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talesofesther · 7 months

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what once was mine | ch 3

Loki x Reader

Series Summary: When watching what once was supposed to be the rest of his life, in an empty room in the TVA, Loki sees someone he can't recognize; a girl who's all tenderness and loose smiles, and most importantly, she was smiling at him.

A/N: We're finally heading into the main plot I think lol. Hope y'all like this one, let me know. <3

Masterlist | Read ch 2 here

"Casey!" You called, hurriedly walking between the rows of files while looking down at the paperwork in your hands. TVA's library was either your favorite place or the place you hated the most. No in-between. It was your favorite when you stopped by to lounge in the armchairs and read your books in the calming silence. But when you had to traverse between the cramped shelves in search of files, that's when you hated it.

"Casey?" You called again, still turning the pages with a frown on your face.

"Yeah, what's up?"

The sudden voice caught your attention and you raised your head just in time to not walk straight into your friend. You chuckled to yourself, coming to stand beside him in the small space between the tall shelves. "I was going through this report and it mentions a code 581, I've never heard that one before." With your finger, you pointed to the underlined letters on the report.

"Oh, that's a fun one," Casey smiled, taking the papers from your hands, "it's kind of a rare case actually, it's when two variants appear simultaneously…"

While you spoke with Casey, all the way on the other side of TVA's weirdly shaped building, and one floor above, stood Mobius with Loki by his side; both of them leaning on the railings and observing you from afar.

"How long did you say she's been here?" Loki asked, his eyes never leaving your form. His face had a complicated expression, almost as if he was still figuring out how to feel about actually seeing you, the same girl from the life he was supposed to have.

"I didn't, I said that time passes differently here in the TVA," Mobius spoke beside him, his eyes slowly shifting between you and Loki. "But, if I had to guess I'd say the equivalent of around two years."

It's been a couple of weeks since Loki arrived, and in his time here he's been quite helpful for the TVA; not enough to catch the rogue variant, but enough to earn his end of the bargain.

"Is it a habit of yours to keep variants around then?" Loki turned to Mobius with a raised brow.

"Not at all," Mobius chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "You two are the only ones so far, and you can thank me for that, by the way."

Loki pursed his lips as he shifted his gaze back to you. He watched as you spoke with Casey, huge smile on your lips as you gestured around saying something he couldn't understand. "Why keep her?" He asked quietly.

Mobius sighed, following the path of Loki's gaze toward you. "Same reason as you, pretty much. She was very... familiar with the Loki from her timeline and I figured she could be of help to us. At first, she was a very tough nut to crack, but it was either that or be pruned so eventually, she agreed, and has helped capture many Loki variants in her time here."

A scoff went past Loki's lips. His hands gripped the railings tighter, heartbeat quickening with each passing second that brought him closer to meeting you. Why he felt this way, he couldn't tell; it was as if his body knew something he didn't. "And, by her timeline, you mean my timeline as well?"

"Technically, yes."

─── ·❆· ───

"Thank you, Casey, I'll see you at lunch," you gave your friend a small wave as you turned to go in opposite directions. The ghost of a smile lingered on your lips as you closed the file's folder, but it faded immediately as soon as you looked up.

Mobius stood in front of you, he said your name but it sounded like a whisper drowned underwater to your ears, for you were focused on the person a few steps behind him. He had the same raven black curls, the same sharp nose, fair skin, and bright eyes; his features being highlighted by the artificial lights from TVA's infinite floors. He was a ghost. The one from your worst nightmares and most beautiful dreams. A ghost of your past life, one that instantly got your heartbeat skyrocketing and closed up your throat until you couldn't breathe, or talk, or even think.

You were nearly making holes into the file in your hands with the force you held it with, knuckles going white.

Taking a step closer, Mobius called your name again. He tried reaching out towards you but you took a sharp step back. "There's someone who would like to meet you," he settled for saying, calmly, gesturing behind him.

Forming words became a struggle for you. Your lips parted only to tremble with no sound coming from your mouth. Inhaling sharply, you straightened your posture. "No." You said with finality, your eyes not leaving the ones that reminded you of your Loki.

A frown appeared on his features and he looked like he was about to speak, but you beat him to it, finally looking at Mobius; "You. Me. Storage room, now."

With that, you turned around and took urgent steps to the back of the library, shoving open the door that led to a small storage room for older files no one needed anymore. You turned the switch for the single orange light hanging from the ceiling and then clawed at your scalp, trying your best to regulate your breathing.

Mobius walked in, closing the door behind him. "Listen I can-"

"Explain?" You finished for him, urgency and anger dripping from each syllable, "yeah, you better. What was that? Who is he?"

"We were about to get to that before you stormed off." Mobius shrugged.

"Cut the bullshit, Mobius," you sighed, hands coming to rest on your waist.

"He's a Loki, you've met a hundred of them already."

You bit your lip to hold back the tears stinging behind your eyes. "Yeah, I have, and none of them were-" you hesitated, "None of them looked like-" You swore under your breath when your voice betrayed you.

"Your Loki?"

Mobius' quiet words got you closing your eyes, there was compassion in his voice, being one of the only people here who really knew what you've been through. A long sigh escaped your lips, along with some of the anger, leaving room only for the emptiness that has been following you around for years now.

"Is he?" You were afraid to know, but you asked anyway.

"He was going to be," Mobius took a step closer to you, and this time you allowed him to rest a hand on your shoulder, his thumb brushing against the fabric of your dress shirt. "He came from your timeline, roughly after his attempt at taking over earth."

An unamused chuckle escaped your lips and a single tear ran down your cheek, but you were quick to wipe it away. "Jesus, Mobius. You can't be serious." You looked him straight in the eyes then, voice strained; "you can't be doing this to me."

"He insisted," Mobius raised both hands in front of his chest in a halfhearted attempt to calm you down. "He insisted, okay? He saw you in his file, he wanted to know who you were. What was I supposed to do? He saw you and didn't know who you were but it was clear that you were important, and he felt that too."

A beat of silence passed, and then; "I mean," Mobius chuckled softly, shaking his head; "you should have seen his eyes when he saw you, he looked worse than you do now."

You sniffled, avoiding your teary eyes from his gaze. "What were you supposed to do? Well, what about talking to me first, you oaf," you told him, though there was no malice in your words.

"I'm sorry," Mobius shrugged, not sure of what else he could say to you. "I just figured it wouldn't be fair to either of you if I didn't introduce you. Or, reintroduced you."

You doubted you'd be able to form a coherent thought in your mind right now with the amount of emotions you were going through. But you knew he was right, deep down you did. You just weren't sure what to make of it yet, seeing a Loki who would eventually become your Loki; who, essentially, was your Loki. Just not yet.

It nearly sent you into a panic attack. Seeing him again was all you ever wanted when you lost him, yet now that it's happening, you're not sure if you can handle it. Or if you still want it.

Mobius tried to find your gaze with his, and as if reading your mind, he said; "Isn't this what you wanted when you first got here? To see him again?"

"That's not me anymore, Mobius," you spoke before you could stop yourself. "I'm- I'm not that person anymore." Your voice was quiet, muffled behind the walls you'd built around your wounded heart. "Besides, that's-" You stumbled over your words, tasting your tears on the corner of your lips, "that's not him. That's not the Loki I knew."

"How can you say that, you didn't even speak to the guy," Mobius gestured to Loki's general direction outside of the storage room.

"Yeah well, I don't have to!" You snapped, and closed your mouth soon after, mumbling an apology. "I just- He's not him," you said quieter, almost as if saying it again and again would make it true.

"Maybe not yet," Mobius reasoned, pursing his lips as he mulled over unsaid words; "But he is, otherwise he wouldn't have seen his future with you. You know that."

You buried your hands in the pockets of your pants because you could feel how heavily they were shaking. You bit your lip until you tasted blood. "I can't. I'm sorry, Mobius, but I can't. You tell him I want nothing to do with him." The words rolled off your tongue quickly and strained, you didn't give Mobius time to answer you before you were shoving open the door of the storage room and rushing outside.

From the side of your eyes, as you walked, you noticed Loki leaning against one of the file shelves. He perked up when he saw you, straightening his posture and softening his gaze as he took half a step towards you.

You didn't spare him a second glance before turning your back to him and hurrying to the opposite way.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Read ch 4 here

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keeps me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment. <3

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Loki’s taglist: @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @justaproudslytherpuff @justanotherkpopstanlol @chronicallybubbly @chaoticqueen33 @7minutes-tomidnight @uncle-eggy @oliviaewl @dd122004dd @tani725 @lokihaha34 @levanneisdumb @innebulae @mochminnie @mayemperess @alyeskathewave @buginktsworld @cremebruleequeen @wyvernthekriger @cheshire-salvatore-mikaelson @avengersfan25 @mischief2sarawr @yokolesbianism @athenasproverbs @h-l-vlovesvintage @princess-ofthe-pages @daisy-the-quake @talesofadragon @rainbowsocks @alexandra-001 @mary-jinx @stevenknightmarc @falconxsoldier @ladymercury8 @shirukitsune @ladymischief11 @starkzdaughter

#loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki imagine #loki #marvel #loki series #loki x you #marvel x reader #loki x female reader #imagine #fanfic #angst #fluff #what once was mine #loki fanfic #my story #loki laufeyson x reader

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hellcat8908 · 11 days

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Struggling Cassian x Female Reader

You were struggling. Today had been one of the worst days you've had since opening a bookstore. You were currently breaking down in the stockroom. You made sure to shield the bond. You didn't want Cassian to worry about you. The bell above the door chimed, announcing the arrival of a customer. "I'll be right with you." You called as you started drying your eyes with a tissue. "It's just me. Take your time." Azriel called back. You quickly spashed some cool water on your face as you try to regain your composure. You walked out to the counter, "Here to pick up the book for Gwyn?" You reach beneath the counter and pick up the book you had previously set aside.

"Yeah, would you mind wrapping it for me? If it's not too much trouble." He asks as he walks towards the counter from one of the shelves he was browsing. "Sure, no trouble at all." You reply, keeping your gaze down so he can't see your face. "Everything ok?" He asks, noticing you seem off. "Yeah, just tired, inventory time and all." You answer as you wrap up the book. Once the bow is in place, you hand it over to Azriel. "We'll see you at dinner tonight, right?" He asks. "I have a lot I need to do here, I was hoping you'd pass a message on to Cassian that I'll be working late and not to wait for me." You say quietly. "Yeah, I can do that." He says. You thank him before he turns to leave. "Hey, y/n," he says, pausing by the door. "Yes?" You question. "Nothing, thanks for doing this for me." He says before leaving.

You made your way to the back and started getting ready to take inventory. As you were finishing making sure you had everything you needed, the bell above the door chimed. "I'll be with you in a moment." You call out from the back. "Don't rush on my account." Cassian says from the stockroom doorway. "I thought you were training with Azriel." You say, not turning to face him. "I was, but something more important came up." He says as he steps behind you. "How long will you be gone?" You ask. "I'm not going anywhere." He says. "You just said you had something more important come up, so I assumed you were going on a mission." You respond.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He asks gently. "Nothing, what makes you think something is wrong? I'm fine." You start to ramble. Cassian doesn't hesitate before pulling you into his arms. That one simple gesture is enough to break the dam that was holding your tears back. "I'm sorry." You manage between sobs as he holds you. "You're alright, baby. I've got you." He says as his fingers trace soothing patterns along your back. "Let it all out, baby." He says before kissing the top of your head. Your tears soak his shirt as he continues to comfort you. You gradually relax into his body as your breathing evens out.

"Let's get you home." Cassian says as he starts leading you out of the stockroom. "But I still need to work on inventory and catch up on some other paperwork." You try to argue. "It can wait. I'm taking you home and taking care of you." He says gently but leaving no room for further arguments. He patiently waits as you take the drawer from the register and lock it in the safe, waiting to count it until tomorrow. Once everything is locked up, he takes you home, carrying you the entire way.

Once inside, he gently places you on the couch before going to making you hot chocolate with caramel and chocolate drizzled over the whipped cream. He carefully hands you the mug before sitting beside you. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asks softly, not wanting to upset you. "Just been having a rough few days....you know, mentally." You feel embarrassed as you say the last part, looking down at your hot chocolate. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about," he says as he gently lifts your head to look at him, "I only wish I'd realized sooner that you were struggling."

"I didn't want to burden you with it. You have enough going on already without me piling on." You comment. "Baby, you'll never be a burden to me. You're my top priority, and I want you to come to me with anything." He says before pulling you into his lap as tears line your eyes. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make you cry." He says as he gently thumbs away your tears. He takes your hot chocolate from you and sits it on the table so it doesn't spill. "I've got you, baby, now and forever." He murmurs in your hair, gently rocking with you. You settle against him, seeking comfort only he can give you.

A knock pulls you from your peaceful moment. You move to answer it, but Cassian tells you he's got it. He returns moments later with two plates of food and hands you one. The delicious smell is enough to make your stomach growl. "Don't wait on me, baby." Cassian says with a smile as you take a few bites. "Who brought this?" You ask between bites. "Azriel brought it from dinner tonight. He feels kinda bad about earlier." Cassian says before eating some more. "Why does he feel bad about earlier? He didn't do anything." You say. "He feels bad he asked you to wrap the book for gwyn when you weren't having a good day. In his words, it was one more thing you didn't really need to do." Cassian says.

"Looks like I'm going to have to talk to him." You say teasingly, making Cassian smile. "You can straighten him out tomorrow when he comes in." Cassian says. "Comes in?" You ask, confused. "Yeah, him and I are going to help you get inventory done." Cassian clarifies. "You don't have to do that. I can manage." You say. "You're not getting your way on this, baby. We're helping you." Cassian says. "The two of you don't know how to inventory." You state. "No, but we can count while you fill in the paperwork." He states. "Alright, I hope you two are ready to take orders tomorrow because I'll be the one giving them." You tease. "I'll gladly take orders from you anytime." He teases with a wink as the two of you finish dinner.

#acotar #batboys #acotar fanfic #cassian x reader #cassian acotar #cassian #cassian fluff

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c-h-i-m-es · 10 months

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gojo satoru

in which you and gojo go shopping + being proud parents of megumi

you are finishing some paperworks about your last mission when you are interrupted by the continuous ringing of your doorbell. groaning, you get out of your couch and open the door, "i told you to just press the doorbell once." you step aside to let him in.

"there's no fun in that though." he takes off his shoes and puts on his own house slippers you got for him because he is at your place more than at his own. might as well give him the extra house keys you have to him. he goes in the kitchen while you go back to your work, "what are you here for satoru?"

gojo returns back with a chilled drink in his hand, "let's go shopping." he sits next to you and wraps an arm around your shoulder. "can't. i have to finish this."

holding your chin, he turns your face to make you look at him, his usual playful smirk on his lips, "you know this is just a waste of time." you roll your eyes playfully at his comment and slap his hand away from your face, "still have to do it though."

you don't have to look at his face to know he has a pout on his face, "get it done in ten minutes then." he rests his head on the couch and lifts his hips a little to take his phone out of his pocket.

"why do you have to go shopping all of a sudden?" you turn your head to look at him smiling, like showing a genuine smile, "our first years are being promoted you see. so i just wanna buy them something as a congratulations."

moments like these make you remember that behind his childish and carefree mask he puts on, he really does care about the people around him.

your face lightens up and you fully turn your body to him, with a gasp, "they are? why didn't you tell me earlier?" you hit him on his arm and get off the couch, "let me get ready."

"thought you were busy." ignoring his comment, you enter your room and start getting ready.

about an hour passes and you are in gojo's car, him driving to the mall. "what should we get them?" you think of something they'll like and could be useful, "i do know what nobara would like so that is not a problem but what do the boys like?"

"if i knew that, i wouldn't have asked you to come with me." he chuckles and you act offended, "keep up with those comments and i will drop your ass alone."

he looks at you for a split second through his glasses, "like you could live without me." you look at him with a raised brow, "is that a challenge?"

"i don't know, you tell me. are you up for a challenge?" he asks in his teasing tone. you scoff, "alright, survive one week without me. i bet you'll come back begging for me."

"you're on babe. but let's get the kids something first yeah?" you don't know what to focus on. the fact that he called you 'babe' or that he called the students 'kids' like his own.

you curse at him in your head as he made you feel uneasy (flustered) with his words. you nod as look out the window, "yeah sure."

another ten minutes and you've finally reached the mall. you both walk in and immediately notice the mall having more people than normal, "woah why are there so many people?"

"right. like it's weekday. are they unemployed or what?" you chuckle at his reply and walk towards a clothing store. "let's look around and see if we find something of their choice?" you ask as you look up at gojo.

he nods at you, "sure. whatever you say." you cringe (blush) at his words and walk ahead while he follows behind you as you look through the shelves.

an hour long the shopping spree, you've bought the boys some (quite a lot) clothes they could wear out and you also got the three first years as well as yourself and gojo matching pjs so you could have pajama party later.

"i think nobara would really like this one." you let gojo smell the perfume you picked out for nobara, "what do you think?" he shrugs, "smells nice?" you shake your head, "you're really no help. tell me what do you think is better." you look around and spray on some other testers.

"i mean i love the perfume you use, but i wouldn't want kugisaki to use the same one as you." you try to hide your face from him as you look away, "why would you say that?"

he chuckles to himself, "i don't wanna remember anyone else but you when i smell that scent." you couldn't help but chuckle at his words as you look back at him, "i am gonna ignore that."

he smiles and takes another tester to spray, "it's so difficult to get kids these days something." you let out a small laugh, "you're talking like a dad satoru."

"tell me about it." he sounds proud for some reason, "i mean i was totally a father figure for megumi. do you remember that one time we went to his teacher-parent meeting and his teacher told us that we are such a happy family?"

you laugh remembering the event. gojo was not feeling like going alone so you went to megumi's school with him and the teachers as well as the parents assumed that you two were his parents and were telling you how nice of a family you three are. you also remember some moms giving you both advices on parenthood.

"yeah and i also remember you being so proud telling everyone that we were his parents." you spray another tester and finally it smells like something nobara would really like, "woah this one is really nice." gojo comes close to you, his chest touching your back as he bends a little to smell the tester you just sprayed.

"mm.. yeah it is nice. let's get this one." he looks at you and smirks as you narrow your eyes at him and softly push his face away from you, "yeah i wanna get something for myself as well."

by the time you are out of the store, you ended up buying yourself and your three boys each some perfumes as well. "this is so much fun." you giggle as gojo takes the bags from your hand. his smooth ass also taking your hands in his in the process like it isn't anything unusual and intertwines your fingers.

"we should do this often." he looks at you with a smile, making you smile as well. "but let's get some food now. i am so hungry."

you nod your head, "uh huh. we also need to buy something else for nobara." you pout as you look around to see for some store with nice clothes on display, "we got the boys clothes and perfume. i gotta buy my girl something else as well."

"we got her pajamas?" he pulls you closer to him as there are a lot of people around, but little do you know that it is just an excuse. "that doesn't count. we got 'em for everyone."

he chuckles as he shakes his head, "okay woman. let's grab a bite first, yeah?" you nod and rest your head on his arms, getting tired of all the walking, "i am so tired. but i am so excited to give these to them." you speak excitedly as you wrap your arm around his and smile, "i am so proud of them."

he smiles looking at your face, "yeah.. me too."

a/n: posted jjk for some change :P hope you liked it!

#proud parents fr #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #gojo satoru #gojo satoru x reader #jjk fluff #jujustsu kaisen x reader #jjk imagines #gojo x reader

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runnning-outof-time · 9 months

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Dear K, you've been spoiling us haven't you? First with all your incredible worlds you've been sharing the last days and now this celebrations - congratulations 🎉🎉 I hope the joy of writing never leaves you! I would like to request

9. "Forget I ever said that" with Tommy with a sprinkle of tone-surprise on top

I hope you have fun and can't wait to see what you come up with! Xx

Val!! Thank SO much for your incredibly kind words!! You’ve been such a big supporter and dear friend of mine! I added some surprise into this, but I’m not sure if it’s how you wanted. A post I’d seen on here about this possibility came into mind and I decided to write it out. I hope you like it. Enjoy! :)

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Part of my 3.5k celebration — find other stories here!

Good With Horses

Tommy Shelby x Reader

Warnings: drinking, smoking, language, brief mention of drug dealing

Word Count: 903

Summary: Tommy lets a secret slip while he and (Y/N) have a chat about his youngest brother.

“I bet Pol’s spoke to ya,” Tommy started as he entered the front sitting room, where (Y/N) was relaxing on one of the couches.

(Y/N)’s brows furrowed at his statement, and she watched him as he walked to where the decanters are shelved so that he could grab one and a glass to bring over to where she was sitting. She doesn’t say anything, just watches as he pours himself a glass of whiskey so that he can immediately tip it back. The huffed groan that left his lips after he set the glass down tells her he’s had a long day.

“About what?” she decides to ask him, her brows still furrowed.

Tommy takes a moment to go about lighting himself a cigarette, and he doesn’t speak until after he’d taken a deep drag. “What Finn’s been up to,” he answered, sitting back against the chair as he finally looked at to her.

“She didn’t say anything to me about that,” (Y/N) shook her head, a bit of confusion present on her face now.

A scoff leaves Tommy’s lips and he shakes his head before voicing his thoughts: “she just about ripped my ear off with it earlier.” Rolling his eyes up to the ceiling before he took another drag from the cigarette.

“What’s he done?” she questioned, wanting to know what was going on.

“He’s been off dealing snow. She said that Moss saw him out with some of the junior Blinders.”

“The Blinders you’ve told him he needs to be a part of?” she raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah, but I haven’t told him that he needs to be out dealing with them,” he clarified, his eyebrows raised as he let his frustration seep through. “He doesn’t need to be dealing…he isn’t one of the fucking foot soldiers.”

“I don’t know what to say, Tommy…”

“I need to find something else for him to do,” he sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge his nose in hopes to alleviate some of the pressure he was feeling. “I can’t have Pol constantly breathin’ down my neck about it.”

(Y/N) pursed her lips in a thin line as she began thinking of some possibilities that could work for Finn, since it seemed like that was the direction this conversation was heading.

“He can work at the tracks,” she proposed an idea.

“No,” he immediately shot it down.

“Why not?”

“Can’t have him around that side of things. Pol wants him to stay in Birmingham,” he gave the reason.

“He’s just barely sixteen, Tom…what sides of this business should he be able to work around? Maybe it’s not the place for him.”

“He’s gotta stay doing something,” he shot down her idea of having him step away completely. “Needs to be put to work,” he mumbled then, sitting up to rest his elbows on his thighs as he hung his head.

Silence settled around them for a few moments, both being consumed by their thoughts. (Y/N) was the one to speak first: “what if you put him at the yard with Uncle Charlie and Curly?” she suggested, her statement making Tommy look up again. The look of intrigue that flashed in his eyes made her continue. “He could help them with deliveries and also with the horses they have there,” she gave more of an explanation.

“He’ll stick with the horses…I won’t have him messing with the deliveries,” Tommy added his own thoughts to her idea. (Y/N) nodded her head in agreement.

“He’s good with horses, isn’t he?” she asked the question - that should have preceded her suggestion - after wracking her brain and trying to think of any memories that she had of Finn on a horse.

“He’s a Shelby…course he’s good with horses,” he answered, an undertone of pride present in his voice. “He’s a better rider than any of us I think,” he mused after a few moments passed.

(Y/N) couldn’t stop her lips from twisting up into a smile as she heard her husband’s statement. Never did she think that he’d admit the fact that someone in his family could be a better horseman than he was. She was certainly surprised by the admission.

“Hey…” Tommy started, the sound of his voice making (Y/N) look at him again. He took the cigarette out from between his lips and gestured it towards her, his index finger pointing in her direction; his eyebrows raised. “Forget I ever said that,” he insisted, his eyes locked onto hers.

(Y/N) pursed her lips together in hopes that her smile wouldn’t grow any larger, but she was betrayed. A giggle bubbled up passed her lips as she looked down at her lap, hoping that her look of surprise would disappear.

“Eh?” he checked with her when she didn’t respond right away.

She tried to put on as straight a face as possible as she looked up at him again. “I will,” she agreed with a nod.

Tommy nodded in response to her, relaxing back into the chair again. “He’ll work with the horses then,” he settled the matter, his eyes shutting for the first time that day.

The grin reappeared on (Y/N)’s face as she looked over at her relaxing husband. She’d most definitely be telling Polly, Esme, and Ada what he’d just admitted the next time the ladies got together.

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blackbirdie1234 · 5 months

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The Strange Encounter

Paring: Embry Call x Reader!

Here is the link to part 2.

This is my first time writing a fan fic. If you guys like it let me know! I'm going to post part 2 very soon! Hope you enjoy :)

No warnings

Summary: You recently moved back to Forks after not being in the town since you were eight. When your old friend Jacob Black asks you to come to a party down at La Push you accept. What's the worst that could happen?

It was a calm and cool fall day in Forks. You are helping your mom at the bookstore she owns. As you stock the shelves you look out the window and see a group of guys around your age walking. You recognize one of the faces "Oh my god, Mom is that Jacob Black?" you ask in shock. Your Mom comes over to you with a confused look on her face "Oh wow, yes it is honey" Your mom pauses for a moment and smiles "Well hasn't he grown" You look at her, she has a smug smile on her face "I almost didn't recognize him, he chopped all his hair off" you point out. "why don't you go out and say hello" your mom says with a grin. "I haven't seen him since I was 8 mom, he probably doesn't even recognize me, and take that smile off your face he definitely is not my type," you say as you both laugh, your mom walks away as you continue to stare out the window for a moment noticing a cute boy standing next to Jacob. You used to live in Forks when you were young and just recently moved back but you didn't have many friends besides Jacob, so you still consider yourself the new girl in town.

As you finish cleaning up the store you look down at your watch 6:00pm. "Oh shit, I gotta get going," you say to yourself. You grab your bag and your keys and lock up the store. From the distance you can hear a group of people laughing and talking loudly, you look up and see Jacob and his friends walking down the street coming towards you. You turn and start walking to your car not wanting to run into them, you aren't sure if Jacob remembers you and you can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing yet. As you are walking you hear your name being called 'Y/N?" you hear from behind you "shit" you think to yourself. You slowly turn around and see Jacob running up to you he has a big smile on his face and his thoughts are confirmed when you turn around "I knew it! I saw your mom coming out of the bookstore earlier and recognized her immediately, when did you get back in town?" he says with the smile still on his face you can see his friends in the distance talking amongst themselves, "Jacob, wow so good to see you" you say with an awkward smile "We moved back about a week ago, I figured your dad would have told you I'm pretty sure my dad and yours caught up a few days ago" you say with a bit of confusion "Yeah my dad and I haven't been talking much recently" Jacob says making the mood shift " Anyways your mom opened up a bookstore, that's so cool" He says obviously trying to change the topic "Yeah its always been a dream of hers so it's pretty nice we finally get to do it" you say smiling "Thats great, I'm really glad your back in town, hey my friends and I are planning on going down to La Push to have a bonfire, do you want to come? Maybe we can catch up?" he says looking at you eagerly. you hesitate for a moment thinking it over "Uh, yeah sure that sounds like fun" you say with a small smile "Great, come at any time we're heading out there in an hour" He says excitedly "Okay, I'll see you there" you say turning around and getting in your car not noticing the eyes on you as you drove away.

You're in your room getting ready, it's a chilly night so you throw on some jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with a zip-up jacket. After you finish getting ready you grab your keys and hop in your car. When you arrive at La Push you see the big fire in the sand and tons of people surrounding it. "Woah, I didn't think it would be that many people" you mumble to yourself, regretting saying yes. You get out of your car and see Jacob approaching "Hey! Glad you could make it, follow me" he says and you start walking together. He introduces you to a few people and you start talking with a guy named Quil, as you guys are talking another guy comes up to you. You realize it is the guy you saw earlier, as you make eye contact his face goes from smiling to completely awestruck. You stand there confused as he just stares at you for a moment before excusing himself and basically speed-walking to the house away from everyone. You turn and look at Quil confused "What's his problem" you ask genuinely Quil looks at you and tells you he will be right back before turning and walking to the house. You look around and lock eyes with Jacob, he walks over "What happened?" he asks me confused "I don't know, Quil and I were talking and then one of your friends walked up not even saying anything, and then ran to the house" a look of understanding crosses Jacobs face " I will be right back I promise" it seems like hours but it's more like a few minutes of sitting on one of the rocks watching the fire burn as everyone else is drinking and having a good time. You were about to stand and leave when Jacob came up to you "Hey, I'm sorry about that. He's just a little drunk don't worry about it. Everything is all good" Jacob says but you can tell something is off. Jacob still has the same lying face as he did when you were eight so you aren't easily convinced but decide to let it go. You and Jacob sit in awkward silence for a while until Quil comes back. "Hey, what are you guys talking about" Quil says in a much too cheery mood considering what just happened, "Nothing much, we're just enjoying the scenery" Jacob responds obviously trying to make it seem as though this isn't the weirdest interaction in the world. Out of the corner of your eye, you see someone walking up to you and turn your head, it is the same guy. "Hey guys" the man speaks to Jacob and Quil seeming perfectly fine now, with not even a hint of awkwardness, again acting like nothing happened. Suddenly, he turned to face you "I'm sorry about earlier, I don't know what got into me," he said a bit shy " I'm Embry, what's your name?" there was a spark in his eye as he spoke to you, like he already knew the answer, like he knew everything about you, like it was his life mission just to speak to you. "Don't worry about it, it happens," you say politely "My name is Y/N" his eyes perk up a bit at that. You don't know who he is and why he's acting so strangely but damn is he hot. Without your knowledge, Quil and Jacob left as you and Embry were talking. Now you were stuck, not that you minded having to talk to Embry, but something about him seemed off. "So I heard you just moved back here from (insert city/state name)?" Embry questioned "Yeah, My mom got her own bookstore and my dad got a new job that allows him to work from home so we decided to come back," you say as both of you start walking to a more secluded area of the beach "Are you happy to be back?" he says with a bit of hesitation, he's not trying to push any boundaries, it seems like he genuinely wants to get to know you "Yeah I'm pretty happy about it, I've always loved cold and rainy weather," you say making Embry laugh a bit "What?" you say looking at him with suspicion but a hint of amusement on your face "Nothing, nothing it's just not every day you hear someone actually enjoying that type of weather, it's my favorite too" he says blushing a bit as we come to a stop near the ocean. We've walked pretty far and we can only see the smoke from the fire rising above the rocks. "Y/N I need to tell you something," Embry says nervously.

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coffeeghoulie · 2 months

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got a feeling inside that i can't domesticate

surprise! secret sixth chapter/epilogue of Eternal Heatstroke! (though you don't have to have read that to read this lol)

3.2k of Swiss and Aeon getting their well-earned rest after the end of the Re-Imperatour, with bonus fire ghoul courting rituals, mild miscommunication, and Aether and Dew giving each other Looks about the new lovebugs.

Title from Bishops Knife Trick by Fall Out Boy

this one goes out to @ghuleh-recs, wishing her a very happy birthday!

Aeon's not quite sure what day it is.

They had come home after months and months on the road, the Re-Imperatour done some time ago. Dew had barreled off of the bus, nearly tackling a waiting Aether to the ground, Sunny had been successfully tackled by the three other ghoulettes, and Mountain and Rain had greeted their packmates, giving them tight hugs before promptly retreating to the forest and the lake respectively.

Swiss and Aeon had stepped off the bus together, fingers still laced together, heading straight for the ghoul dorms through the marble hallways of the Abbey. The soles of their boots echoed through the empty halls, the clergy and siblings gone to celebrate Papa's return and the end of a successful tour.

"I'm a ghoul of my word, bug," Swiss leaned down to whisper in their good ear. "Straight to bed with us. I'm going to make you the best nest you've ever slept in, I swear to Belial."

Aeon laughed, fishing in their jeans pocket for the key Aether gave them on their very first day Up Top six and a half months ago. "That's not a high bar," they cackled, checking him with their shoulder.

"Still," he grinned. "You wanna grab your bedding from your room or do you just want to use mine?"

They pulled out their key, readjusting the strap of their duffle bag on their shoulder with a shrug. "I'll grab mine too." Swiss lit up, grin sun-bright

The two stopped in front of the plain door that leads to the room Aether had showed them to that first night. Aeon took a moment to fumble with the lock, refusing to let go of Swiss's hand. The door swung open, hinges creaky with months of disuse. The room was just as plain as it was before they left, and Aeon itched to rearrange the furniture, make it a little more theirs now that they were confident that this wasn't a temporary thing.

Reluctantly, Aeon let go of Swiss's hand, but instead of going to their bed, they felt Swiss's gaze on their back as they ducked under their desk, scooping up all of their sheets and blankets and pillows. "Baby," the multighoul said, and Aeon straightened, barely able to see over the pile of bedding in their arms. His tone was devastating, soft and almost sad.

"Yeah?"

"Were you sleeping under your desk?"

Aeon shifted the pile of fabric and took a step back as they took in Swiss's expression. His eyes went soft, but a deep frown lined his face. They cocked their head. "Yeah?"

"Oh, baby," he said again with that same sad tone. "Sweetheart."

"What?" Aeon said, kicking their door shut as they came back to him.

Swiss shook his head, taking a deep breath. "You need help locking up? Or help carrying that?"

"I got it, thanks," they said, shuffling their bedding into one arm as they fit the key in the lock again. They couldn't take Swiss's hand again, but they stood as close as they could to make up for it as they headed down the hall to his room.

Swiss had a much easier time getting his door unlocked, holding it open for Aeon as he ushered them inside. "Just dump those on my bed, alright, baby?"

Aeon nodded, setting the sheets down on his neatly made bed. Without the pile of fabric blocking their view, Aeon took a look at Swiss's room as the multghoul flicked on a string of soft lights, dropping his duffle bag on his desk chair.

It's much more lived in that Aeon's, which made sense, Aeon supposed. He'd been Up Top for far longer than they had. There were shelves of books and records that lined his walls, a guitar not unlike the one he played on tour mounted above his desk. There was a hanging plant near the window, curtains open and letting in the light, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air.

Swiss sighed as he kicked off his boots. "Finally. Home at fucking last."

Aeon carefully followed suit, taking off their own boots and tucking their duffle bag in the corner.

The multighoul opened his dresser, rummaging through it until he hummed victoriously, pulling out two pairs of sweatpants and a pair of shirts. "I'm gonna change and get you a nest made," he said. "If you want to shower, feel free."

Aeon nodded, eyes suddenly incredibly heavy. They wandered over to the wingback chair by the window, curling up against the cushion as Swiss handed them one of the shirts and pairs of pants. They thought about showering, blinking slowly as they felt the soft, worn fabric in their hands. Aeon shook their head, standing and changing into the offered clothes. They smelled like him.

Swiss's lips quirked up in a smile as he quickly changed, turning to arrange his and Aeon's bedding into, as promised, the best nest. He straightened, a satisfied smile on his face. "You wanna shut the curtains for me, baby?" he asked.

They nodded, pulling the black out curtains shut, casting the room in darkness with the exception of the string lights above Swiss's double bed. He settled into the nest, patting the space next to him. "As promised, buggy," he said, teeth glinting as he grinned in the low light.

Aeon returned his grin, crawling into Swiss's nest, plastering themself to his side between him and the wall. The nest was softer than anything Aeon had ever felt before, sinking into a carefully arranged pile of sheets and blankets and pillows. Swiss curled his hands around their biceps, pulling them flush against him.

They let out a little "oof" when their chests collided, both of them staring in silence for a moment before they burst into laughter.

"So," Swiss crooned, nosing at their cheek as they laughed. "Is this the best nest you've ever had or what?"

Aeon's nose crinkled up, cheeks dimpling with their laughter. "Oh yeah," they laughed. "'S really soft." They noticed their words beginning to slur, eyes growing heavy.

"And there's the crash," Swiss said, yawning. He carded his fingers through their hair, Aeon keening at the touch. "Sleep as long as you need."

It's warm, and soft, and now that they'd finally stopped moving, Aeon realized that Swiss was right, drifting off to sleep.

They don't leave the nest for hours. Or it could be days. With the curtains drawn, Aeon's not sure. Sometimes they wake, still held fast against Swiss's form. Their hands settle on the back of his neck, playing with the ends of his locs subconsciously. Sometimes Swiss wakes, and even in their sleep, Aeon can feel his blunt, glamoured fingertips carding through their hair, tracing patterns against their spine.

And sometimes they wake together, only getting up to use the bathroom, to raid the ghoul kitchen for snacks and water, dried fruit and nuts and the single serving bags of Dew's favorite spicy chips, before retreating back to the nest. They'll pay for that particular transgression later, but Aether and Dew's door hasn't opened once since the band returned to the Abbey, so they're not particularly worried.

For now, Aeon lets Swiss keep his word, keeping them in his bed, safe in his nest, and Aeon drinks it up. The smell of him is much stronger here, and Aeon spends long moments with their face buried in his chest, his shirt, his bedding.

"Can you even breathe like that, bug?" Swiss laughs, hand caressing the back of their neck. Aeon doesn't raise their head to answer, mumbling into his chest. Swiss hums, ducking down to press a kiss between their horns, and Aeon chuffs happily, if not half-asleep.

"There we go, sweetheart," he whispers, shifting until he's on his back, Aeon curled up on his broad chest. They chuff again, already slipping back into sleep, their body making up for all of the sleepless nights they spent on the road.

The creak of the door handle startles them awake next. Aeon pushes themself upright, lips peeled back in a terrified snarl as the door pushes open slowly. The sudden movement and noise wakes Swiss, as light from the hallway pools into his room, lighting the dim space.

It barely takes half of a second for Swiss to register the open door, the budding tinge of terror on Aeon's scent, before he's shoving them off of him, sitting up between them and the door. He reaches behind him, fingers curling in the fabric of Aeon's borrowed shirt. A deep growl bubbles up in his chest, and Aeon's never heard him make a sound quite like that.

But Aeon sees the glowing pairs of purple and copper eyes silhouetted by the hall light, and Dew clears his throat as he and Aether look in. "Quit fucking growling, asshole, s'just us," he says, scoffing, even though Aeon can hear the worry seeping through his tone.

Swiss has the wherewithal to at least look sheepish, padding his tail against the mattress. "Sorry," he says, but the tone of his voice says he isn't.

"We just wanted to say hello," Aether says, smiling easily like one of his packmates hadn't just been growling at them. "Haven't seen hide nor hair of either of you in the last three days. Got a glimpse when you came off of the bus, but to be fair, we ran off pretty quick." He chuckles, looking at Dew with a softness in his eyes, an arm around his waist.

Aeon whistles under their breath. They'd been in Swiss's nest for three days.

"We've been out," Swiss says, and Aeon feels how tense he is still, his back against their chest. It's just their packmates, one of whom they've only had a few glimpses of in the last several months. They don't know why he's so worked up. "We went to the kitchen."

"Yeah, to steal my chips," Dew scoffs, but he's laughing as he toes at an abandoned foil package that didn't quite make it to the trash can, but neither of them had been assed to get up and actually throw away.

"Invite yourselves in, why don't you?" Swiss laughs, but he's still tense. Aeon sits up straighter behind him, hooking their chin over his shoulder.

"Hi, Aeth," Aeon says, voice heavy with sleep and, apparently, three whole days' worth of disuse. "Missed you."

Aether grins, opening the curtains, much to Swiss and Aeon's dismay. They both hiss, squinting in the bright afternoon light. "Missed you too, pup. You too, Swiss."

Dew stares as the room brightens, and Aeon watches his mouth fall open, eyes brightening with a disbelief and a delight. "Swiss," the fire ghoul says slowly. "Satanas, you didn't-" He gestures loosely at the nest, where Aeon's light grey sheets mix with the dark burgundy of Swiss's own bedding.

Swiss tenses further, tail wrapping around his own thigh, spade thudding nervously against the meat of it. "Spitfire."

"Aeth, look at his bed," Dew says, and Swiss covers his face with his hands, groaning. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."

Aether turns from opening the window, bringing in a waft of fresh autumn air, and Aeon watches his clever eyes dart back and forth between the nest, Swiss, Dew, over to Aeon, and back again. A grin slowly grows on the older quint's face, baring his gold fang.

"Belial, Swiss," Dew throws his head back, crowing with laughter. "You made them a hearth, didn't know it was that serious!"

"Shut up," Swiss says, muffled into his hands.

Dew ignores him, still laughing. "Waited all of a week to get them into your bed, huh?" He crows. Aether's still grinning at Aeon. "We walked in on a fucking hearth. No wonder you were growling like you were feral, you spent the last three days fucking in a hearth-"

Swiss's head snaps up, growling again. He almost clips the back of his skull against Aeon's horn. "Shut the fuck up, Dewdrop," he snaps, voice rumbling dangerously around the edges of the ghoulish words.

All three of the other ghouls freeze, Aeon squeaking softly under their breath. Swiss hears it, their mouth practically against his ear, and sighs, shoulders slumping as he presses his cheek against their temple. "I'm sorry. Nothing like that happened. We've just been sleeping. Please just drop it."

Dew holds his hands up, palms facing the nest. "Didn't mean to insinuate," he says, still leaning against the doorframe, grinning. "Didn't know you were the hearth type, Swiss."

Swiss grunts, staring at Dew with grit teeth.

"Well, darling," Aether butts in, a similar smug look on his face. "You didn't seem the type either."

"Oh, shut up," Dew rolls his eyes. "It worked on you."

Aeon's eyes dart from ghoul to ghoul, brow furrowed. "Um," they breathe, not exactly liking the way all three of the older ghouls turn to face them. "I don't wanna interrupt, but what do you mean? What's a hearth?"

"Oh, no," Aether breathes. Swiss buries his face in his hands.

"Oh, Lord Below, of course you didn't tell them," Dew laughs. "I'm gonna let Swiss explain this one to you, voidling, seeing as you're in one." The fire ghoul jabs a thumb towards his mate. "This guy didn't know what a hearth was the first time I made him one either."

"Of course I didn't know," Aether argues. "I wasn't raised with fire pack customs."

"Exactly," Dew stresses, leveling a look at Aether. "Neither were they."

Swiss hasn't moved, breathing so shallow that Aeon can't feel it from where they're pressed up against his back. They chirrup, trying to be comforting, but still questioning. Swiss groans, tilts his head back until their cheeks are pressed together. "I'll tell you, bug, but will the two of you leave us alone?"

Dew nods, suddenly incredibly solemn, hand over his chest. "Of course. Aeth?"

Aether nods, stepping closer to the bed to run a hand over Swiss's locs, finger trailing along the ridge of his horn. "I'm glad you're home, spark."

Swiss hums, leaning into Aether's touch for just a moment, flashing him with the brightness of his smile for a second. "Glad to be home too, big guy."

He grins, turning to his fellow quintessence ghoul, running blunt fingers through their hair. "Congratulations on finishing your first tour, pup."

Aeon smiles, not as bright as they would have, the uneasy tension sour on the air, but they press into the touch like a pleased cat. "Thanks, Aeth."

The pair of them step out, Dew flashing Swiss a mischievous grin before shutting the door behind them.

Swiss sighs again, running a hand through his locs, eyes squeezed shut. He shifts until he's sitting straight and cross legged, and Aeon props themself up to sit next to him, their thighs pressed together. "Did Caldera, did she ever make nests? Specifically, did she ever make one for Oasis?"

Aeon cocks their head, curiosity washing over and dampening the sting of their names on his lips. "No," they tell him. "We were moving constantly, didn't have somewhere secure for a nest like that. He'd give her stones all the time, though. He said it was a water ghoul thing."

Swiss's ears pin back to his skull and he tenses again, fingers flexing, hands in his lap. "Shit."

Aeon darts out, grabs one of his hands, seeking contact. He melts, eagerly taking theirs. His thumb traces over the back of their hand, and his eyes track the movement. "Can you tell me what Dew meant?" Aeon breathes. "About it being a fire thing?"

He nods and squeezes their hand.

"We- No," Swiss winces. He starts again. "Fire ghouls come from the coldest circles of the Pits. They're the only ghouls that can survive there, because the fire in them keeps them alive." He rests his other hand over his heart. "But sometimes, in the longest, darkest nights, one fire wouldn't be enough. You could go to sleep fine, and your flame would freeze and go out by morning. So, most fire ghouls tended to sleep together with partners or big family piles."

Aeon listens intently, resting their head on his shoulder. "You said that was something you missed from your birth pack, right?"

Swiss snorts, turning to nose at the crown of their head. He takes a deep breath, letting his eyes shut as their scent hits him. "I did say that. My family was from the City, so we weren't exactly worrying about freezing to death, it was more a comfort thing. But this isn't quite like that."

They wait for Swiss to continue. "What's it like, then?" they ask, yawning.

"A hearth is-" He nuzzles into their hair again, hot breath blowing the strands as he hums. "If you were single, and looking for a partner, you'd offer to build your potential partner a hearth, a nest of your own bedding, to prove you could provide and protect each other's flames. And if they offered their own bedding in return, you had been accepted, and they were interested too. I know I didn't ask, and I asked you for your bedding instead of you offering, but that's what Dew saw. He made a hearth for Aether before he asked him to be his mate."

Aeon cocks their head, sleepily blinking up at him. "It's a mates thing?"

"Yeah," Swiss shuts his eyes and heaves a breath. "It's like a courting nest. I'm sorry, bug. Haven't thought of myself as fire for so long, I didn't realize what I was doing, didn't ask if it was okay. Didn't put a name to what I was doing."

They straighten, shift to look at him dead on. Their hands come up to his face, smoothing over the three day's worth of unshaved stubble. It scratches their palms just right, and Aeon watches the little furrow in his brow smooth out.

"You don't have to apologize," they say, entranced by the shift in the gold of his eyes. "Did you mean it?"

He hums curiously, the little furrow back on his brow. "Did I mean it?"

"Nobody's ever been interested in me like that," they admit in a little voice. Swiss's hands curl around their own, just touching. "Are you? Do you mean it?"

Swiss thinks, and Aeon feels a pit growing in their stomach the longer he doesn't answer.

"Aeon," he says, smoothing his thumbs over the back of their hands. They look up, catching his eye. "Of course I mean it. I love you, bug."

"Then I accept," Aeon says, as easy as breathing. "I want that. I love you too."

He grins, bright and golden, just as warm as the nest they've spent the last half a week in, and Aeon grabs his hands tighter, nose crinkling up in laughter.

"I'm glad we got you, Aeon," Swiss says, smile softening. He kisses their cheek, warm and flushed deep violet.

"I'm glad it was me too," they whisper, leaning forward to shove their face in Swiss's throat.

He embraces them, rubbing up and down their spine, and Swiss's heart jumps when he realizes he can't feel the knobs of their spine. "I hate to say it, lovebug, but we should probably go have something real to eat, see the others."

Aeon whines, but their stomach chooses that moment to growl, and both ghouls burst into laughter at the timing. They stand, begrudgingly leaving the warmth of their hearth to rejoin the rest of their pack.

#happy birthday liss!! <3 #will i ever write anything that isn't sickly sweet #the world may never know #dot's writing #eternal heatstroke #swiss ghoul #aeon ghoul #the band ghost #the band ghost fanfiction #swiss/aeon #phantom ghoul #swiss/phantom #< for tagging purposes

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leahrintarou · 8 months

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🎃 Kuroo Tetsuro - Vibrator

Warnings: Requested! sub! kuroo x dom! reader, fem reader, usage of vibrator, the petname: sweetheart is used, y/n interrupts his phone call, mentions of lingerie. Word Count: 2.6k

"you wait out here, tetsu." y/n say's to kuroo as he took a seat on the bench next to the fitting rooms. "why can't you let me see them too?" He frowned, reluctancy in his voice when y/n held her own against his tempting voice. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she twisted the door knob to the private room. "why can't you let me surprise you with something for once?".

And with that, the boy smiled since that sentence alone intrigued him all the more to what y/n was preparing to buy. He leaned back against the bench, wincing at the low temperature of it against his back. y/n on the other hand began to try on a few sets that she'd picked up off the shelves of the particular store that kuroo insisted they'd visit on their way home.

Y/n hadn't been in a store specifically for adults intimacy, so when kuroo suggested this idea, of course she decided against it for the first ten minutes of his persisting convincing. She gave in under the condition that kuroo wouldn’t be able to see what she bought and with that, he felt half way satisfied and here they were, holding up each other's side of their deal. "kuroo, come here for a sec" her voice was heard behind the door.

He stood up almost immediately and slid himself through the crack of the door since y/n had previously opened it for him prior to her request. "I thought you were supposed to be surprising-" kuroo trailed off as he took in the sight in front of him. Maybe it was better that y/n wasn’t surprising him with this set in particular. If she were however, he'd be anything but unprepared and would probably make a fool of himself when she and he were supposed to be making use of it.

"I was, but I need help zipping this. I don’t want to assume that it fits and gage the sizing wrong." she says, turning her back to give kuroo access to the unzipped back of the lingerie set. Kuroo placed eager digits to the zipper, pulling it upward as the quick buzz sound of the action sounded almost piercing in the quiet room. "who cares if it fits, it won't be on you for long anyways" he says, a smug look on his face when y/n turned around.

"how are you so sure about that?" y/n questioned, placing a palm to kuroo's chest and giving him a gentle push to get him out of the way of her reflection in the full length mirror. She admired small details, making sure she was satisfied with the clothing pieces. What soon accompanied her reflection was kuroo's wandering hands as he shifted behind her figure, both palms resting against her waist as he placed chaste kisses to her shoulders.

"every time you buy these, I either rip them off of your body or they get lost somewhere in our room.."

"not this time, though" y/n says, turning around to face him directly. Kuroo took another glance in the mirror to take in the new angle of y/n body and she noticed this, gently gripping his chin to redirect his gaze to her own eyes. "what is it? Do you have something planned?" He questions, curiosity being the only thing noticeable in his irises. Along with the lust…of course. "yup." she smiled, placing a quick kiss to his lips.

Kuroo pulled her back in when she pulled back just a little too quickly to his liking. His grip on her waist tightened as he pressed her own body closer against his own. Their lips moved with rhythm against one another, making kurro close his eye's at the longing sensation that he'd been trying to fight off for at least the last hour or two. "really? You? My girlfriend of five years is saying that she isn't going to be submitting to me for once?" He says through the kiss. y/n feels him growing all the more aroused against her thigh, making her use her palm to graze the obvious tent.

"yeah. Don’t believe me?"

"would it be so bad if I said no?"

Y/n smiled against kuroo's lips when he let out a small sigh from her touch. "well, let's start by this," she started, pulling away from their kiss and soon following with a withdrawing hand from kuroo's growing erection. "do you believe me now?" She asked innocently as she gently guided kuroo back to the door of the fitting room. "are you serious right now, sweetheart?" He questioned, in denial of the situation that he was going through right now.

"what makes you think that I wouldn’t be?"

And with that, she closed the door, leaving her boyfriend outside with his obvious problem that only became more of a problem due to her teasing touches. She heard him let out a frustrated groan and even though it was wrong, she couldn't help but smile and feel a bit amused from this new side of kuroo..and this new side of herself. Changing out of the lingerie, she gathered it along with some other sets before walking out of the stall in her regular clothing.

When kuroo's eyes set on her frame, she saw the way he almost deflated at her fully clothed figure. Glancing down to his lap, she saw how he now kept his hands in his pockets to discreetly shift the pressure of his pants against his restrained and aroused member. "is that all?" He asked, glancing at the items that y/n slung over her arm. "why? Are you in a rush?" She asked, holding back a snort when kuroo gave her a glare before removing his wallet from his pocket.

"Here. I'll wait outside" he leans in to give her a small peck to her lips. y/n did feel kind of bad, but as soon as her boyfriend walked away after handing her his wallet, her eye's caught the image of the large array of adult toys. That feeling of pity was immediately replaced with a desire and anticipation that she couldn't resist.

y/n smiled in content as she admired herself in the mirror. She decided to put on a different lingerie set apart from the one that kuroo had previously seen her in when she was trying them on in the store. She did want everything to be a surprise afterall. Slowly opening the door to the bathroom, she took quiet and light steps into their bedroom. Kuroo was currently on the phone with god-knows-who, so, y/n's presence was unrecognized as he stared off at the floor from his seat on their bed.

Y/n's footsteps soon invaded his field of vison, making his eyes slowly trail up her body as he admired every detail visible from their shared distance. His breath hitched when he finally made eye contact with y/n. Since they got home, he was on this phone call which prolonged he and y/n's plans for the night and since y/n was more of the impatient type, she took matters into her own hands.

Y/n took careful steps up to kuroo before kneeling down on their floor. She rested her cheek against his thigh, using a free hand to tug at the hem of pants' waistband. "y-yes sir, that sounds good" kuroo said to the voice on the phone. y/n knew it was someone of importance due to kuroo's speech of formality, but she could care less. Kuroo firmly gripped her wrist, stopping her movement for a quick second but his grip only faltered when y/n used her other free hand to suddenly palm his erection. Kuroo pulled the phone from himself, stretching his arm out to be as far away from the mic as possible.

He let out a grunt when y/n firmly rubbed a back and forth motion with a her palm, making him lean his head against his shoulder, arm faltering to keep itself outstretched. Kuroo's pulled the shakily held phone back to his ear after the confused tone of the guy was heard when kuroo's prolonged silence on his side of the line became a bit suspicious. "what time next week will you be free?" The voice questioned.

"u-uhm…"

"kuroo?"

"sorry, what was your question?" He forced out, trying to cover his grunt with a clearing of his throat. y/n began to pull down the waist band of both his briefs and pants, revealing his fully erect member that was leaking pre-cum by the second. y/n almost felt accomplished when she realized that her teasing was paying off nicely and despite any of the words that kuroo would say, his body always told a different story. "oh, uhm..maybe Wednesday or Thursday s-soundsss..good" he finally said with a quiet hiss after the question was repeated.

"okay. Got it. In that case, see you then!" The man sounded cheerful, his previous voice of suspicion and confusion turning to be no more. "mhm- see you t-then-" kuroo hurriedly tapped the end call button when y/n wrapped her hand around his member, giving it a tight squeeze. "y/n!" He called out with a voice that faltered immediately when she began to gently stroke him.

"you were on the phone for so long, tetsu." she frowned, ignoring his scolding tone that he so desperately wanted to keep sturdy. "what are you doing? Are you crazy?" he said, voice shifting higher in volume when the situation that just took place finally began to sink in. "not crazy. Just impatient" she smiled, placing small kisses against his inner thighs. His member twitched in her hold at each action of affection as his chest rose and fell at an increasing pace.

"you could've wait, sweetheart. You always get to have me and you know that" he leaned closer to y/n, reaching for the strap of her top that resided on her shoulder. She pulled back, leaving his touch as he quirked an eyebrow from the action. "it's not about what I get. More so what you get." She smiles, walking over to the bag of her recently purchased items. "don’t tell me you still wanna do this whole me submitting to you thing?". Kuroo felt a shiver shoot down his spine when y/n didn’t answer.

He let out a sigh, fully removing his bottom half of clothing. "your shirt too" y/n said, standing up with a box in her hold. "whatever you say, your majesty" he mocked, tugging off his top with a teasing smile. y/n began to unbox the item and to kuroo's horror, he began to realize just what it was. "w-what do you plan on doing with that, sweetheart?" He asked, eyeing the abnormally shaped item.

"well it doesn't look like it'll work for me so, what do you think?" She asked, kneeling down in front of kuroo once again. The item was meant to be clasped around your partners member and would vibrate with a controlled remote that'd be in the hands of the one in control. When y/n read the description of this in the store, she couldn’t help but buy it with kuroo's very own card. That'd be sure to piss him off just a bit more.

y/n slid the item over the tip of kuroo's member as he bit down on his bottom lip to avoid any sounds to spill. Clicking the button on the remote, kuroo let out a sudden and choked out moan at this new found sensation. "let me know if you wanna stop, tetsu" she whispered, placing another kiss to his inner thigh. With another click of the button, y/n increased the frequency as kuroo gripped the fabric of the bedsheet with such a force that his knuckles became as pale as the white sheets themselves.

His abdomen tensed every once in a while, contorting his abs to be a bit more prominent with every passing second. "sweetheart, this is so not like you" he managed to say through a forced voice. He let out a breathy pant immediately after his words and his eye's rolled back when y/n wrapped her hand around the toy, intensifying the grip just as she'd like it. "this isn't like you either" she laughed, almost mocking this unfamiliar state. y/n could tell that he was trying to hold his own and be tough through this, but he was indeed failing in ever prospect of it.

His usual groans turned to moans, his strong and deeper voice is now a bit higher in tone and less sturdy and most important of all, his usual controlled body was involuntarily going against his will. Aching erection trying to adjust to the alternating frequencies, but instead would just leak more precum as a result. The sight was unreal to y/n. She's never seen kuroo like this and blamed herself for not bringing the idea up to him sooner, yeah he was reluctant but, he still let y/n do as she pleased and looks like he wasn’t regretting it all that much.

"f-fuck, sweetheart. Turn it down-" he pleas, sweat coating his forehead and chest while his heavy panting brought a cooling sensation against the damp skin. y/n only turned the toy up a notch, making kuroo's hips jolt upwards. "I said down, n-not up" he whined, feeling helpless. Anything he'd ask y/n to do, she'd do the complete opposite. Even when he tried to use reverse phycology and told her the opposing idea of what he wanted, somehow she could see through it. 'She was trying the kill him at this point' Where his thoughts exactly.

At this point, kuroo had leaked more pre-cum than she could ever fathom was possible for him. If only he knew the mess he was making at this moment, he'd feel embarrassed to no end. He probably knew this which his why he only stared up at the ceiling and would occasionally take glances at y/n's own eyes to plead for some kind of mercy. What has he ever done wrong to receive this tormenting treatme-

"do you wanna cum, tetsu?"

Finally. He sighed. The torturing had come to an end. Maybe it was the tears that finally fell from his lash line, maybe it was he strained moans, or maybe it was the begging that he didn’t even catch himself doing. He could care less about her reasoning for mercy, all he knew was that his answer was 'yes' in any way, shape, or form. "please" was what he decided on. With that, the frequency went up just once more time. It had to be the highest, since anything more than this sensation would probably be classified as an actual torture device.

"holy s-shit, n/n" he whined, hips bucking upwards as y/n grasped her hand around his member and the encasing vibrator. Kuroo had no escape. The sensation was nearly stifling as his sensitive tip couldn’t handle it anymore. He himself couldn't handle it anymore. "go ahead, tetsu" she persuaded, looking up at kuroo as he held eye contact with y/n, finally letting himself fall into the long awaited black hole of relief. He let out a long string of differently pitched moans, chest heaving while y/n rubbed his inner thigh with a back and forth motion.

Spurts of his arousal flowed out from around the toy as he let out shaky breaths. kuroo managed to reach for y/n's wrist so she would remove it from around his now sensitive member. She saw his current state was nothing more than 'out of it' so, y/n decided to follow through with his silent request. As she did so, the evidence of just how aroused kuroo was, finally came to light. She smiled up at her boyfriend and he looked away as if to avoid being confronted by y/n's secret abilities to bring out this new side of himself.

"how much do you believe me now?"

tysm for reading :) leave a note to show support! it is greatly appreciated.

also, send in a request if you'd like. my request are still open.

tags: @lifesucksweswallow <3

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vonev · 8 months

Text

Ghost picks you up from a bad night out(you don't even know him)

Sum: a handsome stranger saves the day, and you're left wondering if you'd ever see him again.

Warnings: Sexual harassment, threats of violence

---

When was the last time you went out, again?

Right, never.

Strutting toward the sight of the entrance, you sneakishly pull down at the hem of your tight dress, the uncomfortable feeling of it riding up makes you nervous; you hope no one had been staring at you and catching you in your worst moments.

It doesn't take you long to proceed through the line—people scowling at your back as you were let into the club despite being the latest one to arrive on the queue. You ignore the glares burning a hole through you as the bouncer nods and push the door open for you, you thank him before entering, heels clicking against the harsh asphalt.

The heat wave instantly hits your face, sweat gradually building up on your skin with each steps you took, finding yourself gravitating toward the bar—you could use a drink. Maybe something strong, but just anything to make you forget about your life for a moment and enjoy the night.

Your fingers tap on the bar top, the cold marbled surface has you biting back a hiss, eyes impatiently scanning the rows upon rows of alcohol bottles decorating the lit up shelves. Lights constantly bounces off of your figure, swirling and dancing around the room as the heat soon gets slightly unbearable.

Why the fuck are there so many people in the club today? On a goddamn Wednesday?

Maybe you missed the memo for a girl's night promo—you could use that as well, to be honest, anything to save up some of your dwindling money.

A groan slips out of you, frustrated and irritable as the bartender soon approached your slouched figure, an eyebrow cocked up.

"What's the drink tonight for a pretty girl like you?"

Smooth bastard.

You huff through your nose, fighting the urge to roll your eyes at his antic. "Just anything strong, please." grumbling under your breath, you turn to fish out your wallet for cash.

The bartender crinkles his nose at you, an unknowing glint in his eyes you couldn't decipher, slapping a crisp 20 bill down on the bar top, eyebrows shooting up as if saying well, what's the wait? He shrugs, hand reaching out to take the money and stashing it away in his trousers pocket, turning his back to you.

You completely zoned out by the time a warm presence slips right beside you, their radiating heat makes you turn to them; caught off-guard by the appearance of a man leaning against the bar top, mimicking your posture. Immediately, you're skittish—hand smoothing out your hair out of habit and eyes darting away for a moment before returning to the man. Now that you're paying attention, he has a funny looking mohawk; you hate how well it looks on him.

"Aye, what's a bonnie lass like you doin' here alone?"

Yeah, because girls can't go out without another warm body, right?

This time, you don't bother keeping up with the formalities, rolling your eyes at his words and scoffing; the bartender returns with your drink—

—“Bourbon? Eh?"

"What's wrong with bourbon?" you bite back, slightly taken aback with how oddly passive aggressive you acted. Normally you'd be on your knees to apologize profusely by now, but you're in a club; and people are up to no good in these sttings.

His eyes widened, in surprise as well, you presumed. A wide grin spreads on his face, baby blue eyes shimmering in the colorful club lights.

"Nae--nothin' wrong, lass," he looks you up and down. "Didn't peg ya to be a bourbon typa girl at all." He seems to find his own voice funny, you don't see the humor behind them when he laughs.

You shrug, shoulders relaxing; you didn't even notice you had been tensed during the initial interaction. Taking a quick swig of your drink, you don't notice when the man beside you smirks and throw a wink behind his shoulder at someone else.

"You?"

"Yeah?"

You sigh. "What's your type of drink then, lass?" Glass still in hand, you completely turn to him, supporting your weight on one elbow atop the bar top. You don't miss how your body shivers when he takes another quick up and down glance at your body—you know you look good, this dress had cost you an arm and a leg after all.

He chuckles at your words, and another wave of shiver ripples through your spine—damn it, why does he have to be so good looking? You don't tell him that, though; last thing you'd want is to inflate some random asshat's ego.

"ah umnae a bourbon lad, scotch is more to me liking."

You blink at him, dumbfounded.

"English? Please."

Something clicks inside his head. "My bad," clearing his throat, "Not a fan of bourbon, more of a scotch guy." There you go.

"Hm," with another sip of your drink, you start to feel its effect slowly swarming the course of your bloodstream—you've been taking big gulps.

"Aye," slowly, he turns his head away from you, facing the crowded dancefloor, bodies swaying and grinding on each other with music blasting through the speakers with a maximum tweak on the bass—that's why it feels so heavy hitting, ugh. You don't enjoy the way the music beats vibrates through your entire core.

Maybe that's why you don't like the club, or clubs, in general.

But then again, it's your first time—you'll give it another hour.

"Ya see the handsome lad there?" As his words travels to your ears, so does your eyes, wandering amongst the tightly packed arena.

Just then, your eyes landed on another; and this time, you can't deny the pleasant tingles up your spine when you lock eyes with him.

Him who sits not far from where you stood; in a large booth, close enough to spot the ink running up his exposed sleeve, the rest of it hidden away by the sleeve of his shirt.

Even under the blinding yet muted lights of the nightclub, you could see the way he fixates his gaze on you, holding your body hostage with one look—you hate it, but you crave it at the same time; how he's able to command you so easily. His dark eyes scans you from head to toe before settling back on you again, seemingly satisfied with what he saw. The notion alone makes the corner of your lips twitch with a newfound nervousness, fingers crossed behind your back that he wouldn't be able to notice your crumbling facade with the constant lights moving about.

"Seems like ya found each other," the man beside you giggles, an arm snaking around the bar top, curving to sit right behind your leaning figure. An invisible support.

You want to turn back to him and ask a question, but words seem to catch in your throat, frozen in your spot. It's the first time someone had ever made you feel that way; all with just his pair of dark, mysterious eyes. It should unnerve you that a man could have such a domineering stance over your conscience, but it doesn't--maybe that's the worrisome part.

"What's his name?" you spit out too quickly, cursing at yourself for seeming so desperate. He doesn't question it, just hums.

"Ghost."

...what?

Out of everything; you expected that the least. It confuses you so much you finally break the thinly veiled cord between you and this supposed Ghost guy to stare at the man beside you.

"Let me guess, you've got a silly name too?"

That seems to make him laugh, hard.

"Nae—fuck, that's too funny." It takes him a minute to come down from his high, "Name's John, John Mactavish." Before you could respond, he continues, "The lads call me Soap," he winks, and you almost let out an exasperated sigh. Of course, his name would be Soap—he looks like his nickname would be Soap.

"Right," you take another big sip. "Who else is there? You know, in your little group."

Soap gestures you back toward the same booth where you spotted the man; except he isn't there anymore, most likely scrambled off to the restroom or outside for a smoke. "Aye, there's Kyle—we call him Gaz." ...Okay, sounds normal. Gaz in question seems to beamed at whatever his friend said at his side; big golden retriever energy. "Then there's Price, John Price." Ah, that's the man who looks like he gives girls daddy issue.

"Two johnny's in a group? I won't say I've heard of that before."

He snickers, low and deep, shaking his head but not disapproving of anything. "Aye, probably neva seen a group like us, no?" Now that you think about it...

They do stand out, yet blends into the scenery, but as you observe Gaz and the other John once more, you realize that there's a difference between them and the other ongoers in the club. They carry themselves differently, like the world bends and wills at their palms—their presence now more contagious than before.

"Err, yes?" tilting your head at him, you're not even sure if you've truly grasped at the connotation Soap had behind his words.

He smirks, finally taking a big swig of his drink—wait, when did he order a drink again?

Fuck, that's a sign you're starting to lose your senses—when your surroundings seem to blend into a swirl, taking your head along with it as well. You should stop drinking by now; but you don't, instead opting to throw your head back and down the rest of your glass, it clinks against the bar top when you slammed it down tad bit too harsh. The bartender shoots you a dirty look, you scoff in retaliation.

Manners be damned. You're supposed to have fun tonight; and by the looks of it, maybe even get laid.

"We're bunch of military," he shrugs, casually dropping the bomb on you.

"Whoa—like guns and shit?"

He cackles into life yet again, a hand over his belly as his body vibrates with the intensity.

"Smart bonnie lass, aye?" You roll your eyes out of reflex; shit, you didn't mean to do that. "But yeah, guns and shit, and a lot of shit."

You take a gander at his words, a thumb under your chin as you ponder. "Marines?" he shrugs, "Army, but close enough."

So they're from SAS.

That means you shouldn't fuck with them, or fuck them.

It doesn't help that Soap always looks at you with an underlying mischief in his eyes, like he wants something from you; out of curiosity, you would've loved to press on with more questions—but your stomach feels heavy all of a sudden—you need to go to the restroom. Your head doesn't feel any better, either. The alcohol is getting to you.

"I'm just gonna—" gesturing toward the restrooms, "—head over there." Before scurrying off without another word.

Pushing past mangled bodies and swatting away hands that gets too close, ignoring the heavy breaths fanning your neck as you finally reach the familiar sight of the door. Heels stumbling sluggishly across the floor, your fingers felt the smooth surface of the door handle before the door flies open and away from your face.

Ghost stands there, unmoving and staring down at you with those captivating eyes while you almost bumped right into him—that would've been trouble. Muttering a soft apology, you stroll right into the restroom, him being forced to move out of the way to avoid getting hit by you clumsily dragging yourself inside.

Your hands find the uncomfortable coldness of the sink's edges, head hung low as the fluorescent lights flickers above you out of sync with the booming music rhythm outside the restroom.

Fighting against the strong urge to splash cold water onto your face—your foundation costs 40 dollars, you’d rather be dead than to waste your expensive investments away with water. You stand there, not having noticed that Ghost stayed in the restroom with you for slightly longer before departing. The door clicks softly behind his leaving presence.

After giving yourself small pep talks, your head soon feels lighter; better. Smiling at yourself in the mirror, you pat yourself on the back of your shoulder for not looking disheveled, yet, at least.

You don’t move from your place, not until two drunk women stride into the restroom, their laughters booming in your eardrums—ah fuck, there goes the little moment of peace you had—a headache blossoms from the back of your head, traveling down your neck and into the tensed crook of your shoulders.

It’s time to go home maybe; you’re done for the night, you had your fun—even if you wished you could let the night stretch out longer and speak to the men who seemed to captured your full attention tonight. You shrug away the growing pit inside your stomach—you would’ve loved to get to know them all better, but your raging headache says otherwise.

The women’s chatters are drowned out by the blaring music once you step back into the club. The floor shakes along with the rhythm underneath your heels, feeling its rippling effect on your nerves as you walk toward the exit, struggling to stay upright on your heels that feels too steep now—you’ll keep it note to wear something more comfortable next time, if there’s a next time.

You don’t see when two men walk by your side, strolling along with your steps as they try to get your attention; it’s not until you feel a harsh tug on your arm that you realize someone has been trying to speak to you—why? No idea.

The man stares at you, aloof, his fingers gripping the flesh of your arm too tight for your liking.

“Hey, we’ve been trying to talk to you.”

You instinctively flinch when you hear another voice too close to your ear, over your shoulder. “We were, kinda rude of you to ignore us, yeah?” You weren’t trying to ignore them—that’s what you wanted to say, but any words you had instantly jumps back into your throat when an unsuspecting pair of hands lands on your hip, fingers clenching around them in a way the at had you choking back a gasp—and not a pleasant one.

“‘s fine, we’re such gentleman that we’ll let you go if you’ll do one thing for us—one thing only.” he sounds super fucking close, “Hm, how should we punish you, pretty lady?” He looks over to his friend who instantly drops your arm, inching closer to you until you can feel his hot breath on your face.

“I’ve got an idea brother,” he leans over to nudge his face into your collarbone, breathing you in as the other one starts swaying your hips to the rhythm of the music—you swear you feel something presses up against you from behind, but you don’t dare ask, because knowing the truth would only mean acknowledging the horror of the situation at hand.

You’ve never felt more trapped; in the confinement of these two strangers, their breaths leaving trails of bad goosebumps on your skin.

They seem to have taken that as a sign to invite themselves in. The man in front of you lifts his head back up, bringing his lips closer to you—you don’t want this, you want to stop them from proceeding further—you’re too drunk, too out of your mind to fully grasp the heaviness of the situation. Not that they cared at all; why would they? To everyone else the three of you looked like fun, and someone could’ve easily mistaken you consenting to the sinful display; but someone with the right state of mind would realize that the look of your face screams distant, your eyes begging for help.

You’re a fool to think that anyone would show up—everyone here is drunk off their ass, happily engaging in their own little bubble to comprehend that your audible whimpers weren’t of a pleasant one.

Luckily for you, your knight in shining armor (a black compression shirt, but who’s counting.) rips the men away from you in an instant. Just as quickly as they had their hands on you, they were gone.

“Hey you fucker—“ one of the guys protests, his face dropping when he realized who he was up against. Begrudgingly, he snatch the arm of his friend and apologized in a hurry, walking away opposite from you and your knight.

You don’t know why, but you choke back a sob as your shoulders heaves, you lean your forehead into your knight’s chest—appreciating the warmth in a sudden cold environment that had you shivering from top to bottom; or maybe that’s the cripplingdread crawling up to you when you finally realized what had almost occurred. What could’ve happened.

Whoever the person is, they don’t bother throwing you off their body when you leaned in; instead, a pair of strong, burly arms slide around the back of your shoulders and head, cradling you into their plush chest.

You don’t count how long you both stood there for, still and stoic in the sea of bodies that only knew how to move and swerve on the dance floor. Whoever this person was, you appreciate his compliant nature—even if you had just come out of a horrifying situation—the encounter with those two men leaves more than a bitter taste on your tongue, but at least the feeling of their hands are replaced by a comforting pair. His thumb rubbing circular motion into your hair, petting your head at one point.

When you finally come around, you sigh into the nook of their chest, biting back more tears as you peer up at your knight to thank him properly—

—it’s Ghost.

The man you’d been pining all night.

6’4, with body carved into perfection by God themselves, arms that would surely have you drooling by now if you hadn’t been dazed off your mind.

He seems to sense your growing nervousness because his grip loosens on you, nose crunching up in confusion with a small tilt of his head.

Fuck.

He looks so good.

Blond, messy strands adorn his face, his eyes the perfect shade of blue that harmonizes with the rest of his sharp-edged feature—you don’t miss the silver scar on his upper lip; and fuck does that just makes you want to kiss him more.

You feel his body tense up when you start to moving, a hand on his chest over the tiny stained spot your slick forehead left; like a courting gift, you think.

Strangely, you don’t flinch when his hand comes up to move strands of your hair out of your face, tucking them into the back of your ear—the action has you stammering over air and backing away from him out of embarrassment. His hold tightens on you once more, keeping you safe from bumping into shoulders after shoulders.

When you part your lips, the alcohol in your system speaks for you.

“You’re so pretty.”

Now he’s stammering.

You almost giggle when he acts so clueless and confused, eyebrows shooting up, lips slightly parted. He looks so divine under the dancing lights, and you’ve got just the hunger only he can satiate. You lean into him again, your cheek pressing up on his broad chest.

“Let’s get you outta here, yeah?”

Nodding, you don’t question when he starts to lead you away from the chaotic scene of the dance floor, his hand rests on the small of your back as he escorts you out of the nightclub. Soon enough, you feel the breeze of the outside wheezing past your exposed skin. You shiver, and the moment he noticed, he drapes his arm over you to try and shield you from the cold.

Whispering a meek thank you he leads you to a car; opening the passenger side door and slowly easing your limbs into the seat with a hand on your leg and another on the back of your neck.

God does your neck hurts. Your whole body is practically screaming for help—you don’t even register it in your mind when he asks you for the direction of your place and takes you back—nor do you realize that you’re now standing in front of your flat, head leaning against his tight shoulder and almost stumbling into your front door. He digs into your purse for your keys before unlocking the door and pushing you into the house.

The smell of cinnamon and vanilla hits your senses; you’ve forgotten you had been baking cinnamon rolls prior to going to the club.

"Sorry...about the mess," your house wasn't the cleanest, not feeling pressured to keep it pristine since you live alone; but now you wish you had, since Ghost is currently roaming around your hallway trying to find your room. You don't even remember walking when Ghost drags you into your bedroom and when your back hits the soft mattress.

Ghost tucks you into the duvet, fingers glossing over your shoulder for a moment when he seem to halts, hand frozen in the air. You slid a hand out to grab his hand when he starts walking away.

"Stay...please?" guess it's the alcohol that made you so brave. Under any other circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to step foot into your room at all.

Ghost stands there, his wrist in your flimsy hand, contemplating.

You feel his wrist slips out of your grasp, mumbling in protest before you feel a dip in the mattress next to you, and a couple of shuffling around later, Ghost is underneath the duvet with you. A smile grazes your lips as you snuggle up to him, breathing in the smell of gunpowder and smoke—surprisingly, you're quite fond of it. An arm snakes around your waist, and you feel a light weight on top of your head—his chin, probably.

"Thank you," whispering in the dead silence of the night, when everything else seems dull and stale; moonlight shines through your open window, a gentle breeze brushes your skin like how his fingers trails incoherent shapes into your back.

You only get a small grunt in response—but that's good enough for you—because in the next moment, you're dead asleep, snoring softly into his chest.

When you wake up the next morning, the other side of your bed is cold—it's as if he was never here to begin with. But the small note weighted by your dead phone on your nightstand says otherwise. Rubbing the sleepiness away from your eyes, yawning, you push your phone away and pick up the tiny note—

—'Call me, xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx'

#simon ghost riley #simon riley #simon ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #ghost x reader #ghost cod #fluff #cod mwii

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glitch-karma · 8 months

Note

have you seen the new valentine episode for horimiya?? can you write a one shot where the reader gives iura chocolate 🥹 he deserves it!!!

I TRY MY BEST TO DO REQUESTS OLDEST TO NEWEST BUT I JUST WATCHED THIS EPISODE AND I JUST AH MY BOY DESERVES IT

✧Cw: Fluffy fluff, slight implied fem reader (no prns specified though)

✧ Confession, Reader is also a third year, reader and Iura are friends and in the same class

"it's that time of year. Store shelves are gonna be packed with valentine's stuff everywhere." Toru speaks up. "I feel ya man. But... you're one of those guys who are gonna be swimming in chocolate treats so maybe I don't feel ya." Iura sulks, resting his head in his hand. You glance over at him as you nibble at a pastry you'd bought from the cafeteria earlier.

"you already said you did, no take backs." Toru says. "So, any plans for the lovey dovey day?" Iura asks Toru. "Uhm, Practice tying a tie? Yeah." Toru says. "Is that what Miyamura's teaching you now?" Iura questions as you both watched Miyamura attempt to tie Torus tie.

"he said he wanted to practice too." Toru replied. "Tada!" Miyamura said as he finished. Looking at it, it was a mess. Maybe the worst tie you'd ever seen. After a short pause Miyamura spoke up. "It's not appealing at all." "Uh, yeah you think?" Toru remarked. "Damn dude it's impressive how bad that is." You spoke in-between bites. "What is this monstrosity? Uh, it's freaking tight dude! I can't untie your stupid note!" Toru yelled.

Hearing the door crack open, You and Iura peaked around to see sawada peaking in. "Oh hey! Sawada just showed up guys!" Iura loudly announced. "I'm guessing you can for Miyamura." Iura continued as you finished your pastry. "No." Sawada said quietly. As soon as Miyamura greeted her she as usual ran behind him.

"I'm actually here for you Iura." Sawada said. "Me? Really? What's up dudette?" Iura questioned. "Uhm, do you like chocolate? Or no?"

Everyone in the room stood quietly in shock for a few seconds. You looked over at Iura as he looked shocked and shook lightly. "Y-Yes. I like chocolate." He said shyly. "Do you have a favorite?" Sawada asked as you stared in shock still. "No not at all! I love them all! I like bitter or sweet and I have no known allergies, kay!" Iura said with a big smile on his face. You stared at him as you could feel your face getting sweaty.

"So yup! Any kinda chocolate works!" Iura then said. "Got it. Thanks Iura." Sawada said. You could see Iura looking back and forth before reiterateing by yelling; "Any kind at all!"

"You wanna spend time and cash on chocolate for Shuu?" Toru asked. "Wait!" Sawada said surprised. "Shocked anyone besides Hori is on your list." Miyamura said. You nodded as well. "Kinda surprising.."

"Shut your mouths right now before you discourage her you killjoys!" Iura yelled. "Hey if you wanna make me sweets that's your prerogative okay?" Iura says with a hand behind his head. "Ugh- what kind of warped delusion are you living in to think I'd make sweets for you?" Sawada says with a grossed out look on her face. Iura stands there shell shocked. "I'm going back to class, where things make sense." She says as you four watch her leave. Iura stands there shocked still.

"Huh.. What!? She's the one who's not making sense, y'know?! Huh?!" Iura yells in a phrensy. You sigh a bit. Although you felt bad, it was revealing that Sawada wasn't going to give Iura any sweets.

✧

After a while, Iura heads out for the day. You stand slightly awkwardly looking at your feet. "So, bet that was pretty awkward for ya?" Toru teases you as he slaps your shoulder. "Considering you were planning on giving Shu something?" "Toru!" You yelled as you punched his shoulder. "Ah you like Iura, Y/n?" Miyamura asked. "It's pretty obvious." Toru speaks up as you continue hitting him.

You sigh as you finally stop, looking towards the ground as you whip your bag over your shoulder. "I've liked Shuu for awhile now. He's my best friend though. So this I guess will be the test or whatever? Ugh. Why am I even talking to you two about this?" You turn twords the two with a frown. "I need someone like Hori or Yoshikawa." "Harsh." Toru and Miyamura sulk slightly.

"Well, whatever you get him I'm sure he'll go crazy. He's my friend, but he's pretty lonely." Toru says as Miyamura nods. "Thanks for nothing." You sigh as you open the class door. "I'm out, see you tomorrow." "Cya." Toru waves as you close the class door.

Valentine's day is so far away, yet so soon. You were pretty nervous, but still. This was something that had to happen. It is third year after all.

The day was here. You'd stayed up late into the night out of fear, but it was finally time. The entire walk to school you were a mess as you shook with nervousness and fear. You inhaled as you looked around the corner to see Iura laughing with a classmate. As you backed away a little, you felt a shove. You looked behind you to see Yoshikawa shoving you with a grin. You hid the gift behind your back before speaking up.

"U-Uhm Shuu?" You mumbled loud enough for him to hear as your blush grew. "Oh, hey what's up N/n?" Iura paused as he saw the blush painting for face. When he saw your hand behind your back his face suddenly also exploded in red.

You stuttered for a second as you took your hands out shakily, revealing a small box wrapped with a yellow and pink pattern and a cd that had a small yellow bow on it. "Happy.. Valentine's day." You said as you held them out towards him. He yelled as he shook his head causing you to jump lightly. He grabbed them from you quickly with stars in his eyes. "Wow really for me?!" He yelled. You nodded as you cracked a smile at him.

"The CD has some new songs I thought you'd like.. I'm not sure if you've listened to them though." You awkwardly laughed. Shuu nodded as he placed the CD under the box and opened it up. There were various different kinds of chocolates all placed neatly in a row. Shuu could feel his face get hotter.

"I made the fillings myself. There's only 3 of them though." You laughed. "Oh! And here," you said digging through your bag pulling out a pink paper bag. "For your sister and you to share.. I made too many for just you." You blushed more.

"Y/n.." Iura looked shell shocked as he just stared at you. He then laughed as he pulled you into a hug. "You're just the person I wanted to receive chocolates from y'know!!" He yelled. You gasped as you felt him slightly rock you back and forth. He backed up a bit, popping a chocolate in his mouth. "Mhm matcha.." he gapped as he spoke with his mouth full. You chuckled as you could feel yourself get nervous again. "so.. Do you.. Uhm." You stopped as you could feel more eyes on you. Suddenly you remembered you were in the hallways. You looked around in embarrassment as you stuck your face in your hands. "I should have chosen a calmer spot!" You yelled, startling Iura.

He then laughed as he closed the box and hugged you again. You slowly took your hands out of you face as you looked up at his face. His goofy grin was replaced with this serious smile, one you'd only really seen at his house.

"I like you too." He said softly. You gasped as you tensed a bit. You then relaxed into the hug as you hugged him back. "Good. Cause those chocolates were hard." You joked.

#iura shuu x reader #shuu iura x reader #shuu x reader #syu iura x reader #iura x reader #Iura syu x reader #horimiya x reader #Glitchs✧works

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punkshort · 9 months

Text

Chapter warnings: language, violence, angst

A/N: this chapter might be a little slower than the rest, but I felt like it was important to establish how they are surviving. I tried to keep it spicy and interesting but please stay with me, I believe I have some great stuff coming up :)

Chapter Ten

Pairing: Joel x F!Reader, pre-outbreak and post outbreak

AU (the only thing I kept was the outbreak, Joel, and Tommy's characters. Joel's backstory is different, and the way he finds Jackson is different. I may include Ellie one day, I just haven't planned that far)

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

Fic tags: Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI), Smut, Language, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use, Age Difference (Reader is 10 years younger than Joel), slow burn, mutual pining, angst, trauma, SA referencing later but I will put a big warning on those chapters

October 2003

Pittsburgh, PA

It had taken you nearly a full month to make it 400 miles, having to stop frequently and rest for a couple days here and there, but you were halfway to Chicago. Your bodies were not used to the constant exercise, and it required you to rest more than you expected. Joel suspected you were both deficient in some capacity since all you had eaten was canned and processed food for a month and exerting much more energy than normal. You were holed up in a small cabin outside of Pittsburgh, about 10 miles away from reaching the city. Joel had broken into the cabin late last night, and the two of you collapsed into bed once he confirmed the place was empty. He had planned to stay here for a couple days, wanting to make sure you were both as well rested as possible.

The next morning, Joel was looking around the small basement of the cabin, his flashlight bouncing off the dirty concrete walls while you went through the clothes left in the dressers upstairs, determining which ones were suitable to swap out. With winter fast approaching, you both needed to find clothes with longer sleeves and extra layers.

His flashlight scanned over a rusted metal shelving unit in the far corner. He walked over to inspect the items, finding mostly cleaning products, insect repellant, paint, and other chemicals. At the very bottom he found a hunting trap which he picked up to examine, pleasantly surprised to find it was still functional. He took it upstairs and placed it on the small kitchen table, then went to find you in the bedroom, where he heard you opening and shutting the dresser drawers.

The queen bed was covered in clothes, women's clothes on the right and men's on the left. On the floor you had tossed three well-worn hunting jackets, and on the other side of the room was a pile of discarded clothes that looked like they were meant for warmer months.

"Makin’ some progress up here?” he asked, bending down to take a closer look at the jackets and opening the pockets to see what was left behind. He triumphantly pulled out a few batteries and a lighter, shoving them in his jeans pocket. He picked the jacket up and shook the dust off before trying it on.

"Yeah, we got some good options. I think the guy's clothes will fit you, her clothes will be a little baggy on me but that's fine, I can do layers," you said over your shoulder as you scooped up loose socks from the top drawer and tossed them on the bed, getting to work matching and rolling them up. "Did you find anything useful?"

Joel put the jacket back on the floor and picked up a second one, trying that one on before settling on the third, which was a little big on him, but the thick leather kept him well insulated. "Yeah, actually, I found a hunting trap. I'm gonna go out a little ways and see if we can catch somethin', I think we need more protein, we've been needin' to take too many breaks lately."

"You want me to come with you?" you stood up after matching up the last pair of socks.

"Nah, I won't be long, you keep workin' on this stuff here." Joel grabbed his rifle and the trap, closing the front door behind him and setting out into the woods.

The cabin was surrounded by a thick forest but there were a few trails that must have been forged by deer given how tall the grass and narrow the paths were. Joel walked carefully into the trees, staying alert for any threats. Out this far into the wilderness, infected weren't the problem. The pair of you hadn't come across any more people since that night in his apartment a month ago but he made sure you stayed off the roads as much as possible. You weren't as quiet or withdrawn anymore, but he noticed you were becoming hardened by the world you were forced to live in. He had seen the slow progression as you both learned how to take down infected as efficiently as possible. He remembered when you first had to do it: you were so scared he could see the switchblade shaking in your hand as you snuck up behind a dormant runner. As the weeks went on and you practiced more, you became more comfortable taking them down, but he also saw the hardness growing in your eyes. He knew it was just a product of your environment and it was essential in order to survive, but some nights when he was unable to sleep, he laid awake and imagined a world where he could be a shield for you, taking all damage, and you could be your warm and sweet self again, safe under his protection.

Being out in the wild without the comfort of an apartment helped quell his feelings for you a little. He was less distracted when he had to always be on high alert, forcing his thoughts off you and onto survival. But whenever you stayed in a safe spot for a few days, like this cabin, he eventually found his thoughts wandering back to how soft your lips were against his that night, the curve of your hips in your dress, or the way you moaned into his mouth. The forced proximity and the illusion of safety usually meant his body ended up finding yours in the middle of the night and pulled you close to him. You never mentioned it, and neither did he, but he knew it was a byproduct of trying to stamp out his feelings for you. It was almost like his mind was saying one thing, but his body was refusing to obey. So, whenever he woke and found himself tangled in you once again, he didn’t allow himself to savor the moment and quickly removed himself from you before his heart swelled and he would be lost in you all over again.

It was about a ten minute walk from the cabin before Joel found a good spot to place the trap. It was near a big bush that looked to be home to some kind of animal based on the prints in the dirt. He took a pink scarf out of his pocket and ripped a piece off, tying it to the tree branch above the trap. As he followed his footsteps back, every minute or so he tore another piece off and tied it to a branch until he reached the cabin. He pushed the door open and set the rifle down by the door. He heard you singing softly to yourself in the bedroom, completely unaware he had entered the cabin. The first instinct he had was to chastise you for not being more aware of your surroundings, but the part of him that was desperate to protect you ultimately won, and instead he stood in the kitchen to listen.

You left the bedroom with an armful of rags you had made from the summer clothes in the corner, lyrics softly leaving your lips when you saw Joel standing there and yelped out of fright.

“Jesus, Joel, you scared the shit out of me!” you exclaimed before taking your pile of rags to the couch and setting them down. “How long were you standing there?”

“Just walked in a minute ago,” he replied, giving you a small smirk. “Found a good spot for the trap, I’ll check it before sundown. Maybe we’ll get lucky.” He shrugged the hunting jacket off and draped it over a chair.

You nodded and headed over to the cupboard to see what the previous residents left behind.

“Are you hungry? We have some soup here, and some canned stew. What do you want?” You turned to face him with your hand on your hip, but his gaze seemed unfocused and his thoughts far away at your question. Moments like this felt so domestic and it made him ache. What did he want? He wanted everything you had to offer. He wanted to turn back time and take back what he said to you, before he ruined everything. He wanted domestic bliss where you made him dinner and he had you for dessert. He didn’t want to be fighting for your lives while you ate expired Dinty Moore.

His gaze refocused on you and replied, “I’ll take the soup.” He reached into his jeans pocket and found the lighter from earlier and got to work setting up a small fire outside while you rummaged around for pots to heat up the canned delicacies that awaited you.

Joel had just left to check the trap before it got too dark, and you were left scrubbing the pots in the sink until your fingers felt raw. You dreaded any time he left. You hated being away from him, and not because you were scared, it was something more. You figured it out when one morning about a week ago you woke up wrapped in his arms again, for maybe the third time, but that morning was when you realized you only truly slept well when he sought you out in the middle of the night to pull you close and breathe you in. You were always disappointed when he woke up and pulled away from you so fast, leaving you feeling ashamed for being the only one who wanted it to continue. You had to constantly remind yourself it meant nothing, that Joel only had wanted one thing from you by replaying how mad he got for not sleeping with him that night. He never apologized for it, and you know you shouldn’t care anymore, but sometimes when you let your thoughts wander, it bothered you.

You put the pots back in the cupboard and raked your fingers through your hair aggressively, looking out the window to see if you could spot him. You hadn’t had any moments between you like that day in the subway when you saw the heat behind his gaze as you ran your hand up his arm. You convinced yourself afterwards that you had misread the situation, that the look in his eyes was not one of passion, but one of disapproval, and the embarrassment for the way you behaved sat with you for the next week. Eventually, the embarrassment faded when your focus was redirected to surviving in the wild and learning how to take down infected. You were both becoming pretty good at it, so long as you had the upper hand and noticed them first. Only twice did Joel have to use a gun to take one down, so your ammo reserve was still well stocked. But there was something feral that triggered inside you when you watched him kill: the little curl his upper lip made when he made contact, the fire in his eyes when the adrenaline kicked in, the way the muscles in his arms moved from the force of piercing a knife through their skulls. There had to be something wrong with you, nobody should find something like that attractive.

You heard his boots walking up the small porch, but you put your hand on your gun, just in case you were wrong. He opened the door, smiling proudly and holding up a dead rabbit to show you, and set the rifle back down in the corner by the door.

“I’ll go skin it, get it prepped for later. We can finally have a real meal for dinner.” Joel said, still holding the rabbit in his hand. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his smile faltering a bit when he noticed your expression seemed a little distant. You shook your head and smiled.

“Nothing, I’m fine, just distracted today,” you assured him, then turned around to find a small bag of rice you had seen next to the soup earlier. “I’ll make this to eat with dinner.” You plopped it down on the counter and went back to the bedroom to review the clothes you had set aside. Joel’s eyes followed you until you disappeared around the corner. He could tell something was wrong, but he knew better than to push it.

Joel was right about needing more protein and rest. You both felt recharged after just two nights but allowed yourselves the luxury of one more night indoors before heading off towards Pittsburgh. The morning you planned to leave was when Joel had let his guard down and you awoke entwined with him again. It was early, the sun hadn’t even risen yet. You knew the longer you let him do this, the more hurt you would ultimately inflict upon yourself, but as hard as you tried you just could not bring yourself to be the one to end the embrace. So, you squeezed your eyes shut and willed yourself back to sleep.

Joel stirred when the sun shone into his eyes through the thin curtains, squinting and yawning. As usual, he detached himself from you quickly, frustrated with his subconscious once again. After using the bathroom, he went outside to start a fire. The air was crisp and there was a sharp autumn wind that took his breath away. He huddled in his new jacket and shifted from foot to foot as he waited for the fire to flare up. He looked up into the sky, trying to detect if any rain would be heading your way, but the forest blocked most of his view. He heard the cabin door swing shut and twisted around to watch you walk down the steps wrapped in one of the other hunting jackets and carrying a kettle in one hand and the jar of instant coffee in another. He reached out to take the items from you so you could go back inside and grab two mugs and a spoon. He sat down on one of the thick logs used for stools that were surrounding the firepit and waited for the water to boil. You came back out with the mugs but also had a couple bowls and packets of instant oatmeal.

“’Morning,” you greeted groggily, setting the items down on one of the empty logs and choosing a spot next to him. You yawned, looking around the forest and buried your face in your coat when the wind picked up.

“Sleep ok?” Joel asked you, knowing full well he was setting you up to ask about the way he woke up clutching you, but much to his relief, it seemed as though that topic was never brought up.

You nodded, saying, “Yeah, better than usual.” And left it at that.

Neither of you were morning people and generally didn’t speak much until coffee hit your system. You had been lucky so far and found reserves of it at most of the places you stopped, but you had to dip into the stash from your apartment when you made camp in the forest. You sipped your coffee and ate your oatmeal in silence.

“Next time we find a sporting goods store, we oughta look for a bow and arrow, somethin’ silent,” Joel mused as he scraped his bowl. “We should learn to hunt out here. With winter comin’, it would be a good skill to have.”

You agreed, grabbing both bowls and the kettle while he picked up the mugs and snuffed out the fire. It was probably pointless, but you cleaned your dishes and put them back. It was unlikely the owners of this cabin would find it again, but it just felt wrong to leave things messy. This cabin provided for you both when you needed it and keeping it clean and in its original condition felt like the best way to thank it.

After breakfast, you packed up all your new clothes and replenished any food and rags you could fit in your packs and headed back out on the trail towards Pittsburgh. The forest was thick and lush, and offered a lot of cover, so you were able to make decent time getting to the city, arriving in the early afternoon. You approached a cliffside, stopping there to eat lunch and rest for the first time since you left the cabin. Joel didn’t want to start a fire and attract attention, so you ate some granola bars, peanuts and shared a can of peaches while you surveyed the city in the distance.

“So, what’s the plan?” you asked him, taking a sip from your canteen.

“Well,” he began, shoving the wrappers from the granola bars into his backpack, “I figure we should steer clear of the city proper best we can, especially the QZ. They won’t ask questions; they’ll just shoot on sight if they see anyone.”

You looked up at the sun in the sky, trying to determine the time. “We will have to find somewhere in the city that’s quiet, we won’t make it through before sundown.” You told him, looking back from the sky to meet his gaze. He nodded, impressed.

“Yep, you’re exactly right. Good girl.” he said, the compliment making you flush. “If we stick to the outskirts, maybe we can find a small shop or somethin’. But we’re gonna have to take turns takin’ watch, I don’t trust bein’ this close to soldiers.” he warned you, and you nodded in understanding. After you had spent a few minutes resting, Joel stood up, checking his revolver and tucking it back into his pants and zipping his backpack closed. You followed suit, shoving a rag back into your pack that you used to wipe some sweat off your forehead, and you both soldiered on towards the city.

It was approaching dusk as you and Joel finished clearing out a gas station in a quiet part of the city. There were only three runners inside, and you made quick work of taking them down silently. You helped Joel drag the last body into the men's bathroom, closing the door behind you. Joel wasn't thrilled with the building: it was filled with huge broken windows and left you too exposed for his liking, but the sun was waning, and your choices were limited. There was a small office tucked in the corner that you had emptied of the rolling desk chair and a few boxes of receipts so you could spread out your sleeping bag on the floor. Joel insisted on taking first watch, and you propped the door to the office open with one of the boxes so you could hear if there was any trouble before tucking yourself in.

Joel sat on the rolling chair by the front door, hiding in the darkness behind an aisle, every so often standing in a crouch to glance out the large windows for any movement. He was getting tired, but he still had a couple more hours left on his watch before he woke you. In an effort to keep him awake, he wandered over to the small electronics section behind the cash register, perusing the items on the shelves. His gaze settled on a Timex analog watch. He pried open the package and attached it to his wrist, adjusting the time to match the clock on the wall, assuming it was correct before sitting back down in the chair.

You had about 20 minutes left before he planned to wake you up. Joel was just finishing some beef jerky when he saw flashlights bouncing off a building about a block away. He straightened up in his chair, tossing the bag of jerky to the side, and hoisted the rifle onto his shoulder so he could see through his scope. He watched behind the aisle as a group of four men walked down the street in the direction of the gas station. He could see they were armed, noting knives in their boots, pistols holstered at their hips and two of them held military grade assault rifles. As they came into view, Joel scanned their clothes for any type of military insignia but found none. How did they get those assault rifles?

They were getting closer, but Joel still couldn’t tell if they were planning on entering the gas station or if they were just passing through. His hands began to sweat as he gripped his rifle tighter, his body tense and ready to strike. They were about 50 yards away when one of the men laughed at something one of the others said. The rest immediately shushed him, but it was too late. They froze as an unfamiliar noise echoed through the air from a dumpster they had passed half a block ago. Joel frowned, unable to identify the noise, but based on the reactions of the men, they knew. They whipped around, their backs now to the gas station, all four aiming their guns in the direction of the noise. It sounded like a high-pitched screech mixed with a gasp, then a distinct click, click, click. He heard one of the men swear under his breath, his voice sounding shaky as he shifted his weight back and forth nervously. The one next to him tried to get him to be quiet, but his nerves got the best of him, and a shot rang out, making Joel jump in surprise. In his peripheral, he saw you fly out of your sleeping bag, scrambling for your gun. He crouched as low as he could without sacrificing speed, and made his way over to the office, wrapping his hand over your mouth as you twisted around about to shout out to him. He put a finger against his lips, and only when you hastily nodded did he slowly remove his hand, turning back around to hide behind the front counter with you peeking over his shoulder, watching the scene unfold.

Two infected came ambling towards the group. At first, they stumbled and were slow, but when one of them shifted his weight and slid on some loose asphalt, they both let out a horrific scream unlike anything you had heard before and charged towards the group. Neither of you could understand the creatures you were seeing: they had a fungus growing all over their bodies but primarily on their heads, a mouth was the only facial feature you recognized since the fungus had completely grown over the rest of their faces. Blood had stained their throats and chests, their clothes were ripped and barely hung on, and underneath their skin looked wrinkly, but upon closer inspection, it appeared to be more layers of fungus.

The assault rifles were spitting bullets and bouncing off the clickers, as if the fungus acted like some type of armor. One of the clickers jumped on the man who had slipped, viciously ripping into his throat while its fingers dug animalistically into his chest and blood pooled in the street below him. Another man saw his opportunity and pressed his pistol to the back of the clicker’s head, firing and watching its body drop to the pavement. Then without hesitation, he aimed his gun at his friend’s head and fired, his body jerked once and stilled. In the meantime, the second clicker had made short work of the other two men, one already ripped apart on the ground while it continued its assault on the other. The man did the same thing: walked up and shot the clicker in the back of the head, and for good measure shot the other two men on the ground. He was now the last man standing, panting for breath as he bent over to rest his hands on his knees. That was when he noticed the blood seeping through his jeans and trickling down to his sneakers.

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself, sitting down in the road to lift the pant leg. Joel could see the telltale imprint of teeth and blood when the man aimed his flashlight at his leg. He dropped the pant leg back down and hung his head between his knees. Joel tightened his grip on his rifle, expecting the man to come to the gas station in need of first aid, but before he could blink, the man lifted his pistol up to the side of his head and fired, dropping lifelessly to the side and joining the pile of dead bodies in the road.

Joel twisted around to try to shield your eyes, but it was too late. You let out a shaky breath, one tear sliding down your cheek as you looked up at him, his face full of concern. His eyes traveled down and reached his hand out to cup your face, his thumb gently wiping the tear away. Your eyes fluttered closed, and you had to resist the urge to lean into his touch.

"You alright?" he whispered to you in the dark. You nodded, breaking the contact and standing up.

The whole attack took less than five minutes. Joel approached the broken window and leaned out, listening intently to see if the noise had attracted any more infected or people. You waited as Joel went to each window multiple times to confirm nothing else was around. Satisfied, he turned back to you, your eyes wide and still gripping your gun at your side.

"I don't think anyone else is around," he said, placing the rifle next to the office chair. You nodded, tucking your gun in the back of your jeans.

"What the fuck was that?" you asked, staring at the bodies. "So these things are evolving now?"

"Seems that way," Joel answered, leaning tiredly up against the wall. He fought to keep his eyes open, but you could see he was exhausted.

"Go get some rest, I got this," you told him, "I'll wake you if I hear or see anything at all, I promise."

Joel wanted to resist and tell you he wasn't tired, but a yawn pushed through and gave him away. "You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead. You need your rest, and we have to get out of this city tomorrow." You waved him off towards the office and went to sit in the chair after you grabbed his rifle, using the scope to get a better look at your surroundings.

Joel didn't bother rolling out his own sleeping bag, he just tucked himself into the one you were using, your scent enveloping him as he drifted off.

The sun rose about an hour ago. You waited as long as you could before deciding to wake Joel. He seemed so tired last night, you wanted him to get as much time as he could, but you knew you needed to leave. Once you got back into the forest, you could rest again. You went to the back office, carrying a to-go container of dry cereal in one hand, and found him snoring on his side with his back to the door. You popped a few pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in your mouth and leaned down to gently shake his shoulder.

Joel whipped around at your touch and grabbed your wrist firmly, his eyes wild. You dropped your cereal in surprise.

"Joel! It's me," you yanked your arm, but he still held your wrist in his grasp and it was starting to hurt. "Joel!" you said again as loud as you dared. He finally realized and let you go, stumbling back a bit as you rubbed your wrist.

"Shit, sorry, must have been havin' a bad dream, you alright?" he asked worriedly, opening the sleeping bag and reaching forward to examine your wrist. He brushed his thumb tenderly over the red mark he left, the gesture making you melt and leaving you with a pang in your stomach.

"I'm fine, it's ok," you said, taking your wrist back and turning away from him, trying to create some space. "We should get going, eat something quick and I'll refill our packs with any supplies I can find."

"You sure you're ok?" he eyed you carefully. He hated how you shied away from his touch. You nodded, opening up another cereal from the shelf and continued to eat while you inventoried the food in your packs.

You shouldered your backpacks and guns after you ate, getting ready to head out. After stepping out onto the road, Joel frisked the dead bodies and picked up some more ammo for your handgun, along with two extra flashlights. He checked the assault rifles, too low on ammo for him to consider taking one, but he did remove two of the knives and sheathes strapped around their ankles, handing a set to you. The roads seemed quiet, so you took advantage and got a move on, silently threading your way through the city.

November 2003

Cleveland, OH

The weather was turning cold and rainy, even a couple nights leaving a dusting of snow that melted early the next morning. You trudged along behind Joel in the pouring rain, trying to stay hidden and dry by walking underneath a raised highway. It was risky, being close to the roads, but Joel didn't see much choice. The weather hasn't been cooperating for a couple days now, and your journey had significantly slowed down. He glanced at his watch, seeing it was around 4pm. It was getting darker earlier now, and the storm clouds just made it worse. He sighed, shaking the water droplets from his curls, and looked around. You were near an exit ramp. He saw it led to a suburban area maybe two miles away, clusters of smaller one story homes that the builders made as close as possible to one another in order to sell more houses.

"C'mon, this way," he said over his shoulder, bringing you out of your reverie. You looked in the direction he was leading you and quietly celebrated to yourself. You were tired and soaked, you didn't want to set up camp outside again and the possibility of sleeping on a mattress gave you a second wind.

The two of you hid in some thick decorative bushes looking down a road called York St. All the houses looked very similar and close together, the biggest differences being the color the owners had chosen for the siding. Joel had kept watch for about an hour in this position, waiting until it got dark so he could see if any of the houses had flashlights or lanterns inside. You were squatting next to him, trying to control your shivering but the rain was pouring down hard, and your clothes were dripping wet, even under your jacket. Your teeth chattered as you inadvertently leaned against him for some warmth. Focused intensely on the homes in front of him, Joel's body tensed at the unexpected contact. He glanced down at you and saw your soaking wet hair and your lips a darker shade than normal.

“Alright, let’s see if we can get into this one right over here, follow me.” he said, helping you stand into a crouch as you jogged over to the yellow house on the corner. Joel peered inside the windows for a minute while you stood watch with your arms crossed, keeping an eye out for any light or movement on the street or houses. You heard a snap behind you, and you turned to see Joel had used his large hunting knife to break the doorknob. You sighed with relief as you followed him inside, shutting the door behind you.

You swung your flashlights around the room, Joel rushing to the windows and closing all the curtains as you inspected the house. It was small: a living room, kitchen, one bathroom and two bedrooms. Joel went down into the basement to make sure it was clear while you emptied essentials from your pack in one of the bedrooms. You pulled out a somewhat dry set of clothes and tucked them under your arm, heading towards the bathroom. You took your jacket off to hang up on the shower rod to airdry and got to work peeling the soaking wet clothes from your body. You figured you could just toss the shirts you were wearing and pick up new ones here, but you really liked the jeans you had so you did your best to lay them out to dry in the tub.

After you put some dry clothes on, you started to feel a little better, but you still couldn’t shake the shiver in your bones. Joel mirrored your actions after he came up from the basement, changing into fresh clothes and hanging up the wet ones to dry, making sure to take the keychain out of his pants pocket and transferred it to his new ones, and then met you in the kitchen where you were rifling through the cupboards to see if there was anything worth eating. You pulled out a bag of trail mix, some canned tuna, and a few cans of mixed fruit, setting them on the small table while Joel rooted around for some forks.

You were hungrier than you realized and ate quickly, all the miles you walked today catching up with you. Joel finally broke the silence after he finished a can of fruit.

“Which room did you want to sleep in?” he asked. This was the first time you stayed indoors where there were two sizeable beds. He wanted to give you the option, give you your space. You kept your gaze trained down at the bag of trail mix in front of you, considering his words. You knew he was giving you a choice, and it was completely up to you now on what the sleeping arrangements would be.

“I liked the room I put our backpacks in, why don’t we stay in that one.” you replied, still not looking up. We. Joel’s pulse sped up and he tried to hide his grin. You made the choice to stay the night with him, you wanted to be with him. It was probably just a habit for you, or maybe you were afraid to be on your own, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to be apart from you, either, regardless if his reason differed from yours.

That night, he heard you softly snoring, laying on your side with your back to him like usual. This time he deliberately turned over and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to him. He breathed in your scent and nestled his face at the back of your neck as you let out a contented sigh, and small smile played across his lips as he closed his eyes.

Chapter Eleven

Taglist: @chiogarza.

#joel miller fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fic #joel the last of us #tlou hbo #the last of us hbo #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller series #joel x reader #joel x reader smut #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us game #the way we were joel miller fic

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ofstarsandvibranium · 2 months

Text

My Sweetheart: Part 7

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Summary: You purchase a vintage sweetheart bracelet from an antique store and with it, comes the spirit of the woman who owned it. Through her, you go on an interesting journey to find out what happened to her old lover.

Series Masterlist

The next time you see Bucky is when he's scheduled to come in. Alongside him is Yelena and Kamala. Alpine happens to be hanging on your shoulder, so when Bucky walks in, Alpine jumps from your shoulder to the front counter.

Bucky chuckles and picks up the white kitten, "Hey, buddy," the kitten meows and nuzzles into Bucky's neck.

"He was being a little fussy earlier today. He pooped all over himself and we had to bathe him. He wasn't having any of it, but we got through it."

Bucky looks at the kitten, "You being a little stubborn, Al?"

"Think you're rubbing off on him," Yelena says with a smirk, patting the white kitten's head.

Bucky rolls his eyes, "Don't think I've rubbed off on him that much yet." He then turns to you and softly smiles, "So, what's on the agenda boss?"

You check your watch, "It's about lunch time so divide and conquer. Take out and feed half. The ones out and eating need their enclosures cleaned. I'll need some help sorting donations we just received."

"I'll help you," Yelena immediately spoke up, which caused Bucky and Kamala to look at her with raised brows. She shrugged, "What? I like being helpful."

"Well okay. Kamala, Bucky, you guys know where the food and cleaning supplies are, right?"

"We got it, Captain!" she salutes to you and nudges Bucky to follow.

You politely smile at him and point at the kitten on his shoulder, "I assume I can trust you with Alpine?"

He shoots you a grin, "Of course!" his smile fades and then he looks concerned. He rubs the back of his neck "but, uh, you good? I'm sorry but you look a little frazzled today."

You can't help but laugh a little at his statement and you rub your forehead, "Yeah. Today's already been a long day and I've been here for only three hours."

Bucky steps closer, "Anything I can do to help?"

You give him a soft smile and place a hand on his shoulder, "You being here helps." Realizing how it sounds you immediately retract your hand and clear your throat, "I-I mean, you guys, like, you, Kamala, and Yelena being here helps. Extra hands means more stuff gets done and what not."

He smirks at you, "Right. Got it, but, uh, if there's anything you need, you let me know? Or, uh, Yelena or Kamala. We're always here to help."

You nod and nudge him, "Thanks, Bucky. I appreciate it."

Yelena clears her throat and you two completely forgot she was still there. You and Bucky step away from each other and you turn to Yelena, "Uh, follow me to the back and we can start sorting everything."

The blonde nods and turns to Bucky as you start walking away, "Smooth, Barnes."

He rolls his eyes, "Shut it, Lena." He turns on his heel and goes to join Kamala in the cat room.

___________________

Yelena helps you sort out the donations of food, beds, towels, etc. in the storage room. There's a comfortable silence as you two work. There's occasional grunts and sighs as you lift things onto shelves. You two eventually pause for some water and that's when Yelena decides to ask you, "So I hear you're being haunted."

You snort, "Yeah, I guess you can say that." You sigh and place a bag of dog food onto a shelf. You sit on a bin and explain, "I bought a bracelet from an antique store and turns out, the spirit of Bucky's girlfriend from the forties is still attached to it. In order for her to pass on, I need to help her with her unfinished business. At first, I thought it was just for her to see Bucky one last time, but she switched things up on me," you say with a chuckle and you feel a flick to your ear. You pout, "Quit it, Dot."

Yelena's brows rise, "Do you see her or something?"

You shake your head, "She flicked my ear. And, uh, she kinda goes wherever I go as long as I wear the bracelet," you hold up the vintage jewelry.

Yelena nods, "That's beautiful. I can understand why you wanted to buy it."

"Yeah. Apparently Bucky purchased it and gave it to Dot before he left for the war. After Dot passed, I guess the bracelet got passed around and eventually ended up in the antique store I like going to."

"It's funny how big yet small the world can be. Who'd have thought that a bracelet can bring the Avengers into your life?" Yelena asks with a playful grin.

You laugh, "I for sure didn't expect meeting the Avengers or having a ghost companion when I bought it," you look at the bracelet on your wrist, "but, honestly, I don't regret it. It's made my life a little more interesting and it's brought more help to the shelter," you wink at the blonde Avenger and she snorts.

__________________

As Kamala is wiping down an enclosure, she speaks up, "Is it me or did Y/N look a little-"

"I know. I talked to her," Bucky says as he wipes down another one of the cat's enclosures.

Kamala stops to fully face him with a smile on her face, "You talked to her?"

He rolls his eyes at the young Avenger not stopping his task and wanting to face her, "It was a friendly gesture."

"What did you say?"

He shrugs, "Just that if she ever needs anything to just ask."

"Ask you?" Kamala asks with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Again, he rolls his eyes, "Ask me, you, Yelena, any of us."

"Riiiight. Right. Got it." She doesn't say anything else after that and Bucky's relieved. He just wants to get his task done. He checks behind him to see if Alpine is still there. The white cat still eating on the floor along with the other few cats.

Two hours later it's around lunch time and you gather them all together in your office.

"So I ordered some pizza for us!"

"NICE!" Kamala cheers and immediately grabs a slice and moans in delight.

Bucky smiles in appreciation, "You didn't have to do this."

You shrug, "I was craving it and I'm sure the Avengers need to take a break and eat too right?"

You put out some foldable chairs out in your office and you settle in one. Bucky sits in the one near you and an invisible force pushes you closer to his side. You and everyone else in the room pause for a moment with wide eyes.

You're not sure what to say or do but then Bucky bursts out into a chuckle and everyone looks at him in surprise.

He shakes his head, "Dot's being mischievous still?"

"You have no idea," you say with a smirk before biting into your pizza.

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky imagine #bucky barnes imagine #fem!reader #female!reader #f!reader

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 6 months

Text

Mise en Place 9

Warnings: noncon, coercion, manipulation. Proceed with caution.

Thanks all for reading and I hope you’re excited for this one. All feedback is more than welcome and loved and appreciated. Reblogs are most helpful.

Part of The Club AU

You lean on the cart as you roll it towards the door. You limp but the more you move, the less difficult it is. Sonny turns and points at you with his knife.

“Where do you think you're going?” He barks and you freeze. “I told ya to sit your kiester down.”

He drops the knife and comes around the metal island. He takes your arm, not unkindly, and ushers you back to the stool he planted earlier by the sink. You hide your face, ashamed at your helplessness.

“This place will be fine with a bit of mess,” he goes to the door and pushes it open, “big guy, get in here.”

Thor appears and you keep your head down. The glasses on the cart clink as he turns it.

“You doing okay?” He asks.

“I got her. You get back to work. Enough to worry about around here,” Sonny goes back to the counter and washes his hands.

You turn and go back to washing, slipping down to just lean on the stool. Sonny clucks as he chops loudly behind you. The club is already buzzing with noise.

“Fell down some stairs, eh? Musta been some stairs.”

“Yeah,” you shrug and wince, “I told my landlord to fix the railing…”

“Mhmm,” he doesn't seem to believe your story. “Next time you hit those stairs back. Maybe carry pepper spray.”

“Sonny,” you sniff.

“Yeah, yeah, you fell,” he relents.

You sigh. What good would it do to tell the truth? When you did before, no one did anything. No one believed you. They won't this time either.

🦌

Work ends and you grab your bag and jacket from the back room. You make a slow advance through the empty barroom and stop at the top of the stairs. You're just as daunted by the descent as the idea of walking home in the dark.

“Ah, ah, fawn,” Thor startles you as he strides towards you, “you're not going anywhere without me.”

“What? I– I'm fine–”

“I must insist. I can hardly bear to see you this way. Do me a favour and let me get you home safe.”

You sigh but don't protest. You're exhausted and sore and scared. You can try to deny it but you can't stop looking over your shoulder for Johnny.

“Why don't you sit?” Thor makes you flinch again as he draws you back to the present.

You just nod and let him lead you to a stool at the bar. They're tall and you grab onto the bar's edge and step up on the cross bar to get up. Thor helps as he grabs your waist and guides you onto the seat. You wiggle and thank him, slouching down to make yourself smaller.

You lean on the leather trim as Thor sets to his work. You stare at the shelves of bottles and glasses. You just want to lay down and not think.

When he's finished, he pulls on his pale blue coat and checks his watch. You focus on his arm as his strength bulges under the fabric. You are safer with someone like him shadowing you.

He offers his hand to help you down from the stool. You ignore it and try to do it on your own, only to stumble. He catches you and puts you right. You really are pathetic.

The stairs are treacherous and at the bottom you're out of breath and trembling. Thor has his hand on your back as he ushers you outside, bidding a booming farewell to the bouncers. You just shuffle on, intent on your destination.

The walk is slow and quiet and long. Thor tries to chat, asking about your day, then if you have anything exciting going on. You grumble, no and no.

You get to the alley by your place and hug yourself.

“Thanks, I got it from here,” you give a tight-lipped smile.

“I don't mind,” he steps into the alley.

“No, it's fine, really, I can–”

“Come, I'll feel better to know you get through the front door in once piece,” he beckons you onward and you drag your feet.

You try to get ahead of him as you near the door, hoping to hide the broken handle. Before you can, he grabs onto your arm and hauls you back as he stops. He squeezes you tight.

“Your door–” he growls, “someone–”

“The inside one is fine,” you shrug and try to slip free, “it happens. It's a bad neighbourhood.”

“Fawn,” he keeps his iron hold on you, “don't lie to me.”

“Let go,” you plead and jolt your arm, only to make yourself yelp.

“You didn't fall, did you?”

“What?”

“Someone did this to you,” he grits out.

“N-no, I told you–”

“I knew it. When I saw you, I could tell,” he hisses as he turns back to you, making you face him, “why wouldn't you tell me?”

“It's not a big deal,” you whimper as his fingers crush your arms, “you're hurting me.”

He releases you, opening and closing his finger, bunching them to fists as he looks around the alley. You cower and touch the sides of your neck. The anger rolls off of him in waves.

“I'll be okay, I just want to lay down–”

“No, no, you can't,” he blocks you as you try to sidestep him, “what if whoever did this came back? What if they hurt you again?”

“He won't,” you murmur, once more he puts himself between you and the steps.

“He? Who did this?”

You shrug, “I don't know but… they wouldn't come back.”

“You know who did this. You sound so sure.”

“No, I don't--Thor, please, I'm tired and I need sleep.”

“Sleep? You can sleep. At my place.”

“What?”

“I won't leave you here alone. I can't. I wouldn't forgive myself if that menace returned and– how do you know they won't do worse next time?”

“Thor, please, it's not a big–”

“You keep saying that. Well, I'm making it a big deal. You come with me or I stay. Either way, I'm not leaving you alone.”

You huff. You can't argue anymore. You couldn't make him leave if you tried. You throw up your hands and hang your head.

“Why?”

“Why?” He echoes, “why would I want to protect my friend?”

“Why do you care about me?” You scoff and lift your chin, “what do you want from me?”

He's taken aback by the question, an accusation really. He shakes his head and takes a deep breath.

“Nothing, fawn, nothing but to have you safe and sound. As anyone should want you,” he slowly reaches to touch your shoulder, trailing his fingers down as you wince, “you are worthy, you know that, don't you?”

You pull back and cross your arms. You peer up at the dark windows and shake your head. You don't need to answer that.

“Can I grab a few things?”

#dark thor #dark!thor #thor #thor x reader #series #drabble #mise en place #the club #au #marvel #mcu #avengers

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the-case-book-of-fanfiction · 9 months

Text

Eddie's Girl

Ship(s): Eddie Munson x fem!reader, Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Summary: Steve finds himself pining over the one girl he can't have, and he has no idea how to handle it. It's a good thing you notice before Eddie does, and, by God, is Steve's timing perfect.

Word Count: 9,330 words

Warnings: suggestive content (18+), jealous!Steve, Eddie slander, reader kind of cheats (emotionally?), pining and glum Steve, Steve's a little mean-spirited, reader wears a bikini, swearing, Stancy mention, everyone is a bitch to everyone, Eddie's an asshole, therapist Steve, insecure Eddie, talk of addiction, time skip

18+ Warnings: description of moaning, whimpering, veiled allusion to sex from another room, Steve & Dustin overhear

Note: Inspired by Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl". Set two years post-s4. (It didn't quite go in the direction I wanted it to, so I might rewrite this at some point. Or make an alternate version at least.)

☟ Continue below the fold ☟

May 15, 1986

Steve had seen plenty of beautiful women in his life. Pretty faces, pretty bodies, pretty eyes, he'd seen it all. But the woman currently browsing his organized shelves was, without a doubt, the most beautiful he had ever seen.

He couldn't exactly pin down what it was about you—maybe the way you were standing, or the way you cocked your head to the left while you read the titles, or even the way your hair was falling—but you were the most beautiful creature he had ever set eyes on.

You had been in the store multiple times recently; this was probably your fourth appearance this week. Steve gawked at you while you chose a movie every time, and he stuttered when he checked it out for you every time, and he blushed every time you met his gaze. He knew it, but he knew it was useless to try and cover it up. He'd just become more obvious if he tried to hide how in awe of you he was.

Robin hadn't been in the store the first few times you had been here, but she glanced over at you today, seeing where Steve's gaze had fallen.

"That's the girl?" she whispered, the color draining from her face.

Steve nodded. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?"

"Steve, you do not want to go after that one, I promise," Robin hissed frantically under her breath.

He frowned. "Why?"

Before Robin could answer, there was a screech from outside of the store. Their heads whipped toward the sound, seeing Eddie's van outside, Eddie himself hopping out and strolling into the store with his hands in his front jean pockets.

"Hey, Harrington!" Eddie said. Where he would normally lean on the counter to be a nuisance, he sauntered over to where you were standing.

"Hi, Eddie," Robin said, when Steve's usual reply didn't come, his eyes instead narrowed as he watched Eddie approach you. She opened her mouth and shut it quickly, knowing there was no way to soften the fall Steve was about to take.

Eddie looped his arms around your waist. You squeaked in surprised, but you were already smiling when you turned in his arms. "Eddie!"

He grinned at you. "Hiya, princess." He bent down, kissing you softly. You indulged in the kiss for a minute before pushing him away.

"Not now, Eds, we're in public," you said, voice shy and cheeks burning with embarrassment. You glanced in Steve's direction, concern flickering over your face when you caught sight of him.

Robin quickly spun Steve around so that you couldn't see his face. She took in his slightly dropped jaw, the shock in his eyes, the tiny tremble in his lower lip. "That's why," she said softly.

Steve cleared his throat with some difficulty. "Yeah," he said, throat constricted. "I get it. That's why."

~❊~

The usually lighthearted night laying on Steve's bed had turned sullen. In fact, it hadn't started lighthearted at all. When Robin finally got to Steve's house after spending the afternoon with Vickie, she found him awake yet unmoving on his bed, curled up on his side and staring at the wall.

"Steve?" she asked, setting her stuff down on the floor. "You alive over there?"

He gave a noncommittal hum of acknowledgement.

Robin sat down on the opposite side of his bed cautiously. He didn't move, and when it became clear he wasn't going to talk, she said, "Are you okay?"

Silence filled the next few seconds. Then Steve rolled onto his back. "No," he mumbled, looking the most despondent she had ever seen him. "It's not fair, Robs. How does Eddie "the Freak" Munson get a girlfriend before I do?"

Robin shrugged. "They've been together for a long time—before high school, before he became the social outcast."

Steve glared at her, but Robin knew it wasn't directed at her; Steve tended to glare at everything when he was upset about the girls he didn't successfully date. "And you know this how?"

"Because she's been my best friend for the past four years."

He pouted. "How come I've never seen her before now?"

Robin flopped down beside him. "She was in Eddie's original graduating class. She's been in college the past two years, and she didn't come back last summer—she was on an internship abroad. That's why Eddie's so clingy this summer. She's been complaining he hardly leaves her alone—"

Steve sat up. "She's complaining about him?"

A warning entered Robin's eyes. "Not like that, dingus. Don't you try anything. They're still happily in love."

Steve harrumphed. "I'm doomed, Robin."

She heaved a sympathetic sigh. "No, you're not, Steve. You're gonna find someone, it's just..."

"Just that everybody else found their someone first?" he groaned. "I just can't win, can I?"

Robin looked down at her hands, awkwardly playing with the bracelet Vickie had given her. She glanced over at Steve's glum face, feeling an echo of the pain he felt in her chest. He looked like she had when she found out Vickie was dating someone else, a year prior.

She patted Steve's shoulder. "It'll get better, I promise. Just look at me, right?"

Steve sighed. "Yeah, I guess so," he said, but Robin could tell he wasn't convinced.

~❊~

Steve felt like the universe was against him. Of course the girl of his dreams was already taken, he wasn't surprised just looking at her. But by Eddie Munson? Now that made Steve want to scream into a pillow.

And it wasn't like Eddie had managed to score you with his winning charm, either. You'd been friends with him for so long, you'd dated him for so long—it was like he was the default option just because he was familiar.

Steve knew his thoughts weren't fair to either you or Eddie. He'd seen the two of you interact time and time again since the day his heart dropped to his feet, and he knew you were infatuated with Eddie. Even if Eddie was the familiar, default option in your love life, you had no problem with it. You looked at Eddie like he'd hung the moon and stars. Eddie looked at you no differently, and he was constantly holding you and touching you and Jesus Christ it made Steve sick.

Romance of all kinds was making Steve's stomach churn these days. Every time he saw Nancy and Jonathan, he felt so bitter and angry he had to put as much distance between himself and the happy couple as he could. It was just another reminder of the girl he'd lost.

Every time he saw Robin and Vickie, bittersweet tears welled up in his eyes. He was happy for Robin, of course he was, and he was incredibly proud of the fact he'd been right about Vickie all along. But, God, did it hurt to see his advice work for somebody other than himself.

The same went for Dustin and Suzie, every time Dustin got off the phone with her and came to Steve to gush about her. Steve usually loved hearing about it, but that didn't take away the sting when Dustin happily described in too-great length how Suzie had told him she loved him that day.

And when he saw you and Eddie... Oh, Steve just wanted to sob. There had been too many days when he had gone home and cried in the shower, all without meaning to and sometimes not noticing until he was unable to breathe from how fast the tears were coming.

~❊~

July 10, 1988

Brutally hot July days had arrived at Hawkins, which meant Steve's pool had become a community pool for his friends. These days were Steve's favorite days—when he could have everybody near and see that they were all safe and happy and just fine, contrary to the nightmares that still plagued him.

The kids got there first—not that they were kids anymore, but Steve couldn't quite break out of that train of thought. They were four years younger than he was, after all.

Steve and Lucas helped Max into the chair Steve had installed into the pool for her, and Steve gave her his sunglasses to protect her already weak eyes.

Max shrieked as Dustin jumped in, dousing her in water. El slid into the water beside her while Will and Mike argued over which of Steve's deck chairs they wanted to sit in.

Slowly, the others began showing up—Nancy and Jonathan just seconds after the kids, evidently having been the ones to drive them, carrying fold-up chairs and a cooler. Robin and Vickie came with umbrellas and food about a half an hour later.

As time passed, the sun began to dip in the sky, but the heat was relentless. It was late in the afternoon when Dustin finally stopped splashing around long enough to ask, "Steve? Is Eddie coming?"

Steve glanced around his yard and then at his watch. "He was supposed to, after he got out of work."

Dustin made a face. "That was hours ago! Where is he?"

Steve shrugged. "I don't know, I'm your babysitter, not his."

Dustin scowled. "You are not my babysitter."

"Still feels like it," Steve muttered, rolling his eyes.

Dustin's response was to shriek and dunk Steve under without warning.

Laughter met Steve's ears when he surface, glaring at the grinning boy. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that, Henderson." He sent a tidal wave in Dustin's direction, relishing in the resulting fearful shriek.

"Aw, don't drown the little shrimp without me!"

"Eddie!" was a chorus that came from the kids. Steve glanced over his shoulder and found both you and Eddie walking toward the pool, Eddie already shedding his shirt to join them in the pool.

Steve's stomach dropped when he saw you, several thoughts processing simultaneously.

First, he had not technically invited you to this gathering, because he avoided speaking to you as much as possible, lest you detect his cursed crush on you.

Second, you were wearing a pretty (and skimpy) bikini with shorts and a see-through coverup over it.

Third, his formerly perfect hair was practically a wet mop on his head.

"Brought my girl along," Eddie said as he jumped into the pool. "Hope you don't mind."

Steve pushed his wet hair out of his face, shaking his head. "Nah, man, it's cool," he said, even though he could feel his skin warming even more, the pool no longer cooling down that persistent burn. You gave him a little, cheery wave, and the urge to hide in his room swept over him.

Robin greeted you with an enthusiastic hug. "I hope you like burgers! Or fruit, or salad, or chips, or fries, because we brought them all, so there's something you're gonna like—"

You laughed, the sound like music to Steve and Eddie's ears. "Of course, I do, Robs, how could you forget?"

"Must be the heat," she said, but Steve barely heard her, because you called Robin 'Robs' too!

Eddie clapped his hands together, tugging Steve's attention away from you. "Alright! Why are we drowning Henderson?"

"Because he tried to drown me!" Steve lunged at Dustin in the water. Dustin shrieked and swam away as fast as he could.

Eddie laughed. "Must've been a big wave to drown the captain of the Hawkins swim team," he teased, poking Steve in the shoulder. Steve swatted his hand away.

"He caught me off guard," Steve complained.

There was a soft splashing behind him. Both he and Eddie turned to see you sitting at the edge of the pool, your feet in the water. Eddie's face split into a wide grin and he swam over to you. Steve watched discreetly, trying to tamp down the fire in his belly, as Eddie put his hands on your knees and you leaned down to cup his face and kiss him.

"I love you, sweet girl," Eddie mumbled against your lips.

"I love you more," you whispered. "My lover boy." You smiled at him, pushing his hair out of his face.

The moment remained peaceful for a single second more, before Eddie abruptly pulled you into the pool. You shrieked, clinging to him while he laughed (Steve thought his laugh was a bit too obnoxious for your obvious panic at being yanked in).

"You are an ass," you complained, but there was no bite behind your words. You looped your arms around Eddie's neck and his grin widened, becoming sickeningly in love. Steve felt a twisting in his chest, painful as a knife. When your gaze darted over to him, he hoped his expression wasn't too revealing of his current hatred toward Eddie or his longing for you. "I'm sure Steve's never yanked any of his girlfriends into the pool without warning."

Before Steve could open his mouth, Nancy said, "No, but he has pushed me in before—while I was wearing clothes."

Steve blushed. Guilt bubbled up in his chest. "Nancy, I..."

"It's okay," she promised, "I don't hold it against you."

Your mouth had become an O. "Is that when you two were...?"

Nancy nodded, casting an awkward glance toward Steve, who refused to look anywhere near her. He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a long breath.

"Awkward," he muttered and pulled himself out of the pool. He grabbed a towel on his way back toward his house.

Your voice sounded behind him, guilty and apologetic. "Steve, I didn't mean to—"

"No, no, it's fine," he called over his shoulder. "I'm just grabbing a drink."

Robin frowned, gesturing to the cooler full of ice and sodas. "We have drinks right here, Steve!"

"Not that kind, Robs," he said.

"Hey, grab me one, Harrington!" Eddie shouted. Steve gave him a thumbs up before shutting the sliding door behind him. He didn't let out his breath until he got into his kitchen and leaned over the kitchen sink.

"Get ahold of yourself," he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. He hated that it bothered him so much, that every time someone brought up his relationship with Nancy he practically shut down. He hadn't in a while, and he hated this time even more, because it was you who brought it up.

No wonder he hadn't had a real relationship since Nancy. Every girl knew about it, and every potential girlfriend brought it up, and it reduced him to this—unable to flirt with them, unable to talk to them, unable to forget the smell of Nancy's perfume or her hand in his or—

"Stop it," he hissed at himself, leaving the sink and yanking open the door to his fridge. He grabbed two beer cans, paused, and grabbed a third. He downed one right there, standing at his kitchen counter and glancing out the window to where you and Eddie were practically slow dancing in his pool. Eddie spun you and then his hands dipped below the water, visibly squeezing your ass. You yelped, blushing in his arms, and Eddie giggled at you.

And then his hand slipped around to your front. "Fuck," Steve said, ashamed of the whimper in his voice and glad no one was around to hear it.

The kids started to jeer, Dustin mimicking vomiting, and Eddie lifted one hand out of the water to flip them off. You, however, seemed relieved.

"Steve will kill you," Robin warned, glancing inside. Steve wondered if she saw him standing and watching from the open window. Eddie just laughed off her warning. "I'm serious, Eddie, not in his pool, not in his house."

"I'm sure the maid will clean the sheets," Eddie said, winking at you.

Shocked and bashful in the face of all these people, you pushed away from him. Steve could see your mortification, your unease with the whole situation. "Eddie, stop," you said. "Robin's right. Don't piss him off just because you're jealous of him."

Silence fell from the others. Eddie's face twisted into an ugly, angry expression. "I'm not jealous of Steve fucking Harrington."

You scoffed, climbing out of the pool the same way Steve had. "Yeah, right." You glared at him. "Then tell me why you've gotta one-up him all the time, yeah?"

"I do not—" But you were already walking away, so Eddie turned his glare on Robin. "Now look what you've done!"

"What I've done?!" Robin echoed, incredulous. "This is on you, Munson!"

You snatched up your towel from one of the lounge chairs. "You started this, Eddie," you snapped. "What did you think was going to happen? I was gonna let you—"

Nancy cleared her throat. "There are children present," she said from behind her hand. She glanced at Jonathan, who shook his head slowly, a clear don't get involved.

You shook your head at him, at a loss for words. You turned your back on him and the others and started for the house.

Eddie scoffed. "Oh, yeah, just walk away from me. Why don't you go cry to Steve, huh? Go fuck your other boyfriend!"

You flipped him off over your shoulder and slammed the door behind you. You stopped in the kitchen, leaning against the wall and pushing your hands against your eyes. Steve heard a muffled cry fall from your lips.

"Are...you okay?" he asked. You jumped, looking up at him. "Sorry, stupid question, I know. I can...leave you alone, if you want, I just...wanna make sure you're okay."

You sighed, wiping your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose. "I take it you heard everything?"

"Yeah, I think so," he said. "Um...I didn't know that he..."

You shrugged. "You're his biggest insecurity and I keep telling him he has no reason to be so damn jealous, but he just...always has been."

Steve raked a hand through his slowly drying hair. "Yeah, that might've been because I was a bit of a dick to him in high school?"

"Might've?" you questioned with a scoff. "Steve, you were the unkind bastard who made him the butt of every joke the moment you stepped in the high school, and Tommy was your reinforcer. It only got worse after you left."

Steve wanted to crawl into himself and disappear. "I...I know, and I'm really sorry about everything, I really wish I could just take it all back, but..."

"No," you said. "Stop apologizing, Steve. I know you're not like that anymore. Believe me, I know, Robin told me everything. It's just that Eddie... He doesn't exactly let go of things easily. So no matter how many times I tell him he's enough as he is, he sees you and his vision goes green with envy."

"I'm sorry," Steve whispered.

You shook your head. "It's not your failing." You huffed a sigh. "I would just hope that after six, nearly seven goddamn years with him, he'd finally get a grip and realize I...I want to be with him. I want to always be with him." You laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You know, when I first met him, I knew I wanted to be his best friend. And then when we finally started dating, I knew I wanted to marry him. Less than a month in and I knew that's what I wanted and now—" You stopped, your eyes growing watery. "Now I'm not so sure."

Steve winced. "Yeah, I know that feeling," he said, glancing back outside. The tension was palpable. "Are you two...gonna be okay? I don't want to be the cause of..."

"If things keep going sour between Eddie and I, it's not your fault," you promised him. "It's just Eddie not being able to grow up and move on from...from petty high school drama."

"Don't you worry, Dustin'll set him straight," Steve said. "He did for me, at least."

You dragged a hand through your wet hair, mirroring Steve's earlier action. "Yeah, but Dustin's a hell of a lot closer to you than he is to Eddie. You're...you're like Dustin's big brother. And I've seen the two of you together, I know you'd do anything for each other. Eddie, though? Not so much. He's...he's more of a mentor than family. And he doesn't take well to people telling him what to do."

You leaned on the countertop and put your head in your hands, letting out a long breath.

"Can I...get you anything?" Steve asked.

You glanced over at his fridge. "Got any wine coolers?"

"Uh...I've got sangria? My mom loves the stuff."

"That'll do."

Steve passed you a bottle. You took a long swig.

"Look at us," you muttered. "We should start a club. We just need a shorter name for 'people who have found the love of their lives and lost them.'"

Guilt tore through Steve's gut. "Hey, you'll talk him around. If you've been together seven years and made it this far, surely you can patch up a fight over little old me, right?"

"Nothing about you is little," you said. Awkward silence fell as Steve tried not to take that the wrong way. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, that sounds so wrong." You groaned. "I get mad at Eddie for being dirty, and now I'm—"

"Hey, no, there's a difference. Eddie was being dirty on purpose, you weren't. It just...came out wrong," Steve added with a laugh.

You rubbed your hand over your face and joined him at the window, looking out. Your gaze soured the moment you saw Eddie sulking with a soda in hand.

"I'm... I don't wanna go back out there," you said, voice hushed. "I don't want to have to try and pretend everything's normal when it's not. Not when I just wanna punch him and I feel like it's all ending and gonna come crashing down any second."

"You'll patch things up," Steve insisted, simultaneously proud of himself for putting you and Eddie first, and so very annoyed he couldn't be selfish just this once.

People are not something to be selfish about, he reminded himself.

"Not if I go back out there right now," you said. "I'll just make things worse if I try talking to him when we're both so angry." You bit your lip. "Will you...will you tell him I'm going home to cool down? That I'll talk to him later?"

"I'll tell him," Steve promised. "You could stay here, if you wanted, so you can talk later? I've got a guest room set up if you wanna hang out there for a little bit—"

You shook your head. "I'm pretty sure it'll just piss him off more. He'll see it as me taking comfort in you and...and...and cheating on him, probably. He's...dramatic that way."

Steve nodded. "Alright, fair point." He tried giving you a smile. "I'll see you soon, okay? Let me and Robin know how things go with him."

You nodded and wrapped the towel tighter around yourself. "I will. Thanks, Steve. For letting me talk."

He nodded. "Anytime." He watched you disappear around the corner and heard the front door open and close softly. He sighed, picking up the two beers and bringing them outside.

Eddie looked up. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"She went home," Steve said, handing him the beer to distract him. "She said she needed to cool down and that she'd talk to you when she's calm." In the face of Eddie's anger, he added, "She just doesn't want to make things worse right now, okay, man? Just let her be."

Eddie sneered at him. "Oh, she told you that, did she?"

"You can leave, too, y'know," Steve said, an edge to his voice. "She's trying to save your relationship, not make it worse. She doesn't want to lose you but God knows you don't deserve her, not when you treat her like this."

Eddie's entire body was twitching. "I don't deserve her? Who the fuck are you to tell me—"

"A concerned friend," Steve snapped. "Now get out."

The two boys glared at each other until Eddie rolled his eyes.

"Fuck this, man," he muttered, grabbing his things with far more force than necessary. He stormed out without a goodbye to the kids, who were watching on in awkward confusion.

After a few moments of silence, Dustin asked, "Steve...?"

"Yeah, Henderson?"

"What just happened?"

Steve hesitated. "They're just...fighting a little."

"Will they be okay?"

Steve glanced back toward his house, hearing Eddie's van start up on the other side. "I don't know."

~❊~

Nobody heard from you or Eddie for several days.

Robin worried about you constantly, often pausing mid-action at work to wonder aloud what had happened to you. Steve was surprised it took her as long as it did to ask him what you had said to him in his kitchen, and he explained it to her as best as he could remember the conversation.

Dustin showed up randomly toward the end of one of Steve's shifts, the kind where Robin stayed to close and Steve went home as the sun set to either go on a terrible date or be bored out of his mind.

"Steve?"

Steve sighed at the sound of his voice. "What do you want, Henderson?"

"Can I have a ride to Eddie's?"

Steve frowned. "What do you want with Munson?"

Dustin raised his brows. "Oh, he's Munson again, is he?"

Steve shrugged. "You heard how he talked to his girl. You saw how he was acting. He'll be Munson until he can prove he's not an asshole."

Dustin processed for a minute, then shrugged, accepting the explanation. "I left the papers for the campaign I'm planning his trailer, I need to go back for them."

"Really? That's what you want me to drive you for?"

Robin poked him in the side. "Hey—doesn't matter what he needs a ride for, you can go talk to Eddie. Find out what happened between those two."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Robin, he doesn't want me of all people there. I'm the reason they're fighting in the first place!"

Robin gave him a shove toward the door. "Go! It's the end of your shift anyway, you'll be fine."

Steve grumbled, but he scooped up his keys and headed for the door. "Alright, Henderson, let's go. But if I get yelled at by Munson for existing, you're backing me up, got it?"

"Thank you!" Dustin clasped his hands together, holding them over his chest in mock worship. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

"By backing me up," Steve insisted.

Dustin sighed. "Yeah, sure."

"Was that a sigh?" Steve asked, getting into his car.

"Oh, shut up." Dustin slammed the door of Steve's car shut. "Oh, Suzie called me this morning, too, she said she wants to come visit this summer and meet you guys."

Steve raised an eyebrow, more focused on backing out of his parking space than Dustin's words. "Oh, yeah? There's not much of summer left— Wait, she wants to meet us?"

Dustin nodded. "Well, yeah. I talk about you all the time."

"Who's us, exactly?"

"Oh, you know. Max, Lucas, Mike, El, Erica, Eddie, Robin...you," he added, suddenly shy. At Steve's side glance, he continued, "I talk about you guys all the time, you think she wouldn't want to meet you?"

"Aw, Dustin," Steve said, biting back a smile. "You sentimental dork."

"Says you!"

The rest of the car ride was spent listening to Dustin recount his latest conversation with Suzie, which he had somehow still not gotten to the end of by the time Steve pulled into the trailer park. He pulled up beside Eddie's trailer, his heart in his throat.

Your car was parked next to Eddie's van.

"Looks like they made up," Dustin said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Steve said.

Dustin glanced at him over his shoulder. "At least Eddie can't yell at you now, right?"

"I don't think them making up will stop him," Steve muttered. He cleared his throat. "Come on, let's make this quick."

Dustin practically skipped to the door and yanked it open, Steve trailing behind him, much more apprehensively. He narrowed his eyes when Dustin stopped dead, just feet inside the trailer, and turned around to face him.

"Uh...Steve?"

"Yeah?" Steve stepped into the trailer, and Dustin no longer needed to explain his wariness. The smell of weed, sweat, and sex washed over Steve immediately. His eyes watered. "Oh, Jesus..."

They crept a little bit further down the short hallway leading to Eddie's bedroom. Seconds later, a woman's loud moan reached them, coupled with a man's loud, dirty, verbal encouragements.

Steve clapped his hands over Dustin's ears. "Oh my God."

Dustin was red, but he looked up at Steve with an exasperated expression regardless. "Like you're any better!" He looked back toward the door. "Now what?"

Steve glanced back at the door, trying not to imagine what you and Eddie were doing behind it. Your next gasp was loud and breathy, followed by Eddie's groan of, "You close, baby?"

"Yes, Eddie, oh, God—" You cut yourself off with an abrupt cry that tapered off into a whine.

Steve's ears were ringing. He felt his heart rip in his chest, like the very muscles of his heart had torn, spilling his blood with reckless abandon.

"We should go," Steve said, in answer to Dustin's question. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth.

"Too much, Eds, it's too much!" you whimpered behind the door. "Oh, God, Eddie, please—"

"I gotcha, baby, I gotcha," he crooned. Steve felt resentment bubble up inside him, almost too quick and too angry to tamp down.

"Go?" Dustin echoed.

Steve snorted. "What, you want to wait until they're done?" he demanded, trying to steer Dustin toward the door. Even without the lewdness of it all, he knew he needed to get out of the trailer as fast as possible. It was embarrassing, shameful, how quickly his disgust was overtaken by horny curiosity. He knew that, long after he left the trailer, he would still hear your moans and whimpers echoing in his ears.

He knew something was up when Dustin just stared at him, then turned back to the door.

"Dustin, no—"

"EDDIE!"

Steve groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

The trailer was awkwardly silent. Then Eddie said, in a low voice, "Did you hear that?"

"I think Dustin's in the trailer," you whispered. "Oh my God, Eddie, Dustin's in your trailer and we're—" You squeaked. "Eddie, Jesus Christ, now is not the time—" You whimpered again.

Steve knew his entire face was red. Probably his ears and neck, too. He felt like he was burning up, and he couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or shame or pure need.

"EDDIE!" Dustin shouted again.

"He doesn't give up, does he?" Eddie asked from behind the door. The two of you moaned in tandem and Steve felt his body flash with heat and cold. "Where'd my pants go?"

"On the floor where you threw them," you said. "Toss me my clothes, please."

Steve turned on his heel. "Alright, this is your problem now, I'm waiting in the car. If you're not back in...in ten minutes, I'm leaving without you!"

He left the trailer and shut the door behind him as quickly as he could. He got in his car and slammed the door shut, letting out a long breath. He slid down in his seat, practically melting into the pleather, and covered his face with his hands.

I'm never going to be able to look at her again, he realized. The sound of you falling apart for Eddie was going to be a track that played in his brain on a loop every single time you showed up to gatherings.

That is—if you or Eddie ever showed up again. It wouldn't surprise Steve if this had been the last straw for the both of you.

He wanted to curl up in on himself. He wanted to run to Robin and freak out. He wanted to know why he never wanted to hear anything like that again but also wanted to hear you for eternity.

I feel so goddamn gross.

Steve pressed his palms into his eyes with a groan.

At least the door was closed, right?

The passenger door opened. Dustin was clutching his D&D things to his chest, but he seemed more worried than relieved. "Uh, Steve—"

A hand shot through the open driver's side window. It wrapped around Steve's shirt collar and yanked him up from where he'd slunk in shame.

Steve made eye contact with a very angry Eddie.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Eddie demanded.

"Driving Dustin!"

"You were listening to me fuck my girlfriend, you perv? Yeah, my girlfriend, Harrington! Mine! You get off on this?" Eddie's gaze dipped into the car. Steve glanced down at the same time.

"Leave him alone, Eddie, he wasn't doing anything!" Dustin growled.

"What the hell, man?!" Steve snapped. "No! I only stopped by to drive Dustin to get his shit for your stupid game! You're the one fucking her nasty, even after Dustin made it obvious he was here!"

Eddie sneered. "Sure, man, say what you want. I know you just want to get your hands on her, after she came crying to you in your big, empty house. Bet you would've fucked her there in the kitchen, wouldn't you?"

"Eddie!" Dustin yelled.

The door to the trailer slammed open and you marched out, dressed and furious, your hair still a tangled mess and your skin blotchy with exertion.

"Edward fucking Munson, don't you dare touch him!" you ordered. "Sorry for my language, Dustin. Eddie! Away from the car!"

Eddie's anger had lifted, but only a little. "Baby, you can't seriously be sticking up for him, he was listening to us!"

You rolled your eyes at him. "Yeah, like your exhibitionist ass is gonna complain! Steve left, Eddie! He left us to do our thing and Dustin only stayed because he needed something from you. It's you who didn't stop when you knew they were here! And you're calling Steve the pervert?"

"Oh, you're gonna stick up for him now?" Eddie sneered.

"Damn right I am!" You glanced over at Dustin, your expression softening. Steve had never seen you so angry before. You were terrifying when you were pissed. "Dustin, get in the car and get out of here. I'll take care of this." You made eye contact with Steve, who nodded once.

As soon as Dustin was in the car, Steve peeled away from the trailer. Out of his rearview mirror, he saw you and Eddie start shouting again, before you flipped him off and went back in the trailer. When you came out again, just as Steve pulled out of Forest Hills, you had an armful of clothes and you got into your car and left.

"I'm sorry," Dustin whispered.

Steve did a double-take in his direction. "Sorry? What are you sorry for? I'm sorry! If I'd known the two of them were gonna be going at each other, I would never have let you go inside!"

"Yeah, but I made Eddie mad at you again."

"Dustin, listen to me very closely. This is not on you. Got it? This is Eddie being immature over a woman and being insecure of himself and taking it out on me." Steve raked a hand through his hair. "Listen, none of this has to...change how you view him—"

"Of course it does," Dustin interrupted. "He's my friend, sure, but you're my best friend, and he's treating you like shit for something you didn't do!" He shook his head. "I can't just...let it happen."

Steve sat in shock for a while. Maybe Robin was right; Eddie had never replaced Steve, not to Dustin. "Thanks, man," Steve said quietly. "I...I appreciate it."

~❊~

Half-covered by his blankets, Steve laid on his stomach, head turned to the right, toward his nightstand. He'd cleared off most of its clutter, leaving behind only his radio, his lamp, his alarm clock, and a photo of him, Robin, Dustin, and Erica.

He reached past the photo to the dial knob of his radio. He switched through stations, listening for a few moments before turning the knob again.

"I've seen it before, it happens all the time—"

"Men of five, still alive through the raging glow—"

"Streetlights, people, living' just to find emotion—"

"Oh daddy dear, you know you're still number one—"

"And if you say run, I'll run with you—"

"I wanna tell her that I love her, but the point is probably moot—"

Steve groaned, shutting the radio off. He curled up in a ball under the covers. He hated that he felt as miserable as he did, unsure why he did, when he'd spent the entire car ride assuring Dustin they couldn't do anything to fix yours and Eddie's failing relationship.

"Because it's my fault," Steve muttered into his pillow. "It's my fault. If I'd never gotten to know them, then Eddie wouldn't be jealous of me." He rolled onto his back, his legs getting twisted in his blankets. "And I wouldn't have ruined her life."

Steve covered his face with his hands, groaning into them. "Fuck." He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting against tears. "How do I always screw this shit up?"

He laid in silence, staring at his ceiling, too hot with the blankets but too cold without them, so he settled for leaving them at his hips. He stared at his white, blank ceiling; at his horrible, plaid walls; at the boring wall art he left up only because his father insisted on it.

It was well-past midnight, but Steve's brain wouldn't shut off. He wished he could blame the red glow his alarm clock was casting around the room looking a little too much like the Upside Down, but it wasn't cutting it tonight. He saw right through his own excuses.

He sniffled and wiped at the tears gathering on his lashes. "Goddamnit, Harrington."

He was jolted out of his self-pity by a loud rapping at his window. He startled, whipping his head toward the window. His eyes widened at the sight of you waving at him through it.

"Hi, Steve," you said, your voice muffled by the glass.

Steve yanked his blankets up to his chest, drawing a giggle from you. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I need to talk to you," you said. "About earlier."

He flinched. "I'm sorry about that, I wish I'd never walked in on you guys."

"You didn't technically walk in on us," you said. "Besides, it's not like it matters anymore."

"Huh?"

You looked away from him, clearing your throat. "Are you gonna open this window and let me in or what?"

"I—I can't!"

"Why not? It's cold and my fingers are going numb out here!"

"I'm—" Steve's body flashed with heat again, his cheeks practically burning. "I'm not wearing anything!"

You rolled your eyes. "Like that's ever stopped you before. Whatever happened to Mr. Confident? Mr. Suave? Mr. Sex?"

Steve huffed, staring back up at his ceiling. "Yeah, I haven't been like that for a long time. And after what happened with Eddie today, I don't think you seeing me naked is a good idea."

"Yeah, that doesn't really matter anymore. It's done. I broke it off."

Steve nearly cracked his neck looking back over at you. "What?"

"Open the window and I'll explain. That's why I'm here, Steve."

Steve glanced down at himself, then at the floor where his boxers and pants lay. "Close your eyes and let me get my pants on, okay?"

You nodded and shut your eyes, squeezing them tight so Steve could see. He pulled the blanket away from himself and yanked on his clothes, then pulled open the window. You yelped, momentarily losing your balance. Steve lunged, grabbing both your hands and helping you through the window without falling.

"Warn me next time you open the window, Stevie, Jesus." You clung to his forearms.

Steve walked backwards until his legs hit the bed. He sat, pulling you to sit next to him. "You broke up with Eddie? What happened?"

You sighed. "I...I'd had enough. Enough of him nitpicking you and being a dick when all he ever complained about was how you did the same thing to him and people he knew in high school. I'd had enough of the hypocrisy and the bitching and the fighting. No matter how many times I told him that he didn't need to be scared of you because I loved him to death, he just stayed angry and defensive and insecure. It...it starts to wear at your after a while, you know?"

Realization struck Steve. "This has been going on for a lot longer than we all thought, hasn't it?"

You nodded. "I...I didn't tell anyone, not even Robin. How could I? How selfish of me would it be to complain about a relationship I'd had for seven years not being enough anymore? Not when Robin can't even tell people who she loves because this town would kill her for it! Not when you were trying so damn hard to find love, and I was...ready to throw it all away. Not when most people would give anything, anything to be known and to be loved by someone the way...the way Eddie loved me."

"How long have you two been struggling?"

"About a year," you whispered. "Ever since...since he died and came back, he hasn't been the same."

"I mean, not many of us have," Steve said, but you were already shaking your head.

"It wasn't like that for Eddie. Sure, he had his nightmares and his flashbacks just like the rest of us, but... He changed. He's not the Eddie I remember. He— He got mean. Nasty. Started fights he couldn't finish, with me, with other guys at bars. He reminded me more of Billy than of himself." You looked down at your hands. "Eddie hasn't been the boy I fell in love with for a long time. He's gone and I don't know if he's ever coming back, but I can't wait around for him."

"What do you mean?"

"My sweet, gentle Eddie is gone. The Eddie that I know would come running back to me within an hour of me telling him to go fuck himself is gone. If he was still in there, he would have called me already. He would have showed up at my doorstep on his knees, begging me to come back, and—" Steve started to protest. "No, Steve, listen to me. I know he would have, because he did." You wiped at your eyes. "Back in high school, in our junior year. He, um, he fell into drugs, hard and fast. Got addicted to opioids."

"Jesus Christ," Steve whispered.

"Yeah," you said. "There was hell to pay when Wayne found out. He'd been doing Eddie's laundry, and there was— It was still in his pocket. It fell out. Wayne flipped out. I hadn't even known until Wayne sat the two of us down to yell at us about it, until he realized I was just as pissed and as clueless as he was." You brushed a tear off your cheekbone. "I broke up with him that night. He wouldn't give me any answers, he wouldn't tell me where he got the drugs, why he got into them. I... I compared him to his dad. Lowest blow I'd ever handed him. We were split for three hours before he was at my door and spilling his guts."

"How many hours has it been this time?" Steve asked, unsure if he wanted the answer.

"Six," you whispered. You choked on a sob, falling into Steve's shoulder.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry," he whispered. He wrapped his arm around you and took your hand in his almost unconsciously.

"It's over, and if he's not willing to make an effort, then I'm done," you said. "I've been done. I'd just...I'd hoped he'd pull himself together, but...he remained an asshole." You laughed bitterly. "I guess the 'I love you's kinda fall short when I stop meaning them. When I only say them in public or when he fucks me after we fight to try and make it seem like we're okay again."

You drew your legs up, curling into a ball similar to the one Steve had been in before your arrival. Steve laid his head atop yours, which seemed to put you at ease as you relaxed against him.

"You know, I stopped enjoying it. Sleeping with him, I mean. It started about a month ago. I think that's when I really knew it was over, when I started thinking I needed to find a way to break it to him gently. Obviously that didn't happen."

"Didn't seem like he gave you much of a choice," Steve said into your hair.

"He didn't," you whispered. You looked up at him, your expression knitting into nervousness. "And...this doesn't have to mean anything, but I...I feel like I owe it to you. That you deserve to know."

"Know what? About Eddie?"

You shook your head, hesitated, then nodded. "Sort of. It's just, um... Maybe he did have a reason to be scared of you."

Steve blinked. Did you mean...? "Um, you're gonna have to clarify, in case I'm having one of my moments, as Dustin calls them, and I'm interpreting this completely wrong."

"I know it...it sounds sketchy and I don't blame you if it bothers you, because I mean, Nancy kind of did the same thing with Jonathan and that was not a good start to his conversation, oh my God." You put your head in your hands.

Steve pried your hands away from your face. "No, no, no. Look at me, honey, please. Talk to me. It's okay. Take your time, it'll come out the right way eventually, right?"

You nodded slowly. "So... You remember how I said Eddie was insecure and intimidated by you because you were everything he wasn't?"

"Yeah."

"He was always afraid I'd leave him for someone like you. Or just you, in general. He was afraid that one day I'd wake up and realize that I didn't have to date my best friend, that he wasn't my only option, that half the basketball team would sell out their families to sleep with me. There was a time when I got asked out every other day by a different boy on the team, and Eddie was so scared that one day I'd say yes. And then you... You became the basketball champion. Hawkins High adored you and you were this perfect golden child with rich parents and your choice of friends, girls, whatever you wanted.

"I'll be honest, I wanted nothing to do with you at first. The first two years I knew you, I knew you from basketball. And I didn't really know you, I knew of you. I couldn't have cared less about you then. And then I went to college for another two years, and you weren't anywhere. Those were...the golden years for me and Eddie, really. He was insecure of himself, sure, but not of our relationship.

"Then...then all that shit happened. I came back for break and Eddie was fucking accused of murder. Murdering my neighbor, no less, a girl I'd grown up with and who Eddie had an embarrassing middle school crush on. And I watched you protect him and everyone else without a care in the world for what happened to yourself. And...and maybe Eddie saw it, just a little, but he started to get worried again."

"Saw what?" Steve whispered.

"How in awe of you I was," you said. "How much I admired that you would do anything for these people because you loved them with your heart and soul. You were nothing like the Steve I remembered in high school and I liked this version better—I still like you better now than I ever did in high school. And...I guess the way you are with Dustin? It kind of reminds me of...of me and Chrissy. And I think that's where Eddie first started to realize he was in trouble in our relationship."

"He started to be afraid of me stealing you again?" Steve guessed.

You nodded. "He didn't really do anything before he died, he was...scared out of his mind. And I can't really blame him for that. But when he came back, all his fears got worse. It was like...everything heightened, I guess? And then he started acting like a dick and I fell out of love with him and—" You clapped a hand over your mouth. "Oh my God, I said it." You bit your lip. "I said it. Jesus Christ. Um. That was..."

"Take your time," Steve said. You leaned into him, sucking in a deep breath and fighting back your tears.

"I'm...I'm okay. Um. I, ah... I fell in love with someone else."

Steve's chest squeezed. "And Eddie automatically assumed it was me because he'd always been afraid of me?"

You nodded slowly. "Sort of. Add gasoline to the fire that I couldn't really fight him on it because he assumed correctly, and he knew me too well for me to hide it."

It felt like all the breath had been punched out of Steve's lungs. "He assumed correctly?"

"It was you, Steve," you whispered. "You were the one who was there for me, not Eddie. You were there when he died and I needed somebody but everyone else was dealing with their own grief. You were there, not him, not after he came back from the dead and wasn't the same as he used to be. You checked in on me, asked me how I was doing every time I saw you, when most times Eddie didn't ask and he saw me every damn day. And when you didn't see me, you were still there, checking up on me through Robin."

Steve blushed. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Robin's not exactly the best at being subtle," you said. You rubbed the back of your neck. "So...that's it. I liked you and I didn't know how to tell Eddie, so I...let it be until things exploded." You looked at your hand in Steve's resting in your lap. "And if that's weird for you, I apologize. I just...needed to tell somebody, and if I told Robin, it would get back to you anyway, so...might as well have told you on my own terms."

Steve processed for a moment. "You know what?"

"What?" you whispered, clearly scared of what he was about to say.

"I'm glad you told me."

"What?"

"I...thought you would have known by now, because I'm not exactly subtle either, and Robin says I'm really bad at hiding when I have a crush on someone. But, um..." Steve brushed his thumb across your knuckles. "The first day I saw you, two years ago in Family Video... God, I knew I loved you then. You were just perfect, pretty and focused looking for movies. Almost broke my heart when I realized you were with Eddie. Robin tried to, uh, break the fall a little bit but, um..." He laughed sardonically. "Here I am, two years later, still pining."

You giggled, pushing yourself closer to him. "Gotta say I'm glad you're still pining."

"Yeah," Steve said with a little laugh.

You smiled. "Oh, I love that laugh." You bit your lip. "It's been a long time since I heard a boy laugh because of me."

Anger flickered over Steve's face. "I swear to God, every time you tell me more about how he treated you, I just wanna punch him."

"Please don't," you said. "I know every time you get in a fight, that pretty face gets punched." You reached up, brushing your fingertips over his cheek. "I couldn't stand to see that."

Steve smiled, his cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink. "You're so sweet," he whispered, bending to press his forehead against yours.

After a moment, you threw yourself down on the bed, tugging Steve down with you. He braced himself with his arms on either side of your head.

"Oh, hello there," he said, grinning down at you. His hair fell into his face and he flicked his head slightly to get it out of his eyes, wanting to see you clearly in this moment. He brushed some of your own hair out of your face, then let his thumb rub your temple.

You looped your arms around his neck, your fingers toying with his hair. "Hi," you said back, voice quiet and coy. You smiled up at him, ran your gaze down his body, his shirtless chest, then brought your eyes back to his.

"God, sweetheart, I just wanna..." Steve caught himself, licking his lips nervously. "Would it be weird if I kissed you after you and Eddie were, um, y'know..."

You shook your head. "I've wanted you to kiss me for a long time, Steve."

"Can I?" he asked.

You smiled up at his small, hopeful voice. "Please, Steve."

He leaned down, guided by your looped arms, until his lips touched yours. The soft, gentle kiss was quick, barely a touch, until you tugged him back down to you, sighing into his mouth. Steve moaned softly, adjusting to prop himself up on his elbows, cradling the side of our face with one of his hands.

Steve pulled back. You whined, trying to tug him back down, until he said, "Wait, wait. One sec. You okay with tongue?" You whimpered and he grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."

He bent his head down again, kissing you softly. You moaned softly into him, opening your mouth for him. As his tongue slipped into your mouth, you yanked him down to lay on your body.

"Steve," you mumbled into his mouth. "Steve."

"Yeah, baby?"

You squeezed him tightly. "Thank you. For...for everything."

Steve smiled at you. "Oh, honey. I'll be here as long as you let me."

You stared up at him, your eyes wide and round, words in them that you seemed unsure if you wanted to say.

Steve kissed you deeply. "You don't have to say it, honey, not yet. Take your time. I know."

"Oh, Steve," you breathed, your fingers fanning over his cheek. "Steve, you're perfect. You..."

He nuzzled into your neck, placing delicate kisses there. "How far are you willing to go?"

"Not too far tonight," you said, fighting your embarrassment. "Eddie wasn't exactly...gentle...earlier. I'm...kinda sore. And not sure if I'm ready to go very far just yet. I might need some time."

"I get it," Steve whispered. "It's okay. I know this is a lot happening really fast."

You nodded. "Thanks."

Steve kissed you again. "You wanna stay with me tonight, though? We don't have to do anything you're not up for."

You smiled at him. "I'll stay."

"Can I hold you all night?"

You giggled. "Steve, you keep kissing me like that and you can hold me forever."

He grinned. "Might as well get on with it then, huh?"

You squealed as Steve tickled you, pushing you into his bed with a needy, wet kiss. He threw the covers over the two of you and turned around to shut off the lamp on his nightstand. He turned on the radio, keeping it a soft, low volume—loud enough to be romantic, quiet enough to fall asleep to.

Steve gathered you up in his arms and pulled you to his chest. "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad you're here, too, Steve."

Bruce Springsteen crooned into the dark of Steve's room. "You can't start a fire without a spark—"

Steve held you tight and brought his lips to yours, and you exchanged short, lazy, loving kisses in the dark, the kind of kiss that said all the words it was still too early to say.

"This gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark."

☞ ❊ ☜

Songs Used/Quoted in this Fic:

Jessie's Girl (Rick Springfield)

Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen)

Let's Dance (David Bowie)

Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)

As Cold As Ice (Foreigner)

For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper)

Stranger Things // Steve Harrington

Taglist: {comment and let me know if you'd like to be added to the S.H. taglist!} @ohatropa@nix-rose@live-the-fangirl-life

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