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mycurrent-hyperfixation · 2 years

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Take A Chance On Me - Chapter Four (Eddie Munson x Reader Series)

Series Summary: Corroded Coffin is lacking only one thing that could help them win the upcoming Battle of the Bands; original songs. So when a new band comes to town with a lead singer that looks all too familiar and a repertoire of original songs up their sleeves, Dustin concocts a plan that will get you to spill all of your songwriting secrets to Eddie. It’s just a few dates, right?

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Masterlist

Word Count: 7.0K

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Reader, Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, 10 Things I Hate About You AU

A/N: I have finally returned from the land of the shadow banned accounts so I am so so sorry for the unexpected hiatus in this fic! Firstly, my sincere apologises for the word count I literally just couldn’t bring myself to chop this chapter in half cause it would have felt way too disjointed. Do you guys mind big word counts or do you prefer smaller ones? Secondly, I just want to say a big thank you to all the constant people who comment on my works each week. I don’t respond to them since Tumblr won’t let me comment from my secondary account and I don’t want it to seem like I’m just some random person replying to all your comments, but I need you all to know that I literally combust with happiness whenever I get a single comment notification. Lastly, just so everyone knows I will be using more modern songs as the 'original' songs for this series but I'll always have the original artists at the bottom of the chapter. As always, I love and appreciate you all so much!

“Is there fuel in it?”

“Of course there’s fuel in it, Robin.”

“Just checking.”

You turned your attention back to the open bonnet of your car, hoping that even though you were quite useless when it came to the mechanics of motor vehicles, you would somehow be able to identify the problem. The sun was beating down harshly upon the back of your neck as Robin continued to stare over your shoulder, her presence both oddly calming and slightly agitating. Letting out a sigh, you turned your gaze away from the engine, bringing your hands up to rub at your weary eyes.

Everything had been fine only moments before. Everything had been working just as it was supposed to as you had leisurely made the turn out of Hawkins, Blondie blasting from the radio as Robin insisted on turning the volume up even further. It had begun as a sputtering, something that had mildly concerned you at first but which had mostly been drowned out by the music. But then the sputtering had turned into a quite visible cloud of steam emerging from your engine, the volume of the radio doing little to fix the problem this time.

“We’ll have to find a phone and call a tow truck,” you finally announced.

“But we’ll never make it to the competition in time!” Vicki protested from where her and Meg were lazing in the shade of the car’s shadow.

“Well, me staring at the engine isn’t making it any more fixed so we don’t really have any other options.”

“Maybe we can call a taxi and just leave the car here for now,” Meg offered, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at you.

“You want to take a taxi all the way to Fort Wayne? I can’t afford that,” Robin said, and by the way her breathing had begun to quicken as her figure stalked back and forth in front of you, it was made abundantly clear that she was panicking. “And we’re in the middle of nowhere! It’s going to take us ages to even find a phone and by then we’ll have probably died of heat stroke and nobody will even find our bodies because we’re in the middle of nowhere and-”

“Robin,” you said gently, grabbing onto her shoulders to hold her in place. “Nobody is dying of heat stroke, okay?” Robin nodded. “Now I’m pretty sure I saw an emergency phone a couple of miles back so I’m going to start walking and you guys stay with the car, okay?”

“Okay,” Robin said placidly, and it was only after several seconds that she finally seemed to register what you had actually said. “Wait, I’m not letting you go for a stroll down some deserted road by yourself!”

“I’ll be fine,” you laughed, beginning your walk in the direction you had just come from. You didn’t get very far before Robin appeared dutifully at your side, upkeeping her pace with yours as she rambled.

“But there’s probably creeps hiding in the bushes by the side of the road just waiting for people to walk past so they can kidnap them and take them back to their evil lairs and-”

The beginnings of a smile had begun to make their way up your features at the apparently untameable imagination of Robin Buckley. Her wild theories and preposterous scenarios could all feasibly come true, but it was the sheer theatrics and animation and Robin-ness in which her sentiments were delivered that had you stifling a laugh, altogether quite thankful that it was her that you had found yourself stuck next to on a deserted road.

But then your attention wavered away from Robin, captured instead by a black dot cresting the hill in the distance. It was faint at first, barely there at all so that for just a moment you wondered whether the Indiana sun was starting to get the better of you. But as it grew closer it also grew bigger until the unmistakable shape of a car came into view.

You watched as it meandered closer, it’s exterior black and its frame slightly larger than what you had expected; a van most likely, you thought to yourself, a van that looked oddly familiar. The sound blasting from the open windows reached you far before the van did; some concoction of drums, an electric guitar and what you assumed to be a man screaming into a microphone.

Faintly you realised that Robin had stopped rambling, her gaze now following yours. The both of you watched on as the van neared you, passed completely by, came to a screeching halt so that distinct tire marks were left on the road in its wake, and then swiftly reversed.

Eddie Munson smiled widely at you from the driver’s seat, an unlit cigarette perched between his lips.

“You ladies come here often?” he said with a grin.

You rolled your eyes and turned away in an attempt to hide your smile.

“Our car’s broken down, dingus,” Robin replied for you.

Dustin and Mike peered around Eddie from where they were sat in the driver’s seat. It was clear that they too were equally surprised at this sudden reunion. Dustin’s eyes went wide as his gaze connected with yours before he turned to look at Mike with a devilish grin.

“Oh, look at that, so it has,” Eddie said sarcastically. “I didn’t notice, what with all the beautiful ladies standing in front of it.”

“Are you going to help us, Munson, or are you going to let us stand out in the sun all day?” you asked.

“Well, since you asked so kindly, how can I refuse?” he said with a grin, pulling off to the side of the road. When he hopped from the driver’s seat the cigarette had migrated to sit behind his ear as he sauntered his way over towards you. “A gentleman like me could never refuse a couple of damsels in distress, anyway.”

“Who’s he calling a damsel?” Meg growled. Eddie flicked his gaze towards her with something close to fear behind his eyes.

“Let’s take a look then,” Eddie said, making his way over to the opened bonnet.

He peered inside, one of his arms coming to rest upon the frame of the car, the other reaching upwards to the opened bonnet as he leaned forwards. Parts of his hair dangled in front of his face as he studied the car’s interior, the pick that hung from a string around his neck swaying before him.

The image of Eddie Munson like this, standing so confidently whilst peering into your car’s engine, caught you wholeheartedly off guard. The shirt he was wearing had clearly been personally modified, the sleeves ripped clean off so that you were met with the unencumbered view of Eddie’s arms. There was the sight of the muscles in his forearms going taut as he leaned even further forwards. There were the tattoos that covered them, the dark ink a stark contrast to his pale skin. There were his hands—because of course there were always his stupidly attractive hands—gripping onto the lip of the car frame, his usual stack of silver rings still prominent upon each finger. You watched them as they worked, periodically leaving the rim of the car to tinker at something inside. They moved fluently, just as they had across the strings of his guitar that day at the Hideout so that you found yourself fixated upon them.

Suddenly your heart was racing and your stomach was fluttering and your breath was leaving you all at once. Your hands were shaking slightly and your mouth had gone completely dry and you began to wonder if maybe Robin had been right, maybe you did have heatstroke. Maybe you were seconds away from passing out and there was nobody but Eddie Munson there to catch you. But then the image of falling into Eddie’s firm chest, his bare arms catching you, flooded your mind and you found your symptoms only worsening.

“How do you know Eddie Munson?” Robin whispered to you, pulling you out of your reverie.

“Oh, um,” you began, hastily trying to compose yourself as a vibrant blush crept upwards to your cheeks. “I don’t really know. We went to school together and we just seem to keep running into each other, I suppose.”

“Uh-huh,” Robin replied, eyebrow quirked upwards.

“What-” you began, but before you could finish Eddie was turning around once more, wiping his hands on the bandana that was seemingly always hanging from his back pocket.

“I think it’s your cooling system. When was the last time you filled up your coolant?”

You continued to stare at Eddie, suddenly quite incapable of intelligent thought. Eddie chuckled slightly.

“When was the last time you serviced your car?” he asked instead, the small smirk that rested comfortably across his lips only making it harder for you to focus.

“Um,” you managed to say, wracking your brain for the answer to Eddie’s very simple question. “Not too long ago. Maybe a couple of months.”

“Hmm, they would have topped it up for you then and you shouldn’t have gone through that much by now. My guess is you’ve got a leak in the cooling system and the car’s overheated.”

“Is there anything you can do to fix it?” you questioned.

“Nope, I left my spare bottle of coolant at home, unfortunately.” There was that damned smirk again. “The car will probably start up again once it’s cooled down a bit but you’ll have to see a mechanic about the leak.”

“How long will that take?”

“Could be hours in this heat.”

“Hours?!” Robin burst out. “We’ll never make it to the competition in time!”

Eddie opened his mouth, but before he could utter any words Dustin was calling from the car, his head poking out of the opened window.

“Why don’t you ride with us?!”

“I was just about to suggest that, thank you, Henderson!” Eddie called back through gritted teeth.

“No problem!” Dustin called back, completely missing Eddie’s sarcasm.

“Are you sure?” you questioned. “There was an emergency phone a few miles back. I can just call us a taxi.”

“No, no, please, I insist,” Eddie continued, completely unsure as to how it was he had gotten so close to you. He didn’t pull away however, completely transfixed by the soft smile that you were directing up towards him. “It’ll be a bit cramped in the back with all of our equipment and all the boys, but I think we can all fit,” he said, flicking his gaze towards the ground as he brought one hand up to rub at the back of his head sheepishly.

A sigh of relief escaped from your lips.

“You’re my hero, Eddie Munson.” Eddie’s breath hitched in his throat. “For a second there I really didn’t think we were going to make it to the competition.”

“Well I couldn’t let that happen now, could I? Not when I have to beat you.”

You tilted your head back slightly as a laugh erupted from your throat. Eddie marvelled at the sight of it.

“Alright, ladies,” Eddie called to the rest of the girls. “Your chariot awaits.”

You rounded the side of your car, opening the boot before extracting the guitars that laid within, distributing them to their owners as you slung the case of your own around your shoulder. Eddie bowed lowly as you all passed by him, gesturing towards his van dramatically, catching for just a second the small smile that upturned your lips.

“Henderson! Wheeler!” Eddie yelled as he trailed behind the four of you. “Get in the back!”

“Aw, come on, man!” Mike whined before he was quite unceremoniously thrown from the van by Dustin who seemed all too eager to give up his seat. He winked at Eddie as he passed him, the gesture causing your eyebrows to furrow slightly in confusion.

Eddie flung the back doors open and, without a word, outstretched his hands towards you as you unslung your guitar from your shoulder and passed it to him. Your hands brushed for just a second as the instrument was transferred between you, and although the touch was fleeting it had your breath quickening nonetheless. Once all of the guitars were situated safely within the van, Eddie hopped back out and surveyed the vehicle with his hands placed upon his hips.

“Alright so we can fit two other people up front with me. And then if everyone else squishes we should be able to fit everyone else back here.”

“This doesn’t look very safe,” Robin said, her eyes scanning the back of the van and noticing it’s distinct lack of seatbelts.

“I’ll take the back,” Meg instantly volunteered. “I don’t trust these dweebs with my guitar,” she whispered to you as she hopped inside, causing a slight snicker to escape your throat.

“I’ll keep Meg company,” Vicki added, looking up towards Robin beside her. “You should feel safer in the front.”

A violent blush invaded Robin’s cheeks as Vicki entered the van. The sight of it had your snicker returning, Robin so completely love-struck that you had to drag her away to the passenger door.

“You hear that, Robin?” you began, opening the door before hopping inside. “Vicki wants to keep you safe,” you finished in a whisper.

“Oh, shut up, she was just being nice,” Robin responded, finally gaining control of her body once more as she squeezed in beside you.

The van was tightly compact, not just in the back where Dustin, Mike and Gareth were continuously fighting about the crowded conditions, but in the front as well as you had so quickly come to realise. You had shifted as far as you could against Robin who was currently cramped against the side door, but still it didn’t seem to make a difference; your other side was still firmly pressed up against Eddie’s.

He seemed unfazed by the contact as he drove, although in truth his heart was pounding violently within his chest as he tried against all hope to get his breathing under control. The wind rushed through his hair from the open window, the breeze slightly cooler than it had been before so that he could not quite understand why he seemed to be sweating so much. The music from the radio wafted lazily between you, the volume having been turned down to a far more respectable level.

“I’ve got some more cassettes in the glove box if you guys wanted to change the music,” Eddie said.

Robin leaned forwards, opening the glovebox before rifling through it, her face contorting into a look of disgust.

“Music, Munson. We need music,” Robin said.

“That is music, thank you very much, Buckley.”

“Just leave it, Robin,” you said with a laugh.

The rest of the ride was quiet, partly because Robin had found an ACDC cassette that she deemed tolerable but mostly because the boys had fallen asleep in the back at some point throughout the drive. You looked back to where Dustin’s head rested upon Mike’s shoulder, a sliver of drool falling from the taller boy’s mouth, a gentle smile finding its way onto your features at the sight. When you turned back around you could have sworn you saw Eddie’s gaze flick away from you, but then his eyes were seemingly fixated upon the road and you dispelled the thought from your mind.

But now with the silence lingering quite prominently around you as you only continued to grow closer and closer to the venue, you could feel the nerves that had wracked your body for the entire week slowly start to return. Your hands grew sweaty, your breaths coming out just a little shallower the further that you drove.

In the end, you only noticed the incessant bouncing of your leg when Eddie took one hand off of the steering wheel to place upon your knee. The touch surprised you, but you did not pull away. It was nice and it was warm and it was so very comforting as the skin of his palm connected with your own so that your nerves were soon forgotten as you slowly turned your gaze upwards towards Eddie. He was already looking at you, a soft smile placed across his lips.

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly, his gaze periodically flicking back to the road, his hand remaining upon your knee.

“Don’t worry, I always get like this,” you responded, offering him a small smile in return. “I’ll be fine once we get on stage.”

Eddie nodded, a short and yet comfortable silence lingering between you.

“Well if you need to get your mind off of it, I’m great at chatting,” Eddie added.

A soft chuckle left your lips.

“Thanks, Eddie,” you responded, your voice coming out as barely more than a whisper. Without realising it, you pulled yourself slightly further away from Robin.

And instead of focusing on what was to come—the crowds and the people and the judges—you instead pulled your focus to Eddie; so warm and so solid beside you. You focused on the way that his hand had still not left your knee, quite sure that he had forgotten that it was there, the skin of his palm warm against you, the cool metal of his rings a stark contrast. You focused on the way his hair lifted slightly in the breeze, on the way his finger tapped lightly upon the steering wheel to the beat of the music, on the soft smile that upturned his lips whenever he glanced back down towards you.

And it was nice.

It was so very nice that it terrified you.

---

In the span of a single second as the van rounded the corner and the venue finally came into view, your nerves returned all at once, hitting you with such force that you were quite certain that if Robin and Eddie did not have you squished between them you would have likely passed out. There was the venue with the sign above its door advertising the competition. There was the car park sprawled in front of it, filled to the brim. There was the line of people waiting to get inside; a line that was so long it had begun to wrap around the building.

“Oh my god, look at all those people!” Gareth exclaimed excitedly as he scrambled forwards to see out the windscreen better, earning him disgruntled groans from everyone else as he trampled over them.

“Oh my god, look at all those people,” you whispered, quite sure that you were mildly in shock. You could feel Eddie’s gaze as he turned to look down at you, his hand which had been fused to your knee the entire drive squeezing slightly in reassurance. Turning your head upwards, some of the pressure in your chest alleviated as the image of his smile came into focus.

Eddie pulled swiftly into the carpark, rounding the building until the stage door came into view. A few people, most with guitars strapped to their backs and cigarettes dangling from their lips, lingered by the door. As Eddie parked, his hand finally departed from your knee, leaving behind the cold absence of his touch that you found yourself missing more than you would have liked to admit.

As soon as the car was stationary the back doors flung open, Meg and Vicki eagerly putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the boys, Meg hugging her guitar protectively to her chest. You couldn’t help but laugh as you and Robin hopped down from your seats and rounded the van.

“I swear I was going to die of gas inhalation in there,” Meg began, taking large lungfuls of air.

“One of them would not stop farting,” Vicki elaborated. “And I’m positive it was Gareth.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” you said, reaching inside the van to extract yours and Robin’s guitars only to begin hastily retreating as soon as they were in your grasp. “Nope, never mind, that’s fowl.”

“Told you,” Meg said.

“You and Vicki can have the front seat on the way back then,” you responded.

“Oh, well I wouldn’t want to interrupt your alone time with Munson,” Meg teased.

“What?”

“You two were practically cuddling like the whole way there,” Vicki added.

A small blush began to creep up your neck as you turned away to hide it.

“Yeah, well that front seat isn’t as big as it looks. Robin and I were also practically cuddling the whole way there as well if you didn’t notice.”

“And I enjoyed every second of it,” Robin said with a smile.

Meg shrugged her shoulders, her features nonchalant. “Whatever you say.”

“I think the bassist is into me,” Gareth said in a hushed tone as the boys began unloading their things from the back of the van. Each of them looked up at Gareth, looked back towards Meg, and then burst out laughing.

“Sure buddy,” Jeff said with a look of pity evident upon his features.

“No, seriously,” Gareth tried again. “I was getting a real vibe from her in the van.”

The boys laughed again as Eddie locked up, slinging the case of his guitar gently across his shoulders as they each set off towards the venue. He looked back towards where you were enamoured in a conversation with your bandmates, wanting to linger until you caught up. But after catching Dustin’s eye at his hesitation and after the boy offered him a completely unsubtle wiggle of his eyebrows, Eddie turned on his heel and walked away with a roll of his eyes.

“So none of the boys struck your fancy then, Meg?” Robin questioned. You each watched as the boys began the walk over to the venue, following behind them.

Vicki let out a violent laugh that had Eddie looking back towards you. He flashed a smile when his eyes caught your own before returning back to his conversation.

“Gareth’s leg brushed up against hers once and she told him to move it or he’d lose it,” Vicki elaborated.

As the venue drew closer your nerves began to increase, so much so that you could barely register what the girls were saying anymore. The worker stationed outside of the stage door was tall and awfully intimidating so that you stuttered slightly when you told him the name of your band. Eddie had already disappeared inside, and you suddenly wished that he was still there, standing beside you, maybe with an arm around your waist to ground you.

The man took his time scanning his list, looking up periodically to glance over you and the other girls before shaking his head slightly. He didn’t try to hide his disdain, yet you so wished for him to at least just hurry up lest Meg—who was quite obviously seething beside you—say anything she shouldn’t.

In the end, he grunted in what you assumed was a begrudging admittance. You walked forwards, the darkness of the hallway disorientating at first, walking only a few steps before Meg’s voice filled your ears.

“Are you not going to tell us where to go?” Her voice was antagonistic and everyone, including the doorman, was well aware of that.

His voice came out as something close to a growl. “Green room’s down the hall.”

“Descriptive,” Meg said with a scoff before she followed you inside.

“Save the enemy making for the other bands, Meggy,” Robin said, slinging an arm around the girl.

The hallway was long, numerous doors branching off from it in a way that made you fear that one wrong turn might get you lost forever. You swallowed nervously, the dryness in your throat worsening as your hands gripped tightly to the strap of your guitar case.

But when you turned the corner, there Eddie Munson was, and everything for just a moment felt like it was going to be okay. The door to the green room was opened as you walked through, the room slightly smaller than you had been expecting considering how many other bands were squeezed inside. Most kept to themselves, talking to their bandmates or tuning their instruments. Eddie looked up from where he was unlocking his guitar case, a wide smile growing upon his lips.

“I was just about to come find you. Thought you might have gotten lost.”

You smiled back up at him, the racing of your heart easing slightly. But before you could respond, somebody else was talking over the low hum that filled the room.

“Sorry, ladies. Groupies aren’t allowed backstage.”

The smirk was the first thing you saw, so arrogant and pretentious and condescending that you instantly wished to wipe it from his face. The boy was tall as he sauntered towards you, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. He didn’t try to hide as his eyes raked over you, taking their time lingering across certain areas of your body so that your skin instantly began to crawl.

“We’re here to play, asshole,” you managed to respond, your voice coming out far more venomous than you had intended.

“Hmmm, that’s funny,” the boy continued, earning a few snickers from the boys that stood behind him: his bandmates, presumably. “I thought the standards for this comp were a lot higher. I guess they do have to fill some sort of diversity quota though.”

The group of boys behind him burst out laughing, one of them leaning forward to slap their ringleader on the shoulder encouragingly.

Two growls sounded from behind you. One you had heard only moments before and which undoubtedly belonged to Meg. The other was unfamiliar. Turning your head slightly, you found Eddie standing right behind you, his gaze murderous as he stared at the boy. Now that you had noticed him you couldn’t quite understand how you had failed to recognise his brooding presence, heat seeming to emanate from his skin that was now only separated from yours by a few inches.

The low hum of conversation that had filled the room had now ceased as every other band turned their attention towards you. And whilst you had been expecting to be one of the only girl bands within the competition, you were wholeheartedly surprised to find the room completely void of any other women.

“You talk a very big game for someone who’s going to get beat by a diversity quota then,” you said back.

And then you were walking away partly because the situation was in no way helping your nerves but mostly because you were quite scared of what would happen if you stayed. The looks in Meg’s and Eddie’s eyes when you turned around were so venomous and so hostile that you didn’t want to stick around to see what would happen should they become unleashed. So you grabbed Meg’s hand and linked your arm with Eddie’s and practically dragged them away to the corner of the room.

“Where’s a good place around here to hide a body?” Meg mumbled, her gaze still turned towards the boy as she allowed herself to be dragged.

“If we just get him to the van we can drive to the middle of nowhere and dump it,” Eddie responded.

The seriousness behind their tone had you slightly concerned.

“Just ignore him,” you said, physically grabbing Meg’s head and turning it away from where she was still staring. “He’s just trying to intimidate us. Plus his public display of assholery will just make it more embarrassing for him when he loses.”

“I agree,” Vicki spoke up.

“I have to say though,” Robin began. “’Diversity quota’ is kind of a cool name for a band, right?”

---

You were to be the last ones to perform because of course the world was so hellbent on prolonging your battle with your nerves. Your palms had begun sweating again and now your hands had begun to shake slightly so that the simple task of tuning your guitar had taken far longer than it should have.

Eddie and the rest of the boys had continued to stay by your side for the remainder of your wait within the green room, his dark eyes periodically glancing up towards you and offering a reassuring smile. Once or twice, when your breathing began to grow ragged or your sweating became worse, his hand would find the skin of your knee once more, the small squeeze that he would give somehow always managing to elicit a smile from you.

One by one the different bands shuffled out for their sets, and although you were yet to see the crowd, the deafening screams that would trickle down the hallway after every song never failed to knot your stomach. The rest of your band had left some time ago, opting instead to join the crowd and scope out the competition, most of the boys trickling out behind them. Eddie had stayed, although why you weren’t quite sure as he continued to turn the tuning pegs of his guitar even though you were certain it had been in tune for some time.

“Come and watch my set,” Eddie said into the silence that hung between you as you strummed half-heartedly at the guitar in your lap.

“Of course I will,” you responded with a small smile. “I’ll try distracting you from the crowd so you mess up.”

Eddie pulled his head back and barked out a laugh.

“And how will you do that exactly?”

“Well I’m hoping the sheer presence of my beauty is just going to do the trick. So like you’ll see me in the crowd and you’ll be so stunned that you’ll just drop your guitar or something.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” Eddie said, chuckling.

“If it doesn’t work I’ll be very disappointed. But then I can always resort to a cheeky flash, you know?”

Eddie barked out another laugh.

“I’m afraid if you do that Gareth and Jeff might just explode.”

“And you wouldn’t? I’m offended.”

Eddie was quite certain that in such a situation he would simply keel over and die, but he refrained from saying so, too busy admiring the smile upon your lips. It was wide, encompassing a large portion of your features so that he hoped it was a sign he was succeeding in distracting you if only briefly. Flashing his own smile, he jumped up from where he had been sitting and grabbed your hand in his as he pulled you upwards, guitar and all. You groaned slightly, helping him lift you in no way so that the ascent was slower than it needed to be. But when you finally stood up, for just a moment, you were held tightly to Eddie’s chest and the feel of him against you instantly had a raging heat rising from your neck as the two of you pulled away.

“Come on,” Eddie whined. “We’re on soon and I need my groupie in the crowd.”

“If you call me that again, Munson, I will shove your guitar so far up your-”

“Okay-okay,” Eddie hastily interjected, a large smile spreading across his lips.

---

The crowd was packed as you weaved your way through it, keeping your eyes fixated on the fiery redness of Vicki’s hair as you made your way towards her. Meg and Robin were by her side, each of them talking as Eddie’s band came on stage and began setting up their instruments.

“Look who finally joined us!” Robin screamed excitedly upon seeing you, one arm extending into a sideways hug as she pulled you in towards her.

“What kind of bands are we up against?” you questioned, your gaze wondering over to where Eddie was plugging his guitar into an amplifier.

“Some are such a snooze-fest,” Robin responded.

“They’ve mostly just been covers so far,” Vicki elaborated.

“Any originals?” you questioned.

Robin, Meg and Vicki shared a look, something you couldn’t quite decipher passing between them.

“What?” you questioned.

“Mr Welcoming from the green room did an original,” Robin said.

You couldn’t quite help the groan that left your lips as you begrudgingly asked, “Any good?”

“It was absolutely horrendous,” Robin immediately responded.

“It was alright,” Meg spoke up, earning another groan from you.

“But we’re still better!” Robin added.

You opened your mouth to respond but before you could Eddie was tapping the microphone, grasping the attention of everybody in the room. You could tell he was slightly nervous from the small falter in the smile he offered the crowd, but he still held himself tall and confident, something you instantly envied about him.

“Hello everyone. We are Corroded Coffin and this is Master of Puppets by Metallica.”

Your brows furrowed slightly, utterly shocked by their choice of song. That album had been out for little more than a month, and if you remembered correctly from when you had briefly played it during a shift, the title song of the album consisted of insanely fast and practically impossible chord progressions. You had been there when Eddie had purchased the album merely a few weeks ago; the memory of the interaction causing both a smile and an eruption of embarrassment to course through you. You couldn’t quite help but begin to worry.

When the song began, your breath seemed to leave you all at once as the room erupted with the sound of Eddie’s guitar. His hands were a blur as they danced across the strings, the sheer electricity behind his playing causing your heart to beat rapidly within your chest.

In the end you realised that your worry had been unwarranted, for they played the song masterfully. It was a good song choice, you had to admit, for its fast tempo and exhilarating combination of guitar and drums caused the crowd to erupt around you.

Your gaze was seemingly transfixed upon Eddie for the entirety of the set, your eyes flicking over Eddie’s form until they came to rest upon his arms; the curving of his muscles so oddly transfixing. And even though the crowd was quite dense and even though it was hard to see him all that clearly upon the stage, you still found your gaze hovering across each black mark that littered his skin, lingering slightly at each flex of his muscles.

And then of course your gaze flicked lower as Eddie’s fingers raced across each string, once again becoming mesmerised by their mastery of movement. When Eddie’s eyes finally found yours amongst the crowd, the smile that he flashed you made something constrict in your chest. And just as you were about to smile back, Eddie’s wide grin instantly dropped from his face just as you felt something touch at your waist. There was a breath now, so close to your ear that it sent shivers up your spine as you froze in place.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

It was the same guy from the green room. You could instantly tell from the condescension that seemed to drip from his every word. Without thinking, you instantly recoiled from him, whipping around and pushing him away from you, garnering the attention of the other girls.

“Don’t touch me,” you spat.

“Hey, I was just trying to be friendly,” he responded.

“Let’s just go,” Vicki whispered into your ear.

You so hated the idea of running, especially with that wide, toothy grin that you hated so much still fixed across his features. But then you heard it; the missed note. Whipping your head around you found Eddie’s gaze still glued to you, his face void of emotion yet his hands still moving across the strings. You could see the looks of panic within the eyes of Jeff, Gareth and Mike as they all looked towards Eddie, and you knew in that moment that you couldn’t continue to stand there within the crowd with this boy so close to you.

So you lifted one hand, upturned your middle finger and grabbed Vicki’s hand in your own partly because you didn’t want to lose the other’s in the crowd and partly because you needed it to stop shaking so badly. Your breathing seemed to ease the further away from the boy you got until finally the crowd dispersed and you were making your way backstage. Somewhere in the distance you registered the last few notes of the song being played, but then Eddie was before you as he rushed offstage, his eyes blown wide as he bent down slightly to inspect you.

“Are you okay?” he said, practically breathless.

“I’m fine,” you said, your smile becoming more genuine the longer you looked upon him.

“I’m gonna kill-”

“I’m fine,” you repeated. “Now I’ll just have someone to sing to.”

Eddie furrowed his brows, severely confused as Robin let out a loud laugh.

“He’s going to think you wrote it about him,” she said.

---

The stage lights were blinding as you stepped out of the shadows; the beating of your heart instantly increasing, your breathing becoming more ragged. You tried to smile, you really did, but you could feel it falter somewhat as your gaze came to focus on the crowd; all those eyes staring straight back at you. It had looked big when you had been among them, far bigger than the cramped space of the Hideout. But now, standing above them, the sea of eyes staring back at you seemed almost never-ending.

Gripping tightly to your guitar, the coolness of the metal soothing against your hands, you tried to turn your focus to the ground, instead concentrating on the multitude of wires that ran across the floor, careful to avoid them as you made your way across the stage. You refused to look up, focusing your attentions instead on setting up your amplifier and readjusting the microphone.

When everything was ready, you glanced back one last time to each girl. Robin and Vicki offered you wide smiles that eased your breathing somewhat and Meg gave a curt yet reassuring nod. With one last breath you turned your head back around, a wide smile plastered across your lips as you stared out at the crowd.

“Hello everyone,” you called, and the room responded with a round of cheers. You opened your mouth to continue, but before you could a loud wolf whistle erupted throughout the hall. The crowd laughed.

“This one is dedicated to all the boys out there who can’t take a hint,” you continued on trying to act unperturbed. Another round of cheers came from the crowd, this time sounder slightly more feminine. You smiled. “And let’s also dedicate it to whoever it was that whistled, although I’m guessing you don’t know how to take a hint either.”

The crowd erupted in more laughs this time and you couldn’t help your smile from growing.

“This one’s called You and Your Hand.”

You pressed your lips up against the microphone as Vicki begun the song. As soon as your fingers touched the strings of your guitar, it was almost as if the room disappeared. For just a moment it was simply you and your friends playing in the comfort of your garage; no crowd, no judges, no expectations.

“Check it out, going out on the late night

Looking tight, feeling nice, it’s a cockfight.”

As your eyes scanned the crowd, they found Eddie’s somewhere near the front. He was smiling widely at you, banging his head slightly along with the beat. You offered him a smile in return. But then your eyes were leaving his, instead coming to linger upon that same condescending grin that was still fixed in place.

“That’s when dickhead put his hands on me

But you see

I’m not here for your entertainment

You don’t really want to mess with me tonight.”

You revelled in the sight of the boy’s eyes going wide, one of his friends leaning in to whisper something in his ear that had him furrowing his brows. In that moment all of your nerves left you, a surge of confidence running through you that had your smile growing and your body dancing to the music. His grin, slowly but surely, dropped from his features, instead morphing into a scowl. The sight of it only had you smiling wider.

“Keep your drink just gimme the money

It’s just you and your hand tonight.”

In the crowd, Eddie had entered the room with the sole intent of connecting his fist with a smirking grin. But now, as he looked up at you dancing across the stage, he found himself altogether quite breathless and his mind altogether quite blank. You were staring at the boy as you sang—as you practically spat each word at him—and he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he would be able to follow your gaze to find the boy if he so wished. But then you were smiling and laughing and clearly having so much fun that Eddie found himself unable to move forwards.

“In the corner with your boys you bet up five bucks

To get the girl that just walked in, but she thinks you suck

We didn’t get all dressed up just for you to see

So quit spilling your drinks on me.”

Eddie couldn’t quite help the laugh that escaped from his throat. And because it was so abundantly clear to everybody in the room that you were singing to a particular person—not that you were trying to hide the fact whatsoever—slowly, every gaze in the room turned towards the boy. His smirk was wiped from his face now, a venomous glare in his eyes that he directed up towards you and as you simply continued to smile back.

“You know who you are,

High-fivin, talkin shit but you’re going home alone, aren’t ya?”

When the cheer erupted from the crowd the boy finally begun to make his escape, an embarrassed scowl covering his features as he tried to push his way through the throngs of people that surrounded him. And you only continued to smile and dance as he left, completely consumed in the song now.

When the boy had left and the song was coming to a close, your eyes scanned the crowd once more before coming to rest upon Eddie. And for just a moment, as you smiled so widely down at him, Eddie could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat.

---

Songs Used:

- Master of Puppets by Metallica

- U + Ur Hand by Pink

---

Taglist:

@alicetweven @theh3aven @manamitoyota @mimiluvsualot @cherrypieyourface @kaqua @c0untryclub @goldencherriess @emotionaldreamer @givemethesleep @milkiane @miscreantsnopossoms @legendaryfestsoul-blog

Series Taglist:

@grungegrrrl @thirddeadlysin @boomitsallie1 @renaroo123 @wordsthatwaterflowersinyoursoul @annnnn91 @bakugouswh0r3 @aivilovio @wannabewiedzma

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson fluff #stranger things #stranger things s4 #stranger things season 4 #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x female reader #steve harrington #dustin henderson #joseph quinn #Joe Quinn

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nartnaillil · 1 year

Text

TEKNISK MUSEUM - Uke 1 - Idefase

Vi fikk en oppgave i samarbeid med Teknisk museum til å designe en opplevelse som skal skape engasjement for tema energi !! Spesefikt til ungdommen. Opplevelsen skal foregå før og etter museumsbesøket. Under ser du en liste med 10 ideer for oppgaven: 1) Brettspill

2) Interaktiv kunst

3) Aktivitetsdag - energi tema

4) Orientering - energi tema

5) Usikker fremtid - app

6) Brettspill x energiutfordringer

7) Designe fremtid

8) Quiz

9) Spørsmålsboks

10) Byggeutfordringer Favorittene innenfor gruppa: Chaumiya, Jimmy, Jonas og meg, var brettspill, interaktiv kunst, og fremtids design. Vi snakket rundt i gruppe om hva man var engasjert for da man selv var ungdom, og innså fort at "minimum effort" var nøkkelordet, og noe man ikke måtte sitte å pugge for å engasjere seg. Videre om det i prototypefasen :))

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imadeablogforart · 3 years

Photo

Fifth entry for @rfweeks UNLEASH THE GAYS event.

Thursday, February 25th, 2021: Cold / Grey

It’s pretty cold out these days. Might want to let someone borrow your jacket...

Porco thought it would be a lovely idea for his kids to bring their significant other to the restaurant for a double date. Some home cooked hot meals would be just the right mood setter for a cold winter evening.

#RFGayAgenda #look i can either do memes or angst #this is a perfect meme for them #WHAT DID YOU EXPECT FROM ME #gay #lesbian #rune factory #rune factory 4 #pride #doug x dylas #dylas x doug #rf4 #meg x forte #forte x meg #forte rf4 #meg rf4 #doug rf4 #dylas rf4

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avenger-concerto · 5 years

Text

Operation Knight Song (RFSS2018)

Heya @invaderpig I’m your Secret Santa for 2018. I want to extend my deepest apologies for posting this so late. The Holidays got hectic as hell for me back in December along with other priorities coupled with post-Holiday slump. I managed to finish this ficlet though. I had a blast working on this one. I’ve never done Doug x Frey in any fan RF4 work so I hope I captured their dynamic finely.

Wishing you a late Happy Holidays and a Happy new Year! Once more, I would like to thank @runefactorysecretsanta for hosting this event. This is my third time in a row participating and I love how it brings the RF community together.

Title: Operation Knight Song

Genre(s): Slice of life, romance, fluff, comedy, some drama

Pairings / ships: Doug x Frey and Margaret / Meg x Forte

Rating: T (13 and up) - mild profanity, some innuendos / suggestive jokes but nothing extreme.

Summary: During the Night of Holies in Selphia, Doug and Frey help Forte confess to the love of her life in a group outing.

Word count: 3813 words.

It was the snowy and star-lit evening of Winter the 24th in the independent town of Selphia. More specifically, it was the eve which preceded Christmas day: the Night of Holies.

Usually, it was tradition for the natives of Norad and by extension Selphia to celebrate the evening in peaceful solace and tranquility. In addition, it was known as a night perfect for romantic rendezvous and evening dates. It was all the more true for the Night of Holies this particular year.

Within the grand halls of Selphia Castle, the princess and her first man hurriedly prepared for what the former codenamed as “Operation Knight Song”.

“Doug, we’re going to be late. C’mon you’re taking too long! They might have arrived at the plaza already…”

“Hold on, dear. Ngh, this jacket’s too huge! I have no idea what size Volkanon picked out but it’s taking me longer than usual to…”

“Ok, less complaining, more moving or we’re gonna be late. We don’t want to keep them waiting, right?”

“Wait dear, I’m finished!!”

In a frenzied but enthusiastic rush, Princess Frey’s husband: Doug, descended from the 2nd floor of their living area with a pair of black pants, brown snowboots and a crimson colored jacket. Despite his previous complaints, it turns out the jacket was just about the right size as shown through his satisfied grin.

“Well, how do I look?” the red-head dwarf asked between gasping breaths.

“You look fantastic!” Frey chirped with a smiled as she clapped her hands together. “What do you think of mine now? Dolce and Clorica helped pick this out for me the other day. We had it custom tailored and ordered from Norad’s capital.”

Doug took another look at his wife’s snow-friendly attire which consisted of a beautiful black coat accompanied by an emerald coloured Wooly fur snow cap with both pieces complimented by an illustrious snow white scarf. For the evening, Frey had also undid her twin-tails, letting her long and beautiful emerald hair down.

“Stunning, I dunno what else to say.” Doug widened his eyes while his lips formed what could easily be described as a dreamy yet flustered smile.

“Hoooooh? Flirting this early on in the Night of Holies?” Frey snickered as she motion towards her husband, clinging onto his arm playfully. “I guess you are desperate for a spot within Santa’s Naughty List.”

“Gahhh, cut it out!” Doug yelped, his objections contradicting his now reddened cheeks. “N-not that I mind but not this early either, h-haha…”

“This blockhead,” Frey whimsically thought, “Wonder how we’re gonna have kids at this rate?”

Doug spoke, “So uh, what about Ventuswill?”

“She’s fast asleep.” she informed her husband, “I had Clorica and Vishnal prepare her a cup of hot milk and a serving of pancakes. Venti wanted to go to bed early so she wouldn’t wake up late and miss the Christmas festivities.”

“Alright! Now that’s all settled…Let’s head out then, shall we?” Doug smiled coolly, extending his hand out.

Frey giggled slightly as she took her husband by the hand. “Of course. As the high princess of Selphia, Operation Knight Song will not fail!”

For the sake of some yuletide context in this given Night of Holies and by extension “Operation Knight Song”, it is commonly well known in Selphia that there were two individuals who helped push the princess together with the hotheaded dwarf shopkeep of the general store. The honour went to none other than Margaret or by her nickname: Meg, the gentle elf musician of Porcoline’s Kitchen and Forte, the dashing and valiant head knight of the town.

Meg acted as a wingwoman of sorts to her close friend Frey and it was Forte who was always there to convince Doug to get his act together when it mattered the most. They’ve both remained strong family friends to Selphia’s royal couple ever since.

Of course, there is much more to this story and Frey herself knew it very well. Throughout this all Meg and Forte remained close friends. Relegating the overall feeling to “friendship” was a massive underestimation, so to speak. In reality…

“Forte, Meg! We’re here!” Frey excitingly called out as she and her husband approached the two figures waiting outside on the snowy centre of Selphia plaza.

“Good evening you two!” Margaret waved her hand and approached the couple, giving Frey an affectionate hug afterwards. “Ohmigosh, you both look so adorable!”

“Awwwww, thank you!” Frey squeed in delight. “You’re looking stylish too Meg. Same goes to you, Forte!”

“N-no, I’m not in need for any compliment whatsoever…” the blonde and tall knight mumbled. “I just put on a new cape that Kiel bought me. If anything, Meg looks so much better.”

Margaret wore her usual outfit but this time adorned with an azure mantle cloak, a kind of fashion that was common in the Nation of Elves as well as a checkered scarf which Forte had given her as a birthday present earlier in the year.

Forte had her usual armour equipped with additional protection from the winter evening including the aforementioned new cape which her younger brother had given her as a present. Outing or not, a knight had to remain prepared for anything. Whether it would be against monsters, immediate threats…or confessing to the love of her life.

“Great, then we’re all gearing to go.” Frey raised her fist into the air. “Onward to the observatory!”

“Hey, be careful or you’re going to trip!” Doug called out as his energetic spouse went on ahead. “Honestly, some things never change…”

“You seem rather excited yourself.” Forte commented with a half-smile on her face. “Not as enthusiastic as Frey but still.”

“Yeah, yeah yeah…So, you’re ready for this?” the dwarf gazed at the knight whose cheeks became flushed with pink not soon after. “I mean, you can do it any other time of the year but if you want to leave a lasting impression, it’s now or never.”

“Um, I know that!” Forte answered with a determined voice.

“What do you know exactly, Forte?” Meg curiously tapped her on the shoulders, resulting in a brief but alarmed shriek.

“M-MEG?! UHHH NOTHING!! WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Just about how we should enjoy the Night of Holies b-because it only comes once a year. Yeah, it’s like that.”

“Well, best we get a move on. The snow might stop at any moment and I want to bask in this blissful scenery as much as possible. I saw Frey rush past your house already.” Meg stated while pointing to the western-most exit of the plaza.

“R-right…” Forte nodded as she followed Margaret down the steps leading to the town’s western residential district.

Doug was left alone in his thoughts for the time being. “Man, I know Frey wants to thank them for everything they’ve done for both of us but…this is something out of a romcom novel that Granny Blossom keeps inside her old shelves.”

Frey’s eccentrically named plan, “Operation Knight Song” had one and only one singular goal: successfully get Forte to ask Meg out. This wasn’t anything platonic or familial either.

Another piece of information that was common to most of the town’s inner circle was that Forte being madly in love for Selphia’s star musician, Margaret.

As a knight, romance or intimacy was not within her scope of immediate prioritization. Those never crossed her mind as much as it did for the other girls in town especially during their seasonal sleep over gatherings.

Yet Margaret came into Forte’s life and ever since then her existence alone did just about everything to question the knight’s supposed heterosexuality.

There are numerous reasons as to how the elven musician had stolen the knight’s heart but even then she couldn’t list all of them properly without breaking down into an awkward, stuttering and anxious mess. Meg was resourceful, hardworking, beautiful, compassionate, charismatic, somewhat of a dorky odd-ball, both shared some latent fear of phantoms (Pico was the prime exception) and Forte’s mental list could go on and on.

Forte was content simply just remaining close friends with the musician but as the months and years went by it became clear that she couldn’t deny her own feelings any further.

It started out with simpler things such as her regular compliments towards Meg becoming more frequent in nature. It was followed with other small instances such as their hands brushing against each other by accident on several occasions or noticing the aromatic scent of her hair on a more regular basis. Afterwards, it all escalated to much greater physical contact such as sitting awkwardly as Meg fell asleep next to her on the bench during one late afternoon after work.

It reached an apex when the musician casually kiss the knight on the cheek during her birthday. All Frey and Doug could recall was that Forte was reduced to a stuttering, flustered mess that same day.

A few weeks later, the knight confided with the royal couple that she could no longer deny the feelings she’s harboured for Meg and declared her resolved intention to confess.

Needless to say, Frey 100% supported the proposition alongside her husband, even if the latter wasn’t too enthusiastic about lowkey stalking their Night of Holies date in the guise of a group outing.

Doug sighed and hurried to catch up with the rest of the group. Even if he wanted to, it was too late to turn back now.

Within the top floor of the windmill observatory’s interior, Doug had finally caught up as his wife handed out the hot beverages and snacks she had prepared for them all prior to leaving.

“I brought along some hot cocoa and choco cookies.” Frey pulled out four heated thermos containers and a plate of chocolate chip-cookies from her picnic basket. “I have a few bottles of Prelude to Love in here too that I brewed up during these past few days if you’d like some later tonight Meg.”

“That would be lovely, thanks!” Meg cheerfully replied.

“Doug and I are gonna go head down now.” Frey announced suddenly, “Oops, you see…uhhh…turns out I forgot a few extra cloaks and blankets, incase for when it gets colder tonight…Y-yeah.”

“Wait, we just got up here!” Doug stuttered in an alarmed fashion. “Also, I brought us some blankets and cloaks in my bag…AGH.”

Frey interrupted her husband’s objections by playfully pinching him on his bottom. He played along as a result. “Uhhh, I mean yeah. I totally forgot them. H-haha, oops.”

“We’ll be right back in a jiffy, ok? I left the hot drinks and cookies near the benches next to the outer entry. Help yourselves!” Frey playfully declared as she and Doug descended down the stairs.

Forte sighed. She knew very well that the entire thing was a copout ruse to make sure she and Meg were alone. She appreciated the sentiment but wished as well that the couple didn’t have to sacrifice a part of their romantic evening to help her confess the feelings she’s held for so long towards the beautiful elven musician who stood nearby.

“Ahem. Ummm, mind if we step outside? I want to take a good look at view right now.” Forte somewhat nervously proposed.

“Hmm? Sure thing. The snowy evening view probably goes great with the hot cocoa.”

“So easily. What about your fear of heights, Meg?”

Meg giggled lightly and responded, “Why would I be worried about that? Especially when I have you by my side?”

Forte couldn’t help but melt internally and smile at the sentiment. She extended her arm out towards Meg, offering her hand. “Well then, shall we?”

“Wowwww!!” Meg gasped in delight. As they walked into the exterior viewing balcony of the observatory, the sight of a tranquil snowy evening glittered with the night sky’s stars awaited them both. “I’ve been to this observatory countless of times but the view’s always amazing…”

“And to think you were afraid of coming here, let alone of setting foot into the observatory’s top floor because of your fear of heights…” Forte teased slightly and continued. “…I’m glad you’re enjoying the view these days.”

“Uh huh…” Meg nodded enthusiastically while she opened up her drink. Taking a light sip, she sighed happily. “Ahhh, this is heaven. I’m not big of a chocolate lover as much as Dolce but this alongside he winter evening is pure utter bliss…”

“Indeed,” Forte agreed, taking small sips of her hot cocoa while her gaze was transfixed between both the view and at Meg herself. “This reminds me of my childhood…Our parents always used to make us hot cocoa on winter evenings. My mother was practically a master at the craft and it was one of the many things that warmed our father up after his snowy evening patrols…”

“Forte…”

“They’re both gone now. However, what isn’t are the memories they left behind for Kiel and I. For that reason…I want to keep living on, protecting those I hold dear and…well, continue to make even happier memories with the people I care for.” Forte uttered the last part out with a faint blush.

“Awwwww, that’s so sweet…” Margaret softly said, hugging the knight from the side. The surprise was almost enough to let her drop the hot cocoa she had been handling finely.

“EEEEEK!! M-meg…please.” Forte staggered, “I could have spilled something hot on either of us… be more careful…”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” she laughed gingerly, breaking the hug. “I really am happy though…to be here. Happy to be with you all…that’s all.”

“Hmmm? Is something the matter?”

“Well, just that…When I first came to Selphia, truth to be told: I was afraid. Porcoline had recently taken me under his wing at the time…I knew nobody in town. I wasn’t sure if I could open my heart up so easily. Especially somewhere so far away from home…Then I met you, Lumie, Venti, Dylas, Arthur, Frey and everyone…I fell in love with this town soon afterwards. It’s far from my birthplace but…Selphia’s my home. I wouldn’t have it any other way and…I’m just so thankful to be here with you all.”

“Meg…”

Meg sighed trying to shake away what was a bittersweet smile on her lips just moments ago, “…Sorry, I got over sentimental again. Winter evenings like this remind me of my homeland a bit, I couldn’t help it. Anyways, why don’t I play us a song?”

Now was the time, Forte realized.

“Uhhh Meg…look…I…there’s something I need to…uh, well…”

“Huh? You want me to play a Christmas song? Ok, I’ll think…Silent Night or Jingle Bells…I want to see how it works on my harp…”

“No, that’s not it, I wanted to say that…um…”

“Wait, neither of those songs? Well, I’ll just play us Joy to the World and…”

Forte bit her lip in frustration. Her thoughts raced insanely as her heartbeat rose sharply. “Forte, it’s now or never.”

“I got it! I’ll go play us Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, that was a classic my old teacher taught me…”

“Meg, please listen to me: I love you.”

“...Huh?”

As the knight uttered those very words from her lips, it’s almost as if time itself had stopped in its tracks that winter-clad evening. Meg’s expression went from that of her usually cheerful eccentric one to that of pure speechlessness.

“I don’t mean as a friend or as a sister. Meg…look, I love you as a woman. Romantically. You’re caring, knowledgable, talented, compassionate, empowering, warm and just pleasant to be around everyday. My chest has been racing as of lately just being next to you…I don’t know what else to say…”

“Forte…is this true?” Meg blinked while a tint of red began slowly surfacing from her own cheeks.

“Yes, it’s all true. I was scared prior to this…We’re both girls and I have no idea how your culture does it…hell, I’m not even sure how my parents would react if they could see this but I don’t care! As a knight of Ventuswill and all of Selphia, I’m not going to hold my feelings back in front of the woman I love, damn it!”

Once more, Forte was met with a silent and blank response from the musician. Fearing it amounted to nothing but a potential awkward rejection, she steeled herself for what was next. She walked into this knowing that heartbreak might be a viable outcome but she would rather have professed her feelings than hold her silence forever.

“I’m sorry…who was I kidding. Just pretend I said nothing, please…Regardless, I want us to remain friends and…”

“You idiot…” Meg gritted her teeth, glaring with tears in her eyes.

Forte wasn’t given much room to react as Meg tightly embraced her as if it would be their last.

“M-meg…?!”

“Honestly…you blockhead…” she sniffled, keeping her arms wrapped around the knight tightly. “Took you long enough…! I’m so happy…I’m so glad you feel the same way…”

“Feel the same way…y-you…you mean…?”

“Yes…but…I’m afraid too. Not because we’re both girls. I don’t care about that at all…it’s because I’m an elf. You’re human.”

“What if you are an elf? I care nothing about that. I know there are places in Norad that ostracize your people but I’m not…”

“It’s not that!” Meg cried out as she continued to cling onto Forte. She blinked through her tears and continued, “It’s much more complicated. You know that elves live longer than humans do. What if you go before me…? You’re a knight…You’ve already pledged your life to the sword. Your line of work makes it so that you’re ready for death at any given moment. If you die before me and I have to live out the remainder of my existence in this world without you…I…”

“Meg…” Forte whispered, “You’re not wrong. I’ve devoted my life to the path of the sword. The sword is nothing more than an extension to my real devotion: those who I care for. You included most of all. You’re right…maybe I could fall in battle or I might succumb to illness, who knows what the future has in store but…I’d rather face those dangers while protecting and loving you…”

“Forte…”

“I know we have to go slow of course…I-if you say yes, that is!” Forte stammered but regained her verbal composure right after. “Going moderately is the key but my feelings for you are genuine…Meg…I want to be your knight and dedicate my sword to you. B-by that…I want to be your girlfriend. W-well…?”

It wasn’t too long after that the musician’s anxious tears were immediately replaced with tearful giggles as she broke her embrace. “Honestly, do all knights have to confess like this? I don’t even want to know what the marriage proposal would be like…!”

“H-hey, I was being serious…”

“I know, Forte. I know very well…Therefore, my answer is: I accept!” Meg spoke out the last part with a cheerful grin as she wiped the last of her tears away.

“Huh?! Meg, are you sure about this?”

“More sure than I’ve ever been in my entire life. Not going to lie: I’m still anxious…I have no idea what awaits us but…with my brave and dashing girlfriend by my side, I have nothing to fear.”

“Meg…ugh…I…” Forte attempted to choke back a sob as tears welled up her own eyes. She stepped forward and gave her beloved a firm embrace. She sobbed softly between sniffles and hiccups, “Ngh…I’m so happy…I was afraid that…ugh…Meg…I love you! I love you so much!”

Reciprocating the embrace, Meg giggled softly as she comforted the sobbing knight. “You big dork…I love you too…don’t panic. Even if I said no, I wasn’t going to leave you behind either…You’re precious to me no matter what…”

“Sorry…I shouldn’t have lost my composure like that. It was unknightly of me, so to speak.” Forte calmed down as Meg wiped her tears away.

“I dunno, I have absolutely no problems seeing this side of you either.” Meg playfully teased.

“Hey!! Ugh…you’ve always been unpredictable at times, you know that?”

“Maybe. Maybe not…I wanna do something else unpredictable, of course.”

Forte swallowed a lump as her heart raced once more. “Well, what would that be?”

Kiss.

Eyes still widened, Forte stared blankly as Meg’s lips parted from hers in a quick but blissful instant. “Merry Christmas Forte. I love you.”

“Ah.” Forte said aloud and continued. “Ah. Ah. Ahhhhh.”

Thud.

“Oh my gosh, Forte!!” Meg cried out in horror as she witnessed her newly confessed girlfriend dropping to her knees. She immediately knelt down herself cradled the flustered knight around her arms. “Are you okay?! Do you have a fever?! Are you tired?!”

Meg was all the more puzzled as she witnessed Forte’s unconscious but dreamy eyed and flustered expression. It was as if she had gone to heaven and ascended into a higher plane of goddesshood.

“Honestly…I need to get us both inside ASAP. Can’t have my girlfriend fainting outside here.”

Unbeknownst to either of them, the royal couple stood quietly in wait within the observatory’s interior in a floor below.

“Fufufufu…looks like Operation Knight Song was a grand success.” Frey sheepishly giggled. “Mission accomplished!”

“Uhhhhh…We did absolutely nothing besides eavesdrop.” Doug informed in a deadpan tone.

“C’mon, dear. We promised to be backup for Forte incase she froze up but looks like she didn’t need our help. That’s my Forte, haha…”

“Well, I’m happy for them both. That much I’ll say. I think we need to go up there before Forte freaks out any further.” Doug proposed but his intentions were interrupted by the mischievous princess holding up a mistletoe over both their heads.

“Oh hell no. Dear, please. Not now…w-wait until home at least!!” the fiery red-head dwarf took a step back, panicking.

“Awwwww, don’t be like that.” Frey licked her lips. “It’s almost midnight. Besides, I want to give Forte and Meg some time to themselves while I have my own little fun…”

Doug swallowed hard, laughing nervously. He had no intention of denying his playful wife’s advances but he braced himself for what came next. This of course consisted of Frey pouncing on her husband and showering him with cuddles and a flurry of kisses over his face and neck.

Overall, it was just another snowy, heated, chaotic but romantic Night of Holies in Selphia.

#rfss2018 #rune factory 4 #rf4 #rf4 frey #rf4 doug #rf4 margaret #rf4 forte #frey x doug #meg x forte #yuri #femslash #avenger concerto writing

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greenmegsnoham · 2 years

Text

Show Your Little Tenderness

by @greenmegsnoham

Harry Potter/Ron Weasley | M | 1500

@ageplay-may prompt: blanket fort 🍭 Tags: ageplay, tender sex, blanket forts, childhood trauma, fluff and smut, established relationship, power exchange, post-war, no underage sex

"Harry. What, in Merlin's name, is this?"

Ron's lips curved in amusement as he circled the pile of chairs, cushions, pillows and blankets.

"Clubhouse," came a muffled voice from inside the lumpy fortress.

It would be one of those days…

Ron knew Harry's childhood was…lacking in nearly all regards. His aunt and uncle were cruel and neglectful. His cousin bullied him relentlessly. It still boiled Ron's blood when he thought about it. He wanted to make them pay for what they did, but Harry had made his peace with it. In his own way.

Ron knelt to move the pillow blocking the entrance to the fort. Harry was laying on the ground, wrapped up in a blanket like a human burrito, only his wild raven hair peeking out of one end. Ron bit back a laugh as he smiled at his boy-rito.

"No girls allowed," said Harry, his voice still muffled.

Ron snorted. "Good thing I'm not a girl, isn't it?"

Harry began wiggling excitedly as Ron crawled inside, and the boy managed to slide his chin out from beneath the blanket and stared at his snickering boyfriend.

"You look comfy," said Ron, sitting down beside Harry.

"Mhm," he said, smiling as his eyelids fluttered shut. "Safe here."

Ron's stomach twisted as he ran his fingers through Harry's wild hair. "That's right, Harry. You're safe here."

Read more on AO3

#agepl4y may 2022 #rarry #ronarry #Harry Potter #harry x ron #ron x harry #racy #blanket fort #fluff and smut #my fic #megs writes

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superpaperclip · 4 years

Note

3 and Spralbert if you’re comfy w that?

It’s been a minute since I’ve filled a prompt. I’m sorry for the wait, I really don’t have an excuse. But this is a bit longer than the other drabbles, so hopefully that makes up for it! The prompt list is here.

Spot sat on the couch in the apartment he shared with Race and Albert, stewing in his uncertainty. This was the third date night in a row that he’d had to cancel, and it was starting to get to him. Date nights always spawned inside jokes, which Race and Albert were constantly laughing at. Add on to that the fact that Race and Albert had been dating before Spot had entered the picture, and friends for even longer, and Spot was starting to feel left out.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the front door opening. Albert and Race pushed inside, laughing at what was undoubtedly a dumb inside joke. Spot looked up from his place on the couch at the noise. He felt a pang in his chest at the laughter, and tried to focus on whatever was on TV. He heard Race and Albert hang up their coats on the closet and felt the couch dip as Albert sat next to him. As Albert leaned against Spot, Race opted to lay across their legs, his head in Spot’s lap and his legs in Albert’s. Spot automatically threaded his fingers through Race’s hair, and Race sighed contentedly.

“So how was work today, Spottie? You had a meeting today, right?” Race was the first to speak. Spot, who had been losing himself in the comfort of the familiar position, felt an ache in his heart at the reminder of the distance between him and his boyfriends. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“It was fine. Management was being stupid. But that’s nothing new.” Spot internally winced at his sharp tone, not meaning to be short with his boyfriend. He felt Race shift on his lap. Spot knew he and Albert were probably exchanging confused looks, but he didn’t want to confront his feelings.

“Look, um, I had a long day and I’m tired. I think I’m gonna go to bed early.” He hoped he had an apologetic expression. Race rolled off their laps and perched on the arm of the couch. The question was obvious in his and Albert’s eyes, but Spot just walked down the hallway to their bedroom.

He closed the door, perhaps harder than required, and leaned against it. If he concentrated, he could hear Race and Albert quietly talking, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Sighing, he pushed himself off the door and laid down on to his side of the bed, not bothering to get under the covers.

Spot let his mind wander to his relationship with Race and Albert. He thought of lazy mornings and late nights. He thought of going out on dates and of staying home. He thought of laughter and smiles, of handholding and kisses. He thought of butterflies in his stomach and sparks flying. He thought of fingers tangled in hair and legs tangled in bedsheets. He thought of promises made and promises kept. He thought of watching sunrises and sunsets, hands entwined. He thought of wishes made under moonlight and starlight.

Spot didn’t know how much time had passed before there was a knock on the door and it opened. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Race and Albert entering the room. A pang went through his chest, and he turned away from the door, almost losing himself in his thoughts once more. The mattress dipped, and Spot looked up to see both of his boyfriends sitting on bed in front of him.

“You’ve been upset ever since we went out on that date, what’s up?” Albert’s voice was soft and laced with concern. “Did something bad happen at work?” Spot sat up, preparing himself for the ensuing conversation. He had been rehearsing what he wanted to say for days, but that didn’t make saying it any easier.

“It isn’t about work. It’s… I don’t… I’m... “ Spot stumbled over his words, not knowing how to start. “It’s just… I’ve missed the last three dates and I… have been feeling left out.” Once he was able to say that, the rest of his insecurities spilled out. “ And you two have known each other since you were kids and you were dating before I met either of you and sometimes I’m afraid that you won’t want me anymore and then where would I be?” He dropped his head in his hands, noting distantly that his face was wet.

The mattress dipped again as Race and Albert moved next to him. A hand came up to rest on his back- Albert, Spot assumed. Race placed one hand on Spot’s leg, and the other on his arm. Race, again, was the first to speak.

“Spottie, honey, we didn’t know you felt that way. Baby, there’s a reason Albie and I decided we wanted to date you. We love you. And now that we’ve got you, we’re not letting you go any time soon.” Spot laughed at that as Albert murmured his assent.

“What can we do to better show you how much we love you, sweetie?” Albert asked, rubbing Spot’s back. Spot slowly lifted his head, looking at Albert and then Race. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt warmth spread through his chest. Of course they loved him, and he loved them. Why had Spot doubted that? A laugh escaped him.

“Um, maybe just a reminder every now and then.” Spot answered, blushing despite himself. Albert and Race shared a look, coming to a wordless agreement. Spot had just enough time to brace himself before he fell backwards under their combined weight as they peppered his face with kisses.

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zweinai-art · 4 years

Photo

RF4 Special Release Week | Day 5 “Bloom”

I imagined Meg and Forte under the blooming flowers and this is the result. I love them so much, and I think their dynamic is so fun.

(I messed up the day count, ooops )

@rfweeks

#rf4srelease #rune factory 4 #rf4 #rf4 special #rf4 forte #rf4 meg #rf4 margaret #margaret x forte #rf4 margaret x forte #watercolor study #my art #sketch #digital art #rune factory #rune factory 4 special #honestly this is probably one of my fave rf4 ships

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squuart · 5 years

Text

Some forte x Frey x Margaret stuff bc I’m obsessed with rune factory again and these two women are my wives

Frey spars with forte in the morning, plays music with meg in the evening

Every night ... Frey sandwich bdbddj meg and forte are really clingy in their sleep

Frey and Meg teaching Forte how to cook, they eat fortes burnt meals but always congratulate her when she improves!

Forte will help Frey water and harvest vegetables while meg goes to take care of the monsters

Forte is strong enough to carry both of her wives at once

Frey and Meg love bombarding Forte with complements just to see how red they can make her face

Frey makes them all matching accessories!

Might add more later

#rf #rune factory #rf4 #rune factory 4 #headcanons #personal #frey x forte x meg #frey x forte #forte x meg #frey x meg

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fandomfanficsgalore · 7 years

Note

Let's have Forte being jealous when Leon starts teasing Margaret and sorta takes it little to fair?

No one really knew what happened.

One moment, it seemed like everyone was getting along. Margaret was laughing, Leon was grinning. Even Forte had the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Then, all of a sudden Leon’s back slammed against the wall, thrown there by Forte, her eyes blazing. The restaurant fell silent, gaping. Even Leon stared, wide eyed and, for once, silent.

“Forte!”

Margaret flew to Forte’s side, her face bright red with fury.

“Let go of him!” she hissed, yanking on Forte’s arm.

“But he–”

“I don’t care, Forte, LET GO!”

Forte shot back from Leon, her eyes wide. Never had she heard Margaret yell at her–never had she looked at her like that.

“But Meg, he was–”

“He was joking, Forte,” Margaret snapped, highly aware that all eyes were on her, “People can joke with me, okay? I love you, but I don’t belong to you. Other people can joke with me if they want.”

Forte blanched, her face turning bright red.

“Meg–I’m sorry–”

Margaret wasn’t listening. She pivoted and stormed out, leaving the entire restaurant staring after her.

Forte felt as if she’d been punched in the gut. Tears came to her eyes, and she couldn’t even turn to Leon and apologize. He didn’t say anything, either–just watched her with careful eyes, rubbing his throat.

Before anyone could say anything, Forte followed Margaret from the restaurant, her shoulders tensed, leaving everyone in silence.

Out from the kitchen, Porcoline popped his head out, blinking at the sudden quiet that had settled over his restaurant.

“….Meggy…?”

#this turned out angstier than I intentioned #ah well #rune factory #rune factory 4 #rf4 #rf 4 #margaret x forte #forte x margaret #meg x forte #forte x meg #angst

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imagine-always-and-forever · 2 years

Text

In Plain Sight -- Part 13

A Klaus Mikaelson Imagine

Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

Word length: 2170

Warnings: typical violence and stuff you’d see in the show (oh and swearing)

Request: Hello! I just found your blog and I’m living it! Can you do a Klaus story where the reader has twins with him but he didn’t know (maybe one of his siblings helped them hid or something?) But that they are older then Hope by like a year so when their Aunt comes for a firstborn and funds Hope is not it she goes after the reader who Klaus was in fact in love with? If not its cool no pressure :) (requested by @poemfreak306 )

Summary: as Klaus continues to learn about the past, Y/N listens carefully to those around her in hopes to form a plan.

Taglist @burningmusicmachine @sophiasotherdaughter @thatweirdoleigh @quaint-and-curious-being @hoeofnjadaka @slowlybeautifulprinces @angel34jolly-blog @princess-of-the-fandoms @skeletoresinthebasement @sollyemad-blog @chfyu @britt-mf @happy-sunny-flowers @aomi-nabi @teenwolfbitches28 @sw-eat-ing @elle88531 @selena8712 @itsalaurelhell @cuddlyklaus @kathrynisadogperson @poemfreak306 @cuddlyklaus @kathrynisadogperson @youngestxhearts @angelsfallingdown @itskindofafairything @nobody7102 @theroyalbrownbarbie @fangirlbitch02 @fandomrulesall-blog @katykat71114 @salvatoreitmeanssaviour @mschellehitt @loki-is-loved @queenofkings121 @thegingerthatwaited @littlemissslytherinprincess @youngestxhearts @roxytheimmortal @pisicakawritesshitatfour @abitchforbarnes @nonvoglioperderti00 @melaniin-monroe @caelum-the-part-time-nihilist @exyqueenkvnday @queenofkings121-blog @itsyaboi-uhhh-skinnypenis @avengers-fixation @crackhead1-800 @feelinrosier @jana-jaeynneee @romyislief @tired-meg @duskrosee @sagittarianwolf @megatron07 @fandomrulesall-blog @geekofmanyforms @creative-diaries @snowblazeblack @okkulta @voiddylanobrosey @lotteword @kobababy @aehsct @mimischaos @mishacollins74 @woodworthti666 @happilykrispypirate

(if you want to be tagged in the next parts, let me know! And if I’ve forgotten you on the tag list, let me know that as well!)

Author’s note: I don't know about you but I'm very much looking forward to Klaus and Y/N "waking up." 😈 Please do let me know how you're enjoying it thus far and what do you think happens next?

Elijah came back shortly. You wondered at his inability to leave his brother’s side even now. Was it guilt he felt? Regret?

He was quickly joined by a man you didn’t recognise. So many new faces in their lives. So much of their lives you weren’t there to see. A pang of hurt ran through you as you thought about them moving on.

But wasn’t that what you had wanted?

“I heard about Freya’s plans,” the man said. Elijah nodded. “You still trust her?”

“Our enemies are everywhere, if I start to believe they are in my own family I have already lost,” Elijah answered after a few seconds of thought.

“So given that taking out enemies is sort of Klaus’s forte, you thinking about pulling that dagger out?”

Elijah’s eyes got a faraway look in them before he looked down at his brother’s body.

“Until they are safe, I would rather not unleash that Shakespearean rage,” he admitted.

You could see in his face that he knew he’d gone too far. He knew that Klaus would do far worse to him than leave him in a coffin with a dagger of his own in his chest for the rest of time.

“And the girl?” the man asked, taking your frozen body in with intrigue. “Rebekah says she’s special,” he said with an odd emphasis on the last word, his expression mistrusting.

Elijah sighed.

“Y/N,” he began, looking from his brother’s body to yours, “is more than the twins’ mother,” he said. The man frowned at his words.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning,” Elijah continued, “that unlike Hayley, if anything were to happen to her,” he paused, looking back at his brother. “There would be no place on earth safe, no punishment in existence worse enough to satisfy the devastating rage that would follow Niklaus’s grief.”

The man looked up sharply at Elijah. You couldn’t let yourself think about Elijah’s words. You couldn’t question or wonder at their validity.

“And you think it’s a good idea to keep her bound like that?” the man asked, an edge of fear in his voice as he looked back down at you. You could tell by the look in his eyes that he saw you as a threat. He swallowed nervously.

“I do not think there is anyone more loyal, more convinced of the good in my brother, and perhaps who sees him more clearly, than Y/N,” Elijah stated. He looked down at the ground, shame in his body language. “Not even myself.”

“Well, shit,” came the reply.

“We free her, and she will free Niklaus,” Elijah told him with certainty. His eyes met yours and you willed everything you had to send a message through your eyes as they locked.

He was right.

“And if we don’t free her?”

Elijah swallowed.

“That, my dear Marcellus, is equally troublesome,” he sighed.

Recognition sparked through your system at the name. Marcellus. You remembered Klaus talking about him when he told you stories of the time he ruled over New Orleans. He practically built the city himself. And Marcellus was like a son to him.

But you thought he had died. You recalled the grief in Klaus’s voice when he told you about Mikael’s appearance at the theatre, of his family barely getting out with their lives as Marcellus was strung up, dead and burning.

“Translation: Klaus’ll rip us apart for turning his lover into sleeping beauty,” the man, Marcellus, stated with resignation. Very much not dead. Elijah nodded, a small quirk of his lips at the phrasing. “So, we’re damned if we do and damned if we don't.”

“Precisely.”

Meanwhile

Klaus and Dahlia were instantly transported to another patch of baren woodlands. There was a hut surrounded by various deadly-looking warnings, twigs bound together, the remains of animal sacrifice pinned to trees, innards displayed across a workbench, and a herb garden growing what Klaus knew to be potent ingredients in many spells.

“Very cliché,” he noted, looking around. “Tell me did you inspire the witches of Grimm lore?” he goaded, walking closely behind her as she made her way towards the fire pit. “Enslaving a young girl in a hut on the edge of a dark forest,” he continued as she ignored his taunts, “I suppose you planned for this to be my children’s fate.”

He turned to look at her as they came to a stop, his eyes daring her to deny it. Wondering if she really needed him to tell her that he wouldn’t let it happen, that there was no memory she could show him that would convince him to hand over his children.

“I did not enslave Freya,” Dahlia sighed, not paying him any attention. “I kept her from those who abused our craft, demonized her, and most importantly, I shielded her,” she continued just as a young Freya passed between them. Her eyes followed her niece, a sadness in them that Klaus did not understand. “From herself,” she finished.

Klaus watched with interest as his sister faced the fire pit, her face awash with anger and sorrow. She threw two yarrow flowers into the pitiful flames. The anger radiated off her as she raised her hand and brought the fire to a roaring, soaring ferocity. Her face was scrunched up with all the overpowering emotions she had flowing through her body, and Klaus could tell she was lost to it.

Dahlia appeared, rushing down the path towards Freya, calling her name but receiving no answer. There was panic in her eyes at the sight of Freya’s emotion and the resulting fire, but when she looked down to see the yarrow flower, it shifted to something else.

“Where did you get the yarrow flower?” she asked, obviously knowing the answer already as Freya’s chest heaved and she didn’t look away from the fire. “You cannot go past the stream,” she reminded her, genuine concern in her voice. “It is too dangerous.”

“Then where shall I go? To the hovel? To the garden?” Freya spun, her face contorted with pain and anger that only seemed to fuel the fire as she let her words fall from her mouth. “Oh no,” she smiled, her anger bubbling into glee. “I’m not allowed to venture that far. I might encounter another person, and you would not stand for that,” she spat, eyes blazing as she stared Dahlia down.

“People are frightened,” Dahlia tried to explain, tried to calm Freya’s anger. “They are afraid of what they do not understand.”

Klaus could tell she was trying desperately to calm Freya and he had a feeling he knew why if the still blazing fire was any indication.

“They will only hate you,” Dahlia told her as she reached to place a loving hand on her cheek.

“I hate this place,” Freya swatted her away, stepping back as her sorrow and anger overflowed. Dahlia was calm in response. “I want to see more than the same trees, the same hills.” Freya looked deranged. “A face that isn’t yours,” she gasped out.

The wind picked up, swirling around Freya as she started to hyperventilate. She was lost to her emotions, overcome with them and drowning. She gasped, heaved, pulled into herself by her magic. It pained her, swallowing her whole and burning her from the inside out.

“Freya,” Dahlia warned, noting the change. “Control it.”

Klaus could see and feel the wild magic in the air. It was a force he had not ever felt, never knew such a power could exist. More than anything, he sensed the absolute lack of control Freya had over her magic as it fed on her emotions.

He watched in morbid fascination as Freya’s hands came to her head, the pain of the unleashed magic inside of her driving her slowly mad. She cried out, anger and sorrow turning to fear. She was too far gone to be reached and she cried as the power bled her.

Klaus thought of the Freya he knew as the Dahlia in the memory ordered Freya to control herself, to focus. The world around them darkened. The wind whipped painfully around them, lashing through the trees like a knife. Crows gathered, seemingly from nowhere to circle above them as omens.

This was not the Freya he knew and a part of him wondered at the severity of it if she had survived it all. He wondered if this was really a warning for his own children’s future. A bigger part of him knew he wouldn’t be able to take the risk. Beside him, he was surprised to notice that Dahlia had to look away from the pain Freya was experiencing.

Freya started to spit up blood, Dahlia’s calls to her unable to help. The crows started to fall. Soon the ground was littered with their dead bodies. Freya looked up, watching as more death rained down around her. She screamed in terror, completely unable to stop what was happening. Her fear making it worse.

Freya fell to her knees, her power consuming her. Her fingers scratched at her head, desperate to make it stop as blood continued to fall from her nose and mouth. She screamed over and over as her magic swirled chaotically around them.

Dahlia was still beside her and it made Klaus wonder at her calmness, her lack of anger, and even signs of compassion. Dahlia bent, taking Freya into her arms, who collapsed into her, clinging desperately to something solid outside the terror of her magic.

Dahlia held Freya as she cried before she gasped her face, forcing Freya to look into her eyes. There was no hate in Freya’s gaze, only fear. Overwhelming fear as she clung to Dahlia to save her.

“Sing with me,” Dahlia said, true compassion in her voice. But even then Klaus could hear the panic in her voice that she tried to hide for Freya’s sake. “Calm your heart.”

They hummed the lullaby that she and Esther had sung when the Vikings came. Freya didn’t hesitate, her eyes locked onto Dahlia and her throat working to sing along, focusing only on those two things as the world around her broke apart.

Klaus didn’t look away, couldn’t look away from the scene.

“She was completely out of control?” he asked knowing the answer already.

“Firstborn witches in this bloodline possess devastating power,” Dahlia explained.

“You’re saying this is what’s to come for my children,” Klaus stated. The meaning of the words sunk in and he found himself waking, trying to get away from the truth.

“Those twins will suffer far more than Freya,” Dahlia said, a slight edge of pity in her voice. She was looking at Klaus as if he should have guessed it already. “Their magic is tainted with your vampire blood as well as the aggressive wolf temperament,” she explained.

Klaus felt a familiar self-loathing at his existence being the cause of the twin’s future torment.

“Without the proper tutelage that only I can provide, their power will grow unchecked,” she said as if this were akin to starting the apocalypse. Klaus said nothing as she approached him. “They’ll lash out at everyone,” she explained, something that they had seen Freya just do. “Including you,” she added.

Klaus let out a breath, unable to stand the thought of losing them when he only just found them.

“They’ll devastate the city you love. And then her terror will spread far beyond,” Dahlia continued, though her mind was far away, no doubt imagining the ruin that would befall the world. Klaus hated the images she caused to come to his mind, the pain he could already imagine the twins in.

He would not let his children become monsters. He would save them.

“I, too, am a firstborn, so I was the only one to help save Freya from herself,” Dahlia explained quickly. “Just as I am the only one who can save those twins.” Her tone was incredulous as if she could not believe that he didn’t understand that there was no option here, that she was the good person in all of this.

Klaus let out a breath.

“You see, Niklaus,” Dahlia said, eyes searching his, “You need me.”

Klaus was angry and scared and upset because yes, he saw. Yes, he believed her. And yes, he needed to stop this from happening to Astrid and Ari.

“And Hope?” he asked.

“Is not the firstborn and thus is saved from this fate,” Dahlia answered. “She’ll be powerful, as our bloodline always is, and more so with your magic in her, but her power will not consume as it will for the twins.”

Memory Freya and Dahlia stood, the storm of Freya’s power calmed for now, and walked together towards the hut. Freya held Dahlia for support, their arms wrapped around each other.

“Your twins will need my guidance,” Dahlia reiterated, bending down to pick up one of the many crows Freya’s loss of control had killed, “just as Freya did.”

#Klaus Mikaelson #the originals #klaus mikaelson imagine #the originals imagine #niklaus mikaelson #niklaus mikaelson imagine #in plain sight part 13 #in plain sight #another gif #I'm getting pretty good at making these i think!#klaus mikaelson x reader #nikalus mikaelson x reader #originals imagine

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mycurrent-hyperfixation · 2 years

Text

Take A Chance On Me - Chapter Ten (Eddie Munson x Reader Series)

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

Word Count: 7.5K

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Reader, Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, 10 Things I Hate About You AU

A/N: Welcome back everyone to this weeks chapter. We're barrelling towards the end of this fic here so I just want to say a big thank you to all of you who stick around every week and leave your wonderful comments. At the rate I'm going I reckon there'll be 13 chapters in total but maybe I might add a little epilogue thing if you guys wanted. I do love a good epilogue. On a serious note, what do you guys honestly think of my writing? I'm always looking to improve so if you have any notes on my writing style that you think I could work on could you please comment them? I think a big flaw of mine is that my pacing is slow. What do you guys think? As always, I love you all 🥰

The semi-finals of Fort Wayne’s Battle of the Bands saw the competition’s only female contestants advancing to the finals along with Corroded Coffin. Last week’s round saw outstanding performances from both bands with Corroded Coffin’s original song ‘Nicotine’ opening the show and certainly setting a high standard to compete with. This was followed up strongly with original song ‘Songs I Can’t Listen To’ by the girl group whose electrifying guitar solo and captivating lyrics secured them a spot in the competition’s final round.

Both original songs shared a similar theme of heartbreak and failed relationships with Corroded Coffin’s lead singer Eddie Munson dedicating the song to a mysterious lost love. With both bands hailing from the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, and with girl group’s lead singer Y/N L/N performing with Munson’s signature guitar this week, audiences were left wondering whether these contestants might have a deeper connection than initially thought.

Hiding from Eddie Munson was much harder than one might expect.

You thought that your abrupt exit from the carpark at the competition would have been enough to convey the message that you did not want to see him. At the very least, your friends’ reiterations of the sentiments should have delivered the message clearly enough. And yet as much as you hated the sight of him, as much as you dreaded the sound of his voice or the smell of his cheap cologne that seemed to haunt you wherever you went, you had to admit that the boy was remarkably persistent.

The first time he had tried to talk to you since the last round of the competition you had been working. You hadn’t even seen him, too busy with whatever task you had been preoccupied with when Meg had quite unceremoniously pushed you into the storeroom without so much as a warning. It had been his voice that had alerted you to his presence, soft and tentative and altogether quite hesitant as he had approached Meg by the counter, not an easy feat considering the death glare she was undoubtedly sporting.

“Is she here?” you had heard him say, and even just the one statement had had your heart yearning to see him again. But you stayed where you were, not daring to even move as your ear remained firmly pressed up against the wood of the door.

“Even if she were, I wouldn’t tell you,” Meg had responded venomously.

He had not prompted further. Instead, with a defeated sigh, his footsteps had begun retreating until the bell had chimed above the door upon his exit.

Several days and several successfully dodged encounters with Eddie Munson later, you entered Family Video with a sigh, a copy of The Breakfast Club tucked under your arm.

“You know I can’t keep waiving these late fees every time you feel like rewatching a film eighteen times,” Steve called out to you.

“Well then what’s the point of having friends who work at a video store?” you said back, offering him a small smile. You handed him the tape as Robin emerged from the backroom, and upon seeing you, she skipped the distance over to the counter and leaned down upon it.

“Really, Y/N? The Breakfast Club again?” Robin said with a groan.

“I’m returning it, thank you very much.”

“Sure,” Robin said with a wide roll of her eyes. “Did you see the article?”

You groaned, bringing your head down to bang it lightly upon the desk.

“Yes. And now the whole of Indiana knows about my dating history.”

“No offence, Y/N,” Steve said. “But I can guarantee you that the whole of Indiana does not read a magazine article about a Battle of the Bands competition in Fort Wayne.”

“Let a girl dream, Steve,” you said, your voice slightly muffled from where your face was pressed up against the counter.

“How’s the song writing going?” Robin said.

You unfolded yourself back to your natural height, your energy suddenly renewed at the change in topic.

“I think I’ve finally managed to fit something into that cool chord progression you had last week at practice. But I was thinking-”

“I love when you do that,” Robin interjected. You leaned over the counter and punched her lightly in the arm.

“Do you remember the song Ed-” you hesitated, “that Corroded Coffin played at the second round?”

“How could I forget? I think they burst my eardrums with how loud it was.”

“That’s what I mean! It was loud because the crowd joined in.” You leaned further across the counter. “We’ve been pretty neck and neck with them throughout the whole comp but in that round they scored higher than they normally did, because…”

“Because…” Robin tried, although it was clear that she was confused.

“Audience participation!”

Robin looked no less confused, and now even Steve was furrowing his brows. You groaned and brought your hands up to rub at your face.

“There are eight categories that our songs are judged by and the last one is audience reception. When Corroded Coffin played that round they only beat us because they got full marks for that category.”

“That’s only because the crowd sung along,” Robin offered.

“Exactly! In a competition like this you need original songs to win, but the problem is the audience won’t know the lyrics to any of our songs because they’ve never heard them before. They sung along to that song because the repetition of the ‘na na na’s was easy for them to learn.”

Robin only furrowed her brows once more.

“Soooo…we need to have basic lyrics?”

“Well, I was thinking we could-”

“Shit,” Steve breathed, cutting you off.

“What?” Robin said, turning her gaze to Steve and then turning instead to follow where he was staring. “Shit,” she repeated.

You turned around, following Steve and Robin’s gaze across the store and out of the front window where a very large and very black van was pulling into the parking lot, loud music spilling from its open windows.

“Shit,” you groaned.

The panic that ensued was almost comical.

“Get her out the back!” Robin said.

“We can’t, Keith’s out the back!” Steve responded.

“Y/N’s hot, he won’t care!”

“Y/N,” Steve turned his attention to you. “How do you feel about having to hide out the back whilst Keith tries to flirt with you?”

“Repulsed,” you said immediately.

“See, Robin? It’s a lose-lose situation here.”

You turned back around to look out of the window, the sight of Eddie Munson jumping from his van causing a range of emotions to rush through you. He plucked the cigarette from between his lips, dropping it onto the floor and extinguishing it with the point of his shoe. It was strange, seeing him again after having successfully avoided him for over a week, for as you looked upon him you felt that same searing hot anger that had boiled up inside you as you had yelled at Eddie across that carpark. It made a part of you want to storm right out to him and slap him all over again just as you had done at the Hideout. But then there were those final words that he had yelled out to you replaying relentlessly in your mind now. The sheen that had been behind his eyes, the passion in his words, the crack in his voice. It all came rushing back so that now there was also something else lingering in the depths of your heart; something that yearned to walk up to him and run your hand along the length of his jaw, to feel his breath upon your skin.

He looked tired, you realised, his hair flat and tangled, his eyes weary and rimmed with dark circles. In truth, he looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and the thought made you want to stay where you were, to face him once and for all, to give him the chance to say whatever it was he had been trying to say for the past week as you had continued to avoid him.

But then, as his figure drew closer, you altogether realised that no, you could not do this. For your heart had begun to race and your breathing had begun to quicken, and you weren’t altogether too sure whether that was because you wanted to see him or you didn’t. So you stuck with the latter, whipping back around to find Steve and Robin still bickering.

“Maybe she can hide in the adult section, surely he won’t go in there,” Robin said.

“I wouldn’t be so certain,” Steve replied.

“Just shove over and let me duck behind the counter,” you called, not waiting for them to respond as you jumped up and over the bench. Now on the other side, you took one last look at the carpark, one last look at Eddie who had paused just before the door, his attention caught by something. You followed his gaze.

“Shit,” you, Steve and Robin all said in unison, watching on as Eddie stared quite obviously at your car parked right outside.

You ducked down just as Eddie opened the door, trying to still your racing heart and ragged breathing as Steve and Robin quite unsubtly scrambled to lean over you. You were expecting Eddie to make his way over to the counter, to ask about your whereabouts like he had done at the record store only a few days before. But as you listened intently to the sound of his muffled footsteps on the carpet, you realised that he instead appeared to be...browsing.

“What is he doing?” Robin whispered. 

“Do you want me to get him to leave?” Steve whispered down to you.

You thought about the proposition.

“No. If he’s just looking, leave him be,” you whispered back.

But whatever it was that Eddie had been looking for, it clearly did not take him long to find it, for it was only moments later that his footsteps were nearing the counter.

“You look like shit,” Steve grumbled as he took the tape that Eddie passed him.

“Why thank you, Harrington,” Eddie quipped back with a little less enthusiasm than his voice normally possessed. You expected him to reply with something else sarcastic, maybe a backhanded compliment directed at Steve. But instead he remained silent.

“You’re borrowing this again?” Robin said. “Didn’t you just take it out?”

“It’s a good movie,” was all Eddie responded with. The sheer defeat that his voice was laced with had your heart breaking all over again.

Robin and Steve said nothing more as Steve rung up Eddie’s tape and handed it back to him. The interaction took less than a minute, and you couldn’t quite tell whether that relieved or saddened you. Now Eddie was taking the tape from Steve’s grasp and turning to leave. But the sound of his retreating footsteps did not come.

You felt Robin and Steve stiffen beside you at Eddie’s hesitation.

And then everything seemed to happen all at once.

Keith emerged from the backroom, looking altogether quite disinterested as he called out to Steve and beckoned for him to follow. Steve hesitated, turning to look at Robin before he tentatively leaned away from the counter and slowly made his way to the backroom without ever taking his eyes off of Eddie. And then as if the world was somehow hellbent on ensuring your aloneness with someone you did not wish tose, the bell above the door chimed as somebody else entered the store.

“Can I please have some help?” an old woman called from the front, and you felt as Robin stiffened beside you.

“I can help you from here-” Robin tried to say but paused abruptly as you hit her leg. “Alright, fine, I’ll be right there,” she continued before begrudgingly leaving the desk with a final sympathetic look down towards you.

Eddie was silent now, making it difficult to determine where exactly he was, but then he was moving once more, returning to the counter to lean down upon it. You held your breath, not quite sure what you were waiting for.

“I told someone once that I had never been in love.”

His voice startled you so that you had to bring a hand up to cover your mouth in an attempt to stifle the gasp that fell from your lips. He was close now, close enough that you could hear him breathing. And whilst it was clear he was resting upon the counter, you noticed that he did not lean forwards to peer over its edge; he did not see you.

“That wasn’t exactly true. There was a girl once. The first time I saw her was in high school. She probably doesn’t remember it, but I was walking down the hallway and she bumped into me. People shoved into me all the time in school so I wasn’t exactly surprised. But when I turned to look at her I thought to myself that I had never seen anyone more beautiful. She was wearing this dress with little flowers on it and her hair was tied up because it was so hot that day. And when she looked up at me, she smiled and then apologised and then left.” Eddie paused, and you could hear him swallow thickly as if the scene were replaying itself within his mind. “That smile haunted me for years.”

You didn’t remember the interaction, and for some reason the thought pained you. But you did remember the dress, a staple in your wardrobe before it had gotten a hole in the side seam.

“And then, years later, I saw her again, although this time she was playing an electric guitar and singing on a stage, and I honestly thought to myself that the world was fucking with me. Because how could there have been a person that beautiful and that talented that lived in Hawkins?   

“But then there was this stupid competition and the stupid songs that I couldn’t seem to write and the plan was so simple at first. You see, this girl was friends with this kid I knew. So I asked if he could get some song writing tips from her. But this kid,” Eddie chuckled to himself lightly, “he’s got a big imagination and the next thing I know he’s concocting this plan for me to date this girl so she can tell me all her song writing secrets herself. It was my plan though, not the kid’s, so I don’t blame him for everything going to shit. He’s a good kid, he just gets a little excited at times I think.”

You didn’t want to believe it, and yet it did sound like a very Dustin-like thing to do.

“I didn’t want to agree to the plan at first and I honestly think that the only reason I did say yes was because I was so completely sure that she would reject me. But there was something else as well, something that took me a long time to admit to myself. I think, deep down, I only really agreed to the plan because I’m a coward. The plan gave me an excuse to try with her, because I think that I never would have had the courage to talk to her otherwise. And then even when she eventually rejected me, I would be fine because none of it would have been real.”

You could feel tears start to well behind your eyes, and you tried desperately to keep them at bay. It was futile now to cling to the delusion that Eddie didn’t know you were residing behind the counter, and yet you did not get up and face him.

“But then when I did start to get to know her, she was more wonderful and more beautiful and more kind than I could have ever imagined. She was so kind that she didn’t reject me even though the rest of Hawkins would have. And then the more I got to know her the more...the more I began to fall for her because on top of her being talented and beautiful, she was also so fucking funny, which really just wasn’t fair to the rest of the human race at that point.

You stifled a laugh, which felt strange considering all the other emotions that were running through you.

“And I knew I should tell her everything, I wanted to tell her everything. But I just couldn’t bring myself to ruin everything. I was too scared to lose her. But I should have known I couldn’t hide it forever. I think it would’ve eaten me alive eventually, but the thing is, this girl is also super smart, so I should have known I could never keep anything from her for long.

“So when she found out and when everything eventually turned to shit, I avoided her. I told myself that I was avoiding her because she wouldn’t want to see me, but I think I was just being a coward again. I was scared of her hating me. I was scared that I would rock up to her house and I would just make her hate me more.

“But she deserves more than that. She deserves an apology and then she deserves to slap me again.”

And then, suddenly, Eddie did away with the pretending.

“You deserve better than me, Y/N, and if I was stronger I would have accepted that and stayed away from you. But I can’t, not from you, not when I haven’t even apologised.

“So I’m sorry. I am so fucking sorry for the way I hurt you. But if I were to do it all again I’m not sure that I’d change anything. Because even though I’ve probably lost you forever, I think that without that stupid plan I never would have had the courage to talk to you. And I’ll take the short time that I had with you over never having known you at all. So even though what we had didn’t last all that long, I need you to know that it was perfect; that you were perfect. It was all real, Y/N, every last word that I said to you and every single emotion that I felt towards you was real. I-” Eddie hesitated. “I love you, Y/N. I think I’ve loved you from the day that you bumped into me in the hallway.”

You didn’t quite catch the sob before it left your lips, so you curled into yourself more in an attempt to bury the emotions further down. You knew that Eddie was aware of your presence behind the counter, and yet still you remained upon the floor, not knowing what exactly you be met with should you stand to face Eddie and unwilling to find out. Not when he had just said all of that. Not when tears were streaming freely down your cheeks now.

“I won’t bother you again if that’s what you want. I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least give you the apology you deserved. I wanted it to be better than this. I even wrote it down a bunch of times, but nothing seemed quite right. But if this is all that I can get of you than that’s what I’ll take. I won’t bother you at the finals. Hell, I’ll pull out of the competition if you want me to. And then after that you don’t ever have to see me again.”

Eddie paused, and he stayed silent for so long that for just a moment you thought he’d left. When he spoke again, his voice was somehow softer so that it came out in barely more than a whisper.

“I-I want to fix this if you’ll let me. I don’t know how but I promise I’ll spend every day trying. I know I don’t deserve a second chance, though. I know it’s selfish of me to even ask, but I know that I’ll hate myself if I don’t try.

“If you don’t feel the same though-” Eddie’s voice cracked slightly, and at the sound of it you had to close your eyes in an attempt to stave off another sob. “I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t. Just avoid me at the comp and I’ll know. I-”

But suddenly Steve had returned, his pace almost a sprint as he made his way back behind the counter and spread his arms wide across the desk.

“Talking to yourself now, Munson?” Steve’s voice was low, an attempt at intimidation.

“Something like that,” Eddie said, his tone defeated.

And then he was leaving, his footsteps muffled by the carpet. The bell above the door chimed as he left, and you let out a shaky sigh at the sound of it.

“Are you alright?” Steve asked as you hastily wiped away your tears. “What did he say? Because I can run out into the carpark now and-”

You smiled slightly at Steve’s enthusiasm.

“I’m fine,” you interjected just as Robin returned.

“That’s like the third time this week that he’s rented that tape,” Robin said. “I mean, Top Gun wasn’t even that good.”

--- 

Somehow, as you pulled into the carpark of the competition’s venue for what would be the last time, everything was worse than it had been the week before.

Your nerves were at an all-time high, although that was to be expected. And yet the shaking of your hands and the shallowness of your breath seemed to be completely forgotten in the wake of the twisting in your stomach and the racing of your heart caused by the prospect of seeing Eddie Munson again.

And although you had been wracked with the same dread the last time you had found yourself within this carpark, now it was somehow worse. Because Eddie’s admission back at the video store had been repeating itself within your mind for the entirety of the week, and for the entirety of the week you had been at a loss for how you would respond when you eventually saw him again.

You thought of little else as you turned the car off and exited the vehicle, seemingly incapable of tuning in to the conversation that the girls were having around you. Procuring your instrument from the back, you felt strangely numb as you crossed the carpark, knowing that each step was taking you closer and closer to him.

“Do you know what you’re going to do yet?”

The voice startled you, and you turned to find Robin matching your hesitant pace, a kind smile waiting for you as you looked up at her.

“No,” you said, struggling to swallow the saliva that had suddenly accumulated in your mouth.

“Are you going to talk to him?” Robin queried again.

“I don’t know.”

“What’s the worst that going to happen if you talk to him?”

You turned to look at her, your brows furrowing.

“You’re awfully pushy for someone who told me that they would cut his dick off last week.”

“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a dramatic love confession.”

“Don’t remind me,” you groaned.

“No, but seriously. What’s the worst that’s going to happen if you just acknowledge his existence?”

“I could forgive him.”

“Would that really be so bad?”

You had been asking yourself that same question for the past week and had been unsuccessful in determining an answer. It was so easy to hate him, so easy to just label Eddie Munson as an asshole and call it a day. But that confession at the video store had made things harder now. It made your resolve in your hatred waiver. It made you question everything and then question it again, and that was the most terrifying thing of all.

You didn’t answer Robin’s question as the four of you made your way through stage door and down the hallway towards the green room. Your palms were sweating now, your grip upon the strap of your case so tight that your knuckles had turned white. The thrumming in your ears was deafening now so that whatever conversation was ensuing around you sounded like nothing more than a faint buzz. Your breath ripped itself from your throat with every exhale as if it too were trying to flee the inevitable situation, and with every subsequent inhale it felt like your breathing was becoming shallower and shallower until you thought it likely you might pass out. Maybe it would be better if you did, you thought. Maybe it would mean you could skip straight over the awkwardness that was awaiting you in that green room altogether.

In the end, your worry had been for nothing, for Eddie Munson was not within the green room when you entered.

His band was congregated in the corner, the low hum of their conversation instantly stopping when you entered the room. Gareth continued to stare unsubtly at you as Mike and Jeff offered you a smile. You tried to smile back, but your heart was only just starting to calm itself at the absence of Eddie so that you found yourself quite distracted as you did so.

You thought briefly of the possibility that maybe Eddie simply hadn’t come; that he had pulled out of the competition just like he had said he would do and had left the others to finish the competition without him. But even though the thought only stemmed from the hope that you wouldn’t have to see him—that you wouldn’t have to face him—you were perfectly well aware that the thought was completely ludicrous. You were quite certain that Eddie Munson would sooner drop dead than ever miss a performance, and the sight of his guitar leaning against the wall and his van still parked in the carpark outside dispelled the notion anyway.

“I’m just gonna head to the bathroom,” you said as you put down your guitar case.

“Ew, are you sure?” Robin said. 

The bathrooms at the venue were quite possibly one of the most disgusting and unsanitary places in the whole of Indiana. They were unisex and so contained a set of urinals that looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in a decade. The smell of the room was concerningly putrid, only worsened by the fact that the only window within the space was firmly stuck shut. A truly remarkable amount of graffiti was tattooed upon every wall, a few markings having somehow found their way onto the roof as well. 

“You gotta go when you gotta go,” you tried to say nonchalantly.

In truth, you really just needed to leave. Gareth and Jeff had been whispering between each other for the entirety of your stay within the room, continuing to glance periodically over to you so that it was made abundantly clear that they were talking about you. Then there was Mike, who had also been staring completely unsubtly right at you with a remarkable amount of pity compacted behind his gaze.

You breathed out a sigh of relief once you had escaped the room, revelling in the silence of the hallway as you walked. Your heartrate was finally beginning to slow now, the thundering in your ears lessening so that by the time you reached the bathroom you were only plagued with your regular performance nerves.

You pushed the door open absentmindedly, cringing slightly at the sheer stickiness that your fingers were met with before you found yourself stifling a scream. For as you pushed the door open somebody had been about to open it on the other side so that a loud bang resounded throughout the space as the door collided with their head. You jumped backwards, listening as a groan of pain erupted from the bathroom before you gently pushed the door open once more.

“I am so sorry, I-” you paused at the sight of Eddie Munson standing before you, one hand cradling his head. He stilled when he saw you, his pain suddenly forgotten.

“Sorry,” Eddie apologised, although for what you weren’t quite sure. An awkward silence lingered between you now, neither of you quite knowing what to say. The thundering of your heart returned all at once, so renewed it its passions that you thought maybe you would pass out after all. You thought briefly of fainting right into Eddie’s open arms, and whilst the thought was not wholeheartedly repulsive, you shook your head to dispel of the idea nonetheless.

The silence stretched on, and after a moment or two a small sigh was leaving Eddie’s lips—so soft that you almost missed it—his eyes turning to the floor. He stepped to the side, allowing you to pass and giving you a wide berth to do so.

“I’ll...um...I’ll leave you be,” he said, and the disappointment in his voice made something crack in your heart. You stepped further into the room, and as you did so Eddie immediately outstretched his hand to keep the door propped open and leave.

“You’ve got something on your face...by the way.” The sound of your voice reverberating around the room surprised you, the desperation laced behind it even more so.. Eddie did have something on his face—a black mark that had likely been left from his run-in with the door—but a moment ago you had been completely content with your decision to allow Eddie to leave without telling him about it.

Eddie walked back into the room and headed instantly towards the sinks where he examined his face in the mirror. His eyes went wide at the black mark, his hands immediately coming up to wipe at the substance.

“Ew, what the fuck is on that door?”

Now, suddenly, you found yourself stifling a laugh as Eddie continued to rub furiously at the black mark and as the black mark only continued to spread. And although you managed to swallow the laugh before it escaped from your throat, the smile that accompanied it was not so easily stopped. Eddie’s eyes met yours in the reflection of the mirror, the corner of his lips quirking upwards ever so slightly.

“You find this funny, do you?” he teased.

“Immensely,” you responded, unable to stop it as your smile grew wider.

“It’s not my fault I was assaulted by a bathroom door,” Eddie said.

“You were standing right behind it.”

“Well how much force do you think you need to open a door? I swear I’m concussed or something now.”

There was another laugh now and this time it managed to escape your lips. You stilled at the sound of it. This was too easy, falling back into how things had been, and it scared you. Eddie noticed your change in demeanour, the smile dropping from his features. He turned back to himself in the mirror and continued rubbing at the black mark until he had successfully managed to spread it across half of his forehead.

Before you had even made the decision to do so, you found yourself walking into one of the stalls and ripping off a line of toilet paper, bringing it to the sink where you wet it slightly. You turned to face Eddie and you found him watching you intently, his gaze oddly hypnotising.

“Here,” you said softly, trying to ignore how rapidly your heart was beating now. You could see the surprise in Eddie’s features as he realised what you were doing, his eyes going slightly wide, his breath stilling altogether. And so the two of you stayed like that for some time, Eddie apparently in shock as your hand remained suspended in the air, you seemingly incapable of moving it upwards any further and yet unwilling to let yourself back away.

There was a stillness to the air as the silence lingered; something that held its breath along with you so that it felt almost as if time had stopped. But the stillness was not as awkward as one might expect. It was comfortable in a way; comfortable like how things used to be between the two of you. And so when you saw the slightest droop in Eddie’s shoulders as he slowly began to relax, it was as if your hand had regained its function to move once more, and the next thing you knew you were connecting the crumpled-up wad of toilet paper to Eddie’s forehead, wiping gently.

The silence only continued to grow as you slowly cleaned away the mess that had become Eddie’s forehead so that you became quite sure within that moment that neither you nor Eddie were breathing. But you were leaning so very close to him now so that you could think of nothing else other than the heat emanating from his skin and the smell of his cologne and the way that you could feel his gaze fixated upon you as you worked. You dared not meet his eyes, unsure what exactly you would see behind them and unwilling to find out. And yet the heat from his stare was so very tantalising as it traversed across your cheeks, over your brow, down to the curve of your jaw and then back up to where it rested upon your lips. It lingered there for some time, and yet still you forced your gaze to remain upon your work until the black mark had finally been cleaned and there was no longer a reason for you to continue to stand in such a close proximity with Eddie.

Yet still, you remained.

Your breathing was ragged, your heart beating so fast that you were quite sure that Eddie must have been able to hear the thrumming of your blood through your veins. Yet he remained just as still as your hand fell away from his forehead, and he made no move back away from you. The heat of his stare was too much now, and you found yourself surrendering in your fight, turning your gaze up to meet Eddie’s. You heard as his breath hitched in his throat as you did so.

A concoction of things met you behind the deep, brown eyes of Eddie Munson.

First, there was the sadness, which you had never quite seen such an abundance of behind Eddie’s eyes and yet which had been haunting you whenever you had met his gaze recently. Now it was still there, but it was almost as if it were more resigned, more subdued, as if Eddie had slowly come to terms with it.

Then there was something that looked like something close to fear; as if Eddie didn’t quite know how this situation was going to end and was scared of the possibilities. It was faint, but it was there nonetheless, almost hidden behind everything else. The sight of it was oddly satisfying.

But then there was something else, so small that you almost missed it. It was a light, a glint, a spark. It was hope. Because now you were standing so very close to Eddie that your chests were practically touching, so close in a way that you had not been since you had leaned down and brushed your lips against Eddie’s cheek at the Hideout. It was electrifying being back in such close proximity to him again, so much so that you could feel your skin yearning to touch his, could feel your lips tingling as if they were remembering how they had felt after that wonderful kiss in his trailer.

It would be so very easy to forgive him; to close what small distance still remained between you and claim what your body desired. But that hope behind his eyes was a frightening thing, for you realised that the same spark that lingered behind his gaze was likely mirrored within your own.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie suddenly whispered into the air between you.

“I know,” you found yourself whispering back.

“Oh thank god.” Eddie breathed a sigh of relief and you furrowed your brows at it. At the sight of your confusion, Eddie hastened to elaborated. “I-I just mean that...well...I thought that you were behind the desk at Family Video but I wasn’t sure so there was a chance that I was just saying all...” Eddie paused and swallowed, and for a moment you became distracted by the bobbing of his Adam’s apple. “All that to thin air.”

You remembered his speech so clearly; the way he had poured his heart out to the empty space behind the counter, the way his voice had cracked slightly when he had uttered those three words to you and the way you had been so fearful to stand and face him, to see whatever pain you knew would be plastered across his features. You thought of those three words, those three simple words and the sheer weight that had been behind them when Eddie had said them. There had been a part of you that had wanted to not believe him, that had wanted to dispel those three words as just another lie. But the thought itself had been preposterous the moment it had ran through your mind.

You thought for just a moment that if Eddie had uttered those words under different circumstances—if he had said them after another date or after another kiss—whether you might have considered the possibility of saying them back, and your inability to produce an answer was the scariest thing of all.

Suddenly, Eddie’s proximity to you seemed to register all at once—the way his skin was practically touching yours, the way your breaths were intermingling with each other—and you pulled away so quickly it looked almost as if you had been burned. But Eddie did not flinch as you left his side, did not even blink, almost as if he had been expecting it.

“Sorry,” he said. “I-ugh...I can leave if you want. O-or if you want to leave I can stay here for a bit.” Eddie walked forward, making as if to go, but stopped halfway to the door and turned back to face you. “You don’t...this doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to. I know we ran into each other by coincidence, so I understand if you still don’t want to-”

Eddie’s gaze was turned down towards the floor as if he could not quite face you whilst he uttered the words. There was something in the way he held himself now—the stoop in his posture, the timidity in his gaze, the sheer uncertainty in his being—that had you wanting to reach out and touch him. And although the thought had only been fleeting, suddenly you found your hand outstretching towards Eddie seemingly of its own volition. You panicked as you watched it near him, your heart thundering so loudly in your chest you were sure Eddie would be able to hear it. But his back was to you now, unable to see your hand’s approach until your pinky finger was tentatively wrapping around his.

Your breathed hitched in your throat just as Eddie’s posture stiffened, the two of you remaining motionless within the room as the silence seemed to encompass you. The stillness seemed never-ending; the tension so palpable that if one were to run a knife through the air they would likely feel the resistance of it. And yet you did not pull away. Because although it was only a singular finger that was touching him, although the silence that lingered between you seemed almost as if it might stretch on forever, the featherlight touch brought all of it back. You remembered first seeing Eddie in the crowd of your show looking remarkably out of place and yet completely at home all at once. You remembered the strangled cry that had left your lips at his unexpected presence during your shift, and then your subsequent flood of embarrassment when you realised he had caught you singing. You remembered the theft of your keys, seeing Eddie play for the first time, talking with him over milkshakes. You remembered how caring he had been when he had driven you home after Robin’s party, how he had held you against his chest and rushed you out of the diner to stop you from paying, how delicately he had held you in the silence of his bedroom.

You realised in that moment that you could not let Eddie leave the bathroom without speaking with him. You could not let him leave operating under the assumption that you never wanted to speak with him again. Because although the thought was tempting, although you had seriously considered just avoiding him for the rest of your life and hoping that your feelings would go away with him, the singular touch of his finger against yours made you reconsider. It made you remember all of the times that he had made you smile and all of the times he made you laugh.

You remembered how happy Eddie Munson made you.

And then your mind turned to all of the things Eddie had said, to all of the beautiful and tempting words he had laid out bare before you when the two of you had been yelling at each other in the carpark of the competition’s venue. There were the words he had uttered down towards you at Family Video, the words that had had your heart both wrenching in pain and soaring in happiness. The boy from the basketball team had said nothing of the sort after he had stood you up. Tommy H had not even once acknowledged your presence after the embarrassment he had caused you.

So as you looked up at him and as Eddie’s gaze remained resolutely upon the floor, you could not quite help the small flutter of your heart as you stepped closer towards him. You could hear as his breath hitched in his throat, saw as his eyes tentatively made their way up to yours.

“Just-” you began, trying to collate the racing of your thoughts into something at least partly understandable. “I just…”

But now Eddie’s eyes were boring into your own, and you found yourself getting lost within them. They were just as big and round and brown as you had always known them to be, but mostly, they were just as comforting, and you felt the racing of your heart slow just slightly. His finger gripped yours more tightly, and the action had your heart fluttering anew. You were close now, closer than you had been in a very long time and yet you did not step away.

As you continued to stare up at Eddie you saw nothing but the depth of his eyes. Within that depth you found the small spark of hope that still lingered there, maybe burning a little bit brighter now. And although the sight of it still scared you, you could not quite bring yourself to extinguish it.

“I just need some time,” you finally said. “To think.”

Eddie let out a sigh, but whether it was of relief or defeat you could not quite tell. He closed his eyes for just a moment, and you could not quite help the rise of disappointment that flooded through you. He would not wait, you realised. He would not wait whilst you tried to figure out whether things could still work, and the thought made you regret ever lingering within the bathroom with him in the first place.

But then Eddie’s finger was leaving yours as his hand engulfed your own. The touch was unexpected, and the feeling of the weight of his palm pressing into yours—the feeling of the familiarity of his touch—had you wanting to pull away. But you did not. Because when Eddie reopened his eyes there was something else behind them now; a flame that had not been there before.

“I will give you anything that you need.”

You knew that he would; the flame behind his eyes—only growing in intensity the more he looked upon you—confirmed it. And it was for that very reason that you could not stay within the bathroom any longer, for your gaze had momentarily flicked down to Eddie’s lips, the sight of them so close and so full and so tempting before you. It would be too easy to lean just slightly upwards and connect your lips to his, and the sheer desire that you felt to do so was a dangerous thing.

But before you left you found your hand—the one that was not currently being held tightly within the confines of Eddie’s palm—reaching upwards. Your palm cupped Eddie’s cheek gently, and it was clear that the tender action surprised him just as much as it did you, for his breath hitched in his throat once more. But a moment later he relaxed, and soon you found him closing his eyes and leaning into your touch.

“Thank you,” you whispered, and with a strength you did not know you could muster, you pulled yourself away from Eddie and left.

Eddie did not follow for quite some time.

---

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