#he works so hard and he makes sure no one notices

[sushirrrry]

fiabesco a harry styles x reader one-shot 2.2k words cw: so much fluff

“No, that's not– give it to me.”

Harry’s hands reached for the small device in your hand before you could speak another word. You huffed out a sigh of annoyance before you crossed your arms over your chest.

Harry looks at the phone and then back to the kettle, a few times to make sure that he's right, but you know that you are right.

“That's the right color, I promise.” Your words feel like they mean nothing as the two of you stand in front of the small display. You aren't even sure he's heard you.

It had been like this all day; you were both tired, drained from the house moving process. It was easier to shop online, you had told him. But Harry’s idea was to get you both out of the house, to give you a break from the four walls that you had moved into and been staring at for what felt like days.

That was proving difficult, as the photos and the real-life images were not matching up to either of your standards.

“This is not the same color as online,” Harry scoffed as he turned the kettle around in his hands. “This is like, a dark grey,” He holds the phone, then picks up the kettle. “This is chrome.”

You rolled your eyes, but Harry took notice before he put his hands on his hips and shook his head. The sleeves of his long-sleeved grey shirt were pushed up now; the clothes you both wore must have been filthy as you had been moving in the early hours of the day. The Italian heat was no joke, your frizzy hair and pink cheeks would speak on that.

You could tell that you were getting frustrated at one another. In all honesty, you knew that Harry wanted everything to be perfect and it was a bit frustrating to know that the item in the store wasn't what you both had wanted.

But you look at it with another eye, and note that it could work. “Let's just get it.” You say to him, shrugging. “If we don't like it in the kitchen, we can bring it back. It's not a huge deal.”

Harry’s the one to roll his eyes this time, “Aren't we here to buy this so we could have tea this evening? Isn't that why we're here and not showering?”

It was true– you had both come to the conclusion that the kettle was an important part of the first night ritual. It had dawned on you then that you couldn't really use the item and then bring it back.

“Well, let's buy this one– we can go to another store—” You were cut off by his grumbled words.

“Whatever– do whatever you want.” His visible frustration was pressing you as you bit on your lip. You thought about the photo he had shown you from the website and you really believed that you were looking at the same one.

A lot of the times, the photos were different than real life, and you think the shine may not have been as present in the photo. But you weren't sure.

As you bit your lip, you breathed outward as you spun the small kettle around in your hands.

“Do you really think—"

“I said do whatever you want! Get the fucking chrome then!” His voice was raised then; visible anger crossing his eyes as they knit together, and his hands stayed in his hips. It was a raised voice at me, and I could tell that we had both pushed each other to the brink.

Harry never got frustrated at you; he never yelled or raised his voice, he never looked angry. There weren't any frown lines crossing along his cheeks and forehead because Harry was hardly ever upset or mad at anything.

But you were pushed to your emotional breaking point as you set the kettle down on the shelf a bit too hard, making the metal shelf rattle as you did so. The tightness of your jaw only exceeded your need to cry as you pushed back the tears in your eyes.

You grabbed ahold of the bag that you held on to your shoulder as you started to walk towards the exit of the small kitchen store, nestled in the small nook of the Roman street.

Getting your dream home with the love of your life should have been a happy thing; it should have been a moment where the two of you relished in the sun and drank freshly made orange juice in the early summer mornings to beat the heat of the sun.

Instead, you were fighting back angry tears and walking away without another word because you didn't want to cry in the store. You pushed through the door, onto the street and didn't care if Harry was following you.

But he had been, he was right on your heel because that was the kind of person he was. Harry was kind; he never meant to hurt your feelings or make you frustrated. As soon as he raised his voice, his regret only further mad his anger grow– at himself this time, not the situation.

It was just that he had wanted the evening with you to be perfect. Everything had fallen into place so right. You had loved all of the furniture to the respective rooms, you set the TV up to be able to watch a film at the end of the night. After you had both showered, made love on the empty rug that blessed your living space floor, you would snuggle up on the sofa and watch one of your favorites— Notting Hill. A cup of tea in both of your hands as you allowed yourself the ideal summer night.

But instead, you two were frustrated and burnt out and in need of a meal and a shower, which felt more like it would lead to getting snuggled in bed and falling asleep on either sides.

You let a tear fall, but not anymore because now you could feel the exhaustion in your bones as you felt his presence on you now. You hear the scuffle of his trainers behind you as you lick on your lips and taste the saltiness of the tear that fell.

“C’mon, baby, I’m sorry.” You hear his voice, feeling the way that his hand grips at the back of your neck. It's in the comforting way that you like, as he guides you to turn and face him. Your head fits against his chest as you let it rest there for a moment; not caring about the way that you're sweating.

The hand on your neck moves into your hair as Harry keeps you there for a moment; letting his fingers glide into it, just below the placement of the clip holding your hair back.

“I didn't mean to snap at you,” He tells you, his lips placing on the top of your head as you stand against the wall of the store. The small nook feels private as you let out a huge sigh.

Harry laughs at that; his vibrato of a laugh is felt as you're against him, which makes you’re the edges of your lips move up in a soft smile.

“You're not mad at me, are you?” He asks, nudging an answer from you still.

This time, Harry nudges you away from him, but he places his fingers along your chin to raise you to look right into his eyes. It's a fluid movement, but you take in the way that his facial hair has grown out, the way that his skin has browned, and his eyes are light against it.

You purse your lips, swallowing as you shake your head with a discreetness that you're not even sure he could catch. But he must, because you see the way that the dimple pops along his cheek matter-of-factly.

“I think we're both stressed out,” He nods, “And we're both just a little on edge, hm?” Harry keeps pressing questions but your eyes stare at him for a moment before he presses on your chin again. His fingers feel strong as you hold your stare at him.

“I’m sorry,” You let out, wanting to keep yourself together, “I think we both just need to take a minute and get ourselves together. We were bound to lose ourselves at one point or another.”

The warm Italy breeze hits you and your shut your eyes for a moment as you feel the way that it trapezes across your skin.

“Hm,” Harry tuts, “I think I know a fix for this.”

His hand drops from your chin, grabbing ahold of your hand as you move through the small streets. They're cobblestoned and hold the footsteps of so many others before you— through love, breakup, first kisses, and first glances.

You don't know where he's leading you, but it's fine at the moment because you feel a burst of nostalgia and an outpouring of gratitude that you may have taken for granted before.

Who cared about the color of the kettle when the skies were the fiercest shade of cerulean and the sun hung in its highest peak? Who cared about any of that when the man of your dreams hung tightly onto your hand as he whisked you away and into the streets that would hold all of your memories from now on— bits of happiness here and there were awaiting you?

Harry pulled you along the streets, guiding you and marking small memories here and there as he would turn to ensure you were still with him. Even with the grasp his hand had in you, it felt important for him to know the smile and eagerness was still on your face.

As you arrived by the small socks that held rocky beaches and tented umbrellas, your eyes glided over the small gelato stand that had become accustomed to your routines since visiting Italy to begin with. But now your adventures together here had made this more of an availability than ever before.

Your heart stung at the pricelessness of the moment as you approached the stand with Harry on your hand.

“Bit of a treat to reward ourselves, hm?” He asked you, and your bit your lip as you tried to figure out what flavor you would get.

“Think I’m going to get pistachio,” You tell him, your heart settled on it.

Harrys hums for a moment before he tilts his head and purses his own lips. “Would it be boring for me to just saw custard?”

You laugh a little, nodding, “Yes, no custard. You have to do the lemon.”

You convince him; he orders the pistachio for you, and the lemon for himself— even if it was just so you could have both for yourself, taking bites of his when you could a chance.“Un pistacchio e un limone, per favore.” Your heart clenches at the words he speaks, the language flying off of his tongue as he does so with ease. You long await getaways together had turned into where you had felt your deepest love affairs. 

He hands you yours, and the spoonful is glorious. It melts in your mouth as you both stand off to the side now, the sound of the river behind you as you let your eyes meet his again. You watch the kink of his smile as he hears the pleasure take over you.

“Good, then?” He asks as he takes his own bite. His lips drift over his lips as he nods to confirm it himself, humming in satisfaction.

“This was the perfect idea.” You tell him, taking another bite.

You both head over to a bench by the water, taking in the sites of the tourists and the loved one who have made their trek around the city. So much love and admiration as you sit in a bit of silence.

“What are you most excited for?” Harry asks you, breaking the quiet. You ponder the question for a moment before turning to face him a bit more.

“I think I’m just excited to build a home,” You say, watching as his eyes crinkle by the sides. It's subtle, but you notice with such ease that happiness looks marvelous on him. “Build a family.”

Harry looks at his treat before lifting his eyes to you. “So many,” He mumbles, “So, so many of our little babies.”

You hum before using your thumb to brush over his cheek; your chin leans in to give him the softest, most chaste kiss before pulling back and giving his eyes an easy glance.

“Sono così grato per questa vita.”

Harry leans in to kiss you, your hands wrapping into his hair as you accept it with ease.

“Un fiabesco.” He says against your lips, his eyes taking a glance into yours. It's the kind of dreaming that cannot be done unless you're asleep, certainly.

Your troubles all wash away as you melt away into the sun of the day, leaving bits of memories here and there along the streets of Rome, waiting for you to remember them later— smiling at the love and memories that had adorned them before you, and very much afterwards.

#harry styles #hs #harry fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x original character #anon ask #harry styles fanfic #harry styles smut #harry wattpad #ask #harry styles one shot #wattpad writer #harry styles story #harry #styles #one direction #one-shot #one-shot story #fiabesco

[hxeluvr]

Coffee Stains and Misspelled Names

PAIRING: barista!joost klein x fem!regular customer!reader

genre: fluff , comfort

You pushed open the glass door of the small, cozy coffee shop, the bell above the entrance chiming softly. The familiar aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and baked goods enveloped you, instantly putting you at ease. You scanned the room and, as usual, found him behind the counter, a mischievous grin already playing on his lips.

"Good morning, Joost," you greeted, stepping up to the counter.

"Morning, sunshine!" he replied with his usual enthusiasm, his eyes sparkling with that teasing glint you had come to both expect and, reluctantly, look forward to.

"One caramel latte, please," you said, handing over your card.

"Sure thing," he said, swiping it before turning to the machine. "How's your day going so far?"

"Pretty good," you answered, watching him work with an effortless grace that came from months of practice. "Just hoping it stays that way."

Joost glanced back at you, one eyebrow raised. "Well, I'll do my best not to mess up your order too badly," he teased.

You rolled your eyes but couldn't help the smile tugging at your lips. "You always get my order right. It's my name you have trouble with."

He laughed, a warm, infectious sound that filled the cozy space. "Guilty as charged. So, how should I spell it today?"

"How about you try getting it right for once?" you challenged, leaning on the counter.

"No promises," he said with a wink, scribbling something on the cup before handing it over.

You took the cup, hesitating for a moment before looking at the name written on it. Sure enough, it was another creative twist on your name. Today, it read "Y/Nelle."

"You know, my name isn't that hard to spell," you said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I know," he replied, leaning against the counter opposite you. "But where's the fun in that?"

You shook your head, trying to hide your smile. "You're impossible, Joost."

"Maybe," he said, his grin softening into something more sincere. "But I make a mean caramel latte, don't I?"

You took a sip, savoring the perfect blend of coffee and caramel. "I can't argue with that."

As you turned to find a seat, Joost called out, "Same time tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it," you replied, feeling the familiar flutter in your chest as you walked away.

The next day, and the day after that, you returned to the coffee shop. Each time, Joost had a new creative spelling for your name, and each time, you found yourself looking forward to it more and more. His playful nature, the way he seemed genuinely happy to see you – it all became a highlight of your day.

One particularly rainy afternoon, you stepped into the shop, shaking off your umbrella. Joost looked up, his grin widening when he saw you.

"Hey there," he greeted. "Usual?"

"Yes, please," you said, your eyes meeting his. There was something different in his gaze today, something that made your heart beat just a little faster.

He handed over your cup, and you glanced at the name written on it. This time, it read "Beautiful."

You looked up, surprised. "Trying something new today?" you asked, your voice softer than usual.

Joost leaned in a bit closer, his eyes holding yours. "Thought I'd try getting it right for once."

You felt a blush creep up your cheeks. "You did a good job," you murmured.

"So," he said, a hint of nervousness in his voice now. "What are you doing after your coffee?"

You smiled, feeling a rush of excitement. "I guess that depends. What do you have in mind?"

Joost's grin returned, brighter than ever. "How about we find out together?"

As you sipped your caramel latte, Joost stepped out from behind the counter, wiping his hands on his apron before untying it and hanging it on a hook. You noticed he seemed just as excited as you felt. He held out his hand, a silent invitation that you didn't hesitate to accept.

The two of you walked out into the rain, sharing an umbrella. Joost kept it tilted more towards you, making sure you stayed dry even as he got a bit wet. It was a small, sweet gesture that warmed you more than the coffee ever could.

"So," you began, trying to break the silence that was filled with a tension neither of you wanted to acknowledge yet. "Where are we going?"

"There's a small bookshop around the corner," he said, glancing at you. "It's quiet, cozy, and they have the best selection of classic novels. Thought you might like it."

You smiled, touched by his thoughtfulness. "That sounds perfect."

The bookshop was everything he promised – warm and inviting, with shelves packed from floor to ceiling. The smell of old paper and ink mingled with the lingering scent of rain, creating an atmosphere that was both nostalgic and comforting.

As you browsed the shelves, Joost picked up a book and handed it to you. "This one's a favorite of mine," he said. "Maybe you'd like it too."

You took the book from him, your fingers brushing against his. A jolt of electricity shot through you at the contact, and you saw a similar reaction in his eyes. "Thanks," you said softly. "I'll check it out."

You spent the next hour exploring the shop together, sharing your favorite books and discovering new ones. It felt easy, natural, like you had known each other for much longer than a few months of daily coffee visits.

Eventually, you both ended up in a small reading nook at the back of the shop, sitting close together as you shared passages from the books you had picked up. The rain continued to patter against the windows, but inside, everything was warm and serene.

"Do you do this often?" you asked, turning to look at him. "Take customers out for impromptu bookshop dates?"

Joost chuckled, shaking his head. "No, you're the first," he admitted. "There's just something about you. I couldn't let another day go by without getting to know you better."

Your heart swelled at his words. "I'm glad you did," you said, reaching out to take his hand. "I like this – us."

He squeezed your hand gently, his smile widening. "Me too," he said. "So, what do you say? Same time tomorrow?"

You leaned in, closing the small gap between you, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. It was a gentle promise of more to come, filled with the sweetness of new beginnings.

"Same time tomorrow," you agreed, knowing that this was just the start of something beautiful.

@hxeluvr 2024

!! please, do not copy, repost or translate any of my work on other platforms !!

#joost klein #stand with joost #joostice #justice for joost #free joost #joost klein x you #joost klein x reader #joost klein fanfic #joost klein imagine #joost klein eurovision #joost klein fluff #eurovision 2024 #eurovision joost klein

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

HI ITS ME gvxzggsgjfh ok look this is. i know this is a weird one it is SO specific and so obviously something i should just write myself if i want it👏but👏but👏BUT i decided to shoot my shot when a perfect chance has arisenderised for you to pick and choose from anything you like AND in any form, and to see if this one maybe by any chance just so happens to spark anything fun in u too xD

ssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooo RANDOM EVENT ROLL D20 mc gets bitten by a werewoof or some other kind of "contagious" monster species (....cant really think of anything else other than vampirs, now that i say it) but WAIT THERES MORE because. what if mc insisted that they dont want any potential existent cures, they just wanna stay monstery >:3 JVDTHGLN who's considering it, who would absolutely go in the "its either me or this" direction, who's enthusiastic🤣 this is silly as hell but in the case it sparks joy id love to hear ur any and all thoughts because this idea has been haunting me for forever lmao honestly the best way ive imagined it is like one of your own selfinsert pieces youve posted before where its just all of them together bickering heeheehee💘💕🩷💞💖

love u have fun!!

The Arcana Drabble: MC transforms into a "monster"

In the spirit of things, I though a long drabble/short oneshot would work best to keep the madness going XD

Asra's getting stuck in their "one focus and one focus only" mode and right now that focus is making sure you're okay. He'll decide how he feels later, which isn't being helped at all because Julian keeps calling on him to help him slow down the process and get you to think about this a little more. However, it's hard to tell what exactly Julian wants your decision to be because in between him trying to get Asra to make you think about it some more, he's having all kinds of medical epiphanies about how your anatomy is adjusting to the new monster form:

"MC, let's think about some more, shall we? I'm sure Asra agrees with me - don't you, Asra? Asr - oh, whats this?! Your finger's joints are rapidly adjusting to accommodate for - I need a pen and paper -"

"Right here, Ilya." It's Portia's dismissive tone as she digs a small notebook and pencil out of her pocket that keeps you grounded. Not for long, though, because she can't wait to see what happens next. "Accommodate for what, anyways? Are you growing another joint?? Are you going to get claws??? Talons???? Show me!"

Between Julian jotting down unintelligible notes while he studies your elbow's range of motion, Portia's excited exclamations, and Asra's attempt at soothing touch as they rub your shoulders and ask how you're feeling, it's a miracle you can notice Muriel's quiet mumble in the background. He's clearly overwhelmed and very concerned that the physically-altering substance in general got to your brain first, making you so seemingly okay with turning into a monster.

"MC, do you remember your name? Do you need to take a nap? You don't have to be okay with this -"

"I believe this may warrant far more than a nap to recover from." Nadia's doing her best to keep Lucio calm, holding him back from tackling you much like she might grasp a leash. You can practically see the headache building behind her eyes. "We have yet to determine what the extent of this transformation is and therefore whether our dear MC is even capable of fully agreeing to the current process. MC, darling, did the source of this transformation give you any indication of what the end result would be?"

You'd try to respond, but Lucio's excited yelling is too noisy to shout over. He's fumbling at the fastenings on his cape, distracted by your ongoing changes, and very annoyed at Nadia's interference.

"Where did it go? I want to see if it can give me powers too - OW! Dammit, Noddy, I'm trying to help here! You're keeping me from finding the monster and getting it to give me cool - I mean, getting it to tell us more about what's happening! Don't you want that? Don't you want to help MC, Noddy?! Let me go -"

It's with a loud RIP and subsequent "that was velvet, you know!" that Lucio finally breaks free and sprints off in the direction of your new monster friend. You can feel yourself slowly settling in to your new form as the process shows signs of slowing and reaching completion.

Nadia's facepalming. Portia's looking at you with eyes shining in wonder. Julian's still trying to nag Asra into reversing this as he takes notes. The magician in question is still ignoring him as they ask you how you feel for the nth time. Muriel's eyeing the nearby closet in hopes of taking a nap and waking up to it all being a dream. Lucio's a distant, spiky golden speck at this point.

Faust is quietly trying to sneak her knife into your hand, for crimes.

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana drabble #the arcana imagine #the arcana fanfic #the arcana game #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #portia the arcana #lucio the arcana #asra alnazar #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #portia devorak #lucio morgasson

[simplydannie]

Hi Dannie! I just thought of another fanfic idea, what if the twins had some sort of redemption arc where they work at Bruce n’ Sons as community service for their crimes. I’ve seen fanart based on this but I would love to see it be turned into a story! No rush, take all the time you need! ❤️

Haii!

Sorry it took me awhile! There’s a lot I’ve been doing lol Omg I’ve seen that fan art too! Their time at Bruce n’ Sons would honestly be so interesting! Of course fun times await them at Bruce N Sons, but before all that, Velvet and Veneer’s name weren’t that greatly received when they started there:

Bruce didn’t like this one bit. No matter what Floyd would say, they were still criminals. Bruce just couldn’t see how he still wanted to give them a second chance, he couldn’t see how in the world they were redeemable, but he agreed, he’s doing this for his brother.

Bruce sighed as he put on his apron, “Well, time to get the day started.” He walked out the door.

It was 6:15 in the morning, he told the twins to report at 7 to debrief them in their shifts, he was definitely surprised when he saw the two Rageons waiting for him in the kitchen.

“Morning Bruce!” Veneer chimed. The kid was literally to happy for his own good. His sister, well, the complete opposite. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

“Good morning. And nice to see you to princess.” Bruce said.

“Whatever. Can you just tell us what we need to do and get this over with please.” Her tone earned her an elbow to the ribs from her brother.

“Well since you did say please so nicely.” Bruce smirked. “Let’s see yesterday we had Velvet working the mini bar, Veneer you washed dishes. So far so good. So today, Veneer you seem like you have a likable aura, I want you waiting tables.”

“Oh!” Veneer said happily taking the notebook and pen by Bruce’s side, “I’ve always wanted to give this a try.”

“Velvet, you’ll be cleaning up tables today.”

“Why can’t I do the minibar again?”

“I want you guys experienced in every area. So we’re going to get the practice that you need while we can. Besides, it’s all going in your community service record.”

Velvet rolled her eyes as she reached over for an apron, “Fine. Whatever.” She walked behind the counter to collect her cleaning supplies.

“Vennie, Brandy has your waiter outfit ready for you. Go get dressed.”

“Okay!” He was off. Bruce rolled his eyes, a gesture Velvet noticed and scowled at. She waited till Veneer was out of ear shot before she walked over to the Troll.

“Quick word.” She demanded.

“Well thanks a lot for asking. What’s up?” Bruce turned around and looked up at Velvet… he still couldn’t get over how big Rageons really were, much taller than Vacationers.

“There are these young people at the resort that keep giving me and Veneer a hard time. Well, more Veneer now than me but….”

“Oh ya! What’s up with you beating up some of my customers?”

“They were asking for it! They wouldn’t stop…”

“You’re supposed to be redeeming yourself.”

“Yes, but Bruce I was defending-…”

“No excuses.”

“But Veneer, he’ll…”

“He’ll be fine. Now get ready.”

That day and Bruce N Sons was busy. More tourist were coming in day by day… and the one thing they came to see… where the twins.

Word had gotten out that the fallen stars Velvet and Veneer were spending the rest of their time doing some service hours there. People wanted to marvel and see how the twins actually worked… this panicked Bruce. He had to make sure the twins were on top of their game, his reputation was on the line.

But he didn’t hear what they would yell at them: “fakers”, “frauds”, “abusers”… Velvet pulverized a guy the other day for harassing her and her brother. He promised not to press charges on Bruce n Sons but Velvet had to pay his medical fee from her own check. After that incident, many left her alone… but Veneer was a different story.

Velvet watched him as he waited tables, many didn’t withstand giving him a nasty remark. Veneer would just smile and say, “May I take your order?” He loved earning his dues, he loved trying to make it up to the Trolls, despite them not trusting them… it made him feel good. So Velvet couldn’t stand when he allowed anyonento just talk down on him.

Velvet was cleaning near the mini bar when Veneer came up.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this! Look! I even got my first tip!” He pulled out a white piece of paper and opened it…. His face dropped to a frown… “Oh.” Was all he said.

“What? What is it?” Velvet attempted to grab the paper but Veneer withdrew.

“They didn’t have any money on them so they’re just thanked me…with very, colorful words….” He forced a smiled. He’s lying, Velvet thought to herself.

“Whatever. I don’t care.” She fumed and continued to clean.

“Here you go sweety! Order for table 21 is ready.” Brandy chimed as she brought out the food.

“Oh! Okay! I got this! Thanks!” Carefully grabbing the tray Veneer mad his way over to the table. Velvet rolled her eyes as she saw how hard he was working. Pathetic, she thought as she turned her back to him.

CRASH!

The sound of crashing dishes and broken plates echoed through the area. Velvet whipped her head to see Veneer on his knees.

“Oh, no, no, no.” He murmured to himself. Velvet saw that next to him, a group of teens were snickering. One bent over, she could hear the whisper he gave Veneer in his ear, she could read his lips.

“That’s what you get fraud.” The teen snickered spitting on Veneer. Everyone in his table laughed. An anger rushed over Velvet as she saw Veneer helplessly try to gather the fallen plates and food.

“Hey! That was my order!”

“Apparently he can’t even get that right!” People began to shout. The teen who tripped Veneer still hovered over him laughing, making it obvious what he did. Before she could comprehend, Velvet was at her brothers side, pushing the teen back against his booth.

“Hey!” He yelled.

“You leave him alone dickhead!” Velvet scowled.

“Vels!” Veneer warned.

“If I ever see you touching my brother again, I swear-…”

“Velvet!” Bruce’s voice was heard from across the dining area. The small Troll quickly made his way where the twins stood, the teen leaning back in his both in fear. “Vel’s, Ven, what’s going on?”

“She’s threatening me!” The teen pointed towards here. She scowled…Oh how she wanted to rip his arms out..

“He dropped all our food!”

Complaints and shouts began being yelled left and right, Bruces head began to swirl and hurt. This can’t be happening, this restaurant, this resort cannot be going downhill so quickly…he worked to hard for this. And all this, for a batch of criminals he decided to help, all for his brother. Velvet and Veneer had done nothing but mess everything up since the day they kidnapped his brother. Why did Floyd care what happened to them? He should care that his business was going down to the ground.

“Okay, okay!” Bruce held up his hands, attempting his best to keep his cool. “I hear all your complaints, and I’m sorry. I have no control what these two have been up to since their prison days. We agreed on community service to help them…” He turned to look at them directly in the eye, “But they have yet to prove themselves.”

“Are you freaking kidding me! He tripped Veneer on purpose!”

“This is the second time you harass a customer. You CANNOT be doing this! You’re costing me customers, money.”

“She’s just trying to protect me Bruce.” Veneer said as he finally stood up.

“Stop making excuses for her. And could you NOT be clumsy for a second! You keep dropping and breaking things. It costs a lot to replace EVERYTHING you break.”

“But…but sometimes it’s not my fault…It’s…” Veneer casted a side eye at the teens who sat at the booth.

“No excuses. I’ve had enough. I can’t do this anymore. Get out.” Bruce stated with a rising anger in his voice.

“But…but Bruce…” Veneer began to say.

“Out! We’re done.”

Velvet narrowed her eyes at the Troll, “Fine! Screw you!” She grabbed her brother by his wrist and pulled him away before anyone could see the tears forming in his eyes. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose…a gut feeling that he had just done the wrong thing, made the wrong choice, but it was done. One of his other associates picked up the mess and took over the customers, attempting to satisfy them. Bruce needed some time…he walked away and headed towards the back…he needed some space to think, some time away from this chaos. He stopped when there in the hallway, leaning against the wall…was Veneer. He was hugging his knees, tears falling down his face. Velvet was attempting to sooth him, comfort him.

“…Why are things always my fault…” He heard the boy say.

“This isn’t your fault. That jerk kid is going to get what’s coming to him, you’ll see.”

Veneer wiped his tears away, “….Vels….You need to start a new life on your own. People need to see that you really aren’t bad, that you CAN change. I’m just ruining it…You don’t need me doing that…”

“Shut up!” She cut him off.

“But…”

“I said shut up! I’m not leaving you, and your’e not leaving me. You hear me you idiot!” She wiped away some tears that were beginning to fall down her face. “It’s just us two. And we need each other now more than ever. Everyone is going to be mean and we have to be careful..”

“….We deserve it though…After what we did…I don’t blame the Trolls for not forgiving us…”

“I know…I know…” The twins fell silent as they contemplated on what their next steps were….Bruce N Son’s was done with, they messed that up along with everything else they have tried. A feeling hit Bruce in his gut, seeing them now, he began to see the twins in a different light…They were still kids, misguided kids. He couldn’t imagine having his own children misguided into doing things they weren’t supposed to. Luckily they had him and Brandy to guide them along. Who did Velvet and Veneer have? Their parents were gone…They trusted Floyd, and Floyd trusted his brothers to help him…Finally now, Bruce understood why. Both twins sat next to each other against the wall, Velvet leaned her head on her brother’s shoulder, both of them feeling cold and distant…The way they looked, reminded him of his own kids.

With a deep sigh Bruce made his way towards the Rageons. “Hey.” He stated simply. He earned a scowl from Velvet, but a small, weak smile from Veneer. “Listen…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have went off on both of you the way I did. I should’ve heard both sides of the story. You guys have been trying…and you’re not perfect, so why should I expect the work to be perfect. I’m sorry.”

Velvet opened her mouth to say something, but for the first time, she was speechless, she didn’t know what to say. Instead she looked at Veneer. He pursed his lips, “Maybe we should go. Having us here probably isn’t the best…given our reputation. But Floyd tried, you tried….”

“Stop right there kid. I didn’t try. What I did try was to blame you and get rid of you, yeah, that ain’t happening anymore. No you guys deserve a redemption. People need to see the REAL you and not some peacock, pop stars you guys painted yourselves to be. What do you say? Want to give it another shot?” Bruce extended his small hand. The twins looked at each other: Veneer gave his sister a smile and small nudge, Velvet knew this look…he wanted to try again.

She sighed in annoyance, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” She finally replied.

“Oh! Before we begin again, there’s a small announcement I need to make.” Bruce turned around and headed back towards the busy dining area. The twins looked at each other questionably, they scurried to their feet and quickly followed after Bruce. The small Troll stood on top of the mini bar, with a booming voice he called out…

“Attention all customers of Bruce N Sons!” The crowd quieted and hushed as they heard his booming voice, “Early on, there was a misunderstanding. An accident caused by a reckless load of customers that caused one of my associates to fall.” He eyed the teens, “Don’t deny it! We have cameras! Listen, we all know, and word has spread quickly, that the one and only Velvet and Veneer are here. Rest assured, they are, and they are working for me in hopes of redemption. While they work for me, they will be provided with the same care I give all my associates, and that includes protection from harassing customers.” He pointed out the group of teens, “You guys, out!”

Security came and removed them, sending a wave of talk and murmurs amongst the crowd.

“You may not like it, and you are more than welcomed to leave. I was too worried about loosing customers rather than helping two kids in need. Rest assured, the twins are trying their best, a little socialization never hurt anybody. If you decide to stay, please expect them to be regular faces here for a good while.” Bruce turned and smiled as the twins watched by the door. Turning to face the rest of the crowd, he was surprised to see no one leaving… everyone stayed…, “Alright then, let’s enjoy the rest of the evening!”

Music began to play again, laughter and talking filled the room. Bruce walked over to the twins to find that two of his kids were at Veneer’s ankles.

“Can you play with us pleeeaasssseee?” One begged.

“I uh…” Veneer didn’t know what to say.

“Later kids! He’s got work to do. Veneer start waiting those tables again. We need that happy smile out there.”

“Yes sir!” Veneer chimed as he headed towards the tables. Bruce turned to face Velvet.

“I have something else in mind for you.” He smirked, “How would YOU like to be our bouncer?”

#trolls band together #trolls 3 #velvet and veneer #veneer #velvet #trolls veneer #velvet and veneer trolls #velvet trolls #trolls 3 veneer #trolls 3 velvet #veneer trolls #trolls velvet #trolls bruce #trolls fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #my asks #answered asks #asks

[f1-disaster-bi]

Do you write Oscar/Lando pairing? :) I had an idea of Oscar coming to the team, excited to get to know Lando, only to find grumpy, stand offish and cold Lando with lot of anxiety. He is having hard time to deal with all the pressure, but Oscar slowly breaks down his walls

This idea is super cute anon!

It's not a pairing I have dabbled much in beyond a few short writings, and I don't have time to write a full fic exploring all of that but I can give you some rambles for it!

Lando, when Oscar joins the team, is under a lot of pressure. He has the car to deal with, the fall out of the last season, there's eyes on him and of course, people reminding him at every turn that he still hasn't won a race despite knowing the car is shit.

He now also is the oldest in the team. He's the driver with more expereince, the one expected to help Oscar settle in and get used to F1 the way Carlos did for him, and Lando is just struggling with all of that so when he meets Oscar, he's closed off. He's helpful, but he keeps his walls up to stop himself seeming like a mess to Oscar. He's trying to be strong and cool and the one that Oscar can lean on. All while drowning.

Oscar kinda figures it out after a while. He notices Lando's obession with data, with doing as much work as he can. He notices the way Lando's smiles don't reach his eyes, and how sometimes doing media things leaves Lando absolutely exhuasted.

Slowly, Oscar tries to get closer off camera. He start bringing Lando coffee when they're at the MTC. He brings them snacks, and cracks jokes that make Lando smile. He starts hanging around with him during breaks, chatting to him, and slowly Lando starts to banter back but for real. There is no fake smiles any more, no forced laughter.

Lando starts to relax and open up to Oscar, and eventually lets Oscar see "what a mess I am", but Oscar doesn't think he's a mess and makes sure to tell him that.

#landoscar #lando/oscar #oscar/lando #if anyone wants to take this idea and run with if for anon please do!

[hoziersmicrophone]

meeting ross at a bar in scotland

a/n: i’m bored and this popped into my head lol so enjoy 💕

warnings: implied smut & suggestive flirting

your fingers wiped the condensation off the $16 cocktail that the bartender had just made for you, despite your protests as your friend ordered another round for the both of you.

“i really should get home,” you sighed. you had finished a long week at work and had agreed to one drink, which had turned into 3, which turned into sitting in a bar in the middle of scotland that you had ended up at multiple times before.

“what the hell happened to the fun girl I used to go out with? it’s a friday night!” your friend exclaimed as she took a large sip of her drink, “are you still pissed that you couldn’t get tickets to that damn show?”

you rolled her eyes at her. your favourite band the 1975 were playing at that very moment and you had been unsuccessful in getting tickets.

“of course i’m still pissed. i love them so much and they were playing at a smaller venue this time ‘round and it probably won’t happen again,”

you took a sip of your drink as she gave you a fixed stare before turning back to the bartender,

“can we get 2 shots of tequila?” she asked, ignoring your protests once more, “love, you need it. forget about the ‘75, let’s just have a good night,”

you laughed at her efforts, and eventually caved as the shot was forced into your hand, and the liquid burned the back of your throat, leaving a fuzzy feeling in your stomach that was sure to fight back later.

many many hours had past and the amount of tequila consumed had tripled. the show that you had missed was the absolute last thing on your mind.

you were still sitting at the bar and watching your friend who was attempting to flirt with a guy she thought was cute from where you were sitting.

he wasn’t your type but you admired her efforts and confidence to just walk up to a stranger.

the bar had ramped up in activity and the music was only playing slightly louder. you heard loud cheering coming from the corner with the pool tables and turned before feeling your stomach drop and almost falling off your chair at the sight.

in the darker corner of the bar was ross macdonald, the bass player from the fucking 1975.

you watched as ross lined up the cue, nailing a perfect shot and celebrated by taking a sip of his pint. he was wearing a green t-shirt and black leather jacket, and looked insanely good.

it might have been the tequila talking or the fact that you were starstruck, but you could have sworn he looked over in your direction and smirked slightly.

at this, you panicked and turned in the other direction to where your friend was still aimlessly chatting up the same guy.

trying really hard to focus your attention on the pair, you didn’t notice when the seat next to you was occupied and a voice cut through your attention, flagging down the bartender.

“can I get another one, mate?”

you watched as the bartender nodded and you turned slightly, to see ross sitting beside you with a slight smug smirk on his face.

“what are you drinking, love?” he asked, his voice so deep it sent goosebumps down your back.

“me?” you asked, flabbergasted.

he chuckled, “yea, you,”

“tonight I’ve indulged in mainly tequila and vodka sprite’s”

for the amount of anxiety you were feeling, your words were flowing quite naturally.

“ah, the tequila would explain why you were staring then, wouldn’t it?” he asked, with a teasing smirk plastered on his face.

“i would hardly call what i was doing staring. i watched you make one play, it was merely observing,” you responded, taking a sip of your drink, “you would know if i was staring,”

“oh, would i now?” ross challenged.

you laughed, “one hundred percent. ask anyone, i’m a little too honest,”

“okay then, honesty,” he leaned slightly against the counter and closer to your face, “do you know who i am?”

you nodded, and he continued,

“were you at the show tonight?”

“i was not,” you shook your head, “wasn’t able to get tickets so i came here to drink my sorrows away, believe it or not,”

“that’s a bummer, you missed a good one,”

“is that supposed to be comforting? real nice, ross,” you rolled your eyes. internally, shocked at how forward you were being with your biggest celebrity crush since you were a teen.

“wasn’t meant to be comforting love, but if you had gone you probably wouldn’t have ended up here, isn’t that right?”

“are you trying to say it’s fate that ticketmaster crashed?”

he laughed and took another drink of his newly poured pint. his hand clenched around the glass as he put it back down.

“maybe i am, maybe i’m not. lucky for sure though,”

you cocked your head to the side, “lucky for me, or lucky for you?”

when he didn’t quip back right away, you smirked and took it as a sign to continue your point.

“you were the one who came over here after i was allegedly staring at you, and you might say it was just for the pint, but there’s another bartender further down closer to the pool tables, and i’m sure she would have been happy to assist you. so..” you paused, letting your words sink in.

“so?” he smirked

“so you must find me even the slightest bit attractive or else you wouldn’t have come over here. i would say you’re the lucky one, macdonald.”

“even if i did that, sweetheart,” ross stood up so he towered over you and he leaned down, his breath against your ear, “i’m too damn proud to admit it,”

“with that logic,” you paused, your breath hitching as his glass dripped a water droplet of condensation onto your skin and his eye’s travelled down to your chest, “i may have been staring, but like yourself, i’m too proud to admit it,”

you wiped off the water and watched as he cleared his throat and smirked down at you once more.

“wanna play a round?” he asked, nodding his head towards the pool tables in the back of the bar.

you grinned as you stood up, grabbing your glass from the countertop, “sure thing. wanna make it interesting?”

ross laughed as you started to walk away from him, and towards the pool tables. he pushed in your chair and started to follow.

“interesting how, love?”

you stopped walking abruptly and felt his hand on your waist, spinning you around to face him with his chest being centimetres from your nose away after almost walking into you.

“if i win,” you laughed, “you have to admit that you thought i was hot and that’s why you walked over to me earlier,”

he rolled his eyes but chuckled, “sure thing. not that it’ll happen though. what do i get when i win?”

you smirked before pulling him down by the collar of his jacket, bringing your lips to his ear so that you could whisper and no one around would hear,

“if you win, you get to come home with me and see what i have on under this dress. and i promise, you’ll like it.”

you let go of his collar and pulled away, smirking at the man whose eyes had turned a shade darker than they were before

“deal?” you asked, feigning innocence.

his hand grasped the fabric of your dress as he turned you around to face the pool tables once more and pulled you against his chest before letting go of the fabric and bringing the same hand to rest above your waist.

“you have a deal, love,” his voice muttered in your ear, “but if you’re not careful, we won’t make it home. the bathroom stalls here are fairly cozy.”

you smirked and laughed as you walked away from him once more and grabbed the cue that was lying on the table.

ross shrugged off his jacket and grabbed the cue that was closest to him.

“break,” he said from across the table, a knowing smirk dancing across his face. he had never lost a game of pool ever, and sure as hell was not about to tonight. not with what was at stake.

#ross macdonald #the 1975 #did not proofread oops #blurb #ross macdonald x reader #ross macdonald fanfiction #ross macdonald smut #x reader #readers

[moonlitkilljoy]

michie ficrecs!

hi!! i saw @24-guy asking for michie fic recs for what to reread and figured i’d just post the fic rec list i made for my friends :-) i’m making my own post because it has some fics written by 24-guy and i’d feel really weird recommending those directly to zem, but i figured someone else might also be interested fjdjfnd

i've split this list into completed fics and ongoing fics for your viewing pleasure, otherwise they're in no particular order :] let me know if there's any mistakes or misattributions, i didn't get anyone to proof read this for me before posting ^^;

enjoy!

COMPLETED:

Max Jagerman's Socks by lab_trash / @lab-trash

"Max's socks start getting interesting, to the point where people actually notice. They don't even look like stuff he'd own, really."

~4k words, 1 chapter, rated T; pure fluff, 5+1 things, a really cute and cozy secret relationship fic

Dangling from the edge by Olive_of_Vanders / @oliveofvanders

"On that fateful day at the Waylon place, a certain weeb saved the bully."

~1.5k words, 1 chapter, rated T; richie saves max's life at the waylon place, plus bonus points for the uncle paul headcanon :] i actually stumbled upon this while trying to remember which fics i’ve been meaning to rec but it's VERY good so i just had to include it

Near Death Panick by lab_trash / @lab-trash

"Max and Richie panic when Max almost dies and they forget they aren't alone."

~2.5k words, 1 chapter, rated G; richie saves max's life at the waylon place, with added secret relationship <3 a delight to read

Hatchetfield's Finest Breadsticks by KairiTheMango / @kairithemang0

"Richie was unsure if he regretted agreeing to be Max's Algebra tutor just yet, however out of the kindness of his heart (and deep down his desire to spend more time with him) he chose to take the job. How hard could it be really? Just a few hours of extra math, it wouldn't hurt anyone."

~1.5k words, 1 chapter, rated G; a short and sweet tutoring fic!!! real neat

class of 2021 by hatchetscandal

"living it, ten years were just that—ten long years. but looking back, ten years is simply the blink of an eye. or the hatchetfield high school class of 2021 is celebrating their ten year reunion, and things have changed drastically in that time."

~4k words, 1 chapter, rated T; cute future class-reunion fic :]

Michie short series - What the fuck happened last night by bonezthewriter

"Richie wakes up in the bed of Max Jagerman one fateful day. Follow them as they develop their relationship; and themselves."

series: ~5.5k words total, 4 works (4 chapters total), no ratings except for the last work (rated T); possible cw for misunderstandings of a somewhat sexual nature, nothing actually happens but they sure do convince themselves it did

Lost and Found by 24_GUY / @24-guy

"A Canon Divergent AU with Michie secret dating and a lot of suffering for Richie. (Less suffering in the sequel, I'm determined to have a happy ending.)"

series: ~21.5k words total, 2 works (18 chapters total), all works rated T; hurt/comfort + secret relationship, THIS ONE IS SO GOOD. it explores richie’s grief at losing max in a really interesting way and then manages to work in a happy ending <3 cw/tw for detailed depictions of the different stages of grief (especially depression)

cause i can’t help it if you look like an angel by pixelprotag / @milgram

"max finds a pretty cool cosplayer online. halloween rolls around, and it turns out he goes to his school."

~1.5k words, 1 chapter, rated T; a really cute fic surrounding the idea of richie doing cosplay, plus another win for "paul is richie's uncle" truthers :P

Paul Matthews and his many children by ThatStar_Guy

"Paul acquires his first adopted son when his sister kicks out his nephew, Richie, because of his sexuality. Richie goes to Paul for help, and he and Emma are glad to provide it. He acquires his second adopted son when Tom perishes in an explosion. Tim, having no other family, comes to live with them. He acquires his first unofficial son when Pete starts spending every day at his house. He acquires his first unofficial daughter when Ruth also spends every minute at his house. He acquires his second unofficial daughter when Grace starts dating Ruth. He acquires his first blood daughter with Emma when they are 32. He acquires his first son in law when Richie marries Max at 20. He acquires his first unofficial daughter in law when Pete marries Steph at 22. He acquires his first grandchild when Richie and Max adopt at 24. He acquires his first and second unofficial grandkids when Pete and Steph are 25."

~3k words, 1 chapter, rated G; a "paul is richie’s uncle” fic taken to the extreme in the absolute BEST way possible. mostly paul centric and focused on paul/emma, with background richie/max, grace/ruth, and pete/steph as far as ships go. THIS ONE IS OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES!!! lots of Black Friday references

r/TrueOffMyChest by lab_trash / @lab-trash

"I (21m) am in love with my roommate and former bully victim (20m)"

~3k words, 1 chapter, rated G; future fic, in-universe reddit post format. this ones clever and addresses just how shitty Max was in highschool

Maybe We Can Find A Home Here by 24_GUY / @24-guy

"Max confides in Ruth once, and gets a family out of it."

~3k words, 1 chapter, rated T; a really cute ruth and max friendship fic. words cannot express how much i adore it :3

UNFINISHED:

Won't you pray for me? by Whowillprayforyou / @whowillprayforyou

"Max Jägerman is as straight as a board, as per the norm with being who he is. King of the school, Star quarterback. He's got one weakness, Repressed nerds, and thankfully Grace chasity isn't letting up any time soon. Imagine his surprise when his focus shifts to a different not so repressed nerd, after a life changing event. Even more shocking, said nerd is Richard Lipschitz."

~17k words, 5 chapters, no rating as of posting; richie saves max’s life at the waylon house, slow burn ensues <3 i'm literally obsessed with this one

Zeek: The Fighting Nighthawk by lab_trash / @lab-trash

"Max strikes up conversation with their school mascot without knowing who's under the costume. Richie just goes with it, even through that massive anxiety… which fades so quickly for some reason. He learns so much about Max, and he'd never seen him so relaxed before. It's not so bad."

~9k words, 4 chapters, rated T as of posting; secret identity shenaniganery >:] I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH. it's probably one of my favorite npmd fics. plus, this one has the “trevor is richie’s twin” headcanon in a really prominent way which the author executes really well

Car Lights by 24_GUY / @24-guy

"When Richie takes Amanda - his best friend's daughter and his goddaughter - to the grocery store to fill their day, he least expects to run into Max Jägerman of all people."

~36k words, 18 chapters, rated T as of posting; future fic with background steph/pete and some really sweet ruth and max friendship moments :3 I FUCKING ADORE THIS ONE!!! another great twin headcanon piece as well. it should be noted that i've been a dancer for 15 years and this is somewhat of a dancer au, so i may be biased

Beanies by lab_trash / @lab-trash

"As soon as Max turned 16, his father began berating him to get a job so he could pay rent for his room. Actually, that’s a lie. It started a couple weeks before he turned 16. To “give him time.” He actually expected Max to have a job as soon as he was 16. It wasn’t so bad at first, since he didn’t have school and he could manage his part-time job and whatever sport practice he had going on at that time. But once the school year started… Max was always a bully. But in his junior year, he became a literal monster. OR: Max works at Beanies and accidentally sort of makes friends with a regular customer who just happens to be a nerd."

~16k words, 9 chapters, rated G as of posting; paul is richies uncle and theres a background focus on paul/emma. probably my all time favorite michie fic— lotta well thought out references to the other musicals. i've been rereading at least part of it every day for the last couple days, its just that good

thanks for reading!!

feel free to drop into my ask box to talk about any of these or just hatchetfield stuff in general ^w^ have a lovely day/night

#benny beeps #fic recs #michie #nerdy prudes must die #npmd #richie lipschitz #npmd richie #max jagerman #max jägerman #npmd max #also does anyone know where my phone is. i cant find it :( #UPDATE: FOUND MY PHONE. 30 minutes later BUT I FOUND IT

[allisluv]

Hii can u do something with finnick with reader who is insecure about her looks so she stops eating? So he is very worried and gives her something? I'm sorry if it's something triggering, I just wanted to ask. Hope your doing ok girl love ya! ❤

i promise you this, i'll always look out for you -- finnick o'dair

pairing: finnick odair x fem!reader

word count: 600 words

content warnings: illusions to an eating disorder / disordered eating, a brief mention of weight, feeling insecure, finnick being sweet. please note that i am not trying to romanticise eating disorders and you are responsible for what media you choose to consume. please read with caution and put your mental health first!!

Finnick O’Dair notices the small things about you; like how your bottom lip trembles just before you’re about to cry or how you push around your food on your plate without really eating anything. 

It doesn’t worry him, not to begin with. At first, he just assumes you don’t have much of an appetite, but then he notices you skipping out on meals and staring at yourself for far too long in the mirror. 

Finnick has never been one for confrontation. It takes him weeks to gather up the nerve to voice his concerns.  

He lays awake for hours on end, tracing patterns down the slope of your shoulders and mulling over his words. Eventually, he drifts off and once he wakes up, your cold side of the bed is what prompts him to sleepily walk through the hallways of your shared home. 

He ventures farther into the kitchen, where he finds you curled up on the sofa in the living room, cradling a book as the television plays in the background. The sun shines through the open patio doors and your hair keeps getting caught in the breeze. 

Finnick flops down on the sofa, careful not to sit on your feet. You glance up at the shift in weight and offer him a weak smile as he leans over to press a kiss to your temple. “Hi honey. Have you eaten anything today?” 

His question catches you off guard and you can feel your eyebrows knitting together. “I– wait, what?” You splutter, abandoning your book altogether and setting it down onto the coffee table. You forgot to mark your page in your haste to brush him off. “Of course I’ve eaten!” you protest, pouting out your bottom lip like a child. 

Finnick can feel guilt eating away at the edges of his chest as he asks, “Honey, what did you have?” He threads his fingers through your hair and gently grips your chin between his finger and thumb, angling your head to get you to meet his eye. “I’m not mad at you, just worried, honey. You’ve not been eating much lately.”

For a split second, you consider crawling out of his lap and lying through your teeth, but it’s Finnick you’re talking to. It’s your Finnick. Your bottom lip trembles and you furiously blink away the tears gathering on your waterline. “I just… I hate the way I look, Finnick.” 

His heart shatters into shards of glass that stab through his ribcage. “What do you mean you hate the way you look, baby? You look beautiful.”

You hesitate. “I don’t feel it.” 

Finnick frowns, and rubs soothing circles down the skin of your hip-dips. “How about we do this, honey?” He makes sure you’re listening before he keeps going. “If you’re feeling insecure or upset or just having a bad day, come and find me; I’m willing to show you all day every day how beautiful I think you are. We’re gonna start small because I know this is gonna be hard for you; what’re you feeling like this morning?”

“I’m not hungry,” you insist, winding your arms around his neck as your stomach growls. Talk about bad timing. 

Finnick arches a teasing brow. “Nice try baby, but that’s not gonna work. How do waffles sound, hm?” 

You shrug your shoulders and thread your fingers through the golden locks of his hair. “I guess you could twist my arm.” The weight in your chest eases as he pecks your cheek and for the first time in weeks, you feel heaps better now that you know you’re not alone

#grace talks🐚🌷 #the hunger games #thg #headcanons #hcs #finnick odair #blurb #fem!reader #gn!reader #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair x you #finnick odair fluff #blurbs #finnick odair angst #finnick odair imagine

[goth-mami-writer]

☆Unbothered☆ (pt.2)

~(AU) Leon Kennedy × f!Reader drabble/work

~Find part one here

~{Part 3 coming soon! ♡}

@lizzetmv ♡ @danigirls-missions ♡

《 You re-entered the house after dropping the kids at your mom's. You were still tired, but somehow you felt jittery listening to your quiet house from the foyer. Leon would be home later that night, and you'd be alone for a while, but your first thing to do with the silence of your home….evaded your mind. You wanted to catch up on laundry. Or maybe vacuum. But neither of those were relaxing, just necessary. So you decided on a shower.

Truthfully, you just wanted to stand under the water without worrying how long you'd been away from downstairs. When you stood in your towel afterwards, you realized you had time to look in the mirror for once instead of rushing to put on clothes.

Or even makeup that didn't have to take four seconds while you yelled down the stairs for everyone to have their shit ready and be in the car.

You wondered how long it'd even been since you used your vanity, and you sat down in front of the small mirror in your bedroom as you decided on what to wear. After you finished your face, you slipped into a dress that you knew might not make Leon turn his head too hard. It was old, and you'd worn it to events before, but God, it had been years. But suddenly you heard from downstairs as he came inside.

You checked your watch after noticing how early it was for him to be in, and you hurried down the hallway. You found him in the kitchen and asked from the catwalk that hung above your living room if he was playing hooky from work.

“No-” Leon said, not looking up away from the counter where he unboxed the take out dinner he'd bought on the way in so neither of you would have to cook,

“I finished up early and figured to hell with the last hour. God, it's quiet in here without the k-”

You watched as he froze after turning to face you almost by mistake. He had to look twice to make sure he wasn't mistaken, and you questioned the look on his face,

“What?”

“You-” He stuttered before smirking up to you, “I've not seen you wear something like that in a while….Does it feel good?”

You looked around unsure how to answer although you knew exactly what you wanted to say. It did feel good to pretend maybe for just a weekend that you weren't sleep deprived and on the cusp of a breakdown.

“-Cause it looks good.” Leon said, stepping closer to the stairs. While hiding your smile, you crept down to meet him, and you mentioned that the food smelled good to change the subject. You noticed a brown grocery bag on the counter, and your brow furrowed to wonder what else he had brought along.

Leon showed you a new bottle of wine he'd got for the two of you to share but there was something else in the bottom of the bag that looked to be wrapped the same as candy. You held it up to the light to inspect it closer as he seemed to stray away almost intentionally. He began to explain as your eyes narrowed in once the realization set in to what he had bought,

“That- I saw that and figured for dessert... we could share a little chocolate.” Leon said, trying not to sound mischievous, but a grin formed on his mouth playfully.

“Leon- did you seriously buy sex chocolate?” You asked while reading the wrapper plastered in hearts with aphrodisiac ingredients listed clearly on the nutrition label.

He giggled as he opened the wine to pour a glass for each of you and he shrugged, mentioning in a daring tone when he realized his mouth could be a little more dirty now that he didn't have to censor in the presence of the kids,

“I mean…we've never really planned to fuck before. It's always just happened.. So why not…go full throttle? Come on, it'll be fun. They only take an hour to kick in.”

He offered your glass of wine across the counter, watching you bend to his idea of fun on your night off. You took a cautious drink, knowing that the whole point of spontaneous sex was you didn't have to plan it and it was twice as rewarding because of that.

But scheduled sex that was almost guaranteed to be worth a damn….seemed fool proof.

“I know we don't really need it.”

“And, yeah, yeah-” Leon said with that facetious roll to his eyes,

You checked your watch, not telling him exactly why until after you opened the pack of chocolate. Two squares were kept inside the foil paper and you put one to your nose. It smelled like something close to normal chocolate and Leon began to inspect it too under the kitchen light.

“This should go good with that wine actually-” He mentioned before looking up in disbelief at what you were doing.

He saw you place one square into your mouth already, and you washed it down with a sip of wine somewhat fearlessly as he watched in awe. You looked up to him, watching his jaw drop in seeing that you had no more doubts about this, and you said with a purr as you sloshed the Cabernet in your glass,

“We got an hour to kill. You want to watch a movie?”

You were so unsure before these few minutes but now there wasn't a shadow of doubt. It made Leon smile widely while putting the other chocolate into his mouth with a wink to follow your lead,

“Yeah- I'll bring the wine.”

You sat on the couch together, but neither of your eyes were open long enough to even see what was on TV. Leon was nuzzled into your neck, kissing you warmly and much to your delight when you felt his tongue softly grazing.

Your leg rested over his lap, letting his hand knead against your thigh from beneath your dress as your eyes were closed in the bliss of what felt like foreplay. It hadn't felt like this since before the kids were even thought of. While you two were dating those years ago. He'd come to town after an assignment in DC and you'd find a hotel to sneak to for the night. It was always the highlight of your weekend and the way he kept you busy those nights were something you dreamed of anymore.

Gently, he laid you to the couch and your heart raced even more. You wanted to go upstairs but you couldn't move away from this. His hands cupped handfuls of your chest as he lied across you to kiss you. Your legs instinctually opened at the first surge of becoming turned on and his face softened when he felt you welcoming him in so close.

Before you could ask him if he kept any of his condoms down here, there was a noise from under the couch's throw pillow that made both of you jump. You were startled by the whirring and buzzing that was muffled from beneath you and Leon moved you slightly to find one of the baby's toys that had been lost within the couch cushions.

Together you both laughed softly and Leon mentioned in a mutter from above with a wink after you caught a breath,

“You wanna finish this upstairs? I think this chocolate's kicking in.”

“It's been fifteen minutes, Leon.” You mentioned playfully and he shrugged with a smile, asking why you two had to wait.

You agreed with a chuckle and followed him upstairs. Already, you found yourself softly stumbling from only one glass of wine but you knew you'd be plenty sober in just a few minutes. You noticed that he was stumbling as well and you laughed, teasing him for nudging the door frame as he slothed his way into the bedroom.

“Damn, I feel like I can hear the whole neighborhood.” Leon mentioned in a slur from the quiet as he began to undress.

You took the bottle of wine that he still carried and set it on your nightstand. You felt your head swimming re-entering your bathroom, he'd kissed off all of your lipstick as you noticed in the mirror but you stripped down to your underwear, letting your dress stay on the bathroom floor.

He watched you crawl into the bed nonchalantly as he sat on his side, unbuttoning his shirt. He chuckled when he found you snuggled up to your pillow as he crawled beneath the covers beside you.

Gently he pulled you to his lips again, wrapping you around him there in the dark as you both became slowly tangled on the bed. You felt your heart racing but there was this softness present now, one that you didn't feel downstairs on the couch.

You turned, laying him down with his back meeting the mattress and straddled his waist before leaning back down to his lips. His hands met your face, cupping under your jaw but you felt as his fingers then tangled into your hair so sweetly as he kissed you. This was the softness that felt so new.

Both of you became out of breath from the shared, elevated heart rate between you and Leon pulled away only for a moment to put your forehead against his. He knew too that any kind of touch or kiss hadn't felt like this in years and he muttered with that same intoxicated cadence that you found endearing,

“It feels good to just do this too.” He chuckled under his breath, letting his lips graze yours as he spoke,

“Are we that damn old now? Where getting off just to do it won't cut it anymore?”

After telling him you loved him, your eyes fluttered when he told you the same. He lied your head on his chest and together you both fell asleep just as you thought you would. Leon held you in your shared slumber that was broken hours later by your phone ringing.

Your mother had called to give you an update that they'd made it to the children's aunt's and tiredly you thanked her for the call, mentioning that Leon and yourself had gone to bed a little early after dinner. You told the children you loved them and missed them before hanging up.

Leon awoke hearing you talking to your mother and he rose on his side of the bed to ask if the kids were okay. You nodded but noticed him holding his head after he spoke.

“How the hell am I light headed with a splitting headache?” He asked in a groan but as soon as he became close, you felt something churn from inside you. It's like the scent of his cologne was almost overpowering but it was…nice?

You put your nose into his neck, smelling for which one of his usuals that he wore but you furrowed your brow with a deep inhale

“What cologne are you wearing, baby?”

You felt his skin shimmer with goosebumps strangely as your nose grazed him and he trembled,

“Jesus- baby, I'm not wearing cologne.”

You told him how good he smelled but then raised from the bed to open the bedside window since normally you both sleep with the fan on. Leon tried to look and see what time it was, but your silhouette in the dimly lit room made his eyes widen. You slightly leaned over your dresser to unlatch the window, and Leon watched as the curve of your ass shook as you reached forward.

He felt a twitch towards his navel and looked down below the covers to find out exactly why he was lightheaded.

There wasn't any blood flow and hadn't been. He was sporting an undeniable hard-on from the aphrodisiacs.

“Hey honey-” He said, trying not to sound alarmed that he was so hard that he couldn't think straight thanks to the chocolates that had kicked in during your small nap.

“What?”

“We're gonna need to keep that window closed tight.”

You turned around to snap heatedly that it was hot as hell up here but you saw that his eyes kept glancing down to his lap. You put the pieces together, looking at your phone to see what time it was but when you moved you felt a chill of cold air between your thighs. You were wet and your thighs were smeared with moisture from the arousal brought on by those damn chocolates.

Your eyes shot to Leon, who brought his hand up to show you the tremble in his fingers from being so turned on that he was shaking. You knew this was why you thought he smelt so good those moments ago, it was intrinsic like an instinct. Leon then reiterated with an urgency that begged you to get back in bed before he got up to do it himself,

“Close that window, or this whole damn neighborhood is gonna hear us instead.”

You slammed the window shut, thinking to yourself as your veins swelled with your racing heartbeat to know that you needed him so desperately. This might take all night and you had never been so thankful for falling asleep in all your life when you told him breathily,

“And to hell if they do.” 》

#leon kennedy au #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #resident evil #x reader #reader insert

[pit-and-the-pen]

Three- Eris

I love this song and it is so Eris coded to me. This is apart of my mini-series inspired by this album

Listen to the song here: Three (i could not get the mini player to work, so if you know how to pretty please let me know)

Warnings: Angst, minor injury to reader (burn), self-deprecating thoughts (eris to himself)

WC:

Finally catching up. For the first time I see an image of my brokenness utterly worthy of love. Maybe I’ve done enough. And I finally see myself, through the eyes of no one else. It’s so exhausting on this silver screen, where I play the role of anyone but me... I only want what’s real. I set aside the highlight reel and leave my greatest failures on display with an asterisk worthy of love anyway.

Eris had been acting strange to say the least. It was rare for you to go a day without seeing the red haired male but it had been a whole week now. Your mind kept playing back to something you might have said or did the last time you saw him. 

You’d gone on a walk with the few smoke hound pups Eris was beginning to train. They were all still tripping over large paws and each other and the sight made peals of laughter fall from your mouth. More than once you looked over and saw your best friend staring at you, although he denied it every time you questioned him about it. Shrugging it off you had kept walking until the sun was starting to set. You turned to face him, to say goodbye, and a pup had run straight into you. Your back would have hit the wet forest floor if it wasn’t for Eris’ strong arm wrapped around your waist. His eyes were wide as he looked down at you, full of softness you couldn’t place but made something in your chest flutter all the same. He had just barely made sure you were standing upright before he called the pups back in and practically ran away from you without saying goodbye. 

You couldn’t think of anything in that interaction that would explain Eris’ absence. Finally deciding you’ve had enough of this, you marched to his study. You didn’t knock as you entered, remembering to lightly open the door. Having learned the hard way that he would violently jump with any door being opened or closed harshly. He didn’t look up from his desk as you stood in the doorway. It took you clearing your throat three times before his eyes even glanced up. 

“Hello.” Was all he said before he turned his eyes back down, his brow slightly furrowed. 

“Eris-”You started, a slight whine in your voice. you heard the sigh that left him. 

“Please. I’m busy. We can go on a walk later.” He was hardly looking at you when he said it.

“Okay.” You conceded. Already knowing he wasn’t going to find you later. 

Days went by and you still haven't gotten the chance to talk to Eris. It was starting to annoy you, making your skin itch in an uncomfortable way. You had gone to a deeper part of the forest to clear your head, a part on the trail that only you and Eris ever traveled. It was starting to get colder as the sun drifted lower in the sky and your lack of jacket made you decide to head back to your room. There was no point in going down to the dining room, to sit with the other members of the court and listen to their dull gossip without Eris beside you. 

You were far away as you walked back, mind absorbed with thoughts of how you could get Eris to talk to you. It was only that fact that stopped you from noticing the body you had walked into. You didn’t have to look up to notice that familiar smell of cinnamon and pine, to know it was the very same male you had been daydreaming about standing in front of you. 

“Eris.” You couldn’t stop the smile that graced your face. 

“Hi little doe.” The nickname made your heart skip a beat. And you blushed. “I didn’t think I would run into you out here.”

“Because you’ve been avoiding me.” You half-teased. His face fell slightly. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please,” You took a step away from him, “Don’t pretend I’m stupid.” 

“I would never.”

“Then don’t lie to me and say you haven’t been actively avoiding me. It's been weeks and I’ve hardly seen you. I miss you.” You said the last part softly, trying to tamp down the anger at the male in front of you. He sighed. 

“I've been busy.”

“You’ve never been too busy for me before.”

“I wasn’t High Lord back then.”

“You spare a few moments from your duties to see me?”

“Please. It’s not like that.” His voice held an edge to it, he wasn’t telling you something. 

“Eris, what’s wrong? Did I do something, did I say something? What happened, I’m sure we can talk it out.” Your words are spilling out of you a mile per minute. 

“Stop. Just stop.” He growled, a pained edge to his voice. It broke your heart to hear.

“Eris please, just talk to me. I want to hel-” A yelp broke from your lips as he grabbed your arms, an involuntary action to the step you took towards him. Both of you were too caught up in the argument to realize the tendrils of flames that had risen from his fingers, the tendrils that had bitten into your skin. He quickly released you, the force throwing you to the ground. His face held nothing but pure horror. When you looked down at your arms you saw the angry red handprints that, despite that they were already healing, would scar. He took a step towards me before he stood completely still. I pulled myself up, tears running down my face. 

“I’m so sor-”

“Figure your shit out, Eris. I’m just trying to help you.” It had been so long since Eris lost control of his powers. Not once had you been the source of that anger. You didn’t look back as you walked towards the forest house. 

You weren’t surprised when you heard a faint knock at your door a few hours after you returned from the healer. A heavy scented balm applied to your forearms, wrapped in pristine white banageds. The burns weren’t bad, you had seen Beron leave worse on his sons. You untangled yourself from the heavy blankets you were curled up in and went to find Eris at your door. You tried to fight the urge to tuck your arms behind your back when you saw his eyes drift towards the gauze wrapped around them. 

“I just wanted to come to check on you.” He muttered, taking a step closer to you. You took a step back, flinching slightly as your arm brushed up against the door frame. Eris wore an expression like you had slapped him. He didn’t look like he was breathing anymore. “I’m sorry. So incredibly sorry.” Was all he said as he turned around, leaving you very confused in the doorway. You didn’t bother calling after him, ignoring the way your body called for you to. You wanted nothing more than him to wrap his arms around you. The two of you had only gotten into minor squabbles. Nothing like this, nothing that stopped you from talking to each other for long periods of time. 

Weeks scraped by and you saw very little of Eris. The manor might have been big but not big enough to explain the rare glimpses you caught of Eris. You didn’t even get the chance to tell him about your upcoming trip to the spring court. One of the healers had their yearly harvest of Hyssop, an important ingredient for making cough medicine that refused to grow in the colder climate of the Autumn court. It was far more potent when used fresh so every year you would make the trip to Spring to collect a few bushels. In return you would stick around for a few days to help with patients. There were always so many in the spring court that any extra hands were appreciated more than any amount of gold. You gathered a few of your lighter dresses to take with you, packing a few more than necessary. And walked to the border, winnowing near your friend's cottage. 

Spring was your favorite court to visit. The flowers and fruit that grew filled the air with a sweet fragrance. The pollen always took some time to adjust to, as did the warmer weather. It was nice to visit but after a few days you would always find yourself missing the rich colors of Autumn. 

Your friend was bursting with joy as she opened the door for you. Your eyes wide as your spied the small babe she was carrying on her hip. 

“Gods, we have a lot to catch up on it seems.” You smile at her before reaching out to pinch the small boys cheeks. “Hello little one.” You cooed, a bell like laugh was your response and you went to hug your friend. 

Cecilia had been busy in the last year since you had seen her. She filled you in on the goings on of the small apothecary she ran. You two had just finished hanging some mint up to dry when you heard the front door open. 

A tall fae male walked into the kitchen. You had met him once or twice during your visits, Greyson, you think his name was. Cecilia gave him a love sick smile that he returned. He said a polite greeting to you before he walked over to your friend's side and gave her a short but sweet kiss on the cheek. They seemed to slip into their only little world, only seeing one another until the baby babbling snapped them out of it. You shoved down the small wave of nasty jealousy at the way they looked at each other. 

“I’ll go check on him.” Greyson said when that little coo turned into a piercing wail. Cecilia’s eyes tracked him until he disappeared from the room. She deflated slightly when he ducked around the corner. 

“So…” You started. A not so subtle way of asking for an explanation. She blushed. 

“We’ve been friends for years, you remember, I was always hoping for a bond to snap and then one day he ran into me while I was picking herbs and it was history from there. We never expected to have a baby so quickly, they’re so rare, but we were overjoyed.” She went on and you realized you were gripping the knife you were chopping herbs with a little tighter than needed. You hummed along to her story. Unknowing what to add to it. 

“And how’s your love life?” She elbowed you teasingly. She was fully aware of your feelings for a certain redhead. You scoffed and went back to stripping off leaves from their stems. 

You left two days later, arms full of all the herbs Ceceila had given you. She gave you a tight hug as you winnowed back to your home. You hummed a light song to yourself as you walked back to your room, feeling lighter than you had in the past days as you arrived at your door. 

Your humming died out as you saw your bedroom door wide open when you knew for a fact you had locked it behind you. Hesitantly, you peaked around the edge of the door. 

“Eris?” At the sound of your voice, he turned to face you. Relief etched into his perfect face. He was across the room in seconds. He wrapped his arms around you, picking you up off your feet. 

“You were gone. I went to check on you and half of your stuff had been packed,” He said as he put you back onto your feet. His chest was heaving rapidly. “I thought you left.” 

“You were too busy ignoring me for me to tell you.” You continued on your path putting away your clothes. Not looking at Eris. You suddenly felt his hand wrap around your wrist which you gently but firmly removed. 

“Doe, please. Look at me.” He pleaded but you only scoffed. 

“Now I’m worthy of your attention. I have been away for three days and now you want to pay attention to me. It’s been over a month since you so much as talked to me, Eris.” You turned to face him, hands on your hips. Almost begging him to try to deny it. 

“It’s not like that-” He ran his hands through his hair, messing up the long locks. 

“Then what’s it like?” You challenged. “You won’t talk to me even though I know something is wrong.”

“It’s nothing.”

“See!” You threw your arms up, a bit dramatic but you didn’t care right now. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“Not this.” 

“Eris, what is so bad that you can’t talk to me about it.” Your tone softened a little at the clear struggle on his face. He didn’t say anything and you wanted to scream at him. You didn’t instead you just told him, “If you won’t…Just get out.”

“Doe. Please”

“Don’t, I’m exhausted Eris. If you truly won’t tell me, I can’t help-”

“I love you.” He blurted out. Both of you froze. When you met his eyes you knew he was telling the truth. He took a deep breath, he opened his mouth and then closed it again. He finally spoke again. “I’ve been in love with you for years. And then when-” He caught himself. Stumbling to shut his mouth. You took a step towards him. Hand reaching for his. 

“When what Eris?” You felt your  heartbeat pick up. 

“When I felt the bond snap,” He looked at your  face, you only nodded for him to keep talking. “You’re sweet, kind, and good. Gods are you kind. Kinder and gentler than anyone I could ever deserve. So I thought if I hid the bond that there would be a chance it never snapped for you. That you would be free to find someone who is…better than me.” 

“Eris-”

“I’ve done awful things to people. I’ve hurt people and backstabbed and betrayed so many of the closest people to me. I mean look at Lucien. He can’t even live in his own court.  Look at Mor. Even you have scars that tell me you deserve anyone else but me.” His voice cracked on the last word. Shaking with unshed tears. You slowly trailed your hand up his arm, leaving it to rest on his cheek. He closed his eyes tight but didn’t pull away from your touch. 

“I love you so much and couldn’t believe the mother would let me have a mate as good as you. So I hid like a coward because the thought of it was too much.” He whispered into your palm. You brushed your thumb near his eyes, a silent plea for him to look at you. 

“You aren’t that person Eris. I’ve never seen anything but the good you’ve done. The horrible things that this court has made you do, is not who you really are. Lucien is alive because you got him to spring. Mor is alive because you made your brothers stop, you’re the one who called for Rhys and Azriel that day. But look at all the good you’ve done, just to the court since you became High Lord.” He was crying now, trembling under your words. “Females can walk around unafraid, something they have never been able to do in this court. Children laugh in the street, full and happy. All because of you. Eris you are good, and kind, and oh so deserving of love.” He only shook his head, like he could stop the words from finding his ears. “And I will tell you every second of every day for the rest of our lives until you believe it. I love you Eris. I have loved you for as long as I’ve known what love is.” You spoke clearly, words hanging in the air as Eris finally opened his eyes. 

“You love me?” 

“Long before I ever felt the bond,” His eyes widened. “It was silly, just a look across the room during a ball. And I could never think of the right way to tell you. But I knew before then that there was no one else I would rather spend the rest of my life with. It’s always been you Eris.” He turned his head to give your hand a small kiss. Then he slid to his knees, clutching that hand like it was solid gold. 

“I might never deserve you, but I promise to love you the best that I can.” You smiled softly at him before you sunk down, eye level with him. You threw your arms around his neck pulling him into a crushing hug. 

“You’ve always deserved me.” You whispered before you pulled him in a kiss that made the world freeze around you.

Tagging the Eris girlies/moots as usual: @daycourtofficial @nocasdatsgay @secret-third-thing

#eris vanserra x reader #eris vanserra #eris acotar #eris vanserra angst #eris angst #acotar fanfiction #acotar #acowar #acosf #acomaf #acofas #eris acosf #a court of frost and starlight #a court of wings and ruin #a court of silver flames #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury

[ts19009]

Hong's Anatomy: Part 3

Pediatrician surgeon!  Joshua x pediatric surgeon!  Female Reader 

Synopsis: Coming to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital wasn’t on your bucket list, that’s for sure, but when you meet the head of your department, Joshua Hong, it's one of the only things that constantly brightens your day. 

Warnings: swearing, made up medical terms and procedures, i have no idea if any of this is medically accurate it’s just for story, flirting, smut (18+) (oral: f -receiving, penetrative sex, no protection, aftercare)

Words: 5.9k words

NOT EDITED, SO I MAY GO BACK AND EDIT LATER (teehee)

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

“You what?” Rose shrieked, as you told her what happened over the weekend with Joshua. You spared her all the details, but it was still enough for a surprised reaction. 

“Rose!” You hushed, “I don’t want the whole hospital to know.” 

“Sorry,” she said, looking down at her tablet, trying to be discreet. “So are you and Doctor. Hong dating now?”

“I don’t know, we didn’t talk about it after getting up,” you confessed. It was true, after waking up you both ate breakfast and spent the rest of the morning talking about surgeries before he left. You probably should have talked about the status of your relationship, but it just never came up. 

“Well you can now, he’s coming this way,” Rose said, briefly looking up in the direction of Joshua. You turned around to see him strutting his way over to you both with a big smile on his face. 

“Doctor. L/N, Rose. Lovely day we’re having!” He exclaimed, leaning against the desk, causing you to let out a chuckle. “What?” 

“Nothing, I’ve just never seen you this happy to be in on a Monday,” you answered as Joshua shrugged. 

“I guess I have a reason to be happy to come in, and it just so happens to be a Monday,” he flirted, winking at you. Rose let out a laugh, while you blushed and looked around, again, to make sure no one was looking at you. 

“Joshua,” you warned, “not in public!” 

“What’s not in public?” Jeonghan asked, approaching the desk. 

“I gotta go check in on a patient,” Rose said, looking towards you. 

Shit. 

She was leaving you with both the men you were potentially interested in.

“Nothing’a not in public,” you stuttered, as Jeonghan raised an eyebrow in question. “What are you down here for?” 

“I have cleft palate surgery in a few minutes on room twelve,” he said, pointing behind him. It was a little boy named Miles. 

“Right, good luck. Miles is really excited,” you said, as Jeonghan nodded. 

“What about you too?” 

“I’m in the pit. I just came up for my break.” Joshua sighed, winking at you. Jeonghan noticed the wink and looked between you too for a few seconds before turning to you. 

“What about you?” 

“Uhh, I’m treating a stage four lung cancer patient with Doctor Wen,” you said, looking between Joshua and Jeonghan. It was like a weird guy stand off thing going on between them. They were both looking at you.

“We haven’t worked together in a while,” Jeonghan added, “I miss your work ethic. Quick thinking, efficient, hard working. Every doctor's dream.” 

“I would say that I hope we get to work with each other soon, but..” Jeonghan nodded. 

“We have a surgery together tomorrow!” Joshua interrupted. Jeonghan’s eyebrows raised and you sighed and internally wanted to hit Joshua over the head. 

“Well, I have to go to surgery here pretty soon,” Jeonghan chuckled, “lovely to see you again Y/n,” he smiled at you before side eyeing Joshua and giving him a curt nod. “Doctor. Hong.” 

As soon as Joshua turned the corner you hit his shoulder. “What the hell was that?” You exclaim, as he holds his shoulder. 

“Ow!” 

“I told you, not in public,” you sighed, “that was very so in public.” 

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help it. Plus Jeonghan is attracted to you,” Joshua whispered, “he wanted to set up another date. He told me yesterday. I just don’t know where we stand right now.” 

“We can talk about where we stand after work okay? Let’s meet at Joe’s.” Joshua nodded before Rose called you to a code blue. Joshua quickly followed you to the room where Joy, your stage four lung cancer patient, was crashing. 

“Push 1 milligram of Epinephrine, start compressions and get a crash cart!” Joshua ordered as you started compressions. 

“The chemotherapy must have weakened his heart more than we had realized,” you told Joshua, backing off as he charged the paddles to 200. 

“Clear!” Nothing. “250. Clear”

“We got him, page Doctor Wen and let's get to the OR,” you ordered Jake as he nodded. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Joshua asked, as you shook your head. 

“No, you gotta go down to the pit. Finish your lunch, I’ll tell you how it goes tonight,” you promised as Joshua nodded and gave your hand a little squeeze before leaving. 

“Are we ready to kick cancer's ass?” Jun asked, walking into the scrub room, you nodded but didn’t say anything. “I heard that Joshua helped save him.” 

“He did,” you simply said, Jun kept washing his hands. You both kept washing your hands in not quite comfortable silence, but not awkward silence. 

“He always talks about how much he enjoys working with you,” he says, turning off the tap, “I don’t know what’s going on between you too, but he talks with us a lot and he really likes you. He was excited to see you at Jeonghan’s party.” 

If Jun only knew what happened after Jeonghan’s party. 

“I like working with him too, but it’s a little bit more complicated than a normal situation Jun,” you said, also turning off the tap and following him into the OR. “He’s my boss.” 

“It doesn’t have to be complicated if you don’t want it to be. It’s not like either of you have a kid,” he said, as the nurses were scrubbing you both. 

“Yeah, but what if we get into an argument at home and then have to come to work. That messes up your communication, which can cause a patient a life,” you explain. 

“That’s what we’re here for,” he says, placing a hand on your shoulder, “you’re not in this alone. Everyone supports you, even Jeonghan.” 

You were surprised to hear that Jeonghan was supportive of you and Joshua. Joshua said that he was giving the opposite impression. 

“I know it may seem like he doesn’t. But he’s an adult, and if you don’t choose him he’ll be okay,” Jun said, as Rose handed him a scalpel. “Now, let’s get this cancer under control so that this little boy can go home.” 

You started with monitoring his heart and making sure that it was strong enough to take the surgery before starting dissecting the cancer. Joey had about thirty tumors everywhere over and in his lung. Jun was the best thoracic surgeon, but Joey was only seven years old. His lungs were small, so you had to be extra careful not to make the wrong cut.

“Lap pads,” Jun said, as Green handed him some lap pads. “So are you going to talk to Joshua?” You looked up from your patient to look at Jun. He hadn’t looked up yet, but did when you started looking at him. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Come on Y/N. You’ve both been beating around this bush since you’ve gotten here. He’s waiting for you to give him the signal.” 

‘I’ve given him plenty of signals Jun,” you sighed, “it’s been a month since I’ve been here. I’m still trying to get to know him.” You took off another tumor. 

“You see him everyday Y/N. Work with him almost everyday, what do you not know about him?” Jun asked, taking another tumor off as you sighed and put your scalpel down to look up at him again. 

“I don’t know. What is his favorite food? What’s his favorite color?” You said, as Jun stopped dissecting and put down his scalpel for a second. 

“Just talk to him Y/N. Please,” he pleaded. You sighed, but nodded. You didn’t have to tell him that you were planning on talking to him after work. Not everything should be your friend's business. 

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“How was the surgery?” Jeonghan asked, as you came out of the OR with Jun behind you. 

“It was good, we managed to get all his tumors out. Now he just has to do a few weeks of chemo,” you smiled, leaning against the wall and took a deep breath as Jeonghan stood in front of you and handed you a cup of coffee. 

“That’s amazing, congratulations,” he smiled. “Do you want to go on a not date after work? There's a diner by my new place that I haven’t tried yet and was too scared to go alone if the food sucks.” 

You winced and took the cup out of his hands before taking a sip, “I would, but.. I’m meeting with Joshua after work. We really need to talk about…” you trailed off as Jeonghan nodded. 

“Ahh of course, don’t worry about it,” he smiled. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, we can go another time. It’s not closing tomorrow,” he said, taking your hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “It does look like I need to step up my game a little bit more though.” 

You blushed and chuckled before looking over his shoulder to see Joshua standing in the middle of the hallway watching the entire interaction happen. 

“Joshua!” You exclaimed, as Jeonghan dropped your hand and spun around. You tried to move around Jeonghan to get to him, but it was too late, Joshua was already walking away. You followed him down the hall a little ways before Rose stopped you by calling your name. 

“Doctor Y/N, it’s Joey!” 

Joey’s monitor was beeping like crazy and you check his monitor. 

“BP 80/90!” 

“Get a ventilation tube!” You ordered, “and page Doctor. Wen!” 

Rose nodded and handed you the tube as you opened Joey’s mouth and started ventilating him. By the time you got the tube down his throat and the monitor started steadying out Doctor. Jun had run from the pit. 

“What happened?” He said, taking the stethoscope off his chest and putting it up against his chest. 

“I think his lungs are collapsing.” Jun nodded and looked at his chart. 

“I need a chest tube!” Rose handed him one and a scalpel and he moved quickly to make an inspection and place the tube between the ribs into the space around the lungs to help drain the air and allow the lung to expand. 

“Is he going to be okay?” Joey’s older sister asked, from outside the room. 

“His stats are looking better already. He’s going to be under for another day or two, but once his lung re-expands we’ll take a look at what to do next,” you explained, as she nodded and called her parents. 

“This poor kid, weak lungs, weak heart. Let’s hope nothing else craps out on him,” Jun says, taking off his gloves and throwing them in the trash. You scoffed, but nodded. 

“How did we not see the signs of it collapsing?” You asked, as Jun shrugged. 

“I don’t know. I double checked to make sure there were no holes and that the arteries were clear, I guess. I must have ticked it when closing up.” 

“I’m going to go take a nap in the on-call room. Call me if anything changes,” you said to both Rose and Jun as they both nodded and started talking to each other about next steps for Joey. 

When you got to the on-call room you opened it to see Joshua lying there, not asleep yet, but his eyes were closed. He quickly jumped up when you closed the door on him, but scoffed and went to lay back down. 

You didn’t say anything, but you went to the bed and straddled him. Joshua’s eyes darted open in surprise, but didn’t say anything and put his hands on your hips and nodded. You both didn’t need to say anything, it was a long, shitty day for both of you. 

You also nodded and leaned down to start kissing him as he squeezed your hips. You sighed into the kiss and pulled away a few seconds later to take off your scrub top and throw it across the room. You were wearing a black push up bra and panty set, and you could tell that Joshua was digging it. He smiled and went to push his shirt off as well. You both moved quickly to take off all of your clothes and went back to passionately kissing each other. Only letting out quiet moans once in a while to not give yourself away. 

“I never thought I’d be the guy to have sex at work,” Joshua sighed, as you moved to start kissing his neck, “another thing I’m not opposed to.” You groaned, and looked up at him to see him smirking, before he cupped your cheek and led your face to his to kiss again. You slid his underwear down his legs and then took yours completely off before looking back to him. He was panting and looking up at you with hooded sleepy eyes. 

All of a sudden you had a great idea. You took your panties in your hand the same time that you lined his cock to your core and started sliding down on him. Before he could let out a moan you put your wet panties in his mouth to muffle them. Joshua’s eyes opened when he felt the fabric hit his lips and moaned again at both the taste of yourself on the panties and when you fully sat yourself all the way down on him. 

He squeezed your hip harder. He didn’t want to leave bruises, but you were so hot and felt so good that he couldn’t give a shit. Once he was fully inside you, you moved your hips a little bit to get yourself used to him before you started rising up and dropping yourself down on him again and then moving your hips back and forth. 

Joshua threw his head back as soon as you dropped on him the first time and moved one of his hands to grope your breast over your bra. He took one strap and pulled it down so that one of your breasts was spilling out of it and started massaging it and pinching the nipple. You gasped at the contact with your sensitive nipple and threw your head back as well. 

You kept moving up and down until Joshua grabbed you and flipped you onto your back and lifted one leg around his hips to keep pounding into you at a new angle. You were getting close. 

“M’ close,” you moaned, as Joshua nodded. 

“Me too baby,” he said, kissing you again and started moving faster and used the other hand that wasn’t holding your leg to rub your clit to bring you over the edge. When you did climax you squeezed down on him hard enough to make him cum as well. You both continued kissing for a few more minutes before he eventually pulled away and out of you. 

You hissed at the loss of contact but Joshua quickly grabbed a few tissues and wiped your legs before plopping himself on top of you. You groaned at the impact but wrapped your arms around him. You liked the closeness and wanted a few more minutes of peace with him before you had to start talking. 

“Do you like me?” You asked, as Joshua chuckled. His chest vibrating against yours. 

“Of course I like you babe. We’ve slept with each other twice in three days,” he said, lifting his head from your shoulder to look you in the face. “Why?” 

“It was something Jun said today in surgery,” you said. 

“He said something?” 

“Nothing bad,” you reassured, “he said that you were waiting for a signal.” Joshua went still on top of you and looked you in the eyes. 

“He told you that?” He asked, as you nodded and pushed some hair from his face. 

“This is my signal,” you whispered. Joshua smiled and took your hand, pressing a kiss to it before kissing you slowly. 

“If I haven’t made it obvious. I really, really like you,” he said in between kisses, “and I want you to be my girlfriend.” 

You smiled, but before you could say anything, Joshua’s pager started going off. It was right beside the bed, so he easily grabbed it. 

“Shit,” he muttered, sitting up and started gathering his clothes. 

“What’s going on?” You asked, propping yourself up on your elbows to watch him. 

“It’s my patient from the pit, he’s code blue,” he said, putting on his shirt. “I’ll see you after work,” he smiled quickly, before rushing out of the room leaving you naked and alone. 

 After your little nap, you still had some time to kill. So you went your way to Jeonghan’s office. You wanted to be Joshua’s girlfriend and you couldn’t accept with Jeonghan still pursuing you. You needed to put an end to the flirting. 

“Is Doctor Yoon still in surgery?” You asked one of the nurses. She shook her head no, and pointed to an office. 

Jeonghan’s office. 

You nodded and thanked her before making your way over and knocking on the door. 

“Come in!” He exclaimed. As you opened the door he looked up from his computer and smiled. “Hey, come in,” he said, gesturing his head for you to sit in a chair across from him. You hesitated but sat down. “You look nervous, what’s up?” He asked, folding his hands and putting them under his chin.

“Joshua asked me to be his girlfriend,” you blurted out. Jeonghan’s eyebrows shot up and his mouth parted a little. 

“Oh. Congratulations,” he said. 

“That’s the thing. I didn’t answer him because I know that even though I like him, I also like you. And I didn’t want to say yes to him when you were still flirting with me,” you confessed. 

“You wanted to come here to tell me to stop flirting with you?” He asked, as you stayed silent for a moment. 

“Yes,” you answered, “I really do like you, but…” you said, but Jeonghan interrupted you. 

“I’m not him?” He asked, a painful smile across his face as you nodded. 

“I didn’t mean to lead you on, but…” 

“It’s okay Y/N. I understand. Can we still be friends?” He asked, standing up. You smiled and stood up as well  before nodding. 

“I’d love to still be friends,” you exclaimed, as Jeonghan spread his arms out for a hug. You smiled and walked around his desk to give him a hug. “You know Jun told me that if I choose Joshua that you’d be okay.” 

“Jun, Joshua and I have been friends for the longest. We went to kindergarten together. That’s why he’s the Joshua and Jeonghan whisperer,” he chuckled, “and he’s right. I’m gonna be okay. It hurts, but I’m gonna be okay.” 

You nodded before your pager went off. “I’m sorry,” Jeonghan nodded and stepped back a bit. 

“Of course, I’ll see you later,” he smiled as you nodded and went to the pit where you were paged. It hurt walking away from Jeonghan like this. Some part of you knew that your relationship would change, but maybe change for the better. 

“What’s going on?” You asked, running into the ER to see a little girl being lifted out of the ambulance. 

“Bella, five years old. Fell off a three story ladder, broke her entire left side. Arms, legs, ribs, collarbone, everything, she's also concussed,” Heesung said, as you both wheeled her into the pit. 

“What the hell was she doing up a three story ladder?” You asked, looking back to see her parents getting out of the ambulance. 

“This was at school, Bella sneaked away and climbed up it. Her parents were the one that watched her fall off the ladder,” he said as you sighed. Bella’s mother was sobbing while her father was talking to the other ambulance driver. 

“Book an OR and call Doctor Chwe!” You ordered. 

“Already here,” he said, coming to the other side of the gurney. “We’re gonna have to operate multiple times at once. I can do the arms and legs, can you do her ribs?” You nodded. 

“Let’s go people!” You hollered, wheeling Bella into the elevator. As soon as you got her into the OR. You immediately started working. Vernon started on her leg to make sure it wouldn’t lose blood circulation and functionality while you started cleaning up her ribs. 

“It’s a mess down here!” Vernon sighed, “everything is broken into a million pieces, even her toes.” 

“Her rib looks pretty nasty as well,” you sighed as well, “it’s not fully grown so we can’t just let it heal on it’s own. I’m gonna have to screw them in place to make sure that they don’t grow out of place and puncture anything.” Vernon nodded and took a second to think about what to do. 

“I’m gonna be down here for a while. When you’re done could you start on her upper side?” 

“Yeah,” you sighed, “it’s gonna be a long day.” 

You spent the next hour placing titanium rods in place to stabilize the brake before moving up to the arm. Her shoulder, elbow, wrist, collarbone, and fingers. You then spent the next two hours alone, then two more with Vernon fixing everything.

“Shit,” you said. It was your last operation on her hand and three out of the five fingers were losing color. 

“What’s going on? I thought her arteries were still intact?” Vernon asked, moving around to try and get a better visual of her hand. 

“Oh no, there’s a cut in this artery, it’s bleeding out,” you said, “Jonah suction on the site right now.” Jonah nodded and put the tube right on the spot. 

“Her other fingers are blue now too,” Vernon exclaimed, “we’re going to have to amputate.” 

“Amputate?” You exclaimed, “we can’t fix the cut, or save her hand?” 

“No, even if we do ‘save’ the hand, I doubt she’ll get any functionality back, his nerves are also severed,” he said, pointing to a nicked vein. 

“Shit, we should have operated on this first,” you exclaimed. 

“No, if I hadn’t operated on her leg, she would have lost it as well,” Vernon reassured, “and if you didn’t fix her rib, her lung would have been punctured. Remember?” 

You nodded and sighed, before getting out the saw and handing it to Vernon. 

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“So how did your patient turn out? The one that interrupted us in the on-call room?” You asked Joshua as he sighed. 

“He’s alive, cracked his skull open. The page was because he was having a seizure. We had to operate again, but he’s alive.” 

“That’s good,” you said, running a hand over his shoulder, “that’s really good.” 

Joshua nodded before taking a sip of his whiskey, “what about you? I heard you had a pit experience as well?” 

“This little girl fell off a three story ladder. Broke the entire left side of her body, we had everything fixed, except her hand. We didn’t notice the debris had nicked a vein. We had to amputate.” 

Joshua winced, and turned towards you fully, “that’s always hard.” He watched you, take a sip out of your drink. 

“Can we talk about something else?” You asked, as he nodded. You both stayed silent for a moment, you both knew what you were going to talk about. 

“You never answered my question earlier,” he smiled, taking your hand in his, “I’m not leaving this bar without an answer.” 

“I’d love to be your girlfriend Joshua Hong,” you smiled back before throwing your arms around his neck and kissing him. 

Joe let out a holler and raised his hands, “finally! A round of drinks for everyone!” You broke away from the kiss to laugh at Joe, you won’t turn down a free drink. “To Doctor L/N! For taking this loser off my hands!” 

“To Doctor L/N!” Joshua chuckled, raising his glass, “my girlfriend,” he admired you, grabbing you by the shoulders and dipping you into a passionate kiss, almost spilling your drink all over the table. 

“Joshua!” You chuckled. 

“It’s okay, we’ll just get another FREE drink from Joe,” he winked before kissing you again, earning another bout of holler. After another round of drinks from Joe, Joshua looked at his watch. It was past midnight and you both had work tomorrow. “Do you want to come back to my place baby?” 

You nodded, not quite sure what his intentions were, but you weren't’ complaining if he did have any ideas. Joshua called an uber to take you back to his house. You didn’t talk a lot waiting for the taxi or on the drive back, you were too occupied with sucking each other's faces off. 

Joshua tipped and rated the uber driver really well. 

“Baby,” Joshua moaned, “we both have work in the morning.” 

“I know, but I’m horny,” you whined, “do you not want to fuck me?” You asked, tilting your head pushing your bottom lip out in a pout.  

“No no no, I never said that. I’m just saying that…” he said, before stopping because you were pressing kisses down his neck. “Alright, but we gotta be quick.” You nodded and started pulling off your shirt as Joshua started pulling his off as well. You took a quick second to look around Joshua’s penthouse. It was a pretty modern bachelor's pad, but before you could look more Joshua was pulling your pants down and grabbing your hand, leading you up a set of stairs to his bedroom. 

“Your apartment is so bland,” you joked as Joshua pressed you up against the hallway wall to continue kissing your neck and collarbones.

“I bought it like this,” he said in between kisses, “my mom said that it lacks a woman’s touch.” 

“You haven’t touched- ahh, any of it?” You asked, in between another moan. 

“NoPE,” he said, popping the p before attaching his lips to a nipple. “I haven’t had any form of girlfriend since college and I always visit my mom, so she’s never been here before.” 

“You’re really talking about your mom when I’m basically naked right now?” Joshua let go of your chest to look you in the eye and raise his eyebrow. “I’ll shut up, keep going,” you said, pushing his head back down. 

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

“Can we call in?” You asked, rolling over in bed and reaching to cup Joshua’s cheek. He had just woken up from your basically all nighter. You in fact did not take work into consideration. 

“No, we can not call in because we had too much fun last night. I warned you,” he chuckled sitting up to cup your cheek this time as you pouted. 

“I hate that you're right,” you groaned, throwing your head back as he got out of bed. “I should really have some clothes in here if we’re dating now.” 

“I’m still not used to that. I’m your boyfriend. You’re my girlfriend. We’re dating,” he smiled, “we had sex while dating.” You chuckled and rolled your eyes as he handed you your underwear

“We did.” Joshua smiled and watched you put on your underwear. “I can’t go to work in these clothes.” Joshua smiled and took your hand, guiding you into his closet. Of course he had a walk in-closet. He did live in a penthouse in seattle. 

“I forgot that you’re a rich hot shot doctor,” you both chuckle as he hands you a designer dress shirt. “Do you think this is gonna look weird though? Us showing up together?”

“No, we’re dating babe,” Joshua smiled, “unless you don’t want to tell people yet?” You weren’t exactly sure what you wanted yet. Everything moved fairly quickly. 

“I don’t not want to tell people. Why don’t we not tell others, but we can still act like a couple, let people talk about it. That’s what the nurses love,” you suggest. Joshua nods and hands you a pair of shorts. 

“I can work with that,” he smiled. 

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“Doctor Xu, what’s going on?” You asked, walking into the pit. It was the end of the day, and you were about to go home, when you got the page. 

“Broken spinal cord, fell down a flight of stairs,” he said referring to the teenage girl on the gurney. “We gotta get her into surgery for both a spinal cord surgery and to treat her vertigo.” 

You nodded and started pushing the gurney down the hall to the elevator, “call Doctor. Jeon, we’re gonna need another neurosurgeon.” 

By the time that you got to the OR Wonwoo was already scrubbing up. “Both of us being here isn’t a good sign,” he sighed as you came next to him to start washing your hands. 

“I know, but Minghao said that there wasn’t enough time and that we needed to do both at the same time,” he nodded and looked up at the nurses prepping the girl. “Tell me about her?” 

“I don’t know much. She’s sixteen and she fell down a cliff due to her vertigo. Landed on her back, cracked her skull, ruined her spinal cord,” you listed, “Minghao said that the chances of her walking, let alone living, are pretty slim.” 

“There’s a reason that the best of the best are here though,” he smiled, turning off the tap and pushing the door to the OR open and getting gowned up. Minghao came up and started washing his hands as well, as you sighed and looked at him. He looked nervous, hell, you were nervous. 

When you were finished, you gowned up and waited for Minghao, who was only two minutes behind you. 

“I’ll start on the spinal cord if you want to work with her vertigo,” Wonwoo nodded, “I have to be able to do this alone. Are you good to work with Doctor. Jeon?” 

You nodded and took a sigh. The surgery was called Microvascular Decompression. You were to remove a small piece of bone behind the ear and cut the vestibular nerve, then Minghao would immediately start on repairing the fractured spinal cord. It wasn’t right at the same time, but time in between would be almost nothing. This was the safest way to do it without opening her up for a long amount of time and risking infection.  

You all got to work quickly, but that doesn’t mean that the surgery was quick and by the time that it was time for Minghao to take over it was almost the end of your shift. You’ve been in surgery for three hours and haven’t seen Joshua at all today.  You were gonna stay over time to make sure that the patient came out alive, but Mingaho had a good five hour surgery ahead of him. This was gonna be a long day and you had started cramping really bad. 

Wonwoo had left after his portion of the surgery was done, it was just you and Minghao left to finish, when the monitor started going off. 

“What’s happening?” You asked, as Minghao’s eyes widened and he stopped moving. 

“She has a dural tear,” he muttered, “shit. The tear is causing an infection, we need to repair the tear.” You nodded and looked towards Rose. 

“Let’s get a bone graft!” Rose nodded and before you knew it, you were reconstructing the dura with a bone graft. Thank god for Minghao, who stayed calm during the whole surgery, you however were tired, in pain, and running on very little sleep. 

“Doctor L/N?” Minghao asked, as you stepped back from the table and blinked a few times, your vision was going in and out and your head started spinning. “Y/N?” 

Before you could respond you stumbled back and hit Jake. He stumbled back a bit but caught you before you could hit the ground. “Shit! Y/N?” Jake yelled, as you groaned and started clutching your stomach. 

“My stomach,” you groaned, clutching it, fading in and out of consciousness. 

“Call Doctor Kim and Doctor Hong,” Minghao said, looking up from the patient, he couldn’t leave the surgery yet, but he could help from a distance. The other nurses nodded while Jake lied you down on the ground and turned you to your side to make sure you didn’t choke if you did fully pass out. You were still mumbling in-audible words, but they were quick to get a bed outside the OR. 

All the sudden you were being lifted bridal style and placed into a hospital bed. You opened your eyes to see Joshua and Mingyu pushing you down the hall. “Joshua?” You groaned. 

“We’re taking you up from an ultrasound,” he said, as you were wheeled into the elevator. He took your hand and held it as you winced from the pain. “Can you tell me about your pain?”

“It feels like a cramping pain, but all over my mid section,” you groaned, “plus, I never get cramps.” 

“I’ll call Jihyo once we get out,” Mingyu said, as Joshua nodded. There wasn't anything he could do anymore. 

“Thanks Gyu,” you gently smiled at him. As soon as you got to the pit, Joshua was able to start up the ultrasound before Jihyo came in. 

“Y/N? What’s going on honey?” She asked, putting on a fresh pair of gloves and taking over the ultrasound from Joshua. 

“I don’t know, I was in surgery when the pain started and it just kept getting worse,” you said. She nodded and kept moving the probe around until she found what she was looking for. 

“That!” She exclaimed, pointing at the screen. 

“A cyst?” You asked, as she nodded. 

“Looks like quite a few cysts. These weren’t bothering you before?” You shook your head, “there's almost a dozen. Poor girl, no wonder why you were in pain. I’m gonna book you an OR right now and we'll take care of these.” 

“Right now?” Joshua asked, as she nodded. 

“They’re not causing any damage to your ovaries or anything, but they’re not helping you and you’re in pain,” she explained as Joshua nodded. You were starting to feel a little bit better, since they gave you some painkillers, so you weren’t wincing in pain anymore. “Sit tight and someone will take you up within the hour.”

Once Jihyo was gone it was just Joshua and you. 

“I can’t believe no one has caught all the cysts. I get checked up often,” you say, reaching out for Joshua’s hand. He smiled and took it, pressing a kiss to your palm. 

“Heard you had quite the surgery?” You heard from the door, you looked towards the door to see Jeonghan standing there, a bouquet of flowers in hand. 

“Yeah, almost took out Jake,” you chuckled, pulling your hand from Joshua’s. You didn’t want to rub your relationship in Jeonghan’s face. Joshua cleared his throat and took the flowers from Jeonghan. “They’re beautiful, thank you.” 

“They only had one kind in the gift shop,” he chuckled, “I don’t really have much time to talk, but I wanted to see you before your surgery and make sure you’re all okay. You gave everyone quite the scare.” 

“Thank you Han,” you smiled, “will you make sure Joshua doesn’t lose his mind when I’m in surgery?” Jeonghan chuckled and nodded before leaving you and Joshua alone again. 

“I don’t need him to keep me company,” Joshua scolded. 

“I know, but I don’t want you to have any hard feelings towards each other over what happened. I’d never live it down if you stopped being best friends.” Joshua sighed, he wasn’t mad at Jeonghan for flirting with you, and it was true. This wasn’t the first time they both pursued the same woman. Last time Jeonghan won, but he was hoping that he would be the ultimate winner. 

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taglist: @asasilentreader , @myjaeyunn, @gaslysainz@itsnotjop @vixensss

A/N: Hello all! I was pondering the idea of Jeonghan's story line, and don't worry, he's still going to be a big part of the story later down the line. It just wasn't his time quite yet. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! There was so many medical procedures I had to look up for this XD

#joshua hong #joshua x y/n #seventeen fic #seventeen imagines #seventeen x reader #seventeen fanfic #greys anatomy #hong's anatomy #joshua angst #hong jisoo #joshua hong x reader #joshua hong smut #joshua x reader

[h2des]

Lemon Sharks

Spencer Reid x autistic!reader

Cw : Emotional exhaustion (?)

Word count : 551

A/n : This is my first time writing here! It’s very short. English is not my first language. Please let me know if you like it!

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The apartment is illuminated solely by the television's light. A documentary on marine wildlife has been circulating there for more than two hours. You must know it by heart by now.

Lemon sharks are named after their yellow-brown skin that helps them camouflage in the sandy, tropical waters they inhabit.

The day was anything but easy. This morning, the subway was unusually crowded. To run it all, your noise-cancelling headphones ran out of battery. Every noise was amplified in your head. This old man banging his cane against the ground, this lady loudly chewing her breakfast,... You mechanically pulled the skin of your thumb without even noticing it.

The day has only gotten worse. The usual work schedule is exceptionally changed by another. The only colleague you got along with left. And finally, your long-time boyfriend, Spencer, is still not home.

You thought about texting him, but you knew that on the jet, he probably wouldn’t get it. You missed him terribly. You missed your hugs. So you missed the way those hands stroked your hair. It’s been five days since you last saw him.

Sicklefin lemon sharks are highly adaptable and intelligent animals, and their behavior can vary depending on their habitat and environmental conditions.

Learning is one of the things you love the most in the world. Documentaries help a lot with that. You’re on your couch, a heavy blanket on the shoulders, eyes staring at the television absorbing every word of the presenter when the door opens.

"Hi" is the first word you hear from Spencer when he walks through the door. Your head is resting on the armrest and it seems too heavy at this time of day to lift it. You still manage to say a sleepy hello to your boyfriend. You can see him getting rid of his shoes and jacket before he heads to the living room. "I see that someone is tired" He said leaning against the couch to put a kiss on your forehead.

"Sorry, hard day. I can’t wait to hear yours" Your voice barely audible. Each syllable requires considerable affort to come out of your mouth. "Sure, but did you eat today and drink a minimum of 1 liter of water ?" It has occurred so many times to be immersed in something so intense that you fail to make yourself food or even drink water. "Yes, I didn’t forget anything this time! Did you take something to eat on the road ?" Spencer gently nods.

"What are you watching ?" Excitement takes over. "A documentary about Lemon Sharks! Did you know they could live more than 27 years ?!" He knows, of course, but pretended not to please you. You position yourself on the couch so that your boyfriend can sit behind you and softly rest your head on his thighs. His hands run through your hair. Forming circles that almost make you fall asleep. "Do you want to go to bed ?" He asks, his voice is sweet. You nod, eyes closed.

You are now in your bed, in comfortable clothes, your head rests on Spencer’s chest while he holds your hip firmly. Your eyes are close, his are on you. Everything seems to be better. "I missed you", were the last words heard before you fell asleep.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #autistic!reader #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds fluff #criminal minds x you #criminal minds x y/n #doctor reid #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid one shot #spencer reid is my husband #spencer reid fic #matthew gray gubler #mgg #mgg x reader #mgg x y/n #mgg x you

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter Three

-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: An Increasingly concerned Nancy looks for Barb and finds out what Jonathan’s been up to. The boys pair up with El for an investigation. Joyce is convinced that Will and Steph are trying to talk to her. Meanwhile, Steve feels like someone’s watching his every move.

🎲Pairings: Will x Platonic!OFC; Dustin x Sister!OC; Slow burn! Steve x Henderson!OFC (Ex-bestfriends to Lovers); Slow burn! Byler

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 15,209 (Oh, lord)

🎲Date: 05/27/24

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; References To Broken Friendship; Talks of Kidnapping; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Talks of Mental Health Issues; Bullying of All Kinds; Physical Fighting; Lying; "Death"; Crying (Lots of it); Brief Mention of Corpses; Gun Use; Implied Unloving Parents; Will & Steph's Mental Strain - Joyce's Too; Hopper Being a Great Cop & A Total Mess; Dustin Being a Gangster & A Total Mess; Steve's 'Asshole Era'; Steve's Emotional Damage. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

-This also contains me not knowing how the fuck the Upside Down works despite so much research.-

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N:  So… this is a very long, very intense one. Very emotional too. Hopefully y'all are ready for this. I notice a lot of you readers are spitting out theories and I can't help but love them. But unfortunately I have to stay silent and let you guess wait 🤭. While rewatching this episode, I totally forgot how fucking good of an actress Winona Ryder is. Seriously, rewatch the scenes with her and the lights again and you'll see. Any who, Happy Memorial Day everyone! Enjoy!

Steve practically had to “bully” Tommy into taking his girlfriend home last night. It was hard for him to make eye contact with her after their argument – A real argument, not just some mindless bickering they’ve done in the past that doesn’t pack much heat, but a real, real argument – and when she came back to his room only a few minutes later telling him that Barb must have left already and needed a ride, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Was this making him feel and look like a coward? Probably. But it’s not like he didn’t want to risk having another eye opening conversation with her again.

Eye opening, my ass. There was no “eye opening”. I’m just being paranoid. But was he though?

Nancy, oh, sweet Nancy, always talked about how she was aiming for journalism as her major. For a while, to be honest, he couldn’t really see it. Sure, curiosity was practically tattooed on her heart, but the months they’ve been dating he hasn’t seen anything else that screams “I’m a Journalist”. 

That was until last night.

He’s not sure why he never put that box away after their friendship ended, he doesn’t know why he didn’t just stuff it into his closet or under his bed, but the fact that someone had found it in his spot he called “out of sight, out of mind” shocked him. The little box that could fit under his dresser, completely oblivious to anyone who stands next to it. Of course out of all the days for someone to finally have spotted it was the day he brought his girlfriend to his home (Still, it might have been better for her to find it rather than his parents. They sure were… nosy).

And of course she would be the one to break him down when he was trying to forget, forget because it was the best option here.

And his girlfriend was smart, one of the traits he most admired, and she could read through his lies most of the time, a trait he hates. Loathe. But… did he really think he could have avoided all this? That once he put a lid on their friendship she would suddenly vanish? Every single thing about Stephanie Henderson would be forgotten? That was the plan, the “dream” so to speak. I guess dreams don’t always stay dreams unless you put work into them.

.

“So who is she to you?” Nancy asked, standing up and flashing the memorabilia at him.

.

She was just… just some kid he knew since they were five. Nothing more than that, It shouldn’t be more than that. She was just some girl that had confidence radiating out of her as they lock pinkies and swore–

.

“I’m not jealous. I’m just curious.” Nancy replies, honestly. She takes another look at the photos in her hand before looking back at him. “I mean, if she isn’t your friend anymore, then why do you hang on to all this stuff? Or better question–”

“Nancy, stop, it’s just–”

“Why did you break it off?”

His brain short circuits again. “What?”

“I said, ‘Why did you break it off?’ I mean…” She flips through some of the photos he has, memorized. “From what I see, you two remind me of Barb and I. You two look like you were tied at the hip. So why break it off?”

.

Because he had to. He needed to. God knows if he didn’t, her and her family would be… Jeez. He could barely remember it, not wanting to remember it.

The memory was blurry. So blurry. Maybe it was the many hits in the head for his shitty memory, or maybe he was really, really trying not to remember it. 

What was his parents planning on doing again that made him so… scared?

.

“Look, I just want to understand you. I mean, every time I think I have you figured out you throw me through a loop.” She gives him a reassuring look as she picks up the box, shuffling whatever was remaining around. “I mean, from what I see, you seem like a completely different person then. I just wonder if it’s a good thing or a bad–” 

.

No… no. He still doesn’t understand what she meant. He hasn’t “changed”. He’s still the same person since the day he was born. What was she even getting that from? A couple glances at some photos gave her a new impression of him? There’s no way. It’s laughable. It’s totally laughable. Everything that’s happened between him and Henderson was totally laughab–

.

“‘CAUSE IT WAS MY FAULT!! OKAY?!” Steve snaps, startling them both (He can’t believe he just lost his cool like that). He swallows again, head spinning at the memories (Why did he fucking leave the box right there?). “I just… there was an incident and… it… shaped my decision, okay? But it didn’t involve me or her with a gun, it was… s-someone else. Someone I know. I don’t know why I’m holding onto it, I…” 

.

That certainly wasn’t laughable.

Sometimes that memory is hazy, which he preferred, but the other times it was crystal clear. Too clear. Just a heated exchange between him and someone else just before it went to shit. He still remembers the pain in his bicep, the wind feeling like it was getting knocked out of him with someone’s loud scream. Then came the sinking realization that Henderson wasn’t bouncing up to her feet like he did. 

It still… fucks with him sometimes. Taunting. Haunting. Torturing. 

.

Nancy breaks eye contact, and only reverses it when she gathers the right words. “Look, Steve, I’m sorry I intruded, I probably shouldn’t have but… I’m just trying to understand you.”

Steve shakes his head, still confused. “I-I…” He shrugs, and crosses his arms defensibly. “What’s there to understand?”

.

Exactly. There’s nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Nothing. She doesn’t need to go digging around Pandora’s box.

.

But Nancy looked at him with eyes full of pity and took another step closer. “I don’t know what the reason was for you two to stop being friends, but all I know, from what I gathered, she wasn’t the one to end it.” She places Steph’s flier on his chest that he subconsciously grabbed, and said one last thing before leaving his room. And that was,

“Maybe there was a good reason for you to end it, but that’s not an excuse for you to stop being who you really are.”

.

But I haven’t changed. I’ve been the same person since I was born. Even his own gut coiled at his denial. The heaven’s beyond were probably busting a lung. Hell was shaking its head. He just keeps telling himself that lie and maybe it’ll come true one day.

Yeah, right.

This boy’s been telling himself that for almost two years now and hasn’t even sunk in yet.

Steve sighs, rolling in his bed to face his alarm clock; The red numbers glaring at him. It hadn’t even gone off yet, he still has about an hour but… 

Another sigh. School. Right.

He didn’t even feel like going, too mentally exhausted from staying up pretty much all night, completely alone with his thoughts – His very dangerous, troubling thoughts. He didn’t want to go, but his parents were going to be home any minute now from their trip and were not going to be happy if they saw him just lying around. They were surely going to berate him for missing a day of learning. Except...

Fuck. Going wasn’t an option, his brain hurts and his body was dragging and he really, really didn’t want to see Nancy’s pitiful eyes, or listen to Tommy’s mocking, or Carol’s sexified comments. Fuck, no. Fuck.

Where can he hide out for the next eight hours? He started putting what was left of brain together as he threw something on, not even trying to dress to impress today, and snagged his precious car keys. He is about a foot outside his bedroom when something tells him to stop. His chocolate eyes stare at the box on the end of his bed, something deep inside tells him not to leave it unoccupied.

He swallows, wanting to tell his subconscious to fuck off and leave him be, but… 

“Fuck it.” He races back over, making sure the lid was on before taking it with him. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

It’s been… how many days since then? They don’t know. They stopped counting every time they ran into trouble. Like… right now. Traumatized by the beast pulling an innocent woman into the Harringtons’ pool and violating her before coming after them. They were lucky to have some kind of head start or otherwise they might have been goners. But–

Jesus. It was getting hard to breathe in this place, the cold weather was getting to them too. 

Eventually, miraculously, they had escaped from their predator when their bodies finally gave out.

“Fuck.” Stephanie gasped as the two of them collapsed in someone’s backyard. They both sat on their hands and knees, a line of sweat dripping off their icy noses. She sniffles and pants, her breath being seen in the air. “This is getting ridiculous.”

It really, really was. They can’t even take a break without worrying if that thing would come after them. 

How am I supposed to figure out how to get out of here if I can’t even stop to think? She sits back on her news, frowning. “Why does it keep coming after us?”

Will sneezes, and sniffles before resting his body against the side of the random house. He starts fiddling with his frigiding fingers, worried if he was going to say something wrong. “I don’t think this time it was. It looks like it was attacking someone else.”

“That’s true.” She sighs, taking her cap off for a second to rest. “However, we either were at the wrong place at the wrong time, or that thing was following us and grabbed the first prey it saw.”

He nods. “Yeah. But that doesn’t explain where the person came from. Does… that mean we aren’t the only people here?”

“I don’t know.” Are there actually more people here? “I mean, I guess on the bright side, if more people are going missing someone’s gotta know what’s going on, right?”

That honestly didn’t cross her mind at all while being here. She was so worried about keeping herself and especially Will alive that she didn’t think about what was going on on the other side. How was her family reacting? His family too? And what about the town? Did the police actually give a fuck this time?

I really hope it’s Hopper. He seems like the only one who gave shit last time. Stephanie prays he’s on her case as she subconsciously tries to grab the chain around her neck, only to find nothing. Her heart sinks as she looks down and feels around the front of her shirt.

“Shit.” She says, dreadfully. Did she really lose her–

“What?” Will replies, concerned. 

“Uh, I just…” Fuck. “I just uh, lost my necklace.” She frowns again. “I didn’t even realize it.”

Now it was his turn to look sad (I guess you could say he was just copying her expression). “We can go look for it if you like.”

She’s already shaking his head. “No. It’s okay. I could have lost it on the first day here without realizing it.”

“Can you replace it?”

“It’s… I don’t know. It was a gift.” She looks over at him, his expression seems so broken over her confession. “It’s okay, Will. It’s not a big deal.”

“I know, but still.”

Stephanie couldn’t help but crack a small smile on her peach lips, and ruffle the boy’s hair. “Don’t ever change, kid. You’ve got a good little heart.” That seemed to do the trick because the boy blushed and seemed all proud of himself.

“Do you think it’s safe to rest here for a bit?” Will asked, as she looked around.

“Yeah.” She nods. “I think we’ll be fine. How about you pull out the blanket?”

They both shrug their backpacks off, and keep their guns by their sides pointed safely away; Will unrolls the blanket they took from her house and scoots closer. Steph tucks the fabric under their feet before the boy snuggles up to her side. Dying from the cold was off the menu for the both of them. For most of the time they stayed quiet, controlling their breathing and rubbing their cold hands in their laps.

“There’s something I don’t understand though.” Will blurted out. I guess this was the thought that came to mind in the moment of silence.

“And what’s that?” The older girl asked, sparing him a glance.

“If that thing is supposed to… you know, kill people, then why bring them here?” He stares up at her nervously. “Why not just kill us in our world? Why the extra hassle to bring us here?”

Her eyes widened slightly, those words hitting her like a truck. “That’s… a good question.” A really good question. It was something else she hasn’t thought about either. If the beast could go between worlds, why bring them here for the kill? 

Will must have noticed the wheels turning in the girls head and looks down hopelessly. “It’s going to be hard for people to find us then, right?”

Stephanie says nothing, and gnaws on her bottom lip because he’s right. If they’re stuck in another world then…

.

.

.

How are their loved ones going to know?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

When Jonathan woke up the next day he wasn’t expecting his mother to be leaving before he did. “Mom? Where are you going?” He asked, as she stopped upon hearing him speak.

“Oh, I’m going to town. I’m going to pick up a few things.” She replies, putting her belongings into her purse. “I was… you know, thinking about maybe getting some stuff Will likes to eat so he can have it when he gets home. Or, you know–”

“Mom?”

“And maybe a new phone? Our old one’s obviously not fine, so–”

“Mom?” Jonathan tries again, getting a hum. “You sure you’re okay going by yourself? I can miss school again if you don’t feel comfortable yet.”

“No, no, don’t do that. Go… I just need to get out of the house. I’ve been stuck in here for a few days.” Joyce replies, reassuring her oldest. “I’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” He nods. “But if something happens just… call the school and I’ll be there.”

“Okay.” She says, giving her a quick hug. “Thank you, sweetie. I’ll see you later.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

In the early morning at the Wheeler’s house, the boys were planning a mission to finally figure out what happened to their friends.

“We just tell our parents we have AV Club after school. That’ll give us at least a few hours for Operation Mirkwood.” Mike explains, the three of them gathered around the upside down D&D board.

“You seriously think that the weirdo knows where Will and Steph are?” Lucas said, making the other boy eye roll.

“Just trust me on this, okay? Did you get the supplies?”

“Yeah.” He nods, and shows off what he’s got. “Binoculars... from ‘Nam. Army knife... also from ‘Nam. Hammer, camouflage bandana…” He grins. “And the wrist rocket.”

Dustin looks at him strangely, almost laughing. “You’re gonna take out the Demogorgon with a slingshot?”

“First of all, it’s a wrist rocket. And second of all, the Demogorgon’s not real. It’s made up. But if there is something out there, I’m gonna shoot it in the eye–” Lucas snaps the rubber and startles his friend. “And blind it.”

“Dustin, what did you get?” Mike asked, trying to get straight to the point.

“Well, alrighty.” Dustin starts pouring stuff out of his bag, also proud of what he grabbed (Which is totally not what Mike told him to bring). “So, we’ve got... Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apple, banana, and trail mix.”

“Seriously?” Lucas said, disappointed.

“We need energy for our travels. For stamina. And besides, why do we even need weapons anyway?” He points to the girl on the couch. “We have her.”

“She shut one door!”

“With her mind! Are you kidding me? That’s insane!” Dustin could almost laugh with all the stuff he could think of about her powers. “Imagine all the other cool stuff she could do. Like…” He quickly looks around and grabs a giant toy version of the Millennium Falcon. “I bet that she could make this fly!” He stands in front of El and holds it out. “Hey. Hey. Okay, concentrate. Okay?” He lets go of the toy that quickly drops to the floor. “Okay, one more time. Okay. Use your powers, okay?”

“Idiot.” Lucas mumbles once the toy drops to the floor again.

Mike sighs. “She’s not a dog!” He says, taking it away from him.

“Boys!” Karen calls out from above. “Time for school!”

He crouches down in front of Eleven as the rest of his friends make their way up stairs. “Just stay down here. Don’t make any noise, and don’t leave. If you get hungry, eat Dustin’s snacks, okay?” 

“Michael!”

“Coming!” Why must he be rushed? “You know those power lines?”

“Power lines?” El asked, confused.

“Yeah. The ones behind my house?”

“Yes.”

“Meet us there, after school.”

“After school?”

“Yeah, 3:15.” It took a second for Mike to realize that she didn’t understand. “Ah. Hang on.” He unstraps his watch and ties around her own wrist. “When the numbers read three-one-five, meet us there.”

“‘Three-one-five’.” She repeats.

He nods. “Yeah. Three-one-five.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Did you get any rest?”

Her tired blue eyes looked back at him, his face scrunched up in concern for the girl that almost tripped two seconds ago. And to answer his question, it was ‘no’. Their little rest had turned into sleep, but once again she couldn’t dare close her eyes with the beast lurking somewhere (She’s honestly surprised she’s still standing at this point).

“Yeah, I got a little.” She said, hoping that sounded convincing. 

Will narrows his eyes and steps in front of her, stopping them from walking any further. “No you didn’t.”

“Will–”

“Why aren’t you getting any sleep?”

She sucks in a breath. Guess there was no point in arguing with a twelve year old. “Because I’m keeping an eye out.” She tries taking a step around him but he follows.

“That’s bullshit.” He replies, shocking her (She’s honestly heard him cuss before. Which is ironic since he hangs out with three boys that act like cussing is their first language).

“Will, it’s true. I’m keeping an eye out.”

“Yeah, I understand. But you can’t keep missing sleep because of that.”

“Someone’s got to protect you. Just like I promise.”

“Well how are you supposed to do that when you can barely stand?” That seemed to strike a nerve. “Can you just… next time we sleep, I’ll watch and you actually sleep.”

“Will–”

“And, if I hear something, I’ll wake you up immediately. How’s that?”

Well… she can’t say no to that face. She sighs. “Okay. I’ll sleep.” She replies, getting him to smile. “But you wake me up if you hear anything, okay? Don’t you even think about doing the opposite and handling it yourself. I don’t want you to wound up hurt or dead. Got it?”

“Got it.” 

The two of them continued their unwanted detour that ended up being Hawkins’ little downtown. This place looked more like the apocalypse than their neighbourhoods. Dark, abandoned, quiet and completely trashed. It seemed a little scarier to walk around than the previous routes they took. 

“Maybe we can hide out somewhere here?” Will asked, as they stopped at an intersection to look around.

“Possibly. If anything’s open we can. I want to avoid making too much ruckus in case that’s what attracts the monster.” Steph said, thinking. 

They walked slowly and carefully by each store, peeking inside to see if anything got their attention. Stephanie blissfully sighs upon seeing a familiar sign and points.

“Dude, I kill for some chicken parmesan right now.” She says, smiling at the thought of eating Italian at ‘Enzo’s’. 

“Hmm, meatball’s sounds good. But I think I really want my mom’s Sloppy Joes.” Will admits, and can already picture it in front of him.

“Sloppy Joes are awesome too. I wouldn’t mind eating that when I get back either. Then Enzo’s.”

“Totally Enzo’s.” He chuckles. “Uh, so when we do get out of here, how do we explain this to someone?”

“What? This?” She gestures to the open air. “You mean that telling the authorities that we were abducted by an eight foot tall creature with just a mouth and brought to a creepier version of Hawkins doesn’t sound truthful?”

He makes a face. “I… I don’t know. They might think we’re crazy.”

“Crazy, but it’s true.” She shrugs. “I really do wonder how we’re going to explain this.”

“I hope my mom contacted Chief Hopper. I know they were good friends growing up, I’m sure he believes her.”

“I hope it’s him, I don’t really like some of the people he works with.”

Will tilts his head, confused. “You don’t like cops?”

“No, I don’t certain cops here. I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them.”

“How come?”

“Well–” She cuts herself off and stops, eyes trailing to something inside one of the shops. She takes a second to make sure she’s seeing that right before pointing and saying, “November 6th.”

Will perks up at that. “That’s the day when we had our D&D campaign. The night we disappeared.”

“Yeah.” Steph looks around her hand following up to another object, a clock. “Nine Twenty-Three. That’s probably around the time we disappeared too.”

“But why is everything stuck this way?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, didn’t this place exist beforehand?” Will asked, head spinning. “How come everything is stuck on the night we disappeared?”

She purses her lips. “It… exist because of us? Or does time run differently here?”

“This is making my head hurt.”

She chuckles. “You and me both, kid.”

They continued their walk, popping into a few shops when they saw something useful, like another set of matches or even a sleeping bag they could share. They eventually ended up at a hunting store and scavenged there. Steph started grabbing a couple boxes of shotgun shells and ones that could fit inside Mr. Harrington’s pistol. It felt strange to have something like this in her possession, especially given the history of it. A very… bittersweet history of it. 

Stupid, Harring– The small box tv on the counter startled her when it made a noise. When her gaze locks onto it, she realizes it’s not even on. She sighs, shaking her head. Now I’m imagining shit? This is getting fucking ridiculous.

She starts making room inside her bag for the ammunition when–

.

|| –Those Poor Children. ||

.

Stephanie nearly drops everything and grips the gun and starts frantically searching for the voice. What in the fucking–

.

|| Jesus, I know. I can only imagine what their families are going through. ||

|| It’s such a shame– ||

.

“What the…?”

“Did you hear that too?” Will asked, eyes full of hope as she looked between him and empty space behind the counter.

“Huh? Um… Y-Yeah. I-I did.” She swallows and then realizes something. “Wait… is that what you– Is that what you were talking about?”

“Yeah!” He shakes his head eagerly. “I told you, I swear I could hear my mom and Jonathan talking that night. I told you I wasn’t crazy.”

Stephanie takes a deep breath, still in a bit of disbelief I mean– This changes everything she’s thought about this place. “If we can hear somebody, then…” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. It was so shocking.

“Maybe we can talk to them. I know for a fact my mom heard me when I called the phone. She even responded when I talked back.”

“So it’s totally possible.” She goes silent to think, an idea coming to mind in a matter of seconds. She grins. “Follow me.”

Will of course does, a little intrigued by the fact that they found themselves climbing to the top of an old bell tower that overlooks most of Hawkins. “What is this place?”

“Somewhere I probably shouldn’t have been hanging out at when I was young.” Steph admits. “Don’t worry, the tower hasn’t been used in decades ‘cause the bell’s broken. Alright.” She smacks her hands together. “We have to figure out a way to get someone’s attention. Whether it’s your family, my family, friends, or hell, even some random stranger. We just need to get someone’s attention.”

“But how? I’m not even sure how any of this works.” Will asked, truthfully. He’s still not even really sure how he was able to contact his mom that night. 

She hums, scratching her head. “Where’s your house at?” He gets close to the edge, looks around and points to it in the distance. She nods and starts doing the same as she speaks, “Alright, well there’s mine, Lucas’, and Mike’s. So we got options. We just need to figure out how you were able to speak to your mom that night. If we can figure that out, maybe we can do it again.”

“All I really did was just dial my house’s number and she picked up.”

“Okay. Maybe it’s just that simple after all.”

“Well… I know whatever happened that night, it fired the house’s phone. We’re going to need a new phone.”

“We can get one. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll move on to another house. Hopefully, one of our friends will pick up.”

And they have to. This is our only plan right now. She waves for him to go first. “Careful going down, it’s more tricky than going up.”

“Okay.” He says, doing what he was told.

She starts to follow closely behind when another voice appears.

.

|| I am such an idiot. || 

.

She froze, her heart sinking again. She looks back at one of the corners of the tower, and an aching feeling in her gut.

“Steve?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve had a cigarette in one hand, and his other tangled up his own locks; One leg was dangling off the tower, while the rest of his body laid against the arch of the opening. Today was stupidly sunny, barely any clouds and no smell of precipitation in the air for a chance of rain – the aesthetic was the complete opposite of his mood right now.

He took a puff of nicotine and blew it out like a long, heavy sigh. The shit from last night keeps replaying in his head, provoking him to do or say something he’s probably not supposed to (or is supposed to, his subconscious yells at him) – He still doesn’t understand why he suddenly ended up here out of place. He could have gone to skull rock, or even the quarry, or maybe even just running around the mall hoping no one realizes he’s a teenager and asks why he’s not in school.

He groans, closing his eyes, listening to the traffic below and people bickering, praying nobody looks up and finds him here. Again, why did I pick this place?

“I am such an idiot.” He mutters, then the insecurities he had slowly started to fade away when he felt a presence nearby. Worried that maybe a cop finally found him, he changes his sadden look for something cooler before opening his eyes and looking. 

But strangely enough, no one was even there.

“Huh.” Steve blinks, swearing that he could feel someone was watching him. Maybe though? I mean, this was an old church that may or may not be haunted.

He shakes his head. “Fuck this.” He puts his bud out on the ground and stands up to leave.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Hey, Where’s Steve? I didn’t see his car in the parking lot.” Nancy asks, butting into Carol and Tommy’s conversation. She honestly wanted to see him to give him another apology, she still felt bad for prying so much about something she probably shouldn’t have seen. And I want to see if he’s in a good mental state today.

She watches the couple spare a look and gets worried, “What?”

“You haven’t seen him yet?” Carol said, as she shakes her head. “That’s weird.”

“Steve never skips school.” Tommy adds.

“What did you guys argue about last night?”

“Us?” Nancy said, pointing to herself. “You think he’s not here because we fought?”

“It’s a possibility. He finally has a girlfriend who’s charm finally made the King skip class.” Carol said, arms cross. “I’d say that’s an achievement.”

She scoffs. “First of all, It was just a disagreement, nothing more. A second, there’s no way that’s the reason he’s not here.”

“Maybe you hit one of his insecurities you were yelling about last night.”

Nancy holds her tongue and ends up just leaving in a huff. Every time she thinks she’s finally on their level, she’s pushed back down. She sighs and enters her first class of the day. Her gaze follows over to where her friend would be at, but atlas, her desk was empty.

She reaches out and taps the girl in front of her shoulder. “Hey, Ally. Where’s Barb?”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “Um, shouldn’t you know?”

Nancy’s stomach dropped. “You haven’t seen her anywhere... at all?” 

Ally shakes her head just as the bell rings and everyone’s ordered to sit down, leaving the Wheeler to wonder if she stayed home too because of their bickering.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“There she is. Emerald City.” Powell announced as they pulled up to the one and only laboratory in Hawkins. They were going off really their only lead at this point, and hoping it plays out.

“I heard they make space weapons in there.” Callahan replies, getting a look. 

“Space weapons?”

“Yeah. You know, like, Reagan’s Star Wars. I guess we’re gonna blow the Ruskies to smithereens.”

“Hey, can I help you?” The guard asked once the police car rolled to a stop just in front of the gate.

“Uh, yeah. We’re here for a tour.” Hopper lied.

“Oh, we don’t give tours.”

“Okay... A quick look around.”

“You have to get clearance for that. You can contact, uh... Rick Schaeffer at the Department of Energy.”

“Maybe you seen it on TV.” Hopper pushes, not backing down from this. “We got two local kids missing. We have reason to believe they might have snuck in here.”

“Like I said, you have to speak to Mr. Schaeffer.”

Hopper exhaled through his nose, and turned the car and placed his hat on the dashboard; His partners beside him grew quiet, and let him have at it. “What’s your name?”

“Patrick.” 

“Patrick, I got a panicked mayor, and I got reporters breathing down my neck and I got two very upset mothers.” He said, his face growing softer, more wounded like. “Now, I know the kid’s not in there, but I gotta check off this box. Patrick, would you do me a favor? Would you speak to your boss and see what you can swing for us? I’d really appreciate it. I’m talking ten minutes, tops.”

Just ten minutes to see if they were in there. That’s all that the police chief needs…

And wants.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve heads inside the shop nearby, his stomach growling for food. It completely slipped his mind this morning – or afternoon now – he’s completely lost track of time. 

Now what kind of junk sounds appetizing today? He starts wandering around, not at all familiar with this layout or the shop for that matter (Why didn’t he just go to the sandwich shop next door again?). As he slips through one of the aisles, he notices the person in front of him struggling to reach for something off the high shelf. 

Deciding to be a nice boy, he reaches up and grabs it down for her. “Here you go, Ma’am.”

“Oh, thank you.” She said, surprised and grateful. “How kind of you.”

“Early Christmas shopping?” 

“Oh, I wish. No, I just need a new phone in case my son calls the house.”

He nods. “Your son lives far then?”

“Um, no, h-he’s missing.”

Oh?

Oh…

Oh!

Steve’s eyes widened at the realization. “Oh, oh my god, I’m so sorry. You’re that kid’s mother.”

“I am.” Joyce says, shifting her weight around. 

“Am… so sorry, I-I didn’t know, I–”

“Like you said, you didn’t know.” She puts the phone into the shopping cart. “It’s okay.”

“Okay, um…” This was awkward, right? Steve shifted on his feet too, not really sure how to wrap this up. “Uh, do you have… uh… heard any updates?”

Joyce shakes her head, sadly. “Not yet. I know the Police Chief has put many of his guys and volunteers to work. But I think at this point they covered all of Hawkins.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I just, uh–” He trails off, struggling to make a sentence. “Sorry, I was just being nosy. I don’t really hear much news, I…” He swallows. “I went to school with the Henderson girl, so...”

Is he making any sense? Hopefully she’s understanding what he means– Fuck, his heart’s racing so fast.

“Oh, yeah?” Joyce said, looking bittersweet – Looking like she was a mother staring at her hurt child (How come his own mother never looked at him like that?). “Must be hard knowing someone you knew is missing.”

Damn, right on the money. “Yeah.” He says, his throat feeling tight.

She hums, and then gives him a stern expression. “Shouldn’t you be in school though?”

Annnnddddd… Fuck. 

Nice Going, Harrington. He scolded himself as he racked his brain for a believable lie. “Oh, uh, I-I graduated already. I was a grade ahead.”

“Oh.” She says, apologetically. “My mistake.”

“No worries, seriously. It happens all the time.” At least he didn’t say something stupid, and needs to get out of this conversation before he does but… damn his little heart sometimes. “Uh–” He gestures to her cart full of different items. “Do you want me to pay for some of that? For bothering you? Or uh, I… I know you’re probably–”

“Oh, no!” She shakes her head. “No. Thanks, but I can get it. Money’s a little tight, I’ll admit, but there’s nothing I can do about it. You know?”

“You sure?”

“Yes. I appreciate the offer.” Joyce smiles, and subconsciously pats the young man on his shoulder. “You’re very sweet. Take care.”

“You too.” He says, seeing this as he exits and walks past her.

Joyce watches as he turns to another aisle, growing a bit sad by the interaction. 

Alright, do I have everything? She has a new phone, some groceries– things she knows Will would like– 

The display of string lights flickered for a second.

Confused, thinking most likely it was probably a short circuit, she doesn’t understand why she ended up muttering her youngest name, “Will.”

Coincidentally, the light flickers shortly afterwards. “Will!” She says, again, hope blooming in her chest. Then, all the lights on the display shined for a few seconds. 

God, call her crazy, but maybe this was a sign that her son is still close by.

Before anyone could blink, the checkout counter was filled up with so many boxes of Christmas lights, some just the basic color, and some of the tri-colors. She can only imagine how much this is going to cost her, but who cares! If this is strangely how she can talk to her son, then this is what she shall do.

Her Boss, who was the clerk for the day, looks at her worriedly. “Joyce–”

“Just ring me up, Donald.” Is all she said, patiently waiting until he was all finished. Without sparing another word, she gathers all the bags into her hands and races to her car.

Donald sighs while watching her leave. “That poor woman.” He says, just as Steve comes up to the counter with his snacks and drinks. He raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be minding your own business?” Steve said, becoming bitter again.

“Mmm, hmm.” He scans everything and a price pops up on his screen. “That’ll be Five-Fifty.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Found a phone.” Will said, almost immediately as they entered. It shouldn’t be a shock since this is the place his mother works at.

“That should work.” Steph said, smiling. “Let’s get a move on.”

Will gets up on his tippy toes to grab it, slowly pulling it off the shelf when something presses his hand. Startled, he falls back and the older girl grabs the box before it falls. 

“What happened?” She asked, worriedly.

“S-Something touched me.” He says, taking a step back.

“What?” She hands him the box and peeks over the shelf herself (She’s not exactly tall either). There was nothing odd out of the ordinary, just the normal dust and native plants that grew in this world. She frowns. “I don’t really see anything.”

Suddenly the display of lights flickered. Out of instinct her hand reaches for the pistol at her side. Then her heart sinks at the next thing.

.

|| Uh, do you want me to pay for some of that? I know you’re probably– || 

.

“Steve?” Stephanie says, surprised. 

So she wasn’t crazy after all. She did hear him. 

Will looked up at her, stunned too. “Steve Harrington?” He asked, but before she could speak another voice could be heard.

.

|| –I can get it. Money’s a little tight, I’ll admit, but there’s nothing I can do about it. You know? ||

|| You sure? ||

|| Yes. I appreciate the offer. You’re very sweet. Take care. || 

.

“Mrs. Byers?/Mom?!” They both erupted, then went quiet to see if they could hear anything else.

Nothing.

“Shit.” The oldest said, and now gnawing on her lip again, nervously (And completely forgetting about Steve for the time being). “That might have been our chance.” She hears the boy drop the phone somewhere next to her. “Will?”

The boy seemed fascinated with an idea swirling around in his head. Stephanie finds herself just watching, waiting to see what he had in mind. Will reaches up and lets his fingers brush the display of some string lights, the lights getting a little bit hazy – It was almost like his touch was giving them electricity. 

.

|| Will. || 

.

Joyce’s voice broke through very faintly, but they both heard it and nearly cried.

“Touch the light again.” Steph said, urgently. Will does what he’s told and they both stay quiet again.

.

|| Will! ||

.

“She hears us.” He says, happily. 

“Holy shit…” She chuckles. “I have an idea. Touch all the lights.”

Frantically, they rush to touch all the lights they saw on display, not even questioning how this was even possible, they just hoped Joyce got the message. Once the hue died down they both held their breaths, and crossed their fingers. And then…

.

|| Just ring me up, Donald. ||

.

Stephanie threw her hands up. “Yes!” She says, with Will laughing beside her. “Thank you, Ms. Byers.”

“My mom’s the best.” He said, with a warm look.

“Hell, yeah she is. And forget the phone–” She locks eyes with him, determined. “I think we figured out a better way to communicate.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“And you think these missing kids may have crawled through there?” 

Hopper spares the man a glance before looking back at the drain. Somehow, he convinced the security guard to let him and his guys in, but so far their theories are turning out pretty sour. “Well, that was the idea.”

Their “Tour Guide”, I guess you can call him that, made a fact that was all smug and prideful. “Yeah, I just don’t see how that’d be possible. We’ve got over 100 cameras. Every square inch covered, plus all my guys. No one breaks in here. Certainly not some kids.”

Hopper perked up at the news, eyes trailing to a few cameras in view. Now it was his turn to be the smug one as he asked, “Those cameras, you keep the tapes?”

Well… I don’t think the guide was expecting that reaction.

Now, the three of them were following the man inside, the hallways swarmed with men in lab coats, and a security team blocking a room that was marked “hazardous”. 

The police Chief found this a bit suspicious and asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you guys do in here?”

The guide chuckles. “You’re asking the wrong guy.”

“Staying one step ahead of the Russians?”

“I expect. Something like that.”

“Who’s in charge here?”

“That’d be Dr. Brenner.”

“And he builds the space lasers?” Callahan asked, eagerly. 

“Space lasers?”

“Ignore him.” Hopper replies, sighing. They eventually entered the surveillance room, the three of them watching the screen closely. “This is the night of the 6th and 7th we’re seeing here?”

“That’s correct.”

Hopper narrows his eyes, waiting to see if he sees anything unusual. However, to his surprise, the tape only lasted less than a minute. “Is that it?” He asked, in disbelief. 

“Like I said, we would have seen them.”

And then the cops were practically shoved out of there, and the guide gives them their condolences for the tired search (Yeah, what an asshole, right?).

“The night of the 7th, we had a search party out for Will and Stephanie. You remember anything about that night?” Hopper asked, seeing if he wasn’t the only suspicious one. 

“Mmm, not much to remember. Called it off.” Callahan replies, thinking.

 “‘Cause of the storm.” Powell adds.

“Yeah, a lot of rain that night.” Hopper says, arriving at their car. “You see any rain on that tape?”

“What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know.” He spares a look at the building, a sinking feeling in his gut. “But they’re lying.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the boys were outside shifting through the playground for some rocks. Mike picks one up and shows it off. “How about this one?”

Dustin looks and shakes his head. “Too big for the sling.” He says, getting on his knees to do some digging. “So, do you think Eleven was born with her powers, like the X-Men, or do you think she acquired them, like... like Green Lantern?

“She’s not a superhero. She’s a weirdo.” Lucas replies, rolling his eyes.

“Why does that matter?” Mike snaps, offended. “The X-Men are weirdos.” 

“If you love her so much, why don’t you marry her?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mike, seriously?”

“What?”

“You look at her all, like…” Lucas makes a giggly face, and softens his body language, followed by a higher pitched voice, “‘Hi, El! El! El! El! I love you so much! Would you marry me’?” 

“Shut up, Lucas.”

“Yeah, shut up, Lucas.” Their bully, Troy, announced as he stomped towards the group. “What are you losers doing back here?”

“Probably looking for their missing friends.” James said, smirking.

“That’s not funny. It’s serious. They’re in danger.” Dustin hisses, annoyed.

“I hate to break it to you, Toothless, but they’re not in danger.” Troy bites back. “They’re dead. That’s what my dad says. He said that Byers was probably killed by some other queer. And maybe your sister’s been killed by some crazy stalker who is into weirdos like her.”

The two bullies laugh as Dustin looks like he’s about to strangle someone. No one says anything about Will like that. And nobody especially says something like that about his big sister.

Mike sees this, and puts his arm in front of his friend to soothe him. “Come on. Just ignore them.” He says, and starts to leave, only to be tripped – and face planted into the ground.

“Watch where you’re going, Frogface.” Troy spats, but he instantly gets a taste of his own medicine. 

To everyone’s surprise, Dustin was the one to deliver the karma, which was forcibly shoving him to the ground. 

Everyone stared, and before someone could speak he shoved James too and scrambled to pick up Mike.

“Lucas! Let’s go!” Dustin yells, and silently tells Mike to go. As they were leaving, he flips the bullies the bird and snaps, “You shitheads need to keep Will and Phanie’s name out of your mouths! Got it?!”

And then they broke off into a Usain Bolt type sprint.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

They finally ended up back on Mirkwood, guns loaded, backpacks full, and hope in their chest. If this works, if Joyce does this right, then maybe they can finally communicate to the other side. All they needed to do was tell her where they are, and maybe they could figure out a way to get back. 

It sounded easy, and they just hoped it was.

The two of them were silent for most of the walk, and when they got to this specific road, the boy grabbed her hand, shaking. She says nothing, ‘cause nothing needs to be said about it. If that’s what made him feel safe then so be it.

“Do you think it’s negative emotions?” Will eventually said, breaking the ice.

Stephanie tilts her head, confused. “Hmm?”

“Do you think that’s how we can hear some people? Through negative emotions?” He looks up at her. “Like my mom, she must be worried about me, maybe that’s why we can hear her?”

Her eyebrows shoot up, shocked. It’s definitely a plausible theory (But would that apply to Steve as well? And if so, why is he so worried?). “Maybe.”

“But would that go with us too?” He adds, the wheels in his head really were turning today. “I mean, is that how the beast picks their victims? Because they’re in a bad mental state?”

Well, now that makes sense if you put it that way. “It’s possible.” She said, nodding. Yeah, that’s completely possible. 

It explains a lot of things. More or so she wanted to admit. She knows these last two years were… interesting to say the least. Definitely could qualify as a ‘Bad Mental State’. And… she also has felt a bit stressed about school and talks about her future. But if she knew herself was in a bad state, then that means–

“Then… are you okay?” Steph asked, realizing something. The boy froze, like actually froze when she said that. It was a trippy sight to see. “Will?”

“What?”

“Are you okay?” She tries again, a bit gentler this time. “Mentally?” Nothing. “Will–

“I… I’m fine.” 

And then he lets go of her hand and starts walking a bit quicker– not even realizing he was doing so. She stops, concern on her face. She wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from a simple yes or no question. She makes a note for herself that when they do get out of here she’s going to have a talk with him (Or at least tell Joyce about her concerns).

She sighs. Always got to be the therapist, Henderson.

She takes a step to move but stops, her eyes trailing off the road to her right, right into the void of the trees. It was weird. She felt like someone was standing right there – The same kind of presence back at the clock tower. 

“Huh.” She turns her attention back in front of her, then proceeds to freak out a bit when she notices how far Will was. She cusses and breaks into a sprint to catch up quickly.

Completely unaware of who that presence really was. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve steps over the barricades, his feet sinking into the leaves. Curiosity got the best of him you could say, or maybe the conversation last night really was getting under his skin (Like he’ll ever admit that), but he found himself here. Standing at a… crime scene, I guess. 

Her car went off road with herself and the Byers boy in it. Not long afterwards, they ditched it. 

His brown orbs trailed from the tree the vehicle hit and down the long road. He also knows, from what he’s heard, they both ran back to the boy’s house and then the trail went cold after that. But that’s the part that tickled his brain a bit. 

Why run all the way back home, a place you’re probably the safest at, and then leave it? It didn’t make sense in his book. Hell, it shouldn’t make sense in anybody’s book. What was the urge for them to run away from home and into the thick woods that surrounds Hawkins? 

He rubbed his chin and started thinking like he was going to solve this or whatever. Like…

He then scoffs at himself. 

What the fuck am I even doing? What is he doing? Why did he drive himself here? It’s not like he should care anymore. I mean, he shouldn’t care anymore. His parents would have his head if they knew–

Then there it is again.

That strange feeling that someone’s watching him. 

He turns around, half expecting a cop to be there to scold him, the other half expecting nothing and– Oh! What do you know? It was nothing. 

But even if it was nothing, he swears someone is standing there, watching his every move. Almost like this presence was here to judge him and see what other stupid things he can do today.

It was definitely giving him the heebie-jeebies.

He frowns, and looks away. “What the fuck…?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It took her an hour, but Joyce got all the lights up. She strung them all through the house, up along the wall and hanging gently off the ceiling. She hopes that she’s not losing her mind – She knows how silly this looks; Putting up Christmas lights in November (I mean, the holiday’s not that far off but still). She was expecting some reaction to happen, some or maybe all of them would immediately start blinking; Instead, her doorbell rings and she’s met with Karen Wheeler.  

Not wanting to be rude, Joyce invited her and her youngest in. Karen pops in a casserole she made into the oven, sitting next to the worried mother and tries to see what state she was in.

Joyce chuckles nervously when her guest notices the festive decoration. “Will always loved Christmas, you know. So I thought if I... I put the lights up... I don’t know, he... I’d feel like he was home somehow.” She covers part of her face with her hand. “I-It’s silly, I-I know…”

Karen shakes her head. “No. No, it’s not silly.” She takes the other woman’s hand in hers, giving her a gentle squeeze. “How is Jonathan holding up?”

Joyce takes a deep breath. “You know, he’s good at taking care of himself. He always has been, you know? I…” She scoffs. “I mean, he thinks I’m losing my mind, but…”

“Joyce.” Karen says, softly. “I want you to know something. If you need anything, anything at all... Ted and I are here for you.”

This sentimental moment caused them both to become oblivious to the lights flickering on in the hallway, a walkway pointing towards Will’s room. The only one who didn’t miss it was Holly, who was now sliding off her chair to follow.

“Thank you.” Joyce said, sincerely. 

Karen smiles. “Okay.”

The two women continued to talk, Joyce even bringing up Mike’s feelings about the whole thing – and even wondered if Claudia and Dustin were okay too. Meanwhile, little Holly Wheeler watched the lights flickered on and off, guiding her to the bedroom. Her eyes watched in awe as the many, many lamps that were lingered around Will’s room turned off and on one-by-one in a symphony-like way.

She giggles and claps, excited to watch this “show”. Then…

They all stopped and the nightmare began. 

Her happiness starts to pool away as she hears a scary sound. She then turns white as a ghost when she notices one of the walls was moving and stretching out towards her.

Who knows what would have happened if Joyce hadn’t come in and grabbed Holly, handing her back to her mother. 

“She shouldn’t be here.” Joyce said, scared in both tone and facial expression. 

Karen didn’t notice the seriousness of her look as she apologizes, “Oh, I’m sorry. She’s quite the explorer these days.”

“Wait, did you see something?” The worried Byers brushes her off, and the little girl nods quickly. “What did... what did you see? Tell me. What did you see?”

“Joyce!” The blonde scolds, but she’s already being shooed away.

“Karen, thank you for the casserole, but I need you to leave.” 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy tapped her foot repeatedly, impatiently waiting for the person to pick up the phone. “Come on, come on, come on…” She mumbled, gripping the payphone tight. “Come on–”

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

Oh, thank god. “Hi!” She says, eagerly. “Hi, uh, Ms. Holland, it’s Nancy.”

[ ‘Oh, Nancy, how are you?’ ]

“Good. I’m good. Um, I was just wondering, uh, is Barb there?”

[ ‘Mmm... No, she hasn’t come home yet.’ ]

“But she did come home, right? After the vigil?”

[ ‘No, she said she was staying with you last night.’ ] 

Shit. Nancy mentally scolds herself. “Right, yes. She did, sorry. I meant, did she come home this morning? I think she left some textbooks and she was gonna go pick them up.”

[ ‘Oh, um, no, I haven’t seen her.’ ]

“Do– do you know what? I just remembered... she’s at the library.”

[ ‘Nancy, will you please have her call me as soon as you find her?’ ]

“Yeah.” She shakes her head, frowning at how worried Barb’s mother was sounding. “Yeah, I will. Sorry to bother you.”

She hangs up the phone, frustrated. This wasn’t like Barb at all. In the past when they’ve had some disagreements, she’s never once disappeared like this. The only thing Barb’s ever done that was “extreme” was she did the silent treatment for most of the school day. 

This is so weird. This whole day’s been weird. She sighs and digs out some more change for the machine, and dials another number she knows by heart. The whole time as it rang she was nipping at the tip of her thumb. To her surprise, a voice she’s never heard before answered the phone.

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

The voice was a bit husky, but sweet with a pinch of sass. 

Nancy’s confused, and twirls the phone cord around her finger. “Oh, I’m sorry, who’s this?” She asked, wondering if she dialed the number wrong. “Is this the–”

[ ‘This is Jessica. How can I help you?’ ]

Jessica?

Jessica?

Jessica? Who’s…

Her eyes widened. 

Oh.

Now she recognizes the name. 

It was Steve’s mother – The woman she hasn’t met yet – The woman she’s “meeting” for the first time over the phone.

She swallows, nervously. “Oh, I-I’m… sorry. I was trying to get a hold of Steve.” She replies, feeling a bit awkward (and nervous?).

[ ‘Steven? And who are you to him?’ ]

Well she sounds lovely. She can hear the snobbishness in her tone, almost offended that someone was calling for her son. That’s a little weird.

“Um, I’m his girlfriend.” Nancy replies, trying to sound confident. “I was just wondering if he’s home? I haven’t seen him at school day and I’m a little worried.”

Then came the very long, very uncomfortable pause. For a second there she thought the mom hung up, it was so quiet.

[ ‘Girlfriend? That’s new. ]

“Did Steve not tell you about us?” Nancy asked, a bit hurt and a bit confused. He seemed so proud to show the whole school that they were dating, how come he never told his mother?

[ ‘What’s your name?’ ]

Skipping my question. I love it. “Um, Nancy. Nancy Wheeler, Ma’am.”

[ ‘Wheeler, you said?’ ]

“Um, yes.” Now she was puzzled even more. Was this a bad thing–

[ ‘That’s wonderful!’ ] 

Nancy blinks. “It… is?”

[ ‘My son’s dating a Wheeler! I almost can’t believe it.’ ]

And the woman was laughing with joy(?), which Nancy puts to the side. She just needs to get an answer to her own simple question. “That’s… wonderful, um… is Steve there?”

[ ‘No, he’s not. *Sigh* I swear if that boy’s skipping school, we’re going to have a problem.’ ]

And I think I just made everything worse. She straightens herself up, ready to end this. “Okay, Well… thanks, Mrs. Harrington, I’ll see if he’s maybe hiding out somewhere in the school.”

[ ‘Okay. Well, you have a good rest of your day, sweetheart.’ ]

Sweetheart? Nancy shakes her head again. “Thanks. You too.” She hangs up the phone. Well that was even weirder than the last one.

She crosses her arms, turning to head inside only her eyes to beeline to Carol and Tommy following someone closely – Tommy looking pissed off, especially. 

“What the heck?” She says, and hurries towards them.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hopper and his partner entered the library with an idea – an idea hanging on a very thin thread that is. So, he puts on his best smile and takes off his hat, strolling up to the woman at the desk. “Hey, Marissa. How you doin’?”

The librarian pursed her lips. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here.”

He blinks. “What?”

“You could have at least called, said, ‘Marissa! Hey, it’s not gonna work out. Sorry I wasted your time. I’m a dіck’.”

Oh, now he remembers. “Yep.” He said, agreeing immediately. “I’m sorry. Uh... Maybe we could go out again next week?” She, and even Powell, made a face at him that gave him his answer. He smacks his lips and looks around. “Newspapers? You guys got newspapers around here?”

Marissa nods and shows them where they all are. “We have the New York Times, the Post, all the big ones. Organized by year and topic. You can find the corresponding microfiche in the reading room.”

“Okay, we’re looking for anything on the Hawkins National Laboratory.”

“Well, shouldn’t you be looking for that missing kid?”

“Yeah. We are.” Hopper pushes, and adds, “So, why don’t you start with the Times, and we’ll check out the Post.”

She scoffs in disbelief and walks off, Powell stepping up with a look on his face. “The librarian?” He said, getting a shrug.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy sped up when she saw who they were stalking in the parking lot. Why would two people like Tommy and Carol go after a kid like Jonathan Byers? Nothing that went through her mind would give her that answer. When she got closer is when it got more intense. 

Tommy was practically manhandling Jonathan, yelling and trying to take his bag away from him. The eldest Wheeler sped up even more, full on running now.

She manages to step between the two of them, arms out in defense. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“This creep was spying on us last night!” Tommy said, pointing furiously. “Nicole says he was taking pictures of us by the pool.”

“I was looking for my brother.” Jonathan replies, holding his bag close.

“Bullshit. Now let me see.”

“Back off!”

Nancy steps in between them again. “Tommy, stop!” She yells, making him scoff.

“You’re defending this creep, Wheeler?” Carol asked, in disgust.

“First of all, you really going to believe what Nicole said? The girl’s like the boy who cried wolf.”

“Nancy–”

“Lastly, so what if he has photos of us at the pool? It wasn’t like we’re naked.”

“Naked or not, he still took pictures of us!” Tommy snaps, taking a step closer as she takes a step back.

“Pictures or not, he was looking for his brother–”

“How do you know, huh? How?”

“Because he’s been hanging out missing poster signs of him and missing school because he’s the big brother.” Nancy looks over her shoulder, locking eyes with Jonathan. “Go.” He hesitates. “Go, man!”

Not wasting another opportunity, he hustles off towards his car. Tommy tries to lunge towards him, but Nancy isn’t letting up.

“What the fuck, Nancy?!” Tommy shouted, and she chose to ignore him by walking away once she knew Jonathan wasn’t around. “Nancy!”

“Nancy, get back here!” Carol yelled.

“Nancy, you such a fucking princess! Wait until your boyfriend hears about this!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Dude, I can’t believe you did that!” Lucas said, as they bike away from the school. “You know Troy and James are not going to let that slide.”

“I don’t care!” Dustin says, bitterly (and if he could cross his arms right now he would). “I don’t like when people bad mouth my friends, bad mouth my sister! I mean, for Christ’s sake, she was giving Will a ride home. What’s so bad about that?”

He doesn’t care if James’s waiting tomorrow to give him a wedgie, or Troy’s fist plummeting into his face, he doesn’t care. Both Will and Phanie had their fair share of bullying themselves, or whispers of derogatory names and speeches – All because Will was the “quiet kid” and wears “colorful” clothing; All because his sister wasn’t a “girly-girl” and a total nerd. He’s heard that all throughout his life, and sometimes he said something, sometimes he stays silent when told too – He probably should have done that today.

But those… fucking bullies just had to poke him when he was the most stress. Stressed out with each day that none of them had come home.

Jeez, he’s either going to get scolded or praised by his mother if she finds out about that interaction. 

“And don’t even try to convince me to beg them for forgiveness. They don’t deserve it and I’m standing my ground.” Dustin adds, shutting his friend up. As they rode closer and closer to their houses, he frowned, worriedly.

I just hope El knows what she’s talking about. He just wants to find them both soon (Safe and sound would be a plus).

The boys continued to ride until they arrived at the power lines behind the Wheelers’ house. Mike shouted and told the girl to hope on, warning all of them they only had a few hours to pull this off.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce was standing in her kitchen with a cigarette when Chester started barking. She looks up to see the lights in the living room start flickering, and hurries in there. As soon as she entered they died down. Then, slowly the light directly above her activated, and then made a pathway to the other side of the room. Her fingers laced around them, and followed, ending up being directed at a bundle of them lying on the floor.

She rushes to take them in her hands, sitting down and taking a deep breath. It was now or never to find out if she was really losing her mind or not. She closes her eyes, and whispers,

“Will... are you here?”

There was a brief pause followed by the ball lighting up and fading. She chuckles in excitement, completely over the moon with fresh tears in her eyes. 

“Okay, good, good, good, good. Are you…” How should she do this? “Um, blink once for yes, twice for no. C-Can y-you do that for me, sweetie? Can you do–” The ball lights up again just once as she feels a tear run down her cheek and hugs the object.

She can feel it in her bones, in her heart now. She knows this is her baby boy. She knows that her son is still with her.

Joyce smiles and sniffles. “Oh, good boy. Good boy. Okay, Will, um–” Another deep breath. “Is… Is Stephanie with you too?” 

One blink. The girl who was kind enough to pick up her son is still with him despite all this time. She can finally put some of that guilt away now.

“That’s wonderful news.” She said, her expression growing bigger. However, this was going to be the hardest question yet to ask. “Baby, I need to know…” She swallows. “Are you guys alive?”

One blink and her heart skips a beat. She thanks any God who’s listening for this.

Her lip quivers as she follows up with, “Are you guys safe?”

Two blinks.

Her son and Stephanie were not okay.

Now, Joyce was shaking like a leaf as she clenched the lights tighter, her mind running a mile a minute on what she can do. What could she say that wouldn’t revert to playing twenty questions four times over?

“I need to know where to find you two, honey. Where... where are you? Can you... can you tell me where you are? Can you…” She chokes, her cheeks completely stained. “Please, baby. I need to find you. Tell me what to do. Please just... Will…”

She didn’t know how long she sat there and cried, wondering what she could do for her baby, for Steph; But at some point a light bulb idea appeared. She suddenly found herself stringing some lights on the wall over her couch, a row of three, before popping open a can of black paint and began brushing letters on.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“How do we get my mom’s attention when we can’t see what she’s done?” Will asked after hours of walking back to his home, he was disappointed to find that his house still looks the same. I guess their theory about earlier was right–

This world was stuck on the day he and Steph got kidnapped by the beast.

The oldest walked around a bit, thinking. Unfortunately, despite all the lights Joyce bought, they can’t see any of them. “Did she put it in your room, maybe?” Stephanie thought, and wandered inside.

Nothing. Of course. The only thing she saw that was possibly different was some scratch marks on the wall, ones that would be too high for a dog to do.

She swallows and leaves, meeting the boy in the hallway. “Did you have scratches on your wall before?” Will gives her a weird look and shakes his head. She hums. “We got to find those lights quickly. I think that monster’s been lurking around here.”

They found themselves back in the living room, and started moving their arms around, squinting too to see if something would appear. All hope was starting to seem lost until her hand hits an object above, a glowing hue appears for a split second.

“Whoa…” Will said, in awe, and suddenly, they both swore they heard a dog barking. “Chester?”

Steph took this as a sign to keep going, hitting the same spot again before gently moving her hand along the imaginary line. She trails to the little cabinet against the wall, feeling around until she hits something that makes light.

Come on, Ms. Byers. Please tell me you’re home. The two of them waited anxiously, waiting for the woman to speak, waiting for–

.

|| Will... are you here? ||

.

Joyce’s voice broke through, breaking them.

“Mom.” Will breaths, coming down to sit on his knees. “What do I–”

“Start feeling around. Just like I did.” Steph said, coming to sit next to him. He nods again, keeping calm and feels around – His fingers touching something that made the hue appear again. “Perfect. Just like that.”

.

|| Okay, good, good, good, good. ||

.

“See?” Steph says, happily. “It’s working.”

“Mom.” Will says again, smiling. Now, they just have to stay silent and listen.

.

|| Are you… Um, blink once for yes, twice for no. C-Can y-you do that for me, sweetie? Can you do– || 

.

Of course they can. So Will reaches out and touches it once.

.

|| Oh, good boy. Good boy. Okay, Will, um– Is… Is Stephanie with you too? ||

.

One touch. Will is eternally grateful that he’s not alone in this scary place. 

.

|| That’s wonderful news – Baby, I need to know… ||

.

There’s a pause, and they hold their breaths.

.

|| Are you guys alive? ||

.

Their hearts clenched at how painful she sounded. 

His poor mother. I can only imagine what she must feel like. Steph thought, and touched his shoulder, trying to give him some comfort.

He touches the air with a shaky hand, trying not to beat himself up over how much his mother was suffering.

.

|| Are you guys safe? ||

.

They frown, and he touches the air twice.

I’m sorry, Mom. Will says, trying not to picture the state she was in after that answer.

.

|| I need to know where to find you two, honey. Where... where are you? Can you... can you tell me where you are? Can you… Please, baby. I need to find you. Tell me what to do. Please just... Will… ||

.

“Mom?” He croaked, after she went silent. “Mom?”

“Ms. Byers?” She said, worriedly.

“Mom, please… where did you–”

Then they heard the couch scrap across the floor, hitting the wall, followed by the sounds of hammering. 

“What is she doing now?” He asks, both of them standing and hearing the string lights she must have in her hands clink together, and move along the wall. “Why is she hanging up more lights?”

Although he was puzzled, Stephanie was not. She walks over to the couch, getting onto the cushions and feeling around, the hues returning when she hits a certain spot. She laughs blissfully.

“Oh, your mom’s a genius.” Steph said, with a huge smile on her face.

Will gives her a look. “I don’t get it.”

“Watch closely. See–” She touches a line of lights near the ceiling. “Eight.” Then the middle. “Nine.” Then the bottom. “Nine. It makes twenty-six. Your mom’s a freaking genius.”

“Still not getting it.”

“Don’t you see? She didn’t just hang up more lights–” Her smile grows, and soon will his. “It’s an alphabet wall.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy wasn’t sure what she was going to do. First Steve doesn’t come into school, and now no one knows where Barb is. She decides to kill two birds with one stone after school, and takes a drive over to the Harrington house. A quick driveby shows that her boyfriend’s car wasn’t there, so she figures he must have just skipped school because of last night’s disagreement. As for her best friend though, she couldn’t have said the same thing.

She slows down and parks directly behind Barb’s car, jogging over and taking a peek inside. Everything was the same, Barb’s purse was on the floor board, and the sweater she changed out of was laid in the seat. 

No. No way. She couldn’t believe this. If Barb didn’t drive home last night then where was she? She tried to come up with excuses, tried to make up ideas that would lead to her coming home without her car but…

Nothing made sense. 

She about cried on the way home, on the verge of a breakdown as she thinks only but the worst of the worst. 

“Hey!” Her mother calls out as she enters the house. “You’re home early! How was the game?” When her mother notices how quiet she was, it is when she meets her daughter halfway. “Nancy? What’s the matter?”

“I-It’s Barb.” Nancy croaks, shaking. “I think... something happened. Something terrible.” She hopes she’s just over exaggerating, but she doesn’t know about that.

She can’t shake off this dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“I don’t know, Chief.” Powell begins, really on the fence about all that they read.

“What don’t you know?” Hopper asked, confused.

“This lady, Terry Ives, sounds like a real nut to me. Her kid was taken for LSD mind control experiments? She’s been discredited. Claim was thrown out–”

Hopper sighs. “Okay, forget about her. Take a look at this.” He slides over a newspaper clipping he printed out. The headline said: ‘MK ULTRA EXPOSED’. He points to a familiar face in the picture. “Dr. Martin Brenner.”

“Who?”

“Brenner. He runs Hawkins Lab.”

“Okay…”

Hopper sits back in his chair with disbelief and scoffs. “You don’t find that interesting?”

“Not really.” Powell said, with a shrug. “He was involved in some hippie crap back in the day, so what?” 

“No, this isn’t hippie crap. This is CIA-sanctioned research.”

“Doesn’t mean he had anything to do with our kids.”

“Come on. Look at that.” Hopper points to the other people in the picture. “Hospital gowns. All of ‘em. Now, that piece of fabric that the teacher found by the pipe. That sure looked like a hospital gown to me, huh? Am I wrong?”

“I don’t know, Chief.”

“Come on, man. Work with me here. I’m not saying that there’s some grand conspiracy–” (You sure about that?) “I’m just…” He sighs, exhausted. “I’m saying maybe something happened. Maybe Will and Stephanie were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they saw something that they shouldn’t have.”

Powell makes a face. “It’s a reach.”

“It’s a start.” 

Before more could be said, Powell’s radio goes off, and Callahan starts speaking.

[ ‘Hey, Powell, is the chief with you?’ ] 

Hopper wastes no time to reach over and take the radio off his partner’s shoulder, answering it, “Hopper here. What do you got?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The boys follow Eleven through the woods, the sun finally setting, slowly engulfing them in darkness if it wasn’t for the lights on their bikes. To everyone’s shock and confusion, she had brought them to a familiar place.

She turns around and faces them, replying, “Here.”

Mike gives her a look. “Yeah, this is where Will lives.”

“Hiding.”

He shakes his head. “No, no, this is where he lives. He’s missing from here. Understand?”

“What are we doing here?” Lucas asked, dropping his bike in annoyance. 

“She said he’s hiding here.”

“Um…” He looks around. “No!”

Now it was Dustin’s turn to look annoyed. “I swear, if we walked all the way out here for nothing–”

“That’s exactly what we did. I told you she didn’t know what the hell she was talking about!”

Mike sighs and looks at her. “Why did you bring us here?”

“Mike, don’t waste your time with her.” Lucas replies, fed up and tired.

“What do you want to do then?”

“Call the cops, like we should have done yesterday.”

“We are not calling the cops!” 

“Hey, guys?” Dustin says, something catching his attention. 

“What other choice do we have?” Lucas yells again. 

“Guys!” He snaps, drawing their attention to the police cars rushing by, followed by an ambulance. Their sirens were blaring loudly, and were heading in a direction they all knew where it led to.

A dreadful feeling came to all of them instantly. 

“Oh no…” Mike whispers.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Stephanie wrote on the wall with a marker the best she could, drawing the alphabet in each row. They couldn’t see the lights or the letters Joyce probably scribbled on too, but they could make do with what they had.

“This should probably help, right?” 

“Definitely.” Will agrees with a nod.

“Good.” She smacks her hands together. “Alright, come on Mrs. Byers, talk to us. Ask us some questions.”

“Come on, Mom.”

They waited and waited, until they finally heard her speak.

.

|| Okay. Okay, baby, talk to me. Talk to me. Where are you guys? ||

.

“What should we say?” Will asked, as he climbed onto the couch.

“Uh…” What could they say? “Here! Right Here. Tell her that.”

“Okay.”

Will Reached up and started touching right above each letter, listening – His mother repeating back whatever he touched.

.

|| ‘R’. Good, good, good, good. That’s good. Come on, come on. ‘I..  G... H... T... H... E... R... E…’.‘Right here’. ||

.

Stephanie frowns, worriedly. Yeah, I know it doesn’t make any sense but it’s true.

“Come on, Mom. Understand. Please.” Will begged, quietly.

.

|| ‘Right here’? I… I-I don’t know what that means. I need you to tell me what to do. What should I do? How do I get to you guys? How do I find you? What should I do? ||

.

“Um…” Will looks over at the teenager. “What should we tell her?”

Steph’s mouth opens and closes quickly. What do they tell her if they’re not even sure what this place is? “Fuck… um…” She scratches her head. “How about–”

. “I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING.” .

The vicious voice seemed to spread itself around the house like a disease making the hair on their necks stand, and a chill ran up their spines. And then all the supposed “dead” electricity started going off, turning the whole house into a light show; Radios and TVs started going frantic; Fans turning on and spinning around too.

Will starts looking around all disoriented. “Steph, what’s going on?” 

“I–” She gasps as she hears the infamous growl in the distance, then the sound of the beast trying to bust through the wall behind her. “Will!!”

The boy frantically writes something out of his mother, just as the monster’s claw broke through the house. Steph takes a quick shot to stun it enough for them to run out the back door – From there, they were off running into the forest.

Again. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce set the brush down, her alphabet wall was done and ready to use. She takes a few steps back so she can see the whole thing, and rubs her hands impatiently.

“Okay.” She breathes, mentally preparing herself. “Okay, baby, talk to me. Talk to me. Where are you guys?” It takes only a second for a letter to appear. “‘R’. Good, good, good, good. That’s good. Come on, come on. ‘I..  G... H... T... H... E... R... E…’.‘Right here’.”

What? 

That doesn’t make sense. What do they mean they’re right here?

“‘Right here’?” She says again, puzzled. “I… I-I don’t know what that means. I need you to tell me what to do. What should I do? How do I get to you guys? How do I find you? What should I do?”

She sees the light flicker again, and waits to see what they spell. Slight spoiler…

It was not what she expected them to say.

They were letters that were going to take her breath away.

R

U 

N 

And then all the lights in the house turned on and flickers rapidly, a sound of growling coming from behind. Scarcely, she turns to find something trying to crawl out of her wall. Terrified to even scream or speak, she starts to back away towards the door as a beast breaks through the wallpaper and hisses. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The boys biked faster and faster, trying to catch up to the emergency vehicles, fearing the worst was yet to come. Just like they suspected, they ended up right at Sattler Quarry.

Meanwhile, Hopper was shaking, praying that what Callahan told him was not true. He arrives at the scene to find paramedics going deep into the water, two stretchers trailing behind. He doesn’t even know if he parked the car or not as he rushes out; A terrible, terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He runs and blends into the crowd of firemen, waiting (im)patiently for their findings. 

“Oh, Jesus.” He mutters, trying so hard to keep his composure. “Oh, God. Please tell me it’s not the kids.”

The boys and El hid behind a truck, hearts in their throats as they watched as a waterlogged body of a boy was being loaded on the stretcher – soon followed by a larger female.

As soon as he saw the clothes, as soon as he saw the color of their hair, Hopper knew he was too late. Not wanting to break down right there and scream, he turns away and heads to his car. How in the world was he going to be able to tell Joyce and Claudia about this? How was he going to tell them that he failed to save their children after they begged him to? What could he have done differently to change this atrocious outcome?

The boys were shaking their heads from afar, not wanting to believe what they’re seeing. It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare. It has to be! They can’t really be–

“It can’t be them.” Mike choked, shaking his head. “It can’t be.”

“It’s Will and Steph.” Lucas says, lips quivering. Both boys were a mess, almost coming undone, but Dustin…

Oh, Dustin.

He felt like he was about to faint.

“Phanie…?” He whispers, taking a step back while holding his head. No. No. No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No– No! This can’t be real! This can’t be! She can’t be–

“It’s really them.” Lucas said, after getting another look once the bodies were brought back to shore. Tears were in his eyes, and they were ones he wasn’t even going to try to hide like he normally would.

Same thing goes with Mike, who was hugging himself, and sobbed. His best friend was gone. A girl that was like a sister to him was gone. He just couldn’t… wait. “Dustin?” He begins, looking over his friend who seemed so far away from this world.

It was a scary look, enough for even El to get scared and worried. She reached out to him, to comfort him; She even muttered his name for the first time.

To everyone’s surprise, he slaps her hand away.

“‘Dustin’? ‘Dustin’, what?!” He snaps, hatefully. “You were supposed to help us find them alive. You said my sister was alive?! Why did you lie to us?” He points at her, scaring her again. “What’s wrong with you? What is wrong with you?!” 

Eleven stays quiet, not even sure what to say from his outburst.

“Say something! Give me an answer, damn it!” He yells, as Lucas and Mike take a step closer.

“Dustin–” Mike tries, but the boy shakes his head and backs away.

“Screw this! Fuck everything!” Dustin turns around and grabs his bike, his friends ushering him to calm down before taking off. But whatever they say wasn’t going to be enough. The Henderson was practically up the hill when they finished their speech, and wasn’t planning on slowing down no matter what happens.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, not too far down the road, Joyce was running for her life – running whatever that thing was that crawled out of her wall. She was so scared that she didn’t even realize a car was coming towards her. Luckily, it stopped mere inches away, causing her to scream.

“Mom?” Jonathan says as he gets out. “Mom, what happened?” His mother couldn’t speak, only reaching out to grab her son and hold on to dear life. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I got you.” 

But everything is not okay. Far from it. 

Because in the distance, police were coming to inform them of the unfortunate news of their son and brother.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve slips through the sliding door in the back of his house since it was much quieter. He really didn’t feel like facing his parents just yet, and he knows this is around the time at night where they sit around with a glass of wine/beer and watch their shows. He’ll just see and deal with them in the morning, and hopefully they don’t notice any signs that there was a party last night.

He walks lightly across the floors, his mind set to go for the stairs which was going to be a bit tricky since they do tend to creak in some spots. A quick look into the living room he finds his dad on the couch, and his mother standing up but facing the opposite way. 

Perfect. He thought and made his move just as his mother’s voice broke through.

The black, wavy haired and brown eyed woman was pacing around a bit, clearly upset about something – or someone to be exact. 

“The boy was skipping school today, Richard. Can’t you believe that? How is suppose to keep up his grades?” 

Steve had to hold back from groaning as he eye rolled. Here she goes again. He chooses to ignore it, and is about to when he hears the next thing.

“If it wasn’t for his girlfriend calling we would have never known.”

He froze as soon as his foot touched one of the steps. Nancy called? 

His girlfriend actually called the house? She was actually calling because she was wondering where he was at? Even after their fight? He could smile because it warms his heart that she cares, but he was also devastated that his mother was the one to pick up the phone. He hasn’t even told–

“On the bright side, he’s dating a Wheeler. A Wheeler! You know what her father does for a living, right?” She chuckles with excitement. “It’s perfect. I can almost cry.”

And here comes another eyeroll. See this is why he didn’t bother mentioning this girlfriend this time around to his mother. He knew once she found out who her family was it was going to be a game changer. 

Jesus, Christ. He can’t wait to see what’s in store for him in the morning.

“Well, it beats the other choices he’s had in the past.” His father said, pouring salt into old wounds and making him shake his head.

These freaking people, man. I swear. Steve starts to go up the stairs when he hears another voice; This time it was on the TV.

. < In Other words– breaking news. The bodies of some local children, William Byers and Stephanie Henderson have been found. > .

He froze again, this time more rigid and cold.

No.

No, he didn’t just hear that right.

No, his mind’s just playing tricks on him because of last night…

Right?

. < The children have been missing since the 6th, and local authorities and it’s volunteers worked many hours to bring them home, only for it to end in a tragedy. >  .

“About fucking time.” Charles said, raising his beer with joy. “Damn weirdo. I guess our worries about her hanging out with our son again are put to rest.”

Jessica sighs with relief. “Thank God for that. I was tired of seeing her face everywhere.”

“Amen to that.”

He listened to his parents laugh, and clink their drinks together as the world started to spin around him.

No.

No.

This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t–

He’s not sure how much noise he made, or if he made any, but Steve was out the door again in a split second – running straight for his car where he’ll speed off to the unknown parts of Hawkins.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin stumbles inside his house, slamming the door with more force than necessary. Maybe it was necessary ‘cause it got his mother’s attention. She came from the other room, asking what’s going on as he stares at her with a red face and puffy eyes, cheeks stained with tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

“Dustin? What’s wrong?” 

He felt like something was wrapped around his vocal cords, and there was a knife sticking into his chest, and there was something hot poking at his lungs. He has to speak. He has to tell her. It’s better if she knows from his lips rather than a man in blue. 

“Dustin?” She tries again, getting closer.”

“M-Mom…” He begins, his whole body starting to tremble. “St-Stephanie… sh-she’s… she’s…” Oh, god. Why can’t he freaking say it?

“She’s what?” Claudia asked, worriedness creeping up onto her features.

“Sh-She’s… she’s gone.” He whispers into a sob. “Th-They found them both in… I-In the quarry.” Another sob. “Th-They’re b-both gone. M-Mom. St-Stephanie’s gone…”

And then his mother started to shake her head and said ‘No’, followed by Dustin’s reassurance. This went back and forth for who knows how long, but it ended with Claudia being in the same state as her son – a hobbling mess.

“I-It’s true…” He gasps. “I-I saw it my-myself. They’re r-really b-both gone.” And then he broke down again, this time in her arms. She holds him tight, trying to be the strong one here. 

“Shh, baby, we’ll get through this.” She soothes, rubbing the curls on the back of his neck. Her son grips onto her clothes, burying his head into her chest and lets out never ending gasps for air.

“Mommy…” He choked, as his ears picked up on the sirens in front of his house.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve’s surprised the gas pedal hasn’t gone through the floorboard yet with how much force he’s applying. He doesn’t even know where he’s going, doesn’t even know if he’s hit something, or runs a red light, but he does know that he’s not anywhere near the speed limit. 

The news story was still playing around in his head and it was certainly not helping the situation. 

. < From the looks of it, the poor children had plummeted into the quarry and ended up drowning with possible hypothermia. But the mystery still remains on why these two disappeared in the first place. Hopefully, the police can find the answer to that, and bring some closure to the grieving families. > < Hopefully so, Liz. I can only imagine what they’re going through right now. > < Everyone here at WCPK would like to give our condolences. And we advise everyone watching to give a moment of silence for the children. > .

Steve slams on the breaks, the wheels spinning and making an awful sound as he stops along one of the abandoned roads in the town. He starts breathing heavily, which slowly turns into panting. His heartbeat was in his ears, his throat tight and dry, his brown eyes starting to gloss over.

“Fuck…” He whispers, in disbelief. No matter how many times he thinks this is a dream, thinks that maybe they were wrong and it was two other kids they found, his guts tells him ‘No’ and ‘This is real’. 

“Fuck…” He says again, the pain was slowly turning into anger which eventually led to him banging on every surface in his car. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!”

Stephanie Henderson was dead. The girl he knew since five was dead. The girl he made promises with was dead. The girl who was there for him at his every low was dead. The girl who was the only one to make him really laugh and smile was dead.

The girl he had to give up to protect was dead.

Stephanie Henderson… The girl that was his friend.

No.

Screw that! 

He didn’t want to make that choice but he had to.

The girl that is, and will always be, his friend is dead.

She was just supposed to keep moving on in her life, she was just supposed to keep hating him until she completes her dreams. She was supposed to stay in Hawkins and pretend not to know him until her dream life opens up and whisks her away. 

She was supposed to be alive and safe. 

She wasn’t supposed to be dead at the bottom of a quarry with a boy she offered to protect.

Everything he did to make sure she lived was now pointless.

Now, tears rolled down his face, his hands trembling and his lower lip quivered. Every emotion he kept locked up from their old friendship had returned and it was eating him away, tearing him bit by bit, suffocating him till he turned blue.

He still couldn’t believe it. He wishes he could blink and reality would reveal it was just another dream. 

He knows it won’t be like that. It never will be. So instead…

.

.

.

.

Steve found himself screaming until his throat ran raw.

A/N: Did I emotionally destroy all of you enough? I apologize a bit if so...

~~~

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[sailorsenshishitposter]

Kento Nanami x Reader

Kento Nanami:

You love hard working men, your favorite thing in the world is bread and you would love to take a relaxing vacation trip if you had some time off.

First Date:

You exited the bakery, holding a fresh sandwich in your hand. You found a bench to sit down on and then nibbled some of the bread. You then began to notice some birds near you. "Hey little guys. I bet you're hungry." You broke off a piece of your sandwich. "Here. Take some." They happily chirped back, thankful for some crumbs. Everything was going fine until you noticed a young boy coming towards your way.

He was holding something. Some sort of stick maybe? He then began to try and swat the birds. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? STOP IT!" He continued to slash, smiling while doing so. Before you could do anything, someone had stopped him. It was a large blonde man. You couldn't help but blush from how attractive he was. 'He's more packed then the bakery...'

You then stopped your drooling as you noticed that he was yelling. "-and if you think about trying this again then I'll make sure to not only to inform you parents, but the police as well!" He then let go of the child and they dropped to the ground and scrambled off. "Pardon me, I didn't mean for you to see that. If you'll just excuse me." You grab his hand. "Wait! I'd like to ask you something actually. What do you think of meeting up at the bakery next time? Let me pay as thanks for saving those birds!"

You then learned the man was named Kento Nanami. You grew closer over the next few months and began to learn more about each other. He had left his previous job to start teaching. Adorable. Despite being stoic he was really just a big softie. You thought it was sweet that he cared for his students as they were his own.

One day you received the worst call imaginable. It was your boyfriend. All you knew was that there was a fire and that he was in critical condition. You made it to the hospital as fast as you could. He was in stable condition but his body had been badly burnt on one side and he had lost partial vision. The nurse then left the two of you alone. You would ask why she had stitches on her forehead but you were far more concerned about the man laying next to you.

You went to the untouched part of his face and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Don't worry. We'll get through this, I swear! I promise that we'll both go to Malaysia once you're in better condition!" Once he was stable enough, the two of you talked with some investigators. It turns out the arsonist was well known to the police but they had no leads on him yet. They showed you a photograph and asked if you recognized him. Nope. You would definitely notice someone if they went around looking like Frankenstein.

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

It was now six months later and Nanami was ready to be discharged. You helped push his wheelchair, understanding that this new way of life would not be an easy adjustment. You looked down at his face. "I'll always love you." He shed a few tears and you brushed them aside. You were definitely booking tickets to a five star hotel in Malaysia tonight.

Just as the two of you were crossing the road, a large vehicle came heading your way. "TRUCK KUUUUUUUN!!!" the driver shouted. Wait a minute. You recognized this guy. This was the asshole that did this to your boyfriend! He then began to sing. "GAS, GAS, GAS, I'M GONNA STEP ON THE GAS!"

You tried to react but it was now too late. Nanami pushed you out of the way, sacrificing himself. You survived but at what cost? You looked back in horror, only seeing Kento's lower remains and you began to sob. The man got out of the truck and looked directly at the reader. "I guess he's half the man he used to be! That's all folks!"

#shitpost #cursed #crack fic #jjk x you #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen #nanami kento #nanami x reader #jjk nanami #jjk kento #jjk #Don't worry Nanami fans #You can always latch onto Higuruma #I'm sure nothing bad happens to him #nurse kenjaku #But more of a cameo than anything #Mahito commits arson and you stay with Nanami in the hospital #all good things must come to an end and once discharged Nanamin is run over by Mahito #He sings initial d while doing it #I purposely picked this gif for Nanamin simps to click on

[vodika-vibes]

"Do you want to see them suffer? Do you want to make them bleed?" Chi-Chi ft. LEECHY – "Sit and wait"

___

Guess it might be called mystic!au. Exploring the ancient cult of Brother Deities, which includes thousands of one-faced gods, the reader gets the jackpot – an instruction for summoning Sev – cruel bloody deity. According to the text, summoning him might be dangerous to the one who performs the ritual, but what can the reader do with her explorer interest? The ritual demands the cow skull, red silk cloth, any form of fire and the blood of the virgin, luckily, reader is one. She doesn't really believe it's about to work, but here she is – Sev is in front of her, tall, athletic, wearing only the given cloth and skull. He's quite excited because noone called for him for centuries as the cult went forgotten.

Overwhelmed reader finds nothing better than asking an ancient powerful deity to become her boyfriend and take her virginity.

And maybe to fix some world problems using the might of the Brother Deities, but this can wait.

Hard To Kill

Summary: You’re a low ranking member of the ExploraCorps, a group of adventurers whose job it is to wander far and wide while looking for mystical items to help the Empire thrive. As a low ranking member, you spend most of your time alone. Your current mission, investigate the legends of the millions of the same faced gods, and determine if there is any truth to the stories.

Pairing: Clone Commando Sev x F!Reader

Word Count: 2851

Warnings: Smut

Prompt: Mystic AU - Reader is essentially Lara Croft.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: So, I'm not sure if I got the vibe you were going for, but I kind of really like this one. The idea is so clever. Thanks for your request!

When you were first assigned the mission of the same faced gods, you thought that it was a hazing ritual. Every new person to the ExploraCorps is assigned this myth. And every new person returns several months later with nothing to show for it, save for new scars and new nightmares.

Still, when your boss tells you that the case is yours, you don’t really have the option to say anything other than, “yes sir, thank you sir.”

So here you are, deep in the middle of a forest, following a half translated map to the place where a temple is supposed to be. 

Honestly, you don’t expect to find anything.

Surely, if there’s any truth to this legend someone else would have found it by now.

You duck under a fallen tree and climb over a large rock, before you glance at the map, and turn towards the river that you can hear but not see. You swing the beam from your flashlight across the ground, making sure that you’re not going to step on anything that might kill you, and then you start walking again.

All you have to do is go to the location where the temple is supposed to be. When the temple isn’t there, then you can call back to ExploraCorps HQ and tell them that the mission was a bust, and that you’re coming home.

You turn around a tree and stop as the forest comes to an abrupt end.

A man-made clearing, nothing in nature is this perfectly created after all, and there, in the middle, a massive temple. You glance at your map, and then up at the stone building, and then back at the map.

This can’t be right. According to the map, you’re still at least an hour walk away from the actual temple.

You absently bite your fingernail, as you consider your options, before you slide the map into your pack, and walk through the clearing to the temple.

The stone is covered in soft moss, which explains why no one would have seen it, even from above, though, as you reach the door, you note that it slides to the side with ease. As if it’s been used recently.

Though, as you peer into the small room (there’s no way that this is a ritual chamber, it’s far, far too small-) you can’t help but notice the cobwebs and that wild animals seem to have made this room their home. 

You make sure that the door won’t slide shut, and then you step into the room. The walls are covered with shelves, and all of the shelves are filled with tightly bound scrolls. 

You don’t dare touch them, depending on their age, they might very well crumble to dust if you try to touch them. So instead you just sweep the light from your flashlight across them and keep your distance.

However, on a pedestal in the center of the room, is a scroll. It’s already open, and you note that the scroll itself is still legible. You squint at the writing, slowly translating it as best as you can.

And then your breath catches in your throat. 

If you’re translating this right, this is a summoning ritual to summon a war deity. It’s a very clear list too. No room for mistranslations.

A cow skull. Easy, there’s one sitting on the shelf over there. It’s old, but a quick scan tells you that it’s in one piece.

A red silk cloth. Also easy, mother gave you a red silk scarf when you were chosen for the ExploraCorps, that should work alright.

Fire. Easiest of them all, a lighter is part of your survival pack.

Blood of a virgin. Well, you’re still a virgin, and your blood has never been used in a ritual before, so you have that covered regardless of what it means. Though, it doesn’t say how much blood is needed.

Lastly, on the list is the time of day. The summoning needs to be completed at midnight on a new moon. Slightly more problematic, on account that the new moon is still two weeks away. But, even so, that will give you enough time to read over this, and some of the sturdier looking scrolls, to prepare yourself for the summoning.

Technically, the rules indicate that low ranking members of the corps are not supposed to perform rituals. But, well, you’ve always been a proponent of asking for forgiveness is better than asking for permission. 

You sweep your gaze around the small room one more time, and then turn to head back outside. Policy dictates that you’re not supposed to sleep inside any of these old places because it’s not safe.

You hesitate at the door and look around one more time. Surely there won’t be any issue with you camping inside, just for the couple of weeks it’ll take for the new moon to arrive? Better to have some shelter, especially in a place like this, where the weather can be unpredictable and violent.

The idea rolls around your mind for a moment as you step out of the small building to go and grab your pack. You seriously consider your options for a moment, and then you turn back to the temple. It’s not like anyone will know.

Decision made, you head back inside and unpack your camp. A small camping stove, your sleeping bag, and the sleeping mat that makes sleeping on stone slightly more tolerable. And then you pick up the scroll with the summoning ritual on it, and you start reading it properly.

That night, as you lay on  your back in your sleeping bag, hovering on the edge of slumber, though not quite there yet, your mind drifts.

Once upon a time, there were multiple governments on this planet. One for each nation. Sometimes more than one for each nation. There was so much conflict and so much war.

And then Palpatine came. 

Over the years, he took more and more power, consolidating all of it in himself. And then he toppled the local governments, and named himself Emperor. 

Your father claims that Palpatine is doing a good thing, everyone has a job, everyone has money and food and medicine they need to survive. Everyone gets an education. Your father claims that Palpatine is a fine leader.

You’re not so sure.

You’ve known since you were a child that you were slated for the ExploraCorps. It was decided when you were six years old and were finally old enough to take the placement test. Your education has been geared to that since that day.

You learned history, and mysticism, and myths and legends. You learned languages and archeology and paleontology. You learned wayfinding, and how to survive when alone, and how to fight. You learned everything you needed to learn to thrive as a member of the ExploraCorps.

But you’ve also been privy to things that other people haven’t been.

You’ve seen the prison work camps, where people who disagree with Palpatine’s rule spend their lives slaving away. You’ve seen evidence of what happened to Palpatine’s political prisoners, men and women who were whisked away and starved and tortured and, ultimately, murdered. 

And you’ve heard rumors of Palpatine’s Gladiators, criminals who are forced to fight and kill for the Emperor’s amusement. 

Not to mention, the reason the ExploraCorps exists at all is sickening. It’s an open secret that you’re all looking for the secret to immortality for Palpatine. Or, barring that, some kind of mystical weapon that he can wield against the people.

Palpatine would see you all dead and enslaved. 

Your eyes flutter closed as sleep finally grips you. And you’re last thought before you drift off to sleep is that it’s stupid that Palpatine thinks he needs more power to enslave the planet's population. After all, you’re all already slaves.

Two weeks later, it’s finally time.

Over the two weeks, you’ve managed to read a small number of the scrolls, and you’ve managed to find the ritual circle. It makes a fair amount of sense that it’s located under the room that you’ve been sleeping in. 

The stairs had just been completely overgrown with vines and briars, which is why you didn’t see it right away.

You’re a little nervous about the summoning. There are so many ways that this can go wrong. Especially since you’ve since learned that you’re going to summon a bloody war deity. 

But, even so, your excitement is shoving the anxiety to the side. 

The thrill of the unknown, of learning and experiencing things that other people never would, it’s why you were chosen for the ExploraCorps in the first place. For all of Palpatine’s faults, and he has many, the career assignments worked in your favor. 

You shove the thoughts out of your head and slowly go about setting up the ritual. A fire, lit in the middle of the circle. The red silk scarf and cow’s skull sitting on the opposite side of the fire from you, and several drops of blood in a stone bowl that you found in the ritual room, and then proceeded to sterilize to hell and back again. 

Then you take several steps back, so you’re outside of the circle, and you lower your lighter to the oil filled divet in the ground. Fire spreads quickly, jumping high and blocking your sight, as the room fills with controlled flame.

For a moment, nothing happens. And then there’s a presence, something large and heavy, like a boulder on your chest, and then the weight is gone as suddenly as it appeared, and all of the fire goes out. 

You blink at the sudden, all encompassing, darkness and blindly grab for your lantern, flipping the switch to give you some light. 

The ritual chamber fills with the soft, warm, glow of your lamp, and once more, your breath catches in your throat.

It worked.

There, standing in the middle of the circle, is a man. Tall and broad, with dark skin and dark hair. He’s totally naked, save for the red scarf wrapped around his waist to protect his modesty, and he’s holding the skull in his hands. 

He turns his gaze to you, and you can’t help but notice that his eyes flicker with the orange of the flame used to summon him, before it settles into a deep brown color. 

“It has been many years since someone has summoned me,” He says, his voice low and gravelly as he steps out of the circle and advances on you. His dark eyes scan you, and you find yourself at a loss for words.

You weren’t expecting him to be handsome.

He reaches out and takes some of your hair between his fingers, “You are not one of the priests who normally summon me. I have no priestesses.” He finally says.

“I…” You nervously lick your lips, and you heat as his gaze drops to your lips, “I’m not a priestess. I’m a researcher.”

“Is that right?” His hand moves to lightly grip your chin, his skin is warm, “You summoned me, which makes you a priestess now.” He adds, amusement clear in his voice. “Whose blood did you use to summon me?”

“My own.”

He chuckles, the noise a pleasant rumble that gives you goosebumps, “Then you are definitely my priestess now.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.” You admit, honestly, “The scrolls weren’t clear.”

“They rarely are.” He releases your chin and lightly presses his hand against the base of your throat. 

He’s massive, it would be so easy for him to hurt you, to kill you. But strangely, you feel safe. Safer than you’ve ever felt before. You should push him away, call your boss, tell them that you found definitive proof of the same faced deities. But, looking up at him, you don’t want to. You don’t want to share him. “What’s your name?” You ask.

“Sev. My name is Sev.” His thumb brushes against the pulse point on your neck, and you hope that he doesn’t notice how rapidly your heart is racing. “And what should I call you, my pretty little priestess.”

You offer him your name freely, and he repeats your name with a reverence that makes you shiver. A shiver that Sev notices, based on a small smirk that crosses his face. 

“So tell me, my priestess,” there’s something deeply possessive in the way he refers to you as his, and you probably shouldn’t find it half as attractive as you do, “Why have you summoned me?”

The truth sits on the tip of your tongue. You almost tell him about the standing orders from Palpatine, about the reason for the ExploraCorps…but it’s not actually the truth, is it?

Because the truth is, if you were actually following orders, you never would have summoned him. You would have called your boss, and this whole area would be an ExploraCorps dig site.

But you didn’t do any of that.

“I…I’m lonely.” You whisper.

Sev’s hand moves from your throat to press against your cheek, “Well, I can help with that.” His lips are against yours before you can question what he means.

You submit to him immediately, parting your lips for him as he slides his tongue against your lips. He maps out the inside of your mouth with his tongue, and you moan into the kiss. 

Sev breaks the kiss, and he effortlessly lifts you into his arms, as though you weigh nothing. You can’t help the startled squeak as you fling your arms around his neck and hook your legs around his waist for balance. And then you gasp as you feel his erection brush against you. 

He walks you out of the ritual room, up the stairs and into the room that you’ve been living in for the last couple of weeks. Sev roughly pushes everything off of the stone table, and sits you on the edge, before he releases you. 

His dark eyes are glimmering with orange flame again, as he presses his thumb against your lips. Your gaze locks with his as you lightly lick his thumb. Someone the flame in his eyes burns brighter, and he presses his thumb into your mouth, pressing down on your tongue.

“My Priestess,” He murmurs, and then a growl escapes from his throat as you suck on this thumb. Sev rips his hand away from your face, hunger written into every line on his body, and tugs the red scarf away from his body, revealing his rock hard erection. “Strip. Now.”

You’ve never been one for orders, but you’ve never wanted to follow an order so badly in your entire life. With shaking hands, you tug off all of your clothes, pausing only when Sev’s large hands move to your chest to cup your breasts as soon as they’re exposed.

“Keep going,” Sev orders as he pinches your nipples, lightly at first, and then applying more and more pressure until you release a mewling little moan. But you are able to finish tugging your clothes off, until you’re totally bare in front of him. 

Immediately, one of his hands dips between your legs, zeroing in on your clit and applying enough pressure that your hips jerk towards him without your permission. Your hands fly to his forearms, just to have something to hold onto, to ground you.

“Mine,” Sev growls as he plunges two fingers deep into your pussy, “All mine. Mine to use. Mine to protect.” You release a cry of pleasure as he scissors his fingers, rolling your hips to try and pull him deeper. “My priestess.”

Just as you’re on the edge of your orgasm, he pulls his fingers out of you, and you release a cry of dismay. “Sev-” You’re almost in tears, “Please-”

“Shhh,” He coos as he kisses the crest of your cheek, “You’ll get what you deserve, my priestess.” Sev trails his lips to catch yours in a heated kiss, “After you give me what I want. And I want your pretty lips around my cock.”

You blink at him, and Sev smirks.

“Worship me on your knees, my perfect priestess, and I’ll give you everything you want.” Sev promises.

With his help, you get to your feet and sink to your knees. You wrap your hand around the base of his cock, and press a light kiss to the head of his weeping cock. 

“Good girl,” Sev murmurs, his praise washing through you and making you whine softly. “Patience, my priestess. I won’t leave you wanting.”

And you believe him, so you part your lips and take the head of his cock between your lips and suck gently. You feel his hand fist in your hair, not directing you, but holding you, reminding you that he’s there. And you relax into your actions.

Later. Later you’ll tell Sev about the state of the world. He’ll pass word onto his brothers. Later, the same faced deities will save everyone.

But that’s later.

For now there’s you and there’s him, and nothing else matters.

#star wars #tcw #star wars au #vodika-vibes 650 event #clone commando sev x reader #sev x reader #star wars fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #f!reader fic #18+ fic #nsft #mystic au #answered asks

[ecruvianfancontent]

How would Ford get kicked out instead of Stan?

So, a bit ago, @ckret2 posted an essay expressing frustration about the fandom portrayal of Filbrick. Filbrick is often characterized as violently and irredeemably abusive, whereas ckret2 cites some very convincing evidence that he was a well-meaning but authoritarian father - not a good dad, but not an evil person.

This discussion was prompted because ckret2 was considering an AU in which Ford never goes to college and ckret2 prefers the smallest possible change in AUs.

I wanted to link those posts because they have absolutely gotten me thinking about the subject. The following will make more sense if you've read that essay and this follow-up about Filbrick's regret over Stan's behavior. I accept the contents as canon for the purposes of this post.

(For completion's sake, the entire discussion was prompted by a Ford as a Trucker AU, but the following doesn't actually have anything to do with that.)

Let's make Ford the kind of person Filbrick would kick out of the house

Stan's eviction is the end result of many, many years of contention between Stan and Filbrick - an earnest last-ditch effort by a desperate father to get his delinquent son to shape up, and a decision he only made because he thought Stan was legitimately malicious. Most AUs in which Ford is kicked out instead of Stan will just rewrite the Science Fair scene so that Stan has more to lose than Ford. If we're talking "smallest possible change," though, I don't find that convincing. If Filbrick was an unpredictable maniac who's ready to ditch his kids at a moments notice? Yeah, fine, any small mistake by either one of them would work. But if Filbrick has been earnestly trying to be a good father, and just didn't feel like he was getting through? One mistake, even a big one, from his less troublesome son would be unlikely to prompt a disowning.

So, my question is: what "single small change" early in life would lead Stan and Ford to develop in a way that flipped Filbrick's expectations of them?

Personality traits and how they affect the relationships

Let's talk about Filbrick, Stanley, and Ford.

So, first of all: Filbrick wants is sons to be industrious, tough, honest, and hard-working. Those are the qualities that matter to him. He makes them box so that they'll be able to stand up for themselves and others. He fights with Stanley because Stanley is a thieving scam artist. He demands the kids be profitable and successful because that is a mark of success as an adult for him. If we assume that the twins were an unplanned pregnancy, then he also firmly believes in taking responsibility for your mistakes -- in owning up.

Stanley is a born liar. Like, even his playful and friendly interactions with his family involved good-natured lies. (He reminds me of one of my uncles, who was an avid prankster up until the time he went up against me, but that's a whole story that I won't get into here.) I think in order to be on Filbrick's good side, he'd have to prove that he was honest in his own way - for example, by defending people when it really mattered even at the expense of his own reputation, or by refusing to take advantage of someone who has wronged him. I don't think canon Stan would do either of those things for anyone except family, but canon Stan is also convinced that nothing he does will ever be good enough. His last, dying words were "I guess I was good for something." He never until that moment thought he was. We need to make sure that he earns some self-respect earlier in life.

Now we need to find a flaw in Ford to exacerbate to the scale Stan had in canon. This isn't really hard, honestly. Ford may have been the less troublesome kid in high school, but he is ruthlessly ambitious, and as an adult he will steal or destroy anything to get the results he wants. I think that the reason he was the less troublesome kid is because there really isn't a good way that a high schooler can be ambitious at the expense of the people around them on a scale that matters. The stakes are just too low. Maybe Ford put down his classmates to secure a win in a spelling bee or stole an answer key once or twice, but it's hard to imagine Filbrick caring about schoolkid drama. That said, if Ford did have an aspiration - a science project, for instance - that he became truly obsessed with, it's easy to imagine him stealing or breaking things to achieve it.

So, how would we make stealing and destroying things a pattern of behavior for Ford, instead of a single one-off mistake? And how would we make Stanley's good-heartedness and self-sacrificing nature something that is visible to his father and overwhelms his tendency to lie?

Oh, and one more thing:

The big fight didn't just happen because Ford lost something he wanted. The entire Tale of Two Stans is about two twins who are very close to each other when they're young drifting apart over time as their needs, ambitions, and hobbies begin to diverge.

How do we make this separation happen in a way that flips the script?

Ford as a more isolated kid

Ford has a one-track mind.

In order to make this alternate canon work, I want to isolate Stan and Ford from each other very quickly. Filbrick might not be violently abusive, but he does ignore the kids, and Ford is already isolated from his peers due to bullying and poor social skills. If Stan isn't spending all of his time with Ford, then Ford might become more and more withdrawn. I don't think he would even be unhappy! Maybe a little lonely, but he's a bright kid with varied interests, and he'd keep himself occupied. But he might get a little... unhinged.

My Ford sans Stan is a kid that gets into trouble. A lot of trouble. Way more trouble than parents should have to deal with.

He gets arrested for disassembling abandoned cars. He gets detention for melting things in the chemistry lab. He gets stitches and tetanus shots after climbing under bridges, or ends up in the burn ward because he stuck a fork in an outlet. (I knew multiple academically gifted children who did this, what is wrong with you guys.) He might make a weapon like a nail gun because he thinks it's cool, and while that wouldn't cause as many alarm bells in 1980 as in 2020, it gould get someone seriously hurt. And, moreover, no matter how many times he's yelled at or bailed out or suspended or has his privileges revoked, he just doesn't get it. He'll express genuine remorse every time, but Filbrick will stop believing him after a while because he never changes. He never changes because... well. Because he is incorrect about what's wrong.

This version of Ford is isolated from his peers and doesn't have his brother to entertain him, so he's extremely self-centered. He doesn't think about the consequences of his actions and he doesn't think about how they might affect others. Let's say he snuck into the chemistry lab after hours, did an experiment without adult supervision, and ended up catching a shelf on fire. When he is punished, he's contrite and apologetic. He earnest in his expression of grief. He feels horrible. You'll tell him what he did wrong, and he will say, "I know," and accept his punishment without complaint. But, if you were to actually ask him what he did wrong, the answer will be:

"I used the wrong solvent." Or, at best: "I wasn't careful enough."

Nothing about disrespect for property. Nothing about breaking the rules. Nothing that reflects the fact that he is a child using someone else's resources to try a dangerous experiment without permission or supervision.

I don't think the adults around him, least of all Filbrick, would notice the communication error. Filbrick isn't in the habit of asking young boys about their feelings. Even if they did notice it, I don't think they would handle it well; this is before modern mental health science, and it might actively frighten the adults around him to realize that he doesn't understand morality in the way the kids around him do.

I think that if we start with this version of Ford, it would be very, very easy for him to screw up so badly that Filbrick felt the need to kick him out.

Some ways we can reduce Stan's influence

Option One: Stan might actually be worse off.

Usually, these reverse AUs are about Stan being the golden child and Ford being the one who Filbrick has it out for. However, that doesn't necessarily have to happen in order for Ford to be the one who gets kicked out. If Stan gets caught (or framed) for a crime big enough to send him to juvie for a while, or for Filbrick to send him off to a reform school, Ford would be left alone for years - long enough for Ford to develop the habits I just described.

This AU would fit really well with the themes of canon, too. The show is about how, even though family has its ups and downs, we're better together than we are apart. If Stan is separated from Ford against his will, and the rest of the Pines live to regret it, we address that theme head-on.

In an AU where Stan goes to boarding school, juvie, or something like that, I personally think Stan would still love Ford dearly and do his best to support him. Ford would do his best to make his own way in the world after his falling out with his father, and Stan meets up with him whenever he can. They have their own lives but remain friends.

Option Two: The ever-so-beloved Sports Stan option! If Stan ends up in a successful hobby, it might keep him out of trouble enough to curb his more dishonest tendencies. If that's the case, Ford's isolation comes from Stan having more friends (teammates!), more extracurricular responsibilities, and possibly the kind of social life that keeps him busy during school hours. I figure that in this version, Stan might stand up for Ford getting bullied, and he would be listened to, because you don't fuck with the football team. That would leave Ford with neither friends nor enemies. Ford might hang out with the sports kids for a while, but it would be really awkward, since he's just Stan's brother and doesn't have much in common with these guys.

This version leaves Stan slightly less delinquent but otherwise the same as his canon counterpart. Sports keep him out of trouble, might get him a scholarship, but otherwise leave him pretty much intact.

My problem with both of these two options is that I feel like, for maximum effect, we need to isolate Ford in middle school or earlier - I think fifth grade would do it. Sports don't really get that serious until late middle school or high school, and it's hard for a ten-year-old to get in enough trouble to get sent away.

The sooner the twins begin to separate, the better for this narrative.

Option three: Boy Scouts (or something). In this version, Stanley doesn't just have a hobby he likes - he has a hobby that becomes a lifestyle. He joins a club or meets a mentor that has a profound impact on him as a person. This, I think, would be the biggest possible impact with the smallest possible change.

I'm going to use Boy Scouts as my example, even though I can't really imagine Stan joining a troop without Ford. Just know that this is a placeholder, and it could be anything: he might find a car repair shop with a kindly and avuncular war veteran mechanic, he might fall in with a volunteer group, et cetera. If we go with the boy scouts, though, here's what happens:

Stan is bored and frustrated and has too much energy as a prepubescent or barely pubescent kid. He ends up hanging out with some boy scouts, and they do things that he thinks are really cool. They're the first kids he meets who like boats as much as him, and they know all the rigging knots. Maybe one of them tells him all about how to take care of lizards, and that other kid knows how to light a fire using a flint.

He convinces his parents to let him join the troop. At first, he doesn't fit in at all. All of the other kids have been doing this since first grade, and he's bad at making friends. However, one of the troopmasters becomes a mentor to him: this man intentionally gives him attention, spends time with him, asks him about his interests, teaches him skills that he's missing, et cetera.

If you've ever been or known a young kid who didn't get enough attention and then, suddenly, met someone who made them feel included, you know what happens.

Stan would sell his soul for this guy.

Stan memorizes his handbook, he attends all the functions, he mentors the cubs, the whole shebang. I think Stan would have a blast, too. Boyscouts make up bullshit to tell the little kids constantly. They play pranks on each other and the troopmasters. They haze the new kids. The develop complex internal mythologies for their troops. They get up to all manner of ridiculous shenanigans, oftentimes with the help of knives, ropes and fire. Stan would love it.

By high school, he's working hard toward his Eagle Scout badge, and that means he isn't just attending troop functions. For those who have never been scouts, the whole program is supposed to be about leadership training. The Eagle Scout status is one you earn by doing a project of your own - usually some small but tangible improvement to your hometown, such as building some benches or making an improvement to a museum. So, in the Sports Stan version of events, Stan is busy because of regularly scheduled team sports; in the Scouts Stan version, he's spending a huge chunk of his own free time planning, fundraising for, and building his project.

But there's another thing at play here.

Boy Scouts have a strict code of honor. If Stan was a gung-ho boy scout, he would probably become exactly the kind of person Filbrick wants him to be.

And, well,

I think he'd also become judgemental as hell.

Yeah, he still loves his brother, but here Stan is living his best life and being a good citizen who contributes to society, while Ford's out there... drawing pictures of ghost he insists he saw? Reading about mermaids? Catching the chemistry lab on fire?

Like, seriously bro, you need to get a real hobby.

You know how by the end of high school, Ford was treating Stan as an immature and ignorant kid with no real aspirations who wasn't going to amount to anything in life? You know how Ford was so sickened by Stan's relative lack of ambition that he really believed that Stan would deliberately sabotage his science fair experiment just for a chance to hang out more?

Yeah.

Now imagine that reversed.

#I need to proofread this #Gravity Falls AU #Meta Analysis #Gravity falls #Stanley Pines #Filbrick Pines #Stanford Pines #Fan essay #AU discussion #Boy Scout Stanley Pines #My post