#to the point where they're friendly enemies; they continue to try and end each other | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

galexystern · 1 year

Text

you take me by the heart when you take me by the hand

pairing; eddie munson/reader

rating; T

warnings; au - canon divergence, fluff, pining, fix-it, getting together, falling in love, strangers to friends to lovers, swearing, mentions of sexual assault (not by eddie), gn!reader

word count; 13.3k

desc; "Why did you help me?" You stare back in surprise. "Because it was the right thing to do." He raises an eyebrow. "I'm not finished!" aka you and eddie get interrupted a whole lot

read on ao3 / masterlist / part two

You take a deep breath, trying to hang in there like the cat on the poster in your locker says to do, and close the door. Crossing your arms tightly over your chest, you keep your eyes unfocused, looking at the one point in the distance you need to reach. It's not an easy walk by far—absolutely everyone in the hallway is glaring at you, giving you a wide berth, calling you names under their breaths. They fall on deaf ears; you learned a while ago that listening doesn't do you any favors. So you just march past everything and everyone, push open the cafeteria doors, and head for the lunch line, trying not to notice as a hush falls over the room when you enter. It's the only time during the school day that you and Jason cross paths, which sucks, but you're thankful it's not more than that.

You get exactly one smile from the group of lunch ladies, the one you pay. That small ounce of sympathy lets you leave the line and search the room without really feeling the death stares. You spot Theo waving from...the Hellfire table. You don't really want to go over there, but it's where Theo is and she's one of your only allies—one of your only friends—in this whole building. So you trudge over, sitting at the head of the table like Theo motions you to.

"What are we doing over here?" You hiss at her.

She looks at you innocently. "I know Gareth from math. We're friends," she replies. When he shoots her a look, she adds, "Kinda."

You want to ask for more information but two pairs of sneakers squeal to a stop at the other end of the table. You all look up to see Dustin and Mike, complete with their own Hellfire shirts, frozen where they stand.

"Hey guys," you say with relief. "Is it okay if we sit here?"

They've known you longer than this whole "everybody hates you" thing had been happening, so you know they don't care about that. Lucas was a different story, what with him being on the basketball team and all, but he's been grudgingly ignoring you, not standing up for you but also not picking on you either. It helps that Steve had kicked his ass when he'd tried to shout at you for what happened.

"Yeah, it's just..." Mike trails off.

"Just what?" You ask. Dustin whispers something you can't hear. "What?"

Dustin whispers again, a little louder. But you still lean forward, genuinely unable to hear him over the din of the cafeteria. "What?"

"He said that's my seat, sweetheart."

You look up and to the left to find Eddie "the Freak" Munson standing next to you, smirk plastered on his face. Mike and Dustin take seats on your other side and look away, hoping not to catch his attention as well.

"Oh," you say simply, and start to stand.

"No, no. Please, take my throne for today," he says, motioning for Dustin and Mike to move down. They do so frantically and Eddie sits in the vacated chair, still studying you. "To what do we owe the pleasure of having Hawkins High's number one public enemy grace us with their presence at our lowly lunch table?"

"Well," you start hesitantly, immediately breaking eye contact to glance at Theo. "Gareth knows Tiffany here—"

"Oh my god, can you not introduce me using that name?" Theo interrupts, and you crack the first smile you've had all day. "I'm Theo."

"As I was saying," you continue, "Gareth and Theo know each other from class and it seems they're quite friendly." You wiggle your eyebrows at the two, Theo rolling her eyes while Gareth goes a faint pink. Eddie snickers and you turn back to him. Your eyes connect for an intense second before you look away again. "And we didn't really have anywhere else to go, so."

"Oh, we know," Eddie says. "Seems you and Jason's little, ah, feud has created quite the grist for the rumor mill." At Jason's name, you tense up. "The asshole probably deserved whatever you did."

You look at Eddie in surprise and find that his face has softened a fraction, practically unnoticeable if one wasn't a foot away like you are. You give him a small smile before asking Theo about that morning's English test.

As she answers, you pick at your food and notice that the rest of the table is still quiet and staring at the two of you. You look around with raised eyebrows and everyone rushes to do something, anything, else—all except Eddie, who just props his head in his hands and continues to study you. Oddly, it doesn't bother you, so you let him do what he wants as you try to have a normal lunch for once.

;

The bell dings as you swing open the door of Family Video, privately relishing in the smell of plastic and bad coffee. Steve stands at the counter looking bored out of his mind, while Robin is checking in returned tapes. "Hi guys," you say and Steve perks up at the sound of your voice. But he doesn't have eyes for you.

"Hey y'all," Theo says her in Southern drawl, smile on her face, as she saunters over to check out the new releases.

"Hi Theo," Steve replies dreamily. He continues to watch her lovingly as you come to stand in front of him.

"What am I, chopped liver?" You joke and Steve reluctantly turns to you.

"Hi," he says flatly.

You clutch a hand to your chest in fake hurt before laughing as he rolls his eyes. "Nice to see you too, Harrington." His gaze automatically goes back to Theo, who seems to browsing but who you know to be just standing there, hyperaware of Steve's attention on her. When you look at her as well, it's quite obvious, but probably just to you. "You know," you offer, "it seems like she might need some help."

You see Robin glance up with a smirk out of the corner of your eye. It takes a good amount of strength to keep innocence on your face. Thankfully, Steve doesn't notice. Well, mostly because he doesn't look at you at all.

"You think?" He asks hopefully.

"Definitely," Robin steps in, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's your turn anyway."

Steve exhales, straightens his posture, runs a hand through his hair, and struts over to where Theo is standing.

You and Robin dissolve into silent giggles. Once you regain your breath and Robin is wiping away a tear, you smile at her. "Hey, babe. How was your day?"

"Oh, you know." She sighs. "The same. Yours?"

You think about sitting at the Hellfire lunch table. "It was...interesting."

Robin gives you a raised eyebrow but you're saved from explaining as Steve escorts Theo to the desk and checks out her selected movie. They both pointedly avoid eye contact with you. Shaking your head with a smile, you wait until they stop mooning at each other and Theo turns to you. "Are you sure you'll be okay here tonight by yourself?" She asks worriedly.

You roll your eyes fondly. "Yes, I will be fine. Everyone will be at the game anyway."

"Except for me," she replies glumly. You see Steve deflate a little behind her and Robin rubs his back in sympathy.

"You don't even like basketball." You laugh. She huffs. "Maybe not, but I wanted to see Lucas play at least."

"I'll let you know what happens," Steve blurts out. He turns red but Theo turns to him with a smile. "Yeah?"

He swallows and nods. "I could...call you about it tomorrow?"

"Sure," she gushes, "that'd be great."

Steve grins but the moment is broken by a horn blaring from the parking lot. "That'd be my mom," Theo says, disappointment setting in. She turns to you. "Will you—"

"Give your number to Steve? Obviously."

She rushes out a "thanks" and hugs you tight before running out the door. Steve immediately turns to you. "What's the number?"

Laughing, you make your way to the employee break room. "Relax, stud. I'll write it down for you."

After putting down your stuff and putting on your uniform vest, you scribble Theo's phone number on a scrap piece of paper and walk out into the store. You give it to Steve as you walk behind the desk, who snatches it and holds it like it's made of pure gold.

You're just about to log in to the computer system when Robin shouts, "Shit, we're late!"

Suddenly she and Steve are rushing through their tasks to get out of there and get to the game. They both run through the break room like it's on fire and you just watch, amused. Steve bounds through the store and out the door with a "Bye!" while Robin stops next to you. She gives you a deep look. "Thank you for closing tonight. We owe you."

"It's no problem. You know I don't want to be there. Go have fun!" She gives you a quick hug and then she's gone as well. Silence settles over the store. You sigh, preparing for a long, boring shift.

;

As expected, the shift is uneventful. The only customer you check out is Mrs. Garfield, who wanted to rent Flashdance. Good for her. You've sorted, cleaned, checked in, reshelved, and logged. And now it's time to leave.

You're closing up, trying to work magic on the lock that always sticks, when something grabs you by the shoulder. You scream bloody murder, scared out of your wits, and whirl around to see Eddie behind you, shaking uncontrollably and seemingly scared out of his wits.

"Holy shit, Eddie!"

"You gotta help me," he says. His voice is hoarse, like he's been screaming a lot. His eyes are also very wide and now he's gripping you by your shoulders like a lifeline. "Please, let me come in."

Breathing heavily, you want to say no—you want to leave—but something about his terrified expression hits different. You nod slowly and open the door for him. He darts inside on his tiptoes then stops and turns around to stare at you, at a loss. You walk past him and motion for him to follow you to the break room. He hesitates but once you give him a vaguely reassuring look, he slinks in and curls into a ball on the floor almost immediately.

"Okay," you say slowly. "Are you okay?"

He shakes his head.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Shakes his head again.

"Do you want something to eat?"

That gets his attention. He looks at you and nods minutely. You mirror the movement and walk over to the vending machine. "Now, don't tell anyone I showed you how to do this. Or that I know how to do it."

Interest piqued, Eddie gradually stands and joins you. You feel the side of the machine for a minute, finding the right spot, then hit it with your fist, hard. A random foodstuff falls to the bottom. You do it again and a different one falls. He reaches in and grabs them, staring at you. You shrug. "It ate my money one day so I got mad and hit it. Must've hit it in the right spot since that happens every time. But," you look at him sternly, "don't do it too many times. We can't have them notice."

Eddie nods while stuffing his face with a Twinkie. He uses his hand to make a x on the left side of his chest.

"Cross my heart," he says quietly.

You smile a little. "We've got a water cooler and a coffee maker. You know how to use one?"

He nods, now devouring Cheetos.

"Great." Quiet settles in as Eddie sits against the wall, knees against his chest. "Do you..." He looks up at you and the eye contact makes you lose your train of thought. "Um," you continue, shaking your head. "Do you need me to stay with you?"

He keeps staring at you, making your heart speed up a little, but eventually he shakes his head no. Exhaling with a tinge of disappointment, you nod. "Okay. Well, you crash here. I'll come back in the morning with actual food and good coffee, since the stuff here sucks."

Eddie snorts and you half-smile in response. You make sure you have all your stuff before looking over at him again. He's finished the snacks and his eyes have glazed over, chewing at his nails.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" You ask gently.

He doesn't look back at you but still nods. You sigh. "Well, I'll be back in the morning. Promise."

With that, you leave the room and then the store, playing with the lock again to secure it. You drive home in a daze, wondering what could have scared Eddie Munson so badly to put him in that state and why he sought help from you, of all people. The same questions run through your mind as you shower and get ready for bed, until you lie down and fall asleep almost immediately.

;

"Hello...?" You call quietly as you open the Family Video break room door. Eventually, Eddie is revealed to be sitting in relatively the same position you left him in, albeit with more food wrappers around him. His head rolls up at you. He looks like he didn't sleep a wink.

"Hey," he says tiredly.

"You feeling any better?" He just shrugs. "Well, I brought the best breakfast Family Video money could buy." You showcase the McDonald's bag in your hand. Eddie cracks half a smile. "And..." You bring your other hand out. "Better coffee!" The smile grows full.

"Thank god," he replies, "this stuff does suck."

You laugh. "I told you."

You sit across from him and hand him his breakfast and cup. He grabs them tentatively but proceeds to scarf it down like he's starving. Which he probably is, seeing as how his dinner was Twinkies and Cheetos and Pop-Tarts. You eat at a normal pace, studying his movements.

He notices your stare and ducks his head, embarrassed. "Thanks for letting me stay here."

You wave a hand, accidentally throwing crumbs around. "Whoops," you wince, but Eddie just grins. "Anyway, of course. You let me sit at your lunch table after all."

He nods. "That was a pleasant surprise."

"So were you."

He glances away. It grows quiet. You can still see remnants of fear in his expression. "I'm sorry you went through whatever it is you went through."

"Thanks," he whispers.

"Why'd you come here anyways?"

"Well," he answers, scratching his head. "I wasn't really planning on it. But I saw you outside the store and I guess the decision made itself."

You blush. "You recognized me from the street?"

"It's not that far. But, yeah."

Your face gets redder somehow. Eddie notices and smirks, and you look away to try and calm down. After a minute, your mind goes back to wondering what might've gone down last night.

"Do you..." You start tentatively. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Eddie studies you warily, tensing up at the question. You feel bad for bringing up something that was obviously negative, but you also want him to know he can talk to you if he wants. You adopt as open an expression as you can, telepathically trying to make him understand your good intentions.

"Maybe another time," he answers quietly.

You nod and don't say anything. The silence is heated at first, but eventually the tension fades away and it becomes comfortable.

"Hey," he says, "I have a question." You hesitate but nod, steeling yourself. "Why'd you call Theo 'Tiffany'?"

Definitely not expecting that, you laugh loudly. "Her real name is Theophania," you explain. "Her parents are big Medieval fans, they go to ren fairs and everything. I learned when we were younger that Tiffany was a nickname for that back then, and I called her that as a joke and it stuck. But I'm the only one who can call her that. She hates it."

"When you were younger? Didn't she just move here this year?"

"She used to live here when she was a kid. Her family moved away right after elementary school but we never lost touch. When they moved back, I was thrilled. When we reunited, it was like no time had passed at all." You smile, remembering the ice cream hang that had lasted hours and closed out the Dairy Queen. "Thank god she came back when she did. She's been amazing throughout this whole Jason ordeal." The smile falls away.

It's quiet for a few minutes. After Eddie throws away his trash, he sits back down against the wall and sighs, studying you again. "What happened there? With you and Jason?" You look away sharply. His voice softens. "You know, if you want to say."

You glance back to find his expression open, eyes gentle. There's a sense that he would listen to the story and not only believe the whole thing, but also not judge you. It's a comforting idea, but... "Maybe another time," you reply with a soft smile, echoing him. He nods good-naturedly.

And that's when you hear the door bell jingle.

;

Robin and Steve are bickering when they enter. As you close the door to the break room, they both see you and stop in their tracks. "What are you doing here?" Steve asks.

You giggle nervously. "Wow, what a welcome."

"What he means is, it's your day off," Robin says.

"Right! I just forgot something here and came back to get it. My..." You scramble for something plausible. "My Walkman! Can't live without it."

As you huff out a laugh, Robin and Steve just stare at you. "O-kay," Robin replies slowly. The pair continue walking towards the break room behind you.

"Wait!" They stop abruptly at your outburst. "There's something I have to tell you guys."

They wait, probably growing increasingly worried about your behavior.

"Yesterday...I...and Theo," you throw in to get Steve's attention and it works like a charm, "had lunch at the Hellfire table."

They glance at each other then back at you. "And?" Robin prompts.

"Um..."

"Did someone ask out Theo? Is she dating Eddie Munson?" Steve sounds frantic. You can almost hear a snicker from the break room.

"No but...she was the one who sat there first. Since she's friends with one of his friends. Gareth."

Steve groans. Robin doesn't look convinced by this conversation topic but he's pretty distracting about it. "I told you guys! Now she's gonna date him and I won't have a chance."

A laugh bubbles out of you. Comparing Gareth to Steve is...inadvisable. "No, no." You laugh again. "No."

"Really?" Steve looks hopeful again.

"Yup," you answer, popping the p.

"Phew," he exhales and smiles in relief. "Good."

They start to move forward again but this time you're saved by the front door bell ringing. As the pair turn around, it's your turn to sigh in relief.

Dustin and Max come running in. "Guys!" He yells. "Something happened!"

They stop in front of Steve and Robin, out of breath. They all turn to look at you awkwardly. "Ah," you say, stung. "I guess I will get out of your...oh! My Walkman's still back there. I'll just go grab it and let y'all talk." You walk backwards until you're at the door, open it to slip in, and close it again.

You back straight into Eddie's body. His hands fly up to grab your arms to stabilize you, and you're very aware of his touch and proximity. However, you have some eavesdropping to do. You give him a quick look, finger to your mouth; he nods and you open the door a crack. You're coming in partway to the conversation but you listen as Dustin and Max describe what happened to Chrissy Cunningham at Eddie's trailer and what's left. As they talk, Eddie's grip grows tighter, until you place a hand on top of his, trying to convey your sympathy for what happened to him. He breathes out and it sends shivers down the back of your neck.

"And now we have to find him!" Dustin says finally. Eddie tenses until Dustin continues, "We have to help him!"

"Okay, do you have any idea where he could be?" Steve asks as Robin rushes over to the computer.

"Not really," Dustin answers glumly. The four of them continue to talk as you open the door and slip out of Eddie's grasp.

"Um, guys?" You call out tentatively. Everyone turns to look at you. "I know where Eddie is."

They burst into noise, running up to you and asking over each other about his location. You don't say anything else, just open the Employees Only door to reveal Eddie standing just inside. He smiles and waves awkwardly.

"He-ey," he draws out. "What's up?"

;

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"The Upside Down," Steve answers, way too calmly for everything he'd just told you and Eddie.

"And the what kidnapped and possessed Will?"

"The Demogorgon."

"From D&D?" Eddie asks.

"Exactly!" Dustin exclaims.

"And your friend El can do...what?"

"Not sure exactly. But she has powers that can fight them."

"Okay..." You nod, at a complete and total loss for what to say here.

"You don't need to worry about it," Robin says quickly. You glare at her but she just keeps talking. "You two just need to stay here and stay hidden. We're gonna go tell the others and get more information."

"The others," you echo.

"Yeah, so don't leave," Steve orders. You scoff and start to reply, but the four of them jump into action and run out the door.

"Wait, that's not fair!" You call out, dashing after them. "I can help!"

"This is helping," Robin says breathlessly as she steps outside. "Keeps you safe."

"But—"

The door slams in your face. Steve and Robin shoot you guilty looks, but still get in the car and peel away at high speed. Rolling your eyes, you stalk back to the stockroom, shutting the door behind you loudly. Eddie catches your eye and raises one brow. "I never get to join the fun," you whine, crossing your arms.

Eddie lets out an abrupt laugh, making your brows furrow. "You're cute when you pout," he says with a smirk, eyes roving your face. Your cheeks heat and you look away, letting your arms fall to your sides and grab the end of your shirt nervously. Eddie huff-laughs before sitting. You join him.

As the seconds pass, Eddie's face drops his happy expression and he turns sad. Your heart pangs.

"I'm sorry all that happened to you," you offer gently.

He waves a hand. "It's not your fault," he replies, trying to push it away.

"Seriously," you say firmly, not letting him, "I'm really sorry. It sounds terrifying and horrible and traumatic. Chrissy was a nice girl. She didn't deserve that, and you didn't deserve to witness it."

Eddie wrings his hands, staring at the floor. "Thanks." His voice is shaky. "I thought it was a joke at first. But when she started floating up..." He swallows hard. You nod, silently encouraging him to continue. "It was really scary. It feels like my fault."

"It's not your fault," you half-interrupt strongly. "From what we've heard, it seems like that would've happened whether it was with you or not. It was just...unlucky. To be the one there."

"Story of my life." He laughs humorlessly.

"Hopefully not anymore," you reply, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Maybe," he looks up at you, "since now I know you."

Your face heats at his sweet and hopeful smile, and you can't help but smile back.

"In all seriousness," he says, "I'm sorry you got stuck with me."

"What?" You reply, startled. "I'm not 'stuck' with you."

"You didn't seem all that happy about it a few minutes ago."

You sigh. "I just...no, it's nothing."

"Oh, come on. You can tell me. Who am I gonna blab to? Everyone thinks I'm a freak."

"Better than what they call me," you mutter under your breath, catching Eddie's interest. But you continue without letting him change the subject. "I keep trying to be friends with Steve and Robin, because I like them and I think they like me, but there was always something they weren't not telling me. I could tell. They talk to each other and then jump apart when I walk in. They have weird inside jokes about truth serum and Russian bunkers but won't explain them. I guess it's related to all this Upside Down stuff. But I just want to be their friend."

"Sounds tough," Eddie sympathizes. You shrug, looking away. Suddenly his hand is on your knee and you're startled into bringing your face up to his. He's moved forward and sits just centimeters away; his expression is kind and gentle. "I mean it. It sucks going through that. I would know."

You whisper out a "thanks" and he smiles softly.

You can feel where his hand is touching you, and the burn increases with every second he doesn't move away. You stare at him and he stares back and you can feel the tiny hairs of space in between your knees and you kind of wish they would disappear and he would touch you more...

Eddie clears his throat and scoots back, putting more space between you and causing the burn to dissipate. You're vaguely disappointed and can't seem to say anything.

A few minutes later, Eddie's voice pops up again. "I have another question." You hum, heart beating faster. "Why does Theo have a Southern accent?"

Your tension floods away. "Her family moved from Hawkins to some small town in Louisiana. They were there for like, six years, so she picked up some habits." You shake your head. "Honestly, I think she just keeps it to be different. And make Steve trail after her like a lost puppy."

Eddie snorts. "Steve 'The Hair' Harrington, pining for a girl?"

You giggle. "It's like he has cartoon heart eyes whenever she's around."

"Does she know?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course. He's not really subtle about it. But I'll tell you another secret." Eddie looks at you hungrily, making your knee burn again. "She loves it. She had a crush on him back in elementary school but he had no idea who we were. And now that he's no longer King Steve, she's kind of reveling in it, I think."

"That's cold-blooded," Eddie replies admiringly.

"Yeah," you say, "but she likes him too; you can totally tell whenever he tells a dorky joke and she's always the who laughs the loudest. I'd kept her updated on all his high school escapades, and I think she's impressed he's become like, a regular person again. Sure, she's technically leading him on, but it's only so she can catch her breath and figure out what to do about it."

"She should just tell him. And he should tell her. Why the wait?" Eddie's gaze is intense. "They could be together now."

You blush. "It'll be soon, I can tell. Besides, I won't let them do this dance for much longer. If they haven't done anything by summer break, I'm breaking out plans A-Z. Plus, I love a good pining storyline."

Eddie snickers. "Can I help?"

"Help?"

"With Plans A-Z. I'm invested now. I need to see to it that these lovebirds end up together."

Your heart flutters at the idea of hatching schemes and pulling off wild ideas with Eddie in the future, bringing two of your best friends together, once you're past all this alleged murder stuff. "Yeah." You grin wildly. "You can totally help."

"Awesome," Eddie replies, grinning back. After a minute of you two staring at each other goofily, he shuffles forward until your knees are actually touching this time. Your breath hitches and you hope it wasn't noticeable. "Hey—"

The bell rings outside. You leap up, startled, and look down at him with disappointment. A part of you recognizes how powerful you feel standing above Eddie, on his knees, gazing up at you with wide eyes and an open mouth, and that burn from your knee rushes between your thighs. But you push that away and say, "Sorry, I'll be right back." Eddie nods and you rush out to help the customer.

It's a normal, short interaction, and you curse poor Mr. O'Donnell for his horrible timing, even though he just wanted to rent Star Wars. But, it was for the third time, so maybe some of that frustration is warranted.

When you get back to the room, Eddie is back against his wall, relaxed with his eyes closed. You sit on the opposite wall, disheartened. You take the opportunity to study him, noticing the tattoos that peek out from his shirt sleeves, the way his hair falls across his shoulders, how it seems he can't sit completely still, his fingers constantly moving. It's kind of mesmerizing.

"Sweetheart, I can feel you staring," Eddie says out of nowhere, making your heart race. But when he tilts his head forward, you don't back down.

"And?" His eyebrow raises. "You studied me at lunch. I'm just returning the favor." His lip quirks up at your sass.

"You know what, you're right, honey. Look to your heart's content."

You let a minute pass in comfortable silence before asking, "Do you play guitar?" Curiosity passes over his face. You point to his fingers, currently frozen on a chord. "Seems like a hard one."

"Do you play?" Eddie asks, brightening.

"No. But I sing."

"Sing what?"

"Oh, you know." You wave a hand around. "Madonna, Guns N' Roses, Queen, Aerosmith, Wham!, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac. All over the place really."

Eddie smiles, teeth and everything. "That's cool. That's really cool. You know..." He pauses, like he's mustering confidence, which seems odd for someone who acts so bold all the time. "I'm in a band."

"Right!" You exclaim. "You guys play at the Hideout, yeah? Theo and I go there sometimes. Haven't seen you yet, but I've noticed your posters."

"Yeah," he says, sounding awed. "We've um, we've got a show next Friday, if you wanna come. You know, if we get out of this whole monsters situation." The tips of his ears are bright red and you kind of want to bite them.

"That sounds great. I'd love to. And maybe I'll drag Theo and Steve along. Force them together or something."

Eddie laughs. "I could bring you onstage and you could sing a very obvious love song directly at them. Maybe that would move things along."

You smile, shy now. "Oh, I don't know if I'm that good."

"You gotta be. You're already so cool; how can you not be a great singer?" Eddie looks surprised by what he just said, but follows it up with a dazzling grin and firm nod, confirming his point.

Your face feels like it's going to melt off, it's so hot, and Eddie is looking at you with an expression that is somehow both encouraging and passionate, and that burn is now throbbing at the base of your spine, and you kind of wish you could kiss him senseless. "Thanks for the ego boost," you say, a little breathless, trying to bring the banter back so you don't actually kiss him senseless.

"My pleasure," he says with a wink, which doesn't help with the whole trying not to kiss him thing. As if your mouth is conspiring against you, you blurt out, "Can I see your tattoos?" He stills, even his hands, and you groan internally. Now you've made him uncomfortable. "Sorry, that was probably too much, you don't have to—"

"No, no, no," he interrupts, looking worried for some reason. "I want to show you." He blushes at that. "Just, most of them are under my shirt, and I don't wanna make you uncomfortable by taking it off—"

"It's okay." The words rush out without any kind of pause. Is your brain-to-mouth filter even working? "I don't mind."

Eddie peers at you. "Are you sure?" He asks cautiously.

You nod quickly, your body beating your brain in this battle.

"Okay," he replies and slowly pulls his shirt over his head.

First things first, Eddie is ripped. You note this almost instantly, your eyes roving over his muscular arms, firm abs, and V line that disappears into his jeans—

Not why we're here, you remind yourself, and snap your eyes to his face. He's watching you with a slight smirk, and you look back down quickly. Focus.

You seem to move forward without trying as you inspect his tattoos. He has so many, ranging from a skull and crossbones on his arm, to wilting flowers on his shoulder, to lyrics on his pec. You reach a hand out and ghost your fingers across the words. Eddie inhales sharply at your touch but doesn't move away.

"You've been down too long in the midnight sea / Oh, what's becoming of me?" You read softly. "Where's that from?"

"It's uh, a song called 'Holy Diver' by Dio."

"What's it about?"

The eye contact is sizzling between you. "Um, it's about sacrifice and the selfishness of humanity. It's—" His words catch but he regains some semblance of composure and starts again. "The lyrics kind of encapsulate both sides of the argument, in the song. To me."

You nod. "And this one?" You place your other hand on his opposite side, just above his abdomen, running your fingertips across the words etched there. "'Cause I'm hot, I'm young, running free / A little bit better than I used to be."

Eddie's voice comes out scratchy and strained. "That one's about feeling alive and free. Finding someone to love."

You hum, your fingers pressing a little more against his skin. His hands come up and grab your wrists, but he doesn't move them, just holds them there. You trace abstract art across his hot skin, now covered in goosebumps. Your name falls from his lips in a whisper. You catch his gaze again and it's inevitable, like nothing can stop you from leaning towards each other and—

Except for the bell ringing loudly through the store. Multiple times.

You and Eddie fall away from each other, you landing on your knees with a thump, him hitting his head on the wall. With the moment broken, your attention is on the customers outside, simmering with anger. "I'll handle it," you say lowly, standing. But before you can leave, Eddie grabs your hand and kisses your knuckles. You look down at him but he doesn't say anything, just smiles lazily, a promise in his eyes that he'll still be here. Your stomach flips and you storm out of the room.

Just to come face-to-face with none other than Jason Carver.

;

Jason's expression sours as you scowl. "What are you doing here?" He asks with venom in his voice.

"I work here, remember? Or did your head hit the wall so hard you forgot?" You answer mockingly.

If looks could kill, his glare would melt you completely. But they don't, so you just walk around him to the desk. His whole group of jock cronies are there too, staring at your showdown. They're all holding some version of a blunt weapon.

"You guys here to wreck the store?" You ask, sounding bored.

Jason huffs angrily. "Have you seen the Freak?"

"I'm sure I don't know who you mean," you reply innocently, pointedly not looking at him.

"Eddie Munson," he grits.

"Oh! Nope, haven't seen him." You pick up a VHS from a stack and pretend to study the back of it.

"Well, then you won't mind if we take a look around?"

"Be my guest."

You keep an eye on everyone. They search the store, prowling the shelves and generally looking like idiots. You roll your eyes.

You spot Jason start to creep towards the break room. You call out, "Y'all about done?"

Jason freezes in anger and, as you'd hoped, forgets about the room. He spins around and you imagine he's wishing he could kill you and get away with it. As the town golden boy, he probably would.

You raise an eyebrow in judgment. "You're kind of ruining the vibe, so I'd appreciate it if you'd leave now."

Jason stalks over to you, stopping a few inches short. Disgust and discomfort writhe through you, but you stand your ground.

"What do you think, boys?" He says loudly. "Should we rent something? Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Friday the 13th? Nightmare on Elm Street?"

His movie choices make your skin crawl but outwardly you scoff. "Oh, please. You hate horror movies. You got scared when we watched The Exorcist. It wasn't even that scary."

A few boys "ooh" and Jason grows red. "That's not true," he spits out.

"Whatever you say. But we did date for a while, so I would know."

"You also know how it ended?"

You want to punch him in his smug face. "I do. I remember the concussion you got from when I shoved you. And I remember that glorious day you were kicked off the team."

He's positively seething—you'd hit him where it hurts. His fist tightens around the baseball bat he's holding, but one of his friends touches his shoulder lightly. "Come on, Jason. We gotta keep looking."

There's three seconds of Jason burning holes into your eyes and then he abruptly steps away. They all start to leave, gradually, Jason last. He backs away from you. "A parting gift," he says, horribly, before knocking over the New Releases shelf. Then he runs out without looking back.

"Fuck you!" You yell. Sighing, you come out from behind the desk and go over to the mess. You kneel and start to gather the tapes. A door opens behind you and then Eddie is next to you, helping to clean. "You don't have to."

"Least I can do," he flashes you a smile. It relaxes you. You stack the tapes and Eddie rights the shelf. You direct him in helping to put the tapes back, in alphabetical order.

"You know," he muses, "you didn't seem like a very good liar with Steve and Robin earlier. But that, with Jason, was a masterpiece."

You shrug, half-pleased at the compliment and half-frustrated by Jason's involvement. "Guess he brings out my acting chops."

"You could probably use those skills elsewhere. Like, Hellfire's D&D games?" He ventures. He sounds hopeful and vulnerable. You glance at him; his expression matches.

"I don't know...I'm not sure I'd be any good."

"Seems like you're good at everything you do, babe, so I don't think you'd have a problem."

Eddie winks at you and you focus back on the display, face beet red and hiding behind your hair. "Maybe—"

The doorbell rings again and you both turn to see Jason reentering the store. Your heart drops as he spots Eddie. "You fucking bitch!" He growls and leaps towards you. You dodge him, almost falling over, but Eddie grabs your hand and hauls you upright again. You run for the door and make it outside when a cold hand grips your forearm, and you're wrenched backwards. You lose contact with Eddie. You cry out in pain, Jason's hand squeezing the skin so tightly it goes white. "Let go of me," you spit out, trying and failing to pull away from him. Jason just gives you a mean smirk and holds tighter.

Eddie whips around, eyes blazing, and punches Jason in his face. Jason lets go of your arm and falls back against the door. He slowly slides down until he's slumped over, head hanging.

You rub your arm so the blood flow can start up again. "I think you knocked him out," you say, peering at Jason as close as you feel safe.

"I hope so," Eddie says. "That fucking hurt."

He's shaking his hand out when you turn back to him, pain etched on his face but smiling at you regardless. Without warning, you walk to him and hug him tight. "Thank you."

He seems surprised, but eventually he wraps his arms around you and holds you close. He smells like cigarettes and sweat and the break room carpet, but you don't mind. His leather jacket is soft and his hair halos you as he leans his head against yours.

Then Jason makes a small sound and you both jump into action. Eddie takes your hand again and pulls you to the back of the store, where his van is hidden. You jump in as he revs the engine, door not even fully closed as he peels away. He takes the roads and turns frantically, and you hold on tight. Once it seems like you're a good enough distance away, you lay a hand on Eddie's arm. He looks at you and you nod slowly, indicating he can slow down. He exhales shakily and relaxes in his seat and on the gas.

"Where are we going?" You ask.

"The only other place I know that might be safe," he replies.

;

Eddie hides his van in some foliage way off the main road, and you two hoof it from there to Skull Rock. It's an easy walk, but every little thing seems to be making you both jump. At one point, you grab Eddie's hand when a bush shakes, right before a squirrel pops out and runs in front of you. You keep holding hands from then on, neither wanting to let go.

When you finally make it to the site, you both collapse on the ground and lean back.

"Can I see your hand?" You ask when you notice Eddie wincing. He shakes his head, but then sighs and holds it out. You inspect it; it's red and there's broken skin along his knuckles. "Can you bend your fingers?" He does so. "Good. I don't think anything is broken. Let me wrap it."

"With what?" He asks skeptically.

"You'll see. Now turn around and close your eyes." He just looks at you. "Do it," you order, eyebrows raised. He rolls his eyes but does as you asked.

You pull off your shirt and take a Swiss army knife out of your pocket. Using the scissors, you cut a good amount from the bottom, transforming it into a crop top. You put it back on and say, "Okay, you can turn around."

Eddie looks back at you and immediately hones in one your new shirt style. He blinks at the open skin, making you blush. "Hand," you say firmly, and he holds it out to you without argument. "And my eyes are up here." He whips his head up and you have to hide a smile when you notice his own blush.

You focus on his hand, wrapping it with the piece of fabric, tying it in a double knot tightly. Satisfied, you pack up your knife and put it back in your pocket. Eddie watches you through all this with an intrigued expression. "Who are you?" He asks in disbelief.

"A mystery," you answer with a smirk.

"Wrapped inside an enigma," he finishes and shakes his head.

;

"Before," Eddie starts a little later, breaking the silence, "when you said that being called a freak was better than what they called you." You nod slowly. "What did you mean?"

You play with your shoelaces, covered in mud and leaves, stalling for time. But Eddie just waits. You sigh. "Some names are worse. I get a lot more variety. More words, but definitely not as creative or original." You laugh humorlessly. "Most of the time I get 'bitch', but sometimes it's 'whore' or 'slut', which make no sense in context. And then once or twice I get 'cunt'. It's always refreshing whenever that one's thrown around." You look at him, trying to joke it away, but his eyes are narrowed with anger and his jaw is set tightly. "It's okay—"

"No, it's not," he interrupts vehemently. "It's not okay. It's out of line. It's horrible. It's—"

"Monstrous?" You supply with a fake smile. Eddie's expression breaks into one of concern and sympathy and unfathomable sadness. You can't stand it; you look away.

A minute passes. Then Eddie asks quietly, "Will you tell me what happened now?"

You both let the question float between you. There's nothing but the sounds of the wind and leaves fluttering and the occasional creature scurrying through the dirt.

"We were at a party," you find yourself saying. "Me and Jason."

Eddie doesn't say anything, silently encouraging you to go on.

"It was fun, at first. And then I got really drunk, since it was right after winter finals and I'd been so stressed about them. I just wanted to let go a bit. I thought I could trust him." Your breath hitches and Eddie takes your hand in his. You hold on tightly, grateful for the anchor.

"I'd gone upstairs in whoever's house we were to lay down. The rooms were spinning and everything was really loud. I knew I needed to calm down. So I found an empty bedroom and half-passed out. Jason came in a little later. I thought he was there to take care of me, take me home. But then his hands were all over me, and I realized he was trying to take my clothes off. I didn't want him to, I tried to push him off me. He kept going on about how we hadn't done it yet and this would be the perfect time." You scoff. "Like being wasted out of your mind in some stranger's bedroom is the perfect time to lose your virginity.

"But he wouldn't stop. I kept saying no and he wouldn't listen. He'd taken off my shoes and unbuttoned my jeans, almost about to pull them down. That's when I realized I had to get out of there right now. So I took all the strength I had left and shoved him off me. He went down hard too, against the wall. I ran from the room. He was calling after me but I didn't stop. I found the house's phone, took it outside the front door, and called Theo. I'd memorized her number when she'd come back. She hadn't come to the party since she had to babysit her brother."

You try to laugh but realize you're choked up and crying, tears rolling down your face with abandon. You go to wipe them away and find that Eddie has taken your other hand as well, holding them both firmly. You look up at him to see a low blaze simmering in his eyes. "We decided to meet up a few streets over so I could get away from Jason. I didn't have any shoes, and I was walking barefoot with no coat. But when Theo got me, she wrapped a blanket around me and held me as I sobbed into her shoulder. I told her the whole thing. She took me back to her house. She made me hot chocolate and we watched Sixteen Candles. She wouldn't let us sleep until she'd made me laugh. She let me sleep in her bed while she slept on the floor. She wouldn't let me disagree." You laugh and wipe your nose with your shoulder.

"I'm glad you had her," Eddie says quietly. You nod, looking at him. "Me too. She's actually the one who got Jason kicked off the basketball team. She was so furious that she snitched about how he'd plagiarized an essay from some student who graduated last year. But I couldn't let her take the fall, so I told a few people it was me and the rumors spread."

"Wow," Eddie says thoughtfully. "Massive respect for you both." You laugh. "Now I'm really glad I knocked that asshole out."

"Me too," you say again.

A comfortable silence settles in. Eddie is still holding your hands and you don't want to let go. You can feel his eyes on you as you watch the trees wave in the wind. It's reassuring.

"Does anyone else know?" He asks quietly.

You finally look back at him. "Steve and Robin know. They were worried when I called out from work the next day and came by to see me. Theo was also there, so they got the full story."

"Why haven't they done anything?"

"What can they do? Steve's graduated and Robin's at the bottom of the tank like I am now. All they can really do is protect me if they're around when Jason is, which is rare." You shrug. "Besides, Theo got revenge for all of us."

"They know the truth about that too?"

"Yeah. You should've seen Steve's face when Theo revealed what she'd done. I thought his heart was gonna burst out of his chest, he was so awed and surprised." You and Eddie both laugh.

"What song will you sing to get them together?" He asks.

Startled, you shy away. "Oh, I don't know."

"Come on, give me some options." He gives you an encouraging look.

"Let me think...I've always liked 'Saving All My Love for You', by Whitney."

Eddie nods in agreement. "That's a good one. What about 'Every Breath You Take' from The Police?"

You make a face. "That song is so creepy. 'Every move you make, I'll be watching you'? No, thank you." He laughs. "How about 'Eternal Flame' by The Bangles?"

"That song is also creepy," he points out. "'I watch you when you are sleeping'?

"It's not as bad...but fair enough," you concede grumpily.

"'Lips Like Sugar' by Echo & the Bunnymen?"

"Doesn't end very happily. 'I Want to Know What Love Is' from Foreigner?"

"Corny. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division?"

"That's not happy at all!" You look at Eddie but he's snickering. "I see." Narrowing your eyes, you offer, "Abba's 'The Winner Takes It All'?"

"I thought we were bringing them together not pushing them apart," he teases. "'The World's a Mess; It's in My Kiss' by X?"

"Yeah, because we definitely want to encourage a toxic relationship. 'Hello' from Lionel Ritchie?"

"They already know each other, you know. Speaking of Ritchie, we could duet and sing 'Endless Love'."

"Oh, I love that song," you say genuinely. Eddie softens and gives you a fond smile. "But it might be a bit too much for people who aren't together."

He shrugs. "We'll find the right one."

"I believe in us." You nod. Eddie starts to lean towards you slowly, and you start to follow suit, and you're so close and getting closer and you're almost there...

Sticks somewhere near you break and you jump apart. You do clutch each other's hands, tensing as whoever is nearby gets closer.

Then you hear: "I told you! I could find Skull Rock with my eyes closed!"

And: "That's not really something to be proud of, Steve."

You and Eddie sigh in relief and stand to greet a group of people as they tumble into the clearing.

"Hey, guys," Dustin says with a smile. "Miss us?"

;

"Why are we following them to some portal that goes to another dimension?" You whisper to Eddie as you traipse through the woods behind not just Steve, Robin, Dustin, and Max, but also Nancy Wheeler and Lucas.

"I don't know," he whispers back, "but they seem to know what they're doing with this stuff. So I'm inclined to go with it."

"Okay," you say back, nerves taking over. Eddie squeezes your hand. He's been holding it since you all set off. You give him a thankful smile.

You finally reach the lake's edge and the boat waiting there. "How'd y'all get this here?" You ask incredulously.

"We didn't," Steve answers, scratching his head.

"One of life's mysteries," Dustin says cheerfully, and starts to clamber in.

"Whoa, whoa." Steve grabs his shirt by the collar and hauls him out of the boat. "Adults only time. Not letting one of you kids drown on my watch."

"But Steve!" Dustin, Max, and Lucas all start whining over each other.

Eddie leans close. "Steve really has the Soccer Mom vibe going."

"I said no!"

"Agreed," you snicker.

Petulant but accepting, the kids watch as the rest of you pile into the boat and set off. As the last one in, you watch as they grow smaller, giving them a wave. Dustin waves back at least.

"Okay, should be here," Nancy says, cutting the engine.

You look around. "We're in the middle of the lake," you point out.

"Yes," she replies, troubled by it too. "I'm guessing it's at the bottom. Guess someone should go down and look."

"Stop twisting my arm guys. I'll do it." Steve jumps up. "I was Swim Team Captain."

"No one asked you—" Robin gets cut off when Steve's shirt flies and hits her chest.

You and Eddie whoop and holler. Steve gives you a look but you just wink and say, "Too bad Theo isn't here." He blushes and focuses elsewhere, and you can feel Eddie shaking with laughter next to you.

Steve takes a deep breath and dives in. You all watch him in the water until he disappears from view. You wait. Eventually, he resurfaces and says, "Yup, there's a portal down there."

"Well—" Nancy starts, but then Steve yelps and disappears under the waves. "Steve!" You all rush to the edge but you can't see him. "I'm going after him," she says resolutely and stands. She sucks in a breath and then goes over.

"I'm going too," Robin follows up, sounding much more hesitant. But she too jumps in.

Eddie stands, preparing to jump in and follow, but you grab his hand. "Don't leave me here," you choke out. "I can't swim."

He crouches back down and gazes into your eyes. "It's okay. Keep hold of my jacket and hold your breath. I'll get us there."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll take care of you, don't worry."

You both stand and take one last look at each other before jumping into the freezing water. You do as Eddie had instructed, closing your eyes against the current. You're pulled along for so long, you feel as though your lungs might burst, but then you're spit out of the gate into the Upside Down, landing hard on the ground. You try to catch your breath, and open your eyes just in time to see some demon from hell diving straight for you.

Without time to move, you just stare at your inevitable death until it's smashed from the sky. You look around wildly until you see Eddie standing above you, brandishing a broken oar as a bat. He holds out a hand and hauls you to your feet, immediately pulling you behind him as he hits another demon-thing coming your way. Eddie turns back around to you and grins recklessly. "Twice now I've saved your life, it seems—"

You cut him off by pushing him to the side and punching, with your bare hand, a demon-creature away from him. Eddie regains composure and kills it with the oar. You shake your hand—punching really does hurt a lot—but Eddie grabs it, holds it to his mouth, and kisses it while gazing at you in awe from behind a curtain of bangs. "Never mind. I guess you are my knight in shining crop top." You smile and blush as he continues to hold your hand. He steps close to you and says so only you can hear, "And that was really fucking hot." You laugh and squeeze his hand. He squeezes back.

"Incoming!" Robin yells, pointing at the swarm of creatures racing towards you in the distance.

"This way!" Nancy waves an oar and takes off towards the woods. Once you're safely under cover, you stop and Steve about keels over. "Let me look at your wound," Nancy says softly and leads him away a little. Robin follows and hovers worriedly around them.

Eddie turns to you. "Are you hurt? Did they get you anywhere?"

You take stock of your body and possible injuries. You're out of breath from swimming and fighting and running. Your hand hurts from punching that thing. And you might have twisted your ankle lightly from tripping over a rock, but you're not about to mention that. A little too embarrassing. Shaking your head, you answer, "No, I'm okay. Are you hurt?"

He pats down his body, making a show of it. You giggle, tension leaking away. "Nope, just as perfect as before." He punctuates it with a wink.

Shyly, you reply, "I'll say."

And he's stepping towards you and he's coming close and he's about to—

"Sorry..." You hear Robin draw out awkwardly. "My timing is horrible as usual, I know. But we're heading to Nancy's house. She's got some guns hidden in her closet." At your surprised look she nods wildly. "I know!"

You look at Eddie. He's disappointed but just squeezes your hand before bounding away and catching up with Steve. You and Robin fall into step. You watch Steve and Eddie's conversation, smiling at Eddie's antics and Steve's defensive posture. But you know it must be good, since there's no punching.

"So," Robin starts and your attention snaps to her. "What's going on there?" She eyes Eddie. "Between you two."

"Nothing," you say quickly, but your blush gives you away.

"Ah, I see."

"It's nothing," you say firmly.

She understands the subtext and sighs. "I am sorry we didn't tell you about all this. That you had to find out this way."

You shrug, don't say anything for a minute. "You could've told me."

"I know," she says simply, and that statement alone fills your heart. "We just didn't want to. You didn't deserve to be involved in this shit. It's terrifying and painful and never-ending apparently."

You look at her. "Thank you for protecting me. But friends are honest with each other." You stop. "We are friends, right?" You venture, nervous.

Robin links her arm with yours. "Yes, we are definitely friends." You smile brightly. "And now you are part of 'the Party'."

You look at her questioningly.

"I don't know," she says, clearly tired of it. "It's what Dustin keeps saying."

"I think it has something to do with D&D," you say, trying to think back to whatever Dustin has said while you were in earshot.

"You're probably right."

;

You eventually make it to Nancy's neighborhood. Robin and you have somehow made it to the front of the pack, with Nancy trailing and Steve and Eddie at the back.

"This one," Nancy says suddenly, and points to a normal-looking house. Well, as normal as it can be in the Upside Down. You all break into a run. Nancy and Robin disappear into the house and Steve is hot on their heels, approaching the door. You're a few steps away with Eddie right behind you. You're about to follow everyone in when Eddie grabs your arm and calls out your name, saying, "Wait."

Steve vanishes from view and you turn back to Eddie. "What's up?" You ask breathlessly, a little impatient but unwilling to show it.

"I know you like a good pining plot and this isn't the best time but maybe it is the best time since we could die at any moment?" He starts babbling. "I don't want us to die obviously, but chances are way higher than they've ever been so—"

"Eddie!" You interrupt. "Get to the point, please."

"I can't wait," he rushes out. "I—I don't wanna wait."

"Wait for what?"

Eddie takes a breath and starts to lean forward and you mirror him and—

"Hey lovebirds!" Steve calls from the house. "Y'all coming or what?"

You both freeze. With a frustrated exhale, you turn away from Eddie and give Steve a thumbs up. He watches you two walk towards the house and disappears again. "He said 'y'all'," Eddie says.

"Wait till you see them talk to each other," you tease. "He mirrors her accent a little."

"No way!"

;

After you all realize the Upside Down is set a few years in the past and there are no guns in Nancy's closet, and you discover you can communicate with the kids in the real world, you decide to all head to Eddie's trailer and get through the portal there. With only four bikes available, you have to ride with Eddie, who you like to clutch tightly but also dislike for trying to do tricks on it.

"Hey, you think we can save the stunts for when I'm not on the bike and can watch you from somewhere else?" You ask finally, teeth gritted.

Eddie slows. "Sorry, angel," he says sheepishly. You forgive him since he used that pet name.

Once at the trailer and through the portal, you all hole up in Max's trailer across the street and pretty much collapse. You use your turn in the bathroom to try and scrub away the dirt and grime from the Upside Down.

The door opens. "I'm in here!" You yell.

Eddie's head pops in. "I know," he replies. He steps inside and closes the door behind him. "Thought I'd ask if you want some help scrubbing off all the grime."

You hand him the washcloth you'd been using. "Yes, please."

"Okay, up you go," he says and you slip onto the counter. Eddie steps between your legs and you have to consciously stop yourself from wrapping them around his waist. He wets the cloth again and starts to gently wipe your forehead. "How are you feeling?" He asks softly.

You shrug as much as you can while being tended to. "It's a lot."

"I know," he says with a sigh. He moves to your cheek. "It kind of feels like a dream. Until I remember Chrissy."

His voice grows sad and you grab the hand that's resting on your thigh. He holds it gratefully.

"Robin apologized for not telling me sooner," you tell him. "They just wanted to protect me from it."

He grins. "See? They've wanted to your friends this whole time. And they had good reasons for not telling you."

"Yeah."

You lapse into silence as he finishes cleaning your neck. "There," he says with a flourish, dropping the rag in the sink. "Pretty again."

"Are you saying I wasn't pretty while covered in dirt?" You raise an eyebrow.

"No!" Eddie says a little too loudly and your mouth twists to hold in a snicker. "I meant prettier. Since I can see more of your face now."

You finally laugh and he joins in. When it dies down, you're staring at each other intently. It feels inevitable, you're both dipping towards each other, inches away—

There's a knock at the door.

You and Eddie startle and freeze. "It's my turn!" Lucas's voice comes from outside.

You sigh heavily as Eddie backs away and turns around to open the door. He steps out and you follow. Lucas clocks both of you and looks at the bathroom with a wary look but goes in nonetheless. You roll your eyes.

You and Eddie sit on the couch. The group starts talking about what they've learned, but you can't focus. You gradually lean over until you're resting your head on Eddie's shoulder. Half-asleep, you half pay attention to the conversation about next steps. You don't know what anyone is saying until Eddie is saying, vehemently, "No. No!"

"Mm?" You question but must doze off again, because next thing you know, everyone is leaving and you're sneaking around the trailer park. You and everybody else watches as Eddie sneaks into an RV and motions for y'all to follow. You do so, and you find Eddie in the driver's seat, hot wiring the RV. It starts eventually and Eddie leaps out of the seat so Steve can take his place and drive them out.

You and Eddie find seats together. "You know," you say, turning to him and running your finger around his jacket. "You hot wiring the RV...that was kinda hot," you admit.

His eyebrows raise and he becomes smug. "Oh, was it?"

You shrug and nod in response.

He huffs out a laugh and grabs your hand in his. You look up at him and get lost in the eye contact. "You know," he drawls, "I could teach you. Now that would be really hot." He winks. You blush for like the thousandth time that day, but are saved from responding by Dustin and Lucas fake-gagging across from you. You roll your eyes.

You arrive at the weapons depot and you and Eddie are relegated to the RV so you're not spotted. You're vaguely annoyed, but it doesn't sting too bad since you're alone with Eddie again.

It's comfortably silent for a few minutes, but Eddie must become restless because he says abruptly, "Three questions."

"What?"

"Let's ask each other three questions. I'm bored as hell."

You laugh. "It's been five minutes, but all right. Me first?" You ask and he motions in agreement. "Okay, I always go with favorites. Favorite movie?"

His mouth twists. "It's embarrassing." You look at him expectantly. He sighs and finally answers, "Grease."

You melt. "I love Grease."

"Okay, well, what about you?"

"Back to the Future," you answer instantly.

"That was quick. It's also very recent."

"What can I say? I love a time travel movie. And Michael J. Fox. And Lea Thompson."

"Maybe you can sing 'The Power of Love' for Steve and Theo."

"I just might."

You grin at each other.

"Your turn," you say.

"Hm...favorite band?"

"Hard one! Maybe Queen? Or Journey? No, wait! Boston," you finish, satisfied.

"Not Madonna?" He teases.

"Madonna is a singer," you clarify. "Not a band."

"I see. So, favorite singer?"

"Then yeah, it's Madonna."

He laughs. "You didn't answer either question," you argue.

"Favorite band is Dio. Favorite singer is Joan Jett."

"Love that," you exclaim. "My turn. Favorite...breakfast cereal?"

Eddie chuckles. "Lucky Charms."

"Is it because of the charms?"

"No," he says, meaning yes.

Your turn to laugh. "Sure. Mine's Raisin Bran."

"Boring!"

"It is not!" You hit him lightly. He fakes great pain. "The raisins make it not boring."

"Whatever you say, angel." He says it with a shit-eating grin, but you let it slide since now you're blushing again.

"Your turn," you say quickly.

"Hm, favorite fruit?"

You think a minute. "Bananas." Eddie wiggles his eyebrows at you. "Shut up! They're good!"

"I bet they are," he says saucily. You roll your eyes at him. "Last question."

"You go first," you push.

"Okay." It doesn't seem like he's thinking about it, just studying you. "Why did you help me?"

You stare back in surprise. "Because it was the right thing to do."

He raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not finished!" You protest and he smiles. "It was the right thing to do because of human decency, first of all. But also because...you were so nice to me at lunch. No one's been nice to me except Theo, Steve, and Robin for a long time." You tear up and Eddie grabs your hand to squeeze. "You were kind and generous and accepting and it was very sweet. And I liked spending the time with you and I wanted to get to know you more." You sniff and try to regain composure. "It doesn't hurt that you're nice to look at."

Eddie grins. "That I do know."

You laugh wetly. "My turn," you say, eager to get out of the hot seat. "Why were you nice to me?"

He cocks his head. "I hate to break it to you babe, but I'm using you to get to Theo. Just like Stevie boy."

Your jaw drops and you yelp. He laughs at your reaction and you hit him again, hard this time. "That's not funny!"

"I'm sorry! I'm just kidding, sweetheart." You glare at him. "Real answer now, promise."

He thinks for a few seconds. "Well, as you said, human decency. And Jason's a dick. I knew he deserved what happened even before you told me the story." You smile. "But also you looked so...sad. And I just couldn't bear to see you so sad. You are always meant to be happy."

"That's a little unrealistic," you say fondly.

"I don't care. And you're kind and funny and snarky and musical and smart and you have great taste. Doesn't hurt that you're beautiful to look at either."

He winks and you blush. You start to look away but he stops you by gently grabbing your chin and turning your face to him. His eyes are bright as he leans down—

The door opens.

You and Eddie jump apart as everyone rushes in and Steve starts up the RV and races out of the parking lot.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" You ask worriedly.

"Jason was there," Dustin pants out. "Nancy had this whole showdown with him. And then he recognized me and Lucas as Eddie's friends and we had to scram."

You nod, deflating.

"Fucking Jason," you hear Eddie mutter, and stifle a laugh.

;

You're bunkered down on Eddie's trailer's roof and waiting for the signal. You'd helped Eddie and Dustin with their preparations most since you'd ended up joining their part of the plan, but also spent some time with Steve and Robin, making molotov cocktails and just talking. It'd been nice. After getting ready and crossing into the Upside Down, Robin had even hugged you tight before she, Steve, and Nancy parted ways.

The three of you had fortified the trailer with all the materials you had and then set up all of Eddie's music equipment. Now, he's strumming mindlessly. You're enraptured.

"'Back in Black'," you guess and Eddie looks up, surprised. "What? You said I have good taste."

He chuckles. "I know that. I was surprised you were listening."

"Of course I would listen. You're great." His cheeks go pink. "Do another one." He takes the challenge and starts another song. "'Johnny B. Goode'! Very apt." He winks and starts again. It takes a little longer this time but... "'Stairway to Heaven'!"

"Right again." You adopt an angelic pose. "Try this one."

It's harder than the last ones but you're pretty sure you know it. However, you wait and sing the lyrics instead of guess: "I can't get no, satisfaction, I can't get no, satisfaction..."

Eddie joins in. "Cause I try, and I try, and I try..."

Surprising you both, Dustin shouts with you, "I can't get no! I can't get no!"

You dissolve into laughter and Eddie stops playing. "That was good, my man," he compliments Dustin, who beams from ear to ear.

Then the walkie crackles. Erica's voice comes in loud and clear. Tensing, you and Dustin back to the edge and let Eddie take the stage. Or, roof.

"This one's for you, Chrissy!" He shouts.

And then he starts playing "Master of Puppets". You know he's literally attracting demo-bats to your location with it, but holy shit. He is the hottest he's ever been at this moment. His fingers fly flawlessly for a song that came out like a month ago. He must've practiced so much, which somehow makes it all the sexier. You can't look away from him. It's good there's another person there to signal when the bats are too close because you couldn't pay attention to anything else if you tried.

Eddie plays for a bit more and then Dustin shouts, "All right, time to go!"

Eddie stops on a chord and scrambles towards you and Dustin. You slide into the trailer, wait for him to follow, and then start to nail wooden planks against the door. When you're done, you walk over to Eddie.

"That," you accentuate, "was so fucking hot. You have no idea."

His expression turns to one of cockiness. You don't even mind it. Actually, it makes him hotter. "Was it?" He asks faux-innocently.

Before you can respond, the bats make their appearance.

They crash against the trailer, trying to get in. You can hear their screeching and attempts to tear the metal. A particularly clever bat discovers a part you must've missed and starts clawing to get inside. The three of you hack at it and any bats that follow, but there are too many and the hole just widens.

"Abandon ship!" You yell and you all dash to the door and outside. Taking off at a run, Eddie turns to you and shouts, "See? You'd be great at D&D!"

"Is this the right time for this conversation?" You shout back.

More bats intercept your escape and you all stand back to back with your weapons, attacking the bats that come for you. Some get a few jabs in, and you think some claw digs in deep to your thigh, but for the most part you keep them at bay.

The bats back off but you stay vigilant. And good thing too.

"They're diving!" Dustin screams and Eddie springs in front of you both with his nailed shield. They come hard and fast, bouncing off with fresh wounds. You and Dustin hold Eddie upright as he battle-cries through the onslaught. Eventually the attack tapers off and you pop out to find them all on the ground.

"They did it!" You all shout, celebrating. Dustin and Eddie hug. Then Eddie walks over to you.

You beam at him. He takes a second to smile at you and then cups your face in his hands and brings his lips to yours. You gasp in surprise and he takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His tongue licks across your bottom lip to start and you moan quietly, clutching his jacket tight. You can feel him smirking a little so you run your hands up to his hair and pull, wrenching a slight groan from him. You kiss until you run out of air and lightly bite his lip as you pull away.

He rests his forehead against yours. "Been wanting to do that all damn day," he manages.

You laugh breathily. "Me too." He leans back to smile at you.

Then he crumbles.

;

"Eddie!" You gasp and fall next to him. He looks to be in excruciating pain. "Eddie, what's wrong?"

"My leg," he croaks out and you look down to see a whole lot of blood soaking his jeans.

"Sorry for this," you say and then proceed to gently press down on his leg. When you reach the wound, Eddie wails and you press a messy kiss to his forehead. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

You strip off your vest, take your shift off and, using your Swiss army knife, cut the side so it's one long piece of fabric. You then wrap it around Eddie's leg, say, "Sorry again," and pull tight. He moans as you pull as much as you can before tying in a double knot. You kiss Eddie again and pull your vest on. "That should hold for now. But we've gotta patch you up better soon."

"I..." He says weakly.

"What, babe?" You ask, worried.

"I can't believe I didn't get to see you shirtless," he answers.

You look around like you're in a sitcom. "Eddie Munson, ladies and gentlemen."

Eddie laughs a little, deflating afterwards. "Worth it."

You and Dustin carry him back to the trailer and through the portal. Laying him on the couch, you go searching for a first aid kit, finding one under the bathroom sink. You hurry back to Eddie.

"I hope these aren't your favorite jeans," you say as you cut the leg just below your handmade tourniquet.

"Why would I wear my favorite jeans to an attack in another dimension?"

"I don't know. Go big or go home? Possibly the last chance to wear them?"

Eddie eyes you. "Comforting."

The jean leg comes off and you look at the wound. It's not flowing with blood anymore, but it's a nasty bite. "Dustin, come over here and hold Eddie's hand!" You call out. "This is gonna hurt."

Dustin dutifully comes over but Eddie refuses to hold his hand. "I'll be fine."

You pour some antiseptic on a washcloth and press it against the wound. Eddie screams and grabs for Dustin's hand and holds on for dear life. You move the cloth around, wiping away as much blood as you can and cleaning the dirt from the fight. When it looks a bit cleaner, you put layers of gauze on it and then wrap it with the bandage, as tight as before. When you're done, Eddie collapses and Dustin waves his hand.

"That was fucking tight, dude."

"Language," someone says from behind you, and you turn to see Steve, Nancy, and Robin dropping through the portal. Relief sweeps through you and you run to hug Steve and Robin, who holds back even tighter.

Then the door swings open and Lucas and Max burst in. "Guys, Jason tracked us down and fought me during the attack and then died when the earth cracked at the end!"

You all stare at him.

"But we did it!" He shouts. Everyone yells with him and you go back to Eddie. He's managed to sit up and you collapse next to him.

"Can't believe Jason's dead," you say.

"Yeah," Eddie replies, "can't believe I didn't get to kill him."

You laugh quietly.

;

Things fall into place pretty quickly after that.

You get to meet everyone in the Party. Hopper and Joyce and Murray all return from wherever the fuck they were, and El, Mike, Will, Jonathan, and his friend Argyle return from California. You're disappointed you didn't get to see El use her powers, but you're mostly just glad it all turned out okay.

That earth cracking that killed Jason wasn't the only one. Cracks that people think an earthquake caused had spread through town. There's a rush of people leaving, but you and your parents stay. You had to convince them, but you can be persuasive when you need to be. All the young adults join in the relief effort. You even hear that Robin and Vickie really hit it off while making some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Good for them.

You learn Max was touch and go there for a minute, almost gone for good. But thanks to the team's combined efforts, she came out with a few scratches and a whole lot of new trauma. You're glad—that she's alive, of course, not about the trauma. She's a good one.

You and Eddie become inseparable. Something about trauma bonds and comfort people and falling in love. He takes you on your official first date to Enzo's and you talk and laugh for hours. You don't really leave each other's sides after that. Eddie and his uncle's trailer is wrecked so they have to find new housing, along with everyone whose houses were ruined by the "earthquake". They eventually settle in to a cute little condo conveniently close to your house, and since Eddie's uncle works nights, you spend most of your time there. It also helps that Eddie's uncle loves you.

"What about your parents?" Eddie asks once.

You shrug. "They're pretty cool. They let me have a lot of freedom. Doesn't hurt that I'm a goody two-shoes who never gets into trouble."

"Is that right?" Eddie asks with a gleam in his eye.

You look at him and nod warily.

"Oh, angel," he continues, mischief lining his voice, "not for long."

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfiction #mine

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impractical-and-unethical · 1 year

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Random long post about a game I love:

A gacha game I've been playing every day for the last couple years called SinoALICE announced a few days back that its going to be ending service by the end of October, at least on the global server.

Its weird trying to kinda deal with that cause on one hand I barely play it during the day but also I love its characters and story and writing and music so much that I've stuck with it for about 3 years now.

A memory I have is that at a certain point in the game I was having a lot of trouble beating a level for a story I really wanted to see, and tried asking my guild for help. My guild members were mostly inactive, and so I didn't get any offers. So, wanting to beat this, I left and joined a different guild.

The guild immediately welcomed me openly, and when I started by asking if anybody could help me beat the level, about 4 people offered, one of which being Kenshee, the leader of thr guild. His strength in the game was beyond what I even thought possible and with their help I steamrolled the boss I was fighting and several others after that. I felt welcomed and wanted, and for the first time I can think of I felt part of an online community even if I didn't know all the people.

For the next two years, I participated in the daily colosseum. I did this because I wanted to give back and help these people that were so kind to help me. When the enemy was too hard, we'd just set it to auto battle and use the 20 minutes it takes to talk to each other, catch up, talk about games we're excited for, which often spilled over to normal group chat after it ended. I was never the strongest member of the guild, in fact I was often the weakest. However, once I was too weak to be automatically placed in the vanguard, I moved myself to the back to try to focus on support roles. I felt a little left out. But my guild members asked me what I was doing so far in the back and told me to come forward. I was weak, and not able to help much, but they wanted me near the front cause they liked me and wanted me around.

It was a huge guild full of people I barely knew, but I felt so welcomed and so loved. We all loved the game and the story and were united in that.

At a certain point, a person I got particularly close to named Sarnai said that she was getting tired of keeping up with the game, and that she would leave. But, she offered for anybody that wants to keep in touch with her. I reached out, and now instead of being Sarnai my friend from the guild, she's my friend Jen, a 30 year old lesbian from England who moved to Ireland to be with her wife who likes writing fanfic. This is somebody so different from me and yet I had the privilege to meet her.

Over time, as the game went on, people had trouble keeping up with the game, and over time a lot of people, including the group leader Kenshee ended out leaving. At the same time, I met new people, like Mocchiato and Yjennes and Wraith. Cool, friendly people.

Now, the game announces end of service. The story has a definitive ending, one that the Japanese server is remarkably close to. And yet, they're just going to end the story here. 3 full story arcs left, and yet they're cutting it off, like if Breaking Bad ended at season 4 or something. I can easily just look it up online, but I won't be experiencing beating it, and definitely not with these people that I consider my friends.

On top of that, currently, the game is doing its monthly "Gran Colosseum" events, where guilds compete and win rewards like upgrade materials, new weapons and classes, and in-game currency to use the gacha mechanic. It also has a "Big Thanks" gacha event going on where you get to do daily free pulls. Coincidentally I recently watched a video from Jacob Geller where he talked about a book/movie called "On the Beach" where citizens in Australia continue to go about their daily lives despite knowing an apocalypse is coming for them in 6 months. It asks the question of "when do you give up? When do you stop doing daily routines? When does comfort outweigh acceptance?"

A weird analogy, and barely equivalent, but it makes me feel the same way. The game gives me crystals to spend on a gacha system thats shutting down, and gives me upgrade materials to improve my ability to fight in a story that won't exist soon. A character in On the Beach plants seeds that won't sprout until 6 months after the earth is dead. Context is completely different, but the feeling of not being able to accept but acknowledging the end of something feels like it applies in both ways.

This is a long post, so I'm stopping, but I just wanted to record my thoughts about a game that means a lot to me, that I loved playing, that I found in a very lonely time of my life and has been a constant in a very confusing world. I love the people I met as if they're friends I've had for years, and I dont even know most of their names. Its that community I'll miss the most.

Anyways, this was just a stream of thought. But like I said. I want to put down in words my difficult feelings about this. I love sinoalice and even if I keep in touch with some guild members or switch to the JP server or watch the rest of the story on YouTube, that feeling won't be the same. But I'm at least thankful I got to have it.

#sinoalice #guild #rambling #just trying to put tags I can hopefully remember

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cottoncandy-cult · 11 months

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Tw because I talk about a very dark anime near the end of my little ramble. I'll mark the end of the safety zone, under that is enter at your own risk 18 and up territory because the show I'm describing is basically the nuclear darkest side of history and has a lot of messed up events.

Never realized how active the Twisted Wonderland fandom was on Ao3 til now, I've yet to really find a place to stick as far as fandoms so Ao3 stills very distant and impersonal to me compared to places like here and and Wattpad. Like for me so far it feels like Ao3 is really professionally distant, Tumblr is a middle ground of friendly and responsive but still a little distant, while Wattpad feels like a house party. Like you know those Richboy Gojo fics that talk about Geto and Gojo always holding house parties where it's basically anyone who wants to show up can? Yeah that's how wattpad feels. It's where I started writing, so it's kinda like walking into your best friend's house during an active house party. I know where the kitchen is, I know where the drinks are, I recognize a lot of the people there even if I don't know them personally. I feel like Shoko at one of Geto or Gojo's parties.... I'm not sure why this got long, I was just trying to explain that Ao3 feels really solitary. But no, overall my point is I moved my Babification event for Twisted Wonderland on here to there last night. About 8 hours in I have 189 hits, a bookmark and 7 kudos. So I can definitely see that certain fandoms are more active than others. And I'm kinda bummed cause I'm like 99% sure that most of the anime I write for are gonna be dead fandoms or very low activity fandoms. I know this because the fandoms are already pretty low activity even on Wattpad and here. Like Black Blood Brothers, it was an old vampire anime with an interesting premise that fell off because it wasn't immediately popular. (The manga and anime world is cut throat, the underground anime market is saturated.) Now bare in mind it isn't cancelled, they just dropped it after it's first season. (Only 12 episodes but I really liked it). The fandom has been active enough that people have talked about petitioning for a remake or continuation, but not so active that there is a whole lot of interaction with their content. Sometimes these anime don't have any content available, much less limited content. I'd be happy with black blood brothers fluff. And I've always considered doing a rant and ramble series on anime I love but the fanbase is dead or just has a disproportionate number of willing readers to capable producers. Cause some of these anime I genuinely believe need more attention, especially when it comes to ones like BBB. Where they aren't really cancelled, just kind of sat aside. Cases like that would be the easiest to bring back.

🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞

Though I know some anime probably aren't gonna be popular, people won't want to remake them because they're to risky. Like Basilisk (and it's later part Basilisk Ouka Ninja Scroll), this anime comes with so many trigger warnings. It has a lot of basis in Japanese history, but it does have a touch of "magic", but when I say history I don't mean the prettier sides. There is blood and gore, there is sexual abuse (it's once in each part of the series the women that it happens too are "enemy" kunoichi, there is base for this in history as many diaries have been uncovered over the years talking about how female ninja are warned about being caught and in some cases are "prepared" to handle sexual torture. I took a couple advanced history classes in highschool and history is always way way darker than the blood splattered one we're taught in the regular classes. I had a couple classes where you and your parents had to sign wavers stating you knew that some of what we'd be learning about could be very dark and messed up. Not excusing it, just adding context as to where this is likely coming from. As it is meant to be based in history, unfiltered and at its worst ) and that's just the start, political corruption, abuse, torture, trauma, self harm and suicide, manipulation and gaslighting, sexism, and in the second part at the very end a psycho tries to force the 2 main characters (which were reincarnations of the characters from the first part, and came back as siblings raised separate.) Into incest to use the corrupted virgin blood to resurrect Nobunaga Oda. There is kinda boy love but it's in that screwy historical way, it is an overall dark anime that is not meant for the squeamish or easily triggered. It's unapologetic in how it represents the darkest parts of the time period. So I can understand why it never got super popular, and why it can probably never be remade in this day and age. Plus the ending of the whole whirlwind is very bittersweet, so if your mental health is easily damaged or it is currently in question. I wouldn't recommend bingeing it all at once (it isn't a very long series, 24 in Basilisk and 24 in Basilisk Ouka Ninja scrolls. You could probably skip Ouka Ninja scrolls as it takes a very sad ending and makes it sadder. So it's very watch at your own risk.

I kind of lost the plot, I don't really remember why any of this was important. Just kinda felt like talking about something even if it isn't to anyone specific. I was enjoying a bit of rum while I transferred my stuff to Ao3 in case something happens with Tumblr. So uh... I guess check out my Ao3 if you're interested in any of my Ao3 exclusive writings. I have links to 2 of my books in my Masterlist, scroll all the way to bottom and ignore my singular attempt at smut on here. It isn't as good as my Ao3 smut.

#candy cult vault #random rum rambles #Basilisk is such a dark series #i miss Black Blood Brothers Though #I still ADORE Zelman #don't care if most the anime i watch is old #and the fandoms are antisocial at best sometimes #sometimss they're just dead sometimes they're just really quiet and stopped looking along time ago #we need more Hellsing Ultimate stuff #i love Alucard #be it hellsing or ultimate or abridged #that man is amazing #honestly have considered doing crackfics for abridged versions of characters from my favorites

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spookypotato · 2 years

Text

dont ask why, but

person A having a really bad crush on person B, but they're convinced B doesnt like them at all, not even in a friendly way, so A tries to cope with their crush by talking the B down and trying to convince themselves they dont like B that way

that way B gets the impression A hates them and B genuinely dislikes them at that point, because they keep saying borderline mean things

they get a bit of an enemies dynamic, founded by nothing basically and there are a few words that hurt where the one that said them feels bad even if they never meant it to hurt that much

but the dynamic continues

[enter the supernatural part]

then one day A wishes on... a magic well (idk) they only want to wake up next to B and they cant deal with this hatred anymore, because they've been looking for each other at clubs they go to or the school they're at, just to make the other see that they're ignoring them

therefore the crush doesnt grow any weaker, but B still doesnt like A, but is also kind of fond of their teasing

anyway, so A wishes to only wake up next to B and The Wishing Well (TM) Grant's that wish

next day, they wake up next to each other, both confused and as soon as they recognize who they're next to pissed at the situation

they wonder how they got there, sometimes it's that A magically wakes up in Bs bed, sometimes the other way around

the first time it happens is B in As bed and they cant explain it

they havent moved, theyve never sleepwalked, they didnt get drunk and they just have no explanation

still they wonder if they did something, but they would know right? anyway, let's just forget about it

til it happens again

and again

and again every single morning

at this point A is kind of catching on that they wished for exactly this, but not sure

B is just panicking, thinking they black out on a daily basis

but the thing is, they dont mind as much as they pretend, because after the first initial day of "what the fuck am I doing here", the second time, it's not that bad

theyve grown to like the light weight next to them when they wake up, the arm draped across their torso, the breath ghosting over their shoulder

they just like the contact, no matter who it was with

or that's what they tell themselves, because ofc they're developing a crush at this point

A doesnt mind either, it just stings a bit everytime they decide to break contact and put on an acts of surprise that is completely unnatural at this point, it happend for like 2 weeks straight

and no matter what they did, how far they were apart, one of them always ended up next to the other

then A goes on a trip to another country (maybe with someone, maybe alone) and as magic would have it, B ends up with them the next morning

if A brought a person on the trip, cue A trying to hide B in their room

B stays a day since 'they're gonna wake up together again anyway'

The person A brought travels home, but A planned on staying for a few extra days and so B automatically also stays, because again 'were gonna wake up together again anyway'

they genuinely have a good time there and replace the actual mean comments with flirty teasing

at this point they definitely both like each other

they go home and are reminded of their reality, they literally cannot spend a day apart

B used to have regular sleepovers at their friends house and they hadnt been able to do that in weeks, so Bs friends are confused and worried, if not a bit hurt, because B wont give them an explanation for why they didnt feel like doing thing with their friends for so long

when seeing B this sad, A decides to just try to solve this

they go back to The Wishing Well (TM) and take back their wish

the next morning they wake up alone

B is confused and kind of missed the company in the morning

A thinks it's for the better

after a few days (and awkward hallway glances, that dont seem electric because of the hatred, but because of longing now), B gets the courage to talk about it with A

A confessed what they did and tell B that it's better for B anyway

B takes a leap of faith and disagrees

and that's what happens when you listen to the song Vera by JUNG...

anyone feel free to write this lmao, but tag me, I wanna read it, please

yes, I imagined this with wilmon sh

#enemies to lovers #prompt #writing prompt #writer #au idea #wilmon #young royals #vera #vera JUNG #JUNG #Spotify #bridgerton #?#👀

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animeyanderelover · 3 years

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May you pls do a yandere L who's darling is also a detective that because of this travels a lot? As in every week they're somewhere different, staying in the same country at longest a month, Also may L not be able to find any personal information about them (such as family info to hobbies)

Let him have a taste of his own medicine😂.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, obsessiveness, stalking

Detective s/o

🍰You surely must have talent if you manage to keep such things a secret, something that intrigues L about you a lot which is one of the main reasons why he became obsessed in the first place with you. You prove to be quite the challenge for the detective, it isn't everyday he finds himself not being able to gather any informations about someone he wanted to find something out. He knows you're not an enemy or someone he has to observe and at first he doesn't even know why he does this himself, a silly rivalry surely can't be the reason, he acknowledges his darling's hard work and their intelligence which managed to bring justice already to a lot of people.

🍰He and his darling might have met whilst working on a more difficult case together, both being intelligent detectives and both of you probably heard from each other before and that makes you want to try each other a bit out. There is a slight competition in the air and L as well as you desire to try out each other's intelligence through games like chess which would be the start of all. L ends up being impressed by ho sharp and logical you really are, being hard and extremely strict when it comes to solving the case, but still having a more friendly and warm side to you. You might for example encourage him to go out for a small walk or force healthy food down his throat for once.

🍰The biggest problem L is facing is that you never stay long in the same place, vanishing as soon as the case is finished and not leaving a single clue behind on where you went. He knows why you do this because he is the same, but he is not used to having to chase after someone like this, without a utter clue about who you really are, no birthplace, no hobbies, no family, nothing. And he would like to find more things out about you.

🍰Placing wires or a chip somewhere on you would be hazardous because if you find out, you will be suspicious around him and might not want to work with him together anymore and whilst L is smart, he doesn't want to do something that might make you dislike him since you have your contacts and skills as well. He takes all of this into reconsideration and the most logical choice would be persuading them into working on more cases with him which would not even look too bad of an excuse when he gives them good arguments. You both are detectives and fight for justice, are very smart and you seem to be healthy for him with the constant arguments about going outside and eating something that does not have sugar in it and forcing him to do so as well. You surprised him with your talent a lot, he really means this.

🍰Keeping taps on his darling would be difficult since even people in higher positions do not know anything about you and as impressing this all is, it also annoys L at one point and the only way he can find more out seems to be getting reactions out of you and talking to you. Of course you would keep quiet about this or simply lie to him so he tries to observe you when you're physically present, analyzing you and the things you do and say in an attempt to discover something, even trying to go through personal stuff if he thinks it's safe to do so without risking to be filmed or in another way expose. In private he also continues searching for answers, chasing every small hint he might have gotten somewhere or makes assumptions.

🍰With this being said, L does not want to make you retire or anything like this. It would be a waste to ignore talent like you have. He merely wants to find more out about you and stop you from constantly disappearing from him without him being able to locate you. But working together with you on cases is something he doesn't want to give up, he feels somewhat proud when you discover something he didn't think about so far. Working with you is pleasantly refreshing and nice.

#yandere death note #yandere l #yandere l lawliet

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guigz1-coldwar · 3 years

Text

'An way out' : New chapter for "Redemption in a Spirit in a Cold War" is out !

"An way out"

Chapter Summary : As the day is ending for Yirina and that she wasn't able to find an plan because of the situations she has faced, it was seemed lost....until someone decided to show her....an way out !....

Link of the Picrew used !

To read it on AO3, click here !

Words : +5000

Taglist : @snowgoldwaylon , @clxudtea , @efingart

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Seeing Sonya like this, been totally ignored by Freya about their feelings towards her, it was enough to make me realize that Freya changed an lot in years, that she was almost...mostly obsessed with me like if I was needed in her life to exist. I don't love her anymore but I'm still feeling that sister links in me. That's the only thing I have positively about her and unfortunately, it wasn't big enough today. She was acting only for me and it was making me bad about Sonya, about everything...it must stop before it goes too far, I need an plan.

After that little altercation where Freya gave me back my mother's ring, I was forced to follow her to get back to the same spot we used to sit in hidden sight today as she wanted me to think freely and for me, having to try to talk about my memories I've been thinking and I told her only memories that were talking about her or only the two of us. Sometimes bad, sometimes good, it is what she was feeling when I was talking of these memories, I didn't know if she was feeling regrets for the bad ones, I couldn't know about it.

We only left that spot when the evening came to eat something, going to an other hidden spot for that and like before, it was like before : wanting to know more about my memories but I was out of ideas, having told everything all day with her and that was almost bothering me when she was asking about something else other than me or her. She was pleading each time but still, I had to play an act of an woman who couldn't remember everything right. We then go back to her quarters, preparing to go to sleep for my first 'recovery test'.

"Freya." I called her out when we arrived in the room, her already removing her top along the way to get to the bed.

"Yes, love ?" She whispered, throwing the shirt aside and turning around to look at me, curious.

"These recovery tests...how are they going to work ?" I asked her, staying near the front door of her room.

"Yiri, you don't need to worry about it, it's all going to go fine." She replied in an sure voice, knowing the lie behind it.

"Listen, I will not worry if you tell me what will happen." I objected, faking to know more about that situation even if I was not stupid and fully aware. "Just, tell me about everything and I will be better."

"I don't think that...."

"Freya, tell me now !" I cut her out, staying friendly to her, not wanting to raise my voice as I moved to face her.

"I....fine, I will tell you." She resigned her, taking my hands in hers as she sit on the edge of the bed with me along it. "We....I mean, Dedov.....he find an process to get your memories back rapidly & surely." She started, looking away from me, probably to hide the fact she was lying.

"How does it go ?" I demanded in an low voice.

"It's hard to say but we will give you injections." She stated, causing me to remove my hands from hers.

"Injections ? What for ?" I raised up my voice, going up from the bed in fear from that word, fainting to be scared of the subject. "Why would you give me injections ?" I added.

"It's to help you." She responded, hearing her to get up from the bed. "We're going to put you to sleep but like I said, it's an difficult & painful moment." She continued, approaching behind me at listening to her footsteps.

"Difficult & painful ? And it's used to help me ?" I muttered, shaking my head away.

"I didn't talk about the process but about me, Yiri." She corrected herself, making me to turn around to face her again. "It's hard to see you like that, having lost the most precious part of you." She said, putting her left hand on my cheeks, feeling her fingers on my skin. "Don't you see the work we're doing to save you ?"

"I don't know." I whispered, an tear coming out of my right eye...an tear that was quickly cleaned up by her hand. "It is all really necessary ? We can just let the time pass and my memories will come back like that." I proclaimed but she shook her head.

"No, we can't." She chuckled, not even removing her hand off me. "Stitch said that he want you to be useful."

"Stitch ? That hooded one-eyed guy ?" She nodded to my remark.

"I know at my part that you & him aren't real friends but he said that...." She then stopped herself in her words, making some good eyes to me. "Listen, better that we don't talk about this." She moved to make me an kiss on the cheek before withdrawing off me to go back to the bed. "Right now, you need to...." She was going to continue until knocks at the front door was heard, getting her attention.

"Do you want me to open ?" I asked her, gesturing to the door and she nodded, allowing me to walk back to the front door and opening it, discovering Sonya Kuzmin, looking an bit sad & apologizing on their face.

"Sonya, what do you want ?" Freya questioned first, seeing them from the bed.

"Uhm...I wanted to say that I'm sorry about earlier that day." They answered, hands behind the back and looking down at their feets. "I did overreact an little to you."

"You almost raised your hands on me, Sonya." Freya spoke up, going up again from the bed. "Now, get lost." She ordered in an clear voice, gesturing to me to close the door like that.

"Wait, I need something from your room....something that's belongs to me." Sonya stopped the door, putting their hands on it as I intentionally started to close it slowly.

"And what exactly ?" Freya was sounding annoyed, looking at her rolling eyes.

"An little box that was under your bed, I believe." They told her, pointing at the bed. "An box with pictures of me." They explained, pleading to have it back according to their voice.

"Alright, just don't move." Freya complied, kneeling to search under the bed and as I was watching Freya in her moves, I was suddenly tapped on my shoulder by Sonya, causing me to turn around and to see them with an note in their hands, saying 'Find me in the restrooms at midnight, trust me !'.

"Trust me." They whispered in an very low voice before moving the note away as Freya was coming back with an little brown box in her hands.

"Here's your little box." Freya mumbled, putting the box in their hands before moving back to the bed. "Now, like I said, get lost." She repeated her order, causing me to close the door slowly again.

"Be there." Sonya told me silently before the door was completely closed, making me curious about their intentions....what do they want ?....

"Come on, Yirina, let's go to sleep." Freya suggested, tapping over the place I use on the bed as she was already under the blankets and I complied, moving to get to the bed, closing the lights before 'sleeping'....

I couldn't sleeping because I wasn't able to find an good plan to escape all day, the spots I was weren't so useful to help me got an better sight on the layout of the base and on any escape points but also now because of that little note that Sonya showed to me, asking me to join them in the restrooms of the buildings at midnight and it was seeming interesting but also dangerous. Could it be an trap against me ? Or could Sonya help me as they know that I wasn't lying to them ?

We were at 9PM and waiting 3 hours on that bed while getting hold by Freya around my chest wasn't so pleasant. Struggling to not close my eyes any second was like an exploit and I was able to hold on....for 3 long hours. When the time came at midnight, I started to got up from the bed, managing to remove Freya's arms around me and putting on the shoes I've been using for days, ready to go see Sonya.

"Where are you going ?" Freya said, her voice low as I could see narrow her eyes as I was putting my boots on.

"Don't worry, I need to go to the restroom." I replied, trying to reassure her at the best I could do. "I will not be too long." I claimed, moving back next to her.

"Don't be too long." She whispered as I acted to pull out an kiss on her forehead.

"I will come back very quick." I affirmed again after that kiss, seeing an smile on her face until I fully got up and leaves the room, going into the restroom direction that was just an floor below.

I didn't cross paths with any guards during my way down and that place was very silent, maybe thinking that Perseus was believing that none of his enemies could actually infiltrate this place. I put that thought away, reconcentrating myself to go meet with Sonya in that restroom and when I entered it, I had to verify that they weren't hidden in the toilets by checking under every door until I stopped myself near the multiple sinks and then, hearing the room door getting opened.

"Are you there ?" I asked in an curious tone as I wasn't in sight of the door, staying near the sinks.

"Of course, it's me." It was Sonya's voice that answered to me, arriving in front of me with an backpack in their hands. "You have to be this loud, it could have been anyone except me." They said, sounding annoyed that I almost blew up everything.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, joining my hands together.

"Don't need to be." They muttered, putting the backpack on the ground and moving to lock the front door of the restroom. "Listen, you maybe wondering why I asked you here ?"

"Honestly no but I have some ideas in my head." I answered honestly to them as they were coming back to the backpack.

"I know that it must be strange for you but...somehow, I knew that you were acting when you stepped in during that moment with Freya." They started, my eyes going wide at hearing this, stunned that they were able to see through me.

"How ?" I breathed.

"Even after what happened to you, what they're trying to do, I knew that you were acting." They repeated, sure of themselves on that and by these words, my acting wasn't needed anymore.

"So....what are we doing here exactly ?" I demanded in an serious tone.

"I wanted to see you to share some details." They replied, taking out some files from the backpack and putting them . "I'm going to help you and the british...well, Park...to escape." They revealed to me, surprising me at my highest point, my jaw dropping from that fact.

"Uh....that's...why ?" I murmured, leaning against the sink behind me

"Because I realized that you don't deserve all of this." They responded, stopping in their moves and putting their hands on the sink next to the one I was leaned on. "When you told me that our talks weren't fake, I had an change of heart." They added, looking at me with saddened eyes. "I won't defect but I will help you."

"You don't have to do this, you know ?" I said, still surprised by their gesture.

"I know but there's no other choices for me, I can't let you & Park suffer that fate." They told me, taking their hands on one of the file they put out. "That's why you need to escape tonight." They handed me the file and I could discover that it was an report on Park's situation.

"Extensive brainwashing needed, awaiting for transfert." I muttered the notes that was marked on the file. "They're going to move her away ?" They nodded to me sadly.

"I'm not for this shit, it's sick." They exclaimed, talking about the brainwashing. "They said that the normal way of brainwashing weren't going to work because of her loyalties so they're getting her away deeper in the USSR." They revealed as I snorted in sadness to see the shitty situation we were now.

"And...and what about Dedov ?" I asked them, maybe thinking that they know about the links I had with him before.

"Stitch...he was curious and he had him left the base earlier this night." They announced, realizing that my attempt to make Dedov doubt his life wasn't so discreet to Stitch's ears for me. "He told me that since you were knowing Dedov before and he, Dedov, was having doubts, he moved him away to follow Park's procedure."

"That's means that Stitch & Freya is staying here to brainwash me while Dedov will be going away to make some extensive brainwashing on Park ?" I suggested, holding the file in my hands before giving it back to them. "We have to do something."

"I know and that's why I'm helping you." They affirmed again, putting the file in the backpack until taking out an gun from it.

"I think that it's belongs to you." They proclaimed, handing me an M1911....my own M1911 that I took in hands....it didn't change. "I don't know why but Freya insisted that your M1911 was kept for you, she said that you were having this gun before."

"Really ?" I whispered, checking out the M1911, surprised to see it back in my hands before taking it with me.

"Yes but....I found also something else in my brother's office." They told me and then, I could see an sort of diary in their hands.

"What's this ?" I demanded when they handed me the book in my hands and when I opened the first page to check it out, I was....shocked to see....who was the person that wrote in it....Eleazar....Azoulay. "Lazar ?" I was trembling by seeing his name on that book but what does it means ?

"There were an description on it : it was stolen along with some CIA files about your brainwashing, it said to have been recovered in an complex in Cuba by the CIA 3 years ago if I remember." They explained to me and I nodded, meaning that I was already aware of what happened that day 3 years ago

"It belonged to an friend." I revealed, holding the book in my hands until Sonya put their hands on the backpack to give it to me.

"I know that it's maybe hard for you to see it but you need it more than us." They proclaimed as I put the book gently in the bag and then, took it behind me. "Listen, at this moment, there's some doctors doing some drugging to Park at the same room they experimented on you." They told me, peaking their head to see if no one was trying to enter the room. "Follow me and we'll save her."

"I'm following you, Sonya." I nodded to them fully as they started to walk to reopen the door.

I couldn't believe that Sonya was the one that was going to help me to get out of this hell but....they're an good person despite everything, the only good person in this base along with Dedov and the fact they, somehow, managed to get their hands on an diary that was to Lazar....it bring an tear to my eyes....this...I wanted to thanks them an hundred times but this wasn't the tome.

They were opening the lead, stopping at each hallway we were going to engage ourselves and by luck, the hallways of the building were all empty as explained by them that Stitch had almost all the men getting involved in his operations in Verdansk, giving us both an chance to move freely around the building to get to the other one where Park was keeping for drugs tests, encountering no Perseus soldiers on the way to the room she was hold.

"Okay, ready to play an act again ?" Sonya demanded in an serious voice as we were arriving near the medical room, stopping near the door of it.

"What do you want me to do ?" I asked them, my M1911 in hands as I could do anything to save Park from Perseus's hands.

"Make them believe that you got me in hostage, I will try to help if it goes wrong." They replied, standing still, causing me to take them as an 'human shield'...ready to play an act. "Stay true to your role and be threatening." They adviced, knowing that I have to be rude and ruthless in that room.

"I'm not going to be gently but okay." I thanked for the advice, preparing myself before opening slowly the door of the room, holding Sonya at gunpoint with my M1911 with safety on. When we entered, we could see Park on that stretcher, half-unconscious as two doctors were making tests. "Put your hands up and free her !" I ordered, stepping in the moment, carefully closing the door behind me violently to get their attention.

"What ? How ?" One of the doctors chuckled, seeing me holding one of their owns with my pistol.

"You're deaf ? Free her or I'll blow their head off." I spoke up, getting my M1911 right on Sonya's head as an act, walking slowly towards the doctors.

"Do what she said, for fuck sake !" Sonya pleaded in an almost scared voice, causing one of the doctor to comply while the second that didn't talk, wasn't moving, near an little trolley.

As the first doctor was removing Park's links to get her free and me watching him, the second doctor decided to act, pushing with his feets the trolley towards me & Sonya. I reacted quickly by throwing Sonya away to the direction we came in to stop the trolley before it hit me violently. On it, there were some scalpels and as my M1911 wasn't silenced and that it couldn bring too attention on us, I took the choice to take one of the scalpel in my hand to throw it like that at the second doctor.

It hit him right in the left eye, causing him to fall on his back, seemingly killing him but then, the first doctor that was removing Park's links also acted by throwing him on me, losing my M1911 in the process and finding himself on top of me, starting to strangle me with his hands at my neck, trying to reach my gun that wasn't afar from my right hand until he put his hand on my arm to avoid me to move.

"Clear !" I heard Sonya almost shout in the room until suddenly, I saw them arriving behind the first doctor with an defibrilator in hands and then, shocked him to death by activating it right between his head in an second. "Bastard !" They spit on him after he was away from me as I got up, catching back my breath.

"Thanks." I said in an low voice, grabbing back my pistol before moving to get to Park.

"No need to." Sonya stated, walking with me to remove the rest of the links that was holding Park on that stretcher.

"Yiri..." Park's voice was audible to me, sounding very low and drugged.

"Park, I'm here, we're getting out of here." I reassured her as we were finished with the links before I hugged her, so happy to find her again after all these times despite that she wasn't so reactive because of her state. "Thank you, Sonya."

"I did what needs to be done, Yirina." Sonya affirmed to me, offering their hands to me. "You & her....I'm not the best on this subject but you're really made for each other." They said as we both shook hands, bringing an smile on my face before I move to hold Park's body in my arms.

"And now ?" I questioned them as they were the one with the plan.

"There's an car in an hangar that you can use." They replied as they took my M1911, knowing that I can't use it while holding Park. "Once we got here, you drove away without looking back from this base and back to your friends."

"And you ?" I whispered but they shook their head.

"I'll be fine, let's go." They ordered, moving back to the door as I start to follow her slowly.

It was true....we were getting out of this hell and it was Sonya that was doing this....you will have your help from the inside....Bell's words to me in those dreams....it was meaning my inside fight but also Sonya's help for us. They were now an friend to me. They were still leading the way to get outside of the building, still cautious of any potentials guards that we can badly cross paths with but that wasn't the case.

We got out of the building and we moved away to get to the place that they talked about to me : an hangar where they prepared an vehicle for us at the other side of the base...of the airstrip but thankfully, there were almost no soldiers around to stop us and when we arrived in that hanger, discovering the military jeep in it, our escape car, I was already feeling the freedom, knowing that me & Park were escaping thanks to Sonya.

"Don't worry, Park, we're leaving." I recomforted Park as I was installing her on the front passenger seat of the jeep.

"Here's the keys." Sonya said, giving me the jeep's keys after I was done with Park, quickly moving to get on the driver seat. "Once you start the engine, drive at full speed through the portal base and be fast." They adviced me as I was getting on my seat.

"I know you said that I don't need to worry but...what if they knew about you ?" I demanded, worried about what could happen to them if their role were discovered in that escape.

"We'll see but I hope for the best." They responded, raising their shoulders, unsure about it. "I don't think that they can accuse me of anything." They scoffed with an grin that I could reciprocate for once.

"Of course, you're an good person, Sonya." I admitted with the smile I had.

"Oh, fuck off." They told me in an funny tone, making me laugh about it. "I'm not used to have that but...thanks, anyway." They added, going away from the car as I was starting the jeep's engine, getting it work until.....

"Don't fucking move !" I heard someone shouted in front of the jeep, passing through an open door.....it was Freya, full dressed in military clothes and holding an pistol towards me.

"What the fuck are you doing here ?" Sonya spoke up, raising their hands as I was frozed in place, my hands still on the keys, trying to move them slowly towards the steering wheel.

"I start to think that she was very long to go to the toilets so I decided to check up." Freya replied, angered about the situation....not this close...."You....you played your stupid act again, Yirina ?" She demanded and I sadly nodded.

"You gave me no choices !" I stated, also angry about her. "You became obsessed by having me back, even forgetting that Sonya was loving you for real." I defended, giving my thoughts as Sonya looked at me, surprised.

"And you ? You became too obsessed with the woman that did fucked up your life ?" She attacked me back on the subject, not paying attention to Sonya.

"Maybe but you....you tried to brainwash me too....the person that was your sister." I exclaimed, managing to get my hands on the steering wheel. "You stole my mother's ring in that airstrip and you also gave me Adler's sunglasses." I added, wondering why I talked about those glasses, still in my pants pocket along with my ring.

"Come on, Freya, put the gun down and let them go." Sonya ordered, wanting to defuse the situation and to put some goods senses in Freya.

"You betrayed me and you expect me to let you go ?" Freya protested, still pointing her gun to me & Park, still half-unconscious.

"Park....we will do this..." I whispered in an very low voice, putting my right hand on her left arm, taking the occasion to make the car ready to go backwards with the gear box.

"Freya, trust me, it's for your good, put your gun down." Sonya spoke up, still moving towards Freya who wasn't moving at all.

"Stop the car and get out !" Freya ordered in an enraged tone, seeing the darkness in her eyes. "You're belonging to me, Yirina....to me !" She exclaimed loudly. "You're my property, he told me that." She added, feeling so offusqued by the words she was using to describe me, giving no choices that I couldn't back down.

"I'm taking my choices, Freya !" I expressed my thoughts to her before closing my eyes and taking an deep breath. "I'm doing this for me and for Park." I affirmed before opening my eyes....starting to drive away as my move caused Freya to shot 2 bullets in our direction before Sonya jumped on her to stop her.

I couldn't look back as Sonya told me. I was now focused on getting us away from here, looking behind us to make an drift to drive forwards to the portal of the base as the alarm was getting rang at the moment I could use the accelerator to drive at full speed. I passed through the few soldiers that were trying to do something before I managed to smash the little fence that was serving as an portal, feeling the real freedom after passing through it.

We were now free as I was now driving at full speed away from the base we were kept, going south as Freya unadvertantly gave me the place we were earlier that day and remembering the CIA hideout from an few kilometers from Verdansk....ready to be angry about Hudson giving us up to Perseus when we will arrive but as I was engaging myself on the freeway and arriving near the airport, still at full speed, I realized in horror only now that the windshield was having an bullet hole in it....discovering at the same time that I was wounded at my left shoulder.

"Shit..." I whispered, seeing the blood on my shirt, having not been able to feel the gunshot because of the excitment I had when leaving this base, causing me to press the accelerator like never before.

"You...you're wounded." I could hear Park's voice slowly panicking in an low tone.

"I'm okay, Park." I insisted despite starting to feel weird, knowing that I could pass out at any moment from now. "Don't look...I'm alright." I said, keeping my eyes on the road as I was turning around to drive on the same road that we took to arrive in Verdansk.

"Yirina...you...you...you saved me." Park told me, looking to keep it up.

"I told you that we will escape." I snorted, sounding sad as tears were coming out of my eyes, thinking about the whole situation but starting to cry because I could die of that gunshot...I was struggling to not die in front of her.

"No....don't cry, we made it." She adviced me, trying to recomfort me but I couldn't....no...I couldn't.

"Yes but I'm dying." I chuckled, trying to clean up the tears on my wound but only putting some blood of my wound on it. "I'm trying my best." I added.

"Like you always do." She smiled before she closed her eyes....falling back unconscious.

"Park, stay...stay with me." I ordered, panicked, taking an second to take her pulse at her neck, she was still alive but the drugs must have knocked her out again...."Shit....Park, stay strong !" I continued, still panicking as I was refocused back on driving the jeep to our destination.

It took me....more than 5 minutes to arrive at the CIA hideout, remembering it quickly in my hands and....I was still panicked when I stopped the car, seeing Park unconscious and since that nobody was coming out, I moved with my wound to get Park out of the car, holding with the rest of the strengh remaining that I got in me that was focused on keeping me alive. I was holding her....to save her.

"Help !" I shouted, opening the front door of the safehouse with my right feet violently and then, I could discover inside....Woods...Sims....& Song...all talking together....

"My god....Yirina ?" Woods was the first to spoke up, shocked to see me here, holding Park.

"Grigoriev ?" Song followed up.

"Help us....help her !" I shouted to them, causing them to move quickly towards us. "Get her quick....heal her quick !" I ordered in an clear and loud voice to them.

"I'm taking her !" Sims said, opening his arms to take Park off me, to bring her to the medical room to get her well....to save her....as Woods & Song were getting next to me.

"What happened, Yirina ?" Woods demanded, checking up my state and seeing my wound.

"Woods, she's wounded !" Song stated, moving her hands to hold me too but like that, I refused her help.

"I know but.....where is this fucking traitor ?" I yelled, all angry and forgetting that my wound was more important than to beat the shit out of Hudson.

"Who is fuck is yelli-...." I was surprised when I saw Hudson arriving inside the room in the direction that Sims took with Park and he stopped himself when our eyes met, feeling the whole rage inside of me going up.

"You sold us up to Perseus !" I started, getting Woods & Song hands off me before starting to walk slowly towards him, clenching my left fist and my right hand above my wound "You sold...." I wanted to say until....I couldn't move, having no more strenght to hold on, feeling myself going away....before I fall back hardly on the ground, on my back.

My vision was getting blurred, my whole body wasn't responding anymore at the moves I was thinking about as I could see Woods & Song coming towards me, the light of the ceilling slowly blinding me before I closed my eyes, thinking it was maybe the end of everything for me....feeling that Freya shot me because I was 'her property'.....that I was maybe lost for good....that I lost what I want to keep with me....

We escaped this hell....but at what cost ?

#cod bocw #cod cold war #cod black ops cold war #cod cw #call of duty cold war #cod #call of duty #cod bell #black ops cold war #yirina grigoriev #fem!bell #helen park

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primroseprime2019 · 3 years

Text

Darkness Rising- Part Four

As the dead continued to rise, Ratchet and Optimus knew they were going to have problems. "Megatron has descicrated the resting place of our fallen ancestors. And his own!" Ratchet proclaimed.

"Not even the dead are free from his warmongering," Optimus said.

"At last. Symbiosis. I can feel it possess complete control over my army. Destroy them!" Megatron instructed his powerful army.

But before the undead could even reach the two Autobots, Optimus unfolded his cannons from his arms and fired away. But even his blasts didn't provide them that much help.

"Optimus, if our combatants are already deceased, how can we possibly defeat them?" Ratchet asked as the army came even closer.

"Ratchet! Retreat! Bridge yourself back to base!" Optimus instructed his friend.

"No! I shall stand with you, Optimus!" Ratchet decided as he unfolded his surgical blades from his servos, "You may require a medic when this is all over with."

Together, the two friends ran towards the oncoming army ready to attack. Optimus continued firing shots from his blaster cannons while Ratchet decided to slice and dice the dead Transformers. Whenever he slit them with his blades, they fell down dead.

"I recommend discection! The smaller the pieces, the better!" Ratchet advised Optimus.

"Sound advice, old friend," Optimus complimented before trading his blaster cannons for his blades.

"I have mastered Dark Energon. When you fall, Optimus, you too shall join my army," Megatron proclaimed.

Optimus ran in and started slicing and dicing Megatron's army.

◊◊◊◊

The Vehicons that had spotted Jack, Raf and Paige started to fire at the three. Primrose leapt out and stood above them, a pair of white wings spread out and the blaster fire merely bounced off of them.

Bulkhead drove over to the kids. "Get in! Now!" He instructed as he opened his passenger side door. The three quickly jumped inside of the Autobot and once his door was closed, he took off with Primrose following.

"Thanks, Bulkhead," Jack and Paige panted.

"Yeah. Thanks," Raf agreed. "What are you doing out here?" Bulkhead asked.

"We were worried about Miko," Jack said, "have you seen her?" "What she look like?" The three turned to see Miko poke her head out behind them.

"Everybody out! And this time, PLEASE wait here!" Bulkhead pleaded his friends as he finally got them some cover.

Once they were out, Bulkhead and Primrose drove towards the Decepticon warship. It was a daring maneuver. But something had to be done if the Autobots were ever going to rescue Fowler. Bulkhead jumped into the air and transformed just before he crashed into the cliff face. Once his grip was secure, he started scaling the cliff face before reaching one of the sharp points that was part of the design of the warship. Immediately, he jumped and used that sharp point to climb aboard the Nemesis. When he noticed a Decepticon above him, he simply grabbed the guy by the ankle and threw him off the ship before jumping on. Immediately, the Decepticons fired.

Primrose charged at the Decepticons before she sent out a wave of energy at them, sending them flying back into the wall.

Bulkhead and Primrose finished the Vehicons and Bulkhead looked towards the kids only to realize that there was only three of them. "Where's Miko?" He asked.

His response was banging from inside his chest compartment. He opened the compartment and Miko popped out, taking in huge gulps of oxygen as she did.

"Miko?"

"I heaved on your floor mats. Sorry," Miko apologized before gagging once again as she surpressed the urge to empty even more stomach contents onto Bulkhead's interiors and climbed out of Bulkhead, "Remind me to never do that again."

"Don't do that again," Primrose said, keeping the annoyance out of her voice. The door opened and Vehicons came out. Primrose's optics turned red and without a moment's hesitation, the young Prime blew fire at the Vehicons.

The Vehicons screamed as they were burnt, their plating melting. Miko widened her eyes in shock and bewilderment.

Bulkhead and Primrose ran into the warship with Miko following.

Down below, Paige, Raf and Jack were still hiding behind the rock, their faces filled with uncertainty.

"Think they forgot about us?" Raf asked. The three whirled around to see two Vehicons coming towards them.

◊◊◊◊

Inside the Nemesis, Bulkhead ran through the hallways finding somewhere safe for Miko who was sitting in his hand looking as though she was going to empty her stomach contents once again. However, it's not an easy task. Decepticons noticed them and began to attack the duo. Bulkhead threw Miko underneath them. She exclaimed in surprise as she slid across the floor and right underneath them while Bulkhead took them out with his hammer.

"I'm gonna heave again," Miko proclaimed as she surpressed the urge to once again.

However, she didn't have the time to empty her stomach contents onto the floor of the Nemesis. Bulkhead scooped her into his hand once again and ran through the various corridors, looking for Miko's safe harbour.

◊◊◊◊

"Bring them to the brig. Commander Starscream is keeping the other human there," the first Vehicon said. Paige and Raf looked at each other nervously.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Bumblebee and Firestorm knocked over the Vehicons and Arcee jumped over them, transforming into her bipedal form from her vehicle form. She managed to catch Jack and Raf as they fell. Paige landed in Jack's lap, knocking the wind out of him. The three of them panted as Arcee set them to their feet.

"Bumblebee!" Raf said happily. "Glad you're okay, Raf," Bumblebee said.

"Appreciate you opening the front door for us. But storming a Decepticon warship was NOT on the activities list," Arcee said. "Tell me about it," Jack sighed.

Arcee ran down the corridors with her blaster charging up. When she reached the end, she pointed her blaster at what she thought was a Decepticon. But in actual fact, it was Bulkhead pointing his own blaster at her.

"Friendly!" Arcee proclaimed.

"Hello!" Bulkhead greeted.

"Brought the humans, huh?" Arcee guessed as they folded their weapons back into their arms.

"You try getting them to stay behind!" Bulkhead retorted.

"We need to find Fowler and get them out of here," Arcee decided.

"Uh, he's in the brig!" Jack, Paige and Raf told them.

◊◊◊◊

"Agent Fowler. You do realize the Autobots have abandoned you," Starscream mocked, "I am the only one you can rely upon now. So tell me what I want to know or else." He began to slowly edge the Energon prod towards Agent Fowler.

"Wait. No more," Fowler pleaded weakly, "They're in a secret government base."

"Yes?" Starscream pressed. "In the old still mill? Or was it under that carnival house?" Fowler joked.

Starscream growled in frustration as he struck him with the Energon Prod once again. "Someone find out what is going on out there!" The Seeker instructed.

Immediately, both Vehicons who were inside guarding the door ran out to do just that.

◊◊◊◊

Outside, the firefight between the Autobots and Decepticons was still ongoing. And Jack, Paige, Miko and Raf were caught in the middle of the little firefight. Bulkhead stood in front of them and fired back a few shots of his own. All three of them were destroyed by the shots he fired. On their other side, Arcee was doing a good job as well when it came to taking down the Decepticons that kept on attacking them. Same with Bumblebee. Whenever the four humans tried to get away, the Decepticons would open fire on them. The firefight was becoming too much for them. It was suffocating. They needed to get out of there. Now. Right now. So they literally melted in relief when Arcee took down the remaining Decepticon in their little fight. Immediately, they took off running. Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee immediately followed them.

◊◊◊◊

Optimus and Ratchet weren't having that much luck themselves. Whenever they took down members of Megatron's army, more swarmed around them. They were nowhere close to having a facedown with Megatron himself. It was suffocating. And there was an undead Cybertronian ancestor everywhere they turned. There was no way out. Eventually, Optimus and Ratchet stood back-to-back as even more Transformers surrounded them.

"Optimus, this prolonged exposure to Dark Energon is sapping our strength," Ratchet observed.

"We cannot falter now," Optimus proclaimed as they raced ahead.

More undead Cybertronians were surrounding them faster then they could take them down. Eventually, they piled onto Optimus, pinning him to the ground. Ratchet didn't fail to notice.

"OPTIMUS!" he cried as he, too, was buried under the undead Cybertronians.

As much as they tried to fight, it was useless. They were consumed by the undead Cybertronian army. Above the scene, Megatron watched in delight as his enemies were brought down by his army. But it didn't stay that way for long. Optimus managed to free himself from the pile with both his blaster and his blade. He turned and saw that Ratchet was pinned down by the enemy. And wasn't doing so well in fighting back. So Optimus decided to help his old friend. He grabbed one possessed Cybertronian in each of his hands and simply tossed them aside like after smashing the two together and actually turning them into scrap metal. Once they were taken care of, Optimus helped Ratchet to his feet. Ratchet's earlier obversation was becoming clear. The two Autobots were slowly losing their strength the longer they exposed themselves to the Dark Energon that surrounded them.

"After all these years, Optimus, still at the top of your game?" Megatron tormented as Ratchet and Optimus prepared for another attack, "My legion, FINISH THEM!"

◊◊◊◊

In one of the main computer rooms on the ship, the Decepticons heard banging coming from outside. Once one of the Vehicons opened the door, he was shot in the chest by a blaster from the Autobots. In a matter of moments, Arcee, Firestorm, Primrose, Bulkhead and Bumblebee had taken care of the Vehicons inside. Outside, Jack, Paige, Miko and Raf waited for the all-clear.

"All clear," Arcee proclaimed.

Once they heard the all-clear, the four friends immediately ran into the computer room.

"Wait here," Arcee instructed, earning bleeps in objection from Bumblebee, "They're slowing us down and easy targets. They'll be alright in here as long as they stay put."

The five Autobots ran out of the computer room. Once they were clear, the doors shut and locked themselves.

"Man, that was intense," Miko said, placing her hands on her hips. "Was?" Raf repeated.

"It's your fault that we're stuck in this intensity," Jack hissed, "what were you thinking Miko!?"

"Did I ask you to follow me?" Miko demanded. "You wanted us to be in a band," Jack said, "doesn't that usually mean staying together?"

"Well maybe I decided to go solo," Miko said. "Well maybe I have some concern for your safety," Jack said.

"Oh I'm sorry, is your name Optimus!?" Miko snapped, "You can leave my safety to Bulkhead, thank you very much." "Stop it! Both of you!" Raf said as he hurried away. Paige frowned at Jack and Miko before she walked after Raf.

Paige sat down beside Raf as Miko and Jack came over. "Hey, Raf, everything will be okay," Jack said.

"Yeah, the bots will protect us and come back," Miko said gently. "How do you know?" Raf murmured sadly.

Paige's eyes saddened and she looked towards a screen. She tilted her head, "hey, Raf? What do you make of that?"

Raf lifted his head and saw the screen. "It's important," he said, standing up, "really important."

◊◊◊◊

Blaster shots sounded outside the cell. Starscream, now infuriated with Agent Fowler's constant oblivion and drowsiness, turned to said agent. "Wake up, you pathetic lump of flesh!" He snapped angrily.

Fowler drowsily lifted his head, muttering incoherent words before his head drooped. Starscream growled in frustration and he turned to a Vehicon trooper who stood in the doorway.

"Well?" He demanded. Instead of answering, the trooper fell to the floor dead and Bulkhead, Firestorm and Bumblebee aimed their blasters at Starscream who aimed his blaster at Starscream.

"Not so fast!" The Seeker growled, only for something to tap on his helm and he looked up to see Arcee aiming her blaster at him as she stood on a shaft. Primrose aimed her blaster at Starscream, "I wouldn't."

"Oh but I might," Starscream smirked.

◊◊◊◊

"We gotta get this to Optimus," Raf said. "How do you know it isn't just a recipe for space nachos?" Miko asked, earning a weird look from Paige.

"I know math when I see it," Raf said, "and that is one serious equation." "Can you download it?" Jack asked.

"I've got a flash drive," Raf said as he dug it out of his backpack, "But I don't see anywhere to plug it in. This tech is way alien."

Paige looked around before she heard pedesteps and turned to see a Vehicon. "Guys," she whispered harshly, "we need to hide. Now!"

The kids quickly hurried away to a dark corner. Raf skidded to a halt and he looked to see his backpack. He quickly hurried to it and picked it up. The Vehicon saw him and aimed his blaster at the boy. Raf yelped, his eyes widening in fear. Paige hurried to Raf and quickly shielded him.

Unbeknownst to her, the markings on her body glowed dimly. A large black wolf leapt at the Vehicon and tackled him. "Miko, take a picture!" Paige said.

"Gotcha! Hey, you!" Miko shouted. The wolf and the vehicon glanced at her and she took a picture. "Not of that! Of that!" Jack exclaimed, pointing to the screen. The vehicon punched at the wolf only to scream as the wolf clawed and bit at him.

"Oh," Miko said before she took another picture- of the screen this time. "Let's go!" Paige said as she helped Raf to his feet and the four kids hurried out of the room.

The wolf watched the kids go. The lights flickered on and off and the wolf was out of sight, leaving a dead Vehicon in the room. The Autobots drove over to their charges who immediately got in. "I told you to stay put," Arcee said sternly before she and the other Autobots drove away.

◊◊◊◊

Meanwhile, Optimus and Ratchet were still battling Megatron's undead army of Cybertronians. Optimus had found his way through the undead and glared up at Megatron.

"Bravo Optimus," Megatron said, impressed, "but this is just a prelude. You may wish to save your strength for the main event."

"You will not prevail, Megatron," Optimus said, "not while energon still runs through my veins." "Fitting, for it is Dark Energon which flows through mine," Megatron said with a grin.

Optimus swung his fist at him only for the Decepticon leader to dodge it before he transformed into his aerial form and flew up into the air, avoiding the blaster shots flying from Optimus' blaster. The Prime stopped firing and he transformed his blaster back into his servo.

"If this wasn't Megatron's endgame... then what is?" Ratchet asked although he was afraid to find out.

◊◊◊◊

Back at the Autobot base, the Autobots and humans were recovering from the events. "What happened to you guys anyway?" Miko asked worriedly.

"We engaged an army of undead Cybertronian warriors," Ratchet said. "Zombies? You fought zombies and I missed it?" Miko asked with a pout. "We were on a God forsaken warship and that's what you're mad about?" Paige asked as she gave her friend a blank look.

"Bulkhead, Primrose, you exceeded extremely poor judgement in allowing the humans to accompany you," Optimus said sternly. "It won't happen again, Optimus," Bulkhead sighed. "We promise," Primrose said, looking away.

"But it wasn't Primrose or Bulkhead's fault," Miko said immediately. "Miko, please," Bulkhead whispered, giving his charge a pleading glance. The girl pulled out her phone and showed it to the Prime, "and check it out. Recon."

Optimus looked at the picture on Miko's phone before he looked to Ratchet, "Ratchet, take a look. It could be of importance to Megatron."

"Wait, Megatron's back? Th-that's really bad news right?" Jack asked nervously. "Apparently," Firestorm said. Ratchet looked at the picture on Miko's phone before a look of confusion came across his faceplates. "I don't understand," the medic said, confused. Confused herself, Miko turned her phone to take a look, "whoops. That's the con who tried to blow Paige and Raf away. At least that's what he looked before that wolf appeared out of nowhere and rearranged his grill."

"A wolf? What wolf?" Primrose asked, confused. "Miko... Raf and Paige were almost killed," Jack said angrily, "this isn't a game! When are you gonna get that through your thick skull?!"

"Um, we were all almost killed Jack," Miko shot back, annoyed, "you, me, Raf, Paige- even them!" "Well, if this was just an average day with the Autobots then I don't wanna be a part of it, not anymore," Jack snapped.

"Jack, putting you in harm's way was never our intent. However It is no longer the safety of you four that is at risk but the safety of all human kind. We will respect your decision if you wish to leave," Optimus said.

The sound of the ground bridge opening caught everyone's attention as Ratchet had activated the coordinates. "No point in long goodbyes, here's the door," he said. Paige frowned as Jack turned to her and Raf, "come on,guys."

Raf glanced over at Bumblebee who lowered his helm. Raf looked back at Jack, "I'll be okay Jack. See you at school." "Sure thing," Jack said.

"I'll go home by myself," Paige said to the boy, "I need... some time." Jack nodded to her before he walked downstairs. He stopped when Arcee stepped up to him. He gave a small smile, "I know. You don't exist."

"Don't make me hunt you down," Arcee said playfully but her smile faded as Jack disappeared through the ground bridge.

◊◊◊◊

"Please Lord Megatron, I meant no-aahhhhhh!" Starscream shouted when Megatron hit him right in the face causing sparks to fly. Megatron clenched his fist with a dark growl.

"I ordered you to await my command." Megatron shouted and hit Starscream yet again, making him to fly across the room. "Instead your mindless agenda resulting in the disabling of my ship and the delay of my plans!" Megatron roared as he advanced towards the seeker. He flung himself back and started to crawl away as Megatron continued forward.

"My intentions were pure master. I only wanted you to be rid of Optimus." He pleaded. Echo flinched when Megatron stomped his large pede down on Starscream's chestplates and helm, causing him to scream and creating more sparks.

"No one rids me of Optimus Prime, but me. Do you understand? Do you?!" Megtron shouted and pressed his pede further into Starscream's metal.

"Lord Megatron I will make things right I swear. I know how to set your plans back on course." Starscream pleaded before he gasped in relief when Megatron released the pressure, only to grab his throat. "Explain Starscream. Quickly," he growled.

◊◊◊◊

Back at the Darby residence, Jack was fixing his bike. He was surprised to hear the sound of engines as Bulkhead drove up to his driveway. He wasn't surprised to see Miko hop out of her guardian's vehicle form and she walked into the ground bridge.

"Now I understand why you had to rush home," Miko said. "Don't you have something more exciting to do?" Jack asked.

"So, this is where you hang, huh? Back home in Tokyo, I have loving parents and two purebred cats, Chi Chi and Ding Dong. I went to the best school, took piano lessons since I was three," Miko recalled her past life in sadness and happiness at the same time.

"How nice for you," Jack sighed uninterestingly.

"No! How boring!" Miko corrected, causing Jack to look at her in surprise and interest in what she had to say, "It wasn't me. Why do you think I jumped at the chance to transfer here?"

"To Jasper, Nevada? The entertainment capital of the world?" Jack scoffed in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, the brochere lied. Piano lessons were starting to look pretty good in fact," Miko remarked before saying on a lighter note, "And then, the last couple of days happened."

"Do you have a point?" Jack asked impatiently.

"You bet! I saw what you did today. When you saved Raf and Paige. When you came to save me!" Miko said.

"I was raised to be responsible. To my schoolwork, to my mum, my best friend, my job!" Jack explained bitterly as he placed the wheel back on his bike.

"Dude, hear me out!" Miko begged him, "You're no fry cook! You're a rock star! Stop trying to pretend you're normal, Jack. You'll never fit in. You were born to do so much more."

"Thanks, Miko. But I think normal suits me fine," Jack sighed. Miko sighed softly before she turned and walked out of the garage and over to Bulkhead. Jack stood still for a moment as he listened to Bulkhead drive away. He sighed softly and looked back over his shoulder.

◊◊◊◊

Paige sat on the windowsill, staring at the starlit sky and the moon. It was her favorite time of night. She pulled her knees to her chest as she thought of Jack's words. She hadn't seen him so angry and scared before. It almost made her more than anxious.

The news of Megatron being back made her terrified more than anything. She closed her eyes tightly. Her markings started glowing brightly, almost as bright as the moon.

"Paigey?" She jumped and looked to the door as her mom walked into the room. "H-hi Mom," she said quietly. Tasha sat down and hugged her daughter close, gently running her fingers through her hair.

Paige buried her face into her chest, slowly calming down, listening to her mom's heartbeat. 'What adventures did you go on today, love bug?' Tasha thought curiously and worriedly.

Paige smiled sleepily as she climbed into her bed and pulled the covers over her. Tasha kissed her forehead, "night, baby."

"Night Mama," Paige said with a tired smile as she slowly fell asleep. Tasha smiled softly before she looked at the window with a frown. The markings on her body glowed a deep blue and her eyes narrowed as they flashed blue.

She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

◊◊◊◊

"It can't be!" Ratchet gasped, "Optimus, these are engineering specs for a Space Time Vortex Generator!"

"Megatron is building a Space Bridge. If he hasn't already," Firestorm said gravely.

"The sooner he leaves, the better," Bulkhead remarked as he and Bumblebee approached them.

"Bulkhead, a Space Bridge runs in two directions. Megatron may not be using it to leave Earth. But to bring through his conquoring army," Optimus proclaimed gravely.

"The main event Megatron referred to. But the only place Megatron could possibly recruit that many fallen soldiers is...," Ratchet trailed off as it all dawned on him.

"Precisely," Optimus agreed before finally voicing it aloud, "Cybertron..."

#fanfiction #transformers prime #self insert #the girl among the gods

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