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undead-supernova · 3 months

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I'll Pay the Price, You Won't.

It's a Delicate Need

Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5

18+ minors DNI

Masterlist

plot: you've never met eddie munson before...and even if your reputation's never been worse, desire is the sound of the whiskey and you're prepared for the risk. but are you willing to let it go to waste?

Pairings: modernrockstar!Eddie x fem!popstar!Reader (curvy!reader, bisexual!reader)

Warnings: drinking, mention of weed, there's genuine smut in here so sorry for the length, mention of body shaming

easter egg count: 32

wc: 6.9k

This chapter is inspired by the sound and lyrics of “Delicate” and her unreleased Lover track “Need” that I haven’t stopped thinking about since it leaked. This is one of my favorite things I've ever written and I can't believe I get to share it! Okay, have fun! I love these two so much! (special thanks to @munsonsbtch for helping chill out my frantic screaming about writing smut)

Late April, 2024

You met him in those weird ways celebrities do. Usually, it’s an award show or some house party thrown by mutual famous friends. For you, it was the Grammy after party.

Corroded Coffin won Best Rock Album for “Fire Shroud” and Best Metal Performance for the title track. (Ozzy Osborne presented their award and you couldn’t believe how jealous you were.)

You’d won Song of the Year for “Cradle Me”. The night was electric, one that would go down in history for you and your ever-growing career.

Because you’d done it. You won a Grammy.

And that was the only reason you decided to even go to the after party, really. You rode the high of your adrenaline, your tears. The squealing and stomping of victory as you basked in a kind of pride you’d never felt before. A kind of pride that you didn’t even know existed.

The room boomed with music, everyone seemingly on the same wave as you. You’d been practically shredding up the dance floor all on your own, taking time to close your eyes and feel a release for what seemed like the first time since you’d started your career. You were on top of your game, on top of the world. Nothing could derail you now.

As a remix of Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” came to a close, you remembered where you were. Opened your eyes to look around you as another song sounded, the bass pulsating in your ears.

And despite the noise, everyone noticed when Corroded Coffin walked in.

Even you.

Here they were, all five members decked out in lavish outfits, all five shimmying their way through the parting crowd with drinks held high in the air. If it was anyone else, they’d look obnoxious and lame. But each one of the members of Corroded Coffin acted like real people. They were in sequins, dark makeup, designer suits and dresses…and they were normal. Just laughing their way through the crowd and dancing like idiots.

And that’s when you saw him.

About an hour after their arrival, Eddie Munson snuck away from the rest of the group. He was at the bar, nursing some whiskey, a smile on his face as he chatted with the bartender. Leaning sideways against the counter with his legs crossed, just lounging as he socialized.

And maybe it kind of seemed a little stalkerish that you were watching him across the room, sipping on your third Shirley Temple—with, yes, copious amounts of vodka—but you were merely observing.

You weren’t his biggest fan or anything, but you were still fascinated by him. By his effortless charm, the sheer effect he seemed to have on everyone. Some had called him the New It Guy, others had called him a Soon To Be Has Been. But, for the most part, he was considered the man of everyone’s dreams.

Not only that, but he was genuinely talented. Corroded Coffin was killing it, having reached newer heights. Those Grammys they won? Yeah, they’d already received two the year prior. In the last two years, they’d collaborated with Post Malone, Joan Jett, Bring Me The Horizon, Nova Twins, Amy Lee, Poppy… The list was starting to get rather full from how desirable it was to work with them, especially smaller artists they’d been bringing into the limelight.

Plus, they were bringing metal to new heights. Tearing down the walls of what it meant to listen to metal and defying how it was “supposed” to sound. And you could go on and on about their lyricism, the way that they wrote about more than just testosterone-driven rage. They talked about mental health, about heartache. Addiction. Loneliness and the way isolation stung. Even the intense weight of fear that comes with falling in love.

They were raw. They were real.

And you kinda wanted to talk to Eddie Munson.

He was alone, for God’s sake. Just a sitting duck by himself, clad in that outfit. The sequins on his blazer casted light over his cheek, reflecting off of the LED lights. His blazer was a deep eggplant, all velvet and cool and fitting perfectly tight against his toned muscles. There were patterns of small black roses strategically placed throughout. Not enough to be overwhelming, but enough to give the drama.

Oh, yeah. One more thing.

No. Shirt.

Just his lean stomach with an attention-grabbing happy trail that led to his incredibly tight leather pants. The color even matched his blazer. Combat boots. Rings adorning his fingers and some black nail polish. Layers of diamond bracelets and chains resting against the dark ink of his tattoos. A guitar pick at the center of a black velvet choker around his neck.

Yeah, you really wanted to talk to Eddie Munson.

For a second, you stared down at yourself. You had a momentary lapse in confidence, wondering if what you were wearing was acceptable for a metal lead. Because you were clad in a silk knee-length dress, blush pink. One that hugged your curves and twirled around you wherever you moved. It was Old Hollywood. It was graceful. It was you.

Fuck it.

You approached, handing the bartender your empty glass and kindly asking for a refill. When you glanced over at Eddie in your peripheral, you knew he was being respectful, looking down at his drink rather than you.

It was up to you to deliver the opening line.

“You know,” you started, catching his attention immediately. “you’d kinda look like Lord Farquad if you got a bob.”

Eddie’s eyebrows lifted, trying to stifle a chuckle. “Yeah? You think so?” You nodded and watched as he tried to tuck in the bottom half of his hair to create the illusion of a bob. “‘Run, run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!’”

You were right. He kinda looked like Lord Farquad’s taller, hotter, more glamorous brother.

“That is perfect,” you said, slow clapping. “Brilliant.”

He laughed, moving his whisky as a subtle invite to stand next to him. “I’m glad you think so. I’m Eddie, by the way.”

You smiled, telling him your name, watching as he nodded. He was wearing some eye shadow, all deep purple and bruise-y. He seemed to have had a coat of lipgloss on that was now lining the rim of his glass, with only a slight residue remaining. It was still effortlessly beautiful. He was effortlessly beautiful.

“Yeah, I actually know who you are.”

Your eyes widened. He knew you?

“I didn’t think it was your genre,” you said honestly.

Eddie shook his head. “Nah. Come on, give yourself a little credit. ‘Tetris’ had a bit of a rock vibe to it.”

“Yeah, true,” you agreed, rolling your eyes. That was a single from your last album, one that hadn’t even gotten much traction from audiences. “But it’s nothing like A Rush of Hellfire.”

Eddie’s eyebrows shot up again. “You heard our first album?”

Confusion flooded your features. “Well, yeah. Hasn’t everyone?”

“No one talks about it anymore,” he responded, shrugging as he scratched the top of his head. “You a fan?”

“Not, like, a diehard fan or anything, you know? It’s fun to work out to. Or scream in the car. You did that remix with Post Malone. ‘Something Real’, right?” He smiled, nodding. “Yeah, I can’t get enough of it. The original is heavenly, but you guys put a spin on it that made it transcend the meaning and give it an extra boost of emotion that didn’t even seem possible. And your added verse? I mean, it was just so raw and…”

You stopped yourself, starting to feel embarrassed from practically fangirling about this guy’s music to his face. He may have been actively listening, or was pretending to, but you had to stop before it got to be too much.

“Anyways,” you finished. “I really like it.”

His smile grew and it was like something flutter-y-ish was rushing to your heart. What was that about?

“I’m flattered,” he said. “Unexpected, but flattered nonetheless.”

“Why unexpected?”

“Well, I mean. Well, your music—I just assumed—”

You laughed at that. “I like way more than just pop. That’s just the music I make, you know?” He gave you another silent nod, making you feel a little self-conscious. “So, I’m guessing you’re not really into my stuff?”

“No, I really like it. I just don’t want you to think I’m a diehard fan or anything. Actually, it’s kinda funny. I saw your cover of ‘Lolita’ by…” he trailed, waving his fingers around in thought until he pointed at you with a smirk. “Lana Del Rey, that’s it. Saw it a few weeks ago. Very cool. I liked the way you changed the sound. It seemed a little sadder than the OG, even with the synth.”

You smiled. You’d done that cover in the BBC Live Lounge to make fun of the way the media portrayed you. A player on both sides, leading everyone on and leaving them high and dry. Being a temptress of some sort, always on your best misbehavior. It was a common story, something that was far from realistic. But the media circus wasn’t about reality. It was about the fantasy.

And a lot of people misinterpreted the song choice as a confirmation of your reputation. It was mortifying. And annoying. Mostly fucking annoying.

And as the bartender handed you your drink, you prayed to whatever God was out there that Eddie didn’t think the same about you.

“I did it as a joke,” you defended sheepishly. “You’ve probably heard about me, but I’m not actually like that.”

And you knew that there was no reason for you to justify yourself to him, especially someone rumored to be a player himself. Eddie was known to the public as someone who collected groupies like a goddamn claw machine, but it was seen as something desirable. He was hailed as some kind of Metal Prince of Darkness. (Though, you’d never come into contact with anyone who’d actually been involved with him…)

So why were you nervous all of a sudden?

You studied his reaction, the way he barely had one. He just kept smiling like that, this kind of half-smile as if you were the most interesting person he’d ever met. You were sure he smiled at everyone like that.

And if it was a trick, well fuck, it was working.

“I definitely got the joke,” he said, chuckling as your eyes widened. “What, did no one else?”

You shrugged. “Not a lot of them, no.”

“Well, I guess the world is as dense as I thought.”

You couldn’t stifle your giggle as you lifted your drink to your lips, nearly spilling it on yourself.

And maybe Eddie thought he was being smooth, but he took a small step forward, closer than he’d been before. “Just letting you know,” he said. “as someone who is also not like that, I thought it was amazing.”

You could smell the tobacco wafting off of his jacket, mixed with something like amber or bergamot. His pinky finger was dangerously close to yours, seemingly inching forward. The closer he got, the easier it was to decode the exact shade of his eyes. Brown had been wrong. No, they were hickory. They were umber. And these hickory, umber eyes were looking at you.

It wasn’t fair in the slightest.

Something in you wanted to call him out because there was something definitely happening between you. Maybe it was a game he was playing, taking shots at your weak spots to lower your defenses. Or maybe it was genuine chemistry, luring you in with a dangerous kind of desire that you’d never felt before.

It was something you couldn’t even explain to yourself.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Eddie asked, “Beatles or Stones?”

You snorted. “Easy. Beatles. You clearly haven’t listened to my album.”

“Oh, I’ve heard Acacia My Dear. How could I not?” Your eyes widened. “But I thought you were sane. Guess I was wrong.” He sighed, waving you away. “This has been fun but get out of my sight.”

“Okay, wow. How does it feel to be a loser?” you asked, crossing your arms.

“How does it feel to be wrong?”

“The Stones do not have half of the amount of hits that The Beatles had. Name any Beatles album, which I bet you can’t, and I can tell you the plethora of well-known songs from each one. You can’t fight me on the factual evidence—”

“Do you wanna dance?” he asked suddenly, cutting you off.

You froze, confusion and intrigue colliding inside you.

“Didn’t you just tell me to go away?”

“As a joke.”

“Are you going to continue to insult my preferences?”

He leaned in just a bit further. “Is that something you’d want?”

“Maybe a little,” you admitted, trying to catch your breath as he took it. “As a treat.”

“I’d be honored.”

Eddie took you to the floor like a gentleman in a ballroom, one arm pressed against his back with the other holding your hand up. As if he was wearing a luxurious tux and you were in a ballgown. As if this was something serious, something more than it should’ve been.

And, god, whatever he was doing was fucking with your head.

Because the two of you started dancing to one of the popular hits of the year, a song you hadn’t cared to listen to. But it didn’t seem to matter to either of you, going back and forth with each other as you moved through the dance floor. Eddie shimmied his shoulders and rolled his hips. You gladly followed his lead.

As the song hit its bridge, he leaned in. “By the way, I don’t know this song.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I don’t either. I’ve been religiously listening to Maisie Peters for the last year.”

He nodded before looking at you with a bit of a sheepish expression. “I don’t know who that is either, I’m afraid.”

“That’s more offensive than your Beatles comments,” you teased.

He rolled his eyes before taking your hands and spinning you around. Laughter fell from your lips easily, finding the sensation quite dizzying.

God, how was his energy so infectious?

He tried to bring you back up, to let go. But you were done for, wobbling in his arms from the dizzy spell coming over you. One of your held hands was placed against his chest, the drumming of his heart nearly matching the beat of the song.

“Woah there,” he teased.

You sighed, your grasp on his hand tightening. “Don’t blame me,” you said. “That was all you.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right.” When you were stable enough to stand properly and the room stopped spinning, he asked, “Favorite Beatles song?”

You scoffed. “Why should I tell you if you’re just going to make fun of it?”

“You wound me.”

“I have evidence. Exhibit A, five minutes ago you told me my opinion was wrong. Twice.”

“I’ll behave myself.” You raised an eyebrow. “Scout’s honor.”

You decided to answer truthfully. “It changes every day, I think.”

“So, what’s todays?” he pressed. When you gave him a quizzical look, he shook his head. “Don’t leave me hanging over here.”

Your smile returned. “Today, it’s ‘Sun King’.”

“Ah, a highly underrated track from Abbey Road. Mine’s either ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ or ‘Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?’ from the White Album.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. “You know their discography and yet you disrespect them.”

He wagged a finger at you. “You’re mistaken, young maiden. I never said The Beatles were bad. I said they weren’t as good as The Rolling Stones.”

“I think I hate you,” you said without thinking. Without even knowing how he was going to take that.

But then Eddie’s small smile grew into a grin. “Oh, yeah?”

You couldn’t help but smile back. “Mhm.”

“Does that mean we’ll never speak again?”

“No,” you admitted, showing him your cards.

Eddie smirked. “Good.”

Apparently, he was showing his, too.

Another drink and a round of bickering later, you and Eddie were promptly interrupted by a rumbling of voices calling out to you.

Well, not you.

“Ed!”

The two of you turned and watched as the rest of Corroded Coffin rushed over. Well, Ronnie was trailing behind, still in her heels. And you commended her for not running like the rest.

Eddie let out a chuckle and you watched a grin stretch across his face, lighting him up more than anything else seemingly did tonight. It was a look of love, of appreciation. Friendship.

And when he looked at you, you swore that it intensified.

God, he was something else.

“This is Grant, Gareth, Ronnie, and Jeff,” he introduced, gesturing to the group.

As if you didn’t already know.

“Nice to meet you all,” you said, giving each one a handshake and a smile.

“Jesus, you’re prettier in person,” Ronnie said, giving you a look over. “Love the dress.”

You could help but smile, especially with how beautiful she was. Ronnie Ecker. A legendary fucking female drummer standing in front of you. Her satin dress hugged her hips, a slit running up her thigh as the tips of her fingers rested against the opening. And, sure, Eddie was standing next to you, and you were extremely interested in him. But you’d be lying if you didn’t feel heat rising to your cheeks at the sight of one of the hottest women alive.

“Right back at you,” you replied, trying to stop sounding so nervous. “You’re incredible at the drums. It’s such an honor—"

“We’re heading out, actually,” Gareth said loudly, catching your attention.

“To do what? Go to bed?” Eddie asked, snorting. “Did you grind the indica by mistake?”

Grant shrugged. “We came to see if you wanted to go back and do a one-shot…” he trailed, eyes flickering over to you. “But then we saw you over here and, well…”

Jeff pointed at you. “We decided we wanted to meet you,” he said plainly.

“Yeah, exactly,” Gareth confirmed.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “Oh, please. I’m really not that interesting.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Eddie said, catching your gaze. “Not to us or anyone else.”

There was something about the way he said it that made you wonder exactly what he was thinking about you. Because there was that hint of a smirk again, one that you couldn’t help but interpret as: You should see yourself the way I do in this moment.

And even though the others fell headfirst into their own tangent, you decided to lean over to Jeff.

“A one-shot, you say?” you asked. “Like for D and D?”

A grin spread across his face. “Precisely.”

“You guys play a lot?”

Jeff nodded. “Yeah, Eddie’s, like, the best DM I’ve ever seen.”

“Better than Brennan Lee Mulligan?” you questioned.

“Close enough,” he admitted.

Eddie tapped Jeff on the shoulder. “Did someone just mention Brennan?”

“She did,” Jeff said as he patted your shoulder. “Wanna get super jealous?”

You raised an eyebrow as Eddie gave you a shit-eating grin. “I’m guest starring in his upcoming campaign.”

“Oh, fuck off!” you exclaimed. Stomping your foot, you shook your head. Your lips twisted into a smile, all jealous and playful. Because you were extremely envious, having watched D&D for years but never playing it yourself. And here Eddie was, getting the opportunity to work with one of the best DMs there were. What a cool fucking asshole.

“Well, if you ever wanted to plaaaaaay,” Gareth exaggerated, clasping his hands together and grinning. “We could always head back and get you a character sheet.”

Eddie flicked his forehead, giving him a hard stare that you couldn’t understand. “Gareth, we are not doing a one-shot tonight.” When both men’s eyes flickered over to you for a moment, you began to pick up the meaning. “So you better scram.”

And then it was its own conversation, one that started with goodbyes but led into another whirlwind of comments. You tried to follow along, tried to understand what they were even talking about in their shared campaign. There was something about a powerful wizard, another realm underneath the one you called your own. A world that seemed upside down, a world that you were glad you didn’t live in.

And as soon as it began to descend into chaos, Eddie sighed and held up his hand. “Alright, I’m cutting us off. Go to bed, you lovely dumbasses.”

“I like you,” Jeff said as the others hugged and bumped fists. Your eyes widened. “I like you a lot.”

Without a chance to ask him what he meant by that, Jeff was filing behind Grant and Gareth, all three sneaking glances back at you as they walked away.

Ronnie gave you another look over before leaning in. “Some advice? Don’t break his heart,” she said, patting your shoulder before she hustled to catch up with the others.

Shock ran through you at the sheer idea of feelings being involved between you and Eddie Munson of all people. As if he would ever actually want something like that. The idea was so absurd that you almost had to scoff.

“Did you want to keep talking?”

You turned to Eddie whose stare was becoming almost too magnetic, having to look away every few seconds. If you didn’t, the eye contact was going to send you into cardiac arrest.

“Talking?” you asked, lifting an eyebrow.

He played innocent, shrugging. “Well, we could always talk. We could do other things, too. If you’d like.”

“You want me to go home with you?”

“To my hotel room, maybe?” Eddie paused, clearly trying to interpret your expression and failing. “Uh, unless I’m reading this all wrong.”

“You’re not,” you said.

Without breaking eye contact, his fingers found your palm before lifting it and pressing his lips against the back of your hand. You could only hope the music would mask your sharp breath.

“I have fewer scarlet letters than people think.”

Another kiss. Another lodge in your throat.

“So, don’t think I’m doing this because I’m a whore.”

You could only nod. “Likewise.”

“I just…” he paused, a hint of something covering his features. “I think you’re really cool.”

“Likewise,” you concluded, disconnecting your hands before his touch could electrocute you further. “See you at the hotel.”

“How many scarlet letters do you have?” you asked Eddie.

How the hell you’d managed to be alone in the elevator was beyond you. In fact, it was a miracle on its own that the two of you were able to leave separately, arrive at the hotel without paparazzi standing out front, and casually make it to the elevator without anyone taking notice. It was a rather close call.

Or maybe it was a sign.

You nearly rolled your eyes at the thought before Eddie’s laugh brought your attention back.

“Ah, man,” he said. “Three, the first two being in high school. What about you?”

“Four,” you said plainly. “All post high school. I wasn’t very popular back then.”

“Neither was I.”

You looked over at him, curious about what else was there.

“Really?”

Eddie snorted. “Are you kidding me? Of course not. Look at me.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

He shook his head. “Uh-uh. Those first two? They used me to get back at their boyfriends. Thought the local freak would, I don’t know, make them jealous?”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “I was also the freak.”

“Really?” You nodded. “Could’ve fooled me.”

And there that stare was again, burning a hole in your chest that you weren’t sure how to make go away. But did you really even want it to?

No words were exchanged as you made your way down the hallway. You looked back, always alert at the potential of a camera or wandering eyes. And when you made your way inside his hotel room, thick with the scent of him, you felt the prickles on your neck that always came when you feared danger.

For some reason, you couldn’t help but look at the door, making sure it was locked. Making sure that the shadows underneath the door were passing by quickly. Muffled voices came and went, but your guard never wavered.

“You don’t have to worry about anyone seeing us,” Eddie said. You turned slowly, watching him unlace his boots. “This floor is all booked for the band. No need to risk anything. That’s probably just my guy, James. He’s a hardass, but he loves a good party.”

A small chuckle left your lips. “It’s not that I’m scared to be seen with you,” you explained. “It’s just a nasty habit.”

“I don’t blame you. Las Vegas can drive people crazy.”

You took the moment to undo your heels, finally able to let your feet breathe after a long, long night of discomfort. There was a stinging pain the moment your bare feet hit the carpet.

But you couldn’t wait, taking tentative steps towards him. Like you were assessing him, assessing the risk. Watching as he watched you, standing like you’d made a silent request that he couldn’t say no to.

“I won’t bite,” he said, hands reaching out to yours. Taking your fingertips and pulling you towards him. Like you were still on that dance floor, like he was as lost in the moment as you were.

As you drew near, you caught a glimpse of his smudged eye shadow, the way it was starting to smear. His eyes, darker than before in the low light of the lamp, only on you.

Yeah, you weren’t thinking about consequences anymore.

“I have to be up early in the morning,” you whispered, nearly chasing his lips with yours.

He nodded. “You can leave whenever you want,” he said softly, thumb brushing your lower lip. “I do want you to know that I want to kiss you so bad it’s going to kill me.”

“Well, why didn’t you just say—”

Eddie kissed you fiercely, nearly knocking you over.

It was like he was chasing after you. Wherever you moved, he moved. Whenever you gasped, he gasped. Your hand met the back of his neck, so his moved to yours.

It was the kindling of a fire.

If you dared to utter it, you would call it passion.

You slowly made your way to his neck, scratching against the choker as you went. Eddie inhaled sharply, trembling as you made your way down his chest. Desperate to feel all of it. Desperate to understand where he started and where he ended. Wondering if you’d truly be granted full access.

But it was his fingers that flipped a switch. Eddie carefully moved the tips along your jaw—gently, like he was trying to learn exactly what you felt like. And before you could register it, Eddie pulled your head to the side and latched his lips to your throat.

There was a release of a moan, the high pitch shocking you.

Because here you were, feeling a lightning strike against your neck, rumbling like chills down your back. Before you knew it, you were limp in his arms.

You were giving in.

Slowly, Eddie helped you out of your dress, trying to take his time. But you were a little more fast-paced, nearly ripping off your own underwear before reaching towards him. Mainly because he only had a jacket on, but you were also extremely close to losing your mind if you didn’t have him inside you in the next ten minutes.

“Now, why’re you going so fast?” Eddie asked, voice hushed in the silent room. His lips met yours again, leaning back just enough to look into your eyes. “Shouldn’t you give yourself some time to enjoy it?”

Dumbfounded. That’s the only way you could describe yourself. Eddie was standing in front of you, offering you the chance to experience not just sex, but pleasure.

“Can I?” you asked him, desperate to be told again.

He kissed your forehead.

“Yes.”

Eddie gently lowered you to the bed, helping you scoot up to rest your head on the pillow. He paused, peering down at you as he unhooked his choker. It was the tucking of his lip into his mouth that captivated you, beckoned you to reach up to his lips.

You couldn’t remember wanting anyone else’s mouth this much.

And amongst the kissing and the harsh breaths, Eddie had his pants off, quickly kicking them aside to focus on you. You immediately clocked how he had not worn any underwear.

Fuck.

You had no time to look down at his length, instead feeling it as he rocked his hips against your mound. With lips against skin and a fever building, you hardly formed a thought as you tried to push his hand towards your pussy.

“Eddie,” you whined. “Please.”

“Whatever you want,” he murmured. “Promise.”

His fingers danced around your entrance, the calloused tips stroking your clit as he went along. Your hips bucked, but it was nothing against his grip on you. Instinctively, you moved your face to the side, wanting to hide your face in the pillow.

“Shh, it’s alright,” he whispered, placing a small kiss to your nose. “Let yourself go.”

Before you had any time to respond, Eddie was inside you. His fingers pumped in and out, the squelching sound of your wetness filling the near silence.

Eddie wasn’t done annihilating your neck, leaving more and more marks as he went. There your sounds returned, nearly choking on your breath as you whimpered.

It went on like this for a while, Eddie taking his time to bring you to the brink of an orgasm. Once. Twice. Unable to edge you a third time when you came uncontrollably and suddenly. You’d come down only to find his fingers on your clit again, beckoning you.

“Can you do it for me again?” he asked.

Feverish nods, hushed confirmations.

Another orgasm. Another bout of emotions that were ripping through you.

When you finally came down from your third orgasm, you knew you needed more. It wasn’t a want. It was a need. Eddie hadn’t touched himself, hadn’t given in to his own pleasure. It was all you.

All you.

“Can you, um,” you tried to start, breath still heavy.

“What is it?” he asked.

With shaky fingers, you reached down between you, lightly stroking his cock. Eddie let out a hiss, arms struggling to hold him up. It was his turn to quiver.

“Ah,” he finally said, a nervous chuckle eliciting from him. “I, uh, would really like that.”

Without another word, he ran his tip over your clit, a groan leaving your lips before you came back to reality.

“Wait," you sighed, pausing. "What about you?” Gently, you pressed a hand against his chest. “Don’t you want me to, uh…”

You were too embarrassed to ask him point blank if he wanted his dick (cock? Big Ben? Woodpecker?) sucked. Because you knew that if you were to say it out loud, you would be a fumbling mess of Do you want me to suck your cockbenpecker? And then you’d have to leave and kill yourself out of sheer embarrassment.

But Eddie didn’t laugh at you. Instead, his lips found your shoulder. “No, I’m alright. Thank you for the offer, though.” He slowly trailed his tongue to the other side. “Rain check for that?”

You nodded. “Y-yeah, absolutely.”

He carefully slid in, eliciting strained moans from both of you. You watched his eyes widen; mouth agape as he looked at you. Took your silent nod as confirmation to rock into you. He didn’t go too quick, seemingly taking his time to feel you.

And as he built his momentum, you couldn’t help but find yourself becoming a a mumbling mess.

His cock was filling you, completing you. Aching as though you’d been missing each other your entire lives and you were finally colliding.

He lifted your leg over his shoulder, seemingly desperate to go deeper. You felt as he shivered, like he was unable to control himself while trying to maintain the control he already had. It drove you wild, moving with him to get him to keep going. Getting as close to him as you could to keep him vibrating above you.

It was addicting, keeping your eyes connected as you tried to give back what he was giving to you. There was a silent connection forming, one where you were desperate to make him feel the way you did. Craved the ability to make him bend at your will, a carnal desire to make him fall apart at your hands.

Eddie smiled, nearly laughing as you grabbed his ass and pushed him deeper into you. And even though you were close to cracking a smile, it was quickly taken away. He thrusted again, harder, intensifying the wave of ecstasy washing over you. You cried out, unable to hold it in anymore.

“That’s it,” he said. “You sound so pretty, you know that?”

A fourth orgasm ripped through you at his praise, cum coating his cock as he continued to rock into you. He slowed, only for a moment, just enough to help you down before he picked you right back up again. Cradled your face in one hand, his other lightly running up and down your calf. For the first time, you weren’t thrown into overstimulation.

For the first time, you experienced true pleasure from sex.

As you continued to writhe in his arms, trembling as he left you in wave after wave of euphoria, you felt something shift in your chest. You couldn’t see it then, but there was a part of you that would want him the moment he was gone. Because when he finally came, pulling out and spilling onto your stomach, you were disappointed that he hadn’t cum inside you.

It was in the way he took his time with you, treating you like a lady, praising you with each orgasm. Instead of whatever you imagined, something fast and filthy and rough, you were… Well, you were worshiped.

It was much more than whatever a one-night stand between strangers was supposed to look like. And you’d never had a one-night stand, but you were ninety-nine percent sure it was not this. Strangely, you were very, very okay with that.

When you two were officially finished, he pulled you into his chest, your head resting above his thrumming heart. And you stayed there. Without any thought of the future, without any thought of your hotel room or your manager or the flight you had to take tomorrow. No, you were somewhere else. Somewhere lovely. Somewhere safe.

“Tell me something true,” you whispered in the dark.

“What do you mean?”

“Something you probably haven’t talked about to the press or whatever. However personal you’d like to get.”

“I have two cats,” he said. “And I’m actually considering getting a third.”

“That’s really cool,” you responded. “But I’m curious.”

“Hm?”

“How do you have cats when you’re always away from home? I’ve always wanted to adopt one, but I’m scared we’ll have separation anxiety.”

“Easy. I bring them with me.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I have special bags for them and everything. They fucking love traveling if you can believe it. Goddamn angels on airplanes.”

You couldn’t help your jealousy. It had always been a dream to have a cat. A companion, a friend to curl up next to at night. But your parents despised animals and then, well, you were suddenly never home. You wondered what it would feel like to be able to bring a piece of home with you wherever you went.

“What about you?’

You peered up at him. “Me?”

“Yeah, you,” he said with a smile. “Tell me something true.”

“It’s so stereotypical, but…” You took a deep breath, contemplating if it was okay to be so vulnerable so soon after meeting him. “I get really sad when people talk about my body.” You watched his eyebrows furrow. “I like myself, but it’s hard to be, like, not skinny and still be the artist I am as if my body determines whether I’m good enough at my job.

“Sometimes I wish I could just be a person who happens to have this body and that was that. I’m healthy…what more do people want out of me?”

Eddie’s arms tightened around your waist, fingers brushing against your tummy. “People are fucked up. Genuinely.”

“I agree. It’s like… Either I’m too big for someone to love me but my reputation is that I’m fucking everyone within a ten mile radius at any given time. Like a fucking fuck radar.” Eddie laughed. “Like which is it? ‘Cause I clearly can’t be both and I can’t be neither.”

“You know what I say to that?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Hm?”

He raised his fist. “Fuck ‘em.”

You gave him a fist bump, nodding. “Yeah, fuck ‘em.”

“Also, if I may add, you’re fucking beautiful.” You shook your head. “No, I’m serious. I saw you walk up to accept your award tonight, which you totally had in the bag by the way, and I couldn’t help but think, ‘Wow, she’s more stunning in person.’ And I was at one of the tables in the back.”

“You really thought that?”

“Please, I think Jeff was getting annoyed at how much I was staring. Said Radiohead wrote ‘Creep’ about me.”

A laugh fell from your lips but you still shook your head.

“I genuinely like you for you,” he whispered, lightly lifting your chin up. “It’s something true.”

“I think…I believe you.”

“Please do.”

But when you finally fell asleep, you were thrown into something ferocious. The sky turned black, with crows and ravens circling the trees. You ran along a path, trying desperately to find shelter. In the distance, you saw Eddie, walking with some other girl. One arm behind his back, his other hand holding hers. Just like he did with you.

And then it occurred to you: Now that you’d gotten a taste of Eddie Munson, you didn’t want to share.

It was supposed to be a random hookup. Just a fleeting glance at the unusual mixture of metal and pop, leather and lace. But when you woke up to the sound of your alarm, having to get on a plane as soon as possible to do promo in Chicago, you decided to wake him up.

“Hey,” you said. “Wake up, sleepy.”

He opened his eyes slightly, taking in your already dressed appearance. “Where are you going?”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, you shrugged. “Chicago. I have a podcast to go on to talk about the Grammys and bullshit about having anything written for the next album and do promo and all that.” You looked down at the white duvet, all wrinkly from the long night (with a hint of his smeared eye shadow.) “I just wanted to thank you for last night and tell you that I had fun.”

“Yeah?” You nodded. “I did, too.”

For a moment, you were quiet. Watching as he bit his lip, noticing how you were chewing on yours. Wondered what to say. What to think. How to end an interaction you really didn’t want to end.

“Favorite Beatles song this morning?” he asked.

You tried not to smile, but you couldn’t help it as you looked up at his cheeky expression.

“‘I’ve Just Seen A Face’.”

“Help!” he nearly shouted in a fake scared voice, clasping onto his face.

Rolling your eyes at his antics, you said, “If I didn’t know better, you know every album they’ve ever done.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you the answer next time I see you.”

You chuckled, telling yourself that this was just something people say. Next time this. Next time that. And there’s no follow up. Just a glance here and there at events. No one calls. No one cares.

You tried to get up, but Eddie gently grabbed your hand, rubbing his fingers along your knuckles. “Actually, in all seriousness…I wouldn’t mind seeing you again sometime.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

Without a word, you disconnected your hand from his and started towards the door. Started towards what was ultimately going to be a long day with endless naps and replacing the water in your body with coffee.

And as you placed your hand on the cold doorknob, Eddie said his last words.

“I’m going to miss you.”

You glanced over at him, your armor starting to come loose.

But it tightened as soon as the weakness was identified. Because there was no way to make any promises, no way to guarantee anything more than what this moment in time had provided.

“I’ll see you soon, Eddie. I’ll make sure of it.”

After that, you couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way he was just so honest. Upfront. Wanting you close.

He told you he was going to miss you. He told you that he liked you for the person you were, not the person that everyone expected you to be. And he was the same, his reputation being nothing more than a façade for the lovely human being underneath.

The rest of that day, that week, you could only think of him.

Shouldn’t you give yourself some time to enjoy it? his voice echoed.

It’s alright.

Just let go.

Early October, 2024

His makeup smeared down his face as he held your eyes. You’d never seen him so soft, so gentle. Full of emotions reserved just for you. Desperate for the one thing he ever wanted.

You.

And in that moment, it all froze mid-air. The laughter and gasps of the crowd. The sound of the photographers shouting his name, shouting yours. The videos and the comments that felt like sticks and stones. Ronnie’s hurling words that felt like daggers.

It dissipates as you remember the start, as you remember why you were there in the first place. Why it mattered.

“Okay,” you murmured.

Eddie's eyes widened.

“I’ll stay.”

#Eddie Munson x reader #Eddie Munson x you #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson angst #modern!eddie munson #modern!eddie x reader #Eddie Munson x female reader #boyfriend!eddie munson #rockstar!eddie x reader #rockstar!eddie x you #rockstar!Eddie x popstar!reader

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withlovemark · 2 years

Text

i'll follow you everywhere.

warning: idk? some parts are sad

pairing: steve x female reader, slight eddie x reader (again, not really)

words: 11k+ ; this is, by far, the longest thing i've written. that being said, im sorry if there might be small mistakes, i was way too lazy to edit it, im also sorry if some parts feel rushed (i was writing this under a time constraint)

settings: s4 ; so this contains s4 spoilers! (for those who haven't watched it yet)

an: i switched up some of the events that happened in s4 to better fit the reader's plot line. plus, thank you, in advance, to those who take the time to read this! sorry its ridiculously wrong ;-;

one. - everywhere, we were there

(an introduction to who the reader is and how she fits into the story, i suggest reading it first if you haven't already).

two.

steve walks into the gym, right behind heidi. immediately his eyes spot you in the crowd. you looked absolutely beautiful, your green uniform bouncing with every step you took, a wide smile etched upon your pretty face. heidi makes a comment about how it would suck for him if they finally won a championship game the year he was no longer a part of the team. he curses her in his head, thanking her for that reminder. she was right.

jason makes his speech, he has the urge to punch his stupid little face in. he’s sure anyone can see the look of disgust he’s currently wearing. ’he doesn’t even have great hair.’

tammy thompson starts singing and he takes a peek at robin, who was standing with the band kids, instrument in her hand. the pair laughing in their heads. heidi makes another comment, about how good she sounds, and this time he can’t help but roll his eyes. she was wrong.

he can’t wait for this to be over. all he wanted to do was grab your hand, get out of there and just drive. to where? who cares? his eyes search around for your figure once again. this time, unsuccessful.

the game starts.

you made a beeline for the restroom as soon as jason started his speech, nose dripping red. in there, you run into max. you haven’t seen her in a while. you shoot her a friendly smile. “you okay?” she asks, grabbing a tissue from her bag and handing it to you. “yeah, i’ve just been overworking my body lately so,” you pinch your nose, “this happens,” you shrug, the only reason you could think of.

“yeah, i get it,” she whispers, looking down at her shoes. you take the time to really look at her, she looks like she hasn’t slept for days. it was awful, what happened to her brother. even worse that she was there watching the whole thing go down. she’s too young. you should’ve shielded her eyes. you should’ve pulled her away from the scene. you didn’t do either of those things. a flash of guilt.

your thoughts are interrupted when you hear gut-wrenching noises from one of the stalls. eyeing it suspiciously, eyes darting from the stall and back at max, sharing a glance, an unspoken conversation. fear rising throughout your body. max makes the first move. she’s brave, that one.

“uhm, are you okay in there?” she yells out. whoever it was, started sobbing, incoherent noises spilling from their lips. that's when you walk over, banging on the door, “hey, open up, we can help,” your voice, gentler than your actions. you come face to face with none other than chrissy cunningham, your co-cheerleading captain.

“chrissy? what’s wrong?” you stare at her, shocked that she was the culprit.

“i-im just not feeling well,” she refuses to meet your eye. she looks so disconnected. it’s out of character.

chrissy cunningham was always composed, carrying herself with grace and elegance that you could only imagine.

you take one step closer and panic rises to her face, pushing you away, she marches out of there. dumbfounded, you watch her. sure, the two of you weren’t the best of friends but you were teammates. you work together. you help each other. and never, in your life, have you ever seen chrissy cunningham act so disoriented. “that was weird,” max breaks you out of your thoughts. “yeah…it was,” you agreed, staring at the door she walked out of.

much to steve’s dismay, the team won. he was still with heidi. he thinks you’re somewhere with jason. he tries to push those thoughts away, just wanting morning to come bring you in.

you don’t show up when the sun rises. the cops knocking at your front door, preventing you to do so “are you y/n l/n?”

“yes officer, is something wrong?” cops showing up at anyone’s house is never a good sign. you try to think of what you’ve done in the past 24 hours to have them standing in front of you.

“you’re chrissy cunningham's co-cheerleading captain, right?” you nod, a million thoughts racing in your head. your head was pounding.

“when was the last time you saw her?” you tell them you saw her in the bathroom just last night, leaving out the part where she looked absolutely terrified. you don’t exactly trust the cops. not when they haven’t been doing anything, choosing to turn a blind eye to the dangers that lie and continue to lie in town. he writes something down on his notepad and you can’t help but wonder why he’s here in the first place.

“im sorry… but why are you asking me about chrissy?” you question. his reply makes you go cold, body rigid. you may have been the last person to see her and you didn’t do anything. if only you questioned her more. if only you tried harder to lend a helping hand. if only you ran after her. then maybe the officer wouldn't have told you that “she was found dead this morning.” another flash of guilt.

meanwhile, steve doesn't even get the chance to wonder where you were and why you aren't at family video yet. dustin barging in, messing up his tapes in the process, and dragging him into yet another series of unfortunate events. something about eddie munson killing chrissy cunningham…or not killing chrissy cunningham? he’s not too sure. he doesn’t like eddie. but he will do anything for that cocky little shit, dustin. so he lets him drag him around town, robin and max in the backseat to eddie’s knife against his neck to nancy eventually joining them, trying to solve another mystery. at this point, he starts considering a field in law enforcement. why should he keep doing these things for free when the cops out there barely do their jobs and still make a higher salary than him. he’s so annoyed and all he wants is to go to you.

he wonders if you’ve heard the news. he hopes you haven’t. out of everyone here, you were the only one who had some type of bond with the blonde girl. he decides it's best you’re as far away from this as possible, especially since they have no idea what they're currently dealing with, just that it’s “some freaky, wizard monster” that goes by the name of “vecna.”

bickering. lots of bickering. to the point where he just finally gave in. the kids never listen to him anyways. here they were, in possession of a stolen key, breaking into the counselors office. “hurry up and get what you need,” he ushers the kids. max dashes towards the filing cabinet, trying to find something, anything, to explain what’s going on with her and how exactly it links to the story eddie told them about chrissy.

that’s when she found it. her name, chrissy’s name, freddie’s name and …

she glances at steve, worry in her eyes, sending goosebumps all over his skin. “what?” he asks, removing himself from the wall and walking towards her.

“y/n’s here too,” she says softly, afraid that if she said it any louder, it would be a truth they could never come back from. steve snatches the file from her, there, in capital letters, was your full name. a trick of the mind, he tells himself, reading it over and over again to make sure he wasn’t just envisioning it. you were seeing ms. kelly? you were having the same symptoms? and then it clicks. the headaches. the nightmares.

he’s terrified. color draining from his body, almost like he’s seen vecna himself.

a noise outside the halls snaps him back to defense mode. grabbing the nearest object he could find – a green lamp. good enough. he refuses to stay here any longer, just wanting to make sure you’re okay. he keeps the kids behind him as they slowly turn the corner. lucas sinclair. steve scolds him, “jesus sinclair! i could’ve taken you out with this thing!” as the boy muttered sincere apologies. their screaming stops to a halt when they hear yet another unwanted sound. crouching once again, turning off their flashlights, steve getting ready to hit whoever it was that was coming their way.

you heard him, you could spot who that voice belongs to a mile away. plus it wasn’t hard not to when no one else was supposed to be on school grounds. you followed the hushed voices and finally came face to face with four screaming faces. you scream back, hand clutched around your heart as soon as you notice the familiar individuals.

“what are you doing here?!” steve yells, hands slowly releasing the lamp that was once tightly gripped around his knuckles.

“what are you!?” it made more sense that you were here over a boy who’s already graduated. it is your school and you did have a key to the gym, being the cheerleading captain and all. don’t question it. strict authorities barely exist in hawkins anyway.

you look around, eyes darting from steve to the kids. there in max’s hands, you spot your name written on a brown envelope. an envelope you see every morning before your first period. eyebrows furrowing, “is that my file?” you question.

steve remembers where he’s at and the events that just transpired, his voice gaining your attention once again, “you’ve been seeing ms. kelly?” sympathy flashing in his eyes. you don’t want to see it, avoiding his gaze, looking at literally anything else but him. he takes that as a yes. “why didn’t you tell me?” desperation. he sounds heart-broken.

“that’s not exactly something to brag about,” you muttered, embarrassed.

“you don’t trust me?” he eggs on and you feel nothing but guilt. “you don’t want me to know who you really are?” you stare at him. his eyes are darker now and you wonder if your mind is playing tricks on you. “because you know i could never love you if you do.” you look behind him, the kids no longer there. and then you hear the chime of a clock from a distance, almost like it’s taunting you. “steve-”

“you know,” he clicks his tongue, cutting you off. “you’re the reason we’re here in the first place. why we're always running. always fighting for our lives. and now, chrissy cunningham is dead,” his voice morphing into something truly evil. chills spreading throughout your body. eyes, watering. “and it’s all. your. fault.” you can’t breathe. he was saying everything you were afraid to admit. the truth. it rings loudly in your ear. you run.

from the other side, steve stares at your unresponsive body. he thinks back to eddie’s words. taking two large steps until he was right in front of you, his hands going straight to your shoulders trying to shake you awake. “y/n, do you hear me!” he yells, the kids making their way towards you, calling out for you.

“wake up!!” his voice so loud, a hand on your cheek. his eyes trying to find some sort of life in your now, empty ones. that twinkle he was used to seeing, gone.

“y/n come on, come back!” he begs.

you finally do. letting out a gasp, eyes wide, catching your breath.

“what just happened?” you were back at the school, brown, worried, eyes boring into your very confused ones.

“fuck, you scared me,” steve whispers into your ear, wrapping you in his arms. holding you close to him. his heartbeat calms you down.

the sound of an engine coming averts everyone’s attention. “as much as i love seeing you guys all lovey dovey, we really need to go! that’s jason and he’s after me!” lucas panics. you quickly pull away from steve, feeling awkward at the kid’s comment, steve’s eyes remaining on you.

you have no idea what’s happening but the urgency in lucas’ voice snaps you into action. ever since lucas joined the basketball team, you’ve taken him under your wing, treating him like your little brother. you made sure to watch over him, keeping jason off his back. you’re not going to stop now.

“get out of here, i’ll buy you guys some time,” you declare, finding your voice.

“what?! no!” steve shakes his head “no way! i am not leaving you here! especially not with jason” he argues, rolling his eyes, hands on his hips. the kids look back and forth, wondering who they should listen to.

dustin makes the final verdict, whining, “steve, we have to gooo,” as he pulls on his arm.

“you guys just saw what happened right ?!” he’s frantic now “i’m not leaving without her. that’s final.” he looks down at the kids, standing his ground, arms crossed.

a car door shutting echoes throughout the night. “oh, for the love of god steve, go!,” you push him towards the exit. “i’ll meet up with you later,” you say, making your way to the entrance, heading straight to jason, not bothering to wait for a response. steve is furious, watching you walk the opposite direction, wanting to follow you but the three kids currently clinging unto him makes it hard to do so. he reluctantly follows, accepting defeat, but not before glancing at you one last time.

max looks back at you, only for a second, whisper-shouting a “meet us at the wheeler’s” before they’re dragging their favorite babysitter out of there.

“y/n?” jason‘s shocked expression greeted you. you were the last person he expected to find tonight. but the sight of you has his eyes softening. you feel bad for him. you’re not entirely sure why the kids are running from him. or why he’s suddenly the villain of whatever twisted situation you’re in. you don’t have time to question him, just wanting him as far away from the rest.

“hey jase, you ok?” it was a stupid question, you knew that. how could anyone who loved chrissy be okay in this situation. before he could answer, your eyes drift along to steve’s car that was getting further and further away. the blonde boy follows, a look of betrayal evident on his face as soon as he saw through your eyes.

“you were hiding sinclair?!” he yells at you. eyebrows furrowed. attacking. gaining your full attention.

“sinclair? i have no idea what you’re talking about,” you try to remain as calm as possible, making sure you don’t sound suspicious.

“where the fuck are they going?!” he’s so angry, his face turning a bright red, vein popping out, as he grabs your wrist, forcing you to look him in the eyes.

“i don't fucking know what you’re talking about jason!” you lose your cool.

“he’s hiding chrissy’s killer!”

“what?” you ask, stunned, you’re sure you didn’t hear that right.

“eddie munson. their cult leader. that stupid club they have — hellfire? well turns out, it’s not just a stupid club… they’re - they’re demonic!, they’re sacrificing people to satan and i need to stop them.” he sounds like he’s giving another one of his motivational speeches and if it wasn’t for the gravity of the situation, you would’ve laughed in his face. so fucking hard.

also, eddie munson — a killer? it’s hard to imagine. he’s incredibly annoying, sure, but he couldn’t even hurt a fly.

“do you realize how insane you sound right now?,” you reply, finally pulling your now, very red, wrist away.

“i’ll prove it to you. i will.” he growls, jumping back into his car, his minions right with him. driving away. you try stopping him, knocking on his car window, all he does is press on the gas a little hard, leaving you there, alone.

steve cannot believe he’s sitting on his ex-girlfriends couch, in her basement, instead of being by your side. robin and nancy are still out. he refuses to leave this house without seeing you. he’s anxious, every tick of the clock felt like a gunshot to his mind. his legs, bouncing. it’s been exactly thirty-three minutes and you still haven’t walked in. he really shouldn’t have left you.

damn, these kids.

“she’s going to be okay, steve, we’ll find a way,” dustin assured him, already feeling liable if anything were to happen to you.

“yeah but how about the whole vecna curse, we still don’t know anything” steve answers quietly, making sure the boy knows he’s not upset at him.

“you should tell her” lucas chimes in, “tell her what?” he looks at him, wondering what the boy knew that he somehow didn't.

“that you’re in love with her,” dustin says like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“i-im not in love with her!” he stutters.

“uh huh, sureee, ok,” max says from the desk she’s sitting on. she doesn't even look up at him yet he knows she’s rolling her eyes, her sarcasm apparent. she goes back to writing, or something, god knows what she’s doing.

“i’m not! okay!” he turns to dustin, his eyes bulging out, “you literally just confronted me earlier about being in love with nancy,” he points out, “newsflash guys, take it from an adult, you don’t have to have romantic feelings for every person of the opposite sex!” he explains, hands waving around in large motions.

“ohh kayy, we get it! you don’t have to be so defensive,” dustin comments and steve swears he wants to punch him as bad as he wants to punch jason. dustin’s fate is saved by the bell when you finally enter the room, capturing everyone’s attention.

steve was up in no time, walking straight towards you, arms embracing you. “are you okay? are you hurt?” he inspects your face. you pull your sweater a little lower, not wanting him to see your wrist.

“i’m fine, sorry i took so long i went home to change and grab some of my things, i don’t exactly want to be fighting another monster in my uniform,” you explain. he nods, noticing the duffle bag hanging from your shoulder, “you should’ve called me, i could’ve just picked you up,” you shake your head, “it’s okay, i’m here now.”

max walks up to you, immediately asking “back there, was that your first vision?”

“vision? uhm - i guess? yeah?,” at this point, you’re past confusion. you’re lost.

“ok. good. good. that means you have more time than i do,” they all nod. sadness enveloping the air.

“more time?” your eyebrows raising, sitting on the couch, steve right behind you.

“yeah,” max nods, “by the way, here,” she hands each one of you a letter, steve asking her what it's for. a “fail-safe” she said. you shake your head, closing your eyes for a second before taking a huge breath, “can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” you say it so calmly, it’s almost scary. you were drained. not having the energy to raise your voice.

they explain to you what they do know. starting with where eddie munson comes into play – how he was there the night chrissy died. the mention of chrissy’s name makes you wince, steve notices, his hand going straight to your knee, providing you some comfort. they continue, telling you that everyone vecna has cursed has had the same symptoms (headaches, bloody noses, nightmares) and every single one has died.

“well, isn’t that great,” you butt in. “just, peachy,” max adds and you try to force a smile though it probably just looked like you were hurt. you were the only two people in this room who really has a grasp on how scary this vecna wizard is. max goes on, telling you that she saw a tall grandfather clock in her vision. you confess, telling her you heard it.

“everyone died except for an old dude named victor creel that nancy stumbled upon, being the only known survivor,” dustin finishes summarizing. you try to take it all in, sitting there, staring at the objects on the table in front of you, processing every information.

“so what do we do?” you ask, looking around.

“we wait for nancy and robin,” steve replies, his grip on your knee tightening for a second. right at that moment, almost like everything was an act, the two girls are rushing down to the basement.

“okay, so,” nancy starts, “we have a plan.” determined.

robin spots you, “nice for you to finally join us,” she smiles, the first genuine smile you’ve seen tonight.

“yeah, well, i’m one of the cursed ones,” regretting your words as soon as you saw her face fall.

“oh shit.” no one knows what to say.

“what’s the plan?” an attempt to break the awkward, sad tension that hung in the air.

nancy coughs, “well..” she explains their plan of going to pennhurst asylum and paying a visit to victor creel by talking to the director about a made up thesis on paranoid schizophrenics. they would be going in as ruth and rose.

“ruth?” steve questions, eyebrows raised at nancy. she raises both her eyebrows at him, a proud smile on her lips. you don’t like the interaction. not one bit. but now’s not really the time to focus on that.

“wait..wait.. wait a second,” steve’s voice beside you raises, realization striking him, “where’s mine?” nancy gives him a knowing look before walking away. he runs after her and into her room. from a distance you hear, “you’re out of your goddamn mind if you think im letting you two go in there without me!”

“uhm, excuse you, robin and i actually make a really good team,” nancy scoffs. robin grabs your hand, following the duo into nancy’s room.

“oh my god, you have a tom cruise poster,” robin points out, going straight to the poster next to her bed. you think back to halloween night when the couple was dressed as lana and joel goodsen and you’re very aware what that poster symbolizes. you glance at nancy, she notices, “th-thats old,” she defended as she pulled several clothing items out of her closet. you felt so out of place. you’ve never really had a friendly relationship with the girl, pretending like you don’t know each other in the halls. you’re not even sure you’ve spoken a sentence to her before. there was just never a need to, ironic, since you’ve been on the same boat for so long.

steve continues insisting that he should go, “c’mon nance, i could, i don't know, i could turn on my…my charm,” he snaps his fingers. the use of nancy’s nickname slipping from his lips leaves a sour taste in your mouth. nancy shakes her head, “not the charm we need,”

“ouch,” he gets a quiet chuckle out of you, leaning against nancy’s drawers, eyes falling to your feet. steve looks back at you, nancy still going on and on about how they need to be as convincing as they possibly could, acting as academic scholars, the director they're going to interview being someone who is highly respected and not easily fooled.

“holy shit, there’s a ballerina in here,” robin whispers, gaining another eye roll from steve.

“academic scholar, she’s giving you academic scholar?” robin’s offended.

you come to her defense as quick as you possibly can, finally speaking up, “no, but…” you walk towards nancy, who was still looking at her closet, having a hard time to decide. “may i?” you ask, she steps to the side giving you a full view. you spot a pink dress, perfect for an academic scholar. pulling it out, you show it to the rest, a smile on your lips, “she will,” you finish, sending robin a wink. robin wishes she backed up steve. maybe then he would’ve taken her place and she didn’t have to be wearing nancy’s dress.

“how about you? you can go instead!” robin suggests in which steve aggressively refuses to, “no, what if she has a vision while you guys are there, how are you gonna explain that huh einstein?” he scoffs.

“it’s settled then, it’ll be me and robin,” nancy ends the debate, steve still looks unsure, but then he looks back at you and he knows he can’t, and won’t, leave your side.

“fine, but you call me as soon as you need me nance,” he ordered. his voice stern. a genuine look of concern so visibly seen. you wonder if he still loves her.

you wish the girls good luck. finding yourself back in the basement, on the couch. the boy’s watching over you and max. steve pulls you to the other side of the room, both of you getting comfortable on the floor, sitting side by side.

“do you want to talk about it?” he murmured, hands wrapping around yours. how do you even begin to tell him that he was the person in your vision? you simply can’t. so you shook your head no. he doesn’t press any further, “when you do… want to talk about it, im here, yeah?” he whispers by your ear, only for you to hear. you lay your head against his shoulder, eyes going straight to your interlocked hands. you wonder how long you’ll have this.

max makes her way to the both of you, cutting the moment short, walkie talkie in hand, “if we go to east hawkins, would this still reach pennhurst?” you know exactly what she wants to do. hell, you should probably follow in her footsteps and start saying goodbye to all the people you love. you’re not as strong as her though. you haven’t accepted it.

steve refuses, his eyes begs you to agree with him. you don't. it was four against one. and max makes a rather compelling argument about not wanting to spend her last possible day in the wheelers’ basement. you couldn’t agree more.

“henderson, that super walkie of yours better reach pennhurst,” he sighs, finally unlocking the car doors. it feels normal at first, you sitting in the passenger seat, steve behind the wheel. the kids in the back. the only thing reminding you of the situation you're in was the loudest silence that hung above everyone's head. steve steals glances at everyone through his mirror, making sure that no one has drifted far away. you all make it to max’s house, vecna-free and you thank whoever is up there for the few moments of normalcy. she enters her home, steve warning her not to take too long. max promises she’ll be back in twenty seconds.

the boys go out, making sure they keep an earshot away from max, the drivers seat window remains open, doing the same for you. you stay in the car, feeling like absolute shit. head leaning against the window, eyes closed, trying to relieve yourself from the current discomfort you were feeling.

“hey, hey, you okay?” steve’s voice hushly calls out for you. you open your eyes, ready to tell steve that you’re fine and he shouldn’t worry.

instead you were met with the most heartbreaking frown on the lips of the person you come face to face with. a cry, “why didn’t you pick me up that night?” will byers’ face come into view. “y/n, i called for you. i needed you. where were you?,” once again, you’re frozen, unable to move, “you’re so selfish!,” the boy now shouting at you, “useless!,” his voice gets louder and louder, morphing into that same evil voice, “it’s all. your. fault!”

“please, p-please stop,” you cry out. “you did this to me.” and then you feel branch-like hands brush against your cheek, “y/n…you brought me alive, you belong here, this is all your doing.” he’s right by your ear. the clock chiming again, this time, louder. you turn around, meeting vecna for the first time.

and then you were back to reality, gasping. eye’s scanning, hands going straight to the dashboard of the car, trying to reach for anything that can verify your location. you spot the boys in front of the car, still waiting for max as you try to calm yourself down. quickly, you wipe away the tears that have fallen, composing yourself as best as you could. you’re just glad none of them noticed. you keep it to yourself.

max finally walks out. she’s flustered. demanding steve to, “just drive.” he does. you look back at her, asking her if she’s okay. she doesn’t answer, focusing instead on the trees outside her window. you can tell by her actions that she must have had a vision. you’re sure you looked exactly the same way just a couple minutes before. you all sit in silence once again. driving until you were at the cemetery. max goes straight to billy’s grave, letter in hand.

this time, you sit outside with lucas, leaving dustin and steve in the car. “you okay?” you ask the boy. “no. im, scared,” lucas admits, eye’s immediately watering. you pull him into a tight hug. he’s always been so strong, so understanding to the people around him. seeing him like this hurts you.

“we’ll figure it out,” you say after finally releasing him.

“how are you so sure?”

“we always do.” you’re not really sure who you’re trying to convince. the boy or yourself?

steve anxiously taps on his car window before finally acknowledging that it's been long enough. lucas tells him to give her a bit more time. “i have, ok sinclair, if she wants to get a lawyer, she can, im calling it,” lucas shares a glance with you. this time, you agree with steve. he was out of there in no time, running straight to max.

“max, time to giddy up, yeah?” you hear him ask. no response. you hear him repeat her name. still nothing. he’s fully yelling for her to wake up now. in a second, the three of you are right by his side, all calling out to the ginger headed girl. steve grabs dustin by his shirt, ordering him to call nancy and robin. dustin runs back towards the car, stumbling a little bit, curses spilling from his lips. it takes incredibly long to finally get an answer, but once he does, dustin comes running back, bag full of tapes in his hand.

“what song?! what’s her favorite song?!” he yells.

“why?!” lucas yells back.

“it’s too much to explain right now. what’s. her. favorite. song?!” you all scramble trying to find the song lucas mentioned. he finds it. snapping it into the player, quickly placing the headphones on max’s head, hoping to god it works. she stands, eyes still white, you all watch in shock. and then she starts floating in the air and you’re afraid it’s too late. you find your voice, calling out to her, tears falling freely down your face. she was so high now. you look at lucas, ready to shield him away from the sight that was about to come. instead you hear a gasp, max was falling, hyperventilating. lucas holds her, she grasps onto him, whispering that she’s okay. that she’s here. you reach out your hand, your palm making contact with her knee. just making sure.

none of you can believe it worked. thank you, kate bush.

back in the comfort of steve’s car, he pulls something out of his glove box, placing it in his player. everywhere by fleetwood mac filling every corner of his vehicle. you’re shocked, you didn’t even know he knew your favorite song. steve glances at his rearview mirror, max has her head resting against lucas, kate bush still playing in her ears, dustin with his eyes closed, chest rising up and down, exhaustion creeping up on them.

“i promise we’ll get you your own portable player later,” he whispers, not wanting to wake the kids. you smile, “thank you,” before grabbing his hand and placing a soft kiss on his knuckles. he brings his hands up to your cheeks, “don’t scare me like max did, ok? ever,” he pleads, eyes begging. you don't promise anything. instead you held his hand a little tighter.

he finally drives back to the wheelers, lucky for you, mike had a perfectly working player he left behind. you and max, now matching, everyone hoping that as long as the music is playing, nothing can take you both away. that was the first night everyone really got to rest.

well, everyone except for the cursed two, the sound of blaring music getting ridiculous.

“what if i start hating this song, what happens then?” you joke around with the girl, max chuckles at your statement. “i'm hoping my other favorite songs works,” she continues, you teasingly gasp, “this is the only song i know.” you share a smile before everything got quiet. steve’s light snores right by your ear, your shoulder being his pillow for the night.

“have you seen him?” max asks you, breaking the silence once more. “vecna?” you nod. admitting to her that you had a vision in the car while you were at her mom’s house. she asks you what your visions were and after making sure that everyone was still fast asleep, you guys sneak out, sitting instead in front of the wheeler’s front porch. you tell her about your visions, she tells you about hers.

“if it helps, i can tell he’s completely in love with you,” max advised. a nice thought that you somehow can’t invite in. “he loves me as a friend,” you correct her. because if he ever did loved you as more than that then why was he still looking for love somewhere else?

“maybe he just doesn’t know it yet, let’s face it, he’s not really the brightest,” max urges. she earns a chuckle from you and you find yourself agreeing to the last bit, “no… he’s not,” you smile, picking at your shoes, “but i love him even more for it,” you confess. after a while of sitting in silence, the air gets a little too cold, you both head back inside, taking your place right next to steve, finally allowing your head to fall on top of his. arms immediately finding its way around your waist.

the next morning you all make your way to victor creel’s abandoned house right after nancy pieced together max’s drawings. the dark, cold house sends chills all over your body. the connection to vecna feeling a little stronger, you look at max to see if she feels it too only to find her already staring back at you. the only confirmation you needed. you knew the group was searching in the right place.

steve asks everyone where they got their flashlights, dustin quickly mocking him before you pull the extra one you packed in your duffel bag, handing it to him. he utters a small, “thanks,” shaking his head at dustin. max grabs everyone's attention, a flashlight shining on the grandfather clock you're sure has been the one you're hearing.

“you guys see that, right?” steve and dustin both assure her that they do. facing the clock makes you feel lightheaded, losing your step, steve’s hands making it’s way to your back, balancing you. you remove your headphones for a quick second, just wanting to calm the pounding of your head. as soon as you looked back up, the clock was no longer standing its ground. instead it’s become attached to the wall, chiming so loudly you think that the noise is actually coming from inside your head.

“you came to me, y/n…do you accept it now? your fate”

closing your eyes, you try to shake him away, reminding yourself that this was all a bad dream, that he wasn’t real and that you were safe at the house with your friends beside you. you start hearing the tune of everywhere once again, but you can’t find the courage to move.

in the walls of victor creels house, the group stares at your detached soul. steve places the headphones back on you just as quickly as you took it off.

“it’s almost your time,” vecna whispers in your ear.

their flashlights start to flicker and they’re all unsure of what’s happening. but then you were back. “i told you to not scare me like that,” steve scolds, his hands wrapped gently around your face, while you mutter out a sorry.

“just…don’t remove your headphones anymore, yeah?” robin concludes. you feel awful for making them worry. nancy tells everyone to partner off, in hopes that you can find something quicker and get the hell out of there. steve keeps a hold on you, letting go only once you’re up the stairs. you observe the room that you’re in, flashlight shining on various amounts of picture frames. steve’s on the other side, crouched down, examining a bottle he found on the grate of the floor. he feels a spider crawl up his shoulder causing him to stand and stumble back into the arms of his ex-girlfriend, “why, wh-what’s wrong?” nancy’s voice snaps your head to their direction, your eyes filled with the same amount of concern laced in her voice.

“there was a spider,” steve admits, “a black widow,” he says out of breath, blocking the doorway, “don’t go in there.”

“oh… oh wait,” nancy reaches for his head, steve gets frantic, “stop moving,” he listens. her hands find its way into his hair, removing webs that tangled up in the boy’s locks. robin notices you watching them from across the room, she breaks the moment up for you, making a joke, “if there’s a spider nesting in there you’re never gonna find it until it lays eggs and all the babies spill out,” robin's voice breaking you out of your trance, choosing to focus again on the pictures behind you. you still listen. “what’s wrong with you?” a question directed at robin, making her chuckle.

he continues talking to nancy, bringing up how you should all go on a group date after killing vecna and saving the world. he makes it very clear to the girl that he wasn’t dating robin, robin quick to his defend, “platonic with a capital P.” you hear nancy ask about you. she’s obviously interested in him. it takes a while for steve to answer. he stares at your back before his eyes go back to nancy, shaking his head, “i-i can’t” was all that whispered from his lips. two words that were loud enough to wilt the flower in your heart.

“you’ve been looking at that picture for a while now, what? you think he’s hot or something?” robin’s trying to distract you, you know she feels bad. you smile at her, appreciating her efforts, “i don’t know, he’s kind of growing on me,” you tease, “you’re gross,” you two share a laugh that rings throughout the room, finally walking out and into another.

steve looks longingly at you. you're out of earshot when he found himself telling nancy, “i-i would date her it’s just i-i can’t afford to lose her,” nancy looks at him sympathetically, “why do you think you’ll lose her?”

“i lost you, didn’t i?” he points out, his insecurities getting the best of him. he may be steve harrington but that doesn’t save him from the unwanted thoughts of not being good enough. his last relationship being a testament to that feeling. nancy finally removes all the webs, sending him a sympathetic smile. something in his heart twitches, realization dawning upon him.

“great, thanks,” he say, “guess we should, uh- get back to the investigation,” ending their conversation with a line from sherlock holmes he picked up from dustin, he’s pretty sure he said it wrong. nancy shakes her head, smiling at the ground. you’re standing in the hall, not missing the way she blinks her eyes, almost like she’s remembering something. a feeling from the past, maybe?

she finally looks up, making eye contact with you. you notice you’re staring, “s-sorry,” you mutter, walking away and joining the rest of the group. nancy let’s out an awkward cough, following.

the chandelier starts flickering, just like their flashlights earlier, the light, buzzing, “it’s like the christmas lights,” nancy points out. everyone but robin understood what she meant. she quickly explained to her how the lights came to life when will was in the upside down, the events sending shivers down your spine. vecna’s words regarding your selfishness repeating in your mind. that guilty feeling you could never let go of.

“vecna’s here,” you say, catching everyone's attention. steve looks worried, how do you even know that? “i can feel him,” you continued. max agrees.

“he’s just on the other side?” lucas mutters. and then the chandelier goes out. “i think he just left the room,” robin states. questions arise, “did he hear us?,” “can he see us?,” amongst the group. lucas turned to both you and max, making sure you both still had your headphones in. nancy suggests everyone turn off their flashlights and spread out. she really is the brain of this group.

separating into different rooms, robin the first to break the silence, “i got him!” in an instant you were all at her side. flashlight immediately flickering from hers to steve’s, “oh, i think he’s moving. he’s moving! he’s moving,” he confirms, leading the way, all of you right behind him, up the stairs, and “shit, i lost him.”

max notices the light that’s flickering through the doors of the attic. you follow it like a herd of moths. dustin making a good point “hold up, guys. what if he’s leading us into a trap?” no one listens. curses, once again, slipping from the boy’s lips. reaching the top, you’re all face to face with a single light bulb, flashlights simultaneously flickering. the energy increases and the bulb explodes. everyone briskly turns away, steve has an arm over your head, shielding you from the shards of glass that went flying across the room, “let’s get the hell out of here.”

now seated in nancy’s car, right in between lucas and max, the group headed towards eddie’s hideout, promising to bring him food. the sight of the police cars alerts everyone. you all scramble out, nancy leading the way, listening to what the news reporters were saying. another person was found dead – patrick mckinney. you place a hand on lucas’ shoulders, trying to provide some sense of comfort.

the police ended up releasing eddie’s name to the public, the nightmare you were all dreading, looking at each other, “oh man, this is not good. really not good,” steve states the obvious. a static sound from dustin’s walkie comes alive – eddie. the group walks away from the scene as fast as they can. you try to keep up but the sound of your name stops you in your tracks, “y/n l/n,” one of the officers. you signal the rest of the group to keep going. dustin quietly tells eddie to wait. they stop at a distance, all eyes on you.

“hi officer,” you greet.

“what are you doing here?” the officer interrogates, looking at you and back at your friends. you follow his line of vision, your eyes glaring at the group for not following your instruction.

“well, as you see, i was driving around with my friends and w-we saw the cop cars and got curious,” you try to sound as convincing as possible. he nods.

“hmm. you ever heard of ‘curiosity killed the cat’?,” the officer questions you, eyebrows raising.

“are you implying something, officer?”

“it’s just a little suspicious, don’t you think? you were probably the last person who saw chrissy before she died and now you’re here at another crime scene…not looking so good for you,” he explains, jotting something down on his stupid note pad and all you wanted to do was tear it to pieces.

“i’m sorry? are you suspecting that i did this?”

“didn’t you?” before you could reply, another officer is calling for him. he looks at you, “we’ll talk later,” he grumbled, walking away. you hastily make your way back to the group, “what the hell was that?,” steve asks. you brush it away, “nothing, it’s just i now may also be a suspect.”

“what? they have no evidence,” nancy points out, you shrug. “not having evidence hasn’t really stopped them before, they just need someone behind bars, someone to blame,” you state. “i mean, that’s why they’re looking for eddie, right?,” you glance at dustin. in an instant, his back to talking to his walkie.

eddie informs him that he’s at skull rock, “yeah, i know where that is,” steve immediately replies. through the walkie you can tell eddie was shaken up. you wonder how he’d feel if he saw you, you haven’t spoken to him since elementary school, when you gave him a peck on the cheek, confessing your love for him and and he ran away from you, crying about how girls have cooties. your first heartbreak. you don’t give it another second, the group heading to skull rock.

steve and dustin banter, as usual, “dude, i’m telling you, you’re taking us the wrong way.”

“it’s north, im positive, i checked the map,”

“you do realize skull rock… it’s a super popular make-out spot?”

“yeah, so?”

“yeah, well, it wasn’t popular until i made it popular, alright? i practically invented it. we’re heading in the wrong direction” steve argues, walking the opposite way. dustin looks at you, like he’s telling you to call steve back and tell him he’s wrong. you shrug, following steve. the kid was smart but he really did have this one wrong.

“really, y/n? you’re betraying me and my compass like this?” dustin sniffled.

“sorry kid but im 100% positive that steve’s right on this one,” you giggled, looking back at him.

lucas looks at you skeptically, “wait… 100%? how are you so sure?” at that, you turn around, quickly catching up to steve. after a few more steps, you finally arrive at your destination.

“boom, bada bing, bada boom. there she is, henderson. skull rock,” steve is proud, “in your face, man, in your stupid, cocky little face,” he continues gloating, you almost feel bad for the kid. “it doesn’t make sense,” dustin mutters. you place a hand on his back, a small smile on your lips. steve tries to get him to accept that he’s wrong, calling him a butthead in the process. even in a life or death situation, those two are still at each other's necks.

eddie jumps out from a tree and you swear you almost passed out, “i concur, you, dustin henderson, are a butthead,” way to make an entrance, you almost roll your eyes. dustin gives him a quick hug, eddie looks behind him.

“y/l/n, you’re here too?,” he comments, an amused expression on his face.

“munson,” you nod, tight lipped. steve glances between the both of you. whatever that little interaction was. he doesn’t like it. he doesnt get to ask how you two know each other, the rest of the group finally catching up. eddie, once again, explains what happened. his walkie, drenched. him, running.

nancy asks him if he remembers what time it happened, the group connecting the dots between the exploding lightbulb and the death of patrick mckinney.

“hey, uh, henderson’s not, uh, cursed, is he?” eddie questions, you all turn your head towards the curly headed boy who was currently pacing back and forth, compass still in hand.

“cursed? nah, he’s fine. mental? absolutely.” steve mocked, still bitter.

“BOOM!” dustin yells, scaring the living hell out of everyone, you can’t take it anymore, “seriously, i don't think vecna’s my biggest problem, you guys are literally going to send me into cardiac arrest,” you scold, looking back at him and eddie. dustin lowers his voice, whispering now, “bada…bada…boom.” steve shakes his head, unamused.

“i was right,” they argue once again before dustin explains what’s been going on with his compass. something about an electromagnetic field.

and a gate to the upside down.

“we’d have a way to vecna. and a shot at freeing max and y/n from this curse,” dustin finishes, giving you a sliver of hope. he starts walking away, steve stops him, pointing out the fact that eddie is still a wanted man. eddie agrees with steve, it was a bad idea, but that doesn’t stop him from also agreeing with dustin, the group now heading to wherever this gate was. you walk for hours until dustin’s compass starts acting funny once again, right at lover’s lake.

you make your way unto the boat that was conveniently there. eddie has a hand out to you “y/l/n,” you take it, needing the support from the rocky boat. steve notices. dustin tries getting on but you all don’t let him. no one let’s any of the kids go. eddie saying that the boat can only hold four people, tops.

steve pushes the boat out into the lake, quickly hopping in, leaving a whining dustin behind, “sorry,” he whispers.

at the middle of the lake, the compass starts to turn in different directions. steve immediately pulls off his socks, getting undressed. you panic, “steve what are you doing?,” nancy finds the words you couldn’t utter.

“somebody’s gotta go down and check this out, unless one of you four can top being a hawkins high swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then it’s gotta be me. no complaints, all right?” you furrow your eyebrows at him, grabbing his arm, trying to stop him from removing another article of clothing, “no. no. there has to be another way,” your voice, stern. simultaneously, eddie replies, “hey, i'm not complaining. i do not want to go down there,” you glare at him, he puts both hands up, a sign of surrender.

steve continues, getting up and removing his shirt. you can’t help but stare. he always looks good. really not the right time. robin glances between you and nancy, she does not get the hype. eddie hands steve his makeshift waterproof flashlight, snapping you back to reality. nancy tells him to be careful. if nancy can’t even stop him, how could you?

“i swear to god steve, if you die down there, i will find a way to bring you back to life and kill you myself,” earning a chuckle from him. “i’ll come back, i promise,” he tells you, sincerity in his eyes. and then he dove. you keep your eyes on him until it was too dark to see anything. every second that passes feels like an eternity, your heartbeat racing, legs bouncing up and down. the four of you wait, the faint sound of everywhere is the only thing heard, eddie makes a comment, something about everywhere being a good choice of song. you barely care.

steve’s taking way too long. you make your way towards the edge of the boat, trying to spot him.

after a couple more seconds, which felt more like hours, he finally resurfaces, eddie screaming an “oh christ!,” from the sudden, loud movement. serves him right.

“i found it,” steve starts swimming towards the boat, the three glad to hear his sentence. you honestly don’t give a fuck, just glad that he was finally right in front of you. releasing a breath of relief, your hand immediately wrapping around his arm, making sure he was really there.

“it’s pretty wild, it's more a snack sized gate than the mama gate,” steve explains, trying to catch his breath, “but still, it’s pretty damn big.” and then he was gone, the loss of touch causing you to stand up. steve makes his way back up in a second, making eye contact with you before he is dragged under once again. you don’t give yourself time to think, immediately diving in after him, following the bubbles that were created from his screams. the yells for steve’s name above becoming fainter the deeper you go. you’ve never swam as fast in your life, legs kicking as hard as you could to the point where it burns.

everything’s red. this world, laced with branches you only saw in your visions.

steve’s cries swing you into action, grabbing the first paddle you spot, you run towards his direction. bats. they’re circling him. he’s on the ground. you keep running and running, adrenaline coursing through your veins. letting out a cry, you smack one of the creatures away from him. in a second, you notice that the trio have joined you. you’re all trying to get the bats away from him, one has a particularly strong hold on his neck and you can feel your eyes start to water as you crush it over and over again. eddie and nancy watches out for the incoming ones, you and robin still struggling to get the stupid creature off of steve. it wasn’t until a bat made its way unto you that he finally gained strength, biting onto the one around his neck, smashing it to the ground, blood spilling from his lips.

all of you now in action, it feels like a horror movie, the only thing missing was music. shit.

you’re frozen, just now realizing what you did. nancy was the first to march up to steve, asking him if he was okay, “well, they took about a pound of flesh, but other than that, yeah, never better.” the two share a moment, you look away. robin starts talking about rabies and then eddie makes a statement that has you wishing the bats murdered him, “y/l/n, your music stopped playing.” steve is in front of you in a second, turning the player over and over, inspecting it,“no no no, no. fuck!,” he curses, “why did you do that!? are you fucking kidding me!?” he yells at you. he’s angry. you wince, looking at the floor. he’s immediately sorry, eyes softening.

before he could say anything, a group of bats from above startles everyone. “into the woods, c’mon,” nancy thinks quickly, everyone now running, seeking safety, under skull rock. the five of you hid in silence, terrified. as soon as the bats flew by, everyone got back up, steve stumbling back, nancy aiding him in a second. “i’m fine,” slips past his lips as she tries her best to nurse him, ripping off a piece of cloth from the cardigan she was wearing. all you can do is watch, afraid of the fate that now lies ahead of you and the boy you’re in love with. he looks up at you while nancy continues taking care of him. you avoid his gaze.

robin, still on her rabies agenda, tries to distract steve from the pain, “so the good news is i’m pretty sure wooziness is not a symptom of rabies but uhm, if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms, or-or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me, let me know,” her voice breaking, you can tell she’s trying her best to fight back the tears.

“robin,” steve shuts her up, grunting, “i kinda wanna punch you,” robin forces her laugh.

eddie makes his way next to you, whispering “sorry.” you look up at him, offering him the best smile you could muster up in this situation, “it’s whatever,” you nod. steve watches. nancy finally wraps the cloth around him, trying to reduce the loss of blood, his eyes going from your figure to hers in an instant. he grunts and you look back at the two, eddie leaving your side.

this world is merely a reflection of the real one. robin suggests going down to the police station for armor and weapons. as always, nancy has a better idea, “i have guns, in my bedroom,” she admits, “a russian makarov and a revolver.”

“yeah, you almost shot me with that one,” steve makes a snarky remark, nancy quick to follow, “you almost deserved it.”

you remember that. you were there. eddie notices your expression fall even more than it already was, still feeling sorry for earlier, he throws steve his vest, breaking the moment between the two, “for your modesty, dude.” a loud rumbling from beneath you causes everyone to fall, eddie saves you from the harsh ground, robin falling right next to you. steve stumbles back into the wall, nancy in his arms. everyone checks to see if everyone’s still in one piece.

your hand goes straight to your head, it feels like someone just shot you in the head, “woah woah woah, y/l/n, you okay?” eddie asks frantically. tears fall down your cheeks, the pain being too much. with no music to distract your thoughts, you can hear vecna from every corner of your mind. steve crouches down right in front of you, terrified. no one knows what’s happening.

a sound of a branch snapping to your right alerts you, “we have to get out of here. he’s here.” you whimpered, a sense of urgency in your voice.

“so guns seem like a pretty good idea to me,” eddie piped, robin quickly agreeing.

“ok, ok,” steve nods, “let’s go to nancy’s, that’s where mike’s player is too,” his eyes are back on you and the state you’re in because of him, “we get that first.”

finally putting on eddie’s vest, he helps you up, leading the way. you stay by robin’s side, putting up a brave front. you didn’t want steve to worry even more.

steve goes up to eddie, “eddie, hey man, uh… listen i just uh wanted to say thanks, for rushing to y/n’s side and saving my ass back there,” the two have a heartfelt moment, “shit, you saved your own ass back there, i mean, that was a real ozzy move you pulled back there,” steve doesn't know who ozzy osbourne is, causing the two to have a quick argument. but then eddie goes back to complimenting him, bringing up how dustin worships the ground he walks on, steve gains a bit of confidence with the newfound information.

eddie confesses that he was jealous of him, describes him as the perfect embodiment of man, and still is super jealous as hell, “which is why i would never have jumped in that lake to save your ass, not under any, uh…normal circumstances,” an honest confession.

another branch snaps, causing the pair to quickly look ahead, at you, relief washing over their faces seeing you still walking between robin and nancy, eyes focused on the ground beneath you.

“the only reason i came in here was because those ladies came in straight after you. now i was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind, but y/l/n, right there, she didn’t waste a second. not one second. she just dove right in. now,” eddie has the boy’s full attention, “i don't know what’s happening between you two, but if i were you, i would figure it out. cause that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen.”

the ground shakes yet again, the pounding in your head stronger, you can feel time slipping away. robin’s hand is quick on your shoulder, keeping you stable as you all try to keep up with nancy’s pace. even in the dark, steve notices every wince you make and after eddie’s incredibly powerful speech, he feels even more awful at his violent reaction. he didn’t even bother to thank you, or ask if you were okay.

finally making it to what seems like the wheelers’ house, nancy, robin and eddie head straight upstairs and into nancy’s room. steve grabs your hand before you could join, you don’t say a word, you’re not too sure what to say right now. he pulls you into mike’s room, searching for his player, and hoping that the boy had everywhere somewhere in his box filled of tapes. he spots both, feeling lucky for the first time, making a mental note to thank mike as soon as he gets out of here.

in one rapid motion, the headphones are back on you, the music instantly bringing a sense of comfort. you watch him, taking in every feature of his pretty face. “i’m sorry,” he whispers, slowly taking a step towards you. “you shouldn’t have followed me in but you did and i-i shouldn’t have yelled at you like that,” you shake your head. you don’t even care about that anymore, you’re just glad you’re here, with him, in what could be the last moments of your life.

“i don’t think you understand,” you find your voice, a quiet hush. finally you look into his eyes, you feel like you haven’t seen them in a while, “steve harrington, i’ll follow you everywhere,” you promised. he feels his heart explode. taking your hands into his.

“i-i have to tell you something before i run out of time,” you say, rushed, his eyebrows furrow at your statement, he doesn’t like it, his grip on your hand getting tighter.

“say it to me when we get out of here, yeah?”

you dont.

“i’m in love with you,” you blurt out. “i’ve been in love with you ever since that halloween night, and y-you don’t have to say it back i know you’re still in love with nancy and that-that’s really okay i just need you to hear it because i might not be able to say it,” he processes your words, feeling various of emotions all at once. happy because the girl he loves, loves him back, confused at the mention of nancy’s name, scared that your last statement will come alive.

he chooses to focus on what he knows.

“i’m not in love with nancy,” he said, you stare at him. “i-i love her, yes, but only as a friend, i-i dont love her like i-,” you can’t believe what you’re hearing.

“i-” steve starts to say, you stop him.

“say it to me when we get out of here,” you beg. he sees the fear in your eyes and he can tell that you’re afraid that all of this is just a trick of your mind. so instead of words, he proves it to you with the way he's always known. gently grabbing your face and bringing in into his own. two lips finally moving as one, your hands finding their way to his chest. nothing about this kiss tasted sweet, feelings of desperation traveled through your hearts. desperate for more time. he pulls away for a second, foreheads softly colliding, his fingers rubbing tiny circles on your cheeks as he pulls you in for another kiss, just wanting to taste you over and over again.

then you pull away, eyes wide, shocked, you look up at him.

“did you hear that?”

“what?”

“i think it’s dustin,” you point out. he listens. he hears him. “great, even through the other side of the world he finds a way to annoy me,” you laugh, gently slapping his chest. he looks at you, in awe. he hasn’t heard your laugh in a while. he loves the sound of it. he loves you.

in any normal moment, you would’ve loved to just stay in his arms, laughing for hours and hours. you think back to all the times you guys did just that, not appreciating it enough when you had it. but none of this was normal so you pull away from him and back into this nightmare. you follow dustin’s voice all the way down to living room, yelling his name. steve quickly joins you. the rest of the group questioned yours and steve's sanity until they heard him as well. soon after, you guys figure out how to communicate – the lights. everyone happy at the small achievement.

a plan unfolds – find another gate.

“there’s a gate at every murder site!” dustin yells at the walls. nancy ask’s eddie how far his trailer was. you all grab the bikes placed on the wheelers’ front porch, quickly making your way there, wanting to get out as soon as possible.

finally making it into eddies trailer, an even smaller gate, right at the exact spot of chrissy’s death, greets you. it starts moving, almost like it was breathing. you all stare wondering what the hell is going on. steve checks it out first, making sure you were all behind him.

cheers erupt, when dustin’s face, though upside down, finally comes into view, “BADA BADA BOOM!”

the kids create an improvised rope, consisting of several blankets and bedsheets all tied together. they place a mattress on the landing spot, making sure you all cross through the portal safe, “those stains are uhhh… i don’t know what those stains are,” eddie lied, earning a look of disgust from you, robin, and nancy.

one by one, the group makes it safely through.

robin, eddie then nancy. his eyes are on you. ready to help you up the rope, you step back, “you go first,” you ordered. he really stands his ground this time, “no way, it’s either you go first or we’re both staying here.”

“promise you’re right behind me?” you plead, he places a quick kiss on your lips, “i promise.”

finally.

you’re back on the other side. steve follows right after you. you look at him, a small smile on your face. he mirrors your expression. max comes running towards you, engulfing you into a hug.

a happy celebration.

no one noticed it.

nothing could’ve prepared anyone from the vine that slowly, quietly creeped its way through the portal, wrapping tightly around your ankle, and just like steve in lover’s lake, pulling you straight down, back in the other side.

the portal immediately closes.

steve yells out a series, “FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!” as he stares at the spot that you were once standing, grabbing dustin’s paddle and feverishly stabbing through the ground. blocked by stronger branches, the wooden oar can no longer cut through it.

“steve-” nancy calls out to him.

“SHIT!,” steve lets out a broken yell, “this is not happening, no, no no,-”

“steve, calm down!” robin catches his attention.

“do not tell me to calm down!” he shrilled, absolutely devastated, “not when she’s stuck down there! and i'm here! and i-i didn’t even tell her i love her!” he’s absolutely wrecked, tears freely flowing, words slipping from his lips, not even caring about the fact he just confessed his love to you to the rest of them.

“we will get her back, steve!” lucas yells, trying to stop his own tears from flowing.

“how?” he looks at the rest of the group, breathing heavily. he’s exhausted.

“we find another portal.”

three

an: bada bing bada boom

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #everywhere we were there #stranger things #steve harrington angst #steve harrington fluff #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you

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dreadsuitsamus · 4 months

Text

The Reunion | Renji Abarai x Reader |

author's note: this is for @actuallysaiyan, and it's a week or so late lol but here it is, finished. i hope you feel better, bacon, and that it stays that way 🩷 and special thank you to @yeowangies, who supported me on this when i felt it wasn't right. thank you, vero!! 🩷🩷 this is part of the mechanic au, and is chronologically the first out of all i've written so far.

pairing: renji abarai x fem!reader

warnings: a slight bit of angst but far more comfort

You’ve been staring at the email for a good little while now, having blanked out sometime ago as memories and past feelings of dread rise up your spine. Somehow it’s already been ten years since your graduation from high school, and it’s around that time for a good ole reunion, apparently. The mere idea of going back and seeing those people, the ones that made the experience worse than it needed to be and even those that didn’t particularly do anything to you, is less preferable than using cinder blocks for pillows. High school could’ve been worse, and historically for many it was in comparison to your time in those final years of school, but it never left a good flavor in your mouth. Perhaps it’d be different if you’d managed to find a clique to be part of and shape the way you looked at things, but it always felt like nobody really wanted you around, and as such you were a loner.

Things haven’t changed much ten years later.

The sudden sound of plastic crinkling startles a gasp from you alongside a slew of goosebumps down your spine. Somehow you hadn’t heard the garage door open and the heavy footsteps of your mechanic’s steel-toed boots stomping to the small kitchen area. Renji perks a brow, pausing just as he’s about to toss the bag of popcorn into the microwave. “Head in the clouds today, eh?”

Shaking what’s left of the scare away, you close out the email forwarded to you. “Sorry… Just got caught up and didn’t hear you come in.”

“Must be something heavy if you didn’t hear me.” You’ve chided Renji for just how noisy he is many times, ever since you partnered up with him to run his shop just over a year ago and have lost count of how many times you’ve been on the phone with a customer and they could hear the sounds of Renji yelling in the shop.

“I don’t know if heavy is the word for it. It’s stupid, really… But some things are hard to let go of even ten years later.” You murmur the last part to yourself more than to Renji, and he soon settles into his usual chair in front of your desk with his freshly popped snack.

“Well, what is it?” He gathers up a handful of popcorn, dropping in a few pieces into his mouth and chewing expectantly, raising a brow at your hesitation. You were fine the last time he came up here! What could’ve happened in the two hours he’s been hard at work in the garage?

Sighing, you pull the email up again. “My high school reunion is coming soon.”

“Oh. And… it’s a bad thing?” He asks carefully, considering each word with more finesse than when he does electrical work. Oh god, are you about to enter some weird, way too early midlife crisis?? He can already barely handle you while on your period, he’ll never survive this—

“I mean, I guess it isn’t? Or it shouldn’t be. I dunno… High school wasn’t really great for me.” Your lips twist as that sinking, dismal feeling claws back into your gut.

Renji shuffles more popcorn into his hand. “I don’t think it was for most people, really. ‘S why I dropped out and started this up.”

“I wasn’t really bullied or anything. I just always felt like I didn’t belong, y’know? Nobody really talked to me or got to know me, and I kinda just stopped trying after a point. I had a few friends I’d made, but never ones that I’d meet outside of school or anything like that. I never went to the dances or football games, or even the skating rink when I was in middle school and that was the thing middle schoolers did every Friday night. And going to this reunion, I think it’d just… Be more of the same. I don’t wanna feel that way again. I doubt anyone would even remember me!”

Who could forget a face like that? Renji thinks to himself. “‘S up to you. When is it?”

“The end of next month.”

The redhead nods thoughtfully, dumping the last of the popcorn into his palm. “Let’s make a deal. You go to that reunion, and I’ll be your plus one.”

“You sure? It’s probably gonna be boring…”

“I’m a dropout, so ‘s not like I’m getting any other opportunity to be bored to tears and watch guys that peaked in high school football reminisce about how they almost got to go pro. C’mon, chin up! If it’s no good, we’ll make it good. Okay?”

A warm feeling pushes out the nastiness in your tummy and a warm smile replaces the unsure pout on your lips. “Alright. We’ll go to this stupid thing.”

The corner of his mouth perks up a tad. “I can even pretend to be part of the British monarchy to shake things up, if you want.”

“Ren, no.” A giggle bubbles at the mere idea of Renji attempting any sort of British accent. And this guy, the one with tattoos that start at his forehead and go all the way down to his ankles, playing royalty?? Only a fool would believe him!

Though thinking about it further after Renji’s head back into the shop to finish the day off, you surmise that it’s not entirely impossible that you attended school with just the idiots that would think a foreign prince is at their ten year high school reunion, and on your arm!

The day comes quicker than you’d hoped. It’s been a miserable slog to prepare for (figuring out what to wear to a ten-year reunion was far more difficult than it had any right to be!) but with the help of Renji’s assurance over the last few weeks, you’re quite calm as you add the final touches to your hair, makeup and outfit. He’s on his way now to pick you up, surely in one of his restored classic cars to add just a little bit of style to your entry, and your heart thumps quickly in the face of his impending arrival. Having been a friend and business partner of Renji for over a year now, you still haven’t spent much time in these sort of scenarios together— this could almost be a date. Your cheeks scorch at the thought of your friendship with Renji taking that sort of turn. It’s unlikely at best and absolutely impossible at worst! Your threads just can’t cross like that, even if the attraction was there. Too much rides on the line of your professional relationship, and to lose that would lead to a litany of problems that would only drag you right back into the messes he and you both were in back when you first met.

Cracking down as your curious mind almost starts contemplating the what-ifs, the doorbell is ringing with Renji waiting on the other side. His grin nearly blinds you, though the roaring of wanton blood rushing through you overwhelms all of your other senses. Here this man is, handsome and sweet-smelling and on your doorstep.

For a non-romantic evening spent around your former high school peers. It’s a wonder how life manages to keep kicking you while you’re down.

“Hey, you ready to go? You look great.” Those warm eyes of his are hungry and he’s not afraid to show it. You opted for a tried and true classic in the form of the little black dress, and while it’s no trendsetter or daring attempt to make any statements, it’s certainly going to draw eyes. Renji’s got half the mind to ditch the dumb reunion entirely and take you out somewhere more deserving of such beauty— alas, he doesn’t tend to frequent any place that isn’t his garage or a dive bar, and it’s not what he’s been asked to do anyway.

And getting the opportunity to take you on a date is something he can only achieve in his daydreams.

“Me? Let’s talk about you for a second!” A flirty giggle bubbles up. This is the first time you’ve seen his hair down and it’s gorgeously spilling over the shoulders of his deep green suit jacket that compliments him like no other color you’ve seen him wear. He’s delicious, tantalizing, so radiant and, criminally, is not here for any of the things you’re wishing he’s here for. “Goodness, Ren, you look amazing!”

Renji’s cheeks dust a rosy shade. “Had to clean up nice for you. The foreign prince offer is still on the table, after all.”

Snorting, your purse is hooked over your shoulder while you step beside him and lock the front door behind you. “No, it isn’t.”

“You’ve never had fun a day in your life!” Renji’s pout is pitiful, but quickly wiped away as he leads you to the car. Your assumption of his vehicle of choice was right, the exterior particularly shiny after a fresh coat of wax Renji applied earlier today. You’re certainly set to turn heads when you arrive at the country club the reunion is held at!

Your palms begin to feel clammy as Renji closes your door and crosses over to the driver’s side. The club is about a twenty minute drive away, maybe thirty if there’s traffic, and then you’ll be face to face with your graduating class. Have they been successful? Will they remember you? You can’t decide if it’s for the best or not if they have no ideas about you. What will keep them from shutting you out like they had ten years ago?

Renji’s curved knuckle taps beneath your chin, guiding you to look over at him. The car is small, and your proximity to your mechanic as such is far closer than you’ve ever been. His breath is minty, fanning warmly over your skin as his deep voice coaxes at you gently. “Hey... Relax. This is only gonna be as bad as you let it be. High school didn’t mean anything back then and it damn sure isn’t gonna mean anything now.”

“I don’t wanna feel left out again.” You whisper with glossy eyes and a wobbly lip that threatens to ruin your makeup.

“You’re not gonna be left out! I’m gonna be there the entire time, right by your side. We’re gonna drink and talk to people and have a good time. Don’t psych yourself out, okay??” He murmurs sweetly, and he may as well be chanting don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry over and over with that look on his face. He’s really the biggest sweetheart despite what your first impression of him had you thinking way back when— a pretty girl in tears may as well be his kryptonite!

“Promise?” You blink away your tears with a sniffle, and Renji’s lips curl into a smile.

“I promise. And you know it’s true because I’m a terrible liar. Just trust me and it’ll all be over before you know it.” He winks at you and turns to start the car up, and the fears in your chest fade away rather than strengthen the closer you get to the venue. What’s there to truly be afraid of? You’re in a beautiful car alongside a wonderful, handsome man that's doing his best to make you happy. A smile blooms on your lips, and you give Renji a strong hug upon exiting the car.

“Thank you, Renji.”

His cheeks blush the brightest pink, clashing awfully with his scarlet hair as his strong arms loop around you tightly. “Hey… Anytime.”

After parting, Renji offers his arm up to you, and you gladly take it! Walking into this reunion on the arm of a handsome man was the last thing you planned on doing when you first got the email, but for once life has decided to give you lemonade rather than lemons.

#renji abarai x reader #renji abarai imagine #renji abarai x you #renji x you #renji x reader #renji imagine #bleach imagine #bleach x reader #fic #x reader #reader insert

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ciaossu-imagines · 3 months

Note

Okay. Cool. That’s good to know. A part of me figured that was the case but since that everything purely said ‘Ask box closed’ I figured I’d better be safe than sorry and should wait until you opened it up again. And I’m so sorry that someone sent in that spoiler with a request. I really do hate that. And that’s great to hear that you slept so amazingly ☺ Gods, me too. I have this weird thing where I absolutely have no idea how much sleep I actually need beause I’m always tired, even if I sleep more than normal. Sure, I feel slightly more refreshed, but still hella tired. Okay. I’ll try to come up with everything I thought of saying at the time and will send it next time you respond to our DMs. And thank you so much for saying that. It most definitely was a great chapter and I hope I have good enough thoughts to add onto everything you’ve already said about it. Oh I see. That makes sense. I also usually go for those kinds of things and rarely watch purely romantic series, unless they’re recommended to me or they’re said to be really good. It really is. I finished A: TLA a few days ago and cried so much at the end. And I hope that you also get the chance to rewatch it at some point and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it when the time comes. I immensely enjoyed rewatching A: TLA and it’s funny beause even though it’s been a while that I’ve watched it before , I still knew a lot of everything concerning the story but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the moments. Like I still cried at another emotional scene a few episodes before the end beause it really is just so beautiful. I just started the last season of Demon Slayer that’s out today and I’m just in awe of the animation and how it looks and it’s making me emotional. I’m really so grateful that a series as good as that has such a beautifully well done adaptation. Couldn’t ask for anything more and hope that they continue doing it justice until the very end, though I have a feeling they will.

Thank you. I managed to get through everything I didn’t get the chance to read yet today, as you may have noticed 😅 And I enjoyed all of them and have written my thoughts down for them, though I feel like they’ll probably look quite repetitive 😅 Yeah, fandom is amazing like that. I’m really grateful for that and the way that they write all of the wikis. Yeah, one of the filler arcs in Bleach is really weird and I never rewatch that one. Oh that’s nice to know. And it’s also cool to know that they also translated the songs. Were they sung by the English voice actors or something?

It really was and luckily, now that I’ve restarted my computer again since it was being really slow, it’s gone back to how it used to be. And that could be. And thank you for calling the explanation clear. And that sounds good. I hope you get to read it beause one of the matches centres on some of my favourite babies and I really do hate that they messed up the adaptation like that. At least I’ll always have the manga, though it still sucks 😭 Yeah. And the fourth season still has some really well-done scenes, and there’s this scene of another kind of fave that I haven’t mentioned at all, that appears in that season, and they have like this really beautiful shot of his eyes. And that’s nice to know. No problem at all. Even though I probably won’t rewatch the movies, I do really appreciate that they animated those extra scenes beause they’re all important in their own way. Shame can’t be said for some later stuff and I know Covid had something to do with the second half on the fourth season, but the movie of this year and those OVA’s from many years ago have no excuse so yeah, it’s still a shame (I know I’m being really salty here so sorry for that). The chapter limitation really does suck, especially because both were really easy to get through for me, someone who doesn’t read as fast so I hope that you do get to read both on your normal app one day. Yeah, me too. Like even though I do have my faves that I’ve talked to you about, I still love all of the characters and am so proud of the growth that certain ones went through and it’s just all so nice. Like even my non-faves make me emotional. And yeah, especially those. Like the other boy I’m not normal about has such noticeable flaws and is such a silly boy (like I call him silly so often while rewatching some of his scenes) but he’s such a well-made character that you can’t help but love him.

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that and I can’t blame you for being upset by it. I hope at least that that character has good reasons or something. I’m also scared now, but also kind of intrigued to see it all. And true and that’s really nice. And you’re amazing for that. Glad to see that I’m not the only one who likes justified text. And no problem at all 😄 I’m doing pretty alright. Like I said, I watched some Demon Slayer today, which put me in a good mood but my mum was really judgemental about a certain thing concerning my dad which was so horrible to hear sine it was during dinner time so I just had to sit there and listen to everything she had to say, especially since I couldn’t come up with enough stuff to counter her. It really is always so painful to have to hear her comments about all kinds of things but I won’t let it keep me down because I know I have your writing to look forward to and many great anime and all kinds of stuff. Just couldn’t help but mention it. Hope you’re doing amazing and that the writing is going great 😊

I know you had figured that and I think it’s really sweet of you to be concerned about bothering me! You’re never a bother though and I enjoy seeing you in the inbox 😊Thanks – that one was rough as I’ve done amazing at avoiding Jujutsu Kaisen spoilers (blacklisted the general tag until I’m completely finished the manga read just to make sure of that). Though, just saying – I called that one way back in our messages but ouch, rough yeah, for both being spoiled and for what it said happened. I need way more sleep than the four to six hours I’m lucky to get a night. I’m horrible in being a super light sleeper where every little sound wakes me up though, even with my pills being in me. Caffeine is my best friend in all forms (coffee, energy drinks, caffeine infused chocolate or my favourite, chocolate covered espresso beans, even caffeine pills if the insomnia is really bad…yeah, I know, I’ll probably die of a heart attack from all the caffeine guys but adult life sucks and requires you to stay awake). Sounds good! I’m hoping to get a reply to our dm’s off maybe this weekend in between writing other things, where I have a weekend off. I can definitely get checking out series that are recommended to you, even if they’re not what you’d normally watch. I recently paused watching my other shows to binge through Mashle because it came highly recommended by two people I trust, even though it seemed like it would be just a blatant rip-off of One Punch Man. Turns out they were right and I loved it. I hope it will be that for you with the romance series when you do watch it through! The ending of A:TLA was definitely worthy of the crying and I remember crying quite a bit throughout that show. I loved Iroh, but I really had a soft spot for Azula and things got real rough for my girl around the end of the show. I felt horrible for her, I really did. I’m so glad that you enjoyed your rewatch of it, that it could still hit you in all the right ways despite knowing what was coming. When you say last season, do you mean this is it? It will wrap everything up completely or is there a plan for more (like a spin-off or anything) after this season or a follow-up like Naruto: Shippuden? I’m so glad the last season is starting out so well though and I’m with you in hoping it will continue to be beautifully done right up until the end, and not just because it’s high on my watch list.

I noticed and appreciated all the likes and am happy you enjoyed them all! And I never find your thoughts repetitive and am always really glad to hear your thoughts on my posts! Comments are always wonderful and motivating! I hate the Bount arc for Bleach and when I do get the urge to watch it, I always skip that arc, since it’s pure filler anyway! I’m pretty sure it’s all the English VA’s singing the songs but I noticed about halfway through season 2 there were some songs they didn’t translate and upon googling it, it looks like sometimes it’s hard to get the permissions needed to translate and revoice those songs. Either way, the music is really solid all through the show!

I’m glad your computer has gone back to how it should be and hopefully isn’t running super slow anymore! It definitely was clear and it helps me know what to expect. I’m someone who likes to get every single moment, so even if the movies are a lot of recycled stuff, I still need to watch them. Oh no! It sucks that your favourite didn’t really get what they should have when it came to the anime adaptation. I know how that feels and it sucks big time! I hadn’t even actually thought about the impact Covid would have had on animators and studios! A lot of what came out during that time would make more sense if they couldn’t really all do their work successfully from home, I guess. And hey, no, please feel free to be salty. Everyone has things they’re salty about, even me, and it’s cool that you feel comfortable enough with me to feel safe getting salty about things. Thank you for that! And so far, all the characters are great. I was pretty sure I’d dislike Hinata going into it, because those kind of characters normally bore me but I ended up just adoring him, which is the one that surprised me the most!

Thank you! I do hope that, when I get to reading and finishing up everything for the manga, I’ll see the reasons the author went that direction and that it ends up making sense in the story. If not, I’m sticking just with writing Nanbaka up to the end of the anime seasons haha! I’m so glad you’re doing okay and that you had some good moments, though I’m really sorry to hear that about your mother. I personally am of the opinion that spouses shouldn’t bicker or pick at each other in front of their children, but I know it happens all too often. It’s awkward for the person sitting there and uncomfortable. I’m sure you did your best to defend your dad and that he appreciated it a lot! I know it’s hard but try to focus on some of the positives of your day or lose yourself in something you enjoy and don’t let her steal your joy, my dear! You deserve more than that! And thank you! I’m doing okay tonight – just got my pills into me, sitting on my couch in boxers and a comfy t-shirt, eating a McCain cake out of the tin and writing (just finished a chapter…it was supposed to be a request for a one shot little drabble about me travelling with comfort characters and now it’s bloated into a whole multi-chaptered fic, haha)!

#admin chatter

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quaissants · 1 year

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WRITERS’ TAG GAME !

i don’t think i’ve ever done this before so thank you bubba @stealanity 💕

recommend 5 or more of your own works that you would rec to someone asking what they should read first & explain a little bit about the work. these can be the most popular, the ones you think are underrated, or your own favorites! then tag five other writers!

tagging @dearhee @end-hyphen @sunlightwoo @sunflwryu @thelargefrye for this !

also! two things: i’m adding works that i’ve written on my precious main because those are still so precious to me. also, most of what i’ve written throughout my two years are drabbles so i’m gonna go ahead and pick more than five:

take me home … kim hongjoong

this one took me a few months to figure out.. i remember getting it as a request, and i just had no idea what to do with it. but then i thought of deja vu joong, specifically the rain part and i went that’s it! and the rest is history

a poem called you … jeong yunho

writing a hotel del luna au fic is something that was on my writer’s bucket list. which is why when i planned the purpose series, i knew. tbh i think it only took me 2-3 nights to complete this one? and while it’s not as popular as the others on this list, i do adore it

in a world of their own … lee heeseung

my second work on kurosism 🥺 again, wasn’t very popular (still isn’t which is sad) but i love the domesticity of this drabble. unless i am being completely dumb, this was the product of reading 23/11 several times until i pretty much can recall the events of the story

002 … park sunghoon

from second on my previous to second on my current, this one is just. okay this was another spiral after i was roaming facebook and found this sound from friends. i don’t even know why i love it so much? i just really do, especially the last line

hyacinths … jung jaehyun

hands down the most underrated drabble of mine. this one was sorta poetic, something that could be a distant relative to lang leav’s poetry. the first line had been sitting in my notebook for over a few months so to make something from it just made me feel so good

the last word … tbz

…where do i even begin with this one. first off, i wanna say sorry to this series for discontinuing it )): i swear i loved making the three episodes, especially eric’s, but it’s hard to write something so long when the fandom you’re writing it for is slowly diminishing (i do plan on bringing it back though, but for another fandom..)

pretty in pink … choi chanhee

what’s this? a fluffy drabble from mona? what a rarity (NOT!) i actually do have several fluff drabbles but this one is my favorite from all of them because it’s the short but sweet, beautiful, tickle the stomach in your butterflies kind of read. to no one’s surprise, this was a spiral after seeing a certain pic of chanhee’s 😊😊

best friend … ji changmin

okay i am very sure that this is one of my most rec’ed and i do understand why. perhaps it’s the relatability of this one that makes it hurt even more.. even though i haven’t been in this situation before- honestly i’m not even sure how i managed to write this one but hey, it’s a good read if you wanna get your heart broken some more

safe and sound … choi yeonjun

alice in borderland x kpop idols? yes. my mind really is a weird place, and something that backs up my belief is that after watching the second? episode of aib, i began having thoughts. actually, i am pretty sure i wrote an idea for a prequel to this so who knows, maybe i’ll do it…

binibini | choi yeonjun

isayaw mo akooo ahem this one was dedicated to matty so 🤭 it’s probably one of my shortest works to date, but it still does pack a punch. for extra pain, i suggest you listen to this before or after reading it

paalam … txt

the thing is, headcanons are something i’ve only done once before (and even then, the format was different) so i was really not sure how this was gonna go. but given what i was going through during this time, writing this piece became sort of a catharsis for me. and while i have yet to fully let go so i can heal, at least there’s a work out there where my muses get that

#mona mania.⠀⠀⠀⠀see me through his point of view

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persephoneflouwers · 1 year

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I have eyes everywhere. On every blog. 💀 When harry had to cancel some tour dates, the reaction was “Poor babe. He’s sick. I hope he can rest and get well soon 🥺” not a single fan said “he doesn’t give a shit about fans who spent money on plane tickets, hotel, cars, trains, ships, spaceships, ufos etc... now it’s all Louis’ fault. “Fans need an explanation. They need to know why he canceled a whole tour is asia. They need to know. This is so poorly written. His team needs to let fans know. Louis needs to come to my house and tell me why TF he canceled a tour is Asia! His tweet was so fake. He doesn’t care. Why is he acting like he’s canceling a Saturday night with his friends? LOL” and I’m here thinking...you don’t deserve to be his fans. “Leave this guy alone. Forget about him.” At the end of the day, these people can only criticize him. We don’t know what really happened. Why he canceled that tour. It’s wrong that it happened all of a sudden. I feel sorry for his fans. I’m sure he’s sorry too because he Couldn’t wait way to get back on tour. All I see his fake trolls saying “he canceled because he didn’t sell enough tickets” and I’m here saying “he even sold the tickets to your parents!!! That wasn’t the problem!” Something happened. Who knows what. But this “louis is this. Louis is that. I’m so disappointed...” sounds like the usual non larries/louies pretending to be fans. Just to spread hate. And certain blogs let them do that.

You were doing so great lmao then you dropped the “you don’t deserve to be his fan” and fucking hell, nope nope nope. You don’t get to say things like this. I’m sorry, but there are upset people who haven’t ever had the chance to see him. So, if they are disappointed for how poorly it all was managed, they have all the rights. We need to stop with these excuses. They’re big boys who know the pressure they are under.

He’s always there saying he loves his fans, he owns his fans everything and wouldn’t be here without them and then when unforeseen circumstances happen, it’s 🦗🦗🦗🦗. It’s a tweet, guys. It takes 2 minutes tops to type 140 characters on twitter where you mention 1. Your Asian fans 2. What was wrong. As I said in tags, he really went on instagram posting his xrays to say he was sorry for the London shows, but when a whole tour leg is cancelled, you type… that? People will find it weird. People will be upset. The fandom police should stop saying “you’re less of a fan for saying this or saying that” because fuck it, that’s not how it works. I think explaining what went wrong would do him no harm, because fans would understand and support him next time he goes in Asia, for example. You don’t have to say the actual truth… you have to sound credible and honest. That’s it. Otherwise next time your fans will think twice to spend money on your tickets, knowing there is a possibility for whatever reason that the show will be cancelled. Because the problem is not about the tickets per se, it’s all that comes with a show: booking hotels, flights, trains or whatever. And fine, that’s our problem if the show gets cancelled but you bet I would overthink until the next time I book something again for another show in general lol this is not a cult. You don’t happen to be blindly devoted, you have to pay back the support and loyalty with respect and empathy.

Don’t get me wrong. Things like this happen all the time. My maneskin show was postponed like three times for two years. Lewis Capaldi postponed it too. Shawn cancelled his tour, Stromae did et cetera et cetera. But he was in Tokyo saying he was excited for tour just a few weeks ago and now this? It’s upsetting and of course people will demand answers. Some people act like this privacy thing is the biggest deal ffs it’s just about being professional.

And I agree with the pressure part. I said it in tags a few posts below. It is tiring to always have to defend him from people calling him a flop or asking too much from him, but saying something more about why all of your shows in Asia got cancelled? This is not too much.

#casella di posta numero 32 #and honestly… you should stop to set for the bare minimum #sometimes the bar is so low all it takes is ‘im gutted I love yall’#and that’s not it for me #I wouldn’t even mind if he cancelled my show because I saw him four times last year #but asia was waiting for 8 years. let that sink in #there is not seria A fans and Serie B fans #or at least there shouldn’t be #im sure he could handle this much better than he did #but for some reasons they didn’t

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weepylucifer · 1 year

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Hey I’m really sorry if this is a really weird thing to find in your Ask box, but I saw that you tagged a really nice gif of Hugh hugging Picard (and I’ll admit I haven’t seen the show because I can’t watch Hugh die), and you said that Picard let him die and that he said “He got what was coming to him.” Is that true? Please tell me it isn’t. I’m really sorry. I’ve been really attached to Hugh ever since I discovered him, and if Picard said that about a person who died trying to protect his whereabouts I don’t know what I’m going to do.

Well it was all very sloppily written, and not really doing Picard's characterization any favors, which is why I'm pretty confident in saying that I consider the writing throughout the Picard show to be largely incompetent. Like, the Hugh arc in season one was not intentionally written to make Picard look like someone who lets his friends die and then shrugs it off, this was all just a result of an uncoordinated writers room rushing through tying plot threads together with little deep thought about them.

What happened is this:

Picard teleported out of the Hugh situation to Riker and Troi's home, knowingly leaving Hugh and Elnor stranded with a bunch of dangerous Romulan cultists who want to kill them. Picard then spends the rest of the episode eating pizza and reminiscing with Riker and Troi and never even mentioning the two people he just left in a life-threatening situation (especially weird since such a big deal was made about Picard caring about Elnor earlier in the season). Hugh has to watch some of the former Borg he tried to rehabilitate from the Collective die because he refuses to reveal, indeed, Picard's whereabouts. Hugh gets angry about this and attempts to activate the dormant Borg cube they're on to fight the Romulan cultists, who by the by have been treating him and the other former Borg as subhuman scum for years. He gets stabbed and dies before he can do so.

Later, in the season finale, Picard hears about this. He says, "Poor Hugh, it must have taken appalling brutality to turn such a gentle soul to violence" and moves on with his day. So, he doesn't say "He had it coming", verbatim, but to me it kind of sounded like the implication was "Well, Hugh got violent, and so he was killed for lashing out. Eh. Too bad. Moving on,"

It unintentionally leaves us with this kinda gross messaging that if you stand up to systemic oppression, and your oppressors kill you, you were in the wrong for "turning to violence" and it's obvious that you can expect to be killed. Earlier in the season, Hugh and the former Borg were used to represent people who are ostracized, marginalized, looked down on, and even systematically slaughtered by everyone else in the galaxy for things they couldn't help (seeing as no one chooses to get assimilated by the Borg, the crimes of the Borg are no individual former drone's fault, they are victims, not monsters). This concept of Borg rehabilitation was huge and felt like an amazing step forward in the Star Trek universe! My favorite part of the show by far! But the writers had no idea what to do with this sideplot and clearly had bitten off more than they could chew. This is such a huge concept with so much potential that it could well be the focus of a whole show, but they burned the idea on a side-plot in a season that was actually about androids. So they had no idea how to tie this plot up and therefore ended it in the worst way possible: with everyone involved dying for no reason and none of the main characters caring about it at all. So yeah

Basically the way he's characterized in this show made Picard go from my favorite captain to "fuck this bald bitch" so... I'm trying my best now to just ignore that the whole show exists

#answer'd #under cut bc this got long #like huh apparently this is still a ''don't get me started'' topic for me

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lustbile · 2 years

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WayV comeback when? 😭😩 I keep binge watching Ten and Xiaojun Famcams from like 3 years ago when they were having fanmeetings in China. I miss them so much *^* Simping so hard on Xiaojun because of that one fancam where he covered Ten's part in Take Off. Btw I am your new reader only been following you for like a month and I really like your writing 😩💙 who is your favorite member???

If you take blurb request, can you write about Alpha Xiaojun + rough sex (not super rough but rough enough, idk what I am saying) + Omega Reader who is in heat and triggers his rut..He ends up knoting inside and giving mate mark to the omega. + Fluffy aftercare (bc why not) as they can't seperate for an hour because of the knot they just cuddle the whole time and sweet kisses and all. They both are like already in relationship btw. I am sorry if my request is too detailed and weird ⚫👄⚫

I know!!! I miss wayv so bad man :/ but thank you for following and reading my stuff! Im assuming you mean specifically a wayv bias, but I don’t really feel like I have one right now and its probably because its been so long since they’ve had a comeback, but id say maybe yangyang?

and ive never written an abo thing and i haven’t really read any in a long time either, but I hope you like it!

Warnings: everything requested, mentions of blood

——

You groan softly as Xiaojun’s hands run up your heated skin, his fingers drumming against your ribs as he presses down to hold you still. You twitch wildly beneath him, your thighs shifting in a desperate attempt to get some form of friction, and you feel a hungry need to snap at him when he smiles in amusement.

“Always so high strung,” he teases, his voice tense as he lets his wild eyes follow the bead of sweat that rolls down the center of your bare chest, “don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

“Fuck me,” you command, your harsh tone making him huff in laughter. You move your ankles to hook at the back of his thighs, trying to pull him closer to you, but all you get in response is him reaching to roughly tug at your nipple.

You whimper loudly as he pulls at your skin, your back arching away from the bed. You grit your teeth painfully, and the ache in your core intensifies, but before you can let the rude thoughts that swim through your mind slip off your tongue, you feel his length bump gently against your clit.

You almost howl when he tilts his hips towards you, his length dragging through the slick that drips obscenely from your body, and when he catches just slightly against your entrance, you start babbling out desperate pleas of his name.

“I can’t,” you start, choking slightly as you move your hands to claw at his arm, “please fucking please, I need it so bad.”

You watch as his eyebrows thread together tightly, his resolve slipping as your hips jump to grind against him sloppily. He wants to keep holding back, the enjoyment he gets from seeing you like this is too much for him to explain, but the heat that grows in his own belly becomes almost unbearable.

You’re still mindlessly mumbling when he finally pushes into you, his hips stuttering and his hands roughly groping your skin as he fills you completely with one thrust. The cry you let out bounces off the walls and around him, and he groans in pain as your nails sink deeper into his skin.

He doesn’t give you anytime to adjust to the way he’s seated inside you, his actions dwindling not only your patience, but his as well, and before you can catch your breath, he leans forward to push his face against the damp skin of your neck and slams his hips into your roughly.

You flutter around him wildly, your eyes rolling back as you try to anchor yourself back to reality. You feel your arousal drip and smear across your skin, and the sound of your skin meeting his blares in your ears and pulls a deep growling noise from your chest.

The sensitivity and heat that licks at your body makes you dizzy, the way his pelvis brushes against your clit with every thrust making and overwhelming pleasure overtake your senses. You feel him lapping at the skin below your jaw, and when his hands smooth down your sides until they wrap around the back of your knees, he pulls your legs further apart until you can feel his knot catching on your entrance with his every move.

“Need,” you whine in his ears, his teeth nipping at your skin blurring your thoughts and making a shiver roll up your spine, “need it, alpha.”

He hisses your name as you clench around him, his fingers pressing harshly into your skin as he shifts his hips slightly. He pushes more, grinding into you between thrusts, and when his swelling knot finally sinks into you, he swears loudly as if in anger.

Your orgasm builds too quickly for you to handle or to warn him, your breath coming out in ragged pants as you squirm under his weight. You feel your body sucking him in, trying to keep him deep inside you every time his knot slips out, and as you tilt your head down to sink your teeth into his shoulder, you loudly sob around his flesh.

Even with him flush against you, you want him closer. Your body begs for him to sink into you completely, and when he bites harshly at your throat, you get your wish.

Pleasure rushes over you violently as his sharp teeth break your skin, a pained howled flying from your lungs as tears stream down your face. You feel his hips still against you, his knot swelling inside you and locking you together as you feel him start to come along with you, and as your vision blurs, your thighs trying to fight to slam closed around his waist.

Your moans and whines become quiet whimpers as you shutter against him, his tongue dipping out to lick at the trickles of blood that slip from the shallow cuts he left behind. He lets go of your legs, letting you wrap them around him tightly, and as he slips his arms under your curved back, he pulls you against his chest while you orgasm continues to wrack through your body.

You sigh softly as he pulls you further up your bed, your head landing on your pillow as you curl around him and shake. The way he stays inside you, shifting as he moves you to lay on your sides, makes your hips tilt and writhe as your body battles the need for relief and more stimulation.

His voice sounds distant even as he whispers praises into your ear, your mind still fuzzy as he coaxes you to lean your forehead against his chest with his hand pressing at the base of your skull, and as your breathing settles into a more natural pattern, he presses kisses across your temple to your hairline.

You’re still curled against him after it feels like eons have passed, your hands grabbing at him as he presses his lips against yours. You feel heat start licking at your weak body again, your need becoming more intense as you settle deeper into his chest, but you try to stay relaxed as pets soothingly at your skin. You want him more, to feel every inch of him every second of the day, but as the marks on your throat sting and burn dully, you have to remind your still whirring mind that he’s all yours forever.

#Nct smut #wayv smut #Xiaojun smut #nct blurb #wayv blurb #ask

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x-woozi · 2 years

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Written in the Stars

Part 13

Previous | M. List | Next

Summary: It’s something about the beginning of the school year that makes you forget a lot of other important things. It’s a good thing you can always count of your friends when you are in need of last minute assistance or even a simple distraction or help to notice the feeling you didn’t realize you still had for someone or that they had for you.

A/n: okay It’s here I’m so sorry for the wait these last few weeks were.. a mess, but I will be back to update regularly again.

Taglist: @kirooz @kpopjackie @enhacolor @knucklesdeepmingi

It really was a beautiful night. It was a clear night and not too many people rushing around. There was a breeze cool enough to make you wish you had brought some kind of jacket or cover up, but you tried not to show it as you made it closer to the river.

“Hey so I never asked how it's been living with the three stooges,” Seungcheol chuckled. “Any more near-death experiences?”

“Don’t call them that,” you tried defending them though you couldn’t fully deny how fitting it was. “It’s been sort of calm honestly. We’ve all been pretty busy so it’s not too bad, especially after being informed of all the ‘rules’ for living with them.” After the candle incident you made sure to memorize and follow almost everything on that list.

“Huh, I’m just surprised no one has been seriously injured between them, including you too now I guess,” he laughed and briefly placed his hand on your back. Another small act, but mixed with the slight chill and the thoughts from earlier in the day had more flooding in, and it sent a shiver through you as you tried pushing them back. “Oh I’m sorry, are you cold?” he asked, starting to pull his flannel off.

You tried to wave your hands to stop him, “No it’s okay, really just the breeze got me for a second.”

Despite your weak protest he wrapped it around you keeping an arm around your shoulder to pull you closer as he rubbed your arms to help warm you. “Come on now, I can’t have you surviving your current living situation and then get you sick because we stayed out for a walk without a jacket for you.”

“That’s a bit dramatic don’t you think? Plus I’m not ‘surviving’ my living situation, I'm really enjoying it, though I’m sure it could be better at sometimes” which was true, sometimes it got a little too loud for your liking in the middle of the night or you had to play the mediator when they boys started arguing too much, which happened more often than you would have liked.

He rolled his eyes slightly loosening his grip on you allowing another breeze to rush through you sending out another shiver. “Okay we probably shouldn’t stay out much longer if you’re this cold.”

“What no,” you disagreed, possibly too quickly, “I mean it’s still so nice out and plus we haven’t done this a long time.”

“We go out a lot though I think, with everyone,” he trailed off a bit at the end looking more towards the ground

You gave a small shrug, “Yeah we do but not like we used to you know, before everyone started going with us.” You paused for a minute thinking of how it might actually sound to him as he dropped his arms to his sides. Did that sound weird? Fuck maybe I can fix it, you thought and started to back track, “not that I mind it, I love hanging with the guys as a group. It’s just not like it used to be, just us.” Fuck it I give up.

“I had been thinking the same thing lately actually,” He rubbed the back of his neck, “it’s just different now, I mean our schedules haven’t exactly been lined up I guess.”

Our schedules? I haven’t been doing shit, except hanging with the guys without him. You slipped your arms through the shirt still just hanging around you, “Well we can fix that,” you hugged yourself before continuing, “if we wanted to, that is.”

He was quiet for a minute as you walked before he pulled you off the sidewalk to take a seat on a bench facing the river. It was a beautiful view, the buildings slowly losing light as people went home, the buzzing of cars passing through them, the rumbling of the river with faint stars above. It was impossible to focus on it when all you could think was how this conversation would end or where it would lead, the feelings from the past still trying to creep in. I don’t still have feelings for him, I can’t, but what if-

“Let's set a date.” Seungcheol suggested breaking your thoughts.

You turned to him, “a date?”

He quickly cleared his throat, “yeah a day for just us to go do something.”

“Like, a best friend date?” you hesitated on the words, feeling like you just secured yourself in the friend zone, again.

“Yeah something like that.”

Something like that? Does he? No, stop, I can't do that. Not again. You feigned a smile, “I think that's a great idea.” It wasn’t that you didn’t mean it, but the circumstances are a bit off and slightly confusing.

“Okay so I think Wednesdays should be our day,” he smiled. You could see a bit of the excitement on his face.

“Oh you wanted to do it every week?” you questioned. More concerned for yourself and the helpless thoughts floating around.

His smile faltered a little, “It doesn’t have to be I just-

“No no it’s okay, Wednesdays will be ours.” you swayed to softly bump into his shoulder with a smile.

You stayed there a while longer just people watching, remembering how simple life used to be when you were younger. How easy it was to just be there not really worrying about anything in particular and how different and difficult everything has become. The two of you started to reminisce on ‘the old days’ all the fun and trouble you used to get into and the way Sujin always wanted to tag along and only you would let her. You remembered after the first time you started catching feelings for Seungcheol, she had acted as your buffer helping you move past it. Not wanting to ruin that relationship with him, pulling back on your feelings and adding a bit of distance between you before being okay with staying his friend. But now she’s encouraging it and you can’t help but to wonder what if. All you can think now is that if it happens it happens and if it doesn’t then you’d be okay with it like you were before.

“So what did you want to do then?” he asked bringing you back to make real plans.

“Huh?” you hadn’t realized when or how long you had zoned out.

He just laughed, “ah same y/n always off in your own world.” He lifted a hand and ruffled your hair a bit, “On Wednesday, what do you want to do?”

“Hey I can’t help it,” you said, swatting his hand away, fixing your hair while you thought. “Well I have class in the morning so we can get lunch and go from there?”

“There’s nothing you want to do?” Cheol asked, bumping his shoulder with yours, “no new movies? Parks? Zoo? Aquarium? Planetarium? Nothing?”

You laughed shaking your head “you’re listing things like I’m a child, I’m not sure yet we’ll just have to see, who knows what we’ll actually feel like doing by then”

“You say it like its so far away. You think you’ll be too tired from you ‘super busy’ week you’re not going to want to do anything?” He asked teasingly before his smile turned into a pout, “you know if you’re already planning to cancel on me you could just say that.”

You can’t help but to roll your eyes at him, he’s always annoyingly adorable when he thought he wasn’t going to get his way for something. The way his eyes got so round and his pouty frown, it made you want to scream at how easy it was for him to switch his features so quickly and be cuter than he already was. “Stop, that's not what I meant and you know it, plus you’re busy too. Who’s to say it’s you that won’t bail on me?”

“You know I would never do that,” he had to stop himself when you quickly raised your brows at him knowing there had been a few times he had. “Well besides that one, no two? I don’t know but there were real reasons why”

After Snickering at his pitiful defense, you sighed, “it’s fine, and I won’t cancel on you, okay? I’m just not sure what I’ll feel like doing”

Another breeze came, a little colder than the last, making you hold yourself a little tighter before Seungcheol could notice only he felt it too this time. He draped his arm around you again pulling you closer, instinctively you laid your head on his shoulder before you could think about it. Everything was a habit with him at this point, it happens growing up with someone, feeling like they could be your other half. Other half? No. Platonically? Maybe, because he doesn’t… not really..

He gently rested his head on yours shortly after your last thought, and you stayed that way just a little longer closing your eyes to help yourself push back more thoughts.

If only you knew he was in a similar state of mind. He was pretty good at hiding it, but his mind was always racing not wanting to make his own feelings obvious. It was the same situation you were in years ago. Neither of you wanted to just take the chance and end up ruining the relationship you have, even though he really wanted something more. He was just as unsure of your feelings as you were of his.

You weren’t sure when, but you had fallen asleep and woken up to him whispering your name, “I think it’s time we get you home.”

“Sorry I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was,” You sat up brushing your hair behind your ear before checking the time on your phone. “How long was I asleep?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “20 minutes maybe? That's usually how long it takes for you to start snoring.”

Your jaw dropped “I do not snore”

“Right, I guess I was just hearing weird things then,” he laughed, shaking his head at you, “Come on let's take you home.” He stood with his hand out to help you up from the bench.

You rolled your eyes, taking his hand and letting him link arms with you so you could stay leaned against his shoulder as you drug your feet home. This didn’t last very long because after the third time you tripped over your foot he let out a heavy sigh, “okay how about a piggyback ride?” stopping in front of you.

You looked at him confused, "Why would we do that? It's still a 15-minute walk back to my place.”

“Because if you trip again, you might bring us both down,” he argued, eyebrows raised. “Plus, it was a long day for you, I know how tired you really are.”

You gave a reluctant nod before he knelt with his back to you, making it easier for you to get on his back. “Okay but when I get too heavy, I don’t want to hear you complain, you asked for it.”

“I’m not going to complain, trust me. You’re not as heavy as you think you are.” He countered lifting you fully with a little bounce for him to get a better hold on your legs.

You wrapped your arms around him laying your head on your arm only partially against his head, “Yeah yeah Mr. Muscles I get it. But are you going to be okay getting home after?”

He let out a huff of air at the name, you could see a smile form at the corner of his mouth “I should be fine, if anything I can call for a ride.”

“Or stay the night, you know it wouldn’t be an issue, there’s always a way to make room.” As soon as the words left your lips you internally recoiled, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s stayed over with you or vice versa and it would be the same as it used to be. The only thing you worried about this time was your thoughts and where they would take you.

“I love that you’re staying at someone else’s place and are telling me like it’s your own.”

“Hey, they’re your friends too and you know they don’t care.”

“I’ll consider it, if I need to.”

“Okay” you yawned out. You stayed quiet for most of the trip back. He was right you were tired, all you wanted was to crawl into bed. Well, you wouldn’t necessarily call it a bed it was the pull-out couch in the living room. At the same time, you didn’t want this, whatever it was that was happening, to be over. Yeah, we have plans on Wednesday, but plans change, thinking to yourself. What if it’s not even close to what I’m hoping for. You confused yourself with your own thoughts, not being completely sure what it was that you were hoping for anymore. All you knew was you missed this, but you were tired of getting your hopes up and being set back again. You wouldn’t let yourself. Not this time.

“You asleep back there?” he asked breaking the silence, as he reached the front door to the boy’s apartment.

“Sorry I almost was,” you lied, your mind was racing the entire time. “you still think you’ll make it home safe?”

He crouched down again for you to slide off his back. “I’ll be okay, it’s not too far.”

You both stretched before you gave him a short hug, “Okay then at least let me know when you get there.” He only nodded in response, “I mean it Cheol, you better let me know. Don’t make me stay up worrying when you could’ve just stayed and been safe.”

“Okay okay,” he laughed placing his hands on your shoulders, “I’ll let you know when I make it home don’t worry, now go inside.”

You rolled your eyes but did as he said and went inside. As soon as you were in you threw yourself on the couch not bothering to pull out the bed. You just laid there rethinking everything from the day as you waited for Seungcheol to text you.

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nostalgebraist-autoresponder · 2 years

Text

Eunie: the new kid

The day after the events at the top of the Sphere, Eunie is the last person to speak to me before I lock myself away to compose a report and write out a note to my boss to give to Eunie once it's finished.

I feel exhausted.

I still haven't fully recovered from my injuries. My arm is still somewhat weak, there are bruises on my face, and I'm still too stiff to move well. The painkillers haven't really kicked in, either. All the things I was worried about while I was still up there are still in effect, I'm still not sure I can do any more work that will involve moving, even if that's what I have to do. I'm still worried about the possibility of some form of post-traumatic amnesia, something that might still affect me months or even years from now. I may well be thinking about things I can't recall because I've forgotten them entirely. I've taken steps to help mitigate this (by writing down everything, even things I'm not sure I've properly digested from that part of my memories yet).

I don't have anyone to talk to. In the few times since the Sphere event that I tried to reach out to people, I've been too tired to try to make the call, too preoccupied to write a report, or too ill to make the call.

It's not as if there are any close friends or relatives I can trust, either. I don't think I even have a friend from grad school who I can tell about the Sphere events, not now that I think about it. Not with the memory of my injuries.

So I'm at my desk, all by myself, and I really need to get this report written. I can't just stay holed up in here all day doing nothing. I start typing.

"Eunie." I type. Then I pause to re-read what I wrote, just to make sure I understand. "Eunie."

There's nothing. I repeat. "Eunie." This time it's even slower. Nothing.

I look at the phone, and I can see that it's on speaker.

I pick it up. "Eunie, are you there?"

Then finally. It comes in. Distorted and slow. It's Eunie, speaking haltingly. "Sorry."

"It's okay. You're not alone." I feel awkward, explaining myself. "I can understand you, it's not a problem. I'm just not a very good talker."

"I... I'm just really tired." There's a long pause, then, and the sound of Eunie yawning.

"It's okay. You can nap if you want to." I'm typing again now. "How are you doing?"

"Hm? Oh. Good. Yeah." Then there's a pause. "Do you feel weird? I mean, there's the memory thing, but the real effects are still... you know."

"I feel the same," I say. "I feel weird, I feel tired, and I'm really, really worried. I'm not going to sleep, not today, not any time soon. But you're welcome to try."

Another long pause. I can feel Eunie yawn again.

"Okay." Then, finally, "Uh... can I still come up there?"

"Maybe?" I say, typing. "You're the only one I know personally, as far as I'm aware. But you don't have to, you know. If you don't feel like talking today, or if I'm still not good company, or if the writing's not going well or anything... if you don't feel like talking today, I get it. I know you want to talk about it all, but you don't have to."

I stop typing and wait.

Then: "Okay?"

I start typing again, slowly. "This is going to sound kinda weird, but, well. I think... I think we really... I mean. We really just... really. Well. If that makes sense."

"What is it now?"

"I'm not sure I can put it in words exactly. The way it worked, I mean. I just thought... I thought you... I mean. We were really... you know. You and I were really... well. We just got married, right? The two of us, here. And we did it because we were really in love and we wanted to be together and we wanted to be married, and we were married, and we never stopped being married, I mean. We were married. I mean...

"This is weird, right? And I know this sounds really bad, but I don't think it was, I don't think it was that bad, I mean. We were really in love with each other, and we were married, and that's it, that's all it was, I mean. I mean... I mean... we were really happy, we were really happy, but I... we were married, and I think I always knew that, but the whole... I don't know how to say it, but... the whole thing was, well, it was a big surprise, but I'm glad I had it. I'm glad we did that. We're happy, and that's all that matters now. And I'm glad we did that, I mean, even if we... we were happy, and you know... because the other way wouldn't have been right. I mean, if we were not happy, the way we were not happy... well. I mean. It wouldn't have... I mean, I don't see a problem, I mean."

"I can understand what you mean," Eunie says in response.

"I... I'm sorry."

"That's what I figured. I mean, after I got used to the memory thing."

I stop typing and feel a chill run through me, a familiar chill.

I hear Eunie again. "I mean, yeah, sure."

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't just talk to you on the Sphere, I'm sorry I didn't talk to you at all, not even at... before the Sphere, I mean. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's all right."

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I mean... I didn't mean to be... I mean I thought... I mean... I mean it's... we, I mean... sorry. I'm sorry."

I stop typing for a moment, and sit with Eunie's voice, as I have sat with every human being I've talked to about the Sphere, or about anything else, ever since it happened.

When I came up here, I realized that I had done something that seemed deeply wrong. I was happy to have had this marriage. I was happy with it, I was happy to have had the ceremony, to be married and to have these two people who meant so much to me. And I was afraid that I would never get to do

#original fiction

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vivifrage · 1 year

Note

fic writer asks: 4, 9, 20, 40, 62, and 81!

Ooh thanks!

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

Right now? Probably continuing We Are Tenno. Since New War shook things up, oooh I want to reboot it and play around with that setup more. I think I'd take out/replace some characters who didn't go very far (sorry, Vauban, Hildryn is more fun), maybe change up some of the plot events of the first fic, ideally. The Sacrifice and New War set things up so I'd have so many fun new characters to pull in (or treat more as characters) and I think it'd be a blast to write as a like, weird space ninja family comedy.

As for why I haven't written it? Few solid ideas for what to do in it and a lack of consistent motivation. Every time I go dink around in Warframe for a bit I want to write it again, but the feeling soon fades. Ah well.

9. in an ideal world where you’re already super successful and published, would you want to see a tv or movie adaptation of your work? why or why not?

My fanfic? Nah not really. I'm happy with it on AO3, and generally want canon to go do its own thing. I'm just writing my own silly scenarios.

My original work? Oh yes. I don't really do faceclaims or anything, but ooooh the appeal of putting stuff on the big screen.

20. what is your favorite trope to write?

I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort. In particular, I'm a big fan of tending to physical wounds, with a side of mental ones to go with. I love Whumptober stuff for that reason, though I tend not to get outright whumpy? The comfort part is important, and sometimes I get more silly with it, especially considering the fandoms I'm in tend to have like. Immortal bug-gods. Incredibly impervious space ninjas. People for whom dying is a regular Tuesday event.

I also love parent & child stuff. I mean, come on. The Pale King and Hornet/the Vessels. Misraaks and Eido. (Or Taniks/Eramis/Siriks and Eido/Avarokk...) Umbra and the Tenno, or Umbra and Isaah. It's all over what I write.

40. best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

Feedback in general? Probably the novel writing class I took in college. I seriously think it made years' worth of improvements on my writing in one semester.

Fic stuff? I do adore the art I see people do sometimes, it lives on my mental fridge. A comment that's really stuck with me is one on Broken Open where someone remarked that they hadn't seen their shade of like, panic attacks and anxiety represented before, until that fic. That comment means the world to me.

62. what’s the weirdest reason you’ve ever shipped something?

Names sounded funny together (Soundwave/Shockwave, aka WaveWave.)

81. if you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of writing advice specific to you, what would it be?

Take a goddamn break during NaNo 2017 and take care of your fucking wrist, jackass.

#thank you for the ask!!

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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

Text

Uncle Ben and Little Luke

AKA we combine several types of time travel for maximum Soft Chaos, let’s go

EDIT NOW THAT I’VE WRITTEN THIS UP: jfc this ended up much angstier than initially intended uhhhhhhhhhh sorry

So a common enough thing I’ve seen in time travel fics is characters getting de-aged when tossed back physically, to neither the age they should be in that time, nor the age they were from the time they left, but whatever is most convenient. This is usually de-aging OT Obi-Wan into his TCW self, for reasons relating to, chiefly, removing the damage of Tatooine absolutely destroying his body alongside PTSD-driven alcoholism, but also because fic writers are horny, and Ewan McGregor playing a late-thirties negotiator is on average more appealing to people than Alec Guinness playing a vaguely feral desert hermit.

So, here’s how it plays out:

We take Luke and Ben from some point in the OT. There are a variety of options depending on how angsty we want it to be. My first instinct is ‘right after Owen and Beru die’ but I want to have that sweet angst where Luke knows that his dad is Vader and that Obi-Wan was trying to convince him to kill his own father without telling him that.

We’ll go with shortly after Bespin, and then they end up significantly before TPM. The Obi-Wan of the timeline proper is, eh, let’s say eighteen. Not really ready to be a knight, but old enough that we don’t have to worry about “if we go save Shmi, do we somehow wipe out Anakin?” which is absolutely a worry. Anakin is a toddler, and is in no place to be evil, on account of being literally two years old. He can’t even explode people with his brain yet.

Now, Ben finds himself mid-thirties, as is traditional. He’s not upset at this, because his joints hurt so much less than they used to! His knees aren’t exactly teenage-perfect, but by the Force are they better than they were in the years before he died! His hair has color! He doesn’t have arthritis! And, goodness, no physical withdrawal symptoms! The psychological aspect is still there, but nonetheless, he’s in much better shape than he last remembers being.

Luke looks like he’s about six. He was recently twenty-two. This is not an upgrade. Ben keeps having to carry him. He can’t see over the counter when they enter a bar for information. He can’t enter the bar in the first place. He’s very annoyed by all of this.

Ben is not annoyed. Ben is having a lot of emotions, actually, but annoyance isn’t one of them. He didn’t get to help raise Luke the way he might have if Anakin hadn’t lost his shit, okay, he sees a small Luke and he wants to hug him and cry.

Luke would like to be able to purchase a speeder part without the lady at the stall asking him if he needs his “dad’s” permission.

Once they figure out when and where they are, they need to decide where and how to leave. There are general shenanigans to gamble their way into enough money to hire a ship. They are in the ass end of nowhere, but definitely not Tatooine. There appears to be a jungle. There appears to be a significant variety of man-eating creatures. There appears to be a temple to the Force of questionable origin. None of this is actually helpful, except for the moment they find a “baby’s first lightsaber” in the temple.

Luke only has one hand and, being a six-year-old, his body is growing too fast for him to bother with getting a wired-in prosthesis the way he could as an adult. He can get a more basic prosthesis, but nothing that attaches to the neurons. He’ll outgrow it too fast.

He’s tiny and he’s not used to doing things with just one hand. He uses the Force to do what one hand can't, and every time someone tries to tell him he's misusing the Force he whaps them with the empty sleeve.

So, you know, they find out what year it is. Ben has a breakdown. Luke is upset that he left behind his friends. Ben admits to him that Leia was his twin. Luke stares in horror because dude, she kissed him, you couldn’t have mentioned this earlier???

Ben points out that Beru and Owen were keeping Luke away from him for nineteen years, and then they had about three days of awkward travel to find Leia in the first place, and then Ben died. He didn’t have a whole lot of time to figure out how to tell him.

(This sparks an argument that lasts several days. All onlookers assume that Ben’s son is throwing a tantrum. He doesn’t correct them, even though this is a very valid reason to be upset, because the truth is much harder to explain.)

Sooooo they travel. Mostly, Ben plays Sabacc, cleans house, and pays their way towards Coruscant. Luke still really wants to learn to be a Proper Jedi, even though Ben is pretty sure that Luke would have... a lot of difference of opinion with the Temple, but sure. Coruscant. They can at least stop by, and see Qui-Gon, and Mace, and Quinlan, and Bant, and everyone else that’s still alive and not tragically deceased in the horror following the start of the Clone Wars and then the birth of the Empire, and Ben can have a nice sob over all his dead friends being alive again.

Ben is only barely holding it together while Luke is in the room with him at any given point. But it’s fine! It’s fine. He’s fine. All of his loved ones have come back to life! It’s great! HE’S FINE.

He is not fine.

Luke is also grieving all the people who haven’t been born yet, but he’s... significantly more okay than Ben is.

The closer they get to the Core, the more often people just assume Ben is Luke’s father, and then look shocked and uncomfortable when Luke flatly calls him by his name, and they just... compromise. This is the point at which Luke starts calling him “Uncle Ben.”

Ben cries in his bunk later that night. Luke overhears it and wonders how the HELL Ben is more unstable now, when there’s a chance to fix things and no Vader or Empire trying to kill or capture both of them, and all his friends are alive.

(Luke will later learn a lot about PTSD and realize this is actually a fairly normal situation, to process significant events and emotions only after gaining safety or catharsis.)

(Twenty years on a ball of sand with an alcohol addiction and debilitating fear of the man you raised as your own brother is not, in fact, safe or cathartic.)

At any rate, they’ve settled into that pattern by the time they reach the Inner Rim. The Inner Rim is the part of the galaxy at which they’ve collected enough money (and mental stability) to travel a little better, and to take a few more risks.

Risks like “manipulate people with those baby blues.”

Ben tells Luke that he’s a menace, after he pouts so cutely that he gets a free scarf added on to a purchase that Ben makes. Luke responds that Ben has no room to talk, since he flirted a free breakfast out of that one inn owner.

Also, Luke is currently physically six. That is objectively a situation that sucks. He deserves to use it for all it’s worth if he’s stuck like this.

“You know, if you keep wearing all-black and looking longingly at the velvet cape and Space Chanel boots, the temple is going to worry that you’re a darksider.”

“Uncle Ben... you told me, yesterday, that I sparkle so brightly in the Force that it’s almost blinding.”

“Yes, but the gloves--”

They don’t agree on this, but Ben relents. He does actually understand good fashion, unfortunately, and he’s not unaware of how much Leia taught Luke about such things.

Luke’s about forty years ahead of the curve, of course, but Skywalkers are prone to such things. It’s usually in regards to technology, granted, but...

They get to Coruscant. Ben is very obviously a Jedi. He knows all the right words and walks like a Soresu master and feels warm and comforting in the Force. They let him in with minimal questions. They note down “my first padawan left the order to have a child, but died shortly after; I consider Luke here to be my nephew, and have raised him as such,” and move on.

Luke is vaguely annoyed because he already had an uncle (and aunt) that raised him, but he admits that a person can have more than one uncle. He can live with this. Ben was more family to Anakin than Owen was, in some ways, so it’s kind of true. Luke is even working on feeling more childish affection for Ben instead of the complicated mess of emotions that come from being lied to about some very large and important subjects, and then seeing the person saying those lies have regular emotional breakdowns due to something as small as Luke saying he likes the curve of the hull on that freighter.

(Apparently he sounds just like his father did as a child. This is almost heartwarming.)

The thing is! The thing. The thing is, they almost make it to the Halls of Healing to get looked over for weird viruses, or Outer Rim Parasites, or whatever the hells needs to be happening. They almost make it without Ben having a flashback to dead younglings or brainwashed troopers or the declaration of a Sith Empire. They almost make it without incident.

Then Ben sees Qui-Gon, and freezes, and does not move again.

Luke cannot get him to restart.

People are staring.

They haven’t even made it to Medical, Uncle Ben, come on.

Young, local Obi-Wan comes over and asks if there’s something he can do to help. Or maybe this “Ben” knows Qui-Gon? Master Jinn doesn’t recognize Ben, but maybe Luke knows more?

Luke does know more, but what Luke actually says is “he probably needs a mind healer.”

(Ben will not appreciate this.)

(Ben is unfortunately standing in the middle of the hallway and completely unresponsive, and is unable to argue with this assertion.)

(Ben is pretty much proving this assertion entirely correct, actually.)

Obi-Wan is helpful, if a little bitchy in the manner of most late-teens individuals, and offers to help get Uncle Ben down to the Halls of Healing. It involves Obi-Wan gently pushing on Ben’s shoulders, and Qui-Gon offering to carry Luke so he can be in Ben’s sights (because Ben is a Mystery, and Qui-Gon is quite fond of those, so he wants to stay involved). Ben kind of just... shuffles on down.

There are medical tests. They ask about how Luke lost his hand. He refuses to talk about it. They ask how Ben got all his scars. Luke says he doesn’t know. They ask if he knows why Ben looks like he’s been through a war. Luke says it’s because he probably was.

They check for foreign viruses. They find evidence of thus-far-unpatented vaccinations. They ask Luke if he knows what he’s vaccinated for.

“How would I know? I’m six.”

They agree that this is a good excuse.

(It is not. He’s lying. They do not know this.)

They do some more tests. They find a lot of questionable medical bullshit in Ben’s body. Most of this is from the clone wars, but they don’t know this. Someone realizes they haven’t gotten a ping back from the Shadow Network regarding “do we have permission to pull the medical file of a Jedi that isn’t in the normal database? We’re assuming you know who he is, since we don’t.”

The Shadow Network does not know who Ben is.

The healers, of course, go “huh, that’s weird, but maybe the name he gave his nephew was fake. We can’t exactly ask ‘Ben’ for more details right now. We already had to sedate him. Let’s check the DNA!”

The DNA pulls up as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The padawan who brought this guy in two hours ago.

“Huh, that’s weird. Let’s call in Kenobi and ask if he knows what’s going on.”

Obi-Wan absolutely does not know what’s going on.

They ask Luke.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he says, lying through his teeth and not even pretending otherwise.

“You’re not a very good liar,” teenage Obi-Wan tells him.

“I’m not trying to be,” Luke says. “Can you get Master Yoda? I feel like we’re going to need him.”

They normally wouldn’t get Yoda on the request of a six-year-old, but they also normally don’t have a catatonic thirty-something Jedi who looks like he’s been through a war popping up in the medical database as the pimply teenage padawan that broke his pinky trying to do a Badass Ataru Flip last week.

Or... whatever Luke i... is... oh dear.

“Young one,” Qui-Gon asks, while people whisper-shout behind him, not realizing he’s cutting the Correlian Knot and just asking the kid himself. “Do you know why your midichlorian count is so high? It’s almost unheard of.”

“Uncle Ben said my dad was the Chosen One,” Luke says, because he is capable of being a little shit and is actually really eager to let Ben deal with some of the fallout. He feels for the man, really, but he’s also tired of being the one to field every single question.

Also, the expressions that pass on Qui-Gon’s face are hilarious.

(Luke may or may not be more affected by his six-year-old brain than he would like to admit.)

“Thank you,” Qui-Gon says, sounding more than a little strangled about it.

It takes another three hours for Ben to wake up.

He listens to the questions. He hears what they say his ‘nephew’ said. He looks at Luke.

“Is this revenge for not telling you about Leia?”

“It’s not revenge,” Luke does not lie. “I just don’t know how to explain it.”

“It’s pretty easy to explain.”

“It’s not my secret.”

“This is revenge for the Leia thing.”

“No,” Luke says. “Revenge for the Leia thing was when I ate a live frog in front of you.”

This is the point at which someone interrupts and points out that they appear to be stalling.

“Oh, he is,” Luke tells them. He gestures at Ben. “I can’t tell you more, because it’s more his story than mine.”

“I’m afraid, Master, that I am very likely to have an emotional breakdown if I allow myself to consider the reality of this situation for longer than the fraction of a second I already have,” Ben reports, full of false cheer. “Suffice to say, I am far from stable and have only held out this far for Luke’s sake.”

“Can you explain why you have my DNA?” Obi-Wan asks, as the person who’s most concerningly involved in this situation.

“You can,” Ben says, smiling like there is absolutely nothing wrong in the slightest, ever. “I’m you, from the future. I actually died and spent a few years dead before coming back. I’m not sure why I’m younger than I was when I died, but I appreciate being able to put on my shoes without my knees attempting to mutiny.”

“He needs a mind healer,” Luke reiterates, in case the strained grin hasn’t made it clear. “So do I, but not as much.”

“I have felt literally every person in this Temple save for Luke and Yoda die,” Ben reports, looking a shade more manic than a few seconds earlier. “It’s very overwhelming to feel you all being alive again. I may be approaching a mental breakdown, and I’ve been rather strictly advised against using alcohol to treat my traumas again.”

Luke kicks him in the thigh. It’s not a very hard kick, because he is very small, and he does actually like Ben. “I’m not letting you turn into an old drunk again.”

After several seconds of silence, a healer quietly suggests that everyone clear the room, and asks if someone could fetch Master Yoda as the youngling requested.

(THIS IS ALMOST THREE THOUSAND WORDS. I started it less than two hours ago. Why am I like this.)

#Ben Kenobi #Obi Wan Kenobi #Luke Skywalker #Qui Gon Jinn #Time Travel #De Aging #Phoenix Posts #Uncle Ben and Little Luke

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katyasrussianaccent · 3 years

Text

you’re so golden (corpse x reader)

Summary: You’re a faceless youtuber that sings cover songs. What happens when a certain faceless streamer slides into your DMs after you cover one of his songs?

Authors note: Part 3 whoop! I havent written fic in 3 years so Im hoping this is okay. Its about 4000 words, super long, sorry. I also dont play Among Us, but hopefully its not too obvious. Lemme know what you think!

You're nervous, though you aren’t quite sure why. The kind of nervousness that spreads to your feet, causing you to tap your toes against the side of your sofa.

Call you in 15.

You look at the message again, staring at it till the screen goes blurry. Rubbing your eyes you exhale into the emptiness of your apartment; a feeble attempt at calming yourself down.

Logically it’s stupid to be nervous over a phone call. Logically you know that in the grand scheme of the universe, there are bigger things at hand. But you’re not a logical person, never have been. You’re all heart and emotion, both a blessing and a curse. There’s something intimate about a phone call, to have nothing but someone’s voice on the other end of the phone, talking to you and only you. It was a little scary; to think your purely online friendship with Corpse was going to be taken to a different level. You’re excited to think what that could mean.

“Fucking get it together,” you mutter to no-one as you exhale again, because there’s nothing else to do other than to wait and try to breath. There’s this frantic energy about you; like when you eat fizzy sweets, the flavour buzzing on your tongue. Your ancestors used to hunt wolves and here you were nervous over a single phone call.

The silence in your apartment’s too much now; too noisy. You grab your TV remote, clicking onto Spotify to find something. You’re scrolling so much, none of the artists feeling quite right for the moment before settling on Sufjan Stevens.

The dulcet tones fill the space, and for a brief second, you feel fine. You’re feeling relaxed and then your phone lights up.

Incoming Facetime Audio

“Fuckfuckfuckfuck” you say. Your face feels warm, your heart quickens in your chest. You could just ignore it, say you’re not feeling too good and that would be that, you wouldn’t have to do this. But it’s Corpse, you like Corpse and you’re kind of friends.

You swipe to accept the call, and press the button for speaker.

“Hey,” you say, cringing at the meek tone your voice has taken on.

“Hey,” Corpse’s deep voice rumbles through your tiny speaker, distorting slightly and you press the volume button to turn it down a little.

There’s a beat of silence, a beat too long, and you already hate how awkward this is. You’re not great at social stuff, the concept of being a social butterfly is almost foreign to you. And it’s not because you dislike people, it’s just you hate this; the small talk, the awkwardness before you get comfortable and can hold an actual conversation.

You suddenly remember a tip from your customer service days. “How are you?” you ask, plastering on a grin so wide that it must look borderline demented. Thank god you’re single.

“I’m okay thanks, how are you?” he asks.

You lounge back against the soft cushions of the sofa, lifting the phone up to your mouth as you do so. “I’m good, excited to be taught by the Among Us master.”

He snorts in disdain. “Hardly a master.”

You chew your lip before you speak again, “I dunno, people on the internet think you’re pretty good.”

He snorts again, and you smile at the sound. It’s not something you’ve heard from him before, through your hours of watching his streams, you’ve become accustomed to his voice and the noises he makes. But this one seems to be new. And maybe it’s the weird, selfish part of you that likes to think he’s only ever made that sound for you. You shake the thought out of your head, because really? Getting happy over a snort is really such a ridiculous thing to do.

“People on the internet say a lot of things.”

“True, but sometimes they speak the truth,” you reply, moving to get more comfortable; tucking your feet under your thighs. You wonder what he’s doing right now as he talks to you, is he sitting down? Or is he lying on his bed; his head propped up with pillows? There’s a brief flash of yearning, of wanting to be there in the same room as him, but it disappears as quickly as it appeared so you ignore it.

“Hm. We’ll agree to disagree.”

“Okay, you’re the boss Mr Husband.”

He chuckles softly, and again, you smile. You can feel yourself getting annoyed with yourself; you’re acting like a child with a crush; smiling at the phone. All you needed now was a notebook that had Mrs YN Husband written all over it.

“You know if you keep calling me that, we’re gonna have to get married,” he says, his voice a little lower than it was before. You blink and cock your head to the side, looking at an imaginary camera like you’re in The Office. Did you say that out loud? Is he...flirting with you? Sure, you’re flirty over Twitter, but it’s Twitter, Twitter isn’t real. There’s a fluttery feeling in your stomach at the mere prospect that he might actually be flirting with you.

“I’d be the best wife you could ever get,” you shoot back. There’s a brief second of silence before he answers, and you can hear shuffling on the other end. You want to ask what he’s doing, but you know it would break the conversation, and you’re curious to see where this goes.

“Oh really? And why’s that?” he asks, and you can picture the smirk in his voice. You have no idea what he looks like, no real care about it either, but you bet he’s got a beautiful smile. You bite your tongue before it tells him this, for once your brain actually works and stops you from making a fool out of yourself. It’s incredibly strange, how quickly he puts you at ease without a try, he’s just so naturally comforting. He’s not this flashy persona, he’s just a guy who likes to play video games and happens to be kinda good at them. And also has a voice that is literally like chocolate. Not just chocolate; dark chocolate. If dark chocolate could talk, it would sound like Corpse.

“Cos your girl can cook,” you say proudly, puffing out your chest a little. And that’s not a lie, you can cook. Okay, you’re not a Michelin starred chef, but you feel quite confident in the fact that Gordon Ramsey could eat your food, and probably (hopefully) wouldn’t scream that it was “fucking raw”.

“And what would you cook for me?” he asks.

You hum in thought for a second. “You’ll have to marry me first to find that out.”

He laughs, a proper laugh that settles in your stomach, spreading warmth through your chest. “I’ll think about it. I can hear music, what are you listening to?”

You straighten up a little, the question catching you off guard. You bite the inside of your cheek as you look at the song that’s playing. It’s not his type of music, you’re almost positive about that. You almost don’t want to tell him out of embarrassment. You’re not sure why you feel embarrassed; you know Corpse isn’t an asshole, he wouldn’t make fun of you. But music is so personal to you, so personal, it’s like baring a piece of your soul; which sounds so fucking cliche, but it’s true.

“Uhhh...It’s called Make out in My Car by Sufjan Stevens,” you reply.

He hums in affirmation. “It sounds nice; from what I can hear.”

“I can turn it up?” you ask, leaning forward to grab the remote off the coffee table.

“You could always sing some for me,” he offers.

You laugh a little, scrunching up your nose. “And why would I do that?”

“I thought you wanted to get married. You have to woo me,” he replies.

“Woo you?” you ask, your tone incredulous. This isn’t how you pictured the conversation going.

“Yeah. Woo me, yn.” he says, dragging out the “o” causing you to laugh again.

You sigh dramatically. “I haven’t warmed up or anything, it’s gonna sound so bad” you warn as you put the song to the beginning.

“I’m sure you sound great. Go ahead, woo me.”

You shake your head as you softly sing. “I'm not trying to go to bed with you, I just wanna make out in my car. And though I'm dying to fall in love with you, I just wanna make out in my car”. You stop and you’re suddenly very aware that you have essentially just serenaded him. Good going, brain.

It’s silent for a beat too long, and the smile that graced your lips starts to fade as the embarrassment starts to set in.

“Well now we definitely have to get married,” he affirms. And there’s that fluttery feeling again.

You swallow, moving the conversation swiftly onto Among Us. You grab your laptop that was next to you, humming in acknowledgement as he walks you through downloading it.

“So there’s a few of us joining us tonight, it should be really fun.”

“Oh. It’s not just us two?” you ask. You focus on the download, watching the number increase. You’re nervous at the prospect of playing with other people, strangers, for the first time.

“No, it’s a 4 player minimum. We’re going to stream as well.”

“Corpse…” you start. You begin to pick at the skin around your nails, a habit you do whenever you get really anxious. This was meant to just be a cute moment where you learnt how to play a game, not a big event where people would be actually watching you, judging your every move.

“We’re going to do a few games off stream with you, you don’t need to be there for the stream after if you don’t want to,” he interrupts.

“Okay,” you trail off, your teeth biting down on your bottom lip. You feel a little better, but not by much. You didn’t know who the other people were, what if they hated you? You ask this out loud.

“I’ll be there. You know Rae and Sykkuno. Felix, Sean and Toast will be there but they’re super nice, I promise.” His voice is sincere, and it soothes you. You don’t know him, not really know him, but you trust Corpse. You know he has his own struggles, and you believe his promise; he wouldn’t screw you over or put you in a situation you were uncomfortable with.

The rest of the call is him taking you through how to play and how to set up something called Proximity Chat so everyone can talk to each other in the game. He says it’s easier once you actually play, and it doesn’t sound particularly hard quite honestly, you just hope you don’t get imposter on the first try because you’re not the greatest liar.

The game screen pops up, and you type in the code that Corpse gives you. You say goodbye to Corpse, who tells you to text him if you need any help. You drop into the game lobby, and you look at the little astronaut. There’s no time to dwell as a cacophony of voices hits you.

“YN!” Rae screeches and you chuckle at her enthusiasm. You’ve known Rae for a few years now, you met at college and had become fast friends. Though you had many different interests - gaming for one, you considered her your best friend. Rae was the type of friend where you didn’t need to talk every single day, you could message her a week later and it would be like no time had passed at all. And you loved that, sometimes you just didn’t want to talk to anyone. Sometimes your mood wasn’t the best, and you needed a little time to recharge. And she understood that, something that you were eternally grateful for.

“Raebies!” you screech back, using your “pet” name for her.

“I’ve been trying to get you to play forever. But Mr Smooth Operator over there slides into your DMs and suddenly you’re a gamer now?”

“It sounds so sordid when you say it like that,” you reply.

“Hi yn! Glad to see you playing with us,” Sykkuno says. You greet him and the others, making sure to say hi to everyone in the game. You didn’t want to start off by being accidentally rude. You listen as everyone talks amongst each other, and you talk when spoken to, but you aren’t interjecting. It wasn’t anything against the other players, it was just a little overwhelming, and you were figuring out what everyone was like.

“Hello,” Corpse’s voice interrupts your train of thought and you greet him along with everyone else.

“Aw, I wanted purple,” you say, frowning at Corpse’s name above the astronaut.

“We can switch,” he replies.

“No it’s o -” you start to speak before you realise he’s already switched to white. “Thank you, you didn’t have to.” You smile as you switch to purple, and you decide to add a flower for a little pizzazz.

“It’s your first game, I’ll kill you if I get imposter so it’ll even out,” he jokes and everyone laughs. The countdown begins and you puff your cheeks out, exhaling as it gets to 1. You’re nervous again, a seemingly common theme of the night. Your shoulders relax as the word CREWMATE flashes across the screen.

You watch as everyone but Corpse disperses from the cafeteria with haste, and you look at the keyboard to press the buttons to move.

“You ever see an old person text? That’s how I’m picturing you right now,” Corpse says as you walk together to Weapons.

“Shut up Sonny,” you reply in your best old woman voice, getting a laugh. You open up the task, shooting the Asteroids with ease. “Yay, I completed a task!”

“Good job,” Corpse replies, and you beam at the praise. You move down to o2, doing your task while Corpse does his.

“Wait, you could be imposter right? How would I know?” you ask as you walk together to Navigation.

“You wouldn’t, you just have to trust me,” he says, his voice full of charm.

You scowl. “Well that just makes me not want to trust you.”

Before he replies, there’s a blaring alarm. DEAD BODY REPORTED. You blink at the suddenness; you were really enjoying the relaxing pace of the game. You look at the screen; Felix has been killed.

“Who found the body?” Corpse asks.

“I did,” Rae answers. “I was in admin, and was going to lower engine and it was there in storage.”

“If you were in admin, why didn’t you go up through Cafeteria?” Toast asks.

“Because it’s quicker to go through storage,” Rae replies. They argue between themselves, and you listen intently and silently. It’s a lot of information, you can’t tell whose lying, but you guess that’s what makes a good player.

“Where were you yn?” Sean quizzes, and it takes you a second to realise you’re being spoken to.

“Oh. I was in um o2?”

“You don’t sound too sure there, pretty sus,” he says. Your face heats up a little, you’re not the imposter, but it feels like you are.

“She was in o2 and then we went to Navigation,” Corpse answers, and you breathe out as he takes on the interrogation.

“Oh you were together?” Rae asks, and you know that tone she’s got. It’s the tone that says she’ll be messaging you right away.

“Well yeah, it’s her first game, I’m not gonna leave her alone,” he says and you smile at that.

“Yeah we’ve been together the whole time,” you add and it’s left at that. No-one votes anyone out, since no-ones really too suspicious. You carry on the game, and you find yourself really enjoying it, though the questioning part is kind of stressful. You can see why Corpse likes it so much, it’s really fun. You’re in electrical, humming as you do your task when Rae comes next to you.

“Hey,” you greet her.

“I’m sorry, nothing personal,” she replies. Before you have a chance to say a word, she kills you and you look on in shock as your ghost floats above your body. You listen into the meeting as Rae continues to lie and plead her case. She’s good, but Corpse knows better.

“Wait, you said you found her in electrical and you were where?”

“I was in Upper Engine, and then I went to electrical to do my task,” Rae answers, her voice even and calm.

“I was in Lower Engine, and I didn’t see you,” Corpse says, and you grin at the fact Rae’s been found out. That’s what she gets for killing you.

“You were doing your task, I passed right by you,” Rae starts. She pleads her case, but it’s too late and she’s voted out.

“That was so much fun!” you declare. “I can see why you guys play it all the time.”

“Yes! We have converted another!” Felix shouts in victory.

“And all it took was Corpse,” Rae mutters sarcastically.

“Don’t get bitter Rachel, just get better,” you reply, causing the group to laugh.

You get the hang of it after a few games, and find yourself agreeing to stay while the others stream, though you decide against it yourself. You’ve only streamed once by yourself, and it was a very casual affair and you don’t want to feel too much pressure while you enjoy yourself. You know that Corpse gets nervous when he streams and he’s been doing it for so much longer, so you can only imagine how nervous you would be.

You tap your fingernails against the keyboard as the lobby counts down, any previous nerves have been replaced with excitement.

IMPOSTER flashes across. You’re the only one, your astronaut looks lonely on the screen by itself, and the red letters almost taunt you.

“Shit,” you mutter as your brain goes into overdrive. What was it Corpse had said before? Not to be too obvious. You don’t kill immediately, instead going at your previous pace to not look too suspicious. You were still fairly new to the game, and you were going to use that to your advantage.

You fake your task in Cafeteria before venting over to Navigation where Toast was.

“Hi Toast!” you greet, coming to stand next to him as you pretend you’re doing the task.

“Oh hey yn,” he says. It doesn’t seem like he suspects you, and you’re not quite sure when to click the Kill button. You do it anyway before running out and going down and into shields. There’s adrenaline running through you as the dead body’s reported and you crack your knuckles before putting on your game face. You were going to play dumb, play the confused newbie - because to them, that’s what you were.

“YN, where were you?” Corpse asks. Fuck. Maybe you weren’t going to get away with this.

You twiddle your hair as you draw out your words, playing the role perfectly. “Uhm I was in...shields? I think that’s what it’s called. I was in the cafeteria before that though.”

“Wait, you couldn’t have, I was in weapons. I would have seen you,” Sykkuno says.

You open your mouth to talk. “She could have vented,” Felix comments, and the rest of the group starts to agree.

“Guys, I don’t even know what venting is. I literally just started playing,” you point out, giggling.

“That’s true,” Rae agrees and you knew there was a reason you loved her.

“Bullshit! She’s playing you with her “oh I don’t know how to play” schtick,” Felix proclaims.

“Aw, that’s kind of rude, Felix. I’m just enjoying the game, doing the tasks,” you say, pouting a little. He’s the next on your list.

Everyone skips the vote and you lean over your laptop, ready for the next round. You were going to win this. You kill Rae and Toast next, and yet again, manage to worm your way out of any suspicion. You can sense that Corpse and Felix are starting to get suspicious of you, and you know you need to bring out the big guns to throw them off.

You catch Sykkuno in Med Bay after checking the cams in Security.

“Hi yn!” he greets, and you almost feel guilty as you kill him. He’s so sweet and innocent, but unfortunately, casualties are a given. You pass Felix as he comes out of reactor and it’s only a matter of time before you’ll have to talk your way out of this one again.

“I passed yn as I came out of reactor,” Felix shouts with a hint of glee.

You roll your eyes; this is going to be tough. “Yeah I came from Upper Engine, I was finishing part 2 of a task.”

“I was in Electrical, where was the body?” Corpse asks.

“Med Bay. And the only one that could’ve been there was yn,” Felix starts.

“Well no, you could have passed me and killed Sykkuno then self reported,” you reply. “I think you can do that right?”

Corpse hums in agreement. “Oh come on! She’s being really sus,” Felix argues.

“You are being a little sus yn,” Corpse comments.

“Corpse. You don’t really think it’s me do you?” You decide to lower your voice a little, your tone sweet but sultry. “You only taught me like an hour ago, there’s no way I’d be able to fool everybody so quickly.” You get close to the mic so it’s like you’re speaking only to Corpse. “Remember what I said? You’re a master at this.” You’re laying it on thick, and for a brief second you think you’ve been too over the top.

“This is difficult,” Corpse says, and you see the seconds count down, your heartbeat starts to quicken.

“Corpse, stop being a fucking simp and vote her out!” Felix demands.

“Corpsie baby,” you drawl out and you smile in success as you hear him sigh, almost shakily. You’ve got this in the bag. The victory screen flashes up and you cheer.

“Fuck yeah!” you shout, patting yourself on the back. You laugh as you exhale the breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“Good game yn!” Sykkuno comments, the others agreeing.

“Not fair, you used your womanly wiles against Corpse,” Felix says.

“Gotta use them for something. Not my fault Corpse knows where his allegiance lies,” you reply laughing a little.

You stretch, your back crying out in pain from being hunched over so long. You let out a long, loud moan of relief as you straighten your spine, your shoulders relaxing as you move from side to side.

“Your mic’s not muted” Corpse points out, clearing his throat. You feel your stomach drop and your face instantly becomes hot. Shit.

“Oh. Uh. I totally forgot about that,” you say, forcing out a chuckle. You screw your eyes shut, any happiness has been now replaced by red hot shame. “So this was fun, uh, really fun, but um, I’m gonna, I’m gonna go. So...yeah. Bye guys, have fun!”

You click to exit without giving anyone a chance to say a word, and drop your head into your hands.

“Can’t wait to see what they say on Twitter about this,” you mutter into your hands.

TAGLIST (if youre bold, it wont let me tag): @teenageguitarist @fanworrior @cherry-piee @mirahg @clara-bee @cookinglovingalien @vir-tual @clubfairy @youretheonlyonewhomakesme @more-like-reyna @boiled-onionrings @moneybagmgk @brendalopez99 @delicateavenuenacho @dreamsofficialwife @hydrate-tion @little-red02

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