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#household: seniors home
didilysims · 1 year
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Pine Lake Farewell: Moritz & Davenport
Frank had amazing success in his career, making it big in ballet almost immediately. Nosim who knew him was surprised: Frank’s unquenchable optimism plus ridiculous good luck always resulted in success. His dance club also became the hottest spot in Pine Lake, especially after the grand opening where Charlie Davenport made her big breakthrough.
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Charlie moved to the city shortly after the club's opening to pursue full-time songwriting and performing, but visited often to check on her used record shop.
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Frank finally persuaded her to go out with him, and they are now married, living in Pine Lake with their son. They both took a break to look after him, which gave Charlie the opportunity to write even more. She plans to get into the recording studio when he's a little older, and then go on tour with the new album. She and Frank talked about having another child, but they’re waiting until after the tour to decide for certain. Simoleons flow like water for the couple, so they donate regularly and generously to music and dance camps for youth.
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Eowyn lived happily in the seniors home with her boyfriend, Joshua Ruben, until her relatively early death. She never retired, leaving big shoes to fill in the police department.
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Allegra thrived more in her senior years than she ever had in her life. Focused on painting, she started teaching classes for fun, and was a major influence on Jamal Bratford. She and Martin Ruben put past hurts behind them and married, remaining happily so for the rest of their days. Her relationship with Charlie also improved, and though she wished Charlie would visit more, Allegra fully supported her daughter pursuing the career she loved.
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I’m not going to say I regret being upset that there was almost no snow for the first half of winter, and I did expect it to get cold as balls by February, but I am upset I couldn’t walk to the grocery store and I’m out of a bunch of things
#emma posts#it’s been crazy cold again#which is kinda normal? I think?#I know it’s cold and often gets below zero. but is -35 during the day normal or have I gotten used to climate change?#if it is how the FUCK was i out there in the snow almost every day as a kid#children are insane. I KNOW summers weren’t as hot as they are now though#I am personally blaming everyone who has been working against anti-climate change activists#for my epilepsy. the temperature that triggered that first event was not normal when I was young#i kinda forget how winter was aside from earlier snow and less instant skin death temps#not that it’s the worst at the moment. last year was really like that#I once went outside in my pajamas at night to do something on the porch and only after I came inside and turned on my phone#did i get the dangerous skin peeling in minutes cold alert#I WAS IN A HAT COAT AND GLOVES WITH BOOTS! it wasn’t just the pajamas#where was I even going with this post? i just wanted to buy groceries#i didn’t buy anything perishable over the holidays because I knew id be going back and forth between family and my place#but now I’m just here and half the ingredients for anything i want to make are always gone and I’m getting irritated#grew up in an ingredients household and have become one myself m#I haven’t gotten any alerts about the air freezing skin within five minutes so I’m pretty sure this is normal#it’s normal for the last decade at least#my senior year of highschool we had multiple days that were the same temperature as ones that made my parents stay home from school#but the school was like ‘we can’t just not have kids come in for this many days’#so the unusua cold temperatures that sent my parents home as kids were made kinda normal by my graduating year#and isn’t that fucked up#I don’t even know how cold things used to be on normal years. at this point I’m like ‘if it’s not above-40 degrees it’s not that crazy’#half the cold has been windchill but it always is#so it’s really like-10 or -15. it’s just the wind making it over -30 out#this is all in the American measurements I’m not even going to try and spell out#I’ll write fuck but that temperature f word is beyond my comprehension#all the letters get jumbled up in my memory
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kelliadamson343 · 1 year
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7 Reasons for Seniors Purchasing a Home Security System
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For the security of elders in any household, a smart home security system might be a wise investment. A lot of these systems can enable home automation features that can simplify your life while also providing improved security.
7 Senior Safety Tips Security
1. Deterrence of crime It should go without saying that a smart alarm system can keep thieves away from you and your stuff. Sad to say, but elderly are sometimes considered to be the perfect target for crooks. Whether it is accurate or not, robbers presume that elderly people are less physically fit and don't secure their homes as well.
2. Defense Against Other Risks Burglars are simply one threat in this world, among many others. You are protected from more than simply crime with a contemporary smart alarm system. These systems might include carbon monoxide alarms and fire suppression systems.
3. Your Family's Peace of Mind Your kids and other family members will undoubtedly worry about you more as you age. Even if you don't need assistance around the house, it makes sense that they would be worried about your safety.
4. Residence Automation In addition to protecting senior citizens from dangers like burglaries and fires, smart home security systems also offer a safe foundation for home automation functions.
5. A Home That Is More Effective A smart security system may do things to make your house more efficient in addition to the home automation capabilities that can make your life simpler. You may save your utility costs and maintain a comfortable environment in your house by installing a smart thermostat.
6. Medical Support Health alert systems and other elements are sometimes included in elderly alarm systems. Some of these can be transported about the house wirelessly. In the event of a medical emergency, you may also set up stationary devices that can be utilized to send out an alarm.
7. Retain Your Independence The likelihood that you won't be able to live alone rises with age. If you're like most senior citizens, the thought of leaving your house and sacrificing your freedom makes you uncomfortable. Having said that, a smart home security system may support your freedom.
These are just a few of the causes why elderly people should think about setting up a home security system. We are a leader in the area of home security items like outdoor camera, and we can develop a system to suit your specific requirements.
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Dog repeatedly escapes Up North shelter, sneaks into nursing home
An abused stray mutt kept trying to move himself into a senior care facility. So the nurses there had to figure out what to do about him.
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He’d had enough of being at the animal shelter, so Scout the dog climbed over one tall fence and then another, crossed a busy highway in the darkness, entered the automatic doors of a nursing home down the road, walked unnoticed into the lobby, hopped onto a couch, curled into a ball and quietly went to sleep for the night. An astonished nurse there found him the next morning. She called Antrim County Animal Control, whose shelter happens to be just down the road. And they discovered that he'd escaped from there the night before. Scout was a stray mutt. He had no identity, no history. The shelter staff gave him his new name, but otherwise they knew nothing about him, though they noticed he had the distinct demeanor of an abused dog. Somebody apparently once shot him too, with BBs or birdshot, because his jowl still had some kind of round pellets embedded in it. You couldn’t see them, but you could feel them if he let you touch him.   The sheriff came and took him back to the shelter.
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But a few nights later there was Scout, back on that same couch in the nursing home lobby. Somehow he again scaled a 10-foot chain-link fence, then a 6-foot solid privacy fence, crossed a highway without getting run over, entered the front door unnoticed, jumped onto the same couch as before and made himself at home for the night. A call was placed again. He was brought back to the shelter again. Just a couple of nights after that, Scout was back on the couch for the third time. And the staff had a decision to make.
Lost and found
Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility is a long-term medical care residence about an hour northeast of Traverse City. It cares mostly for seniors, some of whom have terminal illnesses, or dementia, or simply nowhere else to go or nobody to look after them. There are 82 beds split between several smaller households. For some reason, this is the place Scout the dog decided to make his home. “I’m a person who looks at outward signs, and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” said Marna Robertson, 57, the nursing home’s administrator. “He did that one time, two times, three times, and obviously that’s something that you should pay attention to. And I asked the staff, ‘Well, he wants to be here. Would anybody like to have a dog?’”
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The staff formally adopted him. Suddenly the nursing home had its own pet. And the residents were delighted. “I think it reminds them of being home,” said Rhonda Thomczak, 49, the administrative assistant at Glacier Hill, the household where Scout was first discovered. “When you’re home you have your pets, and you don’t get to have that here. Having a dog around makes it feel like home.”
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tumblingxelian · 1 year
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Yang & Ruby's Childhood
Oh how I wish, I wish that people would stop ignoring canon and pretending Yang & Ruby had functional adults who were good parents in their lives after Summer died. 
Because the fact of the matter is that they did not and canon has spelled this out again and again for the audience with increasing clarity every single time.
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In Volume 2, Yang overtly states that Tai shut down following Summer’s to the point where his neglect became so pronounced a 5 and 3 year old who were grieving were left alone for hours and could disappear into a Grimm inhabited island looking for a different parental figure. 
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Its re-established again in volume Five when Yang spells out to Weiss in no uncertain terms that after Summer disappeared, Yang, a five year old, was the one who needed to keep the family together and the trauma this inflicted on her alone is obvious. Let alone Ruby, because she was both being neglected and being raised by someone only two years her senior. Something Ruby fully acknowledges was the cast. 
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There’s a multitude of other things I feel Tai has done wrong as both a teacher and a parent, but these one’s are undeniable, openly stated facets of the household. 
And Qrow doesn’t get an out by being the uncle either, oh no. 
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Ruby makes it expressly clearly despite how much she loves and admires her Uncle she is very much used to him dropping back into her life shit faced drunk and being carted home by a stranger and needing to be taken care of. 
Again, by children! 
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He has his reasons and his problems, but amazingly that doesn’t stop this from being a shitty way to grow up. No matter how much Tai & Qrow might love these two, they were not��‘great parents’, I wouldn’t even call them good. 
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These two adults were negligent and damaging to the children under their care despite how much they may have loved them, and the fact that is ignored really burns me up inside. 
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madelynraemunson · 9 months
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CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT 𓆩♡𓆪
(strip club owner!eddie x fem!exotic dancer!hargrove!x reader)
𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐔 18+ MDNI
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Book #1 of the Hellfire Gentlemen's Club series (completed)
* loosely inspired by Sara Cate’s “Salacious Players Club” series
🔥 EXTRA CONTENT HERE 🔥
↳ chapters: 001, 002*, 003** , 004**, 005 , 006 , 007* , 008**, 009, 010, 011, 012* , 013**, 014** , 015, 016** , 017, 018, 019, 020*
* = somewhat smutty chapters , ** = smut chapters
Summary: 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓. After getting kicked out by your brother, you have no other choice but to take off your big girl pants and add stripper to your resume. Desperate to pay the bills and support your little sister, are you willing to accept the risks that come with such a perilous profession? With the stage name ‘Shy Girl’, you take the leap of faith, weaponizing your divine femininity to steal the hearts of all the bachelors in Hawkins — including Eddie Munson’s, the owner of Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club.
warnings & disclaimers — slow burn, eventual smut (a lot of it), voyeurism, mutual pining, sexual tension, jealousy, drug/alcohol, profanities, sexual harassment, domestic violence
Welcome to Hellfire.
theme song: meet you in hell by jade lemac “Look me in my eyes. I know that you’re scared. You see yourself and you cry for help. Look me in my eyes. Tell me it’s not fair. If you taught me well, I’ll meet you in hell.”
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Chapter 001: Wolves
The Hargroves are cursed. Generationally, that is. One night Billy takes it too far, costing him the only thing he had left... his sisters.
TW — abuse, domestic violence, blood, profanities, implications of infidelity, death
word count: 8.5k words
author's note: there are four different acts to this introductory chapter :) so much foundation to lay down and i spent forever on this to craft it perfectly for you guys. thank you for being as excited about this fanfic as I am releasing it. i hope you all enjoy! -madelyn
tags: @changemunson , @the-fairy-anon , @ali-r3n
_______________𓆩♡𓆪_______________
"Once I ran to you. Now I run from you."
Duality of man. Mom was always a firm believer in that notion. In fact, she always used to say, "Inside of you, there are two wolves: a good one and a bad one. Depending on which mouth you feed, one will triumph the other.”
It became more evident when she died.
“YOU FUCKING SLUT. GRAB YOUR SHIT AND GO.”
Once identical in every aspect, the differences between you and your brother slowly began to unravel over time.
Being ‘good wolf’ was impossible while living under the same roof as Billy. So you settled for neutral wolf instead. Meanwhile, the big, bad wolf possessed him at age 15, when he realized hitting your father back would get him to back off.
It was 2010, post-homecoming game.
Dad nearly flung Billy into another dimension when he came home. The preferred alternative would have been attempting to reason with one another, but it just wasn’t something that was normalized in the Hargrove household. Communicating with words was a daunting task; but not nearly as daunting as accountability.
“I’M DONE WITH YOU, BILLY. GRAB YOUR SHIT AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE.”
“I’m a literal minor, you can’t do this, Dad!” Billy wailed. "PLEASE!"
Over a football game.
The Friday Night Lights were a staple of Vista Palms High School. That and all of its nacho-eating, pot-smoking, LMFAO-playing, neon-filled goodness.
"C’mon V-P, c’mon, let’s beat S-D!” For weeks Billy had been chanting that mantra. There was no clearer indication that it’s where he would be the night of the championship game. He didn’t communicate it, of course, but it was implied. But still, it didn’t cross Dad’s mind.
Any parent who thought their child was coming home on time — and sober — that night was a foolish one. Especially if their kid was a sophomore with senior status.
“You sure as hell don't act like one,” Dad spat. “Coming home, acting all grown." Little did Dad know Billy was there for community service. Billy was a good student. More than anything he wanted a full ride to a UC, mainly to get away from home. Either that or military. Maybe then, walking on eggshells and being accused of something he didn't do — like drinking and doing drugs — would be a seasonal occurence instead of daily. "ACTING LIKE YOU PAY THE BILLS. YOU DON'T. YOUR MOM AND I DO.”
Dad knew he hit a nerve. It was his signature move aside from alienating his victims to establish control. While the feeling of getting your wings clipped really did you in, reactive abuse was Billy's top trigger, especially when Mom was mentioned. After all, Billy was the one who found Her.
Through glassy eyes and gritted teeth, Billy closed up his fists before mustering up the courage to say, “I’m…not…calling Sue... the operative word.”
Dad snarled. “Like there’s anyone else physically here you’ve reserved that title for?”
Oh.
"This tainted love you've given-"
Billy took the bait, lunging forward to grab Dad. As if on cue, Dad winded up his arm, assuming his usual position. You managed to assert yourself between in hopes of stopping them. Suddenly the back of Dad's hand collided with your cheek, sprawling you onto the couch. Billy watched horrified while you fought to keep your eyes open, growing anxious when all you could hear was the room pulsating around you at the highest frequency you had ever heard in your 15 long years of life. Enough was enough.
One punch. Bridge of the nose. Game over. The control Dad had over you both had ceased.
Billy rushed to your aid while Dad took a few moments to gather himself. It was then his beat-in, throbbing eyes realized that the little boy he mercilessly pushed around was no longer there. His own little Frankenstein had taken his place.
"I gave you all a boy could give you"
"Oh my god, Sissy," Billy cried, crouching down to run a soothing hand through your hair. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," you sniff, wrapping a hand around his arm. "I'm fine, Billy. I promise."
"I'm not gonna let that son of a bitch hurt you ever again," he vowed. "I'm gonna fuck him up and anyone else who tries."
"I love you, Brother."
"I love you, Sissy." The magnitude of power that surged through Billy melted into every neuron in his body, the warmth of its adrenaline imitating a tender — long overdue — embrace. He became fully enveloped in what was like an electric current, its tide higher than any wave he's ever surfed. It became more exhilarating than cruising down the I-5 in his Camaro at 130 MPH, and more intoxicating than any keg of beer he's ever swigged at a Wanna-be Project X Party.
It was the rush Billy had been searching for his whole life.
Every high Billy ever pursued before that rapidly declined in value. He would trade in anything for the static that had encoded itself into him. He felt untouchable, a luxury your father couldn’t afford his wife and children.
"YOU PUT YOUR HANDS ON HER AGAIN, YOU'RE DEAD DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
From that day forward, feeling respected was a freedom Billy was not willing to sacrifice, ever.
"Take my tears and that's not nearly all-"
But now Billy is the abuser, something you never imagined happening given his innately soft personality.
"Oh, tainted love. Don't touch me! Please.”
Slapping. Biting. Choking each other out. Pulling each other’s hair. Calling each other names. Spitting. Throwing things. Who would’ve thought the Hargrove twins were capable of the same horrors as their parents?
Yesterday was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Billy’s voice, like nails on a chalkboard, clawed at your brain in agonizing intervals.
“That’s all Max is. A pathetic little liar.”
“She will do anything for any bit of attention…even whore herself out to all the men in Del Mar.”
“You can get out. And stay out. Since you wanna act so grown all the damn time.”
He became the very thing — or person rather — he sought to destroy. The very person who indirectly, but explicably killed your mother.
And deep down you feared that if you and your stepsister Max don’t get out of that house, you’d both suffer that same fate.
“It's fucking JULY and 90 degrees out!” your sister retaliated. “What do you want me to wear to the beach? Fucking sweats?"
Max was out with friends the night prior. They hosted a birthday bonfire for her at the beach. She broke curfew and got a ride home from a friend. A guy friend. Billy wasn’t having it.
Max always got the short end of the stick. She was an easy target for Billy’s antics. Being the literal carbon copy of the woman he hates the most didn’t make it any better, and neither did taking the bait whenever Billy dealt it to “keep the peace”. Max believes being and acting helpless would get Billy to back down. It was far from the truth. In reality, she was feeding him his supply.
And what a volatile supply it is.
Mom also had another saying: "Anger is just grief with nowhere to go".
So you watched Billy and Max go back and forth with their pickleball tournament-o-insults, shouting at one another to their lungs’ capacity, their dead, black pupils strangling each other mentally while they gathered the physical strength to do so as well. You kept an arm halfway up and torso slightly turned in case you needed to butt in.
“I do this because I love you, Maxine,” Billy insisted. “So just SHUT UP and stop being a little cunt. Okay?”
“You stop being a presumptuous asshole first,” Max fired back. “We’re fighting again — why? Because someone with a penis drove me home? And we broke curfew by 10 minutes? I don’t control traffi-”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he dismissed her. “Just say you wanted some dick and call it a night.”
Classic slut-shaming, as if Billy’s Instagram following wasn’t all models, strippers, and OnlyFans girls.
Before you could even process what was happening, the blurbs of their argument skidded to a halt when Max finally broke. Billy watched in subtle amusement as she screamed, her fist meeting the wall repeatedly out of frustration.
Reactive abuse is Billy’s favorite abuse tactic.
“Someone who’s not guilty wouldn’t react like this,” Billy quipped in a sing-song voice, eyeing the new hole in the dry wall that Max had created.
There was no sense in backtracking if Billy already got what he wanted. Max just needed the last word. Before any of you could process it, an acrylic storage box soared through the air, hitting Billy right in the groin. He roared in agony while Max attempted to collect herself off to the side. She still saw red.
That’s when the knife came out.
One slice to the brow and it was over. To ensure the last word was his to keep, Billy ended up chucking a knife at your sister.
“OHMYGOD!” Max shrieked repeatedly, entering the ‘freeze’ stage of her shock. “OHMYGOD, OHMYGOD, I’M BLEEDING! I’M BLEEDING, THERE’S BLOOD!”
It was then you realized, the little boy you vowed to protect and refused to leave behind was long gone. Dad’s essence had taken his place now.
“You just don’t know when to FUCKING STOP, do you?” you exclaimed, putting pressure on Max’s eyebrow with a washcloth as she wailed. Suddenly it was Dad you were talking to. They had the same apathetic, dead look in their eyes. “I don’t care who said or did what, throwing a fucking KNIFE?”
“Me?” Billy tutted. “You wanna call me crazy, who did that?” He was referring to the hole in the wall. “And who was the one to throw shit first? EXACTLY. EXACTLY.”
While Billy was technically correct, he would never admit to what he did to provoke you two.
“So you can both get out if you’d like. Be my fucking guests.”
You and Max exchanged one look. The look. It was time. You both were ready and now had the green light. Now was the chance to bolt without immediate consequences.
So you and your sister spent several minutes rummaging through your pre-packed belongings while Billy continued to shit-talk aimlessly around the rental you shared. The place soon reeked of cheap bud and gas station gin. Trash bags were soon filled with your favorite clothes and you shoved them into as many of your childhood suitcases as possible. Struggling to see past your tear-coated eyes, you reached for your books, the ones you've hollowed out 300 pages deep to pocket all the tips from your waitressing job, and shoved the loose bills into your crossbody. You’d sort through them later. Lastly, you popped the cap off the bottom of your salt lamp. There was a pre-paid Visa you bought several months beforehand waiting for you. With trembling hands, you grasped it and whispered a gratitude to the Universe before tucking it neatly into the back pocket of your Levi’s.
When it was all said and done and everything was loaded into your car, you focus on the hole in the dry wall one last time.
Never again.
Billy was complacent throughout the entirety of the event. You glared at him while he continued to soothe himself with drugs and alcohol, refusing to own up to the irreversible damage he caused your little family.
“SIS,” Max boomed from outside. “LET’S GO!”
A part of you used to pity Billy, but now his destructive behavior took away any ounce of guilt you felt for leaving him.
You never fought back until you had no other choice. Similarly, and tragically, Billy shared that very sentiment.
Who the villain is in the narrative relied solely on whose lens you are looking through.
It took you by surprise all the time. How could identical twins, who grew up in the same environment, end up so different from one another?
“I love you, though you hurt me so. Now I’m gonna pack my things and go." - Tainted Love by Soft Cell
There are two wolves inside of everyone.
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"Are the pieces of you in the pieces of me? I'm just so scared you're who I'll be. When I erupt just like you do, they look at me like I look at you" - DNA by Lia Marie Johnson
The heart-wrenching ballad by Lia Marie Johnson dissolves as you crank the dial to the left. Music is always depressing when Max has the aux chord.
"Did you hear what I said?" you question her.
Max abruptly sits up and reorients herself, attempting to shrug off the trance “DNA” had put her in for a few minutes.
"No, sorry. What'd you say again?"
"Do you need a bathroom break?"
"I'll go at the airport.”
"Okay, but if you change your mind and decide to take a leak one last time, I'll be happy to oblige.”
Swami’s is also an exit away and you’re just fixing for a hot meal before takeoff. But you don’t directly say that. Besides, Max loses her appetite when she’s upset and may only have room for shitty airplane food.
“I’ll just eat on the plane.”
Stale pretzels and flat soda it is.
Despite the decrease in appetite, Max is holding up well. As well as anyone-who-was-nearly-stabbed-by-her-brother-and-is-now-moving-states-away-from-everything-she’s-ever-known-with-her-sister could be.
It wasn’t your first choice to leave California. In fact, you did everything you could to avoid it. But nonetheless, anyone with a conscious and only $4,000 to their name would make the wise decision to move away to somewhere more affordable.
Enter your online friend, Robin.
Working ungodly hours six days a week to pay the bills took up so much of your time that you had no friends in San Diego — albeit high school friends who would have never guessed how you and Billy turned out. Those friends had happy families anyway. They couldn’t hold space for you. Your online friend Robin, who you met on an art forum, however knew your family dynamic and was there for everything. But she lived in Indiana with her partner and was never able to offer you any physical comfort.
You entertained Robin’s idea of moving to where she lives, a small town in Indiana called Hawkins just 20 minutes southeast of the city. Living under the radar to get your ducks in a row seemed like such a perfect plan, but you didn’t want to do so at the expense of Max losing her only support system she had outside of you.
Moving would’ve also meant pulling her out of school, which wouldn’t be possible because Billy was her legal guardian. Now that she’s graduated high school, and today is her 18th birthday, the game has changed completely.
“Donovan texted me happy birthday,” Max reports, finally disclosing a fragment of her inner conscience. “Thought it was sweet.”
You can’t help but smile. "You thought he wouldn’t?”
She refrains from rolling her eyes and shifts them towards the rocky beach cliffs outside her window.
“You know,” you add. “I really think you two could make long distance work. I’ve never seen so much chemistry between two people before.”
Max scoffs. "Yeah right. Long distance with a guy going to Santa Barbara for college?” She fiddles with the strings of the knit poncho resting atop her lap. “I'd be breaking my own heart."
You bite your lip to stop the waterworks. Max doesn’t deserve any of this. She deserves to enjoy bonfires with her skater friends, surf all the tubular waves, and go on all the nature hikes without worrying about her stepbrother’s codependent-fits-of-rage waiting for her when she comes home. She deserves to eat fried funnel cake at the county fair and share a kiss with the boy of her dreams atop a Ferris wheel on the 4th of July. She deserves a San Diego summer, not a summer spent in hiding from her abuser in the middle of buttfuck nowhere.
Max decides to change the subject.
“So what’s Robin like? Your online friend.”
“She’s very sweet,” you breathe. “Been, uh, telling her about Billy for a long time now. Her arms have been open since day one.”
“And her girlfriend?”
“Vicky’s the best,” you insist. “A match made in heaven for sure. It’s like they’re the same person, just different font.”
You get a giggle out of Max. Her laughter during such a turbulent time is like music to your ears. The non-depressing kind.
“I’m really sorry I couldn’t get you a gift this year.”
She side eyes you.
“What are you talking about? You quite literally gave me the best gift of all.”
“Did I? What did I give you?”
“You gave me safety.”
And with that, you give yourself a mental pat on the back, confident you made the right choice despite how foreign everything currently felt. The conversation dies down while you and Max ride on, driving further and further away from the Park and Ride you spent the night at, off Coast Highway, and onto the I-5 one last time.
Boarding the plane is a swift process. Your plane is a two-seater, so Max gets the window and you get the aisle. After receiving your snacks and drinks, you decide to play white noise and dissociate for the next five hours. It’s safe to do so, anyways. Liminal spaces were not something you took for granted.
Meanwhile, Max looks out the window, watching as the world she has come to know her whole life shrinks right before her eyes, before disappearing underneath a quilt of soft white cumulus clouds.
“This is 18.”
Goodbye, San Diego.
—————— ✈︎ ———————
Hello, Hawkins.
“Please, make yourself at home,” Robin incites, trudging through the miscellaneous projects that sit at her feet. “As if we weren’t DIY freaks enough, the pandemic really just amplified that.”
The pandemic was a hard time for everyone. You lost your fine dining gig and abruptly switched to UberEats to adjust to the flow of takeout. Billy couldn’t go to the gym, his happy place, and it took a toll on him mentally. Max broke quarantine multiple times to see Donovan, which didn’t sit well with your brother. He of course lashed out on her and also proclaimed that people like her were the reason why America hadn’t opened up yet.
“And I get no time at the gym!” Billy screamed. “So now I have to do this—”
You learned that a decent lamp costed $70 that night.
That wasn’t your first rodeo though. You and Billy grew up replacing furniture all the time. You two would gather up your money and spend it on replacing whatever needed replacing for Mom’s birthday. She always wanted to make your house feel like a home. Feel lived in. You and Billy thought you were heroes doing it, but it dawns on you now that you two were just babies.
“Oh!” Vicky interrupts. “Before we forget…”
You and Max watch her as she scrambles around, looking for something that she seemed ecstatic about.
“Happy birthday, Max!”
“No way, Kate Bush!” Max exclaims as she accepts the gift, an original Kate Bush vinyl record of her album Hounds of Love.
"Wow," you beam, rubbing your sister’s back. “Way to fuel her 80's hyperfixation, huh?"
“We found this at the thrift store,” Vicky boasted. “Knew we had to get it for ya.”
“It’s the real deal too," Robin adds. "Look, printed 1985.”
“It’s perfect,” Max gushes. “Can’t wait to play it on my Crosley.”
She thanks them both and hugs them before running back to the living room to get the rest of your belongings. You listen as she hums some of Kate Bush’s discography along the way.
You then observe Max as she unpacks her things one by one, slightly peppered with remnants of the California sand and the snobby fee it took to ship it all here via cargo. She then proceeds to sit on the new bed to check the springing quality, testing its bounce factor and comparing it to that of her old bed.
You let out a bittersweet sigh.
Suddenly you're eight years old, doing the same thing at the local motel Mom managed to snag a couple nights from when Dad trashed the house.
You turn to look in the mirror atop your new dresser.
Suddenly, you're Mom. Quite literally. You both have the same wavy blonde hair, scattered freckles across your nose that Billy used to call “stardust”, and the same tsunami blue eyes. It makes it no wonder why you and Dad never got along. You are Mom’s spitting image — and Billy is Dad’s.
Funny how life turns out.
You graze the crows feet at the outer corner of your eyes, realizing now how many years have silently passed you by, and then take note of the stress-defined scars in the form of eye baggage from all the sleepless nights that came as a souvenir.
You’ve put up with so much. For so long. The trauma is starting to manifest itself physically.
Robin snaps you back into present day. "So I was thinking we go to Applebee's for dinner, walk around Old Town, get you guys settled and unpacked when we return, Jenga at night, and then-"
She stops when she sees the horrified expression on your face.
“Hey…” the pitch in her comforting, raspy voice heightens. “What’s the matter?”
Your voice breaks. “It’s…” you manage. “It’s been a lot.”
Robin pats your back. “I know. I’m so sorry.”
Without looking, Robin snags a few tissues from a box laying around and gives them to you. You blot the tears away, careful not to mess up the makeup you had on with the intention to make you look less…dead.
“Sue didn’t even call and wish her happy birthday. Her own mother.”
“I’m so sorry,” Robin repeats.
“Every day I watch Max store her trauma in the box... and just shove it into the corner where it gathers dust,” you continue. “If she doesn't unpack it..."
You didn’t even want to think of the collateral damage you and your brother caused her. A part of you wants to think Maxine has remained untouched from that side of you, but the dry blood on her outer brow was a reminder that it was far too late to shelter her from that.
"You see yourself in her."
"And my mom in myself,” you admit. “Now more than ever.”
You rub your eyes.
“I’m rambling, I know. It’s just… SO aggravating. Max deserves better.”
“She’s handling it really well.”
“We don’t know that. I know Max. She’s a pro at hiding her feelings.”
“She’s being strong for you, like you are for her. It’s very endearing, whether you both admit it to each other or not.”
She rubs your arm.
“For as long as Vicky and I are here, you and Maxine have a soft place to land. We are here for you. Y’all are safe.”
You two glance over at Max, who is now unpacking your Zen Basics Himalayan salt lamp. She sets it on top your new bedside table, a reupholstered one whose old wood was painted over by an earthy olive green, the old hardware replaced by eccentric shaped, neutral-toned knobs. Her Crosley sits on your floor, now playing a track off Kate Bush's vinyl while she stares out the window. Your new view for the foreseeable future.
Can't you see where memories are kept bright?
Tripping on the water like a laughing girl
Time in her eyes is spawning past life
One with the ocean and the woman unfurled
Holding all the love that waits for you here
Catch us now for I am your future
A kiss on the wind and we'll make the land.
Dinnertime comes fast, but you blame it on the time zone difference. You call shotgun and ride with Robin in the passenger seat, catching up with your best friend while Vicky and Max watch YouTube shorts in the backseat.
Robin gives you a backstory of everything you pass on the way to Applebees, from the schools to churches to family-owned gas stations. She and Vicky seem to know everyone by a first-name basis, naming random people off and knowing exactly who that is every so often. You try to stay engaged, but the only thing on your mind is where you’re going to apply for a job.
Robin drives into a plaza next.
"This used to be a mall, but now it's completely empty," Robin continues pointing to an empty building with remnants of a star symbol etched on it. "E-commerce really turned this strip into a ghost town."
"So basically, if I wanted a job, it would have to be any of these food places, an office of sorts, or an off-brand Blockbuster store?"
"Family Video is closing too," Vicky chimes in. "It's sad. But I guess Hawkins needs yet another overpriced coffee shop."
"You could always work at the gentlemen's club," Max jokes, pointing off to the side.
You turn to where she’s pointing and take note of the matte black rectangular building by the Sizzler’s. It didn’t seem out of place, but the silhouette of an exotic dancer with devil horns gave the sinister establishment away. You couldn’t read the name of the club, but a part of you tries to.
Robin slightly turns and nods in that direction. "Oh yeah. I heard the girls there make bank in tips."
“I made bank in La Jolla doing fine dining,” you point out. “Maybe I can do the same thing here. But at a similar establishment.”
“Fanciest restaurant you’ll get here is Benny’s,” Vicky says. “You’re gonna have to go to the city for fine dining. I don’t think the commute is worth.”
“Guess stripper is your best option,” Max nudges you.
You shoot a glare her way. “Very funny.”
"I know, I was joking," she scoffs. "Billy would kill you anyways."
Billy would literally go insane if you dared to work at a strip club. The slut-shaming would never end. Not that he never slut-shamed you anyway. There was always something for him to be misogynistic and hypocritical about.
Then it hits you. Billy isn't here. And you really need the money since in this day and age, $4,000 meant nothing. You peer over at the gentlemen's club one last time as it shrinks out of view the further Robin drives.
HELLFIRE.
-----------𓆩♡𓆪------------
Dungeons & Dragons.
Of course one of the very few strip clubs in Hawkins has to be the dorkiest.
But you understand the vision. Beyond the cobblestone entrance, the veil between real life and fantasy thins.
As you near the club with nothing but a purse and car keys in hand, you notice that there’s already security by the door. You’re surprised to see a leaner guy, tall and slender with soft blonde hair and a soft grin to match. He catches sight of you and greets you with a nod.
“Good afternoon,” he says. “How are you today?”
“I’m good,” you nod. You reach for your wallet and give him your ID. Typical screening process. “Yourself?”
“Not too shabby,” he replies.
He examines your ID card. You notice his surprise when his eyes slightly widen before retracting shortly after. You guess that he was wondering why you are here out of all places. You peer over at his name tag while he concludes his screening. Henry.
Upon verification of your identity, the friendly security guard returns your card to you.
“Let me give you a wrist band.”
He motions for you to hold an arm out. You extend your right arm to him and watch as he gracefully pulls a paper wristband out of his pocket, clasping it into place with the side that read “21+” facing upwards.
You take the time to admire the gentleness of this man. The softness of his face. His dreamy gaze.
“Any weapons on you?”
“Uh…” you stammer. “Just pepper spray?”
A laugh escapes from his nostrils. “That’s fine, my dear.”
“I hope I don’t have to use it.”
“Don’t worry, darling. Under my watch, you won’t.”
Henry gently strokes your hand before motioning you inside.
“Enjoy the show.”
“Thanks,” you smile politely.
It’s a slow afternoon, but granted no one goes to a strip club at 2 PM. The Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club was comprehensively laced with playful innuendos. The accent wall by the entrance showcases an array of chains and handcuffs. Kukris, nun-chucks, and flails all of different variants and sizes are displayed on the walls, the point of balance being a vintage pulp print of a metal puppeteer. On the print, "OBEY YOUR MASTER" is written in edgy bubble letters.
Kinky.
And there’s a bonus of this themed club: the ladies are dressed in cloaks. You watch as beautiful women from all walks of life strut around the joint, leaving the clients with only their imagination to guess what’s underneath the tantalizing, medieval velvet.
There are LED signs that lit up corners of the space, indicating what they were for. KAS’ KORNER: GRAB A BITE, DRAGON'S BREATH: HOOKAH LOUNGE, and POTIONS — the bar.
You catch a glimpse of the private show rooms, or at least what you think are the private show rooms.
The LED sign to those rooms read, "I PUT A SPELL ON YOU AND NOW YOU'RE MINE."
The general seating area for the main event reads VECNA’S LAIR.
The Dungeon Master of this joint thought of every possible detail he could and ironed it into perfection.
Surely, someone who truly plays would adore every aspect of all the details, but it was evident that everyone came here for the same reason:
Girls, girls, girls.
You walk over to the bar to see two men conversing behind it.
One looked to be in his late 20s, with scruffy chestnut brown hair, some tired eyes, peach fuzz, and a patterned shirt decorated in a kaleidoscope of colors — a shirt meticulously calculated by quite possibly a girlfriend.
The other looked like he had another year left before being allowed to be behind that counter... of course judging by the “Hawkins High School class of 2021” on his insulated water bottle in his hand, a cracked iPhone in the other, and Beats with a small basketball sticker on it.
When you appear in their periphery, the conversation between the two gradually comes to a stop.
“Whoa,” the younger man hums. “New face. Welcome.”
“Hi. What do you recommend?”
“In terms of what?” the younger man questions slyly. There’s a timidness to the young man’s spirit, making his flirtatious demeanor somewhat dorky. The age appropriate bartender nudges him.
“Drinks, hotshot,” you refrain from chuckling. “Drinks.”
“Depends what you’re into,” the younger man replies, the slyness continuing. “If you’re into light liquors, Jonathan can make you a mean Cîroc with pineapple juice. But if you’re more into the dark stuff…”
He gestures up and down on himself.
“Then look no further.”
“That was very painful to listen to,” the older one who you assume is Jonathan cringes. “Can you get anymore corny?”
“Ta-ha!” the younger one tsks. “He said could I get any more corny. Can you get any more bitchless?”
“I have a girlfriend, Lucas.”
“Emphasis on the singular sense.”
“Nance is all I need.”
"Nancy is all you can pull," Lucas chuckles. "With that goofy ass shirt, man. Stop playing with me."
So you weren’t the only one who thought the shirt was absolutely ridiculous. It had "Bad Bitch Repellant" written all over it.
Jonathan whacks Lucas with the cloth that was sitting atop his shoulder. You request a double Tito’s straight on the rocks from Jonathan to which he automatically starts to make. Lucas continues to interrogate you.
“As you heard, my name is Lucas. Lucas Sinclair.” He extends his hands to you. “But my favorite ladies call me 'Dark Chocolate'. You can call me, 'The Man of Your Dreams' though.”
You take the youngster’s hand in yours and shake it. His heavy locker room cologne makes your nose swell, an uneven mix of what you believe is Axe and — is that Dior?
You tell Lucas your name then hit him with a, “But you can call me ‘When You’re Thirty’.”
Lucas laughs at your joke, beaming up at you as he does so. Then he nods to communicate a gracious fair enough. The flirting, you could sense, was in good nature, playful.
“It was worth a shot,” he shrugs. “Do you have a younger sister by any chance?”
“Oh in your dreams, mister.”
Jonathan chuckles and rubs Lucas’s back.
"That’s enough man, can you go buss that table over there?"
Lucas gives a thumbs up before putting his Beats on and walking away. You divert your attention back to Jonathan who is now done with making your drink.
“Alright… I got a Tito’s double shot — straight — on the rocks,” Jonathan announces as he slides your vice on over. He studies you as you take the drink and request to keep the tab open. “I’m inclined to ask. Are you okay?”
When you’re not around Billy, you wear your heart on your sleeve. It wouldn’t hurt to trauma dump on a stranger. Especially one who asked.
“Pretty far from okay,” you answer before chugging it. “Can’t you tell? It’s 2PM and I’m consoling…” You slosh the drink around in your hand. “…my man Tito.”
“I see that.”
“It’s been a long day,” you continue. “It’s my second day in Hawkins so I thought I’d scope this place out. Dilly dally for a bit.”
“Second day?” Jonathan questions. “As in…ever?”
“Yeah, just moved here.”
The bartender looks around as if he’s missed something. “But…why?”
It’s a fair reaction. If the welcome sign is correct, Hawkins only has a population of 1,314 people. 1,316 now including you and Maxine.
“My friend lives here and convinced me to make the move,” is what you explain, though it only seems to make Jonathan more confused. “Couldn’t take the heat Cali was dishing out. Hawkins seemed like the perfect place to slow down.”
“Oh man,” Jonathan mutters. “California to here, what a change.”
“You lived here long?”
“Lived here my whole life,” he answers as a matter of factly.
“What made you get a job at Hellfire?”
Jonathan didn’t have to think. “I love booze.”
You laugh together, raising your half-empty class to clink his invisible one.
“I hate 9-5s,” Jonathan draws on. “Working from home ‘bout damn near drove me insane, don’t know how my mom does it with such ease. My boss here smokes me out on occasion and my friends make me nachos.” He smiles. “Can’t think of anything better.”
“There we go.”
"I’ve also just been looking out for women my whole life," he adds. "Bout time I get some financial compensation for it, no?"
“Amen to that,” You chug the last of your drink. “Thanks for your service.”
"Pleasure is mine. Anything else I can do for ya?"
You think. "Hm, probably not you, but maybe the hiring manager can do something for me."
"You're looking to work here?" he clarifies as you nod. "Oh sweet, you're going to wanna talk to Eddie. He's the owner."
"And a dweeb," says a significantly younger looking fellow as he slides into the conversation.
“Here we go.”
In front of you now is a gentleman around Lucas’s age with wild curly brown hair. You watch as he helps himself to a club soda, dunking three large wedges of lemon into his cup as well.
The guy offers you a playful, pearly white grin. “Eddie may own a nice club with some smokin' hot babes, but he's got no game whatsoever."
“Hey Dustin.”
“Sup, man.”
“You think so?" you challenge him.
"I know so,” the boy who you now know as Dustin insists. “Can't talk up a chick to save his life."
"Yeah," Jonathan says, half-jokingly. "He's the bitchless one."
Dustin glances between you both, slightly puzzled.
You shake your head. "No way."
"I wouldn't say he's that bad," Dustin says. "I actually think he's seeing someone casually. But in general, dude's got zero rizz."
"Projecting are we?" Jonathan nudges him.
“HELL. NO.” Dustin booms. You attempt to refrain from laughing. “My game is what got me the baddest gal at science camp. Eddie? Clumsy as hell, stutters on his words, he's got the anxiety level of someone who drinks cold brew on an empty stomach… Now that I say it out loud, I think he does drink cold brew on an empty stomach. Some chicks dig it though, which is good for him.”
Curly was fun to observe. Once he’s done talking down on the club owner, Dustin politely walks over and shakes your hand, bowing to you like you’re a princess of sorts. You later find it that like Lucas, Dustin works as a bus boy and server, and his girlfriend makes sure that he remains in Kas’ Korner at all times. Dustin has about two years left before legally being permitted behind the POTIONS bar, but that doesn’t stop him from using it as his own storage shed.
You watch as he grabs some deodorant and hair pomade from an old shoe box under the counter.
“Anyways, later,” Dustin holds up a peace sign, starting towards the door. “I'm not on today, I'm just hitting the gym with Steve."
“Later, man!” Jonathan calls after him.
“Deuces. Say hello to Dark Chocolate for me.”
Before he could get any further, the loud swinging of a door closeby causes him to halt in place.
“ALRIGHT!” a loud, gruff voice booms from that direction. “Which one of you shitheads forgot to take inventory on the 10th?!”
You can’t help but turn your body towards the ruckus. And to your own pleasant surprise, you don’t regret it. Emerging from the door comes the possible shift lead, a tall and broad man with medium length wavy brown hair, chocolate-colored, youthful doe eyes that contradicted the deep lines on his face, bleach white Chuck Taylor’s, ripped black jeans, and a Hellfire Club baseball tee with the logo smack-dab in the middle.
The man looked to be in his mid to late 20s, with an assertiveness in his stride. His lips, a perfectly formed bow with a smirk-like undertone. The cool rings that rest upon his fingers look icy as they sway at his side, shining in contrast to his dark clothing.
The man is too tunnel-visioned to see where he was going. But that doesn’t stop Dustin from looking absolutely mortified.
“The 10th and the 11th,” the man clarifies. “So for all we know, we might need new kegs and ground chili, which is one more thing I have to d-”
Finally he looks up, with you being the first thing he sees. Proximity taking him aback, he snaps out of his stress-induced trance and softens up at the sight of you. You meet his eyes, big and beautiful with long wispy lashes and you can’t help but mimic the flutter in your heart in the form of a smile.
“Whoa.” He says, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Whoa, indeed.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s Eddie’s first day back, he tends to get a little in the zone,” Dustin explains.
Eddie.
Does that mean…
“Are you the hiring manager?”
You didn’t know who you were expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the man in front of you. He must be proud of himself, having such a successful business so early in the game.
Eddie gathers himself quickly.
“Dungeon Master, hiring manager, manager, owner, sanitations, re-stocker,” Mr. Jack-of-all-trades confirms. “I do it all.” He grimaces at Dustin. "Since you know, some people don't wanna work."
"You said I can have off!" Dustin exclaims defensively. "I worked for you before the weekend already and I wasn’t even on the 10th and 11th, fuck outta here."
All it takes is a scowl his way from the boss and Dustin is radio silent. The look on Eddie's face definitely said "Watch your tone". Eyes are all on you once more soon after.
Eddie’s gaze softens when he looks at you.
“Were you…looking to apply?”
“Yeah,” you reply sheepishly. “As a dancer. I’d like to perform here.”
“You don’t sound too confident.”
“Some guys like shy girls,” you shrug.
He laughs, a dark honey kind of laugh that just oozed from the back of his throat. “That they do.” His voice deepens drastically. Eddie studies you. “Any dancing experience?”
“Dancing, yes.”
“Stripping experience?”
“None.”
“Hm,” Eddie says. “What do you have experience in?”
“I danced for a bit…I have good core strength,” you explain vaguely. “And I’ve worked in the restaurant industry so I’d say customer service is my superpower.”
Eddie soaks in the information.
“I know how to talk to people,” you continue. “I know the right things to say. Favorite pass time is upselling drinks. And dessert…”
You wait for Eddie to take the low hanging fruit. He doesn’t.
"Any experience with the pole?”
Your cheeks grow hot. You decide to lie.
"No.”
“Kinda essential for this profession, sweetheart.”
"I know," you respond humbly. "I wouldn’t doubt it for a second..." you scan the room. “So uh, do I need a permit to perform here?”
“Nah, Hawkins is a lawless wasteland pretty much,” he sighs placing his hands on his hips. “And my club does things a little different anyways. The ladies also don’t pay to perform, we pay them to.”
Shit. Strippers pay to perform at venues?
“The dining experience is what brings the base revenue in,” Lucas explains, returning from wherever he had been. “The ladies are a luxury.”
“And should be treated as such,” Jonathan chimes in.
“I take it you don’t work at any other clubs?” Eddie questions judging by your wide eyes attempting to take in every bit of information that has been dumped on you. The man sees right through your mask.
“No, but I-”
“I personally like to give everyone a chance,” Eddie says. “So don’t worry babe, you’re good. Even though you don’t have any experience, your energy tells me that you have potential. Wanna show us what you can do?”
Your heart sinks. The handsome club owner called you babe. And you’re also being asked to perform with the little experience you have — in front of girls who had tons of experience.
“Here? Now?”
Eddie nods.
You weren’t prepared to dance today. But with your sister and the mountain of debt on your mind, you are willing to do anything. So you walk over to Jonathan and tell him what song you feel most comfortable performing to and stretch as he takes the time to find it. When all is said and done, you make your way to the icy pillar made of chrome steel that was calling for your attention.
You exhale deeply.
Back to the old stomping grounds. The last time you worked with a pole you were wearing Heeley’s and light up sneakers. Of course in place of the horny spectators there were playground supervisors, and the only “bars” there were monkey bars. Oh, and you were 8, not 28.
The slut-shaming still existed, though. One time a boy told you that you were acting like a ‘hoe’ for trying to do a trick upside down. To Billy’s retaliation though. Before you knew it, the same boy was being shoved down and dragged across the wood chips, acquiring a series of splinters along the way. Admin phoned home. You and Billy got spanked. But, of course, Billy had no regrets. While you both cooled off together, you remember him grazing your hand, telling you he’d beat that kid up “a gajillion times over”.
He kept that promise. Except as you two grew older, it was you he was doing it to. A gajillion times over.
You laugh at the bittersweet nostalgia.
“Whenever you’re ready, babe,” Eddie says.
You give Jonathan a thumbs up to play your song selection. Soon, Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club is filled with the catchy, seductive tune that is Layla by Eric Clapton.
You start with a small stroll around the pole. Then a dramatic dip to flaunt your bouncy golden locks. Soon, the women of Hellfire gather around with the men following soon after to watch you work your magic in Vecna’s crowded Lair.
If muscle memory is in your favor, they are in for a good show.
What will you do when you get lonely
No one waiting by your side?
You've been running, hiding much too long
You know it's just your foolish pride
Eddie claims a seat at a throne directly in front of the pole. He studies your technique, your movements, your facial expressions. You aren’t sure if reality is projecting onto you or if you’re dizzy from all the spinning, but you almost see a slight smile spread across the club owner’s face. It prompts you to keep going.
Layla, got me on my knees
Layla, begging, darling, please Layla
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
It’s a lot harder, your techniques and tricks. Most likely since you weigh more than 50 pounds now and had to exert more energy to keep yourself balanced an aligned. But nonetheless, you persist.
Tried to give you consolation
Your old man had let you down
Like a fool, I fell in love with you
You turned my whole world upside down
You buck your hips upward from you back arch to go into an upside down position. It earns you some hooting and cheering from the crowd.
“You better work, mamas!” a dancer cheers.
“I KNOW THAT’S RIGHT!”
“YOU GO GIRL!”
“YAAAS!”
Layla, got me on my knees
Layla, I'm begging, darling, please Layla
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
Eddie watches intently, leaning backwards with his hands clasped forward. You feel his eyes burn through you, from the top of your head down to your toes. You feel as if he’s mentally scoring you like you’re at a competition, but the sisterhood that cheers you on makes you feel slightly less intimidated.
“SHE’S SO GOOD!” comes a high-pitched voice in the crowd. “I FREAKING LOVE HER!”
You turn to look at your own personal cheerleader, a bright-eyed cute little redhead with pigtails with an outfit that looks like an ode to Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time”. She has cherry hair ties that hold her two pigtails at the bottom.
You watch her clap and jump up and down, cheering you on with a beam in her eyes that made you feel like your souls have been friends for decades.
Motivated to attempt more risqué moves, you jump into the splits before kicking your legs around to end on your knees.
Clapping and whistling erupts from the lair. Once it dies down, Eddie stands up, offering you a delighted series of slow claps as he makes his way towards you.
"That was really good, Shy Girl. I like how you finished your set."
“Aw, thanks Eddie.”
He walks around you.
"Go like this?" Eddie does a stretching motion, lifting his hand up.
You imitate him and reach up.
"Okay, and... turn like this? Then pop your ass out a bit more."
The word rolled off the club owner's tongue like it was nothing. It was done in a way that was professional, a hint of respect in his tone with no sort of ulterior motive.
You swallow hard, attempting to internally tame the goosebumps on rising upon your skin. He’s just giving feedback, he’s just giving feedback. This is a professional line of work.
You do as he says as he circles around you, fingers grazing on the cool floor of the stage just inches away from your thighs. He taps them in thought.
"For a beginner you’re pretty damn good,” he says.
“Yeah?” you look up at him and smile.
“Yeah,” his voice deepens. “You’re a natural. All that shyness just went away.”
Well, it’s about to return, you think to yourself.
“Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”
“Not in this specific setting.”
There’s a slight shift in his eyes as his imagination wanders. The dimples at the side of his mouth concave slightly.
“I gotcha.”
Eddie clears his throat. “So uh, when can you start?”
Today is Wednesday. You have tomorrow, Friday, and the weekend to settle you and Max in and make any last minute stops. Then the appointment with the other loan officer and DMV appointment on Monday. Tuesday afternoons are dry — everywhere so that left the earliest you can start as
"Next Tuesday? In the evening?"
A soft snort escapes from the club owner’s nose.
"Driest night of the week," he comments, looking around his club.
He turns back to you.
"But a good time for orientation. Works for me, Shy Girl. Can I call you that?”
You smirk. “So I got the job?”
He nods.
“Then you can call me what you want,” you smile shaking his hand. “In this case I’m Shy Girl Hargrove.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he smiles. He knows you’re flirting. Eddie accepts your hand and shakes it firmly.
“Eddie. Pleased to formally meet you. And welcome to Hellfire.”
You two exchange contact information for professional purposes before he leaves. You study Eddie as he sees himself out, planting a firm, teasing smack on Lucas’s stomach on his way and whispering something to Jonathan as well.
Your cheerleader from the crowd excitedly makes her way over.
“I know a dancer slash gymnast when I see one,” she chirps. “I’m Chrissy. Stage name is Cherry.”
You two shake hands and exchange further compliments with one another. Your heart swells when you realize you’re slowly starting to find community.
“It’s so nice to meet you.”
Others come and say hello, but you’ve tuned out all the faces because all you can think about is Eddie. His demeanor. The way he carries himself. His presence alone was something so intoxicating that it lingered around the place in his absence.
Your heart flutters.
“Oh, Hargrove!” Jonathan says. “Before you go I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to worry about the drink.”
“Oh?” you respond. “No?”
“Eddie says it’s on the house.”
You smile and Jonathan returns the favor, making sure you see him when he voids your entire tab. As you wave bye to all your spectators, you release a grateful sigh. You felt very humbled about this new, yet unexpected beginning.
The happiness soon wears off when the events that just unfolded dawn on you. Suddenly, the flutter in your heart moves to your stomach, settling in a way that feels eerie. The unknown is pestering you again. Wrong, but oh so right and necessary.
You take in the area around you. You have a place to call home. You’re a stripper now. Your boss just bought your drink. You’re going to have money coming in. Oh, and YOU’RE A STRIPPER NOW.
Then it dawns on you. You need to go shopping.
902 notes · View notes
allbark-no-bite · 1 year
Text
This is Real Life || Rafe Cameron x reader
summary: the kook princess comes home from college with a new boyfriend and Rafe isn’t happy about it. unfortunately, he isn’t in the position to tell her what to do
warnings: 18+ smut, foul language, unprotected sex, slight mention of underage sex
word count: 3.8k
author’s note: this contains NO SPOILERS for season 3! y’all i have had this in the drafts for a year and couldn’t finish it. i was quickly motivated by the release of season three. i actually have some more OBX stuff on wattpad that i hope to transfer over if this gets some attention :)
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It was feral really, their relationship. What else was to be expected of Ward Cameron's only son and the kook princess? But for the record, she preferred the term bastard. Born the illegitimate child of the second wealthiest man in the Outer Banks, she could go by whatever she wanted and people would still be besotted—albeit wary—by the name.
She was exactly the type of drug Rafe Cameron couldn't resist time and time again. Better than anything Barry could ever try to sell him. One taste and now he gets an itch for her worse than cocaine. Midsummers made this temptation all the more unbearable. Liable to her father's heavy name, she'd be inclined for the occasion to put on some kind of obscenely form fitting dress that left little to the imagination and Rafe intoxicated by the sight all night.
It's a toxic green color, and by toxic he means the dark teal accents her sun kissed skin and dark hair perfectly. She'd dyed it black two summers ago before leaving for college, and it had yet to return to its natural fair brown. He's sure she did it just to spite him. Rafe had always preferred blondes. But damn did it look good on her.  Shamelessly, his eyes drink her in as she flashes a pearly smile at the bartender taking her order.
Unfortunately, he also then catches sight of the guy standing next to her. He's a tall, brute of a man with large shoulders, a perfect nose, and sickening puppy dog like eyes. From the looks of him, he's undoubtedly one too many years her senior. Despite that, it's obvious that he's not the one in charge. Rafe watches as the older man hovers around her. He's confident in the way he carries himself, but Rafe can see how he moves around her with an air of caution, like he knows she's going to bite him if he gets too close. This observation leads him to his next point; the guy is not her type and Rafe knows it.
She met Armand nearly a year ago through a friend of a friend. He had returned to university from Europe to continue his studies with the leisure that his comfortable home life in a wealthy, two parent household provided him. While the six year age gap certainly raised eyebrows —specifically those of friends of her father's— it's not the reason she was uninterested in him.
Armand was the product of fine European breeding and the maturity that came with age. He spoke astutely and with confidence. He also had an unlimited amount of patience. And while it was nice to be indulged by his attentiveness every so often, it became quite boring if she was being honest. Armand was the type of guy one would bring home to meet their family, a quality that she had very little interest in.
Her eyes catch Rafe's from across the country club bar, and she immediately looks away. Instead she sweetly asks Armie, as she calls him, to get her another glass of champagne — her current one had gone warm. She pretends that she doesn't see him sidling up to her until he's standing right behind her.
Rafe has to hide his smile, licking his lips to wet them. After all these years, he's quite used to the games she plays. She makes him wait a few more seconds before she turns around, her exposed back pressing against the bar as she faces him. Her eyes first travel slowly down his body, coming about as close as one can to undressing a person without actually touching them, and only then returning to his face.
"What are you doing here, Cameron?"
They both know what she means is 'what are you doing in my face' and not 'what are you doing at Midsummers'.
Catching the message that she's not in the mood for any sort of shit answer he could give her about his required attendance at Midsummers, Rafe shrugs casually, rolling his expensive suit clad shoulders. His thumb drags across the smooth plane of his jawline, moving downwards and catching along his bottom lip.
"Heard you looked good in a sundress," he suggests, still trying to maintain an air of nonchalant indifference. He wants to know if her golden skin still tastes how he remembers it.
She rolls her eyes as a lazy, taunting smirk appears on his face. Before she can reply, Rafe saunters closer, practically eliminating the distance between them and blocking her against the bar. His face is close enough to her cheek that she can feel his hot breath as he wets his lips.
"Heard you looked good undressed."
Her expression remains unchanged, not bothered by his forwardness. "Would you let my brother hear those words come out your mouth?" She eyes him knowingly, feigning concern. "Wouldn't want to mess up your pretty face again."
The word 'brother' is synonymous to a warning to Rafe and immediately he glances sideways. Around them, residents of Figure Eight chatter and happily sip champagne. No one is paying the pair at the bar any mind. It is likely that no one has noticed them yet. Usually just the sight of the pair together is enough to draw a couple of stares.
When Malcolm Coors doesn't materialize from the crowd, Rafe's sharp blue eyes settle back on her. “Real funny," he sneers.
She has no shame in admitting she gets a little kick out of Rafe's fear of her brother. The two boys had graduated together a year before her, and she still remembers the pair of them being intentionally separated despite alphabetical order as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Malcolm had been sporting a broken nose at the time and Rafe his own nasty looking black eye.
She smiles, enjoying his irritation. While she would like to bask in the fact that it looks like he's still licking his wounds after the past couple years, they need to get to the point before Malcolm does find them.
Rafe nods his chin over towards the unsuspecting back of her European rendezvous as he chatters amiably with the bartender. Rafe wants to swing a golf club through his perfect teeth. "How do you know this guy?"
She shrugs, playing at indifference. "Your inconsistency introduced us."
They haven't talked since before she blocked his number, which was over a year ago. The interaction wasn't exactly civil either. He specifically remembers screaming through the phone at some ungodly hour of the night and ending the call when she finally hung up on him by hurling his phone against the wall. Thankfully his parents had overheard the conversation and already assumed what all the noise was.
Biting back the urge to argue that he's not the one playing the hot and cold game, he persists "A bit old for you, don't you think?"
Her eyes don't follow Rafe's, which she knows are staring daggers at Armand. "You missed me," she points out.
Rafe sucks his tongue across the front of his teeth as an act of stalling, his expression becoming fed up and annoyed. Getting answers out of her has always been like pulling teeth. She doesn't want to play nice? Fine.
"Daddy doesn't have some billionaire's trust fund baby lined up for you?"
Her black lined eyes narrow. He levels his cool gaze with her. Oh he went there.
"Unlike you, my father has no say in my personal life." She's never referred to the man who sired her as anything other than her 'father'. It's the socially acceptable way of saying 'he's a bastard and I hate him'. "Besides, old money doesn't entice me, Cameron."
"Yeah?" he scoffs. Rafe leans in, murmuring softly into her ear. "That's not what you said what I was inside of you."
Her face flashes hot, and it's the first chip in her armor he has seen all night.
"I was seventeen. A minor, Rafe. You could go to jail for that," she snaps.
He smiles, cocking his head in a manner that says he isn't all that worried about his chances of going to jail. "You always act like I took advantage of you. Sweetheart, even if you hadn't begged me to screw you, we both know there's nothing you could have done to stop me."
It's her turn to scoff. "Am I suppose to thank you? You don't get an award for not being a fucking predator." She spits out the last part, and it causes a few heads to turn in their direction.
Among those heads, Rafe notices the blonde one of Malcolm; aka his sign that he needs to excuse himself. "Bitch," he mutters as he shoves past her.
She catches his arm before he can get too far. "Bathroom. Ten minutes.”
It is actually a grand total of twenty minutes before she finds Rafe in the small guest bathroom. Armie had remained glue to her side for another fifteen minutes and even after she managed to escape him, she was stopped by multiple friends of her father’s, asking how college was going and whatnot.
Nevertheless, Rafe waits for her. Each minute after ten, he promised himself he wouldn’t wait another, but the truth is he would have waited all night.
“Fuck. I’ve been thinking about this dress all damn night,” Rafe groans, grabbing a handful of her green velvet covered ass. His other hand is around her chin, guiding her mouth so that he can kiss her against the wall. Their mouths collide so bruisingly that for a moment he considers if he’s just broken his nose. Rafe doesn’t dwell on the possibility for too long because he’s been achingly hard for over twenty minute now and he won’t make it one more without coming in his pants. There’s only one place he’s coming tonight and it’s inside of her.
“I knew you were always a perv, Cameron,” she huffs out as he pulls away from the kiss to unbuckle his slacks and pull down his boxers. The length of him springs out against his stomach. Just looking at the size of him makes her legs shake. Much to her disappointment, he’s forcing her around, hips pressed against the counter before she can ogle at the sight of him for long.
Rafe slips into her as though it were a well practiced move and not something he hasn’t done in over a year. He still knows his way around her body.
She nearly yelps in surprise at the sudden intrusion. “Jesus—”
“Shut up,” he snaps, breathing hard. Just the feeling of her around him is enough to make him spill right now and he’s trying to hold on a while longer. Stomach burning with the effort of not coming, he bucks, just once to satiate himself, into her. The feeling is overwhelming.
Not pleased with his sudden lack of performance, she consciously clenches around him. “Are you going to fuck me or what because I’m sure Armie—”
Rafe cuts her off by drilling his hips back into her once more, this time much more forcefully, and her pelvis hits the counter. That is going to bruise. Rafe grabs a fist full of her dark hair. “I’m going to fuck you so good you forget his goddamn name. I don’t want to hear it again. You hear me?”
Eyes locked with his in the mirror, she nods quickly, desperate to let him have his way with her. “Fuck. Yeah, Rafe. Please just fuck me.”
Without wasting anymore time adjusting to the feel of her, Rafe begins thrusting his hips rhythmically at a ridiculous pace. The hot heat of her seems to suck him back in each time and he wonders if she’s like this for him. Armand. By the way she’s panting, moaning against the counter, he would say no.
As weird of a thing that it is to say, there are people who are good at sex, and then there are people who are great at sex. Rafe is one of those people. She’s never been with another guy who fucks her like Rafe does. It’s raw and filthy and animalistic.
Just when she think he’s as deep as he can be, he shuffles a bit, readjusting himself to get a better angle and hit a spot inside of her that tears a cry from her throat.
“Oh fuck— Please, Rafe. That’s it. That’s enough. I can’t—” When she starts begging for him to stop is when he knows she’s close. She’s always been too prideful to tell him when she’s close and it pisses him off to no end. He slows his pounding to get in a few more drawn out thrusts. The head of him catches inside of her and she cries at the sensation.
“There you go, there you go,” he groans, finding the breath to encourage her to finish as he struggles to control himself. “Feel me? Atta girl, you’re right there. Right there, baby.”
Crying out a moan, her head falls back as she orgasms, her walls fluttering in protest around him. The shock last for several long seconds throughout her entire body, and she contemplates if she’s ever going to be satisfied by another orgasm ever again. Even after, the electric buzzing sensation remains, and she remembers that Rafe is still throbbing inside of her.
Without warning, he thrusts into her a couple more times before finding his own orgasm. With his nose pressed into her hair, mouth right next to her ear, Rafe moans as he releases inside of her, and he hears her breath hitch at the sound. As if he needed proof of the fiery ball that had been pent up in his stomach all evening, he spills and spills and spill inside of her. It leaves him trembling by the time he’s done.
“Fuck,” he groans.
“Fuck,” she repeats, humoring him. He almost laughs but he doesn’t think he had the energy left for it.
Slowly moving again, the noise that his dick makes fucking into her, his cum dripping out is obscene, but he wants to savor the hot mess of her around him for as long as he can.
Smugly, he catches her gaze in the mirror, watching himself move in and out of her. The mascara under her eyes is smudged, making her searing gaze all that much darker. Rafe thinks she always looks perfect no matter what. He does have a bias towards ‘freshly fucked’ though.
As much as he would like to remain pressed against her —and in her— he knows she’ll only tolerate him for so long. So with a final sigh, he presses a prolonged and affectionate kiss to her hair and pulls out of her. As she fixes her dress, he tucks his still-leaking dick back into his boxers, pulls up his pants and watches her walk out the bathroom without a word. Rafe waits a respectful few minutes after her to make his exit.
Feeling truly fucked out, no pun intended, he heads over to the bar, where he spots her with her boyfriend, his arm wrapped low around her waist as he kisses her cheek. He needs a fucking drink, he thinks. And then, probably something stronger.
There are very few things that can rouse her from the dead sleep that she gets in her childhood bedroom. Coming home to the plush baby blue comforter that covers her perfectly made bed is like downing a handful of melatonin gummies after sleeping on a crummy twin mattress for nine months. Despite this usually holding true, Armie is the only one dead asleep beside her.
'I’m going to fuck you so good you forget his goddamn name.'  The memory keeps replaying in her head. The perfect infliction of his voice down to the scent of him as he leaned in is marred into her memory. He still wears the same cologne.
Without warning, her phone on the bedside table blares to life, ringing loudly, and the bright screen illuminates the mostly dark bedroom. Scrambling to shut it off before the commotion wakes Armie up, her immediate response is to swipe the answer button.
"Hello?" she asks, her voice hushed, into the phone.
"I need you, (y/n)."
Rafe's voice transfers crystal clear through the receiver, like he's not even trying to be quiet.
"Rafe?" Cupping her hand over the speaker and pressing the device closer to her ear, her eyebrows furrow as she hurriedly swings her legs over the side of the bed and quickly tiptoes out into the hall."Rafe?" she asks, this time louder now that Armie can't hear her. "Are you fucking cra—"
"I—I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I— fuck, (y/n). I just—" He's rambling, his smooth as honey voice much thicker than usual and notably less precise. He sniffs, loudly.
She sighs as he tries to collect himself over the line, mumbling and stuttering. "Why do you only call me when you're high, Cameron? I mean, seriously?" This is not the first time he's phoned her in the middle of the night, high out of his mind.
Rubbing her hand over her eyes, she checks the clock on the wall. It's well past 3 am. There's a slim chance she will even get any sleep at this point.
"Listen, (y/n). I–I just—"
"No, you listen," she snaps, cutting him off. "You'd better be at your house when I get there or else. Got it?"
She can hear him swallow over the phone and something crashes to the floor. "Yeah— I— yeah, I will. I will."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."
It helps that the Cameron's live only a few houses down. In reality, no one lives very far from anyone in the Outer Banks. Figure Eight is only a bike ride away from the Cut.
With the majority of the Cameron household likely asleep, and not caring to wake up Ward, she walks in without knocking. She'd never knocked before and wasn't about to make a habit of it now. Creeping slowly through the entryway, her sneakers echo loudly on the pristine tile floor. She knows this house like the back of her hand and therefore has no difficulty in navigating it in the dark. Around her, the house is still.
"Ra—" A hand clamps around her mouth from behind, effectively cutting of her startled shriek. Shoving his heavy body off of her, she whirls around to face him. "What are you doing?" she whispers loudly, shoving his hands away.
"I didn't want to scare you," Rafe defends, his blue eyes shining even in the darkness.
Shoving him once more in the chest, hard for good measure, she moves past him into the kitchen and flips the light on. Now that she can actually see, she steps back to take him in.
His pupils are blown, leaving very little of the blue of his eyes distinguishable. The suit jacket from earlier in the evening is gone, but everything else, from his dress shoes to the the white button up shirt underneath remain. Half of the top buttons of his shirt are open, revealing the golden skin of his chest. Nervously, he rubs at the back of his neck, where the short crop of his buzz cut fades.
"(y/n), I—," Rafe begins, stepping towards her.
"Shut up, Rafe."
His head fogged with the determination to get her to just listen to him, he ignores her instruction. "C'mon, baby. I just—"
"Shut up, Rafe," she repeats, sterner this time. She knows his head is not in the right place at the moment, and he needs to get it together if they're going to have this conversation.
"I need—"
"I said shut up!"
Finally something must reach the inside of that thick skull of his and Rafe immediately clamps his jaw shut. Now silent other than his heavy breathing, his big doe eyes watch her attentively.
She stares at him for a moment, using the quiet to gather her thoughts. Seeing him like this tears her up a little inside and it’s hard to find the right words to say to him. Sure, she treats him like shit most of the time, but that’s because it’s like second nature to the two of them. Fucking is the only thing they’re both good at.
She knows somewhere behind his drug induced haze, he’s really just a scared little kid. Most people take one look at Rafe and assume he’s just another screw up, destined to end up mooching off the Cameron family inheritance for the rest of his life. But she knows deep down that he has it in him to be better.
“You gotta stop, Rafe.” That’s the most honest and genuine sentence she’s spoken to him in a year. “This is not some prodigal son fairytale where you just get to walk away from it all when you decide to get your shit together. This is real life.” Her voice has risen towards the end and his already glossy eyes look wet.
Rafe can count on one hand the number of times he’s cried in his life, especially in front of someone else. His emotions tend to teeter from slightly cocksure to overwhelming rage without much of a grey area. But right now his throat feels tight and his eyes burn and he’s coming pretty damn close. And maybe it’s from the coke he snorted earlier but even that’s starting to wear off. He knows because his head isn’t swimming anymore and his eyeballs don’t feel like they’re rolling around in their sockets.
Fighting the swell of emotion that is threatening to erupt out of his chest, he looks up, tongue pressed into the inside of his cheek, suddenly not wanting to look in her eyes. Rafe finally nods, sniffing hard while he gathers himself. “I know,” he whispers, the noise barley even audible.
Still nodding to himself, he settles his gaze back on her. “And I know you think that this is the cocaine talking, but I promise you it’s not. I mean it when I say I need you.” Timidly, he paces towards her from across the kitchen. “I—I need your help. I need you. I—”
While he continues to ramble, she hushes him as he rests his chin in the crook of her neck. One hand cups the back of his head while the other rubs his shoulder through the soft cotton of his shirt. “Okay. You’re okay,” she murmurs into his ear, still holding onto him as he sinks to his knees on the kitchen floor. He’s tall enough that his head meets the middle of her stomach even on the floor.
Rafe can’t recall the last time anyone has held him so carefully before. But he does know that it feels wildly more intimate than any sort of sex they’ve ever had. Drowsy with relief and crashing from his high, he almost asks her if she loves him. It would be so easy to breathe the words, but instead he closes his eyes and lets her hold him a while longer.
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munsonslove · 2 years
Text
Make It Up to You
(18+ only) (read part 2 here)
summary: After Eddie’s van stalls when he tries to leave your party, you invite him to stay the night.
wordcount: 5.3k
tags/warnings: fem!virgin!sub!reader (18+ and a high school graduate), softdom!Eddie, fluff, smut, friends to lovers, praise kink, sharing a bed, oral (f receiving), fingering (f receiving), dacryphilia, teasing, begging, use of pet names (baby, babygirl, pretty girl, sweetheart, sweetie, good girl), no use of y/n
a/n: first fic! kinda set it up for a part 2, so let me know if you want one~
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“Is there anything I can do to make it up to you, baby?” Eddie asks as he ever so slightly grazed his fingertips up your thigh. You think back to where you were at the start of your day and wonder how you ended up here.
-
After unexpectedly learning that morning you would be home alone for the entire weekend you wasted no time calling up all your friends and telling them to come over after dark. Most of them were your fellow band nerds at the high school you graduated from a month prior, along with a handful of tutoring clients that you had kept in touch with. The first person you called was your best friend of the past four years, Robin Buckley. She, of course, is more than excited to hear the news, and tells you she’ll cover letting ‘the gang’ know.
‘The gang’ she’s referring to is the rather surprising group of friends she’s accumulated this past year. Steve Harrington’s been around the longest, having worked with Robin at the ice cream parlor in the mall that burned down last summer, and now at Family Video. Though you were skeptical at first that spending time with the former King of Hawkins High would be enjoyable, you quickly came to see why Robin loved him so much. Your duo with her became a trio, and despite the sneaking suspicion that the two were hiding something from you, having him as a friend made you happier than planned. The next unanticipated friendly addition was Nancy Wheeler. You didn’t know much about her back in school, just that she was head of the newspaper and Steve’s ex. Getting to know her now, she’s impressed you with her tenacity and cleverness. It’s clear why someone like her would get along so well with your Robin, but you still wondered how this relationship even came to be. Whenever you questioned them they gave vague answers and changed topics, so you ultimately decided to just give up on the subject.
Then there was Eddie.
Eddie Munson may have been the most unpredictable out of all of them. Sure, being in the marching band meant you and Robin rolled with the outcasts, but he was a different breed of outcast. His bold personality- often resulting in causing scenes in the halls and outbursts in the cafeteria- has always intrigued you. And though most wouldn’t have suspected it from someone like you, you found his personal aesthetic very attractive. You didn’t live in a strict household by any means, but that was only because you never exhibited the type of rebellious nature that made it necessary. Still, the lure of loud music, drugs, and taboo role playing games (that may or may not have to do with Satanism) was too tantalizing to ignore completely. You often found yourself gazing his way during your time in school and daydreaming, even back in freshman year when he was a junior. Coming back from spring break to see your best friend laughing at her locker with the super-super senior of your desires was definitely a shock.
Pretty soon it was nightfall and your backyard was packed with 18-20 year olds drinking lukewarm beers, happy to have a distraction from their impending dooms of adulthood. Luck was on your side tonight, seeing as your neighbors to the left were out of town, and the ones to the right were so old they wouldn’t hear a fire truck’s siren if it was directly outside their window. The tape playing from the boombox was a mix specially curated by yours truly to appease as many party goers as possible. So while it included Bowie, Blondie, and Beatles, it also had Black Sabbath. Every time a song came on that you picked out with Eddie in mind he would lock eyes with you, throwing a knowing and toothy smile your way. The confirmation that something you did pleased him brought butterflies to your stomach, and filled your mind with ideas on how to see that smile again.
Just to be on the safe side, you still kept the music as low as you could without hearing complaints from anyone. And by anyone, you meant Eddie, who liked his radio blasting so loud he could feel his eardrums vibrate. He did, however, turn the volume down out of courtesy whenever he picked you up for group hangouts. The gesture of that alone caused your heart to flutter more than it should have, and left you feeling like you were floating in his passenger seat. Him placing his hand on your knee while he drove would always bring you back down to Earth, though, along with migrating the fluttering feeling to a different part of your body. Distracted by the memory of his skin on yours, you don’t notice him making his way over to you until you feel his arm snake its way around your torso.
He stays by your side the remainder of the night, even as the crowd starts to thin out by around 2am. You’re left completely alone with him when Nance and Rob get into Steve’s car and drive off. You try to tell him he doesn’t need to stick around to clean, but he insists and helps pick up the crushed aluminum cans and red solo cups from your lawn. It doesn’t take long, much to your disappointment, and the easy conversation and inside jokes come to an early end as you walk with him around the side of your house. You both drop the trash bags filled with proof of a successful night of partying on the curb by the garbage bins his van was parked next to, and he pulls you into a hug. With a kiss to the top of your head (a habit he picked up early on in your friendship), he says his final goodbye and slides into his front seat. You wait patiently to see him off, but the stalling of his engine puts those plans to rest. He gets back out, returning to your side with a sheepish grin and explains that his engine’s been acting up recently and he hasn’t had the chance to get a look under the hood quite yet. Just as he’s about to ask if you have a toolbox laying around somewhere, you suggest that he should stay the night, since it’s already so late anyway.
“You sure you don’t mind? I didn’t mean to back you into a corner or anything, baby,” he asks, using his favorite pet name for you.
You roll your eyes and scoff, “Of course I don’t mind. We’re friends!”
The word ‘friend’ brings a soft smile to his face that confusingly doesn’t reach his eyes. The reassurance does calm his nerves about intruding, however, and he allows you to lead him to your house. Once you're both a little closer, he walks ahead so that he can open the front door and gestures for you to enter first.
“So,” he starts as he shuts the door behind himself and locks it, “do I get a tour of your bedroom before you send me to the couch?”
The sudden surge of audacity you feel comes out of the blue. In the past, the only time you’d been this forward with Eddie was when you were at the very least tipsy, but neither of you had had more than a couple beers tonight. So it was as much to his sober surprise as it was yours when you responded, “You don’t want to sleep with me?”
His eyes widen, jaw dropping to bring his mouth to an ‘O’ shape, but he quickly recovered to his signature smirk. “Well I certainly wouldn’t say no to that,” he chuckles, tone dripping innuendo on the final word.
The implication of what you said hits you like a freight train, and you scramble to correct yourself. “I just meant- I don’t mind sharing the bed! The air conditioning in the living room isn’t as good as mine, and it’s such a hot night-“
“Relax, sweetheart,” he interjects, using his second favorite pet name for you. “I’m just teasing. Trying to make you blush.” You suspect he succeeded in his attempt, if the warmth in your cheeks has anything to say about it.
Turning on your light, Eddie takes in his surroundings. He skims over your music collection, runs his fingers along the spines of your books, laughs quietly at the small collection of stuffed animals you still had from when you were a kid. Usually you would have felt embarrassed, but his laughter held no malice. He wasn’t making fun of you, simply reacting. You waited for his comment about your cuteness- a common adjective he’d use that you’d at first confused as mocking until realizing he meant it as a compliment- but it never came. Your room is slightly chilly, but it feels good on your skin after spending hours in the humid summer air. It even wasn’t that messy, thankfully, and the inviting softness of your bed was tempting you like a siren call despite your doubt that you’d be able to get any sleep with Eddie laying beside you. The man in question catches your attention again, tearing you from your racing thoughts by pulling his t-shirt over his head and unbuttoning his jeans.
“I sleep in just boxers, is that a problem? I mean, you know I don’t have a change of clothes or anything,” he explains.
“Yeah, totally fine!” you assure, trying not to be too obviously excited by the view of his tattoos on full display, “No big deal. Like really, it’s okay.” Admittedly, the reassurance was more to convince yourself than him.
He nods and takes his pants off- balling them up and tossing them to the side, then pulls back your duvet and crawls into bed, leaving enough room for you to get in as well. He lays on his side, one of his hands supporting his head as he stares at you expectedly. His unabashed behavior while undressing soothed your anxiety slightly, encouraging you to yank down and kick off your own jeans. You make the choice to actively ignore Eddie’s amusement at your eagerness. Normally this is when your bra would come off, but you decided instead to just leave it on, nervous that removing said item would be viewed as a step too far. Turning off your light, you slide in under the covers next to the boy you’ve had eyes for since you were 14.
You only have a full size mattress, so although the both of you fit it was unlikely the night would pass without making contact. The thought of even accidentally feeling his touch in your bed, in the dark, with neither of you wearing pants… It was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. You didn’t know if you should hope for or avoid it. Logically, in the long run it would be better for your own well-being to not let yourself fall too hard for someone who only thought of you as a friend, so you chose the latter. You tried to give him plenty of space and hoped he didn’t notice your slinking away from him. He noticed.
“What’s wrong pretty girl? Scared to touch me?” he jokes. If only he knew the truth in his statement. You deny it with a curt head shake, and he shoots you an unimpressed look at the obvious lie. Knowing he wouldn’t drop it, you exhale a shaky breath and scooch more toward the center of the bed. He still persists though, and your mind short circuits when he leans in close to whisper, “If you’re not scared, how about you let me hold you?” 
He’s challenging you, and you’re not about to back down. You nod and roll over to face away from him before that little voice in your mind can tell you this is a bad idea. He wraps one of his arms around your torso- hand resting against the underside of your boob, his pelvis pressed firmly against your behind, and his leg found its way to be sandwiched between yours, thigh warm against your core. With the humiliating realization that there’s only a single layer of fabric between your growing wetness and his bare skin, you try to discreetly position yourself in a way where he might not be able to tell you’re practically dripping just from cuddling alone.
“Why are you squirming, baby?” he hums in your ear, breaking the silence in the room as he flattens his palm against the area just above your belly button and holds you tighter against himself. “Are you not comfortable?”
He’s not hard, but the thin materials of his and your underwear isn’t enough to stop you from feeling his length settle in between your ass cheeks. You hold back a moan and force out “I am comfortable, I just… Um…”
He props himself up on the arm that was previously under his head and scoots away just far enough that he can take your shoulder and roll you onto your back, urging you to look at him. The light of the streetlamps outside filter in through the thin slots of the blinds on your window and illuminate your face, allowing him to see you clearly. 
“Aw sweetie, you’re blushing so pretty for me,” he murmurs, bringing his hand up to stroke your cheek. With a start, you realize from the gleam in his eyes that he’s teasing you.
You angrily push his hand away and accuse him just that. He doesn’t even try to deny it. Throwing the blanket off of you, you sit up and glare at him. He simply says that he ‘couldn’t help it’, and that ‘you just kept getting cuter the more and more flustered you became’. 
“Is this a joke to you? I’m just some… some…” you struggle for the right words, clearly upset. “Some dumb girl for you to play around with when you know you have no intention of returning her feelings?” 
His teasing sneer immediately fades as he follows you into a sitting position. “No sweetheart. Believe me, I never saw you that way,” he promises, “You’re so important to me.”
Your annoyance dissipates, hope blossoming in your chest. “Do you swear?”
“On my guitar.” he replies, smiling with you when you let out a small chuckle. A moment of quiet passes, the both of you just looking at each other. His flirtatious tone returns as he lightly caresses your thigh and says, “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you, baby?”
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You’re brought back to the present when his hand on your bare thigh slipped underneath the hem of your baggy t-shirt and crept up the softness of your hips to pause at your waist.
“I could feel how hot you got against my thigh,” he whispers, dragging you closer to him then continuing the path of his hand upward until you could feel his calloused, guitarist fingertips along the underwire of your bra. “I could feel your pulse,” he practically growled, and you gasp out the air you were unconsciously holding, shocked by his statement. He pulls you closer even still, until you're nearly on his lap. His lips are almost touching your ear, and the hot breath released with his next words send a shiver straight through you. 
“Just say yes, baby. That’s all I need from you. A yes.” You turn to look at his eyes and see no trace of humor. 
“Yes.”
He removes his hand out from under your shirt so that he can take either side of your jaw. “If at any point you want me to stop, say the word and I will,” he tells you. Before you can question why you would ever want him to stop, he leans in and connects your lips.
The kiss is slow but firm, and you have to stop yourself from thinking about the women that frequent the Hideout on Tuesday nights, wondering if they have something to do with his supposed expertise. There’s no time for jealousy right now, not when Eddie’s brushing his tongue against your lower lip, wordlessly asking for entry. You grant permission, and when you feel the foreign muscle flexing next to your molars, you moan into his mouth. Eddie stops the kiss and laughs when that causes you to whine.
“Come here,” he says. “Straddle me.” So you do. 
Sitting astride his lap with your knees bent and tucked beneath you, you place your hands on his shoulders. His own hands slip underneath your shirt once more, palms pressed flat against your lower back as he kissed you again, sucking your bottom lip into his mouth, biting gently, and pulling away. You hear a quiet ‘plop’ noise as it snaps back into place. He starts kissing just below your jaw and navigates his hands to your sides, latching onto your waist. His grip tightens as he starts rocking you against himself. 
You gasp, feeling his dick harden. “Oh Eds-“ but cut yourself off with your hand to your mouth.
His kiss leaves your jaw and his touch leaves one side of your waist as he roughly pulls the guilty hand away from your mouth, holding it raised beside your head. “Don’t try to be quiet,” he demands with an authoritative tone. You’re surprised by the sudden ordering, but the domineering was not unwelcome. His expression lightens and he relaxes as he explains, “It’s just us here. Let me hear all the pretty noises you make. The ones I've been imagining every night for weeks.”
The confession startles you even more than the ordering. “You think of me at night?” He hums in confirmation, letting go of your hand. It stays frozen in the air though, the shock from the image of him touching himself and getting off to the thought of you causing your brain to go blank.
“At night,” he presses a kiss to your neck, “the morning,” one to your collarbone, “afternoon,” another to the small bit of shoulder he can get to from where your shirt slid down. He looks up, his nose brushes against yours. “When I'm watching TV, playing guitar, planning campaigns... all the time. You don’t know what you do to me.”
Hearing that he’s been feeling the way you’ve felt for years drives you crazy. You grab his face and kiss him greedily, groaning when you feel him smile against your mouth and pull away yet again. 
“I know you think about me too, babygirl. I know you’ve been thinking of me,” he accuses. Your embarrassment is ignored as he continues, “I see how you look at me. I see how your eyes bulge outta your head whenever my shirt rides up and you can see my happy trail.”
“What?” you yelp, “You knew you were turning me on?” He starts laughing, and presses his face into the crook of your neck. “Eds, I thought I was a perv! I felt dirty!”
His humor vanished abruptly. He raised his head and stared directly into your soul, before growling, “Oh, I can make you feel dirty.” A shiver went up your spine as he started rocking you against him again, “I can make you feel really dirty. Do you want me to, baby?”
“Please.”
He grins widely. “You begging sounds even better than I imagined. Keep moving your hips for me, okay?” His hands stop guiding your movements as they leave your waist to travel up your front, bunching the fabric as he groped your chest over your shirt. You moan wantonly and do as he says, grinding on his cock without any direction. 
“You’re doing such a good job, sweetheart,” he praises, “Good girl.” 
He’s never used that before. You’ve heard ‘pretty girl’, ‘babygirl’… never ‘good girl’. You like it. A lot. You never realized how much you wanted to be a good girl for Eddie. How much you wanted to be his good girl.
“Raise your arms,” he commands, and you obey without question. You hold still for him as he pulled your shirt off, but once the cool chill of your air conditioned bedroom finally hit your heated skin, you immediately continued grinding against him. Despite this, his nimble fingers were able to skillfully undo your bra, and he ripped it from your body like it was a personal offense. He quickly seized the opportunity to take one of your nipples into his warm, wet mouth. One hand found its way to the flesh of your ass, fingers digging in and probably leaving marks, while the other massaged the breast not being attacked by his tongue. Your movement grew desperate, hips aggressively meeting his as you threw your head back in pleasure and made ridiculous lewd noises that you never even knew you were capable of. After a while he switched sides, making sure to give the other nipple the same amount of attention. 
“Fuck, baby,” he moaned when his lips finally left your chest, “You’re so fucking beautiful.” He was mesmerized by the sight of your tits bouncing in his face as you humped him. Your vulgar wailing never stopped as his lips went on with their assault to the delicate skin of your neck, in fact it impossibly raised in volume. “I bet you could cum just like this, couldn’t you? Before I even get my hands on that pretty pussy.” You glanced down at him and nodded dumbly, lost in the feeling. “God, you're so responsive. No one’s ever made it feel this good before, huh?”
Your grinding stutters momentarily before picking back up again, and you look away, trying to keep your expression as unreadable as possible. His brows furrowed in confusion before it finally clicked. “Sweetheart,” he says, taking your waist and halting your movement, “you’ve never been with anyone else?”
You hesitate to answer. “Are you going to make fun of me if I say I haven't?”
His disbelief is palpable, but he shakes his head no anyway. “Of course not, silly. I just wish I had known. I got you doing all the work and it’s your first time.” He lifts you off of his lap, his voice going from comforting to seductive as he says, “Lay back for me, baby. I'm gonna make it good for you. I don't want you thinking about anything except for how amazing it feels, understand?”
You bit your lip and nodded, climbing the rest of the way off of him and laying down lengthwise on the bed as Eddie stood up. You expected to get on top, but to your surprise he instead cupped his hands under your armpits and manhandled you so that you were horizontal across the bed. He grabbed your hips and positioned them on the edge of the mattress, your legs hanging off the side, with knees bent and feet on the floor. Then, he got down on his knees in front of you.
You pushed yourself up just in time to see his awestruck face when he spread your thighs apart. “Jesus, baby,” he gushed, “you soaked through your panties.” You can't find it in yourself to be embarrassed when he presses the pad of his thumb to where your clit is under the fabric. Your elbows give way under you and you fall onto your back, moaning loud. One of your thighs involuntarily twitches, rising up above his head as your calf tucked in and your toes curled. “All worked up aren’t you? Poor thing. I’m sorry for making you wait so long.” He holds your already raised leg in place, then slides his hand under your other thigh, hoisting that one up as well. With both of your legs elevated, he dips his fingers under the elastic of your underwear. “Up,” he instructs.
You dig your heels into the edge of the mattress and use them as support so you can do as he says. Once your hips are off the bed, he slides the panties off and down. You lower yourself and lift your heels, and Eddie finally pulls the last of the clothing off of your body. He tosses the garment to the side, not caring where it lands. After your feet lowered to rest on the floor again, he took your knees in both hands and spread you wide open, putting your drenched folds on full display. He kissed his way up to the apex of your thigh and you tensed, preparing yourself for his first contact with your aching center, only for him to turn his head and repeat this gesture on the opposite side.
“Pl-please Eds,” you disturb his actions with a broken voice, head thrown back again, this time in frustration instead of pleasure. “Please touch me. Please. I can’t- I’m so- Fuck.” Desperate and pathetic, you grasp both of his hands in yours as you look back down at him. “I'm so horny, I think I might literally, actually explode,” you exaggerate. “Please make me cum. Please, I can't take it.” 
He stares back at you slack mouthed and expressionless as you finish shamelessly begging. Your eyes bore into his, absolutely pleading. Finally, he smirks and leans down to lick a single straight line directly up your pussy. You squeeze his fingers- letting out a relieved groan, and he finds it so sweet sounding that he wished he brought a tape recorder. 
“So good for me, telling me exactly what you need and asking so politely,” he praises as he frees one of his hands from yours and starts rubbing slow, lazy circles on your clit. “Such good manners. Behavior like that should be rewarded, don't you think?”
“Yes. Oh my god.” It’s dark in your room, what with it being nearly 4 in the morning and the only source of light still being what little is coming in through your blinds. It does cast a slight glow as it bounces off your walls though, so despite the darkness Eddie swears he can see glistening in your eyes as you carry on rambling aimlessly. “Oh my god, thank you. Please, Eds.”
Eddie truly did mean to stop teasing you and get on with it, but the sight of you being so desperate to cum that you were reduced to tears shocks him so much he goes still. You sob out pitifully as you let go of his other hand and throw both of your arms over your face, hiding in the crooks of your elbows. He almost feels bad, but he can’t deny the deep throbbing it causes in his lower region.
“Are you crying baby?” he asks as he begins rubbing his hands up and down your thighs as if trying to console you. “You’re crying for me? I got you that needy?” You start squirming on the bed, and your feet stomp on the floor behind him. 
“Watch it now,” he chastised, his hands stilling and his grip tightening, “Remember what we said about good behavior being rewarded? Throwing a temper tantrum will get you nowhere.” You removed your face from its hiding spot and threw your arms back dramatically on the space of the bed above you. Your eyes strain, trying to force your vision to work better in the dark, and you can just barely make out Eddie’s stern expression. His eyebrow raised, “You want to be my good girl right?”
You feel a tear roll down your cheek as you try and fail to keep your voice steady. “I do want to be your good girl! But I've been so patient-“
“I’ll decide when you’ve been patient,” he interrupts strictly, cutting off your complaining. You almost protest, but think better of it and say nothing. “Tell me who’s in charge,” he demands.
“You are,” you comply willingly, stopping your squirming, “You’re in charge. I’ll behave.”
He smiles and loosens his grip “There we go,” he goes back to rubbing your clit, this time faster, with more pressure. You let out a whimper, your moaning starting up again. “Now was that so hard? Since it’s your first time, I’ll forgive your little outburst. Be grateful I’m feeling nice.” He can almost make out the ‘thank you, thank you, thank you’s hidden in between your whines.
Pulling his thumb away, he puts his tongue to work. He massages your clit up and down and side to side, until coming to the conclusion that spirals get the best response out of you. “Oh, found the way you like it, did I?” he asks between licks, “Is this the way your fingers do it when you’re all alone and thinking about me?” 
You nod vigorously. Your eyes squeezed shut at some point, and you might draw blood with how hard you’re biting your lower lip. Reaching down, you comb your fingers through Eddie’s hair as he swirls his tongue in circles. Pretty soon, you are grasping at the bedsheets, heels dug into his shoulder blades, toes curling. You’re loud, but speaking no words. Your head is completely empty and all you can focus on in the coil inside of you growing tighter, and tighter, and tighter. Suddenly, you feel Eddie slide two fingers into you and curl them upwards. You gasp so hard you nearly choke.
He lifts his mouth from your clit, quickly moving to continue the motions with his thumb, the fingers on his other hand working their way in and out of you fast and hard. “You gonna cum for me, pretty girl?” 
You look down at him with pleading, teary eyes. “Can I?”
That response causes his actions to falter ever so slightly, then he carries on with even more force than before. His fingers speed up, pumping in and out of you and hitting you just perfectly in the right spot every time, and your moans get impossibly louder. “So well behaved for me, asking permission. Fuck babygirl. You can cum. Whenever you want to, you can cum.”
He returns his mouth to you and sucks in while circling his tongue. That was all it took for you to start spasming underneath him. You came so quickly after Eddie giving the okay that it was easy for him to tell you’d been holding it back for a while. He keeps his fingers inside of you during your climax, wanting to feel the way your walls tightened and clenched around them. The assault on your swollen clit never ceases, helping you to ride out your orgasm for as long as possible, and he only eased off when the sensitivity caused you to push him away. He pulls out his fingers and sucks them clean before standing and kissing his way up your trembling body as you struggle to catch your breath. Picking you up from under your armpits again, he drags you to the middle of the mattress, lays you longways, then lifts his knees onto the bed to crawl on top of you. When he sees your blissed out face he can’t help but kiss you, letting you taste yourself on his lips. In between pecks, he strokes your hair and whispers comforts like ‘I got you’ and ‘Breathe, sweetheart, you did so well’. After about 5 minutes, you begin to regain your composure slightly, or at least enough to look at Eddie and see the adoration in his eyes. The sincerity in his expression makes your stomach flip, and it honestly almost feels like a small wave of aftershocks. He kisses at your neck again, sucking and biting slowly as he starts grinding on your thigh. You glance down, face full of lust as your eyes travel past his tattoos and body hair, until finally settling on the impressively sized tent he was still sporting.
“I want to make you cum, too,” you proclaim as you slide your hand down his abdomen until you reach his boxers and lightly graze his bulge.
“Don’t worry sweetheart,” he says, taking your chin in his hand and pulling you into a slow kiss. “We’re not done yet. Just letting you have a little breather.”
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fruitzbasket · 1 year
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twiyor eden au headcanons 📚
• [redacted] adopted the name loid after imigrating to ostania with his mother, partly for assimilation reasons and partly because he wanted a fresh start. his mother changed her name as well so he wouldn't feel alone in that.
• loid achieved the highest score in eden's admission tests to date. there was quite a bit of opposition to him joining the prestigious school, but ultimately it was decided that a flow of students between both countries could be a good step toward peace. that's how the characters from westalis are accepted into eden.
• yor is not particularly academically gifted, but she's insanely physically gifted. an increasing number of sports trophies in eden's trophy room are only there because yor was part of the team. she excels at sports.
• no one really wants to approach a guy from westalis first and loid isn't particularly talkative. he keeps mostly to himself—until this girl in class speaks to him. apparently, the teacher paired them together for class. not that loid hears her at first, too fixated thinking she'sprettyshe'sreally pretty. they finish their activity without any issues, and yor admits that she's been wanting to approach him for weeks because he looked lonely on his own.
• franky is in a different class, fiona is his junior, and sylvia is his senior.
• yor herself doesn't have many friends (and the ones she does have aren't all that nice to her), so she can empathize with loid. while loid himself didn't feel lonely, he finds yor quite pleasant to be around. they quickly grow close.
• loid's favorite subjects are history and literature. yor's favorite subjects are pe and arts.
• yor's parents aren't home a lot of the time. she ends up going to loid's mom for advice/help.
• i've never had those so i'm not sure what they're called, but you know those classes where students learn how to take care of a household (as in, doing cooking, finance management, etc)? so, that's where loid finds out just how terrible yor is at cooking. he exchanges their dishes so she won't get scolded by their teacher. yor gets quite emotional about it and vows to do better.
• it's not uncommon for loid to bring cookies he's baked to yor. since they can't eat them during classes, they try to be subtle about it. it turns out they're great at being sneaky.
• yor's grades start improving after spending time with loid. in turn, loid is not as stressed anymore. they balance each other out.
• when he starts thinking of yor in a less platonic way, he does absolutely nothing about it. it's yor that holds his hand first. she pulled her hand away in 0.2 seconds, but she did it! he becomes a little braver after that. not much though. he might get kicked. it happened to some guy that confessed to yor, or so he heard.
• he thinks he might kiss yor during a summer school festival, but she almost passes out after eating from the same spoon as him.
• high-school age loid has real beef with middle-school age yuri. it's a little embarrassing for him.
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maplebellsmods · 11 months
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Nursing Home Mod
Get ready for new gameplay for the elder life stage. Now your Sims can make the tough decisions when it comes to their elder. Say goodbye to the days of worrying about your elders' well-being, because nursing homes are now a viable option for their care.
This mod will need to tap into your sims imagination because I didn't want to make it too invasive. So when you believe your elders need specialized support, it's time to explore the world of nursing homes. This mod lets you dive into a variety of options, each with its own unique vibe, price, and perks. Whether you're looking for a swanky senior living community or a cozy, nurturing atmosphere, three options will be available. You can start by taking a look at the different nursing home options.
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There are a few ways to go about sending you elder away to the nursing home. First of all, you can fill out an interest form and you will receive a call from a representative.
There are three nursing homes to choose from:
Green Tea Home Care - $1,250 simoleons a week
Du Pondersoa - $4,000 simoleonsa week
Desert Palms -   $10,000 simoleons a week
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Nursing Home Order
If you decide a nursing home would be the best option for your elder sim the next steps would be to, get an order from the physician. You can do this by scheduling a meeting with the physician. Once your sim is at the meeting they will be able to choose from a wide list of symptoms the elder may have. Now this is where you will use your imagination and pick the option that would fit best with your game.
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Your sim may also really want to send the elder to a nursing home, for reasons that may or may not be malicious. They have the option to bribe the physician for pretty large sum of money. This could make the physician lean more toward giving your sim the nursing home order. 
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If the nursing home order hasn't been issued, but this was not the outcome you wanted you should read the section below. But, if the nursing home order has been issued you can move on to the next step. (Keep in mind these steps are not dependent on one another. You can do them in any order you would like.)
Finances 
Finances are an important part of figuring out how your sim will pay for the nursing home. There are three options to choose from: 
Medicare: You will qualify for Medicare if your household funds are under 30,000 simoleons
VA Benefits: If your sim was a veteran they will be applied to apply for this (There aren't any actual conditions for it because this would make strangerville a requirement for the mod and elders who you created and have no history wouldn't qualify even if you imagined this history for them.)
Self Pay/Private Pay: Self Explanatory 
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Permission
Finally, you will need to get permission from the elders themselves because you cannot just force them into a nursing home against their will... unless they aren't able to make that decision anymore based on their mental health. In that case, you would need documentation from the health care provider letting the nursing home know that the elder is unable to make these decisions on their own and will need assistance. 
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But if you don't have this document you will need to ask for permission. You will get different responses from doing this. Ranging from positive to negative.
After you've completed all of the necessary steps you can submit your application and will soon receive a response from the nursing home. 
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After you, the nursing home will call your sim and let them know about the outcome. Then your sim will finally be able to send the elder to the nursing home. When you send them away make you are ready because the first payment is deducted immediately after they are admitted. 
After that you will automatically pay every week, based on your financing and nursing home option the payments will differ.
Your sims can visit the elder during specific visiting hours and they may all feel different about seeing their loved one in a nursing home. 
If your sim does change their mind about the nursing home they can withdraw the elder. They will return home. This would be useful in cases where your sim cannot pay any more, want to explore the other options or just misses them.
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Does this mod require any DLC?
No, it does not.
What else do I need for the mod?
Lumpinou's Mood Pack Mod, so it is required for the mod to work properly.
You can get her mod here.
If you already have it great! But make sure it's up to date.
Questions and concerns you might have?
I didn't get the nursing home order 
If you didn't get a nursing home order, you can wait 24 hours for the results to reset, and then try again you may get a nursing home order.
The elder keeps refusing the nursing home request
You have to wait a few hours before the interaction shows up again. But another household member can also ask and maybe the elder will be more willing to listen to them. 
I don't want to ask for permission 
If you don't want to ask for permission then make sure you select, the "memory loss or confusion" option when the doctor asks you for symptoms. 
I'm being charged twice
Make sure you only select ONE payment option. If you choose something you regret you can withdraw the elder from the nursing home. Another option is if you have mc command center you can use cheats to remove the buff where you chose the financing option. 
Some of this information is inaccurate
I was trying to be somewhat close to how it goes in real life, I did a lot of research about this and made the decisions I thought would suit the game best. I still may have gotten some stuff wrong and I apologize if I did.
I'm experiencing some weird bugs!
Let me know, please.
Report it here: Mod Bug Report
Public: 18/06/23
Download: Here
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flock-talk · 6 months
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Everybody wants baby birds but what most don’t realize is that baby birds are not an accurate representation of what their adult form will be like.
Around 2 years old birds begin to mature and switch from being malleable complacent babies to individuals with strict boundaries. This is the most common time for parrots to be rehomed as they appear to suddenly become aggressive, experience major mood swings, and become very difficult to manage.
Past that point most birds will begin to stabilize as they become better at managing their hormonal swings and establish solid behavioural foundations!
Adopting older birds means that you get to meet them at their adult stage, you don’t have to deal with the sudden hormonal flip and you get a true picture of what this bird will be. Their selectiveness, preferences, and personalities are already established which makes it so much easier for you to tell if a certain bird will work for you. Babies on the other hand will seem like they’re a good fit and then suddenly flip flop in to adulthood which could result in a bird that’s no longer a good fit for your home.
To top this off there’s things like genetic health conditions which can stay hidden until later in life, an older bird may already be presenting symptoms which ensures they’re able to go to a home that can financially support their medical needs.
Parrots also have an extensively long life to live, even if a bird is 20 years old in the rescue they can still have another 50 years to go depending on the species. Smaller birds usually having another 10-15 years to go by the time they’re in shelters. And they definitely can be just as active and energetic in to their senior years!
Genuinely, older birds are far easier to bring in to your home and raise than baby birds, they’re far more predictable, and it’s so so so much easier to tell if they’re truly going to work in your household long-term.
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didilysims · 1 year
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Pine Lake Farewell: Ruben
Silas became a highly successful business-sim, yet was always bitter that he had never made it into Science. He built a lab in his basement, but never had as much time to pursue it as a hobby as he would have liked, due to his other commitments with career, family business, and army of children.
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Sarah was also in business, but quit to focus on raising her children. With her staying home full-time, Silas saw no need for a Servo anymore, and had Tik-Tok dismantled.
Nathaniel the animal lover spent most of his free time over at Auntie Sophronia’s and eventually took a job as her assistant until taking over the shelter as an adult. He and Erika Swain had mutual crushes but never acted on them, and he wound up dating Francesca Jane Worthington-Rai instead.
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Sebastian grew up quietly in the shadow of his much friendlier brother, and was quite happy for Nate to get all the attention. Somehow he caught the eye of the far more outgoing Elise Frost, and the unlikely pair are going strong. Silas wishes his son would find somesim more prestigious like his brother did, but isn’t excessively vocal about the situation.
Roderick grew up to be very business-minded and plans to study economics. Although the family business is promised to his sister, he doesn’t mind, and is excited at the prospect of starting something new to build from the ground up.
Josephine is the tinkerer and most interested in machines, much like her grandmother, Jane. She also inherited her great-uncle’s athleticism, though and an interest in history learns her toward exercising in martial arts and ancient weaponry. She found the scrap-pile of the family’s erstwhile Servo and has been trying to figure out how to put him back together.
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Uncle Josh died peacefully at the seniors home, mercifully before seeing Tik-Tok disassembled. He was mourned by friends and family, but especially his girlfriend Eowyn.
Martin lived slightly longer than his older brother, making sure to visit his grandchildren regularly, and be sure that they were all taking their vitamins and a healthy dose of comfort soup during flu season.
Cordelia moved into a suite of her own and turned to serial dating to—in her words—make up for lost time and experiences. She suffered a major demotion at work, followed shortly by a breakdown and general feeling of unfulfillment. She took a vacation to Takemizu Village and met a mysterious old man who advised her to discover herself first. Coming home, she swore off dating for one season and saw a therapist. That season led her to find out more about who she was on her own, which led to another season of singleness and self-awareness...although she did adopt a puppy to keep her company. She moved to the city and found a new position at a bigger publishing house, eventually working her way up to senior editor. She occasionally called up her siblings to say hello but never visited Pine Lake again.
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Sophronia happily remained at the animal shelter all her life. Even when her nephew took over running the place, she worked part-time to make sure every furry, feathered, and finned friend got plenty of love and attention. Dating somesim new remained her number one source of off-hour fun, and even in her old age she managed to find plenty of first-datees. She occasionally visited her daughter, when remembering her existence, and always laughed when William tried to lecture her.
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soul-controller · 1 year
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Dad, Be Careful What You Wish For...
Ever since she was born, Brooke wanted nothing more than to gain her father Brad’s approval and love. Even from a young age, she was aware of the fact that she wasn’t the child he had expected. He was seemingly dead-set on having a son, so despite the confirmation of his wife being pregnant with a girl, he still set up a more masculine bedroom for his first child. No matter how hard he tried though, he was unable to make Brooke as athletic and manly as he desired… and he was quite pissed about that. 
Whenever his wife would work a night shift, Brad would force his daughter to watch ESPN with him while making sure to share his anger with his young daughter after having a few too many beers. “I really wish that you had been a boy,” he would say with a drunken slur, “I’d rather have no child than some bratty little girl”. Of course, these statements only furthered Brooke’s own shame in regards to her gender. 
This wasn’t the only sexism that Brad displayed though, as his wife was forced to subscribe into conventional gender roles (such as making dinner and doing all of the chores around the house) while actually working two jobs to provide for the family. No matter how hard she tried to fight back and assert herself, Brad was quick to dismiss her and knock her down a few pegs. As such, it wasn’t a surprise that she finally got up the courage to divorce Brad and flee from the state. While Brooke totally understood why her mom left, there was still some resentment felt as she was now forced by her father to pick up the slack and do those household chores for the family. 
No matter how hard she tried to be athletic though to win some approval from her father, she was never able to make it onto the basketball or cheerleading teams as her lack of hand-eye coordination consistently prevented her from ever making the final cut. Luckily for Brooke though, some relief from Brad’s constant athletic-related torment came when Braeden and Brighton were born when she was 6. The twin brothers were able to be easily molded into the athletic jocks that Brad had always wanted to help create, which was made especially clear as the trio sat in the living room watching sports and cheering while Brooke was forced to clean up their messes and keep the house looking clean. 
This fact was even more of a devastating blow as she made it through high school and found herself constantly coming face-to-face with old photos of her father plastered at the school’s athletic hall of fame display. With so many sad and pathetic try-outs under her belt, it had become clear to her that this innate ability to play sports wasn’t something that she had inherited from her father. Instead of putting her body through an intense workout in a gym or on a court though, she did end up finding a favorite pastime that kept her interest. Almost every day after school, she would head to her local library and study countless topics to keep her mind constantly learning new and interesting information. Despite this interest though, her father certainly didn’t approve and constantly ridiculed her for being a “pathetic wimp”. As such, it wasn’t much of a surprise that she felt constantly ashamed to be the daughter of such a well-renowned jock. 
Even as she moved on to a local community college, she couldn’t escape hearing about the impressive senior twins at the nearby high school who were surely both on their way towards a full ride athletic scholarship anywhere they wanted. Due to the constant praise about her siblings while she remained completely ignored by both the city and her family, it wasn’t much of a surprise that she felt constantly ashamed to be the nerdy daughter of such a well-renowned athletic family. In fact, she had grown so depressed that she almost always fell asleep wishing that her life could change for the better. 
One day after arriving home after some classes at the college, the 23-year-old was feeling especially upset due to the fact that news had broken that her twin brothers had not only won a full-ride scholarship for their sports abilities, but they also decided to attend her dream school. Upon dropping her bag onto the floor, Brooke felt completely exhausted and emotionally broken. So as soon as she fell back into her bed, Brooke allowed a few tears to run down her cheeks as she slowly cried herself to sleep. As she drifted off into unconsciousness, there were so many thoughts running through her head. She wanted so badly to be respected by her father and brothers, her mind couldn’t help but feel intense rage towards them. Just because she was some average girl not gifted with insane athletic ability didn’t make her useless! “I wish I had been a boy,” she slowly said under her breath, the last words she spoke before finally falling asleep. Unknown to her, the universe heard every thought and word that she muttered and began to help her achieve her dreams and fulfill her wishes… 
* * * * * 
As the early morning chimes of an alarm rang out in Brooke’s bedroom, a hand was quick to come out from under the covers and turn it off. But instead of Brooke’s pale and dainty arm coming out of the sheets, a tanned, buff, and hairy arm was what quickly slammed down onto the clock. As this same arm ripped away the covers and sat up in the bed, it soon became that the former Brooke had become replaced with an absolute hunky stud of a man. Instead of golden blonde hair and an average-looking face, this new brown-haired individual was graced with modelesque features and impressive facial hair. Even as the man widely yawned aloud and stretched out his arms, he still looked absolutely gorgeous while doing it. Upon rubbing his eyes a few times, the man finally got himself out of bed and started to make his way towards the bathroom. As he passed the threshold of the doorway, he quickly closed the door and flicked on the bathroom light. 
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While waiting for the shower water to warm up, the man took the opportunity to check himself out in the mirror. It was at this point where it soon became clear that the body of a formerly meek and nervous woman was gone besides one remnant - their shared deep brown eyes.
Besides that though, the man standing in the mirror was a far cry from the woman she used to be. But for the original girl who had made that tearful wish, she had no way of knowing what had happened to her as her mind was also completely transformed. Instead of the name Brooke, the only name that came to mind was Brock, which was most certainly befitting of a bonafide stud like him. His body was the most noticeable difference as his average and slightly toned physique was blessed overnight with incredible musculature: biceps, pecs, and abs that surely would have taken years of hard work. But in his mind, he had undergone all of that hard work as memories conjured up reminded Brock of his upbringing.
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From as soon as he could walk, Brock was a naturally athletic and active man. Throughout his childhood, he played countless sports and still found himself eager for more. It was a bit of a chore for his mother to drive him to every possible game and tournament, but she was still willing to do it for her own child’s happiness. Luckily, the man soon found the perfect area to tire himself out: the gym. As soon as he was given a gym membership for his 14th birthday, Brock practically lived there whenever he wasn’t at school or at practice. 
Along with these memories, Brock also learned more about the new relationship he had with his father. For years, they had been incredibly close, but as Brock continued to mature and grow bigger and bigger, some strain emerged in their relationship. Clearly, Brad was intimidated by his son’s physique as he grew bigger than he had ever been, but nothing left him angrier than his son’s success in all of the same sports that he played in high school. One-by-one, Brock found himself beating his father’s long-held records to the point where the high school’s athletic hall of fame display was primarily composed of photos of Brock’s young jock self. Due to this, their relationship had this one-sided beef due to Brad’s intense jealousy. However, this shifting in personality made it so Brock loved that jealousy as he loved getting under his dad’s skin. In fact, there were many memories that even involved him taunting his dad by calling him “short stuff” or stating that he was looking smaller than usual. In many ways, these little jabs against his father only pushed him to get bigger and hunkier than his father ever could be! 
When it came to his other memories regarding his family, the relationship he had with his brothers seemed to be rather standard. Given his status as the buff older brother, there wasn’t a moment that went by where he wasn’t tormenting them in clear displays of his power (both physically and mental). Whenever they were distracted, Brock loved nothing more than sneaking up on them and pulling them into a headlock. It was always humorous to watch them struggle against the bulge of his bicep and dampness of his armpits, so even when they begged him to stop, Brock refused to ruin the fun he was having. 
While he was certainly enjoying his trip down memory lane, the steam billowing above the shower curtain told Brock that it was finally time to get washed up. So upon stripping out of his clothes, he took a moment to admire his muscular ass and above-average cock before stepping in and washing every inch of his broad and buff body. 
Once he had headed back to his bedroom and got dressed, he wasted no time grabbing onto his gym bag and making his way down to the kitchen. The area was rather hectic as Brock’s brothers were making a racket while Brad sat in the adjoined living room drinking coffee and watching ESPN. To Brock, this worked to his advantage though as he took the opportunity to sneak up on Braeden and do his usual headlock gag. 
“Pfft, Brock stop!” Braeden attempted to say, only to be stopped by finding his face coming face-to-face with Brock’s still slightly damp armpit. Chuckling as his young brother flailed in search of an escape, the buff older brother finally let go of Braeden and watched him fall back away from him. “Gosh bro, why do you always have to do this shit?” Braeden angrily said, trying to be intimidating but clearly failing due to his smaller build. 
“Because it’s funny when you whine like a bitch afterwards,” Brock said with a smirk, slugging his brother lightly in the shoulder before making his way over to the kitchen counter. Upon arriving, the stud began to instinctively make his usual morning protein shake before he headed off to the gym. Throughout this entire process, the two brothers were doe-eyed while talking to their brother. Clearly, despite his torment they still admired him and aspired to be as big as him one day. It was a pleasing thought to Brock as well, especially as he’s always desired to have the most respect out of anyone else in the room at all times. 
“So, when do you think you’ll finally let us be in one of your videos?” Brighton asked, trying his best to evoke puppy dog eyes while asking the same age-old question to his brother. Ever since he was 16, Brock had created social media accounts that documented his muscle growth and various routines. To his surprise though, his account “brocktherock” went super viral around his 18th birthday due to his hunkiness and affinity towards thirst trap videos, which quickly turned him into an overnight sensation. Before long, Brock had dropped out of college to embrace his workout dreams by turning his account into something that shared both knowledgeable workout tips and tricks along with consistent thirst trap material that always brought more people into his sizable following. 
With the creation of this “brocktherock” brand, this allowed him to quickly become quite wealthy from all of the brand deals, modeling gigs, and offers to pay for personal training he received. Although he still lived in his childhood home, the 26-year-old hunk was thinking strategically by living off of his father’s hard work and saving his cash until he could fully move out and buy a full place of his own. 
Returning back to the question posed, Brock shook his head and delivered the same response. “I don’t think you’re ready yet bud, maybe when you’re a bit bigger!” he said, cushioning the blow with a slight pat on the 18-year-old’s shoulder and a flash of his pearly white smile. As he turned off the blender and transferred the drink into one of his workout bottles, Brock quickly grabbed his bag and began to head towards the front door. 
Upon seeing his father though, Brock stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards him. “Hey, just wanted to let you know I’m heading to the gym to film another video. Gotta make sure to document all of these gains!” he said, chuckling to himself as Brad stared at him with intense fury in his eyes. But just as he began to move back towards the door, Brock stopped himself to give one final jab towards his father. “Hey pop, are you looking smaller than usual? I know it’s hard to stay buff at your age, but if you ever want any tips, I’m more than liking to help train you!” he smugly said, lifting up a bicep and flexing before finally making his exit from the house. 
While Brooke hadn’t intended for her wish to turn her into a shift into a buff stud even cockier than her dad and brothers, it was most definitely a necessary transformation. No more would she ever feel ignored or disrespected, especially when it came to her dad and brothers. The brothers adored Brock and essentially worshiped the ground he walked on while Brad was filled to the brim with jealousy and anger. He had always wanted a son to be athletic and hunky like him, but he never could have imagined that he could have ever created someone that was even more attractive and bigger than him!
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zeroeightzeroone · 5 months
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can't love you anymore - lee minho
genre: angst
pairings: non-idol!lee minho x gender neutral reader
warnings: one mention of alcohol
notes: if this looks familiar, it was originally posted to my secondary blog @zerothreetwentyfive so i'm republishing everything here on my main blog.
wc ~1.2k | moodboard
。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 。 。・:*:・゚★,。・:
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minho: hey, i'm gonna be there later than we planned the senior coworkers invited me out for drinks, you know i can't risk saying no to them sorry baby
the messages left you feeling indifferent.
in all honesty, you didn't really care that he would be coming later than planned; considering that this wouldn't be the first time pre-organized plans needed to be postponed or cancelled. by either of you.
of course, the disappointment had set in the first couple of times but eventually, it happened so often that it was to be expected. whether it be on the day of or a couple of hours before, a text or call would be incoming to the other's phone: both methods contained an explanation followed by a short apology. a brief "that's okay" or something similar in response.
you: it's fine get here safely later
minho: thank you baby, i'll see you later
it's become glaringly obvious that both of you were increasingly growing tired of the half-hearted apologies and the effortless responses that followed.
minho: i love you
you: i love you too
sometimes you found yourself wondering when your relationship started to feel like a chore.
when did exchanging words of affection become a part of the routine?
the words "i'm sorry" and "i love you" felt like more of a formality, the appropriate and go-to response between you two. the significance the words once held only faded into obscurity. the hints of remorse and urge to reconcile were gone, the words of affection and dedication now devoid of any meaning, falling flat when uttered. 
as usual, you choose to disregard those fleeting thoughts, using the hours before minho arrives to straighten out and clean up your apartment: throwing clothes into the washer and dryer, changing the sheets and cleaning whatever you saw fit.
at the same time you were trekking around through the unit looking for things to occupy yourself, minho found himself sitting in a grilled meat restaurant. the man seated surrounded by senior coworkers from different departments, the table full of a variety of meat cuts, side dishes and alcohol.
once all your household tasks are completed, you make your way into the living room and switch on the lights to illuminate the apartment unit. you settle down onto the couch, positioned next to the large windows, resting your cheek against your palm as you take in the view of the city.
the sky is slowly beginning to darken as the sun sets behind the skyline, your pointer finger tracing the droplets of rain trickling down the opposite side of the glass pane. the gentle pitter-patter of the raindrops and the pleasant aroma permeating through the crack of the opened window create a soothing environment within your apartment.
a series of soft vibrations captures your attention, drawing your gaze from the window to your phone. you pick it up from the couch armrest as the screen illuminates:
incoming call: minho
accepting the call, you bring the phone up to your ear.
"hello?" you speak into the microphone, "where are you?"
minho slips into the car and you hear the sound of rain-soaked cars and city chatter through his microphone. you catch a bit of his conversation with the cab driver before the door slams.
"i'm in a cab," he finally replies, another set of murmurs directed to the driver before his attention is back on you, "where are you?"
"i'm at home."
"okay, good. i told the driver to go there," minho's voice is dull, laced with exhaustion as he stares out the foggy windows of the taxi.
"are you sure?" you remove the phone from your ear, glancing at the time, "it's almost… 11pm, and it's raining like crazy outside."
"i'll be fine," minho brushes you off, "i'm already on the way."
suddenly you hear the man gasp.
"what? what's going on?"
minho's phone had dropped from his hold, landing next to him.
the impact had travelled through the microphone resulting in a thud on your end, followed by the sound of frantic movement. on the other end of the line, minho is patting down his coat, and his pants; focusing on the pocketed areas, before hurriedly flipping through his bag.
"shit," minho curses, "sir-"
"what's going on, minho?" you ask, even though he can't hear you.
the device is still resting next to him on the seat. your nosiness gets the best of you as you press the phone closer, as if that would help you hear any better.
"i'm so sorry but…" the rest of minho's sentence is inaudible, rendering you unable to decipher the conversation he's having with the driver.
you hear the car screech right before minho picks the phone up again, holding it up to his ear.
"what happened?" you wonder, brows knit together in confusion.
"i left my wallet at the bar," minho grumbles, "didn't realize 'till we drove away so we gotta go back.… hopefully it's still there." 
minho whispers the last part to himself, running a frantic hand through his hair.
"anyway, i'll be there soon," he clears his throat.
an audible sigh leaves your lips and travels down the line, prompting minho to say:
"i'm sorry."
"hmm…?" you hum, "for what?"
"just–" he pauses, thinking for a moment before continuing, "everything..."
you're wracking your brain to think of what to respond to minho, the apology catching you off guard.
it felt different.
the way he apologized was different from before.
this time it had meaning and intention behind it. you understood what he meant by "everything" without the need of any further explanation.
"just… go home minho," you breath out, "get your wallet and go home."
you don't have to say anything else.
there's no need to stand firm on your word as minho doesn't ask if you're sure, he doesn't insist on coming over.
instead, the line falls quiet. neither of you utter a word or make a move to break the connection.
you both just sit on the line silently.
the air between you and minho is uncomfortable and suffocating. leading minho to think the cab driver's picked up on the tense atmosphere as he clears his throat, fingers tapping on the wheel.
what a perfect time to be caught in traffic.
much like your plans, the end had been postponed and cancelled countless times.
you hoped to salvage what once was but every kiss, hug, and touch became meaningless.
"oh, hey–" your voices are low, barely even whispers as you and minho choose to break the silence at the same time.
your faces burning up as you both stammer, pushing the other to speak first.
"sorry…you first," you whisper.
"no, no. you."
you're sitting with your knees drawn up to your chest. in the cab, minho sits with his legs spread, tapping his fingers rhythmically on his thigh. his eyes blink slowly in anticipation.
"i– uh… never mind."
"no, what is it?"
"i don't think we're in love anymore."
there it is.
that one sentence changes everything, saying everything you both needed to, no further explanation is needed.
you both sit on the line as the silence makes an appearance in the atmosphere once again, only this time it's different; it's still, comforting, void of the suffocating weight it once had a few moments ago.
meanwhile, the storm outside progressively gets worse as the minutes pass. inevitably, the rain picks up, leaving you both with those last moments of silence in each other's presence before the signal cuts off.
the connection was lost.
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growingstories · 8 months
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Baseball
Once upon a time, in the bustling world of professional baseball, there was a player named Mason Donovan. Known for his handsome looks and his ability to hit home runs like nobody else, Mason was a sensation on and off the field. His career was marked by numerous successes and accolades, making him a household name in the sports industry.
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However, as Mason reached the age of 35, the toll of multiple injuries began to weigh heavily on his body. His once agile form was now tired and battered. It was clear to him that his professional baseball days were numbered, and he made the difficult decision to retire from the demanding sport.
After bidding farewell to the rigorous life of a professional athlete, Mason found solace in indulging himself. He gained some weight, as he no longer needed to maintain a strict fitness regimen. Parties, lavish dinners, and the allure of celebrity life captivated him. Gradually, Mason grew accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle and reduced his physical activities significantly.
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Years passed, and with every passing season, Mason's weight continued to increase. It became the norm for him and his teammates at the local club where he now played in a senior, less active position. They would all gather after practice and games, relishing in the camaraderie as they shared beer and snacks together.
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Attempts to transition back to a more active position proved futile for Mason. His body had become too heavy, hindering his ability to run as he once did. Yet, against all odds, he found contentment in his circumstances. The once dynamic athlete had transformed into a jovial, larger-than-life character who reveled in his newfound happiness.
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Mason's vast fortune afforded him a life of luxury and celebrity encounters. He made many genuine friendships with his teammates in the local club, who admired his infectious spirit and zest for life. There was never a shortage of romantic partners either, as his charismatic persona and charming looks attracted women from all walks of life. His sex life remained vibrant, although he often preferred to lay on his back during intimate moments due to his weight.
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As the years wore on, Mason's weight seemed to have no limits. There were no signs of him stopping his gradual ascent on the scale, he yet remained blissfully unconcerned. He loved his life, with all its excess andes the pleasure it brought him. Mason had achieved great success on the baseball field, earned millions, and now relished in the simple joys of his less demanding lifestyle.
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And so, Mason Donovan continued his journey through life, growing bigger and bigger in physical size. His weight gain became a testament to his happiness, a symbol of a life well-lived. He had found contentment amidst the comforts of fame, fortune, and an accepting community. As he smiled, the world smiled back at him, for he had lived his life on own his terms and embraced the joys that came with it.
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peachy-panic · 1 month
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Companion, pt. 2
A (slightly delayed) follow up to this chapter. Jaime & Sebastian add another member to their little makeshift household.
WARNINGS: The usual BBU stuff, animal shelter setting, collars, mentions of past foster care, anxiety, but mostly good things happening here.
The animal shelter they chose is in the heart of the city. Their website mentioned that they often deal with overpopulation, since it’s the biggest one in the area, so Sebastian thought they might have the most positive impact by adopting from them. They have a list of available animals with photos that they update daily, but Jaime turned down Sebastian’s offer to look through them.
He doesn’t tell him that swiping through a catalog of strays, deciding their fate behind the comfort of a computer screen, feels too much like how a prospective Keeper might shop for their Companion. How someone once shopped for him.
They make a plan to go on Saturday morning, and Jaime spends the rest of the week quietly stewing in an unnamed anxiety. He doesn’t bring it up—not when Sebastian talks excitedly about pet toys he found online over dinner, not when his nerves cut into his ability to fall asleep at night, and certainly not when he is buckled into the passenger seat, watching the big, yellow bridge that leads into downtown come into view. 
The building itself is large but sparse, all cement-gray walls and scuffed floors and signs of age that reflect a probable lack of funding. As they walk through the main hallway, flanked by rows of doors and cages, Jaime thinks that it reminds him a little of the training facility. He keeps that to himself, too. 
There is a volunteer—a young woman with her hair in a bun and a stain on her shirt—showing Jaime and Sebastian around. 
“The dogs are back this way,” she says. “Green tags on the doors are puppies under six months. Yellow tags mean they can be a little jumpy around people, red equals not good matches for homes with young children. Blue tags mean they’re seniors. Those are usually the ones that have been with us the longest.”
Jaime tries hard not to think about what happens to the senior dogs that overstay their welcome. 
“Cats are on this side,” she continues, pointing to her left. “We just ask that you wash your hands if you enter one of the playrooms, and avoid direct contact with any red tags. Any questions?”
Sebastian looks at Jaime, who tenses slightly at the attention but shakes his head. 
“I think we’re all good.” Sebastian says. 
She smiles. “Just let us know if you have any questions.”
With a nod, they set off down the hall on their own, Jaime sticking close to Sebastian’s heels. 
“So,” Sebastian says, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets. “Anywhere in particular you want to start? Young? Old? Big? Small?”
Jaime looks around at all the cages, suddenly overwhelmed—by the decision, by the sharp whines and barks for attention, by the closeness of the other prospective adopters, by the sad, watchful eyes of the animals as people pass them by. By the collars fastened around their necks, reminding Jaime of the weight of his own, the visibility of it peeking up through the dip in the sweatshirt neckline. Absently, he touches the warm metal with his fingertips. 
Sebastian seems to sense his discomfort, because he eases back. “You know what? Maybe we just take a lap or two and see what happens,” he says. “Maybe there will be an instant connection.”
They start with a black lab with a green tag on his cage door, who instantly jumps up and tries to paw at them when Sebastian sinks into a crouch.
“Well, aren’t you full of energy?” Sebastian’s voice lifts into a high sing-song tone when he speaks to the dogs, and the surprise of it is so endearing that it momentarily pulls Jaime from his inward spiral. “Only five months old,” he says to Jaime.
Against his wishes, memories of a long lost life in foster care rise to the surface. Jaime had been old enough when he entered to know that his chances of finding a family to adopt him were low, and only getting lower with each passing birthday.
“I’m sure she’ll be very popular,” Jaime says.
“Yeah,” Sebastian agrees, sticking his finger through one of the holes in the grate so that the puppy can sniff him. “You’ll find a home in no time, sweet girl.”
They move past a few more cages, Sebastian seemingly thrilled with the prospect of bringing any one of them home, but Jaime’s anxiety only grows. It’s when they come upon a cage with a golden labrador puppy—one that looks a little too similar to the fading image he has of a puppy from his childhood—that he reaches a breaking point. 
He takes a few steps away—not so far as to wander away from Sebastian’s watch, but a couple of doors down the row. Jaime takes slow, deep breaths as he looks down at the sleeping dog in the kennel in front of him, trying to imagine her laying on Sebastian’s living room rug. Trying not to imagine what it might look like to feed her every day, to brush her, to walk her, to love her, and then to leave her behind in six months when Jaime is called back to the facility. 
Sebastian doesn’t seem to mind Jaime’s straying, so he allows himself the space, moving slowly along the row of animals. He makes it all the way to the end of the hall when a flash of movement catches his eye. At the corner, secluded away from the glass-walled play rooms, is a singular cage with a black cat inside. The flash of movement he saw, it seems, was the cat’s abrupt recoil from a pair of reaching hands.
“Don’t put your fingers in the cage!” A young mother scolds, grabbing her child’s wrist and pulling him back from the cage. “You’re going to get bit.”
The kid gies a grumble of complaint but moves onto the next door quickly, not sparing a look back at the cage. Jaime watches as the black cat shrinks even further behind a wadded up blanket, pressing herself to the back corner of the cage, where no one can reach. Her bright, green eyes scan the area, back and forth, watching for invaders. She doesn’t look aggressive, Jaime thinks. She looks scared. 
Without realizing it, Jaime has taken a step toward the cage. He sees both a blue and a yellow tag on the door and tries to remember what the codes mean. On a small slip of paper at the top of the cage, the name “Bella” is written out in sharpie. 
“Hi Bella,” he whispers, barely audible. “You’re okay.”
Slowly, broadcasting the movement as much as he can, he lifts a hand and places the tip of his finger just at the edge of the cage; not enough to intrude the walls of her space, but hopefully enough to be a show of invitation. Bella looks at his finger for a long few seconds, then up at his eyes. Stupidly, Jaime smiles, like it might soften her to him.  
“Pretty eyes, right?”
The sudden voice startles him, even more for the fact that it isn’t Sebastian’s. He pulls his hand away like it was burned and turns to find another young woman with a volunteer shirt on. 
“Sorry,” he says automatically.
“No need,” she says, then nods her head toward the cage. “I think you’ve got her attention.” 
Jaime looks back at the cage and finds that the cat has taken a few steps out from her hiding spot, a curious nose pointed where Jaime’s finger had been. Carefully, darting a quick look at the woman for approval, Jaime lifts his hand again. This time, the cat only stares at it for a few seconds before she bumps her nose against his skin. A breath of a laugh startles out of him. 
“That’s the most contact she’s had with anyone on her own terms,” the girl says. “She must like you.”
“Can I ask…?” Jaime starts then hesitates. The woman's gaze dips, almost unwittingly, to Jaime’s throat. He watches something flash across her expression before she schools it with a neutral look. 
“You can ask me,” she tells him. 
“Why is she in a cage by herself? Away from the other cats?”
“She’s FIV+.”
Jaime glances back at the cat. “She’s sick?”
The woman nods. “It’s an immunodeficiency virus. There’s no cure for it, but it’s entirely possible for cats to live full, happy lives with it. But it’s best that she goes to a home with no other cats.”
“I think he… My…” Jaime clears his throat. “I think he is looking for a dog.”
She presses her lips into a thin line. “I see.”
As if summoned, Sebastian appears at his shoulder. “Oh, look at this cutie!”
Jaime tries to conceal his startled jump. “Her name is Bella,” he says quietly. 
“Look at her,” Sebastian croons, crouching beside the cage but not attempting to make contact. “She’s a love bug.”
“She’s actually quite shy,” the woman says, taking the smallest nudge of a step in front of Jaime to stand between them. “I was just telling him how he must be special to win her over so quickly.”
Sebastian’s first instinct is to shoot Jaime a smile. He stands slowly, knees cracking, and says, “I can’t say I’m surprised.” Then, to Jaime, he adds, “I didn’t know you were a cat person.”
“I’ve never had one,” he says honestly. 
“Hmm.” Sebastian turns back toward the cat, studying her for a few long seconds before he says, “Do you like her?”
Jaime blinks, letting his hand slowly drop to his side. In his periphery, he sees Bella raise a paw to tap impatiently against the cage wall. 
“I…” He looks to the cat, to the volunteer, and back at Sebastian. “Yes.” 
Sebastian nods, once, decisively, then turns to the volunteer. “We’ll take her.”
There’s a moment’s pause. They both turn to him, surprised. “I… I thought you wanted a dog,” Jaime says. 
He shrugs. “I think Bella has made the decision for us, really.” He nods toward where she is still perched at the edge of the cage, nuzzling against the bars to reach Jaime. “I mean, look at her. It’s out of our hands.”
He is fawning over the cat—who has decided to regard him with a look of skeptical displeasure—but Jaime only has eyes for Sebastian. He blinks up at him, trying to tame the spread of warmth in his chest. “Really?” he asks. 
Sebastian gives an uncertain smile, one that Jaime is becoming more and more familiar with. “Is that okay with you?”
Jaime swallows tightly, lowering his voice. “You’ll keep her?” he asks, trying to ignore the inquisitive glance from the volunteer. “Even when I’m gone?”
It looks like there’s a lot more that Sebastian wants to say, but in their present company, he only meets Jaime’s eyes and says, “Yes. Of course”
Jaime breathes out and gives a single, decisive nod. 
“Alright then,” the woman breaks the silence after a few tense moments. “Let’s get the paperwork started.”
***
On the way home, Sebastian drives carefully enough that his knuckles go white around the steering wheel, trying to avoid every bump and crack in the road. Jaime is in the backseat, which is an arrangement Sebastian normally wouldn’t prefer, but it’s only because he wants to be able to sit next to Bella’s carrier. 
He casts a glance in the rearview mirror to see Jaime gently running the back of his finger against the mesh wall, ducking his head so he can peek inside. 
“What should we name her?” Sebastian asks, almost regretting breaking the moment of reverence. 
Jaime sits up, meeting his eyes in the mirror. A dip of confusion forms between his brows. “You don’t like the name Bella?”
“Oh.” Sebastian blinks. “I—no, it’s cute. I like it. Just… I think most of the time the names they’re given in the shelter are temporary things? People usually change them to whatever they want when they bring them home.”
Jaime is quiet long enough to make Seabstian think maybe he’s stepped in something he didn’t mean to. Then, he asks, “Do you think she had a name before the shelter?”
Sebastian shrugs. “They didn’t know much about her history. If she was a stray her whole life, I guess she probably didn’t.”
He looks back down at the carrier, continuing the slow, soothing motion of his finger. “I’m okay with whatever name you decide for her,” he says, and Seabstian can’t help but hear a bit of dejection slip through. 
The pieces connect, and Sebastian considers the kind of weight a name might carry for someone who has had his stolen. 
Sebastian tightens his grip on the steering wheel, keeping his voice as even as he can. “No, I think you’re right,” he says. “Bella suits her just fine.”
****
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