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hwaslayer · 4 months

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project: make you love me (jyh) | thirteen.

♣︎ spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: yunho can’t stand how you’re so wrapped up in the notorious campus fuckboy, park seonghwa. he would gladly love you the way you deserve, despite being shy, awkward and the complete opposite of seonghwa. thus, when he finds himself spending more time with you over literature reviews and random study sessions, he decides to take on the challenge to win you over.

—pairing: jeong yunho x f. reader x park seonghwa

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers/friends to lovers, college au | fluff, angst, smut

—word count: 5.9k

—chapter content/warnings: cussing/mature language, date with yunho!! 🥰, yunho and oc talk a bit about family dynamics, oc meets his mom and aunt <33, just a sprinkle of seonghwa, lots of sweet kisses, making out, breast play, unprotected sex, oral sex (f. receiving), fingering, clit play, teasing, a lil bit of a handjob, multiple orgasms (2 lol), praising, post-sex cuddles!, sorry if i missed anything - quickly edited 😅

"Why are you doing that?" Yunho laughs, grabbing at your hand and giving it a gentle squeeze from the driver's seat to prevent you from fiddling with your fingers even more.

"I'm nervous." You pout and Yunho can't help but squish your cheeks.

"It's gonna be fine." Yunho smiles before shifting his attention back to the road. "Mom couldn't stop texting me about how excited she was to finally meet you."

"Me?" You ask him, almost in disbelief. "What if she sees me and she changes her mind!"

"She won't. She wouldn't do that over—" Yunho pauses and you can see the tip of his ear turn red, a faint rosy tint also creeping up to the surface of his cheeks.

"Over?"

"Nevermind."

"Hey, that's not fair." You playfully pinch him on the bicep, making him chuckle in his response. "Say it, Jeong Yunho."

"Not the government name." You glare at him and he shakes his head in defeat. "I was just gonna say she wouldn't do that over someone I'm sure about." Your eyes widen at the response before you smile and giggle.

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do." He laughs, placing a kiss on the surface of your hand. "So trust me when I say don't worry, okay? They'll adore you."

"Okay." Your bottom lip pokes out a bit. Today, Yunho was taking you on a date. To where? He wouldn't tell you. He wouldn't budge, no. But, you do know you're meeting his mom and aunt over a small dinner at the house, your nerves running wild since the moment you've hit the road. It's been awhile since your last relationship, and you really, really adore Yunho.

You don't wanna mess this up.

You are in love with him, and you hope they like you just like he promises they will. You are already hoping to build a good relationship with them, especially if you plan to be around. You can't help but think of your own mom and sister, hoping you'll be able to be plan something soon for them so they can officially meet Yunho in the right circumstances.

Since you're in Yunho's hometown, you aren't too familiar with what's around. You keep your eyes fixed on the scenery passing you by, listening to Yunho softly hum to the music in the background while he continues to drive off to the first destination. He seems to be taking you to the outskirts, driving deeper to the point where the small city fades into the back while the greenery begins to take over. He has to drive on a narrow path before he's navigating through a beaten, dirt path and into a lot that is surrounded by apple trees.

"Yunho." You continue to look out the window as he pulls into a spot in between two trees, a few other cars lining down the aisle.

"Yes?" He shuts off the car and unbuckles his seatbelt, looking at you with a sly smirk on his face.

"What're we doing?"

"Apple picking." You squeal and clap your hands, no longer able to contain your excitement. You had briefly mentioned going fruit picking to Yunho, stating it as a bucket list item of yours. He swings your door open to help you out of the car before leading you to the bins to place your apples in. Yunho hands you one, pleading for you to try and not fill it up too much so the bin doesn't get too heavy. He leads you down the open trail, already picking at a few nice apples along the branches. You stick closer to the ones in close proximity to your height, eyes lighting up every time you're able to snag a pretty one off the branches.

"Aw, I love this." You giggle, picking a few more off of the nearby branches. "They all look too pretty to eat."

"I know. I'm grabbing a few for my mom and aunt." Yunho effortlessly grabs a few off the taller branches, placing them gently into the bin. "Wanna save some for your mom and sister?"

"Just a few. I'm not even sure when if I'll see them in time. Otherwise Soobin, Chaery and Seungmo can eat them." He smiles.

"Sounds like a plan. Are they around for break?"

"In and out. I think the person who is staying here the most is Soobin. Chaery and Seungmin have a couple of plans with their families."

"Mm."

"What about Yeo?"

"He'll mostly be at the apartment." He caresses your chin. "What about you?"

"Ah, my family isn't big on doing things. We'll celebrate for the holidays but that's all."

"You should. I'd love to meet your mom and sister again.. under better circumstances." You laugh.

"You will." You and Yunho continue to walk down the path, each stopping to take photos of each other under the crisp, afternoon sunlight. Once you're satisfied with the amount of apples in your bin, you take them to the weighing scale and pay for the apples before grabbing a small snack of freshly baked apple fritters and tea. You and Yunho sit at a picnic table to enjoy the sun slowly settling below the horizon. Yunho shows you his new lockscreen while you eat; a picture of you holding an apple next to your cheek while you cutely smile.

"You're really cute." He smiles at his phone just before tossing his wrappers into the trash can.

"You take the best photos of me. You sure you aren't into photography or anything?" He shakes his head.

"No. Just like taking pictures of you, thats all." You blush. "We should probably get going. There's one more place I wanna take you before we head to my house for dinner."

"Where?" He smirks.

"It's just 15 mins away. I think you'll like it. We'll only be there for an hour since the event is gonna end soon."

"Hm, okay Yunho. Surprise me some more." You tease with a giggle.

"I will." He kisses you on the temple before holding your hand and heading back to the car. The sun hasn't completely set yet, but the skies are filled with orange and red hues as you continue to drive along to your next destination. Yunho drives off to a nearby park that holds rollerskating events in the evening, except tonight would be its last night before it's converted to an ice skating rink. Yunho talks a bit about how he spent a lot of time at this park with his friends when he was young, and how they've done a lot to make the park nicer over the years. Now, they hold plenty of events that bring the community together.

When he pulls into another lot, you can already hear the music blaring from within the park. It's muffled due to the trees surrounding the area, but the park is well lit even though the sun hasn't fully set. There are string lights hanging from tree to tree, even around the picnic tables that are planted around the area. As Yunho continues to walk down the path, you see a circular rink where people are rollerskating. There is a DJ blasting music off to the side, and a booth where you can rent skates.

"Rollerskating?" Your eyes light up. "Yunho?!"

"Thought we could give it a try together before they get rid of it."

"You're the best." You tippy-toe to wrap your arms around his neck, planting a sweet kiss against his lips. His large hands come to squeeze your side, holding the kiss for as long as he can before he slightly pulls away.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something." He brushes the hair away from your face, thumb coming down to caress your cheek. You feel the butterflies swirling in your stomach when Yunho looks at you, his touch simple but warm, safe.

Comforting.

"What is it, Yunho?"

"I just really, really like you, Y/N. You make me happy, and you make me feel safe. I don't feel like I have to be someone I'm not, and that's the best feeling. I don't know, you just.. bring out the best in me. It sounds cliché, but I mean it when I say I haven't felt this way before."

"I feel the same." You caress his jaw. You would have never known that asking Yunho for help would lead to this— would lead to him being a special person in your life, someone you can't imagine your days without.

"So, I-I was hoping that, maybe, you could be my girlfriend?" You giggle and hug him again, nodding to give him his answer.

"I'd love to be." He cups your cheeks and brings you in for another kiss.

"Phew. I was actually losing my shit on the way here." You laugh as Yunho leads the way to the rental booth. "I kept rehearsing it in my head."

"Why?! Did you think I was gonna reject you?"

"Uh, yeah?" He gives you a look.

"No, never."

"Never, hm?" He teases before shifting his attention to the staff member at the booth. He pays for the rentals and hands you your skates, giving you the green light to walk over to the nearest bench and slip them in. You used to rollerskate when you were younger, but it's been years and you've only tried inline skating. Yunho already seems to be more pro than you because he's standing on his two feet comfortably, while your knees are shaking and you can't seem to fully stand up. He laughs as he comes closer, creating a bit of distance to give you some space to get used to the feeling. "Slowly, baby. Shift your weight a bit." You pout as you continue to practice, finally getting into a rhythm after a good 10 minutes.

"I think I should be okay." You say, comfortably skating over to Yunho without wobbling around. He nods and takes your hand, slowly skating over to join the crowd at the rink. "How are you literally so good at everything?"

"Nah." He laughs. "We'll go slow, okay? Everyone's going at their own pace." You smile, trusting in Yunho to take care of you. You easily begin to get comfortable with the music blasting in the background, skating alongside your man as the rest of the crowd enjoys themselves. Today was such an eventful day that you're wishing it never ends. All you find yourself doing while skating is laughing with Yunho and squealing every time you feel like you're going a little too fast and lose your balance.

You feel like you're on cloud nine and you wish you can stay in this moment forever with him.

The hour wraps up quick, and the DJ is having to end the night with a bittersweet speech about how he'll miss playing for this event. You and Yunho return the skates to the booth and slip back into your shoes, rushing over to the car before the lot could get too packed from everyone leaving at once. You laugh when Yunho quickly reverses and heads out of the lot, joking about how you've never seen him move that fast. When you're finally out and away from traffic, Yunho relaxes a little and takes you back into the central part of town for dinner.

"Yuyu?" He lets out a small chuckle hearing the Chaery-granted nickname slip from your lips. Nonetheless, he's grown a liking to it and loves having a nickname you two enjoy.

"Hm?" He hums.

"Do you remember anything about your dad?" You flat out pose the question without thinking. He doesn't answer right away so you immediately follow-up with a— "Wait, I'm sorry. We don't have to do this right now if you aren't ready."

"No, love. It's fine. I'm okay talking about it, it's just not a common topic for me." He flashes you a small, reassuring smile. "To answer your question, no, I really don't remember anything about him. I remember seeing him come and go in the apartment we lived in when I was younger, and I remember seeing going with him to see some of his side of the family. But even then, those bits are blurred. I can't imagine what he looks like now, I can't make out a height. I can't make out much of his features." Your heart sinks.

"I'm so sorry, Yunho."

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize." He shrugs. "Part of me wishes I knew a bit more than what I know, but then I think about my mom and how she never gave up on me. She gave me everything even when times were tough. She treated me well and raised me well. She never tried to raise her voice at me and she never scolded me the way other parents would. She knew how to communicate with me even when I was small. I guess I never really needed him in the first place. I didn't feel the lack of love or support anywhere."

"That's amazing. I can tell you adore your mom to bits. It must have been tough for her, and I can only imagine."

"It was. It was really tough. But, we got through it together. I tried to fill in the empty spaces as much as possible."

"You're her world, that's more than enough. I know she appreciates you so much." He smiles at you, thumb running over the back of your hand. "There's nothing that could replace you, or any other love that could be better."

"My aunt says I kinda look like him." He chuckles. "But, she says she's glad I'm the complete opposite. My mom likes to remind her that I'm hers only." You laugh.

"How cute. You are hers."

"I know you said your dad comes around, but how is he with your mom nowadays?"

"They're good. I mean, like I said, they're better this way. They still bicker but it's not like before." You let out a soft sigh. "At first, she didn't understand why my sister and I still wanted to see him and have a relationship with him after the divorce. She was hurt, I guess. After everything they've been through. But, my dad never neglected us. He was still a good dad. He still is, even with the distance. He tries."

"That's good. Sometimes, they stop when all that goes down so it's good he still tries and is present in your lives."

"Yeah, I think so. Eventually, my mom understood that we still wanted him to be in our lives no matter what. And, I think she could see he felt the same."

"That's nice. Do you see him for holidays?"

"He'll pop in for a little." Yunho nods. "Even though I'm nervous, I can't wait to meet your mom and aunt." You shift the topic back to his family.

"Hm, really?" He chuckles. "I can't wait for you to meet them, too. Especially since we're right around the corner."

"Already?!" He nods.

"Already. She told me they prepped a lot of food so.. should be fun."

"Now I'm even more nervous." You whine a bit and he laughs.

"It'll be fine, baby. Trust me." The petname makes your stomach do flips, but you can't really think about that now. He pulls around the corner and into the driveway of the 5th house down the street. The lights in the house are all on, and you can faintly see shadows moving around in what you assume is the kitchen area. "Ready?" He unbuckles his seatbelt and gives you a soft smile.

"Mhm." Yunho comes to assist you in the passenger's side, grabbing the bag of apples from behind your seat to bring into the house. He takes his keys from the carabiner hanging on his jeans, unlocking the door to a fairly loud house— mainly due to the TV in the living room.

"Hello?" Yunho calls out and you hear his aunt scream in excitement.

"Yunho! You made it." His mom greets him first before his aunt does. She looks at you with a soft smile, immediately welcoming you into her arms.

"This is Y/N." He steps aside to let you finish greeting his mom and his aunt, the both of them wrapping you into big, tight hugs.

"She's a pretty one, how did you manage to snag her?" His aunt teases, making his mom smack her on the arm in response.

"Yeah, right?" Yunho playfully agrees anyway.

"Come on, Y/N! Make yourself feel at home. Food is ready, I'm sure you two are starving."

"Thank you." You smile at her and follow her into the dining area. The table is set nicely, with a few candles in the center to help bring in some warmth and those winter season smells you love so much. You almost feel bad that they've cooked so much food, but Yunho is happy and he's excited to dig in. He pulls out your chair before sitting next to you, hand on your thigh to give it a comforting, reassuring squeeze.

"Y/N, please. Go ahead and start. What drinks do you two want?" His aunt asks.

"I'll help you."

"I'm okay with water. Thank you." Yunho stands to help his aunt with the drinks, his mom sitting in front of you with a smile on her face.

"It really is so nice to finally meet you. Yunho doesn't stop talking about you." You hear Yunho clear his throat as he hands you a cup of water.

"Not like that. I take some breaks in between." He jokes.

"He definitely doesn't." His mom corrects him, handing you the bowl of rice. "It's cute to see him all shy like this. He really likes you, and I can see why." You giggle.

"Oh, well. I can say the same." You help yourself to some rice before passing more food around the table. "Yunho's very sweet. He helped me a lot with one of our classes."

"That's cute." His aunt plops onto her seat and laughs. "Tell us about yourself, Y/N. We've been dying to meet you." You laugh, proceeding to tell them more about yourself, your mom, dad and sister. As you've continued to talk about your childhood and how things have been over the years, you find yourself comfortable enough to open up about both the highs and lows being with your family. It was nice to hear Yunho's mom and aunt reassure you, telling you it was nice that your family still got along no matter the circumstance.

Then, you and Yunho talked a little bit more about school and how you two got close over literature class. You shyly praise him in front of his family, telling them how one of your favorite things about him was his humor and how laidback he's always been. Yunho's mom tells you that Yunho has always remained the same throughout the years— that he's always been the same 'sweet, affectionate, funny-boned' boy she's always adored.

After a good, long dinner, you and Yunho help clean up in the kitchen, tagteaming on dishes while his mom and aunt cleaned the table and around the counters. His mom packs you both some leftovers, telling you to share with your roommates. She packs it neatly into separate bags for you and Yunho, handing it over with a sweet smile on her face.

"It's late. You should've just stayed." You hug Yunho's aunt before hugging his mom. She keeps her arm around you, gently rubbing at your back as she continues to softly scold Yunho.

"It's not that late, mom. I'll be okay."

"Still! It's dark out and you have a two hour drive ahead of you."

"I know, I know. Next time." He looks at his mom. "May I have my girlfriend back?"

"Maybe." His mom teases back. "Promise me you'll stay next time."

"Promise." Yunho winks at his mom as he finally gets a hold of your hand and leads you out to the car.

"Mhm. I saw that. Seriously, come back soon, okay? You two better stay here next time." His aunt says, making you laugh as you wave.

"We will. I'll make sure of it." You respond.

"I really like her." His aunt says loud enough for you to hear, causing you to giggle to yourself while you settle into the passenger's seat.

"Yunho." His mom calls out just as he's about to step in, one leg already thrown into the car.

"Huh?"

"Drive safely."

"Of course. I'll tokyo drift all the way back to the apartment, how's that? Gets me there faster."

"Jeong Yunho!" She playfully scolds him.

"Kidding. I will!" He laughs and waves her off, finally getting into the car.

"Stop teasing your mom like that." You chuckle.

"It's funny, isn't it?"

"You're too much." Yunho smiles and kisses your hand just before holding it.

"Mm, wanna watch a movie when we get back? If you're not too tired."

"I'm down."

"You're gonna fall asleep on the way, aren't you?"

"Maybe." You shyly admit. You are feeling pretty exhausted after your day, but you're trying your hardest not to give in so you can continue to keep Yunho company on the long drive back. "But, I'm trying to stay up so I can keep you company.

"It's okay, baby." He says softly, eyes glued onto the road ahead. "If you wanna nap, you should nap."

"What about you?" You yawn, head leaning back against the headrest.

"I'm used to these drives. I'll be okay. Promise."

"Okay." You feel your eyes getting heavy. It isn't long before you fall asleep, Yunho turning down the music and turning up the heat. Quite frankly, he is tired. But, he wasn't lying when he said he was used to these drives. Plus, overall, he does enjoy driving. It soothes him, relaxes him.

He can't wait to get back home and cuddle with you over a movie.

You're his, and he is yours.

The thought alone makes Yunho feel so giddy inside.

After a somewhat grueling 2 hours, Yunho finally pulls into the familiar lot. You had woken up about 30 minutes ago, and Yunho is glad you did or else he'd feel terrible having to wake you up from a good slumber in the car. The both of you make your way back up to his apartment, finding that Yeosang isn't home. The apartment is dark, but warm. It's spotless and it's incredibly quiet.

You make your way to the restroom to quickly freshen up and change into Yunho's shirt for the night. You brush your teeth and finish up your bedtime routine before stepping out, seeing Yunho sitting on the living room floor while flipping through the movie options.

"I'll be back." He points to the TV. "I kinda just settled on that new Leave the World Behind movie."

"Sounds good to me." He quickly eyes his shirt on you, no bottoms. And god, it instantly drives him crazy. Before he could fall too deep into his feelings, Yunho waddles off to the bathroom to get ready for the evening and changed into some sweats and a shirt. By the time he heads back out to the living room, you've shut off all the lights, and you've paused the movie right at the beginning. Your eyes are fixed on your phone, and a few texts come in. But, Yunho doesn't really pay much attention to it and instead plops onto the ground right in front of you.

chaery: hello?! I SAW YOUR STORY. did he finally ask you to be his gf?! holy shit!!

seungmin: y/n's tied down now ayeeee

soobin: congrats!! when's the wedding!!

seonghwa: i see you're around for break.

seonghwa: wanted to see you really quickly and apologize. you don't have to do anything or say anything, but at least hear me out.

You roll your eyes at the two texts from Seonghwa, quickly responding to your roommates before locking your phone and tossing it aside.

"You don't wanna sit up here?" Your arms hang over Yunho as your chin rests on his head.

"I need to stretch." He laughs. "Sorry pretty. I'll be right here." He resumes the movie just as you kiss the top of his head and switch your attention to the screen.

The both of you are equally invested in the movie, even as you continue to hang over Yunho while he holds onto your arms. You've barely even reached halfway when catch yourself ogling at Yunho's hands and the veins that run through them. You peek over to see how glued he is to the movie, eyeing his side profile before placing a gentle kiss on his temple, cheek. He giggles a bit before looking up at you, the mood in the room doing a complete flip when he sees the look in your eyes.

It's the same look he had when he was checking you out in his shirt.

"What's up, cutie?"

"I just wanna say thank you for today."

"You don't have to thank me."

"I do. I really enjoyed it, so thank you, babe."

"Of course. Is there anything else on your mind?"

"Just wanna kiss you."

"That's it?" He teases, watching as you dip forward to close in on his lips.

"Maybe." You whisper just as you kiss him. At first, the kiss is sweet, innocent. The next moment, it's deeper, more intense— your tongue dancing around with his while the movie is a long-gone thought in the background. Yunho gently bites onto your bottom lip before pulling back; eyes full of lust meeting yours.

"Do you wanna move to the room?" He licks his lips while his eyes dart from your eyes, back down to your lips.

"Mhm." You respond softly, hands still cupping Yunho's cheeks. He smiles and plants a quick kiss to your lips before standing to his feet. He shuts off the movie and helps you up from the couch, leading you to his room. Yunho shuts his door, watching as you climb into bed and under the covers. It's not long before he joins you— slightly hovering over you as he pulls the covers over his body.

"Baby." He calls lowly.

"Yeah?" Your fingers are tangled at the ends of his hair, eyes scanning every feature on Yunho's face— his long lashes, his pink lips, his doe eyes, his soft, black hair. You adore everything about Yunho, and you can't help but melt in his hold.

"Is it okay if I keep going..?" You nod quietly as Yunho leans in to meet your lips again, hand coming up underneath your shirt to caress your bare skin. His hand his warm against the surface, and it's enough to light up your entire body; fireworks going off every time Yunho deepens the kiss a little more. He gives your side a squeeze, lips now trailing down to the corner of your lips, your jaw.

Neck.

Yunho takes his time on your neck, though. And god, do you love every bit of it. You squirm underneath him, teeth nibbling on your bottom lip when you feel Yunho's tongue glide across the surface before gently sucking on it, when you feel him slowly rocking his hips against you. He catches the way you continue to bite onto your lip, smirking against your skin just as he places another kiss at the base.

Down to your collarbone.

"Can I?" He whispers, slowly lifting up the edge of your shirt. You nod, lifting yourself up to help Yunho tug the shirt over your head and onto the floor. He takes a moment to admire your bare chest, eyes glowing at how beautiful you look underneath him. "So pretty." His eyes are now glued onto yours as he continues to leave a trail of kisses down your chest. His tongue glides over to a nipple, popping the bud into his mouth before working his tongue in a circular motion. You let out a small whimper and Yunho feels the blood rush straight down to his dick.

He can't wait to have all of you. To have a taste, to feel you around him.

As his and his only.

He moves to the next bud, sucking gently before repeating the circular motions around your nipple— pulling back with a small pop. You feel the goosebumps heighten on your arms, the pleasure already surging through your veins.

"Taking these off." Yunho says as he makes his way down, finger slightly dipping underneath the waistband of your pjay bottoms. You watch as he sheds off your bottoms and panties, tossing them off to the side to join your [his] shirt on the floor. You feel incredibly shy being this bare, this vulnerable, in front of Yunho. But, the feeling dissipates when he smiles in awe; his large hands caressing your thighs and giving them a kiss. "You're so beautiful." He plants a kiss to your inner thigh. "Wanna make you feel good, love." He watches for your response as he softly nibbles on your inner thigh.

"Please." You respond, almost whimpering for him to continue. Your breath hitches when you feel his thumb graze over your folds then press on your clit. He starts to rub your already sensitive nub in slow, circular motions to test the waters, before diving in with his tongue against you. His other hand is gripping your thigh, keeping your legs spread open so he could get you in all angles, taste every drop of you. "Yunho." You breathily moan, hands tangled in his hair as he continues to lap at your folds and suck on your clit. He proceeds with slipping a finger inside of you, pumping at a slow and steady pace while continuing to work his tongue on you. It's not long before he's slipping another digit in— this time, watching your reaction from in between your thighs, biting onto his lip every time you squirm and moan for him to keep going.

Yunho finds, at this very moment, that he can't get enough of you. He wants to be the only one who keeps making you feel good, and he wants to keep hearing you like this. He wants to be everything for you, as long as you'll let him.

"All this for me, hm?" He hums, feeling his digits coated in your slickness. He quickly removes his fingers and replaces the pleasure with his tongue again, allowing you to grind against him when he picks up his pace— lapping at your folds and flicking at your clit; sucking every drop of you he can get.

"Oh—Yunho!” You almost yell his name, hands now gripping his hair as you continue to grind against his mouth. He lets out a groan against you, sending the vibrations straight to your core. "Oh shit, I'm—" Your statement is broken because your mind is fuzzy with your orgasm approaching quick. You're probably gripping on Yunho's hair a little too tightly without realizing but he doesn't mind. Especially when your face contorts in pleasure, a beautiful, strangled moan leaving your lips as you twitch in his grip. He keeps your legs opened, mouth still latched onto you until you've come down from your high. "Oh my god." You mumble and Yunho chuckles.

"You okay, baby?" You nod just as Yunho leans forward to kiss you, letting you taste yourself on his lips. "Wanna feel you." He takes your hand and presses it against his hardened cock. He hisses at your touch, shutting his eyes for a brief moment as you palm him through his sweats. "See what you do to me? Want all of you."

"You have me, Yunho." You tug at his shirt, giving him leverage to shed it off and toss it on the floor. "You have me." You repeat. He simply sheds off his sweats and boxers, his cock springing free from its confines. You can't help but ogle at how he's built— his toned abs, his biceps, his pretty, thick cock. You help yourself and continue to stroke him for a bit, pumping at a slow pace while your thumb spreads the pre-cum all over his tip. He lets out a shaky breath just as he lowers himself onto you, planting kisses along your jaw and neck.

"Fuck. I don't have any condoms." He pauses and looks at you, but you respond by shaking your head.

"It's fine. I'm on birth control. And clean. Promise." You reassure him, knowing you made sure to get tested after Seonghwa just in case. He nods and takes his length in his hand, gently tapping it against your folds and nudging the tip against your clit to tease you.

"Ready?"

"Yes. Need you." Yunho wastes no time pushing himself into you slowly, burying himself to the hilt. He pauses for a minute to adjust to the feeling, giving you a moment to take him in. His forehead is pressed against yours as he lays a kiss on the tip of your nose, moving down to your lips. He holds the kiss for a second before parting, savoring the feeling of your lips against his for the brief moment.

Yunho begins to pick up his pace, letting out a small groan when he feels how tight you are. He loves seeing your back slightly arch, the goosebumps forming on your skin when he touches you lightly— lips grazing the surface of your collarbones, chest, just ghosting over your nipples. You moan his name when he quickly sucks on your buds, snapping his hips at a faster pace. The room is filled with sounds of skin against skin, wet kisses and moans that are nothing short of pornographic. Yunho thrusts hard one, two, three times, his mouth swallowing the loud moan you let out.

"God, you feel so good around me." He says. "Like you were meant for me."

"I am." You cutely respond and Yunho lets out a shaky breath.

"Mmmfuck." Yunho lets out just as he takes his thumb to your clit. You feel the tingle down your spine, the pleasure building in your gut, as Yunho rolls his hips in a steady fashion; enough to drive you crazy, pushing you close to the edge. "Gotta cum for me, baby."

"So close." You moan, gently biting at his bottom lip and tugging it back. "I'm so close, babe."

"That's my girl." He says, taking note of how you continue to squirm in his hold, your walls clenching around him.

That's it.

You're my babygirl.

So good for me.

He continues to praise you in your ear until he finally tips you over the edge, eyes shut close as you let out a string of moans— calling his name like a mantra. Yunho feels you squeeze him, walls wrapping him so tightly he might just lose himself right at this moment. So, he locks his hands with yours— holding it against the pillow as he thrusts into you and chases his own high.

Luckily, Yeosang hasn't walked in yet or else he's not really sure how Yeo would react to hearing your loud moans. Yunho doesn't care much to shush you right now, though. He loves hearing it. He's basking in all of this, all of you.

"Y/N—" He groans. "Baby, where do you want me?"

"Inside, please." You're finally meeting his gaze with those doe-eyes of yours and Yunho lets himself go. He moans as his hips stutter, coating your walls as he releases and fills you up. It takes a moment before he comes back down from his orgasm, Yunho looking at you through hooded eyes before lazily planting a kiss on your lips.

"You okay?" He whispers, brushing the hair away from your face.

"Mhm." You kiss him again before he leaves the covers, snatching a piece of tissue from his desk to clean you up.

"I'll grab you some water. Do you want anything else, love?" You shake your head and slip back into his shirt.

"No, thank you." He smiles while throwing on his boxers and sweats, walking out to grab some cold water. He comes back shortly, shutting his door before handing you the water. You take a few gulps before you're satisfied, leaving the water aside to slip under the covers and get comfortable. Yunho immediately pulls you into his arms; one arm around your neck, with the other wrapped around your waist. "You're so warm." He chuckles.

"Good. As long as you're okay." He kisses your forehead. "Y/N?"

"Yeah?"

"You’re everything to me.”

♣︎ taglist: @s-nsanshine @soupbinlily @tyongff-ff @jiminiscricket @g1g1l @staytinyinmybpack @woomyteez @gfksz @bitchwhytho @savluvsmingi @thisisntmyrightera @hyukssunflower @miriamxsworld @tmtxtf @kuromibabe04 @lmnhead @carrietwrites @tournesol155 @persphonesorchid @txt-yaomi @mxnsxngie @h-nji @mundayoonimnida @jalapeno-princess @nakiiko @asjkdk @kunikku @idkwgoh @kyeos4ng @agust-d2 @araknoid @bintificreads @primoppang @betray-the-light @aurorasjoongie @wineyoungie @yunholuvrsblog @mingigiggles @jaerisdiction @ignoretheskies @luminouskalopsia @naeviscall @vixensss @choisansplushie @arya9111 @my-lightspirit @dazednconfusion @astro-doll-the-star @faesmingi

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leviathans-watching · 1 year

Text

om m.list ━ brothers (part 1)

[back] | [part 2]

➳ edit 7/11/23: i hit 100 links on here, so everything posted on/after this date will be found in part 2!!

cupping their cheeks

awkward/embarrassing situations they've been in

sleeping/waking up with them (includes dateables)

dancing with them (includes dateables)

how they confess to you

"you were mean to me in my dream" (includes diavolo)

choosing the 'parent' tiktok trend (includes diavolo & barbatos)

chill mc (includes barbatos & simeon)

mc's afraid of bugs

mc doesn't celebrate their birthday (includes dateables)

rejecting them

rejecting them alt version

calling them by a pet name

when they hurt your feelings

coming out as nonbinary

mc w/ braces

seeing you in cute pjs

mc's afraid of needles

reactions to teaching diavolo wap

when you have a nightmare

wanting to cuddle you

teen delinquent!mc

holding their hands

reactions to you crying

comforting you when your dreams are insulted

hardworking mc

sharing their birthdate

sharing their birthdate alt version

calling them your whole world

using their shampoo (includes diavolo & simeon)

how they act on vacation

'losing interest' tiktok prank

defending you from a creep

coming out as ace (includes solomon)

when they're jealous

when they see snow

catching you sleeping

when you have art/writers block

"would you still love me if i were a worm"

waking them up to ask if they're asleep

at your wedding

burned-out mc

'the ick' prank

slow dancing with them

comforting a heartbroken mc

their morning routines

going on a boba date with them

seeing mc all bundled up for the cold

using kisses as leverage

picking them up from the airport

them as seasons

how they give you the ick

touching their horns/tails/etc.

slow learner mc

mc w/ glasses

before you

falling asleep in front of them

valentine’s day with the obey me boys

explaining the dentists to them | part 2

mc on their period

mc isn’t playing therapist

"i didn't want to be here"

you're dating someone?!?!?

mc’s brothers

carving pumpkins with them

nowhere to go for the holidays

mc with type 1 diabetes

when they (try to) surprise you

when they turn into toddlers

having a hard time in the human realm

comforting you after a loss

chaotic/feral mc texts (includes dateables)

photo not loading

adult twins are cringe

pride month?

deleting everyone cute

mc craving sweets during that time of the month

the brothers at university

pet names they call you (includes dateables)

om characters as wikihow memes (includes dateables)

obey me bros + pinterest nails

“he wants to order”

things not to say when someone comes out (includes dateables)

D&D(evildom) Beyond! - 6.5k, oc!mc

“Leviathan, Abel, what were you doing?” Lucifer prompts, and the two share a look.

“We were playing Dungeons and Dragons,” Leviathan begins slowly, “which, now that I’m looking–”

“–Our opening scene was awfully similar to this,” Abel finishes.

“Wait, are you saying you think we’re in your campaign?” Satan asks, eyes wide, and Leviathan nods.

“I mean, it makes total sense,” he says with budding excitement. “Like, I’m obviously supposed to be a ranger, Abel’s definitely an artificer, and Lucifer’s a total paladin. This is so cool, it’s like my dreams are being brought to life right before my eyes!”

my new neighbors are demons *not clickbait* - 1.3k

I love your writing ❤️❤️❤️

Can I request a shot with MC’s neighbor sort of just moving in and seeing the shenanigans of MC’s life that is the three realms.

Chaotic lessons from Solomon.

Accidentally catching MC using magic through a window they forgot to close.

Talking to Dia and Barbatos and Dia missing all social cues and taking everything literally.

Either be MC x Mammon or platonic with all

But also the brothers as they waltz into MC’s home whenever they are or are not in their home.

I can also see luke and mc bringing this guy extra sweets they baked

I’m sorry, I know this is a lot. I just thought your writing would match this perfectly.

come hell or high water - WIP; fem!reader

“Let’s get one thing straight,” he barks. “I don’t like you, nor do I respect you. This whole program is utterly ridiculous and I fear Prince Diavolo is a fool for suggesting such a thing. You’re just a lowly human, got that? You’ll always be nothing, especially to me, The Great Mammon.”

If he was looking for tears or offense, you were afraid that is not what he’d receive. You’d been playing the court since you were young, so these insults were nothing new to you. Actually, it was almost a relief for him to underestimate you because of your status as a human, and not a woman. Men were so dreadfully pigheaded sometimes, and you were sick and tired of having to play the good girl card, only smiling demurely instead of sharing your mind as you wished.

“Not going to say anything?” Lord Mammon snorts, and you cock your head at him.

“My apologies, Lord Mammon,” you say, “for I had not realized you were done speaking. I’m afraid I wasn’t listening all that closely.” Lord Mammon gapes at you, but you’re not finished. “Furthermore, I don’t know what the women down here are like, but I assure you, a few brash curse words and scowls thrown my way is not enough to scare me.”

(A Regency AU. Sort of)

mc on her period - 1.5k; fem!reader

“MC?” he asks, stepping closer to you. You manage a weak smile though you think it may have come across as a painful grimace. “Are you sick? Why are you huddled on the couch with like-” he pauses, eyes flicking over you, “-five blankets?”

You’re still not super used to any of them, what with you only having been in the Devildom for a few weeks, but you figure there’s no need to mince words. Demons could handle a bit of vaginal bleeding, couldn’t they?

“I’m on my period,” you say, and he winces. Maybe they couldn’t.

Sticks & Stones - 13k

“MC seemed off today, right?” Satan asked, looking at his brothers.

“For sure.” Belphie agreed, and it was quiet for a moment.

“I was going to ask why they were wearing your jacket, Mammon, but now I’m more worried about this,” Leviathan remarked, and Mammon smirked a little, but it was overshadowed by concern for his human.

“To be honest,” Asmo dabbed at his mouth daintily with a napkin. “I’ve been noticing it for a little while now, not just today.”

“As have I.” Lucifer seemed more serious than usual. “It is our duty as MC’s hosts to make sure that their time in the Devildom is satisfactory, and if they’re feeling down, it would be a good idea to know why.”

“Because we’re their hosts,” Mammon mocked. “Lucifer, we’re all worried about them, so ya can admit it too.”

* * *

You had been feeling a little low in terms of yourself, and the brothers decide to remind you if your self worth.

Are We Really Sure Crazy Equals Genius? - 2.5k; fem!reader

anon ask: can i request a obey me fic where female mc is super badass but also kinda crazy? like she has a gun or something idrk? thanks xx

#obey me #obey me game

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nimata-beroya · 2 years

Text

Star Wars Writing Resources

Note: None of the resources below are mine. I just assembled them in one place for your and my convenience. Feel free to use and reblog. If you know of any other useful site missing from the list, let me know and I'll gladly add it.

NOTE (05/17/23): There's a new, much more comprehensive version HERE.

Places

Interactive Galaxy Map by Henry Bernberg

Map of the Galaxy

List of planets and moons [Wikipedia /needs expanding]

Planet Name Generator 1 [SciFi Ideas]

Planetary System Generator [Donjon]

Character Development

Star Wars Name Generator 1 [Donjon]

Star Wars OC flow chart by @thefoodwiththedood

Star Wars Name Generator 2 [FantasyNames]

Star Wars Name Generator 3 [FantasyNames]

The character creator

Droid Name Generator

Star Wars Randomizer by @aureutr

Clone Trooper face/helmet template pack by @fox-trot

Clone Picrew by @batdad

Character Picrew [Twi-leks, Zabraks, Torgutas and Nautolans] @/megaramikaeli

Star Wars Character Templates by SmacksArt [the ULTIMATE battery of template for any human/humanoid original character in any era. From troopers to droids, from Jedi to Sith, from KOTOR to the sequel Trilogy. 100% RECOMMENDED]

Miscellaneous

Standard Calendar and Holidays [including month names!]

Galactic Standard Calendar [wookiepedia // including week day names]

Date converter according to SWTOR [Google sheet]

Hyperspace Travel Times (to calculate how much time would take to go from point A to point B within the GFFA)

Materials (fabrics, leathers, silks, plastics, construction, metal composites, etc.)

List of TCW Opening Quotes

Ship Generator 3D

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Republic Military Hierarchy Flowcharts by @cacodaemonia

Languages; Phrases and Slang; Vocabulary

Coruscant Translator (from/to Basic from/to Old Corellian, Proto-Basic, and Smuggler's Cant; Catharese and High Cathar; Cheunh and Minnisiat; Echani and Thyrsian; Mirialan; Flora Colossi, Ortolan, and -everyone's favorite- Mando'a)

In-Universe phrases and slang [Google sheet]

List of phrases and slang [wookiepedia]

List of equivalents to real-world objects [wookiepidia]

Star Wars Menu Generator

Helpful blogs

The amazing @fox-trot, who not only makes astonishing art and write an amazing fic, she also responds to medical questions and gives all kinds of references for writing medic characters.

@writebetterstarwars, which seems to be inactive, but there are a bunch of references there.

@howtofightwrite The place to find out how to write a good fight scene.

@scriptmedic no longer active, but it has a great deal of useful information.

@scripttorture for your whump needs. Major trigger warning for all its content.

Writing in General (For those who don't want to die like Stormtroopers)

SlickWrite: Completely free; online. Checks grammar, punctuation, flow, and writing style according to different settings (including fiction writing).

ProWritingAid: [RECOMMENDED] One of the most thorough online proofreader I've ever used. Although when using a free account gives extremely thorough feedback, it gives +20 different in-depth reports for only the first 500 words for free. However, you can earn a premium account license (for a year or for life) if you get 10 or 20 new users signing up for free; (if you wouldn't mind doing so using the link above and help me earn mine, please). The settings allow you to check your writing according to your needs, from general to formal to creative. It has a bonus that you can check depending on the genre you're writing. For example, in creative, you can choose romance or sci-fiction (there are 14 sub-genre in total). And just like google docs, you can share a document, and people can view, comment or edit.

LanguageTool: [RECOMMENDED] Another excellent proofreader. It also has a word limit in free accounts, but if you use the add-on for Google Docs, it counts each page as a new document, so hitting the limit is nearly impossible. It helps you to rewrite a sentence, even if it doesn't raise any flags; it's very useful for when your sentence is grammatically correct, but it doesn't feel quite right.

Grammarly, Hemingway Editor: No so great, but they do the basic job.

#star wars writing resources #star wars #the mandalorian #the bad batch #sw rebels #the clone wars #obi wan kenobi #obi wan kenobi show #tbobf #the book of boba fett #andor

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sofasoap · 11 months

Text

Sofasoap's Call of Duty Fic Rec

Always wanted to make a list of my very subjective CoD fic rec list, and also I promised my good buddy @groguspicklejar ( famous author of Beloved series) a list of fic recs, let me list some of my beautiful mutual's and some amazing writers and artists so they can go binge read.

Edit : I'll keep adding artist/writers on as I go. When my brain cells is functioning.

@saltofmercury -Let's start off with the mother of my Mini MacTavish. The one who made me fell in love and hit the nail in the coffin for CoD fandom.

If you are into König, her " Break-in" series is a must read. check out her Soap fics too :) Masterlist

@floral-force - My bestie! delicious Simon/Ghost fics.

American Hospitality is my favourite. Or honeypot is guarantee making you crave for more :)

Check out their Mando fics too :)

@a-small-writer-in-a-big-world - You want slow burn? check out lovely Bear's "The Roommate Series". Wonderful progression of relationship between Simon and his room mate. Your Friendly Neighbor Soap and Shy reader, OH SO CUTE.

@deadbranch - Spy and Cold war style fics? You are in the right place. The killing moon and Dying sun series. Gut wrenching.

or check out the light hearted None Taken ( personal favourite!), threesome fics? Goth style Reader? Check out their MASTERLIST for full list of goodies.

@brewed-pangolin The president of "Soap Squad" club.

Fireside Whiskey - personal favourite. Soft and thoughtful Soap is just heaven. Kati's page is full of wonderful Soap deliciousness. check it out if you want some Soap fun.

@writeforfandoms - Jen jen jen jen jen. Multifandom talent. AU Prodigy. But let's focus on the CoD here, Puppy Love - Price and puppy? can't go wrong with that. Born for Greatness and Howlin' For You Shifter!AU is my latest obsession here.

@random-thot-generator - Kris, The princess of Thotland and Thotlandia. Their latest work: A Patient Man - had me all hot and bothered. Sweet sweet Rudy. OH how can you be so sexy.

@jynxmirage, Jynx!!!! the one I blame for falling into Top Gun fandom. but that's not the point :P

Communication is Key - my current obsession :) Soft caring Price, oh give me this Captain price any day...

@as-is-above-so-below - Oh Gezez, Simon X OC ( Freya ) fic The Captain is utterly brilliant. Angst, suspension, Thirst, smut... you name it, you get it.

@roosterr - my Fellow Nikolai fanatic, check out her "guardian angel"

series, action action action and of course, love story :)

@siilvan - another one of my fellow Nikolai fanatic, Aqua Regia

series , Nikolai the flirt, sexy flirt , complete with smut * smirk *

@homicidal-slvt - How can I forget the spark to my Lastochka series?

and one of my biggest supporter.

Check out their creative CoD Headcanons and full list of CoD works that will guarantee satisfaction.

@nrdmssgs - to round off my Nikolai fanatic club , and also brilliant artist, A heart full of pity series is one of my latest obsession featuring good old Nikolai.

@captainpriceslover - my crack fic inspo buddy ( miss you a lot!!!). the one gifted me ideas of Soap dispensers lol.

aiaigasa (相合傘) - featuring our TF141 sweet boy, Gaz, had my heart melting.

@starstruckmiraclekitty - You want H/C and scenarios? * falling out of the bag * here is the place to go. :)

@random0lover - you want soft fluffy Soap? Hot Chocolate & Hoodies, you want angsty type of story? Open Wounds and War Paint

you get all with Kat!!!

@lethalchiralium , how can I forget Keri! ( I knew I forgot someone.. argh )

@namedlunagoddess - another 3Drender goddess. OH CHECK OUT HER Sowa Team fic if you are into Gromsko, its HOT SMUTTY DELICIOUS FIC.

The Happiness series, don’t let the title fool ya (well it does bring you happiness reading such talented writing) this story is like washing machine, throws your emotions all over the place, let you grip onto your chair, wanting more.

@mistydeyes so many awesome stories to choose from! My current favourite is "choose your flowers, carefully" Good old Gaz x reader story, and one of my favourite trope - childhood to lovers 🥺 please go check it out!

Now , Some brilliant artists:

@shkretart - This utterly utterly talented person, Price and Nikolai and Simon, will have your nose bleeding within 0.1 seconds.

@ave661 - out of this world 3Drenders always have my eyes popping out of the socket.

@nrdmssgs - mentioned once, should mention again, beautiful art :)

@wombywoo - TF141 boys in their dress uniform? YES PLEASE.

@loneghostwolf oh, another wonderful 3D render artist that bless us with wonderful food of the CoD boys

@hffhifjou - You want rugby boys? You get rugby boys :) and football. and all sort of deliciousness :)

@lululandd - FROGGY CoD boys!!!!!!!! and wonderful fics too, please check THEM OUT MASTERLIST

I am sorry If I miss out anyone. after 13+ hours at work I am exhausted.

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skyfallslayer · 10 days

Text

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

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

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: On the night of November 6th, 1983, Stephanie Henderson decided to walk her little brother’s friend, Will, back home. However… they never arrive. Now, Dustin, Mike and Lucas, and soon the exception of the girl’s ex-best friend, Steve, must band together to find out what happened. Meanwhile, Steph and Will must fight for their survival in this nightmarish version of Hawkins, Indiana.

🎲Chapter Summary: Lucas, Mike and Dustin try to talk to the girl they found in the woods; And Hopper questions an anxious Joyce about an unsettling phone call; Steph and Will must continue to survive; And Steve’s eyes get opened in a way he never saw coming.

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

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 11,024 (Oh, my lord)

🎲Date: 5/16/24

🎲Warnings: Angst; Swearing; Implied Broken Friendship; Talks of Kidnapping; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Implying Sex; Lying; Implied Suicide; Death/Killing; Talks of Corpses; Blood; Gun Use; Steve's 'Asshole Era. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: Jesus. This was a tough one to write and edit (Hopefully I didn't make too many mistakes). But, geez. Writing different POVs, everyone's thought was a tough one. But hopefully y'all can understand 😅. Also, I am NOT a D&D player, so some of lore just comes straight from the wiki. Hopefully that's reliable enough. Anyway, sorry for the delay. Enjoy!

|| THE NIGHT BEFORE ||

“What the fuck are you?!” Will heard her scream as the creature tried to outmatch her. The light above them grew brighter and brighter, and he squeezed his eyes shut while gripping her jacket tighter. He prayed this was just another nightmare. Maybe… Maybe he’s getting his wish when he hears the silence. Does he dare open his eyes and see the truth?

He’s scared, trembling, and it heightens when he hears the girl heaving for air. So much so he clenches his grip on the fabric tighter, the strange smelling air going through his nostrils causing him to gasp himself. When his eyes snapped open is when his coughing fit started.

He hears his name being called, and hands coming around his shoulders. He almost jerks away, afraid, until his orbs settle on the silhouette before him.

“S-Steph?” He croaked, a sense of relief flooding his veins. “What just happened?” He could see the confusion on her face, looking around for clues. He followed her eyes, nose crinkling at the sight. “We’re still in the shed. But it’s… gross.”

She swallows. “Stay behind me.” She tells him, and guides herself through the door. They both shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. “Jesus, It’s freezing.”

Will and her looked around, the outside world seemed to be encased in a blue hue, the places around seemed to be tangled with vines and covered in something sticky. There was also a white powder that looked like snow, raining down from the dark skies above. A sky that didn’t even have moonlight like it did a few minutes ago.

“Did you hit your head when we crashed?” She asked after getting his attention away from the sky.

He shakes his head, almost sadly. If that had both just hit their heads, would the situation have been better? He frowns, worriedly thinking away as the older girl tries to stay calm.

“Come on.” She says, gesturing to him to follow. “Let’s go inside. I want to see something.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| PRESENT ||

The rain was coming down more intensely than before, followed by the grumbling of thunder and lightning. Somehow, miraculously, the boys, mostly Wheeler, managed to convince the strange girl they found in the woods to return home with them, and hid her in the basement.

“Is there a number we can call for your parents?” Mike asked, worriedly as the girl looked between the three boys, all scared and confused.

“Where’s your hair? Do you have cancer?” Dustin spitted out, genuinely curious.

“Did you run away?” Lucas asked, skeptical.

“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Mike says, just as his friend questions a red sustain on her shirt. He slaps his hand away quickly. “Stop it! You’re freaking her out!”

“She’s freaking me out!”

“I bet she’s deaf.” Dustin suggested, before taking a quick half step and smacking his hands together. The sound makes the girl flinch, and he frowns apologetically. “Not deaf.”

“That’s enough, all right? She’s just scared and cold.” Mike said, silencing the two before running over to the laundry basket and grabbing some clothes. “Here, these are clean. Okay?”

The girl takes them, taking a second to be grateful before she starts stripping– The boys freak out, Mike running up to stop her while the other two look away.

“See over there?” He points. “Th-That’s the bathroom. Privacy. Get it?” She nods and he shows her inside. Just when he was about to shut it behind him, she grabs it forcibly. “You don’t want it closed?”

“No.” She finally says, surprising him.

“Oh, so you can speak. Okay, well… Um, how about we just keep the door…” He slowly moves it until there’s about three inches of space. “Just like this. Is that better?”

“Yes.”

Mike smiles and leaves her be, rejoining the group who were having a conversation of their own.

“This is mental.” Dustin said, freaking out.

“At least she can talk.” Mike points out, with Lucas shaking his head, replying,

“She said ‘no’ and ‘yes’. Your three-year-old sister says more.”

“She tried to get naked.” Dustin adds.

“There’s something seriously wrong with her.” Lucas said, touching his temple. “Like, wrong in the head.”

“She just went like…” The Henderson boy makes a motion of taking off shirt (and even knocked his own hat off his head).

“I bet she escaped from Pennhurst.”

“From where?” Mike said, eyebrow raised.

“The nuthouse in Kerley County.”

“You got a lot of family there?” Dustin teased, getting a dirty look.

“Bite me. Seriously though, think about it. That would explain her shaved hair and why she’s so crazy.”

“Why she went like…” He does the shirt motion again. In his mind this was helping him and Lucas’ case.

“‘She’s an escapee’ is the point. She’s probably a psycho.”

“Like Michael Myers.”

“Exactly! We should’ve never brought her here.”

“So you just wanted to leave her out in that storm?” Mike asks, irritated.

“Yes! We went out to find Will–”

“And Phanie.” Dustin pressures.

“And Steph – not another problem!” Lucas agrees.

“I think we should tell your mom.”

“I second that.”

Mike holds his hand up. “Who’s crazy now?”

“How is that crazy?” Lucas scoffed.

“‘Cause, we weren’t supposed to be out tonight, remember?”

“So?”

“So if I tell my mom and she tells your mom and your mom–”

Dustin’s eyes widened. “Oh, man.”

“Our houses become Alcatraz.” Lucas frowns.

“Exactly. We’ll never find Will, or Steph.” Mike says, seeing Dustin make the shirt motion once more, silently asking the question about the girl. “All right, here’s the plan. She sleeps here tonight.”

Henderson perked up again. “You’re letting a girl–”

“Just listen! In the morning, she sneaks around my house, goes to the front door and rings my doorbell. My mom will answer and know exactly what to do. She’ll send her back to Pennhurst or wherever she comes from. We’ll be totally in the clear. And tomorrow night, we go back out. And this time, we find Will and Stephanie.”

Lucas and Dustin share a look, until one of them finally shrugged. “I guess that works.”

“Great. We’ll start again tomorrow. Goodnight, guys.” Mike bid them as he went off to start making the mysterious girl a place to rest.

“This is crazy, man.” Lucas said, once they had snuck back out. “What the hell is Mike even thinking?”

“I don’t know. Do you think his plan will really work?” Dustin asked, as they headed over to where their bikes were hidden.

“I’m giving it less than a fifty percent chance of success.” He sighs. “I better get home.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Hey, don’t look so sad.” He pats his curly haired friend on the back. “We’ll find them.”

“I just want my sister back. You have no idea.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

In the following morning, in the Byers house, the eldest seemingly was keeping it together, making the morning meal like he always does and hoping his worrying mother would have just a bite.

“All right, Mom. Breakfast is ready.” Jonathan said, while placing the plate down in front of her, her thoughts being interrupted.

“What?” His mother said, before moving some papers. “No, be careful of the poster.”

“Yeah, okay. All right–”

“I can’t eat.”

“I just need you to eat, Mom.”

“Listen, listen. The Xerox place opens in, like…” She looks down at her watch. “30 minutes–”

“Mom–”

“And I don’t want you to go alone–”

“No, I know. I told you, I got it.”

“So I’m gonna have Karen take you, ‘cause I should be here.” She gestures around, all jittery. “Claudia will meet you there, b-but if she’s not, she’ll reimburse us for the copies of Stephanie, I–”

He shakes his head with understanding. “Okay.”

“We need to make, what, 200, 300 copies?” He nods again. “How much is a copy?”

“Mom?”

“Ten cents?”

“Mom?”

“If we– ten cents”

“Mom, Mom!” Jonathan stops her from counting the cash she had laid out, and squeezes her shoulder with her other hang to calm her. “Y-You can’t get like this, okay?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Joyce replies, taking a shaky inhale of nicotine.

“No, it’s okay.” He reassures her softly, just before someone comes knocking on their door. The mother rushed over with her son on her tail, busting the door wide open for the exhausted police officer.

“We’ve been waiting six hours.”

“I know, I came as soon as I could.” Hopper replies, nearly dead on his feet.

“Six hours.”

“A little bit of trust here, all right?” He slides his hat off. “We’ve been searching all night, went all the way to Cartersville.”

“And?”

“Nothing.”

Joyce made a choking sound and looked away. “God…”

Hopper frowns, sadly. “Flo says you got a phone call?”

“Oh, yeah.” Joyce nods and shows him their phone.

He picks it, examining the speaker part of it which was charded black. “Storm barbecued this pretty good.”

She took a step back in surprise. “The storm?”

Hopper looked at her like she had two heads. “What else?”

“You’re saying that that’s not weird?”

“No, it’s weird.”

“Can we, like, trace who made the call? Contact the–”

“No, it doesn’t work like that.” He shakes his head, and then looks at her with all seriousness. “Now, uh, you’re sure it was Will? Because Flo said you just heard some breathing.”

“No. It was him, it was Will... and h-he was scared. And then something–”

“It was probably just a prank call. It was somebody trying to scare you.”

“Who would do that?” Joyce questioned, face full of confusion and sickness.

“Well, this thing’s been on TV. It brings out all the crazies, you know. False leads, prank calls, uh–”

“No, Hopper, it was not a prank. It was him.”

“Joyce.” He begins, as she denies him again

“Come on, how about a little trust here?” She laughs dryly. “What, you think I’m– I’m making this up?”

“I’m not saying that you’re making it up.” Hopper looks at her with concern again. “All I’m saying is it’s an emotional time for you.”

“And you think I don’t know my own son’s breathing?”

“Joyce–”

“Hopper, my son’s missing. A-And not only that, someone else’s daughter is missing.” She nervously takes a puff of her cigarette. “And you know what the mess up part about that is? Stephanie didn’t have to! She didn’t have to be the sweetheart she is and take my son home. She could have just drove past him, but she didn’t! She didn’t, Hop. And now I have to live with the thought that I made someone else’s kid go missing because I. Was. Working!”

She ends with an emotional sigh, tightening the heavy tension it the room. Jonathan worriedly looking at his mother before, locking eyes with the police chief who was trying to find the right words to say.

“You hear from, uh, Lonnie yet?” Hopper asked after the small silence.

“No.”

“It’s been long enough.” He puts his hat back on. “I’m having him checked out.”

“Oh, come on!” She sighs loudly, watching him leave. “You’re wasting your time.” Then the door shuts, and rubs her temple. “Jesus. He never listens!”

Jonathan ponders for a moment, before asking, “Mom, how likely is it that Will would actually go to Lonnie’s?”

“I…” Joyce runs a hand through her messy locks. “It’s possible, but he lives a long, long way. Especially on foot. But… I don’t– maybe he would! I…” She sighs again, overwhelmed. “However, I don’t think he would have gone with Stephanie. He’s… W-Will knows your father’s not the best man, and Will, you know, has that heart of gold.”

That got a chuckle out of both of them. “Yeah.”

“I don’t think Will would have risked Stephanie like that.” She shakes her head. “No. She’s an older kid, and older sister. As much as this sounds messed up, she would have done anything to make sure Will was safe. I know it. So… my question is…” She locks eyes with her son. “What would a girl her age think is a safe place for a young boy?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| TWO NIGHTS AGO ||

Stephanie flipped the lightswitch on in the kitchen out of curiosity, but finds herself still submerged in darkness. “Just what I thought. There’s no light.” She says with a frown.

“The flash of light we saw–” Will looks up at her. “Do you think it was a power outage?”

“I don’t think there’s light here, I mean-” She starts walking around, rubbing her shaking hands together. “Look at this place. I don’t think we’re in Hawkins anymore.” She shivers just a smidge. “At least it’s a little warmer inside here.” Then she hears a distressful sound. “Will?”

The boy was pale, pupils blown wide and had a small tremble. “W-What do you m-mean we’re not in Hawkins anymore?” He asked, lip quivering with a slight pant. “B-But th-this looks like my house. D-Did w-we get taken somewhere else? Can we even g-go home? I–”

“Shit… Will–” She rushes over, hands coming up to his shoulders while she gets on one knee. “Will? Hey, bud, listen– hey.” She makes sure his gaze meets hers. “Don’t freak out. I know it’s scary, but we’re going to figure this out. Once we do, I’m going to get us home, I promise.”

The boy sniffles into his shoulder, fighting back tears. “You promise?”

“I promise.” She says it without realizing the fate of those words.

He swallows and extends out a certain finger. “Pinky promise?”

Her breath was nearly taken away by that certain question, taking her far back into a distant memory. But… like hell she’s going to let that memory change her judgment. She interlocks hers with his and repeats, “Pinky promise.”

That got him to crack a smile. “So, what next?” He asks, making her rack her brain for a plan.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| PRESENT DAY ||

He woke up again to his cat’s crying. The young Henderson frowns, heart clenching at how Mews was wondering where his sister was at. For the urban legend of how cats had no emotions, he’s certainly not seeing it. He rubbed his eyes and wandered aimlessly around, the thought of calling sick into school was still fresh in his mind. Should he? I mean it made sense, and it wasn’t like the school won’t understand, so….

Was that a yes?

He walked through the hallway, curls in his eyes as slows in front of his sister’s bedroom. His cat locked eyes with him, sadness and confusion filled the slitted pupils. Mews meows again.

“She’s not back yet.” Dustin says, getting a chirp. “We’re trying. She’ll be back soon.” He starts walking away, hearing him make a sad sound once more.

“Dusty-bun, I’m going to make some posters.” Claudia said, who were gathering her belongings by the door. “I left you breakfast on the stove.”

His nervous fingers gripped his t-shirt as he tried not to sound so down. “Hey, Mom?” Her eyes meet his gaze. “Is it okay if I… stay home today?”

Claudia’s face softens bittersweetly. “Of course you can, sweety. If you leave the house for whatever reason, just leave me a note where you’re going, that’s all I ask.” She gives him a kiss on his hairline, and is one foot out the door before adding, “Oh! And be back before dark. Okay? Your Mama doesn’t need to worry about another kid.”

“Can do.”

He watches her smile and closes the door, locking it. He frowns at that action, I mean they’ve never locked their door before, and now it was becoming second nature. He was even surprised she told him he could leave the house. Or… did she not expect him to leave this place in the state he’s in? Sounds like something she would do.

He sighs and heads for the kitchen to make himself a plate. He didn’t have much of an appetite, really, but he didn’t want to hurt his mother’s feelings or make her beg for him to eat – he didn’t want to call ‘pot kettle black’ since he was the one that had to convince his mourning mother to eat last night. But it was hard, his fork just picking at the food, cutting it into smaller pieces to stare at before dropping his utensil onto the plate.

Steph… His fingers dug into his pocket and pulled the gold chain out, letting it sprawl out in his palm. He stares at it intensely, thinking. Come on, Sis, give me a sign. What happened to you and Will? What caused you to go off road and run? Run with Will’s shotgun out of all things?

What had got her so scared that they needed a weapon to protect themselves? Both her and Will were the last two people that would resort in violence, so the fact that they decided to arm themselves with a weapon tells him that something sinister was up.

But what? Dustin lays the necklace down next to him, pretending that she was here to eat with him like she always does, before deciding it was time to munch on what was left on his plate.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hopper struggles to keep his mind clear after that conversation with Joyce. His thought always going back to this particular moment:

““Stephanie didn’t have to! She didn’t have to be the sweetheart she is and take my son home. She could have just drove past him, but she didn’t! She didn’t, Hop. And now I have to live with the thought that I made someone else’s kid go missing because I. Was. Working!””

Of course the woman felt guilty about everything. I mean, your kid goes missing, who else are you going to blame other than yourself? But she also was chipping away at the idea it was her fault that that poor girl was missing too. Blames herself for working later than usual, and wasn’t the one to come across her own son on the road and pick him up. That’s a lot of guilt for someone who’s holding the family together on her own.

He listens to the volunteers shout the children’s names, hoping that they would shout back. Hopper wishes that too. He prays that one of them would yell back for help and get this nightmare over with.

“Hey!” He shouts at the two officers. “Anything?”

Callahan shakes his head. “You?”

“No, nothing but a dead phone.”

“Joyce?”

Hopper nods. “About one step from falling off the edge.”

“She’s been a few steps for a while now, hasn’t she?” Powell asked, as he’s met with a stern glare.

“Kid’s missing, man. Show a little class.” Hopper snaps, making them avert their eyes.

“All right…”

He exhales and takes off with the rest of the group, shouting, “Come on, let’s go! We got a lot of ground to cover.” He keeps his fingers crossed that this would be it. That this would be the search that brings them home.

For their mothers' sake.

For his sake.

For every goddamn person out of here’s sake.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE NIGHT BEFORE ||

Stephanie shifted through the last cabinet and frowns. “Well, we can’t cook anything because there’s no electricity. But we can eat the dry goods. Unless we can figure out how to start a fire” She sighs, and wrinkles her nose. I mean, they can go a few days without eating if they didn’t want to touch the box of crackers covered in goo. But water? How were they supposed to have water if the faucet comes out with something they probably shouldn’t drink.

She rubs her temples, thinking. “I guess we’re going to have to look for some bottled stuff to drink.” She makes contact with the boy who just entered the room. “How you feeling?”

“Fine. I got a bit of a chill, but we can still grab clothes out of the closets if we need it.” Will replies, hugging his walkie talkie close.

“And the call?”

“Nothing. I mean I could hardly ever get reception over here anyway, so maybe we can try finding a different spot.”

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea." She says with a sigh. “Where’s the shotgun?”

“Oh, uh– Mom’s room.” He points behind him.

“Alright, maybe I’ll take a peek outside. If it seems clear, maybe we can try to find some reception.”

Stephanie leaves the room with Will looking back at his walkie. He had to remain strong, hopeful. He has to get through to someone. His friends, his family, one of them has to be able–

Wait.

Was he hearing things? Was his mind playing tricks?

His eyes trail to his living room where he swears he heard someone talking. It was faint, but you can’t miss it.

It sounds like… His chest tightens at a thought, his brown orbs blown wide as he looks at the yellow phone on the wall. It was probably hopeless, stupid even, I mean… the damn thing didn’t work when Stephanie tried to call for help when they were being chased. But that was the real world, this was… fake? Maybe it different, maybe it’s—

Oh, shit.

Maybe he’s just grasping at straws at this point and hopes it turns out okay.

His fingers latch around the phone, pulling it off the receiver and dials his home’s number, praying with all his might that this ridiculous idea would actually work.

Come on, come on, come on, come on, com–

Oh, he felt like crying when someone picked up.

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

His mother’s voice broke through and poke him in the heart. He couldn’t breath as relief washed over him like a storm.

[ ‘Hello? Lonnie? Hopper? Who is this?’ ]

Say something, say something, say something– His lip quivers as he swallows. “M-Mom?” He can’t wait till Steph hears about this. “M-Mom, I-It’s me.”

She can hear me right? She has to.

[ ‘Will? Will? It’s Will!’ ]

[ ‘Mom, it’s Will?’ ]

He could cry upon hearing the second voice. “J-Jonathan? Mom? M-Me and Stephanie are tr-trap in some weird place! I-I don’t know what t-to–”

Then he was cut off by the dreadful sound of the monster. Will watched as its claws wrapped around the corner, almost like it was pulling itself into the kitchen. He doesn’t even know where it came from. He didn’t even hear it freaking come in!

He froze on sight, his mother shouting something he couldn’t make out as the beast with no eyes looked directly at him. He wanted to scream but it was stuck in his throat. Is this how he was going to die? Die by listening to his mother’s pleas to answer her?

It shrieked and seemed to get bigger, ready to strike him down before it took a bullet to the face. The shot made it fall against the wall, and Will drops the fried phone and backs himself away. Stephanie looked half scared to death too as she cocks the shotgun again and fires one more when it stands up, sending it flying to the living room. As quickly as her buckling knees could hold her, she rushes over to Will, pulling him behind her as she aims the barrel into the direction the beast was. Shaking intensely, she carefully peeks around the corner to find that it had completely vanished like it did earlier. She gasps in shock before sliding to the ground herself, mentally drained.

“Steph!!” Will calls out with worry. He could see her eyes glassing over, her skin becoming paler as she shouts,

“Where the fuck are we?!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| PRESENT DAY ||

Steve strolls into school, head in the clouds, and an aching feeling in the pit of his stomach. His sleep went to complete shit after the conversation with his girlfriend last night. He still doesn’t understand why it was affecting him so much. It’s not like him and Steph hung out anymore. So why is he losing sleep over this?

You’re not even friends anymore, Harrington. He mentally slaps himself. Get your shit together–

“Boo!” Tommy yelled, jumping out from behind the corner, startling him.

“Jesus, Hagan.” Steve said, holding his chest while the other teen laughed.

“That was so easy.”

“So–” Carol’s arm snakes around him with a grin. “Did you tell your little girlfriend about your party?”

“I-I… not yet.”

“What? You didn’t tell her at her house yesterday?”

“N-No. Never got the chance to.”

“What?!” Tommy scoffs. “Stealthy Stevie didn’t get to use his skills last night?” Him and his girlfriend laughed, but then grew quiet seeing how distant the King was being. “What the fuck’s going on with you, man?”

“Um…” Steve’s gaze gets caught onto someone else, spotting a certain person posting a certain flier up on the bulletin board. He swallows, and masks a fake smile. “You guys go ahead to class. I got to grab something out of my locker.”

“Oh, we can go with you.” Carol begins, trying to follow him but he shakes them off.

“No, no. Go ahead. I’ll meet you there.” Steve ignores the strange looks they gave him before walking away. Deciding this was the ‘only’ way, he rushes over to the oldest Byers kid, ‘accidently’ pushing his shoulder into his, knocking the papers out of his hand while he was leaving. He scoffs, while saying, “Watch where you’re going!”

Jonathan says nothing as he bends over to collect the rest, oblivious to the other teenager sliding a paper away with his foot. Once he leaves, Steve retrieves the flier from under his shoe, reading it over.

HAVE YOU SEEN ME? Stephanie Henderson Age 16, 5’4” Brown Hair, Blue Eyes, 110lbs. Last seen wearing a brown work uniform, black jacket, white sneakers, and a baseball cap. Reach out to Claudia Henderson or Joyce Byers at #### or ####

Steve stares with a distant look in his eyes, thumb brushing over her picture. Such a gentle smile for a gentle person. God… why did they have to use that picture? It was right before he–

He frowns, throwing his head back.

Fuck…

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Back at the Wheeler’s house, Mike decided to stay home, his parents totally unaware of him doing so. He showed the new girl around his place, acting a bit giggly when they finally got to his room. He was so excited to show off his action figures, and comic books, and anything else that he holds close to his heart. He didn’t even realize she was starting to wander off to where a collection of trophies were. Her brown eyes grew with fascination by them.

“Oh, these are all my science fair trophies. We got first every year.” Mike’s smile drops just a tad. “Except for last year when we got third. Mr. Clarke said it was totally political.”

Yeah, it totally was that. He expected some kind of reaction from her, except for the one where her eyes widened and she slowly pointed to the picture of Will in their fair picture together.

Mike perked up, hopeful. “You know Will? Did you see him? Last Night? On the road? Did–” He pauses. “Hang on a sec.” Maybe he’s getting his hopes up as he grabs another photo after shifting around in his drawer. It was a picture of his friends’ families at the lake, posing nicely for the camera.

He points to the girl in the right hand corner. “This is Stephanie. She’s his sister.” He points to Dustin who’s hanging out behind her. “She supposedly gave Will a ride the night he disappeared, and we can’t find her either. Did you see her too?”

The girl studies Steph’s face, slowly the same reaction she had from seeing Will returned as she pointed again. “I–”

Her answer was cut short when they heard something from outside. Mike gets up quickly, peeking through his curtains to see his mother’s car pulling into the driveway. He pales.

“Shit.” He rushes to grab her by the hand and strings her along. “We gotta hide!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| HOURS BEFORE ||

Of course the eldest stayed awake for most of the night, the two of them tucked away in the far corner of Will’s room, her eyes trained on the door just in case that wretched monster appeared again. She kept a good grip on the shotgun, one foot planted on the ground for a quick pop up if needed. Adrenaline was pumping in her blood, she was fighting off her exhaustion and hunger, while a tune played on her dry lips.

“♪ Here we stand

Worlds apart, hearts broken in two. Two. Two

Sleepless nights.

Losing ground, I’m reaching for you. You. You

Feeling that it’s gone

Can’t change your mind

If we can’t go on

To survive–♪”

Will stirred beside her, his head resting on her shoulder that was starting to fall asleep, but she refused to jostle the kid. God knows he needs his rest. Well… so does she, but she’ll get around to that.

Her mind wanders back to the conversation they had last night, the one where Will admitted he spoke to his mother on the phone. Shock wasn’t the right word, especially when she examined the phone that had been burnt black, and when asking again if he heard that right, the youngest Byers swears he did.

Is there actually a way to communicate to… well… ‘our world’, I guess. She ponders on that thought, wondering if it’s possible to do so without frying your phone to death. Not to mention Will swears he heard people talking before calling his mother. Can we only communicate to the people we ‘hear’?

She scolds herself. This hurts my head too much.

“♪ –The tide

Love divides

Someday, love will find you

Break those chains that bind you

One night will remind you

How we touched and went our separate ways

If he ever hurts you

True love won’t desert you

You know I still love you

Though we touched and went our separate ways– ♪”

Will stirred again, this time waking up slowly with a groan. “Was it a dream…?” He whispers, his eyes opening at a snail pace.

“I wish.” Steph says, sadly.

“Did you sleep okay?” He asks, rubbing his face.

Her heart skips a beat and a lie slips out. “Uh, yeah. It was fine.”

“That’s good.”

“We shouldn’t stay here.” She says, surprising him. “We should probably move around, maybe lose that monster for a while. And you’re probably hungry too, I know my mom keeps cans and bottled water down in our basement for emergencies. That should tie us over for a little while.”

“Is it even safe to go out?” He wonders, yet intrigued. He’ll admit… he is a bit famished.

“I don’t know. But we got to try. Right?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Whoa, whoa. Careful, careful.” Hopper says as he snags his partner by the collar. “I need you alive for the next few days, at least.”

Callahan smirked and scoffed as he gestures to the Quarry below. “Oh, hell, I could survive that.” He said, making his superior laugh. “What? George Burness made the jump. And he was drunk as a skunk. He did it on a $10 bet.”

“George is a liar. You make that jump from this height, that water turns into cement. Hits you like a ton of bricks.” Hopper smacks his hands together. “Break every damn bone in your body.”

The youngster pondered on that for a second before shaking his head. “Nah.”

[ ‘Chief, you copy?’ ]

Hopper grabs his walkie from his belt. “Yeah, Flo, talk to me.”

[ ‘Hey, Chief, we got a call from over at Benny’s. I think you need to get there right away.’ ]

And those were words he didn’t want to hear. So he and his team rushed over there as quickly as they could, and the first they were met with was the smell of a rotting corpse.

“Ugh, Jesus!” Callahan said, covering his nose.

“Suicide?” Powell asked, after a moment of silence.

Hopper hummed and stared in disbelief at the man laying on the table, pistol in hand and a bullet wound straight through the temple. There’s no way this can be real.

“Missing kid, suicide.” Callahan frowns. “You must feel like a big city cop again, huh, Chief?

“Well, I mostly dealt with strangers back then.” Hopper replies, this particular moment he almost broke down. “Benny was my friend.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| HOURS BEFORE ||

Stephanie peeked outside before gesturing to Will to follow. The two of them had backpacks on that they found lying around, going to use them to fill up with anything they could find – But the task that lay ahead was going to be hard. The task was…

Walking back through Mirkwood to the Henderson home.

No lights, just a few bullets to spare, and their pure will to survive (Or maybe it’s the fear that’s fueling that will).

“I don’t like this.” Will mutters, only a few minutes after they left the Byers’ driveway and down a few feet on the road. “What if that thing spawns in front of us again?”

“Then we shoot it and book it again. That’s all we can do now.” Steph replies, carefully looking around. But what if he’s right? What if thing actually just spawns out of thin air? Then there’s not telling where and when not to go.

He stays silent, shaking a tad as they make it further down the road. It took a hot minute for the older girl to notice this and stop briefly, the twelve year old’s eyes confused just as she held out her hand. Without missing a beat, his clammy hand takes it, squeezing it tight. She smiles just a tad, reminding her of Dustin before they started walking again.

She felt him hang on to dear life as they strolled into the darkest part of Mirkwood, the eeriness that was silence was making their hearts race. She came to a conclusion after facing the monster last night that she had to be the strong one here. She has to act like the older sister again, and remain calm, and to keep him safe.

I made a promise. I don’t know how to fulfill it just yet, but I’m going to get him out of here. Steph casts a glance down at him, the poor boy’s face looked so cold. Does hers look like that too?

She grins after a quick thought. “Hey–” His eyes locked with hers. “What does a ‘Ranger’ do in D&D? That one sounds intriguing to me.”

His face lights up. “You actually want to play D&D?”

“Hey, you suggested it, I might as well. So, the Ranger? What’s that like? The lore?”

“Well, Rangers are warriors that explore different civilizations, and they hunt down the deadliest of monsters. They’re trained in many different combat techniques, survival skills, and even some magic.”

“Magic? I like the sound of that.”

“They mostly reside in the forest, or anything ‘nature-y’.”

She chuckles. “I don’t like the sound of that. What else? Aren’t there like… classes… or different types?

“Oh, yeah.” He nods. “I guess it depends on what you prefer. Do you want me to tell you?”

“I’m all ears.” Steph said, making a motion. I’m just glad he’s stopped shaking.

“Well, there’s a lot. The most common ones are ‘Beast Masters’, which are accompanied with an animal companion. Then there’s ‘Hunters’, which are mainly just professional assassins that take down monsters of all sorts. Now, even though all Rangers have the capability of taking monsters down, Hunters are strictly made just to do that.”

She hums. “Interesting.”

“Then there’s ‘Gloom Stalkers’, who live mostly in dark realms, and take down the shadowy beasts roaming the territory. They’re pretty good at ambushing their opponents.” He smiles. “Personally, I find that the coolest.”

“Well, I can see why. What else? Do Rangers get weapons?”

“Of course! The most common is a two-blade or archery.”

“Archery sounds cool.”

“See, I agree. But I know Lucas always says it’s ‘stupid’, so–”

Steph shakes her head with a sigh. “Oh, well. I guess I’ll have to prove him wrong when I play.”

“So you are going to play with us!” Will said, joyfully, like you just told him Christmas was coming early.

“If that’s how I prove Lucas wrong, then so be it. So how does one newbie play D&D?” She asked, hopefully this will keep him occupied. At least I can keep him distracted until we get there.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| PRESENT ||

“Are you out of your mind?” Lucas said, as soon as Mike was done with his explanation for them being here.

“Just listen to me.” Mike pleads.

“You are out of your mind–”

“She knows about Will and Steph.”

Dustin perks up after being the silent one here. “What do you mean she knows about them?”

Mike grabs the pictures from earlier and holds them up. “She pointed at them, at their picture. She knew they were missing. I could tell.”

“You could tell?” Lucas asked, looking between the pictures and the girl who was on the bed.

“Just think about it. Do you really think it was a coincidence that we found her on Mirkwood, the same place where they disappeared?”

Dustin nodded, agreeing. “That is weird.”

“And she said bad people are after her.” Mike said, with a frown. “I think maybe these bad people are the same ones that took Will and Steph. I think she knows what happened to them.”

“Then why doesn’t she tell us?” Lucas asked, glaring at her direction before stomping over. “Do you know where they are?” He grabs her by the shoulder. “Do you know where Will and Stephanie are?!”

“Stop it, you’re scaring her!” Mike pulls him away, as his friend brushes him off.

“She should be scared! If you know where they are, tell us! This is nuts. We have to take her to your mom.”

“No! Eleven said telling any adult would put us in danger.”

“What kind of danger?” Dustin asked, his thoughts from earlier about his sister and Will taking a shotgun with them crossed his mind.

Lucas gives him a weird look. “Her name is Eleven?”

“El for short.” Mike clarifies.

“Mike! What kind of danger?” Dustin pushes, his stomach turning.

“Danger danger!” The brunette makes a finger gun and points it between Henderson’s eyes before moving over towards Lucas who demises quickly.

“No, no, no!” Sinclair snaps, rushing for the door. “We’re going back to plan A. We’re telling your mom.”

He pulls open the door only for it to slam shut automatically. Not even batting an eye at that, he tries again, for it to not only to shut with more force but to even lock itself. The boys look back at the only explanation, and they see El standing on her feet with a drop of blood coming out of her nose.

“No.” She said, with a tone that told them not to push it.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Back at the station, Hopper was questioning an anxious friend of Benny’s. Earl was his name, and he was sitting in a chair, eyes full of disbelief as he lit a cigarette.

“Just doesn’t make any sense, Chief.”

“You, uh, notice anything odd about him the last few weeks?” Hopper asked, trying to keep it professional (even though this case was hurting him the most).

Earl shakes his head. “No, we’re fixin’ to go fishing down the Etowah next Sunday. I mean, he was lookin’ forward to it. I know that.”

“He got any enemies you might know about? I mean, people who might not want him around?”

“The exes didn’t like him much. That’s for sure, but… nah.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Yesterday. Lunch, same as always.”

“Just you and the boys?”

“Yep. Me and Henry and…” He pauses. “Well, there was this, uh, this kid. No kid did this.”

“Kid?” Hopper nearly perked up hope. “What are you talking about?”

“Yeah. At lunch, uh, there was this boy that, uh I mean, he was trying to steal food out of Benny’s kitchen. Can you imagine that?”

Hopper locked eyes with Callahan who got the silent message. “This kid what’d he look like?”

“Well, he was about yea high.” Earl raises his arm up and out. “You know, tiny like. I didn’t get a good look at him, though. He was back in the kitchen.”

“He look like this?” Callahan asked, coming back with a missing kid poster of Will.

He takes the flier, and immediately shakes his head. “Oh, no, that’s… that’s Lonnie’s missin’ kid. No. This was a different kid. This one had really short hair. I mean, it was buzzed nearly down to the scalp.”

Hopper tries not to let his composure break, and continues to hold on to the slimmer of hope. “Yeah, well, let’s… You know, let’s forget about the haircut. I mean, if this kid had a buzz cut… could it be Lonnie’s kid?”

“Well, I-I… didn’t get a good look at him. About the right height, though. I mean, could’ve been. Yeah, that’s… Could’ve been.”

Hopper frowns, taking the poster back from him. “And, you only saw the boy right? No girl? Teenager? Dark hair?”

“No.” Earl shakes his head once more. “No. I didn’t see a girl.”

The Chief mentally sighs. This is not good.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[ ‘A party?’ ]

Finally! Steve thought, pumping his fist. She finally sounded intrigued. He was hoping this would make up for his weird behavior at school.

And, no, no, no, It wasn’t because of– well… ‘you know who’. Totally not because of her. Totally, totally, totally not–

[ ‘Steve?’ ]

Nancy’s voice broke through his totally not clouded mind. “Uh, yeah, sorry. Yeah, a party. Well… kind of. It’s just going to be me, Tommy H. and Carol. No parents for the whole weekend, so we wouldn’t have to worry about them coming in and ruining the mo-jo.”

Just my friends and my girlfriend. Just having fun, no worries about–

[ ‘Not much of a party with just four people.’ ]

He laughs. “Okay, I’ll admit, it’s a little sad. But you know, it’s better this way. And, you know, if you want to, you can invite Barbara. If it makes you feel more comfortable. Or not. Or you don’t have to come–”

[ ‘Steve.’ ]

“Yeah?”

[ ‘I’ll totally come. But I’m going to try to convince Barb first if that’s alright.’ ]

“Yeah, Yeah. Totally. It starts at seven.”

[ ‘Starts at seven. Got it. I’ll see you then.’ ]

He smiles. “See you then. Bye.”

[ ‘Bye.’ ]

“Yes!” He said, once he hung up the phone. “Finally.” He feels his spirits get lifted again. “This is going to be perfect.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| HOURS BEFORE ||

“Welcome to Mi Casa.” Stephanie said, upon entering her home. Just as gross and dark as Will’s.

“You said the basement, right?” Will asked, the thought of eating something sounded nice.

“Yep.”

They thought navigating below “sunlight” was going to be hard, but I guess living in darkness for nearly twenty-four hours had its perks. Finding the tote where the emergency supplies were easier than they thought, their stomachs growing when they saw the cans of food.

“Hang on second.” Steph said, disappearing back up the stairs for a sec, and then coming back with some forks and a can opener. She uses her shirt to wipe it clean the best she could before using. “Pineapple or Peaches?”

“Pineapple, please.” Will said, drooling as she placed the open can in his hands. The two of them plop down criss-cross applesauce, sighing with relief that they could finally take a rest.

“We’ll have to take what we can, but don’t make your bag too heavy in case we need to run again. Got it?” She replies, sliding over a bottle of water to him too. He nods, and takes a second to chug some liquid too.

One can was enough for now, since none of them had any clue how long they’ll be here, they’ll need to ration what they can find. Food, water, a first aid kit, some mittens and hats, an extra jacket, socks (And Will was proud to find a half box of matches laying around).

“Do we need anything else?” He asked, making her think.

She hums, and feels around her pockets. “We need more ammo. Or another gun at least.”

“Do you have any?”

“No. I don’t.” She closes her eyes. Now where could we get more nearby?

But the more she thought about it, the more she dreaded. She does know one place they have a gun, and hopefully still does since it’s been so long.

She sighs. “I know… one place that has a gun. It’s far though. Really far. It’ll take us a couple hours to get there on foot. But it’s closer than going to town.”

“If that’s what we have to do, then let’s do it.” Will said, sliding his backpack back on, ready to start their journey again. He flashes her a goofy grin. “I hope I can count this as PE for school.”

If that was a joke to cheer her up then it totally worked.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Now that they might have a lead, the police and its volunteers spread out in the woods behind Benny’s diner, hoping to find some good news (For Hopper’s sake he really hopes so).

“Hey, you think Earl really saw Will?” Callahan asked, trying to keep up with his Boss’ speed. “I mean, what’s he doin’ with a shaved head? And stealing food from Benny?”

“Tell you what, when we find him, we’ll ask.” Hopper replies, with an attitude.

“Can’t ask a corpse questions.” Powell said, getting a glare. Suddenly, one of the volunteers blew a whistle.

“Hold up! You got something?” Hopper shouted and broke into a sprint. “Hey, what do you got?”

“Not sure.” The person said, crouching down next to a drain. “Maybe nothing. I found this. In there.”

Hopper takes a piece of fabric from his hand, before shining his flashlight through the drain, still hopeful that maybe he was lying in there, scared but safe.

“No way a kid crawls through there.” Powell said, in denial.

“I don’t know… a scared enough one might. His brother said he was good at hiding.”

“Yeah, but, just Will?” Callahan asked, conflicted. “What happened to Stephanie? ‘Cause there ain’t no way a teenager’s going to fit through this drain pipe.”

“Maybe they separated?” Powell questioned.

“I’m not so sure about that. Claudia said her daughter would never leave anyone behind.”

“Willingly that is.”

“Come on, you two.” Hopper said, jogging again.

This time, they decided to follow the drain pipe that led them further into the forest. Just as their knees were about to give out, they’re met with an electric fence and a keep out sign for the one and only…

Hawkins Lab.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“El?” Mike announces his arrival into the basement. He had just finished having dinner with his family, and even convinced his mom to let his friends stay the night. All part of his plan to figure out what was happening to his missing family.

“No adults. Just us and some meatloaf.” He continues, placing a tray down in front of the makeshift fort, letting her know to come out. Her eyes trail to him and then to the two boys falling behind. “Don’t worry. They won’t tell anyone about you. They promise. Right?”

“We never would’ve upset you if we knew you had superpowers.” Dustin said, before getting hit in the leg by Mike. “Ow!”

“What Dustin is trying to say is that they were just scared… earlier. That’s all.”

“We just wanted to find our friends.” Lucas admitted, feeling a tad guilty for his actions.

“‘Friends’?” El asked, confused by that word. It was so foreign to her. What does it even mean?

“Yeah, friends. Will? Steph?”

“What are ‘friends’?”

Lucas gave her a weird look. “Is she serious?” Henderson shrugged. “Um, a friend–”

“Is someone that you’d do anything for.” Mike cuts in.

“You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards.” Dustin adds.

“And they never break a promise.”

“Especially when there’s spit.” Lucas also puts in, making sure she was getting it.

“Spit?” El said, tilting her head.

“A spit swear means–” He spits into his palm. “You never break your word.” He holds his hand out for Dustin to take and shake. “It’s a bond.”

Mike nods in agreement. “That’s super important, because friends… they tell each other things. Things that parents don’t know.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Barbara finally pulls the car over to the side after her friend insisted they stop here. She looks over at the brunette with a strange look. “What are we doing here? His house is three blocks away.”

“We can’t park in the driveway.” Nancy said, making the ginger roll her eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, the neighbors might see.”

“This is so stupid.” Barb shakes her head. “I’m just gonna drop you off.”

“Calm down, Barb. Come on. You promised that you’d go.” Nancy pleaded with her ‘baby doe’ face. “You’re coming. We’re gonna have a great time.”

“He just wants to get in your pants.”

Nancy chuckles with disbelief. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Nance… seriously. He invited you to his house. His parents aren’t home. Come on, you are not this stupid.”

“Tommy H. and Carol are gonna be there.”

“Tommy and Carol have been having sex since, like, seventh grade.” Barb cringes at the thought. “It’ll probably just be, like, a big orgy.”

“Gross.”

“I’m serious!”

“All right, well…” Nancy takes her seat belt off and starts unbuttoning her sweater. “You can be, like, my guardian. All right? Make sure I don’t get drunk and do anything stupid.”

“Ugh.” Barb said, shaking her head. She watches as her friend takes her top off and starts fiddling around in her purse for another one. “Is that a new bra?”

Nancy pauses. “No.”

“So, obvious, Nancy…”

“Hey.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“What’s the weirdo doing?” Lucas asked, watching her sit at their D&D table and close her eyes.

“El?” Mike said, as they gathered around, waiting.

When she opens her eyes, she slowly gravitates to one of the pieces and picks it up. “Will.” She replies, showing it was the Wizard piece, the one that the boy always plays as.

“Superpowers.” Dustin said, as Lucas rolled his eyes, still not convinced about this whole thing.

“Did you see him? On Mirkwood? Do you know where he is?” Mike asks, just before she brushes the rest of the figures off the board and flips it over. She places the wizard piece on the board. “I don’t understand.”

“Hiding.” She replies, the boys looking at one another. She then places another figure down, surprising them.

“Who is that supposed to be?” Lucas asked, as Dustin perked up.

“The Ranger. Is that Stephanie?” He asked, as she nodded. “Are they hiding?” She nods again. “Together.” Another nod.

“From the bad men?” Mike asked, but she shakes her head in disappointment. “Then from who?”

And without saying another word she places another figure down.

It was a beast with two heads.

The Demogorgon.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| NOW ||

It took a while like she said, and luckily they had no trouble getting there, but what was troubling the young boy was that she wouldn’t tell him where they were going. Was she embarrassed by this place? Did something happen? He doesn’t know, but it’s gnawing at him.

“We’ve arrived.” She said, as they were coming up to it.

It was… a pretty big house, much bigger than his and even his friends’ houses. He wonders if this was one of the rich neighbourhoods or something like that. And sure enough… his questions would be answered when he happened to catch the name on the mailbox.

Oh.

Now he understands why she didn’t say anything.

“So this is the…” Was he choosing his words correctly? “The King’s house?”

“Yep.” Stephanie said, hand on the doorknob which miraculously opened. She rolls her blue eyes. “They still keep it unlocked.” They stepped inside, still gloomy and covered in vines and goo like the last two. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Will follows behind, observing everything that seemed a bit foreign for him. “I knew they were rich but I didn’t know they were that rich.” He said after observing art piece after art piece that he knows isn’t locally made.

“Yeah, they got crazy money.” She said, and her pace seemed to quicken without her noticing. She hustles into the parents room, opening the closet to find a safe. “Shit.” She forgot about the lock. “Where did that bastard put the key?”

Stephanie starts running around the bedroom, pulling open drawers, looking through trinkets, his wife’s jewelry box too – A curse word after every failed attempt.

“Steph?” Will said, worriedly.

“Just give me a second.” She snapped, and left the room. She starts opening the drawers from the tables in the hallway, visibly getting more annoyed with each second. “For fuck sakes–”

“Stephanie!”

“What?!” She slammed it shut, rattling everything that was on. The force and her tone seemed to shock him, and even take a small step back. She grips the table, closing her eyes to calm herself. “Fuck. I just…”

And when she opens them she finds herself staring at the boy she wanted to forget about. It was a picture of him on his swim team, the frame saying: Championship 1981. She just stares at with emotions the youngest Byers couldn’t figure out what they were.

“Steph?” He asked, slowly.

“Yeah?”

“What happened to you and Steve?”

She continues to stare at the photo for another minute before pushing herself to stand. “I think he still keeps that knife in his room.” Was what she muttered before heading in the opposite direction to another room.

Will could only wonder what really happened to them…

Just as the lights started to flicker.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| PRESENT ||

Inside the most “fabulous” party of the year, Barb laid back in one of the pool chairs, listening to the terrible music that’s blasting in her ear as her best friend watches her boyfriend slice a hole into a beer can and start drinking it all in one go.

“Is that supposed to impress me?” Nancy asked, as he sat down and lit a cigarette.

“You’re not?” Steve asked, genuinely surprised.

“You are a cliche, you do realize that?”

“You are a cliche. What with your– your grades and your band practice.”

“I’m so not in band.”

“Okay, party girl. Why don’t you just, uh, show us how it’s done, then?” He hands her the knife and a can.

“Okay.” She says, all giggly.

“You gotta make a little hole right in–”

“I got it.”

“Yeah, she’s smart, you douche!” Tommy said, as he crushes his own can on his forehead.

Soon, everyone was chanting “Chug” as Nancy down a whole beer in under thirty seconds. Everyone cheered and laughed, proud at the achievement.

“Barb, you wanna try?” Nancy asked, holding the blade up.

“What? No. No, I don’t want to. Thanks.” She said, shaking her head. But after a quick back and forth badgering she finally gave in. She rips the items out of the girl’s hand, clearly upset. It wasn’t long before her judgment was clouding her mind and accidentally nicks herself.

“Whoa, Gnarly.” Tommy said, impressed by the deep cut.

“Are you okay?” Nancy asked, worriedly.

“Yeah.” Barb said, trying to push her away.

“Barb, you’re bleeding.”

“I’m fine. Where’s your bathroom?”

“Oh, it’s– Steve stands up, and starts taking her over to the sliding door. “It’s, uh, down past the kitchen, to the left.” He frowns. Shit of course.

But before he could say anything, Tommy had pushed Carol into the pool and then jumped in after her. Steve then shrugs, and lets a smirk play on his face as he does the same to Nancy before doing a cannonball.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| NOW ||

Steph tries to contain herself as she enters his room. It was taking a lot of strength not to just start flipping things over, and tear those stupid pendants off the wall.

Stupid fucking house. Stupid fucking room. Stupid fucking Harrington. She grits her teeth, fighting back the tears in her eyes as she desperately tries to remember where he hid the blade.

She lets out a groan. “For fuck sake’s, man! Where did you put it?!” She yells, and kicks whatever was near her. She swears something must have fallen out from it, but she doesn’t even want to look.

God damn you, Harrington. She scolds, and rubs her face. How can he–

That’s when the light in his room flickered on and off scaring her half to death. “What the–”

“Stephanie!” Will’s voice shouted, kicking her into high gear.

“Fuck.” She mumbles, and races to find that blade.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| PRESENT ||

As soon as Barb comes out of the bathroom, she immediately spots a certain someone heading up the stairs. “Nance! Nancy.” She shouts, getting her to stop. “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere. Just… upstairs. To change. I… fell in the pool.” Nancy said, feeling like she was on cloud nine. “Why don’t you go ahead and go home. I’ll just… I’ll get a ride or something.”

“Nance–”

“Barb, I’m fine.”

“This isn’t you.”

“I’m fine. Just go ahead and go home, okay?”

And then Nancy leaves her all alone, confused and heartbroken by her friend’s actions. But despite being hurt, she couldn’t just up and leave her drunken buddy like this. So…

She decides to wait.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Steve had found her some clothes she could change in, and he was grinning like a kid upon the thought of seeing his girlfriend in his clothes.

I’m such a dork. He tells himself as she calls out his name. “Yeah?” There was a look in her eyes that he’s never seen before, and honestly was turned on by it.

But ‘Fuck that’, says the universe, and the home phone starts to ring.

He groans, irritated. “Hang on a second–” He proceeds to run out of the room, and shouts, “Hey! Turn the music down in case it’s my parents.”

Nancy chuckles, cheeks flush because she was ready to lose her– wait. Did something just touch her leg? She looks down to find that a box was tipped over and had opened, and wonders when that happened. Did she accidently kick it without realizing? Or was it already like that? Frankly, curiosity got the best of her as she crouched down to try to fix it. But then, her actions slowed when she saw something.

The Wheeler picks up a paper – a flier – to her surprise was the missing poster of Stephanie Henderson.

“What?” She says, quietly, confusedly. Why was he keeping this? And that’s when she puts two and two together. She starts shifting through the small pile which was made up of photos, movie tickets, receipts from a record store, arcade tokens and– “Oh, my god.”

Suddenly, Steve comes jogging back in, relief on his face. “False alarm. It was just–”

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

His face falls immediately. “Hey, that’s–”

“Is she the person that was rumored you pushed away?”

“It’s nothing.” Steve replies, trying to take the stuff away from her, but she ain’t budging.

“It’s nothing, or she’s nothing?”

“It’s– W-What? You jealous?” He asked, trying to play this thing off cool, but his girlfriend wasn’t stupid.

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

“Nancy, stop, it’s just–”

“Why did you break it off?”

His brain short circuits again. “What?”

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

“I…” Why couldn’t he fucking talk all of a sudden? “I didn’t, I–”

“So, she broke it off?” She said, eyebrow raised.

“No. I-I broke it off, she didn’t do anything–”

“So… why did you?”

“Nancy–”

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

Now it was her turn to look lost (and for Steve to lose all the color in his face). She frowns, slowly pulling out a small casing. “Is this a… bullet?”

“That’s nothing!” He manages to snag at least that away.

“Why do you have a bullet in the box?!” She asks, eyes blown wide.

He swallows. “Nancy–”

“Did you shoot her or something?”

“What?!” He scoffs. “No! Why would I shoot her?!”

“Well did she shoot you?”

“No! Nobody shot anybody, it was just–”

“Then why do you have a stray bullet cas–”

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

It takes her a moment to process it all, and she does put all the stuff in her hands away, but she remains silent the whole time. She’s never seen him act this way before.

It honestly concerned her.

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

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

Nancy gestures to him and says, “Well, for starters, you’re an airhead and–”

“So?” He cuts in, as she holds her tongue and continues.

“And you’re arrogant, snarky, and sweet–”

“Sweet’s fine.”

“Of course. Sweet’s fine. I love how nice you are to me, Steve.” She then frowns for him. “However, that gets overshadowed by your… insecurities.”

He pauses, now it was his turn to take in those words (What the hell did she mean by that? He’s not… no). “I don’t… I don’t have any… any–”

“Steve.” Nancy takes a step closer. “I don’t know why the kid in these pictures decided to change into the one I’m seeing before me, but if that doesn’t have to do with any insecurities, then I’m not sure why you decided to make that change willingly.”

“I… W-Willingly?” He scoffs again. “What do you mean? I never change willingly? What are you even getting at, Nance?” He hasn’t changed. He’s never changed. What is she even getting at?

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

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

And Steve’s left with an epiphany he’s not sure he can decipher.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| NOW ||

As soon as the lock was broken, she retrieved the gun from the safe and frantically told her companion to get down the stairs. Will and Steph’s hearts were in their ears, and it sped up when the light above the front door flickered.

“Shit–” She pulls the boy to a halt, and redirects them to the back door. “Go, go, go, go, go.”

She throws open the sliding door, and out into the backyard, but as soon as they step foot onto the ground, the lights around the empty pool start to flicker. The two of them stopped immediately and held their breaths. They weren’t sure where the beast was at, but it was definitely nearby ready to snatch them up.

They were afraid to even breathe or twitch. What if this thing really does appear out of thin air?

They both jolted when a loud growl came from somewhere inside the pool. Wasting no time, Steph taps Will on the arm and makes a shushing gesture, then waves him to follow her. The boy understood completely, and the two of them move slowly, so carefully that there’s not way–

The both of them screamed when two human hands grabbed onto the top of the pool ladder.

A girl’s head poked up, face battered and covered in grime, her glasses shattered and splattered with blood. The girl looked so fam–

“Nancy!!” She shouts, as something growls behind her, scaring all of them to their core. And when her eyes landed on the two of them, she desperately yelled for help just seconds before the beast’s claws wrapped around her head and pulled her back.

Will and Steph matched the girl’s scream, and the beast roared in delight that his prey was just right in front of it. Its claws could be seen grabbing the ladder, like it was trying to crawl out and feast.

That’s when the two of them booked it.

The guns rattled in their hands.

The tears in their eyes.

Whatever this place was, they knew…

This couldn’t get compared to hell itself.

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

@emsownuniverse @unspecifiedvisitor @smaryamsstuff @kitty49646

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luwritesomething · 1 year

Text

Damian Wayne x Reader: slow mornings.

Words: 596

Reader pronouns: not stated (was coded as black reader since this was written with my oc in mind)

Warnings: None, just fluff. Like, a lot. Also, too short.

Edited?: Not yet, sorry.

Summary: Damian has get out of bed and workout, but you're too bewitching.

Author's note: I wrote this with my DC oc, Blake, on mind. She's black, so I guess you could find this little blurb somewhat black-coded. It accepts every type of reader, really, no skinny or hair or skin or eyes mentions, so there you go!! If you've liked it, know my requests are open w the anon option. I also mainly listened to Farewell, Neverland by TXT while writing this lol. OF COURSE, this is older!damian we're talking about.

Criticism is appreciated and request are open! Hit that anon button and tell me your idea! The list for the characters I write is HERE.

Damian always woke up before you did. His routine was rather strict, but simple if he followed it right, and he had enough discipline to follow through with it everyday. A quick breakfast, a heavy workout, a proper breakfast, a heavier and more physical workout, showering and meditation, then the rest of his day. Considering the amount of responsibilities he had as Wayne Enterprises’ VP, he had to wake up really early to fulfill his routine during work days and still arrive on time to the building. Weekends were easier, because they were slower and lacked obnoxious work meetings, and he almost never missed his workouts. Almost.

When he woke that morning, early enough for the light coming through the window to be still weak, his first impulse was to slide out of the bed — pushing the white sheets off his body. But he had barely moved in order to do that, when he noticed your arm around his torso. It made him smile slightly, lovingly, watching your hair all messy around your face, semi buried in the soft, silk pillow.

Damian had had to go to bed before you had even been able to get out of your company’s meeting. In one of the intense but short lived breaks in between your meeting, you had called him and asked not to wait for you, and out of pure exhaustion Damian had actually listened to you and gone to bed once midnight striked. So, this was the first time he was seeing you since early the morning before that.

At least you hadn’t been tired enough not to take your makeup off out of sleepiness, given now she was barefaced. Your skin shone there where the sun, shyly coming in from the barely pulled together curtains, caressed you; and Damian couldn’t help but follow with his eyes the path of happiness on it. His smile widened as his eyes moved slowly, thumb coming to caress your arm again and again and again and again. Damian knew he should have forced himself to lift from the bed more than five minutes ago, but how could he when you could bewitch him by just existing?

Damian’s fingers drew patterns everywhere he could reach, gently easing up as you awakened as you snuggled closer to him. You hid on the crook of his neck, groaning quietly when Damian tickled you slightly, but a smile blossoming on your face because God, it was hard to be mad with Damian when he was this soft. You looked even more precious now to him, as your eyes fluttered, fighting to keep them close.

“Good morning, beloved.” He whispered to your ear, ticklish enough to make you chuckle cheerfully and writhe involuntarily against his body.

You rolled to the side to face him better, but you didn’t open your eyes just yet. “I thought you had to workout today.”

“Something more important came up.”

With that, your eyes opened, glimmering sweetly — Damian’s breath almost caught on the back of your throat. He wanted to stay like this forever. “Oh, yeah?” You hummed, eyebrows up and slightly teasing. Damian just stared, knowing well you appreciated the way he would include you in his mornings from time to time, putting his discipline aside. “And what is that?”

Damian’s lip corner twisted slightly, prompting that charming grin of his. His hand came to your waist, squeezing with the right amount of strength to make you feel terribly loved and important, and then his grin twisted to a genuine smile. “Why don’t you stay and find out?”

576 notes · View notes

twstfanblog · 7 months

Text

*~250 Followers Fic~*

A/N: Ignore me taking so long to get this out. I love how the fall gives me hit after hit and they only get worse in the winter XD. But I've got plenty of WIPs in the pot to work with. Enjoy this fic though!

Edit: Had to redo some tags. A lot of them got deleted somehow

Warnings: They/She OC, minor vomiting scene.

Main Pairings: Polygamous OC dating 3 people- YuuxMalleus, YuuxAzul, YuuxAzul, Alluded to Trey/Jade, Leona/Ruggie

A series of videos were posted to all of Cater’s socials, his Magicam, his Twstr, and even his Thimble over the course of a single day. The increase in activity drew in his followers and peaking curiosity. The first video opened with Yuu, smiling in a nice blazer with the NRC logo over the right breast.

“Hello to the audience of Cay-Cay-Cutie! I am sure you recognize me from my cryptid appearances in the background of Cater’s videos, but I’ll introduce myself anyway. I’m Yuu and I’m stealing Cater’s socials to record and post Night Raven College’s first annual Spice Endurance Competition!”

They walk to the center of the mirror chamber, gesturing to the seven mirrors, "Each dorm will be taking part in this little contest. Points will be given for every person who finishes the challenge. We're looking for clean bowls!"

She steps to the side, allowing Grim to float into view. The cat monster smiled smugly as he sported a new grand bowtie with an emblem of NRC in the center, “Join me and my co-host, Grim, in seeing how each dorm manages the challenge! Who will win? Who will lose? Who’s gonna CRY!? Find out in the next series of videos!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The first video after the introduction simply had the four suits of a card deck and a rose as the title. Opening it showed Yuu, smiling as she walked through a lush rose garden with a stylized stamp of 'Heartslabyul' in the corner, “Welcome back, and thanks for clicking the video! I’m live on the scene at the Heartslabyul dorm, home of the great Cay-Cay himself.”

The camera swings around, showing the various dorm members waiting patiently at the tables for the ghosts to bring out the spicy dishes. At the main table, sitting beside Riddle was Cater. Catching Yuu finally arriving, he smiled and waved, “Yuu-Chan~! Over here sweetie, bring my fans!”

“Yeah, yeah We’re coming…” Grim mutters under his breath, missing Yuu briefly showing his pouting face to the camera before it moves back to Cater and the others.

“It’s Cay-Cay and crew! Lined up and ready for the Spice Endurance Challenge!” Cater puts on his persona, smiling and winking at the camera with a number of cute gestures and poses.

Trey smiles softly from his place on Riddle’s other side, muttering in good nature, “Do we not get names?”

Yuu instantly moves the camera away from Cater’s display, almost shoving it into Trey’s surprised face, “Why is that baking prodigy, Trey Clover, competing? Will such a handsome, talented, connected, single, man take home a victory for his dorm?”

The green-haired junior turned his face away from the camera, pulling his hat over his eyes trying to hide his blushing expression, “Stop…”

Deuce, the caring freshman he was, saw how embarrassed Trey was. He leaned on the table, nearly laying on it in an effort to shield Trey from view, “I’m Deuce Spade! I’m also competing to show how great Heartslabyul is!” After a few moments, his determined expression softens to a smile, waving briefly to the camera, “Hi mom! If you’re watching. I don’t know if you’re watching…Wait, did I tell my mom about Diamond-Senpai’s social media…medias?”

“Ok, enough of that.” Ace’s hand shoves Deuce’s head out of the way, pushing the other freshman directly onto the table to take up the space. With a cocky smirk, he pointed at himself with a thumb, “I’m Ace Trappola! And I’m gonna win this stupid little contest thought up by old Ramshackle, over here.”

“Both of you get off the table.”

Ace and Deuce scramble off the table, both of them trying to put space between them and their annoyed housewarden. Yuu angles the camera over, showing Riddle’s angered glare at the two freshmen. Seeing he was being filmed, he coughed into his fist, calming his temper, “Hello. I am Riddle Rosehearts, the current house-warden of Heartslabyul. I’m looking forward to this new school event.”

“Riddle Rosehearts, everyone. And, no, the stick has yet to be found in his ass.”

“Excuse you-”

Grim groaned, floating into view to hide Riddle’s reddening face, “Can we start already? I wanna eat grub, not re-meet all these losers…”

Cater forcibly moved the camera to view him again, a small pout on his face. Seeing the focus back on him, he smiled, “Now listen up cuties! Yuu-Chan and Grim-Chan will be back after we eat. Not gonna be that kinda content channel, sorry folks.”

Yuu poked their head from the bottom of the screen, smiling at the camera, “I see the ghosts bringing out the noods! Round one of the Spice Endurance Challenge, start!” Their expression blanks for a moment, “Oh, hang on…”

They take the camera back, pointing it toward Riddle and making the motion of signing the cross at him. Reaching forward and dipping their fingers into his cup of tea before flicking the liquid at him, “Ok, now we can start!”

Riddle looked at himself in confusion in the background, seeing the spots of tea on his uniform, “What did you just do?”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The video has a brief ad roll, coming back to Yuu struggling to not laugh, “Welcome back! Let’s see how they did!”

The camera moves in a sweep of the garden, showing a number of Heartslabyul students guzzling down their tea or eating heaping spoonfuls of whipped cream that had made their way to the tables. At the main table, Cater sat in his chair working on a second bowl of spicy noodles, even though it was clear the dish was too spicy for him to handle. Beside him was Riddle face down on the table, unmoving. Trey was nowhere in sight, but Ace and Deuce were both in the fountain, heads dunked under the water. Grim was the only other person at the table, slurping up Ace and Deuce’s unfinished bowls.

Yuu zoomed in on Grim’s happy face, “Be careful, Grim, you don’t wanna get spicy in your eyes.”

At Grim’s happy chirp, Yuu moved away to focus on Cater’s flushed face, “And, just as I’m sure he was, Cater has taken to the challenge with grace and style!”

Cater simply flashed a peace sign, smiling as he covered his mouth to finish off Riddle’s bowl. Chewing, he pointed toward Riddle.

“Oh right.” Yuu moves closer to Riddle, a hand moving into frame to press against the prone redhead’s neck, checking his pulse, “...Ok, he’s still alive, where’s Trey?”

“I’m back! Is he still out?” Trey rushed into the area, carrying two massive bowls of whipped cream. Placing them on the table, he lifted Riddle’s head haphazardly by the hair. The redhead was clearly out of it with his face coated in sweat and completely red with his mouth hanging open. Instead of trying to feed the chilled topping to Riddle, Trey simply put him face down into the first bowl, ignoring the hissing sound and steam escaping from the sides.

Turning around Yuu yelled toward Ace and Deuce, “Aye! Trey’s back! Stop drinking the fountain water!” They mutter under their breath, “You’re gonna get a fucking infection…”

Grim floated beside Yuu, slurping up the last of his noodles as he faced the camera, “And that’s Heartslabyul! My henchmen will be tallying up the losers left standing and then we’ll move on to the next dorm!”

“That’s right, Grim! At least we have one clear winner! Cater, say bye-bye!”

Cater settled beside Yuu, waving and winking at the camera, “Bye-bye chat! All your love helped me through this challenge so remember to like and follow to keep up with the other videos! #Hotey-Ate-Spicy #Spice-Endurance-Challenge #Not-Click-Bait!”

“On to the next dorm!”

Grim floated over Riddle, his face slowly morphing into a grimace of worry, “Is he breathing?”

“...”

Yuu looked over, seeing Trey trying to stop Ace and Deuce from fighting over the bowl of whipped cream, “Hey, Trey…Riddle might need medical attention.”

“Of course he does…”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next video had a series of emojis being A sunset, a lion, a wolf, and oddly enough a donut. The video starts with a simple text of 'Savanaclaw' that was animated to rip away. Yuu now stood in a new location with a number of rowdy students in the background.

“Secondary location~! We’re here in Savanaclaw, waiting in prep for the second round to start.”

“Queenie’s dorm really didn’t last long did they?” The camera cuts to the voice, Leona lazing in a lounge chair as he smugly smiles. The dorm leader a picture of calm and cool while the dorm continued in excited chaos around them.

“You know damn well, Riddle is getting milk injected into his bloodstream right now. Introduce yourself and pay your respects, you ass.”

The beastman simply growls, rolling his eyes, “If people don’t know who I am, then they aren’t worth the air to say my name.’ Jack’s torso manages to walk into view, arms crossed as he was clearly scolding his house-warden, “Senpai, you should introduce yourself, It’s only polite if you’re being interviewed.”

Leona huffs, locking eyes with Yuu before he gestures upward. The camera moves, showing Jack’s shocked face before his ears pin back in nervousness.

“Uh…”

“Go on runt, introduce yourself.” Leona laughs from off-screen, “It’s only polite after all.”

Jack seemed to be fighting himself, before sighing, “I’m Jack Howl…The contest sounded interesting so I wanted to test myself…”

Yuu quickly turned the camera toward themselves, smiling as they stated, “He has a bet with our firstie squad who could survive the challenge the longest.” They turn the camera back just in time to catch Jack’s embarrassed flush, the wolf beastman turning around to hide his face.

“Don’t say that! Like I would do something like this over such a stupid bet!”

Grim snickers, floating up beside Jack, “If it helps, Ace and Deuce couldn’t even finish their bowls.”

“Really?” Jack turns around, ears perked and tail wagging in mild excitement. But seeing Yuu was still filming him, he scoffed and turned back around, stomping away from them.

Yuu giggles, filming Grim floating in the air as he cackles at Jack’s reaction before they catch someone walking in the background.

“Excuse me, good sir, the fuck?”

Ruggie’s ears twitch, turning around with an uneasy-going grin. In his arms, he carried a number of large empty food containers, “Hey there buddy of mine. What ya need? I’m a little busy.”

“The fuck are you doing with a sales lady’s worth of Tupperware?”

Lifting the containers in his arms, Ruggie simply shrugged, “What? There’s probably gonna be leftovers. I’m just being responsible, can’t have perfectly good food going to waste.”

“Rug-ward, I’m begging you to have respect for yourself. Don’t eat other’s scraps.”

“Free food is free food, prefect, don’t know what to tell ya.”

Yuu turns the camera back to their face, an annoyed scowl clear, "That was Rug-ward Bucci the fifth, everyone. Taking self-respect to new lows."

"Ey!"

"Oi, when is this starting? I'm gonna leave if this takes any longer."

The camera moves back to Leona's lounging figure, "Leona." Yuu waited until the beastman was looking toward them, "Shut up."

The view just barely pulled away as Leona’s hand springs up, his middle finger held out proudly. Yuu blew the camera a kiss, winking coyly, “Leona Kingscholar. Sorry to the masses, he’s single.”

Off-screen, Ruggie shouts out in mild annoyance, “No, he’s not!”

“O-oh, fuck!” Yuu barely managed to stop her choking laugh, looking to the side in surprise. As Yuu giggled, Grim popped into view, a big grin on his face.

“Food’s here! Turn the camera off!”

“Grim! Hold on!” Yuu wrestles the camera from Grim’s paws, smiling while keeping Grim at a distance, “Welp, round two is about to start! Let’s wish our Savanaclaw contestants luck! Also, fuck Leona Kingscholar, that is all.” “Fuck off, prefect!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

After the ads, the video started again. Yuu was now shown under a table, the sounds of people yelling heard from under the cloth, “Yeah, I don’t know what I was expecting. The second someone started winning, everyone started fighting and that turned into a food fight. Which, if you’ve ever rubbed your eyes after cutting peppers, is a horrible idea…”

Hearing the sounds of the brawl ending, Yuu crawled out from under the table and showed the area. Broken plates and spilled noodles were everywhere, some Savanaclaw members were seen on the ground curled in on themselves as they squirmed in pain, no doubt in agony from stray spice sauce in their eyes.

Jack was seen, openly sweating with his ears pinned back, tongue out as he panted. His bowl was death-gripped in his hands, empty and somehow not shattered into pieces from Jack’s strength. His distressed expression morphs into a stern glare, shoving his bowl forward to show that it was empty.

Yuu’s gave a thumbs up, “Good job, Jack! Go take a cold shower, you are literally coated in sweat. It’s gross.”

They turn away just as Jack lets out a tired groan, head tipping back in a mock howl of agony. Instead, the camera catches Ruggie walking through the set-up tables. The hyena beastman dumped half-empty bowls into his waiting Tupperware containers. The 2nd year even taking time to slurp up a few stray noodles.

“Ruginald! My god! Stop it!”

He shrugged, glaring over to Yuu and making sure to harshly tip a bowl into a container, “Don’t you scold me! I don’t have to pay for lunch or dinner for like two weeks with all this!”

“Did you even compete!?”

Ruggie simply waved them away, once he knew there was no cash prize, the hyena had no reason to actually compete in the hellish contest. But, having access to free food was always good in his book.

Yuu groans, scanning the crowd before finally spotting the house-warden. Leona was back in his lounge chair, stretched out and eyes closed as contained chaos rang out around him. Yuu stood over him with the camera in his face, waiting for the 3rd year to acknowledge their presence.

Groaning, Leona cracked an eye open, “What…?”

“Your results, your royal highness.”

He clicks his tongue, reaching under his chair and pulling out an empty bowl.

“...Mother fucker, did you cheat!?”

Leona only smirked, closing his eye and putting the completely clean bowl back under his chair, “You stated we needed to show a cleared bowl to get the win. Maybe I liked it so much I licked it clean.”

Yuu reached over, managing to bypass Leona’s batting tail to flick the beastman on the ear, “Dirty fucking cheater. A point for you, I guess. Rather you just cheat instead of actually causing a riot like last time.”

Their scolding didn’t dampen Leona’s smirk. He only lifted his hand to show his middle finger to the camera.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The third post was titled with a coral branch, bubbles, an octopus, and weirdly enough, two eel emojis. The video opened seemingly underwater, fish swimming leisurely in the tinted lighting as cursive letters spell out 'Octavinelle' before fading. Smooth jazz played throughout the area, the camera movements suddenly smoother and showcasing the classy decor of the room.

The camera sweeps over other dorm members, sitting poised and ready in suits before the camera is brought over to a two-seated table. Azul sat across the table from Yuu, smiling and tilting his head in greeting while Yuu started speaking.

“Welcome back! I’m here in the opulent Mostro Lounge, with self-made man, Azul Ashengrotto. The owner of said lounge has been oh so kind as to allow us to host in his establishment during prime operation hours.”

Azul smiled, showing his teeth as he turned to Yuu, placing a hand over theirs, “Yes! But, as the house-warden of the house of benevolence, it was only right for me to allow my dear pearl to use my venue for their little contest.” He closes his eyes, bringing Yuu's hand to kiss their knuckles gently.

Yuu nods at Azul’s speech, though their eyes clearly state Azul was already toeing some kind of line with his teasing, “Well said, Azul. But that’s right folks! Our third location is under the sea in the Octavinelle dorm. Maybe the cool waters will ease the fiery spice challenge.”

“But, if it does prove too much,” Azul leans off to the side for a moment, grabbing a glass from a tray from an off-screen Floyd, “Try our newest drink to cool down. Ocean Lemon-Maid. Only at the Mostro Lounge for this week to celebrate Night Raven College’s first annual Spice Endurance Challenge.”

Yuu keeps smiling but strains to whisper, “Are you really using this to fucking advertise that damn drink…”

Azul smiles back at Yuu, fully turning to offer them the blue ombre drink, “Well, how about a free sample? Only for you though, my dear.”

“What, I can’t try it!?” Grim’s voice calls out from somewhere off-camera.

“No.” Azul didn’t even turn his head, eyes only flickering toward the camera in a brief annoyed glance.

Yuu leans closer to Azul, whispering coyly in his ear, “Let him have some.”

Azul visibly shivers on screen, placing the drink down before turning toward the camera with a mildly flushed face, “Cut the recording.” Without waiting for an affirmative, he turned back to Yuu, “No, I’m not letting him have any. You know Grim can’t hold a glass for more than 10 seconds.”

“Pwease~? Look at him, he’s wasting away!” Yuu rests their head against Azul’s shoulder, their arm reaching behind him to twirl his long strand of hair.

The two of them engage in a near-silent conversation, Yuu clearly sneaking in a few flirtatious comments if Azul’s flustered expression was anything to note.

Floyd groans, stepping into frame to cross his arms at the two of them, “Are you guys really gonna sit here and be gross until we start? You could have done this in Azul’s office and I wouldn’t have had to wear this dumb tie!”

Jade speaks from behind the camera, “Floyd, you’re supposed to wear your tie anyway. Just think of it as a favor Azul will have to owe you later.”

“I didn’t agree to that.”

“Yay! Azul, you’ll owe me a big favor later, okay?”

“I didn’t agree to that!?”

“Ah~! Babe, how benevolent of you.” Yuu cups Azul’s opposite cheek, pulling him closer to press a kiss to the cheek closest to them. Pulling away and smiling at the blueish blush creeping on his face, “What a kind and giving boyfriend I have. Makes me feel so lucky to be with you~.”

Azul only pushed his glasses up, a smile on his face while he tried to get his hearts under control, “Well…It only makes sense! I am truly the most generous person you know, my pearl. As your lover, it is a goal to ensure you have all your heart desires.”

“I know. Grim, you can try the drink.”

“Wha-” “YEAH!” Grim swoops into view, grabbing the glass cup with both of his paws before zipping away and cackling.

A few moments pass by before Azul turns to Yuu with an annoyed glare, “Really?”

“I’ll make sure to pay you back if he breaks the glass.”

Azul rolls his eyes, scoffing under his breath, “With what money?”

“I’ll pay you back the way we both like.”

The blue blush returns full force once Azul realizes just what Yuu was offering him.

Jade speaks up again, angling the camera slightly downward, “I’m not sure if Cater-San can use this in his video.”

“...” Azul snaps over to Jade, surprised expression changing into a glare, “Are you still filming!?”

The sound of glass breaking off-screen makes Azul groan before he stands, stomping off toward an apologizing Grim.

Yuu smiles, waving at the camera as Floyd shoves his face into their space. His sharp teeth on display as he smiles with his arms wrapped around Yuu’s shoulders. From the background, they could hear Azul scolding Grim and listing off a number of chores the cat monster would be forced to do just to make up for breaking a single glass. Jade soon angles the camera to allow himself to be in frame with his brother and Yuu.

"Guess that leaves me with these two! Jade and Floyd Leech. And if you think you know their family, no you don't."

“The ghosts shall be here soon.” Jade smiles, his own sharp teeth just barely shown, “Round Three will begin shortly.”

“Thank you for the transition point, Jade. Join us in a few moments to see if Octavinelle will sink or swim!”

“Hehehehe, Shrimpy’s got puns!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“As you can see, things did not go well.” Yuu held the camera up, a hand patting Azul’s back. The Octo-Mer was hunched over, coughing wildly as he struggled, “At the very least no one’s-Op, spoke too soon. Jade’s on the floor…”

The camera moves, showing Jade face down on the ground. Floyd was shown pacing around the background rubbing at his own tongue with a cloth. In a furious motion, the Eel-Mer whining about the burning. The other Octavinelle students were in various states of distress, most of them all with the bright blue drink on their tables. Trey could also be seen in the background, giving out small baggies of what seemed to be whipped cream to those without the drink.

Yuu turns the camera back to their face, just in time for Azul to brace himself against their side, his other hand clutching onto a glass of lemonade.

“Remember! Ocean Lemon-Maid to cool your burning taste buds! Only at Mostro Lounge for a limited time!” With that, he turned away, chugging the iced juice until the glass was empty. Yuu watched him slam the glass on the table, jumping at the loud clank fearing it would break from the impact.

Azul takes a gasping breath and then looks at the glass still in his grasp, “That actually worked…?”

“Motherfu-I told you lemonade helps with spicy food, you asshole!”

“You tell me…a lot of things, my pearl.” Azul looks at the camera with a strained smile, knowing he had basically admitted to possibly false advertisement plus underestimating his beloved date-mate, “I’m simply pleasantly surprised that it was just as delicious and effective as you said it would be!”

Yuu huffs, walking away as Azul tries to call out to them, “Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky, you’re so cute, you sunshine punk.” Walking over to Trey, Yuu tugged at his sleeve, “Trey, is everybody okay at Heartslabyul?”

“Yeah.” Trey smiles, waving to the camera before focusing on Yuu, “Everyone’s calmed down or are resting, so I decided to make some more whipped cream and bring it to the other dorms to help out.”

Jade popped up, face beet red and slightly sweaty. He rested his cheek against his palm, leaning on his elbow on the floor, “Oh Trey-San, so dependable as always…”

“Hello, Jade.” Trey held out a baggy of whipped cream, smiling at Jade trying to appear in his normal state of suave. He instead jumped when Floyd ripped the baggie from his hands, shoving the plastic and all into his mouth, “F-Floyd! The plastic-!”

Jade simply waved off Trey’s worry, not even flinching as his brother tore apart the baggie and nearly ate the plastic, “It’s fine, he’s eaten worse.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next video was titled with a snake, a genie lamp, and a sun emoji. Opening from a bird’s eye view of the massive dorm as 'Scarabia' faded into frame only to be blown away as if it was made of sand. The camera flew around the area, showcasing the ornate landscaping then quickly landed beside a waiting Yuu and Grim, Kalim’s voice coming from behind the lens.

“Was that good? Using the carpet to get the whole dorm in shot was such a good idea, Jamil!”

Jamil walked past the frame, glancing over as he carried a tray of precut meats and vegetables to a hotpot set up away from the other tables. He set the tray on the table, walking over to slip an arm around Yuu's waist and pressing a kiss on their cheek before answering Kalim. “It was a simple idea. No need for the praise-"

Yuu reaches up, squishing Jamil’s cheeks in a single hand, smiling at the annoyed glance he gives them, "Shut up and take the compliment, you beautiful bastard."

Jamil keeps eye contact, clicking his tongue before pulling his face away. He doesn't stay away for long, tilting his head to rest against Yuu's, "Anyway. Here, Kalim. Since you can't participate, I took the liberty of making you a hotpot selection. The oil should be up to temp by now…"

Grim had floated over, mildly grappling with the house-warden before he had the camera in his paws telling them they needed to introduce themselves. Kalim's smiling face came into view, hands braced on his hips as he nearly shouted out, "I'm Kalim al Asim! And I'm super excited to see what the ghosts made! Jamil cooks for all of us all the time and he has a way better spice tolerance than most people. We're used to eating spicy food in Scarabia!"

The camera quickly turns to Jamil, the dark-eyed student raising an eyebrow before nodding his head, "Jamil Viper, vice warden of Scarabia." Jamil let a small smirk form on his face, pulling Yuu closer to speak to them directly, "This will be a very fun 'challenge', spicy food is basically a daily part of life in the Scalding Sands. Though…it'll be nice to be cooked for by someone else for once…"

Kalim frowned, turning to pout at Jamil, "Hey! I cooked just last week!"

"Kalim, I'm glad you're trying to learn to feed yourself, but a bag of warmed-up trail mix with half-melted cheese is not an actual meal."

The house-warden looks away, mumbling under his breath with a pout, "I'm proud of my girl dinners…"

"Yeah…about that." Yuu smiles sheepishly, hip bumping against Jamil’s teasingly, "I was pretty sure you guys would breeze through this challenge so~...I called in help from a guest chef!"

"...Guest chef…?"

Kalim perks up, waving to someone off-screen in the distance, "Lilia!? What are you doing here!?"

Jamil felt an intense sense of dread seeing the Diasomnia student for some reason, "What?"

Yuu grabs the camera, smiling wide as they bring it closer, "Time to put those scalding sands to the test! Who will win? Scarabia or Fae-powered spicy home cooking! Find out after the ads!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yuu's face was in frame as the video came back, "Ok, in hindsight, this could count as a war crime and I am very sorry."

All around, the Scarabia students were in deep distress. Many of them simply laying prone on the ground or face down on the tables. The only ones who still seemed able-bodied were the ones in front of untouched bowls of black and purple-tinted masses of "noodles". Lilia could be seen floating over the crowd, a pout on his face as he surveyed the students.

"Hmmm…maybe the milk I used for the sauce had gone bad? I don't know why all of you got so sick…"

The camera angles over to Kalim, the dorm leader looking at his classmates with a confused yet panicked expression, "I should…call someone, right?"

"Yeah…yeah, call the nurse…or a hazmat team, either or. Jamil…Jamil, baby, you ok?"

Jamil stood braced against a wall with an almost clawing grasp, an empty bowl marked with blacked sludge clutched in his other hand. The second year panted in a clearly distressed pattern, body slicked with sweat and shaking.

"...Babe, you did not have to actually finish the bowl. You would have gotten the win just from tasting it…"

The glare Jamil throws over his shoulder would have been vicious if it didn't look like an angry toddler on the verge of tears. Only to have his face pale and snap back toward the wall, a loud retching sound being heard before Yuu moved the camera away and set it on a table.

"OH! Okay, good God. Alright. Hold on, babe, I'm coming. Grim, go get Trey from Octavinelle!"

Yuu rushes over, the vomiting sounds only getting worse, Grim being seen floating in the opposite direction with a grossed out face before the video ends.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next video had the emoji title of a crown, a bullseye, an apple, and a sparkle. The opening was the highest quality yet, showcasing the grand design of the dorm and even wilderness shots. Smooth transitions only showing this was a prepared film roll meant to only present the best the dorm had to offer. The opening ends with elegant lettering titled 'Pomefiore' before the image fades into Vil and Yuu sitting on a loveseat in the Pomefiore lounge.

"Welcome back, cuties. I'm here with Vil Shoenheit in the Pomefiore lounge for the next part of the Spice Endurance Challenge-"

"Why is this still going?"

"Hm?" Yuu blinks, tilting their head in false confusion while Vil looks at them with crossed arms, "...It's still going because we aren't done, Vil."

"You subjected all of Scarabia to what could only be classified as Chemical Warfare. That's plenty of reason to end this nonsensical little "event" you managed to strong-arm Crowley into approving."

"You know Vil, just because you can't eat seasoning past waving a salt shaker at your food, doesn't mean other people don't like it."

"Jamil has food poisoning, Yuu."

"He's fine."

"80% of Scarbia is in the infirmary."

"They're. Fiiiiiine…"

Vil sighed, rolling his eyes and flicking open a pocket mirror. As he checked over his lipstick, he muttered, "Just finish your mediocre intro. Neither you nor Cater have the funds to book me on film for long."

"Primadonna Bitch- anyway, Cuties! Vil here is actually very knowledgeable about food science and is kind enough to give us a crash course in the health benefits and downfalls of a spice-heavy diet.

" It's my pleasure, Yuu." Vil snaps the mirror closed, placing it in his sleeve with a fluid motion before looking toward the camera, "The compound found inside spicy foods known as "Capcaisin" has been shown in moderate amounts to increase metabolism, improve digestive health, and even extend lifespans in some cases. But the true downfall comes from excessive consumption of it. Leading to a number of issues involving extreme irritation of tissue both internal and external. It's also been shown to increase bad cholesterol in cases."

Vil turns to Yuu, smiling sweetly as he tilts his head in a clearly practiced movement, "Which is why I feel this challenge is not only foolish but dangerous for my dorm."

Yuu smiles back, copying Vil's head tilt in a mocking over-performed mirroring, " Don't worry Vil. One day you'll be able to handle spicy food like Salsa or Wheat Bread."

The dorm head looked one second away from poisoning his co-host, only to be interrupted by the voice behind the camera.

"Ah~! I'm so excited to see the level of spiciness we will be graced with today! It's always a pleasant treat to enjoy a food that has the power to physically impact the body."

"Oh, you like spicy food Rook?" Yuu had stood from the couch, leaving behind a calmed Vil, and grabbed the camera. Turning it around to show the bob-haired student, "May I introduce the hunter of beauty and love, Rook Hunt."

Rook smiled, closing his eyes as he gave a polite half bow, "Bonjour beautés! And to answer mon vieille amor, I indulge in spicy food if it is the culture of the area my family visits on our yearly vacation. The smell, the taste, the visuals! Spicy food is another form of beauty that I adore exploring. This challenge will be a test of mon skills!"

"Well, I'm glad someone," the camera swings back quickly, just barely showing Vil in focus before moving back to Rook's smiling face, "is excited for my fun, wholesome challenge!"

Vil speaks up from behind the camera, "Scarabia. Infirmary. Chemical Warfare."

The sound of the door clicking open pulls their attention to it. The camera focuses on a startled Epel, the first year not expecting to walk into being filmed. He tried to hide it, sheepishly brushing his hair with his fingers as he cleared his throat.

"The dining room is ready. Everyone who was approved to compete is waiting to start." He smiled gently at the camera, his practiced persona coming across as calm and pleasant.

Rook exclaims off-camera, moving toward the door and starting to wax poetic about the challenge. Holding the door open for Vil to walk through, the house-warden going to look over the event and make sure his dormmates weren't slacking in their table manners.

Once the two third years were out of the room, Yuu turned the camera toward Epel, “The myth, the legend. Epel Felmier, anything to say to the masses about your upcoming challenge?”

Epel walks beside them, looking in front of them. After checking that Vil and Rook weren’t looking at them, he turned to the camera. His serene expression changed to a wicked almost cocky smirk, the hint of a southern twang coming into his voice, “Those other losers are goin' fuckin' down-”

“Epel!”

The lavender-haired first-year snaps back into a “proper” look, “I didn’t do noth-ahem- I haven’t done anything!” He rushes forward, running to catch up with his upperclassmen.

Yuu moves the camera to their face, sticking out their tongue and winking before the video cuts.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The video comes back from the ad roll. Yuu is seen standing beside Vil as he gives out small glasses of chocolate milk. They lean closer to Vil, smiling as the third year looks at them from the corner of his eye, "Wow, that was boring as shit."

Vil stealthily elbows Yuu in the sternum, just enough to jostle her off of his person but not enough to hurt, "If by boring, you must mean civilized. Or maybe mannered. I'll even accept refined."

"That's what I said. Boring." Yuu walks the floor, showing the many unfinished bowls, "Most took one slurp of noodles and instantly forfeited. But, Vil made them sit and suffer through the spice until the buzzer rang since they made the choice to do the challenge. Some actually managed to finish though."

Yuu moves the camera toward Rook. The Florian smiling with a red face but mostly unfazed, taking small sips of his chilled milk.

"Was it good, Rook?"

"It was wondrous! The taste reminded me of a family-owned business ma famille visited at the edge of the Scalding Sands in my youth. I will admit, I believe this was spicier! All in all, beauté! 100 points from me!"

"I'm so glad!" The camera moves over to Epel, the first year hunched over with his hands gripping onto his knees as he panted, "How about you, Epel? Did you have fun?"

The shorter first year doesn't turn around, only lifting one of his arms to flip the bird.

"EPEL!"

Epel finally looks up, glaring over his shoulder at Vil. His face was bright red, sweat clearly dripping down his face. His shirt was unbuttoned, his tie undone and hanging limply around his neck. Shaking his head, he looked over to Grim, the cat monster lazily slurped up noodles from the unfinished bowls, "Time!?"

Grim huffed, eyes looking to the wall clock to his left. Chewing before he swallowed, "You're at 3 minutes."

"GAWD DAUMN’IT!"

"EPEL!"

Yuu chuckles, "Just take the milk, Epel." They shake their head as Epel waves Vil away, nonverbally telling the house-warden to leave him alone, “Epel, you’re suffering. Just drink the damn milk.”

“No!” The first-year groans at Vil’s glare, shaking his head as though it would shake the spice out of his mouth, “ ‘m nawt givin’ up til ah outlast those two bootlickers at least!”

“You’re drooling on the nice rug, Epel. Tap out before Vil makes us cut the cameras to beat your ass.”

“FUCK OFF BEFORE AH CREAM YAWR CORN!”

“Before you what my what!?” Yuu laughs, almost dropping the camera from their shaking. Their laughter only grew stronger seeing Vil’s figure walking into frame and covering the camera before the feed cuts.

~*~*~*~*~*~

This opening was the shortest so far. A black screen with bright blue lights lining out blocky text to spell 'Ignihyde' before the text enlarges. The text engulfs the screen, transitioning to show Yuu lounging on a futuristic couch with a giddy Ortho sitting on the armrest.

" Welcome back, Cuties! I'm here in the cutting-edge Ignihyde lounge with the darling of the underworld, Ortho Shroud."

Ortho waved happily, eyes closed to show the illusion of a smile, "Hello everyone! I'm happy I was asked to help host this segment. Ignihyde will do their best to win this challenge! We've had nights where we trained by eating spicy chips and candy. I believe the overall spice tolerance of the dorm increased by 18.7%!"

Yuu leans closer to Ortho, giving a stage whisper, "Is that high?"

Ortho leans just as close, eyes wide as he nodded softly, "Yes. Those are very good numbers."

"Well, you heard the numbers folks! Ignihyde could take the crown!"

"CROWN!?"

The camera wipes over to the shout. Huddled out of sight were most of the challengers. But seeing the camera focused on them, they began to scatter and shove at each other. Idia was the unlucky one left behind, even though he was the one who shouted.

He shied away from the lens, lips pressed together in a frown as he scrambled to pull his hood over his head, "Y-you…you said that the prize was a class credit…what am I supposed to do with some dumb IRL crown…?"

Ortho fell into view, thankfully shielding his brother from view and helping to calm his nerves, "Nii-San! Think about it though. If we had a physical crown, we could display it! It'll be a conversation starter for new students and a point of pride!"

Idia simply sulked harder, almost appearing to fold under an invisible weight as his back hunched farther, "I was gonna use that free credit to get out of gym for the semester…what am I gonna do now…?"

"Nii-San…"

Yuu smiled from their seat, standing up to grab the camera from Grim and walk closer to Idia, ignoring him trying to close his hoodie opening around his face, " C'mon, Idia! You may not have a free class credit, but you get a free crown~. Think of the cosplay potential!"

"..." Idia slowly perked up, mumbling under his breath, "There is…the King of the Soul Darks cosplay I've been wanting to try…having a crown already made would save time if I don't have to change it up too much…" With a frown and panic still clear on his face, Idia turns back to Yuu and nods, "Fine…"

"Great! You were going to do it anyway since you agreed to in the first place. A verbal contract is still a contract, Idia, and I'm not above dragging you through a whole legal process over it.."

"Geez! Why are you always so aggro to me!?" He scowls, turning to sulk as the tips of his hair flicker into a red hue, "I swear I thought you and Azul-Shi dating would nerf you both, it just buffed your worst stats instead. Not to mention all the debuff attacks you gained from getting Jamil-Shi and Malleus-Shi…"

Yuu laughs from behind the camera, shooing Idia away, "Yeah, yeah. Go cry about it at the table. The ghosts will be here soon."

Ortho floated behind Idia, brows downturn as he whined slightly, "Nii-San! You promised you'd do the event since you said it was too dangerous for me to do!" His expression perked up, tilting his head in a show of excitement, " But, if you really don't want to do it, I'll compete in your place!"

"No, Ortho." Idia shakes his head, taking his seat at the head of the table, "I normally don't mind making the proper upgrades for you to taste and eat food. But the level of spice that was advertised got me worried about the internal damage your wiring could take. I'm all for you having fun, but not at your own risk…"

"Ah…that's true…but if you really don't want to…"

Idia smiles, small and soft as he ruffles the flames on Ortho's head, "I'm fine. I'm upset the loot isn't gonna be as good as I thought. But loot is loot ya know? Plus, you did help me grind for this. It'd be a waste to let all your hard work go untested."

"Omg, y'all cute as fuck."

Ortho giggles, eyes closing in joy as Idia turns to the camera with a glare, "Do you mine? This is a family-only cut scene here…"

The sound of Grim yelling broke their moment, the cat monster yelling about seeing the familiar line of ghosts entering the pocket dimension.

Yuu angles the camera back to their face, smiling and throwing up a peace sign, "It's that time again, Cuties! Who will win? The Spice of Life or the Spawn of Hades? Find out after this commercial break!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The camera cuts back to screaming.The whole of Ignihyde surrounded Idia as he struggled to slurp up the noodles in his bowl, face red and the color slowly spreading into his hair. The other dorm members all shouted encouragement, chanting out Idia’s name and let out a wild cheer when he swallowed the last of the noodles.

Yuu points to the bowl from out of frame, managing to yell over the cheering Ignihyde members, "You gotta drink the broth! The broth!"

Idia gives out a frustrated yell, but grabs onto the bowl and brings it to his face. The chant changed from his name to a simple 'Chug'. Yuu swings the camera around, showing the other dorm members in their various states of post-spice consumption. But closest in the crowd were Cater and Ortho, each cheering on either of Idia’s sides.

Before long, the sound of a bowl hitting the table made the crowd go wild. Ignihyde yelled and jumped around. A simple victory but one that the dorm would be sure to hold over anyone who brought up the challenge. At that point, they were the only dorm that managed to have everyone finish their bowls.

Yuu cheers, moving the camera to show her and Grim joining the hug that Ortho and Cater engulfed Idia in, " He did it! He finished the bowl of broth and all! The spawn of Hades beat the Spice of Life!!!"

The video ends on Idia’s teary smile, the house-warden smiling through the burning to give a peace sign.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Diasomnia was intimidating, even through the medium of film. Yuu only showed the large imposing castle against the dark sky, the silence of their boots crunching on dried dirt.

Opening the massive doors, Yuu is greeted by a few Diasomnia students, most of them jumping up and rushing to the dining room upon seeing them. Walking to the seemingly mile-long dining hall, Yuu quickly ran to the end of the table, "Malleus! I'm here!"

The Draconia heir looks up from the table, smiling brightly and opening his arms to accept their hug. Chuckling as Yuu makes themselves at home in his lap, "Child of man. I'm glad you've come. I was beginning to worry you had forgotten about me…"

Yuu coos, camera angled away but you could hear the over dramatic sounds of them pressing kisses to Malleus's face, "I could never forget you. You're too tall for that."

Pulling away, Yuu laughs, showing Malleus's pouting face before showing the camera a snoozing Silver, "Silver!"

Aurora eyes snap open, looking around in brief panic before he calms. Making eye contact, he eased back into his normal neutral expression, "Oh, Yuu. It's starting soon then?"

"Yep! You guys are the last dorm of the night so let's try to get this wrapped up nice and neat. Roll call boys!"

Silver nods, sitting up straighter in his chair, "I'm Silver…VanRouge. I'm not sure if I enjoy spicy food…but Lilia said this would be a good experience and excuse to find out."

The camera moves, Sebek nearly sending his chair to the floor from how fast he stood up, "Im Sebek Zigvolt! The only reason I'm doing this pitiful human challenge is to show the might of not only Diasomnia, but of Waka-Sama himself!"

Yuu moved closer, speaking in a stage whisper to Sebek's serious expression, "Hey Sebek, can you yell louder? I think the dead are still asleep."

Sebek's frown only grew deeper, clearly biting his tongue to not insult his employer's lover.

The camera moved to show Malleus, the horned fae still pouting and remaining silent.

"..." Yuu tilts their head, "Peligroso?"

"...Do you really only remember me because I'm tall?"

"Oh my God. Sebek hold this." The camera was shoved into Sebek's hands. The first-year fumbling and turned it off briefly. When the camera cuts back in, Yuu is on Malleus's lap. Yuu was asking Sebek to double-check check the camera was on again as Malleus happily hummed into Yuu's neck.

Yuu had to prompt him to look up and acknowledge the camera to introduce himself, "I am Malleus Draconia, heir of Briar Valley. I'm curious to see if the human concept of 'spicy' will even register to my pallet."

"Because you can breathe fire, you think you can't taste if food is spicy?" Yuu tilts their head in question, comfortably lounging in Malleus's hold, giggling when the fae responds by breathing a smoke ring at them.

The camera was forcibly moved, ruby eyes glittering in excitement, "Hello~! You saw me earlier today as a guest chef! I'm Lilia VanRouge. I'm so excited for this challenge!" He pouts, releasing his hold on the camera to float over Malleus and Yuu, "Though I am mildly upset. They wouldn't let me cook for our dorm like I did for Scarabia…"

"Well Lilia, you are competing. It'd be a conflict of interest." Not to mention his food would simply take out the whole dorm that he did Scarabia…

Silver shuddered briefly, thankful he didn't have to eat his father's idea of 'spicy food'. Once the phantom stomach pains had ended, he questioned Yuu, "Did you not come with Grim?"

"He stopped at the kitchen to see if he could get a bowl before the challenge started. He's done pretty well waiting at each challenge all day so this was to be expected…"

No more than 10 minutes had passed before Grim rushed into the room, crashing into Yuu's arms. He looked up with a panicked expression, "We gotta cancel."

"What?"

Jamil suddenly appeared, covering Grim's mouth and pulling him off Yuu's lap, "Don't mind him. He's just mad I didn't let him have any of the food."

Lilia perks up, smiling at the Scarabia student, "Oh Jamil! So good to see you up again. Feeling better I see?"

"Oh, I'm going to."

Yuu climbs off Malleus's lap, smiling nervously at Jamil’s calm expression, "Hey Jamil…babe

…were you…in the kitchen?"

"Yes. I decided to pay Lilia back for giving our dorm such a challenge. So I convinced the ghosts to let me be a guest chef."

"..." Yuu smiles to the camera, making eye contact with Sebek who seemed just as on edge as they were, "Riiiiight…Well! I guess I'm right to assume the ghosts- oh! There they are! Sebek, give Grim the camera and go sit."

Sebek mumbled briefly, stating that Yuu wasn't 'the boss of him' before handing the camera to a nervous Grim. Yuu realized why Grim was nervous. The food was hot, of course, but the smell was much different than the standard spicy noodles every other dorm had gotten. The scent was almost painful. Clear, bright orange flecks are seen in the steamy broth. A few students were already tearing up from the vapors alone, turning away to try to clear their eyes.

"..." Yuu whispers, standing beside a smiling Jamil, "Babe, what the fuck did you do?"

Jamil shrugged, looking at the camera with a serene smile, "Oh I just added some dried peppers that I had in the Scarabia kitchen that Kalim had imported. A few sauces from my personal stash. A few tablespoons of pure capcaisin."

"Jamil…" Yuu was struggling to not laugh, realizing the actual danger Jamil had just brought into the dorm, "Jamil, there's innocent people here."

He reaches over, his hand gripping onto Yuu's chin to keep them in place as he turns his head. Almost hissing out with a growl from his throat, "I don't care."

"Jamil." Their laughter was high, amused but on the edge of hysteria.

Silver looked into the bowl before him. Raising his hand as he followed his gut, "I'd like to forfeit."

The Scarbia student nodded, mildly disappointed one of his victims had the brain cells to drop out, "That'd be for the best."

Yuu looked to the camera, smiling through the worry, "If you're watching, pray for them!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"You could have killed someone."

Jamil’s satisfied smile slid into an annoyed frown, raising an eyebrow in question, "What do you call what happened in Scarabia?"

"A miscalculation. This was just attempted manslaughter, again."

Grim floated over the 'remains' of Diasomnia. Silver doing his best to help Trey pass out baggies of whipped cream or casting cooling charms on the groaning students. Malleus sat at the head of the table, hands clasped tightly and face tense, but still pale. Sebek lay prone on the floor, eyes closed as if he was sleeping. The only hint that he had taken part in the challenge was that his face was beet red, almost glowing.

Lilia stood braced against a wall, taking deep and slow breaths. His jacket and vest were off, anything to keep his body cool. He looked over his shoulder, face carrying a decent blush from the heat, "What did you use?"

"Trade secret."

"Hmmp. I suppose. We really must cook together Jamil! I haven't had food with such a kick since I first had Scalding Sands cuisine! Though…next time maybe use a bit less of your 'trade secret'? It was so spicy I couldn't taste anything…"

Jamil smiles, shrugging and moving to leave the room, "Aw. Too bad. But, I guess we'll see if I have the time in my schedule." He stops at Yuu, pressing a kiss to their cheek and waving goodbye, "Later."

Shaking their head, they watch their boyfriend leave, "He really showed up, committed a crime, and said 'Later'." Their gaze turns to Malleus, the fae staring down at the table as though it would unlock untold secrets, "Malleus? You okay?"

The fae looks up, frowning before he tried to speak. Instead of words, all that came out of his open mouth was a ball of green fire. The flames thankfully stopped the moment he closed his mouth, though it left the table heavily scorched.

"O-oh! Oh, baby boy…was it spicy?" Yuu laughs at the pout Malleus sends their way. They walk over to nuzzle and press kisses to Malleus's cheeks, Grim turning away from them to film Sebek's still form.

Moments pass before Grim calls out, "Hey, is he breathing?"

…

Silver walks over, a finger placed under Sebek's nose to check his breathing.

…

"..." Silver breathes a sigh of relief, "He's breathing."

Yuu speaks up, "Okay, he needs a whole ass hospital…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The final video opened with Yuu sitting in the Ramshackle lounge, the fireplace alight and casting the room in a warm glow as they stroked a sleeping Grim.

"Well, Cuties. We had a fun day. We saw some sights, heard some sounds, committed a few crimes. A successful prank if I do say so myself."

Yuu pauses smiling at the camera before they nod, "Yes. A prank. This was all a little joke that I now realize, I probably shouldn't have done. I forget sometimes that Night Raven boys are competitive, and vicious, and a little stupid." Their laughter momentarily disturbed Grim. The cat monster huffs on their lap until they quiet down.

Once they were sure Grim was peacefully sleeping, Yuu looked back to the camera, "But in all seriousness, I'm not taking responsibility for the various food crimes committed on film today. Like…Lilia was a mistake that I should have seen coming. I did not know Jamil was going to come in with the fucking chair at the last round…I hope the nurse isn't mad at me. She's a nice lady…"

They shrug, "Well, Cuties. That's all for today from me! This is Yuu signing off and let's hope you don't see me hosting a challenge again, because at this point I fear I will actually get someone killed with my cruel and unusual torture methods. Or as I like to call them, Funny Little Ha-Ha's."

Yuu smiles, waving as the video fades to black.

#twisted wonderland #twst #disney twst #twst wonderland #yuu oc #malleus x yuu #azul x yuu #jamil x yuu #twst heartslabyul #twst savanaclaw #twst octavinelle #twst scarabia #twst pomefiore #twst ignihyde #twst diasomnia

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loveephia · 2 months

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goodness gracious,, i went back on this account to fetch a post from my privates and ended up getting hit with a ton of nostalgia while backreading my own posts. :,D

i missed you guys a lot. i missed my moots, my readers, and my silly anons that request the cutest headcanons and scenarios. i didn't want to continue posting on this account, but i feel like i can find some leftover energy in me to try and polish this account a bit. ^^ i'd love to edit my layout, my username, go by an online alias, and more just to make myself comfortable on posting here again. so maybe i'll be having a comeback,, :O

real talk,, how've you guys been ?!?

while waiting for your guys' response, i've been pretty alright :D!! i've been busy in school up until now since it's HOLY WEEK, so we get a break. ^^ my birthday is also coming up soon (april 9), i can't believe i'll be spending another birthday with you guys :D!!

this is the future i plan for this account:

the content i'll post may change. i'm leaning more toward genshin impact right now, but HQ definitely still holds a special place in my heart (AHEM,, AHEM,, KITA SHINSUKE MY #1 DARLING 😋♥️). my life updates will definitely still continue, so will my oc and art dump.

please be patient with me as i fix this account and find the motivation to write again. luv you all :3!!

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smittyw · 2 months

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i wanted to make some dinky elevator pitch introductions for my fav ocs because.. i dont talk about them very coherently it seems. or at all! what!!

to finally make up for that i'll put my extended edition under the cut below. love peace taco grease and stay frosty forever

so from what i gather in my notes, razz is the only recognizable one around here who got their lore blasted from a megaphone the second i came up with it. after that i got shy.. i was too busy having thoughts to ever explain who molly and Q were or where they came from. and its been like 2 years. well!

nat and molly are formerly codependent childhood friends and funhouse mirror versions of each other who split paths after high school. theyre like if two besties fated to be a detective duo spat on fate's shoes and ran off in different directions to do the same thing but badly & alone.. molly actually hit the books to become a private investigator, champion of truth and justice, while nat hit the pavement to become a paparazzo, champion of clickbait. they hate each other a lot but given the slightest chance they will attach at the hip again and drain the life from each other.

Q is later to the party, a terminally exhausted college dropout and shut-in with a notable (anonymous) presence in the online music scene. every slight inconvenience in his life is a straw and when the last one hits boy is he ready to just drive into the sunset or maybe the ocean or maybe just live in his car and stop talking to people forever. if the band they joined out of peer pressure makes it big or they get found out for their alter ego its so over..but luckily they started dating the most nosy and paranoid idiot alive & inadvertently pissed off the second most nosy and paranoid idiot alive in the process, so surely nothing like that could ever happen

these goobs run in slightly different circles that overlap juuust enough to be a problem, and its hard not to run into the most annoying eccentrics in their unserious version of LA slightly stuck out of time. if i were reintroducing lore important characters itd include plenty more than just them (eg freddy mysteriously missing from this description of events as if he isnt also there) but imho i have no obligation to pay attention to anything outside the range of my hyperfixation blast. the important thing to me rn is just to let yall know what the hell im talking about when i make stupid jokes everyday about girlies who dont exist <3

#ocs #oc intros #nat #molly #qamar #id in alt text #partial id #thank u for reading or if u didnt wanna read thank u for looking at them #this has been in the works for a while but in the form of much more detailed portraits i gave up on as a viable format #fuck that. maybe i'll use the wips for later tho #pls feel free to ask whatever u please about these fellers i could talk abt them for hours but i shant unprompted

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romanarose · 1 year

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Darkness on the Edge of Town: Chapter 1

Joel Miller X Reader

Chapter 2

Masterlist

Summary: While heading home for a mandatory lockdown, Joel stumbles on something he wasn't supposed to see with FEDRA guards and steps in. This, unfortunately, lands with him spending unexpected time with a young woman. Oh, and there's only one bed.

warnings!: attempted gang rape, physical hard with a gun, mentions of blood, canon typical violence, lmk if I missed anything! EVENTUAL SMUT

A/N: This was supposed to be a one shot. Now I'm not sure how many chapters we're looking at. Three minimum. Also, I KNOOOOWWWWW this follows the biggest Romana trope: Protective! Man protecting a woman. I will not apologize.

EDIT: This was originally posted as an OC fic, because I had bigger plans for it, but I honestly lost a lot of steam on it. I was going to give up on it tbh but someone sent an ask asking about a chapter 2, and I hate to disappoint! So I'll be condencing the story and making it a reader fic. hoping you guys like it! ****************************

As the sun was setting, Joel walked to his home, trying to savor the last of the outside he’ll have for the next couple days. The local government had made a mandatory few day quarantine for no discernible reason other than to exercise control, remind the citizens who was in charge. A week, give or take, without work wouldn’t be great by any means, but Joel and Tess at least had a partnership, so they weren’t completely on their own. This week, however, Tess was gone. She was making a trade with Bill and Frank when the lockdown announcement came out, and Joel had to radio over for her to stay there until it ended. This meant that he had a week alone in his tiny apartment room without Tess knocking on his door for one reason or another.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” A woman shouted from the alley he was passing.

Joel’s survival instincts said to keep walking; wasn’t his business, wasn’t his problem, wasn’t him or Tess or any of their allies. He didn’t need to get involved. But Joel knew right from wrong, and as much as he liked to pretend to himself he wasn’t a good person, that he wasn’t the same person he was before Sarah died, he couldn’t keep walking. Plus, Tess would kill him if she knew he walked away from this. Turning down the alley, he saw you being pushed and pulled by some soldiers; all men. One pulled you by the shirt so you were flush against him, and you shoved him off yourself, making the young man hit the alley wall. This action earned you a pistol whip, causing blood to come out of you forehead as you cried out, stumbling backwards into the arms of another man, and Joel couldn’t stand back any longer.

“Hey!” He shouted, striding further into the alley. One of the soldiers grabbed your arm, keeping her to him and away from Joel. “What’s goin’ on here?” He said, eyeing the men. He was more or less familiar with them, some he knew their names, some he didn’t but recognized their faces.

One man he had dealt with, a trouble maker who liked to use his power to his benefit and was surround by rumors of his treatment of women. Nothing could be proven, and no real accusations were made; they wouldn’t go anywhere if there had been. His name was Ross, a younger man than Joel was by a few decades, one of those who had been teenagers when shit went south. That age had been terrible in the ‘before’, a time of confusion and soul searching for anyone, and all that had been interrupted by losing everything. This created a lot of inner turmoil that never settled for most. Some killed themselves, some managed it, some became god awful people.

Ross spoke, eyeing Joel with a smirk. “Curfew, Joel, you know the rules.”

“She’s still got ten minutes.” Joel spoke firmly, his stare intense on the younger man, letting him know he wasn’t backing down. His eyes connected with yours. Joel wasn’t an idiot, he knew there were different dangers in this world for women, something he’d likely never have to worry about outside of concern for Tess.

Not phased by Joel the way many others were, Ross continued his hold. “She lives on the other side of town, she’s not getting there on time. But don’t worry” He laughed lightly. “We’ll escort her”

If Joel wasn’t certain what they were planning, the way they laughed and smiled at each other told him. With a grunt, you kick your leg hard against his shin repeatedly, causing him to shout and push you off of him to stop the assault on his leg. Joel took the opportunity, grabbing your dirty shirt and yanking you back behind him. Surprisingly, you smack his arm in return. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

“I’m trying to help you” Joel grumbled to you.

“I don’t need it” But none the less you stood behind his broad body.

Ross was less pleased now. “Lockdown is in 5 minutes, how you gonna get her home before then, Joel?”

Joel hesitated. This was the last thing he wanted this week, a week where he had an excuse to stay home, be alone and wallow in his own misery, but there was no way he could live with himself if he just left you. “She’ll come with me”

Ross eyed him, obviously irritated that he’s losing. “You didn’t seem like the type to take in a charity case… or do you have some ulterior motives.”

Joel didn’t play games. Turning on a heel, you were now in front of him and he pushed you forward and out of the alley quickly. “Go”

You shoved him off you, whispering harshly. “Stop fucking touch me!”

“Go” But he kept his hands off you.

As they turned the corner, he heard Ross call out to them. “Four minutes Joel!” His voice echoed mockingly. “Better hurry!”

But Joel was already speed walking.

“Where are we going?” You scrambled after him.

“My place.”

You stopped in your tracks. “I’m not going with you.”

Turning around only briefly, he took one long stride towards her, pointing his finger. “You have two choices. Go with me to my shithole,” He pointed back towards the alley. “Or you can do with them. Up to you.” He saw you glare at him as he turned back around; he did his part and you were an adult, you could make her own stupid choices.

He heard you footsteps. You quickly followed him.

Joel and you barely made it in time.

The room was… a room.

One bed, a beat-up old lounge chair, a dresser, table and two chairs. The ‘kitchen’ was a small stove with a single burner, but it didn’t look very used; the microwave did. To the left there was a door, presumably to the bathroom. You stood in the doorway awkwardly, body tense and stiff.

Joel gestured vaguely around the apartment and grumbled something she didn’t quite understand, but she assumed it didn’t really matter what he said.

“Nice place” You said, looking around.

Looking slightly defensive, he replied. “No one’s making you be here”

You frowned at him. “I was trying to be polite, but fine, you live in a shithole.”

“Yeah, well, this shithole is where you’re stuck for the next few days, unless you wanna risk it with Ross” He said with a little bite, before feeling just a bit bad. When he glanced over at you, you were harshly glaring at him. “I’m Joel” He muttered under his breath.

“Yeah” You scoffed. “I picked up on that between you yanking me around”

Joel turned to face you, crossing his arms in annoyance. “You’re welcome” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Undeterred, you crossed your arms back, hips cocked as you stood in defiance, seeming to consider your next words. Then, as nervousness flickers around your face, you seemed to realize the position you were in. Looking away and to the floor, you spoke softer. “Thank you. I know this isn’t… ideal”

“Don’t worry about” He grabbed a flannel shirt and sweats from his drawers and tossed them abruptly at you, then motioned for the bathroom. “Showers o’er there. There's… um…” He hesitated. “Under the sink.”

You furrowed your brow, confused. “What’s under the sink?”

Running a hand through his hair, Joel turned away and pretended to be suddenly very interested in the lamp. “You’ll see.”

“Sounds like a threat, but okay.” You murmured as you shuffled into the bathroom before stopping and turning around, telling him your name.

He gave a nod, barely acknowledging you as you disappeared into the bathroom. This was going to be a long fucking week.

When you took in the dingy bathroom, you decided to see what he was talking about beneath the sink. When you opened up the small cabinet, you found possibly the last thing you were expecting to see in the bathroom of the world's grumpiest man. Pads. The initial surprise you felt was quickly overtaken with a swell of warmth. You wondered about the type of man he was before the outbreak. The last 20 years had broken some of the best people down, the need for survival tearing people apart… but you firmly believed good people remained good deep down, someone inside them, even if it only came out when necessary. And today, as you faced down a group of men with evil intentions, it was clear that this was a situation he couldn’t ignore. You’d seen a lot in your years, more than enough for several lifetimes.

The bath felt nice, even if it was cold, as did his clothes, as well worn as they were. When you padded out into the one room place, you saw him standing over what could barely be called a stove.

“It’s just shitty canned soup, you can have some. I don’t got a lot here, but enough to get us through.”

“Thank you. I can pay you back once I get home”

“Hm.” Was his non committal answer.

A pause.

“And thank you for stopping-”

“Don’t mention it.”

“I mean it-”

Joel whipped around, his eyes intense and alight. “I said, don’t mention it.”

You shut your mouth but glared at him, letting him know he was being a dick. And yet, you really weren’t in much of a position to complain, were you? He had saved you from an attempted gang rape, the act of which caused him to have to put you up in his home, share his clothes, his water, his food… All the while giving no indication he had any ill intentions of his own. How many people would do this for a stranger?

He got his food, sitting at the table and once again gesturing vaguely towards the ‘kitchen’, prompting you to get food for yourself. You didn’t feel you weren't exactly wanted at the diner table, so you looked around for another place to eat, moving over to the chair. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d sat on, but it wasn’t the best either. A new problem was glaring as they ate in silence.

There was only one bed.

You piped up. “I can sleep on this chair.”

“Yeah” Was all he responded.

Clearly, he meant for you to sleep there anyway. It was going to suck, but it was better than whatever was planned for her in the alleyway.

Wordlessly, he walked off and shut the door to the bathroom and it wasn’t long before she heard the water running to take his own cold bath. Amazing bedside manner, really. Top tier. You tried to remind yourself you were looking a gift horse in the mouth, and brushed off your bitterness. When Joel immerged, he didn’t look at her as he walked past.

“So,” You started.

“No.”

“How long have you-”

“No.”

“Do you at least-”

A loud groan as he scrubbed his face, signaling you to stop.

You sat there, staring at the wall while Joel went about his business before you heard him call to you. “Hey. C’mere”

You turned around, eyeing him suspiciously. “Why”

“If you want your fucking forehead infected, that’s on you”

“Wait!” You scrambled up, walking over towards him where he had some basic first aid. “Sorry, I-”

“Sit” He directed to the chair at the table, not making eye contact.

Doing as you were told, you sat down at the table, looking up at Joel as he bent over you. You winced as he applied the disinfectant. “You could sit-”

“No” Despite his harsh tone, his touch was gentle, careful, and moving away when you winced.

“So” You tried to start a conversation again. “Joel. That’s Hebrew, right? Are you J-”

“Stop.” Joel briefly put his hands down, standing straight up. From your view on the chair, you suddenly realized how tall he was. His eye contact, when focused on you as it was now, was all consuming. “We’re not friends, we’re not going to come out of this as friends, we’re gonna be lucky if we don’t rip each other's head off. So how about you stop talking, and I stop wondering if I can drown myself in the bathtub every time you ask me a question.” When you didn’t argue, he oh-so softly applied a bit of antibiotic ointment, careful not to waste the little he had.

“Well, that was a bit blunt” You commented as you studied his face. Handsome, older; graying but not falling apart. His accent was southern, but where? You could not place, but that would explain his sense of duty.

“You asked if I was Jewish an hour into knowing me, and out of nowhere. I don’t think I’m the blunt one here” Joel muttered again, but this time there was a hint of… something else. Not quite playful, there was nearly no change in his tone, he was just as gruff as before, but the way he spoke indicated it was almost a joke. Almost. But not quite. He stood up without another word and washed his hands of the antibiotic cream and remaining blood that had oozed out. Grabbing an extra blanket from the drawer, he tossed it at you aimlessly and hit the light.

“Go to bed”

“It’s 8pm”

“Go. To. Bed.”

“Old man”

This received no response from him, but you laughed to yourself.

“Good night Joel.”

A loud sigh was the only response you got.

**************************

I'VE NEVER WRITTEN FOR JOEL SO PLEASE BE NICE! I don't know a whole lot about this universe or the world building so I'm so sorry if this is wrong. But I love Pedro so so so so much and I love TLOU so far!!! Please leave a comment if you like what you see so I know people want more, and reblog if you are so inclined! It's the only way to spread my work on this sight!

Shocker. The fic is titled after a Springsteen song. Joel Miller Listens to Springsteen, Melloncamp and Petty and I will not be taking criticism at this time.

And! Be sure to check out my other Pedro character fic, Take Your Time with my boy Frankie Morales! Tagging some I think may be interested, if you aren't interested in Joel fics just comment to be removed!

My love, @welcometostayingawake @trinkets01 @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @luciannadraven33 @howaboutcastiel

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