#3.8 l

[sudden-stops-kill]

600lt

#mclaren #600lt #spider #3.8 l #twin-turbo

[tempests-bards-and-birds]

VENTI APPEARANCE IN KAEYA HANGOUT LET'S GOO

#im actually screaming l #i'm so happyyyyyy #i was actually dreading having to do this hangout but then he showed up #aaahshsggsgs #also. new venti poem for the collection. as well as allergy stuff lol #sorry im tired idk how to articulate this #tempest's dumb thoughts #venti #genshin 3.8 spoilers

[ofplanetsloved]

so i’m adding a new verse for annie just on the grounds that there’s 3.1 - end of 3.6 Starlight and then there’s social media star who’s publicly shitting on vought Annie January and i feel like they need like. differentiating.

#the boys s3 spoilers #it's all just lies // s t a r l i g h t #the only man in the sky // s t a r l i g h t // v e r s e // 3.1 - 3.6 #i don't want your pity // o o c #@therealstarlight // s t a r l i g h t // 3.6 - 3.8

[mrchiipchrome]

The Drunk Dial

W.C.- 3.8 k

a/n; i know that this is extremely shitty

------

Alessia Russo hated you. You would go as far as to say that she despised you. You don’t know when it started, but it’s been one of the only constants in your life ever since. Your parents divorce? Meh, she couldn’t give a damn. You break your arm? Good going trying to get her to sign your cast. You get called up? Ugh tell someone who cares.

It wasn’t like you didn’t try to become friends with the blonde, it was just that she rejected your every advance. In fact that’s all you did the first year or so, until you realized it was futile of you to even try. Ever since the two of you had been living in disharmony, arguing with the other every chance you got.

That’s why you’re so confused when you hear the voicemail she left you the night before as you’re walking to training. The slurred words quickly makes the confused look disappear, a smirk replacing it rapidly as you realize the ammunition you now have.

The girls look on in confusion as you basically skip your way into the meeting room, eyes scanning for the blonde head of hair you’d gotten used to seeing daily over the last few weeks. When you inevitably don’t see her, you take a seat closer to the door than you usually would.

“Oi, Y/n you’re in my seat!” Katie whisper shouts as she takes the seat right beside you, wanting her favorite seat back. 

“Tough luck Katie, come earlier next time” You tease, adding an overdramatic wink at the end of the sentence to emphasize. You’re not even mad when the older girl pushes harshly at your shoulder, in too good of a mood to have it be dampened by anyone.

The meeting finishes as quickly as it had started, Alessia not appearing until the meeting itself had concluded and people had started to file out the door. Not you though, you stayed right where you’d taken your seat 20 minutes before. 

Your humorous glare didn’t even falter as you felt the harsh one coming from the girl with baby blue eyes, who’d coincidentally thrown herself into the seat opposite of you. Jonas looks at Alessia expectedly as the blonde girl slowly lowers her sunglasses, the tall man expecting an apology from the obviously hungover girl.

“I’m so sorry for being late Jonas” The gaffer looks on in slight disbelief before sighing loudly.

“It’s okay, just don’t let it happen again” He fixes her with a pointed look, quickly disappearing from the enclosed space with Alessia nodding vigorously.

“Can I get you anything Russo? Water? Smelling salts? An alibi for why you’re late?” The teasing tone in your voice is almost as prominent as the striker's headache, the headache that makes her feel like her head is splitting.

“No but you could fuck right off!” Alessia rests her forehead on the cool surface of the table in an attempt at easing her pounding headache. She runs her hands over her sloppily tied hair, the bun she’d hastily thrown her golden locks into quickly falling apart.

“Ooohh, that stings.” Your hand comes up to cover your heart, like the women in those renaissance paintings. “Not the words, but the cloud of vodka that accompanies them” Your teasing continues even after she gives you the finger. 

“Fuck you!” Alessia groans out through clenched teeth. With a response as quick as light, you counter.

“Oh you wish” You’re able to see the disgusted expression on her face from miles away, but strangely you also see the slight rosiness of her cheeks. 

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I went out with some old UNC friends last night” Your eyebrows furrow at her explanation, she doesn’t owe you one.

“Yeah, then you thought ‘Oh, I should call Y/n at 3 am’” The smirk on your face widens exponentially as Alessia lifts her face from the table, confusion on every corner of her expression.

“Really, yeah cause the first thing I do when I’m having fun is think abou-” Her sweet accented voice is cut off by her own, only the latter is slurred and barely audible.

“Y/n Y/l/n I’m ringing you because…what was it?” Alessia’s giggle on the recording of her voice cuts off her next words, “You’re probably asleep but you’re pretty…I don’t even know” The recording is cut off with the sound of someone shouting for shots. Alessia’s face is beet red by now, expressing every horrified thought running through her pretty head.

“The drunk dial. So much subtext. So much intrigue. So much booty call implication.” You’re oh so satisfied with yourself as Alessia opens her mouth to respond, but ultimately doesn’t. The chair bounces off the floor as the blonde legs it out the door, your laughter providing a back track.

The loud clicking of cleats against the floor catches your attention, and when Gio’s head pops into the room from the doorway. 

“What happened with Less?” The younger girl questions, having seen Alessia running to the locker room only moments before.

“Russo drunk dialed me! After years of hating me, she called me drunk last night and I got the voicemail to prove it.” Gio’s expression turns from neutral to worried faster than a lightswitch turns a lamp on.

“The drunk dial?! Ohhhh this can’t be good!” Now it’s your turn to be confused, the girl in front of you extremely worried.

“Hey, it’s no biggie. We tease each other all the time, she hates me” You explain apprehensively, not wanting to make the girl more worried.

“That’s the point! What can she do when you hold all the cards? It’s like when two people see each other naked in sitcoms, the balance shifts.” The girl in front of you grabs your shoulder wildly, as to implicate exactly how important it is that you understand.

“So you’re telling me I need to show Russo the lady parts?” Your smile indicates that you’re joking, and Gio shoves your shoulder telling you to go and get ready for training. Still, the talk with the younger woman sticks in your mind throughout practice, especially when Alessia can’t look you in the eyes and when she doesn’t tackle you as hard as usual.

Eventually when practice ends you all file into the cafeteria for lunch, and you end up in line right behind the blue eyed beauty. The blonde avoids your every attempt at meeting her eyes and starting a conversation, not giving you her usual snide remarks. You’re worried now, her snide remarks usually hurting you but in a good way.

“Russo, once when I was out at the pub with the team I hit on a dude who I thought was a chick.”  Her sky blue eyes meet yours for the first time since that morning, tens of different emotions swirling around in them.

“Why are you telling me this?” She questions.

“Well it’s to tell you that no one acts like themself when they’re drunk, I wouldn’t think about flirting with a dude sober. Sooo…” You answer her confidently, that confidence disappearing when she gives you a dirty look.

“Fuck off Y/l/n” Her voice is more venomous than a black mamba, and you have to hide the slightly shocked expression from your teammates who all look on in confusion at the interaction. 

After getting your food, you make your way to where Gio is sitting in a conversation with Kathrine. The chair thuds as you drop down into it and you effectively pull Gio’s attention away from her best friend, the girl looking at you with a knowing smile.

“You were right, it’s all awkward now and she won’t even insult me.” You throw your hands up into the air as Kathrine looks on in confusion.

“Wait, let’s hear that first part again” Gio demands with a satisfied smile. You sigh, knowing that this was the only way for you to get her to help you.

“You were right.” 

“And just one more time for good measure” You fix the brunette with a slight glare before once again telling her that she was right. “Oh it’s like music to my ears, now the only way to get everything back to normal is for you to even the score.” Gio tells you, Kathrine giving up on trying to understand what you were talking about.

“I have to show Russo my bits?” This time, unlike the other, you’re completely serious. Gio slaps her hand on her forehead at you as she tries to explain what she means to you.

“No, you have to drunk dial her! Have you ever acted drunk before?” The girl questions curiously, looking at you expectantly.

“No I’m not drunk, seriously I’m not drunk.” You slur your words painfully, swaying slightly in your seat to give it a realer look. Gio winces at the horrid performance, knowing that she would have to get you drunk for her plan to work.

“That was horrible, I’ll go home with you after the weight session and we’ll practice, okay?” You nod in response before digging into your food.

—-

After another rather awkward training session with the blue eyed girl, you find yourself in your apartment with your young companion who’s trying to coach you on how to act drunker than you are.

As Gio pours you another shot of the clear alcoholic beverage, you can’t help but wince slightly at the burning sensation at the back of your throat from previous shots.

“Bottoms up” The girl tells you playfully as you throw the liquid courage down the back of your throat. “Now, try again. Let’s see your drunk impression.” You imitate an old phone as you make beeping noises.

“Wassup Russo, your call was a nice surprise so I decided to give you a ring to thank you for it” The slurring words don’t help you in the slightest as Gio once again looks on in disgust.

“No, not like that, come on!” The young girl explains.

“Gio, I love you and all, but to be honest you’re a horrible drinking buddy.” You can see the girl's expression change drastically as she picks up the bottle of alcohol. Looking on in shock, you see how the brunette chugs the alcohol directly from the bottle.

“I thought you didn’t drink” You express, Gio looking at you like you’re crazy.

“I don’t, but it’s all for the plot. The things I do for you my friend, the things I do for you” Gio pours two shots for you both to take.

What follows is a night full of drinking with one of your best friends, and one very long very detailed call to your nemesis…

—-

The rude beeping of your alarm going off for the tenth time makes you groan, your head pounding viciously in protest of the light coming in through the blinds and directly into your eyes. Your back aches dully as you feel the hard floor beneath you, looking up to the couch you see Gio’s sleeping form resting all over it.

Crawling over to the girl, you slap her leg hard to wake her up from slumber. The girl wakes with a slight yell as she sees you lying on the floor, questioning where she was.

“What happened last night?” You ask, running your hand over your face, the apartment in shambles with empty bottles strewn around like it would after a high school rager. The young girl shakes her pounding head before perking up again.

“Did you call Less last night?!” You pick your phone up with a rapid pace, looking at your outgoing calls.

“One outgoing call to Russo, and one outgoing call to Kimmy…oh fuck me, that’s not good” You tell the girl, who nods with wide eyes nearly bursting out in laughter at your terrified expression.

“Oh fuck, oh shit, look at the time! We’re so fucked!” You scrambled up from your place on the floor, rushing into your bedroom to gather some new, not alcohol drenched clothes for you and Gio. Throwing the clothes on the youngster, you tell her to hurry up and put them on before you’re even later than needed.

You’re both out the door in record time, slipping the pairs of sunglasses you always kept with you over your eyes to block out the light even more. 

Pulling up to training, the two of you rush out of the car and into the building. The locker room is nearly empty by the time you reach it, the only people there being the only two in the whole world that you didn’t want to see at that moment. Kim raises her brow at the door slamming open and as you look into her eyes, you see the disapproving look that’s settled there. When Gio runs into your back only moments later, it only becomes worse.

You rush to your cubby, located only meters away from Alessia’s, Alessia who looks at you with a satisfied smirk on her face. The stupid smirk entices you, and you wonder what you possibly could have said to get her to look at you like that.

Pulling your shirt off, you don’t notice her Alessia’s eyes follow the movement, her eyes locking onto the shaped abs and the ridges that appear on your arms as you struggle to get the shirt off. Just because you don’t notice doesn’t mean that Gio doesn’t, she smirks at the obvious attraction Alessia holds for you.

After getting your training clothes on, you make your way to the door where your skipper is waiting for you. She holds the door open for you before slinging her arm around your waist, you bringing your arm up and around her shoulders. 

“Did you have fun last night?” The older woman asks you, your eyes widening slightly in surprise at her question.

“If I’m honest, I can’t even remember most of last night.” Your free hand comes up to rub at the back of your neck, the door behind you opening up yet again.

“Well, next time you and Gio decide to have a night full of drinking, please make sure that you dial Alessia’s number right away instead of calling me, okay?” Your cheeks darken exponentially at the blondes words, the woman a mentor to you.

“I’m so sorry Kimmy.” She smiles up at you in response, patting your stomach lightly before breaking away from you.

Back in the locker room Alessia is getting ready to get out of the locker room, that is before she hears Gio call her name.

“Alessia, I can see the way you look at her when you think no one’s watching you.” The shorter girl keeps her voice low, like she’s talking to a scared animal.

“What are you talking about?” The blonde questions, her eyes betraying her real feelings as the love shines through the apparent hatred.

“I’m talking about you and Y/n, listen I know that you hate her or whatever but the eyes never lie chica, the eyes never lie” And with that, Gio walks out of the room, leaving a stunned Alessia Russo behind.

—-

Only days later, it’s time for an away game and as you settle into your seat on the bus you can’t help but think about your blue eyed teammate. Staring out the window, you get startled out of your thoughts by a body flopping into the seat beside you. Looking to your left, you see the person you least expected to sit beside you.

Her ocean-like eyes look into your own for a second before she stares back towards the front of the bus. When she starts to talk, she does so in a whisper that barely gets heard over the bustle of the bus.

“So, you think I’m pretty huh?” She leans into your body slightly, her minty breath wafting over the side of your face. The cool mint contrasts the hot nature of your tomato red face, wide eyes scanning her side profile nervously.

“What? I’ve never said that!” Your voice comes out shaky and unsure as your eyes flit around the bus, now it’s Alessia’s turn to study you.

“Oh, so you don’t deny that I’m pretty?” She teases, your face becoming even more red than before if that was possible. The sputtering coming from your throat doesn’t help your case as you choke on your spit.

Alessia pulls up her phone to play the voicemail you’d left her only days before, the slurred voice on the recording obviously yours as it was your turn to be embarrassed.

“Hey Ruse-Cruise, I was just calling to tell you that you're so pretty. I can’t believe that you’re real, you always look like a fucking goddess and I’m so jealous that I can’t call you mine. Yeah, sober me is gonna hate myself for that but I don’t care. Kiss Kiss!” If you could, you would throw yourself off a cliff. 

Pulling your hoodie up and over your cartoonishly red face, you wish for the ground to swallow you whole or at least get Alessia to move away from you. And after a bit, it seems like your prayers are answered because Alessia moves over to sit beside Lotte and Gio moves into the spot Alessia had occupied only moments before.

“Gio, kill me” You plead to the younger girl, who looks on in part amusement and part concern.

“That bad, huh?” Your head drops down onto her shoulder and you hum in agreement. “It’ll be alright, don’t you worry.” The younger girl strokes your back to comfort you, catching the eye of her partner in crime and nodding. The plan had to be set in motion.

—-

Ever since you had heard that godforsaken voicemail, you had been ignoring the older girl who it had been sent to. The only time you actually gave her any semblance of attention was during training or games, and even then it was only a second of eye contact or a quick word.

The striker's friends had even started to notice the effect your absence had on her, the girl much more frustrated and closed off than normal. It had gotten so bad that her performance on the pitch was worsening slightly. Something had to be done, and fast.

Just to their luck, the two matchmakers had created a plan that was sure to work.

When Gio comes running for you after training one day, her worried expression fools you just the right amount and as she runs away in the opposite direction you were going in, you just had to follow her.

What you didn’t expect was to be pushed into a storage closet only moments after arriving to where Gio had stopped, another body being pushed into you seconds later before the telltale sound of the lock clicking shut sounds throughout the cramped space.

The person leaning against you soon jumps away from you, a voice sounding from the other side of the door.

“I don’t care how you do it, but the two of you need to make up. Only then will you be let out.” The scowl on your face widens at the smugness in Gio’s voice and your fist pounds at the door viciously as you scream and yell for them to open the damn door. 

In your attempts to get the girls on the other side to open the door for you, you don’t notice how Alessia starts to panic nor do you notice how she’s now on the ground. 

“Y/n shut up!” Her tone is harsh as you continue to bang your fist on the door. “No seriously Y/n, shut up!” The way Alessia speaks has you looking towards her, seeing the dark silhouette of her body sitting on the floor.

“I don’t like tight spaces” She whispers into your ear after you’ve dropped down beside her, taking her hand in your own, you don’t have the stomach to tell her that her death grip is cutting off all your circulation.

“Hey, Russo, how can I help you? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me how” The free hand caresses her shin in what’s supposed to be a comforting action. All the years of supposed hate disappears when she looks up at you with tearfilled eyes, begging you to do something.

“I don’t care what you do, just distract me please” She begs. The idea that pops into your head will probably make her hate you even more, but alas it’s the only way to distract her.

“Fuck it” You lean in closer to her, the fact that she isn’t pushing you away is definitely a good sign.

“Can I kiss you?” You whisper against her lips, in place of a response she leans in slightly and presses her soft lips against your own.

The only way to describe her lips was that they were heavenly, and definitely distracting. They move slowly, testing the waters before diving in. Without breaking the seal of your lips, the forward slowly moves over into your lap, her hands tasseling in your locks whilst yours settle comfortably on her hips. The bruising grip of your fingers doesn’t let up even after the blonde pulls away from the kiss.

She twirls your hair between her long, perfectly manicured fingers and her intense gaze settles on your face, eyes flitting over it like she’s trying to commit it to memory. Your thumbs find their way under the hem of her shirt, stroking the skin softly.

“I’m sorry” She speaks up quietly.

“What could you possibly be sorry for, pretty girl?” 

“The way I’ve treated you, I couldn’t even tell you why I did it.” Alessia explains, her fingers caressing your cheek sweetly. You lean into her hand, pressing a soft kiss to her palm before speaking.

“Eh, that’s all in the past, how about we make some positive memories to replace the old ones huh?” You whisper back, pulling the shorter girl in for another kiss. 

“Hey, Gio! Can we come out now? We’ve made up” Alessia’s cheeks darken slightly at the particular choice of words. You two stand up as the door gets unlocked and opened, letting Alessia exit first, you soon lunge at the brazilian who’d locked you in. Pulling her into a headlock, you hear the sweet sound of Alessia’s laughter and you can’t help but laugh yourself.

Let’s just say, Alessia Russo doesn’t hate you anymore, the kisses you share deep into the night a sure indication of that…

#alessia russo x reader #woso #woso x reader #unc soccer #alessia russo

[eddiemunsonspantschain]

Things Change - Ch. 4

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Pregnant!reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3.8 k

Tag List: @boomhauer @corrodedcorpses @wroteclassicaly @blackwidownat2814 @prestinalove

Eddie was growing frustrated. He had tried more than once now to talk to you. When back in school, he had tried to seek you out, but you always managed to slip him. The times he went to catch you at your locker, you had conveniently not been there. He tried to sneak into your gym class and he didn’t exactly want to make a scene, but it had been obvious you were trying to act like he wasn’t there. Even in the classes you had together, you showed up last to the class and bolted as soon as the bell rang. At this point, he was getting desperate and the way you avoided him made him no less suspicious that you were carrying his kid. Finally, Eddie walked away from his Hellfire table and dropped himself down onto the table where Robin and Nancy sat eating their lunch. Once again, without you there. 

“Where is she?” Eddie asked the girls.

Robin gave a panicked glance to Nancy, who crossed her arms and regarded Eddie casually. “Who?” Nancy asked him.

“Don’t bullshit me, Wheeler. Y/L/N. Where is she?” he asked again. 

“Not here.” she answered, “Don’t know when I might see her again.”

“You both are her best friends. I don’t believe that,” Eddie pointed out, glancing at Robin, who was practically sweating. Eddie leaned in towards them both. “Listen. I know that you know why I’m looking for them. I just wanna talk to them… please.” Eddie spoke softly, looking at both girls. 

Nancy watched Eddie before looking at Robin, giving the other female a little nod. “She doesn’t eat in here because…. Obvious reasons. But-” Robin started.

“We won’t tell you where she’s eating purely because she’s been struggling to keep food down and she needs to eat. We don’t need you making her nervous and unable to eat,” Nancy cut in.

“But she’ll be home tonight. She’s been sleeping over at our places recently, but she’s home tonight. To face her parents,” Robin supplemented. “They’ve been getting suspicious, and she figured now is better than never.” 

Eddie chewed on the inside of his cheek as he processed the information. Was she planning on telling her parents that he was the father and rope him into this? “Thanks. I appreciate it,” Eddie told them and moved to get up.

“Don’t hurt her.” Nancy stared at him. “I know you, for whatever reason, don’t like her… but don’t you dare hurt her. Or I swear-”

Eddie held his hands up. “I’ve seen you wield a gun, Wheeler. No need to threaten me.” he cracked a smile and stood up from the table. “Ladies,” he bowed and left their table, heading back to his own. 

—--------------------------------------------------

It had been a long week, and you looked forward to a weekend without Eddie Munson. Well, without having to avoid him, at least. All your efforts at school had been dedicated to avoiding him. The paranoia grew in you that he knew. Why else was he trying so hard to see you? It was clear with how often he was turning up that he was trying to see you. Firstly, at your gym class, which is what really made you suspicious. From there, it made you avoid going to your locker too often. Your back and arms just had to suffer with carrying more than you usually would with you. Secondly, at lunch but you had just managed to slip away in the crowd of hungry and unruly teens to avoid him. So here you were. Carrying all your stuff, eating lunch in the library, showing up to class almost late, and then leaving right when the bell rang. It was the last class of the day. You were eager to go home and just rest. You sighed as you set down your pencil, feeling another wave of nausea hit you. Shockingly you had made it through most of the day without having to run off. You thought maybe you had gotten lucky. You raise your hand, sure that this might not be a false alarm, but you’ve learned quickly that it was better safe than sorry. There had been once or twice you had thought you were safe, but you weren’t and had to sneak off in the middle of the night to do a load of laundry.

You head out of the classroom and towards the closest bathroom. You look under each stall, checking that the coast was clear before heading into a stall. You sigh as you take some toilet paper, leaning against the cool metal of the stall as you wait. You close your eyes, taking a few deep breaths as you work through the nausea. The door to the bathroom opens, not that you find it odd since it was a public bathroom after all. A gasp ripped through you at the sudden opening of the stall door. Your head whips around, eyes wide as Eddie steps into the stall. He shuts the door behind him, locking it once again.

“Eddie!” you hiss at him. “What the fuck?!”

“Me? Me, what the fuck?!” he hisses back at you.

“What are you doing here?”

“Talking to you, obviously.”

“Why?” you grind out, inching away from him.

“I have to talk to you,” Eddie answers, “About a certain… something.” 

You freeze. You had hoped against all odds that he really just wanted to speak to you about something else. Not the secret you had hidden away. “Something?” you ask softly, deciding to play dumb for right now. 

“Yeah. I heard an interesting piece of information. Well, everyone has.” 

You swallow hard. “Yeah?”

You both sit and stare at one another. Eddie raises his brows as if to invite you to get it out in the open. When you stayed silent, he huffed in frustration. “Y/L/N, are you pregnant?”

Your eyes move everywhere but at Eddie. “Eddie, please…” you murmur.

“Y/L/N.”

“Yes! Okay, yes.” you answer, looking at him finally. 

The look on Eddie’s face is one you struggle to decipher. He looked shocked, worried, but also amazed. “Who’s the father?” Then your stomach dropped. You stared at Eddie like a fish out of water. “Y/L/N. Who is the father?” Eddie repeated himself more firmly this time.

It was just then that the bell rang. “You have seconds.” you replied.

“What?”

“You have seconds before this bathroom is full of girls and I will leave you here,” you warn, reaching behind Eddie for the lock on the stall door.

“Y/L/N, I swear to god.”

“Decide before you have people talking about you hiding in the girls' bathroom.”

Eddie’s jaw clenched at your thin threat. He took a deep breath before pulling the stall door open, stalking out of the bathroom. It was then that you let out a shaky breath, shutting the door again and resting your forehead against the cool metal.

That had been too close. Far too close. You slid out of the bathroom after a few minutes, weaving between bodies of girls flooding the bathroom. You retrieve your things from your last class and quickly make your way out of the building to head home. Before dinner, you hopped into the shower to wash away the stress of the day. You scrubbed at your body, relaxing under the scalding water of the shower. When you got out, you made quick work to dry yourself, pulling on comfy clothes. Tonight was the night you had planned on telling your parents what was going on. They grew suspicious each day, and you knew you couldn’t hide forever. For a moment, you considered changing your mind, but you couldn’t do that. It was better to rip the bandaid off first. You sat on your bed before flopping back, taking in a deep breath and willing the tears to stop gathering on your lash line. You cried so easily nowadays it was exhausting. 

A gentle tapping stirred you from your moment. You turn your head, jumping seeing someone sitting at your window. You groan, seeing the familiar face staring back at you that you had only seen a few hours ago. Eddie gave you a look before motioning down to the lock on your window. You pout at him, crossing your arms. 

“Y/L/N, open the window.” his muffled voice sounds from the other side of the window. You flip him off. Eddie stares you down sternly. “Open it or I’m breaking in.”

You huff, going to the window and unlocking it before walking away. You hear the widow slide up and the gentle thudding as Eddie climbs into your bedroom before sliding the window shut once more. “Do I wanna know why you’re threatening to break into my house?” you ask, crossing your arms across your chest.

“You know why and you know it. You never answered my question in the bathroom,” Eddie points out, not moving away from the window. Like he might throw himself out of it if he needed to.

You take a shaky breath; the tears gathering once again at your lash line. Eddie looks at you, a hint of worry on his face. “Fine. If you’ll stop following me around, I’ll tell you.” you answer and furiously wipe at your cheeks when the tears finally escape. “It’s yours. Okay? I haven’t been with anyone else. Frankly, it’s a little insulting you think I was.”

“Well, you told me you were on the pill,” he accused. “Or was that a lie?”

“It wasn’t!” you hissed back at him, turning to your bedside table and pulling the drawer out roughly. You pull out your package of birth control and toss it at him. “For obvious reasons, I have stopped taking them,” you tell him as you watch him pick up the little package. “Fun fact: some medications can fuck with your birth control.” you pick up the bottle of migraine meds and shake it, the sound of the pills rattling around the only sound in the room. You set down the box and watch Eddie fiddle with the package of your now useless birth control. You sit down on your bed, pulling your pillow onto your lap and fiddling with the end of it. Eddie slowly moves closer, sitting down beside you on your bed and tossing the birth control behind him.

“What do we do?” he finally murmurs. “Isn’t there like… doctors who take care of this shit?”

You sigh. “I tried. I did… it was awful there, Munson. Trust me,” you admit, glancing at Eddie. His eyes were trained on the wall across from you both. You could see his chocolate orbs moving, taking in your bedroom.

“Wheeler said you were telling your parents tonight.”

“I am. My mom is suspicious. She’s been asking a lot of questions. I don’t think she knows, but she knows something is up.” 

“What’s the chance I’m gonna end up with a shotgun pointed at my chest?”

“None.” Eddie finally meets your eyes. “I was going to keep your name out of it. Unless you don’t want me to, but I kinda assumed you didn’t wanna be in on this.”

Eddie nods slowly. “I’d appreciate that. I don’t think…I don’t think I could do it. I can’t do it.”

You nod. “Then I won’t mention you. I promise. They might try to strong arm an answer out of me but you have my word. I won’t tell a soul.”

“No one else knows?”

“Well, no. Nancy does. She knows we… but we haven’t talked about it.”

“Got it.” Eddie murmurs, falling silent again. The two of you sit there in silence for a few minutes, both unsure what to do now. “I’m sorry,” Eddie suddenly spoke. “For… knocking you up. Ruining your life I guess.”

“It’s okay.” you shrug, “I… college will be there. And besides, I wanted to be a mom one day and if you remember, I tried to go, but I couldn’t do it. It reeked of alcohol, like it was too clean in there. And everything, literally everything, was pink and blue.”

Eddie’s nose scrunched. “As if you gotta be reminded why you’re there.”

“Exactly! It was awful. And ugly. The smell I can wave off cause I feel like a bloodhound right now. Not something they can help.”

“Really?” 

You nod, staring at Eddie. “I can smell things that literally were hardly in the room. When my mom cooks, I have to hide up here.” you point to your door where you shoved a spare towel at the bottom of it with the intention of blocking out the smell. “I can smell the weed and cigarettes on you from when you were at the window.” you tell him.

“I haven’t smoked in hours.” Eddie replies and you nod, tapping your nose.

“Bloodhound. It’s insane. The smell is clinging to your clothes.”

“That’s… weird.”

“Munson, that’s not even the beginning of it.” you answer, “I checked out a bunch of pregnancy books. Shit is wild. And mildly terrifying and by mildly, I mean very.”

Eddie winces thinking about how it must be. He’s seen pregnant women before, of course. Their bellies swollen well past their feet. The thought passes through his head how he had now done this to you. What you were going to go through.

“You should go.” you murmur. Your mom would be calling you down for dinner soon and you rather Eddie be nowhere near your house when you did talk to them. “My mom will be calling me down any time now,” you explain.

Eddie nods and slides off of your bed. He stands there awkwardly for a moment, unsure how to say goodbye to you. “I’ll, uh, see you later,” he murmurs and moves over to your window. You slide off of your bed and follow him, watching him open up your window again and climb out. You slowly shut your window, locking it once again, and watch Eddie carefully scale back down the side of your house. You watch as he jogs off, presumably to his car, that he probably parked farther from your house to avoid suspicion. You step away from the window, determined not to sit and watch to see if he comes back. A small part of you wanted him to. You stood alone in your bedroom as you realized you would have to do this alone, too. You were going to do all of this alone. Your hand drifts to your stomach once again just as your mom calls your name up the stairs, adding that dinner is ready.

You sigh and move the towel from the door, heading down the stairs to the dining room. Your parents are sat at the table. Your father sat at the head of the table, cold beer cracked open to accompany his dinner. Your mom is fussing around, getting the last bits of dinner onto the table before sitting down to pour herself a glass of red wine.

“Oh, there you are, honey. I think I’ve got everything.” your mom smiles, motioning for you to sit.

You go over, sitting down in your usual spot. You start to fill your plate knowing you probably won’t eat most of what you pile on there. Your parents launch into a conversation about how their day went as you take bites of mashed potatoes. It was one of the few food items you could manage without feeling ill after.

—-------------------------------

Eddie pulls himself into his van and as he shuts the door, a pit sets in his stomach. It doesn’t feel right. None of it feels right. He feels like.. He isn’t sure. He turns the key in his ignition and his van roars to life. For once in his life, he turns his music down as the voice of Ozzy fills the space. Eddie leans back in his seat, glancing around the quiet neighborhood he doesn’t belong in. He rolls down his window, pulling his pack of Camels from his jacket pocket and quickly placing one between his lips. He lights it up and takes a long drag of some much needed nicotine. He feels it quell his nerves a bit, enough for him to think about going home. He pulls the cigarette from his lips, a plume of smoke billowing from his lips as he switches the gearshift to drive. He pulls away from his spot and heads back to the trailer park.

By the time he gets there, his cigarette is done, and he feels only a little better. He figures some food would do him some good. He jumps out of his van and heads inside. Uncle Wayne is at the stove, working on dinner for them both before his shift. The old man usually eats and jets off. “Hey, son.” Wayne calls. He piles a plate full of spaghetti with marinara and grabs a second one, bringing both to their small table.

“Hey, Uncle Wayne.” Eddie answers, barely managing not to wince at being called ‘son’. It didn’t bother him that Wayne was calling him that. It was the fact that his immediate thought was: would I have a son? Or a daughter?

Wayne sets the plates down and falls into his seat with a soft grunt. He starts to dig in, noticing Eddie still standing there. “Cat got your tongue, boy?” 

Eddie shakes his head as if to physically clear it from more thoughts of you. He pulls out his chair and slides his jacket off, draping it over the back of his chair before falling into his seat and starting to shovel spaghetti into his mouth. A part of him felt like vomiting. Not vomit, but words. He felt anxious. He wanted to tell Wayne. He wanted advice. What should he do? He thought he did the right thing… but did he?

“What’s bothering you?”

Eddie’s head snaps up, staring at his uncle. Wayne is watching him, silently twirling spaghetti around his fork as he regards his nephew. “W-What?” Eddie managed to spit out.

“You’ve been livin with me on and off for a few years now. Since you were a wee boy. Now steadily living with me for a few years now. I know when something is bothering you. Are you having nightmares about that place again? Should I call those doctors?”

“No! No, no nightmares again.” Eddie reassures his uncle. After everything had happened and Eddie was laid up in the hospital, it became impossible to keep the truth from him. The party, along with Chief Hopper and Ms. Byers, had filled his Uncle Wayne in on what had really happened. Wayne hovered a lot more after he had learned what happened. After a year had passed, he started to ease up.

“Then what’s bothering you so much? You look like you’re ready to start climbing the walls.”

“I got a girl pregnant!” Eddie yelled, voice cracking in the beginning, but he had said it. Loudly. 

Wayne sat there, mouth open as he stared at Eddie. Eddie gulped, ready for the talking to of his lifetime. Did he get yelled at when Wayne found out he sold weed? Yes. Did he get scolded for all the times he failed graduating high school? Yes. Did he get gently scolded for disappearing after what happened in their old trailer?... yes. But this? Eddie had no clue what would happen. Wayne dropped his fork, elbows on the table, as he laced his fingers together. He watched Eddie. Eddie hoped the ground would open up and swallow him whole. 

“And?” Wayne asks.

Eddie’s mouth opens and closes. And what? Eddie thought to himself. Wayne is still watching him. “And?” he repeated back to his uncle.

“And what are you going to do about it?” Wayne asks, “What has she said?”

Eddie gulps again. “She, uh, she is telling her parents. Tonight. Probably like right now.”

“So, why are you here?”

Eddie’s eyes finally move back down to his plate at Wayne’s question. “She, we, uh,”

“Look at me, son,” Wayne softly commands.

Eddie looks back up at his uncle. “I’m being left out of it. Her parents won’t know it’s me and I won’t be…”

“Around?” Wayne looked disappointed. “Who decided that?”

“She suggested it. And I agreed. I wanted it…”

“So you’re telling me that you got this girl pregnant and you just let out? Abandon her and your kid. Cause whether you like it or not, son, that baby is half yours. Half your genes. Half your responsibility. Hell, since you up and left her it should probably be more your responsibility than her’s. You’ve got the swimmers, after all.” 

“Wayne,” Eddie barely got the word out.

“I ain’t done.” Wayne warned him, giving him a look. “I thought I raised you better, Edward. I woulda thought…” Wayne heaves a heavy sigh. “I woulda thought after being around Al Munson that you’d do better than him.”

Eddie felt like ice was being pumped through his veins. He felt anger boil in his chest. He wasn’t his father. He was nothing like Al Munson, who disappeared on and off on Eddie since he was in the third grade. Who he hadn’t seen in years after the last time he tried to get him to help him with some scheme. But Eddie also felt guilt. He felt guilt in the pit of his stomach because Eddie had abandoned you. He left you there alone to face your parents alone. Like a coward. Like a coward, he ran again.

“I’m disappointed, son.”

“I don’t know what to do.” Eddie admitted quietly, “I don’t know how to be a dad. I’d probably suck at it.”

“You don’t know that. Hell, you think anyone has any idea how to be a parent? I sure as shit didn’t. But I learned. I learned how to take care of you right.” Wayne shrugs, “And I think I did a pretty good damn job, all things considered. Ya know, besides the other dimensions thing.”

“I’m scared, too.”

“And you think she isn’t?” Wayne chuckled, “Boy, you have no clue what she’s about to go through. But there’s still time for you to change your mind. Take responsibility. I’m not sayin you have to marry the girl. You don’t even have to be with her if that’s not what you want, but be there for that baby. They’re innocent in all this, you know.”

Eddie slumped in his seat. He knew his uncle was right. Of course, his uncle was right. Eddie glanced at the clock. He had to hope you hadn’t told your parents yet. If you had, hell, he might have time to jump in the middle of a screaming match. Eddie pushed away from the table, pulling his jacket off of his chair and slipping it on.

“Atta boy. I’ll put your food in the fridge.” Wayne told him, “Oh, and son?”

Eddie paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Yeah?”

“You better bring her by to meet your old man.”

Eddie gulped and nodded. “Yes, sir.” he saluted his uncle before flying out the door to his van.

#pregnant!reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female!reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfiction

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Unpredictable-Limoreau x black!fem!reader fic

A/N: I was inspired a lot by the Bama Rush documentary and couldn't get the idea of a sorority girl in GOD U out of my head. Let me know if you want a part 2.

Warnings: some swearing

Words: 5.2k

Series Masterlist

Future probability cognition, the ability to see potential future outcomes, was usually a nice power to have. At 7, I knew my parents were going to get divorced before either of them considered filing. At 9, I knew my mother would focus all her energy on the agency. At 12, I knew that my older brother would take a head of surgery job in Buenos Aires, escaping the chaos at home. Despite this history, nothing could have prepared me for my second year at Godolkin.

The first day back on campus was uneventful: I survived a grueling early morning Pilates class that I envisioned would put me in Sydney’s, the Si Chi president, good graces and, later in the afternoon, I settled an argument between two Si Chi juniors by predicting that brunch would be the most successful rush event.

Being (one of) the first black high-ranking members of Si Chi could be a full-time job.

As I was re-reading the chapters for Brink’s class, my V-Phone buzzed with a text from Leah, one of the seniors in the sorority.

L: Do you know Emma?

I quickly typed back: Which one? Wallace or the girl who got the botched nj in SK?

L: Neither. Short girl with curly blonde hair. She’s here 4 u.

The yelp that left my mouth would have been embarrassing if anyone else was in the house study room. Quickly, I tucked my book under my arm and ran into the ivory and wood-paneled foyer complete with Tiffany crystal chandelier and faint instrumental piano music playing through the Bluetooth speakers. At the door, Leah’s arms were crossed over her lavender babydoll dress as she smiled fakely at Emma, who looked more apprehensive than usual.

“Emma, hi, I thought I told you to text me when you got here!” I greeted as I approached the two.

Emma’s expression relaxed when her blue eyes landed on me. “Sorry, I got distracted and then I got lost trying to find you.”

I glanced at Leah, who shot me a questioning look. “Thanks, Leah, I can take it from here.”

Leah shrugged, turned, and teleported into thin air. Emma’s eyes widened again as she stepped further into the house and I closed the door behind her.

“Sorry about Leah; she’s cagier than usual because she couldn’t get a refill on her favorites,” I explained.

“It’s fine, I’m just glad you aren’t like that,” Emma admitted.

I paused to finally hug her and she nearly crushed me as she wound her arms around my middle. It felt like forever since I had seen Emma, even though it was at my dad’s annual 4th of July barbecue. When I pulled away, Emma eyed the book in my hand.

“You’re reading before school starts. Nerd,” she teased.

   I playfully pushed her shoulder. “We’re in college, we have to take school way more seriously now. Besides, a requirement for Si Chi is at least a 3.8.”

   Emma tapped her chin. “Let me guess, you have a 4.0.”

  I smiled and tugged her further into the house. Of course, I had to give her a tour of the house and introduce her to the girls we passed. When we finally got to my room, Emma collapsed on top of my pastel blue comforter, dropping her bag on the matching rug.

  “I know Si Chi is a top house, but you basically live in Barbie’s Dream House,” Emma beamed. “How do I get in? What do I have to do? I will do literally anything or anyone.”

   I rolled my eyes and set my book on my desk. “I’m glad you like the place but, you haven’t even met your roommate yet. What’s her name again?”

  Emma pushed herself up on her elbows with a huff. “Marie Moreau. I tried to find her on social media, but she doesn’t have any: No X, no TikTok, not even an obligatory Facebook.”

  Social media presence was basically a requirement at GOD U these days so it was a bold move for someone to show up without any. It could mean Marie was hardcore about her studies or…

  “She might have strict parents,” I pointed out, sitting next to Emma.

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “They better not be weird, cult-y parents. I guess that would be my luck too: have a psycho roommate my freshman year.”

   “Hey, no one could have had it worse than me: a slob who always had boys over and threatened to gut me in my sleep,” I argued.

   “But, you saw all of that coming,” Emma argued.

   I shook my head. “Only the part where she stood over my bed with a knife in hand.” I sighed and pressed my hands into the covers. “I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with that ever again.”

   “Really, because some of these girls are giving unhinged,” Emma replied.

   “The nice thing is I either pick up on the signs or ‘see’ their breaking point,” I explained.

   Emma nodded and pushed herself off my bed to start exploring my room. As she started messing with my checkered Moschino teddy bear figurine, my phone buzzed on my desk. When I grabbed it, I saw it was a video call from Cate.

   “Hi, what’s up?” I greeted, holding the phone at the most flattering angle.

   “I’m trying to entertain myself while Luke preps for training,” Cate admitted.

   “What, you’re not totally entertained by your star boyfriend?” I teased.

   Cate rolled her eyes. “No, I can’t wait for this to be over. You’re coming, right?”

   I shook my head. “Sorry, we have a rush event at the same time, including a choreographed dance.”

  “Ooh, did you choreograph it?” Cate asked.

  “I might have helped a little.”

  “Well, I’m pissed I’ll miss it but make sure to have someone send me all the cute videos and pictures,” Cate requested.

  “Sure.”

  There was some yelling in the background and Cate rolled her eyes.

  “I have to go but we’ll talk later.”

  “Bye!”

  When I hung up, Emma was staring at me with her mouth gaping, the teddy figurine dangerously close to slipping from her grasp and onto the hardwood floor. I crossed the room as quickly as I could and carefully placed the figurine back on my dresser.

  “Emma, I love you but if you break anything, I will lose it,” I warned.

  “You know Cate Dunlap?” Emma asked slowly.

  “Oh, yeah, she’s my peer mentor. Dean Shetty paired us up last year since our powers are similar,” I answered.

  “So, you’ve met Luke Riordan? Like, you’ve been in his presence?”

  “Yes,” I answered slowly.

  “And you didn’t faint or throw up from his glory?”

   “Emma, he’s a regular person. His powers are insane but he is also human, just like us.”

  “No, I’m a regular person. Luke Riordan is, like, a demigod or something. Is he better looking in person?”

   I hesitated and busied myself with grabbing my rush outfit from my closet and setting it on my bed. Then, I stared at my shoes, feeling Emma’s eyes bored into the back of my head. I closed my eyes and focused on the event tonight, the potential sounds and people. Seconds later, I got a decent image of my Si Chi sisters and I dancing in front of the house, surrounded by freshmen girls in Princess Polly and House of CB. I focused all my energy on looking at our feet and tried not to groan when I saw red high-top Converse.

   “Every time,” I muttered as I opened my eyes.

   Two more years, just two more years of going along and I would reap the benefits: a strong ranking, a decent contract, and my pick of the most eligible supes. I just had to keep playing the game.

   I grabbed my platform red Converses and set them in front of my bed, sheepishly turning to Emma. “Yes, Emma.”

     She squealed. “I knew it!”

     I laughed at her joy as she bounced in her Vans. “Go to the training today and see for yourself.”

   Emma’s expression deflated slightly as she walked closer to me. “I wish you could come, you could introduce us!”

   “There will be a next time,” I stated.

   “Promise?” She held up her pinky and eyed me as I slowly wrapped my manicured one around hers. She opened her mouth but was cut off by an alarm going off on her phone. “Shit, I have to go film a video!”

   “You’re still doing Little Cricket?” I asked.

   Emma shushed me loudly and her eyes filled with panic. “Not so loud and definitely not in this house!”

  The girls probably already know all about it, I thought.

  I flipped my waist-length box braids over my shoulder and laughed as she rushed towards the door. “You don’t know where you’re going, let me walk you out!”

  She paused for a split second and gave me some time to catch up to her. However, I led her through the quickest route back to the front door and she gave me a quick hug before she took off. I laughed as I closed the door behind her.

  “Some things never change,” I mused.

   When I got back up to my room, I realized she left her backpack and groaned. She would have to learn to be more responsible if she was going to survive more than a week here. So, I grabbed my purse and her backpack before traipsing the campus. Fortunately, Emma had texted me her dorm information before she got on campus.

   “In case of an emergency,” she’d insisted.

    The freshman dorms were not as bad as I remembered them but I cringed at a few musty speedster jocks I crossed in the hallway. A brief premonition helped me duck to avoid an ice user’s power going out of control when I finally made it to Emma’s door. First, I rapped on the door three times.

    “Emma, it’s me, you really have to keep a better eye on your stuff!” I called.

     After a few seconds of no answer, I knocked again.

     “Seriously? I can’t always be looking after you,” I teased.

     Finally, the door swung open, revealing a pretty black girl with big brown eyes and long brown dreads that were pulled partly away from her face. Her eyes widened at me and I smiled.

     “Sorry, I’m looking for Emma, she left her bag in my----”

     Emma cut me off, appearing next to the girl, “I was wondering where that went, thanks!” She grabbed the bag from me.

    “Oh, uh, come in,” the girl said, stepping aside.

    I nodded and wandered further into their dorm. It was small, like most freshman dorms, but Emma’s side offered pops of color and coziness. The other side was more basic, probably because the girl just moved in.

   “Marie, this is Y/N, my best friend, Y/N, Marie,” Emma introduced as she plopped onto her bed.

    I turned to Marie and extended a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

   She hesitated slightly before shaking my hand. “You too.”

  “Don’t worry, Marie, you’ll get used to her hotness,” Emma advised.

   My cheeks warmed as I whirled around to my friend. “Emma!”

   “It’s true!”

   The embarrassment floated in the pit of my stomach as I faced Marie, who looked somewhere between surprised and amused. “Sorry about her, she speaks without thinking.”

   “It’s okay. How do you two know each other?” Marie asked.

   “Her mom represents me,” Emma answered.

   “Oh.”

   “She’s the one who helped encourage me to make a YouTube channel and is helping me get into more commercials until my big break,” Emma continued.

   I sighed as I sat in Emma’s desk chair. “We’ve known each other since I was four and she was three.”

  “Do you want to be an actor too?” Marie asked.

   I shook my head. “I tried it when I was little but it wasn’t for me.”

   Emma’s eyes lit up and she sat up on her bed. “You should have seen her, she was so cute! She was that toddler in that one diaper commercial----”

   “Emma,” I softly begged.

    Marie laughed. “Now, I’m curious.”

    “Please don’t look it up, it’s not worth it anyway,” I insisted.

    Marie shrugged and sat on her bed. “My curiosity might get the best of me.”

    “Why did you have to mention that stupid commercial?” I whined at Emma, who laughed at my pain. “Anyway, what’s your major?”

     “Crimefighting,” Marie answered.

     I straightened up. “Me too.”

    “So, you’ve had classes with Brink? How is he? What’s he like?” Marie rambled.

    “Well, he’s really tough on first years and makes his tests almost impossible to pass,” I admitted.

     “Really?” Marie asked.

     “But, I can help you if you want; I did pretty well last year,” I offered.

     As soon as the words left my mouth, I questioned where they came from. Marie was a complete stranger, yet she was one of the easiest people to talk to. Normally, I stumbled over my words in front of new people, and this was…new.

    “That would be great, thanks,” Marie replied.

     Emma leaned forward. “Y/N, you are way too modest. She was in the top ten of the first years last year and she has a peer mentor and meets with Brink on a regular basis.”

     Marie snapped her attention to me. “Wait, what?”

     I shook my head. “She makes it sound more impressive than it is.”

    “No, I’m not; she hangs out with the Top Five all the time.”

    “Top Five?” Marie asked.

     Emma and I turned to her, stunned.

     “You don’t know what the Top Five are?” Emma asked slowly.

     Marie shook her head, growing tenser the longer we looked at her.

    “Godolkin ranks all the students based on their Q score, which is basically the strength of their powers, academics, and social media engagement. The Top One Hundred are the only ones published every day,” I explained.

   “And the Top Five are the only ones everyone really cares about since they’re the ones most likely to make it into the Seven,” Emma added. “It’s on the GOD U app.”

    “I don’t have a phone,” Marie admitted.

     Emma balked at her. “How have you gone this far in life without a phone?”

     Marie shrugged. “My parents wouldn’t let me have one.”

     “What about emergencies?” I asked.

     “Someone else always has one,” Marie countered.

     Something was off about her statement and I knew that if I focused on it long enough, I would get a premonition about her. However, I decided that it would be rude to do that in conversation and tabled it for later.

    “You’ll get through it,” I said.

    “So, what ranking are you, Y/N?” Marie asked.

    “Last I checked, I was number twenty,” I recalled.

     Marie and Emma’s eyes widened at me, and I shrunk a little under their gaze. It really was not that impressive considering how intense the nineteen other people above me were.

    “That’s amazing!” Emma cheered, leaping off her bed and hugging me.

    “How did that happen?” Marie asked gently.

     When Emma pulled away, I replied, “Well, right before summer break, I had a premonition about a case Brink had the class working on all year.”

    “You solved a crime?” Marie concluded.

     “I just helped with a tip,” I insisted.

    “Please, Y/N, don’t act like you haven’t solved cases before,” Emma stated.

     I narrowed my eyes at her and Emma smirked in reply. Marie held up her hands and shook her head.

    “Wait, as in plural?”

     “It’s really not a big deal. With all the forensics, psychology, and ethics classes you’ll take, you’ll be solving them too.”

      Marie looked unconvinced but did not push it. “So, what’s your ability? I’m sorry if that’s rude to ask.”

     “No, it’s fine. Future probability cognition, I can see potential outcomes for the future,” I explained.

     “That’s amazing,” Marie complimented.

      “Eh, a lot of times it means I get blurry images in my head but it’s helpful sometimes. What about you?”

      “Blood manipulation.”

       “Whoa, no offense, but that is such a supervillain power,” Emma thought outloud.

        “Emma!”

         “I said ‘no offense’!”

        Marie laughed. “It’s okay, I get why people would think that.”

       “Can you give us a demonstration?” Emma asked.

        Marie nodded and grabbed a switchblade from her cargo pants’ pocket. In a graceful motion, she cut one of her palms and held it out in front of her. Seconds later, a circle of blood floated in the air like water, swirling each way. Marie smiled at our expressions and the blood slowly flowed back in her palm and the mark healed.

       “That was awesome!” Emma cheered.

       “I think Brink will like you,” I added.

      “Thanks. I think it’s your turn, Y/N,” Marie said.

       I hesitated. “Well, mine is definitely not as impressive as yours and I can’t promise I’ll see anything…positive.”

     “That’s okay,” Marie insisted.

     “You can use me as a demonstration,” Emma offered.

     I turned to her and closed my eyes. My mind wandered to images of her face and the sound of her laugh. Eventually, I saw an image of her rolling around her dorm bed with some guy. Then, all of a sudden, she was small and---     “AAAH!” I jumped from my seat, both underclassmen looking at me confused.

     “Is it that bad?” Emma asked.

     My eyes looked everywhere but my best friend and my hands unconsciously flexed. “Whatever you do, do not bring a guy here in the future.”

   “You don’t want me to get laid?”

   “I don’t think you would want to experience what I just saw.” I shivered at the thought.

    “Have your powers made you respond like that before?” Marie asked.

     I nodded. “It’s rare, though, and I have help to get a handle on it.”

     Slowly, I sat down and focused on the orange circle rug on the floor. Suddenly, I wished Cate was there to wipe that premonition from my memory. My stomach churned and I swallowed thickly.

     “Oh, Marie, you have to come to the training with me today,” Emma announced.

      “What training?”

     “The Top Five have public training at the beginning of every year. This year, Luke Riordan is up first,” Emma explained with a grin.

       “Luke’s a big deal?” Marie asked.

       “Hell yeah, he’s number one!” Emma chastised.

        Marie turned to me. “Are you going?”

        I looked up at her and wondered if she seemed kind of hopeful. “No, I have to do rush tonight.”

      “On top of everything else, she is also the secretary of Si Chi, the top sorority on campus,” Emma bragged.

      “Wow, are you always this busy?” Marie asked.

     “Not always. Things calm down once rush is over.” My phone beeped in my bag and I grabbed it. “Speaking of which, I have to run and get ready.”

      “But you already look nice,” Marie commented.

      “Thanks, but I need to be up to Si Chi standards. Have fun at the training and Emma, please try not to act up too much.”

      “I can’t control what will happen once his clothes burn off.”

       “What?”        I shook my head. “I’ll see you around.”

    The next day, I was shocked awake by a series of texts from Emma.

          E: Emergency, pls come 2 my dorm.

         E: Srsly, Marie needs ur help.

    Immediately, I wondered my Marie would need my help. When I reached out to Emma last night, she was busy gushing over Luke and never mentioned any issues. Also, I didn’t see any posts about her on social media which calmed my nerves.

    After texting her I would be there soon, I slowly pushed myself to sit up in my head and pushed my silk sleep mask up over my scarf. Then, I meditated for a few minutes, breathing through all the chaotic thoughts and scenarios that included strangers and people that I knew. Just when my temples began to throb, I stopped and made my way into the en-suite bathroom.

   About thirty minutes later, Emma shoved her dorm room open and pulled me in. She was wearing a gray GOD U t shirt and matching shorts, her curly stuck up in random places.

   “Where the hell have you been?” she whispered.

   “I got here as soon as I could,” I defended. “What’s going on?”

    Marie stood from her desk, a deep frown on her face, and made her way towards us. “I’m not in any Crimefighting classes; it’s all performing arts!”

    I cocked my head to the side. “That’s weird. Can I see your schedule?”

   “It’s on my phone.” Emma handed it to me and I started scrolling through Marie’s schedule.

   “Did you register for any performing arts classes?” I asked.

   “No, I registered for all the first-year Crimefighting classes,” Marie insisted.

   The frustration was thick in her voice and I wondered what was keeping her from punching a hole in the wall.

   “Is there anything I can do?” Marie asked.

   “Sorry, I don’t know. I’ve never heard of this happening.” I paused for a moment and smiled. “But I might be able to help. I have a meeting with Brink today and if you come with me, I could introduce you and we could get this all figured out.”

   “Really? Do you know how it will go?”

   “Let me try.”

   I closed my eyes and focused on Brink, the Crimefighting building, and Marie. The images were as blurry as a Monet up close and all the audio was muffled as if everyone was speaking underwater. When I opened my eyes, I shook my head at Marie.

   “Looks like it’s up to fate,” I commented.

   Marie deflated and I did not know whether to comfort her or not.

   “I’m sending good vibes your way,” Emma offered.

   “Thanks, we’ll need it,” Marie replied.

    As much as I wanted to push back, I did not like not knowing how this would turn out. My heart drummed in my ears later that day as we walked to the Lamplighter building. At the very least, the sun was beaming on everything, making Godolkin look shinier than usual. It was the perfect day for the white cherry-printed sundress and denim jacket I wore with platform white sandals. My braids flowed freely around me under the cool breeze.

   When we walked into the building, I let out the breath I did not know I was holding in.

   “You okay?” Marie asked.

   “Yeah, why?” I replied.

   “Your heart rate picked up,” she observed.

    I paused and looked at her. “You can hear my heartbeat?”

   She nodded. “Sorry, I know that’s kind of weird.”    “Nothing’s weird at this school but, that’s good to know,” I assured.

   I made a mental note to be more intentional in meditation as I led Marie to Brink’s office. The Lamplighter building was practically empty since most students were sleeping off hangovers. However, Jordan Li wasn’t most students and was at their usual post, the desk outside of Brink’s office, eyes focused on their laptop. They were in their feminine form, hair slicked back in a low ponytail.

   A small smile etched its way on my glossed lips at the sight and I turned to Marie, whose eyes widened at Jordan.

  “Let me do the talking,” I whispered.

  “Sounds good,” she answered, nodding.

  As soon as we got in front of Jordan’s desk, I waved my hand in front of their face to no avail. With no choice, I grinned as I slammed my hands on the desk and called their name. Immediately, Jordan jumped in their seat, yanking their earbuds out as they exclaimed an expletive.

    I laughed as they rolled their eyes at me.

   “Seriously, freshie?” Jordan commented.

   “You can’t call me that anymore, I’m a sophomore,” I sang.

   “It doesn’t have the same ring to it,” Jordan teased.

    My cheeks warmed at their words and I gripped my Longchamp tote closer to me in an attempt to get a grip on myself.

   “By the way, I loved your little dance from last night,” Jordan added.

   “You saw that?” I rasped.

   “Rushtok is so big that no one can escape it.” Jordan glanced at their laptop. “You’re early, as usual.”

   “I like to be punctual but, I also have someone who might be your new favorite freshman,” I replied.

    “Impossible,” Jordan scoffed.

     I nodded to Marie, who slowly moved to stand next to me. “This is Marie Moreau. Marie, this is Jordan Li, Brink’s TA.”

    Jordan glanced at Marie, a smirk disappearing from their face. “Hi.”

    “Hi, it’s so nice to meet you. You’re so awesome; your powers are incredible,” Marie confessed.

    Jordan smirked. “I’m glad I impressed a freshman.”

    Marie looked taken aback and glanced at me.

   “I brought Marie with me since there’s been a mix-up. She applied for Crimefighting but she’s in all the performing arts classes. So, I was thinking that you’d be able to help,” I explained.

    Jordan looked back at their laptop and started typing again. “I know, I’m the one who rejected her.”

   Their words hung in the air and I could feel a lump starting to form in my throat. As smart as Jordan was, they were either unaware of how deeply their bluntness could cut or they did not care. After knowing them for a year, I began to lean toward the latter.

   “What?” Marie muttered.

   “Why?” I questioned.

   “She has no social media presence and, even though her scores are decent, she needs a following,” Jordan rattled.

   “Isn’t that a little biased? Do you know what her powers are? If you knew, I think you would be open to making an exception,” I argued gently. “Besides, she can still get a following online. With her face, it will take no time.”

    As soon as the comment left my mouth, I froze. I had no idea why I said that, maybe Emma’s tendencies had rubbed off on me.

    “Sorry, the decision’s final.” Jordan did not sound apologetic at all and I thought I saw them trying not to smirk again.

   “You can’t do that. Let me talk to Professor Brink,” Marie requested.

  “There’s no point, he leaves all admission decisions to me,” Jordan said. “You should learn from your friend. Y/N here has ten million followers across her social media and solved the Glasgow Ripper case and a twenty-year-old cold case before she got here.”

   Marie whirled around to me. “You solved the Glasgow Ripper case?”

   “I just gave them a tip and it was supposed to be anonymous,” I muttered.

    “Nothing is anonymous with Vought,” Jordan countered. “Plus, you led them to key evidence.”

    “They would have solved it…eventually,” I admitted.

   Based on my original estimate, it would have taken them three years and I always felt horrible whenever they showed the victims’ families on the news. The tension in the space was thick as Jordan and Marie glared at each other. I wracked my brain for something, anything to say.

   Fortunately, Brink took care of the tension when he burst out of his office, gun in hand, and shot at Jordan. Marie yelped as Jordan switched to their male form and absorbed the shot.

   “Wow, every time,” Brink admired.

   “If you keep it up, I’m going to run out of shirts, sir,” Jordan replied, smiling.

    Brink turned to Marie and me. “Oh, Y/N, you’re here, early as always.”

    “Hi, Professor Brink. How was your summer?” I asked.

    “Busy. And yours?”

    “Good. Um, Professor, I don’t want to take too much of your time, but this is Marie Moreau and there was a mix-up with her schedule,” I started.

    Professor Brink nodded and turned to Marie. “Is that so?”

    Marie quickly explained the dilemma, narrowing her eyes at Jordan but was able to stay as calm and professional as possible. I glanced at Professor Brink’s expression and while he looked pleasant, I dreaded his words.

   “Well, if Jordan rejected you, that’s final. I trust their judgment,” Professor Brink affirmed. “You can serve as a hero in many ways; Crimefighting is a select group of students who show high aptitude in several areas. That does not mean anyone else is less valuable. Maybe we will see you on Dancing with the Stars one day.”

   Marie’s face fell and her body tensed. I might have started crying if I was in her position but her eyes stayed dry. I gently put my hand on her shoulder.

   “We’ll figure something out,” I muttered.

   She did not look convinced and as I politely followed Brink into his office, I prayed that I would get some sort of helpful premonition. Then again, why did I want to help this girl? I knew her for less than twenty-four hours. Nothing was making sense.

    Later that day, I practically ran a hole into my bedroom floor as I ruminated over my next steps. My meeting with Brink was unremarkable and I couldn’t stop thinking about how to get Marie into crim. She was obviously a strong hero in the works, even if Jordan didn’t see it. One way to help would be to get her into a decent house on campus since that was one of the only viable routes outside of making it into the Top 100 to get noticed on campus. However, Marie did not strike me as the sorority type.

    Then again, I could help her with donors at fundraisers since they loved throwing their money to make themselves feel better. As I thought, my mind somehow circled back to Jordan. It was fun getting a rise out of them after everything last year. They were not as rude to me as they were to Marie, but they were still terrifying last year. They always had a critique for someone and had reduced numerous kids to tears before the first semester ended. Somehow, I impressed them last year and they started being nicer to me. It probably also did not hurt that I had befriended Cate.

    “Ugh, it’s hopeless!” I huffed, plopping onto my bed.

    Even when I tried to get premonitions, there was nothing helpful; just Jordan and Marie arguing while I attempted to settle things.

    What was this year turning into?

      My phone rang, jolting me from my thoughts, and I answered without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

    “Do you have any rush shit tonight?” Cate asked.

    I sat up and eyed her in the video call. “No, all the presidents and VPs are meeting tonight so we’re on our own.”

   “Great, so you’re free to go out with us,” Cate concluded with a grin.

  My heartbeat picked up at the thought of going out with Cate and the others. Any time I went out with them always ended in an interesting story, from the time Cate got us all out of a really embarrassing ticket to the time Andre and Luke drunkenly dueted “Never Gonna Give You Up” in a Korean karaoke bar.

  “I know that face, you’re thinking too much,” Cate warned.

  “Not in a bad way, in a good way. Where are we going?”

  “Don’t worry, just wear something hot and meet us in the parking lot at ten.”

  “Okay.”

  I hung up and set the phone on my dresser. Maybe this would help me clear my head or get me out of my head. Sometimes the thoughts could be suffocating but I would get a break tonight. I closed my eyes and wondered what would happen tonight. Slowly, clear images of a dark club and the sound of a thumping bass flooded my mind. The club was crowded but I saw myself dancing with Cate and…Marie?

#gen v x reader #jordan li x reader #black!reader #marie moreau x reader #limoreau x reader

[munson-blurbs]

Hi darling sister wife! I have a request for a bookworm!reader who always has her nose in a book and has a huge crush on Eddie, but thinks he doesn’t even know she’s alive. And maybe they run into each other somewhere in town and he’s like “oh hey y/n!” and she’s dumbfounded lol

Love youuuuu - @corroded-hellfire

Anything for you, bb 💚

Warnings: none, all fluff <3

WC: 3.8 k

--

There’s a lump in your throat as you approach the wooden door marked “DETENTION” in scolding letters. You’ve never been in trouble before, always keeping your head down and doing the right thing. 

But that was before you’d started reading The Handmaid’s Tale. You’d picked up the novel in the school library that morning, curious to see what all of the fuss was about. It was so gripping, so eerie, so chilling, that you didn’t want to put it down. And so you didn’t—you read it in the halls when walking between classes, during lunch as your friends talked about their prom dresses, even faking cramps during PE so you could sit on the bleachers and continue devouring Margaret Atwood’s words. None of that posed any issues. 

You were nearly finished with the entire book by the time last period rolled around. Mrs. Click was droning on and on about the Enlightenment and its influence on European culture. It wasn’t anything the textbook didn’t already explain. How bad would it be to quickly read the final chapter in an incredible book while she yammered about a continent you didn’t even live on?

As you soon discovered, it would be pretty bad. Mrs. Click marched over to you as you tried to hunch down inconspicuously. She plucked the book from your hands and frowned. “Tell me, Ms. Y/L/N,” she’d snapped, never breaking eye contact with you, “what makes you so special that you can select your own reading material during my class?”

You could only shake your head, heat rising in your cheeks. “‘M sorry, Mrs. Click,” you mumble. Other students snicker around you, and you hear someone whisper, “what a nerd.”

“Well,” your teacher starts, placing The Handmaid’s Tale on her already-cluttered desk, “maybe you can come up with a better answer after detention this afternoon.” You nodded dumbly, too humiliated to protest the punishment. 

The worst part? She never even gave you back the book. 

Fingers trembling, you push the door open and take a seat all the way in the back. You’re the only one there; maybe you can avoid any further embarrassment if it stays that way. You take out your math textbook and start on the first problem, barely able to concentrate. Detention. It shouldn’t be such a big deal, but you hate getting in trouble. Hate having people mad at you, even if that person is your uppity history teacher. It’s why you’re such a goody two-shoes, a people pleaser; you just want everything to be peaceful. 

“Honey, I’m home!” a familiar voice calls out. Your head snaps up to see Eddie Munson burst through the doorway. There’s a loose cigarette tucked behind his ear, almost completely covered by his mess of curly hair. His grin widens as he spots you. “Hey, Y/N! What brings you to my home away from home?”

Your mouth goes dry. Eddie Munson knows who you are? The handsome, charismatic, sometimes scary-seeming metalhead knows your name? You clear your throat when you realize he’s staring at you expectantly, waiting for a response. “Oh, um, nothing. Jus’ something stupid,” you manage, picking at your fingernails anxiously. 

“Yeah, well, I’m the king of doing stupid things, so, lay it on me.” He sits on top of the desk in front of you, leaning his forearms on his thighs. 

The blush creeps back up through your body. “I got busted in Click’s class for reading.”

Eddie furrows his brows in confusion. “Reading what?” he questions. “Like, a nudie magazine or somethin’? That happened to me once, and Click was pissed. Never did get that magazine back either. What a shame.” He tuts gently at the memory. 

“God, no!” You shake your head. “It was a book I was reading for fun. And not that kind of fun,” you add pointedly. “It was, um, The Handmaid’s Tale? The novel by Margaret Atwood?” It comes out as a question, and you could smack yourself for your timid disposition. “It’s about a group of women—the handmaids—who are essentially forced to be these birthing machines for their owners. Their entire worth is based on making healthy babies. And if they try to escape, the men of Gilead will hurt them.” Shut up, you scold yourself silently. He didn’t ask you for a damn book report. 

But Eddie looks intrigued. “Well, that’s no Playboy, but it sounds really good. I’ll have to read it when you’re done.”

“That might not be for awhile,” you reply somberly. “Much like your Playboy, my book has been confiscated, unlikely to ever be returned.”

Eddie smacks his palms on his knees, startling you, but he pays this no mind. “I’ll be right back,” he says. “If Higgins comes in, tell him I had to take a leak.” And with that, he’s out the door. 

What is going on? You thrum your fingers against the desk, considering your circumstances. You’re in detention with Eddie Munson, having a conversation about The Handmaid’s Tale. Never in your wildest dreams did you think this would happen. 

Eddie returns triumphantly. “Ta-da!” he exclaims, holding up the novel in his left hand. He places it on your desk and smiles. “Now you can finish it.”

“My hero,” you put your hand over your heart and grin back at him. Butterflies flutter in your stomach. “Like the Robin Hood of books.”

“Robin Hood, huh?” he smirks, sliding into the chair next to yours, “I’ll take it. Better nickname than ‘The Freak,’ anyway.”

You frown, averting your gaze as you say softly, “I never called you that. And I never thought you were a freak, either.”

“‘Course not,” Eddie chuckles, nudging you with his shoulder. “‘Cause you’re a freak, too.” He laughs harder when you scoff. “C’mon, Y/N. Who else gets detention for reading?”

“Fair enough,” you concede. “Why are you here?”

“Besides this basically being my permanent residency? Um, I got caught cutting class? Or smoking in the bathroom? Or maybe it was because I flipped off Jason Carver in the cafeteria? I can’t remember what this one was, honestly. They all just kinda…blur together.” He waves his hand nonchalantly. 

“One more question,” you start. “How do you, um, how do you know my name?” You took all honors and Advanced Placement classes, and Eddie…well, he certainly did not. 

He gives you an astonished look. “You really don’t remember?” He continues when you shake your head bashfully. “You interviewed Corroded Coffin for the school newspaper last year! I invited you to come to the Hideout and see us in action, but you never showed.”

“Oh, yeah.” It comes back to you now. You’d been all dressed and ready to go, but your mom went ballistic at the thought of you in a dive bar. “I tried, but my parents are really strict.”

“So then don’t tell them!” Eddie says simply. “Just say you’re going to the library or something.”

“At 10 pm?” you raise your eyebrows. “If this is your idea of being clever, it’s no wonder you keep failing senior year!”

His jaw drops at your teasing. “And here I thought you were nice. Y’know what?” He scrunches up his face and eyes your desk. “I’m takin’ my book back!” And with that, he swipes it and clutches it to his chest. 

“Eddie!” you shriek, giggling as you grab at the paperback, only to have him jerk away in response. “Stop!”

“Hmm…nope!” Eddie shakes his head, unruly curls brushing his cheeks. “This is a lot more fun for me.” He stands up and holds the book above his head. 

You jump up a few times to try and snatch it back, to no avail. As a last resort, you jut out your lower lip in a pout. “Please?”

He uses his free hand to tap his finger on his chin. “What’s the magic phrase?” 

“What?”

“Fine, I’ll help you out,” he sighs, feigning exasperation. “It’s ‘Eddie Munson is the smartest, most handsome man in the world.’”

You begrudgingly repeat the sentence, grumbling it under your breath. But Eddie still doesn’t hand over the book. “I said it!” you groan. “You gotta give it back!”

“Oh, did I forget to mention part two?” There’s a mischievous glint in his deep brown eyes. “Now you have to say, ‘And because I heartlessly ditched his concert last year, I will make it up to him by letting him take me out tonight.”

“Me?” You can’t hide the shock in your voice. “Are you joking?” Why would Eddie Munson want to take a shy little bookworm out? He probably had outgoing, boisterous girls fawning all over him at his shows. Girls who didn’t care whether or not they got mommy and daddy’s permission to go to a bar. 

“‘M dead serious, sweetheart.” Eddie gives you a soft smile. “Don’t say anything, because it’ll totally ruin my reputation as Hawkins’ evil cult leader, but I also love to read.” He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a tattered copy of The Hobbit. “This one is my absolute favorite. I re-read it, like, once a month.”

“I should’ve known you were a nerd,” you muse, looking up at him through your lashes innocently. “Honestly, the whole Dungeons & Dragons thing should’ve given it away.”

Eddie gently bops you on the head with his book. “So, whaddya say to that date?” He’s trying to sound confident, but you catch him nervously playing with the rings that adorn his fingers. 

“I’d love to,” you answer honestly, heart fluttering as he takes your hand in his. 

“Great! Let’s go!” He tugs you out of your seat, but you shift your weight so you sink back down. He looks at you, puzzled. 

“We can’t just leave!” you gesture to the detention room. “I don’t wanna get in more trouble.” The last thing you need is another round of Click-induced humiliation. 

“Why not?” Eddie asks. “No one comes in here. I usually just use this time to work on my lyrics, even though I’m supposed to think about what I’ve done.” He lowers his voice an octave and wiggles his fingers at the last part, making you giggle. 

“You’re a bad influence, Eddie Munson,” you say, but you oblige. You tip-toe behind him, keeping a watchful eye out for straggling teachers or—God forbid—Principal Higgins. Eddie doesn’t let go of your hand until you reach his van, opening the passenger side door with a quick bow. 

“Ladies first,” he grins, shuffling to the driver’s side and starting the car. It backfires at first, startling you, but he gets the engine to turn over on the second try. “Sorry, my Jaguar is in the shop.”

“Of course,” you reply in a posh accent. “They just don’t make cars the way they used to.” You lean over to turn the radio dial, spinning past Eddie’s favorite station and straight for your own. Stevie Nicks’s voice wafts from the speakers as a Fleetwood Mac song plays. 

“You’re really lucky you’re cute,” he tells you, flashing his signature smirk, “or I’d be totally pissed that you changed Ozzy for this.” If he’s being honest with himself, he doesn’t think that you could do anything to anger him. You watch as his strong hand grips the gearshift, throwing the van in reverse. He reaches behind your seat as he backs up, tongue poking out in concentration. 

You can’t stop the smile that blossoms on your face at the compliment. Eddie Munson thinks I’m cute. The thought buzzes through your body like a hyperactive bumblebee. You try to push it away, mumbling, “Where are we going?”

“D’you trust me?” He threads his fingers through yours, and you feel yourself heat up despite the coolness of his metal rings. 

“Not in the slightest,” you tease him again, offering your sweetest smile. “After all, the last time you did something nice for me, it ended with you holding my book hostage. Which you still have, by the way.” 

Eddie squeezes your hand affectionately. “Fair enough.” But he doesn’t give you any further information, just sings along with the radio despite his initial protests. It’s melodic and relaxing, and you find yourself staring at the way his soft lips move as he recites the lyrics and uses his forefinger to keep the tempo against the steering wheel. “Okay, y’caught me.” He breathes out a small laugh. “I kinda like their stuff. I mean, I wouldn’t spend money for their concerts, but I don’t mind it if there’s nothing else on. Or if a pretty girl wants to listen to them.” This time, he notices the way you hide behind your hair at his words. “C’mon now; don’t get all shy just because someone called you ‘pretty.’”

But he’s not someone; he’s Eddie. He’s the guy you’ve had a crush on for far too long, and he stole your book back from Mrs. Click, asked you on a date, snuck you out of detention, held your hand, and complimented you repeatedly—all within the span of thirty minutes. 

“I was really upset earlier about getting detention,” you confess, steering the conversation away from your timidness and relentless crush on Eddie. “But you cheered me up and, um, that meant a lot to me.”

“Glad I could be of service,” he says, tipping an invisible hat. “But take it from me—detention isn’t the end of the world. Especially since you rarely ever get it.”

“Never,” you correct him. 

“Huh?”

“I’ve never gotten detention. Until today.” You feel childish admitting it. Senior year of high school and this is the only time you broke the rules—and in such a geeky way, too. 

“Well, it was an honor to witness you pop your detention cherry.” The phrasing makes you burst out with laughter, and you clap your free hand over your mouth. “Don’t do that,” he says softly, letting go of the hand he’s holding to nudge the one that’s pressed to your lips. “You have a nice laugh.” He pulls into a parking lot, finding the nearest spot before killing the engine. 

“No way,” you whisper, gazing at the building. You’d figured he would take you out for pizza or s movie, but this is even better. “Eddie, did you bring me to a bookstore?” 

He nods proudly. “This one has a little café inside, if you want a coffee or something.” He takes your hand again as you both stride towards the shop. “Pick out a book—it’s on me. Paperback, hardcover—whatever you want.”

“Hardcover? You really know how to spoil a girl, Munson.” Your tone is joking, but there’s truth to it. You normally only splurge for hardcover books when you have a gift card. You peruse the aisles, trying to quickly scan the spines for something that catches your eye. It wouldn’t be out of character for you to spend hours searching for the perfect book, but you didn’t want to drag Eddie along on a boring date. 

“Let me grab us something to drink,” Eddie says as you start towards the ‘thrillers’ section. “How do you take your coffee?” You give him your order and promise to meet him by the café in a few minutes. “No rush,” he assures you, and he kisses your cheek quickly before ducking away and heading for the barista. 

There’s a whole display dedicated to Stephen King, and you check out the offerings before settling on Firestarter. You’ve been meaning to read it, and now is the perfect chance to snatch it up. Before you go to the café, you wander over to the fantasy section. If Eddie likes Lord of the Rings, you’re sure to find another book he’ll enjoy here. Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire stands out; it’s dark and gothic and seems perfect for him. Pulling off the shelf, you make a stop at the cash register before joining him at the café. At a quick glance, you can see he’s chatting with the barista, so you sneakily pay for your gift to him, promising the cashier that you’ll be back to pay for Firestarter. He doesn’t seem too worried, and you flounce over to your date with a wide smile. 

Eddie’s sitting at a table for two. There’s a steaming cup of coffee in front of each place setting, with a slice of chocolate cake and two plastic forks in the center. “Figured we could use something sweet,” he says nonchalantly, as though he didn’t just have a small panic attack trying to decide between flavors. His brows furrow when he notices the bag in your hand. “Hey, I said I was treating you to a book!” he whines. 

“Don’t worry, I have my choice right here,” you tell him, flashing the paperback. “This is from me to you.” 

He takes the bag curiously, sticking his hand in without looking. The tip of his tongue brushes against his upper lip, much like it did in the van, as he dramatically rifles through, conveniently ignoring the fact that there’s only one item in there. After a solid ten seconds of that, he fishes out the book. 

“Have you read it? Like, do you already own it? Because I can return it right there,” you blabber, motioning to where the bored cashier is twiddling his thumbs, “if you don’t want it. And you can pick out something else.”

“Hey, hey,” Eddie says softly, cupping your chin with his left hand. “I love it, okay? I haven’t read it yet, but I want to.” He plops down on the chair as you slide into yours, relieved. “In fact, maybe I’ll read it right now.” He opens to the first page, and you giggle as his eyes scan the words. “Oh, I’m being rude, aren’t I?” He fakes innocence, making you laugh harder. “My apologies. I’ll read aloud so you can listen.” He starts speaking in his deep, dramatic Dungeon Master voice. Although he’s trying to be silly, there’s something comforting about having him read to you. You almost don’t want him to stop, sipping from your mug and drinking in the sound of him. 

He slams the book shut and gently places it back in the bag. “So, besides read and piss off Click, what do you like to do for fun?” he asks, digging his fork into the cake slice and taking a bite. “Holy shit, this is delicious.”

You take another swallow of coffee. There’s still a hint of bitterness to it, just the way you like it. “I write for the school newspaper. Mostly just reporting on school events, student council budget reports…” 

“And entertainment?” Eddie finishes. 

“Huh?”

“Writing the entertainment section? Isn’t that why you interviewed us last year?” he adds, pushing the cake towards you as an invitation. You oblige, answering his question before eating. 

“Oh,” you mumble, keeping your gaze trained on the confection. “I don’t normally do that, but I asked Nancy if I could cover it that week.”

“Oh?” He’s intrigued, and you’re grateful for the mouthful of cake when he follows up with, “And why is that?”

You chew carefully, probably more times than necessary while you consider your response. Fuck it; we’re already on a date. “Kinda had a crush on their lead guitarist-slash-vocalist,” you say shyly, “and I always wanted to talk to him but couldn’t work up the courage to do it, like, normally.”

Eddie crosses his arms and leans back, smiling proudly. “So you hid behind the guise of your work to flirt with me?” He lets out a soft whistle. “And here I thought you had journalistic integrity.” He puts his hand over yours once again, rubbing his thumb over it rhythmically. “S’okay, because I totally have a crush on this reporter.”

“Fred Benson?” you joke. 

Pouting, Eddie pulls the slice of cake directly in front of him. “Y’know what? You’ve lost your dessert privileges for being such a mean date.” To emphasize his point, he takes a giant bite while glaring at you. Chocolate frosting smears on his lips. “Do I have something on my face?” he asks when he catches you staring at his mouth. 

“Actually, yes.” You start to lean over with a paper napkin in hand, but decide against it, bringing your lips to his. He tastes like sugar from the cake, burnt caramel from the coffee, and clove from his cigarettes, and your stomach flip-flops when he brings his hand to your cheek and deepens the kiss. “Mmm, my favorite,” you manage when you break away. 

“What? Me or the chocolate?” Eddie asks, eyes blown wide just from a simple kiss. 

You smile, biting your lower lip. “Right now? The cake, because you still haven’t given me back the book you stole in detention.”

He throws his head back and sighs. “But if I don’t hold your book hostage, how can I secure that second date?”

You brush a lock of hair out of his face. “What if I told you that you already have?” He looks genuinely astonished, so you elaborate. “Eddie, this is the best date I’ve ever had. I can’t think of the last time I was this happy.”

The handsome metalhead reaches into his worn backpack and takes out the book. “You probably already figured this out, but flattery works with me, so…” 

You grab it victoriously. “Thank you,” you chirp, stowing it away before he can take it back. Eddie grins at you, just enjoying being in your company. 

“I kinda have a little confession of my own,” he says quietly. You pinch your eyebrows together in confusion. “I, um, I didn’t have detention today.” 

“Then why—” 

“Saw you sitting there alone, and I wanted to talk to you. I keep lookin’ for you in the cafeteria so I can ask you to eat with us, but I never see you.” 

You clear your throat. “Yeah, I-I like to eat in the library. It’s quieter there.” And you don’t have to deal with Jason Carver and his posse picking on you, but you withhold that information. 

Eddie looks at you inquisitively. “I thought you couldn’t eat in the library.” He raises his brows. “You little rebel. Sneaking food in the library, reading for fun during class…” He trails off and chuckles. “You’re always welcome at our table. I’d really like it if you sat with us, actually.” 

“Okay,” you agree easily. “I’d really like that, too.” You kiss him again and again, stopping only to indulge in coffee or cake. 

Maybe getting detention isn’t so bad, after all. 

--

#eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie x you #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things fanfic #fanfic #eddie munson stranger things #stranger things

[uollop]

The Battle of The Flower Shops (Pt.2) (Trigun x reader flower shop AU)

Content: gn!reader, angst, you and Nai get into an argument, Vash is drunk, flower shop au, Vash x reader lowkey, Nai is jealous

Word count: 3.8 k

Notes: This is a part two! Enjoy :)

Part One

An argument with Nai, planning for the event's arrangements and being silly with Vash

   A silence falls across the two of you, confusion on your face and embarrassment on his. 

   "What are you talking about-" 

   "You have a scar on your thumb. It's from when you tried to pick a rose when you were younger and the flower's thorn cut you." He interrupts, turning his body to face yours. You glance down at your hands, upon examining your fingers, you realize that he is correct. There’s a small scar on your right thumb.

   "How did you...?" You trail off, looking up at him and realizing he is much closer to you now than he was earlier.

   "I was there. You were... you were at my… caregiver's flower shop, she..." He grumbles for a moment before taking your hand in his and inspecting the scar on your thumb, "She did a poor job at fixing your injury. I was there, next to her, watching. I knew that the care she had given your thumb wouldn't be enough for the skin to heal completely, but I-"

   "I remember." You cut him off as thunder claps in the distance, looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows as you recall the boy that had been sitting nearby while the lady patched you up when you were younger.

   "Rem. That was her name, right?" You ask and his breath hitches, he drops your hand and looks away again, leaning against the wall and not answering, so you decide to continue, "Her flower shop was close to my house. Geraniums were always in the windows, if I remember correctly." You recall fondly. Your childhood days were a little fuzzy, but you remember her flower shop. Rem would occasionally watch you while your parents were working, and you remember helping around the flower shop and learning about the flowers from her and... a boy? Two boys? Your head hurts trying to recall if it really was Nai and Vash that you had known all those years ago.

   The rain is picking up and Nai still isn’t responding so you continue, "Her business is the one that made me want to open my own shop," You admit and he turns halfway to look at you again. It looked like there was almost a trace of sadness across his face, making your heart sink to your stomach. "Is she...?"     

    "She's gone now." He confirms, looking off into the distance. The feeling of sadness and empathy washes over you as he shakes his head, pushing himself off of the wall of the building. A moment of silence passes before he speaks again, "You remind me of her, though. Your kindness... It's..." Lovely? Charming? Heartwarming? "Disgusting."

    Your eyes widen at his harsh words. That was definitely not what you were expecting him to say. He notices the look on your face and scoffs, "It's pathetic. The way you act is just like her. Vash acts that way too, and it's exhausting to be around. Always letting people take advantage of you and walk all over you." Your eyes narrow at his words as your face mirrors his scowl.

   "Wait, what?" You gape in shock. He walks closer to you, shaking his head and repeating himself. "You're pathetic, always trying to prioritize others but do you really feel that way? I doubt it," He grimaces, looking down at you, "It's revolting."

   You stare at him in shock for a bit, before your eyes narrow and you try to push him away from you.

   "I'm sorry that I have feelings, Knives." You snap, anger boiling deep inside of you at his words. "Rem was a lovely person. I don't know how she raised someone like you." You turn to leave, but your words seem to break something deep inside of him. His movements are swift as he grabs your arm and pushes you against the wall he had been leaning on earlier. His arms were on either side of your torso, like a cage.

   "You know nothing about Rem." He growls, the look in his eyes making you feel inferior in a way you didn't know was possible, but you don't back down. If he wants to scare you, he'll have to try harder than that.

   "I know that she was a woman kind enough to help a child who had accidentally cut themselves trying to pick a flower from her garden," You say, jabbing a finger into his hard chest, "and that she was patient enough to raise a cold-hearted brat like you. I wanted to get along with you, Knives, but if you disrespect that woman or your brother again, I'll-"

  You're interrupted when you hear Vash calling out for the two of you. Nai doesn't make any attempt to move away, his gaze still burning holes into your skin. You frown at him and try to push him off of you, but he's stronger than you are.

   "Knives, we need to-" He suddenly leans in closer, his almost cold breath fanning across your face. Ok, now he was starting to scare you.

   "I told you to call me Nai. I know you. You were one of the only people I talked to in my youth aside from Vash and Rem," He seethes, your anxiety picking up when you hear footsteps approaching the side of the building, "It has been years since I've seen you, and you treat me like this? You dare call me the brat in this situation?"

   Suddenly, you hear the voice of Vash getting closer as he grumbles, "Naiiiiii.... where are youuuuu?" 

   "Nai, Vash is-" You're interrupted when your mouth is covered by Nai's hand, his eyes glaring into your very soul. Your eyes widen when you feel his cold skin against your mouth, immediately moving to try to claw his hand away but he swats your hand away in annoyance.

   “This conversation isn’t over, you can't tell Va-”

   “There you- woah….” You look up and see Vash, standing there with a face flushed with intoxication and a look of shock on his face. Nai looks at him and removes his hand from your mouth, backing away from your form quickly and clearing his throat.

   "Sorry, we were just..." Nai glances at you and then back at Vash before Vash's eyes widen.

   "Were you two boinkin' or something-"

   "NO!" Both you and Nai protest at the same time, Vash quickly holding up his hands defensively.

   "Woah, guys, I was just kidding! Nai has never been the romantic type, am I right bro?" Vash jokes, walking over and getting Nai in a headlock, ruffling his pristine white hair while Nai yells at him to stop. You can't help but snort at the interaction, Vash smiling at your reaction and continuing to rough house with his brother before Vash manages to pick Nai up and throw him over his shoulder, his older brother yelling in protest as he wiggles in Vash's grasp.

   "Come on! We're gonna all spend the night at Meryl's since Nai and I can’t drive ourselves home! It's sleepover time!"

   The sleepover at Meryl’s was… interesting. Nai wouldn’t make eye contact with you and Vash was just being a drunken goof the whole time. You had managed to talk a bit about your plans for sharing the wedding project before he passed out for the night, splayed across the entire couch which led to Nai having to sleep on the floor while you slept in Meryl’s room with her. She tried to ask you about what happened between you and Nai before Vash had found you, but you didn’t really know what to tell her. “Oh, don’t worry, the people who are our only competitors in town are actually childhood friends of mine! Nai just got upset cause I told him he was being a brat for dissing his dead caregiver is all!” didn’t seem like an appropriate way to explain it but that’s the only way you can make any sense of it.

   You woke up in the morning to a throbbing head and an empty house. Meryl left a note for you, though, explaining that she decided to take the twins back to the restaurant so they can take their own van home. You decided to walk home, leaving Meryl’s house and starting down the street towards your apartment. The throbbing in your head was making it hard to remember which way to go and you almost got lost a few times. Ok, actually, you were definitely lost. You looked around in confusion, rubbing your head as you looked around. Suddenly, a honk catches your attention as a car pulls up beside you.

   “Hey, cutie!” You roll your eyes, thinking about how it’s too early to start a fight before you turn to the car and come face to face with Vash. His face displays a large grin as he honks his horn again. You can see Nai sitting in the passenger seat, a scowl on his face as his brother makes excessive noise.

    “Need a ride?” He chirps, honking the horn one more time before his brother slaps his arm, “If you do not stop honking the horn, I-”

   “I would appreciate a ride.” You interrupt, opening the back door and placing your bag inside before sliding the door shut.

   “Where to?” Vash asks as he looks over the headrest towards you. You give him your address and, after a few minutes of driving, definitely regret deciding to take up his offer. This man drives worse than Meryl! You think he almost got you killed at least five times during the short drive to your apartment and, when you do arrive, you hop out as quickly as you can without it being obvious that you didn’t exactly enjoy his driving skills. You give him a quick thank you and a wave, expecting him to drive off but, instead, he puts the car in park, hopping out of the driver's seat and walking towards you with Nai reluctantly following behind him. 

   “Oh, are you… coming inside?” You ask as you glance between the two. Vash’s eyes widen, “Oh, I forgot to ask first, I’m sorry,” he rubs his neck sheepishly before Nai pipes up, “We thought we could continue to discuss our plans for the wedding.”

   You think about the suggestion for a moment before nodding with a sigh, “Alright, you can come in, but my place is a little cramped.”

   Ok, maybe that was an understatement.

   You open the door to your apartment and the twins are immediately met with greenery. The place was covered in houseplants and flora of all the different kinds, to the point where it was almost difficult to navigate the small space. You muttered a few apologies as you watched the men attempt to walk through your apartment without trampling your plant children. Eventually, you all made it to your bedroom/office. Your bed was tucked in the corner and your desk sat across from it. You walked over and slumped into your desk chair, rolling it towards a filing cabinet and pulling out the color swatches from the bride and handing them to Vash.

   “I was doing some research last night, I couldn’t fall asleep for a while, but I managed to find a flower that might be a good match for the pinks, maybe more so than the pink roses that Meryl and I used,” You say as you pull out your laptop, opening it and typing something in the search bar before showing your guests.

   “Dianthus neon star…” Vash hums thoughtfully before straightening and thinking for a moment, “I don’t know how both teams forgot about it! It’s a pretty common wedding flower with a romantic meaning behind it, so it should be perfect.” 

   “So, I was thinking… We could use these as well as your blue hydrangeas, with some white roses. What do you guys think?” Both brothers give some thought to your words before Vash speaks up, “Roses are a little basic. I think they might like something like calla lilies more.” He suggests, and you think for a moment before nodding, “That’s a smart idea, Vash!” 

    You hear a scoffing noise from Nai and, when you look at him, his arms are crossed over his chest and he has an annoyed look on his face. You mirror him, arms crossing across your own chest and your own scowl finding its way to your face, “Something bothering you, Nai?”

   “Wait, why did you call hi-” Vash is about to question your use of Nai’s real name before he is cut off, “Well, I just don’t think it was exactly smart of Vash to suggest not using roses. After all, we’ve established how over the top this couple is. There’s no way they’d settle for something as boring and simple as roses.” Nai rolls his eyes as he speaks, making your eye twitch in annoyance. Vash opens his mouth to speak but you slam your laptop shut with a loud huff.

    “If you didn’t like my idea, you could’ve just said so. Some couples like the traditional roses, I wasn’t sure if they’d be that kind of couple,” You explain as calmly as you can. You didn’t want this to end up like last night did, especially with Vash standing nearby.

   “You’re assuming I meant it as an insult towards your idea when I did not. There you go again, being…” Nai trails off as he glances at Vash, before he looks back at you for a moment, his eyes narrowing. You know what he was going to say, but it seemed like something (or someone) was stopping him.

   You glance between the two of them before narrowing your eyes, looking at Vash, and holding your scarred thumb up at him, “Does this mean anything to you?” 

   “I told you not to tell him!” Nai hisses, his eyes widening as he grabs your hand and yanks it out of view. It seemed like it was too late though, the look on Vash’s face stunned with wide eyes and it looked like… tears? Were there tears pricking the corner of his eyes?

   Vash’s voice is quiet as he mutters your name, his eyes wide, “Are you… are you really the same (y/n) from when we were younger?” 

   Nai lets out a harsh grunt and releases your hand, walking towards Vash and grabbing his arm, starting to drag him towards the entrance of your apartment.

    “Hey! Wait! I want to talk with them!” Vash yells, trying to pry his prosthetic arm from his brother’s grasp before allowing it to pop out of its socket, leaving the arm in Nai’s hand while Vash runs back towards you. He grabs your hand and examines your thumb, eyes almost glowing. Nai comes in with Vash’s arm, eyes burning with fury.

   “It is you! Wh-where did you go? I haven’t seen you since…” You grimace, pulling your hand away and looking into his eyes.

   “Since Rem died. You left us at the same time she did.” Nai grunts, walking up to his brother and popping the mechanism back into place. Vash flexes his mechanical fingers for a second before shaking his head, “I’m sure it’s not that simple, Nai.”

   “I didn’t know,” you finally say, running your finger across the scar, “my parents just… stopped taking me to the flower shop for a while and, when I was old enough to try to come visit on my own, it had been replaced with some coffee shop.”

   The twins are silent for a moment, so you continue, “I didn’t know it was because she passed away. I thought you had moved, or your lease had ended.”

   Vash takes a hold of your hand and runs a finger along the scar as well before giving you a smile, “It’s ok, you didn’t know. It’s just… We had to go stay with a foster family for a while. I… We missed you.” Vash says, wrapping his arms around you. Your eyes widen but you gently reciprocate the hug, looking up and seeing Nai watching you. You motion for him to come closer and, when he does, you pull him into the hug and laugh. It felt nice, even if Nai was complaining during the whole hug. Being reunited with the two mystery kids from your childhood was not something you had expected, but you weren’t complaining. Maybe this job wouldn’t be as difficult as you thought.

   After that, you and Vash had almost become attached at the hip, doing almost everything together, working on arrangements for the wedding together, going out to eat together, he’d even crash at your apartment occasionally. You would visit he and Nai’s place occasionally, but you still weren’t entirely comfortable around the older twin. Meryl thought your friendship with Vash was endearing. You were certain Nai did not. 

   At the moment, you were all at Vash and Nai’s shop working on arrangements. Or at least that’s what you were supposed to be doing. Vash was chasing you around with a spray bottle while you were laughing and swatting at him, running around the shop trying to avoid him. Nai and Meryl quietly worked on the arrangements as you two played. Meryl glanced at Nai and noticed a dark look on his face as he pushed the flowers into their places with little care.

   “Knives, be careful with the flowers! They’re delicate,” She says, shaking her head at him. He gives her a slightly menacing look before rolling his eyes.

   “You act as if I don’t own a flower shop myself, woman.” He scoffs, but, after a moment, she does notice that his movements, although a bit stiff, do become softer. 

   “You seem upset about something. Everything alright?” 

   “I’m fine.” He hums, finishing the arrangement he was working on and glancing up, watching you and Vash with keen eyes. You’re giggling as you weave between the aisles of flowers and, as you pass the counter where Meryl and Nai are actually working, you grab a spray bottle and point it back at Vash, spraying him in the face before running off and hiding in one of the aisles.

   “Oh, now you’ve asked for it!” Vash wiped some of the water from his face, taking off his wet glasses and continuing to look for you around the shop, laughing and spraying you with water when he found you.

   Nai wasn’t sure if he was enjoying watching you two play around or if it was annoying him. While it was nice to see his brother happy, he still wasn’t sure how he felt about you. A part of him feels happy to be reunited with you, but he also can’t help but think about that night at the restaurant and how he handled it. He could’ve handled it much better than he did, he knows that, but he also thinks that you crossed a few lines you shouldn’t have.

   It seems like, because of how that night went, you’ve been favoring spending time with Vash instead of Nai. He knows that you’re an adult and that you aren’t kids anymore. He knows that he shouldn’t feel sad at being left out, but he can’t help but notice the tinge of sadness in his heart as he watches you. It makes him a little pissed that this childish idea is upsetting him so much. For now, though, he will settle for watching you two goof around.

   Nai silently begins to work on another arrangement, thinking to himself about possible ways to apologize to you… No. He narrows his eyes. He isn’t the one here who should be apologizing. He won’t allow himself to be so weak as to go to you and ask for forgiveness when you were the one who called him a brat, all so that he could join in on your childish games.

   Suddenly, there’s a loud ‘thump’ noise and Nai’s head shoots up from the arrangement, seeing you and Vash splayed across the floor, his arms almost caging you as you both cackle, clearly enjoying yourselves.

   “You two, get over here and help with the arrangements! We need these done by the end of the month.” Meryl snapped, your eyes widening as you push Vash away, standing up and dusting yourself off. 

   “Ah, sorry Meryl. Got a bit distracted. We can count that time as Vash and I’s break for the day,” You apologize, rubbing the back of your neck, a few of the strands of hair dripping from all the times Vash had sprayed you with the water. Nai was staring. He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it. The way your wet hair stuck to your skin and the flush on your face from all the running you’ve been doing… He quickly forces himself to look away, hiding his face in the arrangement as he continues to work. This job was going to be the death of him.

    The wedding came at you all in a flash. The bride had been kind enough to invite the owners of both shops to the reception, saying that she wanted you three to be there to promote your businesses and to tell her and her new husband how to take care of all of the flowers that they had recently acquired. 

   You were wearing one of the only formal outfits you owned, dancing around the reception room with Vash. You were having a great time, dancing, enjoying the food, and talking to people about flowers. Everything had turned out wonderfully, the bride and groom loved their arrangements and had paid you all handsomely for your work. It may even be enough to get both the expansion and the new staff! 

   You laughed as Vash dipped you lower than necessary, before bringing you back up and twirling you along with the music, the two of you enjoying yourselves as much as you can before you’re no longer required to work together. While you dance, though, you can’t shake the feeling of being watched. As Vash finishes twirling you, you lean against him to balance yourself. Your world was spinning from all the circles you’d gone in, but you’re still laughing.

   From afar, Nai watches you lean into his brother and clenches his jaw. He still had never properly apologized to you for that night, but it seemed like you had almost forgotten about it. You had been opening up to him more lately, inviting him on your escapades with Vash. He always declined, of course, but the fact that you made the effort to invite him nearly warmed his cold heart.

   It was disgusting.

#vash x reader #vash the stampede x reader #vash trigun #trigun vash x reader #vash the stampede #trigun x reader #trigun stampede #trigun #flower shop au #trigun flower shop au

[sudden-stops-kill]

super coupe

#ford #thunderbird #super coupe #3.8 l

[frenchcurious]

Jaguar Type E serie 1 3.8 L 1964. - source Veitura.

#jaguar

[lostdrarryfics]

THE BIG FIND 2023: Day 3

The Big Find is a 10-day long Drarry fic-finding marathon to celebrate the blog’s anniversary. Below is the Day 3 compilation of lost fics, both old and new, that we’ve been unable to find. Our aim is to get as much attention to these lost fics as possible, to help people finally find their missing fics! Anyone can participate by reblogging, reading through each list, providing additional fic details, and informing us the title, author, or link of a fic, and their respective number in the comment section. Happy finding!

3.1 It begins with Severus punishing Harry and Draco, because he is tired of their fighting and arguing, then he takes them to an empty classroom and forces them to say three things about themselves to each other, and so on several more times. I remember he leaves some kind of hologram girl as a mediator to make sure they don’t fight. And also that they end up taking over the classroom, they take things there to hang out and everything. In addition to the fact that on one occasion they fake a fight to extend their punishment and continue spending time together. 3.2 I have this scene stuck in my head. Draco fell asleep on the roof or on the ledge of the Hogwarts castle and he ends up falling off. Harry was flying on his broom when he saw Draco fall, and of course he catches him. I can’t remember what the rating or the length of the fic was but I know it’s from an Eighth Year fic fic is not Adventures of a Suicidal Gentleman by GallaPlacidia

FOUND! 3.3 the only detail I remember is that the boys end up switching wands. I think it was an 8th year fic and Draco’s wand doesn’t work for him anymore and I think at some point draco and harry have another confrontation like the one in 6th year and draco tries to curse harry and his wand just jumps out of his hand and he starts crying. And harry ends up convincing him to switch wands cause his holly wand doesn’t work as well for him as draco’s does.

3.4 8th year fic. Pansy (and Blaise I think) found some sort of blackmailing spell that allowed them to wander around the victim’s mind without being detected. They couldn’t choose what to see so they’d just have to hope they’d stumble upon something. They used it on draco and found out about him and harry being together secretly and used it against him.

3.5 This fic was read on AO3. I can remember very little, I’m sorry. I think it goes like this. Draco and Harry start dating, but the Prophet keeps publishing nasty things. Harry tells them straight out that he will destroy them if they don’t stop. Ofc they don’t, and Harry magically blows up/ levels the building by himself. It is possible they bought out the Prophet prior to blowing up the building.

3.6 looking for a drarry fic that i read a couple of years ago (although i think it was written quite a long time ago on LJ maybe?) it’s a pre-war fic where the malfoys come over to the light side and lucius malfoy trains harry and draco in how to duel. i think there is a basement in which they teach harry how to duel? particularly remember that once they learn as much as possible from L it will be narcissa’s turn because she’s actually the better dueller. i really liked the dynamics

3.7 I read a fanfic last year. But I think it was written somewhere between 2013-2016 (I know wide range but I truly can’t remember) Set in 8th year post war. Harry is the master of death and a character named “fate” who only he can see. Becomes somewhat of a companion to him as they learn to work together. Hermione and Ron believe Harry to have gone mad. Harry and Draco somehow end up having to share a private room. They find out later in the fic that they are soulmates because they saved each others lives 3 times during the war. It’s well of 100k words and had about 60-70 chapters. I read it on AO3. I think the title was a variation of Latin?

3.8 It was in Hogwarts and after 1st or 2nd Year I think. It was soulmate universe. Everyone has a soulmate with like marks. I think Drarry and hearts in green and red. The two also lived together I think. The special part is that Drarry are true mates. And when they touch their marks glow

FOUND! 3.9 I remember reading it back in 2018, but not sure where. It is a long fic and basically rewrites books 4-7 at Hogwarts. One of the main details I remember is that there was a ring of magic trees on Hogwarts grounds that took you to a secret grove if you walked through them properly, so Draco and Harry would spend a lot of their time there. At the end, they get married on Halloween and its a big deal to Harry because its the same day his parents died.

3.10 I remember reading a fic (a ‘longer short story’-length) which features a central scene, in which a strong Harry magically ties/paralyzes Draco and forces him to have sex. He feels Dracos arousal and although Draco begs him to stop, Harry continues giving Draco a handjob. Harry continues until Draco is about to cum, then stops. Draco begs him to go on, but Harry wouldn’t (‘you wanted me to stop’) and ‘de-paralyzes’ Draco. Draco masturbates to get to his ejaculation. I think, the scene was set in a classroom, maybe on a desk. It could have been tagged as powerful!Harry or magically powerful Harry and i read it on AO3 or FF.net.

3.11 Unfortunately I don’t remember much of the setting, but rather the dynamics between Harry and Draco. Draco finds out that Harry is gay and begins to fantasize about it. His fantasies focus on anal sex and: faeces! At first he feels disgusted and despises Harry for his alleged ‘dirty’ sexuality – if Harry is gay, he likes anal sex and thus he likes excrements. Gradually Draco becomes involved in these fantasies and his homophobic reflex loosens. He begins to like his fantasies and wants to have sex with Harry. This process is not a linear progress but a flip-flopping. The story had a medium length, it was not part of a larger series. I must’ve read it on AO3 or FF.net.

3.12 multi chapter war fic and some Slytherins (Draco and I think Blaise, Millie, Pansy and Greg) have defected to the Order. The Order has essentially imprisoned them in a safe house of sorts where order members go when they need a rest and some healing. They are not told of how the war is going but think that it’s not going well due to the number of injuries they see go through the house. Eventually, Harry shows up. Draco and Harry begin talking and even bed sharing at times, and eventually the order wins the war. The fic was kinda gritty and I believe explicit. More info: the one I’m after starts when the Slytherins are already in the safe house and they defect voluntarily. Harry doesn’t show up until way later. fic is not Wayward Slytherins by Aramarthiel

3.13 i think harry sets fire to a shop and he gets reprimanded by the aurors, so he gets sent to hogwarts for some kind of punishment (?) and draco is also there, maybe as a professor. it’s a pretty slow burn and draco is getting married to astoria but doesn’t in the end. harry is pretty hung up on ginny for most of the fic too

3.14 there was a small plot point where one of them got a tummy bug and then the other got a uti after doing stuff with them and they both talked about it after figuring out what happened. i think it was during hogwarts, and they were pretty comfortable with each other, and on a personal not it made the fix realistic and nice to me cause most fics dont really talk about bathroom stuff, just major plot. i read it several years ago so i have no idea if its still on ao3. i think it was multichapter i can’t remember if it was completed (probably?)

#the big find 2023 #drarry #drarry fic #drarry fic search #drarry squad

[jamesblr]

Guys, I really want to try 75 hard. Has anyone completed it before/any advice going in?

The basic tenets of the challenge are:

Drink 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water (flavored water doesn't count) daily

Exercise twice daily for 45 minutes each time, at least one must be outside

Stick to a diet of some kind, no cheat meals, no exceptions (obviously for me this would be c4lor1e restriction)

Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book daily

Take one progress photo every day

I think the only thing I would struggle with really is remembering to drink that much water, and forcing myself to exercise when I get home because I am EXHAUSTED in the afternoon.

Also with the diet, not an issue ofc but I have so much stuff happening in the next 75 days: Easter, a trip to VA, a trip to NYC, prom, finals (lord I don't want to think about finals right now), my birthday, my sibling's birthday; the list goes on. And the thing is, 75 hard is all or nothing, so if I'm on day 74 and I eat like 1500 at my friend's birthday party or something, then I fail outright. Which kind of scares me. I'm afraid of failure 💀

But I think that's the point of the challenge? To push yourself to overcome that fear and just take the leap. idk man

Anyways if you have some wisdom or something, feel free to share lol. If I do decide to go through with it, I'm starting April 1st.

#@n0r3xia #i will reach my ugw #⭐️ve #@na trigger #i will lose weight #i will be weightless #@nor3×14 #pro for me not for thee #pro for only myself #4n4blr #pro a4a #tw a4a #ed bullshit #ed bllog

[doodlepen]

one day i got a tremendous urge to play around with a free online comic generator, and one of the first results i got was this one. the name's included in each img. the site works better than expected, and it even has deep lore! quite a rabbit hole there.

some odd force has possessed me to see what i can do with such a tool. the site ("MBCmx" for short) is regularly maintained and has been online since 2006. the assets leave a lot to be desired, but i'm forced to be creative (hint: the dolphin prop looks like a gun and the pencil & paintbrush look like knives! lol). the owner seems to really, *really* want user engagement. the more i play with the site, the more i want more/better assets and have jotted down some basics, like more vehicles, buildings, appliances, etc.

i wonder if the site owner accepts emailed-in free to use blank assets, and who is in charge of coding? cuz i got a lot of ideas for asset menu management.

---

note that the exported files, which are .png & sufficiently big, always have the blank square unless it's an 18 paneler. which i'll get to later. (that strong urge made me want to make something big & spergy but i'll post that later), so i always edit the resulting comic into a friendlier format and export jpg. this is what the usual download looks like, it always has a generic filename (make-beliefs-comix.png), and you can RCS any panel and save it as canvas.png, but if you RCS any non-BG asset, it'll start following your mouse until you L-click.

3-panel sheets are short but always have a bit of a blank extra 4th panel to them, and are avg 1.1mb. 18-panel sheets don't need any editing beyond export. they come out like 3.5 to 3.8 MB.

certain text characters make the textboxes freak out or rearrange, but it has emoji support, shockingly enough.

===

https://makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/

the login's on that page, and notice how the site uses antiquated language all over, has a few significant affiliates (mainly named people), and tons of links and articles, even a sister site with the same engine & assets. there's something here. definitely has a lot more SOVL than most websites, that's a huge part of its appeal.

[March 7 tues 2024]

#comics #makebeliefs #meme #comix

[beardedmrbean]

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A former Portland lawyer was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison Monday after defrauding over 100 clients out of millions of dollars in insurance proceeds, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office.

Lori E. Deveny, 57, was also ordered to pay over $4.5 million in restitution to her victims.

“It’s hard to overstate the extraordinary impact Ms. Deveny’s crimes had on the many innocent and vulnerable victims who trusted her. As a former attorney, she had a special responsibility to her clients and to the public, but she repeatedly abused this trust and prioritized her own needs. This is a just sentence for serious crimes,” said Ethan Knight, Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“The cruelest thing of all is knowingly providing false hope. Having already suffered losses, Ms. Deveny’s clients deserved an attorney who represented their best interests. What they got instead was someone who inflicted more loss,” added Special Agent in Charge Bret Kressin, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “Today, Ms. Deveny is receiving what she never provided her clients: a picture of reality that those who choose to defraud will face the consequences of their actions.”

Court documents say that between April 2011 and May 2019, Deveny defrauded at least 135 of her clients out of over $3.8 million in insurance proceeds by stealing clients’ identities, forging insurance checks, depositing client funds into her personal bank account and deceiving clients continually by telling them they would eventually receive compensation for their injuries. Many of her victims were particularly vulnerable due to their severe brain and bodily injuries, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Deveny’s scheme also cost Oregon State Bar Client Security Fund, Wells Fargo and the IRS, according to investigators. Due to the state bar making partial restitution payments to some of Deveny’s clients, their security fund lost $1.2 million, one of the largest losses in the organization’s history. Wells Fargo reportedly lost $52,000 due to a forged check and the IRS lost over $621,000 when Deveny didn’t report the money she stole on her tax returns.

Deveny used the proceeds to pay more than $150,000 on foreign and domestic airline tickets, more than $173,000 on African safari and big game hunting trips, $35,000 on taxidermy expenses, $125,000 on home renovations, $195,000 in mortgage payments, more than $220,000 in cigars and related expenses, $58,000 on pet boarding and veterinary costs, $41,000 on recreational vehicle expenses, $50,000 for a Cadillac vehicle, and $60,000 on stays at a luxury nudist resort in Palm Springs, Calif.

“While serving as an attorney, Ms. Deveny brazenly stole money that should have gone to pay for health care for her clients for serious injuries and ailments. Instead, that money funded things like big game hunting trips to Africa and home remodeling. She took advantage of people who were physically and emotionally hurting by forging insurance checks, stealing the funds and lying to her clients about the payouts,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “These actions not only got her disbarred but are now putting her behind bars. The FBI applauds our partners at IRS-CI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as we continue to bring to justice those who commit this kind of unconscionable financial fraud that harms the people in our shared community.”

A grand jury returned a 24-count indictment on Deveny on May 7, 2019, charging her with mail, bank, and wire fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft, money laundering and filing a false tax return. She pled guilty to one count each of mail, wire, and bank fraud, and also plead guilty to money laundering, filing a false tax return and two counts of aggravated identity theft on June 27, 2022.

#nunyas news

[chasseurdeloup]

A package arrives from Harry & David with a card inside for Kaden:

“Thanks for being cool about the mime stuff. Share this with your cousins.”

Along with the card is a list of the contents included in the box:

Creamy Coppinger cheese

Peppadew pepper white cheddar cheese

Aged yellow cheddar cheese

Blueberry Wensleydale cheese

Espresso pecorino cheese

Fig and rose goat milk cheese

Apple-smoked cheddar cheese

Ubriacone wine-bathed cheese

Blueberry vanilla goat milk cheese

Mobay cheese

Wasabi horseradish cheddar cheese

Moliterno al tartufo cheese (truffle-infused)

Maple bacon cheddar cheese

Black truffle salami

Peppered salami

Italian bresaola

Salami piccante

Dried strawberries

Turkish dried figs

Juicy apricots

Crystallized Thai ginger

Dried tangerines

Dried mango slices

Sun-dried tomatoes

Candied walnuts

Caramelized pecans

Pepperoncini

Sweet sesame almonds

Everything seasoned cashews

Dijon seasoned pistachios

Fig and orange marmalade

Tangerine- and chili-marinated green olives

Sparkling prosecco cordials

Chocolate espresso bean mix

Rosemary and olive oil crackers

Tart cherry and cacao crackers

Everything spice crackers

Bamboo cutlery kit (20 fork pickers, 2 mini spreaders, 2 mini spoons, 4 tongs)

Acacia wood serving board, 17 in L x 13 in W x 1.5 in H (43.1 cm x 19 cm x 3.8 cm)

#submission #c: mack #realmackross #gift #This is so cute thoughhhhh #he’s gonna be like ??? You have $$ ??? What’s that like?? Does not compute

[aehenvs3000f23]

My journey in the gym

I decided to take advantage of this open blog prompt to switch up the conversation from nature interpretation to something else that makes up a big part of who I am, which is going to the gym.

Throughout highschool I had an on and off relationship (definitely more off than on) with the gym. Every summer I would work up a ball of motivation and sign up for the free summer student membership at Goodlife. In the beginning, I would go to the gym a few times a week and then by the time August rolled around would lose all motivation and give up. This same pattern happened the few times I bought myself a real membership in highschool. I remember the last time I started a “gym phase” it was cut short by the first Covid lockdown and between March of 2020 and January of 2023, I stepped foot in a gym 3 times.

Fast forward to January of 2023, I finally decided that I wanted to give the gym another try, but not just for a few weeks this time. So, I signed up for a membership at the campus gym and gathered up a few of my friends that worked out often to show me how to do everything right. I started going to the gym 3-4 times a week, and always had a friend with me to ensure my form was proper (and to keep me entertained). I immediately started to notice how good I felt walking out of the gym after a good workout. This feeling is what motivated me to keep showing up, sort of like a positive feedback loop. After a few months, motivation lost most of its impact (but not in the way you think). Going to the gym became such a normal part of my routine that it felt wrong to not show up. It is so crazy to think that just last year working out was so unimportant to me, and now I can't imagine spending a few days out of the gym.

This summer my best friend and I decided that we were ready for a new challenge. So, we agreed that once we got back to Guelph in the fall, we would do 75 Hard together. This fitness challenge consists of 5 main rules; pick a diet and stick to it (no cheats, no alcohol), 2 45-minute workouts a day (one must be outside), 3.8 L of water a day, 10 pages of a non-fiction book a day, and take a daily progress pic. We started the challenge on September 11, and after 32 days, I quit.

I say that I “quit” rather than “failed” because I did not see it as a failure. This challenge allowed me to form new habits such as reading daily (I think the last book I read front to back was in grade 10 English), drinking more water, going on daily outdoor walks, and reaching for healthier food options. You might be wondering, if I liked those aspects of the challenge why did I quit?

I quit 75 hard because I felt like it was destroying my relationship with the gym. I started to feel like the gym was a chore, rather than a choice. Each day I would start my timer as I entered the gym, and the moment I hit 45 minutes I had no more motivation to workout. My goal for the day was complete, and thus I was too. Before this challenge I had no problem spending 90 minutes in the gym, so when I noticed that I was struggling to continue my workouts beyond the 45-minute mark, I started to reassess my fitness goals. After 4-5 days of thinking about it, I decided to quit.

I don’t regret my decision to start or end the challenge one bit. I think that I learned a lot about myself and my goals this past month and plan to use the next few weeks to repair my relationship with the gym, in hopes that I can get it back to what it used to be, while still holding onto the good habits I have formed.

If you made it this far thank you for reading :)

And for anyone wondering, my best friend is still going!