#what is happening… who died… why is his arm in a sling…

[livingincolorsagain]

more cap 4 set photos

[satoruxx]

SAUDADE.

✧ PAIRING: gojo satoru x f!reader, geto suguru x f!reader | 3.7k words

✧ SUMMARY: canon au, set after geto leaves so lots of unresolved feelings, alternate between past and present, megumi and tsumiki cameo, satoru has a raging crush on you but you're blind, suguru also had a raging crush on you but you were still blind, slight angst bc canon jjk events, lots of longing on suguru's end, you're confused af, satoru PINES for you and shoko is so tired of him, but overall very fluffy

✧ RHEYA'S NOTE: will i ever publish the actual canon au? who knows. this fic is written in that same au but it's just a snippet of their lives. if you've read angel on my shoulder, just know that's an alternate ending of this au where reader dies lol. but this is very sweet bc you don't die !! you and satoru love each other lots but suck at showing it. happy valentine's day everyone <33

you glance at satoru's giddy smile, wariness creeping up your shoulders before turning to shoko. "what's wrong with him?" you ask, shifting slightly from where you're leaning against one of balconies of jujutsu high.

"who knows?" she sighs, eyes flickering up to glance at the snowy haired sorcerer just barely before they turn back to you. "ignore him."

"hey!" satoru huffs, walking closer to sling an arm around your shoulder—casual, like it's something he doesn't have to think about. you grumble under the extra weight, shooting him a glare, but he's too busy smiling like he's up to something.

"so…" he grins down at you, eyes shining and full of mischief. "know what day it is today?"

you blink at him, trying to scour your brain. "what's the date again?"

satoru gives you a blank stare, before sighing heavily. "god you're slow. it's february 14th, stupid."

"oh," you reply blankly, relaxing because it's nothing inherently important. "so valentine's day?"

satoru's smile comes back full force—cheeky and blinding. "exactly! and when i went shopping today guess what happened?"

"what happened?" shoko asks boredly, shaking her head when she makes eye contact with you.

"well," he drags out the word, crossing his arms like he's pleased with himself. "i was walking along after picking up some sweets because—"

"because you have an addiction," you supplement, and satoru pauses to glare down at you, reaching out to flick a long finger against your forehead.

"it's not an addiction! and don't interrupt me! anyways—"

you smother a smile that shoko mirrors.

"—i was walking and then these two girls came up to me all smiley. like they were giggling and shit, right?"

"uh huh."

"and they started going on and on about how i was the most handsome guy they've ever seen. and then they asked how come i was walking around by myself on valentine's day."

you blink, suddenly feeling a strange mix of interest and irritation.

"so i told them that it's not really my thing and that i didn't have anyone to celebrate with anyway. and then they said it was actually a crime that someone like me was single on valentine's day."

you have to suppress a roll of your eyes, though you're not sure why.

"so basically the moral of the story is that i'm extremely charming and super good-looking too! and that girls love me!"

he looks at you, eyes scrutinizing your expression as you glance at shoko, unimpressed.

"that's it? that's your crazy story?"

"well you guys always say i'm full of it when i call myself hot! now i have proof that it's a universal truth!"

"well we're not stupid—" shoko rolls her eyes, hugging her arms to push away the cold as she leans against the railing. "—we know you're freakishly hot. you're just obnoxious and we like teasing you."

"ugh." satoru rolls his eyes, huffing as he stretches his joints. "you guys are ridiculous. and—"

he pauses, an odd expression crossing his face as he blinks in thought. then he's turning to you with the most smug smirk you've ever seen on him. "wait. you think i'm hot?"

you frown, lips parting in mild confusion. "huh?"

"that's what shoko just said. that you think i'm freakishly hot."

your brows shoot up, an unfamiliar rush of heat crawling up your skin. "but she said both of us! like it's just something that's obvious. i mean as long as you have eyes anyone can see—"

"oh so it's obvious, is it?" satoru's expression is oddly giddy, a pink flush settling high on his cheekbones.

you gape at him, suddenly speechless. you don't remember satoru ever having the ability to make you speechless before.

you can't comprehend the stirring in your chest—uncomfortable and unfamiliar.

"you—" you scoff, reaching up to shove him away. "you're full of shit. doesn't change no matter how hot you are."

shoko has gone quiet, eyes darting between you and satoru with an uncharacteristic glint of curiosity. but satoru's gaze does not stray away from you, pearly whites on full display as he licks his lips. he doesn't say anything else, running his fingers through his hair.

"sure sure," satoru hums—pleased. "whatever you say."

you throw shoko an exasperated glare, and she shakes her head, though there is a shine of amusement in her eyes—like she knows something that you don't.

"i mean, they were right you know?" satoru ponders, leaning back against the railing. "why aren't we doing something fun today? we used to go out and buy a shit ton of chocolate back when—"

he stops, expression going sour, before disappearing all together. there is a clear absence, one that the three of you notice but try not to linger on.

("valentine's day?" suguru had asked years ago, glancing down at you with a smile. "you like it?"

"definitely not," you reply, cheeks warming as you fiddle with the sugared churros in your hand, unable to look at him. "what's so great about a day where couples spend a shit ton of money on each other to make the rest of us singles feel miserable?"

a muted chuckle, and when you look up suguru's eyes are shining with mirth. "i'm sure you wouldn't think that if you weren't single."

"i guess," you huff, glancing at the sidewalk. your face feels like it's on fire—but suguru has always had that effect on you. "not very likely to happen though."

the expression suguru throws you will linger in your mind until the day you die. "what do you mean?" he asks—incredulous, like you were speaking nonsense. he stops in his tracks, the busy streets bustling around him as you continue to walk.

you take a bite of your churro, glancing back at him with clear confusion. "huh? oh i just meant me dating someone is unlikely," you shrug, though suguru looks speechless, lips parted and eyes wide behind dark bangs.

"why on earth do you say that?" he asks, shoving his hands into his pockets. he seems to visibly shake off his initial shock to continue walking, and you patiently wait for him to rejoin your side—he does.

"i don't know," you say, somewhat bashfully because you don't usually talk about these things with him. "do you really think there's room for things like that in our lives?"

"do you?" he counters, and you're too busy formulating your answer to notice that he's oddly interested, eyes continuously darting over your face.

"i mean, it'd be great if there was," you ponder, taking another quick bite. "it'd be nice to be able to settle down with someone even after all the crap we've gone through."

"right…" suguru seems to nod along with you, matching your steps even with his longer stride.

"but—" you stress. "considering that most of us are too traumatized or dead by that time, i don't have much faith."

you laugh at your own statement, but there isn't much amusement in it at all. putting it into words makes you truly realize how shitty your lives are even at such a young age.

your mind drifts to the cerulean eyed sorcerer who's currently off in a different city, being made to fight because he is god on earth in a seventeen year old body. it drifts to a brown haired girl who sits, secluded in a room as bodies are sent to her on a conveyor belt, her hands outstretched to feel blood and gore and horror day in and day out. then it drifts to the boy who is most like you, the one with the dark bangs who rationalizes this pain, this service you have devoted yourselves to with the need to do good for others—because there is no other explanation for why you have to go through this.

the same boy who takes your answer in critically, eyes heavy with an oddly somber sheen. he doesn't say anything, thinking hard, and you focus on eating your churro because you've never once found silence with suguru to be uncomfortable.

you are halfway finished when he breaks it.

"well…" suguru's voice is oddly high, a tick of nerves that doesn't usually infiltrate his calm tone. "if there was room for it, what would a good valentine's day look like for you?"

you laugh, loud and unfiltered, and suguru's skin flushes at the sound.

"i don't know!" your laughter dies down into hushed giggles. "i can't think of anything. besides this is stupid as hell!"

"indulge me," he says quietly, and when you turn to look up at him he's staring at you deeply—eyes hooded and smile gone. you suddenly feel oddly parched as heat crawls up your neck.

"um—" you swallow, the churro in your hand forgotten as you glance at the sidewalk again. "i-i'm not sure. i've really never thought that much about it."

"would you want flowers?" he asks. you suddenly become acutely aware that his voice has gone lower, throaty and deep in a way that sends chills up your spine.

you shake your head quietly, somehow nervous to look at him. "it makes me sad that they die off in a few days. better to keep them planted than cut them for a bouquet."

a quiet huff of laughter—fond and nostalgic. "that's on par for you. very in-character."

you lick your lips, tasting the sugar from the treat in your hand. "i guess…maybe i'd like chocolates?"

"chocolates?" suguru repeats, like he's surprised. you don't know why his reaction has you stumbling, but you shake your head quickly, appalled that you're even telling him this in the first place.

"i mean—it's not a big deal or anything! even just a small box of them would do! i don't really care anyway—"

"i would've guessed you'd like a plushie or something along those lines." he hums, a small smile stretching across his face. there's a dust of color blooming across his cheekbones, and you think he looks unfairly charming.

"that's good too!" you reply, too quickly, before catching yourself and ducking your head. "i mean…i don't know. plushies are really cute. i think they'd be a cute gift."

there's a beat of silence, and when you look up suguru is smiling at you like you've just put the stars in the sky for him. he hums to himself, eyes darting around the streets and looking much more at ease than he did a few minutes prior. you find yourself unable to look away.

"what would you want?" the words escape before you can stop them.

"me?" he asks, tilting his head in mild surprise.

"yeah. what would you want for valentine's day?"

suguru blanches, gaze darting over your facial features with shocking speed. it lingers on your eyes, before flickering downward, then shooting back up. you're trying to trace them but they're too fast, and he shuts them before you can process anything. he keeps his eyes closed as you curiously await his answer.

to this day you don't quite understand what he meant.

"anything i can get," he answers with a rueful smile, shaking his head at you fondly. his eyes bore into yours with an intensity you've never seen before. "anything at all.")

a familiar voice tickles your ear amongst the silence even now, and you rub your palms together. you can feel satoru's gaze on you, trailing over your expression—searching, analyzing.

you let him—used to it.

"that's enough of that for now. plus don't the two of you have to go check on the kids today?" shoko asks, eyeing the two of you pointedly. her voice has a strain to it, one that you can only pick up because you've known her so long. but you're grateful for the change in subject as you glance at satoru, who checks his phone.

"ah shit. they should be back from school by now but we were supposed to pick up some groceries beforehand," he mutters under his breath before looking down at you. "you wanna head over there first and i'll go get some stuff?"

"sure," you reply, patting shoko's shoulder in farewell. satoru steps closer, digging into his pockets before dropping the apartment keys into your palm. he pushes his shades up the bridge of his nose, eyes trailing over your face like he's searching for something, and yet you can't make out what.

a beat of silence.

"d-don't forget to get some of those cookies tsumiki said she liked last time." you drop the keys into your bag and shrug off the odd feeling of this conversation—something strange that you don't feel like looking into because you're scared of what you'll find out about yourself.

satoru's eyes go soft, a mixture of somber and affectionate, and he smiles easily. "you got it." he reaches out to ruffle your hair, licking his lips as he heads for the door. "see you later."

you watch him go, and think that you'd rather have him by your side. but you keep that to yourself—so used to sewing your mouth shut.

("which do you want?" you ask satoru, who peers at the shelves over your shoulder. his close proximity does nothing to you, but he seems oddly giddy when he glances at your side profile.

"hmm, the white chocolate," he answers, low and hushed, like it's meant only for you to hear. you can feel the energy radiating off of him—can feel it shake your very soul.

"okay," you reply, reaching up for the box, but satoru beats you to it. he stretches up, towering over you and you shoot him an playful glare. he had gotten a growth spurt over the holidays and wouldn't let you forget it.

"aw this is so sweet of you," he teases, excited and all too pleased. you roll your eyes, hiding a smile.

"you're the one who's been bugging us for valentine's day chocolate."

"like it wasn't a good idea," he counters with a grin. "even if we're all single we should still get chocolate."

you snort in amusement, before turning to call out across the aisle. "suguru which one should i get you?"

the dark haired male meets your gaze, and the warmth of it sends a tickle through your stomach. he shakes his head with a gentle smile, eyes crinkling at the corners. "don't worry about it. you know i'm not big on sweets anyway."

you deflate—he smiles at you like he's happy you asked.

"you can give me his share," satoru interjects with a playful smirk, pressing his palm into your shoulder. you shake your head in exasperation.

"no way. i'm still going to get him something." your eyes dart across the shelves, before you reach up and pull down a box of unsweetened chocolates, tied with a red ribbon. "this should be good."

satoru eyes the box, and you glance at him. "suguru would like these right?"

"yeah," he shrugs, before crossing his arms. "as long as they aren't crazy sweet. he hates sweet stuff."

"okay good. then i'll get him these!" your smile stretches wide, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

"you're being awfully thoughtful today," satoru comments. you look at him quickly, quirking a brow.

"well i can't just get you one. you're not my only friend." you shoot back.

satoru grins. "guess that's true."

his arm takes its position around your shoulder as you head towards the counter.

"you were really particular about getting suguru something though. any special reason?" he pipes up, and you immediately go still, looking at him as you try to bite back an uncharacteristic surge of panic.

"of course not! i got something for everyone. i even got shoko the rum and raisin chocolates." you say quickly, fighting the urge to crumble under satoru's implications. "besides this was all your idea anyway!"

you dig into your wallet, pulling out exact change and smiling at the cashier, who puts all of your chocolates into a bag. you decide you'll gift them later, when you're in the comfort of the dorm.

"okay let's leave—" you pause when you turn around, breath catching.

because satoru is staring at you, an odd expression on his face. there's something behind his eyes—realization mixed with another emotion you can't quite place.

you're not sure if the expression excites you or scares you.)

you don't expect tsumiki to be so excited when you push open the door. she bounds out of her small bedroom, practically tripping over herself as she chants your name over excited giggles.

"hey kiddo, how was school?" you smile as she throws her arms around your waist. you pat her hair, making a mental note to take her for a haircut sometime soon.

"good! my friends gave me some chocolates today!" she's giddy as she says this, and you smile playfully.

"oh yeah? any boys?"

she immediately flusters at your quirked brow and teasing grin. "of course not!"

you laugh, patting her head again as you take a seat on the couch. "okay okay! where's your brother?"

you don't see the dark haired nine-year-old anywhere. normally he'd be doing his homework at the kitchen table—so much more diligent than you ever were at that age.

"he's in his room," tsumiki answers, and your eyes catch the sneaky bit of amusement in her face.

"doing what?" you ask curiously. she smothers a smile, shrugging.

"i'm not sure." she raises her voice to call out. "megumi! she's here!"

you can hear him grumbling down the hall, hear his little footsteps padding across the floor—affection swells within you.

you think back to the day satoru dragged you to meet him, and you internally remind yourself to thank him.

"hey gumi." you offer the kid a smile, though it falters when you notice the way his hands are hiding behind his back even as he mumbles a quiet greeting in return. "what's wrong?"

"i…" his voice catches, and you notice the heavy pink flush crawling up his neck and into his cheeks. "i just wanted to…"

he trails off again, and tsumiki nudges him discreetly. "just do it!" she whispers, not all that quietly. your eyes dart between them in confusion, and megumi tries to sink into his sweater's collar.

"megumi what's wrong? are you okay?" there's a note of concern you can't keep from your voice, and tsumiki gently pushes him closer to you. "did something happen?"

"no…" he mumbles, attempting to hide his face even more. "i just wanted to…give…"

you blink owlishly. "give…?"

megumi lets out an exasperated huff, brows pinching helplessly before thrusting his arms into your line of sight. "here!"

your lips part. in his little hands are a box of chocolates and a small stuffed bear.

"this is…" you trail off, taking them from his hands.

"he wanted to give you something for valentine's day! to show you how much he appreciates you!" tsumiki interjects, practically bouncing on her feet.

"no i didn't! it's just chocolates stop making it sound like such a big deal!" megumi immediately snaps, glaring at his sister. you can practically see his cheeks burn with embarrassment, and you think you will never stop caring for this kid. there's a tickle of a distant memory—small fists clenched around a backpack and deep green eyes that stare up at you in childish apprehension.

those same green eyes now sneak glances at you, assessing your reaction, and you decide to put him out of his misery.

"this is so sweet megumi. thank you!" you smile at him gratefully, touched beyond recognition. your heart swells with affection once more.

megumi shoves his hands into his pockets, a stubborn pout on his face that makes the fat of his cheeks look that much more endearing. "whatever, it's not a big deal."

tsumiki shoots him a glare, before turning to you with a wide smile. "he says that but he was really excited to get you something!"

megumi gapes at her, eyes going wide in betrayal before they narrow. "shut up! besides it was gojo-san who gave me the idea!"

you blink, before smiling somewhat gingerly. though there is a strange sort of satisfaction in you when you hear those words—the mention of satoru's name. as detached as he tries to remain, you know all too well how much more there is to his character.

"i thought gojo-san would suggest flowers," tsumiki ponders, reaching out to squish the little bear before looking at you curiously. "aren't flowers a typical gift to get someone for valentine's day?"

you shrug, smiling carelessly. "i guess so. but i'm glad he didn't because i don't really like flowe—"

it hits you. echoes of a conversation that occurred many many winters ago. it washes over you, a refreshing tide that cools your skin and tickles your face.

of course, it made sense now that you thought about it. there were no secrets between satoru and suguru after all.

a chime cuts through the silence. you glance down at your phone to see a casual text from the snowy haired wonderboy who has been by your side since the beginning, and you can't help but smile.

i'll be home in a minute :P

a promise that has remained constant all these years.

so you type back.

hurry back. waiting for you.

you smile to yourself, heart thudding heavily against your ribcage. "hm."

tsumiki quirks a brow. "what?"

"nothing," you shake your head, wetting your lips as you reach down to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. she smiles at you, stars in her eyes, and you think you'll remember that smile forever. "i was just thinking."

"about what?" megumi can't stop the curiosity from seeping into his voice as he peers at you. you grin, gently patting his head with the bear plushie and laughing when he swats you away.

"valentine's day," you answer, smiling at them as you stand up to head to the door. you already know who's about to knock. "i was just thinking that it's not too bad of a holiday."

[startrekfangirl2233-writes]

Sex on The Beach (What a Treat)

Robert 'Bob' Floyd x Reader

Description: You love being a part of the Dagger Squad, but you're well aware there isn't a lot going for you as a woman. You go out on dates - often. But none of those men every meet the mark. Can one drunken night on the beach and one gorgeously bespectacled WSO change your mind? Only the ocean and its waves and your own beating heart can say.

Themes: Virginity, First time, Dirty Talk, Jake has a surprisingly terrible sex story (it's right in the beginning)

Warnings: Bob Fucks!

Word Count: 3291

A/N: This fic is wholly self-indulgent and came to me in an ovulating daydream right in time for @attapullman's International Bob Floyd Fucks Month! I hope you all enjoy it! I'm proud enough to say that yes indeed, Bob Floyd fucks!

Thanks to @horseshoegirl for beta reading this fic for me and telling me that I wasn't writing Bob terribly.

My Masterlist

AO3: Cross-posted Here!

Wattpad: Cross-posted Here!

The night is cool and clear. A salty breeze rifles through your hair and dampens your face in soft gusts. It’s late, but on the other side of the bonfire, the other Daggers are continuing the party. A part of you is sure the party will still be going when the sun rises. You’re drunk, inhabiting that state of being between tipsy and drunk off your ass. Your cheeks feel hot, and your tongue is uncooperative. You’re not sure when the conversation veered right into a discussion of sex, but it did. You’re also not sure why you’re helplessly giggling about sex with Phoenix and Hangman, of all people.

“And then she bit me!”

You and Nat take one look at each other and cackle. You inhale a little and giggle out, “D-did she really bite your…?” 

Jake nods ruefully, a blush rising on his chest as Nat falls back with another delighted peal of laughter. You’re not sure you can look at the man when he looks like he’s still in pain just at the memory of what happened. His blush seems to intensify the more your delighted laughter rings out, and every time you look at Nat, it sets you off again and again. You feel like you can barely breathe; you’re laughing so hard. 

When you gasp for breath and sip your drink, your cheeks feel hot, and you can feel the sweat on your temples. You hold the frosty bottle up to your face in a futile attempt to cool off a little. It’s not like you’re wearing too many clothes, choosing to sling on an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of cutoffs over your bikini when the night cooled.

“You know, you’re laughing awfully hard for a girl who hasn’t said a word. We’ve heard from Tash. You’ve obviously heard from me. It’s your turn.” 

All of a sudden, your mirth dies off, instead turning into a cold sweat prickling across your exposed skin. You’re trapped in their gazes, Nat’s whiskey eyes staring you down coolly amused while Jake’s absinthe-colored orbs seem to glare right through you.

“Come on, Artemis.” 

When Nat begins to plead along with Jake, you cover your face with your fingers and collapse until you can hide your face in your knees. 

“Seriously, Artie. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. After all, I’d love to know if you can top getting bitten on the dick mid-blowjob!”

“Seeing as how I don’t have a dick, that would be kind of hard, Bagman!” You deadpan.

But neither of them is pleased with your only input to the conversation so far. They keep needling you, poking and prying. Jake keeps calling you Artie, too, like only he ever has. Ultimately, that’s what has you lifting your head and glaring right at him.

“Don’t call me Artie!” You point at the grinning blond and wag your index finger.

“There she is!” When your glare narrows, he mimes, zipping his lips closed.

You can’t make eye contact as you spit out in a low hiss barely audible over the hissing fire, “I-I’ve never had sex before. I’m a virgin.”

But they heard you, if the wide-eyed glances they share are any indication.

“How is that possible?” 

Nat wraps an arm around your shoulders. You shrug, staring into the distance behind Jake’s head. Unconsciously, the three of you have gravitated to the spokes of a triangle, your legs tangled in the center of the blanket in a pile of sand-encrusted limbs. You’re pretty sure you’ve got Jake’s foot poking into your shin, and one of Nat’s legs is slung across yours.

“I’m always going out on dates, so that can’t possibly be true, right?” 

But, you have to snort just remembering those dates. “Those guys have always just fallen flat. They’re perfectly nice, decent guys. But we never seem to click. There’s no spark when they kiss me clumsily goodnight outside my front door.”

“Maybe you need to look a little bit closer to home for that kind of intimacy?” 

Your head snaps up at the sudden loud, obnoxious tone in Jake’s voice. 

“C’mon Tash. Our Artie is a little boring right now. What do you say we go grab a few more drinks?”

You’re too drunk for this shit, and you’re grumbling that fact as you watch Jake and Nat trip and lean over each other as they walk toward the other Daggers. In truth, it would probably make sense if something was going on between the two of them, though you wouldn’t bet on it.

“Y-you’re a virgin?” 

The words are said so quietly you half think they’re a figment of your imagination. But you know that voice too well to think you're dreaming.

“But you’re so pretty, Artemis. Those men didn’t deserve you, not at all.”

You smile and pat the blanket with your hand. Bob sits gingerly on the edge of the blanket with his back to the Daggers.

“It’s nice of you to say so, Bob.” His cheeks are pink, and his blue eyes are dark and deep as they stare into your own.

“I’m serious. If it were me, I’d have kissed you until your head was spinning, and those pretty lips were all swollen for me.” You can’t breathe for a completely different reason in comparison to all those minutes ago. You can smell whiskey on his breath, coupled with the smokey sweetness of the bonfire and the floral notes from his cologne.

“Why haven’t you, Bob?”

“I’ve seen the guys you go out with, Sweetheart.” He chuckles, and you can see stars reflect in his lenses, refracting over navy eyes, as he tips his dark blonde head back. “They’re sexy, suave, and debonaire. Why would you pick me over one of them?”

The self-deprecation in his voice has your mood sobering unexpectedly fast.

“You’re just as sexy, suave, and debonaire as they are, Bob.” He snickers gently at your phrasing.

“You don’t really believe that.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Unconsciously, you lean forward, needing to get closer to him. One of his hands rises to cup your cheek, and your eyes flutter.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” you muse.

 He hums, and his big thumb swipes gently across your cheek.

“Maybe it’s because I haven’t trusted any of the men I go out with.”

“And you trust me?”

“Yes.”

The moment feels electric, like sparks skittering across your skin. Bob’s eyes keep glancing over your lips. The alcohol flowing through your veins frees your inhibitions as you stand and brush sand off of the back of your shorts. Bob blinks at your sudden movement, mouth parted sweetly as you reach for his hands. When he’s standing, he runs his hands through his hair, leaving minute grains interspersed through the golden threads. You can feel his gaze on your skin as you bunch the blanket over your forearm.

“Come here.” You take his hand in yours, gently tugging him away from the bonfire and your friends. Nobody notices your disappearance, which suits you just fine. You make for the little lifeguard shack a couple hundred feet down the beach and lay the blanket out in its shadow.

“What're we doing all the way out here?” 

Instead of responding, you fist your hands in his shirt and tug his mouth down until it meets yours. The kiss starts clumsy and bumbling, just a brush of skin to skin. It feels like Bob is trying to figure out how genuine you are, so you keep the pressure light. Already, this tender, fumbling kiss is a million times better for you than those first kisses with those other guys. When Bob gasps and his big hands curl around your hips, you moan.

That small sound leaving your mouth makes Bob wild. His hand wraps around the base of your skull as he licks into your mouth. It feels like you're burning up, skin bursting fever hot just at his touch. His hands divest you of your button-down and your shorts; his fingers are studied and quick as he whispers filth into your ears. His tongue traces hot over your pulse, sucking and nibbling and teasing. You chase after his mouth when he pulls away, whimpering as you rub your thighs together.

“You’re so beautiful for me, my lovely Ari.” His eyes are dark now, just a thin rim of blue wrapped around his pupils as he presses you down onto the blanket.

You’re keening, babbling his name as you straighten his glasses. There's a fond, tender look in Bob's eyes as he dips down to kiss you again. 

“Shhh, darling.” His mouth drags wet over your collarbones. “I’m going to make you feel so good.”

When his calloused fingers drag your bikini top away, you shiver. Your nipples are peaked and hard as he gazes down at you. It should feel weird being so exposed to a colleague and friend, but all you want is to feel the hard length in his swim shorts pressed up against you. 

It's not a choice at all as you mewl, “Please.”

You could fall in love with Bob Floyd's smile, the smirk covering his face when he's feeling confident. When he wraps his lips around the peak of your breast, licking at the swollen flesh with his hot, wet tongue, you’re sure you could fall in love with his mouth, too. You feel like you’re drowning as Bob Floyd kisses over your stomach, placing tender kisses across the stretch marks slicing silver over your skin, as he kneads at your ass with big hands before undoing the knots of your bikini bottoms with his teeth. When the fabric falls away, you exhale, unsure when you started to hold your breath when you know you will need it. You can feel the heat of his breath against that most intimate of places, making you squirm.

“I've got you, Ari.” Even the endearment he's chosen, based on your unfortunate callsign, makes you ache for him. “Mmmm, you're so wet for me.”

His fingers dip gently through your folds, the slow, languid motions making something simmer in your veins. His fingers already feel different from your own, filling your sopping cunt in ways that your own can’t. The brush of his tongue over your clit has your hands burying in his hair, tugging at the soft strands. But his mouth doesn't stay there, nipping at your hips, the tender skin between your thighs, at the soft skin where your pelvis meets your legs. You lose yourself in the feeling of his mouth, babbling his name in whispers and moans. The buildup of your orgasm is already different from when you use your fingers; it is more intense and more fulfilling. When he traces figure eights over your clit with his tongue, you come hard, thighs shaking at the effort of holding them open around his head.

“So beautiful when you come,” he rasps. His glasses are fogged, and his lips are slicked with your release as he settles in between your parted legs. You tug Bob into a kiss, sliding your arms around his neck until his weight rests on you. You can taste yourself on his tongue as he kisses you slowly and sweetly.

“Are you sure you want me to do this for you, sweetheart?” His cheeks are pink, his hair falling onto his forehead as he growls the words out. 

“All you have to do is tell me, beautiful.” When he nuzzles your breasts and lays an open-mouthed kiss over the peaks, you’re more sure than ever. “We can stop the minute you’re not comfortable anymore. This is about you, after all.”

“Come here, Bobby.” 

He looks almost startled as you pull him back into a kiss, sliding your hands under the fitted shirt he’s been wearing all day. His skin is warm and silky smooth, lean muscles flexing under your curious touch.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.” You’re whining as you drag the shirt up, and you have to moan when he finally yanks it off. His hair is standing up on end, and his glasses are askew, but right now, you're not sure there is a sexier man on the planet.

“Fuck, you’re hot, Bob.”

His blush deepens, eyes wide at your horny declaration. 

“I mean it.”

You tug at the knot of your bikini, wrestling with the strings with clumsy fingers. 

“Come here, sweetheart. I’ll get the knot for you.” 

You should feel ashamed, naked out on the beach where anyone could happen to see you. But you’re not ashamed at all. His hands gently pushing your hair over your shoulder and his mouth kissing the nape of your neck are why. When the triangles of fabric fall from your skin, you turn and kiss Bob again. You could get drunk off of the feeling of his lips against yours, off the way he licks into your mouth. Emboldened by the look in his eyes, you let your hands trail down until they dip below the waistband of his swim shorts.

“God, sweetheart. There you go.” He’s grunting and gasping against your mouth as you wrap your hands around him. For the first time since you kissed Bob, you feel a little out of your depths. He’s big, so big that you need both hands to hold him, big enough you’re not sure he’ll fit. When you voice your worries in a quiet, gasping whisper, he chuckles.

“It’ll fit in that pretty pussy, baby. Just gotta work you up good, and it’ll slide right on in.”

You squeak as he lays you down again because, for the first time, you can hear his accent as he drawls out the words. From this angle, your mouth parts in shock at the sight of him. Bob’s biting at his lip as he rolls a condom on, and that sight makes you giggle a little.

“Of course, you have a condom on you.” 

When he snickers, you know you’re going to want more of this with him. “I, um… Jake gave it to me.”

You cover your face with your hands and squeal a little more.

“He’s been trying to get me to ask you out for months now, darling. I wish I’d known a few shots of tequila and a conversation about sex would be all it would take.”

“Are you calling me easy, Bob Floyd?” You’re pouting, but it doesn’t last for long as he seems to blanche at your teasing. When you laugh, he dips down to kiss you, and you hum at how good it feels. 

“I think we’re both a little easy for each other. All we needed was a little push.”

He runs his hands up your thighs, smoothing over the flesh as he parts your legs a little more. 

“It’s your last chance to stop this, Ari. You just have to tell me.” You can feel him hard against you as he kisses you again. “We can get dressed and just walk back to the bonfire. Maybe we can try again later.”

“We’re not stopping, not now, Bob.”

Your voice isn’t exactly firm, more breathy than anything, but it makes Bob smile. He guides himself into you, and from the first press, you’re sure you’ve never felt so full. It doesn’t hurt, but it does feel uncomfortable.

“Fuck, you’re tight, sweetheart.” There’s sweat beading up on his temples, and his jaw is tight as he growls out the words. “Gonna make you feel so good.”

“Relax for me, baby.” You melt when he kisses you, shivering at the feeling of his bare skin pressing into yours. He rubs gently at your sides, calloused fingers gentle as they pluck at your nipples. It’s when he kisses you again that you relax. Inch by slow, incremental inch, Bob fills you. He kisses you when you tense around his length, a WSO’s patience and talent filling each heavy moment. 

When he bottoms out in you, you feel like a live wire. The sparks floating across your skin are back, arcing through your veins until they’re molten with lust. The first few times he pulls out of you and presses in again, it feels just as uncomfortable as that first slow slide. When his fingers find your clit and massage it in counter rhythm to the push-pull of his cock, you gasp, open-mouthed and silent. All of a sudden, it feels so good; you couldn’t describe it if you tried.

“Fuck,” Bob’s vocal in bed. You wouldn’t think it, looking at him. It’s also incredibly flattering. “You’re so tight for me, Ari. Fuck, baby girl. Your pussy’s perfect. I’m so lucky.”

You’re gasping and moaning, trying desperately to quell the feral sounds spilling out of your mouth. Each thrust has your fingers scrabbling for purchase in the beach blanket under you, knuckles whitening under the pressure. Unbidden, you can feel your orgasm cresting, stronger than the last.

“Bob,” You’re nearly sobbing because everything you feel is nearly too much to handle. “Please, Bobby. Gonna cum!”

When those talented fingers find their way to your swollen clit and massage it, you come. His hips stutter even as your legs wrap around his waist, and he roars against your chest as he comes after you. You feel like you’ve been stunned. If this is what sex feels like, you’re not sure why you waited as long as you did. Or maybe it’s not just the sex that was mind-blowing, but the man you just had sex with? He’s blushing again, sweat dripping down his chest as he helps you dress with slow deliberate motions. You steal kisses whenever you can, because, yeah, you're falling in love with his mouth and his tongue and his voice.

“Got to get you cleaned up before we head back to the bonfire. C’mon, Ari.” 

After everything you’ve done with Robert Floyd, holding hands shouldn’t make you giggle so much. But you need his helping hand in more ways than one. There’s already a dull ache at the base of your spine, but you refuse to let that feeling beat you. 

Unfortunately, Bob leads you back toward the parking lot, squeezing your fingers and smiling softly at you as you lean onto him. But everything is dark and silent the closer you get. The bonfire is glowing embers in the sand, and all of the cars are gone from the parking lot. Your bag is sitting in the tailgate of Bob’s truck, and you have text messages on the device explaining how everyone has headed out. They’re from at least an hour ago.

He better be good to you, Artie. 

Jake’s message is the only one in which your friends allude to knowing what happened between you and Bob. When you turn back around, Bob’s biting at his bottom lip, worrying the flesh with his teeth. His hands are in his pockets, and for the first time, he seems anxious.

“Can I take you home, Ari?” 

You hum, tugging his mouth down to yours for another kiss.

“Take me home, Bob.” Your voice is a whisper as you let Bob crowd you against his truck.

“I can do that, Ari. But, can I also take you to dinner sometime, sweetheart?”

“Yes, please.” You shiver as he kisses your pulse. “But only if I get your big dick again, Bobby.”

He swats your ass as he helps you into the cab of the truck. 

“Everything I am is yours, baby girl.”

This sounds like the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Though, given the chance, you’re going to avoid having sex on the beach again. Sand rubbing you raw isn't quite so fun when you'd rather have Bob do that for you.

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN ON AO3, ON WATTPAD, OR ON TUMBLR BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE, ON WATTPAD, OR TUMBLR, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.

Taglist:

@shanimallina87 @chaoticassidy @kmc1989 @desert-fern @horseshoegirl @dakotakazansky @sarahsmi13s @teacupsandtopgun @callsignspitfire @roosterforme @thedroneranger @cherrycola27 @beyondthesefourwalls @mak-32

[onskepa]

Stxeli: I promise

Hellooooooo~!! Here is a new chapter of my stxeli series! Hope you all like this one! enjoy~!!

Stxeli series

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

“As a tsahik, you are busy every day sa’nok, what time would you have for my baby sister?” Little Neytiri asks as she narrows her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. Mo’at doing the same stance, “and as a warrior in training, you have lessons to attend to ma’ite. Being with your teacher and helping with the clan, what spare time do you have with stxeli?”. 

Eytukan couldnt help but let out a slow chuckle. They are at it again, his mate and child fighting over who can have stxeli for the day. It has become a daily thing, see who wins over stxeli. The baby in question was playing with some toys he carved for her, oblivious that her mother and sister are arguing over her. 

But eytukan decides to take matters in his own hands. He has a rare free day today, why not have a nice father-daughter day? Liking the idea, he grabs stxlie in his arms, and quietly tells his family he will take the baby for the day. But he doesnt think mo’at or neytiri heard him as they continue to argue. 

Walking around with stxeli in his arms, he lets her see their village, something the baby will never get tired of. Many young children say hello to him and his daughter, and he happily greets back. There is a lot they can do, but what exactly? She is fed and cleaned, so for the meantime he won't have to worry about that. 

“Aaaaababababa!!” Stxeli squeals happily, her chubby legs kicking in the air. Lately she has been getting more physically active. She can crawl, but hopefully, she will walk too. “I think I know exactly where to go,” Eytukan says. Stxeli looks up at him with her gummy smile, already showing two little white peaks growing. Her teeth are also coming too. 

They had her for a few months now, and already stxeli is growing up right before their eyes. Putting her on a carrying sling on his back, he sets out to a littler river not too far from the village. A place where children are often taken to learn the basics of fishing. And to enjoy fresh water. 

“Abaaaa?” Stxeli calls out, curious where her father is taking her. Smiling softly, he answers her, “you will have fun where I am taking you, perfect to play around”. 

The waters were calm and it wasn't that deep, perfect for stxeli to dip her little toes. Carefully bending down into the river, where it reaches up to his ankles, eytukan gently puts down his child. Firmly get gently holding her hands up as she laughs and giggles at the texture on her feet. 

Laughter fills the area, the child's innocent giggles eytukan’s ears. Pleased and happy that his daughter was enjoying the water. Splashing water around as she kicks around. Even jumping at times. Her smile is ever so contagious. 

Chuckling, eytukan sways her a bit, “alright lets try it, ready ma’ite?” he asks. Stxeli coos as if to answer her father. So, slowly, eytukan guide her step by step. Making sure the water doesn't slip her stance. “There you go, soon you will learn to walk and run. I am sure you will most likely hide behind our backs and scare us half to death” eytukan says while chuckling at his imaginary future. 

The more steps stxlie took, the more confident she got, taking bigger eager steps. “Easy my child, why in such a hurry?” he wonders while easily keeping up pace. Stxeli only said some baby words to answer him, still gripping tightly on his fingers. 

And to his surprise, stxeli took one big step and letting go of his grip. Was this the moment? 

No, one step and she fell on her bum against a rock. 

Not liking the stinging pain, with trembling lips, stxeli cries. Eytukan was quick to pick her up and rubs her little bum to soothe away the pain. “Sssshhh my young stxeli, no need to cry. It happens my child. Accidents happen and we learn from them” he softly whispers to her little round ear. 

Gently bouncing her on his arm, her little cries died down as she sniffs away her tears. Eytukan wipes away his daughter’s remaining tears and smiles, “see? All better. Want to try again?”. Stxeli was quick to shake her head in protest.  Eytukan accepts her choice and placed her on his lap as he sits near the river. 

Stxeli explores his giant hands, tracing his hand wrinkles and band armor. Her soft coos of wonder bring warmth to his heart. He lets her wonder more and she stumbles upon his songchord. The na’vi remembers how stxeli has taken a liking to mo’ats and neytiri’s songchords. Of course stxeli has her own, but it is safely tucked away back at their home. 

So, he takes out his song chord and swings it gently across stxeli’s face as she giggles, her hands chasing it. “You love my songchord don't you? One day, you will have your own, perhaps longer than mine. Long and beautiful, to sing and tell your story too” he tells her. Stxlie’s giggles are truly something. Her innocence and cheerfulness tug at eytukans heart. Every day he loves his child more and more. 

“Here, this is my story” giving his songchord to stxlie, he begins to tell of his beginning to now.

After a nice lunch of fruit, which is what stxeli seems to only eat. Eytukan takes her further down the river, where it leads to a little pond. Water seems to be an element stxeli has come to enjoy. Eytukan wouldn't be surprised if his child learns to swim before walking. But as they made their way, there were sounds coming from the forage in the forest. Sounds of leaves being moved, twigs break. 

He was quick to notice how silent the forest had become around them. Which can only mean one thing. 

A predator is near. Very near. 

And just like nothing, a growl was heard from his left, eytukan dodged it effortlessly. He grabbed his hunting knife as he held his child tightly. Stxeli began to whimper in fear. 

Taking a good look at what tried to attack him, it was a viper wolf. Not good. They always hunt in packs. Meaning there is more he doesn't see. Not waiting for the viper wolf to make its move, eytukan ran quickly. And like a trigger, many more viper wolves appeared from their hiding 

spots. 

This only made stxeli scream and cries out of fear. He would try to calm her, but right now her safety is his priority. 

If he could just-

Eytukan couldn't go farther as another viper wolf stood in his way. He can't fight with his child in his arms. The animal releases a mocking laughter, ready to lunge at the father. But eytukan was faster. Jumping high, he reaches for a vine and begins to climb. 

Stxeli was crying her little soul out, eyes puffy and cant seem to stop. Once eytukan reached high enough, he found a small nook in a tree. Perfect. Quickly he grabs giant leaves and makes a cushion for stxeli. 

“Ssshhh ma’ite. I'm here, I won't let anything hurt you” eytukan promises. Gently rocking his daughter to soothe her fears. “See? We are safe, come now. I believe it is time for you to nap” he coos. 

Hopefully she sleeps very soon, eytukan knows those viper wolves will find them. He took a wrong turn and now they are farther away from the village. He needs to drive them far away before he could proceed heading back. And there is only so much daylight left. He needs to think fast. 

So he takes his songchord out and sways it in a hypnotizing way. Stxeli follows his songchord, her eyes moving side to side. 

Hearing her fathers soft voice and his melody, stxeli closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep. 

Good. 

Gently he places her in the nook of the tree, adding more leaves for her head, cover and hiding the entrance as a disguise. Looking at his songchord, eytukan places it in stxelis chubby little hand to which she grabs it tightly in her sleep. 

Making sure he closes it well, he whispers a prayer. 

“Great mother Eywa, please do not let the dangers reach my daughter. Protect as I will guide the viper wolves back to you” 

And as if on cue, he can hear the distant mocking laughter of the pack. A plan began to form, moving away from where he hid stxeli, he yanks off a thick branch, and makes a weapon out of it. 

Viper wolves are vicious creatures where numbers are important. Attacking as one, will they get what they want equally. A clear strategy is there and it always works be it attacking a group, or a large prey. 

But clearly they underestimate the mighty olo’eyktan. 

One by one the viper wolves were taken down. Each slayed, and numbers dwindled in the pack. 

Eytukan roared out as he brought the viper wolves back to their great mother. With his makeshift spear, tough woof and a sharp stone in front, he pierces the animals in the vital parts of their body. 

What remained of the pack backed away and left. No longer seeing the worth of losing blood over one man. So they leave, running back to where they came from. And eytukan cries out his victory, raising his spear out to Eywa. 

Falling to his knees, fresh blood paint on his hands and body, he prays to the animals he had to end. And to hope they make a safe travel when they meet with Eywa. 

Atokirina surrounded the little nook where eytukan placed stxeli, quickly climbing to reach her. Mentally slapping himself, who knows how much time has passed, it was dark and he wasnt sure how long he was knocked out. 

However, he was forever grateful to see his precious daughter being protected by the great mother. Removing the leaves that hid her well, he looks inside. 

Stxeli was wide awake, with his songchord in hand and a little atokirina floating playfully around her. Her contagious giggles melted away his worries. Noticing him, stxeli reaches out for him. 

“Aba!” she calls out. Complying to her demand, he grabs her and holds her in his arms. Letting out groans of worry and relief. How close was he to losing another daughter. Gently stroking her soft little head, taking in her scent, its her. Stxeli is with him, alive and well. 

“Thank you great mother, I am forever grateful to you” he says to the atokirina. 

Eytakan was tired but he had to take stxeli back to the village before more danger lurks. So steadily, he makes it back. And does he have a story to tell. It might give mo’at a fightful scare, and probably a lecture. But it will be worth it. Any fight is worth it. All to keep his children safe. 

And so, after arriving safely back to the village. Eytukan was right. Mo’at wouldn't stop lecturing him as she tended to his bloody wounds, shoving medicine in his scares and mouth. And neytiri wasn't too far off either. Giving her piece of mind to him too. 

Yet after all that, he still clinged on to stxeli, who in return didn't want to be apart from him and happily clinged on to him too. Her little head always listening to his heart beat, while chewing on his songchord beads. 

So, in the fit of the moment, he held stxeli up, where they eyes could meet. A little drool escaped the baby’s mouth, but she was happy either way. Cooing at her father, her little fingers tickling his nose. So, placing his forehead against her smaller head, eytukan speaks. 

“As long I am alive ma’stxeli te taksha mo’at ite, I promise you I will protect you. To make sure no harm ever comes to you. So please, smile, laugh, live at your best. Your happiness is my greatest gift. I love you forever. That is my vow. My promise”. 

Aaaaaaaand that is it for this one! Yes I pulled some inspiration from kataru's screen time. Hope you all enjoyed this one! until next time! see ya!

Taglist: @galactict3a , @alastorhazbin , @vivangothic , @spookymomfriendtm , @moonchildxoxx , @thehoneymushroomhealer , @kat-the-kit , @my-skeleton-hats . @hoodiepandaninja16 , @sugurupookie

[hils79]

Hils Watches Mysterious Lotus Casebook - Ep 12

Good news for me, bad news for everyone else. It's time for me to watch another cdrama and since I'm already watching one I'm just going to start watching this daily instead of the occasional episode on a weekend.

If you thought I wasn't normal about this before, prepare for me to be even less normal now that I'll be watching it every day.

I can't believe I've watched 12 episodes of this and I've only just realised that Liu Yuning sings the opening theme song. Now it's even more DMBJ adjacent

Wait, what happened at the end of the last episode? Why is his arm in a sling now? Oh, is it from when he fell in the pond?

I can't believe that after all this time Di Feisheng managed to sneak up on Li Lianhua but he gasped and jumped. Is this like when animals pretend to be 'hunted' by their young?

Oh, yeah, I forgot he 'quit'. See, this is why watching things in slower time is a bad idea. I forget what happened. God, I've turned into one of those people who needs the 'previously on' that they used to have when shows aired weekly

Oh no he looks hot with his hair like that

Aww he's taking care of his puppy

Every case Li Lianhua tells everyone what happened, the murderer laughs and says there's no proof, then proof magically appears. I am rather fond of it.

I love that Di Feisheng keeps saying he doesn't care about cases and then threatening to torture confessions out of people. I'm quite sure he's actually having fun solving crime with Li Lianhua he's jut not ready to admit it yet

Sure, let's throw in some misogyny with the murder

Wait, why are they arresting the younger brother? He didn't kill anyone did he? He's just mentally ill.

He does this every time. "Oh, you won't confess? Fine I'll confess for you."

He deceived me!

He's so dramatic I love him

Wow, okay, I wasn't expecting him to find his senior's body this quickly. And handily it's right where they currently are.

Bare forearms. Scandalous.

I looks pleased (or as please as he gets anyway) that Li Lianhua finally found what he was looking for, and I don't think it's just because that means Li Lianhua will cure him.

Gosh, that looks like a painting

Oh shit I forgot that was also Fang Duobing's uncle

Oh is that what you're calling it

[havecourage-darling]

You’re slipping through my fingertips

The one where Eddie breaks his arm crowd surfing at his concert and the doctor at the ER is his ex-girlfriend he left behind when he got the hell out of Hawkins.

pairing: Rockstar AU! Eddie Munson x ER Doctor Adopted! Hopper Female Reader

wc: 9.5K

warnings/tags: cursing, lovers to exes to strangers to lovers?, post-break up, make up, everything pre/in s4 happened but eddie munson lives because I said so.

A/N: I don’t know why I’ve clung to adopted hopper reader but here we are. I have very little knowledge of how medical field works (my ten thousand nurse/doctor friends would be endlessly disappointed in me!) and bent it a little to fit the plot. Sorry!

Masterlist || AO3

When you were fourteen, you met Eddie Munson.

You were the new kid, first day of high school, and the cherry on top? The new deputy’s kid. Your dad had gotten a job offer in his hometown, Hawkins, and your mom hadn’t wanted to leave New York. After Sara…they fought all the time and when you’d chosen to go with your dad in the divorce, your mom had taken it as a betrayal. You’d begged him to choose anywhere else but he was adamant you’d love it. So here you were, a small, nosey, town in the middle of nowhere.

To your utter mortification, despite your student tour guide’s – Nancy Wheeler – multiple instructions, you couldn’t open your locker.

Anxious, pressure building behind your eyes, you tried for the tenth time. Suddenly, the locker next to yours slammed open and you jumped. A boy with bright wide eyes, a shaved head, and a nice smile blinded you. He’d taken the lock gently from your hands and with a kick to the door, it opened.

“The hinges stick. Jack, the guy who had it before you, always kicked it open.”

“Thanks,” you stammered.

“Yeah, anytime.” He shot you his own shy smile before disappearing around the corner.

And that had been all it took really. You had almost all your classes together that year and he got a kick out of your stories of New York. Eddie was constantly in motion -- hands flying, feet shuffling, head nodding – it was enticing.

After being assigned partners for some English project you couldn’t remember anymore, a few days before thanksgiving, he’d asked you out on a date.

You’d said yes.

And that was the beginning of everything.

Then – a few years later – Will Byers went missing. You got a little sister. Your father died. Eddie was accused of murder. You beat Vecna. Eddie almost died. Your father was alive. The town was too. You’d helped save the world. 

And that was the end of everything.

When you were twenty, Eddie Munson left Hawkins - and you - behind.

“How many fucking times have I told you not to do that?” Claire hissed, her cellphone cradled between her shoulder and her ear. She’d been on hold for a few minutes, making sure everything – as always – was being fixed.

“A thousand times,” Eddie sighed, grunting when the EMTs tightened the sling around his neck. To be fair, Eddie hadn’t crowd surfed in a long time. It was something about being back in Indiana – to where it had all started – that made his skin itch. Hey, he never said he wasn’t reckless.

“This should hold it. We don’t know how bad the break is until you’ve gotten some x-rays so please refrain from moving it as much as you can. How’s the pain level?”

Eddie had experienced worse. A flash of demonic bats clawing at him and your shaking hands covered in his blood danced across his memory before he shoved it to the back of his mind. “It’s not too bad.”

“Is there a chance we can unload in the med bay?” Claire asked, finally putting down her cell phone. “We left the guards back at the arena and they won’t be here for a few minutes due to traffic.”

The EMTs assured his nervous manager that they’d be able to get him into the ER with discretion. “Thanks guys,” Eddie said, remembering the covert look of awe in the driver’s eyes. Corroded Coffin had only recently started selling out arenas and stadiums but Eddie knew what a fan looked like. “If you want me to sign anything, I can do it. My writing hand is still good.” He wiggled his right hand.

“For fuck’s sake Munson,” Claire muttered, her brick of a phone creaking in her grip. She watched as the technician sheepishly handed him three random scraps of paper to sign.

Eddie waited as the doors to the ambulance opened and he was wheeled into a chaotic emergency room. An older nurse walked up to him with a smile and a clip board. “Hello, I’m Nurse Johnson and I’ll be taking you over to one of our private rooms down the hall.”

Claire scrambled to introduce herself and Eddie, mentioning his bandmates who were likely to be by soon.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a pretty big accident a few hours ago so we’re a little slow tonight. Our senior resident will be by to assess the situation shortly. Here’s the paperwork we’ll need and please rest assured Mr. Munson, we know how to be discreet. The journalists outside are not allowed anywhere inside,” she said, tone firm like she’d beat them herself if she had to.

“Thank you,” Eddie said, shooting the nurse a smile. She patted his good hand and finished setting him up in his bed.

“I can’t believe you’re this much of an idiot,” Claire said, settling in the comfy looking chair next to his bed. Her brows furrowed as she started filling out his paperwork. Eddie tried not to smile; Claire had been there with him since the beginning – the only manager willing to represent Corroded Coffin. “I had a date after the concert you know, life isn’t only centered around you.”  

He clutched his chest, groaning when it pulled on his bad arm. “You’re telling me, that this tiny chunk of rock in this universe, does not revolve around the lead singer?”

“I hate you,” she said dryly. “She was really cute too.”

“Yeah?” Eddie quirked a brow. Claire always had dates – he wasn’t worried for her. “What’s her name?”

“Rain.”

He snorted, seriously? “Sounds like a dud.”

“You always say that!”

“And am I usually wrong?” He asked.

“Yes!”

“What about Brittany? Or Jacob?”

Claire glared at him and Eddie grinned, knowing he had her. “We promised never to say their names out loud again!” Her chair screeched painfully as she stood, clip board clutched to her chest and eyes narrowed in his direction. “I’m taking this to the nurse, you shithead, don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

Eddie laughed as she walked out and shook his head. His arm really didn’t hurt much but he knew it was broken. Sighing, he knew he wouldn’t be able to play with it but he’d probably be fine to sing. What was their next city? Dallas? Chicago? They still had a few more national dates before their break. After those two weeks they were on to London.

Who did they have on standby for guitar? Jimmy? Fiona? Maybe Helene if she wasn’t busy…

“Claire?” Eddie called out. If they wanted to get Helene before she was booked for the year, they’d have to call soon.

The door opened and Eddie suddenly wasn’t sure he hadn’t actually hit head. His chest tightened, his lungs seemed like they didn’t want to work, and he was almost positive the ground shook beneath him.

“Hello sir, I apologize we’re a little short staffed at the moment. I’m Dr. Hopper, I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Let me just grab your chart Mr…” your voice trailed off, and Eddie watched as your hands tightened on the clip board in your hands. Then finally, finally, after almost ten years – your eyes darted back up to his.

“Eddie?”

Jesus Christ did he forget how he loved the way you said his name. “Hey Cap’,” he said, flashes of you in your soccer uniform bubbling to the surface. He’d once lost his voice during the championship junior year – it’d been your first year as captain and he knew how much you’d wanted to win. The image of you hoisting up the trophy in your arms, smile beaming and blowing him a kiss, was not one he’d be likely to forget.

You’d clearly grown up in the last decade. Your uniform in school had been something similar to his, jeans, band t-shirt, and chucks. Seeing you with your hair pinned back, a white coat, and scrubs underneath was…different. A pair of glasses were balanced on the top of your head and he itched to see what you looked like with them on. While the surface of you had changed, the shocked expression on your face sent a pang through his chest – you’d always been easy to read. At least to him. Clearly, not anymore.

“What the fuck?” You said, breaking the spell he’d been under. With a wince he tried to straighten up on the bed but hissed when pain shot through his arm.

He glanced back up at you and he watched a wall fall into place. Your face smoothed, your eyes blank, and you shook your head. “I – uh, I’m so sorry Mr. Munson. That was entirely inappropriate. I was…surprised.”

Mr. Munson? That was Wayne – or shit, his dad – he’d never been called Mr. Munson in his life. Not unless you counted teachers screaming after him.

“Please don’t ever call me that again, I think that hurt more than the arm,” Eddie said, fighting everything within him not to beam when your brow twitched. A little bit of amusement bled into your eyes before they darted down to his chart.

“Do you want me to see if another doctor can treat you?”

“What?” Eddie sputtered. He knew you hadn’t stayed friends but did you hate him that much? “No,” he said, stubbornly.

“Eddie, we dated for six years.”

And goddamn if those hadn’t been the best six years of his life.

“So? Doesn’t the code of ethics or whatever only extend to immediate family members?” He frowned. “If you’re here, I know you’re the best one of the bunch. So, I want you.”

Eddie ignored how the words sounded, the small hollow spot in his chest expanding in your sudden presence.

He watched you swallow visibly, your fingers clenching. “I see it says here you’re in for a fracture? We won’t know the extent of the damage or injury until we’ve gotten x-rays.” At his blank look you sighed. “If it needs surgery, I won’t be the one to do it anyway. You’ll be referred to a specialist I assume, considering the importance of the use of a musician’s arm.”

Wait, surgery? Holy shit, he hadn’t even thought of that.

“Hey, hey, we don’t know how bad it is. It could be a small fracture, a clean break, nothing indicates surgery yet,” you said, hand reaching for him like you were going to touch his good arm but remembered and avoided it at the last minute.

“That’s okay,” he said, eyes on yours. He didn’t know what he was saying at this point. You could suggest that he take of his clothes and run naked in front of the paparazzi outside and he’d do it.  

In fact, it took every ounce of energy he had not to reach out and grab your hand. He’d thought about seeing you so many times over the years, he never thought it’d be in an emergency room. Eddie had been back to Hawkins – of course he had – but you’d never been around. Dustin and Eleven told him you were at school most of the time. Eddie wondered if your smile was the same. Suddenly, a thought bubbled up to the surface, shit – he’d do anything to hear your laugh again.

Instead, you were staring at him like he was something you’d found in the forest. Something interesting to look at but not worthy of too much attention.

“Alright, uh – I’ll put in an order for the necessary scans and I’ll be by to go over the results. If you need any pain management or anything, please let Nurse Johnson know.”

This was wild. You were in his room talking about scans and x-rays when you’d saved the world together. He’d lost his virginity to you. You’d been this entire world and…he was supposed to be able to concentrate on anything else?

“Yeah, alright, thanks,” Eddie breathed, eyes still taking you in. He was working up the courage to ask you to stay, it felt like if you left his eyesight, he’d never see you again. A loud bang startled you both, popping the bubble, and he watched Gareth storm into the room.

“Dude, you’re fucking insane! Claire and Warren are going to hang you by the ba-” his voice got struck in his throat, choking, as he did a double take. “Hopper?”

The tightness in your face smoothed out and your eyes lit up when they turned to Gareth. “Oh my God you haven’t changed a bit!” You accepted his hug. Why the fuck did Gareth get a hug and a smile and he got tense silence?

Because he’d broken your heart. And you’d broken his. His mind reminded him painfully.

“We need to catch up, dude, I can’t believe you’re here. It’s like, kismet!” Gareth said, giving you another hug. You beamed up at him and Eddie bit down on his cheek so hard, he tasted blood. What the fuck? Since when did he ever get jealous of Gareth? “Is this where you ended up doing your residency?”

Wait, what? Gareth knew you’d gone into medicine? Your eyes darted to Eddie’s before skirting away. ��Uh, no I did most of my residency in New York. I’m a traveling doctor for now, as a senior resident, I’m only in Indianapolis for a month before I’m going back to Hawkins’ Hospital for a bit. I still haven’t made a decision what offer to take.”

“That’s so cool, I’m happy for you,” Gareth said, giving you another hug. You smiled at him – again! – and tapped your clipboard.

“I’m going to get these orders processed and someone will be by soon to come get you, okay?”

Eddie nodded dumbly, watching you as you all but ran from the room. Gareth turned his head towards Eddie, shit-eating smile widening, and crossed his arms.

Claire walked in, midway through hanging up her phone, and sighed when she saw Gareth. “I don’t even want to know how you got passed security.” She turned to Eddie. “Everything is under control. John is doing damage control at the venue and we’ve got additional security set up to keep the reporters under control. Warren’s outside in the waiting room waiting to slap you for doing something so stupid. I’ve apologized to most of the staff for the disturbance and ordered a bunch of food so they don’t hold it against us.”

“Thanks, C,” Eddie mumbled.

Shooting him a weird look, she turned to Gareth who sighed. “What the hell is wrong with him?”

“Did you, uh, see his doctor?”

Claire nodded. “I introduced myself to her on her way out.”

Eddie glowered. “That’s my ex.”

“So? We run into your exes all the time,” Claire joked, not entirely a lie.

“That’s Hopper,” Gareth said quietly, knowing you were different.

Claire’s eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. “That’s Hopper? The Hopper? Shit, Munson, you let that go?” Claire shook her head, eyes darting to the door like she could see you through it. “Even I was checking her out. Did you see her hips?”

“You check anything out with a pulse,” Eddie snapped, pathetically glancing at the door for a glimpse of you.

She pointed one long nail at him. “Hypocrite.”

“Alright, so I’ve got your scans back Eddie…” you walked into the room and your voice immediately trailed off at the sight of three sets of eyes on you. “Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Munson,” you stammered, “I didn’t know you were with visitors.”

Something in Eddie’s chest wanted to crack in two at the sound of your voice calling him Mr. Munson again. Like you hadn’t spent a whole life together. Like at one point you hadn’t been the woman he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with.

“Did she just call you Mr. Munson?” Warren asked, eyebrows quirking in a way that Eddie knew meant he wanted to laugh.

Your face immediately looked flustered and uncomfortable. Eddie jumped to defend you, not wanting to alienate you. “Ignore him, he’s a jackass. He’s the eldest of seven, it’s in his DNA to take the piss out of people.”

Warren chuckled, nodding and extending a hand out to you. “I’m Warren Hudson. Mr. Munson’s head of security.”

“Ah,” you nodded, clutching the folder in your hands tightly to your body. Eddie’s stomach flipped uncomfortably and he turned to glare at Warren when he realized Warren was checking you out.

Discretely, Eddie reached out to pinch his inner forearm and Warren jumped. “Alright, alright, message received.”

Claire, never one to not seize an opportunity to introduce herself, walked straight up to you. “Hi, I’m Claire – Corroded Coffin’s manager. I’ve heard a lot about you, it’s nice to finally meet the Hopper.”

Jesus Christ. Did no one on his team have any sense of decorum? Warren had just spent the last hour in his room refusing to leave because he wanted to meet the girl that ‘had Munson on his knees.’ Claire just flat out told him she wasn’t leaving until they’d finally met.

“For fuck’s sake Claire,” Eddie grumbled.

You, however, seemed to realize his team was fucking with him and smiled widely. “All good things, I hope? I’m Dr. Hopper. Nice to meet you both.”

“Of course! You can’t know Eddie for as long as I do without knowing about you!”

“Really?” Your eyes slid to his and he wanted to sink into the floor.

Before Eddie could get a word in, Claire lit up like a Christmas tree and Eddie groaned. Warren laughed, like the asshole he was, and shook his head. “You’re going to have enough with Claire on your case. I’ll be in the waiting room down the hall if you need me,” Warren said, leaning in to – mercifully – lower his voice. “I see why you’re so hung up on her now.”

“Get out,” Eddie hissed, narrowing his eyes at him.

Warren just laughed, head thrown back and fist bumping you on the way out.

After what felt like an eternity, Claire finished her verbal assault and turned back to him. “I like her Munson, why’d you keep her away for so long?”

You choked, coughing not covering up your amused laughter.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m being unprofessional on all accounts tonight,” you said, shaking your head and holding up an x-ray to the light. “The break is clean - it doesn’t even need to be set. I believe the EMTs in the ambulance said you’d managed to knock back into place? How you managed that I don’t even know…”

Claire turned to glare at him. “Because he thought crowd surfing despite the hundreds of times that I have told all of them not to do it would be good. I hope this teaches you a goddamn lesson Munson.”

“Probably not,” you muttered, gathering up the necessary supplies towards Eddie’s bed.

At Claire’s snort and Eddie’s indignant huff, he watched your head snap up. “Oh my God, I said that out loud.”

“Please, tell me how you really feel,” Eddie said, not able to help from goading you.

Your eye widened and hands came up in defense. “I swear, it was like a knee jerk reflex. Like that time you thought diving off your roof was a good idea – I’m pretty sure the only reason you and Jeff didn’t break your ankles was because-”

“- we fell on the garbage Paula had left out the night before,” Eddie finished, remembering. He grinned at the memory. The band had finally had a bigger than normal crowd and they’d gotten stupidly drunk. You’d been the designated driver for that weekend and had complained endlessly how you’d never do it again if they didn’t stop doing stupid shit. Somehow that had ended up with a discussion about the dumbest things they could all do – which is how they’d ended up on the roof.

You’d yelled at them for hours after, freaking out the entire night. To be fair, you’d been right – you usually were. But after you’d tired yourself out – and he’d spent hours apologizing – he’d managed to get you to admit it had been pretty cool.

It was stupid, but the way you’d grinned that morning, admitting that their impromptu concert on the roof of his trailer was amazing – was seared into his memory. Especially considering you’d kept him in bed the entire weekend.

Eddie resurfaced from his memory of you in his old room, bra strap falling from your shoulder and your head thrown back in laughter, as your gloved hand came to undo his sling.

“Sorry, what?”

Claire rolled her eyes so hard he shot her a look. You, on the other hand, just smiled patiently. God, he’d forgotten how easy it was with you.

“I’m going to feel a little just to make sure everything is okay, then I’ll start wrapping. Once we get through that, considering the nature of your job, I’ll have the nurse explain your physical therapy schedule for post-removal. This is your non-dominant hand, right? That’s good.”

“Yeah,” he said, shifting and wincing when the pain shot up his arm. You leaned in close, trying not to move his arm much and your fingers examined the swelling. Claire, hovering behind your shoulder, shot him a look he didn’t understand before pointing to the door.

“I’ll go…talk to the nurse from earlier about the therapy schedule,” she said, completely unconvincingly. Without preamble, she disappeared out the door.

You hadn’t moved, your eyes clinical and mouth set in concentration. “She’s subtle.”

Eddie wanted the ground to swallow him. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” you said, sitting back onto a small stool and finally smiling. “I like your manager, I’m glad you have someone to keep you grounded.”

The pain was starting to ricochet up and he felt himself start to sweat. He knew it wasn’t incredibly cool but he had a notoriously low pain threshold. He was pretty sure that’s the only reason why they’d given him some pain meds. Even Claire had mentioned how she’d torn her ACL in college and hadn’t been that big of a whiner.

“Hey,” you said, touching his good hand. “Tell me about the concert tonight. Are you guys on tour? What’s your set list?”

Eddie knew what you were doing, eyes darting towards the tools on the platter to your right. Still, he took the bone you’d thrown him. “Do you…listen to any of our music?”

You shot him a deadpan look and he smiled. “Of course, I do Eddie, you’ve always been an amazing musician.” He didn’t know why but the resolution in your voice and the confirmation that you hadn’t avoided anything to do with him like the plague after he’d left – it…made him happy.

So, he told you about the tour they were on – the stops they had next and how they were going over to the UK, Spain, and a few other countries before ending it in New York City.

“I heard,” you said, shaking your head in awe, “Madison Square Garden, Munson.”

“I know,” he said. It’d be their first time – and the sales were so close to being sold out it felt like the entire band were holding their breaths for the news. Claire kept assuring them they’d be sold out by the end of the week. “If only the people of Hawkins could see me now, huh?”

Your eyes came up to his and he was surprised by the emotion in them. “They never saw you, Eddie. They didn’t deserve to anyway. I knew you’d make it here eventually and I honestly can’t say I know anyone more deserving.”

To Eddie’s horror, he felt undeniable pressure behind his eyes. Shit. Why had that hit him so hard? You know why, his mind supplied. Your support had been present, unwavering, and constant for so long that when you’d broken up, its absence had left a hole in his chest that nothing could fix.

“Thanks,” he said, voice thick.

“I know this may not mean much but,” you grabbed his other hand and squeezed tightly. “I am so proud of you, Eddie.”

If only you knew.

“It means a lot, it always does with you,” he admitted, eyes anywhere but on you.

“Yeah?” Your eyes were on packing up your supplies. His gaze fluttered over to his arm, realizing you were done. Damn. You were good. Wait, wait, were you leaving?

Say something, his mind shouted. “Will you sit with me for a bit? Just until I get used to the feeling?” He lifted his now heavy arm.

Your brow raised and you glanced down at a small black thing on your coat. “I don’t know…”

“Come on, we can play a game.”

“A game?”

Eddie’s mind scrambled for something, anything. “Yeah, twenty questions – to help break the ice.”

You sat down in the chair closest to his bed and smiled. “Ten questions, I do have a job Eddie, and we don’t have ice to break.”

“Deal. I go first!”

Nose wrinkling endearingly, you crossed your arms. “Why do you get to go first?”

“Because it was my idea!”

“Fine,” you sighed, rolling your eyes. The lightness in your expression letting him know you were teasing.

Not wanting to ask something he already knew the answer to – Eddie decided to jump for the second time that night. “So, who was the poor sucker that came after me?” He asked.

Your eyes darted up to his, surprised, and a small, familiar, ember of mischief in them. His heart flipped, the poor bastard. “Of all the questions you could’ve asked, that’s what you’re using to break the ice?”

“So there is ice to break?” He said, grinning.

Not one to back down, you shook your head at him with a determined expression so familiar it sent a pang through his chest. Eddie stomped on the urge to reach out and kiss you senseless.

Your teasing expression morphed into something he couldn’t name. Something that looked a little like regret. “The first serious one? His name was Brad.”

“Brad?” Eddie forced a smile, not prepared for the surge of jealousy that shot through him. “He sounds like a tool.”

Smacking his leg, Eddie pretended like your touch didn’t brand him. “He wasn’t. Brad was…Brad is a good guy. I met him my first day of med school.”

“A doctor? Fancy.” Definitely a tool.

You grinned, like you could tell what he was thinking, and picked at the skin around your nails. “Yeah, he went into pediatric oncology.”

Well shit, he was saving sick kids. “He sounds like a ray of sunshine.”

Laughing, you shook your head at him, eyes fond. “He was, he wants to change the world. Helping kids and underprivileged people. It’s been his dream since he was a little kid.”

“Sounds boring,” he joked, squeezing your hand to assure you he was kidding. “Where is this amazing Brad? Was he an idiot like me and let you go?”

“No,” you said, almost ruefully. He watched your mouth twist to the side before sighing. “We were engaged. For a few years.”

Eddie’s heart dropped to his feet. You were engaged? His eyes darted to your hand and he realized your ring finger was bare.

“I’m not married,” you snorted when he, likely, turned bright red at his lack of subtlety. Not married doesn’t mean single, his brain supplied helpfully. Not that that mattered. Doesn’t it? Jesus, didn’t his mind ever shut the hell up? No.

“Is it too rude to ask what happened?”

You shrugged, fingers going to your ring finger. “I was tired of trying to keep up with all his ambition. We had different dreams and I didn’t want to hold him back.” A flash of determination darted across your face. “He said he was tired of always feeling second best. I believe his words were, I can’t compete with a ghost.”

“Second best?” Eddie frowned.

Wide, pointed, eyes shot to his and he realized. Another pang hit his chest and Eddie was sure that if he hadn’t been lying down, he would’ve dropped to the floor.

“What about you?” You asked, like you hadn’t just knocked the air out of him with your admission. You cleared your throat and wrung your hands together. You were uncomfortable, he noted, realizing he still knew pieces of the new you.

“What about me?” He parroted, brain still coming back online.

Eddie caught your eye roll and fought his smile. Shit, how could it have been so many years and after a few minutes it felt like no time had passed? What fucking magic did you possess?

“Hey,” you said, nudging your foot with his, “I told you about me.”

Embarrassment flashed through him. “As sad as it sounds, uh, there hasn’t really been anyone after you,” he said, eyes darting away from your face.

Surprising him, he heard you snort. “Yeah, okay, the lead singer and guitarist of Corroded Coffin never had a girlfriend after his high school sweetheart.”

“Well, no, I’ve had shorter relationships and uh…well, um,” he stammered, remembering flashes of drunken stumbling into hotel rooms across the country.

“Bed warmers?” You suggested with a sparkle in your eye.

This time, he rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yeah,” he huffed, “but no one really serious. Not really.”

“Why not?”

Because he couldn’t give his heart over to someone when the memory of you felt like something he was continuously chasing. Because it wasn’t fair to anyone else. Because no one ever measured up to you. Because…that’s just the way he worked.

Your eyes caught his and the air became charged around you both. Eddie tried to think of an answer to your question but only one crossed his mind.

“Why didn’t you come with me?” He blurted.

“What?” You blinked, surprised. Eddie swallowed around the lump in his throat.

“The week before we’d decided to leave…and I told you – I asked you if you’d come with me. You looked at me in a way I’ll never forget, ever.”

The silence in the room felt like it was suffocating. The clock on the wall was loud and echoed in his head, bouncing around as he waited for you to say something. Anything.

“In my head it’d always kinda felt like you left me behind,” you said with a small, devastatingly sad smile. “It felt like you needed to grow and I wasn’t ready yet.”

Left you behind? “I asked you to come with me – I didn’t…I never wanted you to feel like I was leaving you behind,” he said, realizing.

“I know. It still stung though,” you admitted with a small shrug. He could tell you were trying to find the right words, taking your time to put them together before speaking.

“You didn’t ask me to stay,” he said, remembering how it felt. Standing in front of his half-destroyed trailer and your hiccupping tears echoing in the air. He’d been waiting for you to ask – because he would’ve stayed. He would’ve done anything for you.  

You blinked, eyes coming up to his again. “How could I have? In Hawkins? After everything that town had done to you? I knew you’d stay if I asked and you were always too good for that town.”

That was fair. “Why’d you stay?”

“You know why,” you said without hesitation. Your eyes went to the closed door and sighed. “The same reason why I didn’t go when you asked. Eleven had gotten her powers back – we didn’t know if Max was going to live. My sister needed me. My dad was alive – Eddie, it was a lot. We’d been through a lot. I never blamed you for leaving, it was the right choice. Clearly.”

He had figured that was why but he’d always still wanted to ask one day. “We had something good though, right?”

“Eddie,” your face softened into a version of you that he recognized. “What we had, that shit was once in a lifetime. It didn’t matter that we were kids for half of it. Six years is a long time. We…we were good together.”

“Yeah?”

You smiled at him, reaching into his chest and pulling his heart right out of it. “Yeah. Somehow, that seemed to hurt more.” It was like Eddie had poked at a wound he thought had healed and was surprised to find it bleeding.

Eddie let himself fall down the rabbit hole for a second and he really thought about the years that had passed. He’d had something special and he threw it away, for what? To run away? Again? He wanted to chase his dreams, yeah. But a big part of it was running from Hawkins.

“I can hear you thinking from here,” you teased, bringing his spiral to a pause. “Don’t…don’t overthink it. I spent the first two years after you left overthinking ever tiny piece of what we’d said. Should I have gone with you? Would we be married by now if I had? Kids? Would we have even made it? Would I have become a doctor? The what if, that’ll kill you. Or, it almost killed me.”

You’d opened up a drawer in his mind and dusted off the cobwebs off the questions he’d tortured himself with for almost half a decade. Gareth and Jeff had suffered through a long, long time of finding him drunk in a hotel room wondering what it would’ve been like if you’d come. The fact that you’d also thought about it, hurt twice as deep. It also pulled a painful truth from underneath multiple layers of delusion. He’d really never fallen out of love with you. Eddie had always been a stubborn idiot. It seemed his heart, back in your palms, had never really had any intention on giving you up.

He blinked, dumbstruck, and was only pulled out of his tornado of misery when he felt your warm hand on his hand. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” he croaked, unbelievable even to himself.

You smiled softly, like you knew the truth. “We were the right people but wrong time. Timing is everything.” And you were right. You’d had the timing before demons and other dimensions stole it from him.

Eddie nodded like that simple fact didn’t crack his heart further.

Clearly trying to change the subject, you cleared your throat. “I told myself if I ever saw you again, I’d never be stupid enough to ask - but…”

Grasping at the second bone you threw that night, he nodded. “You can ask me anything,” Eddie said, his tone a breath too honest even to his own ears.

The smile that bloomed on your face made his stomach flip. Mouth twisting, eyes mischievous, you ducked your head. “Is the song about me?”

Wanting to keep the smile on your face, Eddie pretended like he didn’t know what you were talking about. “What song?”

The look in your eyes told him you knew what he was doing. “You’re going to make me sing it?”

“If you want an answer,” he said, shrugging innocently.

You narrowed your eyes at him and glanced around before nodding. “You never know how good you have it, until you're staring at a picture of the only girl that matters. I know what we're supposed to do. It's hard for me to let go of you, so I'm just trying to hold on.”

Eddie’s soul felt like it’d left his body and was hovering above you both. It’d been years since he last heard you sing along to his music and Jesus fuckin’ Christ had his memory not done you justice. “I still think you could’ve joined us and been lead singer.”

You laughed, smiling a little self-consciously. “What? And steal the spotlight from you?”

“Oh, sweetheart, that light always belonged to you.”

Eyes flashing, you ducked your head but Eddie still caught sight of your pleased smile. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“You really need to ask?” You had to know, especially for one of their more popular songs, everyone knew. It was still one of the questions he got most in interviews – who the song was about. Not that he ever said it, even to his friends. But to the people who’d known, they didn’t have to ask.

“Validation is nice,” you teased.

Eddie took a moment to really take you in. Hands intertwined on your lap, ID badge around your neck, and despite looking utterly exhausted, you were still the most beautiful person he’d ever had the sheer dumb luck of knowing.

“Yeah, Hopper,” he heard himself say, your eyes darting up to meet his, “none of my songs could be about anyone else.”

Well shit -- he’d never admitted anything that vulnerable in years.

“Even now?” You joked, trying to alleviate the sudden tension around you both. But Eddie hadn’t ever lied to you and he wasn’t going to start now.

“Yeah, even now.”

At that, your head whirled towards him and he saw something flicker behind your ten-foot castle walls. Something familiar.

The device on your hip beeped loudly and you jumped to your feet. “Sorry,” you scrambled for the tiny thing. “It’s my beeper, I’m being paged for a new patient. I’ll try to see how your paperwork is going and if we can speed things along. I…um, I – this was nice.”

Nice? He could work with nice! You smiled at him, hesitating with your hand on the door knob.

But, like the idiot he still was, Eddie nodded dumbly and said nothing while he watched you walk out his door.

“Nice? That was nice? What the hell?” You said out loud to yourself, taking another inhale of the cigarette between your fingers. Like the wimp you were, you’d taken your break on the last floor, crawling out to the shitty makeshift terrace the west wing had. The night shift rarely came out here, but you loved the view – downtown Indianapolis was beautiful. High-rise buildings with their scattered lights and the sharp wind from the corner usually helped you decompress. Clearly, tonight, you needed nicotine reinforcements.

If your roommate could see you now, she’d smack you. In your very well mounted defense, you hadn’t expected to see Eddie Munson of all people in your emergency room tonight. You hated that your first instinct, after your shock, had been to check your reflection in a mirror.

It’d been more years than you could count – being around Eddie should not affect you as much as it clearly still did. He was in your past, you reminded yourself, taking another drag. Max and Robin had always had an ongoing agenda to remind you that Eddie was always an option now that you’d both grown into yourselves.

At the reminder of Max, you needed to remind yourself to strangle her. Just this morning she’d said she had no idea where they were playing next – clearly, that had been a lie.

You felt off balance and you hated it. The past few years you’d spent making sure you had all your ducks in a row. You had studied hard, travelled around the country, and learned from the best of the best. Despite feeling intimidated by Brad’s confidence in his career, almost two years later you knew what he’d meant now. You were meant to be a doctor – and you were a damn good one. While you didn’t want to stay in the ER, you knew you had a reputation for being unshakeable.

And your ex-boyfriend walks in and it throws you for a loop? What the fuck. You needed this shift to be over, for him to leave, and a bath with some wine as soon as possible. Checking your watch, you groaned when you realized you had more than half of it to go.

Replaying your last interaction on a loop, you groaned again. Why had you let him convince you to stay in his room?

You knew the answer.

His dumb big, wide, brown eyes had always been your weak spot. And look at where that had gotten you – rehashing things that didn’t need remembering. Not with him. Or maybe? You took another long drag and pinched the bridge of your nose. Why was this so complicated? And why the hell did it feel like you had a swarm of pterodactyls in your stomach every time he looked at you…with those stupid eyes. Like you meant something to him.

“Aren’t doctors always telling people not to smoke?” A voice asked, startling the shit out of you.

Almost dropping your mostly finished cigarette, you whirled around and gaped when you saw Eddie standing there. “How the fuck did you get here?”

He grinned, the sight immediately warming you. “I asked a nurse for you; she said you always took your breaks out here.”

“You need an ID to get into the room that leads here,” you said, dumbly.

“Turns out, she’s a Corroded Coffins fan,” he said, grinning shamelessly. “After a photo and an autograph, she let me through.”

Scowling at the unprofessionalism, you guessed. “Emma?”

He nodded and waved a hand. “It happens all the time, don’t worry. Besides, you never came back.”

“I – I had a gunshot wound to the leg and it took a while to change,” you said, motioning to your new black scrubs.

Eddie took a few more hesitant steps towards you. “I didn’t know you smoked, last I remembered you hated that about me,” he said, nodding towards the cigarette in your hand.

“It’s a horrible habit,” you admitted immediately, deciding to be honest, “I only do it when I’m stressed.”

The city around you buzzed with life. “ER doctor feels like the wrong profession then…”

You hated the fact that you laughed. Not even able to stop it, you brought a hand up to your mouth, surprised. Not knowing what to say, you offer him one from the carton in your hand.

To your utter surprise, he shook his head. “Haven’t smoked in years,” he said and you noted that he made sure to stay upwind of the cigarette. “The love of my life once told me she hated it and well, I stopped.”

You quirked your brow, deeply ignoring how your heart skipped. “Stop moving that arm around so much, once the meds wear off it’ll hurt,” you said, changing the subject because what the hell did you say to that? Taking another drag, you exhaled the smoke.

He smiled at you like he knew what you were doing. Shit, he probably did. “I can’t help it, you know that.”

“I didn’t ask before but…doctor huh? Last I heard you wanted to be a teacher,” Eddie said, scuffing his shoe against the gravel.

You couldn’t help the way your brows raised. How had he known you’d considered being a teacher? “Keeping tabs on me?” He smiled and when he didn’t answer you shrugged. “After what happened, seeing you…”

The memory of Eddie on the floor, scratches and gouges all over his body while he laid unnaturally still in your lap haunted you. Sometimes, after bad shifts, you’d still have the same nightmare where you weren’t able to get him out in time. You could hear the sound of him choking on his own blood, your own voice screaming at him to stay awake. Steve’s frantic hands as he hauled Eddie through the gate.

“Almost bleed out?” He prompted, tone light.

“Yeah,” you cleared your throat and stubbed the cigarette out. “I never wanted to feel that helpless ever again.”

At your confession, he quieted. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, not like you’d expected.  It wasn’t charged like earlier…it was nice. “Yeah,” he said, “I knew you were a doctor. Dustin told me, sent me a Polaroid of your graduation.”

“That little shit.”

Eddie laughed. “I asked for it, don’t blame him.”

“Why?” You asked, shocked. Everyone had assured you that he’d reach out eventually – he had to. But he never did. In all fairness, neither had you.

His eyes came to yours, stare serious and the air shifting from light to something heavier. “You know why.”

Electricity crackled between you. Eyes drawn to his you had to curl your hand around the railing to avoid the urge you had to reach for him. “I started smoking in college. It helped take the edge of every once in a while,” you shrugged. “The scent reminded me of you. Helped me, I don’t know, calm down? It’s soothing, I guess. I had a tangible part of you that I could keep with me.”

Surprised at your own candor, you bit your cheek. You had never admitted that to anyone. Everyone assumed you’d picked it up after having snuck one off your dad or Joyce. You risked a glance up at him and your heart jumped to your throat. If the electricity was on high before, the look in his eyes made it palpable.

Like magnets, you both took a few steps towards each other. His hand reached for yours and your heart slammed against your rib cage, revving like an engine. “Hopper…I-”

The door behind him slammed open, surprising you again. Gareth stumbled in and you bit a smile back at the death glare Eddie shot him. “I think I just promised one of the nurses my first born to get here.”

You laughed, feeling Eddie’s eyes on you.

“Claire sent me to find you, she’s on a rampage. You can’t just run off dude,” Gareth said good naturedly.

Eddie sighed. “Sorry.”

“S’all good, she’s getting the paperwork for you discharge. She found a nurse on the second floor and I’m pretty sure he’s already asked her on a date.”

You snorted and Gareth grinned at you. “So, Doc, is he cleared to go? We’ve got a plane to catch in the morning. Helene said she’d cover for you for the rest of the tour if we needed to. Claire and Warren think you can sit and sing if you’re feeling up to it.”

Reality crashed into you. Of course. They were on tour. You and Eddie were in the past - a fond memory that stung a little still but was fond nonetheless.

“Uh yeah, he should be fine. Make sure he keeps the sling on for at least two weeks. No guitar playing but singing is fine. The nurse should explain in detail to Claire.”

“Great!” Gareth clapped his hands, glancing between you both. Your fingers itched to grab another cigarette as your stress climbed. “Helene’s on her way to Chicago.” Gareth added when no one spoke.

Eddie grunted and it spurred you into action. You reached out and rested your hand on Eddie’s arm. “It was nice to see you both,” you said, smiling at Gareth. Gathering up all the courage you had available, you reached up and kissed Eddie’s cheek. His breath hitched and you scrambled back towards safety. “Be careful, okay? Take care of the arm.”

Eddie’s stare felt like physical touch but you tugged Gareth into a hug and ignored him. The beeper in your scrubs screeched and you almost sighed in relief. “That’s my cue,” you said, waving the flashing screen in the air, “have a safe flight.”

Whirling around, you’d made it three steps before Eddie’s voice stopped you. “Hopper!”

“Yeah?”

He blinked at you, as if surprised you’d stopped. “When’s your shift end?”

You smiled at your first love and decided to indulge yourself for the moment. Eyes trailing down him, taking in his features and how little he’d changed. His hair was still wild and curly, his hands still waved in the air as he spoke, and he still chewed on his bottom lip when he was nervous. You still knew him well enough to know what he wasn’t saying. “You were my first patient of the night. I’m on until morning, probably a bit past that since we’re short-staffed.” The beeper screeched again and you winced. If it was an attending, they were going to be on your ass for the rest of the night. “I gotta go, I’m sorry.” Sorry that’s all you had, sorry this didn’t magically fix everything, sorry for not going with you. Sorry for…still loving you? “Bye.”

Before the door closed behind you, you heard Gareth’s unmistakable laughter and voice boom. “When does your shift end? That’s the best you got? Dude.”

A muffled groan made you smile and you shook your head. This night was going to be a wild, crazy, memory. That’s all. You had patients to see.

You were dead on your feet, squinting at the offending sun as you walked towards your car in the parking lot. “See you Monday, Hopper!” A coworker called out. You waved a hand towards them. The next break in your schedule had managed to line up with the weekend. Despite the miracle, you were already planning on spending most of it sleeping and catching up on your notes. Stifling a yawn, you dug through your bag to try and find your keys.

Where the fuck were they? You groaned, blindly feeling around for the key ring. As you rounded the corner you froze. What the hell? Eddie was sitting on the hood of your car. His hair was tucked into a beanie, sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose, and his green cast in a sling.  

Your feet carried you towards his smiling figure. “Hey? I thought – you…a plane?” Exhaustion scrambled your brain but Eddie seemed to understand what you meant - he always had.

“I can take a later one,” he said, squatting to pick up a coffee cup off the ground. “I don’t know if your order has changed but I got you this from the shop down the street.”

“Oh my god, I love you,” you said. Exhaustion and desperation drove you to practically dive for the cup. Taking a long gulp, you curled your fingers against the warmth.

Eddie froze as you continued to gulp it down. “Never thought I’d hear those words again.”

What? You thought, realizing a beat too late. Flustered, you didn’t know what to say to his teasing.

“I’m going to say something and if I’m reading too much into this or way out of line – feel free to slap me.”

“What?”

“Just…I need to say it. I have to – I can’t keep going on through life wondering what if.”

“Don’t overthink it…The what if, that’ll kill you. Or, it almost killed me.”

You swallowed around the sudden lump in your throat and nodded.

“I want to give this a shot,” Eddie said, inhaling deeply, “I still love you, sweetheart. I think I always have. I know that it’s different and it’s been far longer than it should have been but I want to try. Seeing you again tonight, I…I don’t think there will ever be anyone else but you for me.”

Emotions overwhelmed you, eyes tearing up. “Eddie,” you breathed, hands coming up to his as if by instinct.

His eyes didn’t stray from you and he continued. “I let this go because I thought - I thought it was what was best at the time. I’m not making the same mistake twice.” Eddie leaned forward, eyes darting between yours and you knew he was giving you the chance to back away – to say no.

Did you want to say no? Wasn’t this chasing the past? What if you both ended up hurting each other all over again? It was clear you’d both never moved on from your break up.

And yet…the soft look in his eyes reminded you of leaning against his locker, his body caging you in. His hair would hide the halls, the entire world, and you’d be pinned in place by his stare. Eddie would kiss his way up from your neck and one of your friends would always manage to find you two. They’d give you shit for it but, Eddie would flip them off before pressing his lips back down to yours. Their jeering fading into the background while his hands trailed down your body.

Just because it’d been years ago didn’t make it any less important. Any less crucial. And most importantly, the years hadn’t wiped the longing.

Without overthinking it, for once in your life, you surged up and pressed your lips to his. Eddie’s right hand trailed around your hip and pulled you into him. Mindful of his sling, you cradled his face and kept him close.

His teeth nipped at your bottom lip, making familiar heat pool in your stomach, and you were almost embarrassed by the harsh exhale you let out. You felt his smile against your lips and not one to be left behind, you let your lips find that spot you knew like the back of your hand. His scruff tickled your skin as you worried at the skin on the underside of his jaw and you grinned when he let out a quiet moan.

Your bodies slotted into each other like two puzzle pieces and they rekindled the flame that had somehow seemed to never have gone out. After a while, you needed to calm your breathing before you both managed to get arrested for public indecency. Taking a huge step back, you brought your hand up to your lips – afraid this had been a fever dream.

“Where are you going?” Eddie whined, chasing after you.

Grinning, you held his good hand between yours and brought it up to your lips. Brushing a kiss against his knuckles, you watched his eyes darken and smiled. His hair looked wilder than normal, his lips swollen and red. He looked happy. You were sure you looked a similar.

“How do you know I’m not dating anyone? I could be,” you teased, arms trailing down to rest comfortably on his waist.

“First, if you’re going to kiss me like that – if you were dating someone, I’d be appalled,” he joked, shooting you a knowing look. “Dustin told me. I called him an hour ago to ask for his advice. He likes to remind me periodically that you won’t be single for long. He really didn’t like the last guy uh-”

You reared back. “Jared? He was nice!”

“If it makes you feel any better my last quasi-relationship was like a year ago and Dustin wouldn’t even look at her when she tried speaking to him,” Eddie said. You bit back your laughter because that was definitely something you could see Dustin doing.

“The little asshole.”

“Right?”

“We can’t tell him about this. Not yet,” you said quickly. God, especially not Dustin – he’d be unbearable. He spent almost all of your trips home screaming Eddie’s praises.

Eddie’s entire face lit up. “So there is a this to tell?”

How could you have ever thought you could’ve fooled yourself into thinking this night wouldn’t have mattered? That Eddie was someone you could move on from? “I mean, I let you kiss me, didn’t I?” You teased.

“That’s true, you would’ve decked me if you wanted me off,” he said, nose coming down to your neck, teeth nipping at the skin there.

“I do have mean right hook,” you said, breathless.

“Oh, I remember,” he laughed and you knew he was picturing you decking Tommy at a party senior year for harassing Steve and Nancy.

After beat, your insecurities started to creep into the bubble. “What are we doing? I still…I still love you. I don’t think I ever really stopped but we’re different people now. We don’t really know this version of us anymore. Not the way we used to.”

Eddie’s hand came up to cradle your face softly. “Trust me, I haven’t changed much,” he said and you snorted. “It doesn’t matter. We can love each other and take it slow. We can learn the new stuff and enjoy the things that stayed the same. I’ll do whatever you want because, honestly, I don’t know what we’re doing either. But I do know that I’m not letting you go. Not a second time. I know my schedule is hectic – my career is chaotic - and all over the place for months on end but…”

You smiled, tightening your arms around him and finally feeling like the earth had snapped back onto its axis. “But we can try?” Because wasn’t it worth it? For him? Without question.

Eddie’s eyes closed and he leaned his forehead against yours. “We can definitely try.”

As the sun warmed you both, you glanced up at Eddie’s beaming smile and you nodded. It wouldn’t be easy, you’d both stumble and have to adjust to the new things, your careers, and living in different cities but…the timing was right. Again. Didn’t people always say lightning never struck twice? And yet, timing was everything.

A/N2: There's also no way in hell a metal band would be singing something as slow as When You're Gone but yolo, I'm the captain now.

[mendessi]

iii. the stars

When the Star appears, you are likely to find yourself feeling inspired. It brings renewed hope and faith and a sense that you are truly blessed by the universe at this time. pairing: joel miller x fem!reader

summary: you're figuring out life after the outbreak but can't stop thinking about what life was like before

word count: 2.5k

warnings: canon typical violence, both pre and post outbreak day (there are flashbacks), mentions of death, fluff?, mentions of sex, insinuation of sex, flashbacks in italics, no use of y/n

author's note: sorry i didn't post yesterday, i underestimated how busy my week would be ):

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minors DNI

You, Joel and Tommy had been camping in the woods after leaving a triage clinic shortly after Outbreak Day. You both had wounds that needed to be tended to, your's worse than his. You still had to wear sling sometimes to manage the pain from your shoulder being dislocated and being shot twice in the arm. It was hard to tell how much time had gone by but you didn't care. You weren't even sure if trying to survive was worth it anymore if this was the world you'd be living in. You didn't know where you were going or what the plan was. Tommy and Joel had explained it to you a million times, however you couldn't pay attention long enough to hear it.

Ever since outbreak day and losing Sarah, you weren't there. You were there physically but your mind was always somewhere else. Joel and Tommy did their best to support you and remind you that they were there, but they knew that the chaos had been a lot on you. You tried to be there for Joel, knowing that he had lost his only child but you were stuck hating yourself for being the reason that she had died.

Joel didn't and never would blame you for what happened. You tried but saving her wasn't a possibility. He knew it was eating you from the inside out and wanted to do anything to make you realize that it wasn't your fault.

"We'll set up here for the night." Tommy said after examining the clearing in the woods. They set their backpacks down and pulled out their sleeping bags and you did the same. "I'll take first watch."

After leaving the triage clinic you were lucky enough to find a camper that had yet to be rummaged through and found enough supplies to last a few weeks and enough sleeping bags for each of you. You didn't know what to grab so Joel packed yours for you.

You lay in the dark, no fire present and turned your back to face them. You pulled the blanket as tightly as you could around your body and stared into the clearing of trees, a shiver running down your spine.

Time passed and eventually you could hear both of the boys snoring. You crawled from your sleeping bag and sat against a tree, pulling your blanket over your chest. Tommy was typically really good at taking watch and never fell asleep, so he must've really needed the rest. You didn't mind taking watch, nothing ever happened when they were sleeping and it was only fair you do your part.

"C'mere." You turned your head to Joel who was holding his sleeping bag open, gesturing for you to join him. A few hours must've passed of you being on watch and you could tell because the moon had changed position in the sky. You grabbed your blanket and snuck into the sleeping bag with him laying on your back and looking up at the stars through the clearing.

"Why are you up?" He asked you. His voice was groggy as he had just woken up.

"My turn for watch." You replied.

"Lay with me." He mumbled into your hair and you could tell he was already falling back asleep. He rolled onto his side and draped his arm across your waist causing you to tense up. The idea of being touched made you uneasy since outbreak day, even by Joel, but you allowed it because you knew that he needed it in order to stay sane. Everyday you questioned why he still wanted to be with you when you had killed his daughter.

You looked up at the night sky with a short sigh and closed your eyes.

"You wanna go camping?" You asked with a laugh.

"Sarah wants to go and I think it'd be fun if you joined." Joel said taking your hand. "One more little trip before she goes back to school."

"If Sarah wants to go that's fine with me." You said. "You're lucky I already took the weekend off."

Joel had came to visit you at work on his lunch break which was a nice occasion because he never had time to see you during the day. He had brought both of you Whataburger which you loved because that was what you had eaten on your first date. Not ideal but the circumstances called for it.

It seemed like the world was against the two of you having your first official date. You had planned for a nice dinner on the lake but a major accident had happened and the ER got slammed so you had to stay late and missed your reservation. He offered to order take out and you'd just watch a movie at his place that way you could meet him after work. However when you finally got off your car wouldn't start and it was almost midnight, but the two of you were determined to make your date happen that night. After weeks of scheduling conflicts you agreed if your date didn't happen that night, it wouldn't happen at all. Joel drove into the city and picked you up and by the time you had gotten close to his place both of you were starving and the only thing open was Whataburger. You ordered a plethora of food and ended up parking by the lake and sitting in the bed of his truck looking at the stars.

That Friday you helped load up the truck and you and The Millers were off to Wimberly, Texas just an hour south of Austin. When you arrived the sun was already beginning to set and the boys were gathering things to make a fire.

You and Sarah sat on the edge of the lake as you and her took turns reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to each other, which had just been released a couple of weeks before. You and her were obsessed with the books and they had just started adapting the books to movies which you both loved.

"Look at you two nerds." Tommy said, sitting in front of you and Sarah. He took the book from your hands and put on the most horrible British accent you've ever heard. "'Give her hell from us, Peeves.' The hell is a Peeves?"

Sarah snickered and took the book from him, bookmarking the page you were at, "That's just because we can read and you can't."

You burst into laughter and turned to Joel who was also laughing at his daughter's sassy comment.

"That's all her, she didn't get that attitude from me." Joel pointed at you and you held your hands up in defense.

"Hey, I've only been around for barely a year, don't blame that on me."

"You know we love you, Uncle Tommy." She smiled and shut the book, glancing over at you.

"Sometimes." You nodded.

"Harassment. This is called harassment." Tommy stood up and made his way to his brother as you and Sarah burst into another fit of laughter.

You spent the weekend swimming in the lake, swinging off of the rope and at one point diving off a small cliff. You even had driven into the small town with Sarah and tried on what seemed like a million dresses at a small boutique. You hiked and went canoeing and did pretty much anything you could think of. Each night you sat around the bonfire and read Harry Potter with Sarah and by the end of the weekend you had Tommy hooked despite him not reading any of the books prior. You knew he'd never go back and read the series but he made you both promise that you'd show him the first two movies when you got back into town.

Sarah and Tommy both crawled into their tents on the last night, but you and Joel snuck down to where the truck was parked at the edge of the lake with your blankets and crawled into the bed.

You had brought a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower down and were reading it to him. He never listened when you read aloud, he simply stared at you, watching as the words fell from your lips. You could be speaking gibberish, but he just loved to observe you, take in your appearance and wonder how he got lucky to have someone as beautiful as you.

"I'm dating a nerd." He said with a small smile once you finished the chapter and closed the book. He couldn't recall what had just happened in the book, but he'd always remember the way the moon was reflected in your eyes.

"Just because I read doesn't mean I'm a nerd." You said as you both got cozy under the blankets. "Me being a nerd got me through nursing school."

"You're turning my daughter and brother into nerds too." He said, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. You both looked up at the stars that were never this clear due to the light pollution of the city.

"I wish they looked like this in Austin." You said with a sigh. "I'd lay here forever just looking at them."

"Yeah." He wasn't paying attention to the scars, but instead was fixated on you.

"I think that's the big dipper, but I don't know. Maybe I should've brought a book or a guide or something. I will next time." You said, unaware of the fact that he was staring at you with tiniest hint of a smile.

He looked at you as you looked at the stars and something clicked in his head. You were a bookworm, sure, but you were giving and warm. It took you awhile but once you opened up to him you, he saw a completely different side of you. No matter what dark times he had, you always managed to brighten his world. You made Sarah happy and safe and you loved her like your own even though you'd only been together a little less than a year. You'd become an inseparable part of his life and there was nothing more he wanted in the world than you. He knew it for a long time, he just never knew how to say it or if what he felt was even it, but it all fell into place at that moment.

You looked over at him and your cheeks warmed up at the smile he had on his lips, "What are you looking at?"

"I love you," he said for the first time.

You sat up and looked down at him, "What?"

You hadn't meant for that to be your reaction, you just weren't expecting it. You had loved Joel for a long time a couple of months into your relationship and you were waiting for him to say it first. You knew this was his first relationship since Sarah's mom and maybe just maybe he was a little closed off because of it. But you could tell the second he fell hard for you, the second he realized that he might love you. You didn't push him, you just waited til he was ready to say it. You didn't think that'd be now.

"I love you today, tomorrow, next month, next year, I'd love you in the next life if there is one. As long as I live I am yours." He said. His voice was low and his hand was on your thigh as you looked at him. "I love you and maybe it's taken me a little too long to realize it but you're the one I intend to grow old with. My days would not be complete without you."

"Joel," you rested your hand over his, your eyes nearly brimming with tears. Joel was never the sappy type even around you, but listening him put his love into words sounded like the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said. "I love you, too."

"You do?" He asked, but he knew the answer. He knew there was no way you didn't love him.

"Duh." You cupped his cheeks and leaned in to kiss him. His hands gripped your waist and pulled you towards him as he leaned you on to your back sliding his hands up your shirt. "I've been waiting for you to say it." You mumbled against his lips as he smiled and kissed your nose.

That night was your favorite night with Joel Miller. Every second was filled with passion and love and you knew you'd never forget it. The polaroid in your pocket would never let you forget it either. You put your hair into a bun as the both of you walked back towards your camp hand in hand, giggly and shushing each other to try not to wake Sarah and Tommy for they'd definitely know the two of you had just slept together in the bed of the truck.

Everyone would always tell you that since you met Joel he had hung stars in your eyes, but you put the universe in his.

"Joel." You whispered, looking over at him.

"Hm?" His eyes were closed but he still responded.

"Do you still love me?" You asked and his eyes shot open and he sat up quickly.

"Of course I do. Why would you ask that?" He stared down at you in disbelief that you'd even ask that.

You take a few moments to respond as a million thoughts try to leave your mouth at once. The first one that makes it out is, "I'm sorry about, Sarah."

Joel's face softens and you feel bad for bringing her up. Nobody has spoken of her since you buried her in the woods. It's a tough subject for all you, so it's best to pretend that it never happened at all.

"That wasn't your fault, baby. You have to know that." He said, resting his hand on your thigh.

"I don't want to pretend like she never existed." You sit up and look down at your lap.

"We won't. We won't." He said, tilting your chin to look into your eyes.

"She was your daughter and she's not here anymore and I let her die." Your voice cracks as tears start streaming down your face.

"There was nothing you could've done." He said. His hands cupped your cheeks as you looked up at him. "It's just us now. We gotta make this work. We gotta figure it out."

"I know. I know." You nodded.

"I love you and nothin will change that. Not now, not ever." He rested his forehead against yours and shut his eyes, taking a moment to breathe. Finally talking about Sarah was hard on him, but he knew he needed to no matter how much he wanted to keep his feelings bottled up. "Sarah's gone. She was mine but she was also yours. We move day by day until we figure it out and we do it for her."

You nodded your head and he kissed you softly before pulling you into a hug, holding you tightly against his chest as he rocked gently. You clutched the fabric of his shirt as you both lay down under his sleeping bag. You snuggled into his warmth listening to his heartbeat and feeling the rise and fall of his chest, the combination putting you to sleep.

Joel stayed awake to keep watch, but he kept you in his arms. You and Tommy were all he had left. They were gonna fight and do whatever it took to keep you alive and safe. No ifs ands or buts.

So long as you were breathing with a heartbeat, you were his reason for living.

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[fandomsnstuff]

Look at me posting before 10pm (i work evenings lmao) anyway,

@taznovembercelebration

Day 8: super au/cooking

Angus McDonald is Spiderman. It's a pretty new gig, but he thinks he's doing okay. His secret identity is totally intact, so that's a win.

Read it on AO3

Angus lands in the street on his feet, the criminals he was pursuing trapped against the brick wall in front of him with an obscene amount of web. He wants nothing more than to take his mask off and get a breath of fresh air, but the wail of sirens is already on top of him. Cpt. Captain Bane steps out of the first car and says, "what the hell happened here?" 

"Just me doing your job for you," he quips. "Same old song and dance." 

Bane sneers at him. "I don't need a child to do my job for me." 

"Then you need to be faster," he tosses and catches the vial he retrieved, "crime isn't going to wait for you." 

Angus can see him eyeing it, the corrupt motherfucker. "What've you got there, Spiderman?" 

He knows exactly what it is, but he shrugs. "Some project the Institute's working on." He jabs his thumb towards the perpetrators that the other cops are cutting down from the webs, "pinky and the brain back there don't even know what it is. They just took the first thing they saw and ran." 

It's a highly experimental elixir that's supposed to allow the person who drinks it to become a powerful specter if their meat body dies. Lup and Barry aren't supposed to talk about it, but they really can't help themselves when they're in good company. 

Bane holds out a hand, "hand it over." 

"Uh," the last thing he wants to do is give him something from the Institute. Let alone something like this. Angus has been on Bane's case for years, well before he became Spiderman a few weeks back. "You know I think I better return it myself." 

Bane opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted by a shout of, "holy shit!" 

They look, and Lup stands just down the street, her hair wild and face flushed. She's out of breath as she walks up to them and says, "I just ran… like five blocks…" she looks at Angus, "I only caught some of that fight, but that was amazing." 

"Thank-" he clears his throat and tries to subtly deepen his voice, "thank you Dr.- uh- ma'am." Spiderman's never met Lup, he shouldn't know her last name. Although she has been in the paper, so maybe it would've been fine. Anyway, "I believe this belongs to you," he holds the vial out to her. 

She smiles wide and grabs it, "it's intact!" 

Barry catches up to her, huffing and puffing. "I can't run a city block like I used to," he groans. 

Lup pats him on the back and says, "bear, look," showing him the vial. 

"No way," he looks at Angus, "you got it back in one piece." 

"I'm nothing if not careful, sir," he says, still trying to modify his voice. If they recognize him, he's so fucked. 

"Dr. Bluejeans," Bane says, "I'm going to need you to hand that over," he reaches for the vial, "it's evidence." 

Barry draws his hand back, "it's top secret Institute research. It's not going anywhere but back to the lab." 

"It's been involved in a crime, it needs to come back to the precinct."

"Why?" Lup takes half a step in front of Barry. "You've got the criminals wrapped up in a bow. You didn't even need to do anything." 

"Ma'am-" 

"Dr. Taaco." 

He sighs irritably. "Dr. Taaco, we're required to do a full investigation, which includes gathering evidence. That vial was stolen, so it's evidence." 

"And you can come to the Institute on Monday with a warrant for it. For now, we need to take it back." 

Bane clenches his fists. "Let me escort you," Angus interrupts. The adults all look at him. "You know," he says, "just in case." 

Bane says, "absolutely not-" 

"Sure," Lup says, "you can escort us." 

"He's a child," Bane protests.

"He's Spiderman," Barry says. "He rescued our research while chasing criminals through the city, I'm sure he can protect it while we're just walking up the street." 

Lup slings an arm around his shoulders and starts leading him away before Bane can argue any further. As they walk up the street back towards the lab, she and Barry talk about how the whole night shook down for them. They were working late, and had taken a break. They didn't hear the thieves enter or break anything, but the alarms started blaring, and they saw them running out. They gave chase, and saw him, Spiderman, swing in and apprehend them. 

"Which reminds me," Lup says once they reach the Institute, "are you okay?" 

"I'm fine." They got a few good hits on him, but nothing that won't heal by morning (thank you, nuclear spider powers). "You two should put that vial back and head home. It's late." 

"We could say the same to you," Barry says. "What are you, like, fifteen?" 

"I'm eighteen." He's super not eighteen, he's exactly two weeks away from his sixteenth birthday. 

"Right." Neither of them look convinced. 

"Well you're safe back at your lab," he laughs nervously, "I should be going. Stay safe!" He blindly shoots a web and takes off in whatever direction it takes him. He swings a good way down a random street before stopping on top of a building to get his bearings, and he heads home. 

He lands on the fire escape just outside his window, and opens it slowly. It cooperates tonight, and doesn't screech too loudly as the old wood slides up. He crawls into his bedroom and tears his mask off, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He creeps to his door and cracks it open, listening for any activity within the apartment. It's quiet, and all the lights are off. He shuts the door again. He doesn't bother to turn on a light as he peels his suit off, he's found that he can see quite well in the dark nowadays. 

He changes into pajamas. He longs to take a shower, but it's nearing 1am, and Taako's a pretty light sleeper. He doesn't want him to question why he's taking a shower so late. 

His stomach grumbles, and he sees visions of the leftover pizza he knows is in the fridge. He creeps out of his room and down the hall to the main living area. His attention is zeroed in on the fridge, so he jumps out of his skin when a light suddenly turns on. 

"You know, if you were going to be a vigilante, the least you could've done is tell me first." 

"Taako, I- what-" 

Taako's sitting in an armchair, arms crossed, looking very displeased. "It's polite to tell your guardian what you're up to, Angus."

He laughs nervously. "I'm not-" 

"Oh, you're not? You start acting all sketchy and sneaking out, and a masked spider-themed vigilante shows up not even a week after you visited Lup and Barry's lab that, among other things, works with what?" 

Angus knows when he's been had. "...spiders?" 

"Spiders!" 

Silences stretches between them, and Angus hangs his head. "I'm sorry, Taako." 

Taako sighs and stands. "I'm not mad. I just need to know where you go. Because if–" his fist clenches, "if you don't come home, or if you get hurt, I need to know." 

"I'm sorry," he tries to blink away the burn of tears in his eyes, "I just wanted to protect you. All of you." 

Taako puts a hand on his shoulder, and he meets his eyes. "You don't need to protect us. We can protect ourselves just fine." 

"Okay," he whispers. 

"Are you hungry?" 

His lip quivers, "I'm so hungry." 

Taako smiles and squeezes his shoulder. "It takes a lot of energy to be a superhero and a growing boy. Sit, I'll make you a couple grilled cheeses." 

"I wanted-" 

"The pizza, I know. You can have that while you wait." 

He sits at the dining table as Taako moves about the kitchen. He slides the box with half a pizza still in it to him, then works on making two grilled cheese sandwiches. Angus devours the pizza and is halfway through his first sandwich when he asks, "does anyone else know?" 

"Oh yeah, we all suspected." 

"So Lup and Barry talking to me tonight like they didn't know me was total bullshit." 

Taako laughs, "she called me as soon as you left them, pumpkin. Told me she was one-hundo percent sure that you're Spiderman."

He sighs in exaggerated  annoyance. "No one can have a damn secret in this family!" 

[just-some-random-blogger]

Plsssssss do a part two to Left In Hell because I’m hooked on that “dare you say another’s name while kissing me” line and I need more interaction between those two

Sounds Like Heaven

Dream of the Endless x Musician!Reader

Summary: Having retrieved your harp after losing it in hell, you went on a quest to gather materials to replace its broken strings. To your surprise, Dream invited himself in your dwelling to help you mend your instrument, which was awkward considering you invited Apollo to your house for the same reason.

Word Count: 1k+

Warnings: Themes of polytheism ig, jealous!dream, greek god insert, annoying!apollo, gender neutral!reader, reader's still effin awkward, typos, etc.

A/N: i didnt think anyone would interact with my dream fic tbh so im so excited to write something for him GAAAAAAAAAH so this is a p2 to left in hell, but you dont really need to read it to understand tbh ALSO I- I cannot explain what happened in this fic. it just happened. part 3 "Songbird"

The laughter we had from our previous conversation died down quickly at the sight of the dark figure standing in front of us after I opened the door to my apartment.

"My lord," I mutter, face falling at the sight of his dark expression.

"King of Dreams!" Apollo, with his perfect teeth and golden hair, beams at the said being. He walks over to the Endless and wraps his strong arms around him, patting his back firmly, "it's been centuries!"

"Just one," Dream retorts against the god without returning the embrace. He was looking down at me all the while during the exchange, and it made for the most uncomfortable of situations.

Once Apollo pulls away, he turns back to me and slings his arm over Dream's shoulders, "you didn't tell me you invited your lover over."

Dream and I answer at the same time.

"He's not my lover."

"I was not expected."

Apollo raises a brow, "interesting reaction."

Dream ignores Apollo, eyes still fixed on me, "I have come to assist you with your harp."

"Well," Apollo breaks away, rubbing his hands together then stretching his arms out, willing the strings we just forged in his domain out of the vacuum. He flaunts the golden chords, "you are not needed."

These words make Dream finally turn to Apollo. The latter adds, "since I'm here."

I swear I feel the room darken.

This of course does not scare the sun god as his smirk literally brightens the room.

I decide to step in between them and raise my hands, "how about something to drink?"

The two do not even turn to me as they reply at once, "no thank you."

And so a god and an endless were not so subtly trying to one-up each other while fixing my broken harp.

I could do nothing but watch.

My string instrument was on my coffee table; I was on an arm chair in front of it. The two were sat on polar ends of my sofa across me, Dream to my left, Apollo to my right. The one to my right had the harp string wound around his wrists as he fiddled with the harp before him.

I raise a finger as he attempts to place the string in the wrong area, "that one doesn't go there."

Apollo turns to me then back to the harp. He moves his hand to the other vacant spot and I disagree again, "the last part," I instruct, "it goes there."

He nods, "of course."

Dream watches Apollo work on the area and does not do anything to mask his annoyance at his fumbling. He commands, "hand me the string."

Apollo wrings the said object around the bridge with a masked difficulty. "Why would I?" he raises a brow, not even turning to his side as he focuses on his task at hand.

I nervously bite my lip at Dream's miniscule reaction to the god.

To my relief, the Endless does not reply and so I take it upon myself to relieve the tension.

"My god, Apollo," I give a smile, "the Dream of the Endless was who forged the instrument for me," I mutter under my breath.

Apollo lifts his eyes, seemingly not feeling Dream's hot stare from the side, "so?"

I purse my lips, eyes darting from Dream back to Apollo nervously, "perhaps it would be wise to allow him to fix it, since it is his design."

"I know how to restring a harp," Apollo states, "this one is just needlessly complex." He turns to Dream, "I had to barter a jar of sunshine with Astreaus just to get some stardust."

"We wouldn't have had to if you hadn't insulted his newest constellation tapestry," I remind.

Apollo rolls his eyes.

I continue, "he would have given it to me for free, since he answers to D-"

"But he should have done the same to me!" Apollo blurts, voice reverberating in the room.

I sink in my chair and clear my throat uncomfortably at his voice.

Dream turns to me and releases a sigh, slowly turning back to Apollo, "your insolence is starting to irritate me, boy," he bellows, casting a thick and ominous feeling in the air.

I tense on my seat. A shiver runs down my spine as Apollo turns to Dream, golden hair beginning to burn with orange streaks. I barely recognize the ancient Greek he says, but it was something along the lines of, 'a god does not answer to the void'.

Dream chuckles deeply, though clearly not at all amused, and I honestly feel like I could cry.

"You forget you are nothing without dreams, god of music," Dream starts, "god of art, god of poetry."

Dream simultaneously begins to fade into and encompass the entirety of the room. The darkness of his shadow does not touch Apollo's halo, but it does strike fear in me that I drop to my knees and press my hands together in repentance, "lord of dreams, please do not mind my god."

Apollo turns to me and springs to his feet, "you dare grovel for me to him?!"

I ignore Apollo as Dream's black form rises up even to my own body. I shudder at it, closing my eyes. It is only Apollo who remained untouched by his darkness.

"Arise!" Apollo commands me, "I will not have you beg my name to-"

I rip my eyes open at the silence that ceases the gods words. I whine out nervously when I realize there is no difference between my closed lids and open ones. Apollo's light was gone.

I bend face-down and lament, "oh, Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, Lord of Dreams! Have mercy on my foolish god. He has been forged with mischief. You surely were there in the dawn of his light."

I begin to feel panicked tears glass my eyes in the expanse of the quiet and the dark.

"My lord, please! Apollo do-"

"Enough."

I open my eyes. I lift myself up, though still on my knees and find the darkness in the room evaporated. I am now beholding the face of Dreams crouched down before me.

The infinite blue of his irises prompt more tears to stream my face.

He places his hands on my cheeks and wipes the dampness away with his thumb, "do not weep for that fool."

The harshness of his voice paired with his soft touch makes goosebumps rise on my skin.

I even out my breathing before I ask, "what did you do to my god?"

Dream's expression hardness as he pulls away. He straightens himself and looks down upon me, "I sent him to a void he does not answer to."

I purse my lips and nibble them it in agitation, "my lord, please-"

"Enough!" he repeats with more severity, "your adoration for your patron is blasphemous to my ears." He lifts his head a bit, eyes still not leaving mine, brows barely tensing, "am I not your lord who gifted you the inspiration of music to begin with?"

I open my mouth but find no word are able to leave me.

"So," his lips pout at the enunciation, "while you're down there, beg to me for your own forgiveness."

I freeze at his words. He tilts his head in expectation. I begin to shift on my knees uncomfortably.

"Not only have you offended me by turning to the god-fool for aid over my own creation, but you have set your loyalty too greatly upon a being who looks upon you as though you are his."

I look up at Dream rubbing my clammy hands together as I struggled to speak, "but... I- I am... he is my go-"

"Measure your next words carefully," Dream's voice rips through the room with great depth and intensity.

My hands dart to my ears in fear.

I slowly put them down when Dream grabs my chin, "you are before the King of Dreams and Nightmares. How can your praise belong to anyone else but me?"

I take in his face of terror and awe.

"Now beg," he says pulling away, "for my mercy."

[justafandomgvrl]

3rd person Fem character Josslyn x Anthony Lockwood

First meeting. No warnings required. Short.

chapter one -- chapter two

It was four am. Who in their right mind could be possibly knocking at the door at four in the morning?

Lucy stumbled over her feet as she jogged down the stairs, pulling her rapier from the umbrella stand before opening the door. A girl fell through the door, collapsing into the hallway. Lucy dropped the rapier and immediately pulled the girl further into the house, shutting and locking the door behind her. George and Lockwood jogged down the stairs to see to the commotion and George froze at the sight.

"Well, are you going to help, or are you both just going to stand there like bloody lemmings?" Lucy asked and the boys snapped into action.

Josslyn woke up, face down on a couch. There was weight on her legs holding her down and someone was rubbing alcohol on her shoulder.

"There now, stay still. I'm almost finished." A soft voice said from above her. Sunlight spilled through the room, the midday sky perfectly clear. George sighed, keeping pressure on her legs as her body started to twitch.

"Lockwood." George said quietly, noticing a small scar on the small of Josslyn's back. Anthony turned from her shoulder. The girl's body was littered with scars but this was different. Jagged. Ugly. Almost angry, even.

"Lucy?" Lockwood shouted. The girl who had opened the door to Josslyn came running in, handing him an assortment of bandages and tape and scissors. "Who are you?" He asked as he noticed Josslyn's fists clenching and unclenching. He bandaged her with care, wrapping it around her shoulder and making a temporary sling for her arm from the bandages.

"Josslyn Meadows." She managed through gritted teeth. Lockwood helped her to sit up, passing her a glass of water and some codeine.

"Why are you here, instead of at a hospital?" George asked. She looked over at him as she swallowed the pain relief, hair stuck to her forehead from sweat, her cheeks tearstained.

"I don't know who shot me. But I think I know why. Which is why I came here. I know you're an agency." Josslyn mumbled. "And I think I can help you get more jobs." Everyone was suddenly more alert, listening to her a bit closer. "You have a listener, right?" Lockwood nodded, gesturing to Lucy. "I'm like a listener, but not quite. I see visions of how people died. I solved countless murder cases back home before I came to London." Josslyn said. "Someone shot me because I almost solved something they didn't want to be solved." Lockwood found a grin growing on his face.

"Thats amazing! I never heard of anyone having a talent like that. You actually see what happened?" Lucy asked. George shook his head.

"That's not possible." He mumbled. Lockwood elbowed him, perhaps not as gently as he could have. His eyes never left Josslyn's as she described her talent, gesturing awkwardly with only one hand.

"You're hired." Lockwood said.

"Where is she gonna sleep, Lockwood?" George huffed.

"There's a couch in my room. She can stay there for now. We'll figure out something more permanent when she doesn't have an injury that needs taking care of." Lockwood said with a shrug. "Welcome to Lockwood and Co, Josslyn Meadows." Josslyn grinned at him through her pain, shaking his hand with her uninjured arm.

[rainydayathogwarts]

ʀᴏʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪᴄᴇ - ꜱᴛᴇᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀʀɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ

Summary: Steve wants you, but you've got a play thing named Nancy Wheeler who does too.

bi!reader

Warnings: Love triangle situation but it's not. Not smut but making out? Nancy's a bit of a mean girl towards Steve.

wc: 2.1k

You giggle, moving your head to the side to allow Nancy more space to leave kisses on your neck, one hand trailing on your waist as the other helped hold herself up on top of you while you breathed heavily under her "Well go on, what happened next?" She whispers into the crook of your next, her hot breath tickling you. "Nothing happened, I just told him that I already had someone to... fulfil my needs?"

Nancy separates from you, straightening up on top of you to take her shirt off. "Well I'll bet that's the first time someone's declined an offer to be filled up in the back of Billy's car." She leans down, her lips hovering over yours teasingly, only to be interrupted by urgent knocks on her bedroom door.

Mike - of course.

"Nancy! Steve's here!" You perked up at the sound of Steve's name, a hand immediately going up to fix your hair. Steve. What was he doing here? At Nancy's? You straightened up as Nancy got up, pulling her shirt over her head, flashing her an awkward smile when you made eye contact as she moves to unlock the door. "You okay?" She asks, and you nod, unable to tell her about your undying crush on King Steve, because she might have one of her own.

It's only when Steve himself bursts into the room, already rambling, that you put the smile back on your face. Upon seeing you, he stops talking, his mouth gaping slightly as he awkwardly raises a hand to greet you. "Oh, hey y/n. I- I didn't notice your car outside?" You nod, pursing your lips, suspicious as to why he'd so abruptly stopped talking. Were they hiding something?

Nevertheless, you shake your head. "No, Nancy picked me up." Steve nods slowly. Nancy picked you up? He turns to look at her and she licks her lips, a smirk forming on her face, raising her eyebrows slightly as if questioning him. His heart beats faster and all of a sudden, he can hear it in his ears, pounding the focus out of him. Does Nancy know he likes you? Steve's face flushes. Shit. Of course she does.

You look away. They were clearly flirting. If Nancy was into him, she could have just said... But then, you could have too. "Um, I'm going to go!" You state. "I'll walk, it's not far Nance." You continue, noticing her confusion, and sling your bag over your shoulder with your head down as you walk out her door.

"You like her."

"What!?"

"Y/N. I saw that look you gave her. You like her"

"Nance no I don't even-shut up!"

Nancy smirks, leaning back on her dresser. "I'm just saying. It's a shame. I heard she's sleeping with someone anyway." Steve's hot red blush dies out, all colour in his face draining. "She is?" But all Nancy gives him is a nod.

"I think she's really into this guy too. Or girl. She wouldn't tell me how big he is so I doubt it's a dude. I'm guessing she's pretty into them since people don't know. Probably doesn't want to ruin whatever they have with people finding out and stuff."

Nancy doesn't bother hiding her smile when she sees the disappointment and doubt on Steve's face, the wheels turning as he tried to piece together why you would be with a girl. Or was the look on his sadness? But she couldn't care less, because at that moment, whatever side of the dice Steve landed on, she still had the advantage in the game. "Well, what do you want? You are here for a reason aren't you?"

"Um yeah, no. Wait, let me remember-Wait she likes girls?"

Downstairs, you pulled your arms through the holes in your jacket, sighing as you started to make your way home. You wouldn't think about it for now. No you wouldn't. You trusted Nancy and she trusted you, that's what made your little deal work. You both knew that if something started up with someone else, whatever this was would end. And for now, your romantic life wasn't necessarily blooming, no matter how big your stupid crush on Steve was.

You'd still be able to see him given that you worked in Starcourt mall in a small boutique across from Scoops Ahoy, so you'd know if any of the feelings you held for him were reciprocated. And as much as you hated to admit it, that's what you were thinking of as Nancy drove you to the busy mall the next morning, her hand on your thigh.

"Hey there's still time until your shift starts... Meet me in the backseat?" You giggled, climbing over the armrest as Nancy opened her door, taking the easy way to the back, promptly landing herself on top of you yet again. She grinned, both hands cupping your jaw as her body pressed roughly against yours, her lips moving softly against yours.

Steve groaned, hand fiddling with his car keys to lock his car, the other tightly clutching his warm coffee. He shoved his keys in his pocked, the now unoccupied hand coming up to brush through his famously known hair. It was too early for this, anyone in their right mind new that. No one went to an ice cream shop at 9 in the morning unless they're recovering from a rough night. He makes his way up to the entrance of the mall and that's when he sees it.

You. Her.

You and her. Together.

More specifically, you and her making out in the back of her car. He really thought that was Billy's thing more than hers. He feels the scorching hot coffee running down his hand and he loosens his grip on the cardboard cup to stop the overflow.

He could see your smile, the slight movement of your hands on Nancy's hips, pushing her down onto you. He could see the very confident way Nancy pulled you deeper into the kiss, briefly pulling away to kiss your neck. He could see the way you moved your neck, flicking your hand over your shoulder to allow her more space. He could see the way you were so clearly enjoying every little moment with the woman who had told him yesterday that you were seeing someone. That she thinks you had caught feelings for. And watching you, he thinks so too.

"What the fuck?" Steve drops his coffee in shock, spinning around to spot Robin behind him, her jaw slack, eyes glued to the scene in front of them. "Y/N likes girls?" She questions Steve who knows little more than she does about the situation. "If I knew that I would have gone for her a long time ago."

In the shop, with their stupid hats, Steve and Robin both stand out front, serving the customers, but mostly catching Robin up on what had happened the past two days. "What a lying, manipulative, cheating scumb-" "Robin! Look." They put on fake smiles as the famous Mike Wheeler comes strolling in with his little clan. "Oi, hey Wheeler!" Robin starts, hesitantly looking at Steve. "Is your sister seeing anyone? Because I heard from a girl that she might be with this heartthrob person."

Mike looks up from the display of flavours, "No."

"BUT-" Cuts in Dustin, as enthusiastic as always "We have this theory that she and her really hot friend Y/N are a little too close, if you know what I mean."

"Which is weird," continues Will, "because we could have sworn that she was with Billy Hargrove like a week ago. Or at least, that's what we heard."

"But it's completely plausible that they're not together because we know Y/N loves making her relationships public. Remember her and Archie?" Lucas makes a face of disgust as he takes them back to the year before and Steve can briefly relate to the disgust, remembering Y/N and her possessive ex-boyfriend Archie who made it a point for them to let everyone know they were together.

"Oh, well thanks for the gossip guys." Steve scoffs, pointing a finger at them to Robin and chuckling, counting the cash they gave him as Robin handled their orders. "You think she'd go out with me?" Will perks up again, shoulders rounding as the boys start laughing, an argument over who would win you over starting up between them.

Steve shrugs, looking at Robin, whose eyes immediately go wide and she straightens up, loudly 'whispering' "Steve! She's here! She's here! Do you think Nancy lied to her do you think- Hey Y/N!" Steve's head turns to you so quickly his neck might have snapped in the process, but he grins at you, who surprisingly returns the favour.

Steve stutters while taking your order and giving you your change as he tries to make small talk, which very much fails him. You giggle, thanking him and walking to a table near the entrance, so he takes a deep breath and follows you to your seat.

You don't know if you should bring anything up to him, or attempt in striking up a conversation with him before leaving. Maybe you could ask what he needed from Nance? No, it was none of your business. You could ask if he's seeing anyone, but that would be too obvious.

"Hey, do you mind if I join you?" You look up from your seat, smiling when you see Steve, taking his sailor hat off and running a hand through his well-tamed hair. You shake your head, gesturing to the empty seat in front of you, and he gladly sits down.

"Um how, I heard you're- uh." You let Steve sit there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish, an eyebrow raised. "Sorry, I don't want to come on too strongly." He smiles sheepishly.

"Out with it, what do you want?" You reply jokingly, but what he says next makes your heart drop.

"I heard you're with Nancy."

"Steve... Nancy's a girl." But he only nods to what you have to say.

"Okay, I saw you guys in the parking lot this morning. And when I was at her's yesterday she said you were seeing someone that you were really into and-"

"Steve what?" You scoot your chair closer to his, leaning in so you could speak in a whisper and nothing louder. "Look, Nancy and I are just sleeping with each other, nothing else. I don't know why she would tell you that. Please don't tell anyone! I'm not ready for people to know I'm into girls because then guys will back off and I don't want them to because I like guys and they're hot and-"

"You do?" Your nervous ranting stops at that and you look at Steve, looking at him with disgust "What? Are you saying I can't like both girls and guys?"

Steve's face goes white and he starts frantically shaking his head, his mouth moving without any words coming out. "NO! No shit. I didn't mean for it to come out that way, I just mean- Will you go out with me!?" Robin's head all the way from the counter snaps in your direction as his voice squeaks as does everyone else's in the ice cream shop.

"I mean. You like guys, I'm a guy. And I like you, and for a moment I'd like to think that you might like me too since Nancy was apparently telling me a load of bullshit." You nod apprehensively, trying to take in the information he just gave you without going bright red, even though you could feel your face heating up.

You liked him. He liked you.

"I'd like to go out with you. Because, even though 12 hours ago I thought you and Nancy were flirting in front of me, which I hated her for, I have to admit that I like you too. Also, I need to stop coming for ice cream at 12 o'clock just so that I can have an excuse to see you."

You both chuckle and a moment of awkward silence settles down as you look down, starting to pick at your nails. "Um so do I pick you up tomorrow night or should I give you a day or two to tell Nancy?" He asks and you look up again, only for the colour to immediately leave your face when you make eye contact with the figure that's standing up behind your date. No wonder Robin hadn't made a noise in a while.

"Tell Nancy what?"

[angel-of-the-moons]

I am OBSESSED with the way you write the spiderverse characters!! You write them legitimately perfectly I can honestly hear them and play out the scenes in my head so perfectly! I wanted to request something with Pavitr after I saw the parental figure fanfic you did! Sort of in a similar vain with injuries and angst and comfort. Perhaps being an older sibling figure to him alongside Hobie, but reader kind of just doesn’t….really care about themselves, seeing a bunch of rubble or glass about to fall directly on top of him and pushing him out of the way to take the brunt of the damage and ending up getting extremely hurt in the process. I’m a SUCKER for hurt/comfort and for Pavitr being beside himself with fear “Pav! Pav let them go let the medics help them!!” “NO!! NO I need to stay-I need to stay with them PLEASE!! PLEASE I CAN’T LOSE THEM”

I'm sending all you guys Spider-Medic's therapy bills and tab at Starbucks I STG 😭

Super Glue

(Was used in Vietnam for wound closure. My Grandpa backed this fact up! It's why we always had super glue in the house as a kid!)

Pavitr x Older Sibling Figure!Spider-Person Reader

TW/CW: Mentions of Injury, blood, battlefield surgery, mentions of possible death. Angst with a hot side of Pavitr's soft fluffy heart getting stepped on again

MINORS DNI: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT YOU CONSUME

🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷

It was supposed to be routine. A routine mission. Easy in, easy out. Nah the bad guys, save some people.

So how in the world could it have gone so wrong?

None of you were anticipating Green Goblin lobbing new sticky bombs at you guys!

The only thing at the forefront of your mind was "protect". Damn what happened to you.

All you ever cared about was protecting the others, members of your team, civilians. You didn't care if you got hurt, you never did.

When Pavitr expressed concern for you, you just patted his head and told him you'd be fine. Bloody face, busted lip and nose... you'd smile. For them, you'd always smile. No matter how bad the pain was.

No matter how many times you almost died.

Like now.

Right. Now.

The only thing your mind saw was the bombs being thrown Pavitr's way.

On sheer instinct alone, you reach out, sling some web and pull yourself towards him, using your leverage and another string of webs to pull Pavitr out of the way as the bombs detonated on the support columns of the front half of the bank you were trying to protect.

The last thing you remember was your ears ringing, the smoke in your lungs, the feeling of glass shredding your suit and skin, and the collapse of rubble.

You didn't remember anything else.

🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷

Pavitr climbed to his feet as quickly as possible, frantically looking around the carnage for you.

Hobie and one of the Peter Parkers was busy finally webbing Goblin up, pinning him to the wall of the nearby bodega.

Pavitr meanwhile, was consumed with the thought that something happened to you. He couldn't see you, you weren't answering.

Everyone knew that Pavitr adored you just as much as Hobie. You two were the older siblings he wished he had.

The one who everyone took to calling Spider-Medic gripped Pavitr's arm, talking to him, but Pavitr couldn't hear him over the ringing and blood rushing in his ears.

Pavitr felt his heart stop and blood run cold when he saw your hand sticking out of the rubble.

Even Medic went into autopilot, rushing over alongside Pavitr to pry the shattered brick and concrete off of you.

Thankfully it collapsed in a way that didn't kill you, or fully crush you.

But you had a piece of rebar sticking out of your side, your suit shredded and bloody from the shards of glass.

You weren't moving.

There was so much blood.

"Aw, hell." Medic's voice said, as he immediately pulled out his flashlight from one of his hip-bags.

He gently pushed your eyes open one at a time and checked how responsive you were. The sudden light blinding you made you groan, and twitch, whimpering when the rebar reminded you where it was lodged.

"Hey, Punk!" Medic shouted.

Hobie's spiked head immediately swiveled towards you guys and ran over.

"Okay, Pavitr?" Medic asked him, handing him some sterile gauze patches.

"Y-Yeah?" He stammered.

"You need to hold these down and be ready to apply serious pressure. We gotta get that rebar out. We don't have time to cut them loose, we can't afford to stay in this universe for too long. We have to get 'em back to HQ." He said, his military training kicking in.

"Okay, O-Okay." Pavitr said shakily, doing as he said.

But the moment his fingers touch the tender area around your wounds, you flinched and whimpered against causing him to recoil.

"Kid, regardless, this is gonna hurt. They're gonna scream, gonna cry. You can't ease up the pressure or they'll bleed to death. Understood?"

"Y-yes sir." Pavitr said, choking the lump in his throat down as he gripped the wound as he was instructed.

"Punk, you and I are gonna pull 'em up on 3. Got it?"

"Got it." Hobie nodded grimly.

Pavitr didn't hear the countdown. All he could hear was your mouth opening to scream as you were yanked off the piece of metal, all he could see was the blood that gushed from the wound in your side.

Immediately, Medic went to work.

He ripped open his packs and slapped on some sterile gloves over his suit, grabbing a bottle of alcohol.

He had Hobie hold you down while he cleaned your wounds out as fast as possible.

Pavitr paced, his hands wringing, your blood soaking through his gloves and into his skin.

He didn't like the smell of it, how it felt.

"Please please please please please--" Pavitr kept saying, his eyes wide and terrified as Medic began stitching you shut with the efficiency only a man who was accustomed to treating on the battlefield could wield.

"Please please please help them, d-don't let them die, I..." Pavitr was starting to hyperventilate, even as Peter put his hand on his shoulder, the teen trying to avoid looking at the bloody mess that you were as you were stitched up.

"P-Pavitr." He tried to say, his voice cracking. "Just... just let Med do his job, okay? Th-they'll be fine. Okay? Right?"

"I c-c-can't lose them. Not them, too!" Pavitr blubbered out, emotion gripping his heart like an icy fist. "I can't lose anyone else! I can't!"

🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷

You woke up, body sore, bandaged from head to toe. You couldn't see out of one of your eyes, but that was probably from the bandages on your head.

You crane your head, neck aching in protest as you look next to your bed, at the body curled up in the uncomfortable chair next to you.

Poor Pavitr was dressed in some basic scrubs, a thin hospital blanket wrapped tightly around his body as he snored softly.

You sigh, and try to sit up.

Bad idea.

You immediately swallowed a cry of pain that bled through the anesthesia.

But it was still loud enough to wake Pavitr up.

The poor guy immediately went into action and rushed to your side, your name leaving his lips like he thought you'd shatter if he spoke too loud.

"You--you're awake! You're not supposed to be!" Pavitr told you.

"Yeah, I guess nobody told Med that I have a high tolerance for medications." You grunted.

"Here!" Pavitr said, pushing the button on the side of your bed, letting the back of your bed crane so you were sitting up without straining your stitches.

"Thanks..." You sigh, easing back a bit.

"I feel like I got hit by a truck." You groaned.

"Or seven. And got trampled by a herd of buffalo."

Pavitr swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry--"

"Pavitr..."

"If--if I was watching my back better, you wouldn't have--"

"Hey, kid." You reach out and bop him on the head softly, his shoulders scrunching as you do. "I'm alive, ain't I? Stop apologizing."

"But, but--"

"No buts. Take the win. We'll be okay." You smile thinly, trying to ease his fears.

You could tell it didn't work.

"Hey, you kids!" Medic barked as he walked into your suite.

You winced, prepared for another lecture from him.

"You better not roughhouse and ruin the twelve hours of work I put into keeping your guts inside you! Or make me regret using all that super glue!"

You and Pavitr look at each other, and finally laugh.

[thethistlegirlwrites]

Unwanted

“We’ve got a victim sample that needs testing,” Shay says, passing a vial of blood over the counter to Dina. 

“A living one?” Dina asks, already turning around to the trays in the massive fridges behind her. There’s two of them, one with a heartbeat inside a red heart stenciled on the glass, the other with a black skull. A bit graphic, but a good reminder which one samples from the living and samples from the dead go into. 

“Yeah.”

Shay doesn’t spend a lot of time in the labs, but he’s starting to pick up on the rhythms. Living samples get priority aside from dead that have upcoming burial dates, especially when family has requested answers needing to know if they ought to pursue cremation instead. 

The two orange trays on the bottom of the dead fridge are new. 

“Starting a new system, Di?”

“Oh, just improving on the current one. These are the ones that come over from county morgues and the prisons. Unclaimed bodies with suspected venom infection. We have a ten-day window to test them unless someone makes a claim, so aside from special cases, we can leave them a little longer.” She sighs. “I hate having to triage like this at all, but…”

“You’re doing the best you can. Everyone in here is.” Shay starts to leave, then stops. “Wait, you said ten day cooling off period for unclaimed bodies?”

“Yeah. Not sure why that’s the rule, but oddly enough it doesn’t affect the fledglings. They still turn like they were at the moment of death. I watched an autopsy and two days later saw the guy walking around downtown with his shirt flung open and not a single scar on him.”

That’s a weird story and if he was in a different mood Shay would have a lot of questions about it, but right now, he has a more pertinent one.

“I was buried a lot sooner.”

Di stops with her hand on the fridge handle.

She’s got that look on her face that she has when someone who’s come in for testing gets their results back positive. 

“If whoever can claim the body waives the right to, the authorities can decide what to do as soon as they get that refusal.”

It’s worse than he thought. He wasn’t just unclaimed, just a forgotten footnote to his family.

For things to happen the way they did…he was outright rejected.

“I’m sorry.” Di’s voice is the soft consolation he didn’t ever expect to be directed at him. After all, it wasn’t like he could get worse news than ‘you are literally already a vampire’. 

Apparently, ‘you are a vampire no one wanted’ is in fact worse.

He makes it through reports and picking Sierra up from the infirmary (again) in a haze. All he wants to do is go home and go to sleep and hope he doesn’t feel this awful when he gets up. His body may not have been left to decompose for ten days, and it wouldn’t really have mattered if it had, but he feels pretty zombie-movie-rotten right now.

Rotten enough he forgot they were planning to meet Joey and Nico for drinks this morning. Sierra’s insisting on going, chucking her arm sling in the back seat the second they get to the car. “I’m not missing celebrating Joey’s promotion for a little glass cut.”

“Little glass cut that needed fourteen stitches,” Shay reminds her, but as usual, she ignores him.

She’s excited, and riding adrenaline and painkillers and the success story of the mentor program (say what she will about not being a good fit for it herself, she takes a lot of pride in what their team has done to promote it), and he figures that’s why she doesn’t notice he’s being so quiet.

Then again, maybe she’s worried he’s thinking about the college kid that sample he dropped off came from, and trying to keep him from sinking into a broody little heap of depression if it turns out the kid is in for the same hell he went through.

If that’s the case, he appreciates the effort. But he doesn’t really want to talk to anyone tonight.

Still, for Joey, he’ll make the effort. She’s doing really well; her family is an excellent motivator and given she was already existing on the fringes of society, transitioning into the new kind of life she has to lead now seems to be a little less jarring than it is for some people. 

She and Nico, along with Pete and Saanvi (neither of them had actual physical injuries and finish their reports inhumanly fast) are already waiting at a corner table at the Luna when Sierra and Shay walk in. Wren’s not there, but Emma gets a little touchy about fae and their magic in her bar, so she rarely makes an appearance here. Shay can’t blame her. She’s no fire fae, but one mini-tornado is enough. 

He makes a mental note to tell Emma her new bouncer didn’t do a thorough enough job checking for their entry marks. He let Sierra in with Shay on blind faith that she was with him and therefore trustworthy.

He’s still subbing shifts when he can, but more and more of his nights are taken up on the task force.

Joey jumps up to wave them over, still wearing her blue “Nico’s Custodial” t-shirt that stands out like a neon sign under the lights. He can see why she hasn’t changed, the logo on her chest now has the words “Team Manager” underneath it. She’s got to be proud. He is.

If he could just forget about the whole rejection thing, tonight would be amazing.

They’re a couple rounds in (and one hilarious - for everyone but Pete - mixup of shot glasses) when Joey stops answering questions about her job and starts asking everyone else how their day was. 

Sierra gives a wildly inaccurate version of how she got her injury, Pete and Saanvi tag-team explanations of whatever accounting-savvy thing it was they did to get the address of the place, and Joey even elbows Nico until he tells her about spending three hours on the phone with a supply vendor trying to find out how they were sent seven boxes of window cleaner spray bottles instead of ten jugs of bathroom sanitizer.

“What? I’m not going to work with you every day anymore,” she says when he protests that they literally work at the same company. 

And Shay knows he’s not getting out of this one with his secret intact.

“How about you? You look like you got sucker-punched,” Joey says. “I mean, not like I saw that happen too often…” 

Sierra chuckles, but it dies off as soon as she looks at him. 

“She’s right. I didn’t scare you that bad, did I?” She looks at Joey. “I was totally embellishing that story for dramatic effect. I only fell down two flights of stairs.”

He sighs. He’s going to have to tell someone at some point, because the way this is going, it’s going to eat at him like the poison that ran in his veins.

“Long story but…uh…I found out in a roundabout way from Di that my family had to have rejected any claim on my body for me to get buried when I did.”

“What the fuck?” Nico asks. He’s the only one able to get a word out.

“There’s a ten day waiting period on unclaimed bodies unless whoever is contacted about picking them up refuses to.” He looked it up while he was working on his report. The legalese was hard to read, but the gist was right. “I was buried after three.”

Sierra’s hand is wrapped white-knuckled around the handle of her knife. “Give me names.”

“No.” Honestly she probably wouldn’t have a hard time tracking his parents down, and he doesn’t think she’d actually commit a murder over something like this, but… “Sorry about that. I just totally killed the good mood.”

“No, we’re sorry. That you got stuck with such a terrible excuse for blood family,” Pete says.

Shay catches Sierra and Nico looking at each other and kicks Sierra’s foot under the table. “No one is going on any vigilante vengeance sprees. It’s over and done with. A long time ago.”

“Not if it’s still hurting you like this, it’s not.” 

Joey has a point. 

He’d like to bury this six feet deep, like whoever was in charge of dead prisoners did with him, but you can’t bury pain. There’s no getting this out of his head. It’s a permanent piece of who he is, just like being a vampire. Unwanted, rejected, refused.

He’d known his family didn’t approve of any of what his life became, and honestly he wouldn’t expect anyone’s to. But they didn’t even want his body when it was all over. 

“Screw blood family. We're a ‘blood’ family,” Sierra says. “I think it ought to mean something that you’ve drunk my blood and Pete’s.” She stops. “Wait. I just made our thing really weird, didn’t I. Shit.”

“I can’t decide if this is better or worse than the stain collection thing,” Pete groans. “Great job, Van Helsing.”

And once again, the table is laughing. 

Sierra may have royally weirded out everyone, but Shay has to admit, she’s kind of right. If Joey can get her citizenship based on where she turned, where her home earth is, then maybe waking up undead is a kind of rebirth. Maybe you get a new family. If that’s the case, then Sierra and Pete are pretty much the first people he interacted with in a real way afterward. Which does sort of make them one very messy, complicated, sometimes dysfunctional family. Somewhere along the way, they’ve added Saanvi, and Wren, and he’s pulled in Joey and with her, Nico (even if sometimes their abrasive banter makes it sound like they want to kill each other).

He can live with that. Or…you know…not.

(You can read this story and others from this universe on my WorldAnvil here!)

@catwingsathena @nade2308 @the-one-and-only-valkyrie @telltaleclerk @ettawritesnstudies  @writeouswriter @whump-place @the-lovely-wren

[themultifandomgal]

Shelby Sister- Father

1909 was one of the worst years for me and my siblings both our parents left us. My mother died and almost immediately my father left, leaving me a 16 year old girl and my three older brothers to look after my little sister Ada and a new born baby, Finn. That same year I had been attacked, leaving a scar across my neck. Of course my brothers found who did it and beat them so badly that his face was unrecognisable. After the attack every dress I wore had a turtle neck, now I don't care. I'm a fucking Shelby so no one dares to try and harm me now.

I walk into the house laughing with aunt Polly, we make our way to the kitchen when she stops in her tracks. There is my father sat at the table with Arthur. John is leaning against the counter tops with his arms crossed while Finn is stood next to him looking confused

"YN, my goodness how you've grown. Look a lot like you mother" he smiles at me

"Why are you here?" I ask him with a disgusted face

"Came to visit my children"

"10 years to late Arthur"

"Arthur.." he chuckles "I'm your dad" earning a scoff from me

"Maybe dad would like a sandwich?" Arthur asks looking at Polly. She angrily throws together a sandwich and places it in front of him. Arthur Sr then prays earning a scoff from Polly and a string of cursing

"Please woman not in vain"

"Finnish your sandwich and sling ya hook" aunt Polly says with distaste

"Pollyanna, I'm a guest of the head of this family. So why don't you and YN maybe tend to your mangle and scuttle?"

"The head of the family ain't here" John says. I walk away from the kitchen door arch and over to John and Finn. That's when Arthur Sr looks at Arthur Jr, Arthur gulps then begins talking

"Tommy.. uh.. he sometimes helps me with uh... with business dad"

"Dad" i scoff crossing my arms. Just then Tommy walks in who looks like he's seen a ghost

"Aye well, speak of the devil" Arthur Sr stands up "how are you son?"

"Get out"

"Come on son I'm a changed man"

"This family needed you 10 years ago. YN needed you 10 years ago"

"I heard. I'm sorry about what happened YN"

"Your sorry? your fucking sorry?" I yell "you walked out on us and then you knew what had happened and you still didn't come to see me?"

"YN you have to understand that after your mother..."

"Do not talk about my mother"

"YN..."

"Get out of this house" Tommy says as tears start to fall down my face

"Tommy he's different"

"Shut up" Poll says

"It's alright son. Arthur Shelby never stays where he's not welcome" Arthur stands up and grabs all of his belongings "quite something you've become" he then walks out of the house. I hear the door open then close. Silence washes over the room

"He's our dad" Arthur says making Tommy sigh

"He's a selfish bastard"

"You calling someone a selfish bastard?"

"Arthur" I groan

"I'm just saying it's a bit rich from Tommy. I mean thanks to you... we're already down a bloody sister"

"If you want to see him, Arthur. You wanna see him you go with him" Arthur gets up off his chair and begins to walk out

"But remember Arthur where that man was when our YN was clinging on for dear life. Who was there holding her hand in the hospital after..." John rubs his face

"He knew what happened to me and he never came to check to see if I was ok. I love you Arthur, your my eldest brother but I hate that man and I will never want to see him again" with that the door opens and shuts it behind him

"That was our dad?" Finn asks, I had almost forgotten he was here

"No, that Finn was the man who walked out on us after our mother died after giving birth to you. He's no dad of ours" I tell my baby brother before walking out of the kitchen myself.

[unhappycylinder]

Hellfire’s Newest Member (Eddie x fem!Reader) Pt. 13

Warnings: mad Eddie being kinda rough (not in a fun way?), Jealousy, a very short serious conversation

----Eddie's POV----

Two minutes left and then you were done...then you could be with y/n and *actually* spend your free period together. Well, you'd just be taking her back to your place probably since the school day would be over just after.

Your leg bounced up and down under your desk, making the chain on your hip rattle with it. The girl next to you kept shooting you annoyed looks and rolling her eyes. You didn't care...you had spent years here being called 'the freak,' being the outcast, being judged for whatever you did...but you mostly didn't care because all that was on your mind was y/n.

The clock ticked loudly, echoing through the silent room, each tick making you more and more anxious

"come on, come on," you whispered, watching the hand approach the hour mark. You clenched your fist just as the bell rang, springing out of your seat and slinging your bag over your shoulder in one smooth motion, rushing out of the classroom as quickly as possible. You darted down the hall to y/n's classroom, hoping to catch her as she walked out. You stood by the door for a minute, waiting patiently to surprise your girlfriend...and then you heard her laugh

"Oh my god," she laughed, "thats hilarious"

Who could she be talking to, you wondered. The classroom was essentially empty now and she still hadn't come out, you were starting to get curious, but didn't want to barge in on her conversation

"Yeah, its always a fun time," a familiar voice responded, "you should come watch us play sometime,"

"I'd love to, Eddie's told me all about it," y/n responded

They were close to the door now, you stepped back and leaned against the lockers next to the door as y/n and Gareth walked out, her eyes locked on you in an instant and her cheeks flushed red. Gareth's eyes were locked on her, on her face, her lips, and it took a few seconds before his gaze followed her's to you. As he saw you his eyes widened slightly and he opened his mouth

"Eddie!" Gareth began, "what are you doing here?" he sounded surprised

"Well...Gareth...I'm picking up my girlfriend," you sassed him, "what are you doing here?"

He stuttered for a second. No fucking way your best friend had a crush on your girlfriend....that'd be impossible right?

"Gareth's in this class with me apparently," y/n began, you looked over at her, "I didn't know him yet last week, but now I do, so we're gonna be lab partners for the rest of the year," she smiled at Gareth

"Oh really?" You asked, crossing your arms

"Yeah Munson, nothing to worry about though...."Gareth said as he began walking towards you, stopping once your shoulders were touching. He leaned in towards your ear, whispering to you, "its not like I'm gonna steal your girlfriend or anything," he smirked as he patted you on the back and walked away down the hall.

"What was that about?" y/n asked, innocently clutching her science books in front of her

"Fucking asshole," you said as you grabbed y/n's arm and started walking towards the school exit...the opposite way Gareth went.

You were so pissed, so pissed that you had yet another person trying to split you two apart, and this time it was your best friend. First Jason and now Gareth?? Your bandmate, your player, why? Yeah you and y/n had only been together for a few days, but a lot had happened in those days and you were attached at the hip at this point. You were so busy stewing, grasping y/n's arm as you stormed down the hallway, that you entirely blocked out her talking to you

"Eddie! Eddie stop!" she started speaking louder, cutting you out of your daze, "Eddie please let go you're starting to hurt me!" That snapped you out entirely

"Shit," you stopped in the middle of the hall, letting her arm go and noticing the white marks your rings had left on her bare skin, "fuck y/n I'm so sorry. Jesus christ I'm so sorry sweetheart," you rubbed her arm, trying to dissolve the marks

Other people were looking at you now, gossiping as you panicked in the middle of the hall and y/n looked up at you with those puppy dog eyes full of confusion and a hint of sadness

"Its okay Eddie, but what the hell?" She asked quietly, readjusting the books in her arms, "what's gotten into you?"

You began to respond, unsure of what to say, but she cut you off again, "We blew completely past my locker, Eddie, I need to go drop my stuff off"

"Shit yeah of course," you responded, putting your hand on the small of her back and ushering her to her locker.

You felt so bad...you hurt her, you left marks on her skin, she was upset and confused. You were jealous, she had done nothing wrong. In her mind she was probably just thinking how nice it was that she was being accepted by your friends, maybe she didn't even notice he was flirting with her.

God Eddie...you idiot.

As you reached her locker you noticed Robin was nowhere to be seen. Y/n spoke softly

"I guess we missed Robin, she's probably already at her next class. I wanted to say bye before we left"

"Y/n, babe, I'm so sorry" you said, propping your back against Robin's closed locker as y/n put her books away

The hallway was basically empty now, except for a few freshmen scurrying to their next classes, papers and pencils flying from their arms. Y/n was quiet as she grabbed her homework from her locker and stuffed it neatly into her bag. She felt tense, she was hardly looking at you.

"Eddie when we get to the car will you tell me what's wrong?" she asked softly, still not looking at you

"Yeah of course. Of course love" you said, planting a small kiss on the top of her head and rubbing her arm, the marks gone by now.

----

You closed y/n's door, walking around swiftly to your side and hopping in. The second you closed the door you looked down, letting you curls block your view of y/n, hoping she wasn't looking at you just yet.

"Eddie-" her soft voice made you feel like crying. She had such a kind tone that made you feel so cared for. You hoped you hadn't fucked it up too bad.

"Y/n," you began, looking over to her with your sad eyes, "I can't even tell you how sorry I am. I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't mean to grab you like that. God I'm such an idiot, I can't believe I did that. I was just upset..."

"Upset about what," she asked, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder

"Gareth," you sighed, looking deep into her eyes

"Eds he's your friend...I though you'd be happy I was getting along with him and that we were in class together?" She questioned

"Y/n, I am," you whined, "I really am," you hesitated, "he just...I know he has a crush on you"

She sat back, shocked, "what? No he doesn't! Eddie how could he if he knows I'm with you?"

"I don't know," you threw your hands up, "but he does and its shitty and it makes me feel awful that even my closest friend is trying to split us up...like why can't people just let us be happy and be together"

"Eddie how do you know?" She grabbed your hands, which were still up above your head, and brought them into her own

"He said 'its not like I'm gonna steal her' when he whispered to me after your class"

"What?" she leaned forward, shocked again, "why the fuck would he say that"?"

It made you happy to see she was just as fired up as you. Yeah nothing would make you feel okay for hurting her, but it helped to see she understood where you were coming from.

"Eddie," she put a hand on your cheek, "its okay. I'm not into him...obviously...and its extremely shitty of him to even say that to you. Trust me, I get it, I get why you're upset. And I'm not mad, like at all. You're totally fine and I love you and we're gonna get through this together. Once people see that we're really serious about each other, and once the whole 'freak dating the new girl' thing dies down, we'll just fade into the crowd and nobody will question anything" she smiled at you.

"Yeah, you're right. But I'm never gonna forgive myself for hurting you," you started to tear up, "that wasn't okay and I can't believe I did that"

"Its okay Eddie," she said, "it hardly hurt, and it didn't even leave a mark. And I get it, you were just trying to lead me out of there."

"Yeah but that doesn't change the fact that I did it" you looked down at your lap, hardly able to look at y/n and know you did anything to hurt her. She was your world and you wanted to protect her and make her happy...not this...never this.

"Eddie," she said in a sing-songy way, using her hand to bring your face up to look at her, "my love...you can let it go...its okay, I'm not upset"

What did you do to deserve this woman.

No, you wouldn't be able to completely forgive yourself, but you knew y/n wouldn't lie to you, and it did bring you a sense of comfort to know she was okay.

You stared into each others eyes before y/n brought you in for a kiss, slowly moving her mouth until you opened yours slightly, just enough for her to slip her tongue in. You kissed, exploring each others mouths, for a few seconds before pulling away. She rested her forehead against yours and smiled

"your place or mine?" she asked

"mine" you said, planting a small kiss on the tip of her nose before you started the car and drove away

----

Part 14

Taglist: @definitelynotecho @sadbitchfangirl @lfaewrites @tlclick73 

[yourbustedkneecaps]

here’s another piece of shit for your entertainment (ft: my favorite dickwad) and no i don’t go through these for formatting, that’s ao3 exclusive lmao

*do not repost*

fuck, i’m lonely

After being thrown through the portal with the kids, Philip (now a partial amnesiac) has to navigate his new life in the Human Realm. With his arm severely hurt and his memories a mess, he tries his best.

In return for not causing trouble upon coming back, God gives him a gift.

Thick red coiled around his arm as it bubbled from the fresh wound, tracing tears down to his elbow. His hand was caught on something above him, and if it weren’t for the fact his head was rolling and mind drowning, he would’ve looked up to fix the problem. Instead, he slumped, twitching so often as his nerves insisted he was still very much alive.

He gasped hotly, breath fogging in front of him. That… probably wasn’t natural, given the current warm season. His chest shuddered with every unmeasured intake and expel of air. He wondered why his brain was telling him he was dying when this was mediocre compared to everything else his 400 years of life had offered.

Someone threw themselves at him, knees crashing next to his own as they grabbed his face and patted his cheek, trying to wake him up. He grunted, failing to brace his head against the wall and hear their words.

Another pair of hands and another body and another— People who wouldn’t leave him alone no matter what noise he tried to make to get them to stop crowding him. He couldn’t tell if it was spittle or blood making it’s way down his chin, but part of him couldn’t really care.

He fell forward, into their arms, and listed to the side. He thought he heard a scream.

———

The children didn’t look so good. After being thrown through the portal door and a few nights of rest, they were finally beginning to fall into a routine of sorts when someone decided to show their face.

Philip was slammed roughly through a quickly collapsing portal of his own, going backwards into the house instead of out the door. The children rushed to see what was happening at the forests edge, stupefied at the flash of a a gone portal and the strangled cry from inside the house. They almost didn’t help him.

That said, Mrs Noceda was called and pulled out of work immediately, and the man’s wounds were cared for.

Watching him wake up was almost comical.

He was out for over a day, comatose on the couch until further notice and guarded by——at the very least——one child and two palismen at a time. Accessories and layers thrown aside, and his boots at the door, he was thoroughly patched up and set aside. So, head pinned to his pillow with nails, limbs to the couch, and right arm sling across his stomach in nothing but ointment swaddled in bandages, Philip woke up feeling like God himself sentenced him to death.

A cat, a bee the size of a tiny dog, and a very angry looking teen girl stared him down as he blinked crust from his eyes and turned his head from looking at the ceiling. His neck felt like a bucket of partially dried paint, still sticky on the wall it was put on. The girl——purple hair, fair skin, and a glare that would cower most others her age——raised an eyebrow, arms tightening in their folded state.

Philip blinked once, scrunched his face in throbbing pain, and tried to say something. The initial “Hello?” drowned in his chalky, closed throat, and died on his tongue as a garbled choke.

She didn’t look pleased.

“Keep an eye on him while I em get the others,” she murmured to the animals, turning on her heel and stalking out of his sight.

Others? Where on God’s green earth was he?

She came back quite quickly with two others, a reptile, and a bird. They, too, stood tall and intimidating over him.

“We don’t want any funny business from you, Belos,” the bespectacled girl spoke first. “You’re lucky we were willing to patch you up, but don’t expect anything more hospitable than that.”

His face betrayed his beating heart, stopping and squeezing at the name. He opened his mouth, coughed and cleared his throat, then spoke. “Who the hell…?” He blinked, squeezing his eyes shut with a sharp breath. “Who are you children?”

They shifted, the shortest of them locking eyes with the purple haired girl.

“No games, Belos!” Spectacles snapped. “Stay down, and stay away from Hunter and Vee, or else. Don’t move from the couch until Mrs Noceda gets back. We’ll be watching you.” She glanced at her companions and nodded.

Purple Hair nodded back. “I’ll take first watch until Luz gets back.”

The short one held up a dark hand. “I’ll call Mrs Noceda!” He ran off.

With that settled (whatever it was) they split alongside their animals to do whatever it was they offered to. Purple Hair and her cat stayed, alongside the bee. The cardinal, and reptile left with the other two.

Philip clenched his left hand, breathing steady and gazing back up at the ceiling. Whatever was going on, he was in no way able to deal with it yet. Not until he could think straight and sit up to speak. For now, his best course of action, apart from keeping himself from breaking down into an anxious episode, was to rest and listen for anything valuable. Anything that could help him understand the situation better.

For now, he relaxed into the cushions, counting his inhales and exhales, falling asleep. He didn’t catch the lights flicking off or the curious expression on the girl’s face as she watched him struggle to calm, but that wasn’t pertinent…

———

He coughed himself awake, choking through a gasp as he jolted forward and collapsed back.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t think you would wake up!”

He winced, finding a woman kneeling next to him, cleaning his cut arm. Round stature with an intense stare, she smiled, softening her eyes, and Philip shuddered back into the cushions.

“I’m just re-bandaging your arm so it doesn’t get infected,” she explained. She set aside the papery washcloth for a roll of fresh bandages and began to wrap his wound.

It… It wasn’t good.

From wrist to mid-forearm there was pink, torn flesh stitched up with clear, red crusted string. Dark blue and green bruises trailed from palm to elbow, like clotting sludge. His fingers shook and for but a second he couldn’t breathe.

A hand touched his elbow.

He looked up.

The woman——Mrs Noceda, he remembered——searched his face, waiting before taking the back of his hand. She lead his arm back to her, bandage left on the floor. “It will be okay, Belos. You will heal.”

He was sure he heard her, but after that he couldn’t quite focus. He stared listlessly as she wrapped his arm, tucking in the cloth her and there, and cleaned up quietly.

“I’ll be right back with some pain medication, alright?” She said over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back…”

What was he doing? What was happening? The last thing he really remembered— The most recent thing he remembered outside of his stay in this house was being thrown aside and… getting a concussion, probably. He pushed himself up from his half-laying position across the entire couch into something more presentable.

As promised, Mrs Noceda entered with a cup and a handful of pills. “You’ve been out for a while, so I’m sure you’re hungry,” she said, handing over the drink——a cup of milk——and the pills. “Drink this and swallow these. It’s for the pain. Would you… Can I get you anything to eat?”

He stared at the pills, then slowly came back to and looked at her. “I… No, thank you. Perhaps later when I am…”

“More awake?” She supplied.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Eventually the throbbing, piercing of his arm died down, and he fell back asleep without knowing. The sun had long since set when he was roused to lay down for the remainder of the evening, and he couldn’t help but think he’d possibly, maybe, be okay.

———

They settled into an awkward, strained routine. Philip would wake up, clean his bedding from the couch, and take a moment in the bathroom before most others awoke themselves. While he made himself food (often leftovers from nights prior) the other residents would be roused and go from bathroom to bedroom to kitchen, giving him time to finish eating alone and find something to do.

Perhaps read a book, or experiment with the new technology around this almost futuristic house, or maybe even do some daily chores. Whatever it was he did, he made sure to keep away from the children as they wandered the house or left and returned to the property.

Lunch was often the same way, where he’d either eat before or after them, waiting for their group to disperse before he made himself a small something to ingest alone. It was only dinners that were different. Mrs Noceda always had something homemade when she could (though with extra people in the house she had to take some extra working hours to provide) and made sure everyone got a seat at the table. The first time this had happened, it was at the request of Hunter and Vee.

Philip——after a few weeks of regaining some personal memories back——was in no mood to strain the already tense relationships around the house with his presence. Especially not over what should be the most relaxing times a family should have together. He was already struggling by himself, stressed out of his mind trying to figure out who he was prior to his fuzzy amnesia and constantly stepping on eggshells around the children who obviously didn’t like him, so why would he consent to sitting at the same table with the kids who wanted him killed? Not to mention his lack of self defense and the roiling, angry spirits beneath his skin. He’d rather eat his fill outside and sleep in the mud, thank you.

Mrs Noceda was having none of that, though.

It had been decided he was much more harmless than before, and it could be a good way to grill him for villainous intentions or nefarious plans. An easy way to keep tabs on him and remind him of who was in charge in the house.

Definitely not him, by any margin.

He soon relented, assisting Mrs Noceda and her charges in setting the table or preparing the food, keeping out of the way of those cooking. He wasn’t allowed to make meals for anyone but himself, though he could clean dishes or hand out tools, he found.

“You need to eat more,” Mrs Noceda told him one evening, filling his plate. His right arm was still out of commission, though beginning to heal. “You look like you could fall over at any moment!”

“Mama!” Luz, the strange, excitable young human of the group, complained. She was vehemently against Philip regaining any strength beyond what he needed to heal his wounds.

Mrs Noceda ignored her.

“I assure you I’m fine, ma’am,” Philip tried, holding up a placating hand. “It’s enough you’ve let me stay in your home, you needn’t—“

“I am aware of what I am doing for you,” she said, putting down the serving bowl. “You eat what you can and we will put the leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow. Do you need a drink?” She was up grabbing his cup in an instant.

“I’m— Thank you…” He gave up, accepting her help and dropping the matter. She wasn’t going to stop, it seemed, and he was too tired to argue. He’d eat, clean up, and leave for bed. He just had to show a little face first.

———

Mrs Noceda have him money to buy clothes and necessities. He was… not particularly looking forward to leaving the house. The children offered to take him on a weekend, during which she would be working a little overtime to get some extra cash to cushion their new needs in a very full house.

As of recent, Philip had been given a small box of clothes from who knows where to use until he could get some of his own. They were on the older side and smelt a little musty, like they hadn’t been worn in a few years, let alone washed, but he didn’t mind. He had been living off the land most of his life, anyway. What was a little discomfort now compared to the blurry, painful past he could only recall in his deepest dreams?

The day out was far from exhilarating, but the kids made sure to keep everything interesting. They dragged him to a department store or two, looking for base clothes, toiletries, and small accessories. Philip changed into something more modern looking and much easier to move in, before they left the department store. After that they stopped by a shop for a quick early lunch before heading to a place called “The Mall”. It was a very large place compared to the neighborhood where the Noceda house was, and much more active as well. It was reminiscent of… a workplace he used to frequent. Before he came home from the place. The realm under this one, whatever it was called.

He didn’t dislike it. Instead it was strangely nice to blend in with the crowd, milling from place to place as nothing but another person— Another stranger none needed to care for.

Willow, the ridiculously strong girl with glasses, offered to cut his hair back at the house——“Just a trim! Y’know, since the ends have grown out a bit.”——but he refused. They group shoved him into a salon, taking his bags away and speaking with one of the hairdressers without him able to intervene. Payback, he supposed.

The feminine hairdresser was very cheerful and over-talkative, prattling on about their social life and family and their newest romance and a one night stand they wished would come back (he didn’t ask about that last one) as they prepared his hair. Brushed, washed, and brushed again, they moved him from stool to sink and brought out their tools.

“Just a trim, right? Unless—! I’ve been wanting to try this new haircut and I think it would look great on you! Like, your face shape—” They moved his hair this way and that, scrunching and pulling and parting here and there to show him the new look without actually doing anything. It was apparently a trend with the younger generation and those very interested in cosmetics to get one’s hair styled that way.

“Just a trim, please,” Philip said as cordially as possible. He was trying to keep himself from falling into rude behaviors, but they were pretty persistent.

“Are you sure? I mean, your hair has very split ends and it’s cut unevenly…” They said, lifting and gesturing to locks of his hair. “I’m sure I could try and blend it, but I’m going to have to take off a couple inches to get rid of the yucky ends, y’know?”

He did not, in fact, know.

His eyebrow twitched dangerously. “Just cut it, please! Do whatever it is you have to go make it look…” He waved his hand. “Better!”

They stiffened, then relaxed, snatching up a comb and some scissors. “If you say so,” they shrugged.

They put up his hair in clips and some hair, the pulled some down and put the rest up and did it again and again, until they were framing his face and tilting his head to get the best look they could. As soon as they were done he thanked them and left to join the kids, Luz at the front and already paying.

Hunter moved up beside him, chatting with the dark skinned, small one. Gus, was it? His hair was trimmed as well, though much shorter than it was when Philip first saw him in the household. He bumped his shoulder, startled, and shrank away. “S—sorry…”

Philip rolled his shoulders, watching him out through his peripheral. “It’s fine. Your hair… it looks good.”

The child’s face scrunched, confused.

Philip walked out of the store, trailing Luz and Amity as they held hands, talking softly.

———

By the time they started to head home, Philip was done. The kids dragged him around the mall, curiously causing havoc wherever they went as they explored the building together, each a handful in their own right. He had to admit, he shared some of the same wondrous sentiment they did in this new, strange realm, but he was also an adult. And, unfortunately, that meant acting like one.

He wrangled them like a shepherd with cats, keeping them in eyesight and earshot as they wandered here and there, pulling each other around. He called them back to the food court for snacks when a duo wouldn’t stop walking, and kept his bags in check as he did so. Nothing was stolen, no one was hurt, and everyone was soon ready to leave.

Luz took them to a cafe in the town square before they went home, introducing them all to the wonders of hot and cold caffeinated drinks, pastries both sweet and savory, and the magic of people watching while they ate outside. It was very… domestic. Quite nice, even, if he disregarded the awkward situation that was ordering at the desk.

Who he could only assume was a waiter (though Luz explained they don’t have any here) came over with two cardboard drink holders with everyone’s beverages. They all already had their pastries, and were currently sitting at two tables, chatting up a storm. Philip helped the worker set down and hand out the drinks.

“We don’t normally have staff waiting customers,” they explained, passing Gus his drink. “But it’s almost closing time and you looked like you needed a little help.” They smiled and winked at Philip, setting his cup in front of him.

“Oh. Thank you,” he said. A bit taken aback at the obvious calm kindness they gave, he gently took his beverage, unsure of what else to do. It warmed his hand quickly, and he wondered why they made the drinks so hot in the first place.

They grinned, ready to step away. “If it’s alright, may I have your number?”

“My what…?” Philip asked. “My—my address?”

They blinked stupidly. “Oh, yeah sure.” Their facade melted into something joking but sweet. “Do you not have a phone?”

“Uhm… no. I’m afraid I don’t.” Oh, by the Holy Spirit, what was he doing? Why weren’t they going back inside?

They hummed, taking out a napkin and pen from their apron. “I’ve never had a pen pal before…!”

The glee in which they managed to put into that single sentence had him forgetting all past thoughts, grabbing the pen and napkin, trying desperately to remember the address of Luz’s home. It was Gus who saved him from looking like a fool.

“I remember our address! Here, let me help you write it!” He jumped up, holding on hand on the napkin to keep it from moving and began to recite it. Part way through, however, Willow hopped in to correct a mistake.

“Perfect,” the worker smiled as the two beamed back, proud. They took the proffered tools back with a look of curious pride at Philip. “Looks like you have some keepers here, hm?” They joked.

Philip, stupid with the feeling of speaking to another adult human, and such a kind one at that, barely registered their words. “Yes, they are…”

They smirked and walked backward, waving. “I’ll write you!”

Philip waved back. One glance up, and he raised an eyebrow at the sniggering children. “What?”

“Nothing,” they harmonized.