#the night before christmas headers

[leclerc-hs]

ever heard of casual? - cl16

pairing: charles leclerc x nanny!reader (fem) summary: in which true feelings are kind of shown between charles and his daughter's nanny warnings: basically smut with some plot (LOL), bad french(please correct me), not proofread, 18+!!!! word count: 1,795 author's note: i really enjoyed doing the instagram au the other day so i wanted to include some of that into part 2!!! face claim is Hailey Bieber (you can picture nanny!reader however you want I just love Hailey so I'm sorry if you don't LOL). Also not kidding like single dad Charles got me in a HEADLOCK. also this is my Christmas gift to y’all 🤍 feel free to message me your thoughts!!! I love feedback and hearing from you all

part 2 to THIS (nanny series)

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yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, yourbsf, lorenzotl, and 56,318 others yourusername a day well spent view all 2,376 comments leclerc_pascale tu es tellement adorable! bring her over now! yourusername on our way! user omg pascale commenting user I'm crying user i wish i could have her life charles_leclerc ❤️ user omg a heart?!!!??? user chill its prob for his daughter user a bit unprofessional if they date anyways yourbsf can't wait to see you tmrw! liked by yourusername

yourusername

liked by yourexbf, yourbsf, charles_leclerc, and 62,122 others yourusername got milk? view all 3,765 comments user i'm fucking screaming user she is so fucking hot. idk how charles handles it user she's not that pretty relax user does she ever even work? how is she able to be doing this user her life is a vacation yourbsf I'm DROOOOLING yourexbf 🥛🍼🐮 user isn't this her ex boyfriend? user are they back together? user did you see her friends stories? they looked cozy 👀 user i hope so. that means she wouldn't be with Charles user she is the nanny of his daughter! leave her alone!! charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, lorenzotl, and 1,465,718 others charles_leclerc a tough few races but we gave it all we got. excited to be back home to see my girls! @vistajet view all 4,186 comments user girlS?!?? plural!!!!!! leclerc_pascale time for a haircut user LMAO user wtf girls? does he mean @/yourusername?? yourusername she's requesting you to play the piano asap!! liked by charles_leclerc and 5,392 others charles_leclerc looks like i'll have to teach you for when I'm away user OMGGGG user not him wanting to teach her piano!!!

yourbsf posted a story!

seen by arthur_leclerc, lilymhe, charles_leclerc, and 12,471 others tagged yourusername, yourexbf

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, yourexbf, landonorris, and 66,817 others yourusername about last night..... view all 1,329 comments landonorris date me please? charles_leclerc get out of her comments user LANDO SIMPING PUBLICLY user she def has most of the grid in a chokehold user CHARLES LMAO user but where is charles daughter? yourexbf such a fun night liked by charles_leclerc user they gotta be fucking or something user charles liking this. hELPPP leclerc_pascale a night deserved!

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THE ENSUING WEEKS unfolded in a hazy cascade, a whirlwind of experiences that blurred the boundaries of time. The dynamics with Charles remained poised, neither veering into awkwardness nor undergoing discernible alterations – an equilibrium that suited you perfectly. After all, you hadn’t harbored expectations of a budding relationship; rather, this interlude seemed more akin to an itch that required gentle satisfaction.

Well, it wasn’t altered, aside from the handful of orgasms he gave you before his departure for races. It felt as though the barrier between you both had fissured and ruptured beyond control, an unstoppable force. But you told yourself to keep it casual.

With Charles traveling the past few weeks for a triple header, the atmosphere between the two of you has gracefully sidestepped any foray into weighty matters. Interactions have been modest, primarily of facetimes with his daughter, and lighthearted banter via text messages. Aside from the one late night desperate and needy facetime call you had last week.

Yesterday marked a noteworthy occasion as, for the initial time in the span of weeks, you relished an entire day and evening in the company of all your friends. Pascale, in all her wisdom, insisted you merited a respite from the role of caregiver and assured that she will handle the little one for you.

A day immersed in sun and sea with close friends proved to be a much-needed respite from the past few weeks. This was complemented by an evening at the club, where pulsating beats, lively dance floors, and contagious laughter wove together, leaving behind a lasting sense of euphoria.

So, when you arrive to Charles’ apartment ready for a fun and relaxing day with him and his daughter for the first time since he left, you’re surprised to find Charles swinging the door open before you could even reach for the handle. You’re also surprised to find out that his daughter isn’t even here, and that she is still at Pascale’s.

“Où étais-tu?” Where have you been? His question was quick and short as he pulled you into the apartment, shutting the door behind you. You barely made two steps before his hand was gripping your hand, pulling you down the hall to his bedroom.

“Que veux-tu dire?” What do you mean? You were confused but didn’t refuse his touch as he pushed you to sit on the edge of his bed. “Content de te voir aussi.” Nice to see you too. Recognizing a hint of sarcasm in your tone, you conclude that adopting a bratty attitude probably wasn’t the wisest choice, especially given his apparent sour mood. 

He began restlessly pacing within the room, the muscles of his arms visible as he crossed his arms tightly over his chest in a display of frustration.

“Où est ma fille?” Where is my daughter? He was fully aware of his provocative tone. He possessed the knowledge of his daughter’s whereabouts, yet he seemed intent on provoking confrontation, eager to witness any response that might momentarily suppress the burgeoning jealousy within his chest. 

You found his accusatory tone unsettling, especially given the fact that you would never put his daughter in harm’s way. “Pascale’s. You know this.” You fought the urge to roll your eyes at him as he stood directly in front of you, a sinister gleam in his eyes as he finally made eye contact with you.

“How s’est pasée ta soirée?” How was your night? He knelt between your legs, eyes meeting yours at the same level, jaw tightly clenched. His two hands rested on each leg, fingers pressing into the skin of your thighs.

It wasn’t until then that it clicked. His behavior, all because of your night out. He knew of your ex-boyfriend from social media, but you never fully had a talk regarding him. Because why would you? This was all still very new. 

Navigating the relationship of you and your ex-boyfriend proved to be intricate, primarily owing to the longstanding history you shared since diapers. Originating as childhood best friends, a mutual decision was made to preserve the amicable bond even after the breakup. Given your shared history and overlapping friend group, the decision to maintain a friendship, sparing both parties the discomfort of awkwardness.

His hands slowly traced up the inside of your thighs, his fingers instantly contacting your lace covered center, thanks to the short, pleated skirt that adorned your body.

“Tu as passé un bon moment, hm?” Did you have a nice time? His tone was mocking. You felt yourself at a loss of words as his fingers slipped past your underwear, his thumb pressing circles directly to your clit.

You nodded slowly, delusional from how good his fingers felt on you. His other hand reached for the band of your underwear, pulling them off until they piled at your feet. His thumb, not easing up on your heated center. You let out a soft moan, leaning back on your two hands, as he pushed two fingers into you. His eyes, purely focused on watching his fingers slide in and out of you, wet and slick. 

“Rien à dire?” Nothing to say? His fingers sped up, your stomach clenching as you arched your back in complete pleasure. 

“I’m gon—fuck,” You couldn’t get complete words out. Every time you went to talk, his fingers assault on you would increase, leaving you nothing but a moaning mess on the edge of his bed.

He pulled his fingers completely out of you, letting you scream in frustration as he edged you. 

“Did you fuck him?” His words cut sharply, and the green of his eyes almost appeared black with intensity. Despite the anger he conveyed, a discernible undercurrent of vulnerability permeated his questions. It made your heart clench.

“No,” you were quick to answer. “Je ne ferais pas ça!” I wouldn’t do that!

His eyebrows furrowed as he slid his fingers back into you with urgency. “You sure?”

“Yes!” His fingers were quickly back on you, the need that bubbled deep in your stomach ready to tip over.  

It wasn’t until he shoved his head between your legs, his tongue replacing his thumb, and pressing it flat to your clit, that you were careening forward with a cry.

The assault of his tongue didn’t let up until you were pulling him by the hair on the back of his head, his mouth leaving your clit with a ‘pop’ noise. His lips were glistening as he brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking on them. 

“Tellement bien,” So good. He moaned with his eyes shut as he sucked you off his fingers, your eyes purely focused on his mouth and the hollows of his cheeks. 

Before you could even relax, he was scooping you up and flipping you over onto your stomach, and bunching your skirt high up on your waist. A harsh smack of your butt echoed off the walls of the bedroom.

“I should fuck the salope out of you,” his voice was deep with need as you heard the unzip of his jeans from behind you. His hands pressed your face into the mattress, nearly suffocating you, as he nudges his cock through your folds. But you didn’t care, the pleasure was too good.

He slid into you easily, your saturated walls slick from your previous orgasm. The burning stretch of his cock had you cry out a muffled yelp into the mattress. “Gonna take all of me, hm?”

You agree feverently, nodding your head repeatedly with a moan. “These weeks were too long huh?” He droned on, talking you through it. “Even our facetime the other night wasn’t enough?”

Thoughts of your facetime the other night surface back quickly as his hips pound into you. How you both were so needy. How he was able to make you come on your fingers just by the sound of his voice. How he commanded your body even from thousands of miles away. Yes, that’s it. Cum all over your fingers like the good girl you are.

He felt your walls clench down on him so tightly, he groaned. “The thought of fingering yourself gets you that hot and bothered?” Another harsh slap to your butt.

You begin to cry out almost pathetically, your fingers gripping onto the sheets tightly. You turn your head, Charles hands sliding from the back of your hair to your neck, still weighing you down.

“S’il te plait,” Please. You’re begging. 

“Wish I could bring you – Mon dieu – wish I could bring you with me wherever I go,” his heavy breaths were heard in between each word, as if he was struggling to keep any self-control he had left.

“But I can’t,” his voice sounds angry again. “Wouldn’t be able to leave you, can’t look at you without wanting to fuck you stupid,” He won’t shut up. Like he opened a door and can’t close it shut now. “Tu me rends fou,” Drive me crazy.

Your heart is clenching at his words. His words creating a mass of butterflies in your stomach. You can tell by the shutter of his last words that he’s close.

“Allons-y, ma cherie,” Let’s go. “That’s it,” he groans loudly as you clench around him, releasing all over him. He’s quick to pull out, releasing himself all over your backside, smearing it with the tip of his cock into you. 

He rolled over to the side of you, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath he took. The silence of the apartment was loud but comfortable as you both caught your breath.

“I don’t think I can do casual with you but I’ll try,” he mutters softly, one of his hands brushing your hair out of your face so you can truly look at him. His cheeks were rosy, the crinkles in his eyes from smiling apparent, and his hair so disheveled it made you clench your thighs together.

You roll onto your side, your hand gracing his cheek as you turn his head to look at you. “Me either,” you admit. Because truly, he was all that was ever on your mind. You didn’t want to have one foot in the door, one foot out. You wanted to be all in with him.

“Let’s just see where this goes, yeah?” He smiles, pulling you up onto his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around as your head dug into the crook of his neck. You placed gentle kisses to his neck, his Adam’s apple bobbing noticeably. 

You feel his length harden from underneath you again. To which, you lift your head to see him with a smirk fully spread on his lips. You furrow your eyebrows as if to say ‘really?’.

To which he responds, “Je t’ai dit.” I told you. “Tu me rends fou.” You drive me crazy.

[andvys]

I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss | part 7

Warnings: slight angst, reader and Eddie getting high together, mentions of cheating and break up's, mentions of bullying, reader and eddie are really affectionate with each other but it’s all platonic. mentions of drugs and alcohol, mentions of Eddie's abusive dad

Pairings: Steve Harrington x fem!cheerleader!reader , Steve Harrington x Nancy Wheeler

Summary: Eddie tells you about the night he found Steve at the hideout.

Word Count: 4.6k

A/N: well, I finally figured out how to make headers, let’s see if I will keep doing them haha

masterlist

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The room smells like hot chocolate, cinnamon and a hint of Eddie’s cologne. The mug on the table that was filled to the brim is now halfway empty. A box of Christmas cookies that your mom gave him when he came by last night is in between the two of you. He hasn’t stopped munching on them since you started the movie; Halloween. 

You couldn’t choose between Friday the 13th and Halloween so you let him pick. 

After you let your friends know that you were leaving, you and Eddie went to the diner to eat something before you went back to his trailer after renting a few movies at Family Video. 

“I can’t believe that this is your favorite movie,” Eddie says as he bites into the snowflake shaped cookie. 

You turn to look at him. He is still wearing the same clothes as before just like you. 

“Are you judging me?” You snort, swatting his arm. “You literally picked it.”

He chuckles and looks at you with a smirk, “I picked between the ones you chose.”

“You literally said that Halloween is one of your favorite movies!” 

He shrugs, chewing the cookie before he speaks up again, “maybe I lied.”

You roll your eyes and lean back, “so what’s your favorite movie then, master of dungeons?”

The nickname makes him chuckle, he turns his head away from the screen, “Halloween.” 

He laughs when you shake your head in disbelief, grabbing one of the pillows, you hit him with it, causing him to laugh harder. 

“Dork.” 

He snorts at you, “dork? What happened with the master of dungeons?” 

You lean closer to him and look into his eyes with a serious look on your face, “he turned into a massive dork.”

“If I’m a dork then what are you?” 

“A fairy witch,” you wink at him and reach for one of the cookies before you lean back. 

His eyes flash with amusement, his lips curl into a smile, “right,” he laughs, “is the fairy witch gonna stay over tonight?” 

You face him again, the cookie is still in your hand. There’s a knowing look in his eyes.

He knows your mom won’t be home tonight, she is working the night shifts this week and won’t be home until the morning. If there is one thing that Eddie had learned about you in the time you had become friends, is that you hate going to sleep when you are home alone, he doesn’t know why but he noticed your anxiety early on. He saw the tired look in your eyes in the mornings and he noticed how easily you would drift off to sleep when he came by after school to study. You would make up excuses when he’d ask you about it but he could see through you. 

He doesn’t know the reasoning behind your fears but he understands it. When he was a kid, he was restless, he struggled to sleep at nights because of his dad, who usually came home late after spending the night drinking or doing drugs. Whenever Eddie would hear the front door opening, his heart would start racing and he would be on high alert – his dad always picked fights with his mom and all Eddie ever wanted to do was to protect her. But he was just a kid and his dad was a violent man. 

Eddie couldn’t protect her. 

When he moved in with Wayne, nothing changed for the first few months. He kept staying up at nights – the anxiety and the fear that always lingered kept him up. Whenever he would fall asleep, nightmares would wake him up. He would hear the trailer door being slammed open, he would hear his mom screaming, his dad yelling and hitting things. Eddie would wake in cold sweat, he would jump up from the bed and run out of the room to stop his dad from hitting her only to realize that the trailer door never opened, his dad never came in and his mom would never be there again. 

He knows that you are struggling with something too but he would never push you to talk. He just wants to protect you. 

“We could watch Friday the 13th and y’know, share a joint.” 

You swallow. 

“You don’t mind me staying over?”

Eddie frowns at your question and shakes his head, “why would I ask if I minded you staying over? You know you’re always welcome here, sweetheart.” 

You smile at his words. Eddie always knows how to make you feel safe and comfortable. Heather and Chrissy make you feel that way too but it’s different with them. You love and appreciate them but there are things that you can’t say to them – not because you don’t trust them but because you wouldn’t be able to deal with their pitiful looks, it’s been bad enough already after he dumped you. 

You aren’t the only one who refuses to speak about certain things. You know that Chrissy has a secret, one that Heather is keeping safe from you. It hurts a little because a part of you is scared that it might have something to do with you. Why else would they keep a secret from their best friend?

“Then I’d love to stay the night.” 

He smiles, “cool.”

After you finish watching the movie, you carry the empty mugs and the box of cookies back into the kitchen. Eddie turns off the TV and reaches for the other movie tape before he leads you into his room. He turns on the small lamp on his nightstand and throws the tape on his bed. He walks over to his dresser and opens the top drawer. 

“You know, the joint you mentioned earlier…” you mumble as you let yourself fall on his bed, curiously staring at the handcuffs that remain a mystery to you. 

“You know, they should be calling you ‘the stoner’, not me,” he snorts. He turns back to you and hands you a shirt, he eyes you up and down, “here, that dress is pretty but it can’t be comfortable to sleep in,” he laughs. 

“How kind of you,” you chuckle. You unfold the shirt, your eyes widen a little, “isn’t that your favorite one?” 

He nods as he takes the chain around his neck off and places it on his nightstand. 

“My favorite girl gets my favorite shirt,” he says, ruffling your hair as he winks at you. 

You swat his hand away and laugh, “how many girls do you say that to, Eddie?” 

He raises his brows and places his hand on his chest, “you think I’m bringing home girls? Did you forget who I am?” He laughs, shaking his head. 

You furrow your brows. You drop the shirt on your lap and tilt your head to look at him. 

You and Eddie haven’t been friends for long but you feel comfortable with each other – comfortable enough for him to take his shirt off in front of you. He throws it over his chair, he stands there shirtless for a second, scratching the spot around his new tattoo. He is just your friend but you are not blind, Eddie is pretty in a way no other guy at school is – except for Steve.

“You’re saying that you don’t bring any girls home?” You ask as you carefully pull the straps of your dress down your arms before you put the shirt on. Too lazy to get up and change in the bathroom, you take the dress off after pulling the shirt down to your thighs. 

He puts on a black tank top and closes the drawer. “And no, I don’t bring any girls home. I’m a freak, nobody wants me.” 

“Don’t say that,” you frown. 

“Well, it’s the truth,” he chuckles as he drops down on the bed beside you after getting the pre rolled joint and a lighter, “girls don’t want me and honestly, I don’t care. I wouldn’t want to bring random girls home anyways.” 

You raise your brows in surprise, it makes him chuckle but his eyes flash with confusion. 

“What?” 

“You actually wouldn’t bring home girls?” You ask. “Like, not even if they were throwing themselves at you?”

“You mean if I was popular?” He snorts.

You nod.

He shakes his head, he scoots closer to you and offers you the joint. You take it in between your fingers and bring it up towards your mouth, wrapping your lips around it, you look at him expectedly, nudging your chin towards the lighter in his hand. He holds it up to the joint and flicks the lighter, holding the flame against the bud of the joint. You inhale and close your eyes. 

Eddie chuckles and pats your back when you open your eyes and exhale the smoke without coughing this time. 

“Like a real stoner.” 

“Shut up,” you chuckle and offer him the joint which he takes right away. He places it in between his lips and lies back, tucking his arm behind the pillow. He looks up at the ceiling and sighs after exhaling the smoke. For a moment, it’s silent between the two of you. 

You stand up and place your dress over the back of his chair after folding it. You turn on the TV before you plop back down on the bed. 

“I won’t lie to you, I’ve hooked up with uh – maybe three girls but they didn’t bother sticking around, they wouldn’t even look at me afterwards, they looked disgusted, every single one of them. I-I don’t know what I was thinking, I was hoping that it would be different each time but they were the same, all of them. The sex was good but uh I honestly don’t see the point of it if they don’t bother sticking around or if there’s no actual meaning behind it.”

Your heart breaks for him. You can imagine what he must have felt like when they treated him that way. You can see the sadness in his eyes, even when he tries to mask it. 

You scoot closer to him and reach for his hand, his eyes meet yours and he smiles at you. 

“You deserve better Eddie,” you whisper, squeezing his hand. “They were stupid cunts.” 

A laugh falls from his lips, he tries to mask the hurt in his eyes with amusement but you can see through him, just like he can see through you. 

“You know, Steve wouldn’t look at me either, sometimes. He just uh, he would fuck me, he would finish and then he would pass out. He rarely ever held me or kissed me, he almost never said ‘I love you’ either.”

Eddie frowns at your words. He isn’t shocked but he is angry. 

“It hurt so bad because I loved him so much and all I wanted was for him to just hold me and tell me that he loves me but he didn’t and it made me overthinking everything,” you mumble as you blink the tears away, “and then there was Tommy who always said how men need new partners all the time, how they get bored with their girlfriends and I was praying that that wasn’t the case for Steve, that the reason why he never held me or kissed me was because he was just bad at being affectionate and romantic but then he agreed with what he said even though I was right there and it uh, it hurt, really fucking bad. I kinda lied to myself though, I kept telling myself that he did love me, that he didn’t get bored with me but then he left me for her and he changed for her so uh, I figured that Tommy was right all along.” 

Eddie scoffs, he shakes his head at your words, “that’s not true, sweetheart.”

“It’s not?” You ask as you look back up at him. 

“No. Tommy is a shittalker and Steve is an idiot – like a real idiot,” Eddie says as his eyes widen. He laughs a little, it’s a humorless laugh but a laugh nonetheless. “He was a piece of shit for not treating you the way you deserve to be treated but I think that he is one of those guys who lets his friends words get to him, who feels pressured to keep his reputation as some fucking heartbreak King rather than be a good boyfriend.” He looks like he knows something that you don’t. “He’s also the type of guy who doesn’t know what he has until it’s gone.” 

“That makes sense,” you say even though you are not sure whether it actually makes sense or not. He almost kissed you and then he told you that he still loves you, that he always loved you only to show up to the dance with Nancy, like nothing ever happened. 

Eddie stares at you. Your brows are furrowed and you have that same confused and lost look in your eyes that you always have whenever you get lost in your thoughts. 

“Hey uh, I should probably tell you something,” he says as he sits up. He scratches the back of his neck and offers you the joint. You take it but don’t smoke it yet. 

“What’s up?” 

He runs his fingers through his curls and he takes a deep breath, “I drove him home last night.”

“Huh?”

He sighs, “Steve. I drove him home last night. I went to the Hideout to get my notebook and he was there getting plastered. He followed me outside and started asking about the jacket,” he mumbles, pointing to the jacket that is now back in his room again. “He got all pissed and jealous.”

You roll your eyes and scoff at his words.

“He calmed down when I told him we’re friends but uh, he tried to leave and I would’ve felt awful letting him drive home like that so I drove him home.” 

A smile tugs at your lips, Eddie’s kindness is something that always warms your heart. To know that he is showing such kindness to people who don’t deserve it just proves even more how amazing he is. 

“He started crying.”

A shocked expression takes over your face and you draw back a little, “what?” 

“Yeah,” Eddie chuckles as he shakes his head. “He uh– well, first he insulted my music taste and then I turned on the radio for him, David Bowie came on and boom, I have a sobbing King Steve in my van.” 

“Oh,” you whisper, your gaze softens. “David Bowie?” 

“Mhmm.” He reaches for the joint again and places it between his lips, taking a drag before he places it into the ashtray on his nightstand. “Heroes.” 

Your lips part and your face falls. It was your song. Yours and his. To know that it has such a hold on him still, makes you feel things that you want to keep buried. 

You push yourself up and sit in front of him, “then what?”

Eddie’s brown eyes soften, he can see the pain in your features, the love that you still have for him. He can’t imagine how much pain there still is. He clears his throat.

“He said he misses you, that he doesn’t know what to do without you and that he wants you back.”

Your eyebrows draw together and your eyes feel hot with tears. Your heart hurts. After all, you still want him, deep down you do but you won’t take him back, not after everything he did. Not after the way he treated you, not after he cheated on you emotionally, not after he made you doubt everything, not after he told you that he never loved you, not after he left you for another girl. 

You look down to hide the tears in your eyes. After almost two months, you should be feeling better, you were starting feeling better but then he had to rip the bandaids of your wounds that he had given you. 

You don’t like crying in front of other people, you have never cried in front of Eddie before  but right now, you can’t really stop the tears from falling. It’s all just too much. 

“Hey,” Eddie whispers. His eyes soften and he doesn’t even hesitate before he opens his arms for you, offering you a hug that you so desperately need. You crawl over to him and let yourself fall into his arms. He wraps his arms around you as you lay your head on his chest. He rubs your back gently. “I’m here, I got you.”

You close your eyes and melt into the hug, this is what you needed. 

This is what he never gave you. The feeling of comfort and safety. The feeling of knowing that he won’t push you away again after a few minutes. 

You loved Steve – you love him. He was there but he was never with you. His mind was somewhere else, it always was. He gave you moments but he never gave you his all. With him you were never alone but god, you were so lonely. 

Eddie keeps holding you. The sound of your cries and the voices in the TV fill the silence in the room. 

He keeps rubbing your back, he plays with your hair and he doesn’t let go. 

Why couldn’t he just hold you like he does? 

“I know that this won’t make anything better but I think he loves you and he is starting to realize what he lost – only a man in love would get drunk at a bar he hates and break down in front of a guy he hates, also.” 

You sniffle and grip his shirt tighter. 

“Then why is he still with her? Why didn’t he love me before?”

“I think he always loved you, he was just too dumb to see and she,” he pauses, sighing. “She’s probably just a rebound now. Honestly, I think he was scared of all of this, his love for you. He was scared of it so he just threw it away and fucked it all up and now he’s following you around like some lost puppy.”

He does look like one, with his stupid brown eyes and the sad look in them. 

“Why are you telling me this, Eddie?”

He takes a deep breath, he looks down at you but you hide your face as you wipe your tears away. 

“I don’t know, I just think that he made a mistake and that the pain he put himself through shaped him into a different person,” he says, still glancing down at you, “I know you think that she changed him but that’s not the truth. I think he changed because of you – he’s still a dick and I don’t think that he deserves you but for what it’s worth, he does love you and he did love you even when he didn’t act that way but I saw the way he looked at you.”

You sniffle, trying to control your breathing as you look up at him, “what do you mean?” 

His eyes soften and he hugs you even tighter, “when you were still together, he always looked at you like.. shit, like you hung the moon and the stars,” he chuckles. “I was shocked when I found out that he left you for some other girl. Made no sense to me, still doesn’t, by the way.”

You don’t know whether his words make you feel better or worse. 

Eddie’s brown eyes are filled with sincerity and softness. 

He can’t understand how Steve could do this to you. How he could just treat you so horribly and break your heart so easily. 

“I think he really wants you back but I don’t think that he deserves a second chance, not yet.”

“Not yet?” 

“I’m not gonna say that he will ever deserve one but maybe–” he pauses, he sighs as he watches the tears rolling down your cheeks, “maybe he will change and maybe he will fight for you and maybe it will be worth giving him that chance.”

You scrunch your face up and slowly shake your head, “I can’t.”

“You don’t have to,” he says as he squeezes your arms, “it’s just, I can see that you love him and as much as I don’t like him or the idea of you going back to him, he really loves you too – it would be a shame if you both spend the rest of your lives longing for each other when you could just be together.” 

“What would you do?” You ask. You place your palms against his chest and you lean your chin on the top of your hands. “If you were in my place.”

He blinks and he stares at you for a long moment. 

“I would just focus on myself for now,” he mumbles. He reaches his hand out to touch your hair, running his fingers through it, “I would find things that I enjoy doing – not what I was forced to enjoy.” 

You look down and sigh. 

“I would try out new things, focus on school and I know that you will snatch that diploma, I’d get the hell out of here after that. Maybe in the future, you and Steve will find your way back to each other or maybe you will meet someone who will love you the way you deserve to be loved,” he says.

You’re met with a soft look in his eyes when you raise your head to face him again. You smile at him. 

“You will snatch that diploma too, Eddie. I’ll help you.”

“I know you will,” he smiles. 

“And then we should get out of here together – we should move to LA so you can become the rockstar that you’re meant to be. We can rent a place together, I always wanted to live with a friend.”

He laughs at your words but then he falls quiet and his eyes flash with something you can’t read. 

“You know that might be a good idea.”

“I know it is.”

“Shit,” he chuckles, “we should actually do that.”

“Right?”

“Right,” he smiles.

“And what will you be?” He asks, turning his head to look at you as you lie back beside him. 

You lick your lips and stare at the new poster on his ceiling. What do you want to be? Who do you want to be?

You furrow your brows in concentration, a weird feeling settles in your chest. You don’t know. You don’t know anything, it seems like. Who even are you?

“I-I’m not sure.”

Eddie can sense the stress you’re feeling, he takes your hand in his, “hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to know yet.”

“I just.. I don’t even know what I want, Eddie,” you whisper, “I don’t even know who I am.”

You turn back to him, your sad eyes meet his. He squeezes your hand. 

“You’ll figure it out, I know you will and I’ll be there with you.” 

You maintain eye contact and scoot closer to him as you turn on your side. 

“You’re the best, Eddie.”

His eyes shift as he stares at you, he turns on his side as well, “nah, you are the best,” he smiles, tapping your nose the way he always does. 

“Don’t tell Heather or Chrissy but you might be my new best friend.” 

His eyes light up at your words and his smile widens, “only if you don’t tell Gareth and Jeff that you are my new best friend.” 

Your eyes widen, a giggle falls from your lips, “your secret is safe with me.”

“Yours is safe with me too.” 

“Pinky promise?” You ask as you hold your hand out to him. 

He laughs and brings his hand up, hooking his pinky around yours, “pinky promise.” 

You both fall silent as you look at each other with smiles on your faces. 

“Shit, who would’ve thought that I’d ever have the queen of Hawkins High in my bed.” 

“Shut up,” you laugh. 

For the rest of the night, you and Eddie talk about your lives after high school, dreaming about things that might never happen but it doesn’t matter, all that matters is the laughs you both share. You watch Friday the 13th and continue passing the joint back and forth, only making each other laugh harder by making fun of the movie that isn’t even funny. 

You are grateful for Eddie and for the love and kindness he is giving you. He has become your little beacon of hope. He is the one who makes you laugh now, he is the one who holds you when you need it the most, he is the friend that everything feels so natural with – even falling asleep in his arms when you’re in nothing but panties and his shirt. You wouldn’t have done that with any other guy but he makes you feel safe. 

When you wake up in his arms the next morning, you feel lost and confused for a second. His arms are wrapped around your waist and your head is on his chest, you can hear his heartbeat. For a moment, you thought you were somewhere else, in someone else’s arms but when you open your eyes and you are met with Eddie’s sleeping face, you relax a little. 

You can’t help but smile as you look at him. 

If Steve didn’t dump you, you wouldn’t be here. You would be in his bed right now. But you wouldn’t feel his arms around you, you wouldn’t feel his warmth, you wouldn’t feel him. You would wake up to a harsh reality, one where you continuously lied to yourself in order to keep him and to keep yourself happy. But were you ever happy? 

You miss him, despite what happened, you still miss him. 

But maybe it was for the better. 

Maybe it had to happen this way. 

You wouldn’t have Eddie now. You would have never become friends. And now, you wouldn’t trade this for anything in this world. This friendship has given you more than your relationship with Steve ever did. 

Yet, you still need closure. You want answers and a peaceful conversation. 

So you make the decision to try it. To try and talk and sort things out. You let go of him but there are still so many things that you don’t understand, things that will never give you if you don’t sit down and have that much needed conversation with him. 

When you show up at his house, later that night. You didn’t expect to see his parents' car in the driveway, next to his. You stand in the darkness for a moment, contemplating whether you should actually ring the doorbell or not. The lights are on in the kitchen and in the dining room. 

What if she is here?

What if they are having dinner together? 

Is she sitting in your spot now? 

Does his mom like her the way she always liked you? 

Does his dad hug her the way he hugged you whenever he saw you? 

You close your eyes and you take a deep breath, inhaling the cold air. You try to calm your heartbeat. Was it a good idea to come here? What if he doesn’t want to see you? What if–

You open your eyes and walk up the stairs, you ring the doorbell before your mind can convince you to turn on your heel and run. You can hear the faint sound of music in the house. 

You dig your nails into your palms as you grow more and more nervous. You bounce your knee and stare down at the snow beneath your boots. 

The door opens and you raise your head, for some reason you had expected Steve’s dad to open the door but instead it’s him. You watch as his eyes widen, they lighten up a little but they also flash with confusion. 

“Hi, can we talk?” 

next part

tagging friends & mutuals only!

@mysticmunson @wroteclassicaly @corrodedseraphine @corrodedcorpses @screammunson @hellfire--cult @taintedcigs @imjuststeddietrashatthispoint @sherrylyn628 @somethingvicked @take-everything-you-can @nemesis729

[punkshort]

18+ account - minors do not interact warnings/tags included on each individual work.

No use of Y/N in anything.

Thank you for reading ❤️

Series

The Way We Were - series [complete] : You worked for Joel and Tommy a few months before the outbreak. When the outbreak happens, you and Joel get stuck traveling the country and keeping each other safe. Neither of you spoke about the feelings you had for one another pre-outbreak, and in a post-apocalyptic world, it seems like survival should be your only focus. But feelings can't be ignored forever.

Look What We've Become - series [sequel to TWWW - complete] : You are tasked with taking a young girl back to her family while trying to salvage your relationship with Joel after certain events cause the biggest strain either of you have ever had to face.

I'll Be Home For Christmas [complete, but sporadic updates] Having just caught your fiancé cheating on you, you decide to come back home from the big city to Austin for the month of December to try to figure out your next step. You had no idea you would be getting more than you bargained for with the handsome single dad who built your parents' house.

Somewhere to Run - series [complete] : You move to a small town in the middle of Texas to escape your past and start over. You don't expect to fall for the town's handsome sheriff.

I Know Who You Are - series [in progress]: A fall on patrol causes you to lose your long term memory, forgetting the identities of your friends and loved ones. You have to learn all over again how to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, and you learn things about yourself along the way.

Roommates - series [in progress]: Your roommate, Maria, introduces you to her boyfriend's brother. You hit it off immediately, but when you find out the true nature of his profession, you both decide to remain just friends. But once the four of you eventually move in together, lines get blurred.

One-Shots/Requests

I hate when you're right : After a heated argument with Joel, you finally convince him to leave Jackson so you could explore a store for new clothes, and what happens could change your life forever.

Have A Good Night [coming soon]: Every week like clockwork, the same devastatingly handsome man comes into the grocery store where you work to buy flowers. It's not until he asks you out when you realize the flowers aren't for his wife or girlfriend.

One-Shots/Requests/Collections

The Stranger: An unexpected visitor barges into your new apartment, turning your whole life upside down, then disappears just as quickly. Or does he?

-> Unveiled - pt. 2 of The Stranger

credit to @saradika-graphics for the dividers

Headers were made on canva by myself

[dckweed]

BABYGIRL, jake "hangman" seresin

summary: in which hangman and his babygirl go on a wild ride with an unplanned pregnancy and finally admitting their feelings for each other and figuring out life in general as new parents

warnings: pregnancy, morning sickness, smut, like alot of smut in this one, christmas themed even though it's march!, ex boyfriend meets new boyfriend and it's not pretty. rooster becomes a cowboy.

hi my loves :) been a minute for this one huh? anyway, please remember that this series is open for requests!

series masterlist here, series playlist here.

thank @mamachasesmayhem for making our new header, shes the bestest !!

PART FOUR - the parents. 

If you thought Jake was bad before the incident at the bar, he was even worse now. He hovered, and he followed, and when he wasn’t available to hover and follow, he enlisted his friends to do it for him and send quarterly reports back to him. You found it endearing at first, but as Thanksgiving came and went you were thoroughly annoyed and at wits end. It was one time, and you were doing so much better since your small stint in the labor and delivery ward of the hospital (that Jake declared you would not be giving birth in because he didn’t like the way the nurses talked to you sometimes), you had regular check ins with your doctor, and were taking medications and drinking as much liquid IV as you could to keep hydrated during spouts of being too nauseated to eat. You continuously told Jake that he didn’t need to have his friends watching over you on their days off, but he continuously did not listen to you (the Seresin Selective Hearing coming in full stride), so you were continuously apologizing to whichever poor squadron member was spread out on your couch or lingering in your kitchen when you would venture out of your bed in the morning. Your favorite days were Bob and Natasha days, Bob was always so sweet and gentle and calm. Though he still followed you with his eyes whenever you left his general area, you didn’t mind because never asked what you were doing or told you to take it easy. Even though you weren’t always hungry, you had taken to baking him something sweet the night before his days to be with you as a thank you. 

Natasha was just straight up fun. “Fuck Jake.” She had said, and tossed you a pair of comfortable shorts and a shirt and had taken you on a walk down the beach on her first visit with you, and when you had checked her phone later when Jake texted her, you had found the string of lies she had been feeding him all day and laughed about it with her until he got home from work. “How was knitting, babygirl?” He had asked, setting his bag down with a kiss on your head. You grinned and locked eyes with Nat, telling him how calm and quiet it had been. She sent you a wink over his shoulder on her way out the door, and from then on out, she was officially your best girl friend. 

You didn’t mind your days with Rooster either, but he was definitely a little more on edge, probably because he still had a rocky relationship with Jake and didn’t want to do anything to fuck it up, you couldn’t say you blamed him. Javy, on the other hand, was a carbon copy of Jake and the amount of times you had to remember to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth as you tried not to beat him with a sock full of bars of soap was astonishing. 

And if you thought Jake was bad during November, December was entirely worse the closer you got to christmas. If anything, he was stressing you out more than being sick was but you didn’t have the heart to tell him because he was obviously enjoying being able to take care of you, and who were you to say that he couldn’t? Your nerves and frustration became steadily worse as it got towards that time of the month, you ran around you and Jake’s apartment packing up both of your suitcases because knowing him he’d forget to pack his britches if you didn’t remind him to do it (he had in fact forgotten to pack his britches once on a vacation that both of your families had taken as teens). You also fretted and stewed about what you guys were going to tell your parents. Your small baby bump was no longer small and was kind of just..there. It would be noticed as soon as someone hugged you, and knowing Jake’s mama, she was going to hug you. 

“Stop your worrying, babygirl..” He sighed from your left, his right hand coming to rest on your knee. You guys were crossing into Arizona, one more state left to go before you hit texas, and you were starting to get antsy. He had one hand on the steering wheel, slouched back in his seat as if his truck wasn’t outrageously big and hard to handle. “They’re gonna be okay..” 

You bring your attention to his face, about to speak when you’re cut off by a loud snore in the back seat. You crinkle your nose in slight disgust, peaking behind you. Rooster was as manspread as the backseat of a GMC allowed him to be, his long legs spread wide and his even longer torso leaned against the door and seat as his head rolled against the window. He had had no other plans for the holiday, and you could see the loneliness in his eyes when he said it and gosh darn it you just couldn’t say no to those big sad eyes, so you invited him on the trip home. You thought your dad would love him, and so would Jake’s brothers. “He seems to have made himself comfortable.” You chuckle, turning back around to face the front. Jake only hums in response, his hand going up to rub your belly gently before he takes it away to place it back on the steering wheel. 

Not too much longer after that you noticed a tall McDonalds sign a little ways off the freeway and your stomach grumbled loudly, and your mouth watered as you thought about how good a chicken sandwich and fries sounded. “Jake, baby, get off the freeway up ahead!” You say, whacking his bicep a few times in excitement as you bounce in your seat a little bit. “Pull into the McDonalds!” 

Jake hums in slight disgust but does as you say, who was he to decline you of food when you were hardly ever hungry? He only hoped that you wouldn’t throw it up all over his freshly cleaned interior. 

Two chicken sandwiches and french fries later, you were back on the road, dancing in your seat happily to whatever was streaming through the radio as you munched on french fries and an M&M McFlurry. 

Jake was insistent on making the long drive to the Seresin Ranch in one go, he hated stopping, so what part of the drive wasn’t spent with you and Rooster goofing off with each other, playing weird car games and trying to rope Jake into them, was spent with you sleeping, which is what you were doing when Jake slowed his truck down to turn left onto a long dirt road, the metal archway just above the electric fence that slid open spelled out his family’s name in big bold lettering. 

It hadn’t snowed just yet in this part of Texas but it was definitely cold enough to have frozen some of the water puddles that littered the well worn dirt drive so he drove carefully, both hands on the wheel just as you started to stir in your seat, your head having bounced off the window as he hit a particularly big pothole. You groaned, rubbing your eyes and your belly. It wasn’t going to be a secret too much longer, you realized as your bleary eyes focused on the lights of the ranch house just up ahead. 

“Sorry Babygirl, I was trying to be gentle..” He murmurs, looking over at you with a slight pout tugging at the corners of his lips. You hum in response, stretching in your seat. You could make out your Daddy’s John Deere Gator the closer you got, and you started to get more nervous and excited all at the same time. You had told all of your family that two of you were together, you weren’t really sure how else you were supposed to explain your prolonged trip to California where you essentially moved in with him, but you both had been hesitant to tell them about the baby, knowing that questions were going to be asked, and that his Mama was going to want to fly out the moment you told her, and you just weren’t ready for that. You weren’t really ready for this either, but you knew you didn’t have a choice. 

“S’okay,” You yawned, checking in the backseat. Rooster had started dozing off again too so you shook his knee, his eyes flew open instantly and he sat up at attention. “We’re home..” You say. The Seresin’s home was just as much yours as your own home was, and the same went for Jake with your house. The two of you were always at one or the other, practically living at each others houses in the summers, this was and always had been home, and if you wanted to be really sentimental and make yourself cry, Jake had always been your home too. 

Rooster moves his head so it’s poking out between the two of you, over the center console of the truck. “Damn, Jake..” He breathes, taking in what bit of the ranch he could see in the dark of the night, the big texan sky giving little illumination tonight. You knew that his words would really be emphasized in the morning when he saw it in all of it’s glory. The Seresin Ranch was a working ranch, full of cattle and acres of land, whereas yours was only a personal ranch, your father living off of the land and making enough money here and there off of cattle sales. It was more than enough to raise you and support your mama, it had been a happy life, but life at the Seresin’s was just different. 

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, Bradshaw.” Jake drawls, pulling his truck into the drive, right behind his mama’s much smaller SUV. The dome lights pop on overhead as he opens his door before pulling the keys out of the ignition, not bothering to honk the horn to alert them of your guys’ presence. He was more worried about getting you out of the car and into bed. It was damn near midnight by now, and you had only been dozing for less than an hour. He knew you and the baby needed sleep. 

He comes around the front of the truck and opens your door in the time it takes for you to unbuckle and stretch in your seat, Bradley having gotten out as soon as Jake did. “Come on mama, lets get you inside..” When he wasn’t calling you Babygirl, he had taken to calling you mama and it did something else entirely to your already hormonally raging body and when it rolled off of his tongue in his own mama’s driveway, you just knew you were in for the longest christmas of your life because there was no way in hell you were getting down and dirty in Mama Seresin’s house. You take his outstretched hand and swing your feet out of the truck, landing on the running boards in the dark. “Easy, it’s a little wet.”  

“Thank you, baby..” You say, reaching up on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on his scruffy cheek. He hums, a hand going to the small of your back to pull you flush against his body, or as flush as you can be with a round belly. “You ready?” You ask quietly, listening to Bradley unload the luggage from the bed of the truck. 

Jake sighs, rubbing the small of your back. “Not really,” He says, pulling back to look down at you with a little grin on his lips. “But it will be better the faster we get in there and get the shock and surprise done and over with.” You nod in response and he simply kisses your forehead, going to help Bradley with the bags. 

The boys are the first ones into the house, you follow them almost sheepishly, heat blooming across your face when you realize that this is it. Your daddy is in the midst of hugging Jake, giving him a “Good to have you home, son”, and shaking Bradley’s hand, an impressed look across his typically hardened features when he realizes how strong his grip is. “You can tell how good a man is by how strong he grips your hand.” He always says, and Bradley must be a damn good man because your daddy shakes his hand out when they pull away. 

His eyes lock on you standing in the open door of the Seresin house, a home that was just as much a second house to you as it was to your daddy, and a grin spreads across his face. “Com’ere, honey!”He practically shouts, pulling you into him by the arms. Your belly presses against his as his arms go around you, and just as he’s rubbing your back he seems to notice it, hands gripping you by the shoulder he pushes you away for a moment, looking down. “...honey?” 

Jake is by your side almost immediately, ready to step in if needed. “Sir, Mama, Daddy..” He says, addressing his whole family. His brothers are behind his mom, and they’re all looking on with interest. “We have an announcement..” 

You keep your eyes on your dad, watching his face as you speak. “You’re gonna be a Papa, daddy..” You say quietly, wanting him to hear the news first. At first, there’s nothing, no sign of any kind of emotion on his face, eyebrows furrowed, until a grin breaks across his lips. 

“You hear that?!” He shouts, raising your arm up in the air as if he had just won the super bowl. “I’m gonna be a fuggin, Papa!” A chorus of celebration is shouted throughout the entrance of the house, and one by one you hug your way through the family, finally coming to a rest by Bradley about half an hour later, your eyes drooping and shoulders sagging. 

“Alright guys,” Jake says, looking up from his conversation with his mama to see you using Bradshaw as a support pillar. “It’s time to get her to bed, been a long day and a rough few months for her with the pregnancy sickness and all that..” 

The next morning fares slightly less busy for you, though the whole family seems to be home and all eyes are on you when you venture out of Jake’s old bedroom at around eight thirty in the morning, way later than normally allowed on the ranch. You can’t help the blush that creeps up your face as you head through the large living room toward the kitchen. “Well good mornin’ Babygirl,” Jake’s brother, Nash, drawls at you, lifting his coffee mug to his lips with a wink as he passes you in the kitchen doorway. His boots were covered in dirt and it was clear that he and his brother had all been out working already. “Sleep good?”

“Yeah, actually.” You say, smile on your face as you walk into the kitchen, opening the fridge. “Morning, Mama..” You smile, looking over your shoulder at Jake’s mom. “You send Bradley out to work with the boys?”

She was handling a slab of some kind of meat, putting it in a marinade, probably for dinner tonight you realize. “He’s running cattle with Jake and Brian, doin’ a damn fine job of it too from what Nash just told me.” She says, turning to the sink to wash her hands before turning back to you just as you’re pouring yourself a glass of orange juice. “Can I see the belly?” 

You laugh, but oblige, not even stopping to think about how you look much farther along than the amount of time that you’ve been with Jake as you lift your shirt, and walk around the kitchen island. Her hands go to her face and she grins happily before reaching out to touch your belly, warm hands gently caressing the skin. “It’s Dalton’s, isn’t it?” She asks, suddenly, looking up at you and you choke on the juice you were sipping on, stepping back away from her hands. “Oh relax honey, I’m not upset, honest..but do you think I was born yesterday? I’ve had five babies, i’m not stupid.” 

“I, um..” You stammer, not sure what to say. You and Jake hadn’t prepared for this at all. You climb up onto a stool that sat at the Island, your head spinning. “Ma’am, I can explain..”

She waves her hand in the air, looking at you with noting but love as she smiles. “Babygirl,” It really was your God given name when it came to this family, you realize. “We all knew you were gonna end up together at some point in time, and if this is what brought you together then so be it, I could care less..my son isn’t stupid, I know he know’s that baby isn’t his and I’m just glad that it kicked you both in your asses finally…” 

You spend the morning talking with her, helping her prepare the foods for dinner. You were honestly relieved that she knew the truth, and even more relieved that she wasn’t upset at all. You knew Jake would be happy too, he hated keeping secrets (especially from his mama). 

Once you were finished in the kitchen, you made your way over to your family’s property, climbing over the fence like you used to when you were kids. It was chilly out, you wore one of Jake’s hoodies and a pair of sweatpants as you made your way to the burial site for your mama, spending a little while there before making your way to the house. Your daddy was gone, off in town somewhere so you meandered around on your own, finding yourself in your old bedroom, staring happily at the photos of you and Jake throughout the years that you had stuck to various surfaces. 

He found you there an hour later, going through old things in your dresser drawer. “You look so damn good in my clothes, babygirl..” He says, pressing his lips in a chaste kiss just below your ear. You hadn’t heard him come in and he scared the bejeezus out of you, which makes him grin as he looks at you in the mirror, his hands going under the hem of his maroon aggies hoodie and straight to your stomach. “Been looking for you all day babygirl..”

You sigh happily as his lips find their way down your neck, his cowboy hat lifting off of his head as he goes. “You found me..” You breathe, watching him in the mirror. Your hormones were horrible lately, and you were always ready to go for him and it seemed like he could sense it on you, almost like a dog. You loved it.

“Uh-huh, all alone too..” One of his hands moves from your belly to your tit, his whole hand cupping it with a firm squeeze that has you leaning your head back against him, already putty in his hands. “Y’know..I always wanted to fuck you in here babygirl..” Your thighs clench at his words, his voice and musky smell from working outdoors all day flooding your senses. 

“..please..” You whimper, pressing your ass back against his denim clad half hard cock, turning your head to capture his lips though he doesn’t let you. He catches your jaw in his hand, cocking an eyebrow at you. 

“What was that, babygirl?” He asks softly, his other hand dropping from your tit to pull your hips back against him even more, rubbing himself against you. “You askin’ me to fuck you?” The hand that was still on your belly moves down lower, slipping with ease into the waistband of your sweatpants, or rather, his sweatpants, and into your panties, cupping your already disgustingly wet mound. “Yeah..you were askin’ me to fuck you.” He practically growls, voice a deep rumble in his chest. 

You’re not entirely sure how it happens, but somehow you’re bent over your dresser, arms bracing yourself upright as Jake slams into you from behind, your head thrown back against his chest as his thick cock hits that spot that has you seeing nothing but white spots and saying only his name. One of your legs is cocked up on the top of the dresser, the position giving him better access to your pussy from behind, his hands gripping your hips with what you’re sure is a bruising strength but you couldn’t possibly care less because god, Jacob Seresin was fucking you in your teenaged bedroom and it was all you could fucking think about. 

“Jake, jake, jake, oh-, my..ohhhhh” You sputtered out, your pussy clenching down on him so hard that he thought it was going to bruise. 

“Yeah, I know babygirl, I know..” He grunts in your ear, lips marking up any inch of visible skin he possibly could. He felt fucking feral in that moment, but goddamn it was the best feeling. “That’s my fuckin’ girl..takin’ my cock so fuckin’ good f’me babygirl..so fuckin’ good..” There’s not even words leaving your mouth anymore, just filthy, lewd sounds as he continues to fuck you into oblivion, your legs going weak as a third orgasm hits you like a wall of bricks, your arms going weak to the point that you start to collapse. 

“Aht-aht, I gotcha,” He’s chasing his own orgasm as wraps his arm around you, a hand at the base of your throat to force you to look into the mirror. “Look at you babygirl, look at how fucking sexy you look like this, huh?” You could swear there were tears coming out of your eyes, but you wanted to look but you couldn’t tear your gaze away from his eyes in the mirror, looking into the beautiful expanse of green as he fucked into you with wreckless abandon. 

“I love you, i love, i love you..” You mewl, back arching as the overstimulation of your three orgasms starts to rockett though your body, you keep chanting it, not able to stop the flow of words even as you feel hot ropes of his cum paint your insides, even when he finally stops fucking into you and finally just holds you to him, cock still stuffed into your overflowing pussy. 

“Holy fuckin’ shit baby..” He breathes, head dropping to your shoulder as you both catch your breath. You can’t help but let out a chuckle. “Look at you makin’ all my teenage dreams come true, huh?” 

“Just like that song, right baby?” You say meekly, your body completely exhausted now that he had worn you out. He smiles against your skin, placing a loving kiss as he starts to finally pull out of you, his cock going flaccid. “M’sleepy..” You say, a yawn over taking you as you stretch, Jake having wandered off out of your room. 

“Should probably take a nap, huh?” He says, a damp rag hanging from his hands as he bends down to help clean you up. You jump at the sensation, your pussy still sensitive. He places a kiss at your pelvic bone, looking up at you almost apologetically as you run a hand softly through his mussed hair. “Mama is making some kind of roast for supper, be ready in a few hours i think..” And then you remember your conversation from earlier. “What’s wrong with your face?” 

“Jake, baby..” He stands up after helping you back into your sweatpants, ever the fucking gentleman he is. “Your Mama knows..” 

“What do you mean?” He asks, wrapping his arms around your waist after placing his stetson back on his head. His eyebrows are furrowed, and as you look down at your belly and look back up at him he suddenly realizes. “How?!” 

“She asked to see my belly this morning,” You say, resting your chin on his chest as you look up at him, arms wrapping around him. “She’s not stupid, baby..she’s only had a million of you boys, she knows how far along i should look if we were basing the baby off of how long we’ve been together..”

Jake hums, kissing your forehead. “Was she mad?” You shake your head, small smile on your lips. “Good, because I don’t like fighting with my Mama, but I would have if she was mad at you, at us..” You squeeze him then, realizing once more that this man truly does love you. “Let’s get back, yeah? I think your daddy is coming over too..”

Christmas with Jake’s family is amazing, you had spent weeks finding and wrapping gifts for each of his brothers, and even his Mama too. His daddy on the other hand, you just gave a smile and a kiss on the cheek as you slipped him a new canister of chewing tobacco, to which he grumbles a thank you and pats your belly. Your own daddy is almost brought to tears as you hand him his present, a gift wrapped scrap book (something your mama had been very into doing), some the pages full of your pregnancy journey so far. 

“Honey, this is the best gift..” He says, eyes watery as he pulls you in for a big hug, planting a wet kiss to the top of your head. 

From everyone in the family, you and Jake received alot of baby gifts, clothes and rattles and what nots..and from your daddy, a yellow quilted blanket, just the right size for a little baby or toddler with your mama’s first and middle initials stitched into one of the corners. You lifted it to your nose and inhaled, it smelled of her perfume. 

“Daddy..” You voice quivers just as much as your lips, your eyes welling with tears. “This is perfect..” You say, showing it to Jake. “It was mama’s baby blanket, she always said that she was saving it for me if I ever had one of my own..” You wipe your eyes with a tissue that Jake hands you. “She must have been working on it before she passed, it smells like her..” You couldn’t even describe how much you missed your mom, how you wished you were going through this time of your life with her by your side, and even though she wasn’t here physically any more, this gift from your Daddy just made it feel as though she was. 

The rest of the day is a blur, the family happily bantering as they all sit down for supper. Bradley had even been welcomed with open arms into the Seresin family, having been ladled with gifts of his own even though he was a last minute addition to the family. You had honestly never been happier, had never felt more at home and at peace than you had in that day. And unfortunately, it all came crashing down the next day. 

You, Jake and Bradley had all decided to save the last day of your trip to pack up your old apartment. There wasn’t much that you actually wanted to take with, most of it just clothes and keep sakes, but it was enough to fill up a small uhaul trailer. You had already listed a bunch of your furniture on sale on FB Marketplace, and were meeting the buyers as Jake carried things down to the trailer. 

About halfway through the day, when you’re freezing and tired and ready to take a nap, the devil shows up at the doorstep. “So, I see you’re back in town.” 

You turn from where you had been packing a bunch of your books into a box, heart racing. Jake had gone down the road to the mexican restaurant to pick up lunch for you guys, you had had the sudden craving and who was he to deny it when you spent most of the pregnancy not eating? Bradley was downstairs, he had helped a nice lady carry your couch down and put it into the back of her pick up and hadn’t come back up yet. 

“What do you want?” You ask, a hand going almost protectively to your belly. It was shown off well today, you had opted for workout leggings and a lululemon zip up jacket with a tanktop underneath. Your belly looked quite prominent and it seemed to be the only think his eyes were drawn to. “You shouldn’t be here, Dalton.” 

He sniffs, dark eyes looking up at you. “I see you kept the bastard.” He takes a step into the apartment and you back up, nervous. “Where’s your precious Jakey?” He asks, looking around the corner and down into the hallway. “Word around town is that the two of you are dating now..”

“We are.” You say, swallowing thickly. “We came home for christmas and so I could pack up all of the stuff I want with me in california.” You think you hear footsteps coming down the hallway outside the door and you can only hope that its Jake or Bradley. “What do you want?”

“I want a word with the son of a bitch you cheated on me with.”

“I never-”

“I don’t think thats gonna happen, pal.” Bradley came around the corner into the doorway, leaning against it. He looks at you and you relax only slightly, his black Stetson pulled low over his brow. “I think you need to leave, the lady looks uncomfortable with you being here.” 

“Oh yeah?” Dalton asks, turning to glare at him. “Is she fucking you too?” 

“Dalton!” You half yell, catching his attention as Bradley stands up straight. “I never cheated on you, and I’m not fucking anyone besides Jake, not that it’s any of your business.” 

The man scoffs. “Yeah right, you’re a fuckin’ whore..how else would you be pregnant.”

“Okay, it’s time for you to leave.” Bradley says, stepping into the room. His neck is red and you can tell that he’s angry. 

“Oh, and you’re gonna make me?” He looks back at you, pointing to Bradley. “Who the fuck is this guy, huh?” 

“He’s gonna be the least of your worries if you don’t get the fuck out of here.” Jake stands in the doorway and you immediately run to him, clutching his arm tightly. The situation was clearly growing tense and was starting scare you for real. 

taglist:

@bellaireland1981 @sky0401 @memoriesat30 @bat-luna-cat @memeorydotcom @mamachasesmayhem @kmc1989 @justherebecausesafarisucks @mrowphine @djs8891 @stepheewdgirlie @roosteraloha

[infinitystoner]

Underneath the Tree

AO3 | Masterlist

✨part of @sarahscribbles’ Christmas Collection; header by @inklore✨

Summary: You’re expecting to spend the holidays without your other half. So when Loki reappears the night before Christmas, you indulge in a little merriment to make up for lost time.

Pairing: Loki x Female Reader

Word count: 3.1k

Tags/Content: Holiday Surprises Befitting the God of Mischief, Romantic Reunions, Fluff, Smut (Fingering, Cunnilingus, Anal Sex), Soft Dom! Loki, Established Relationship

Rating: Explicit; 18+

Author’s note: Here be the Yuletide filth! I realize butt stuff isn’t for everyone, but it’s actually really soft and sweet (and not overly explicit). If you like my writing, I hope you give it a chance. xx

The hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention as you pad across the kitchen floor, unnerved by the unmistakable feeling of being watched. You abandon your post-bath time snack on the counter, clutching at your bathrobe as trepidation gnaws at the back of your mind.

With the curtains drawn, only the glimmering lights on your Christmas tree illuminate the living room. It’s hard to see anything beyond silhouettes and shadows. A quiet night like this amidst the bustling holiday season is a rare treat, and you should be grateful and relaxed, but you just can’t shake the feeling that you’re not alone. 

You try to ignore the frantic beat of your pulse thundering in your ears as you inch closer to the tree. Did someone break in while you were in the shower? The rational part of your brain knows it’s downright laughable to entertain such a thought. A security breach is practically impossible thanks to Tony’s impenetrable tech. Unless…

“You’re back,” you say cautiously, voice no louder than a whisper. 

A surge of longing permeates your being, doing little to appease the rapid beating of your heart. The familiar shuffle of centuries-old leather catches your attention, all fear melting away as you turn to see a formidable figure emerge from the corner. 

Loki.

“I’m back,” he responds simply. 

He closes in, his gaze never leaving yours, the purposeful sound of his heavy boots on your hardwood floors resonating through the space. Loki’s presence is a solace you can’t quite articulate—but suddenly there’s a warmth filling the cracks that etched across your heart when he left. And there’s a calm wrapping around your solitude like a cozy blanket on the coldest winter night.  

You study the god before you, the Christmas lights casting a soft glow over his figure. His dark curls fall in waves atop his shoulders, regally framing his perfectly sculpted features. His brows slant upward as he drinks in the sight of you, a dimple appearing along his cheek as he returns your smile. When he slides his hands around your waist, your stomach somersaults at his touch.

You take a deep breath and reach up to cup his jaw, savoring the coolness of his smooth skin. Loki leans into your palm, closing his eyes and exhaling a deep sigh. It’s a small gesture, but it speaks volumes. You can’t resist the urge to pull him into a tight embrace, humming as his strong arms wrap around you in response.

He tenderly presses a kiss to your temple, tugging you closer against his muscular chest. The scent of ancient forests, leather, and musk—along with something sweeter you can’t quite place—invades your senses. Finally, he breaks the comfortable silence. 

“Did you miss me?”

Loki searches your eyes, a hint of apprehension marring his beautiful face. He’s only been gone for about six weeks—which is nothing compared to the months you previously spent without him. But how did you ever think you’d be okay spending the holiday without him? 

You glance up at him with feigned exasperation.

“Of course I missed you, you silly, gorgeous man. But did it ever occur to you to knock? Or call ahead? Perhaps send a raven?” 

A devilish smirk adorns lips. “Now where’s the fun in that?” 

“But what if I’d attacked you? I wasn’t expecting you back until after–” 

“Attacked me?” Loki chuckles, sitting on the sofa and pulling you onto his lap. “Now that I’d like to see.” 

“Is that so?” you ask, caressing the gold plating embellishing his chest and trailing your fingertips across the high collar of his leathers, stopping only when you reach the sharp juncture of his jaw. He peers up at you as you straddle his hips, and the glint of mischief in his eyes is exhilarating. 

“Mm, perhaps later, my little vixen.” 

With a flick of his wrist, a fire roars to life in your hearth. Beyond the crackles and pops of the blaze, a familiar Christmas song begins to play and you swear more twinkling lights appear on your tree. You’re not sure if the night can get more perfect than this.

“What is the phrase you mortals are so fond of this time of year? Season’s Greetings?” 

“Something like that.” 

“You know, we host a similar winter festival on Asgard,” he explains as you tuck his hair behind his ear, exposing the column of his neck. “It’s rather extravagant. Hedonistic, some might say.”

“So, you willingly left the decadence of Asgard. To spend Christmas on Earth. With me.” 

“Is that really so inconceivable, my love? I am, to borrow another turn of phrase, quite smitten, I’m afraid.” 

“Just wanted to be sure,” you tease, but a familiar tingling sparks in your core at his admission. Sometimes you can hardly believe this man—this god—fell so hopelessly in love with you. Of course, you have your issues like any other couple. Dating an alien who once tried to take over your planet does not come without consequence. But, oh, the way he’s looking at you now makes it all worth it. 

“And I believe this is a holiday spent in the company of those you care about, is it not?” he continues. “Besides, Mother quickly picked up on the fact I was more distracted than usual and blessed my departure.”  

“Must remember to thank Frigga for this Christmas surprise,” you joke, pretending to jot down a note. 

The curious arch of Loki’s brows soon contorts into an expression of ecstasy as you begin to work your lips along the column of his neck, nipping at his skin.

“Gods,” he quietly says, shifting beneath you and tightening his grip on your waist. His low rumble of pleasure is a sound you can happily lose yourself in. With a final press of your tongue to the erogenous zone below his ear, you lean back, but Loki is quick to capture your lips in a blistering kiss. You wrap your arms around his neck, holding him close and savoring the taste of him. A trace of mulled wine lingers on his mouth, and you wonder if he left Asgard in the midst of the aforementioned Yuletide celebration. 

“So, are you going to tell me?” you murmur against his lips. “Or am I to believe it was only the thought of startling me in the middle of the night that drew you away from your royal duties?”

“What?” Loki’s brows furrow in sincere confusion, his mouth agape.

“You said you were distracted…”

“Oh, yes. That.” The knowing glance he gives you in response sends a jolt of arousal coursing through your body. He clears his throat, running his hands under the curve of your ass before rolling you over onto your back.

“I was distracted by you,” he says, pulling your robe open. “You infiltrated my every waking thought, you infuriating woman.”

“That’s hardly surprising,” you giggle, biting your bottom lip as he magicks away his armor. His alabaster skin is ethereal under the amber glow of the blazing fire, every dip of his chiseled torso cast in devastating shadows, muscles rippling beneath his taut skin as he leans over you. Your fingertips ghost over the fine smattering of hair below his navel, their sensuous journey interrupted by a band of leather. You whine, tugging at his trousers. 

“Patience, darling,” he snickers, kissing along your collarbone. His tongue flits along the valley of your breasts and a white hot heat coils in your hips. Loki tilts his chin up, darkened eyes piercing your very soul. “I’m not going anywhere.”  

He takes one of your nipples into his mouth, rolling it between his teeth as he moves against your skin. You arch into him with a gasp, fingers digging into the broad expanse of his shoulders, his lithe muscles rippling under your touch.

“And we’ve both been so very patient, haven’t we?”

A wolfish grin creeps across his face as he tenderly pushes your thighs toward your stomach, his hands pushing your knees outward as you offer yourself up to him. You’re completely exposed, but any hint of inhibition dissipates as you note the unadulterated lust in your lover’s eyes.

Loki inhales sharply, greedily consuming what little air is left between you. Within seconds his mouth is warm against your cunt, and a broken moan escapes you. You twist your fingers into his hair as your entire body shudders in response to his enthusiastic movements, your frenzied mind attempting to process the situation. Twenty minutes ago, you were content with the idea of crawling into bed with a tin of shortbread and a good book. And now? Well, if you’re not careful, you’re going to come before things even get started. Loki realizes this and lightly grabs your wrist, removing your hand from his hair and guiding it behind your knee.

“Here,” he says, his hand engulfing yours as he presses it firmly against the back of your trembling thigh. Your pussy clenches at his simple command as you obediently move your legs further apart, contorting your body to his will. You can feel the weight of his gaze on you—all of you—as you settle into the new position, your back relaxing into the softness of the cushions beneath you.

The soles of your feet brace against his clavicles as he dips back between your legs, sucking at the soft flesh along your inner thigh before returning his attention to your core. When his eager tongue glides past your cunt to circle the sensitive area further down, you nearly levitate off the sofa. 

Loki groans as he laps at you, his sinful slurps creating an intoxicating melody in your mind, the Christmas music long forgotten. You choke on air as the calloused pad of his thumb finds your clit, languidly rubbing circles as his tongue continues to explore your hole. The novel sensation is nearly enough to send you over the edge.

Thoughts of experiencing Loki this way had dwelled in the dark recesses of your mind for months now. You’d shamelessly pleaded for it during your last night together all those weeks ago while in the throes of passion. But Loki, with his silver tongue and roguish charm, was infuriatingly persuasive and surprisingly sensible. And so you had agreed to wait.

“Don’t tempt me, little one,” he had coyly responded as he slid the tip of his cock along the curve of your ass, trailing down until he made contact with your cunt. Yet the intensity with which his fingers dug into your hips as you begged for more let you know he wanted it just as much as you did.

“Something to look forward to,” he’d mumbled into your ear as he pressed his firm chest against your back, the sheen of sweat coating your skin intermingling with his as he buried himself inside your cunt for the third time that evening.

Your wait, it seems, is over.

“Norns, you’re divine,” Loki says, lifting his head to peer at you across your heaving torso. He continues rolling his thumb over your clit as he kisses along your stomach, his soft curls falling across your exposed skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Shall I keep going?”

“Yes,” you rasp, doing little to conceal the urgent need in your voice. “But don’t we need the–”

You nod toward the bedroom, alluding to the bottle of lube tucked away in your nightstand. But the words catch in the back of your throat as a cool, lubricated finger nudges where Loki’s mouth had just been. You glance down at the god, furrowing your brow as you observe a flash of seidr ignite the space between you. 

“Well, that’s convenient.”

Loki lets out a breathy laugh as he looks up from his spot between your legs, his eyes dark with desire. His raven hair falls in a curtain around his face as his gaze darts back down to your center. 

“I’m giving you exactly what you asked for.” Loki grins, slowly pressing his middle finger inside you. You nearly sob as your anticipation is engulfed by a rush of euphoria.

“I’m giving you all of me,” he adds, an exhilarating ache rippling through your core as a second finger joins the first.

“Oh my god,” you  cry out as the blend of forbidden and familiar pleasure overwhelms your senses. Loki’s fingers steadily move inside you while he licks a wide stripe through your folds and you toss your head back with a hiss. 

“Relax, love,” he says softly, wrapping a large hand behind your knee and guiding it over his shoulder. As you settle into the new position, Loki’s gifted tongue swirls around your throbbing clit, the skillful drag of it sending adrenaline searing through every nerve ending in your body.

“You’re doing so good,” he continues, his voice ragged and deep as he watches you squirm beneath him.

“S-so good,” you echo, keening at his praise. “Loki—fuck—you feel so good.”

He continues to gently move his fingers inside you, pushing deeper with each pump until you feel his palm flatten against your cunt. You slur his name, winding your fingers into his hair once more in an attempt to ground yourself. It doesn’t work. 

“More. Please,” you beg, the words tumbling from your lips without conscious thought. Loki responds by stilling his motions and removing his fingers from you. You huff, pushing yourself up into a seated position and forcing Loki to shuffle onto his knees to avoid sliding off the edge of the sofa. What the hell? 

“Loki…” you caution, your heart wildly beating in your chest as he tauntingly returns your gaze. He simply laughs, clearly amused by your little display of assertiveness.

“Feisty tonight, aren’t we?” he says, hands trailing up your thighs and around the curve of your ass. You both know you’re at his mercy tonight. “I knew I saw your name on the naughty list.” 

“You’re not playing fair.” 

No, he’s just playing on his own terms. Taunting you like he always does—a cat toying with his mouse. 

“I’m merely trying to determine exactly how much more you can take,” he drawls as he nuzzles his nose along your neck.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you respond coyly, running your fingertips along his leather-clad erection.

You know he can see right through you, can sense the way he’s driving you mad. And before you can give your next bratty retort, Loki tightens his grip on your ass and forcefully pulls you toward him. As your bare chest makes contact with his, a shiver rolls down your spine.

“Oh, I think you do,” he says, reveling in the power he possesses. You moan into his mouth as his hands roam your body with a hunger that leaves you breathless. All that matters is the feel of his tongue against yours, the touch of his cool hands on your heated skin. Your pulse quickens as Loki pulls away to admire you, his eyes glazed over with lust. You need him. All of him. Now.

“And I need to hear you say it.”

“I want this, Loki,” you concede breathlessly. “I want you.”

“Words cannot convey how much I want this—want you—in return, my love.” A reassuring smile spreads across his features as he coaxes you to lie back down. Your heartbeat thrums with excitement as you comply with his request, and as you open your legs for him once more, you feel his eyes burning into your skin like a fiery brand.

“You’re sure?” Loki asks quietly, dropping his mask of dominance a moment as he brushes a finger along your slit, skimming the delicate skin between your ass cheeks with the pad of his thumb. 

“Y-yes,” you whimper as he finally—completely—undresses himself in a wave of gold.

Stunning, you think, taking in the vision of Loki kneeling between your legs. His chest heaves with each shallow breath, his cock resting heavy against his muscular thigh. You let out a small whine when his hand leaves your body, wrapping it around the base of his shaft instead. He tosses his head back, and the small grunt that tumbles from his lips as he begins to stroke himself is positively sinful.

“Say it again. Please,” he chokes out, tugging the foreskin over the glistening, swollen head of his cock.

“I need you, Loki,” you say, shifting against the blankets and cushions.

He’s unwaveringly graceful as he guides your legs around his hips, positioning himself above you as the tip of his cock presses into your tight entrance. The pressure is beyond anything you’ve experienced before, and for a fleeting moment, your eyes widen in trepidation. 

“Breathe, darling one.” 

And so you do. Loki guides your breaths as he steadily stretches you to what you’re certain is your limit. You begin to lose yourself as the heady scent of sex wisps through the room like tendrils of Loki’s seidr, entwining with the heightened groans of carnal bliss. 

“Talk to me. Are you okay?” 

“So full. But… but good,” you manage to say, and it’s the truth. As your body relaxes into his movements, everything becomes more comfortable. Your hands graze down his back until they find the firm swell of his ass, pulling him deeper.

Loki growls out an old Norse curse as he bottoms out—his hip bones flush against the back of your thighs. You’ve never taken this much of him before, and tears prick at the corners of your eyes. You clench in response. 

“My perfect girl,” he praises. With controlled precision, he starts to rock into you and every throbbing inch of his cock drags against your walls in the most delicious way. Soon, his fingers are circling your swollen clit and the pressure in your hips becomes too much to bear.

“So perfect,” he repeats between grunts, your body writhing as he brings you closer and closer to release. Like a caged bird set free, you soar higher and higher, the world spreading beneath you in all its glory as you ascend toward the stars. With one final thrust, you come undone.

Loki presses his forehead to yours as a strangled whimper rips from his throat, his own orgasm quickly following yours. 

You stay like that for a while, a tangle of limbs and heaving breaths on your sofa. Eventually, everything comes back into focus: the fire, the music, the twinkling tree. 

“That was quite the gift,” you say as Loki settles beside you. 

“Certainly, you don’t think that was your only gift?” He tuts and casts you a rakish wink. “Your next surprise awaits you in the bedroom.” 

You giggle as Loki stands and scoops you into his arms. 

“Honestly. What kind of imbecile gives their love only one orgasm on Christmas Eve?” 

click here to be added to my tag list!

[allur1ngs]

instead of : "i saw mommy kissing santa claus" it's actually just: "i saw unnie kissing santa claus"

just reader kissing santa bada during christmas eve like them 2 and the girls just saw that secretly not even recognizing bada 😭 like the girls were actually trying to see if santa was there but their reactions were something-

this is sooo cute!!🎄

"ouch, watch where you're walking!" cheche nudges kyma.

"i can't see anything!" kyma whisper-shouts back loudly.

"shh!" lusher quiets down the other bebe girls, holding a finger up to her mouth.

it's a cold, starry night on december the 24th—the clock is minutes away from striking twelve in the morning, and beginning the christmas festivities. the bebe girls--or more accurately, lusher as the spear header--gathered together with the expressed interest of "catching santa"...

"why are we even up this late?" hyo groans. "we're not going to see anything, y'know. santa's not real--"

"shhh!!" lusher exclaims loudly, placing her hands over soweon's ears. "there are children around--"

''oh come on, we're all adults here--" cheche argues back before she's cut off.

"guys." tatter mumbles, grabbing the girls' attention, and halting their bickering.

"what?" all the girls say in unison.

tatter motions for them to come closer and peek their head around the corner of the wall. they girls clamber over, each of them taking various positions against the wall before looking ahead.

the living room is dark--only barely lit by the beige, flickering string lights hung on the christmas tree. but, even with the sparse ligthting, the girls are able to make out two figures.

one is wearing a delicate and beautiful red and white velvety christmas dress. it's you. you're smiling widely, putting gifts under the christmas tree.

the other figure is tall, and is also wearing red and white clothing, although their's isn't a dress, it's a suit. a santa claus suit.

"santa." lusher breathes, her eyes going wide and sparkling.

in the living room, you stand up. "i think that's the last of them." you then turn back to face santa, your smile never fading. "what do you think, santa? are those enough presents for the girls?"

santa opens their mouth, about to respond when they catch something dangling just above them. they look up, prompting you to do so as well.

there, dangling from some decorated lights is a mistletoe.

"oh, how'd that get there?" you wonder aloud, voice full of cheer. "well, we are standing under it..."

santa wraps their arms around your waist, bringing you closer until you're chest to chest. they lean in, about to place a kiss against your lips--

"unnie's about to kiss santa!" lusher gasps.

"we have to stop them--bada's going to kill santa if she finds out!" soweon shakes her head worriedly.

"unnie, stop!!" lusher and the rest of the girls shout, running out of their hiding place.

you jump at their voices, your hand slapping over your chest in pure shock. santa also parts from you, surprised, but still keeps you close to their side. now facing the girls, santa's face is illuminated, revealing--

"boss?!" all the girls exclaim in surprise.

bada stands before the girls, dressed in a santa claus suit, looking anything but jolly. "yah, what are you all doing up?"

"we came to catch santa..." soweon trails off, glancing between you and bada. "what are you doing up, unnie?"

"we were putting your presents under the tree." you answer, moving to huddle into bada's warm side.

"why just now?" hyo asks.

"because if we’d put them out any sooner, you all would have tried to open them before christmas." bada says, deadpanning.

"that's not true--" lusher tries to argue, but even the other bebe girls give her a "really?" look. "okay, maybe we would have--"

"go to bed, won't you?" bada cuts her off. "we were in the middle of something." she gestures between you and her, which makes you bashful.

"sorry, boss." hyo starts to push the girls away from you and your wife, an apologetic grimace on her face. "we'll go back to our rooms. pretend like we were never here."

"i'm so glad that wasn't santa." soweon says quietly. "i was worried unnie would cheat on bada."

the girls all glance at each other, deciding to not destroy the youngest bebe girl's hopes and dreams.

meanwhile, you can't help but laugh at what had just happened.

"oh, it's funny is it?" bada smirks, pulling you back into her chest.

"a little." you banter, twirling the pompom end of your wife's santa claus hat.

"well, i think you still owe me a kiss, don't you?" your wife smiles.

"yeah, i think i do." you nod, weaving your fingers between hers.

under the twinkling lights and a cherry-red christmas mistletoe, you and santa share a kiss.

[ferrstappen]

august l Lando Norris imagine

a/n: Hello! How are you? Did you see the Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello kissing video? I'm shocked. Anywayssss, this is the second installment of The Collection, a complete different note from the long live piece, but I hope you like it <3 feedback and likes and all those things are greatly appreciated <3

hope you enjoy it! <3

warnings: kinda sad, allusion to sex (like if you squint), couple of swear words.

words: 2k

summary: Every single one of her friends warned her that he was fresh out of a relationship. His friends whispered that he had been so in love just a couple of weeks ago and now he was holding hands with someone else. But she didn’t care. 

i) Your back beneath the sun, wishin’ I could write myself on it. 

You knew his face from somewhere. 

The pub was dimly lit, the humid London weather somehow making its way inside the semi crowded room, but you could still make out his curly hair and slim figure, holding a beer while smiled at something one of his friends said. 

It wasn’t hard to tell he wasn’t giving them a full smile; his eyes didn’t crinkle all the way and his smile didn’t reach his clear eyes. 

You didn’t know him, but you could tell that much. 

And it wasn’t like you were trying to make eye contact with him, almost manifesting that the curly haired stranger would notice you. And you now that when his eyes crossed with yours, the smile reached his eyes. 

His friends didn’t notice, neither did yours, but you weren’t able to keep it cool anymore, quietly making your way outside with the pretense of needed some air and wanting to light a cigarette. 

“How can you smoke with this weather?” You heard his voice for the first time. Calm and soft, almost quiet. 

“Nervousness can do that to a person, you now?” 

“Why are you nervous?” He believed to know the answer, but still asked you.

“Good looking strangers tend to have that effect on me.”

That was the beginning of the end. 

He told you his name was Lando, that he was spending a couple of days in London before returning to his home in Monte-Carlo. You were so entranced that asked your girlfriends to change tables so they could mingle with Lando’s friends. 

They were static, knowing you weren’t one to openly flirt or wanting too much contact, gladly accepting to change tables and getting to know the interesting group of strangers. 

During the third bottle of champagne, Lando made the invitation to you and your friends to join them in Monaco. It took a bit of convincing from their part, but ended up agreeing to being picked up at 5 PM the next day to catch their private flight. 

He said goodbye with a small hug and kiss on the cheek. He didn’t linger, he didn’t take it slow, everything was quick, but you never noticed because you were already hooked.

While your friends squealed on the uber ride back home, not really understanding what the fuck had happened on their casual night out, Lando’s friends were giving him weary looks, trying to understand where this was coming from, because they had dragged him out, because he still was checking his ex girlfriend’s Instagram.

And he knew what he was doing. 

It wasn’t revenge on his ex, it was his heart trying to feel something again.

Something that wasn’t the constant ache of having lost the girl with whom he thought would spend years and years together. 

He needed to erase the pictures of him and his ex holding his niece in front of the Christmas tree.

The cute post-it she left on his refrigerator for when he got home after a triple header. 

And he was sure the warmth of another person would calm the pain, even if it wasn’t much, he’d take whatever was given to him. 

And that’s how he ended up with you in his yacht, surrounded by his friends and yours. 

You were wearing denim shorts and a black bikini top; simple, forgettable; exactly what he was looking for.

So he placed his arm around your bare waist, not applying to much pressure, but allowing himself to enjoy the goosebumps on your skin when he caressed the exposed flesh, the small smile you gave him after he offered to get you a drink, and the gasp when he left a chaste kiss on your lips. 

You noticed the stares of his friends and how your friends became a little more protective, not letting loose on the luxury yacht, keeping an eye on you and Lando. One of them even turned down an offer from a Lebanese businessman. 

Talk about friendship.

You noticed the looks he got when you went out to discover a bit of Monte-Carlo, people subtly pointing their phones as he tried to not show his face and cover yours. The only thing you wished for in that moment was for Lando to take your hand and guide you through the coast.

Yes, it was ridiculous. It wasn’t like your mind didn’t remind you that two days ago he was a stranger, but that didn’t stop your heart from wanting to leave a mark so people could see he wasn’t alone, he wasn’t paying attention to them, he was with you for the time being. 

ii) and I can see us twisted in bedsheets, august sipped away like a bottle of wine, ‘cause you were never mine.

The Monaco sun was hitting your back, Lando groaning next to you as the grip on your waist tightened and tried to hide his face on your neck, earning a chuckle. 

If anyone saw this from the outside, everything happening between Lando and you was straight out of a fairytale; student meets good looking Formula 1 driver, willing to fly her anywhere just to see her.

Maybe all those goods were the reason you were willing to ignore how sometimes he didn’t return the FaceTime calls, but he had a busy schedule, it wasn’t worrying, and you didn’t want to appear like a controlling girl. 

You knew your friends tried to send subtle warnings, telling you to not open up too much, to be careful with your feelings, to get to know him better. You understood, this was your first serious relationship.

Right, it wasn’t a relationship just yet. 

But even if both your friends saw this through tinted glasses, Lando and you knew about the late nights giggling while trying to find the ticklish spots of each other.

The cute laughter he would give you as you tried to not crash on the wall while driving the simulator. 

The soft sighs he’d release when you started threading your fingers through his curls, trying to make him forget a stressful meeting. 

The lilies delivered to your apartment when his schedule didn’t allow him to see you for a couple of weeks. 

The kisses on your naked skin, knowing how to handle your body better than yourself.

The grateful kisses on your forehead after he tasted a new recipe you saw on Pinterest, only using ingredients approved by his trainer.

They didn’t see that. 

But it all went away so quickly. 

Suddenly, august was coming to an end. You didn’t even notice, too drunk while discovering Lando, how his body and mind worked.

How the relationship would evolve, when would you accompany him to one of his races, would you move to Monte-Carlo eventually?

All the questions in your head clouded your judgement, made you ignore the clear signs that Lando maybe wasn’t so into it. But he was tired, he was in the middle of the season. 

He was fresh out of a breakup…

But he wouldn’t make a move on you just to forget his ex girlfriend, right? Everything you’ve been living during the last months was real. You knew everything was real, he was overwhelmed, that’s all. 

But there was a breaking point, even in your hazy vision. 

His calls mostly went to voicemail, but he always texted he was busy. 

He didn’t invite you to his home as usual, but he was racing.

He didn’t invite you to the paddock, but you weren’t official yet.

You knew in your head this wasn’t right, that he was feeding you just enough to keep you hooked, the bare minimum.

You knew you deserved so much more than that, even if he the prospect of him was exciting, and your heart beat a bit faster every time you saw him.

You were bracing for the fall. 

iii) So much for summer love and saying “us”, cause you weren’t mine to lose.

You didn’t want to go through the self-destructive phase when two days went by and he didn’t contact you, but you weren’t making up excuses anymore. 

Suddenly, googling his name seemed like the sane idea, inevitably searching for news and photos of him and his ex. 

She was gorgeous, worthy of someone like him. They walked hand in hand so carelessly she wore his merch so proudly, she showed up in the paddock so freely.

That’s when she realized it was never going to be her, Lando never meant for her to be more than a summer thing, to not feel her absence.

He was waiting for the right time to go back to her, he’d hit the ground running as soon as a sign was given to him.

But it didn’t make any sense. Maybe it was the disappointment and heartbreak speaking, but you knew with a certainty that what happened during the last couple of months was real. 

You didn’t imagine his hard grip on your hip while he took over the DJ table.

You didn’t imagine the soft caresses of his hand on your thigh while he was driving you to an afternoon date. 

Your head knew you didn’t make up the loving eyes he dedicated you as you tried to hit the high notes of a song while making the bed. 

But he hadn’t reached out in two days, it was pretty self-explanatory. He didn’t really care about nurturing this growing seed between the two of you.

Lando didn’t want you. 

It didn’t matter how real everything was to you. How your heart was slowly breaking as tears pooled in your eyes, because you’d never be able to convince yourself that this was meaningless, at least not to you. 

Lando

Are you okay? I haven’t heard from you

Listen, I know whatever’s going on between us is new and we never labeled it, but I totally understand if it’s over or whatever

Just talk to me so I can move on and ofc I still wanna be your friend

Was this message too serious?

If you want to ofc lol

Anyway hope ur okay pls don’t ghost me

Pathetic, honestly. But what else can you do when your head is telling you to let go at the same time you heart is begging to keep holding on?

iv) To live for the hope of it all, cancel plans just in case you’d call. 

Lando knew this was wrong. Shit, ghosting someone was the lowest of lows, but he wasn’t brave enough to tell you he couldn’t keep up with this, because he’d never be able to give you what you wanted.

He didn’t want to bring you to the paddock and be captured with you as his new girlfriend, because it was never meant to be your place.

But he didn’t know how to put into words what he needed to say to you. 

He wasn’t that big of a person. He wasn’t that good of a man. 

The tear in his heart was still there, but he couldn’t deny that you palliated his fractured heart, somehow mending the pieces back together. 

He couldn’t deny the peace he felt every time you run your hands through his hair. 

The grin that appeared after you softly kissed him right when his eyes opened in the morning. 

The steady beats of his heart when he knew you were waiting for him to show him the newest recipe you tried. 

And Lando he was being unfair, that he wasn’t supposed to open WhatsApp and search your name, knowing your profile picture was taken by him, and he somehow managed to capture your beauty, inside and out. 

He took a deep breath before typing. 

are you free?

sorry I’ve been missing lately

He was disappointed in himself, because Lando knew you were going to do everything to see him.

He was despicable, his actions were mean.

But Lando still smiled when he noticed you had responded, lightheartedly asking him how he was doing. 

Hope was still creeping on your veins, ignoring the fear of falling and breaking for Lando. 

Again.

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 51)

Jordan Nobbs x Leah Williamson (8)

Masterlist (other parts here)

Jordan wasn’t in the starting line-up, just as she’d expected. She was however, subbed on at half time which she hadn’t. She’d expected to be subbed on much later than that. The game against West Ham was tough, and she felt her lungs burning as she covered more ground that she had all season. As the sub, she knew she was fresher than the starting players and so she pushed herself further and chased the ball around the field, though she felt she was barely making an impact and became increasingly frustrated which led to her shouting and throwing her arms up. After all this time, she still didn’t understand why she became so frustrated and angry on the field; perhaps it was because she’d blame herself when things didn’t go right. The thoughts of being dropped from the England squad and leaving Arsenal without Jonas even bothering to fight for her also weighed on her mind when it came to decision making, especially the split-second ones on the field.

She’d expected herself to have a fun, calm game after spending the night before with YFN at Lucy’s apartment in London. They ordered some health-ish take-out because Lucy’s London apartment obviously didn’t have any fresh food of course and had fun at home with Blu, entertaining him and talking all things from Kyra’s little date with Courtney to where they’d be spending Christmas.

‘You should be happy!’ she almost yelled at herself as she threw her arms up in frustration at the player who’d tripped her teammate.

She looked for YFN on the side-line, her eyes wandering over the numerous purple and yellow hoodies and beanies until she found her already watching her instead of the argument between the player and the ref. She looked freezing cold, her nose red and her arms around herself but when they caught eyes, she gave her a supportive dimply smirk and thumbs up. Jordan couldn’t help but smile back. YFN placed her hand on her chest and gave an obvious deep breath in and out; a sign for Jordan to do the same which she did. Much better. She mouthed a ‘thank you’ to the Australian and turned her attention back to the game. The rest of the game was more chaotic as it went. Five minutes of overtime were added and they were drawn 2-2. In the 91st minute, she had the perfect view behind Rachel Daly to see her volley a ball from a header straight into the net. 3-2. Jordan ran to her excited and grabbed her in a hug, along with the rest of the team.

That eased some tension only temporarily though because the West Ham players were not giving up. They fought back more aggressively than they had all game, and as it was their home game in front of their screaming fans who urged them on. Jordan’s frustration built back up to the 95th minute where she was wiping the sweat from her brow and her lungs were on fire. Her teammate Alisha Lehmann fouled a player in front of her and Jordan ran over to grab the ball, just hoping to drag the time out. One of the West Ham players grabbed at the ball and shoved her until the ref held up their yellow card. She dropped the ball and tried to explain but knew she was in the wrong. She was just trying to give her teammates some extra breathing time to keep defending before the final whistle blew and if she was completely honest, the West Ham player had been an annoyance all game.

They started again and West Ham managed to score a corner, and even their Captain and goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold came down for it. They were into the 96th minute with no whistle blown. The ball went up and for a single panicked moment, she thought there was a goal but Daphne van Domselaar, her goalkeeper teammate, managed to stop it on the line. There was one final shot from outside the box but that missed also. The final whistle blew and she let out a sigh of relief. They’d won!

She shook hands with everyone and grabbed the first water bottle she could find, along with a jacket. It was so cold she’d been wearing gloves for the game. When she was done with the team requirements, she ran over to YFN who caught her in a big, warm hug.

“Great game, Dory! You must be tired, yeah?”

“Dying!” she groaned.

“You played fifty-one minutes and it was high, high intensity. Jeez, I’d love to see how much ground you covered.”

She hadn’t known she’d played so long. “I feel like I’ve run a marathon. I need a shower and bed.”

She laughed. “You’ll have that soon enough… before your date that is.”

She groaned again. She was so tired she couldn’t even comprehend trying to navigate the awkwardness of whatever would happen with Leah in a few hours. She was tempted to cancel but YFN gave her a look and she knew she was right.

Jordan and Rachel Daly did a Lumos interview with Mackenzie Arnold and Risa Shimizu from West Ham with YFN asking questions. Jordan loved seeing YFN at work and it was so cold that she was cuddled up to her. The interview didn’t last too long, just enough to get a few laughs and good content before they said their goodbyes. Before they went, YFN gathered some information about the players in regards to interviews, what they’d want to talk about more or less etc, and asked general opinions of some of the ideas she had floating around like interviews outside of stadiums doing different things. Jordan loved the puppy interview suggestion best and YFN didn’t look surprised as she put her down for that.

“The debrief should be quick and then I’ll get changed and meet you at the car,” she said to the Australian after they’d finished.

She looked at her watch. “We’re still on time if we leave in 15. I need to talk to my group anyways. I’ll see you outside!”

After battling the traffic, Jordan managed to drop her off just in time. It’s lucky they’d done most of their speaking about Leah in the car as when they arrived it was just a jump out and run situation for YFN. Once her little suitcase and backpack were out of the car, she jumped back in the car and leant over to wrap Jordan in a tight hug.

“I love you, Dory. Please go at your own pace and communicate, okay? Let her know what you need. She’ll listen.”

Jordan nodded against her. “Stay safe in Barca and give Ridley a happy birthday for me.”

“Will do! Oh and here…” she removed the red house key from her keychain and gave it to Jordan. “Lucy’s house key. I’ll grab it when I get back.”

“I’ll try not to lose it,” she joked.

“With Lucy stalkers around? You’d better not!”

Jordan watched her walking away dragging her suitcase and smiled. She’d be with Lucy soon.

She drove to the apartment where she found a half-asleep Blu who must have been napping. Jordan gave him some love and attention and apologised for being gone. She took a shower and got changed into just a simple outfit; pants, shirt and a hoody, though she hesitated over how she looked. She found herself staring in the mirror, wondering if she should change or do her hair down rather than up. Eventually she became so annoyed with herself that she just gave up. She checked the Arsenal score so she’d know what mood to expect from Leah and saw that they’d won 3-0 against Brighton. Yep, she’d be happy. She loaded her luggage into the car before heading back inside for her most important item.

“Come on Blu, let’s go.” She picked the little guy up and took him outside, holding him close to keep him warm from the cold UK weather. She double checked that she locked the apartment properly before heading to the car and keeping the key safe there. There’s no way she was going to risk the crazies, especially with that YFN and Lucy had been through already.

The drive to Leah’s wasn’t far and even driving slower, it went quicker than usual because she was so nervous. She was still a little worked up about her game, let alone the idea of spending time with Leah.

She pulled up outside her apartment and gripped the steering wheel. Why was she doing this? Why was she going back to the person who’d caused her so much pain? They were so different in so many ways, which had to be expected as Leah was five years younger than her. Although she was mature for her age, and Jordan debatably less mature, they did have an incredible amount of similarities also. She thought back to the night before last and the feeling of Leah’s arms around her. Her smell, her feel, her warmth. Her words from the award night.

“I love you,” Leah said from the doorstep, her bag slung over her shoulder. “I made a decision without involving you. I thought I was protecting you, but I took your choice away. I never stopped and will never stop loving you. I can’t change the past, but I can tell you here and now that I’ll give you everything, all of me, and I’ll never make a decision without you again. I’ve lost a year with you, and I can’t stand to lose another second. If you take me back and realise you can’t trust me….then I’ll bear that burden of pain and I need you to know that I’d never beg you to stay just for my feelings. I’d hold the door open and offer you everything I had, because you deserve everything, Jord. Just…think on it.”

Jordan felt a tear roll down her cheek as she remembered that.

“You’re my person. I love you, Jord.”

Blue yapped from next to her which got her attention and she wiped the tear from her cheek and reached over to pat him.

“Sorry Blu, I’m just a little overwhelmed. Are you ready to see Leah for the first time in a year? She’s still the same…I mean she is in the best ways.” She put her hand out which he nuzzled and she picked him up. “Up you come my boy, let’s go see if she’s learnt how to cook, hm?”

Jordan rang the front door bell and waited, Blu cuddled in her arms and getting a little heavy. She heard a crashing sound and the patter of feet before the door was opened to reveal an overwhelmed looking Leah. As soon as she saw Jordan, she gave that smile of hers. Not her public smile, but her genuine one. The one that reached her eyes and crinkled at the corners of them.

Leah opened her mouth and hesitated before closing it and giving a little wave. Her eyes fell down to Blu and she reached out half-way, as if to ask, before Jordan nodded and stepped forward to hand him over. It was an awkward exchange of body parts, moving a dog from chest to chest but it was well worth his excited yaps and licking of her chin. They stepped inside and when she let Blu go, he was straight into exploring the place he hadn’t been in over a year. His legs were short though, so that took a while. Leah looked at her and hesitated again as if waiting for something. She gave up quickly and gestured to the living room where she led the way. Only when she turned did Jordan realised she’d probably been waiting for a hug. They walking into the living area which was overlooked by the kitchen and it looked like chaos. Like Leah was cooking for a whole family. She had a large amount of food and was overwhelmed with the amount she had to do, it seemed. Jordan couldn’t help but chuckle at that as Leah gestured her into a kitchen counter seat and put a drink in front of her. Jordan noticed a little whiteboard that was on the kitchen counter and Leah wrote on it, holding it up.

‘Sorry dinner isn’t ready – girls stopped by and wouldn’t leave.’

“That’s okay,” Jordan shrugged. “What’s for dinner?”

Leah rubbed her writing off and changed it. ‘Roast.’

Jordan nodded, impressed, before she looked around again and saw the mess. That’s when she noticed that the music playing was some of Jordan’s favourites. Her throwbacks and the songs she’d had on repeat for weeks.

“Leah… you can change back to your music if you want, it’s okay.”

Leah shook her head.

Jordan sighed. “At least let’s go half-half?”

She thought for a second before she nodded slowly in agreement and took her phone to alter the music to half country and half Jordan’s favourites before Leah got back to work.

Jordan’s phone buzzed and she looked down at it.

Katie: Hey chicken, give us a text when you’re almost here. We’ll be awake until midnight. Have fun x

Jordan: Will do, not sure how long I’ll be. Putting my phone away now x

Jordan always thought it was rude to have a phone out when you were with guests or… whatever this was. She looked back up and saw Leah with her head in her hands, her elbows on the counter as she read from a book. She was reading instructions? She looked stressed. Still reading, she pushed herself back upright and grabbed the knife, starting to cut the potatoes when she gasped and dropped the knife, grabbing at her finger. Jordan was up immediately and at her side.

“Here…come here,” she said as she took her wrist and put her finger under the tap. She examined it and was happy that it didn’t look deep, just a nick. She found Leah’s first aid kid and when she realised automatically she’d done just that, she turned to see Leah looking at her with so much emotion she could barely contain her tears. Of course, Jordan knew where her first aid kit was. And of course, she’d jumped up immediately to help her. Jordan was always worrying about other people. She returned with the kit and plastered her finger up gently, both women relishing the soft touches they shared.

“How about I help you cook, yes?”

Leah thought about it, obviously not wanting to admit she needed help. She took the marker and wrote on the whiteboard again. ‘I’m sorry.’

“Don’t be, we’ve both had busy days. Let’s see if we can work this out together, hm?”

Jordan helped Leah to make dinner. They moved silently and seamlessly together in the kitchen, Jordan saying instructions out loud from the book as she was also not great at cooking. There would be times where they’d run into each other or brush up against each other, and she couldn’t say she didn’t like it.

They finished making dinner and plated up, Leah also putting food out for Blu before they sat down to eat across the table from each other. Jordan had thought it would be strange with Leah not speaking but it was surprisingly relaxing not just for her, but she could tell it was for Leah also. There were no expectations, no worries about arguments or pain through words, they were just together and enjoying each other’s company. Both worked symbiotically as if no time had passed and from the little looks Jordan accidentally made of her apartment, it seemed very much the same as it had done a year ago. The same smell, same aura, same furniture, even the same country music. It was… nice. Really nice.

They finished dinner which was surprisingly edible and washed up, packing the leftovers away in Leah’s fridge. Jordan turned to the whiteboard again.

‘Movie?’

“Okay.”

She settled onto the couch and Leah joined shortly, bringing what seemed to be a new circular dog bed with her. She put it down on the carpet in front of them and Blu made himself at home, spinning a few times on the spot before he laid down. Leah gave a happy grin at the sight of that and sat down close to Jordan. The couch was large, but now they were so close they were almost touching. Jordan felt giddy at the thought that Leah had gone out to buy a bed just so he’d have something to fall asleep in. But it wasn’t only that. It was the dog food she’d bought. And the music she was playing. And the fact that she’d attempted to make a roast dinner when she couldn’t cook at all. Leah was trying.

The movie started and the title popped up on screen; The Lord of the Rings. Jordan scoffed at the audacity.

“Did you pick this just because it’s three hours long?!” she asked accusingly.

Leah gave a sheepish grin and tilted her head to see it Jordan was actually mad. She wasn’t. She was enjoying their night. For some reason, just being near Leah calmed her. It stopped her negative thoughts and overthinking and just simplified everything for her.

They were half an hour in when Leah wrote on her whiteboard again.

‘I bought cake for dessert. You had a hard game, I thought you’d might want some?’

If anything was a way to Jordan’s heart, it was cake. She loved cake more than any other human. She nodded excitedly and Leah smiled, victorious. They both got up to stretch and wandered to the kitchen, Blu following his mums. Leah opened the fridge and paused as if she were malfunctioning. She started shifting items around and eventually closed the door frustratedly and grabbed her phone. She read a message and shook her head before telling Jordan.

‘Kyra stole the cake when they stopped by after the game… I’m sorry. I’ll go get some from the shops around the corner.’

“No, you don’t have to do tha-” Jordan started to say, only to be cut off by Leah’s whiteboard.

‘Yes I do. I’ll be back soon.’

“At least let me come with you? It’s cold and dark and Blu needs a walk today…”

They strode in happy silence, all clothed up and Jordan wearing one of Leah’s beanies she’d offered her. She let Leah hold Blu’s lead while they went on the walk that they’d done so often before. The night air was cold but it didn’t stop Jordan from feeling the warming presence of the woman next to her. She wondered if their little knuckle and shoulder grazes were on purpose or not and decided she didn’t care. She liked it.

They reached the store and Jordan stood outside with Blu while Leah ducked inside for the cake Jordan felt she so deserved after her game. As she was standing outside holding Blu in her arms to keep the little short hair from freezing, she was approached by a few people she recognised as media for women’s football, but not the good kind…the vultures.

She had a few microphones put in her face and the brightness of the video camera blinded her so she had to step back.

“Jordan Nobbs! How do you feel after your win against West Ham?”

She put her hand up. “No interviews, please.”

They tried to ask her more things, and each time she told them to just leave her alone but they were insistent. “Another thing, is it true that you and Leah Williamson are dating again?”

“What?”

“Come on, you can tell us!”

“She said to leave her alone!” Leah snapped and stepped in front of Jordan and Blu. Leah was usually the polite, well-mannered Captain in front of media. She wasn’t right now, and the sound of her voice sparked something in Jordan.

“Just a few questions Leah, sorry we didn’t realise you were here.”

“I know you better than that, Stanley, and I need to say that I’m very disappointed in all three of you for approaching her when I specifically asked you not to! You know what that means…”

She’d asked them to not approach her? Leah was still protecting her and she didn’t even realise how much.

“It was just a few questions, Leah. No harm.”

“This is disgusting, disgusting behaviour. I expected more from all of you. As promised, from now on, all of the media I do will be through Lumos. Please tell your boss.”

They started to argue when Leah put her arm around the pair and walked them away, her hand rubbing Jordan’s shoulder as they walked. When they were far enough away, she dropped her hand and gave her space back. Jordan didn’t say anything, but she missed her touch as soon as it was gone.

Soon enough they were settled back into the couch with their cake and Jordan ate excitedly, groaning at the first bite.

“Oh god that hits the spot. Thanks, Lea.”

Leah’s eyes softened and she looked back at her plate with a little smile. Her phone buzzed and she looked at it.

YFN: Why am I getting second-hand news that you’re only going to be using Lumos for media from now on? Is everything okay?

Leah: I asked the reporters to not approach Jordan outside of football and they did. Fair punishment for them, I reckon.

YFN: So it’s true?”

Leah: Yeah if that’s okay?

YFN: Mate, perfectly fine with me. Everything okay with this little interaction?

Leah: Everything’s fine – I sorted them. Jordan’s okay, she has cake.

YFN: Ah, yes she’s fine then *laughing emoji* I’ll leave you to it. We’ll chat about this later. x

Jordan looked curious and so Leah showed her the few messages they’d exchanged.

“You’re serious about that?”

Leah nodded.

The movie continued and Blu went back to sleep. Leah and Jordan were so close that it was almost impossible to focus on anything else. Something loud and violent happened in the movie and Jordan couldn’t help but jump and grab onto Leah, putting her head behind her shoulder.

“Oh no, no, no…tell me when that part’s over please.”

Leah chuckled and let her arm be grabbed by her ex. When the scary part was over, she tapped her gently and Jordan looked at the TV again, but she didn’t let Leah’s arm go. She dragged it over further and hugged herself around it with both arms, her head finding Leah’s shoulder.

Jordan felt Leah let out a bigger sigh than usual and without lifting her head she asked. “What’s wrong, Lea?”

Leah took her whiteboard with her spare hand and put it on her lap to write when Jordan’s hand touched hers softly. Leah paused and let Jordan gently take the whiteboard off of her lap and slide it back where it was. Hint taken.

“I just wanted everything tonight to be perfect.”

“It is perfect,” she murmured, and she wasn’t lying. “We cooked together, cleaned together, went for a walk with Blu and had dessert. And now we’re watching a movie together. How could it not be perfect?”

She felt the tension in Leah’s body leave as she softened and Jordan readjusted her grip on her arm and her head on her shoulder. She felt Leah’s head lean against the top of hers as they continued to watch the movie in silence.

It wasn’t long before Jordan was yawning and they were nowhere near the end of the film. Leah paused it.

Jordan lifted her head in question.

“That’s your third yawn, Jord.”

“So?”

“So that means your next will be your last before you’re asleep. And you know you’re more than welcome to stay here tonight but I have the feeling you’re going to want to go…”

Jordan hesitated as she thought before she nodded. “I need to go.”

Leah nodded also, as if she already knew. “Back to Lucy’s?”

“To Katie and Caitlin’s actually.”

“Oh… I didn’t know.”

Jordan was surprised at that. She thought they would have mentioned it at the game but obviously they’d respected Jordan’s privacy.

“It’s just for the night so I’m not alone.”

Leah gave a melancholy smile. “I know how that feels.”

There was a pause then. Jordan broke it by leaning over and putting her forehead on her shoulder in an unspoken word. She rested it there for a little before she released her and stood.

Blu was hard to wake, and Jordan felt bad that she was waking him for yet another trip. Leah took a few leftovers and cake and wrapped them up, putting them in a bag for Jordan to take to Katie and Caitlin. She helped her load them and Blu in the car while Jordan texted Katie that she was on her way.

They were stood in the doorway, Leah looking like she didn’t want her to go. She didn’t blame her. Her whole body was telling her to stay. It was only her fear of pain that was driving her to go, and it sure was strong.

She wrapped her arms around Leah who did so in kind; the two holding each other close for a while. Leah was so warm and soft and she just felt safe.

After a while Jordan spoke. “Thank you for tonight, it was perfect. I know Blu missed you a lot too.”

“It was really good to see him, and you,” Leah murmured huskily.

“Can I…” Jordan trailed off and Leah’s arms tightened.

“You’d like to pencil in another hug?”

“Yes please,” she whispered. YFN was right. Hugs were healing. She knew that because right here and now in Leah’s arms, she was happy.

“Whenever you want, just let me know.”

Leah watched from the driveway as Jordan backed out and drove off. They’d only been together three hours but it had lifted both of their moods to a level of happiness they hadn’t felt in a while. Jordan gave her a little wave as she drove off.

It was just clicking over to 10pm when Jordan arrived at Katie and Caitlin’s. She grabbed her overnight back pack and Blu and knocked on the door. Caitlin opened it with wild eyes.

“Did you see the messages?!”

“What?”

She dragged her inside and Jordan barely managed to put Blu down before she was being pulled into the kitchen.

“Did you see?!” Katie almost yelled, worried.

“See what?”

“Lucy’s messages!” They said in unison.

She frowned and looked at her phone that had been in her pocket on silent. She read the messages from Lucy and gasped out loud.

Oh no… YFN! What the fuck?

[theladybarnes]

CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER FIVE

"It’s time for your suffering to end.”

▸ summary: there’s still time left in the night for more surprise ▸ characters: nancy & mike wheeler, dustin henderson, steve harrington, & eddie munson ▸ word count: 11.8k ▸ warnings: angst, semi-fluff, minor character death, self loathing,  ▸ series masterlist

“Why is she here again?” 

 You glanced away from the small clippings of possibly headers to look over at Fred Benson. Nancy’s new friend from the paper, and currently a small thorn in your side. For some reason, Fred did not like you, and while he was completely involved with Nancy’s small paper world, he did not seem to like her friends outside of it. Meaning you.

 “She’s here because I offered to show her how things work here, Fred.” Nancy chimed in before you could respond back with a less friendly answer. 

 The pale boy raised a brow at you before shooting to follow after Nancy. He’s been trailing behind after her ever since you came into the news room for your free period. The two of them were currently discussing Jonathan, peaking your interest enough that you quietly followed after the two. 

 “So maybe I’m missing something, but why can’t Jonathan come down here for break?”

 “Because.”

 “Because why?”

 You moved to stand beside the slumped Fred as you smirked over at him. “I know that journalists are naturally inquisitive people, Freddie, but you seem to be very keen on knowing the deep details of Nancy’s love life.” you said, watching as his light eyes widened a bit. “Any particular reason for that?”

 Nancy chuckled nervously before she reached over to pull you away from Fred’s side. Forcing you instead to walk in front of her. “Stand down, tiger.” she said to you before turning back to the boy. “As for you, because of a lot of reasons.”

 “Curious.”

 Her blue eyes narrowed at him briefly before glancing down at the work being down on the newest headline. You couldn’t help but stare down at the large font predicting a win for the game tonight. You were never one for sports, but considering Lucas was on the team, you couldn’t help but be a little hopeful there would be a win. At least for your friend.

 Fred was quick to bring the focus back to his curiosity. 

 “You said there’s a lot of reasons he’s not coming. Such as?”

 “Why are you being so nosy?” Nancy asked, frustration breaking through her exterior now. But the snap to her words didn’t seem to falter Fred in the slightest. It actually just made him appear more roused at continuing the conversation. 

 “Call it journalistic instinct.”

 “I’m pretty sure it’s called being nosy.” you volleyed with a shrug. 

 He rolled his eyes, adjusting the large folder in his hands before his face quickly changed to an amusing smirk. “We can always talk about your life, Henderson. Wasn’t it just a while ago that you were dating Steve Harrington? From what I hear from the halls, he’s been going on dates with a couple of the girls from our grade.” 

 Your spine stiffened up at the mention of Steve. Not fully prepared for that subject to be thrown into the conversation. Nancy scoffed at Fred, shaking her head quickly at her friend as she gently placed her hand on your shoulder. 

 “You don’t have to tell him anything.” she said to you, eyes checking over your face as if you were back in her car ready to break down again. “Really, Fred’s just–”

 “He’s curious.” you butt in, not wanting to give any satisfaction to the boy’s attempt to throw you off. Glancing at him, you make sure to give him a reassuring smile despite the fact that the mere mention of Steve had your chest aching. “We’re..not together anymore. Broke up before Christmas. Things are fine. I’m glad he’s doing well.”

 Fred looked a little bit skeptical, eyes narrowed his pale eyes at you. Almost as if he were waiting for you to crack at any second. Nancy beside you was doing the same thing. Nervously watching over you until she decided enough was enough.

 “Okay, well, there’s no story there or here, if that’s what you’re after.” she sighed, willingly taking on the main focus again. “Jonathan’s mom works, so he has to watch over his brother. On top of that, he’s not early decision like me, so he’s waiting on his acceptance letter, and he wants to be there when it comes..which I totally get!”

 There was a certain higher pitch in her tone that clearly gave away some of the uncertainty in her words. And while you knew that being friends with both her and Jonathan meant being neutral in moments like this, especially considering she just took the heat off of your relationship, you couldn’t help but feel like you’d have to join in on meddling with Fred. 

 “Okay! Um, I don’t. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

 Crossing your arms over your chest, you gave your friend a winced look before your mouth finally blurted out a running question you had been thinking over the past week. “You are aware that a letter would be available to read when he gets back..right?”

 Nancy looked over at you, a flicker of annoyance before she shook her head, trying to keep positive. 

 “Well, it’s always different. You know how it is to wait.”

 “I also did things like go to school and leave the house. In this case, he’d have a whole week off school that he could use to go see his hot girlfriend and yet he’s at home playing the babysitter.” you scoffed. “Who is he, Steve?”

 “You know, he’s your best friend.” she pointed out softly. But you simply shrugged your shoulders, unsure of Jonathan’s reasoning yourself. All he did when you called him about it the other night was say the same excuse as she said. 

 “He’s also a guy. We both know they’re dangerously questionable at times.”

 She pursed her lips at that as Fred snapped his finger at you, nodding in agreement. 

 “So he’s supposedly the love of your life, right? The guy you plan on going to school with, and yet he’s so nervous about this acceptance letter, he doesn’t have time to visit the most desired girl in Hawkins?” 

 “Hey!” you chided, glaring at him. “What the hell?” 

 He rolled his eyes but held a hand up to you. “Fine, one of the two most desired girls in Hawkins.”

 Nancy closed her eyes, shaking her head at the two of you as she tried to focus on her work again. You moved closer to her side, nudging her a bit. It wasn’t like this conversation would be easy, but it did make you wonder why neither one would take the time to visit each other when they could. It was something like this that slowly started to cement your feelings about long distance. 

 “I know Jonathan likes to take on a lot of work at home. But it is kinda unfair to you guys..”

 “Not to mention as a part of the many sexually active teens in Hawkins, she’s denied the gratifications of having coitus with her supposed loving partner.” 

 Both you and Nancy let out a small gasp of disgust from Fred’s blunt words. Of all things that didn’t need to be pointed out in this conversation, it was Nancy’s sex life. Especially from Fred of all people. Beside you, Nancy held up her hand, holding back the full twist of disgust from her face. 

 “Okay, first of all, Fred, I’m going to try to forget that you said any of that. It’s..” 

 “None of your business.” you said simply. “Nance here doesn’t need to dive into her personal life for us, but is kind enough to open the floor up for conversation. So maybe keep it PG if you want to keep part of it.”

 Fred again couldn’t help but give you another eye roll, probably done with your butting in. Nancy placed a thankful hand on your shoulder as she tried to bring reason back to the three of you. “You just don’t know Jonathan. He’s not like you. He’s caring and compassionate and loyal.”

 She set down the tools, thinking hard for a moment until a small smile tugged on her lips. 

 “He’s so protective over the people that he loves. And he’ll never back down from what’s right, what's moral. No matter the pressure, no matter the personal cost. That’s why I love him.” 

 You were a little taken back to hear someone else speak so highly of your best friend. But Nancy’s genuine words got to you a bit and you found yourself slightly emotional over it. “That’s so sweet.” you cooed softly, nudging her arm lightly. “I love you guys.”

 The girl laughed a bit, rolling her eyes at you but smiling at the comment before she glanced down at the work before. An even prouder smile tugged at her lips as she presented the newly designed headline for you two. “It’s perfect.”

 Fred, who had grown quiet since Nancy humbled him down a bit, seemed to easily move on from things without any hesitance. His eyes scanned over the screen briefly. Brows knit together in disinterest. 

 “Eh, I’m still rooting for my alt.” 

 He proudly held up his alternative cover that displayed a more negative outcome of the game. It would seem that you weren’t the only one walking around school with a lack of school spirit. Before either one of you could critique the grim headline, the door to the editing room burst open. 

 “Nancy!” Mike yelled as he quickly stepped in, letting the door behind him bang against the wall before its hinges creaked loudly to close up. The whole room became quiet to the boy who had disrupted the peaceful atmosphere. He stood nervously for a second before his eyes slowly locked on to where his sister was. 

 “Nancy, hey!” he greeted, as if they had just run into each other in the hall. “Um, do you wanna join Hellfire tonight?”

 Beside you Nancy let out an actual seething grunt as she glared over to her brother. You couldn’t help but actually chuckle a bit at the whole interaction.

 “I’ll take care of this.” You said with a pat to the shoulder. 

 Stepping away from the desk with the hall pass, you grabbed onto Mike’s arm, taking him out of the class so that Nancy didn’t have the chance to drag him out herself. The boy grumbled a bit in your hold until you two were back into the quiet hallway. 

 “I don’t think Karen would approve of you coming into rooms without knocking.” You teased watching as Mike rolled his eyes. 

 “God forbid she ever does me a favor.” he sighed, adjusting the strap on his backpack. You gave him a sympathetic smile before ushering him towards the classes. Just when you were about to turn to go toward the bathrooms, he gripped at your arm.

 “You’re someone!” He said smiling.

 “Keen observation, Wheeler. Mind letting me go now?”

 “Join us! Hellfire tonight.” 

 “Yeah, I’d rather be chased around by Russian security again than do that.” you scoffed. 

 Mike frowned at your past memory before waving his hand. Brushing the comment away. 

 “It’s only for tonight. Dustin and I need to replace a spot. You wouldn’t even have to work too hard. We can even help you quickly fill out a character sheet before school ends.”

 You’re about to tell Mike where he can shove that sheet when his words suddenly stumped you. “Wait, did you say that the game is tonight?’ you asked slowly.

 “Yeah, tonight in the theater. Why?”

 Looking over at him with a glare, you crossed your arms as you approached Mike. Doing your best to keep down the frustration that easily came along with your friend’s brother. “Tonight is the basketball team’s championship game. So are you guys playing out the campaign after or?”

 Mike still cleared his throat as he scratched the back of his neck. His dark eyes stayed cast down to the ground rather than meeting yours. Even without speaking yet, his guilty silence was almost enough of an answer.

 “Hellfire’s game is tonight,” he said wearily. “It’s uh..at the same time as the game.”

 “And what, Lucas is gonna miss out on the game?”

 “..No.”

 You can’t help but let out another scoff at Mike. While you knew there was a recent difference in interests amongst the boys, you didn’t expect for any of them to ignore an important event so easily. 

 “So you guys don’t care at all to go and support Lucas?” you asked, raising a brow at him. “Whatever happened to looking out for a party member? Shouldn’t you guys hold off until the game is over or just wait for you to come back from break?”

 Mike let out a big sigh, trying to turn away from you now, but you quickly moved to stand in front of him again. Raising a brow at him until he gave you some sort of reasonable answer. 

 The boy paled even more, if possible, visibly gulping as he tried to think of what he could say that wouldn’t sound bad. But all he could do was shake his head. “Look, even when we tried, we’re not the only ones in this campaign. Besides, Eddie doesn’t care about things like basketball. He’s counting on us to finish the campaign before the break.”

 “And just screw over a friend along the way.” you muttered, annoyed with your friend’s biased views towards other cliques of the school. Glancing down at your watch, you made note of the limited time you have left in your period and quickly turned on your heel towards your next target.

 “Wait, so is that a no for Hellfire?!” Mike yelled from down the hall.

 “Go to damn class!”

There were thankfully not too many wandering kids in the front of the school. It made for an easy way to find the boy you were looking for. With his stupid hat, stupid shirt, and stupid voice yacking into the public phone. 

 “Just move your date this one time, come on!” he whined into the receiver. 

 Instantly you froze behind him. Unable to move or stop yourself from eavesdropping into the conversation. Considering the fact that everyone he knew was in school right now, you knew exactly who he was talking to. Which is what made the subject of a date twist at your stomach. 

 There’s a beat of silence before he spoke into the phone again. 

 “You’re just jealous ‘cause I have another older male friend.”

 The pride in Dustin’s tone is almost something admirable if it wasn’t such an embarrassing statement to say out loud. You’re pretty sure Steve is most likely unamused by the comment without having to be a part of the call yourself. 

 “The one? Are you serious? Because I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what you were complaining about last week.” There’s another pause that had Dustin scoffing. “And I’m supposed to believe it’s over? Actually, don’t answer that.  Because if I get involved in your love life any more than I already have, my cousin will actually–”

 “I’ll actually do what?” you piped up, watching as Dustin jumped in place from your sudden voice. He turned around, staring wide eyed at you before he adjusted the receiver into his ear properly.

 “Yes, it’s her.” he muttered, giving you a small glare. “No, I didn’t say anything about..No, I was not yelling out loud, Steve.” His eyes glanced over towards you briefly before he shook his head. “No, I will not– Don’t make me– ugh, Steve says hi.” 

 You stayed silent, unsure if responding to Steve or not would make things awkward. Dustin looked up at you expectantly, waiting for what should be a simple response. You chose to tap against your watch and signal for Dustin to end the call. He let out a small sigh before he adjusted the phone against his ear. Not at all faltered by your sudden displeasure towards him. 

 “No, she didn’t say anything..Yeah she’s pissed at me. Must have done something else since this morning.” he grumbled into the phone. Steve must have mentioned something he really didn’t like because he barely muttered out a pleading reminder about the game before he panicked again. “No, you can’t call me back I’m at..” he pulled the phone back and frowned at the item before hanging it up. “..school.”

 When he fixed his back pack back on his shoulders, he finally gave you his full attention. Raising a brow at you. “What did I do now?” 

 You slapped at his shoulder, making him yelp out. 

 “What was that for?”

 “That was for putting me on the spot.” You quickly slapped his other arm, earning the same reaction. 

 “And that one!?”

 “That was for planning on ditching your friend, tonight!”

 “I don’t have time for this!” he scowled, rubbing his arms. Without waiting for your rebuttal, he turned on his heels and made his way back inside the building. Leaving you to quickly follow in pursuit. 

 “Dustin,” you started sternly. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to ditch Lucas for some stupid game tonight? Don’t you think it’d be kinda nice to show him some support?”

 “One, it’s not a stupid game. And two, I’m not ditching him, he’s ditching us, okay?” Dustin sighed, shaking his head. “If anything, what he’s playing is stupid and he’s clearly decided that this game is more important than Hellfire. What happens next is out of my hands.”

 “Except it is considering you’re literally looking for his replacement.” you scoffed, following him towards one the halls to the courtyard. He’s about to step out the doors towards the quad and ditch you but you’re quick to grip at his arm, keeping him in place. “He might think you’re trying to replace him or something.”

 “Well, I kinda am. But it’s only for the rest of the campaign.” he shrugged. “You’re making this a bigger deal than it needs to be.” 

 A headache began to form in your head again. Causing a splitting ache to pool all around as you tried to think of a way to help fix things before they got worse. “Look, I’m not meaning to make things complicated.” 

 “And yet you’re not letting me go.” he said, glaring down at your hand.

 “It’s just that Lucas could take this the wrong way. You guys aren’t kids anymore. You’re people who have to balance each other out. You can’t just always do what you want and forget everyone–

 “Oh, you’re one to talk.” 

 Rubbing at your tired face, you looked down to the ground almost defeatedly before an idea came to mind. “I could talk with Eddie if you wanted? Try to convince him to hold it off for another–”

 “Stop!” Dustin snapped, clearly displeased with the idea of you interfering. "I really don't need you meddling in my business."

 The tension between the two today seemed to come to a boiling point. Twisting the knot even more in your stomach. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for the two of you to have a random bickering moment. But something this time felt a little different. A little more personal.

 “I’m not meddling, Dusty. I’m just trying to help.” you offered carefully. “Decisions like this could lead to friendships falling apart. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

 His expression hardened before he quickly retorted, "You're not my mom. I can handle my own friends. Besides, it's not like you're an expert at keeping friendships intact. Remember Steve? The guy you couldn’t even bother to say hello to?"

 The mention of Steve hit a nerve and you sighed heavily. Despite this morning’s conversation, Dustin wasn’t able to fully comprehend the problems that surrounded your relationship with Steve. "This isn’t about me or Steve. It's about you possibly jeopardizing your friendship with someone I know you care about. I don’t want to come back next year and see that you guys have grown apart.”

 Dustin's eyes narrowed down at you. "It’s not about you and yet you’re placing yourself right in the middle of something that doesn’t need your presence.” He leaned forward, and despite not having the height over you, his anger managed to make you curl away. “Do me a favor. If it bothers you so much, why don’t you go to the game tonight? Show Lucas some of that support you’re preaching about. Mike is leaving tomorrow, and we’re gonna make the most of tonight.”

 With that he quickly turned to leave before your mind could think of something to say back. All you could do was stand there frozen to muddle over his words. Was Dustin truly this upset about you helping? Did everyone see your help as meddling? A mixture of frustration, sadness, and regret nearly caused you to nearly double over as it turned into a physical pain. 

 Even dorks like him can see through your bullshit. (Tick)

 “Stop.” you muttered to yourself, picking yourself up enough to turn towards the direction of the editing room.

 Sorry, babydoll, this pill won’t be so easy to swallow. (Tock)

 The familiar nickname hit over you like a bucket of cold water. You hadn’t been called that since Bil–

 “There you are!”

 You jumped a bit in place, not expecting to hear another voice so suddenly. Looking to your right, you watched as Nancy quickly dashed over. A small smile on her face as she made her way to your side.

 “Hey,” you said softly, not quite finding confidence in your voice. “What’s up?”

 “What’s up?” Nancy repeated, laughing a bit before she thumbed in the direction towards class. “Class is over in five minutes. I thought you were just showing Mike out?” 

 A flush of heat spread over your face. Slightly embarrassed at just how far you lost the track of time in your quest to change your cousin’s mind. Without saying much, you gripped at Nancy’s arm and led her back to class. 

 “Do you think the editing team can score me a ticket to the game tonight?” you asked quickly, pushing your way into the door with her in tow. 

 The girl looked over at you incredulously before she snapped back into the conversation. “I feel like I’m missing a chapter here. Didn’t you have work plans tonight? Why do you suddenly want to come to the game? Don’t you hate sports?”

 You felt a little overwhelmed with the sudden rapid fire of questions but tried your best to answer them all in hopes of her helping you out. 

 “I do, but I’m gonna try and skip out early.” you sighed, pushing your stuff quickly into your bag. “And I want to go because I apparently have the only school spirit left in my family and need to show Lucas that his friends do care. And lastly, yes, I hate sports. But I’m willing to tough this one out for a bit.”

 Looking back up at her, you noticed she’s a bit hesitant over your words. The bell interjected before either of you could say anything else and you take a few seconds to calm your heart rate down from the weird voice in your head before.

 From the familiar look in her eyes, you could tell she wasn’t a hundred percent believing you. But after lunch with Robin, you knew that having another friend worried was the last thing you wanted right now. 

 “Are you okay?” she asked shortly after the brief pause, like you expected. “Because I can help with the ticket but..it looks like–”

 “I’m fine, Nance. But thanks for the solid.” you said quickly, not wanting to dive in that direction. “I’ll see you tonight.” With a quick wave, you made your way out the room and towards your next class. 

 Hopefully clear of any familiar voices. 

 This was a bad idea.

 From outside you could hear the crowd of people clamoring inside of the gym. Excited for the final game of the season to begin. For the majority, it was supposed to be a fun, anticipating night. You, on the other hand, were filled with dread.

 It came upon you the moment you stepped up to the doorway and caught sight of the beacon of hair that was your ex boyfriend. 

 Why of all places did Steve think to have a date at his old school’s basketball game? He could have easily gone anywhere in Hawkins. It wasn’t like he was at this school anymore. He didn’t need to pay attention to the high school games! So why the hell was he here on the one game you decided to go see?

 From the safety of behind the door, you watched as Steve quickly got up and gave a wave down towards the gym floor. A quick follow to his line of direction and you watched as Lucas on the court floor smiled up at him. Giving him a wave back from the bench. 

 Stupid caring Steve.

 “Hey! You’re finally here!” 

 You looked away from the door’s window to find Nancy peeking her head through on the open side. A small smile tugged on her face before she finally stepped out to join you in the hall. 

 “Yeah, managed to guilt Keith into letting me leave in record timing.” you chuckled nervously, patting your nervous hands over your dress. It was a lovely white cotton dress from Yves Saint Laurent’s spring collection. But under the yellow hued gymnasium, you weren’t sure if you looked as fresh and clean as you hoped. Especially with how tired you knew you looked today. 

 Nancy reached out for your hand, squeezing it lightly before she pulled you closer. “Are you sure you’re okay today? You seem kind of out of it. I’m sure Lucas won’t mind you missing. The game is almost done and he’s sort of distracted for the night.”

 “I’m fine.” you lied, not needing to stress out your friend. “Just haven’t slept well lately.” Your eyes glanced back into the room. Going directly to where Steve was sitting with his bubbly date. She’s from your grade, but you aren’t sure you’ve had any classes with her. “Besides, I’m already here. Might as well make the most of it.”

 Nancy hummed lightly, nodding her head towards the room. “The place is kinda packed tonight. You’re gonna have to stick by me and Fred.” Her blues turned back to you with a bit of mirth in them. “That is if you don’t try and kill him when he talks to you.”

 Your nose scrunched up at the mention of her friend. Behind her, you could see Fred speaking closely to the school’s photographer, giving him an earful as he pointed across the court. “Can’t make any promises.” you snorted. “Just try and keep him at your side if you can.”

 The two of you laughed at that and you finally left the safety of the doorway to enter inside the gym. Instantly you’re hit with a wave of emotions as the gym’s atmosphere washed over you. From your left you caught sight of a familiar green and orange combo and noticed Robin in the stands. She noticed you right away and brought her hand up to wave at you. 

 “You’re here!” she mouthed, making you nod your head at her. 

 From behind you could see as the interaction caught the attention of Steve who was nearby. The two of you awkwardly held eye contact for a second before you quickly tore your eyes away. Glancing at the scoreboard instead. Things weren’t looking so good for the school. 

 “You think the team has a chance?” you asked, leaning in towards the two beside you. Things weren’t looking so good for the school. 

 Nancy pursed her lips, jotting down a quick note on her journal before she glanced back at you. “I’m hopeful. There’s still time left in the game.” she answered, sounding genuinely hopeful. 

 Fred leaned forward, giving the two of you a cocky smirk as he held up his notepad. “An hour with the opposing team having a six point lead, Carver slowly losing it, and the team lagging so bad they’re fumbling. I highly doubt those sixty minutes mean anything.” he finished with a scoff.

 The two of you stared at him quietly for a moment before you leaned over and looked at Fred seriously.

 “Benson, do you think you can lighten up?”

  Unfortunately, Fred’s prediction seemed to be coming true. Merely four minutes later into the game the other team gained another three points.

 “Crap, player eleven just took out ten.” Nancy muttered, “I think he’s done for the night.”

 You looked over to where her attention was and frowned as you watched the other teammates help carry out the injured player towards the benchline. 

 “So they’re bringing in another player, right?” you asked, glancing to Nancy for confirmation.

 She looked up from her notepad with a slow nod before the realization hit her. “It’d be the next person up on the bench…”

 The two of you excitedly peered over just in time to watch as Lucas excitedly got up from the bench. Tearing off his track suit in order to join the rest of the team in the group huddle. 

 You couldn’t help but start clapping and jumping as you yelled out. “GO LUCAS!” 

 The boy, having heard his name thankfully, found where you were and shot you the gummy grin that you’ve seen so many times. It was an oddly familial sense of pride that surged in you and you couldn’t help but actually get excited for the game finally.

 “You sound pretty excited for just a benchwarmer.” Fred noted, adding the newest addition to his notes. “You think he’ll turn around the game?”

 “He’s a Sinclair.” you said confidently. “They’re stubborn but they sure as hell come through in the end.”

 And boy did he.

 In just the hour worth of game play, Lucas had managed to not only get the team’s points high enough to be only a point behind. Making it so that with one good shot, they could take the whole thing.

 Jason, who you thought had been ball hogging the whole night, seemed to be tied up in a bit of a corner. He quickly called out for a time out in the game. The clock showed it was the last ten seconds of the game. Making whatever last team huddle crucial. 

 “I don’t know, girls.” Fred sighed, pushing on the bridge of his glasses. “I still think they’re gonna mess it up.”

 “Oh come on.” Nancy laughed. “You seriously can’t sit there and tell us that after seeing the jump in points we managed to get to.”

 “I’m just a realist.”

 “Yeah, a real party pooper.” you teased, glancing over at the team again. “They finally have an ace in the group and you’re praying for their downfall.”

 Fred glanced over with you and scrunched his nose a bit. “Sinclair’s got talent. But nothing helps me sleep better at night than being proven right.” 

 The referee blew into the whistle again and you nodded over towards the court. “Get ready to eat your own words, Benson.” you mused. 

 The tension in the air was palpable by the time the players all returned onto the court. You could practically feel your own heart race as the game started up again. 

 Back and forth, the Hawkins teams passed around the ball, getting it to their main goal; Jason. In a quick second, he had a golden opportunity to secure the win. Shooting the ball out towards the hoop in a steady throw. The ball danced around the rim, teasing everyone with the possibility of victory, but it bounced off.

 In a split second, Lucas snatched the rebound. Turning away from the others on the swift turn of his heel as he doubled around and leaped into the air. Releasing the ball towards the hoop.

 Time seemed to freeze as the basketball circled the rim and bounced against the backboard. Then, with a collective gasp from the crowd, it dropped through the net.

 The gym erupted in cheers as the school's victory echoed through the air. Nancy and you shared a shocked glance of excitement before you started to cheer and clap. The entire school community joined in, creating a thunderous applause that seemed to shake the very foundation of the gymnasium.

 The team and cheerleaders all gathered into the main court floor, circling around Lucas and eventually picked him up into the air. Chanting out his name in victory. 

 In the midst of the celebration, you turned around, hoping to spot Robin in the stands. There were bursts of instruments booming into the air and cheers intertwined that added joyful noise to the atmosphere.

 However, as you scanned the crowd, your eyes locked onto something you definitely did not want to see. There, in an embrace, stood Steve with a date. The room seemed to freeze for a moment as his date pulled back, shooting him a happy smile before sealing the victory with a celebratory kiss.

New love, how promising. (Tick)

 A pang of discomfort surged through you, and a sudden headache gripped your temples. You felt the weight of the past in that moment, the history with Steve crashing back into your thoughts, and all the regret you’ve felt lately come at you. You quickly turned away, hoping to hide your reaction from Nancy before she saw anything.

 Guess she really might be the one. (Tock)

 You ignored the taunting words as you tried to process what you saw. Trying to picture it as the new normal when you felt a trickle of warmth on your upper lip. Touching it, you realized your nose was bleeding again. Panic set in, and you discreetly covered your face with your hand, attempting to hide the bleeding. 

 Nancy finally seemed to notice your suddenly odd behavior and called out to you. Reaching to place a hand on your shoulder. But you quickly pulled back, throwing out a quick excuse about feeling unwell and slipped away from the crowd. The gym door closed behind you, muffling the cheers, and you found refuge in a nearby empty classroom.

 Fumbling through a desk for tissues, you took a moment to compose yourself. The mix of emotions, the unexpected encounter, and the physical discomfort left you overwhelmed.

 Something was going on with you. But you couldn’t pinpoint what.

 Just as you were trying to stop the bleeding, the classroom door opened then closed quietly behind you. Startled, you turned to see Steve standing there, a concerned expression on his face.

 Whether it be the headache or the current ache in your chest right now, but the sight of a concerned Steve had you frowning at him. Not quite ready for him to see you at your most pathetic vulnerable place again. Especially after a day of awkward waves and avoiding phone calls.

 "What are you doing here?" you snapped, your tone sharper than intended.

 Steve, only a little taken back by the harshness of your tone, stepped closer towards you. "I saw you leaving in a hurry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

 You avoided making eye contact, focusing on keeping the tissue against your nose as you returned to giving him your back. "Just a nosebleed, Steve. It's nothing."

 He tilted his head. Eyes scanning over your face before he shook his head. “You sure it’s nothing? You don’t really look too good.”

 “Wow,” you chuckled half heartedly. “Thought I actually looked good tonight, thanks.” 

 “Look, I just meant I can tell you’re not okay.” he sighed, trying to keep the conversation calm. “I know that you might have seen–”

 “See you and your date kiss? No, I don’t think I did.” you said sarcastically, chucking the paper into a nearby trash can. A touch to your nose and you were happy to feel that you were clear of any more blood. But your happiness quickly disappeared when you turned to look back at Steve. 

 His jaw was tightened in annoyance and he carefully pinched at his nose for a moment before he glanced back at you. A more calming face now that he took a second. "That's not fair, and you know it. Besides, I didn't expect you to be here. I'm sorry if what you saw hurt you."

 “Don't need to apologize, Steve.” you groaned. It was unfair of you to be upset and the last thing you wanted was Steve to apologize about it.  But you struggled to get that out. “I just want you to leave. I mean, really, why are you even here? I’m fine. You have a date that’s obviously into you and ready to celebrate. Why aren’t you focused on that right now?”

 Steve remained unfazed, his eyes piercing through your defensive front. "Because I've been watching you all night, and while you might smile and joke with everyone else, it's clear to me that something's eating at you."

 A scoff fell past your lips as you tried to ignore the truth in his words. Leave it to Steve to be the only one tonight to see right through you. “I think you’ve forgotten what it’s like for me to watch a sports game. Nothing is wron—.”

 “Don’t lie. Not with me.” he cut in quietly, reminding you of all the past confrontations you’ve shared where he slowly broke down your walls. 

 “God.” you squeezed your eyes shut, forcing them to hold back the emotional tears that seemed to easily come forward when talking to Steve. “You should go. She’ll be wondering where you are, you know?” 

 His gaze softened, a mix of compassion and frustration. "I don't care about that right now. I care about you. Talk to me."

 Anger and frustration surged within you, fueled by your own self-loathing. "You don't get it, do you? We’re broken up. I'm leaving soon, a-and I can't drag you into my messed up head. I don't deserve whatever this is!" You waved your hand between the two of you. The air around you felt heavy and you wished that Steve would leave for the sake of giving your erratic heart a chance to calm down. “I shouldn’t be your concern anymore. Just go, please just..go.” 

 Steve took a step closer, his voice gentle but firm. "I told you. I don't care about any of that. Not when I know something is going on with you. I can't stand to see you like this. You're not alone, and you don't have to be."

 Something inside of you breaks down at the idea of Steve still trying to comfort you when he had no reason to. All he was doing was enjoying his night and you were the one pulling out the theatrics. But for some reason, you lived in a world where Steve Harrington would always comfort the people who hurt him the most. 

 He deserved better than that.

 "Well, it's too late now.” you croaked. Tears threatened to spill as you took a step back. “I can't keep going back to you whenever things get tough. I need to do better."

 Just as you contemplated making a run for the door, Steve gently grabbed your arm, pulling you back toward him. The warm palm of his hand ran up the side of your arms, making you shiver at how cold you didn’t realize you were until he was cupping at your cheek. 

 "You don’t need to do anything, Honey. Just let me in,let me help." he whispered, his eyes locked onto yours. 

 Your breath turned heavy, and you barely had the chance to realize what was about to happen when he closed the remaining distance, capturing your lips in a passionate kiss. And just like always, the world seemed to fade away as the familiarity of his touch ignited a spark of longing within you.

 From the looks of it, Steve felt the same as the two of you wrapped around each other. Wasting no time to soak in this moment. 

 Steve, with his arms now wrapped around the sides of your waist. And you, with yours locked around his neck to keep the kiss going. Neither one of you seemed to care where you were or what you were just talking about as you staggered back to hit against the large desk. 

 He reached down to grip around the back of your legs next, using a bit of strength to help get your rear to sit on the edge of the desk so he could wedge himself between your legs. The familiar heat rising inside of your chest when you felt the front of his jeans press against your inner thighs. His fingertips traced along the edge of your dress before he palmed at the thick part of your thighs. 

 You gasped at the sudden feeling, parting your lips against his and giving him the chance to trace the tip of his tongue against your mouth before he sealed them back together. The sensation of his tongue caused a moan to escape your lips. It’s been a while since you’ve been kissed like this and your head is spinning out of control.

The previous tension that had fueled your argument seemed to dissipate, replaced by the undeniable fire you both shared.

 He swallowed your moans as his lips stayed connected with yours, taking every second that he could to make your thoughts go away as you focused solely on him. Your hands eventually found their way to gripping at the collar of his shirt, trying to scratch at the small visible amount of chest hair that peeked through his shirt. 

 But just as quickly as you were wrapping your legs around his waist was the memory of him and his date kissing cutting in. And it was like a spotlight shined over what the two of you were doing. Quickly, you pulled back from the kiss, curling into yourself in order to try and get some air into your brain. 

 He seemed to catch onto things and gently reached back to help unwrap your legs from around him. Stepping back a step in order to stand before you but not completely pull away from you just yet. You let your hands fall back to rest on the desk to balance yourself while Steve ducked his face in the crook of your neck. Not quite able to break away from you just yet.

 You could feel as he brought a hand up to trace gently against the necklace on your neck. Toying with the single letter that rested in the middle.

 “Steve?” you asked softly, watching as he pulled away from your side to look at you now. There was a terribly familiar look of sadness to his eyes. Almost as if he knew what you were going to say next.

 “Please..” was all he said back.

 Reaching up, you quickly untied the necklace from your neck and gathered it carefully in your hands before you looked down. The sad glint of metal shining up at you finally caused the tears to roll down your cheeks. Feeling guilty again for what you were about to do.

 Reaching for his hand you gently placed the necklace down into his palm, curling up his fingers to hold it before you pressed a light kiss to the back of his hand.

 “I’m done hurting you, Steve. Please give this to someone who truly deserves it.”

 You quickly pushed yourself off the desk, fixing your dress before you made a step to leave. He was quick to catch your hand, looking at you with such a pleading look that you’d fall for any other day. "Don't do this. We can still fix things."

 His words held such a promise in them. You knew he’d give you the world if he could.

 “I can't meddle more in people's lives than I already have, I’m sorry. I just keep hurting everyone.”

 With that, you gently pulled your hand from his grip and left the empty classroom. Leaving behind the person you still loved. Knowing that in your attempt to set you both on the right path, heartache would be alongside the two of you.

 It was the hardest pill to swallow yet.

  It felt like forever for the crowds to finally pile out of the school. 

 The sounds of cheering made its way outside of the gym into the parking lot while you hid away near the side entrance to the school. It was hard to avoid everyone after you left Steve. You weren’t sure how you’d be with Nancy or even Robin if they asked what was wrong again.

 You severely needed to clear your mind of everything. Not think about the trouble you were causing to your loved ones and instead focus on trying to make most of the night. So after wiping away your tears, you found yourself making your way towards the school’s theater.

 It appeared to be clear of any of the hellfire members. Leaving behind its dungeon master to clean up the mess the others left behind. 

 He was busy stuffing away pieces of the game into a box as he whistled to himself. Looking over all the work with a grin on his face until he heard the sound of your footsteps. A slightly fearful look on his face before he pursed his lips at you.

 “You tryna give me a heart attack?” he grumbled, pointing a finger at you. “Coulda swung at you, Henderson.”

 You chuckled a bit, joining him at his side as you looked down at the sheets of paper he collected into a folder. “Excuse me, I thought nothing spooked you.” you mused, moving to sit down at the grand chair that was placed by the table. “How was the campaign? Worth missing Lucas’ game I hope?”

 Eddie breathed heavily through his nose, looking over at you unamused while he stuffed more supplies into the cardboard box. “I was warned you’d be in a mood.”

 “Oh really?”

 “Yeah, two little birds told me, actually.”

 The idea of Mike and Dustin as two annoying bickering birds sort of brought a smile to your face before you remembered how mad Dustin was at you. “Birds,” you repeated. “Can’t say they’re wrong. I’m sort of annoyed with all of you.”

 “Aw, you’re breaking my heart, Princess.” Eddie cooed, picking up the box. “I think I’m gonna go home and cry about it.” 

 Not waiting for you to follow, he quickly made his way onto the long pathway out of the theater. Making you slightly worried as you rushed after him. Thinking that he was actually upset with you until you approached the door and saw that he stayed by the entrance doors to hold it open for you.

 “You know you owe Lucas, right?”

 “God,” he said with an eye roll. “Sinclair made his choice tonight.” he pointed out after letting go of the door when you stepped out. “There’ll be other campaigns for him to join in the future. We still have a few months of school left.”

 “But basketball season is over and all his friends missed out on seeing him make the winning shot.” you huffed, walking alongside him as he made his way towards the parking lot. “Don’t you think this game could have waited until next week?”

 “He helped them win the game?” he said softly, an amused grin on his face. “Those Sinclairs, man. They’re something else.”

 You’re a bit confused by what he meant but pressed on in order to get to your point. 

 “Eddie,” you sighed, watching as he trudged down to where he parked his van. “You’re still missing my point.”

 “Your point is that you want all of us to stick together and be best friends until the end of time. Like some gooey family sitcom, right?”

 “Not the words I’d use but kinda.”

 Eddie glanced over his shoulder to frown at you. “That’s not how shit works but look,” he grunted, setting the box down on the hood of his car before he turned to face you fully. “If he’s really upset about it, the guy knows where to find me. Don’t make a big deal outta nothing.”

 The words were oddly similar to Dustin’s from before and you couldn’t help but become silent after that. Fighting with your head to keep the negative thoughts from continuing to ruin your night. 

 It’s not until Eddie opened up the back door to his van in order to put away the box that he noticed you had gone quiet. From the back you could hear a deep sigh from him until he closed up the doors and made his way over to stand beside you.

 “I’ll talk to him, ok?” he said softly, nudging you with his elbow. 

 His soft promise eased your mood a bit. But even that couldn’t stop your mind from being clouded by everything today. The fight with Dustin, the talk with Steve, and even the weird voices that your guilty conscience kept bothering you with. 

 "Alright, spill it. What's going on? You’re being off again," Eddie prodded, raising an eyebrow.

 You hesitated for a moment, worried that opening your mouth would just make matters worse. But you still replied anyway. "It's a lot of things. For some reason today, I feel like I’ve been just messing up with everyone. It’s hitting me harder than usual."

 Eddie's expression softened, and he placed a hand on your shoulder. "Mess up how?”

 “Well, Dustin's mad at me, Steve and I are officially over, and I’m making my other friends worried.” You turned your head to look up at him, feeling the slight pain your head returned as you spilled out your worries. “I just feel like I'm hurting everyone around me no matter how much I try to make things right.” 

 He looked at you with a determined expression. "You can't control everything, and you certainly can't make everyone happy. Why you put that much pressure on yourself is beyond me.” 

 His slight lecture made you feel a little embarrassed, making you reach up to the chain around your neck until you feel nothing. Slowly you remembered what you just did just a while ago. 

 You almost felt like crying again.

 “Look, Dustin’ll come around. Ok? He’s family and that means he’ll get over the little shit that doesn’t matter eventually. Your friends being worried about you is kinda a good thing because that means they care, and as for Harrington–”

 His voice cut off and you glanced up to watch as he painfully tried to spew out some sort of helpful advice for him but all Eddie ended up doing was shaking his head. Looking down at you with a sorry look. “Is he really worth feeling this shitty?”

 “He means a lot to me, Ed.”

 “Even after he practically broke your heart? Not even considering for a moment to go with you?” he asked, not caring to sugar coat the question at all.

 “He has his reasons.” you mumbled, trying not to feel pathetic for sticking up for Steve. Even if his answer did break your heart. 

 “He has excuses.” Eddie scoffed, looking away from you as a frown tugged on his brows. “Harrington is an idiot for not wanting to follow you.”

 “No, he’s not. Don’t say that.” you said quickly. Despite the heartache and sadness that came with everything,  you’d hate anyone to think so negatively of Steve. “He’s got his own life to live.”

 “And he can’t live it with you?”

 The words throw you off more than you expected and you have to lean against the door of the car to keep yourself balanced. The truth was, you weren’t sure what was the right answer anymore. Because at the end of the day, neither one of you were prepared for what the future held. 

 The more you thought about it, the more it seemed to do your head in. The only promising prospect was the idea of being able to leave Hawkins and go home. It was just unfortunately, alone.

 Eddie sighed beside you before he nudged at your side once more. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “This whole thing just..sucks.”

 “It does suck.” you confirmed, looking back at Eddie with a sad smile. “Wanna get out of here? I’m thinking of heading home.”

 “I can drive you home,” he nodded. 

 “No, home, as in California.” you said half-joking. 

 Eddie smiled at that before he wrapped an arm around your neck, bringing you down to tousle at your hair. “How about instead of the road trip, I take you out for a bite to eat? Burgers make a great remedy for heartaches.”

 The annoyance of having your hair messed up is quickly changed into a bit of happiness at the idea of Eddie’s attempt to fix your mood. “I’d like that.” you nodded, pushing out of his arms to fix your hair. “Let’s go.”

 “All right, but we might have to stop by my place first.” he winced, almost like he was in pain.

 “Why’s that?”

 “Okay, Eddie, I’m ready to go!” came a shaky voice from behind you.

 You turned around to find Chrissy Cunningham of all people standing near the back entrance. Shy smile on her face as she waved over at you.

 “What the hell?”

  “So, are you two friends?”

 From the backseat of the van, you struggled to keep a straight face as you watched the interactions between Eddie and Chrissy. Since she stepped down the steps of the school and met you both in front of the van, there was an air of awkwardness in the air.

 Thankfully not from you.

 No, you were perfectly comfortable in the back of Eddie’s van. Slightly entertained at seeing the two attempt to make small talk in front of you.

 Eddie for some reason did not know how to react as coolly as you knew he could. The girl brought out this inner dorkier side of him that you were unaware of. It reminded you about the first time you truly hung out with Eddie. At Tina’s Halloween party. They held a connection then and seemed casual. So why was it so different now?

 “Hello?” Chrissy asked softly.

 “I’m sorry!” you coughed, shaking your head from your thoughts. “What were you asking me?”

 “I asked if the two of you were friends.” she repeated, eyes flickering between the two of you. Very quickly you leaned forward to pat her shoulder gently, giving her a small smile. 

 “Only when I need a ride.” you said simply, earning a scoff from Eddie in the driver’s seat. 

 Chrissy finally seemed to crack out of her nervous state and let out a small laugh. Almost relieved. "Got it.” she nodded. “You guys had me wondering if I had interrupted a moment back at the school."

 At that you couldn’t help but ask the question that came into mind since she joined you two tonight. “You have me wondering too. What brings a popular girl like you on a mission for drugs tonight?"

 She sighed, her guard dropping for a moment. "Honestly, I just need something stronger to help me sleep. A lot has been overwhelming me lately..I just need to forget. Even for just one night.”

 There was an air of desperation in her tone that tugged at your heart. Not even for the fact that it was sad, but because deep down something that anxious and desperate was building up inside of you as well.

 “And you think drugs are what’s gonna calm you down?” you asked softly, looking over at Eddie. “What are you asking for anyway?”

 “Special K.” they both said at the same time. 

 You weren’t even sure what that even was but felt a small pang of worry build up in you. Eddie’s side hustle wasn’t the most ethical thing you’d like for your friend to do. But at the same time you understood people had different means of living. And who were you to judge them for that?

 “Well, if the special K doesn’t work out as well as you hoped, I’m here to talk if you ever need an ear.” you offered, hoping not to sound as meddling as you have been today. 

 Chrissy sighed, a hint of sadness falling into her tone. "I don't want anyone to worry about me. Plus, it's hard to explain to people who seem to have it all together." 

 Her blue eyes locked onto you at that. Did she really think that you had it all together? 

 “Trust me, Chrissy. The majority of people at our school, including myself, have no idea what we’re doing.” you started, picking at the hem of your dress. “I’m pretty sure my life is about to get turned upside down and it’s not even finals yet.” 

 The words sounded more light than you really meant to, but it thankfully gave Chrissy another reason to laugh. Hopefully having some sense of relief to hear another peer give off the same sentiments.

 “Henderson is right.” Eddie pointed out, turning down the pathway to his house.  “If we all had our shit together, I’d have been out of here two years ago.” 

 “You would have been out of here if you had shown up to class now and then.”

 Eddie looked into the rearview mirror to playfully scowl at you. "Hey, I had better things to do!"

 “Playing pool in some dive bar outside of town is not something better to do.” you snorted, hearing Eddie’s engine sputter like him as it slowly turned off.

 If it weren’t for the fact that you guys were parked in front of Eddie’s trailer, you were pretty sure he’d attempt some sort of reply. But now that it was back to his business, he settled for giving you the finger before he glanced over at Chrissy. “It’s kinda cold out here if you want to wait inside for me to look.” 

 The blonde nodded her head quickly, unbuckling her seat belt before she hopped out of the van. Eddie was going to do the same when he noticed you weren’t moving from your seat. There was a confused look on his face that had you chuckling a bit.

 “What? Aren’t you gonna go inside?”

 Eddie licked over his lips, nervously glancing out the passenger window to a waiting Chrissy before he frowned at you. A small pout on his lips. “Well yeah but..aren’t you coming too?”

 “To help you make your deal?” you asked, adjusting yourself in the back to get comfortable. “Count me out, Mister. I’m not going to get caught in a drug deal anytime soon. I’d rather freeze my pretty little behind off.”

 His eyes widened, "What? No, it's perfectly safe!” he coughed, perplexed. “Besides, you've been in my house before. You know I've got some stuff there."

 You waved your hand, ignoring that bit of information before you smirked at him. "Look, Eddie, this is your chance to have some alone time with Chrissy.” Again his face turned into pure shock at your words. “I happen to know that you've had a thing for little Miss Cheer since last year. Now she’s willingly coming to your trailer. Seize the opportunity, my man!"

 “She’s here for drugs!” he scoffed. “Just come in with us so it’s less awkward.”

 “You’ve been making her wait forever now. She’s probably frozen in that skirt.” you said offhandedly. 

He shook his head in disbelief, "This is ridiculous. She’s one of the most popular girls in school. She has a boyfriend."

 The thought of Jason Carver made the two of you visibly scowl before you waved your hands. “Popularity means nothing. I mean, I hang out with you and that’s not a big deal.”

 “You’re not like the others.” he mumbled under his breath. 

 You brushed off his comment, focusing on the matter at hand, “Come on, Eddie. Take the chance.” you said, trying to encourage him. “See what happens.”

 For what felt like a long minute, all Eddie did was stare at you like he was trying to figure you out. As if the words you said weren’t clear as day and had some other meaning to them. Which they did, you wanted him to find someone too. Someone that had the time to open up their heart properly and not so haphazardly as you have. But you couldn’t exactly say that.

 "This is stupid,” He sighed, resigned. “But fine. We’ll be right back.”

 From your spot you watched as Eddie lamely excused your absence, waving his hand over at the van before he walked up the stairs to his trailer and opened the door up for Chrissy and entered inside the home.

 You took the time alone to dissect the events that happened today.

 One thing was Dustin definitely had his own convictions about you. Whether it be about butting into his life, breaking up with Steve, avoiding Steve, or just some other thing you weren’t even aware of. 

 Then there was Steve..

 Well, you felt pretty much like a broken record about him. Not only were you still in love with him, but you were officially over. Returning that necklace would surely cement that now. Even if you regretted that whole day in your driveway. Wishing that you could go back and just..pause like he had wanted. But it was too late for that now and you’ve brought in someone else into your life to ruin.

 Another thing would be that Robin and Nancy were both definitely worried about you and you were out of excuses to explain what was wrong. Mostly because you had no idea what the hell was wrong with you. It’s not like you weren’t faced with struggles before. Why was this year suddenly worse?

 Maybe it had to do with the fact that there was a recurring voice in your head that laid out all your inner guilty thoughts. Or the nightmares that plagued your night, or headaches that ruined your days, or even the newest addition; nosebleeds. 

 There’s absolutely no more room in your mind for the list of problems that you already had. If there wasn’t a way to fix at least one of these things, you were pretty sure you’d lose it by the end of spring break. 

 Maybe you needed to actually take the week off. Go home and see your parents. Get a break from the mess that you got yourself into at Hawkins. Ironically it was supposed to be the place to get you out of your mess from California, but stranger things have happened since then.

 “CHRISSY! CHRISSY! CHRISSY!”

 The sudden sound of Eddie yelling pulled you out of your contemplative thoughts and you quickly rushed to the back of the van, pushing open the back door so that you could stand before the house. The screams continued on inside but you were frozen in fear at the sight of lights blinking rapidly inside. Sending a familiar chill up your spine.

 “No.” you whispered, not ready for this to happen again. It couldn’t! The gate was closed! This couldn’t be happen–

 “HELP!”

 Without a second thought, you rushed up the stairs into the trailer, nearly tripping your way in. “Eddie?!” you gasped, finding your footing before you noticed the two right away. 

 Chrissy was standing completely still before a panicked Eddie. He was smacking at the side of her cheek, screaming out for her to wake up when he looked back to see you. “Holy shit, Henderson, she’s like, tripping out!” he yelled, voice cracked with panic.

 “What the hell did you give her?” you frowned, joining his side to try and shake the girl. It wasn’t until you were close enough that you noticed the whites in her fluttering eyes. “Shit is she having a seizure?” 

 “I gave her nothing, man. I don’t know what the hell is going on!” he said, pinching at the sides of her neck, arms, anywhere to get a response out of her. “Chrissy! Wake up!”

 “We need to get her out of here!” you urged, knowing the danger that could be lurking with the room’s lights blinking like this. If it’s anything you’ve dealt with before, a panicked Eddie and comatose Chrissy would be nothing against a demogorgon. 

 You reached for her hands, trying to clap at her hands and get her body to snap out of it. But the more you tugged, the farther she seemed to get away from you. Wait, how the hell is she moving?

 Glancing down at her feet, you noticed that her body has slowly started to ascend up in the air towards the ceiling. “What the fuck?” you gaped. This didn’t happen before..

 Eddie, having noticed her rising state, staggered back. Eyes wide and shocked at what was going on. “W-what do we do?” he asked you, looking up as Chrissy rose towards the roof of the trailer. 

 “We-..I-..” your breathing became strained and you felt like your heart was about to go into cardiac arrest the faster the lights blinked. What the hell was going on?

 Her body shot up into the air, like a marionette doll manipulated by unseen strings. Eddie fell back from the sudden change, cursing out loud as he fell down to the floor.

 You stood there, helpless and paralyzed by fear. The limbs of her body began to twist and turn in unnatural directions. Creating a sickening sound of bones twisting that echoed in the air. The scene unfolded with a nightmarish intensity, and you could feel the tendrils of something dark wrapping around the room. 

 “N-no.” you said, watching next as her mouth cracked into a haunting angle. 

 A wave of dizziness washed over you. It was as if the very ground beneath your feet was giving way. You stumbled backwards until you finally fell down into the ground. Your vision narrowed away as the darkness began to take over the world before you. 

 “No.” you said again, fighting to stay awake. You had to get out of there. But you couldn’t fight this power over you. The last thing you saw before succumbing to unconsciousness was the sight of Chrissy’s eyes sinking into her head and the sound of Eddie’s screams.

A/N: Hello! It’s been so long since I’ve been working on this chapter. I redid it like three times and still aren’t quite happy with some parts. But! It’s up and will hopefully help me to get to the storyline. I know it’s kinda angsty but I promise i’ll have fun in here again and more Steve/Reader. Thank you for taking the time to read this! Love y’all~

TAGGING REQUEST:

@cluz1babe​ & @starofavolonea​ 

[ashensgrotto]

Never Had a Friend (Like Me) - Part 2

Original art piece by pfbatakopd on twitter (Used only for Header. Do NOT REPOST ORIGINAL ART)

Part 1 Part 2 (You Are Here) Part 3

YandereSoulmate! AU:

Part 1 (Am I Feeling Love?)

Part 2 (Protective)

Part 3A & Part 3B (Poor Unfortunate Souls)

Characters: Azul Ashengrotto X F!Reader

Word Count: 9,105

Synopsis: A chance for redemption comes in the form of a wish…

Author’s Notes: Ok, here we go. I received an anonymous message in my inbox for the next part of the Yandere!Soulmate series and I was actually going to work on it - but with the arrival of GloMas, working on the next part of ‘Raison D’être,’ wanting to finish “Weren’t You Aware, Angelfish?”, AND the holidays, time got away from me and I forgot about Scarabia’s segment for a short while. 

However, because you all seem to enjoy this and want to know if the tako has redeemed himself - I figured I would work to get this part done. Now, warning - Pompefiore’s part is going to take a bit of time to complete because I will have to wiggle my way through my memory bank and replay a few parts of it (which is approx 76 chapters in length for those players who haven’t made it that far into the game yet) since I’m working so deep into Ignihyde’s chapter right now (which is a doozy - I’m still in chapter 67-tower 1, oof help).

This one is also going to be split into three parts - I promise it will not be a long wait for the second & third parts as this is my Christmas gift to all of my readers <3

Thank you all for your continued support!

Warnings are as follows: yandere behaviors, manipulation, imprisonment, & hypnosis

***

… Mister Kalim, sir, have a wish? Or two? Or Three?

I’m on the job, you big nabob.

You ain’t never had a friend like me.

***

“Well done, Jade,” Azul praised, “How did the ‘talk’ with Kalim go?”

It was the first night of being in Scarabia in the vacant room the Grim and (Y/N) had originally been held hostage in. Apparently, it was routine in Scarabia to have all of the students locked within their dorm rooms - hence the reason as to why the concept was foreign to both Grim and (Y/N) as the two of them never felt the need to lock their doors at night (though Azul did while (Y/N) had lived in Octavinelle for security purposes - but he would never tell her to begin with.)

True to his word, Azul started sniffing around straight away, using Jade to talk to Kalim while he and Floyd distracted Jamil with a game of mancala.

“It was just as you expected, I’m afraid,” Jade answered, placing his hands behind his back as he gave his report, “It’s very likely that Kalim is being magically mind-controlled to make him act out erratically.”

“That would explain the sea otter’s rapid changes in behavior,” Floyd nodded in agreement.

“But how is that even possible?” Grim asked.

“Grim, that’s like asking how you can stomach twenty cans of tuna in twenty minutes,” (Y/N) answered, looking toward the trio, “I’m assuming it’s similar to your ultimate magic, Jade.”

“To an extent, yes,” Jade nodded in agreement, “The closest you might get would be with Ruggie’s ‘Laugh with Me.’ That ultimate magic allows Ruggie to manipulate a person’s body to do what he wants them to. There’s also hypnosis magic that works in the same sense, but it takes control of a target’s mind and requires a far higher degree of skill and power. Very few mages are even capable of using it because of the amount of skill required to even cast it.”

“You gotta have skills and power on par with Azul for that,” Floyd added.

“But even I would be hard-pressed to control living creatures with their own egos like humans,” Azul argued, “I still prefer to give them the chance to think it over before signing one of my deals.”

“But I doubt anyone in Scarabia is half as good as you, Azul,” Grim piped up, “Even Kalim’s big signature is just a glorified waterspout…”

“Grim, ‘Oasis Maker’ is a very talented frame of magic,” (Y/N) sighed, looking at the others, “Though, I do agree… even Jamil’s score levels are relatively average on the school’s grading scale.”

“I wouldn’t be too hasty to make assumptions,” Azul chidded, “There’s an old saying in the sea that we have in the sea which states ‘a clever hawk hides its talons.’”

“So the brings us to the big question, who’s controllin’ sea otter and why?” Floyd asked.

“I’m afraid I won’t be much help there,” Jade shook his head, “I couldn’t get any answers from him.”

“Speaking of which,” (Y/n) asked suddenly, “What exactly… does your signature spell do?”

“Oh? Have you seen it before?” Grim asked curiously.

“Only once - I think we had a patron at the lounge that was behaving quite, um… indecently?” you admit, “It was like he suddenly just spilled what was on his mind as soon as Jade got close to him.”

Jade sighs, “My unique magic is one that would make most people guarded around me if they knew what it did, specifically - I’m not a fan of revealing it, but (Y/n) hit it pretty hard on the nose. It’s called ‘Shock the Heart’ - it allows me to force the truth out of a target that might be hiding something. The drawback is that the spell can only be used once on a target - once I use it, I can’t use it on them again, and it only works on those with a weak mental vulnerability or loosely guarded minds. Those like Azul who are weary, or have high resistance to magic, are effective against the spell - hence my signature spell is very limited in scope.”

“It works great on guys cowerin’ in fear or bawlin’ like babies,” Floyd grinned, showing off his row of sharp teeth.

“The way those two smile scare the daylights outta me,” Grim looked at you, “I still can’t believe you lived with these three for three months!”

“They’re not that bad,” you mumble under your breath, “...mostly.”

Azul coughed, “Jade, what were you able to find out? If anything?”

“Kalim’s always been the type to open up to others - it’s one of the reasons why he was selected to be the headwarden. Thus, my spell worked on him flawlessly - however, when I asked him if he knew the name of the student using hypnosis magic on him and if he would tell me, he claimed that he must never tell anyone. He made some sort of promise to this student long ago, so he couldn’t reveal it.”

“Oh how hysterical!” Azul snorted, “Your signature spell was thwarted by Kalim’s strength of character!”

“It would seem that way,” Jade admitted.

“And here I thought the sea otter would sing like a canary,” Floyd hit his hand over his forehead, “Just when you think you know a guy!”

“...I would assume that it’s a promise he keeps close to his heart,” you think out loud.

Azul looks at you, eyes widening, “(Y/N)! You genius angelfish! That’s it!”

“What’s it?” you ask.

“I have an idea,” Azul answered, “I have a hunch at who our little serpent schemer is… and how to pull him out of hiding, but first - Floyd, I’ll need your help.”

“My help?” Floyd looked flabbergasted.

“Yes, I need to borrow your signature spell.”

Jade, Floyd, Grim, and you blinked in surprise.

“Azul, pardon me for asking,” Jade spoke after a moment of stunned silence, “but why in the world are you asking for Floyd’s ‘Bind the Heart’?”

“Because I intend on using myself as bait,” Azul answered.

“Azul! You can’t!” you could contain yourself at the thought of Azul stepping in harm’s way.

“(Y/n), listen to me,” Azul took your hand, “This won’t be like the last time, I promise. I’m one of the strongest mages here right now, so I have to do this. Floyd’s ‘Bind the Heart’ will allow me the protection from hypnosis when we have to face off against our little viper. I don’t intend on him gaining control over anyone any longer - not even you.”

“I hate to admit it, but Azul is right,” Floyd answered, scratching the back of his head, “As much as I hate to admit, it would give us an advantage as well.”

“What do you mean, Floyd?” Jade asked.

“I’m always goin’ off about how great my signature spell is an’ showin’ it,” Floyd shrugged his shoulder, “So, if I swap something with Azul an’ give him my signature spell - no one will know that he has it, least of all our target.”

“But you’ll have to feign ignorance, all of you,” Azul answered, “If you can’t, this trap won’t work - this is the one shot we have.”

“Alright, though I’m not really seeing where this is going…” Grim sighed, resting his paws on his hips.

“You will eventually, Grim,” Azul answered, “Now, Floyd. Are you ready? I’ll give you something that will be an adequate replacement for the time being.”

“Sure, octy - whenever you’re ready.”

“How many times must I…? Never mind.”

Azul closed his eyes and took a deep breath as magic began to gather around him.

“The song ceases, the sun sets… I extend my benevolent hand to you poor unfortunate souls… Now, to business! It’s a Deal!”

***

Azul always knew how to practice patience - it was something he learned over the years during his searches for his soulmate. He may have been desperate during his childhood years, searching every day and night for that special someone that was destined to stay by his side, but that didn’t change the fact that he was preparing for this moment specifically.

All day, Azul kept one eye on his target, watching them as he, Floyd, and Jade began to slowly rile him up with their constant assistance toward Kalim - helping the Scarabia housewarden with memorization spells, training routines, and homework that had been assigned over the holiday weekend, keeping him busy and away from the one person who was to be held responsible for the mess the dorm was now in. By mid-afternoon, the trap was set and Azul walked down the hall towards the kitchens with the suspect beside him.

“The students' completion rate for these assignments is up fifteen percent from yesterday,” Azul commented amicably, “Those are some statistically significant results, in my opinion. Believe it or not, (Y/N) and Grim both told me that Kalim was going through some rough patches, his mood swings pretty drastic - even compared to Floyd’s… but he’s been acting pretty calm since we arrived. Isn’t it wonderful that Kalim’s regained the faith of Scarabia’s students, Jamil?”

“...No. No, it isn’t,” Jamil hissed quietly.

“It’s not?” Azul feigned surprise.

“No offense, but I can’t let you people stay in Scarabia any longer,” Jamil stopped and glared at Azul hard, “It’s time you went back under the sea.”

‘Got you,’ Azul thought before asking, “Where did this come from, Jamil? Have I done something to offend you?”

“...You made eye contact with me. Fool,” Jamil’s wicked grin spread across his features, “The one you behold is your master. When I ask you a question, you will answer. When I give you a command, you will assent. Snake Whisper.”

Azul felt the magic coiling around him, a small murmur of ‘Bind the Heart’ rejected the magic - now… it was time to play.

Azul feigned pain until he could see you and Jade hiding out of the corner of his eye, making sure that the two of you could see everything - his cell phone held securely in Jade’s grip as the stream began. He feigned falling into Jamil’s magic, opening his eyes to reveal Jamil’s control over his mind and body. He slightly slumped his shoulders, giving the illusion that he was no longer in control.

As he did so, Jamil began to rant - playing right into the octomer’s hands

“Because of you, all my carefully laid plans have gone up in smoke! All I needed was a little more nudging from those two dimwits and the students would’ve kicked Kalim out,” Jamil growled, “Do you have any idea how much painstaking effort I put into laying the groundwork for that?”

Azul did not respond, though he wanted to give a few choice words to Jamil about calling his sweet angelfish a ‘dimwit’ - but he would have to wait for that.

“Azul - you returned all your contractually stolen powers back to their rightful owners recently, right?” Jamil asked suddenly.

“Yes, master,” Azul responded, thinking, ‘Where are you going with… ah, I see…’

“Tch. So much for using you as my own personal genie of the lamp,” Jamil scoffed, reaching up and rubbing his chin, “Your unique magic is quite a valuable asset… but it would be hard to keep you controlled long-term.”

“Master,” Azul’s voice spoke up, “I remember the contents of the contracts.”

“What?” Jamil looked at Azul in surprise.

“I remember all the secrets of the people I made contracts with - their troubles, their weakness, their desires.”

“What a… twisted collection. I see I made the right choice not to make friends with you,” Jamil smiled cruelly, “Tell me, does this intellectual cache of yours include the headmage’s secrets?”

Azul grinned internally, baiting Jamil even more, “Of course, master. I know one thing he would never want others to learn. Do you wish to know his secret?”

“Oh, abso-lutely!” Jamil’s smile broadened, “Once I have the headmage’s weakness in my grasp, I’ll finally be free. I’ll kick Kalim out of school and become Scarabia’s housewarden myself!”

“... And there we have it.”

Azul watched, a knowing smirk appearing on his face as Jamil whipped around to face Jade, his face contorted in confusion.

“So you finally show your true colors!” Grim pressed his paws onto his hips as he glared up at Jamil from between you and Jade, “I bet you thought you were real slick, pullin’ the wool over our eyes!”

“H-how… how much..?”

“All of it,” you answered, “Start to finish.”

“And live streamed to the world from Azul’s smartphone,” Jade waved the phone at Jamil as footsteps entered the hallway with many Scarabia students appearing, “Azul’s Magicam livestream presently had five thousand active viewers. It’s currently trending under the topic: ‘A Certain Magicians’ School’s Dirty Little Secret’.”

Voices began echoing around Jamil, the students of the Scarabia dorm demanding to know the truth and why Jamil - their own vice warden - would deceive them.

“Y-you… you’ve got it all wrong!” Jamil shouted, his fear and apprehensiveness growing.

“Don’t even try to talk your way out of this one,” Jade folded his arms across his chest, “The mind control magic you used on Azul is hard evidence.”

Everyone looked at Azul - who kept his silent slumped state, continuing to pretend to be under Jamil’s magic still.

“Jamil, it’s been you all along,” Jade continued, pulling everyone’s attention back to him, “You’ve been using your signature spell on Kalim and making him throw Scarabia into chaos!”

Jamil tsked, smearing, “I was trying to avoid escalating matters, but you leave me no choice - Azul, I command you! Subdue and restrain them all!”

“Yes, master,” Azul answered, taking a step forward.

You took a step back with Jade, Grim darting behind you as you looked at Azul pleading, momentarily forgetting that Azul wasn’t really under Jamil’s power, “Azul, no. You don’t want to do this. Please! Snap out of it!”

“Pleading with him won’t help you, (Y/N)!” Jamil laughed, “He’s my loyal minion now.”

‘And… now,’ Azul took another step forward, before spinning around and pointing his cane at Jamil, “You wish I was.”

“What?!”

Azul looked over his shoulder and winked at you, relieved to see your smile as he turned his attention back toward Jamil, “You told me the funniest thing earlier - allow me to return the favor. You think I’m an arrogant mage, but you were sorely mistaken. An embarrassing misjudgment for the vice warden of Scarabia - the dorm that is supposed to embody the spirit of mindfulness.”

“I know I made eye contact with you! I had you in my control!”

“Please, I’m a competent mage and you know it,” Azul frowned, keeping his cane pointed at Jamil, “I always prepare for the eventualities before I act - right Floyd?”

“I think you let your guard down a little too soon there, sea snake,” Floyd appeared, his voice sounding more baritone than before - almost like a tuba was speaking.

Azul snickered softly as your eyebrows raised up into your hairline, “That’s… what you exchanged with Floyd for his signature spell?”

“Pretty cool, huh?” Floyd said with a grin.

“Shall I explain it?” Azul asked, keeping his focus on Jamil, “In exchange for a vocal adjustment, Floyd gave me his unique magic, ‘Bind the Heart’ - it jams or blocks an opponent’s magic and diverts it elsewhere. Hence - I used it to evade your mind spell, then pretended to be in your hold and got you to spill your intentions while you gloated.”

Jamil gritted his teeth, glaring at them as Kalim appeared, the housewarden asking politely to tell him that it was true, that Jamil would never do anything like that, that it was just blackout spells because of how tired he was. But the silence from the vice warden was short-lived.

Azul felt you stiffen beside him, your hand suddenly gripping Azul’s overcoat, “(Y/N)? What’s wrong?”

You met his gaze and Azul knew.

An overblot was approaching.

He turned to Jade and Floyd, “Jade, Floyd, ready yourselves.”

“The one you behold is your master… When I ask you a question, you will answer. When I give you a command, you will assent! Snake Whisper!”

At Jamil’s command, the Scarabia dorm turned on its guests and its headwarden.

Azul was quick to pull you and Grim behind him as a shield of water protected the three of you from a rain of fire, “Mediocre, nothing! He’s easily one of the top mages in the entire school - to say nothing of Scarabia.”

Floyd grumbled, “I keep squeezin’ em but they keep gettin’ back up - are they zombies or somethin’?”

“That’s just part of ‘Snake Whisper’,” you explain, as if your eyes are seeing the internal workings of the spell, “It forces a target to continue to obey the commands - like a puppet on a string. Even though they might feel pain and are internally trying to avoid as well as fight the spell, their minds and bodies are not completely their own anymore.”

“Jamil! Please stop!” Kalim begged as he blocked an attack, “You can have what you want! You can be the housewarden! I’ll go home to my family!”

“What? You thought that would work? My spell won’t be broken so easily,” Jamil snickered as black ink and heavy energy surrounded him, “Not as long as you exist in this world… Kalim.”

“Jamil! You’re courting danger!” Jade begged, eyes widening, “If you keep using your signature spell, you’ll exceed you blot tolerance-”

“SHUT UP AND DON’T ORDER ME AROUND!”

The air became heavy as a dark shadow came over Scarabia. Azul pulled you closer as several dark shapes began to shift - the housewarden of Octavinelle watching in horror as a creature appeared before them. Hovering above the ground in ancient Viziar garb of black and red was Jamil, cloaked in darkness with hair that now took on the shapes of small black vipers - a dark shadow that took on the form of a dark genie hovering behind him, as if awaiting his command.

“He’s overblotted!” Azul gritted his teeth, “The negative energy is swelling up… Everyone! Steel yourselves!”

“I have no need for an incompetent king or a con artist,” the twisted voice of Jamil spoke, “Your personality flaws give me ADEQUATE cause… to send you packing on a one-way trip to the ends of the earth! So long! Ex-Housewarden Kalim! A-hahahahaha!”

The next thing Azul knew, he was airborne.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Villains through the Rainbow

I cant believe I did this for fun. This was painful XD 😅 So be free to use them as wallpapers or headers or whatever ^^

Made on BeFunky with kissthemgoodbye.net and Google (And more). CLICK FOR BETTER QUALITY.

Below the cut are all the characters and movies and shows ^^

Red: Gaston (Beauty and The Beast, 1991), Pearl (Pearl, 2022), Professor Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective, 1986), Captain Hook (Peter Pan, 2003), Lord Shen (Kung Fu Panda 2, 2011), The Djinn (Wishmaster, 1999), Jafar (Aladdin, 1992), Otis B Driftwood (House of 1000 Corpses, 2003), Death (Puss N Boots; The Last Wish, 2022), Chucky / Charles Lee Ray (Seed of Chucky, 2004), Scar (The Lion King, 1994), and Erik Destler (The Phantom of the Opera, 1989).

Yellow: Percival C McLeach (The Rescuers Down Under, 1990), Mayor George W. Buckman (2001 Maniacs, 2005), Clayton (Tarzan, 1999), Sheriff Hoyt / Charlie Hewitt Jr (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2003 + The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; The Beginning, 2006), Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls, 2012), Baby Firefly (House of 1000 Corpses, 2003), Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmations, 1961), Human!Chucky / Charles Lee Ray (Childs Play, 1988), Commander Lyle Rourke (Atlantis; The Lost Empire, 2001), Kahmunrah (Night At The Museum; Battle of the Smithsonian, 2009), Hopper (A Bugs Life, 1998), and Gilderoy Lockheart (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 2002).

Green: Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty, 1959), The Riddler (Fox Gotham, 2014), Scar (The Lion King, 1994), Leslie Vernon (Behind The Mask; Rise of Leslie Vernon, 2006), Chick Hicks (Cars, 2006), Freddy Krueger (Freddy Vs Jason, 2003), General Kai (Kung Fu Panda 3, 2016), Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice, 1988), Marvin the Martian (Space Jam, 1996), Oogie Boogie (A Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993), Greasy Weasel (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988), and Lady Tremaine (Cinderella, 2015).

Blue: Wheezy Weasel (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988), Michael Myers (Halloween, 1978), Hades (Hercules, 1997), Maleficent (Once Upon A Time, 2011), Prince John (Robin Hood, 1973), Pamela Voorhees (Friday the 13th, 1980), Tai Lung (Kung Fu Panda, 2008), Stuart Lloyd (The Last Showing, 2014), Prince Hans of the Southern Isles (Frozen, 2013), Hades (Once Upon A Time, 2011), Shan Yu (Mulan, 1998), and Bo Sinclair (House of Wax, 2005).

Purple: Eris (Sinbad; Legend of the Seven Seas, 2003), Carrie White (Carrie, 1978), Jafar (Aladdin, 1992), Chop Top Sawyer (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, 1986), Evil Queen Grimhilde (Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, 1937), Tiffany Valentine (Bride of Chucky, 1998), Dr Facilier (The Princess and the Frog, 2009), Jervis Tetch (Fox Gotham, 2014), Ursula (The Little Mermaid, 1989), Regina Mills (Once Upon A Time, 2011), Long John Silver (Treasure Planet, 2002), and Jennifer Check (Jennifer's Body, 2009).

[imyourbratzdoll]

Santa ari and reader at night fondeuing then the elves have a mini peep session hahaha

🎄christmas masterlist🎄

summary - ari splits you open with his cock, not knowing his little helpers are enjoying a free show.

warning - smut, voyeurism.

the headers I use aren't mine.

“That’s right, baby. Take my cock. Go on.” Ari deepens his thrusts, watching his cock slide in and out of your used, puffy cunt. “Doing so good, taking me so well!” His eyes roll up to your face, grinning at the sight of your drooling mouth and the dazed look in your eyes. “You like taking my cock, baby? Like when I split you open?”

You babble, your nails digging into his flesh as your eyes roll to the back of your head. Your head is bobbing up and down as he pounds into your fucked out hole. “S–so good!” Your back arches off of the bed, mewls escaping you. 

Jake pushes Ransom out of the way, “Let me see! I wanna see!” He grumbles, the other elves protesting as well. All eight of them are peering from behind the cracked door, watching their boss split you open. “Oh damn, he’s destroying my honey pot.” Jake’s arms cross over his chest, grumbling as he continues to watch, a small pout on his face.

“Oh, shut it! I could’ve done better than him!” Lee proudly states, the others snickering. “What?! I could!”

Lloyd huffs. “Yeah, right. I actually did better than all of you!” 

Curtis chuckles, “I bet he’s never had her suck him off before like she did me!” 

Ransom groans, “Can all of you shut up?! I can’t hear her.” 

Frank’s brows furrow, “Can’t hear her? The whole of the North Pole can hear her?”

Steve smiles in happiness. “She sounds so pretty! I’m so glad she’s happy! And you know what this means? She’ll make us pancakes in the morning!”

Johnny sneakily walks back to them. The knickers Ari slung off of your body are being dragged behind him. “What are we talking about?” 

The rest of the elves look at him, confused. “When the hell did you leave? How the hell did you even get those?”

Johnny shrugs, “What? They're distracted and wouldn’t even notice if we all climbed onto the bed at this point. Plus, I needed a new pair, and the others are losing their scent.”

thank you for reading!

feedback and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

[exitpursuedbyavulcan]

I made a list of pairings, but now I've got titles and summaries for you! Headers will be added as I make them.

12/14: Patience, Zaldrīzītsos Hand holding & dry humping with What is Broken!Aemond x Fiancee/Sister!Reader

At their pre-wedding tourney, Aemond sits in the stands with his sister – his betrothed – and holds her hand to help calm her while they watch the fighting, and continues to do so all through the dinner. He escorts her back to her chambers to kiss her goodnight, but kisses turn into something more…

12/15: After the War Dreams & Dirty Talk with Tom Bennett x Reader

The night before Tom is sent back to his ship, he spends one last night with his best girl and makes plans for what they'll do when the war is over.

12/16: With No One Around In Nature & Deep Throating with Aemond x Wife!Reader

When you and Aemond need to relax, you have a secret spot where you can go and be all alone.

12/17: Okay? Okay. Reassurance & Car Sex with Modern!Aegon x Girlfriend!Reader

You end up needing to run a few errands at the same time Aegon has his weekly therapist's appointment, so you decide to drop him off and pick him up. But when he gets back in the car, he's desperate for affirmation. It seems the topic of his appointment was his parent's marriage

12/18: Enclosed Letters & lingere kink with Tom Bennett x Reader

When he's far away at sea, Tom finds himself infinitely grateful that you found work at a photography studio.

12/19: One Day... Future & Face Sitting with Billy Washington x Reader

After months of recovering from Cranstead, and even more months of job-searching, Billy has finally been hired. And he knows exactly how he wantsto celebrate.

12/20: Presents Wrapped in Black Sharing a Drink & Toys with Daemon x Sugar Baby!Reader

Unfortunately, Daemon was the only one home when his Christmas present arrived, and even worse, there was no wrapping on the package. So, you spend Christmas Eve experimenting with his very extensive new collection of fine spirits and liquors. And since he got his present early, he thinks it's only fair that you do too. Of course, he can never resist spoiling you...

12/21: Dusky Pink Sunset & Orgasm Control with Studious!Aemond x Wife!Reader

Y'all'll get this summary once Studious VI is out... 👀

12/22: Hold Your Breath Swimming & Face Fucking with Tom Bennett x Reader

When Tom takes you to the beach for your first holiday since the war, you quickly begin to suspect he has an ulterior motive. But as long as you can watch his muscle moves as he swims, you can be okay with that.

12/23: The Princess at the Inn Bed Sharing & Accidental Stimulation with Ser Criston Cole x Aegon's Twin!Reader Yes I'm a simp for Cole, fucking sue me

For the first time in years, Ser Criston Cole is not guarding his Queen. Alicent has sent him on a covert mission to retrieve her wayward daughter, who has fled from the prospect of marrying her twin brother. It was supposed to be simple, but he quickly finds that the girl he thought to be so like her elder half-sister is in fact quite different.

12/24: Office Christmas Party A Fancy Party & Praising with Modern!Aemond x Reader

You totally aren't worried about making a fool of yourself at your boyfriend's office Christmas party. Why would you be? It's only hours of socializing with people richer than you, better dressed than you, and probably smarter than you. It's only the first time you would meet Aemond's famous family (who you may or may not have heard telling him how 'beneath him' you are whenever Aemond forgets you're home and has his phone on speaker). What about that could possibly make you nervous?

12/25: I'll Be Home for Christmas Promise & Phone Sex with Osferth x Reader

Your fiance, Osferth, has been gone far too long. The two month trip - to see all the holy sites from the New Testament - was already long enough as it is. But now, a massive blizzard has stranded him at the airport. It's Christmas Eve, and you might very well be spending your favorite holiday alone.

[gargoyleandgremlinpress]

Sportsball Lesbians anthology by Zulu

More Binderary! This A League Of Their Own anthology has a copy for me and one for @zulufic, who's one of my long-time IRL friends. (Her reaction to seeing my first set of books, "Would… you do my fic?" Me: "Yes, that is what I already have planned for your Christmas present!")

The typesetting for this book went just fine. That was almost the only step that did.

To start, I printed the wrong copy, and tried reprinting just the chapter headers but the pages were one line off. When I pressed the folded pages, I used a big wooden cutting board, conveniently forgetting that it was oiled wood, and had to reprint the top two signatures. I decided to lean into the vintage paperback vibe due to the Great Paper Fiasco of 2023 where I ended up with four reams of two-shades-more-yellow buff paper instead of cream, which meant my original cardstock endpaper plan didn't match, and went through four different options to find the right one. I mismeasured the bookcloth for the back of the case, and had to make two more pieces, and there were some minor trimming issues. When I put the stencil on the spine and weeded it, I left it overnight before painting because it was getting late, and then discovered that it had fallen off by morning.

But I persevered! And I put @zulufic's copy direct into her hands last night. WORTH IT. In the meantime, she has written exponentially more ALOTO fic, and I have some sportsball lesbian reading to catch up on.

[little-diable]

All I Want for Christmas is You - Jasper Hale (smut)

Happy 3rd of Advent! Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this. Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: The reader is waiting for Jasper to return home, allowing her to spend some time with her best friend Charlie, though the second her mate returns home, she finds herself yearning for his touch.

Warnings: 18+, smut, p in v, shower sex, Christmas fluff

Pairing: Jasper Hale x human!fem!reader (1.3k words)

Christmas Drabble Masterlist

header by @hidingsikki

divider by @firefly-graphics

I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need

It was dark by the time (y/n) found herself waving at Charlie, staring at the man with a smile tugging on her lips. Music echoed through the evening, allowing the two to wander through the streets of Forks with their minds and souls yarning for that special Christmas atmosphere. 

“Are you excited for Christmas?” (Y/n) murmured her words, not wanting to rip Charlie out of the trance he kept wandering through. It was the first time in weeks he was smiling, still not used to living without Bella around, probably even doubting his abilities as her father, hoping that he had done the right thing. 

“I guess so, what about you, doll?” She interlinked their arms, pulling the man she had always loved like a father closer, grateful to feel him near. Charlie had always been right there for her, the one she could trust, the one she could cling to when her nights grew darker, a friendship she fostered as if her life depended on it.

“I have a feeling it will be rather chaotic, but I am looking forward to it.” With another smile shot Charlie’s way, (y/n) kept pulling him down the street, greeting neighbours and old friends. And yet, while the two of them kept wandering about, admiring the Christmas market, she couldn’t help but long for Jasper. 

He had been gone for the past days, out hunting with most members of their family, needing to feed before Christmas would roll upon them. A day shared with Charlie, with friends that were oblivious to the poison thumping through the Cullen's veins. She could only hope that they’d make it back to Forks soon, needing to give into the longing she felt, the emotion that left her breathless whenever Jasper popped up in her thoughts. 

“Are you alright?” Charlie’s raspy voice reverberated through her body like an echo, forcing her to let go of her darkening thoughts. She could only nod at him, hoping to distract herself further as she followed Charlie into the bookstore, squeezing his arm before she disappeared down the rows. 

I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree

Deep down she couldn’t wait for Christmas to roll upon them, hoping that the celebration will manage to distract them all from the world outside, the daily struggles they kept facing, the endless questions about the next step of their lives. All of them knew that eventually they may have to say goodbye to Forks, to the life they’ve built here, once again forced to start anew. And yet, while the Cullen’s were used to changing up their routine, (y/n) couldn’t help but feel uneasy about it. 

She’d follow Jasper to the end of this very world, nevertheless, she was still human, and was still clinging to the life she had been born into. It wouldn’t be easy to bid this part of her life goodbye, forced to pack her things and leave, at least if she wanted to stay around her mate. Forever one, till the day this very life may end, an oath she’d take to grave. 

The sound of her phone going off ripped (y/n) out of her thoughts, gaze snapping down to the bright screen. And with a smile tugging on her lips, she pushed the device back into her bag, making her way to Charlie with hurried steps. With a hug shared and a few words exchanged, she found herself making her way home, urged on by the excitement thumping through her veins. 

“Hi,” she murmured the word as Jasper pulled her car door open, not able to wait till she stepped out of it to pull her in for a bruising kiss. Her laughter vibrated on his lips, forcing the man to smile against her lips, not daring to let her go after days apart. Only a few sweet nothings were shared as he pulled her inside, helping her out of her big jacket and the snow covered scarf she was wearing. 

“Do you want to shower together? I can barely feel my limbs.” With a smirk tugging on his lips, Jasper pulled her into her bathroom, kissing her whenever another piece of clothing found its way to the ground, exposing their bodies one by one - the pale skin of his she has kissed numerous times before, the body of hers he claimed whenever he got the chance to. A mixture so lethal, both couldn’t help but thank whoever had planned for their paths to cross for bringing them together. 

“I missed you, darlin’.” Jasper’s words were almost drowned out by the hot water cascading down their frames, and yet she was able to perfectly pick up on every vowel, repeating the words with her lips pressed against his, silently begging him to keep on touching her. Cold hands wandered along her sides, teasing her before he finally gave in and cupped her heat, touching her pulsing bundle of nerves, pulling her in even closer. 

“My needy girl, can’t even go a week without being touched by me.” Her moans clawed through her like a silent scream begging to be heard before she could drown. But there was no saving, at least no saving she was as desperate for as his touch. His hands let go of her only to wrap one leg around his waist, allowing him to brush the tip of his cock through her arousal-covered folds, begging him to fill her, to remind her of the addicting sensation they were lusting for.

I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know

Their moans echoed through the bathroom as he pushed into her, not holding back to leave his marks on the body he found himself thinking of when the night grew dark and the moon was hiding behind thick clouds. She was everything he had been desperate for those past decades, everything Jasper needed to survive the life that won’t end for centuries to come. 

“Oh, fuck,” the words rolled off her tongue, and yet (y/n) couldn’t focus on what she wanted to express, mind fogged up by clouds of lust, guiding her through the thicker growing fog. Jasper didn’t hold back, hands tightening their grip on her frame, not daring to let her go as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, fingernails buried in his skin. 

She was trembling against him, begging him to fuck her through her arising high, set on feeling his warmth spread through her. Jasper pushed her back against the cold shower tiles, hand pushed flat against them to brace himself as he picked up his pace, watching her fall apart. 

Her moans grew louder with every thrust meeting her core, cock buried deep inside of her. Jasper didn’t stop till he felt her growing weak, having to stabilise her frame as he followed her down the edge, letting go with a deep moan rumbling through him. He didn’t let go of her, kept her close as he pressed a kiss against her scalp, smiling down on her with a loving smile. 

Make my wish come true, baby, all I want for Christmas is you

[asimplearchivist]

𝓒𝓗. 𝓥𝓘 — [𓎿𓇋𓇋𓏏] (‘𝓗𝓼𝔂𝓽’ | 𝓯𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓭)

𝐂𝐇. 𝐕𝐈 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐊𝐄𝐏𝐓.

[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 ] AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST summary ☾ ⤏ khonshu indulges you. (only because you annoy him, of course—not for any other reason.) pairing ☽ khonshu/singlemom!avatar!reader word count ☾ 6.3k a/n ☽ [header credit] ⤏ this took far longer than it should have to churn this out, but writer’s block is a bitch and my muse is nothing if capricious. I swear I’m still working on this fic little by little, but it’s mostly in the later parts. hopefully the plot will start to progress a little faster now that we’re out of the first year. (I don’t know how this ended up being a christmas/new year’s chapter, but…here we are. it’s a little early but c’est la vie—happy holidays to those who celebrate!) ☽ MASTERPOST ☾ ☾ PREVIOUS CHAPTER ⤎ ☥ ⤏ NEXT CHAPTER [TBA] ☽

The holidays were in full swing as winter snuck into London like a thief. Seemingly overnight, decorations crept up like invasive vegetation to suffocate the city in green, red, and white decorations. Khonshu was bemused by the practice, if nothing else—but what about humanity didn’t perplex him?

True to your word, your schedule grew more complicated as the air grew colder. You were running more tired than ever before, and he did his best to direct you to wrongdoers who wouldn’t put up much of a challenge to your ever-improving skills and reflexes. You’d grown quite adept at defending yourself by then, relying more on instinct than memorization. The local police stations were abuzz with the new active vigilante roaming around at night, and the newspapers were referring to you as impossibly foolish names.

In what world did ‘The Mooner’ seem like an apt title?

You found it amusing, if nothing else, watching the evening news with Lizzie and casting Khonshu a smirk while he brooded in the corner whenever a small blurb would pop up about the latest criminals you’d apprehended—you’d remarked to him once that you wondered if the attention would get you an invitation to join the Avengers…or at least get an introduction.

“That Thor guy would probably get a kick out of you still hanging around, huh?” you’d teased. “Did you guys used to be drinking buddies back in the day?”

“The Asgardians are reveling warriors fattened on their successes,” he’d responded dryly. “You would appreciate their laxness as much as their debauchery.”

“Sounds like someone never got invited to the pantheon orgies. You’re just jealous of the Fabio hair, aren’t you? I bet he doesn’t even use any product, what with all his…divine genetics, or whatever.”

Khonshu was not jealous of another god, only of your attentions. He had to admit that to himself, now, because it was becoming unignorable.

He could scarcely stand to separate himself from you anymore, too addicted to your presence to stray very far, even in the daylight hours. It was difficult to maintain his vigil over the opposite side of the world when it was plunged into night, but he managed it. It wasn’t as if you could patrol the entire earth to apprehend every last wrongdoer, anyway—not with Ru becoming more active with every passing week.

The boy was nearing half a year old, and he was more vocal than ever. Khonshu was bemused by the litany of squealing and babbling that you treated as full conversations, speaking to him as if he understood completely. Khonshu had grown more accustomed to handling him, as well, even if the babe did everything in his limited power to shove the god’s fingers into his investigative mouth. He found it more amusing than annoying, although he did try to keep an eye on the boy while he exercised in ‘tummy time’ just to make sure he didn’t ingest something that would harm him.

Even though you hadn’t informed Khonshu of such, it seemed that the ‘Christmas spirit’ had infected you thoroughly. You’d been brimming with excitement, shopping in your off-time for decor, special groceries, and gifts in preparation for the momentous holiday. The television stayed on most of the day, playing those horrendous, formulaic romantic comedies that made him want to gag at their saccharine plot lines and mediocre acting, and in the evenings the radio crooned songs older than you (they were far more tolerable, much to his relief). You cooked and baked almost constantly, pleasant aromas saturating the rooms with sweet and hearty spices. The apartment was soon littered with festive memorabilia, and before he knew it there was a live tree set up in the corner of the living room.

“Come on, Big Bird—dealing with humans all these years hasn’t clued you into Christmas?”

Considering the contentious and hypocritical origins of the holiday, I haven’t given it too much consideration, he said wryly. There are so many different ones now that I don’t bother to keep up.

“You’re missing out,” you beamed up at him through the branches, glittering red garland wrapped around your arms as you wedged yourself between the boughs and the wall to reach the back of the tree. “There are so many good foods and family traditions and old memories that go with it!”

It is mass-marketed and materialistic, he responded, reaching out with the end of his staff to free you from entanglement.

“If you let it be just about presents, then it is,” you told him sternly, wiggling free and adjusting the strand to your satisfaction before repeating the process in a tapered spiral. “But it’s about connection, to me—friends and family being together and enjoying the festivities.”

Then why are you not with your family? Khonshu questioned before he could think it through.

You paused, expression pinching, but continued to futz with the arrangement. “…I couldn’t get everything together,” you replied quietly, “what with the shift schedules and all that. They’ll understand. We can try again next year.”

It was none of Khonshu’s business, he knew. Normally he wouldn’t rightly care about the inherent complexities of your interactions with your family—but only if he hadn’t known you for as long as he had, even if you were still unaware of it. He had witnessed your life change irreparably in the last year, had even lended a hand in it. A brief brush over your consciousness confirmed his suspicions—the shame of your self-perceived failures overpowered the guilt of not meeting their expectations. You hadn’t gone home since the divorce, and you had barely afforded them the occasional phone call to assure them that you (and Ru) were doing all right despite your circumstances. They had only seen Ru through a camera.

In some (somewhat selfish) ways, Khonshu was glad that you had remained fixed in London, remaining with Lizzie. It meant that he wouldn’t risk losing you as his Moon Knight prematurely. It meant that he didn’t have to share the pair of you with anyone other than your best friend and your coworkers. It meant that he could have you (mostly) to himself—and he was uncertain of what you would think of that.

Ru is still very young, he said finally, lowering his voice and glancing towards the child sprawled on the floor mat asleep.

“…Yeah, you’re right,” you agreed, expression easing slightly. “It wouldn’t really be good for him to fly right now, anyway. It’ll be easier when he’s a little older.”

Khonshu nodded, and you fastened the end of the garland near the tip of the tree. You can barely reach the top.

“Which is precisely why serving a nine-foot eldritch horror is so advantageous,” you remarked, stepping over to the couch and rummaging through the assortment of boxes you had pulled out of storage for this express purpose. You turned back to him brandishing a diaphanous, crystalline star cradled in your hands. You smiled sweetly. “Would you do the honors?”

You are insufferable, Khonshu grumbled, plucking the ornament out of your hands and extending his arm to place it on the uppermost point. There. Happy?

You squinted and tilted your head slightly. “It’s a little lopsided.” You waved your hand to one side. “Just a little to the left.”

Khonshu readjusted it.

“Better. Thank you!” you chirped, grabbing a bundle of lights that looked tangled worse than Apep’s tail used to after the barque’s guardians got through with him at the end of the night. “Can you help me with the lights, too?”

Ru stirred and grumbled at the most opportune moment. 

Khonshu scooped him up from the floor and tucked him into the crook of his arm. He’s hungry.

You frowned at him. “How do you even know?”

His forehead wrinkled, Khonshu responded simply, moving over to the kitchen to fetch a bottle from the fridge.

“I’m trying to let him cry a little more,” you complained to the god’s back. “You’re not supposed to cater to them too much, you know.”

And you’re taking aspirin to combat the headaches it causes. Khonshu popped the nipple into the babe’s mouth before Ru even fully realized what was going on—but his body relaxing as his contented hums filled the relative silence of the apartment were confirmation enough. Khonshu didn’t feel he should tell you that he had felt Ru’s stomach pangs even before he’d awoken. Continue your decorating. I’ll tend to him.

“You’ve been doing that a lot more recently,” you pointed out, bemused. “Are you trying to weasel your way into being his favorite?”

Khonshu shook his head and sat on the narrow expanse of the couch that was not occupied by your collection of shiny bobbles. No need to ‘weasel’ my way in when I already am his favorite.

“Keep that up and I’ll have to kick you out, Granddaddy Long Beak—then what’ll you do?”

Enjoy the blissful peace and quiet.

You flung a chromatic red sphere at him. It bounced harmlessly off his arm and rolled onto the rug. “All the things I do for you and this is the thanks I get.”

I am keeping my end of our agreement, he reminded you, propping Ru up briefly to emphasize his point, so we are even.

“You’re turning my own son against me.”

I am doing no such thing.

“Look at him. He never looks that happy when I feed him.”

Perhaps he prefers my methods.

“God, you’d think you were his father,” you grumbled.

Khonshu stiffened, but you continued to gather ornaments to hang on the tree, completely oblivious to the fact that he had been perfectly capable of hearing you.

Read the rest of the chapter here! :)