted. It was a compromise. Life and marriage is all about compromise.

He glances into the kitchen where snacks were still strewn about the counter.


Saturday belongs to soccer practice, 
I pack their little cakes, for after the games, they never win.

It’s not as if he was truly disappointed in his kids. Even if they did win the games, what would they get? A little trophy? A medal? It was just for them anyways. They had more of a right to be sad. It was something they all wanted to do.

Except Donatello, he’d rather collect data on the games he watched and dryly cheer his brothers on.

Many found it strange, he found it….endearing. Some children, like Mikey, draw their parents pictures. Donnie codes a drawing.

He wished he could put it on the fridge. Donnie figured out how to print it. It looks nice up there.

And life is full of all of the trappings of the well-to-do
And life goes on, as I shop for shutters to obstruct the view.
And life is fine, if only it were mine.

He wouldn’t trade his current life for anything. Still….he missed his former life as well. Not the part where his ex/former agent forced him to take on roles he hated and burnt him out to all hell of course.

But just for once I’d be the center of attention.
Just for once, remember what a life can be.

Before that, when the spotlight was his, utterly and completely his. When people were entertained by what he wanted to do. When people called him by a different name and cheered it, had him sign it, loved it.


Just for once I feel the light inside, the burning of a candle.
Living just for once,
Living just for-

He enters the bathroom and catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

39, I lose my hair under careful chemo treatment
And I was not unhappy, about the attention I ensnared
Judge me

Cancer was nothing to joke about. Well, he had to joke to cope. He had to joke to keep his children from panicking. Attention was on him while he struggled.

He remembers when his first injury, his first illness, finally managed to be the thing that pulled him from his toxic romantic and work relationship.

This time was a bit different from that.

There were people who stuck around him, wanting him to beat it.

There’s a magazine nearby with her on it. Big Mama, her stage name, hanging on the shoulder of another idiot who fell for her lies.


It fucking worked, I’m fucking here, he’s fucking her
I’m disappointed

He couldn’t warn anyone about her. A strict contract, an NDA forbidding it.

He feels the fabric underneath his feet the longer he stood there.


There’s still carpet in the bathroom
And of the two, who’s the worse for wear
Me

There’s scratching at the door before a dog pushes it open, realizing it was never fully closed.

We love our dogs, especially Captain
He’s a bullshit mix

Raph would bring home stray animals as often as he saw them. 90% of them had to go to some other good home.

They kept two dogs to make it easier to say no.

He splashed water on his face before leaving the bathroom with Captain. They went back to the sliding door and he let him out.

Captain ran off to the pool area where all the kids are having a nice time under careful supervision.

He glances at his partner.


The pool is out, the neighbors come rushing
Maury Prefers their kids

When he was younger, he would get compared to other kids constantly. They had better grades, they respected their teachers, they didn’t talk back.

Most of those kids didn’t have a father who ran off while also having a mother who died.

They didn’t have to listen to their grandpa act like they weren’t trying, probably.

His children had two parents.

He was there, but was he truly around?


And the world's a stage when you’re middle of age

But just for once my life could be just what I wanted
Just for once I'd feel the spark that I once knew

Everything in his life had been working against him.


Just for once I’d feel the fight inside, the burning of a candle
Something more than I can handle
Just for once

His partner ushers him over. He needed to watch the grill now so that there was time to talk to the guests. Enough was spent taking a break already.

He holds the spatula and stares down at the meat sizzling in front of him.

Should I flip the burgers now
Should I double check it's well done on the outside not within
Oh


If he messed up the food, Donnie would refuse to eat. Raph wouldn’t care, Leo would dump ketchup on it and chow down.

His partner would probably be slightly angry.

He feels Mikey pull on his apron.

Should I let the coals burn out?
Should I let the years cook my body down in front of him.


Mikey smiles up at him with his wide, gap toothed grin.

He babbles about burger grilling techniques he saw on his favorite cooking TV show.

Yoshi smiles and picks him up with his free arm. If his body was not well enough for performance, he was glad it was healthy enough for them.

Mikey happily keeps talking as Yoshi grills.

Oh-oh
Just for once
Just for once
Just for once

He sees one of the neighbor kids talking to Leo about her dance classes. Leo loves anything where people have to watch him do something.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The other day the Johnsons borrowed my tap shoes
Their eldest daughter is beginning tap
It was no bother, I never ever use them.

He hopes that none of his kids turn out like him.

He wants them to be better.


I used to dance
I used to dance

[eddievanhammettmunson]

Cops and Crushes

Eddie Munson x female cop reader

Authors note- Hello fellow humans. I’m back with an Eddie x reader one shot. I just wanted to say thank you to @brighteyedbushybrowed for their input on this <3

Warnings- 18++ MINORS DNI I MEAN IT PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. Foul language, violence, lots of mentions of police, cops, handcuffs so just uh be aware of that. Smut, praise kink specifically babes. Handcuffs again wink wink. Uhhhhh I think that’s it but don’t hesitate to let me know if I missed one.

Summary- you thought being a cop would be a satisfying job to help the community. But when you finally realize it’s not what you wanted someone gives you the final push that makes you take the step to leave. 11.7k words

Tick,tick,tick

Tick,tick,tick

Looking at the clock was becoming agonizing. You can’t wait for your shift to be over so you can leave. What turns your attention away from the clock is the loud thud as a bunch of files and paperwork are dropped onto your desk. You look up to see Officer Callahan above you.

“Figured you could use something to do since you looked a bit bored. Mind sorting all that for me?” He didn’t wait for your response as he walked away.

This is total bullshit. You thought to yourself as you began to organize and work through the pile of work that had been dropped on you. Each officer was supposed to be in charge of their own files so it irked you that you. The only female officer. Gets none of the field work but gets stuck with everyone’s paperwork.

You wanted to say something. Tell these assholes that you’re just as much a cop as they are and you’re not some personal secretary. But you didn’t. Don’t get me wrong you were grateful the chief was willing to let you on the force at all and you didn’t want to jeopardize that. But this was humiliating. Working with a team of men that you knew had no respect for you as a fellow cop.

You knew Hopper let you on the force cause he saw how good you were with weapons and bad situations when you guys were in the upside down. But ever since you joined the force he only let you respond to mild calls. Like “oh my neighbor annoyed me and I’d like to file a complaint” kind of calls. That or you just stayed at the station all day filling out statements from people the other officers would bring in. You were tired of it.

You joined the force so you could help protect the town after everything you’ve seen. But sitting here organizing files and never getting to leave your desk doesn’t feel like protecting. You turn towards the clock that finally reads 6:30 and you begin gathering your things to leave. That is until Jim Hopper steps out of his office.

“Sorry guys, we just got a call. I need Powell and Callahan. Now.”

Since he didn’t say your name you continue packing up to leave since clearly you weren’t being invited to whatever call they received. Hopper walks closer to your desk however and you pause.

“Y/l/n. You mind staying behind a few extra hours tonight since we have a call to respond to? It’ll probably only be a couple hours and you’ll get some over time?”

You scoff slightly without meaning to and your words come out angry.

“So I sit here and take calls. Am I actually allowed to go out and respond to any of them this time?”

Hopper immediately caught on to what you meant. Although he didn’t appreciate the attitude, he didn’t have time to talk to you right now so he kept his answer brief but threw in a bit of snark to match yours.

“Yes. You can respond to them”

And with that you watched the other three officers make their way out of the station and you sat back in your chair prepared for a calm evening and some overtime.

You watch as the clock ticks closer to 9 pm. Not a single call has come in tonight.Not much happens in a town like Hawkins outside of the inter dimensional wars and shit apparently. Finally out of boredom you begin to work on some writing. Originally back in the day before you lost your best friend to one of those creatures, you had dreams of being a writer. You were pretty good at it too but figured it could never possibly go anywhere and after losing your friend, all you wanted to do was protect and help others.

Really getting into your writing and beginning to lose track of time you’re completely startled by the phone ringing on your desk and you quickly check the time. 10 pm. Maybe it’s Hopper and the guys calling the station.

You answer the phone and for the first time all night you’re actually excited. A woman was reporting a noise complaint in the parking lot of some bar but as she reported the noise complaint she said to hurry to the location as a full blown brawl had broken out.

Taking down the address and quickly running out the door you get in your car and head for the brawl. Upon arrival you’re met with quite the site at the bar. You’ve been here before only a couple of times but you know The Hideout is always full of angry drunks. From your car you can’t quite see what exactly is going on except for a bunch of drunkards in a circle watching the fight. So to give everyone a quick scare you turn on the lights and sirens briefly and the crowd disperses. Some people just straight up running and others slowly making their way back into the bar.

And that’s when you see it. The Hawkins high basketball team beating the absolute shit out of the town “freaks”. The sirens obviously didn’t seem to scare the basketball team much if at all. So you turn them on again and drive right up to fight. You take out your radio and say over the speaker.

“That’s enough. Break it up boys”

You see Jason Carver stand up straight over the metal head he’s been beating. You step out of the vehicle and make your way over to him.

“Mr Carver. You wanna explain to me why your team is beating these boys up in a parking lot in the middle of the night?”

Jason dropped the collar of the freak and turned to you. Deciding to try and charm you.

“Well good evening officer. My my you sure do look familiar. Have we met before?”

“I asked you a question Mr Carver”

You actually did know Jason. A few years back at a party he kept trying to flirt with you while he was drunk and you pushed him into a plant. Obviously he didn’t remember that as well as you did.

“Well you see, officer. My team and I here were just out trying to enjoy our evening here at the Hideout. When these freaks show up and start trying to play their cult music”

You pause and take a look at the band bloodied on the ground. Recognizing the boys. You remember them from highschool in their hellfire club. You always felt bad how people treated them and suffice to say nothing changed.

“It’s a free country Mr Carver. If the bar says corroded coffin can play their music in that bar then that means you take your clientele elsewhere if you don’t like it. You don’t assault the band. And that is assault Mr Carver so I’m afraid I will be bringing you to the station”

Everyone looked surprised. Jason Carver was certainly surprised. Arresting the captain of the Hawkins high basketball team? How dare you. And the bloodied band on the ground also looked surprised. Nobody ever takes their side. Why are you? And taking their side to the point of arresting the basketball team? They’re scared of how this is gonna work out for you.

“Well officer i do apologize for my behavior but I don’t believe you’ll be arresting me tonight”

You were already grabbing your taser as the air between you and Jason became quite tense. You knew he was thinking something but you couldn’t quite tell what. That is until he gave a slight nod and the other 2 basketball players dropped their victims and began running. Jason quickly shoved you back hard and began running. A pair of hands caught you from hitting the ground but you didn’t have time to thank them you just quickly got back to your feet and began the pursuit.

You heard footsteps running behind you and turned quickly to see one of the boys who got his ass beat was running along with you. You were hot on Jason’s trail as he didn’t have time to get as far away as the other two and you managed to yank him down from a fence he was attempting to climb.

However as you yanked him down from the fence he came crashing down on you and then he attempted to keep running. That is until Jason Carver's nose was met by a brutal fist. You could hear the crack of the rings on his fist meeting Jason’s face. And when Jason hit the ground you watched the metal head climb on top of him and start beating him.

You had to physically pull the metal head off of Jason. You put Jason in handcuffs first and brought him back to the squad car. You were making your way round to the front of the squad car to begin heading back to the station until Jason decided to open his mouth.

“Oh so I get arrested for beating the freak but when the freak beats me he gets off Scott free?”

Shit. You had no intention of arresting the other boy until Jason said that. But you knew if you didn’t then Jason would definitely be the kind to say something to someone who would complain. So you walk back across the parking lot to the bloodied boy sitting on the curb. Who upon seeing you stands up and turns around with his arms already behind his back.

“I can cuff your hands in the front. If you want. It’d probably be more comfortable that way?”

The boy slowly turned around and looked at you with confusion but brought his hands around to the front. This wasn’t his first arrest; hell probably wasn’t even his fifth. But it was his first arrest where an officer actually took his side and was nice to him. Why are you being so nice to him?

You silently put him in the squad car next to Jason and drove silently to the station with them. Upon your arrival you brought in the boys and began processing Jason Carver. For the metal head on the other hand you brought him back to your desk and sat him there. In the middle of processing Jason however, officer Callahan walked into the station.

Officer Callahan observed you booking and processing Mr Carver and pulled you to the side. “Y/n what the hell are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious Callahan? I’m doing my job?”

“No I mean what the hell are you doing arresting Jason Carver. He’s the Hawkins high basketball captain”

“Officer Callahan I’m very aware of who Mr Carver is. I’m afraid his basketball status doesn’t make him exempt from the law. Especially after assault and assault of an officer”

“Y/n I don’t care. He is the town prince. We can’t just arrest him. The town will go into an uproar if he’s kicked off of the basketball team and that will all come back to this station.”

“Who cares? It’s a basketball game and I’m pretty sure assault is worse than having to replace a team captain”

Officer Callahan glanced over your shoulder towards your desk to see Jason’s victim and immediately scoffed. “You're arresting him for the assault on him? No, absolutely not. You go handle him and go home. I’ll be letting Mr Carver go.”

“No the hell you are not. You can’t release my arrest Callahan”

“No y/n I’m not “releasing” him. I’m letting him go and getting rid of any evidence you did this in the first place. You should thank me here I’m practically saving your job”

Before you could even speak Callahan was already walking over to Jason and taking the handcuffs off and guiding him to the station door. You had a lump in your throat and you almost wanted to cry. What blatant disrespect towards you. Choosing to swallow back your emotions you watch Callahan head towards his own car as he seems to be taking Jason home. Jason sees you through the window and gives you a smirk paired with a little wave. What an asshole.

Turning to face away from the windows you turn your attention back to your desk and more importantly the person sitting at your desk.

“Quite the night you’ve had Mr Munson”

His eyes shot up from his hands that he’d been studying. And looked towards you. He assumed since Jason was being let go that it was his turn to be booked and processed but as he began to stand up you put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Where ya headed Munson?”

“Oh I just thought it was my turn”

You began to laugh as you rummaged through one of your desk drawers. You pulled out a box and a key. You quickly used the key, you released the handcuffs around his wrists and threw them on the table. Next you opened the box to a bunch of first aid supplies.

The boy looked at you in surprise and confusion.

“So I’m not being arrested? No booking? No processing? No charges?”

You take his face in your hands and tilt it up towards you as you gently begin to dab the blood from his nose and lips.

“I mean I could. I didn’t have any intention to and I really don’t want to do the paperwork for it but if that’s your idea of a good time I always could”

That finally got a chuckle out of him and a wince as your hand brushed his nose. He watched as you worked to patch him up as best you could, working gently so as not to cause him any pain. He was grateful you were being so gentle with him.

“You know sarge. I actually remember you from Hawkins”

“Oh do you now?”

“Yeah. You were always pretty quiet and you hung around those girls. Uhhh what’s her name? Wheeler's sister?”

“Oh you mean Nancy?”

“Yeah her! And her redhead friend. The one who…”

He didn’t finish that sentence. Seeing you tense up and ease off of cleaning him up a bit he could tell just bringing it up had struck a nerve.

Turning your attention from his face to his hands you take his right hand into yours and begin gently cleaning the cuts on his knuckles.

“You know Munson, I actually remember you from high school too. And your band. You were all in that hellfire club together”

“You can just call me Eddie, you know. Munson’s more my dads title than it is mine”

You actually knew of Eddie’s father. Everyone at the station did. Although you’d never seen or met Eddie’s dad you knew he used to be a regular in this station before getting hauled off to prison. You had no intention of telling Eddie you knew this however as he probably didn’t want to relive that.

As you turned his hands over in yours he couldn’t help but stare up at your face. And see how gentle you were being with him. How nice you’d been to him tonight. And he couldn’t help but question as to why.

“How are you feeling Eddie? Your hands look pretty well patched up but how’s the head doing”

Eddie quickly began to take part in some over dramatic theatrics as he put his hand to his head and began swaying heavily as he spoke.

“I-I just don’t know doc. I don’t think I’m gonna make it this time”

He hadn’t expected you to jump up and begin playing back with him. But you did. And the smile that was plastered on his face definitely hurt but he didn’t care.

“Oh no you poor thing. Whatever can I do to make it better, oh poor patient, how can I save thee” you put your hand over your heart and said it in the most dramatic voice you could.

“I don’t know doc I think you’d need to kiss it to make it better” he doesn’t know what prompted him to say it. But he doesn’t regret it in the slightest until he sees you freeze.

You hadn’t expected him to say that in the slightest. But you couldn’t help but think about it. I mean the boy was attractive you couldn’t help but notice that. And something about him was just so charming. So you decided to lean down and gently brush the hair out of his face before placing your lips to the cut on his forehead and letting your lips linger there for just a second.

You lean back and observe his reaction which is him staring up at you with his big brown eyes and now his very deep red cheeks. He’s hoping you can’t see the blush with the bruises on his cheeks but you can. So you stand up straight and clap your hands together once in an attempt to clear any tension.

“Well. Eddie. I think you’re pretty much patched up here. I could give you a ride home or back to the hideout if you’d prefer”

This gets Eddie back to reality. He tells you he’d prefer to be dropped off at the hideout because all of his stuff including his Van is still there. And as you head to walk out of the station Eddie looks down at your desk to the pair of handcuffs and key you’d arrested him with, and slips them into his pocket as he follows you out. You pretend not to notice.

As you pull into the parking lot of The Hideout Eddie directs you to where his van is parked. Upon getting closer you hear Eddie release an exasperated sigh and he begins to get out the car before you’ve even come to a complete stop. You watch as he runs up to his van.

“Baby! Baby no what’d they do to you”

As you walk toward him and the van you can’t help but notice the 4 slashed completely flat tires. Assuming it was done by the other basketball players who fled the scene. You walk back to your squad car and pull out a Polaroid camera you happen to own. You begin taking pictures of the damage to his van and then you walk over to Eddie who is already staring at you confused.

“Do you mind if I snap a few pictures of your face?”

“Uh not at all sarge but I’m not exactly looking my best right now?”

“That’s the point Eddie. Callahan may have let Jason go but these basketball players can’t keep getting away with this. I’m gonna gather evidence and show it to the chief”

Eddie began fidgeting with the rings on his hands and looked at the ground, sighing.

“Look sweetheart, that's real sweet of you to try but really you don’t have to. I saw the way that asshole took your case from you and I just don’t want you sticking your neck out there for the town freak you know. I just don’t think anyones going to want to back you up on this”

You thought about it for a moment. Eddie had a point but you didn’t care. You got treated like shit at your job anyways. You became a cop to help people and you’ll be damned if you don’t at least try to help Eddie. So you lift up the camera and begin to take his photo anyways and he allows you to.

“Hey uh sarge? I was wondering if the offer to drive me home still stands. I would drive myself really but uh-“

“Yeah Eddie of course I’ll drive you home just grab whatever you need from the van and I’ll give you a lift”

You watched as he grabbed his guitar case and headed back to the squad car and you finished taking your photos. You decided to head into the hideout where you found the rest of Eddie’s band packing up their instruments from their set. They looked pretty nervous upon seeing you and thought you might be there to arrest them until you asked for their photographs. The boys all agreed and you thanked them and said goodnight.

Heading back to the squad car you begin to drive Eddie home per his instructions. As you pull up to his trailer in the park and he begins to get out you put a gentle hand on his arm and stop him.

“You know Eddie…I just want to say I’m sorry”

“Sarge what could you possibly be sorry for. All you’ve done all night is help me”

“I know Eddie but I’m sorry that I need to help you. I’m sorry people put you through this. You really don’t deserve this and I hope you know that”

Eddie squeezed the hand that rested on his arm and squeaked out a quiet thank you as he gathered his guitar and headed up to his trailer. Upon walking inside he was greeted by Wayne.

“Eddie do you mind explaining to me why you were just dropped off by police”

“Well Wayne I think I got arrested by the love of my life”

***

Waking up extra early Monday morning you decide to head into the station at 6 am as opposed to 8 am. Hoping to beat officer Callahan there. Luckily you do and the station is almost empty. You head to Hopper's office and lay out all your evidence. All the photos and even the report you’d begin writing before Callahan let Jason go.

You sat in Hopper's office for hours and of course he’s late today. Luckily still no Callahan but when Hopper walks in the door to his office to see you he doesn’t look happy.

“If this is about what Callahan told me what happened with Carver last night I don’t want to hear it y/n”

“Oh okay, Hopper. Do you mind telling me what exactly Callahan told you happened last night”

“He said that Jason Carver was arrested by you after he was playing around with his teammates in some parking lot”

You scoff. Of course that’s what Callahan said.

You’re so angry that all you do is slap the file of evidence you’d created last night onto Hoppers desk.

The file included offenses from last night and accounts of other charges against Jason and his friends that had been previously dropped unbeknownst to Hopper. Upon just opening the file he seemed surprised.

“Yeah Hop. That definitely looks like some kids just rough housing with teammates to me”

He looked up over the file and you could read the guilt on his face. You left him in his office with the file and an hour later when Callahan arrived you watched Hopper call Callahan into his office. You couldn’t quite make out the words but there was definitely plenty of screaming on Hopper's part.

When Hopper stepped out of his office and Callahan went and sat down at his desk you waited for the announcement.

“Y/l/n, Powell, you’re with me. Let’s go”

You didn’t question it. Instead you just hopped up from your chair and walked out of the station behind Hopper, making sure not to pay officer Callahan any mind. You got into Hopper's truck and he began driving. About halfway through the drive Hopper turned his radio down.

“I wanted to….apologize. I wasn’t aware of how much Mr Carver and his friends were getting away with and I wanted to say good job on bringing this to my attention”

He sounded very formal with you and you could tell he was trying really hard admitting he was wrong. So you decided to accept his apology anyway.

“Does this mean I’ll get to do more than just paperwork”

“Actually…” oh god what was he going to say now. Hadn’t you just proved yourself at all?

“Actually I was looking at that file you created for me. It was really well put together and you’d done quite a bit of research for it. Was wondering if you’d want to take the lead on some more detective type cases with me. Of course I’d still let you take calls and get in on the action but I mean it. Just think about it okay?”

So you did think about it. The rest of the drive. Detective work. Is this really what you wanted to do? As you pulled up to Hawkins high you realized what was happening. Hopper led the way into the school principals office while you and Powell waited just outside. You could hear the principal growing angry at the thought of his star basketball players being arrested and having charges pressed but Hopper wasn’t backing down.

So you, Hopper, and officer Powell made your way into the Hawkins high cafeteria and made your way over to the jock table where Jason and his friends sat. Upon seeing you and not officer Callahan you could see Jason growing concerned. Hopper was the one to put Jason in handcuffs and you and Powell took Andy and Chance in handcuffs. As you were taking them out of the cafeteria you looked in the direction of the hellfire table and saw Eddie staring at you intensely. You flashed him a quick smile as you continued out to the car where you loaded the boys into the back.

Callahan was right about the town being angry over the boys being arrested. But luckily you had a friend you could call. You wrote out a story using the evidence you’d gathered against the basketball team and sent the story to your friend Nancy at the Hawkins post and asked her if she could run it in the paper.

She did. When the story hit the town about Jason and all his friends' activities they found themselves on the end of some harsh town criticism. The first was when you heard that they’d all been kicked off of the team and Jason’s parents were forcing him to pay for the damage he’s caused to Eddie’s van.

When you heard Eddie’s van was going to get fixed you couldn’t get Eddie off of your mind. So when the clock struck 6:30 that day you changed out of your uniform and made your way over to the trailer park. Upon knocking on the door, you were met by the sight of Eddie’s uncle who didn’t look all that happy to see the cop car parked in front of his trailer. Wayne released a heavy sigh.

“What do you think Eddie did now?”

Confusion riddled your face and you realized he must think you’re here to arrest his nephew.

“Oh god no. No sorry Mr Munson. I’m just here to visit Eddie. See no badge. I’m off the clock”

He looked at you with a raised eyebrow and called through the trailer.

“EDDIE SOME COP IS HERE TO SEE YOU”

Wayne left the door open yet you didn’t step inside. You didn’t want to feel like you were intruding. Suddenly Eddie appeared at the door and he looked very happy to see you.

“Hey sarge! I didn’t think you’d be stopping by. To what do I owe the pleasure”

“I heard Jason Carver was supposed to pay to fix up your van. Just wanted to stop by and make sure he kept his word”

Eddie stepped out of the trailer and closed the door behind him. Walking around his trailer to the other side and moving around his uncle's truck you could see his van parked. And when you got closer you saw four brand new tires and it even looked like the van had gone through a car wash.

“Ain’t she a beaut”

“She sure is. Bet she feels a lot better without four slashed tires”

You walked around the van examining it and Eddie stood towards the trailer examining you.

“Hey sarge?”

“Yeah what’s up?”

“I just wanted to say thanks. For sticking up for me and defending me when nobody else did”

“Anytime Eddie really. Like I said you don’t deserve the way these people treat you”

You began to walk back to your squad car and Eddie began to grow sad. He didn’t want this to be the last time he got to interact with you and he was desperately looking for an excuse to get to know you.

“Hey sarge?”

You turned around and looked at him expecting him to continue.

“I was wondering if you maybe…wanted to come inside? Hangout for a bit?”

You thought on it for a moment. Sure why the hell not. It’s not like you had anything better to do tonight anyways. You agreed and followed Eddie into his trailer. As soon as you step through the door you’re hit with the smell of weed and drugs and you begin to laugh.

“What’s so funny sarge?”

You begin to laugh even harder. Barely breathing as you force the words out.

“Did you seriously invite a cop into your trailer when you’ve been smoking weed in here”

Shit. He hadn’t even thought about that. He was just so desperate for you not to leave that he completely forgot that a lot of stuff in his trailer isn’t even legal. He turned to you wide eyed and nervous. You took notice and immediately tried to calm him.

“Oh relax I’m not here to bust you Jesus breathe Eddie. Plus I’m off the clock anyways. Right now I’m just Y/n Y/l/n. Civilian”

Eddie had a feeling no matter what he did around you or even when he did it for that matter. So he was pretty sure that you wouldn’t arrest him. Deciding to test the waters he makes you an offer.

“So does the civilian maybe want to? Partake? In some smoking perhaps. Maybe a movie as well”

You had smoked weed pretty much all throughout highschool and especially after Nancy started dating Steve. Steve always had access to weed and he was always nice about helping you get weed.

“I dare say the civilian does partake in such activities” Eddie pretended to be shocked and taken aback. You sat on the couch and he went further back into the trailer and came out holding a baggie and some movie options.

You put on this movie called Nightmare on Elm Street. One of your favorites and you began to get stoned.

You were pretty lost in the movie when you felt a tap on your hand that was resting on the couch and you turned to face Eddie.

“Hey sarge? I got a question?”

You turn to look at him and mumble out a low hmm?

“Why are you a cop? I mean no offense here cause you are a pretty great cop and definitely the nicest cop I’ve ever met. But I don’t know. You just don’t seem like the type. And it just doesn’t seem like you enjoy it. I saw how that guy treated you and I can’t imagine how they must treat you everyday”

You thought on it for a moment. You knew exactly why you became a cop but Eddie did have a point. You didn’t enjoy it. You were glad you’d helped Eddie but even in doing that it didn’t bring you the satisfaction you were looking for. Thinking back to Hopper's offer to do more detective work as well had you questioning if this is what you really wanted.

“Well Eddie. I became a cop to protect people after….well after I lost my friend. I enjoy helping people and it was a lot of fun helping you but..”

“But…?”

As you went to continue talking you were startled by the sound of the refrigerator opening. You hadn’t even realized Wayne was in the room with you guys now. When did he come out of his room? He looked toward the two of you and laughed.

“Only my nephew could manage to get high with a cop on the couch” you laughed with Wayne and asked if he wanted to join the two of you to which he politely declined. But he did offer to stay there for the night if you were too high to drive home. You declined and looked at the time seeing that it was almost 11 pm and you had to be at the station by 8 am tomorrow.

“Sorry Eddie I should really get going”

You could see the disappointment on his face and decided to make him an offer.

“Tell you what though Eddie how about I leave you my number and you can give me a call if you want to hangout again” he nodded his head yes and quickly found a pen and paper for you to write your number on.

As Eddie watched you drive away from his trailer he almost wanted to use the number you gave him and call immediately. Just wanting you to come back.

The next morning as you walk into the station and get to your desk you’re met with a note from Hopper and a list of errands he wants you to run. Apparently what he meant when he said more detective work was more errands that his secretary could be doing.

1.pick up new shirt in 3 XL preferred Hawaiian theme.

2.pick up breakfast donuts

3.pick up coffee 2 black 1 with 4 half and half creams

4.pick up file dividers

So you head out of the station and decide to leave the food for last. Picking up Hopper's shirt and the file dividers. As you walked past the Hawkins post you decided to stop in and see your friend Nancy. Ever since she managed to become head of the paper you couldn’t help but be a bit jealous that she’d made it.

“Y/n!! It’s so good to see you. What are you doing here?”

“Hey Nancy! Just running some errands for the station you know. Decided I’d stop in and see how you were doing”

Standing there talking with Nancy you get a bit lost in time. Looking at all the articles she was putting together for the paper and all the writings and what not splayed out across the room. The jealousy inside you began to fester a bit but you decided to force it down.

“You know that article you sent me for the paper about those basketball players was really good. The photos you sent over too had Jonathan a bit jealous”

“Really? Ha thanks Nance”

“I mean it y/n it was really good…you know I've needed another writer at the table and if you're interested? I’d love to have you”

Nancy’s words brought you so much joy and hope. But you couldn’t just pack up and leave the station after working all this way to get there? Could you? Nancy could see the wheels turning in your head.

“Don’t worry y/n I don’t need an answer right now….but just…think about it okay. I just think you have more potential that would be beneficial here…and I know how it feels to not be respected at what you do. But I promise you’ll be respected here. Anyways like I said just think about it okay?”

As you walk out of the Hawkins post and begin speed walking to the donut shop after realizing how much time you’d spent with Nancy, your thoughts clouded you so when you walk into the shop and bump into somebody you’re quick to apologize.

“So sorry I’m in a bit of a ru-oh hi Eddie?”

There was Eddie Munson. Standing in the door of the Donut shop holding onto a small bag and a cup of coffee.

“Hey sarge. Didn’t mean to bump into ya there. What’s got you all frazzled?”

“Running late on some errands for the station. Gotta get the boys donuts and coffee”

“No offense sarge but isn’t that usually like a receptionist job? Or like a secretary or something? Just not normally another officer?”

You clench your jaw and try to keep a smile on your face. It was a little humiliating because everything Eddie said was right and you knew it.

“Oh yeah you know how it is at the station…busy days and short staffing so sometimes we gotta pick up the grunt work” you cringed internally at how bad the defense was. Eddie could read it all over your face and decided to drop it. He knew you probably hate your job but he didn’t want to rub salt in the wound by making you talk about it.

“Anyways I’ve really gotta get going you know how it is” you walk by him quickly and hear the door chime as he leaves. God that was humiliating. It makes you consider Nancy’s offer even more. Grabbing the donuts and coffees and heading back into the station.

Everyone watches you make multiple trips from your car into the station without offering you any assistance and as you leave the shirt and dividers in Hopper's office all he offers is a slight thanks. Not even glancing up at you from the files on his desk.

You return back to your desk and sit down just in time to hear Callahan talking shit about you to Florence saying that she should have run the errands because you’re not even competent enough to get back within the hour.

Callahan notices you in the room and walks over to your desk.

“I requested 4 half and half creams in my coffee. This doesn’t taste like that”

Without looking up at him you hand him the receipt that says the order on it.

“You have a problem with it Callahan you take it up with the coffee shop. Or instead of having me or Florence get your coffee you could be a real man and do something for yourself for once” you said it loud enough to earn chuckles from both Powell and Florence and you watched as Callahan walked back to his desk and sat down with a huff.

Around 4 Callahan took a call and went out and you decided since he left you might as well ask to leave early and head out for the day to clear your head. Going to Hopper and saying you had to leave early due to lady problems and he agreed. It was a slow day anyways so you hadn’t been doing much anyways.

As you got in your car you just started driving. Deciding to just take a drive. You don’t even know how you got there but your car is sitting outside of Eddie’s trailer. Once you realize you’ve driven here you debate on whether or not you should go knock. After all, you'd given him your number and he hadn’t called you. So maybe he wouldn’t like you turning up to his trailer like this.

As you sat there with your hands on the steering wheel debating you hadn’t even realized Eddie came out of his trailer and walked up to your window until you heard the tapping on your window. He wasn’t expecting you to jump the way you did when he tapped on the window cause he figured you’d see him walk up to the car but you looked pretty zoned out.

You rolled down the window slowly and held your hand up to shield your eyes from the evening sun as you looked up at him.

“Hey sarge. You look a little spaced out. Are you okay there?”

You turn back to face the steering wheel and chuckle a bit.

“Is it weird if I say I honestly have no idea how I ended up here?”

Eddie shifts into his best cop pose and pretends to push some sunglasses up his nose.

“Ma’am have you had any alcohol this evening?”

You decide to play along.

“Why no officer I swear….except for those 12 long islands I had an hour ago?”

He chuckles as he takes the handle of your door and opens it.

“Alright ma’am I’m gonna need you to step out of the vehicle for me”

You do as he says and step out of your car but he doesn’t stop there.

“Alright I’m gonna need you to recite the alphabet backwards for me ma’am”

You do your absolute worst and just throw out random jumbles of letters.

“Alright ma’am can you touch the tip of your finger to your nose for me”

You pretend to stumble a bit and touch your finger to your eye instead.

“Alright ma’am I’m afraid you’re not fit to drive. I'm afraid I’ll have to take you inside. I’ll have to search you first before we go in. Make sure you’re not hiding any weapons or paraphernalia from me”

Still playing along you lift your hands up and slightly part your legs to allow the search. Eddie leans forward and lightly begins to pat you down. Not nearly as invasive as you would normally be while searching someone. But you still can’t help the blush that creeps on your face as his hands trace over your arms. As he bends down and pats your legs you begin to even feel a little tingly. And when he grabs your thighs slightly a feeling in your stomach begins to twist. He comes back up standing much closer to your face now and he has a slight smile.

“You’re all clear to head in ma’am”

He follows you into the trailer, closing the door behind the two of you as you go in. You make your way over to the couch and sit down. Eddie offers you some water to which you decline but he brings it over anyways and sets it on the table next to you.

Eddie sits down next to you on the couch and lights a joint that he offers you. You take it out of his hand with a sort of desperation that Eddie notices. Figuring you must have had a bad day. After you two smoke a bit and you’re high, Eddie decides you might just be ready to open up a bit.

“Sooooo sarge. Why were you just sitting outside my trailer earlier? You feelin okay?”

Your head has been swimming with thoughts of your job ever since you left work today. You can’t help but think about it so you open the floodgates slightly.

“Eddie…what did you mean when you said I didn’t seem like the type?”

“What?”

“Last time I was here….you said I didn’t seem like the type to be a cop. Like I didn’t enjoy it. What makes you say that?”

Eddie sighed heavily and took a hit from the joint you two had been sharing. He was deep in thought for a moment before he finally exhaled and began to speak.

“Just every time I’ve seen you working. It’s clear that you put everything into whatever you do but you just don’t seem happy. Like you’d rather be doing something else..”

This time it was you who sighed as you took the joint from him and took a hit.

“I just want to help people…thought this was the best way to do that”

Eddie laughed and you held the joint out to him and he took it. He placed it in his other hand and took a hit and used his free hand to grab yours. As he held it he made sure to look at you. Leaning in slightly against the couch cushions.

"Babe no offence but even retail workers do more to help people than the cops"

You let out a real loud genuine laugh that surprised him. He took note of it and knew he’d try and get you to laugh like that again later.

You took hold of his hand a little tighter and brought it closer to your face to examine his rings.

“I got another job offer actually….so I guess I’m actually thinking about leaving the station”

“What would the job be?”

“I’d be a writer. For the Hawkins post..” you didn’t release his hand but you reached across him to grab the joint and take another hit.

“Well that sounds great! I think you should do it. You always did have a knack for writing. If I remember correctly”

His remark made you pause. How could he know you liked writing?

“How did you know I liked writing?”

You looked at his face and he was clearly avoiding making eye contact with you and his cheeks looked a little rosier than they previously had.

“You uh-you wrote this short story once. It won this award at school and everything and they published it in the Hawkins high newsletter. I remember reading it. It was really good. I remember thinking “yeah I’d give someone an award for that””.

You gazed at him as he recounted reading the story you’d written. You remember it well. It was about this girl and the monsters she hunted. You’re surprised he remembered it at all but even more surprised that he remembered it this well. As he spoke you moved closer and placed the joint in his other hand and he moved to smoke it without stopping his story.

When he finished he turned to look at you on the sofa. Faces now only inches apart. Neither of you spoke as you looked into each other’s eyes. For how much you two had been smoking you both felt the most sober you’d felt in your entire lives as you looked at each other.

Sitting there staring at those big brown eyes so intensely you couldn’t help yourself. You leaned in so quickly and gave him a peck on the lips. Just ever so lightly. Before pulling away and staring at him with wide eyes that matched his own.

His face cracked into a bright smile as he leaned in and kissed you again. Cupping your face in his hands as he pulled you closer. You decided to push further as you swiped your tongue across his lips and he got the hint. The more you pushed your tongue into his mouth the harder it became for him to suppress his moans. When one finally slipped out you hummed back contempt.

You shuffled further across the couch and straddled his lap and his hands found their way to your waist keeping you steady. As you grind down on him causing him to groan, he takes your bottom lip between his teeth and bites. Causing you to moan and he can’t help but smile into your continued kiss. As you continue to grind down on his now fully formed erection Eddie decided to take this from the living room.

Without breaking the kiss Eddie rises from the couch and you wrap your legs around his waist as he carries you towards his room. Refusing to break the kiss and watch where he’s going he does end up stumbling a couple times. Always catching you two before you fall and pushing you up against the walls for some rough kisses.

As you reach his room he drops down on his mattress with you on top of him. You sit back up for a moment breaking the kiss and just grinding down on him for a moment. As you look up something shiny catches your attention. You look up to find a pair of handcuffs hanging above his bed and you laugh.

Reaching forward and grabbing them Eddie realizes what you’ve been looking at and hides his face in his hands.

“Sarge I can explain-“

“Oh can you now? Explain why you stole my handcuffs off my desk as we were leaving the station that night. As if I didn’t see you”

He peaked at you in between his fingers and he was clearly smiling.

“What can you blame me?….I just wanted a keepsake of our time together”

As you sat there twirling the handcuffs in your hand you got an idea. So you set the handcuffs to the side and began grinding down on him again causing him to groan.

His hands found their way to the hem of your shirt and he began tugging on it so you leaned back and removed it quickly. Shedding your bra as well and standing up to remove your pants and underwear and Eddie followed suit.

Now both naked and standing in front of each other you lean up and place a kiss on the tattoo on Eddie’s chest. He strokes your arms lightly as you do.

“Tell me what you want baby…tell me what you want and I’ll do it”

You slowly bent down to the floor next to his mattress. Making sure to wiggle your ass just a little bit as temptation. And when you stood back up you were holding the handcuffs. Jingling them a little bit. He cracked a smile and walked toward you. Holding your hand and the handcuffs.

“You want em on me or you baby?”

You thought about it momentarily. As much as you’d love to cuff him right now you’ll save that for another time.

“On me..for now” you made sure to give him a wink as you placed the handcuffs in his hand. He pulled you towards him by your waist and bent down to kiss you deeply. As he kissed you he guided you back down towards the mattress and you followed his direction. Once on the bed he took your arms into his hands and lifted them above your head and he cuffed them together before placing them behind the bed post.

“Not too tight are they?” He gave your wrists a quick shake as you nodded your head no to indicate your wrists are okay.

“Words baby. Words. They’re not too tight right?”

“No. They’re perfect”

“Good girl”

Having him call you good girl sent a feeling straight through your body causing you to shiver slightly against him and he chuckled lightly.

“Oh come on sarge you’re telling me good girl is what gets you going”

He ran his hands up your torso and massaged your breasts and you began to squirm.

As he took your nipple into his mouth and sucked on it you couldn’t help but release a string of moans at the sensation.

He let off for a moment but kept massaging them as he came up to press a rough kiss to your lips.

“God I love all those sounds you're making, baby. Can you feel how hard you’re making me? Fuck keep making those sounds alright?”

One of his hands slowly works its way down your body groping you all the way. Stopping on your thigh and working it’s way between your legs as you spread them for him. As he runs his fingers along your wet folds you begin to moan his name.

“Good girl. Keep saying my name. Want you to say it so loud that we get a noise complaint”

He finally pressed a finger to your clit and began rubbing slow deep circles causing you to whimper out as he kissed you.

“Yeah baby just like that. Louder even. I want you so loud that they call the cops and all your coworkers get to walk up to this trailer and hear how good I’m making you feel. How good you deserve to feel.”

God he was saying all the right things to you. With all the stress of the day you could feel yourself getting more and more worked up at every movement he made. He gave you one more deep kiss before he started making his way further down your body.

He sat up and spread your legs wider and settled down between them. His mouth is right over your folds. Practically drooling he just wanted to taste you already.

“Baby look at me”

You open your eyes and look down to see Eddie between your legs.

“Is this okay sweetheart?”

“Y-yes please. Please”

That’s all he needed before his mouth was wrapped around your clit sucking hard. You yelped out a moan and tried to reach your hand down to his hair forgetting your hands were cuffed above you. You’d never used cuffs before and you didn’t realize how much it would affect you. Not being able to grab anything to help steady or ground yourself in any way you just continue moaning out, getting increasingly louder.

Eddie couldn’t get enough of it as he stared up at you. Watching you squirm and moan and scream his name. Your hips began arching off the bed and he used a steady firm hand to press you back down to the mattress and he tugged your waist closer to his face. He was eating you like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. He was a feral man starved and you were a buffet.

Finally he decided to press a finger into you and start moving it in and out. Curling it in an attempt to find that one spot. He knew he found it when your whole body shook and you were so shocked that the moan you let out was completely silent. He removed his finger and plunged back in with two finding that same spot and it made you whimper. Eddie had thought the moaning and screaming was the best sound he could get you to make. But having you whimpering his name over and over again like he was a god?

He quickened the pace of his fingers and began to eat you out with much more fervor. He began to grind against the mattress for relief because he’s pretty sure he’s never been this hard in his entire life and it’s making him a little light headed.

You begin to feel that familiar feeling building in the pit of your stomach. But you’ve never felt it quite this intense and you’re trying to find the words to let him know you’re close but your mind is not really working anymore.

“Ed- Ed- I-I-think- I’m oh god I’m-I’m-“

He pressed your hips down to the mattress and sped up his pace and then he felt it. You clenched down on his fingers and began to squirt all over his face. He could feel and see your entire body convulsing underneath him and he felt like he was in paradise watching you. He slowed his movements and worked you down from your high before he kissed his way back up your body. He didn’t kiss your lips cause your juices were all over his mouth so you leaned up as best you could to initiate the kiss.

When he pulled away he stroked your face gently and ran his thumb across your jaw.

“You wanna call it quits or do you think you can handle a bit more?”

A wide smirk flowed across your face

“Oh I can handle more”

You were out of breath and clearly fucked out of your mind and that made Eddie even more turned on. He couldn’t wait to feel you. He leaned over to his side table and ripped open a condom and slid it on himself. Fisting it a couple times and already feeling on edge. He had no idea how he was going to last in you. Pausing he looked at you in the handcuffs.

“You wanna keep those on or no?”

You tugged them a couple times as you thought about it. “Let’s keep em on actually”

He gave your thigh a little tap indicating you to spread your legs again and you did. He kissed you deeply as he lined himself up with your hole and pressed in. You’d already been mentally preparing for his size since you two got naked but it didn’t prepare you just enough for the stretch.

Once he was about half way, he stilled his movements for you to adjust and you took a few deep breaths before giving a nod. He pushed all the way in and you winced but kissed his cheek as he moved his head to the crook of your neck. He wasn’t moving quite yet but he was rocking back and forth ever so gently. Once you gave him the go ahead to move he pulled out fully and plunged back in hard and deeper than before. Both of you groaning at the sensation.

He finally started to move his hips and found a rhythm he liked and began snapping his hips deeper. His bed slapping against the wall and pushing you deeper and deeper into the mattress as you cried out his name. He was so deep and going so hard and yet all you felt was overwhelming pleasure. Blinding pleasure. You didn’t know it could feel this good. It never had before.

His hands worked their way up to grip the mattress beside your head as he pushed further. His head in the crook of your neck as he speaks into your ear in a breathless voice.

“Fuck..y/n…im not- im not gonna- im not gonna last- you feel so so good”

Hearing him say that made you glad because you were already teetering on the edge of another orgasm and every snap of his hip brought you closer to it.

“Me-me too Eddie”

“Good-Good girl”

He began pounding into you harder, faster. Every stroke in and out felt like it was sucking all the air out of you and everything was getting so sloppy and messy. Kissing each other roughly, biting lips, swapping strings of spit. Everything was melding together and then you felt it wash over you. Throwing your head back with a large gasp as you came all over him. He followed you over the edge as you clenched around him and he dug his face into your chest as he whimpered out your name as his whole body convulsed.

It took you both a while to come down and regulate your breathing. He pulled out and discarded himself of the condom and then released you from your handcuffs. Making sure to rub your wrists gently and leaving a few kisses around them.

Not much was said as you two got cleaned up and he let you borrow one of his oversized band shirts. You were both so exhausted that you passed out rather quickly after that. Somewhere in the night in your sleep you two reached out for one another and when you woke up in the very early hours of the morning you found yourself sleeping in a tight embrace with Eddie.

Without waking him you quietly gathered your things from around the trailer and began to make your way to the door.

“He really likes you ya know”

The unexpected voice made you practically jump out of your skin as you turned to face Wayne who was sitting on the couch sipping a beverage and reading. You considered your words carefully.

“I really like him too”

He raised his cup towards you in a cheering motion and turned his attention back to his reading as you quietly left the trailer and got into your car. You had a plan for the day and decided to hop to it.

Going home and showering before changing into some regular clothes and gathering your things to bring them to the station. When you walk in you can’t help but feel all the eyes in the station on you. Being fairly obvious with the box you’re carrying and the lack of uniform. You walk into Hoppers office.

“Uh y/l/n? Where’s your uniform?”

“Jim. I thought about your offer. About the detective work and what not and I’ve come to the conclusion that this just isn’t for me. So I’m here to give you my gun, my badge and pack up my things”

Hopper sat there dumbfounded. Having no idea what led to your quitting and he watched as you turned heel and packed up your desk rather quickly. A bit sad since he’d given Florence the day off and had originally planned for you to do her work today.

You didn’t bother to say any goodbyes as you left the station for the last time. Your next stop was the Hawkins post. Walking in and heading straight for Nancy’s office and tapping lightly on the doorframe.

“Oh! Hi y/n. How are you?”

“I’m actually really good Nancy….I just turned in my badge…came by to see if that writing position was still available”

Nancy’s face lit up as she stood and dragged you further into the office. She explained what your job duties would be and gave you your first writing assignment and you couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. She gave you a tour of the Hawkins post and the entire time you were just filled with an overjoyed feeling of belonging.

Around noon Nancy asked if you’d like to go to lunch with her and you agreed. You guys walked around the corner to a local diner and got a table.

“So y/n what convinced you to leave and join us at the post?”

“Oh well you know how it is. Nobody there respected me and It was never going to be what I wanted it to be. A friend of mine helped me realize that no matter what job I have I’ll be able to help people somehow”

“Oh? And what friend of yours do I have to thank for bringing you to this realization?”

You blushed deeply and stared down at the plate of fries you’d ordered.

“Um, you might remember him from highschool. His name is Eddie Munson?”

Nancy gasped and put her sandwich down.

“Eddie Munson? Hellfire club leader Eddie Munson? Mike's mentor Eddie Munson?”

“Jeez Nance say it a little louder I don’t think God quite heard you. Anyways yes that is the Eddie I was referring to.”

You finally looked up from your fries to gauge her reaction and saw her smiling at you with a smug expression.

“What?”

“Oh nothing. I’m just glad your “friend” was able to help you realize this”

The air quotes around a friend let you know that she already knew what you hadn’t yet said. Nancy could always read you like that. So you decided to open up to her a bit.

“Okay maybe he’s not a friend exactly…”

“Oh? Really? What could he possibly be then?”

You didn’t appreciate the sarcasm in her tone but chuckles at her humor nonetheless.

“Well we kind of…slept together last night.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Well did you two talk at all? What happened after? Are you guys together?”

“Ummmm well we fell asleep together and I woke up to him wrapped around me and then I snuck out and quit my job?”

Nancy put her sandwich down once again and brought her hands up to her face.

“So you slept with him and then snuck out of his house while he was asleep?”

“Hey hey hey Wheeler need I remind you of the time you pulled that with Steve?”

“That was different we were already dating and I had curfew”

“Okay well then what should I have done? Oh god what should I do now?”

“Well it doesn’t matter what you should have done but now I’d say to definitely call him. Or maybe go talk to him in person?”

“You’re right….I should talk to him later. I’ll call him when I get home.”

***

When you arrived home you dropped the box of your police belongings on the floor by the door and walked over to your phone. The light on it is blinking so you pick up the phone.

“5 missed calls. 2 new messages”

You decide to listen to one of the messages and as soon as you hear the voice you realize the calls must all be from Eddie.

“Uh hey y/n…it’s me Eddie. I uh woke up and you weren’t here so I figured you probably had to go into work..um anyways if you wanna drop by later I’ll be home all day today…” the message cut off and you started the second one.

“Uh hey y/n itd Eddie again. About that last message Uh in case you don’t wanna drop by today that’s totally cool too. No problem you know but the offer still stands anyways…uh yeah but uh call me when you get the chance”

You could tell over the messages that he was nervous. You’d clearly confused him by sneaking out like that and he probably thinks he did something wrong. You debate on calling him back for a moment but quickly decide against it.

Instead, choose to grab your keys and head over to Eddie’s. Arriving at his trailer in your normal car and hopping out to knock on the door. Before you get the chance to knock, the door swings open and Wayne runs right into you.

“Oh hi y/n.”

“Hi Wayne. Is Eddie in?”

“Oh yah. He’s been racking his brain about you all day. Please fix him and shut him up. Anyways I’m off to work. Mind making sure he eats for me?”

“Of course Wayne no problem”

You walk by Wayne into the trailer and close the door. Making your way towards Eddie’s room and knocking on the door.

“You forget something Wayne?”

“Uhhhhh no? Well yeah but I’m not Wayne-“

The door swung open and your eyes met Eddie’s which were opened very wide.

“Oh y/n…it’s you. So uh what are you doing here?”

He walked back into his room and sat on his mattress holding his guitar. Taking a puff of a cigarette before setting it back in the ashtray.

“I uh wanted to apologize Eddie. I didn’t mean to leave like that this morning but I had a lot to do today and didn’t really think about how it would seem beforehand. When I got home and heard your messages I rushed right over”

Eddie exhaled a huge sigh of relief and stood up hanging his guitar on the wall. He turned around and stalked towards you quickly and before you knew it you were in a tight hug.

“Jesus y/n I was going insane. Thought I might have screwed something up. Misread the situation and maybe you thought it was a one night stand. Was it?”

He released you from the hug and leaned back to gauge his reaction. You cupped his face in your hands and stroked your thumb across his jaw.

“I mean I don’t know about you Eddie but I really hope it wasn’t a one time thing. I actually really like you”

He grabbed your face and pulled you in for a kiss but neither of you could stop smiling so you two parted for a moment just holding each other.

“So sarge can I ask what had you so busy that you had to skip out on me this morning?”

“Well for one I’m not sarge anymore…”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I quit. I quit and took the job at the post I told you about. So I’m not “sarge” anymore. I mean not that I ever was a Sargent but still.”

He leaned forward and kissed your earlobe,nibbling on it a little bit.

“Does this mean I can’t call you sarge at all then?” His hand moved down and squeezed your thigh and you started breathing heavily.

“Well hold on Eddie…now I didn’t say that”

He moved from your ear and peppered kisses along your jaw. Moving down to suck on your neck. You move your hands and tangle them into his hair and grab it. Not too rough but enough to cause him to groan.

It’s not long before you’re both naked on the bed. You reach for the handcuffs.

“Your turn, big boy. Hands up”

He smiled wide and lifted his arms above his head laying back fully on the mattress as you straddled him. As you tightened the cuffs around his wrist and he bucked his up.

“Not too tight right?”

“Not at all, baby they’re perfect. Now get down here and kiss me”

You obliged and began to grind on him as you kissed him. Reaching your hand down and giving him a few good strokes before sinking down on him fully. Ignoring the pain and taking him all the way. He groaned heavily and you could hear the tug of the handcuffs.

Finally you find a pace and begin to move up and down and the sounds Eddie begins to make are driving you insane. Eddie opens his eyes and watches the way you bounce on top of him. His eyes jiggled along with your breasts. He bucked his hips up to meet yours. Hitting you at an entirely new deep angle. You couldn’t get enough of it. You tilted your head down and made eye contact with Eddie. Neither of you broke eye-contact as you continued riding him. He wanted so badly to reach out and grab you and grope you all over and he was straining so hard against the handcuffs. He loved every second of it.

He could feel you getting close as you began to become tighter around him and he was just trying to hold out long enough for you to come first. He tried to buck his hips up faster but without his hands to steady himself all of his movements were becoming sloppy.

He felt himself stutter as his orgasm overtook him and he whimpered out your name and he maintained eye-contact and watched as you threw your head back as your own orgasm overtook you.

As you both came down you reached over and grabbed the key from Eddie’s side table. Unlocking his cuffs and grabbing his wrists. Massaging them the way he had for you the prior night. Leaving a trail of kisses on his wrists. After that you pulled yourself off of him and collapsed next to him on the bed.

Turning to face him and he turned to you snaking his hand around you waist as he pushed you into the mattress for a kiss.

“So sarge you staying the full night this time?”

“I’d really like that.”

The two of you got cleaned up and you changed into one of his t-shirts and he pulled on some boxers before crawling back into bed with you. As you prepared to cuddle into him you grabbed the handcuffs and returned them to their spot above the bed. You may not be a cop anymore but you’ll make damn good use of your handcuffs.

[biggityboppingboob]

memory lane- jean kirstein x reader

when an old enemy from law school takes a job as your boss, how will it go?

WARNING: SMUT- MINORS, ANYONE UNDER 18, DNI

Includes: au!jean, jean kirstein x reader, au!world, vibrator play, enemies to lovers, brief daddy kink, overstimulation and orgasm denial, alcohol consumption

i was a diabolical opponent. in law school, jean kirstein was my most aggressive competition. we both wanted to practice criminal defense, and we wanted the same job, at the same firm.

following graduation, i ended up getting the position. jean cursed me for weeks, and took a position at the district attorney’s office. i truly believed he did it to pick a fight.

jean and i worked together for about four years as opposites, before my firm offered jean a salary that no associate would dream of turning down. i was up for that promotion so i could run for judge after the new term arose.

and the job my firm offered him, was as my boss.

when i discovered my firm’s partners were bringing jean in as the head researcher and supervisor of the associates, brought him in as a partner, it made me sick. i wanted to quit on the spot. i deserved to be partner.

there was a welcome dinner to welcome the former assistant district attorney.

i chose to sit in my office and pout. how fucking dare those partners keep this from me.

i had poured myself a drink from my office bar. it was after hours, and i was one of the only ones left. i had a trial quickly approaching on a man who didn’t have much chance of staying outside of jail- i needed to be prepared.

i heard footsteps, only once they were too late.

a casual knock bumped my attention to my door, only to see jean approaching my desk to take a seat.

“get out of her, kirstein, some of us have work to do,” i snapped and took a sip of my drink.

“now, i would watch how i speak to my boss if i were you,” he smirked, rubbing it in my face. “you know, i got that big office right across the hall from you,”

“you’re gonna have a big foot in your ass,” i whispered, ignoring him as i reviewed the evidence packet for the case.

“you have to admit,” jean said, “we always knew it would end up with one of us on top.” he was being more normal now. it was a side i rarely ever saw of him. i scoffed.

when i didn’t say anything, he continued.

“i’m serious. i don’t know a more qualified person to work with,” he complimented me.

i stopped what i was doing, and set my drink down to give him my full attention.

“what do you want, jean? my parking space?” i crossed my arms. “you haven’t been nice to me since our second year of law school when i asked you out and you said no, because i was ‘a distraction’? then you fight me every step of the way? what the fuck is your game-“

it upset you greatly when jean turned you down. he would have been a distraction too, but a welcomed one. everything off of jean oozed sex appeal and romance. at one point, i was desperate for it. it’s what started our hatred for each other, our competition.

“i’m sorry i was a jackass,” jean frowned. “it was super shitty of me to be so rude to you. you scared me.”

i chortled in disbelief, standing and pouring two drinks. if i was going to be spoon fed bullshit, we may as well both have liquor.

“you’re such an idiot, kirstein,”

i set the drinks on the desk before sitting back down. “look, i’ll be professional. i will, you don’t need to worry about bullshit from me. i don’t like it, but you’re my boss. clearly the partners believe in you.”

“go to dinner with me,” he pleaded. “i was an idiot, and you were smarter than me. i hated it. no one had ever been smarter than me before. and you scared me. you were independent and you were brilliant and talented. we were all scared of you,”

the sincerity in jean’s voice was hard to ignore. however, lawyer’s are magnificent liars.

i looked at him, truly contemplating what his game was. “did you just ask me to dinner?”

if i didn’t go to dinner, i couldn’t figure out what his game was. i’d need to play along.

“fine,” i gave in, he looked elated. like, genuinely happy. it was weird that for once i didn’t rain fire and brimstone down on jean kirstein.

“fantastic!” he smiled and jumped up. “you still at the same condo?”

i nodded slowly, forgetting he knew where i lived.

“i’ll pick you up at seven thirty tomorrow. dress nice,”

jean left my office in a flash after that. ‘dress nice’ didn’t mean much to me. did he mean court ‘nice’? date night ‘nice’? i supposed i’d actually have to take this seriously and look presentable.

if i get him drunk, maybe he will just tell me what he wants? that’s how it worked in law school. he’d get drunk and tell me i’d never get that job over him, so maybe it works now?

i stayed in the office for another hour before going home. one of my friends from law school, sasha, came over to have a couple drinks and help me pick an outfit.

“you’re serious that THE jean kirstein asked you to dinner?” sasha laughed over her glass of wine, “he hated you in law school!”

i turned and looked at her. “i know! it’s crazy. now he’s my boss and he’s asking me out?” i held up a red sweater dress. “how’s this?”

sasha shook her head. “mrs.claus doesn’t come around for a few more months, babe,”

i rolled my eyes before turning back to the closet. court ‘nice’ seems out of the question. date night ‘nice’ it is.

i eventually made my way to a knee length navy blue, off the shoulder dress, with a slit up to my mid thigh.

“this?” i asked. sasha gave me a smile and a nod.

“you think you’ll have sex with him?”

i nearly fell over.

“sasha! no. i don’t think i’ll be having sex with jean.” she was a nightmare sometimes.

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

the next day was a whirlwind. i was in trial all morning, running through docket calls and speaking with prosecution.

i made it back to the office around three pm- i needed to leave at six to get ready for whatever hell i was attending at 7:30.

the paralegals approached me needing signatures on pleadings for hours. i was swarmed like a dead animal in the desert.

the political drama of jean’s arrival wasn’t lost on the paralegals. one of my favorite paralegals, colt, came in with pleadings and took a seat.

colt was a great kid. he was applying for the upcoming school cycle which i wrote him a letter of recommendation for. i’d love to work with him long term.

“isn’t this the guy who you like, hated?” colt asked and i nodded.

“trust me. i have no idea what’s up this guy’s sleeve. this all started as second year law students. i shouldn’t have asked him out,” i groaned, “it’s so embarrassing,”

“could he have been into you? and it freaked him out? you’re pretty much smarter than everyone else i know,” colt shrugged. “i mean, you don’t really let anyone push you around,”

i shrugged, signing colt’s pleadings.

“funny enough, he said that to me last night. but, you don’t take a partner role at a firm without being able to handle working with women,” i hand him back the stack.

“is he gonna try and sleep with you?” colt asked, trying not to laugh

“colt!” i threw a pen at him, hitting him square in the shirt pocket.

“sasha said the same thing, didn’t she?” he asked, knowing of my friendship with a fellow attorney.

“you’re fired,” i joked, sending him away.

“i’ll be asking monday morning about how it went!” he laughed before leaving the room, attempting to avoid another assault by pen.

the rest of the day flew by.

i met with levi ackerman and erwin smith, our litigation partners, while getting new assignments. we just recently got a big publicity murder case that i would be heading up under ackerman. it was hinted at by erwin that if i did well, i’d be back in the running for partner.

“wasn’t jean just taking the partner spot?” i asked my boss.

“he said he wouldn’t take it unless we considered you as well, besides. we both know at least one of you will be running for judge, the paralegals worship you,” erwin smiled, “if i didn’t know better i’d say he’s a fan of yours,”

he wouldn’t take the job unless they kept me in for partner? was he being honest? maybe i did overstep with my thoughts. i suppose i’d have to be nice at dinner.

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

sasha was back at my house, drinking my expensive booze and eating my food as i got ready.

“he actually demanded you get to be partner?” sasha was shocked. “dude, he totally wants to bone you!”

i nodded, “i have to say you might be right. there’s no way he’d want me to know he said that to ackerman and smith. not a chance,”

“so are you gonna do it?” sasha asked as i put earrings in, “you gonna bone him?”

i stopped for a moment and looked at her, truly not knowing the answer. jean was handsome, smart, successful, and quite funny when you weren’t the focus of his jokes.

“i’ll go into this with an open mind. we will see,”

my answer was honest. truly, i was going to give jean a chance. this is new information.

a knock on my door resounded. i looked at the clock noticing it was 7:24- he was early.

i look at sasha, eyes wide. “hide in here. once we leave, get the hell out!”

she did her best to hide a giggle as i grabbed my hand bag. i approached the door quickly, and threw it open.

there he stood, in all his kirstein glory; navy blue suit, top couple buttons undone, and a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

they were beautiful, and my favorite kind. i didn’t know how he knew- colt. colt and some of the other paralegals for me flowers for my birthday this year, only after badgering me to find my favorite type.

“colt blabbed, huh?” i crossed my arms and opened the door, letting him in.

“only with extreme bribery,” jean smiled, “he’s very loyal to you, almost to a fault. he was basically willing to take suspension over telling me anything,”

i took the bouquet from him, smiling. “these are really beautiful, jean, thank you,” i meant it sincerely. it was lovely.

“you look stunning, by the way,” he said, clearing his throat.

jean kirstein was nervous?

“you look very nice too,” i took a vase out from a cabinet in the kitchen and set them inside with water, planning to attend more to them later.

“hi sasha,” jean called into the back room before hearing a “hi jean!” echo from my bedroom.

“she was supposed to be quiet!” i whisper yelled.

“sorry,” she whispered back, barely audible.

i rolled my eyes with a chuckle and caught jean staring at me.

“so, what’s the plan?” i asked him.

i was given the runaround, being told it was a surprise and he didn’t do all this work just to give it away. it was typical jean fashion.

he parked at my condo, but we talked down the street.

we were heading in the direction of the law school. i could hear the loud music coming from the college bars and i wasn’t paying attention to where we were until i was taken inside a cafe.

it was the same cafe we all studied at as law students. we saw a lot of students wearing ‘law school’ embossed sweatshirts drowning in coffee.

“do you know where we are?” jean asked and i nodded.

“of course, we all studied here, and we’d drink before finals and do homework-“ i smiled, relishing at the memories.

“this is where we met,” jean spoke. “you and sasha were here with other kids from our civil procedures class, i came in with reiner,”

i looked at him, unsure of what to say. “you remember that?” i asked.

“of course i do,” jean said, “you moved over to let me sit down and then immediately began correcting my tortfeasors,”

the memory began to reappear slowly. i looked at jean with a fond remembrance.

“yeah, well, you really screwed them up,” i smiled, almost feeling emotional.

“you looked beautiful then, you look just as beautiful now,”

there was a table of law students who i could tell were listening, the young women were reacting so sweetly. the men looked uncomfortable, knowing the women would be expecting this.

“you have to understand my surprise, jean,” i looked at him, “we were competitors for years, we didn’t have to be. even though you didn’t want to date me, you could still have been my friend,” i shrugged. “it made me sad. then you started pining after the job i wanted, now you’re my boss,”

“not for long if you make partner on this case, i know smith and ackerman want to give you partner, they just have some political stuff to sort out,” jean reassured. “come on,” he grabbed my wrist and began to take me out of the cafe.

soon, another short walk, we ended up standing in front of a beautiful restaurant, now that we were in the business district.

“remember?” he asked me, his breath close to my ear, “you told me one day you’d have a standing reservation here. one day, they’d-“

“keep a seat open for me, always,” i looked up at him.

i grew up very poor. i was the first in my family to go to college, let alone be a successful attorney. my parents nearly fell over when i passed the bar exam. luxury wasn’t something i was used to, not until the last couple years. it still made my fingers tingle; the way the crystal wine glasses felt on my lips, the way the leather of the chairs felt against my thighs as i sat there with crossed legs, the smell of luxury and perfume, it filled another hole in my heart that made all that work worth it.

“we have a reservation,” jean smiled, “i made it the day i took the job, i would have kidnapped you if you didn’t come willingly,”

i was stunned. truly- jean remembered all this? sasha was a goofball, but even she wouldn’t have given this up.

“why did you wait so long to do this?” i asked. “if you never hated me, why wait?”

he shrugged, looking embarrassed, “i was scared you would tell me to go to hell, it’s not like i was nice to you.”

i nodded. giving him a small smile, i nudged my head towards the restaurant.

“well?” i smirked, “don’t we have a reservation?”

dinner was, well, perfect. i couldn’t have predicted this for all the money in my pocket.

the conversation was ever-flowing. discussions of cases, our families, updates on friends from school, he subtly shared with me that him and mikasa, his ex girlfriend, split about six months ago, i let him know i split from eren, my ex-boyfriend, a few months ago as well. he told me his little sister was starting law school this year with some of her friends, as well.

i sat with a glass of wine, staring into the red as i let my mind drift. sasha’s and colt’s question appeared in my head- was i going to sleep with him?

jean wouldn’t expect it. jean might be competitive but he was never one to assume that. i’ve known girls he dated and they always explained his gentlemanly tendencies.

but honestly, he was good looking, he was kind, he clearly wanted to be affectionate with me, what did i have to lose? it seemed like i was going to make partner either way. the tender and intimate thought he put into this was only indicative of one thing- he wanted me to sleep with him, even if he’d never come out and admit it.

“hey,” he spoke gently, bringing my attention back, “are you alright? you went somewhere for a second,”

i gave him a coy smile. “yeah, jean,” i took a sip of wine, “i’m just debating the benefits of bringing you home tonight,”

jean looked so caught off guard he was about to fall over. his face turned beet red, before signaling to our server to come over.

“waiter? check please!”

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

the walk back to my place was peaceful. the two glasses of wine encouraged some bravery. i would giggle at his jokes and touch his bicep, stare at his lips with heavy hooded eyes, all the normal things that normally get that engine going.

the condo came into view quickly. i knew even though i made that comment to jean at dinner, he wouldn’t assume anything. as much as he was a gentleman, he was also aloof.

i unlocked the door, and noticed sasha was gone. thank god.

jean was preparing to take his leave. i don’t think he knew what to do next with himself. he was faced with the inner battle, so i made the decision for him.

“hey, um,” i cleared my throat once i thought of a good excuse, “want to come inside? i just got a new bottle of whiskey,”

whiskey was his favorite. we both loved it. a devilish grin appeared on his lips. he knew i wasn’t letting him in for whiskey.

“yeah, sure, sounds great, baby,”

wow, straight to my pussy.

i blushed lightly, letting him inside. kicking off my heels, i saw jean follow me with his eyes as i walked to my bar in the den, and heard him follow me.

the bar was a prize possession of mine. it held awards, photos, all of my important things. there was photos of us in groups, my law degree and bar certification were hung in the wall, pictures of my family, and bottles of alcohol meant for celebration. on my first day at my job, my parents bought me a bottle of champagne to open when i made partner. my friends gave me bottles for when i got engaged. jean stood behind me, touching up the sides of my arms as i grabbed a nondescript bottle i bought, not one of the special ones, and poured us two drinks. his front was pressed against my back. i felt his shoulders and chest, his body, his waist, all of it. he was strong and sturdy.

i opened the bottle, notes of cherry and cinnamon filling the room. i left it open to breathe for a moment before turning back to him. he was there waiting for me, a lustful look in his eyes as i grabbed him by the waistline of his pants and pulled him closer.

we stopped to look at each other for a moment before jean’s hand found my hair, and connected our lips.

it was slow for a moment, both of us were trying to find our groove and see if we liked what we felt.

then all at once, jean had his hands on my ass. “jump,” he growled into my tongue. i hopped up, wrapping my legs around him as he carried me.

i pulled away to kiss down his jaw and his neck. “bedroom is in the back on the left,”

jean took the liberty of unzipping my dress before he set me down next to the bed while i bit into the soft skin of his neck, leaving a trail of raised kisses down his throat.

he gently set me on the ground, and immediately began undressing himself.

it was hard not to stare. his body was godly. it seems that jean’s outlet for the stress of being an attorney is working out. rather that than drugs or alcohol like other attorneys.

his member was massive. swollen and veiny, with a curve at the end. his body looked, smelt, and felt magnificent.

he was staring at me too, as i took my dress off. i didn’t wear uny undergarments under the dress over than a single navy blue g-string thong. my body was softer than his, squeezable, grab-able, a roll appeared here or there, it made me insecure. actually, it made me want to put my dress back on and hide.

“god,” jean breathed out as he approached me, “you’re so breathtaking, sweetness,” his hands traveled all over my body, starting with my hips, my stomach and back, up to my shoulders to cup my face. “let me take you baby, let me show you that i never stopped thinking of you in school. how every day i saw you in court i wanted to make you forget the name of any other man you’d ever been with,”

i was speechless. i had never been romanced like this, never sought after like this. when i didn’t answer, jean asked again. “can i do that, baby?”

not saying anything, i gave him a small nod. we embraced each other wholly after that. i was pushed into the bed gently by jean as he crawled on top of me. his hands began to search for my sensitive spots, looking to elicit a reaction from me. my back arched against him and i wrapped my hands in his hair.

i opened my hips, wrapping my legs around his waist.

“need a condom first baby,” jean kissed me sensually, “you have one?”

i nodded, gasping. “nightstand, first drawer,”

when he opened the drawer, it slammed. the condoms all shifted to the front, something hard rolled to the front.

oh my god, my vibrator.

jean’s breath hitched. “well, sweetness, what is this?”

it was nothing astounding, just a pastel pink bullet with a single button, but it more than did the job.

jean grabbed the vibrator and a condom out of the drawer. the condom went on quickly, but jean showed me very quickly that i was bested.

he looked down at me with a sense of excitement, as if he just found the holy grail. with a dramatic press, the bullet began to vibrate in jean’s hand.

the godly man did nothing at first, before sticking the toy into my clit, making me nearly fall off the bed at the sensation.

“oh, princess,” jean came back on top of me, “it’s going be a long night for you,”

the overstimulation drove me insane. jean would let the vibrator sit on my clit while he thrusted in an out of me with a fury, while licking up my neck or nibbling my nipples.

my eyes were so blurry with tears i couldn’t see. it was what i expected falling out of a plane to feel like, in a way.

jean would get me close enough to cum, then stop. he was edging both of us at the same time.

“jean, baby, please,” i groaned as he slowed his pace, making it even more difficult to control myself.

“you’re being so good, sweet girl, it’s-“

an uncontrollable moan left my mouth, “daddy please i need to cum,”

i was unsure how long jean was edging me for. it could have been a full hour. the bedsheets were soaked wet. tears of pleasure ran down my eyes and my body couldn’t stop shaking.

“jean, baby, please,” i begged. “it hurts, please let me cum,”

jean finally was satisfied with my behavior, my begging. he turned the vibrator off and set it down on the bed next to us and pulled me to his chest gently.

“you did so good, baby, let’s get you finished,”

it took only a minute of jean’s fast hips against mine to make my body nearly crumble in his hands. my orgasm lasted for nearly thirty seconds, i felt like i left the solar system. expletives left both of our mouths and our bodies were slick with sweat and sex, it was pornographic.

jean fell to the side of the bed, breathing heavily to compensate for the hard work he just did.

i looked at him, trying to steady my breath as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest.

he gave me a sweet kiss, a ‘thank you’, before that familiar grin returned. “i’m so happy i’m your boss,”

[ducky-died-inside]

This was my English assignment that i way overdid. Enjoy :D @starry-night-rose @s-mpeterparker @nocturne-the-raven @iisaabelaa @nort-the-simp @justiceiv @minion-tampons @lovelivelaughing @decommercializedfebreeze @kerstynn @willowbeepz @alex--turner @duckysdammspam @ask-qiqi @jessepinkmanfanboy15 @crazedfangirl14 @faeriegutz @k1ttysart

Btw, the names are stolen from the seven murders ocs, but they aren't necessarily the same people :D

Be Careful What You Wish For (Because You Might Lose It All)

Tw: death and blood :D

I knew that splitting up would never end well. I’d seen enough movies and read enough books to know that for a fact. So, since I know this so obviously, can anyone tell me why I am running alone like a bat out of hell? Where has everyone else gone? Did they all get lost in this maze of books and candles, or am I the only one apart from them? These questions raced through my head as I raced through the halls, coming to a split. 

“Hello?” I called down either hallway. “Please, Derek, Victoria, anyone! Where are you?!”

I heard a familiar voice call back at me from the right hallway. “Larke? Is that you?”

Relief flooded through my body as I recognized the voice as Derek’s. I’d been wanting to find him the most and it would’ve destroyed me if he had been caught. This was true of all my friends, but Derek was different. He had been with me for years and we knew everything about each other. It would be like losing my other half, losing my heart.

I was quickly going down the right hallway when I heard him yell, pained and anguished. It spurred me on, making me run faster than I thought was possible. I heard him again. It was close, and as the hallway turned, I saw him.

“Help-”

His voice was meek, cut off by the butt of a knife handle getting slammed onto his head, making him fall over, unconscious. A dark stood over him, holding said knife and breathing heavily.

“Let. Him. Go.” I tried to keep my tone even, but underneath, I was panicking.

“Why would I do a thing like that, bug?” The figures voice was gravelly and low as it turned towards me, eerily familiar. “You helped take everything from me, so now I’ll take everything from you. You clearly care for him, and right now he makes fantastic leverage.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. I did recognize the voice. I knew the figure standing over Derek. In fact, I had lived with him for half of my life.

“Dad?” As he stepped forward, I stepped back and my face contorted into a mask of shock and surprise.

“Now, now, little bug. Don’t look so surprised! You knew this would come eventually, didn’t you?”

I recoiled at the nickname, staring into the eyes that I see everyday when I look in the mirror. “Dad, please. It’s me you want. Just let me wake him up, and I’ll go with you. Please, we could be happy again.” I had wanted him back for so long, but now I wish he had just stayed away. I wish he had stayed gone.

He scoffed, tightening his grip on the knife so much, his knuckles turned white. “Happy? Do you really think we could be happy together after what you did to your mother? After what you did to me?”

I felt my gaze turn stoney as I seethed at him. “Don’t you dare bring my mother into this. Her death was not my fault and I’m not going to let you deface her memory like this! This isn’t what she would’ve wanted!”

I don’t know what I expected my dad to do after that. Maybe give me a hug; an apology for this entire mess; let me get Derek awake and moving, and let us get the hell out of this trap. Instead, my dad’s eyes narrowed and he let out a chuckle, low and deep. “What she would have wanted doesn’t matter anymore. She’s gone now, and I intend to fix it!”

I felt anger bubble in my chest. “Killing me or my best friend is going to fix it? How does that even work?! Why have you waited so long for this? You could have fixed it years ago instead of leaving me! You left me parent-less, blaming a scared 10 year old girl for her own mother’s death! It has been over a decade since I last saw you and now you come back with this revenge bullshit?! How the fuck does that make any sense?!”

“I am fixing everything! You wouldn’t understand how much it has taken for me to get to this point!” The hand holding the knife gestured wildly around the room.

“I understand that you’re insane! I understand that you’ve let everything brew up inside you since the accident! I understand everything!” I breathed heavily, my throat scratchy from yelling. I hadn’t even noticed until this point, but hot tears were streaming down my face. “I went though everything you have gone through. I felt all the pain. I’ve felt since since I was 10 and I realized you were never coming back. I felt it when I was waiting in the hospital, alone and covered with blood, to see if my mother had survived. I felt it ever since that car went off the road with me in the back seat. I felt every single moment of it.”

 I saw my fathers eyes flicker, but his gaze seemed to burn brighter with red hot anger once he was over his moment of empathy. “You know nothing of the pain I endured! I-”

“I spent years praying that you would come back, wishing, wanting someone to tell me it was going to be okay. I went to her grave on her birthday every year since, alone. I got my first job, alone. I graduated high school with no one in audience for me. I made friends,” I looked at Derek, still unconscious on the floor. “But I needed that parental light. I needed you.” I glared back at the man who had deserted me for most of my life. “You want to talk about pain? Let’s talk about pain.”

I could tell anger was rising in both of us, and I knew that this wasn’t going to end well. My suspicions were proved correct when he turned away from me and kicked Derek in the chest. My friend gasped out in pain, immediately waking up. He sat straight up and the man behind him grabbed him by the arm, forcefully pulling him to his feet. He swung Derek into a position where he had one hand on Derek’s shoulder, and one holding the knife dangerously close to Derek’s neck. “Alright, bug. Let’s talk.”

Any fury in me was immediately doused. He couldn’t bring Derek back into this. “No. Leave him alone. This is between you and me, not him.”

“No, you wanted to talk, let’s talk. I think that we should start with how it feels to lose someone closer than your mother. Someone you would do practically anything for.”

Derek looked at me with wide eyes, pleading for me to do something. “Dad, please.” my voice was shakier than I would ever like to admit. “Just let him go. We can talk about this like civilized people, ok? Can’t we?”

My dad started laughing again, drawing the knife closer. "That's the thing about friends isn't it."

I shook my head, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The more you love them, the more it hurts when you let them go." He grinned maniacally. "Allow me to demonstrate."

Even with everything that’s happened in my sad, sorry life, I’ve never felt more scared then in this moment. Derek shied away from the knife, but that ended up doing more harm than good. The more he squirmed, the more marks the knife nicked into his skin, leaving long, thin trails of red on his neck and blood trickling down it. He grimaced at the pain, his eyes welling up with tears.

“PLEASE!” I screamed. “JUST STOP, YOU’RE HURTING HIM!”

My dad let out another laugh, this one more maniacal. “That’s kind of the point, bug! I mean, how can I prove what this pain feels like without showing you a taste of it?!”

I saw Derek’s movements starting to get sluggish, energy draining out of him like a battery as the knife nicked him a couple more times when he thrashed to close to it. I was about to scream again when Victoria burst into the room. I watched her take everything in, and I saw the exact moment when she laid her eyes on Derek. I saw the realization wash over her when she too noticed that he was barely moving, despite being in a situation where he would normally be fighting his hardest to get out.

Distracted by the entrance of Victoria, my father let Derek’s body slump to the floor. I could see my friend shaking with barely visible breaths, but they were there nonetheless. 

Police sirens cut through the air, and my dad panicked. He dropped the knife and ran out of the room, and back into the twisting maze of corridors and hallways. I looked over to Victoria, because I know for a fact I didn’t call them. 

“I called them when I heard Derek scream.”

“You heard that too?”

“Yeah. I guess I must’ve just been further away. The only reason I was able to find was because you were fighting with your dad.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to Derek. His face was pale and his breathing was shallow. He smiled somewhat deliriously up at me. “Hey Larkie. Are you good?”

I felt a new spring of tears burst out of me. “Am I good? Derek, you’re the one who’s not good. I don’t… I don’t know how to help y-”

He shushed me quietly, bringing a wobbly finger to my lips. “It’s ok. You don’t need to help me anymore. I don’t feel a thing. It’s all numb. I’m ok.”

A deep panic settled into me. “No, Derek! You’re going to be ok! I just need you to stay awake for me until we can get help for you, ok? Can you keep talking so that I know you’re still alright?”

He nodded, but his eyes started slipping shut almost immediately. I smacked his cheek lightly, trying to get to open his eyes again. Over my panic, I could hear Victoria, trying to attract whoever was out there. Derek’s eyes flitted open, just barely. He seemed to be looking at something just above my head. “Derek, can you please talk to me? I need to know you’re still there.”

After a second, Derek spoke. “She looks just like you.”

I looked behind me, but the only other person there was Victoria, and we look nothing alike. “Derek, who are you talking abut? It’s just me and Vic, alright? Just me and Vic.” I needed to keep him talking. “What’s your favorite color?”

He snorted. “Larkie, I thought you knew this already.”

“Yeah, I know, but how about you tell me one more time, ok? Please?”

“…It’s green.”

His words had started to drift, but I was determined to keep him awake. “Ok, now what do you do in your free time?”

“Video games, books.”

“What do you like about books?”

“…”

“Derek, can you answer me?”

I looked to his face and I saw it was completely slack. There was no emotion frozen there, just a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were dull, the light that made him so fun to be around completely gone, faded from the world. His ever-fidgety hands were still and somewhat warm, though his body heat was dying out quickly. “No. Nonononono. Derek!” I screamed, shaking him by the shoulders. “Derek, please, you have to wake up. You have to wake up!”

I felt someone grab my shoulders and start to pull me away from Derek’s body. I tried fighting it, hitting their hands and kicking my legs, but it didn’t work. I looked back into the eyes of my assailant and I saw Victoria, her eyes rimmed with tears. She pulled me into a tight hug, rubbing my back as I sobbed into her shirt. Her body shook with her own cries into the night.

I lost everything I had ever wished for.

I lost something very important that night. I didn’t lose another mom, not having another one to lose. I didn’t lose my dad, for I had lost him a long time ago. I didn't lose in the girl who let me sob in her arms and had never seen me cry even though I had met her two years ago.

No, instead I lost my best friend, one who had stayed by me for years and had shown me so much support.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Divination is the Best Medicine.

I’m going to tell you this only once, Hikaru Ando.

*Ando is bound and held captive in one of the tents the Future Foundation sets up outside the lab. Munakata strides up to the tied up Ando, and points the tip of his blade directly at his throat. Makoto, Kyoko, Byakuya, Seiko, Kuripa, Setsuka and Eden watch.

Get those doors open, or at least, TELL us how to open them.

Eden...Seiko...Part of me thinks you shouldn’t be watching this.

...!

No, I insist I stay this time. It’s important.

But you’re keeping your eyes closed for most of it anyway. 

Please, trust me. I’m working something out.

Setsuka! *pant!* Here you are...!

Yoyo!? So you came.

I’m here too. Taichi did what was asked and send a second dispatch of soldiers down to the Tower. Hina decided to stay behind, but Sayaka came in her place.

Is it true? That Kaede’s...?

Yes, unfortunately it is. But we’re working on trying to get the doors open now. As you can see, Munakata is...

*Everyone looks over at the furious Munakata.

...Hehehehe...You mistake my place, Mr Munakata.

My mission from Organization Zetsubou was to work to the bone in that lab...Not to manage it~

...

...Hey...Kuripa...

Huh?

*Eden leans over and whispers something in his ear.

...Right, I got it...

*Kuripa suddenly strides forward and pulls out his own sword.

We don’t have time for games, sicko! 

Wha-hey! Kuripa! Wait!

*Kuripa gets much closer to Ando, holding the blade up against his neck, gently pressing it.

If you’re not gonna tell us how to get into that lab...Then tell us where the fucking parasite is inside you.

Huh...?

The REAL Ando is probably gonna feel more inclined to help us out. So let’s get rid of this evolution-mad bastard, and bring back the actual HELPFUL one.

...

Reaper, try to be a little patient. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

I said WHERE!?

...!?

*Kuripa pays little attention to Setsuka’s words, and presses his blade slightly more into Ando’s neck. His neck starts to bleed slightly, and Kuripa’s face expresses more genuine anger as the seconds go by.

*WHEEZE!* HAHAHAHAHA! Yes, YES!

Huh...!?

Wh-What now!?

YES, YES, YEAH YEAH YEAH! Kill me now and spare this old gentleman and his young daughter from Organization Zetsubou’s dire embrace!

Because I need only stall you! Shirogane’s plan is near completion, and it’s only a matter of time until Danganronpa Survivor comes to fruition!

The last thing she needs is to round up her remaining captives, and once she does...!

The whole world...IS DOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMEED! AAAHAAHAAAA HAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!

...!

...!

...

His throat.

What?

!!??

*Everyone looks towards Eden.

Thanks for that, Kuripa~ You got him thinkin’ exactly what I wanted him to.

What did you even say?

The parasite. It’s in his throat. Like...in his mouth.

His MOUTH!?

Like...Around here I’d say.

*Eden signs to her neck just below the jaw.

Well, that at least explains why we can’t see it.

Could also explain why the guy’s so unnaturally talkative and weird.

How did you even figure that out?

Well, this is gonna sound lil’ kooky, but I can read minds.

You’re right, that does sound cooky. That’s the kind of power that only exists in superhero movies.

Says the sci-fi supercomputer.

That’s...! fair...

Sora still has a point though. Telepathy isn’t conclusive enough on it’s own as proof, is it?

Actually, I can vouch for Eden. Her abilities aren’t the same bullshit Hiro always spouts about. She’s pretty genuine.

I agree. We have no reason to distrust her either. She’s been nothing but helpful since she showed up here, so I doubt she’d go back on us now.

Right then...Let’s get it out!

Kuripa, stop, you’ll cut his damn head off!

I get that you’re panicked, but we must move cautiously if we-

There’s no TIME for caution! My kid-I mean...Kaede Akamatsu...is TRAPPED in there with who knows what!?

Sure we took out most of the Monokuma’s, but we don’t know what’s left behind in that lab! Even if there’s no danger, it’s only a matter of time before Zetsubou make their move. They’ll KILL HER!

*SLAM!*

ENOUGH!

!!?

!!?

*Everyone is caught off guard, as Seiko suddenly slams the table and yells. What little color remains in her face fades from the illness, but she shakes it off and turns to Eden.

...in...?

*She motions to her throat.

Yeah, that’s right. It’s what he thought. “They’ll never know the parasite is in my throat, hahahaha!”

...let...me do...this...

*Seiko strides over, walking in between Munakata and Kuripa, and leans closer to Ando.

...?

...

What is she doing?

...!

Mmmphh...

UM!!?

Uuuuuuuh...Seiko...!?

What in the fresh hell are you doing!?

*Everyone is taken aback, as Seiko suddenly leans forward and snogs Ando. Evidently slipping her tongue into his mouth.

Well uh...I mean...she has been locked up for a long time...Maybe she just needs a bit of serotonin?

Sora, even you’re sensible enough to know that this isn’t the time for something like that.

Yeah, this is weird. It’s really weird. What exactly are you doing Seik-

HRRRGH!

AH GHRRRRLAAAGGGUH!!

*SHRIEK!*

ooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOH MY GOOODD!!?

WHAT THE FUUUUCK!!?

*SHRIEK!* *SHRIIIEK!*

*After “making out” with Ando, Seiko suddenly retracts herself, and out of Ando’s mouth comes a significantly larger parasite than any seen before; Seiko yanking the creature out with her teeth.

PTOOO!

*SHRIEK!* 

*SHANK!*

*SHRIEK!*

*SHANK!* *SHANK!* *SHANK!* *SHANK!* *SHANK!*

*Shriek...splutter...*

*With one final tug, Seiko pries the creature from Ando’s mouth, spitting it onto the floor. It wriggles, covered in Ando’s phlem, trying to get away. Munakata, with a disgusted look on his face, stabs the worm multiple times with his sword until it dies.

*COUGH!* problem solved...!

...I...feel...very uncomfortable after watching that...

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh...

...Good work.

...That made me feel physically sick...

I mean...good job...? I think...?

*Setsuka cringes.*

Divine Eye definitely didn’t see THAT coming.

Huurgh! ....Hurrgh..........HURRL!

C-Can we get a sick bag for my wife here folks?

A-Alright...THAT happened...Wh-What about the doctor?

*Still visibly traumatized, Sayaka walks over to the now unconscious Doctor Ando.

Doctor? A-Are you awake?

Hrrgh...? HAAH!? Ah-AAAGH!

*THUD!*

Oof! Ow! That’s a rude awakening!

Oooww...

*In his surprise struggle upon awakening, Ando falls over on his chair and collapses to the floor, unable to stop himself due to his bound arms.

Kuripa Kurafto, help me get him up.

*Munakata and Kuripa lift Ando back upright.

Uuugh...Wha...What just happened...?

Setsuka? A-Are you...?

Doc, are you back to normal now!?

...

I think so...

...Owari?

I just checked the Divine Eye again. All those wacky villain thoughts I mentioned? Gone now.

Hey...sorry about your neck.

*Kuripa goes behind Ando and slices through his ropes. Ando stands up and dusts himself down.

Aah! My head!

Watch it. You’ve just been freed of the parasites control for a long time. It’s not gonna hurt to take a breather.

Right, I didn’t even think about it, but he’s been brainwashed for a hella long time.

6 or 7 years if I’m not mistaken.

I’m so sorry Doc. On behalf of the Kisaragi Foundation, I apologize it took so long to find you. I didn’t even know you were suffering so much.

What are you talking about? I don’t care how long it took.

*He turns to Seiko.

Thank you so much...You saved my life.

Well, to be fair...Keeping you alive was essential to our plan.

Ugh...That’s Kuripa-nese for “We need your help.” 

With rescuing Kaede Akamatsu, correct?

That, among many other things. Which includes rescuing your daughter.

M-My daughter...!?

Yes, Doc. Apparently, Kanata’s alive.

...Shirogane told me that she had found a way to revive my girl from the dead...So that wasn’t a lie?

Apparently not. But she’s being kept prisoner in Zetsubou’s base, just as you were. And based on what we know, you were being used as a hostage against her to make her do Zetsubou’s dirty work.

...Shirogane...! I can’t believe I just...let myself be a part of her plot!

Shirogane is a malicious, evil, manipulative kent-burger; it’s what she does. And you sir, are hardly her only victim.

Not just me...My precious little girl too...She’s hurt so many people and I don’t intend to let her get away with it.

So...does that mean you’re in?

Oh, I’m IN. Anything for Kanata. And anything for Kaede Akamatsu too.

THAT’S the Doc Ando I know and love. One that actually thinks about everyone other than himself.

Well...I guess it all worked out.

Somehow...

Guess Lady Luck hasn’t left us yet.

[foreveralwaysanauthor]

Scattered Screams (Part 6/12)

January 21, 2023

Notes - I had nothing to do yesterday other than visiting my great-aunt so I ended up cranking out the final 13 pages I needed to wrap up the end of part 7. Needless to say, my hands are tired today, but I’m still powering through!

In this world, your mind must be stronger than your emotions. Otherwise, love may be your downfall.

Once things begin to calm down, we bring our little celebration to the roof. The city sparkles with glowing parties being thrown in almost every building and bursting fireworks coloring the sky in glittering arrays of light. It feels as though the whole place is lit up just for us and, in a twisted way, it is. For a fleeting moment, I try to imagine myself as one of the Capitol citizens, celebrating a new season of a reality television show on the rooftop of my luxury apartment, but the reality of everything smacks me in the face with the icy wind. Despite being the middle of July, the wind is merciless at night, sending a chill down my spine so cold that I find goosebumps sprawling across my arms that take forever to disappear. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be in the Capitol or in the Games or even in this fucking tower of doom. I want to go home. I want to sit by the lake with my friends and family or explore some of the long-abandoned hubs that are just a kayak ride away - I want to be anywhere but here. A majority of the people in this city are rooting for my demise and I’m witnessing it firsthand. No wonder the other tributes aren’t out here… maybe they figured that out before I did.

Leaning against the frigid railing on the outskirts of the rooftop, I try to keep my emotions in check, try not to let my burning eyes get the better of me. I have two more days of freedom - if this can even be considered freedom - and then my fifteen years of life could very well come to an end. If only Juliet had more sway with what her father and the Gamemakers did… maybe then I’d live to see my sixteenth birthday. It’s only a month away, give or take. I’ve lost track of what the date is by now. This circus of bullshit started with the reaping on the fourth of July, but I’ve lost track of everything being here. I guess that’s what the people who created the Hunger Games built the Training Center for - it distorts our perspectives of time and disorients our mentalities. It’s effective. It feels as though I’m stranded in the middle of the ocean with nothing but a pool noodle keeping me from drowning. As soon as I stop kicking, my lungs will fill and I’ll die.

Sucking in a deep breath, I try to force positivity through my veins. It’s about as effective as a child covering their ears and singing obnoxiously loud so they don’t hear what someone has to say, but it’s enough for the stinging behind my eyes to subside at least a little. A few deep breaths calm my nerves as the icy metal bar in my grasp rids my hands of the panicked sweat that has gathered. I glance back to where the others have congregated, but none of them seem to notice anything wrong with me. Good. They've all gathered on the other side of the roof and the roaring wind mingling with the bursting fireworks makes it impossible for any of them to hear whatever I say or do even though I can hear their faint laughter and segments of conversations when the noise quiets enough. I’m grateful for it as it’s given me time to think about everything going on around me without interruption. As a myriad of fireworks illuminates the sky, I glance around the city’s skyline and listen for the random bursts of music from roaring parties and watch the shimmering fireworks explode in the distance. 

For the first time since my arrival in the Capitol, I can see it for what it is: a glowing façade for the horrors they’ve created for the rest of Panem. The city crawls with people just waiting to see blood splattering on their screens while the rest of our nation suffers for the Capitol’s entertainment. As hard as it is to push past the idea that everyone in the Capitol is celebrating the demise of twenty-three children, I find myself forcing a smile onto my face as Mack rests her arms on the railing beside me and hands me a shimmering green drink. For now, I can focus on the drink that swirls as though a nearby galaxy has fallen into the glass and smile as though nothing in the world can harm me since, for the time being, nothing can. 

Mack sighs beside me, a soft yet calloused hand falling on mine and squeezing, “You don’t have to act happy all the time, Vivien. You know that, right?”

“I know,” I tell her, taking a hesitant sip of the drink I’ve been given. It’s pointless to lie to someone who has known me my entire life, but I can’t find it in me to match her gaze just yet. It would break me and I know it. “But the second I stop pretending is the moment I admit defeat, and I’m not ready for that yet.”

Mack nods, a short hum of understanding separating the air between us. She’s been in this position before, she knows what I’m going through. She won’t push me more than she sees necessary. I watch her gaze turn toward the skyline through the corner of my eye and when I spare her a glance, I watch her eyes flicker toward each boom that erupts in sparkles. Turning my gaze back to the city around us, Mack asks, “You want to tell me how long you’re planning on pretending my daughter isn’t talking to you every second of the day?”

Although my eyes widen in surprise, I’m not exactly taken aback that she’s figured it out by now. I’m not the best at controlling my expressions, so I don’t doubt she’d seen me smile or roll my eyes at something Mick had said to me at one point or another. “You knew?”

“Earlier, you told someone to shut up when nobody said a word to you.” Mack’s chestnut eyes meet mine as she smiles my way and says, “If that wasn’t enough of an indication that Mickie was helping you, your private session definitely was. I highly doubt you would have been the one to come up with the idea of throwing a knife at the Gamemakers.”

I can’t hold back the airy chuckle that passes my lips, “Actually, that was the one thing I came up with on my own.”

“Really?”

The shrug I offer is a lame attempt to downplay the situation, but it gives me a chance to swallow another mouthful of green apple juice before I explain, “They were all too interested in getting drunk, and very few of them, if any, were paying me any attention, so I got a little mad and threw the last knife I had at them.”

Instead of reprimanding me, Mick’s mom laughs and shakes her head, “I guess that’s one way to catch their attention.”

My smile no longer feels forced as Mack’s arm comes around me, but as I lean my head against her, I find my mind wandering. “How did you know about the glasses?”

“I was curious a few months ago when my daughter came to me, asking if required medical objects, such as glasses, had to go through inspections before the Games,” Mack explains. I can hear the smile in her tone. “When she wasn’t with you, she was down in the basement working on a project she refused to let us see. After a while, she stopped working down there and, as the reaping grew closer, she spent more time training you instead. I figured everything out when I first saw you at the reaping.” 

My confusion is evident as I ask, “How?”

Mack chuckles, “You had worn those clunky, old glasses for years despite me and my husband offering to replace them many times. Then, somehow, the morning after Mick walks you home with some purple thing sticking out of her back pocket, you show up to the reaping with a pair of fancy new spectacles. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened.”

I suppose she’s right, it wouldn’t take much to put two and two together when you see a person every day. “Does Mr. Birch know about the glasses?”

“He does now,” she replies. “I wasn’t sure if that was what you wanted to tell us, but I wanted to discuss the possibility with him. Does Makana know that we know?” Before I can answer, I hear Mick’s soft voice say, “I do,” so I relay the message to her mother. “Where is she staying?”

“I’m with your family, Vivi,” Mick tells me. “I brought all of my tech and I’m staying in your room. Hope you don’t mind.”

It doesn’t surprise me that she is. After all, I had made a statement to my parents the day I left about Mick taking up my space because she’s so sentimental and sappy over things like that. It doesn’t come as a shock to me that they allowed her to do just that. “My parents are letting her stay with them. She brought all of her tech with her.”

“I’m not surprised,” Mack claims with a smile. “She’s been talking with Miles this whole time, hasn’t she?”

Mick hums in my ear and I nod in confirmation, “She has.”

Mack smiles knowingly, “I bet both of them are glad Riven, Royce, and I have teamed up so quickly.”

“Very,” Mick claims and, like the jabberjay I now feel I’ve become, I respond as such. “But I think everyone knew you and Royce would be adorable together anyway, so it was only a matter of time.”

“Yeah, I am not saying that,” I mutter under my breath.

Mack eyes me curiously as Mick taunts me so her mother can’t hear and tell her off. Mack doesn’t get the chance to question me as a piercingly shrill squeal slices through the air like a sword. We both turn to the voice and watch as Juliet dashes across the rooftop to wrap her arms around Royce’s stylist, the two blondes excitedly sharing words we can’t hear as the others from District 6 fill the rooftop. Royce shakes his head as he talks with the mountain of a mentor who keeps an arm wrapped around the younger male’s shoulders, but Kona, the short mentor with a quick mind and an even faster mouth, pipes in with a comment that has both of the men laughing. For once, the girl tribute, Lotus, makes an appearance, but with the distance she keeps between herself and the others of her group, I wouldn’t be surprised if she returns to their floor before any of us have gotten the chance to say hello to her. 

As the others approach our group, Mack takes hold of my hand and guides me over to where everyone is congregating. Mack and Brady know the mentors from District 6 pretty well already, which is evident by how quickly they’re wrapped in hugs and brought into conversations. I stand off to the side, watching them interact with ease until Royce comes over. His smirk is infectious and I find myself smiling as he says, “You’d swear they’ve known each other forever.”

“To them, it must feel that way,” I reply as I offer him a sip of the green-apple-flavored juice Mack gave me earlier. 

He takes the glass from me and takes a drink before handing it back to me with a curious smile on his face. “I know this is going to sound weird, but that tastes like what your hair smells like.”

Confusion floods my face as I pick up a braid and take a long, slow breath through my nose. I never really paid attention to what my hair smells like after a shower, but he’s right. I do smell like apples. Quirking an eyebrow in Royce’s direction, I question, “How do you know what my hair smells like?”

Instead of fumbling over his words and hastily letting out an answer, Royce chuckles, “In training the other day, you whipped me in the face with your hair when you turned to talk with Riven. I guess you could say I got a pretty quick whiff of it.” My instinct is to tell him that I’m sorry, but he quickly places a hand on my arm and says, “Don’t apologize. It didn’t hurt.”

A solid hand lands on my shoulders, keeping me from saying anything as I peer up at Riven. “Hey there, lovebirds,” he announces with a smug smirk that I’d love to smack off his face as he hands Royce a drink over my shoulder, but I resign to simply rolling my eyes at his choice of words. “Are you two ready for your interviews?”

Royce shrugs and gives Riven a quick nod as he sips his drink, but I scoff, “Are you, Mister Open-Mouth-Insert-Foot?”

“Says the one who can’t control her facial expressions to save her life,” Riven teases, nudging me to the side as he slides into place next to me. He’s not wrong. Every emotion I have, be it annoyance, joy, or rage, is almost always on full display. It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, but I do my best to bury my emotions when necessary.

“How are you going to handle an interview in front of millions of people when you can’t even control what comes out of your mouth when our boss comes around?” I snip in return.

Riven chuckles and shakes his head, “Unlike you and your uncontrollable face, Pip, I know how to hold my tongue. I just choose not to. I should have my interview in the bag.”

“You are such an ass,” I scoff, shoving Riven away by the arm as he smirks down at me.

Royce lets out a laugh that borders between nervousness and mild humor, dragging the teasing session Riven and I have perfected to a screeching halt. “You guys argue like Butchy and Carrie.”

The aforementioned stylist makes an appearance with her arm looped around Juliet’s and a glass of green juice in that same hand, delicately wound curls framing her face as she beams proudly at the mention of her name. “That may be,” she comments, “but unlike us, these two genuinely get along behind it all. Butchy and I have a much harder time acting friendly.”

Juliet giggles, nudging Carrie with her hip, “At least you’re trying to work things out, right?”

With a roll of his eyes that I’m almost positive doesn’t go unnoticed by the Capitol-born stylists, Royce scoffs, “And it’s working out just as well as a car would if it had a lawnmower engine under the hood.”

Carrie blissfully ignores the eye-roll if she saw it and places a hand on Royce’s shoulder as she says, “Let’s hope, for everyone’s sake, that we’ll get there eventually.” Royce nods, but I can see the poorly hidden skepticism in his eyes as he averts his gaze from his blonde stylist. Carrie’s smile is blinding as she turns to me and reaches out a hand for me to take, which I hesitantly do. “I met Mick last year, very briefly. She talked you up quite a bit.”

“She was a great sister,” I reply with a smile, unsure of just how much she knows about last year’s tributes.

A glimmer of something flickers in Carrie’s oceanic eyes, but it disappears before I get the chance to decipher it. Instead, she hums softly and sends me a quick wink as she says, “I bet she was.”

Her demeanor sticks out to me as she releases my hand and turns to Riven, introducing herself with dramatic, yet elegant, Capitol flair. Royce told me during our lunch breaks that he had his brother, Miles’, stylist from last year and that she had helped his brother in more ways than one during his Games. At first, Royce didn’t always have a lot of nice things to say about Carrie which was probably due to how much time he spent with Butchy - the mentor that didn’t particularly like the blonde stylist. However, there were a few times over the last few days that I noticed him warming up about the blonde in our conversations. My guess was that she was growing on him, showing him a side of her that she probably only ever showed Miles - the casual, non-Capitol side. Sure, she was still very much a Capitol-born woman, but the way she was dressed so casually and the way she carried herself certainly didn’t emulate the way I had seen many Capitol people behave. Even Juliet still clings to the flashy fashion and sparkly lifestyle she was born into, but Carrie seems far more relaxed in what looked like simple black pants that shimmer when the light hits them and a pale aqua hoodie with little stars glimmering in golden thread. Carrie’s outfit isn’t too far off from something I had seen Della wear to work and, for a moment, she reminds me of my friend Acer - someone who looks half-Capitol, half-district. 

From how much Royce seems to know about Carrie, it wouldn’t surprise me if she had been visiting District 6 since the previous Hunger Games came to an end. That would explain her more muted style and the desire to appear as a friend, wearing something we would see our friends and family wear at any given moment. Even if my assumptions aren’t her intention, the idea is there and, I have to say, it feels… welcoming, in a way. I appreciate it. As she and Juliet share a laugh at something Riven said, I turn my gaze to Royce and find him smirking ever so slightly at the pair. I bet, underneath it all, he actually likes Carrie, but he just doesn’t realize it yet. He may not see it yet, but the smile he’s fighting so hard to hide doesn’t seem to go unnoticed by his stylist as her smile seems to widen once she catches his gaze. They sort of behave like the twins when one tries to make the other laugh after they get caught doing something stupid - one of them hiding their amusement under the guise of frustration. It’s kind of cute.

As soon as the stylists’ gazes fall back on me, I force myself to pay attention to the conversation once more, pushing my train of thought to another station as Juliet proudly declares, “Tomorrow, we’re going to be working together to make sure we’ve got everything ready for the interviews with Caesar Flickerman.”

“We decided that it would make things a lot easier if we’re able to get everything sorted out in the same place, at the same time,” Carrie declares, blue eyes flitting between me and Royce as she uses her hands to gesture her words. “So, Royce, you, Butchy, and I are going to spend most of our day with Julie, Riven, Vivi, and their mentors on their floor while Kona and Pluto help Lotus on our floor.”

Royce glimpses between me and Riven and smiles, “Sounds like we’re in for a fun day.”

I don’t try to hide the smile that bursts onto my face as I let out a small chuckle and nod. With how much Royce claims his stylist and mentor argue, it should be a lot of fun trying to get them to behave themselves for long enough to help us out. Hopefully, they’ll work better together if they have more people around, telling them off for acting like children. Who knows, maybe with Mack and Brady there to steer them in the right direction, they’ll put their differences aside and act civil for more than a few seconds… Okay, yeah, I know it’s highly unlikely, but the idea sounded nice.

Carrie and Juliet bring their cups to the middle of our little circle and encourage us to do the same, a celebratory clink teetering the shimmering liquid in everyone’s glasses toward one side as they tap together. Riven begins the chant of our district numbers that, in turn, causes the others along the rooftop to follow suit, his lopsided smile and unrelenting pride for our districts infecting those around us. Unbeknownst to us as we cheer for our districts, Riven makes his way behind Royce and me and latches our hands together before lifting them as high as they can go. I glance back at Riven and roll my eyes as he releases us, but Royce’s grasp on my hand doesn’t allow the punch I so desperately want to land on his smug-ass face. Instead of fighting Royce’s hold and smacking Riven silly, I turn my gaze to Royce with a chuckle and find him already smiling back at me. 

The amusement in his caramel eyes makes me smile and, for a fleeting moment, it feels as though my brain short-circuits and everything slows around me. Royce’s laughter floods my brain, the genuine kindness and happiness in his expression warms me from the inside and spreads through every fiber of my being, and his fingers squeeze mine subconsciously, holding me in place as our arms swing back down between us. As I watch a series of fireworks explode in the distance, illuminating Royce’s curls in a halo of glittering gold while he laughs at something Juliet mentions, a flock of butterflies begin rioting in my chest and only confirm what everyone has been teasing me about since I first met Royce. I have to force myself to look anywhere but at him as the realization sinks deep into my skin. Maybe Juliet and Riven were right… I really do need these glasses.

The rest of the celebration seems to go by in a blur as I find myself incapable of paying attention to any conversation around me. I’m practically attached to Royce’s hip since he won’t let go of my hand, but every time he looks my way and smiles, all of my cares swan dive off the edge of the roof. The few times I’m not enraptured by Royce’s talks of books and the people back home that he misses, I’m being teased from across the roof by Riven who seems intent on wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at me. Riven’s teasing ways earn him more than one discreetly aimed middle finger, but he brushes me off as he always does, with a deep, theatrical bow and a cocky, lopsided smirk. Thankfully, nobody else seems to notice how attached Royce and I have become, but if they do, they don’t care enough to bring it up. When Royce releases my hand, it’s only because his group is ready to head back inside. It’s only once he disappears inside the dome with his stylist and mentors that I feel the sweat that had formed between our hands and the icy cold wind that I had managed to ignore while he was by my side. 

The walk back downstairs once we’ve cleaned up after our little party feels like it takes forever as Riven walks behind me, mimicking kissing noises so softly that nobody else can hear. I endure his teasing until we’re back inside the apartment and tell everyone that I’m heading to bed. Brady stops me and takes my face in his hands, worriedly mentioning how red I’ve become as Riven cockily evades their gaze and slips down the hallway practically unnoticed. I insist that I’m fine and, after mentioning how exhausting it was to climb those stairs after being in the breezy mid-summer air, Mick’s parents allow me to escape to my room where I then have to deal with Mick’s unrelenting questions and teasing until I take the glasses off, turn them toward myself at arms-length, and flip her off before settling them on my nose once more. She doesn’t keep up the ‘teasing big sister’ act for long before wishing me a good night and telling me she’ll try to join me as early as she can for the training I’ll have to suffer through early the next morning.

I set my glasses aside and change into some fuzzy pajamas before sliding into bed far earlier than I normally would, but to my dismay, I don’t get much sleep. It’s a fact that will probably be my downfall when our personal training begins, but it’s my own damn fault. If I could control the thoughts and made-up fantasies that keep me staring up at the ceiling and slapping myself in the face with a pillow half the night, I would. I want nothing more than to force myself to sleep, force the sudden rush of feelings and mixed emotions that have flooded my system to the darkest caverns of the deepest ocean, but that seems impossible no matter how hard I try. Eventually, around two in the morning, my thoughts are replaced with nonsensical dreams and I’m only woken from my slumber when Riven practically drops his body weight on me and immediately asks how I slept.

As soon as my face is no longer smothered by pillows and I no longer have a mouthful of the blankets I had tossed and turned in all night, I groan, “Like shit, thanks for asking.”

Riven snickers as he bounces over me and fills the space next to me on the mattress, “Figured as much. Bet you had some pretty nice dreams though, right?”

“Can we not do this before I literally have to spend all day with him?” I plead as I force myself to sit up against the headboard. “It was hard enough trying to get any sleep last night.”

Riven’s smug smile disappears and I find the sincerity in his eyes as he softly questions, “This is really bothering you, isn’t it?”

“We’re going into the Hunger Games the day after tomorrow, Riv,” I remind him, pushing my mess of baby hairs and loose fringe out of the way and sighing heavily. “My feelings can’t follow me into the arena no matter how much we intend on acting like a couple. It will only make it that much harder to deal with if he dies in there.”

I almost feel the need to apologize as Riven deflates, his hazel eyes falling on the delicate patterns that have been woven into my satin pillowcases. “I didn’t think it would go this far.”

“Neither did I, but here we are.”

“Sorry for pushing this on you, Pip.”

Instead of letting him wallow in whatever thoughts are flooding his brain, I give Riven a light shove and smile in his direction. “It was a bit of a joint effort,” I laugh softly. “Besides, you always seem to know things about me before I know them myself, so I guess it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.”

Riven nods and, even though I can see the understanding in his smile, I can tell by the look in his eyes that he’s not going to accept that I don’t feel this was his fault. Hoping to distract him from everything, I grab one of the satin pillows from behind my back and slam it into his face with a smile. Just like he would during one of our all-nighter work sessions at his place, Riven wrenches the pillow out of my grasp mid-smack and sits up before slapping it on the top of my head and leaving it there like one of those fancy sun hats the mayor’s wife and Bissette would wear during beach parties they would host on the lake. I send him a hearty glare that we both know I don’t mean in the slightest and his smile finally seems to meet the glimmer in his eyes. He taps my hand with the back of his and I latch onto his awaiting palm with a grin as he tells me, “You know I care about you, right, Pip?”

“Of course, Riv,” I confidently reply as I pull the pillow from my head and drop it on my lap. “You know I care about you too, right?”

“I do,” Riven states. “Far more than I deserve most of the time.”

“That’s not true,” I insist, my head shaking so quickly that I’m afraid of whiplash. “We’re family and family loves without it needing to be earned or deserved.”

Riven pauses, watching me with an expression I could take years trying to decipher and never find an answer to, but it disappears as a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “Good.”

The confusion that washes over me must be evident on my face as I ask, “What brought that on?”

Instead of giving me a direct answer, Riven simply smirks, squeezes my hand, and says, “Just making sure.”

I don’t get the chance to interrogate him any further as a soft rap on the door alerts us both that our time for loitering around in the peace of my spacious quarters has come to a close. I tell the person they can come in as Riven releases my hand and leans against the headboard beside me. The door opens enough for Halo to poke her head into the room, her shimmering golden wig lilting precariously to the side as she leans in enough to see us. “Oh, good,” she says once she spots us both sitting together amongst the myriad of tangled blankets and pillows. “I was just about to go wake you, Riven. We’re ordering breakfast and it should be here in about half an hour or so if either of you wants to wash up.”

Riven brushes it off quickly as he pushes himself to his feet with a stretch, “I shower at night, normally.”

As I slide out from under the warmth of the blankets, I sigh, “Well, I’m going to take a quick shower and I’ll be down in a little bit.”

Halo nods, quickly latching a hand onto her slipping wig as she ducks out of the room and scurries off down the hall. Riven makes a swift departure, telling me that he’s going to watch some television while he waits for the food to arrive and, as soon as the door closes behind him, I put my glasses on and pick something from the closet to wear once I’m out of the shower. My shower doesn’t last long and I tug on an outfit I hope won’t be ripped from my skin as soon as Juliet gets me alone. By the time I enter the expansive dining room, Riven and Juliet are talking softly with Mack and Brady about something I can’t hear, but they quickly switch topics as soon as they notice my presence. As odd as that is, hunger wins out over curiosity and I start shoveling food into my mouth as soon as I have some food on my plate. If their conversation is anything I need to know, they’ll tell me. I trust them.

Halo joins us after a while and, even though she hadn’t been eating many meals with us over the last few days, she joins the conversation about our interviews with ease. She tells us about how busy she’s been with schmoozing the Capitol’s finest sponsors, but I know for a fact that Juliet had already secured most of them just by being one of our stylists. After a while of forcing down as much food as I can manage just to add to the caloric intake I’ll need before the Games start, Juliet takes me down the hall to her room and tells me that I need to change into something similar to my interview outfit and unzips a black bag that holds a pale purple gown. A pair of plain, black shoes are left on the floor for me to slip on and Juliet allows me some privacy to change before coming back in the room to lace up the back of the dress. I watch her in the mirror on the wall as she strings the laces through the holes in the back of the dress, her silent scrutiny causing the room to feel overwhelmingly quiet. 

“You know,” she says with a smile as she brings the delicate strings together in a knotted bow, “this dress suits you far more than it did me at my graduation from the Academy.”

“This is your dress?” I ask.

“It was,” Juliet confirms as she comes into view. “It was my first official design. Well, that and Carrie’s graduation gown, of course.”

“You and Carrie are pretty close, huh?”

“We grew up together,” she explains, adjusting my hair as she sees fit. “When my father became president, she was the only one of my friends to really stick around and treat me as the same girl they had known for years.”

“Is that why you two want Royce and me to work together this year? Because you and Carrie are close?” I question as Juliet takes the dress bag away and drapes it over the back of a chair in the corner of the room.

“Partially,” Juliet says with a shrug. “You see, when we both became stylists last year, we realized just how awful the Hunger Games truly are and tried to discourage people from watching it after the fact by using our popularity with the people. This little show between you and Royce in the Games will hopefully encourage the people to push my father to stop the Games with enough time to get you two, and possibly Riven, out of the arena.”

“We’re all making it out one way or another,” I tell her plainly. “If it comes down to the three of us, we won’t kill each other. The Capitol will just have to be okay with having three victors.”

Juliet’s eyes meet mine and her glittering smile nearly blinds me as she lets out a sigh of contentment and cups my face in her hands, “There’s the spitfire I’ve been waiting for.”

Everything about this interaction has taken me aback and I can’t help asking, “What?”

“Everyone talks about this fiery attitude and unyielding defiance you have,” Juliet claims as she releases my face, “but you’ve been very docile and tame with me the last few days. I wanted to see what would push you to take charge. Now that I know you’re very family motivated, we can use that and blend in a little romance with your new beau and we should get a perfect interview.”

For a moment, I’m confused. If Juliet wanted to see me all fired up, all she had to do was ask. She didn’t need to get my hopes up about getting out of the arena or having her dad stop the Games altogether. She didn’t need to make me think we actually have a chance of winning. The idea begins to fill me with rage. Out of all the people in the Capitol, Juliet has the most sway when it comes to the president because she’s his daughter. She knows that I know this and got me all worked up over nothing just to see me acting a certain way. All of a sudden, I feel like digging my neatly trimmed nails into her skull and shaking it like a rattle in a baby’s hand, but I manage to take a deep breath and conceal my rage under a clipped question, “So, were you just lying about getting your dad to stop the Games?”

Juliet presses a hand to her chest and adamantly shakes her head, “Of course not! I know for a fact that my father wanted to stop the Games, especially after I rallied so hard to get him to agree to stop them if he has the chance, but we didn’t have enough time between the Victory Tour, my father’s trip to the districts, and them opening the last arena as a tourist spot to get him to sign off on canceling the Games. Now the Games have started and there’s no way to call them off.”

“But we aren’t in the arena yet,” I try. “Can’t he just call it off now?”

To my dismay, Juliet shakes her head as she sits on the edge of her bed. “I thought the same thing, but he says that the original decree for the Hunger Games says the Games start once the last chariot is inside the tribute center after the parade, making it impossible to stop the Games once the parade is over and the tributes have been shown off to the people.”

I can’t stop myself from muttering, “That is so fucked up.”

Juliet scoffs, “Tell me about it.”

A knock on the door stops our conversation before we can spew any more hatred toward the Games and the Capitol that created it and Juliet tells whoever it is to come in. As soon as the door opens enough to allow him access, Riven leans against the doorframe with a smirk and laughs, “You look like one of those cake toppers at that ritzy bakery in Pixel Square.”

My middle finger flies high in his direction and Riven chuckles as I tell him, “You’re such an ass.”

“I am, but that’s beside the point,” he shrugs. “I came to let you know that your boyfriend is here with his stylist and mentor. I’m going to train with the three mentors for a while so you guys have time to figure things out.”

As Juliet waves off Riven’s statement and tells him to have fun, I feel a sliver of panic stab at my chest, and the thought of running flashes across the forefront of my brain before I smother it as quickly as possible. If I’m going to be spending the next who knows how long with Royce, I need to grow some balls and act as though being near him doesn’t make me feel like keeling over. Until further notice, we are nothing more than friends who have to act like we’re in love. He doesn’t need to know that I feel anything other than that. I take in a swift breath as Riven sends me an encouraging smile and dips out of the room, closing the door on his way out. The room around me feels much cooler as the tips of my trembling fingers run cold and my impatiently tapping foot feels like I walked barefoot over a frozen lake. There isn’t much time before Royce walks in, but I try to keep myself as level-headed and calm as possible, sipping the bottle of water Juliet had offered me and taking deep breaths to steady myself as I wait for the room to gain two more occupants.

Eventually, the door swings open and Carrie parades into the room with a rolling trunk in one hand and a metal box with her name engraved on it in the other. Royce trails behind in a hoodie and sweatpants, sighing heavily as he has to step over the things Carrie dumps on the floor so she can hug Juliet. I shake my head as the two stylists talk to each other and flit between topics so quickly it makes my head spin. Royce nears me with a smile and looks ready to say something, but I quickly hold up a hand and say, “If you’re going to tell me I look like a cake topper too, you can fuck right off.”

Although his eyebrow quickly rises into the curtain of curls that grace his forehead, Royce chuckles, “I was going to tell you that you look beautiful, but now I want to hear the cake topper story.”

Fighting to cover the blood that rushes to my cheeks, I look down at the embroidered designs that flow down the length of the skirt, running my hands over the soft material and taking in a slow breath before meeting Royce’s gaze with a roll of my eyes. “Riven was being his usual, ass-y self and said I look like something they’d put on a cake in one of the fancy bakeries back in Three, that’s all.” 

Royce shakes his head as his eyes flicker over me and the dress, “You look far too beautiful to be something a baker would shove onto a cake.”

With a breathy laugh, I glance in the mirror on the wall and take in my appearance. It’s a far cry from how I normally look. With my hair held up by Bissette’s stick and Juliet’s dress clinging to the skin I normally keep under loose shirts and baggy sweatpants that are covered in stains from spending too much time in the workshop, it feels as though my reflection isn’t my own. I don’t look like me anymore. “Are you sure we’re looking at the same person?”

“You could wear a trash bag and still look beautiful,” Royce claims. Although I desperately want to believe him, it’s hard to do so when I know what I normally look like. All he’s seen me in are the clothes the Capitol has provided me with and it’s just about the furthest thing from my usual attire. Without the fancy clothes and Juliet’s expert hands making me look like something off the cover of a Capitol magazine, I’m just a techie from District 3 - not the pretty princess that could captivate the country by winking at a camera. I’m brought back to the present as Royce’s smiling reflection offers a hand for me to take. Despite my confusion, I slide my fingers into his waiting palm and he lifts my arm above my head, making me spin in a circle until I find myself facing Royce instead of the mirror.

Peering into Royce’s deep, tawny eyes is like looking into a mug of hot coffee, watching freshly poured cream swirl the rich, dark brown liquid into shades of golden, honey brown, but his gaze doesn’t stay on mine for long as Carrie pipes up that it’s time for Royce to change into something similar to his interview outfit and has to practically drag him off to Juliet’s bathroom so he can put on whatever is in the bag she passes him. Once it’s just me and the two stylists, Carrie takes me by the hand and parades me over to the bed where she deposits me next to where Juliet has settled before dropping into the space on my left. While Juliet seems calm and collected with a mischievous smirk gracing her face, Carrie’s piercing blue eyes have an all-knowing, almost cautionary gleam in them.

“Um, hi,” I hesitantly offer, glancing between the pair of long-term friends as they stare me down.

Carrie is quick and precise, snatching my hand in hers and squeezing it as she quietly informs me, “Royce is my boyfriend’s little brother and, while he and Julie have told me enough about you to make me like you, I don’t want you to hurt him.”

If I wasn’t already confused, I certainly would be now. Royce and I already promised we wouldn’t hurt each other and, while I’m unsure of just how well he intends on keeping that promise, I have no intention of hurting him once we’re in the arena. Before I get the chance to say as much, Juliet cuts in, “Wait, we’re interrogating Vivi?”

Carrie leans forward so she can see Juliet past me, “Yeah, why wouldn’t we be?”

“Because I thought we were doing that to Royce,” Juliet states, a clear look of confusion on her face.

“Why would we interrogate Royce?” Carrie questions.

As though it was the most obvious thing in the world, Juliet answers, “So he knows not to mess with Vivien’s feelings.”

“It’s the other way around,” Carrie claims. “Vivien needs to not mess with Royce’s feelings.”

“Did you see the way she looked at him last night?” Juliet asks Carrie. “She’s the one that’s in love.”

“No, I’m pretty sure it was the other way around,” Carrie insists.

Deciding to put an end to the conversation before it gets any more intense, I pipe up, “Guys, Royce doesn’t like me like that and, as far as he needs to know, I don’t like him that way either.”

Juliet latches onto my statement, dissecting my choice of words with precision as her eyes shine knowingly, “But you do like him?”

Instead of answering, I sigh, “I don’t see how that’s important right now.”

Carrie snatches my face in her hands and stares into my eyes for an almost uncomfortable amount of time before gasping theatrically and looking past me to Juliet, “She totally does!”

Carrie releases my face in favor of taking hold of Juliet’s hands and, with a roll of my eyes, I listen as the blonde stylists fall into a rapid-fire conversation that revolves around my love life. I can’t get a word in, their words batting back and forth like an intense game of Pong, but I hope that Royce can’t hear a word from the bathroom. It’s hard enough knowing that everyone around me somehow could tell that I liked Royce before I knew it myself, but the fact that he could potentially overhear them rambling about it when I have to spend the foreseeable future with him. He could hold something like that over my head in the arena. Today is going to be hard enough, acting as though I don’t already have feelings for him. I don’t need to be constantly scared of him using my feelings as a weapon against me.

Taking in a deep breath, I sigh, “Can we not do this right now?” Thankfully, the conversation drags to a stop as the two blondes turn to me, bright eyes staring into my soul as I mutter, “It’s bad enough that we have to go into the arena the day after tomorrow, but this is only making it harder for me to think about the possibility of him getting hurt.”

For once, silence fills the air as Juliet and Carrie turn to each other in quiet contemplation. My chest clenches at the idea of either of the people I’ve formed a bond with getting hurt… or worse. Riven has been like another brother to me for years now - the thought of losing him is enough to make my eyes sting. He helped me learn the ins and outs of our lab, showing me the secret tunnels that lead from the janitorial closet to almost anywhere in the building, teaching me how to hack into other workers’ computers to force them to play games with me, and showing me how to override the monitoring drones so they’ll bring us snacks and drinks whenever we want. Riven has gotten me out of trouble more than once. He’s a very selfless person. Even when his dad passed away, he was still looking out for others and putting their needs and emotions before his own. When Mick died in the arena, he was the one I ran to first. After that, I spent most of my time in the lab, working until I passed out at my computer. Riven had to carry me home from work on more than one occasion, letting me crash at his place from time to time since it was far closer than my family’s house. He has always been there for me and I don’t know what I would do without him. 

Then there’s Royce. Our first meeting was an accident, in a way. I was using a radio Mick had given me, trying to find a way to communicate with Mick’s parents, to see if maybe they had gotten her out of the arena ahead of time, but instead, I found Royce’s signal. He and his younger brother - Bentley, as he had told me many times - were trying to find Miles just as desperately as I was to find Mick or her parents. I wrote down his frequency on my hand and talked with him for a few hours on the first day alone. We both clung to the idea of having a friend in a similar situation as us. We talked almost every day for a while until Mick’s parents came home. I broke that day, spewing out things I don’t remember saying, but when they told me later, in private, that Mick was alive and they were going to be working on a way to find her, I knew I had to help them in some way. After that, I practically lived on the radio, talking with Royce and Bentley about possibilities and working with them to check every possible frequency for our missing loved ones. However, once everything calmed and our families were reunited, my conversations with Royce grew further and further apart before becoming practically nonexistent. Now, here we are, pretending we’re in love and hoping the Capitol won’t force us to kill each other in the arena. 

My thoughts are pushed aside as both of my hands are taken by the blondes on either side of me. Carrie’s intense blue eyes have softened drastically as she says, “It’s like Romeo and Juliet.”

“What’s that?” I ask.

Juliet is the one to answer, “It’s a book I was named after. It’s a love story where two teenagers from opposing families fall in love, but they both end up dead at the end.”

My head quickly whips to Carrie with wide eyes, but she quickly smiles and reassures me, “I just meant that you’re both from opposing districts and you’re falling in love, I didn’t mean you’ll both end up dying.”

“Let’s hope not,” I sigh.

“You won’t,” Juliet claims, patting my hand with a grin. “Besides, if it comes down to it, my dad used to be the Head Gamemaker and I remember him saying that he always makes sure there’s an escape exit somewhere in the Games. If you’re able to find it, you could use it to make sure all three of you make it out safely.”

“Do you have any idea where it would be?” I ask.

Juliet shakes her head, “I wish I did, but I do know what the arena will be.”

“What is it?” Carrie quickly presses.

Juliet glances at the bathroom door and stands as she says, “We should wait for Royce to join us before I say. For now, let’s see your model walk, Vivien.” She gestures for me to join her and I push myself to my feet, allowing her to position me where she wants me. She adjusts my shoulders so they’re rolled back and tilts my chin up slightly before telling me to walk to the far side of the room and back. By the time I’m back by her side, Royce is opening the door to the bathroom and flicking off the light. As soon as he enters the room, Juliet tells us that the new arena is set to be a cruise ship somewhere in the ocean and I try to look surprised about the news despite already knowing. Carrie discusses that it feels more geared toward District 4, being on the water and all, but it feels like fair game to me. I know that most ships, at least the ones going across the lake back home, operate on tech alone and only need a captain if they’re going over dangerous waters. If Riven and I can find a way into the ship’s operating system like Mick and Miles did with the security system in the last arena, we can make it a far more even playing field.

After a while of discussion, Carrie stands and starts working with Royce on his posture and we start going back to practicing for our interviews. It doesn’t take long for us to begin correcting ourselves before the two stylists get the chance to, and once they decide we’re ready, they begin working with us on how to play off of each other. Since Royce will be going after me in the interviews, he has to play up certain aspects that I touch on in order to really sell our faux romance. It’s easy to answer mock questions from Juliet and Carrie about my home life and how I must feel now that I’ve been reaped after Mick tried so hard to save me from the horrors of the arena. It feels almost natural.

Then, to my dismay, Carrie asks a question that I could potentially get from Caesar Flickerman himself, but I hope I don’t, “A certain little birdie tells me that someone has caught your eye since your arrival here in the Capitol. Could we maybe hear a little about that?”

I try not to stiffen as I catch Royce becoming almost as rigid as a statue out of the corner of my eye. Instead, I suck in a quick breath and smile as I reply, “Well, I don’t want to say too much as I’m sure he doesn’t quite feel the same way I do just yet.”

“You never know,” Juliet tacks on. “Perhaps he cares just as much.”

Nodding hesitantly, I allow my smile to turn into a more shy, reserved grin as I sigh, “Sadly, I don’t think it will matter after tomorrow.”

“If you win the Games for him and come back to the Capitol as a victor, he’ll have no choice but to fight half of the young men and women in this country for a chance at your hand,” Carrie tries, a thinly veiled sentiment in her words that doesn’t take me long to figure out. She’s baiting me. Carrie, of all people, would know just how many people throw themselves at someone just because they’re famous. She wants to see how devoted I am to my potential relationship with Royce.

I meet her gaze with saddened, truthful eyes and shake my head, “I wish it was that simple, but you see… he’s going into the arena as well.”

All at once, my mini-interview comes to a close as the two stylists cheer for how well I’ve convinced them of my acting. They both tell me how proud they are of me and how gracefully I’ve handled their pestering questions before telling me that I should be all set for my interview, so long as I’m ready for Caesar to throw in some questions, begging me to tell him who the mystery tribute is since I’ll be making it obvious that it isn’t Riven. Carrie mentions that Royce will have to pick up wherever I’ve left off, bouncing into the hopeful romance after his backstory segment has passed. Before long, I’m ushered to sit as Royce is pulled to fill my place, standing with them in the spot I had vacated and staring off into space as they begin to repeat the process with him. It takes him a while to snap out of whatever thoughts are clouding his mind, but once he’s back to normal, the process flows quite easily. Royce gets the hang of teetering off of what answers I had given in my mock interview pretty easily. Clearly, memory was something of a strong suit for him. We take a break for lunch after Royce’s work is done, changing back into the comfortable clothes we had worn into the room before making our way to the dining room where Royce’s mentor, Butchy, is sitting with Riven, Mack, and Brady and a buffet of foods has been set out for everyone.

When we finish eating, Royce, Riven, and I are ushered to the living room by our mentors while our stylists take off to pick up our interview outfits so they can tailor them before the end of the day. Our mentors don’t have much to do now that Juliet and Carrie have figured out what our interview personalities will be and Riven already has no intention of being anything other than the protective, but humorous idiot he is, so they turn it into a bit of a questionnaire instead. Their first questions revolve around the sponsors and what they could give us that would be beneficial. 

“Weapons would be helpful in any scenario,” Riven claims, sending me a smirk. “Very helpful if you send some knives to Vivien here.”

“Fuck you,” I say with a roll of my eyes.

Royce is quick to grin and add to Riven’s statement, “Yeah, especially if there are any wine bottles in the arena.”

“Oh, haha,” I say blandly. “Fuck you too.”

They both laugh as though they had shared the most hilarious joke known to mankind, but I find it hard to not at least smile along. After a while, Royce brings up the arena being a ship and it seems as though none of our mentors knew. I’m surprised at least Butchy doesn’t know already since I had told Kona already, but I guess she did promise not to tell anybody about it, so I suppose I shouldn't be too shocked. Mack and Brady talk it over with Butchy for a while, discussing the options they now have since they have the advantage of knowing the arena ahead of time. In the end, they ask us how we know, but when we tell them our source, they seem to accept that what we’ve told them is true. We spend maybe an hour talking about the potential routes we could take in the Games before the stylists come back and we go our separate ways. Carrie and Butchy take Royce back to his floor to change and get his outfit sorted out for tomorrow while Topaz whisks Riven off to his room to tailor his suit for the interviews and Juliet pulls me back to her room to get into the dress I have yet to see.

Once we’re in the privacy of her room, Juliet strips me of my dignity and covers my eyes with a blindfold before slipping me into a dress that I’m not allowed to see until tomorrow. All I feel is the silky fabric of the inside of the dress on my skin and the weight of the dress as it settles onto my body. The dress is held up by thick straps that cling to my upper arms and is closed against my spine with strings that are tied into a bow at my tailbone. Juliet hums to herself as she works with the dress, softly singing songs to herself that I’ve never heard before. When she deems her work done, she helps me into the shoes I’ll be wearing. Thankfully, the heels aren’t nearly as high as the ones I had seen Juliet wearing, but they’re not exactly flat on the floor either. I could wear them, but probably not for long.

I feel Juliet move away before she asks, “How does it feel? Too tight? Too loose?”

After taking a few steps and cautiously sitting on the edge of Juliet’s bed, I shake my head and stand. “It feels perfect.”

I can practically hear the beaming smile in her voice as she says, “I have to say, you look stunning.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I joke, waving a hand in front of my covered eyes.

Juliet lets out a snort that I never recall hearing before and she takes my hands in hers, “Well, let me just say, you glimmer like a freshly polished jewel, and I, of all people, would know what that looks like.”

There’s no way for me to tell if what she’s saying is the truth, but I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow, so I thank her all the same. Juliet helps me out of the dress and hides it somewhere in the room before telling me to take my blindfold off and change back into the clothes I had worn earlier. Once we’re both ready, we head down to the living room where Mack and Brady are sitting almost as though they’ve been waiting for us. They don’t say much to us other than expressing their gratitude for telling them about the arena, but I can tell they have something else on their minds that they don’t tell us. We wait for Riven and his stylist to come join us before ordering food for dinner. We take our time eating and talking, none of us really wanting to leave the table and call it a night. At least we’ll get tomorrow night to spend with each other before we’re sent into the arena. After dinner, we take a few hours enjoying each other's company in the living room before retiring to our rooms, but Mack and Brady stop by my room, wishing me a good night and telling me to try to get as much sleep as possible before going to their own room.

I stare at the ceiling for a while, waiting to hear something, anything from Mick since she had said she’d get up early today, yet hasn’t said a word to me since last night. For a long time, all I hear is silence, but just as I’m about to take the glasses from my face and force myself to sleep, I hear heaving breaths followed by a panted, “Viv, are you still up?”

“I am,” I tell her. “Where were you today?”

“Training the rugrats,” Mick sighs heavily, trying to catch her breath. “They woke me up at the ass-crack of dawn so I could teach them everything I’ve taught you. Abby said something about you telling them to ask me, but they sure as hell didn’t ask. It was more like they demanded.”

I suppose I had told them to ask her at our meeting, but I didn’t think it would take them this long to get the question across. Oliver absolutely would have either procrastinated asking or been too nervous to do so, but Abby has always been one to want to know everything, so I figured she would have asked Mick the day I left. Maybe my leaving hit them harder than I thought it would. I bet Mick is exhausted from them pestering her all day. I can almost imagine her laying back against my mattress, staring out the window at the starry sky as she tries to let the tension release from her muscles. “How did it go?”

“Good,” she breathes. “They were eager to learn once they loosened up a bit. I’m just relieved my parents and I got you this new mattress last year. My body took a beating today with those little terrors and it feels like I’m resting on a cloud right now.”

If there’s one thing I love about Mick, it’s that she’s always been predictable. Predictable, stubborn, clingy, selfless, strong, open-minded, caring, sentimental, and sappy. Mick is an open book and I love that about her. She’s the closest thing I have to an older sister and she knows I look up to her just as much as she cares about me. I’m going to miss her. I smile up at the ceiling as I sigh, “Well, I guess that means you’re working really well with them.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” she chuckles. “I’m exhausted.”

“Me too,” I tell her.

“How did everything go? I haven’t rewatched the footage yet.”

“Great,” I say with surprising confidence. “I actually feel ready for the interviews.”

“Good,” Mick breathes. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mickie.”

“Anytime, gremlin child,” Mick says, a smile detectable in her voice. “Now, tell me all about the day you’ve had.”

So I do. I tell her everything that happened during the day and she talks me out of the rising stress and anxiety that settles in my chest by telling me all about how everyone back home is doing. It takes a while of talking and exchanging stories for me to feel the exhaustion of the day and, more than once, Mick has to remind me to take my glasses off despite my insistence that I’m not tired. Eventually, she tells me off for still having the glasses on and bids me sweet dreams before I take the glasses off and set them aside for the night. I fall asleep before I can even think of anything to keep me awake and, when I’m awakened, it isn’t by Riven flopping on my bed, Mick screeching over the glasses that I’ve overslept, or Halo rapping on the door. Instead, Juliet is pushing the curtains away from the window while the prep team fawns over my slumbering form.

My anxiety from last night begins to build as they pry me from my blankets and begin working on making me look pretty. Maybe, if they work hard enough, they’ll make me look so good that nobody will care about the nonsense that will tumble from my mouth so fast nobody can make out a word. Juliet does her best to keep me calm, softly chatting with me while the others do what they came here for. We only take two breaks - one for breakfast that I hastily scarf down while Gleam works on detangling my hair, and another when lunch rolls around. My team works on me until the late afternoon, turning my skin into glowing satin, painting all of my nails with intricate designs, and stenciling glimmering patterns on my arms that I only notice during lunch when I first bring a fork to my mouth.

I try to decipher what color my dress will be by the shimmering strands that Ambrosia helps Gleam weave into my hair, but as more colors are added and more tiny braids are formed, I give up and allow them to work while they gab with me. The braids are twisted from behind my ears into a crown around my skull and pinned at the nape of my neck while my bangs brush my eyebrows and the rest of my hair drapes across my back and shoulders. The colorful strands they’ve added to my hair only show when I move, which I surmise is the theme of the outfit I’ll be wearing if the hair and glimmering patterns on my skin are anything to go by. Much like how Riven and Mick’s dad tuck pencils behind theirs and just forget they put them there in the first place, I worry that I’ll forget Bissette’s hair stick once it’s shoved into place above where my glasses will sit, tangled into the braids that nest there. Once they deem themselves done with my hair, the prep team erase my face with a thin layer of makeup before drawing my features back out with different colors. The gold around my eyes makes them stand out more than they already do, the false lashes they attach to my already lengthy ones reflect light when I blink, much like the party ball Mick has hanging in her bedroom window, and the pale pink they line my lips with is much like my natural color, only with a shine to it that catches the light in a way I could never achieve no matter how often I lick my lips. To top it all off, they cover me in a sheen of golden dust that matches the shine of Bissette’s stick and the glitter by my eyes.

Then, Juliet comes in with my dress still disguised by a lengthy black sheet. With a smile, she orders, “Close your eyes.”

With a smile and a roll of my eyes, I do as I’m told, waiting for the silken fabric and the weight of the dress to fall on the straps that settle just a few inches off my shoulder. I take Mink’s hand as I step into my shoes and feel the fabric of the dress shift around as the others adjust it to my new height. I try not to jump as something cold graces my neck and is clasped under my hair, but Ambrosia giggles and tells me it’s only the necklace my mom had given me before my departure from District 3. I hear the rustling of fabric and feel the dress move as they make their final adjustments, then the room is silent and it almost feels like a room of children who know they did something wrong and are trying to cover it up. Before I get the chance to question them, Juliet takes my hand, turns me to the side ever so slightly, slides my glasses into place, and tells me that I can finally open my eyes.

When I do, I’m taken aback by the creature before me. Although it still looks like me facially, everything else looks like it came from some other world where skin glows, eyes shine like gemstones, and they make their clothing from only the finest jewels. My crown of shimmering hair makes me look almost like the pictures of ancient goddesses I had read about in a book years ago. The silken, emerald dress I’ve been laced into drapes over my body like a satin curtain, the straps on my arms crossing across my chest and weaving together at my waist. From where the bodice meets the skirt, fabric flows to the floor in a circle around me. The skirt is made of long, thick pleats that drape around me with tiny, glittering gemstones weaving intricate patterns down to the floor. I swing my hips from one side to the other, watching as the dress comes to life and a shine of rainbow color sprawls across the once emerald fabric, illuminating it like the flicker of a hologram.

Turning to Juliet with wide, excited eyes, I watch as she beams back at me and softly says, “Spin for me, Vivien.”

Much like I would on the icy ponds back home during the winter months, I tuck my arms close to my chest and spin, quickly bringing my gaze back to the mirror as the dress comes alive before us all. I look at Juliet through the mirror and whisper, “It’s gorgeous.”

“Yes, you are,” she says in return, placing a hand in mine as she comes into view. “It isn’t the dress or the hair that makes you beautiful - you already were.”

Once she sees my expression shift and I suck in a sharp breath, Juliet dismisses the prep team by thanking them for all of their assistance and telling them they did a great job. I thank them in kind, awkwardly accepting their air kisses to each of my cheeks and the praise I definitely doubt I deserve. As soon as they leave and the door shuts behind them, Juliet cups my face in her hands and tells me to breathe. “How?” I manage to squeak out. 

“You’ll be fine,” she says softly.

“I don’t do well with crowds,” I tell her. “I’m going to trip or something stupid like that and make a complete fool of myself in front of the entire country.”

“No, you won’t,” Juliet says firmly, taking my minutely trembling hands in her warm ones. “You just have to act like everyone you see out there is a friend of yours. Someone like Riven who you aren’t afraid to joke around with.”

I can’t look back at Riven during my interview. The cameras would be focused on the back of my head if I did. I can’t exactly look at Mick’s parents, either. They’ll be off to the side of the stage I can’t see. The only people I’ll be able to see apart from the crowd of spectators are the stylists and Caesar himself. I find Juliet’s calm, collected eyes and softly ask, “You told me the day we met that we’re friends, right?”

Julilet grins, “I did. We are.”

“Can I look to you when I need it?”

Without a moment of hesitation, Juliet beams and nods emphatically, “Of course. I’ll be on the main platform with all of the other stylists. You’ll be able to find me pretty easily, so find me when you need me.”

I nod, but there isn’t much more I can say as Mack comes to the door and tells us that we have to go. At least I have a plan, more or less. I suppose it’s more of a straw to grasp at, but it’s something and I’m more than alright with that. We meet the rest of our district crew by the elevator and I see just how dressed up everyone is. Riven’s stylist, Topaz, has been hard at work making Riven look like someone other than the mountainous dork he is. His hair is neatly styled - something I had never seen before - and the emerald suit with glimmering designs threaded into it changes his eyes from hazel to a shade of green. Although I would never tell Riven that he looks anything more than halfway decent, I bet he could probably pick any woman out of the crowd if he wanted to. He looks incredible all dressed up like that. I wish I could have seen him like this for a different reason.

The look in Riven’s eyes tells me he’s thinking something similar, and his dig of, “Look what someone scrubbed off the shower wall,” is filled with just as much fondness as my taunt of, “Says the walking green bean.” As soon as we’re close enough, Riven pulls me to him and keeps me close enough that I can faintly hear the beating of his heart under the suit and its many layers. We’re separated by the elevator dinging its arrival, but Riven clutches onto my hand before I can even think about boarding without him. If his mind is racing as much as mine is, he doesn’t let it show. Riven is steady and sturdy like a concrete wall while I’m fluttering like the invasive ivy leaves that grow on that wall, clingy and shaking with the slightest breeze. Once the elevator opens, our group goes its separate ways. Juliet and Topaz head for their designated waiting area where they’ll be introduced with the other stylists for the Games. Mack and Brady stay back long enough to give us both tight squeezes before leaving, but only I earn a kiss on the forehead from both of them which Riven doesn’t seem to mind missing out on.

Some of the other tributes have arrived before us, but almost none of them pay us any mind. Before we get the chance to evade them, Jade and Erica come to pay us a visit. Jade, unlike her namesake, is in a nearly see-through, holographic gown that catches the light like a diamond. Her hair has been touched up with a ring of sparkles clinging to every strand like a halo, but her previously jaw-length hair has been flipped to one side and shaved on the other. It suits her. Erica, on the other hand, looks as though she can’t wait to tear off her pale blue dress. Her hair has been pulled back and curled into tight ringlets and every step she takes seems to require her to tug at the bust of the dress so it will actually cover her.

“You two look great,” Erica says as she hitches up the front of her dress once more.

Riven nods deeply as I softly say, “Thank you.”

Jade hums, “With those outfits, you almost look like siblings.”

“It’s not the first time we’ve heard that,” Riven chuckles.

“I bet,” Erica says with a smile.

Although she doesn’t seem to mind the little bit of small talk we’ve had with her, Jade decides to get straight to the point, “We don’t have much time to talk before tomorrow, but we’ve made some observations we figured we’d clue you into before the Games start.”

I peer up at Riven and find him nodding their way. To my surprise, he says, “Anything could be helpful, I suppose.” 

For someone who seemed so against us teaming with the trio of girls, Riven seems to have put that aside for the sake of learning something useful. Although I have to say, It could just be a ruse. You never know with him. I turn to the girls and smile, “Yeah, what do you know?”

“Don’t trust Five,” Jade states quickly, quietly. “I know they’re usually close with your district, but they were talking about how to skin people when I got to training on day one.”

“Also,” Erica begins, “the girl from Four is very good with knife-throwing, but she doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut. She tried to join us, but we turned her down after she tried to badmouth you guys. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has it out for you after you told her off.”

“Most of the Careers are shitty this year and she’s one of them,” Jade shrugs. “I wouldn’t exactly call her a threat. If anything, she’s a minor inconvenience that probably won’t make it out of the bloodbath.”

“That’s reassuring,” I hesitantly offer. “The fewer targets we have on our backs, the better.”

Riven hums thoughtfully, “I overheard the pair from Twelve and they don’t seem very optimistic.”

“When do they?” Erica shrugs. “With lower districts like mine and theirs, the chances of getting sponsors are slim to none, but they also have a terrible mentor, so I guess their morale is very low anyway.”

Before Jade has the chance to add anything to the conversation, she’s called over to line up by the wall. She turns back to us with a grin and says, “Guess I’ll see you guys in the arena tomorrow.”

“Guess so,” I say with a nod.

“Well, good luck,” she tells us, allowing the rest of us to wish her the same before she takes off.

Erica turns to us as soon as Jade is far enough away and whispers, “I don’t want to be all negative and shit, but be careful with Lexi around. She seems nice and all, but there’s something about her that just doesn’t feel right.”

“Why are you teaming up with her, then?” Riven asks.

Erica nods back toward Jade, “Jade trusts her, so I’m trying to put it aside, but I’m not one to ignore my intuition, so I figured I would warn you both just in case. There’s just something… off about her and I don’t know what it is, but she’s skilled with an ax and doesn’t seem to care about what happens to herself in the arena. In my opinion, that makes her more deadly.”

She’s right; if someone acts like they have nothing left to lose in the arena, they could be a lethal force to reckon with. Riven and I thank Erica for her advice as we’re called over to the line they’ve created on the side of the stage. Erica nods in return and wishes us good luck before disappearing over to where the boy from her district is waiting. By the time the other districts have joined the line, I’ve calmed down significantly but I’m not entirely sure I haven’t already turned numb. This is my last day of freedom and I’m spending it smiling like an idiot for the cameras and playing the lovesick fool that I am for the entire nation. I don’t feel the rage I’ve previously directed toward the Capitol, the spiking fear of embarrassing myself in front of everyone, or the panic at the idea of everyone back home taking one look at me all dressed up like this and ranting about what a little doll I’ve become - an empty-headed plaything for the Capitol’s finest assholes. Instead, all I feel is the desire for this night to be over with. Thankfully, it won’t take long before it’s my turn with Caesar, but then I‘ll have to sit through everyone else’s sob stories and the characters that have been created for themselves while I sit there looking like a husk of myself.

As the tributes in front of us begin to move, Riven squeezes my hand and whispers, “You’ve got this, Pip.”

At first, it feels as though he’s trying to reassure himself more than he is me, but the sincerity in his voice and the firmness in his grasp soothe me all the same. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I won’t make a fool out of myself on stage. With Riven by my side, I should be able to make it through the night and play my part for the cameras. It won’t be hard to act like I’m head-over-heels in love with Royce - I already am. None of Caesar’s questions will make a difference as long as I play my cards right. Royce will play his part long after I do and I’m sure he can handle himself better than I can.

As I take my seat and watch as the others file in, I hear Mick for the first time today, “We’re all here watching, Viv. You look incredible.” I grin at the nearest camera and hum in acknowledgment. “Good job. All of Three is rooting for you two tonight. Just remember to breathe.”

As Caesar makes an appearance, earning the crowd’s attention in his pale pink suit and matching hair, I hear my family distantly cheer in my earpieces that they see me in the background. For a moment, it feels as though they’re right behind me, encouraging me, but I’m snapped back to reality as Caesar begins chatting up the crowd. Riven’s thumb presses into the back of my hand as I take in a deep breath. My entire family may not be here, but Riven is and, even though he doesn’t share my blood, he is my brother and I can tell he’s just as nervous as I was earlier. I’ve gotten numb to it now, but he’s only just starting to feel anxious. I know I can’t help Riven relax much before it’s my turn to take center stage, but I know my performance will take the Capitol’s eyes off of him, so I give his hand a squeeze and send him what I hope he takes as a comforting smile before turning my attention to my surroundings.

Despite the moon glowing brightly in the sky, the City Circle is brighter than a summer’s day. An elevated seating area has been set up for the more prestigious guests with the stylists commanding the front row. Juliet and Carrie are sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and can probably be seen from space with how bright their outfits are. A large building to the right of the stage where the Gamemakers sit on a balcony. I wonder if they still despise me for ruining their drinking session. Television crews have claimed the other balconies, but there are a few cameras pointed our way from the ground, making it easier to tell which ones are pointed my way. Crowds have filled not only the City Circle, but also the streets that feed into it. Everyone across the country is watching us. People will be filling community centers, schools, and old stadiums to watch the show on whatever screens are available. We’ll be broadcasting live to all of our friends and families back home. I hope they enjoy the show.

With only four people ahead of me, I don’t get much time to think. Caesar calls Jade to the stage and I pay little attention as she plays up her sly, observational behavior. Her fellow tribute, Onyx Cutter, has about as much personality as a cinder block; his entire personality hinging on the fact that he’s big and strong. Obviously, he worked more on his muscles than he ever did on his knowledge. It feels like forever before his buzzer finally goes off, but it takes even longer when the brainless pair of rocks from District 2 take to the stage. Collectively, they might have the same intellectual level as a goldfish, but only like the little cheese crackers, not the fish. Comparing them to fish would be an insult to the fish. Neither one of them seems to have much of a plan for the Games other than getting stuff from the Cornucopia and staying with the rest of the Careers, but some of the crowd cheers for them all the same.

Before I know it, they’re calling my name and I have to pry my hand out from Riven’s clutches in order to meet Caesar at center stage. I shake his outstretched hand and he beams brightly my way as he begins the interview, “So, Vivien, it must be very interesting to come to the Capitol and see some of the technology from home. Have you found anything interesting here so far?”

This isn’t what I was prepared for, but I have to laugh, “Well, I was certainly surprised when I found out the mirrors in the bathrooms here have televisions built inside them!”

I’m not too surprised when the crowd roars with laughter, but I see Juliet and Carrie smiling my way when I glance in their direction. Caesar laughs, “Oh, I’m sure that was quite the surprise!”

“I’ll say!” I chuckle.

Caesar’s smile feels more genuine, more friendly, as he says, “Now, Vivien, I must say, when I saw you and Riven in the opening ceremony, my jaw was on the floor. You two were glowing brighter than the stars! How did it feel?”

I don’t bother hiding the hesitance in my smile. With any luck, it will earn me the Capitol’s favor. “Once I got over feeling like I was going to fall out of the chariot, it felt amazing.”

This earns me another round of laughter from the crowd. Good, I’m winning them over. Caesar chuckles, “Well, you certainly didn’t show it.”

“I read a lot about it in the letters Makana had written for me last year,” I mention solemnly. “I suppose she prepared me for it in a way.”

Caesar takes my hand in his again and his voice takes on a much more serious tone, “Ah, yes, Makana Birch. The young lady who volunteered in your stead last year. Even though we all love Miss Kona Birr, I know quite a few people were a little disappointed when it was found that Makana was not last year’s victor.”

“I know I was,” I mutter just enough for the microphone to pick up my trembling voice. Faintly, I hear Mick telling me to lay it on thick and I press a hand to my chest as I take in a shuddering breath and allow my eyes to water as they’ve wanted to for days now.

“Oh, you poor thing.” Caesar’s hand releases mine and he wraps the arm around my shoulders, but still allows the cameras to catch my every emotion in full display. “Now, you said you had letters from her? What did they say?”

“Most of them were just her getting out her thoughts and telling me how much she wished I was there with her,” I tell Caesar, “but a few of them told me about how she fell in love with this place and the people in it. Now that I’m here for myself, I see what she meant.”

“How so?” Caesar asks, sounding genuinely intrigued by my statement.

As I delicately swipe a finger under my eyes, careful not to knock my glasses off as I glance at Juliet and Carrie who nod discretely. “You see, Caesar, I think I’ve fallen in love just the same way Makana did.”

“How is that?” he presses as he shifts back enough to see me again. “With this city or with the people?”

I find it in me to chuckle softly, “A bit of both, actually. This city is amazing and so much more magical than I thought it would be, but I think there’s one person in particular who I have developed feelings for even though I shouldn’t.”

People in the crowd gasp at the idea of a forbidden romance with a tribute and I hear pockets of murmured guesses fluttering through the masses as Caesar moves so he’s grasping my hand once more. “A secret romance?” he gasps. “Do tell!”

“Well,” I begin, reciting what I had said in practice with Juliet and Carrie, “I don’t want to say too much as I’m sure he doesn’t quite feel the same way I do just yet.”

“How could anyone not adore a gorgeous young lady such as yourself?” Caesar asks rhetorically. “I bet, if you tell him now, he’ll have no choice but to fight hordes of men and women for your hand once you come out of the arena.”

I spare a quick glance over my shoulder toward where Royce is sitting before turning back to Caesar with a saddened gaze, “Sadly, I don’t think it will matter much once I go into the arena.”

Caesar’s eyes seem to widen as though he’s caught on to what I’ve said and it seems like some of the crowd has as well as they let out shocked gasps. However, this is Caesar’s stage and, as much as I’m sure the crowd wishes they could pester me for more information, Caesar asks, “Could it be that he is the one who volunteered in place of your younger brother?”

“Riven is more of a brother to me than anything,” I softly tell Caesar with a shake of my head. I quickly force my eyes to shine with saddened truth as I add, “But you are right in guessing that he’s going into the arena as well.” I hear gasps of shock and shouts from the audience encouraging me to let them know who the mystery tribute could be, so I quickly gush to them the way Juliet encouraged me to, spilling my heart out like a leaky faucet and keying everyone into exactly who the person is. “You see, he’s just so sweet and kind, and we got along so well in training that I got attached really quickly. We’ve been spending a lot of time talking about our families and we have a lot in common, especially with how we’re going through a lot of the same mental games with being reaped again and not having anyone to volunteer for us, but-”

As the crowd gasps as they piece together who I’m talking about, I make a show of my eyes widening in shock as I cover my mouth with a quivering hand, acting as though I wasn’t meant to spill my guts to the crowds of people all over Panem. As the buzzer goes off, telling everyone that my turn is now over, Caesar tries to diffuse the roaring crowds, but his gentle words fall on deaf ears and he has to work to encourage them to quiet down. Once they’ve calmed enough, Caesar wishes me the best of luck and I slowly make my way back to my seat as the cameras in the area follow my stumbling steps and focus on both my face and Royce's. Riven rises from his seat and takes me into his arms once I’m close enough and whispers words of encouragement to me before pulling off his suit jacket and bringing it around my shoulders. He softly asks if I’m alright once I’m seated and I hesitantly nod, encouraging him to make his way to where he’ll spend the next few minutes. If anything I should comfort Riven, it’s the fact that I’ve effectively taken all the attention off of him. 

I’m still in a daze through the first part of Riven’s interview, but I know that he has the crowd enraptured from the get-go. He takes full advantage of his role as the protective older brother, mentioning his recent orphan status for sympathy and talking about his bond with me and my siblings to make the crowd fawn over him. Once I come back into focus, I realize Riven is telling funny anecdotes about the animals he’s taken in, specifically a story about Noodle the snake and his feline companion, Chip, who liked to carry Noodle around in his mouth like a toy which the snake actually seemed to enjoy. Every story earns Riven roaring laughter or fawning sighs from the audience who seem to cling to his every word. I have to smile at just how enthralled Riven has made the citizens of the Capitol. He had always been a great storyteller. By the time the buzzer tells everyone that Riven’s turn is done, the crowd is in love with him and seems distraught at the thought of him leaving so soon. However, Riven gives a theatrical bow that encourages the crowd lining the streets to cheer for him as he turns to Caesar and shakes his hand once more before returning to his seat.

Riven smiles the entire way back to his seat before collapsing into the chair next to me and taking my hand back in his as Serena from District 4 takes her place with Caesar. “How did I do?” Riven asks under his breath.

“Incredible,” I whisper to him.

Riven turns to me with a nervous, tilted grin, “I don’t remember a word I just said.”

“Neither do I,” I giggle softly. Riven finally seems to relax as I smile his way and sigh, “I guess we’ll have to find out from the others how we did.”

“I guess so,” he chuckles. “I think you took most of the attention off of me, though.”

“Then you went and made them all fall in love with you,” I tease slyly. “You’ll be fighting off everyone in the Capitol with a stick when we get back.”

“You say that as though you won’t.”

“I won’t.” 

“Bullshit.” I meet Riven’s gaze, but he shakes his head before I can argue with him and quickly adds, “Royce’s eyes have hardly left you since he first saw you and I can spot many others in the crowd who have yet to look away. You are all anyone is going to talk about for a while to come.”

“I don’t see it,” I tell him with a shrug as the buzzer goes off once again.

“You will soon enough,” he mutters under his breath. I don’t get the chance to question Riven further as Serena makes her way back to her seat, sending me a squinted glare as she passes my seat. After fighting the urge to lunge across Riven and deck the redhead in her prissy, poodle-like face, I force myself to rest my head against Riven’s arm and watch the other tributes as they go through their interviews. 

The male tribute from 4, Weddell Black, nearly falls off the stage in a drunken daze before cackling proudly about things nobody seems able to decipher and practically collapsing on the stage in a puddle of his own vomit and drool that takes a while to clean while Weddell is hauled off the stage, presumably to sober up. The pair from five, Volt and Elektra, seem far more ruthless than the Careers this year, but their sullen and hostile approach to the questions Caesar tried to give them does nothing for the crowd who seems just as uninterested with the tributes as the tributes are with them. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not entirely worried about them in the arena since it’s unlikely they’ll gain enough favor for sponsors, but they sound lethal enough to put on my list of people to be careful of if the time comes. Lotus Cooper is next and, although she’s very meek and softspoken, her answers to Caesar flow easily and lightly. She didn’t do much in training - keeping to herself at the stations nobody else occupied like fire-starting, knot-tying, and camouflage - but it’s the unassuming ones you have to watch out for sometimes. Lotus finishes her interview with patience and grace, thanking Caesar for his time before returning to her seat. 

As Royce’s name is called, my head rises from its place against Riven and I watch as he glides to center stage and takes his place beside Caesar. Most of his conversation hinges on his attachment to his brothers and how it feels to take the place Miles had been in the year before. I know being asked such questions must be just as hard for him as it was for me, but he handles everything so well that I almost forget what’s to come. My earlier answers will no doubt bring his interview into uncertain territory, forcing him to answer questions about the feelings of a girl he barely knows and expecting him to be fine with it. As Caeser begins questioning Royce on how he felt hearing those words from me, I feel Riven’s grasp tighten on my hand as my gaze falls to my lap.

“I was certainly surprised at first,” Royce answers calmly. I hear the hesitation in his tone. He wants to say something more, but won’t. Why? I’ve put him in this uncomfortable position of faking feelings for me, he should be able to either keep going or stop it altogether. He has the option, the opportunity to either publicly turn away my affection and claim he doesn’t see me that way if he so desires. Just rip off the bandage, Royce. I’ll be fine. 

Caesar chuckles somewhat nervously, “Why am I hearing a ‘but’ in there somewhere?”

“Well, I guess I’m just so relieved Vivien feels the way she does,” Royce states. “I’ve been wanting to ask her out since I first ran into her at the Remake Center, but I just didn’t think that, with everything going on, she would want to.”

Even if his words are some made-up story to make our little love story plausible to the Capitol, my head still snaps up to find Royce and I meet his caramel gaze for the first time since the topic first came up. His shy smile and beet-red face make his words feel that much more real and I feel my heart sink and soar at the same time. I have to remind myself that Royce doesn’t actually feel that way toward me and that he’s just putting on an act for the Capitol. As he continues to ramble on with Caesar, Royce blabbers about his feelings and how complicated it could be, especially in the arena. As the buzzer sounds once again and Royce returns to his seat, sending me a quick glance on his way, I allow my emotions to show through - surprise in my gaping mouth, realization in my widened, flickering eyes, and embarrassment in my blushed cheeks. As Royce sits and Caesar talks to the crowd about the situation at hand, I try to play the part of the shocked, saddened little girl. As I think of how ridiculous this whole thing is, the reality of our situation hits me like a smack in the face. We’ll be in the arena tomorrow. All this time, I’ve been worried about my interview and my feelings for the people around me. My feelings will mean nothing inside the arena. Tomorrow could very well be the last day I spend on this earth and I’m stuck spending it with my emotions on full display for the nation to see. I hope they can’t easily decipher the fear in my eyes as I come to realize that I’ll most likely be in a wooden box on the way back to District 3 by the end of the week.

[autistic-ranpo]

 Eddie avoids Richie after that which he thought was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. He was hurt though that Richie didn’t seem to mind the distance. The other Losers tried to figure out what was going on, but Eddie was way too mortified. They respected that but told them that just because he was avoiding Richie didn’t mean he needed to avoid them too. Eddie agreed and made plans with each of them individually. It was on Day 5 that Richie finally approached him. It's right afterschool when Eddie is gathering his things to go home. Richie told him that he needed to show him something.

Richie takes Eddie to the Kissing Bridge. What are we doing here? Showing me where you carved you and your girlfriends initials? Eddie snarked in his head. He had the urge to reach for the inhaler that was in his backpack. Eddie follows Richie silently until he stops about midway on the bridge and turns to face him. He’s looking at the ground though and shifting between one foot to the other. ‘First of all I’d like to apologize for being such a massive ass to you that day Eds.’ Richie started. ‘I shouldn’t have said I thought Juliana was smarter than you because I know for a fact that you're the smartest, kindest, FUNNIEST person I know.’ Eddie blushes and now he’s looking at his feet. ‘I only went on and on about Juliana because….’ Richie gulped rubbing the back of his neck. ‘I wanted to make you jealous!” he said in a rush. Eddie’s head shot up. What?! Richie nodded, blushing even harder. He took a deep breath and finally made eye contact with Eddie. He looked more sincere than he’s even seen him. ‘I have no feelings whatsoever for her Eds. How could I when I’m desperately in lo–like with my best friend.’ Eddie’s eyes widened, his heart hammering in his chest. He took off his backpack and started searching around for his inhaler. He finally found it but didn’t use it, opting to hold it in his hand as a comfort thing. ‘So you’re saying you like me.’ Richie nodded, taking a step forward.  ‘Eddie Kaspbrak. The one who needs this’ Eddie holds up his inhaler. Richie chuckles. ‘Actually you don’t need that. I think we both know that’s just bullshit your Mom told you.’ Eddie nods, dropping his arm, his mind swirling. Richie likes me. When he looks back up Richie is right in front of him, his big blue eyes soft. Eddie doesn’t remember Richie ever looking at him like that. He feels exposed cause he’s pretty sure he’s looking at him the exact same way. ‘I took you here Eds because I wanted to show you how I feel. How I’ve been feeling since forever. I never want you to doubt that so here we go…’

Somehow Richie looks even more nervous when he turns, kneels and starts examining the many initials cut on the wood of the bridge. It doesn’t take him long to find what he’s looking for. He turns to him. “Come here.’ Eddie steps forward kneeling beside Richie not sure what he’s showing him and then he sees it. R+E carved into the wood. It looks like its been there for a while. Eddie didn’t think his face could get any hotter. He feels Richie’s stare on the side of his face but he can’t bring himself to speak just yet only stare. Eddie reached out to trace the carving, afraid it might disappear and he’ll wake up in Science class with Richie flirting with Juliana. Too much time must have passed because Richie said ‘You don’t have to say you like me or anything I just wanted to clarify what was reall–’ Eddie’s lips crashed into Richie’s and caused them both to topple over. After several seconds Eddie relented, burying his face in Richies neck so that he could say ‘I like you too dummy.’ ‘What? Eddie I can’t hear you” Eddie huffed and lifted his face so that he could meet Richie's eyes. ‘I like you too…..dummy’ Richie’s eyes were balloons at this point. Eddie didn’t think they could get any bigger. ‘You do’ He squeeked. Eddie laughed and nodded. Suddenly Richies arms tightened around him forcing Eddie back into his chest with an oof. Eddie couldn’t really breathe with how tightly Richie was holding him but he didn’t really mind because this was Richie. “I’m going to be the best boyfriend to you Eddie Spaghetti!” Eddie blushed for the umpteenth time. 

what if henry and his gang showed up-

anyways ANON HI YES ILY THIS IS SO SWEET THEY DESERVE THE WORLD

(bonus points if jules is a lesbian)

richie takes him out for ice cream and an arcade date afterwards. if you even care 🙄 (/lh)

richie is 100% the cheesiest little shit and will be so sappy i know it