#we're gonna see plenty of her soon

[incorrectbatfam]

Bruce goes to meet the other fathers? Have a barbecue with Clark, Oliver, Berry and talk about their kids?

"Damian told me that I was cool, it's been a while since one of my kids told me that" or "Mia is doing so well at school these days"

those moments when they are all (old men) father proud of the mess the kids are?

The dads: *lounging on beach chairs*

Clark: It's nice to finally get a day off. I think Jon needed it more than me. He's still reeling from growing up and suddenly turning back into a kid again.

Ollie: How'd that happen, anyway?

Duke, walking by: That's just this blog.

Clark: What?

Duke: Nothing. Hey, B, can we use the jacuzzi?

Bruce: Sure, go ahead.

Duke: *gives Emiko a thumbs up*

Emiko: *drains the jacuzzi*

Harper and Cullen: *start cleaning the pipes*

Ollie: I know how you feel, Clark. Roy's the happiest I've seen him with Lian back but it's still a big change. We're working on getting her enrolled in school this fall so she can catch up on what she's missed.

Roy: *sprays the tub with disinfectant*

Jason: *dries it with a leaf blower*

Hal: Speaking of changes, Jaime graduated with honors. I know he's not my kid but I can't help but feel like a proud uncle. Kyle got a new concept artist job, by the way, and I think he really likes it.

Jaime: *turns the jacuzzi back on*

Kyle: *sets up folding tables*

Barry, chuckling: Bart tried to enter a marathon the other day.

Clark: Kon wanted to pay money to go skydiving. I don't get it.

Aquaman: I remember when Kaldur joined an amateur scuba class at that age. Perhaps it's an attempt to feel more human.

Bruce: It's easy for us to forget sometimes too.

Kon, carrying a giant pot: Boiling hot soup, coming through!

Kon: *pours it into the jacuzzi*

Cass: *adds spices*

Tim, with a clipboard: One down, eleven more to go. Bart, stop eating the ingredients.

Bart: It's just tofu.

Tim: That's for Damian. What's he gonna do now, starve?

Bruce: Dick's been coming home more often lately. I can tell Alfred's really happy when he sees us all together.

Dick: *drapes tablecloths over the tables*

Wally: *sets up plates*

Steve, walking in: Mind if I join? Diana's running a little late so she sent me and the girls ahead.

Clark: Of course, feel free.

Donna, holding a basket: Where do these vegetables go?

Barbara: I'll take them. Could one of you get some spoons from the kitchen?

Cassie: On it.

Steve: So where are all the ladies?

Bruce: They're in the living room. Selina's showing off her latest... um... collection. Alfred has tea in the kitchen if you want some.

Steve: Don't mind if I do.

Yara: Should I put the meat in now?

Jon: One sec.

Jon: *scoops some soup aside*

Jon: You're good now. I just needed a vegetarian portion for Dami.

Kon: MORE SOUP COMING!

Ollie: Honestly, I'm surprised everyone's doing fairly well given the industry we're in.

Steph, leading a crowd into the yard: And here's where our main event will be.

Bette: *checking names off a guest list*

Bette: That's almost everyone. Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter are gonna be a little late. Avery's on a mission in Shanghai so she can't make it. Beast Boy and Raven stopped to buy desserts. And the We Are Robin kids just got stuck on a stalled subway train but they should be here pretty soon.

Clark: I think it's a matter of good mentorship and giving them plenty of time and space to get acclimated to the superhero lifestyle.

Jesse: *making lemonade*

Ace: *fills the coolers with ice*

Garth and Kaldur: *handing out drinks*

Barry: And giving them plenty of room to grow at their own pace.

Hal: Very true.

Bruce, sighing contently: You can't help but be proud of them.

The kids, chanting: HOT POT! HOT POT!

[rationaliity]

found family | astral express

self indulgent found family astral express story literally no plot its just them all being silly as they welcome you, the newcomer, onto the astral express and you realize that maybe they're more like a family than you expected originally

the astral express was a family. this was something that you weren't expecting when you joined them. they each have their own agendas, their own lives, why would they worry about each other ? they just traveled with each other, which didn't constitute a family in your eyes.

you were scared when you first came to the astral express, and you needed a place to stay. " just until you could get back on your feet " you told gray haired woman in front of you, although your voice had been shaky because you were crying so much. she didn't say much, just told you that she would talk to the others on the express, and that they would talk about it.

a few hours later, you're boarding the astral express, with many unfamiliar faces staring back at you. as they introduce themselves to you, you try to remember everyone there, but there's so many names and so much information about each of them, you honestly have a hard time remembering the details.

there's the two older members on the express, himeko and welt yang. himeko has a calm but commanding voice, much like a fierce protective mother would have, and you can't help but feel calm in her presence. welt yang is softer around his edges, with a gentler tone of voice, but everyone on the express clearly respects him and his opinions, like his words held weight to him.

the other four were younger than welt and himeko and had been trailblazing for a shorter amount of time. there was march 7th, a chatty but easily irritated girl with plenty of opinions that she wasn't afraid to say, something you deeply admired from her. dan heng, who's silence was born not out of contempt or dislike, but because of what he has witnessed in the world. you understood him maybe a little better than you wanted to let on.

then there was the siblings, stelle and caelus, though they seemed perfectly content just to be called anything else, too. they both seemed perfectly fine with the nickname ' intergalactic baseballer ' which earned a little chuckle from you. they were both quiet, with stelle giving off a more cool and deadpan personality to caelus' naturally silly one, although they were both incredibly funny. they'd been travelling with the express for a lot less than everyone else, meaning they were the last two trailblazers that had been picked up from the express before you.

and now, there was you. no matter what your story was, they let you on the express so willingly, bringing you into their arms like you had always been there. it unnerved you.

" make yourself comfortable, please, " himeko's voice tore through your thoughts, and you realized you'd just been standing there at the entrance staring at everyone trying to decipher what they wanted from you.

" oh, uh, yeah, " you stuttered out finally, moving in between dan heng and march 7th to sit down on the parlor chairs, folding your legs underneath you to sit crisscrossed. almost immediately as your butt hit the plushness, did march 7th bound up to you, sitting right next to you.

" we're gonna be warp jumping to another world soon ! it's a little hard to get a hang of it at first, so make sure to brace yourself whenever the conductor gives you the warning ! " she explained, her cheerfulness breaching through your defenses, especially when she tacked on afterwards, " i'm going to see if i can stand up during the jump ! you know, balance ! "

" march, have you considered that your unwanted advances towards friendship may just be that ? unwanted ? " dan heng criticized, but you couldn't stop yourself from letting out a little giggle, covering your face with your hands at the two of them.

" she gottem, " caelus pointed out, earning a brief little nod from stelle.

" gotta try harder at being friendless than that, " stelle agreed in a dry voice despite her silly words, and you really noticed how the twins bounced off each other, like they were one full person together and only half when they were apart.

mr. yang's voice was gentle as he spoke to the five of you, warm and gentle as he regarded you. " i have a feeling that you're going to enjoy the astral express. "

" have you seen the express so full ? " himeko asked, as if she were finally taking in that there were a crew of nameless now, and not just a bunch of ragtag adventurers that had made their home the express together.

" oh, do you wanna hear stories about the astral express crew ? you know, to get an idea of what we're like ? " march asked, her intense gaze boring into yours, as if willing you to just nod a little bit so she could show off her pictures and tell you stories from each one.

" sure, " you agreed, finding yourself almost excited to learn more than just the basics from each of these people. march jumped up immediately, running towards her room and grabbing stacks of photos before plopping down right next to you again. by the time she came back, dan heng had taken a seat on your other side, albeit a bit farther away.

caelus and stelle were still standing side by side, while mr. yang and himeko decided to sit in front of you all on the other side of the parlor, likely giving you space but ready to chime in when it came to their own stories.

march sat a picture on your lap of a man with blue dragon horns and glowing eyes, separating the waters of a world that you didn't recognize. " march, " dan heng's voice sounded like he was ready to complain. " why is this the first one that you showed ? "

" because it was the first in the stack ! i don't know what to tell you, dan heng ! " march shrugged animatedly, before turning back to the picture on your lap, " that's dan heng ! apparently he's the descendant of a dragon race of the xianzhou luofu, or something like that ! "

" oh.. wow ! " you exclaimed, doing a double take at dan heng now versus what he looked like in the picture. longer hair, different clothing, but still the same piercing gaze that he had now, determination etched onto his features like it was a part of him.

" it's a little more complicated than that, " dan heng shook his head, reaching over and taking the picture from your lap. " and now, this picture is mine. "

" what ?! that's not fair at all, dan heng ! "

" he just wants to admire himself, " caelus quipped, chuckling to himself. stelle's face broke into a small smile, but she didn't say anything back.

" fine, you can keep it, dan heng, " march sighed in resignation, " besides, these are just copies. all of my photos are still stored on my actual camera. " she shuffled through the pictures one by one, absentmindedly telling you about them as she sat them on your lap, but she was clearly looking for something.

" this is the big boss we fought in the xianzhou luofu, this is a picture of the general, this is a teacher that stelle met in her journey, this is a bunch of herta's puppets from the space station in the same area and it looked really freaky so i just had to take a picture ! here's a picture of mr. yang subduing the stellaron inside of caelus' body, and i remember being very confused because once caelus was knocked out, stelle passed out at the same time, too. weird. oh ! there's a bunch of pictures of how the dreamscape looked in penacony. oh, here ! "

with a little over twenty pictures already sat in your lap as she shuffled through the stack she had, you were finally given one picture of the four trailblazers, excluding welt and himeko. " we need to have one with mr. yang and himeko, but this is the four of us when we went on our first trailblazing expedition with stelle and caelus to jarilo-xi ! " she explained.

" why don't we take a picture of all of us now ? " himeko suggested on the other side of the parlor.

" i believe we can have pompom take the picture for us, if the conductor is willing, " welt looked over to the conductor. no one had told you yet what the conductor actually was, but you had a feeling that you shouldn't really ask such a question out loud, so you left your curiosity for another day.

" what ?! pompom has to take the picture ? fine, but pompom wants a picture with everyone, too ! " they grabbed the camera that march was extending out to them, and backed up towards the end of the parlor car. " everyone, get together now ! "

you stood up, practically ushered by march as you found yourself in the middle of the picture, squished in between caelus and stelle on your right, with stelle being a little forward so there was enough room, and dan heng on your left. march stood sort of in between you and dan heng but just in front of you, since she was shorter than dan heng, and welt and himeko stood behind the five of you. you felt a hand gently resting on your shoulder, and you looked up behind you to see welt giving you a small smile.

" you're doing great, " he praised softly, under his breath so only you could hear. " welcome to the astral express. "

as the picture was snapped, you couldn't help but think that you really would enjoy this time with your new family. it was an odd experience, sure, but not one unwelcome. the astral express really was like a family, and they were embracing you with open arms.

[avwfcstan]

Heart Stopper | Leah Williamson

A/N: this was rushed and probs sucks boooo, will probably do a follow up part too (also not proofread lol)

There were many things that gave you a nervous fluttering in your chest; waking up on your birthday, receiving awards, doing interviews and even meeting fans.

But there was also a few things that made that feeling a hundred times more intense. Playing for your country, and whenever Leah looked at you.

It was cliché, but the two of you were completely head over heels for each other. Leah's gaze was the most beautiful thing you ever had the pleasure of catching, but it would always make your heart race a little faster in your chest. Your fiancée often teased you about how nervous you got when you made eye contact especially considering the four years you had been together, but you just couldn't explain it.

Leah looked at you with so much love and affection, a genuine feeling behind her eyes that made you question what you had done to deserve love like hers. Her eyes never failed to make you smile, and appreciate what you had. She was your world, more important than anything in your life; including your career.

You could think of a thousand different examples of times Leah had made you nervous, when you met, when you finally plucked up the courage to ask her out, when you met her family, winning the Euros with her. But nothing would beat how her eyes brimmed with happy tears when you got down on one knee that night in Athens, during a holiday just after England's victory in the summer.

There was a lot of things that made your heart race, beat against your chest as though it was ready to burst, but Leah would always be at the top of your list.

Today was no different, except you had plenty more reasons to be jittery.

Not too long ago, you were called up to represent England at the World Cup and before you knew it, the time was here. Unfortunately, your soon-to-be-wife had sustained an injury to her ACL a few months prior, and it had left her out of the squad indefinitely due to her recovery period. It was tough time for Leah, but you had remained by her side throughout, and she would be forever thankful that you were.

You had played at your best, as well of the rest of the team and it earned you a spot in the semi-finals against France. It was going to be a very tough game, but you had made it this far, and nobody planned on going home early.

No matter how many times you played for your country, it was still scary. Even though you had played well so far, you were so worried it could all go wrong. That feeling in your chest could be a spiteful bastard, and sometimes turn sour at the worst times. It would become a tight feeling, painful and hard to ignore. But in your line of work, it was something that had to be ignored.

"How you feeling, speedy?" A voice had quickly snapped you out of your thoughts. Turning your head to see Millie Bright taking a seat beside you in the changing room that was already full of eager Lionesses prepping for kick off (and listening to ABBA).

You cleared your throat slightly, feeling that familiar twinge in your chest that threatened to turn unpleasant.

"Good." The lie slipped past your lips, not backed up by the fact that your leg was bouncing so quickly against the floor that it could've created a hole.

Millie chuckled beside you before throwing an arm around your shoulder.

"We're gonna kill 'em, save that energy for the pitch kid."

You offered her a quick smile before she patted your back and moved off to have a conversation with Rachel. It was odd, you hadn't quite had this feeling so intense before, but you had figured that the further you got in the competition, the worse it might be. But Millie was right, conserve your energy and let it out when it mattered.

It wouldn't be long before you were due to line up and head out for kick off, and so despite the rules, you pulled out your phone to text Leah. She had managed to convince the physios at Arsenal that she would be fine to fly out for the end of the tournament, promising to cheer you all on from wherever she was sat. She had texted you with the general area, and you told her you'd look for her when you came out.

Putting your phone away, you rose to your feet and followed the team out.

The feeling was ever present in your chest, but it didn't die down. Shaking your head and balling your hands in fists by your sides, it was game time. Win first, worry later.

<><><>

The whistle was blown, and the game kicked off. It was a hard fought battle between both sides. Equal opportunity, but neither could make a real dent in the score line. At the 46th minute, your chest had begun to tighten and your head beginning to hurt, and not in a way you had felt before.

Something was wrong.

An anxiety attack perhaps? Migraine? You had no idea but there was no way in hell you were subbing off this early, not when you were making runs up the wing and crosses into the box that had France's defence all over the place.

One misplaced pass from a French midfielder allowed Lucy to intercept, who passed it promptly to Stanway, sending it you on the left wing where you were already setting up to make the run. Rachel Daly was at the striking position, and after hours of drills, it was about to pay off as an opportunity to score presented itself. By the time the long ball reached your feet, you were off and running it up the line, leaving a stumbling French right back tailing after you. As the end of the pitch appeared, you halted quickly, stopping the ball with you and throwing off the defender for a mere moment.

But that was all you needed.

A sly pass through the legs of said defender allowed you to chip the ball into the rapidly crowding box, but Rachel was there ready to header it in. England, France, the whole stadium held their breath as Daly made contact and sent the shot flying into the top corner. It was though everything was happening in slow motion to you.

Unfortunately, the incredible shot rattled off the woodwork, allowing a defender to clear the ball from the French box, sending both teams back down the pitch.

"France clear the dangerous attempt from England, making safe passes between their back line in order to gain some ground." The commentators were keeping a close eye on this tight-knit game. Their eyes followed every kick of the ball. "-makes a clear pass past Walsh and into the England half, but it appears that Y/L/N has yet to even catch up with her teammates!"

Leah was hyper-focused, prepped for a nasty French counter-attack. With her lower lip between her teeth, she was watching every kick of the ball, hands clenched in hope that the Lioness defence would come through. It was clear that it was neck and neck, and not a single second could be wasted. A French player was closing in on the England box, and Millie was ready to make the tackle, until she noticed a commotion on the pitch.

"France are set on returning the attacking gesture, making good ground- Oh!" The commentator cut himself off. "Is Y/L/N injured? She seems to be stumbling."

The blonde defender's eyes flickered away out the sound of a whistle, the French player halting her attack. Millie's head turned to the sound of the whistle, as did the rest of the players.

There was Rachel, kneeling down beside a body of white kit. Keira stood waving her arms to the side lines, a clear sign of calling for medical aid. The referee had also dropped to her knees, and Leah's heart sank as realisation settled in.

From her position, she was close enough to see that you were lying down on the ground. Still. Unmoving. She didn't see you get tackled, let alone go down. Her throat filled with anxiety, fear. What do I do? Leah couldn't exactly run onto the pitch, but that was her fucking fiancée down there for Christ sake.

"Leah..." Her brother managed out beside her, already knowing. Her brother had come to like you quite a lot, but you were basically part of the family. It was clear the worry was mutual.

The blonde woman heard ringing, her brother's attempts at consoling her falling on deaf ears. She watched as medics ran onto the pitch, and not just team medics, but paramedics. It was clear something was seriously wrong as the ref beckoned them over quickly after her initial examination.

Leah wasn't quite able to process what was going on. Tears pricked in her eyes, and that tight feeling in her own chest had turn into outright panic. Her breathing was staggered, but she was unable to move. She wasn't close enough to hear or see clearly, but she knew.

The English squad all shared a solemn and worrisome look on their faces. Lucy Bronze had her hands on the shoulders of Keira Walsh, seemingly attempting to calm her down. The two of you were close, and seeing you like this was hard. Especially since no-one quite knew what was going on. Lucy pulled Keira away, as the rest of the team quickly stood in a protective circle around yourself and the paramedics, shielding you away from prying eyes in such a vulnerable moment. The French players also joined to fill in the gaps, showing nothing but solidarity for a fellow player.

Your fiancée was only stirred from her panic as her brother grabbed her hand, leading her down from their seats and back inside the stadium. Leah had obviously gained a sort of VIP privilege to watch the match, meaning they had a private area inside before and during the game. As her eyes were torn away from you, her body kicked back into auto drive, ignoring her brother and immediately began searching for someone that could help her.

"Excuse me!" Leah had found what looked like a security guard further down the corridor, just outside the room. "My girlfriend's just been injured and I need to see her!"

The man didn't respond initially, as it seemed he was listening to something being said in his earpiece. "Madam I can't let anyone down there."

Meanwhile, outside the stadium had fallen silent. You were being rushed off the pitch and referee had called a slightly early half-time, sending both teams back to the changing rooms. The Lionesses wasted no time, Sarina was going to have to deliver a game plan at the same time as making sure the rest of the team were okay.

There was a lot of chatter in the changing room.

"Fuck, man!" Lucy stressfully placed her hands on her head. "What the fuck was it?" She asked out loud, hoping for an answer.

"Mate I dunno, she just collapsed." Rachel responded from her seat in her cubby.

Keira just sighed. "It's bad, it's really bad." Emotions threatened to spill over. "She just dropped and she was shaking."

"I heard the paramedics. She was unconscious." Georgia admitted shakily, and the atmosphere in the room changed. But before anyone could say more, Sarina walked in the room alongside some assistant coaching staff.

The girls all shuffled back into their seats, and then Sarina spoke;

"I've been told that Y/N suffered a seizure." The silence in the room was heavy. "We do not know why, but she's on the way to the hospital."

No one knew what to say. Not really.

"Is she going to be okay?" Jess asked what everyone was thinking. The obvious question.

Sarina's gaze dropped.

"I don't know at this time, but it seems that way." Sighs of relief were audible.

Millie then spoke; "Has anyone told Leah?" Heads turned to look at her. "She's here, there's no way she hasn't seen."

"I've sent someone up to grab her, they'll take her to Y/N." The England coach informed her team. "Look ladies, I know you are all gravely concerned about your teammate, and the support and care you showed at their proved it. But Y/N would want you all to go back out there and give it your best."

It was true, the girls all knew how much the game meant to you, and that you were the type of person to never quit. You expected the same thing from everyone else. In truth, it was a part of what made the team so special.

But their hearts also ached for Leah. Watching the person you love have something so horrible happen to them was hard.

So they would go back out there, and win it for you. You and Leah.

<><><>

The match was over. England won 2-1.

Leah couldn't quite bring herself to care, though. For a rare occasion, something in her life had taken precedence over the game.

She was sat alone in a waiting room, in some Australian hospital, waiting to hear anything from you. She had been there for two hours. Before Leah could rip off that security guard's head, an England staff member had grabbed her, telling her everything he knew before helping her get to the hospital. She thanked him profusely, and went inside, trying to find out what was going on with you.

The England captain was told to wait, and that was what she had been doing ever since. Her brother had come in and out, busy making phone calls to his and Leah's mum.

"Leah Y/L/N?" Her head snapped up at that. She had forgotten she had lied about her name, telling them you were married already in fear they wouldn't let her see you. Leah bolted up and headed to the nurse who had called her name, indicating for the woman to follow her.

She pulled out her phone and text her brother that she was going to see you before she was brought outside a door. The nurse opened it and ushered her in, stating she would give some privacy before the nurse came over.

For the first time ever, Leah's gaze on you was one filled with heartache.

Hooked up to wires, pale as anything. Sitting in a bed you had no purpose being in. You didn't look like you.

"Y/N..." The tears that the defender had desperately tried to hold back had breached her eyes once again, flowing freely. You were awake, and the sudden noise had you looking over at your lover.

"Leah." You sighed, seeming a lot more awake than she had been expecting. The girl rushed over and grabbed your hand, before you pulled her into a hug, immediately wrapping your arms around hers. "I'm okay, c'mon, I'm okay."

You attempted to soothe her hurt, ironically. But Leah pulled away, sobbing.

"But you're not! Oh my God, you aren't okay!" Leah hated the word hysterical, she thought it had sexist undertones, but she felt a little hysterical right now.

"Hey! I'm alive! I'm breathing! I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?" You quipped, smiling at her. You still looked pale, slow moving. But still, that was you. "It was a seizure. Stress, they said. They need to do more tests but, I'm all good."

Leah knew you were okay, the evidence was right in front of her. But it didn't make this any less scary.

She didn't even have to say anything, her lip just quivering. You pulled her back into you, mindful of the wires connected to your body. "I know, baby. I'm right here." You ran a soothing hand up and down her back.

"I should be comforting you right now." She mumbled into your neck, making you chuckle.

"Ha, I'm sound." That made her giggle.

"You collapsed." She deadpanned, pulling away slightly again.

"I know."

"You're going to be okay?" She asked, those beautiful eyes finding yours again. "You're going to be okay."

"I know." You repeated, and your fiancée kissed your cheek.

She spent the next minutes asking you how you felt, and you explained how you felt just before you went down and how you remembered nothing whilst you were unconscious.

"I didn't even know I had a fit till I got in the ambulance. I just felt so...tired. Exhausted." Recounting your trip to the hospital, Leah was constantly stroking your hair, looking you in the eyes to make sure you were really there. "But I'm good. I'll be good."

Leah didn't say anything, she just leaned in and kissed you softly on the lips. The two of you shared a sweet embrace until a short beep on your monitor made you both pull away. Leah turned her head and saw your heart rate monitor, and that your BPM had spiked slightly.

Your face went red with realisation, and Leah just bit her lower lip bashfully.

"Do I make you nervous or something?" She teased, and you just sighed at her antics.

"Shut up!" You flopped back into the bed, letting yourself lean against the mattress.

There was a beat of silence.

"I didn't make anything stressful for you, right? I know the last few months have been hard-" You cut Leah's rambling off quickly before she could spiral, knowing what she was like.

"Nope! None of that please. Leah, I've always been shit with dealing with stress. It's my own fault for bottling it up. I'm gonna start seeing someone when we get back, manage my emotions better. Promise." You reassured her, and you meant what you said. You knew Leah had some of the toughest months of her life the past year. Coming off the highs of captaining the team to the Euros win, to being injured and missing out on the biggest tournament in the world was so hard. But you didn't regret helping her through a single minute of that, and no matter how tough it was really, you would never let her take the blame because there was simply none to place on her shoulders.

The two of you were interrupted by a doctor entering the room, apologising for the intrusion.

"Ah, I see your wife found you then, Mrs Y/L/N?" He smiled, walking over to your other side and checking a few machines.

You turned your head sheepishly to Leah.

"Wife, huh?"

She just hummed in response.

"A couple of months, give or take."

[meadema7]

Threes a charm

Today was the day every Arsenal fan had been waiting for the return of viv.

In our relationship, me and beth are definitely the loud ones, but we bring out vivs loud side, and she definitely calms us down as well. Which is currently why in the lockeroom, before we go out to warm up, me and beth are making sure viv is shown enough affection.

Y/n: vivi, are you excited to be back? I ask while being sandwiched between my partners in our normal pre match hug.

Viv: we'll see if I actually play first.

I end up pouting at this as everyone knows jonas will give her a couple of minutes at least.

Beth: Don't be silly, vivianne. we all know you're gonna play even if it's only a little bit.

Soon enough, viv seems to grow bored of us nagging her and ends up walking off to go and start her pre match routine.

Me and beth continue our fan girling over her until we both go and get ready to warm up.

As im getting changed into our warm-up kit, I feel someone's arms wrap around my waist. After putting my hands on theirs, I instantly know its viv. Vivs hands are rough but soft at the same time, whereas Beth's are just soft. I instantly melt backwards into vivs touch.

Viv: Come on, liefde, let's go do your hair. I just smile and allow viv to guide me to be sat in between her legs.

Viv and beth normally take it in turns to do my hair. It was something they started to do when we first started dating, and they realised how nervous I got before a match. As vivs hands are running through my hair, I spot beth talking to jen and Kim. I just smile and lean back and enjoy the presence this team brings me.

✨️Skip match time✨️

All was going well in the first half against Bristol. I get myself an assist while the score is 2-0. Until the 50-minute mark, I'm running down the wing with the ball at my feet until my legs get sweeped out from underneath me. All I can feel is the sharp pain shooting up my ankle as I land on it, and I instantly know this is bad.

✨️skip post match✨️

All I can think of while I'm sitting in the medical room is how I let the team down, viv down, beth down, all our fans down everyone down.

Then I heard the door open, and as soon as I spot beth, I burst into tears she soon rushed to the side of the bed and pulled me into a hug shortly, followed by viv.

Viv: it's okay, Liefde. we're okay.

Beth: Baby, it's okay.

I just close my eyes and accept the comfort given to me.

Sorry it's taken so long to post. I've been going through some stuff

Part 2? Yes or no

have plenty of ideas to make this a series on my wattpad account

[apomaro-mellow]

okay yall convinced me to continue this

Eddie looked around and all he saw was black. Was this what death was like? He expected more people. But maybe death was just solitude. Then all of a sudden he wasn't alone.

He jumped back when he came face to face with, himself.

"What the fuck?"

His mirror image looked back and smirked. Then looked down at his hands.

"Finally."

"What the hell is going on here? Where am I? W-we?"

"Vecna is putting us back together. We can see everyone again soon."

"You mean...I'm not dead?"

"Oh we're very much alive. In fact, I'd say we're better than before."

As his mirror said that, Eddie felt a new energy thrumming in his veins.

"Why? Why would Vecna do this, I was tryina kill that bastard!"

"He wants something in return. To use us against them."

"Like hell that's gonna happen. I-"

"Didn't let myself get chomped on just so I could be used by an actual murderer."

"How did you-"

"Is it not obvious? I'm still you. But I'm the parts he wants to use. The part that's afraid of Vecna. Afraid of the world for seeing us for what we are. And angry at our lot in life. And ashamed for how we feel."

Eddie didn't respond. It was all a lot to take in. When his other self mentioned shame for feeling something, a certain face popped into his head.

"We're going to see him again. And this time, I'm going to take what I want."

"You put a hand on him and-" Eddie stopped himself. Not only did he feel pretty powerless here, he was never that good at restraining his own actions. "You touch him and he'll kick your ass."

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

After his little stunt, Eddie/Kas found themselves tied up again, this time in Steve's garage. And this time with chains (duct tape boys? really?). Nancy also made sure his legs were chained to the chair and had a shotgun trained on him the whole time they talked.

"We're all sure he's real?", she asked, nudging his cheek with her barrel. She was the only one here to actually experience Vecna's illusions besides Max. She knew how convincing they could be.

"He's real", Jonathan said, a lighter ready just in case. "Steve and the others said so."

Nancy rifled through all the information she got when she received the code red. Something that looked like Eddie had returned. But it was very obviously NOT Eddie. Stronger, faster, more durable. And apparently was receiving orders directly from Vecna. He also apparently had a craving for flesh, having busted into the meat locker of a deli before being found.

"What's your game this time? Use our friend's face to trick us?", she questioned.

"Heh, it really warms our heart that you call us 'friend'. Guess quality time over quantity, huh?" He was smiling, like none of this was a threat to him. Knowing creatures of the Upside Down, it would take more than one bullet, but Nancy had plenty.

"I believe I laid down my terms with the others pretty clearly. I'll follow your rules, so long as Steve is the one to watch me."

"Why Steve?", Jonathan asked.

Kas grinned at him. "Steve's my favorite."

"Oh my god, shut up, shut up, shut up", Eddie lamented from their shared mental space.

While Nancy and Jonathan were handling that situation in the garage, Steve was trying to get a grip on what was happening in his house. They were practically running up the walls.

"Steve you don't understand!", Dustin exclaimed. "This is huge!"

"I don't see how a monster posing as Eddie is huge?"

"But they're not just posing. It IS Eddie", Mike said.

"We don't know that. Not until Nancy confirms it."

Will rolled his eyes. "Oh like she'd know. She talked to Eddie for what? A day?"

"Cut the sass. And if you can talk, you can move your hands." Steve handed Will the knife and pushed some peppers his way.

"The point is WE, you know the people who actually hung out with Eddie would know him better. We should be the ones interrogating him", Lucas said, actually doing his duty of buttering a casserole dish.

"The other point is we don't NEED to question him because we already know that it's actually Eddie", Dustin said. "Vecna wouldn't know who Kas is. Eddie's in there. And he's telling us that he's on our side."

"You remember what Max told us, right? Vecna gets in your head. He sees what you see, knows what you know." Steve took the dish from Lucas and poured some rice into it. "If he got to Eddie, then he knows what Eddie knows." When Will finished dicing, Steve took the knife and was about to wash it under running water when he heard someone approach.

"Is Mama Steve making dinner?"

Steve reacted first and thought second and the knife flew threw the air. Kas caught it easily and twirled the knife in his hand.

"Nice aim. Lemme guess, little league?"

Nancy and Jonathan were right behind him. Steve wanted to respond. Maybe ask 'what the hell? why isn't he tied up? Nancy where's your gun?' But the kids got to it first.

"Tell us everything!" Mike demanded.

Dustin started rallying off questions. "Are you actually Eddie? Just enhanced? Or like a split personality? Is it one that came naturally or one Vecna implanted? Is Eddie like inside of you? Can he come out?"

"All in due time", Kas said, walking by them all to get to Steve, who once again looked like a deer with a car coming straight on.

"We struck a deal, princess. Looks like we're roomies."

There was still at least a foot separating them yet Steve felt boxed in. It was the same sensation he got whenever Eddie talked to him and only him, but intensified.

"Umm, hope you like chicken and rice?"

Internally, Eddie was falling to his knees. Steve's cooking, Steve in the process of cooking, with his little chickadees orbiting him. It was a domestic scene too much for his pining heart and he was actually glad right now that he wasn't holding the reins. Falling to his knees for chicken and rice wasn't the best look for a metalhead.

"Eddie would love some", Kas said cooly.

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

Dinner was an odd affair. All of them trying to figure out Kas in their own way. Dustin and Mike with their blatant questions, Lucas telling them to cool it, Nancy with her more subtle line of questioning, Will trying to see if he could feel anything, and Jonathan trying to see if Will was effected.

Steve was the only one pointedly trying to ignore the man which was very difficult given that he was doing everything in his power to get his attention. His favorite move seemed to be nudging Steve's foot with his own, causing Steve to bump his knee against the table at least three times.

Eddie wanted to roll into a hole and die. He especially wanted to do so when Kas started eyeing Steve's leg, because he knew what was coming.

"No, absolutely not. He let you get away with this much. But he will rip of your hand for this", Eddie said.

"I think he'd let us get away with much more." So Kas went ahead and put his hand on Steve's thigh, making him jolt up from his chair.

So yeah, quite the interesting dinner.

After eating, they figured out a rotation schedule for watching him. Technically Steve was only on the schedule for six hours a day. But considering Kas would be at his house the entire time, they'd be spending a lot more time together.

The rest of them were getting ready to leave so that they could check in with the others, but Nancy hung back to talk to Steve semi-privately.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Steve glanced at the mysterious figure that was masquerading as Eddie, who was openly leering at him while ignoring the children.

"I'll be..uh, I can hang in there Nance, don't worry."

Then everyone else left, leaving the two of them alone. Steve felt a little like caged prey. But he also felt like this version of Eddie wouldn't hurt him. Not physically at least. But that left other things to do to him and Steve was afraid to go down that rabbit hole of possibilities.

"It's just you and me, Steve."

Part 3A More plotty, fluffy, bit of angst

Part 3B Less plotty, more smutty

Tag team:

@jestyzesty

@mightbeasleep

@findafight

@spooky-mulders

[binart]

SRPA Chapter 3

(First) (Previous) (Next)

(Content warning for hallucinations, dissociation & PTSD episodes!)  

—

In late evening of the next day, Keith messaged Lance.

All members of their team had retreated back to their rooms (though Hedrox and En suspiciously left together), and Lance had just finished a call with his mom. She apologized like she did in all of them, for crying. But she clearly missed him just as much as he missed her.

As Lance grabbed some tissues from the shelf above his bed to blow his nose with, his phone next to his pillow dinged; the specific beep to indicate one of the old Voltron crew was messaging him. He dove for it.

A text from Keith, “Samurai 😫✨💦” in his phone, read: “Meeting with the team tomorrow. 0700. Deploying in the PM. See you then.”

One thing Lance found really endearing about Keith was his old person way of texting. If someone mixed Keith's texts in with his dad's, they'd be practically indistinguishable aside from the subject of the texts. He scrolled up to their last conversation.

“Good training. En wanted extra pointers. Staying behind for a bit.”

                                “K, I'll save u some of those spicy green chips u like 👍”

“Good luck........... Chip fiend Hedrox won't be happy. L. O. L.”

                                 “🤣 Thanks for the heads up man! See you soon.”

“Over and Out.”

                                  “🫡”

“L. O. L !”

“🫡”

He set his phone down and buried his face into the softness of his mattress. Then he threw his pillow across the room for good measure. He went about his nightly routine a little lighter despite the homesickness pulling at his chest, and wondered what they'd be doing tomorrow. They still hadn't gotten a replacement for Torat, and Hedrox confirmed there was still possibly a weeks-long wait before they could move on any intel from the bugged base. Maybe they'd be going on a super spy infiltration somewhere? Though there were plenty of other things the Blade of Marmora was doing these days too. They were trying to become a more public-facing organization, after all.

Slipping into a hazy state of half-consciousness before long, Lance only vaguely registered a far away blue flash against his closed lids, and an oddly familiar fuzzy jostling of his arms before falling asleep.

—

0700 on the dot. He arrived at the team meeting room, same one as where they gathered the last time, only now without Torat leaning up against the wall. As Lance walked in to see the others already there and waiting, he wondered what the big guy was doing now. He'd been transferred to a different team, but that was about all he knew.

“Morning, Lieutenant.” Kestin, though usually pretty quiet, was the first to notice him, and waved. Keith looked up from the hologram table he was studying with En and Hedrox, and smiled.

“Mornin'.” Lance was still a little tired despite mostly adjusting to the longer day cycle, but everyone else seemed full of energy. En sharply saluted him, then turned back to face Keith.

“Hey Lance, sleep well?” Lance nodded in between a tired yawn. “Pff, you sure?”

“I got my nine hours, I just had a super weird dream..” He'd dreamt of one of those pretty furry moths back on Earth, except huge, that kept trying to lick his face and sit on him. It was mildly terrifying. “Anyway, I'm good. What's going on with this mission?”

“Big supply delivery to a colony. I'll show you the details.” From all around, everyone approached the table and regarded the screen sat within it. Just as before, a series of images with accompanying text lit up in the 3-d display. Lance eyed a familiar looking planet.

“Elysium-2?” Keith nodded.

“You've seen the news, then. Good. The refugees from the original settlement landed about half a year ago, and we're gonna hand out some medical and food supplies that are running lower than initially projected.”

“And actually—the Blade wasn't the only one to volunteer to offer supplies, but the Inter-galactic Coalition thought it might be good PR for us,” Hedrox supplied as he raised a lanky finger. “Looootta people are still afraid to trust us since, y'know. Most of us are half-Galra and all..”

There was a brief silence, then En leaned forward and regarded his teammate with lowered brows. “A prejudice we shall eradicate, in time.” Hedrox tilted his head back and forth in a strange motion before letting out a watery chuckle.

“That we will! Anyway, what are our roles, Commander?”

“..We'll be working distribution and security. There's a couple of teams on this for the different areas of the settlement given how big it is, and we'll be stationed here.” He pointed to a glowing yellow point on the planet-sphere in front of them. It swiftly zoomed in to show a 3-d rendering of the area. Two additional yellow spots appeared. “We'll drop down and hand out supplies here, and monitor security over here.” One of the dots was placed within a very modern looking building, similar in design to the ones quickly built back when New Altea was being settled.

“There's been reports of potential suspicious movement in the system, so in case anything happens, we want our best on sight.” Keith looked at Lance. “You in?” Immediately Lance's face grew hot. He certainly didn't feel like he deserved to be called their best, but he cleared his throat and gave a assured 'mhm!' regardless. “Good, that's everyone on board, then. We'll go over the specifics of the layout and the expected timeline for everything going down. After that we'll grab our gear and Kestin will take us in.”

Pre-mission anxiety skimmed and bubbled in the pit of his stomach once again, but this time Lance found it a little easier to ignore.

—

Touchdown was at 1300. Kestin joined up in the atmosphere with two additional fighter pilot personnel manning the supply ships to make up B squad; Keith's team, Kolivan's team, and another Blade commander called Thiga's team. Landing went without incident from teams A to D who kept in close contact despite the miles of distance between them. Lance gripped his sniper rifle's strap across his torso tightly when the ship lurched to a stop and snuck a subtle glance at his friend beside him.

For this mission, he'd be separated from Keith. Lance was, embarrassingly, more anxious about that than anything else. It was important for higher profile blade members like Kolivan and Keith (as well as Krolia in D team) to be the face of the operation, and so they would be handing out supplies to the residents. There was potential danger there if the reports of suspicious movement were to be believed, and so Lance was pretty sure that's why Keith delegated Lance to overseeing the security division of their group. He and Hedrox would rendezvous with the blades under Thiga's command in the building across the way from the supply ships, then from there observe to make sure everything went smoothly. He didn't like the idea of Keith openly risking himself while stashing Lance away, but was surprisingly too embarrassed to say anything. His mask was activated, and as the doors to the shuttle hissed open, Lance headed towards the exit.

“Hey Lance.” He turned around to face an also masked Keith. “Watch my back out there, alright?” Lance thought about his only strength—his aim, and how he'd probably be useless if he were at Keith's side like he wanted to be.

“..You bet. Careful out there, Keith.” He nodded, and Lance picked up his pace to meet up with Hedrox.

His nest this time was a lot different from the last; A large office-like space within the building had been cleared out to make way for several massive server-looking machines that were clearly Marmorite-y in design. He had no idea what they were for. Hedrox and Lance entered to find the security team already there and settled in. When they noticed their approach, all but one of the members of Commander Thiga's team whipped up and gave sharp salutes. “Lieutenant!” There were six of them in total, all of various size and race behind their masks, and stood stone rigid in front of him as he shifted uncomfortably. Normally Lance would have loved to be treated with such clear importance, but he was distracted by the unease of not being able to see if Keith was okay.

“Uh, at ease, soldiers.” He wanted to get himself set up at the windowed opening straight away, but realized he should probably do the leader stuff he was meant to do. “Status?”

“Ready and at your command, Lieutenant!” The shortest blade rumbled in the deepest voice Lance had ever heard. “And might I add what an honor it is to work alongside a Paladin of Voltron..!” Lance jerked, then immediately caught himself and stiffly walked over to the windowed opening. He turned away.

“Cool, cool, uh, I'll set my stuff up here, and you guys do... your thing. Let me know if anything happens.”

The stony line of blades once again saluted, and quickly set about their work. Hedrox pulled out some supplies from their blade-issued backpack, and sidled over to Lance.

“You good, Lieutenant..?” He whispered through their personal comms as he set up several tablet devices next to Lance. With his rifle now pointed towards the platform in front of the supply ships where Keith was standing, Lance breathed out a small chunk of worry. His right ring finger tapped the comms button on his palm.

“Why'd Keith make me leader? I dunno how to lead! I'm just here to shoot bad guys if they show up.” Hedrox snorted.

“Oh, I dunno, Lieutenant. Maybe because the Commander always goes on about how much everyone respects you, and how insanely skilled you are, and how much he trusts you?” Lance whipped his head up to look at them so quickly his neck clicked.

“H-He said all that..?!”

“Uh-huh. It's also favouritism for sure, but you still absolutely deserve to be here if that's what you're worried about.”

“Distribution commencing, Lieutenant,” a blade informed from off to the side. Lance studied Keith in his scope next to Kolivan and some other masked blade that was probably that Thiga guy, and swallowed to help with his suddenly very dry throat. En was there, too, loading the heavier of the alien supply crates onto hovering carts.

“U-Understood, thanks.” He pressed the button on his thumb once again. “I didn't know Keith said all that stuff!” Hedrox once again tilted their head strangely as they typed away.

“Really? I thought with how obvious the both of you are about your feelings for each other, you already knew..” Lance nearly fumbled his rifle then and there. His pulse picked up as his face grew sweaty.

“F-Fee—Um! What?!" Quiznack, why were they talking about this?! And how did he know?!

“Lieutenant... Come on. Or, actually... Would it be helpful if I told you how much I love the intricacies of human social interactions? And humans in general. You guys are so cool and interesting, so uh. I tend to notice that sort of stuff.” From beneath his hood, Hedrox's little sunflower bots fluttered to life around him. “But both of you are also super obvious.”

Lance was at a loss for words. Under his mask he knew he was red as a beet as he watched Keith unmask and start handing out supply kits to the forming lines of residents. His ponytail had gotten a bit loose and strands once again framed his handsome face. He was smiling.

“Keith's—I mean. He's—into guys?” His hands were sweaty now too, with his arms beginning to shake from holding them so tightly still. He hoped nothing was going to happen, because his aim was definitely shot!

“Maybe not all of them, but you? Yeah, Lieutenant, yeah. Very. It's really sweet how much he likes talking about the stuff you guys used to do together! Hmm.. I just assumed you two were already a thing, though, so maybe it's not really my place to talk about this. My bad.”

“No, uh, I was—Like I didn't know if Keith was into—“ Lance lifted his right hand away from his rifle to gesture at himself and distantly wondered how crazy he looked to the other blades who couldn't hear their conversation. He retreated back to his position. “So I didn't wanna. Assume? A-Anyway!” Frantically Lance desperately searched his mind for something else to talk about, because this was quickly becoming too much to deal with. “Human behaviours? That's your thing? How'd that come about?” Hedrox chuckled.

“Subject change, understood. Yes! Humans are the coolest—I'm gonna move to Earth someday, so I started studying your speaking and social patterns so it's easier to fit in. And because it's fun.”

From through his scope, Keith raised a hand to his ear, nodded, then continued to pass out supply canisters. “Huh.. Why us? I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of cooler alien species out there than plain old humans.”

“Now that's where you're wrong, Lieutenant! Humans are fascinating. All so similar, yet none exactly the same.” They pressed their back up against the plain, modern wall next to Lance. “..On my planet, conformity was umm.. kind of a given. Our ancestors were actually a hivemind, so.. we stay close to our roots and expectations.” A hivemind? Lance could recall only a single occasion where team Voltron interacted with one of them, and it was super weird.

“Data crunching comes really easily to most of us,” Hedrox continued. “And I actually found out about Earth when I was snooping around the Blade database of our highest ranking members and found—um, the Commander's mom. Super classified, by the way, don't tell anyone I was doing that.” Lance laughed.

“Reminds me of Pidge, but yeah, my lips are sealed dude, don't worry.”

“Coolies, thanks. Anyway when I learned about Earth I quickly discovered all of the amazing things you guys have like movies, and music, and so many different cultures, and—and individuality in general! Also, related, I'm insanely ugly by Yorith standards. Look.” Lance obeyed and turned his head to watch as Hedrox's mask shifted away from his face,

and one of the most shockingly attractive faces Lance had ever seen appeared. Blue tinged skin, rosegold eyes with soft lashes, near-glowing long golden locks curling around a sharp but also somehow soft jawline, intricate neon swirling designs tracing around the outer portions of his face and onto his horn... Maybe not as much of Lance's type as Keith was, but man oh man he was hot hot.

“........Dude. You're hot, what?”

“I know, right?!” Quickly, they reactivated their mask when they saw the other blades turn to examine them. “One day me and En are gonna settle down on Earth and I'm gonna be a crazy popular stone—er, rockstar, that is. That's my dream.” Some of his tiny floating bots scooted out of the window as he curled his legs in close, and Lance wondered what his and En's relationship was. “But only once the empire is totally gone.”

From the opening his rifle was pointed out, excited chatter from the beings below drifted upwards and into his ears. There was a sizable crowd now, and Lance listened to Hedrox as he kept his eyes peeled for threats. “Yeah, I get it. Too risky otherwise. My family's in New Altea just in case they keep attacking..”

Hedrox sighed. “Yup.. The empire invaded my home planet half a millennia ago and everything sucked, of course. But when I was growing up it was at least always.. quiet. Then one day they sent in some giant planet cracker and destroyed it. For some rare material near the core used to make ship parts.” Lance went cold, and thought of his old house, half buried beneath rubble and waves.

“Geez.. Sorry to hear that.”

“It's okay.. I've had a while to get over it. That's also where I met En, actually! He was in charge of the mining operation before he double-crossed the empire for killing most of his crew.”

“En.. worked for the empire?” Sharp, immediate fear pierced Lance as he watched the very same alien pass close by keith with a large hover cart. He obscured his vision of Keith for a moment before continuing on to the residents below. “C-Can we trust him?!” His breath sped up, and his scope immediately honed in on En's masked head.

“Yeah, don't worry, Lieutenant, he's trustworthy. His non-Galran half makes it so that, when he bonds with someone, it's a lifetime thing. He's got a rough exterior, sure, but only to keep his extra soft inside parts safe!” Lance still felt queasy watching them move around so closely to Keith. “And if you need more convincing,” Hedrox began, and pulled off one of his gloves. He lifted up his palm, and it glowed a brilliant color Lance couldn't even put a name to. “On top of all my amazing gifts and genius, I can read souls.” His fingers wiggled. “Hivemind remnants, and all that. He's good people, I checked very thoroughly, since originally I was gonna, uh. Kill him.”

Man, that was a lot to take in. “...Okay, I guess—Yeah, I trust you, at least. I'm just worried about—I dunno, something happening to Keith.”

“I get you, Lieutenant, all of us are pretty much the same. The Commander's the whole reason we were even able to do anything with our lives, after all. We basically owe him everything.”

Before Lance could respond, he noticed a subtle shift of Keith's head, before his eyes widened. A blade made a noise of concern from beside him, Keith shouted something, then En dashed towards Keith and grabbed him. Lance moved to immediately take him out, and then—a massive explosion.

The force of it reached Lance and the rest of the security team as the building gave a violent shudder, though he couldn't see an impact crater. Dust and smoke filled their view, and Lance quickly pressed his comms. “Keith?! You okay?!” Rapidly he pulled his scope around to try and see past the debris. Hedrox sent out all of his drones, then began furiously typing away at his console. For a moment there was no response. Then,

“Ugh.. I'm alright.” Keith's strained voice filtered into his ears, and he coughed. “En's hurt. D squad was just attacked too. Can you see anything from up there?” Lance quickly scanned the horizon again, still just as obscured. Screams and wails came from down below.

“Just getting smoke and dust up here..!”

“Must be a smokescreen. Kestin, what's your status?”

Kestin spoke in a mildly panicked tone into their comms. “The ship's controls are jammed. Something external. If we can get it online I can activate thrusters to help with visuals. Hedrox?”

They were already out the door. “I'm grabbing En, then I'll come help.” Lance turned back and squinted through the obscurity. In the corner of his eye, a hundred or so meters away from Keith, something glowed. Purple. He swivelled and pointed his rifle, zoomed in, recognized the glowing insignia, then fired.

“Your 3 o'clock, incoming sentry drones, guys!”

A small hoard of bright, glowing purple poured into view. They weren't running, no—there were barely visible bursts from jet-boosters coming from the swarm's backs. Some of the other security blades began firing away on their own rifles alongside Lance. But there were what looked to be hundreds. The telltale sound of galran rifle firing began at the same time as another explosion roared off to his right. The foundations shook. Lance couldn't breathe.

Focus. Focus! Find Keith. Keep him safe.

The smokescreen thinned slightly for a moment and Lance spotted Keith next to Kolivan, carrying a limp En with his arm under their shoulders. Another set of glowing insignia's erupted from his right.

“9 o'clock too. Couple hundred drones on both sides!”

“Keep us covered until Hedrox can get us into the ship.” He watched as Keith immediately vanished from his view, followed by Kolivan and then En. From his wrist, he watched as the battery on their cloaking began to drain.

Didn't need to tell him twice. “Roger.” He switched his rifle to rapid-cooldown mode so he could fire off more shots, held his breath, then began to take them out.

Easy. No complexity to their movements. Lining themselves up to be mowed down. Hedrox's cloaking went up, too. More screaming from down below. Couldn't worry about civilians. Keep Keith safe. Exhale, inhale, position, fire, position, fire, position, fire, position, fire. Exhale. Distantly,

“Alrighty, in we go!” The doors to the shuttle opened, but some sentries from his left had nearly made it there already. Nope, no no no! Not today. Immediately he took them out.

“You six, focus on the eastern sentries!” Lance barked a command to the other blades with him. They were all obnoxiously slow, and he couldn't rely on them to help with the sentries already too close to Keith. He had to do it himself. The sky brightened, and so did the ground, and Lance, once again, took aim.

It was impossible to say how long it was until Hedrox and Kestin brought the ships back online and activated their thrusters. He was lost to the repetition of taking aim, firing, taking aim, firing. His vision swam, his wrist ached, his rifle was his old bayard again, but he was going be damn sure no one could hurt his friend.

And then, wind. The flash of light and familiar sound of the ships bursting to life; a booming twister whipped up the smokescreen that was making his job harder until it was nearly cleared away. Civilian bodies on the ground came into clear view. Don't look.

To his right, through the light filling his mask, too many sentries were still closing in. Still a threat. Keith. Inhale, position, fire, position, fire, position, fire, position, fire.. No response?

His rifle was overheated. The other blades were still too slow. Useless. He arose from his weapon, and would apologize for bruising egos later on after Keith was safe. The other sniper closest to him was the big one who didn't salute, though was easy enough to pry off and throw out of the space he needed to work. Back looking through a scope, inhale, position, fire, position, fire, position, fire. The sentries fell like flies. He could do this, he could be helpful.

“Lance, status?!”

“East and west sentries just about taken care of.” ..Was that his voice? He sounded weird. Like he was talking through a mile of water. Huh. His bracers had at some point shifted into his paladin uniform again, too. Now that Lance had a second to think about it, that was also pretty strange. Was something wrong with him?

“Huh?!”

“Commander, look—he's right! How'd they—”

“—Com..mand..er! These tactics.. are known to me.. We are being.. herded. Southern f-forces... We must needs—evacuate.” Man, En spoke annoyingly slow. The rest of the sentries to his left and right were already downed by the time they finished gasping out the intel. Lance grabbed another blade's sniper rifle and slipped through the opening of the building, activating his boosters so he could get around to the other side and start taking care of the rest. His pulse was surprisingly quiet as he landed down on the ground next to the corpse of Silvio.

“Heyy, uhh, Keith?” Several miles of water now, his voice was barely audible to himself. He wasn't sure if Keith even responded. “'Think something might be wrong with me. Dr. Nguyen was prob'ly right. I'll tell you after. ” He laughed at how easy it was to admit to Keith now, when he promised himself he'd never breathe a word.

A whisper of a voice. Keith? Impossible to tell. The light in his mask was near blinding, but he rounded the first corner of the building, watched a hilariously massive swarm of sentries arise from a crater in the ground, looked back for a second at the ship Keith was on, then, somehow, looked at it from above.

His bones felt strange. There was wind pushing all around him. Oh, he was flying. How did that happen? He tried to laugh but water came up.

And for a second, he thought he heard Blue.

-

CLIFF HANGER! okay so one of my goals has been to get across that Lance is a very unreliable narrator, and has avoidant tendencies where he doesn't like to think about the things that upset him (let alone talk about them!!), so I hope that's come across in these chapters! I wanted to vaguely hint at things like, for example, his old therapist (Dr. Nguyen) at one point recommending Lance not becoming a soldier again. Or how Lance planned on never telling Keith about that since obviously Keith wouldn't have invited him to be a Blade if he knew, & would probably feel really guilty! But I also worry I'm being too vague, so. I at least want to offer some clarity and context here. 🤣 Apologies if it's confusing at times!

ALSO. Kosmo has taken to teleporting into Lance's room and cuddling with him almost every night. This will be revealed to Lance later on LMFAO.

[lizzieislife94x]

PhotoShoot (e.o)

Lizzie x Fem Reader 

 GirlxGirl

 Y/ns POV:

Im suddenly woken by my phone ringing loudly I reach over and grab it looking at the screen with one eye open as I let out a groan why is my boss calling at 6:45am "hey Susan what's up is everything ok" I mumble half asleep "yeah just making sure your awake you have Elizabeth olsen for today's photoshoot" I open my eyes as I remember my client is Elizabeth olsen I've been looking forward to today for 3 months she's the most stunning human I've ever laid my eyes on "yeah I know Susan but the shoot is at 12 and your calling me at 6:45am I'll be there don't worry and also don't call back I'm going back to sleep ill text you when I'm awake" I say blatantly as I hang up, that might have sounded rude and some might be like why would you speak to your boss like that well she's also my bestfriend and has been for the last 12 years we met when we where 14 and have been best friends since. 

I yawn and stretch with a smile on my face as I sit up to start my day I quickly check the time and see its 10am plenty of time to shower ready before heading to the studio, I walk into the bathroom and turn on thes hower I quickly brush my teeth as I'm waiting for the water to heat up after a few mins I climb in and get washed head to toe and wash my hair once I'm done I head to my bedroom and grab my outfit for today tight ripped jeans white tee and a flannel, I quickly get dressed and head downstairs for a coffee and decide to text Susan to let her know i won't be late or she'll be freaking out 

Me: Hey I'm up and ready just having a coffee then I'm heading to the studio I'm sure I'll see you at some point today 😂 

The bitch: Thought I was gonna have to call josh in to cover for you asshole 😒 

Me: BITCH I swear to god you dare try and take the opportunity to photograph THE Elizabeth olsen away from me I will make it my mission to make you miserable day in day out 😈 

I giggle as I finish my coffee and slide my phone into my pocket I rinse my coffee mug and head to the car and start my drive to the studio the drive was fairly quick I arrive at 11:45 perfect timing as I walk into the office I feel my nerves pick up as I see the blonde standing talking to Susan I can tell right away it's Elizabeth I walk closer as I make eye contact with Susan and she smirks making Elizabeth turn "lizzie this is one of our best photographers y/n l/n and y/n this is Elizabeth " I smile and stretch out my hand "Elizabeth it's a pleasure to meet you I'm a huge fan" she smiles as her hand lingers in my "nice to meet you y/n I've heard great things" I can't help but get lost in her eyes as I freak out inside.

"Just a few more shots lizzie and we can take a break you're doing amazing, the camera loves you" I smirk as I get her to pose how I want after 10 minutes we take a break and I'm pretty sure lizzie has been flirting with me for the last 3 hours "so y/n what are you plans for the weekend, do you have a boyfriend " she asks casually as I chock on my water "men aren't really my thing but no I don't have anyone at home waiting for me" I sigh as she gets closer "that's a shame you're beautiful and anyone would be lucky to have you come home to them" I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out next thing I know her lips are pressed against mine in a rough kiss I instantly return the kiss as she deepens it once we break for air I'm still lost for words making her giggle "you're such a great kisser" I blush making her giggle more "no thats you" I say shyly as she climbs onto my lap and kisses me again I let my hands roam her body as they find a place on her ass I feel her moan into my mouth and smirk "should we do this isn't it a bit soon" I breath out as she looks into my eyes "definitely not to soon plus I plan on seeing you again y/n" I bite my lip and nod as we start to remove our clothes once we're fully naked I lay her down and start to kiss my way down her body letting my mouth wrap around her hard nipple earning a loud moan she roughly grips my hair as I run my hand down her body between her legs "someone's soaking such a naughty girl" I tease looking up at her "shut up don't tease me just do something about it" I lick my lips and nod as I run my fingers through her wet folds groaning at how wet she is "please y/n" she begs turning me on more a slip 2 digits into her dripping cunt earning a surprised gasp "so warm and tight" I say as I kiss her jaw thrusting my fingers nice and slow "you better hurry someone could walk in at any moment " making me realise we where in my work place I thrust my fingers faster as I kiss her making her moan into my mouth I curl my fingers as I hit her gspot with every thrust "I'm I'm gonna fuck y/n" before I know it she's cumming all over my fingers I slow my thrusts letting her ride out her orgasm "mhhh such a good girl" I smirk as I slide my fingers out and suck them never breaking eye contact "that was amazing" she pants as I lean down and place a kiss on her cheek, "get ready quickly incase someone comes in" I say with a giggle as we both get ready, we continue the rest of the shoot getting to know one and other before I know it the shoot is done "give me your phone" she says with a flirty smile I grab my phone and hand it to her "here put your number in mine" she says handing me her phone I quickly put my number in and hand the phone back as she hands mine back "I'll text you later and we can hang out soon" she says as she leans in to kiss me quickly I kiss her back as I bite her lip gently before we part ways, this is not how I pictured the shoot going but fuck I'm glad it did this woman has me under her thumb.

I spent the rest of the day walking around with a huge smile on my face and susan following me around like a puppy trying to figure out why ive been smiling so much its rather funny.

AN: i don't know what this is I know its not great but I needed to post something to keep the book up-to-date but this is terrible I will post a part 2 of this and make it so much better haha but if you have any requests please message me ill do them right away I've had no decent ideas to post so yall get this deal with it haha word count 1.3k 

[lis-likes-fics]

Princess I

Pairings: Eddie Munson x rich!cheerleader!Reader Word Count: 10.2k Warnings: Slow burn, misunderstandings, not much, mostly fluff... A/N: This has been sitting in my wips since January and I still have one or two more parts to write for it. But here it is! This is going to be a slow burn in two or three parts and I'm so excited to actually make it a slow burn (or as much as I can get, I am also super impatient, ppl). I hope you enjoy it! Thank you!

Hawkins' sun is hot today as you sit on the green grass beneath you, bending over one leg to stretch tired muscles. Each blade of grass that licks the bare skin of your thighs almost feels like a tiny needle pricking into your flesh, but you remain unfazed.

You're reaching your hands forwards on the grass, bending your body between your legs, when a body plops down next to you and wraps her slender arm over your shoulders, pulling you in roughly and closely.

"There goes your lover boy," she says, taunting you with an annoying smirk. You look up and immediately find a head of unruly curls bouncing in the sun as said ‘lover boy’ speaks animatedly with his friends.

"Stop it, Fiona," you scold, rolling your eyes. "He's not my lover boy. We're not even friends."

Fiona scoffs, shaking her head as she sneers apathetically. "I don't even know why you like him so much." She copies your position, legs spread out as she stretches along her left leg. "He's a freak."

"He is not a freak," you defend, sitting back up with crossed legs. "Just because he doesn't act like every other boring ass guy in this school does not mean he's a freak." You look down at your hands, twiddling your thumbs as you timidly shrug, "I like him. He's cool… He's different."

Chrissy's voice follows your own as she moves to sit a little closer, her kind smile set upon her lips. "I've talked to him a couple times," she supports. "He's really nice" 

You beam. "See? Thank you, Chrissy."

Fiona rolls her eyes, another scoff pushing through her throat as she continues her stretch, eyes closed as she leans her side over her leg. "Whatever, girl." You sigh, shaking your head and turning your gaze back to the boy dressed in punk.

A whistle blows. You all look up at your coach adjusting her ball cap. "Alright, that's practice. Please work on those formations, please." The exasperation in her voice is feigned, the impact lessened by the little smile on her face.

You stand and move to grab your bag, along with all the other girls in short skirts of white, yellow, and green. You bend down and pick up your water bottle as Fiona and Chrissy take your sides to get to their one belongings.

A pair of brown eyes meet yours momentarily, looking away before you can even share a glimpse for a full second. Your heart flutters, and you hate how easy it is.

You nod definitely and take in a breath of courage as you decide, "I'm gonna go talk to him."

You receive two very different reactions. While one of them gives you a wide grin and a thumbs up, the other scowls and offers her disappointment and concern.

"Good luck!" Chrissy bids.

Fiona shakes her head. "Yeah, whatever."

It takes you a moment to move, but soon your feet are carrying you before you can back out. His slender form becomes bigger and bigger as you approach him, your stomach doing flips.

His friends see you over his shoulder as you get closer, smacking him and urging him to turn around at the sight of you.

He shifts on his feet, first glancing over his shoulder before turning quickly when he realises who you are. The look on his face isn't necessarily inviting. He looks wary, gripping his bag on his shoulder as he watches you.

You stand in front of him, keeping plenty of distance as you try not to stutter over your words. You offer him a smile, "Uh, hi."

Eddie Munson raises a brow, confused. "Hi?"

You shift on the balls of your feet, clasping your hands behind your back. "I'm Y/N."

He chuckles a little, glancing past you at the eyes glued to your back. "I know," he mumbles, his eyes finding you again. "Princess of Hawkins."

You try not to shrink under the way he says it. It isn't offensive; he doesn't spit the words like old gum that's lost its flavour, but it almost holds the same intensity as when half-hearted onlookers call him a freak just to fit in among the halls of the school.

You smooth your hands along your skirt, clearing your throat. "Uh, yeah… Um, I was wondering," you mumble the words out, hesitant and broken apart with anxiety, "if you wanted to, maybe," you struggle to get it out, hating how hard it is to speak to him when you usually remain so flawless, "go see a movie or…or get lunch?"

He begins to laugh, half-hearted and almost venomous. "Is this, like," he leans in a little, playing into the deceit he accuses you of, "some sort of joke?" He searches your eyes for an answer, one you're determined to decline.

"What?" you wonder aloud. "No. I… I-I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out."

He begins to laugh again, but it falls short at the look on your face. Serious, timid. A mask?

"Really?" he asks, entirely unconvinced.

You nod slowly, lowering your head and looking up at him through your lashes as you kick at some grass. You swallow the lump in your throat formed because of his insistence of your insincerity. "Yeah."

You'd almost forgotten about his friends behind him, watching quietly with animated facial features that make you more nervous than you already are. They seem amused, underneath the judgement, of course.

"Why?" Eddie asks.

You shrug meekly, picking at your nails. "I just think you're cool."

He smiles, but not one of those wide Eddie smiles you're used to seeing in the halls when he's hanging around with his friends. This smile is almost spiteful, upset about whatever trick he thinks you're playing.

"'Kay," he laughs. "Now I know this is a joke."

You chance a little laugh, attempting to hide your nerves. "It's not a joke," you urge. You clasp your hands behind your back and tilt your head. The smile on your face is sweet, free of manipulation and full of a dwindling hope. "Please?"

Eddie scratches the back of his neck, sighing as he thought. He glances over his shoulder at his friends. They shrug or give thumbs up and he turns his conflicted gaze back to you.

"Uh," he breathes. "Sure, I guess." His hesitance does not help your nerves, but his acceptance offers a new hope.

"Oh," you say, your smile spreading a little. You half expected him to reject you, if his behaviour was anything to go by. "Cool, um…movies on Friday at seven? On me?"

He nods slowly, just a dip of his head with pursed lips. He runs his knuckles along his jaw, his thumb lingering on his bottom lip before he pinches and absent-mindedly plays with it. "Sure."

Your eyes linger on his thumb for too long before you offer a bright smile, reducing your excitement to flicking fingers, rather than clapping your hands and jumping up and down in your spot like a toddler. "Great!" you smile. "See you then."

"Yeah…" he trails off, watching you leave before turning back to his hooting friends.

You return to Chrissy and Fiona with a pep in your step, swaying side to side in a light strut. They take in the way you hold your head high with pride.

When you reach them, the smile on your face is full of confidence and a touch of cockiness. "Friday at seven," you declare, winking their way.

Fiona practically scowls, "He said yes?"

You smile only slightly. "Yep."

Chrissy's arms surprise you as she throws them around your neck and pulls you into her. "Congrats!" She exclaims, even more excited about the date than you.

Fiona laughs through her response, shaking her head in disappointed amusement. "You're insane."

You sigh, tired of her constant pessimism. "Be nice," you try. "He's cool."

She just shrugs her shoulders, insistent on emphasising how awful Eddie is, "It was nice knowing you."

You break away from Chrissy with a frown set deep in your face, turning full-bodied toward Fiona with furrowed brows. "Stop being mean to him," you tell her, your voice firm as you put your foot down. You stare at her, and she watches you defend Eddie with an intensity she deems excessive.

She just scoffs, backing down without offering her apologies for offending you as she grabs her stuff. She waves and leaves you be, walking away to separate from your anger.

Chrissy set a hand on your arm, tucking herself into your side for comfort as she smiles. "I think it's cool," she says. You look at her and your smile slowly returns as you hug her again.

"Thanks, Chris."

~

When Friday comes, you are ecstatic. You confirm the time with Eddie one more time and force time to pass quicker so you can see him later that evening. You and Chrissy get together and pick out the perfect outfit and the perfect makeup and the perfect everything.

As the time inches closer and closer to your date, you finally get into Chrissy's car, well on your way to the theatre to meet Eddie. When she drops you off, you are perfectly on time. Seven o'clock on the dot. With good wishes, she leaves to go meet up with Jason.

You wait for Eddie as the time ticks on, assuming he is simply fashionably late. More people come in, more people grab their tickets and concessions, more people go to their movies with their dates and families and friends.

But you wait.

And you wait.

You wait.

For three hours, you wait.

But he never comes.

~

The embarrassment was hot in your cheeks all weekend. Chrissy came over as soon as she heard on Saturday, there to comfort you, to assure you that maybe there was a good explanation. She stayed the night at your place and you watched movies and talked and pretended you were happy and fine with what happened.

On Sunday, the sadness and the pity kicked in. You stayed in bed and read romance novels and cuddled your favourite stuffed animal and ignored the homework you had left to do.

But on Monday, when it is time to get back to class…

You are livid.

The princess of Hawkins tears through Hawkins High on the way to the cafeteria during lunch, and no one dares to stop her. Walking into the cafeteria, you catch Eddie at his usual table like clockwork and set your sights on him. People notice you walk down, they see you go up to his table and stop in front of him way before he even notices the footsteps approaching him.

When he finally sees you, it's because you're standing in front of him with your arm crossed over your chest.

He looks at you, a hint of fear in his eyes expertly coated in confusion. His table watches intently, all conversation halted to see what would go down as you glare at the ringleader of Hawkins' freaks.

"You stood me up."

He furrows his brow, tilting his head. "Huh?"

You scoff, uncrossing your arms and shaking your head. "You stood me up!" you repeat yourself, chewing on the inside of your cheek for a moment. "I waited for you for, like, an hour, and you never came."

He looks around, taking in the amount of attention you both were drawing.

Eddie Munson is not one to hide from the prying eyes of gossips in this school—in this whole town—but being caught with conflict with the princess of it all would not end well for him.

He stands to his feet, running his hand over his jeans for a moment before gesturing to move to one of the white columns further away from everyone else. He practically hides behind it and almost begs you to do the same.

You huddle behind the column, standing close enough to fit, but not close enough to feel awkward. Your arms cross over your chest again and your anger continues to flare like bursts of fire.

He collects his thoughts for a moment, trying to figure out the right thing to say before settling on, "...You went?"

"What?" you mumble. You uncross your arms, raising a confused brow at him. "Of course, I went."

He repeats your words under his breath as though you're speaking a different language. "I didn't come because I thought you were going to stand me up."

Some of your fire dissipates, anger replaced by confusion as you tilt your head at him. "Why would I do that?" you asked, genuinely bewildered by the proposal.

"Why would you do that?" He's repeating your words again, mumbling them under your breath with such disbelief as he looks at you like you're insane.

Seriously, were you speaking a different language? Were your words not getting through?

He sighs, looking at you and beginning his explanation with plenty of animation to pair. "You're you. I'm me," he says. "You hang with cheerleaders and jocks and all the rich kids in school. I hang out with the outcast freaks who play 'the devil's game'."

He puts the air quotes up, but swings his head with the words to articulate his intent. You watch him and struggle to keep your fascination and slight adoration of his character away from your face because he is so pretty. He's confused and frustrated, but he's still being so funny and pretty–

No. You are mad at him. Be mad at him.

"You're not freaks," you tell him, letting out a breath. "I don't think you are."

He seems to hesitate for a moment, considering you before shaking his head. "Well," he clicks his tongue and gives you a grand smile meant to serve his exaggeration without fully convincing you that he doesn't hate you. You feel like he might hate you. You don't know why.

"That solves everything," he continues. "Still doesn't change the fact that girls like you-" he gestures to you "-don't talk to guys like me-" he jabs his fingers into his chest- "unless it's to pull some stupid prank to humiliate me."

Slowly, you begin to understand what he was saying. Connecting the dots, you're able to understand his apprehension, and thus his rejection, to go on the date with you.

You take a tiny step forward and put your hand on his forearm, right about one of his cool tattoos you've only seen once or twice. "I would never do that to you, Eddie."

His eyes widen slightly as he watches you, his lips parting gently in another moment of bewilderment. You just watch him, your eyes trailing over his face—his big eyes; big nose; big, plump, pink lips—as you take in the sight of him.

He licks those pretty lips of his, "You know my name?"

You tried, you really did. But as you look at him now, so confused and slightly amazed, you end up smiling a little—just a tiny grin that curls your lips.

"Of course, I know your name. I asked you out," you say. "Why would I not know your name?"

He scoffs, back to sarcasm and exaggeration. "Because everyone calls me ‘freak’, and, again, rich girls like you don't talk to guys like me."

You sigh, "And what kind of guy are you?"

You catch him off guard. He opens his mouth to speak before stopping and thinking for a moment. His mouth closes and he sighs, shrugging his shoulder before letting it fall limply at his side.

"The kind of guy who would rather keep the pretty princesses in DND campaigns."

Two things run through your head at that moment.

One: Eddie Munson sees you as a princess. But not like a princess in his fantasy game, likely fair and kind and gracious in her endeavours- he genuinely doesn't believe that you hold good intentions for him and his interests. Instead, he thinks you plan to use him in cruel tricks to humiliate him for being different, the very reason that you like him in the first place.

Two: Eddie Munson thinks you're pretty.

Your hand on his forearm shifts down to rest in his own hand. He looks down at them, processing the feeling of your fingers resting against his palm.

When he looks at you again, your eyes are soft and your lips are parted and you look fair and kind and gracious.

"I do like you, Eddie."

He stares at you for a moment, his dark brown eyes flicking through your own to search for the ingenuity he expects to find there.

But nothing.

He clears his throat and hums, taking his hand back and glancing down at the floor beneath his feet as he shoves his hands in his back pockets. "Hm."

You let out a gentle sigh. You shift your stance and straighten your spine to look at him again, licking your lips before you speak again.

"I decided that I would give you one of two things, depending on whether I deemed your explanation to be fair enough." You tilt your chin up, making yourself appear bigger than you are as you avoid smiling at him again.

"Oh, yeah?" he wonders, raising a brow and allowing himself to smirk. The way your heart skips in your chest threatens to turn your legs to jelly. He really is so pretty, isn't he? "And what did you decide?" He shifts closer to you, sidling up at your side as he teases you. Maybe he doesn't hate you as much as you thought? Or maybe he's just a good actor. You don't know, but you don't really care either. As long as he keeps smiling at you.

"I guess…" you sigh as a slight smile takes your lips. "That's a decent explanation." You reach in your bag and allow your grin to widen. "So, here."

You pull a journal out of your bag, black and bound in leather as you hand it over to him. Eddie looks at you, taking the book carefully in his hands and stroking his hand along the cover. He glances at you before flipping it open to the first page. The sheets are thick and white, ready to be filled with stories and campaign ideas.

"Uhh…" he says, staring at the book with the slight shake of his head. You examine every shift in his features, every little thought that flashes behind his eyes as you take in the bewilderment that continues to run rampant. "Thanks?"

You smile and shrug a little. "I thought you might like it," you say. "I guess it's just a peace offering now."

He looks up with furrowed brows, "Just out of curiosity… What was the other thing?"

"I was going to punch you in the face."

"Oh."

You nod slowly before waving it away dismissively. "Anyway, I hope you like the journal."

He nods, slow and characteristically confused. "Yeah…thank you."

"Bye, Eddie." You turn to leave him there, gripping your purse tight.

"Bye."

As you're leaving, you stop suddenly, turning on the balls of your feet with a slight bounce at your naturally excited movements. "Oh, also… This isn't some joke or prank."

He watches your every move as you stare at him, a kind smile on your lips, soft eyes staring back at him. "I do like you, Eddie."

He doesn't respond to you, just stares with wide doe eyes and a slightly open mouth. Curious. Confused.

You hide your hesitation as his lack of verbal response as you nod awkwardly, raising a hand as you turn on your heels. "Bye."

~

A book.

He stands you up and you give him a book as a peace offering? Eddie thought he was weird, but you just took the whole damn cake.

It doesn't make sense, he can't make sense of it. You're so kind- too kind. He left you waiting for him at the movie theatre for an hour, and your response is to give him a gift to show that you aren't lying about liking him.

And why do you like him?!

He's Eddie fucking Munson. The freak of Hawkins High, a drug dealer, a junkie, a super super senior, a demon spawn, the ringmaster of this town’s freaks, the vessel for Satan himself.

There is no way a popular rich girl like you would like a poor reject freak like him. Eddie can't wrap his head around it.

Watching you leave, your hands clasped behind your back, a little hop in your step, Eddie just stares. As he slowly comes to sit back down at his table, his group surrounds him, swarming like vultures.

"Bro, what was that?"

"Did you seriously have a date with her?"

"And you stood her up?"

"Why did you do that?"

"How did you do that?"

"You're insane, man!"

"If she asked me out, I'd drop all of you in a second to say yes."

Eddie just flips open his book again.

"What's that?"

"Uh… She gave me this as a peace offering," he explains slowly, staring down at the journal and setting his foot in his chair as he leans on his knee. "To prove she's not lying about…liking me?"

"Dude, the princess of Hawkins has a crush on you and you stood her up?" Dustin gawks, dropping his jaw in utter disbelief.

"How are we supposed to look up to you after this?" Mike shakes his head, his long arms falling onto the table.

"Would you just shut up? Jesus, can't even hear my own thoughts," Eddie mutters.

"Good," Gareth scoffs, "’cause, clearly, your thoughts are cheating you."

Eddie rolls his eyes, staring at the book again. The way you looked at him before, he couldn't help but to realise how much truth you were actually speaking. You were serious. Or a good actress.

You knew his name?

He shouldn't be as shocked as he is. He's infamous, but even Chrissy Cunningham—the queen of Hawkins—had needed reminding of who he was when they bumped into each other one day outside of the halls of the school. They'd hit it off instantly, but being who she was and being who he was, the connection didn't last as long as he wished it had.

But you and Chrissy are friends, aren't you? Best friends. Surely you couldn't be bad if you were friends with such an angel, right? Surely not.

Maybe you were genuine, maybe you weren't. Maybe you were a pretty girl with good grades and nice clothes and a nice smile, but you could end up being the devil in disguise and all that prettiness could blind him from the truth.

What if you were lying? What if you were playing tricks on him?

Eddie doesn't have the best reputation, but if it got out that you were screwing with him all along, and he actually let himself believe that you really and truly wanted him of all people…the embarrassment would overshadow his lack of care for what people thought of him. That'd be a whole new light all together. He couldn't handle that on top of everything else.

But you’re pretty, and you have kind eyes. Maybe he could take a chance on a pretty princess? Maybe he could trust you?

God, he was in trouble.

~

Eddie startles as he closes his locker and comes face to face with you once again. You stand too close, a wide smile on your lips and your books hugged to your chest.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," you chuckle weakly, taking a step back. "Hi."

"Hey?" he mumbles, hooking his thumb on his bag strap.

You rock awkwardly on your heels. "How was class?"

The rush of students around you both after the bell had rung was quick, everyone insistent on getting out of the school as classes came to a conclusion.

"Fine, I guess," he mumbles.

"Good…" you nod. You lick your lips, your eyes trailing down the journal he is still holding. You gesture toward it, "Do you like the journal I gave you?"

He nods, "Yeah. It's really cool."

"Good!"

The both of you continue to stand awkwardly, struggling to find something to say.

"Um, I just wanted to say hi," you say. "Maybe ask if you wanted to… go see a movie with me or get some food?"

Your heart pumps in your chest at the question, a second attempt at securing a date with Eddie Munson—especially since you were the one asking again…as if it went well last time.

"Again?" he raises a brow, chuckling.

"To be fair," you tilt your head, smiling adorably, "you stood me up last time."

"Fair." He reaches his hand up to scratch the side of his neck, tilting his head as he asks, “But why would you want to go out with me again if I stood you up? I mean, what if I did it again?”

Your eyes stare back at him, wide and too pretty as the smile drops from your face. “Would you?” you wonder, lips parted slightly in wait for his response.

His hand drops down to his collarbone, resting there as he stares back, brow furrowed in too much concentration of that look on your face. You look like a deer in headlights, too captivated by bright lights to take notice of the danger you’re putting yourself in.

But Eddie isn’t dangerous. And, apparently, you knew that.

“Probably not,” he finally answers, letting his arm hang by his side carelessly. It swings a little, and his knee pops out when he leans on his side. The movement doesn’t go unnoticed.

Your smile is too big when it spreads over your lips again. “Then I’m okay with taking that chance. And if I’m made a fool of because I liked someone…I’m okay with that.”

Eddie thinks you’re really weird, but in a good way.

"So…" you rock on your heels again, holding your books behind your back, "Is that a yes?"

He shrugs. "It's not a no."

"Okay…" you mumble. You take in a breath of courage, standing a little straighter. "Friday?"

He adjusts his bag, looking up at the ceiling and blowing his cheeks out in a sigh. "How about Thursday?"

"Um… okay." Why Thursday? Why didn't he want to go on Friday? Does that mean something?

"And, just to be clear," he continues, his voice soft, void of annoyance but not providing you much solace, "this isn't a date. This is just two…friends hanging out."

Your heart sinks.

"Okay. Not a date." You nod definitely, licking your grinning lips.

"Okay."

"See you." You offer a small wave, taking a step back.

"See you."

He turns, waving over his shoulder at you and shuffling out of the door to meet his friends. You sigh gently, nodding and turning on your heel to go meet Chrissy, who is poorly hiding around the corner.

"Did he say yes?" she asks as soon as you stand in front of her, her hands holding onto your arms with a hopeful look on her face.

You lick your lips again as you smile and nod jovially, a bad habit. "He said yes," your smile falls a little, "but it's not a date."

"Why not?" she pouts, letting go of you to walk beside you.

You shrug meekly, "Guess I haven't won him over yet."

Chrissy sighs. She takes your hand and pulls you out of the door, certainty and determination clear in her voice. "I'm sure you will eventually. You're awesome," she asserts. Her support of you warms you, and you can't help but to smile. "He'll love you… eventually."

You laugh, nodding along with her as the sun blinds you. "Eventually."

~

"Hey."

Eddie could laugh.

He waddles around to face you in the middle of the hall, earning looks from people passing by him during the passing period. Some people go to shove him out of the way, to continue the flow of foot traffic so he isn't holding up so many people.

But they quickly rethink their decisions at the sight of you approaching him. They part like the fucking Red Sea, giving you plenty of space to talk, as dozens of students circle like fish.

"Hey, Y/N," he says, looking at you with his pretty brown eyes. He's got a long eyelash on the apple of his cheek. You want to wipe it away and tell him to make a wish, but you don't.

You've got a box in your hands, done up all in pretty paper and a ribbon bow on top. It looks heavy with the way you hold it up against your hips, arms flexing every now and then with each little effort to keep it in your arms

"I just wanted to give you something," you tell him, taking a step closer and thus tightening the circle around you.

Eddie thinks briefly you're some sort of mutant from his comics, with a forcefield power that makes you untouchable or mind control that makes everyone love you. But then he remembers you're supposedly nice enough not to need mind control.

You could get or do what you want and not have to deal with the consequences because people just love you that much.

He looks down at the box with a hint of something you can't decipher.

"Again?" he comments, his gaze wary now.

How much money do you have that you can just buy whatever you want for a random stranger you don't even know? And how easy do you think he is that you can just buy him stuff and he'll want to go out with you? Eddie hates the idea of it.

You hand him the box, brushing past the slight annoyance in his voice.

He takes it hesitantly, surprised at the weight, like it's full of bricks. He knocks his knuckles against the side and is met with a solid wall. What did you give him?

He looks at you expectantly and you shrug. "I noticed your copy was getting really worn out."

He furrows his dark brow and takes the bow stuck on the top off, slapping it against the side of the box and out of the way. He's surprised by your dedication to wrap the flaps of the box instead of the box as a whole, making it easier to just open it up and reveal the various spines of hardcover books revealing the golden font he knew well.

He's at a loss for words, staring at the books you'd gifted him. His assumption of shallow intentions is challenged in this moment as he stares and stares and then stares at you.

"You got me the Lord of the Rings trilogy?" he gapes.

His reaction fills you with a little bit of hope. He seems to like it. "Yeah," you smile gently.

He looks back and forth between them and you. "And the Hobbit?"

You nod again, "Mhm."

He picks up one book, creating an empty slot in the box as he examines it. His hand feels the spine, made of a material he can only guess is very expensive. "Hardcover?"

"I thought you'd appreciate it," you reply, fidgeting with the bottom of your skirt.

He begins to smile a little, a ghost of a thing created in the heat of the moment that you actually paid enough attention to know that he's not dumb enough not to know how to read, and to know that he adores these books so much that you got him hardcover copies to cherish.

But then he pauses and the smile is gone before it could grow. It puts the book back in its rightful slot and looks at you with a narrowed suspicion.

"What's the catch?"

You tilt your head. "No catch," you shrug, taking a tiny step forward. "I just wanted to do something nice for you."

Eddie doesn't believe you. Why would you want to do something nice for him when he can count on one hand the amount of conversations you've had? It doesn't make sense. Who does that?

But he doesn't challenge you. Especially not in this hall of swarming students where so many people are passing, watching. He may be infamous for his nonchalance for onlookers, but even he has a limit to what he will and won't do in front of people to save himself a little more trouble and humiliation.

"Alright…" he mumbles.

You give him a smile and step away, turning on your heel after waving your goodbye. Your departure begins to close the circle, throwing him back into the crowd of shoving bodies and whispers.

Eddie looks back at the box of books in his hands, ignoring the way more people try to push him out of the way of the traffic flow, and something he doesn't like swells in his chest and festers there.

He curses under his breath before he calls after you, "Hey."

You turn, looking over your shoulder and shifting your body to face him.

Eddie shifts the box to his side, jutting his hip out to support it as he uses his now free hand to brush some hair from his face. He sighs and hates the way his throat suddenly feels blocked.

"I could pick you up at eight for the movie," he offers, confused by the way he wants you to say yes. You got him the whole of the Lord of the Rings books, he might as well offer a ride to your not-date. "If you want…" He adds it on at the end, an afterthought. He assumes you're going to say yes, but still feels the anxiety of a possible no.

You cup your elbow in your hand. "Yeah?"

You flutter your eyelashes. Eddie wonders if you're manipulating him or if you are just genuinely this sweet.

He realises he may be exaggerating his reasons for not trusting you.

"Yeah," he shrugs a shoulder. "As payment."

A pretty smile tickles your lips as you nod. "Okay," you agree. "21st on Griffith."

Eddie chuckles, nodding and rolling his eyes in a way that's too playful for your dynamic. "Yeah, I know."

You furrow your brow. "You do?"

"Yeah. Everyone knows," he says. "You host parties sometimes."

You suddenly feel stupid for not realising that. "Oh."

Whether he means to or not, he eases your worries about looking dumb as he smiles. He kicks out his foot to turn on his heel, "See you then, princess."

The way he says it is not like he'd been saying it before. It had been as though he was teasing you, like he wanted to make you flinch with the name that had become the town's honorary title for you.

But now… now it felt like a nickname. Like one of those little things that add onto the end of sentences, embedded with fondness and familiarity. Strange for your dynamic, but so warm in the pit of your stomach where your liking for Eddie rests.

"Okay," you smile.

He salutes you and leaves as the warning bell rings. You watch as he heads in the direction of the double doors that lead outside, probably to put the box in his van. He'll be late for class. But you assume he doesn't care.

You care a little more, but not enough to pick up the pace to get to class as you turn and spot Chrissy waiting in the hall. You join her, letting her grab your hands hopefully as she brings them up between you. You give her a large smile, one that lights up your face and hers.

“It worked!” you exclaim, shaking your hands lightly.

“You bribed him?” she accuses, smiling but furrowing her brow with a huff of a laugh.

You roll your eyes, waving your hand dismissively. “It’s not a bribe. I gave him a gift.”

“So you bribed him?” she questions, still unconvinced.

“No!” A bubble of laughter works its way out of you. “I did something nice for him because he deserves nice things. I just secretly hoped he would repay the favour.”

The tardy bell rings, but neither of you pay it any mind.

“That’s a bribe, sweetie,” she says.

You roll your eyes again, “Anyway, it worked!”

“And?” she prompts you into giving details, interested in the outcome of your not-bribe for your not-date.

“And now he’s picking me up tomorrow night.” You bring her hands up to cover your smiling mouth with them, unabashed by your outward display of excitement as you hop a little in your spot.

She shares your excitement for a moment before remembering something. “But it’s still not a date.” She states it as a fact, shaking her head gently and hoping for a different answer.

Some of your elation seeps out of you, turning your boiling joy to a simmering delight. “...No.”

Chrissy sighs, and then she smiles, separating one hand from yours in favour of setting it on your cheek. You lean into her cold hand–warm heart combo staring into her eyes that would make outsiders wonder if friendship was your actual connection.

“It’s progress,” she reassures, swiping her thumb over your cheek to make you smile. It works, turning the heat of your affection back up.

“But he called me princess!” You smile. “I know it was probably sarcastic—and, well, everyone calls me princess—but it felt different this time. You know? Genuine.”

Chrissy just laughs, squeezes your shoulder lightly, and nods gently. “I’ll help you get ready tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Chris,” you beam.

She pulls her hands from you and claps them lightly, barely making more than a little snap of sound as she makes a bashful face. “Now, we’re late for class. By, like, a lot.”

You just scoff, rolling your eyes playfully before pulling a pink slip from your bag. “No, we’re not.”

It’s a pass signed with Principal Higgins’ name one of your friends forged, one you can flash the teachers and immediately get excused with. Chrissy has one, too. The two of you haven’t been “late” for class in months.

Chrissy pulls her own out and shares your giggle before shoving your arm lightly to push you in the direction of your class. “Well, go! Before we get caught.”

Walking backwards, you just laugh it off. “Please. We’re the royalty of Hawkins High. We don’t get in trouble.”

She rolls her eyes, turning around to get to her own class. “We will if you keep screaming that.”

~

The anxiety of your not-date with Eddie Munson is making it hard to think, which isn't at all ideal when you need your brain to function, or—more importantly—come up with a good outfit for tonight.

"I've tried on fifty different outfits! We're not finding anything," you whine, throwing a failure of a shirt onto the bed next to Chrissy, who rolls her eyes and stands.

"Please," she scoffs playfully, walking toward your closet and sorting through it. You take her spot, crossing your arms and pouting sourly at the lack of style in your closet.

Chrissy comes back in a few moments, clothes and smile in hand. "Wear this."

You look down at the clothes as you take them in your hands. She's given you a thick, white turtleneck, a red plaid skirt, and knee high socks. You whine again, "It's too simple!"

She tilts her head and shoots you a look. "Good. Put it on."

You sulk the whole time, changing out of the outfit you'd just tried on for the one she'd given you with a deep frown and sluggish movements.

When you turn around to face her, slouching in the new ensemble, she smiles wide. "See? You look great!"

You scratch your neck as she passes you to pick from the jewellery on your vanity. "I don't know," you shrug pitifully.

She comes back with a long necklace and little stud earrings. "If you put on the most expensive things you've got just to look good for him," she says, putting the jewellery in for you, "he'll think you're just trying too hard, or flaunting your money, or all the stupid ideas a boy can think of to convince himself it's not worth it." She takes your face in her hands, squishing your cheeks a little as she gives you her sweetest smile. "And you are worth it."

You cheer up just a bit, raising a brow, "So you think he's stupid?"

She giggles gently, shaking her head at your joke as she stuffs your shirt into your skirt, fluffing it a bit. You laugh with her.

She steps back to observe you, smiling proudly. "You look amazing. And he'll think so, too."

You shrug, "Unless he's stupid."

"Exactly!" she beams. Then she furrows her brows, "I think." She waves it off and steps forward again, taking your hands in hers to calm you some more. It works. She always knows how to calm you. "Just don't be nervous."

Your brows curl together.

"Are you nervous?"

"Yes!" you exclaim, turning away and pacing a small line back and forth in front of your bed. "I don't want to screw this up. He already didn't like me before the books."

Chrissy sits on the bed and watches you pace. "I'm sure it'll be fine, and I'm sure he did like you before the books."

You scoff, mumbling under your breath and glancing away, "Clearly, you weren't there."

She shrugs, speaking slowly at first, "Not directly, but he has no reason to hate you, so I think you're okay."

You whine, "Just okay?"

Just then, the faint sound of music you don't listen to blares off in the distance. Both your gazes fall to the window as it becomes louder and louder and doesn't seem to stop coming, like a harbinger of chaos coming to take you to war.

"I think that's him," you say.

Chrissy chuckles, "A van that loud? I'd be surprised if it wasn't."

You turn back to her, frantic. "What if I screw this up? This is probably my only chance."

The music gets quiet.

She walks up to you again, taking your face in her hands and smiling at you, "Babe, you'll be fine. Don't stress, he'll love you."

You are so fortunate to have a friend like Chrissy, a real friend who isn't here for the food or presents or cool party invites. She's just here because she loves you and you love her for it.

"Eventually," you nod, though you let out a gentle sigh full of anxiety.

She shrugs a shoulder, ever the optimist. "Well, eventually means it'll happen."

"Eventually," you repeat, nearly defeated at the prospect of eventually and not soon. If it even happens at all!

"Yes, eventually," she says.

There's a knock on the door all the way downstairs. He's here, he's here, he's here.

Chrissy's grabbing you by your shoulders and snatching all your things as she manhandles you away from your room. before you can begin to process the rising in your belly. For such a small girl, she's got a lot of strength as she wrestles you down the stairs and to the front door.

She turns you toward her, a big smile on her face. "Have fun. Knock him dead."

She shoves your purse in your hands and shoos you away. "I'll try," you mumble truthfully. "Though part of me feels like you're trying to get rid of me."

"Because I am," she offers her shameless response. "You have a hot date with Eddie Munson, I have a hot date with your really cosy bed."

You roll your eyes as she's opening the door. You turn around at the same time Eddie does, coming face to face with one another as your eyes go wide with nerves.

You take him in for a moment, observing his outfit with the appreciation child being given a candy bar. He looks great. He's got a baggy, black muscle tee with a big, white skull on the front. His jeans are just as dark, though the tears in them are messier and you've got a sneaking suspicion he'd done it himself. You don't know why, but he has biker gloves on. You're not complaining though, because he looks nice and he pulls them off very well. His shoes, which are thick combat boots, give him an unnecessary extra inch that makes you have to crane your neck just a bit more.

He seems to be observing you the way you do him because when you meet his big, brown eyes again, his are finding their way back to yours as well.

"Hi," you breathe, offering a smile made of twitchy nerves and too much admiration.

"Hey, princess," he greets, and you're content because it doesn't hold the same disapproval it used to, instead warming you with the same light-heartedness he'd offered you before. "Hey, Chrissy." He waves at the girl behind you, and she's happy to wave back.

"You look…" he takes a moment, raking his eyes over you again. You panic internally. "You look really nice," he says, trying to be kind for purposes of being appropriate rather than just to be kind. That helps you calm down. He thinks you look nice, but you think he wanted to say something a little less composed. Then you bubble up a bit because he thinks you look nice, but you think he wanted to say something a little less composed.

"Thanks," you smile. You turn toward your best friend and your smile becomes a little more excited, and she's happy to see you so excited. You hug her. "Bye, Chrissy."

She reciprocates your hug and farewell, waving at the both of you as you step out of the door with Eddie and make your way to his vehicle.

He opens your door like a gentleman and asks if you want him to turn off the music or change the station. You say no, fiddling with your hands in your lap. Then he's driving away, having turned the music back up just a slight. He doesn't speak much at all on the ride, and you're so nervous you have no idea how to form enough words to start a conversation. So you both sit silently in the car, not looking at each other and listening to music you're willing to get into for the sake of appreciating something he likes. And you do appreciate it because the songs are nice—although you're sure the word he would use wouldn't be "nice".

It's awkward and nerve-wracking and you somehow manage to convince yourself that he doesn't like you again. So you both stay quiet until you get to the theatre, at which point he turns off the music and then the van and rounds it to open your door like a gentleman.

You step out on a shaky foot, smiling bashfully at him. He looks at you and you look at him, and then he clears his throat and turns away and starts walking with you. At this point, you feel like crawling into a hole.

When you get to the booth, you're the one who pulls out a wallet with a kind smile to the person there—someone you know from the school—and hands them the fare for two tickets.

They eye your date for a moment, looking back at you with a little bit of confusion before brushing it off. Whatever.

"What–uh," you clear your throat, turning to look at Eddie but finding it hard to hold his gaze. "What do you want? Popcorn? I'll get whatever."

He waves a hand, pulling them from his back pockets where they'd been nervously stuffed and goes to run them through his curly hair—which is frizzier than usual, like he'd taken a comb to it in hopes of taming it some more—only to be stopped by the tangles he finds there. "Uh, no," he says. "I can get it. Whatever you want."

"It's okay–"

He shakes his head and smiles, actually smiles at your bashfulness with that type of grin that makes you dizzy with affection. "Princess, it's fine. Lemme get it. 'M not a total bottom feeder, you know."

You raise your hands to add a rebuttal. "I never thought–"

"Don't worry about it." He takes one of your hands in both of his, watching yours disappear between them as you both pause to look at them. He pulls away and scratches his neck. "Sorry. Just lemme know what you want. I'll go get it at the counter."

You swallow thickly. It's awkward again—it was cute for a moment, but now it's just awkward again.

You mumble out your choices and he goes to get them. When he comes back, a bucket of popcorn between his arms, two big drinks in his hands, and a bag of Skittles candy held by the smallest corner with his pinky, you hurry to help him out as you take the candy before it slips, and one of the cups sweaty with condensation.

"Good?" he asks, shifting the popcorn over so he can hold it more securely. You nod, humming gently as you both start to make your way to check your tickets and find your seats. You do the aisle scoot in the dark theatre as you take your seats, mumbling "sorry's" and "s'cuse me's" as you go.

You sit next to Eddie, fitting your cup in the slot of your arm rest. Eddie begins to sit the popcorn in his lap, rethinking it between his hands and glancing around himself awkwardly. He squeezes it between his lap and the seat—another barrier separating you—and offers a tight smile.

You don’t think he means to put more between you and him, but it does put a damper on your already dwindling mood. You return the tight smile.

You both sit there in silence as the movie starts, playing with your hands and passing awkward sighs through your lips. Even as the movie starts, neither of you can really figure out when to speak—if you should speak, whispering to one another in little comments of laughter and delight at the comedy you’d chosen to watch.

But no. Neither of you say a word through the whole thing. You hardly look at each other. It’s stiff and cold and you honestly believe this was just a huge mistake. You like Eddie and you want to hang out with him but…you don’t think he really shares that sentiment. You want to go home to Chrissy and cry and tell her everything that didn’t happen, but you also don’t want to feel that desperate.

God, it was a long movie, too.

As soon as the credits were rolling, you both stood up as fast as you could to leave the darkened theatre. You walk out, throwing away your trash and holding your purse close. You step out of the theatre in the direction of Eddie’s van. He opens the door, you get in, he closes the door, he rounds his vehicle, he opens his door, he gets in, he closes his door, he sits there.

You wait for him to start the engine, but he seems to be lost in his thoughts. “Uhm,” he mumbles. You don’t look at him, but if you had the ears of a cat, they would perk toward him at the sound of his voice. But you don’t, and they don’t. “Good movie.”

Effort. He’s putting in effort, so he must care a little. Unless he’s just trying to be nice.

You really hope he isn’t just trying to be nice.

“Yeah, good.” Your words fall short during your overthinking and you just look away. He clears his throat and finally starts the van, pulling out of his parking space and onto the road.

You twiddle your thumbs as you think of something to say or do. Your skin crawls with the embarrassment of the whole night. This was clearly a mistake.

You shake your head and sigh and decide that this is too ridiculous to keep going. “Is this weird?” you ask, turning toward Eddie and acting like you’re actually brave. He glances at you. “You and me hanging out?” you finish.

“What?” he furrows his brows slightly, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Be honest,” you state it firmly before you continue. No bullshit. You don’t like the question, you don’t like the fact that you have to ask, but you want to get it out of the way. Depending on the answer, you’ll either stop or keep trying to give this failing attempt a shot. “Do you not like me?”

He hesitates and it tears you apart inside. He shrugs. “I don’t not like you.”

You look away, your voice sounding more defeated than you wanted to let on. “But you don’t like me.” You sigh, spiralling in your overthinking mess of a mind. “Did I force you into the movie? I didn’t mean to.”

“Of course not. It’s just…” He tries to come up with the right word but falls short. He speaks slowly, guarding his words in an attempt not to hurt your feelings, you assume. “Weird. You and me. Hanging out. I mean… we have nothing in common.”

You reach. “Sure we do.”

He raises a brow, scoffing lightly and glancing between you and the dark road in front of him. “Name one.”

“You…” You stop short, realising with wide eyes that you don’t really know anything about him and he doesn’t really know anything about you and you are literally at opposite ends of the other’s experiences. “I…” You keep reaching, and you keep falling short. “We both…” Give it up. You’re not going to find anything. “...Are seniors at Hawkins?”

He rolls his eyes and scoffs, shaking his head gently. “Like I said.”

You sigh, defeated once again. You keep having to resist the overwhelming urge to curl into yourself. “I just…”

You don’t continue your pathetic attempt. It’s less humiliating that way, you think.

Eddie is the one to speak next. “Why do you even like me?”

You don’t like the question. You don’t know why, maybe it just reveals too much. You don’t know.

“Because,” you think for a moment, “you’re cool, and…and you’re cute, and…”

Eddie licks his canine, breathing a short laugh through his nose and shaking his head. Ridiculous. “I’m ‘cool’ and I’m ‘cute’.” You look down at your lap. Mistake. It’s silent again, until he speaks and keeps digging your hole for you—one you would gladly lay in if it meant escaping this conversation.

“When did you even realise I existed?”

You furrow your brow and look at him. “What do you mean?”

“C’mon, princess,” the mocking is back. You want to die. “Who am I supposed to be to you? Some guy named Eddie in your science class?”

“I…” you don’t know how to answer that.

He hums, looking through the windshield as he comes to a stop at a light. The red washes gently across his face and illuminates him. Everything tints with its own version of red, a unique variation of the colour that flatters his hard features. You stare at the side of his face for a moment too long and then turn away, sitting through the light in a silence too thick to cut.

When the hum of the engine starts again as the light turns him green, you finally open your mouth, your voice soft and chastised.

“I’ve always liked you.” Eddie doesn’t speak, so you don’t know if he believes you or not as you keep your eyes directed toward your lap. You don’t think it matters much anymore—this was a mistake—so you keep talking. “Since I started high school and met you and you were a really cool junior who kept getting into trouble for ‘bad boy’ stuff,” you chuckle a little as you remember the time he jumped off the bleachers during a pep rally after flipping the bird to the team. He broke his wrist and got suspended for three days, but he looked really cool and he was really proud of himself for some reason. “And I felt weird for liking you, but then we ended up in senior year together when you kept…failing…and I thought that maybe I’d have a chance. So I asked you out and…” Your smile fades, “And then you stood me up.”

Eddie still doesn’t speak.

You feel pathetic for holding back the lump in your throat but it doesn’t matter much anymore because this was a mistake.

“I waited for you for a pathetic amount of time,” you laugh. “And you never showed.”

Eddie squeezes the steering wheel uncomfortably. “You said you waited an hour.”

You turn your head farther away from him. “I waited three.”

Eddie winces. “Shit,” he hisses under his breath. He sighs, feeling like shit because he is shit. “I’m sorry,” he tries, glancing at you but not making full contact.

You shake your head. “I’m not trying to guilt you or anything, I just…” You sigh and turn toward him, really turn toward him, hoping your voice holds the amount of genuinity that you feel. “I really like you, Eddie. I want to be your friend, if nothing else, I’d be happy just being your friend.”

He went quiet again, thinking in his head and wincing at something he’d thought. “‘Kay, so…” he shrugs nervously, “maybe I misjudged you.”

“You still thought this was a prank?”

He seems ashamed to admit it. “Yeah.”

It’s your turn to scoff. “Pretty elaborate prank.” You shake your head and roll your eyes, kind of frustrated now as you look at him again. “C’mon, man. I’m best friends with Chrissy Cunningham.” That alone, you feel, should have been a clue that you weren’t totally an asshole. The frustration gets deeper as the stereotypes and the attitudes really get to you.

You scoff, hating the lump for still taking residence in your throat and keeping you from sounding calm. It doesn’t matter. “I’m a dumb cheerleader who hangs out with jocks, I get it, but that’s what happens when your parents are rich, and you need to join a school program that keeps you out of their faces. You hang out with the jocks because they’re the big dogs, and you’re supposed to be.”

Eddie hates himself for making you feel that way. “You’re not dumb,” he says quickly. “I don’t think you’re dumb. I know you’re smart…maybe not for liking me, but you’re smart. You get all the grades, you stay outta trouble–”

“It’s boring.” You roll your eyes.

“It’s good.” He almost laughs. “With my criminal record, I’m never getting a job outside of Radio Shack…and that’s if Radio Shack even takes me.”

You almost laugh a little, his comment on your intelligence granting you with far more praise than you think you deserve. You tilt your head toward him. “I’d be able to get you a job.”

He smiles. It’s one of those smiles that makes you shy and smiley and dumb with your schoolgirl crush. “I’m sure you could, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart. Oh, you’re a mess already. You try and fail to hide your grin at the name.

“So…” you look at him hopefully. “Truce?”

“Sure,” he nods, letting out the tiniest chuckle, one that sounds as though he’s releasing all the stress and tension from the night and becoming normal, or at least, his version of normal. “Truce,” he nods his head forward and it shakes his frizzy hair all over his head.

“We’re friends?” Your grin widens, whipped again already.

He looks over at you briefly, raising a teasing brow and making you feel lighter already with the look he casts you. “You feel like sitting at my table of rejects?”

You laugh excitedly. “Absolutely! You guys look like fun.”

His whole face drops in complete shock and surprise, and he stares at you like you’re crazy. “Wow, you really do like me.” He says it through a frown and you hide away, covering your face with your hands and mewling pathetically.

His frown reverses so quickly as he smiles and laughs loudly, filling your bones with the echo of his joy. “I mean it in a good way!” He moves one hand from the wheel, placing it on the centre console to drive one-handed as he normally does. He looks way more relaxed and you think he’s beautiful like this. His hand bumps yours. Your heart flutters as his pinky curls around your own to bring it in with the fond grin you’ve been wanting to see looking at you for years. “Friends.”

You smile wide. Your cheeks hurt and the lump in your throat is there for a different reason now. He leans his head over his right shoulder as he continues glancing at you.

“Oh, and…princess?’

You hum, your smile somehow becoming fonder at the softer mumble of your alias.

“I meant it earlier when I picked you up.” A passing streetlight shines on the side of his face and makes him look like an angel. “You look beautiful.”

Your voice breaks on your response, but you don’t care. It doesn’t matter much anymore. “Thank you.”

Stranger Things taglist: @activebliss @life-on-needs @killerqueen-ofwillowgreen @emmalee-01 @sw34ter-w34ther @hellfire1986baby @gublur @allofmaris @redwineandnicotine @the-cryptid @katsukis1wife @chaoticcancer @papichulo120627 Eddie the Banished taglist: @eddiiiieeee @hb8301 @lovemegood @munsaniac @digital-charlie @eiriancrow @littleblondesoprano @alexxavicry @samz31 @sparkletash @fandomgirl17 @marjoriea13 @akiratoro420 Tag yourself here...

[nono-uwu]

Alrigthy, I've calmed down amd the chapter is officially out so

Chapter 134 thoughts

Spoilers duh

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- when I said I wanted to see Crowley again THIS ISN'T WHAT I MEANT T-T

- rip man. At least he gets to see Malron and Jose and all his friends again </3

- well now I have plenty of angst to write for my oc's... silver lining i guess :,)

- also Ferid, what is that mouth. Jeebus that is nightmare fuel

- ok, so shikama is really having a bad time, but it's good to see Shinoa embracing her full potential :)

- aaand Ferid backstory. Wowzers. So his whole deal the whole time was to stop reincarnation? And with Crowley being the 440th... what does that mean. Since it's that chain thing again, I wonder if a vampire is killed that way it will completley stop the whole human-vampire-demon cycle. Or it ouright stops reincarnation from happening. So Ferid has succesfully made 440 vampires just stop existing and never reincarnate? Gah

- So we're in endgame now. One of the more important characters died for reals and I expect for more slightly less important important people to be dropping real soon (guren squad maybe? Narumi?? Kureto??? Idfk)

- also Mitsu supporting Shinoa. Nawwww

- Well honestly this might be the best ending for Crowley. Bro has been through enough. I'm still sad though :(

- ok now this bugs me a lot. Ferid just straight up killed Chess and Horn off screen. When exactly though? Since when we saw them they were just kinda left in Sanguiem. Did he just kill them rq without Crowley seeing it? Bc I doubt he would've had the time to slip back and kill them seperatley. (Not even gonna touch on how stupidly misogynistic it is that they were killed off screen after years of radio silence. Sure, they're kinda unimportant and I'd understand if it'll be like that for other not-so-important characters. But istg it still points to Kagami not being able to write women. Oh well. And the mystery of how they even became acquainted with Crowley is just left in the dust. :/)

- "It wasn't half bad." Man. Win for crowferi shippers ig? Not me though. I guess it does makes sense with Crowley's character of just being very apathetic even to the guy who ruined his entire life.

Art wise, Crowely looked surprisingly decent (mostly, miss his fuller hair tho) and Ferid and Shinoa had some nice panels. That's it really.

Otherwise I'm still devastated but at least Crowely got a slightly somewhat okay-ish ending

Nah I'm lying this is me rn:

Edit: I just remembered. WHERE TF IS KRUL????

[bellaturner]

Perfect Sense

Not proof read, please let me know if there are any errors

Summary: you are pregnant with Alex's baby.

No warnings (there is the use of the words whore and gold digger once, and the mention of a 10 years age gap tho)

Basically fluff ✨

900 words

Masterlist

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

You were 30 weeks pregnant when you decided it was time to share the news with the world. Of course, close friends and family already knew, but the general public was unaware. Whenever you went out, you always wore baggy shirts and tight high-waisted pants to conceal your growing belly and shield your little girl from the prying eyes of paparazzi. However, with only 10 weeks to go, it was becoming increasingly challenging to hide your pregnancy.

To make matters worse, the guys were in the midst of a world tour, and the gossip magazines had their focus on the Arctic Monkeys' members and their significant others. Your engagement to Alex had already provided them with plenty to gossip about when it was announced last year.

They feasted on it, relishing in highlighting the ten-year age gap between you and Alex, and making derogatory remarks, calling you a whore and a gold digger. It was tough initially, but you had learned to cope. Most of the fans supported you anyways, and you always had the guys standing up for you.

So, the day before the gig in Sheffield, you decided to have a conversation with your fiancé.

"Al, baby, I'm tired of hiding my belly," you said softly while cuddling with him in bed, resting your head on his chest as he stroked your hair. It was one of those lazy nights when you both stayed at home, watching movies. "Chloe will be here soon, and we haven't announced it yet."

His free hand moved to the base of your stomach, gently caressing it and eliciting kicks from your daughter. "Oh, hi there, love," Al chuckled. "Don't kick your mum like that," he scolded playfully.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt me," you laughed, placing your hand on top of his. You knew Chloe would be a daddy's girl; she already adored him so much. Whenever you played his music, she would celebrate with a tiny dance inside you, and when he returned home from work, she would kick until he came over and spoke to her.

"Do you think we should go public, princess?" he interrupted your little daydream.

"I do, baby," you replied.

"Then we'll do it tomorrow," he said with a mischievous grin. "But in a special way."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see, doll," he whispered. "Now let's finish watching this and get some sleep. I have to be up early tomorrow for the final rehearsal," he added, nuzzling your hair.

You adored those moments, when he buried his nose in your hair. His big nose and how he sometimes used it to bring you pleasure were just some of the things you loved about him. In your eyes, everything about this man was perfect. That's why he was yours, and you reveled in displaying your love, even when the media labeled you a gold digger. You were deeply in love with him, and nothing else mattered.

"I love you, Alex" you said placing kisses all over his chest.

"I love you too, darling," he replied, his voice sounding sleepy.

The following day was filled with anticipation. Alex got up early and left for the venue, and you joined him and the rest of the band for lunch. You wore a loose shirt, finally relieved to ditch the pants you despised. During the afternoon, you decided to read a book in the band's private room while the guys joked around and played music.

"You're glowing, babe," Alex said with a smile.

"I'm just so happy that we're finally going public with the pregnancy," you replied. "And curious about how we're gonna do it," you teased, but he remained silent.

He was about to say something when a voice called them over, announcing that they would be on stage in five minutes.

"I have to go, doll," he kissed your lips and joined the rest of the band at the side of the stage.

You watched them perform from the backstage area, reveling in the experience. Seeing them live always brought you immense joy. Around the fourth song, you noticed a change in the setlist, making you even more excited.

It was during the last song before the encore when Alex began to speak, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers.

"I don't usually do this, but since we're back to where it all began, I want to dedicate the next song to someone special," he said, searching for your eyes on the side of the stage.

The cameras quickly captured your face as you locked eyes with Alex and blew him a kiss.

"This next one is for my amazing wife and the mother of my child," he declared, and the crowd erupted in a frenzy, mirroring your own emotions.

You hadn't expected this. But as the realization sunk in, tears of joy welled up in your eyes. Not only had he referred to you as his wife in front of thousands of people, but he also announced your pregnancy, allowing you to proudly showcase your baby bump to the world.

The band proceeded to play "Perfect Sense," and at the end of the song, Alex sprinted over to you, passionately kissing you while whispering, "I love you, princess," and of course Chloe kicked until he kissed your bump as well.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

IT'S BEEN A WHILE BUT I'M BACK!

I've been trying to write something for almost a month, but I'm stuck at it, so I decided to write this short little story to kinda reset my mind, if that makes any sense.

Hope you guys enjoy this one ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ˡᵉᵃᵛᵉ ᵃ ⁿⁱᶜᵉ ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉⁿᵗ ⁱ ᵗʰʳⁱᵛᵉ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ I really liked writing it.

OH, I almost forgot, this is a suuuper old request by @dietmtndew777, I hope you like it, babe 💕 (and sorry for taking forever to write it)

Anywayyyys, love yall 💕

~ Bella

[musicfashionmonsters]

Love Should've Brought You Home

Random short based off of a JH story I'm free styling writing. It has nothing to do with the story itself, though some facts from the latter may present themselves.

Warning: Angst ahead

Jack laid back in the comfortable California king bed staring up at the ceiling as Stacey laid asleep next to him. He looked over at her, though his mind was elsewhere. He thought about Simone, his fiancee of a year and a half and the only woman to have gotten him near the full point of marriage.

The two of them had known each other since they were 14 years old and dated from ages 15 to 17. They'd broken up months before graduation due to their differences in plans and Jack's acceptance of gaining attention from other girls. She wanted to pursue a degree while he wanted to chase his rap career. Though the two supported each other's dreams and remained faithful to each other, the relationship didn't last.

Others thought they would be the high school sweethearts that stayed together through college age and eventually get married and have kids. The two of them secretly thought that as well.

Simone Le'vine was the name she was given at birth and what the world knew her as, but he knew her as Monie. A Louisville native of both French and Haitian decent with the brains, beauty and spirit to match. Hypnotizing brown eyes, brown skin, beautiful naturally curly hair that he liked to run his fingers through when it wasn't in a protective style, long legs with thick thighs and an ass he loved to grasp in his palms. She'd earned her degree in both business and psychology while in college, though she became a model due to being discovered shortly before her graduation.

She had been on nearly every famous magazine cover known in and outside of the US and even walked a few runways. Though her height was only 5'7, designers were mesmerized by her with every step she'd take.

The two of them reconnected at the 2022 Met Gala with plenty of hostility from her end which he understood. A civil conversation between them eventually took place and they renewed their friendship, though Jack knew he wanted her back. Simone wanted him back as well, but didn't want to come off so eager. Which she wasn't.

They'd gotten back together and things had been great the past three years. Until Stacey came along.

He'd met Stacey at an awards after party nearly five months ago and the two had been sneaking around ever since. She met her around the time that he and Simone had been bickering and having petty arguments back and forth. It didn't help that Simone had a male friend that she was close with who was also in the industry she was in. The guy rarely hid his desire for her or the fact he wanted her to be with him instead of Jack.

It pissed him off more when he would comment on every photo she would post or the photos he would take with her, alluding to there being something more between them. Sometimes he wondered if there was.

He looked over at Stacey's sleeping figure once more, shaking his head to himself. She wasn't even half of what Simone was and he began to think with his head up top instead of down below.

He needed to come clean with his woman and stop whatever he had with Stacey.

He flipped back the covers and got out of the bed to put his clothes on. As he dressed himself, Stacey turned over, her eyes fluttering open as she looked at him.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked in her sleepy voice.

"Honestly, I should've left sooner." He admitted honestly and grabbed his New Balance sneakers, "Look, I might as well go ahead and tell you now. This is the last time we're gonna see each other."

Stacey immediately sat up, covering herself with the comforter.

"What? Why? Did I do something wrong?" She asked him, concern laced in her tone.

"It's not you that did something wrong, it's me. I should've never started this...thing with you. I have a woman waiting for me at home that I love and I'm here with you. This should never have happened." He shook his head, slipping on his sneakers.

"Wait, Jack. Just wait. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that what you and me had is done. I'm going home to my woman and I'm telling her everything that's been happening."

Stacey scoffed and chuckled humorlessly, "And you really think it's that easy? You think she's gonna just welcome you with open arms? From what you've been telling me, she never has welcomed you with open arms."

"You know nothing about her or the history we have." He defended, "That woman knows me better than anybody else and look at what I'm doing to her. It took a while for me to get her back and this is how I treat her. I'm going back where I belong and you and me are done."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, leaning back against the headboard.

"Fine, do whatever. When she kicks you out of the house and breaks up with you, don't come crawling back to me."

"Believe me...I won't. Made the mistake of crawling to you once, a second time is not needed to remind me."

He grabbed his phone, keys and wallet and walked out of the bedroom towards the front door. He left, got into his car and immediately started the engine before pulling out of the driveway.

When he arrived back to Simone's house in the last night hour, he used his key and carefully the front door, quietly closing it behind him. He tiptoed through the spacious entryway, making sure not to make too much noise.

Suddenly, the lights in the living room came on and he looked to see Simone sitting on the large sectional with her arms crossed. If looks could kill, he would be a dead man.

"Studio session must've ran late, huh?" She questioned him, the look of anger swirling in her eyes.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck and walked closer towards her, "Yeah, about that...um, I wasn't at the studio."

"No, really? I had no idea." She expressed in fake shock, tilting her head.

"Cut the sarcasm, Monie."

"You don't get to tell me that. I don't wanna hear shit from you except her name. Who is she?" She badgered him.

He sighed and looked down at his feet.

"Her name is Stacey." He confessed.

"And how long have you been seeing her?"

The guilt began to sit in more and he sighed a second time.

"Five months." He mumbled.

Simone chuckled humorlessly, pinching the bridge of her nose and bit her bottom lip as she attempted to suppress her rage before directing her attention back to him.

"Five months? Five MONTHS?!" She exclaimed, standing up from the couch. "We're supposed to get married in six months and you've been sleeping around on me with some random bitch?!"

"I know, I know! I'm sorry! You and I were arguing so much back and forth and neither one of us wanted to listen to each other. I met her at an after party and she just-"

"Distracted you from the problems we had when you should've been talking to the main one you have the problems with?" She finished his sentence, crossing her arms.

"Baby, princess...I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did it, I really don't. I know I should've been thinking with my head up top and I should've talked to you first instead of letting her come between us. I don't want her. I even told her I'd come clean to you and I broke things off with her because I couldn't live with doing that to you."

"Clearly, you could live with it. You made it five months, what's a lifetime?"

She scoffed deeply and pushed past him, marching up the stairs to the bedroom. He was hot on her trails, following her upstairs and watched as she grabbed a suitcase from the walk-in closet.

"I know I fucked up, there's no excuse for it. I was wrong and I'll do whatever to make this right. Just please give me another chance." He begged her.

Simone remained quiet as she packed some clothes and other belongings into the suitcase.

"Come on, baby. Why are you packing a suitcase? Where are you going?" He asked, keeping his eyes onto her.

She chuckled humorlessly again and looked at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. See, I don't know if you forgot, but I paid for this house and I pay for the bills that go with it." She reminded him and pointed at the suitcase, "These are your things."

"Baby, please don't. I don't want her, I don't need her and I don't even love her! I love you!" He expressed desperately.

"You love me?! You love me, huh?! Is this how you treat somebody you love?! Sneaking around and fucking some other bitch behind my back?! Lying to me for months?! If that's your idea of "love", I don't fucking want it! Love should've brought your ass home to me instead of her for the past five months!" She raged, angrily zipping up the suitcase.

Tears filled both of their eyes as she took the suitcase off of the bed and placed it in front of him.

"That should be everything. Anything else, I'll have it sent to you."

"Princess, I don't want this. I don't want to be without you. I don't want anybody else, I want you. I want you forever. Let me know what I can do to make this right. I swear I'll do anything." He pleaded, cupping her cheeks into his palms.

"You know what you can do?" She caressed his cheek.

"I'll do anything. You name it."

All of a sudden, Simone reached back and slapped him as hard as she could. Jack stumbled back slightly and held his reddened cheek, looking at her sorrowfully.

"You can take the suitcase and get the fuck out of my house. I don't want to see you right now, if at all." She spoke calmly, her voice trembling in anger and betrayal.

"Princess..."

"Get out, Thomas. NOW." She demanded.

They always used each other's middle names whenever a situation at hand was not one to be taken lightly. It was also a way to show just how upset one or the other truly was by something that was done or said.

Knowing there was no changing her mind, Jack grabbed the suitcase and began walking out of the bedroom.

"Oh, I just remembered. You did forget something." She spoke up.

She reached for the seven carat engagement ring on her finger and threw it at him. It bounced off of his chest and he looked down at it, feeling more tears fill his eyes. He grabbed the ring off of the floor and looked at her as the tears fell down her face.

A burned memory that he'd never forget. He had no one to blame for it but himself. Usually, he'd be the one wiping her tears from someone else causing her harm. Now, the cause of her tears were on his hands.

Not another word was said as he held the suitcase in his hand and walked down the stairs and out of the door.

If she never wanted to see him again, he knew she would've been well within her rights. He did the one thing he promised he wouldn't do ever when they got back together.

He broke her heart and her trust.

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

wip ask game my most beloved !! Hiii 💕💕

I'm really curious about the Fred and George one (👀 obviously) so anything you'd like to share (or if we're going in specifics, your favorite line so far)

oooh yay!

this was actually the fic I was working on right before my other blog got shadowbanned and blew up my whole fucking life <3

I really hope I can get a burst of energy to finish it soon. also, I couldn't pick just one line, so I picked a short segment that is my favourite so far

WIP Game - Fred and George (lust potion)

aka Liquid Lust - Fred Weasley x Fem!Ravenclaw!Reader x George Weasley (very brief preview)

if you want to see when this fic comes out, follow my writing blog @sundrop-writes and turn on notifications there <3

(idk if there's any warnings for this?)

...

Turns out, it took the potion a while to kick in. 

You sat on top of the desk for more than fifteen minutes, and after the first two or three of you simply sitting around, Fred and George got bored (naturally) so the three of you started playing ‘Snog, Marry, Avoid’ to pass the time while you waited for the potion to have some type of reaction. 

“Oh, I’ve got one.” George said excitedly. “Hermione Granger, Penelope Clearwater, and Lavender Brown.” 

“Oh god. Avoid Lavender Brown. Her voice is so droning and annoying.” You said pointedly. “Marry Hermione Granger. She’s really smart and she’s gonna have a good job after graduation.” 

“So you’re a gold digger?” Fred joked, looking up from his notebook that he had been potently scribbling in.

You knew that he couldn’t have been writing anything about the effects of the potion because so far, there hadn’t been any - so you highly suspected that he was doodling mindlessly, which seemed far more ‘on brand’ for someone like Fred. 

“I was just making an observation.” You shrugged. 

“I was just thinking, if that is the case, I know someone with a start-up business that’s about to take off. Someone that would definitely be swimming in gold after graduation and keep you plenty spoiled, love.” Fred winked. 

“Two someones.” George added on with a chuckle. 

You rolled your eyes, not dignifying this with a response. (You didn’t want to dwell on thoughts of how much you had enjoyed the gift they had given you the night before, how thoughtful it was - and how much you would like a future filled with being spoiled by them. Because it wasn’t going to happen.) 

...

(I am obsessed with the idea of Sugar Daddy (Sugar Daddies?) Fred and George now, thank you very much)

[storiesofsvu]

Love Comes Quietly Ch 16

Alex Blake x reader warnings: language, usual chaos, teeny smidge of smut, a hint of canon. welp. we did it. we're here at the end. I'm not gonna lie, I'm sad to see this one go, but man oh man is it nice to just write a fluffy easy story sometimes lol. That being said, don't worry, there is plenty more content coming up and another Alex series on the docket! Thanks to everyone for reading, sharing and commenting! Stay tuned for more!

The case was wrapped by the end of the next day, though it was late and everyone voted that another night in a hotel would be better than overnight on the jet and getting back to DC at an ungodly hour of the morning. You and Alex had buried into each other’s embraces immediately, letting the warmth of the other persons body lull you into the most comfortable sleep despite the shitty hotel bed. You had a bit of a sleep in the following morning, gently rolling over in her arms when the sun happened to be streaming directly across your face. She shifted slightly in her sleep, letting out a little hum before her lips brushed against your forehead.

It was probably an hour or two later when you woke up once again, letting out a little sigh as you yawned, hearing Alex let out a quiet chuckle.

“Morning.” She murmured.

“Didn’t realize you were up yet.” You replied without opening your eyes, nuzzling deeper into her embrace.

“I’m trying to evade it.” She muttered back, her lips hitting your skin again, “though if you’re up, maybe I’ve got a reason to be.”

“Mmm?” You asked, cracking an eye open as you looked up at her with a grin, “you don’t say…”

“It may be early but I can certainly think of a few ways to pass the time.” She murmured, her lips brushing against yours as she spoke, rolling you onto your back as the kiss deepened.

Hands began to roam, sneaking under what little clothing was currently covering your bodies, Alex’s lips kissing down your neck, a moan escaping them as you groped at her chest. Her breath caught in her throat as one of your hands slipped under the waistband of her shorts. Her hands matched your movements, pulling the same amount of pleasure from you that you were doing from her before she sunk lower. Tugging your pants down she made home between your legs, her mouth not leaving until you were seeing stars multiple times.

When she finally rejoined you on the pillows you were both panting, little laughs leaving your lungs as you curled around each other once again. Blissed out and relaxed you managed to fall back asleep, knowing you had more than a few hours before you had anywhere to be. And right now the only place you wanted to be was with each other.

**

You zipped up your go bag, tossing it over your shoulder as Alex placed the last couple of items into hers, glancing around the hotel room to make sure both of you had everything.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” You asked, referring to the fact that she was going to pick up Scott from the hospital and you were headed back to the jet.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “I don’t need you to worry about it.”

“Okay.” You leant in, kissing her cheek softly.

“Hey.” She grabbed your hand, tugging you back to her, “it’s not that I don’t want to introduce you to them as my girlfriend or anything. I plan on pointing out which one you were and I’m sure they’ll be more than happy about it, it’s just…”

“Family’s complicated.” You smiled, “I get it.”

“I just know that I’m going to get about eight lectures about not coming home, never calling, how ironic it is that I’m a linguist who sucks at communicating and I really don’t want to drag you into all of that.”

“It’s okay.” You chuckled, “I’m not offended. I’ll see you soon.” Leaning in your hand cupped her cheek while you kissed her and she pulled you back for another one before letting you go.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Alex was right on the nose about the lectures she received from her brother, enough even just on the ride between the hospital and her dad’s house. She was already a little annoyed and was more than thankful that you hadn’t been present for them, it would have made everything a million times more awkward so at least she had that going. She pulled up in front of the house, grabbing Scott’s bag for him as the two of them made their way up the walk and in through the front door.

Damon greeted them at the door, commenting that they’d clearly made up as they exchanged pleasantries and a bit of chit chat before Alex’s ears perked up at the sound of the back door opening. Her brow furrowing at the sight of you rounding the corner from the kitchen,

“Mr. Miller, we need more ice.”

“You’re here…” Alex questioned and you smiled, following Damon as he lead you to the deep freeze, the group making their way through the house.

“I’m not the only one.” You turned to Scott, “how’s the head? Do you need ice?”

“I’ll be fine.” He chuckled before Damon spoke up.

“He’s accident prone this one, good thing he’s hard headed.”

“Oh?” You asked, glancing toward Alex, “he’s the accident prone one? You haven’t mentioned the whole getting shot thing have you?”

“Hey!” Alex scoffed, smacking your arm and you swatted right back at her.

“Hey yourself!”

“Already bickering like an old married couple.” Damon chuckled.

“Dad!” Alex objected.

“What? Am I wrong? Emily mentioned you’ve been living together.” He countered, turning to you, “and I knew before that you were the one she was so smitten with.” You felt a small heat creeping up your cheeks, smiling at Alex before Scott spoke up.

“You do have dreamy heart eyes whenever you look at her.” He prodded at Alex’s non injured arm, “even for you, it’s impossible to hide.”

“You do have a habit of staring.” You chuckled, slipping your arm into Alex’s and she playfully scoffed.

“You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“I am.” You laughed, leaning in to kiss her gently not quite realizing how close to the patio doors you’d gotten.

“What!?” The shout came from Morgan in the backyard, “am I seeing things or did Blake and Murphy just kiss?!”

“Oh it is about fucking time! Thank god.” That one came from Emily as you stepped into the back yard.

“You knew about this?” Derek asked.

“Are you kidding me? These two have been going at it for months.”

“Emily!” Both you and Alex scolded, gesturing toward Damon as Alex’s cheeks pinkened.

“Not like that! Well..” She was quickly shut down with a glare and Scott grimacing. “I’m just glad I don’t have to keep it a secret anymore.”

Beers were passed out as an overlap of conversation, questions, congratulations and more took over the yard and you were more than happy to relax into Alex’s side for the entire thing. And this time, you didn’t need to step away, there was no reason to have to drop her hand and pretend like you were just two friends who were living together. It was a time where the team was family, along with real family, where work was finally able to be forgotten, placed on the back burner for once so camaraderie could take its spot.

Alex very happily accepted you beside her on a double lounger, hand either tangled in yours or resting on your thigh. She adored the way that the team she had made her family was bonding with her actual family and the way you seamlessly fit in to all of it. It was like the cherry on top of a sundae, everything falling perfectly into place. You had been destined to be in each other’s lives from that very first day in the bookstore, your journey had taken you through three different states before it had even truly began, you were meant to meet. You were meant to fall in love and one thing that both of you could count on forever was that you were meant to have these moments right now. The ones shared with the people you loved and cared about the most where you could simply be yourselves, joy and love weaving its way around you and deep into your hearts. You were right were you belonged.

______________

@svulife-rl @clarawatson @hbkpop @momlifebehard @alexusonfire @itisdoctortoyousir @temilyrights @alexxavicry @evilregal2002 @ladysc @dextur @disneyfan624 @augustvandyne @supercriminalbean @lex13cm @prentiss-theorem @happenstnces @whiteberryx @geekyandgay98 @onmykneesformarvel @inlovewithemilyprentiss @desperate-gay @amypoehlfey @overtrred28 @emobabeyy @1974-sp @theclassicgaycousin @kalixxh @leftoverenvy @bigolgay @daddy-heather-dunbar @regalmilfs4me @scorpsik @riveramorylunar @h-doodles @maybe-a-humanbean @rustyzebra @s1ut4nat @inlovewithmiddleagewomen @tommyriddleobsessed @ollysmulti @iluvsreid @kmc1989

[rogueddie]

He isn't sure what he was expecting Hawkins to be like but, despite the massive end-of-the-world cracks, it's a nice little town. It makes the cracks and breaks more depressing- he's sure the little place would be completely lovely otherwise.

The little street Jonathan directs him down is one of the lucky ones that have gone completely unaffected. Although, it does seem a little eerie- most of the cars gone, curtains closed, the residents inside long gone.

The house they pull up outside of though is still lively, still packing up a car. A group are standing around the trunk, all turning when Argyle pulls the van to a stop.

Once everyone has stepped out the van, and the initial shock is over, they're all running to greet each other. He shifts to the side, pleased to the weird girl and little Byers hugging the same little guy in a group hug. Byers and his girl too, hugging so tight that he's lifting her off the ground. Even Wheeler and his mom...

He can't help but notice the two, hovering at the side of the group. The man quickly looks away when Argyle catches his eyes. He wonders if he's the one that Argyle could feel eyeing him.

He looks flustered, but doesn't resist when the woman drags him over with a hand on his wrist.

"Hey," Argyle greets, shamelessly focusing on the man.

"Hi," he even waves a little. "Uh... sorry, I don't know-?"

"Oh, right. I'm Argyle!"

"Steve," he offers a hand, which Argyle shakes, patting his shoulder at the same time. "Um. This is Robin."

"Like the bird!" Argyle grins when she snorts. "You guys packing up?"

"The schools been turned into a relief center," Robin explains. "We're donating some old stuff."

"Rad. You need any help? I've got plenty of room in my-"

"Steve needs a lift," Robin says, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth when he tries to argue. "We have the boxes all packed up in the car already, it'd be annoying to move them all now. But there's no room left for Steve!"

"Sorry, just, uh... excuse us, for a minute." Steve grabs her wrist, dragging her off before Argyle can agree.

Jonathan and Nancy seem to be finished with their little moment, so Argyle creeps over to them.

"Byers, hey," Argyle glances at the two, where Robin is clearly winning whatever debate they're having. "You guys gonna be ok here for a while?"

"Just for a little while. We're going to need a ride to Hoppers old cabin."

"Right... but you don't need to go, like, right now?"

"Not right now. Why? What are you-?"

A throat is cleared behind them- Steve. He smiles a little awkwardly, shifting. "Um, yeah, I'll, uh... take that offer, if that's still ok?"

"Of course it is!" Argyle easily agrees. "Vans still open if you wanna wait inside, I just need a moment, alright?"

"Yeah, alright."

Argyle waits until he's climbed into the passenger seat before turning back to Jonathan, who's watching with a shocked look.

"I'm giving him a ride to the relief thing."

"Right," Jonathan says, slow with disbelief. He pauses, looking to the van. "Steve?"

"Yeah, seems like a chill dude. I'll be back soon, yeah?"

"Alright, yeah, sure. See you soon, then."

He's already heading back to his van before Jonathan can finish, waving as he goes. He climbs in quick, after calling one last goodbye. Steve gives a little smile again, in greeting, so he risks leaning over, a little into his space.

"You do know the way, right?"

"Yeah, I know the way," Steves laugh is more of a sigh. "We're gonna follow the others though, it'll be easier."

"Ahh, yeah, of course." He turns in his seat, spotting the others as they just finish piling into the car. He backs up a little so they have room to leave. "Your sister won your fight then?"

"My sister? Oh, you mean Robin. No, we're just friends. But, uh, yeah. She usually does."

"Yeah, sisters are like that." He stays silent for a moment, glancing at Steve. He's sure that his silent question is heard, but refused. "You're not Steve Harrington are you?"

"Yeah? What, Jonathan talk about me?"

"Oh, nah, man. The smaller Byers. They don't talk about you a lot, but they both agree that you are one cool dude."

"Really?"

Argyle glances over, smiling at how much he's perked up. "Yeah, man. Gotta say, it's already looking like they're right."

"You're already sure about that?"

"Yeah, it's your whole vibe. You're cool."

"Thanks?"

The rest of the drive is quiet. But, whenever he risks glancing over, he spots Steve quickly looking away. He ducks his head each time too, looking vaguely flustered. It feels like it should be clear messages, but he can remember how confusing some of those initial signals from Jon were.

But his excuse worked the first time, it can work again.

He reaches over, pulling Steves hand closer to his, winding their fingers together. When he glances over, Steve has a little smile, cheeks a little pink.

"Alright?" He has to ask.

"Yeah. Yeah, this is, uh, alright," Steve laughs quietly, shaking his head. "Remind me to never doubt Robs instincts ever again."

[eluxcastar]

*Nudges you* May we have Papa Pierro doing Papa Pierro things part three? 🥺

Even more Papa Pierro doing even more Papa Pierro things

── ୨୧：pierro & reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: baby is a little older now (and still sufficiently causing trouble) but tbh Pierro loves that gremlin

୨୧﹑content :: gn reader, child reader, possible mild child endangerment (it's natural)

୨୧﹑words :: 912

listen there's only so much I can do for child reader before I age them up and we're on part FOUR of Pierro papaing I have got to age baby up and I'm sorry but it must be done. not too much they're still not an adult but they're not quite so baby anymore think like thirteen or fourteen now

when I said I would post Tuesday this isn't the Tuesday I meant, but, well, there's a reason I chose family fluff. I'm also probably gonna make a masterpost for these cause I can't be bothered to link these all in every post, I'll update the link as soon as I make it

all papa pierro posts

A little older and a lot more independent, you tend to spend a little less time around your beloved Papa, now having several responsibilities of your own and an ever-busy Father doing his best to provide for you but having dedicated so much time to keeping you safe in your early childhood you have to cut him a little slack. That's not to say he doesn't keep you safe now; he regularly finds himself making mental checklists for you before you go out, all of which are some of the most outlandish things you've heard possibly going wrong.

Some things make sense, like remembering to wear your coat when you go out, but other things not so much.

He's still using his old scare tactics too, but thankfully you definitely don't doubt that Dottore would be more than glad to amputate your fingers and toes for you to do precisely as you're told the second that leaves his mouth. Don't go into his lab under any circumstances is also still quite common to hear.

Now that you've got a little more sense to you, Pierro allows you to wander as you please and see who you see fit, though he doesn't necessarily enjoy the things you get your hands on as a result of doing so. Each time you stick your nose somewhere you know you shouldn't be, obviously endangering yourself, you receive a harsh scolding for your antics the second he finds out, and he always finds out.

He won't be entertaining a single one of your thoughts about 'when' you join the Fatui, insisting that you will, in fact, not be doing so, for as loyal as he may be to the Tsaritsa, he was not bound by any deal to her to give up his firstborn child to her like a horror of mythic folklore and, as a result, will not be doing so. As his only child, you can forget about joining the Fatui as it's far too dangerous, and there are plenty of ways for you to be helpful without being directly involved if you truly wish.

That's such a horrifying thought that he didn't even half-heartedly encourage it when you were younger.

Pierro will pretend not to notice that you sneak out to persuade Tartaglia - who easily turns to mush at your request - to teach you something of the many weapons he has learned, just as long as you don't get hurt in the process. Thankfully, you picked a kinder teacher, as he wouldn't want you to think you should try to learn from Capitano or Arlecchino, whose ideas of teaching are far too hands-on for you to handle.

The most he intervenes is asking Columbina, of all people, to keep an eye on you in these times, as he knows that, inevitably, you'll find your way to her in pursuit of what you really want - something which even Childe cannot teach you - the skills required of a mage. Admittedly, it's not her most substantial hand either, but in the obvious absence of your own Father as an immediate candidate, she will at least provide you with the basics. He will only teach you what he wants you to know when you come to him.

Khaenri'ah had its own unique ways of magic, all of which you should know, being descended from the place. It's important to him that even if he won't allow you to do the one thing he's tried to get you to shut up about for years now and which Pierro absolutely has the power to stop you from doing, he at least imparts the very thing you would be using in that situation just in case you manage to get around him. Knowing how much of your life you've spent doing that, he has no doubt that at some point in your adulthood, you'll double-cross him and join the Fatui anyway. Pierro is simply lying to himself that you won't.

However, teaching you magic is a way of bonding with you. No one else in your life can, so he takes up upon himself to make sure that you learn from him, as he wants you to know as much about your homeland as possible. If not for the fact it had been destroyed, you would have grown up there, but in its absence, Pierro is raising you as something of a fish out of water. Many things left to the Gods were not commonplace in Khaenri'ah, so even though you seem to need to understand their importance, he teaches you much about creating life through alchemy. However, you can't do it yourself, nor does he particularly want you to.

It's too slow for your liking, but as far as you know, your only other option is to ask Dottore, who created his segments that way, or Scaramouche, who was created that way. One of those choices doesn't know or discuss the details of his creation with nosey little kids, and the other will get you in trouble with just about everyone involved.

You just have to accept that you must be patient - probably a part of your lesson - and wait for your Father to get to the exciting things you want.

You're still very set on joining the Fatui even with the bit of leniency he allows you and his most incredible efforts will not shut you up, even if you pretend they will.

[aimlesspixel]

Part 2 of my in stars and time continuation fic

Read part one here if you're interested.

You're floating, in a sea of lightless space, stars of pure darkless dotting your surroundings. You're not alone here you can feel it you're not sure where but you know it's not harmful, maybe it'll show itself if you wait. It's quite peaceful here amid the sky, ripples begin to flutter across the lightless sea around you making the stars shift and constellations dance it all seems so close here yet so far. The stars darken as you hear something call out to you and…

"Hey… Hey. HEY, cmon stupid frin! Breakfast's ready we're gonna finish it all without you if you don't get the crab up." "Now now Bonbon you've made plenty for everyone and I'm sure Sif will be up in a moment." "Fine! I'll put peppers in it instead hehehe." "Now that's a credible threat, you better get up soon Siffrin."

You open your eyes to see Bonnie peering down at you… that's weird you could've sworn you were sleeping in your tent but the area above you distinctly lacks such an implement. Oh well you will yourself up and move to grab a plate. Just as Odile said there is a enough food for everyone. A good start to another day of travel if you do say so yourself I mean you're up before the sun finished rising! You'll get plenty of time to travel like this.

Odile seing you've finished your slightly spicy breakfast calls you over "Siffrin a moment please I would like to get this over with before we're done cleaning up."

You nod at her in acknowledgement and walk over. She and Mirabelle are in charge of making sure you're not overexerting yourself after the whole almost ending the world buisness. It's a bit embaressing but you don't want to worry them or get worse so you let them give you a check up.

Mirabelle looks you over while Odile takes your tempature and consults a transcription of a medical book she's gotten from the house's infrimary. Isabeau and Bonnie look at the process with slightly worried expressions.

Odile - "Well as far as I can tell you're not any worse for wear so I think the pace we've been keeping will be fine for now. Any objections Mirabelle?" Mirabelle - "I can't see anythng wrong but just to make sure you're feeling up to it right Siffrin?"

You feel alright even despite the weird sleeping spot maybe a little sleepy still but nothing serious. "Yesterdays pace is fine." Isa and Bonnies faces ease up and they get back to making sure you haven't forgotten anything.

Odile - "Alright just remember keep the crafts to a minimum whenever possible you don't want to overextend and knock yourself out or something."

She doesn't have to remind you. You still feel drained in a more intangible way than usual and can tell you probably couldn't manage too many crafts without a break, best to avoid any wildlife then. The path is well walked making it easy to follow the darkless leaking through the trees as you walk along the path your family alongside you it's nice, It'll probably become routine again soon enough but while it's nostalgic again you relish in it. Mirabelle and Odile are discussing books of some kind maybe it's part of their book club they mentioned… oh wait have they mentioned that this time? You're not sure. Does it matter? You're glad they can discuss it regardless. Isa and Bonnie walk alongside you chatting with you as you travel. It's nice.

It only takes a few days to reach your first stop. You could tell you were getting close when the path changed to a stone road. You'll just be staying here a day but it's nice to see time flowing here again. The Defenders at the edge of town greet you all as you enter and you see some kids running around the town.

Isabeau - "We really did it huh? It's still a little hard to believe but…" Yeah. The atmosphere is so much better now that people who fled are returning and the ones who were frozen have begun to move once more. You recognize some of them from Dormont most of the refugees who fled there left ahead of you all to reunite with their loved ones and homes.

Some of the kids from Dormont and some you don't recognize run up to you all.

"Look! Look! It's Mirabelle! She's the one who kicked the king's crabbing butt!" "Yea It's thanks to them that everyone's moving again!"

One of the kids in particular gets starry eyed at this and runs up to Mira.

"Oh! You're the reason mom and dad are moving again! Thank you thank you thank you!!!"

They jump up and down a bit before Bonnie calls out "Hey it wasn't just Mira we all went into the house and kicked that Kings crabbing butt!" The kids gasp and look at everyone beside Mira including you.

"Whoaaaaa. So you went in to kick his butt too?" The kid asks expectantly at Bonnie. "Of course." They say standing proudly.

Mirabelle - "It's true we all worked together to save Vaugaurd." She looks at you "Maybe a little too hard for some of us." You look away.

The kids chatter around you for a bit before Odile intervines "We know you're all excited to see us but we need to find that Inn so we can rent a room for the night."

"Oh sorry." The kids turn and run off, the starry eyed one looks back one last time before going "Thank you again!" and they run off.