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biggest-stupidhead · 3 years

Note

Hello! This is the first time I'm ever requesting something 😂

What do you think of Captain Levi taking the weak cadet reader under his ~very~ protective wing?

Thanks!

Aw thanks for sending this in! 🥺 Personally I think that at first he’d be reluctant to get close but eventually he’d feel responsible for their safety.

Here’s a little something sweet for the kids.

Summary: Levi can’t bear to watch another kid die under his care.

Word Count: 1.8K

Warnings: mentions of past abuse and malnourishment

When the group of teens wandered into the courtyard, Levi knew that they were no different from the previous bunch. Wide eyed, heads in the clouds, loud boisterous laughter. All the innocent traits that they should’ve possessed, being only fifteen years old. So as he leaned against the stables with Hange at his side he began to wonder which of the young soldiers would come out on top.

There was a sturdy boy with bright blonde hair and a dazzling smile. He seemed strong, and just from looking at him Levi could tell that he was well versed in social cues. If he could prove himself strong enough to make it through the expeditions, he stood a chance at rising in the ranks. A girl with red hair and sharp brown eyes was looking around her new environment with a certain cagey manor that Levi recognized all too well. He figured that at least she was unlike most of her peers, more focused on the here and now, something that was vital outside of the walls. A brunette boy walked in along with the throng of kids, but his shoulders were pulled back and chin cocked upwards. It was clear that he was confident in his skills, more so than most of his peers. He noted the cuts on his knuckles and how his fellow soldiers granted him a wide berth, Levi figured that he must have been strong enough to demand the respect of his comrades.

It was only Levi’s second year with the scouts, yet he could recognize these traits with ease. Cadets were chewed up in training, spat into action and then digested by titans, well of course not literally since titans don’t digest. He hated that he could recognize those who would not make it apart from those who would.

And when he saw you, he knew that you would not be one of them. Frail and silent, almost an apparition, barely standing apart from the crowd. Levi was thrown right back into the darkest parts of his memory when he took in your malnourished state, the bones that jutted from your wrists, the way that the clothes looked too big on you. It was all too familiar, hunger had been a pain he had endured for the worse half of his life.

He couldn’t fathom why of all the regiments, you had come crawling into the corps. Your eyes were glazed over and your face held no emotion. You jumped when the blonde boy clapped you on the back, his hands rubbing your shoulders almost mockingly. If Levi strained his ears, he could just make out the boy’s words. “-I’m still surprised you came here (Y/n)! Thought for sure you’d drop out and work in the fields.” He teased as he steered you towards the red head who was glaring daggers back at the blonde and you.

“I’ve told you....I’m no quitter.” Your words were strained and clearly you had dealt with this tormenting perviously as well.

“Ah but you see I’m proud of you! Our own little runt rising in the ranks.” He clapped your back once more, causing you to stumble forward and smack into the red head who whipped around and glared at the blonde.

“Knock it off Jake, I’ll break your damn ankles if you keep messin with the lass.” Her accent surprised Levi.

“Oh come on Red, you know I’m right.” Jake pressed as he kept a domineering hand on your shoulder, guiding you forward. Levi couldn’t tell if the banter between the three, or well two of them was friendly or hostile as they marched past the stables.

“Interesting batch this one...” Hange commented as she angled her head down to speak to Levi in a somewhat hushed tone.

“Hmph, I suppose.” Levi agreed, eyes still locked on the retreating cadets.

“Since I’m a squad leader now, I think that I’ll take the blonde, he looks like he possesses a good mind.” Hange brought her knuckle to her lips to nibble the skin as her cheeks flushed with excitement. Levi rolled his eyes, he was still working directly under Erwin as a regular soldier, but he hoped to have his own team as well soon.

“You do that.” Levi grunted, pushing off of the wall to tail the cadets into the dining hall for dinner. Hange huffed in disappointment but still followed after Levi, easily catching up to him and matching his stride.

“And what about you? Erwin mentioned giving you some kids to watch, which would you like to have under your care?” Hange asked as she smirked down at Levi.

“The ones that know how to properly clean their asses.” Levi grunted as he pulled the doors open and marched straight towards the veteran’s table in the back of the room, where Nanaba, Gelgar, Mike, and Ness were already gathered. He grabbed a tray of food before dropping into an open seat next to Mike, Hange falling into the seat to his right.

“-She’s to thin I can’t believe she can even function-” Gelgar was in the middle of a rant when Nanaba smacked him in the back of the head.

“That’s no way to speak about her! God knows what she’s been through.” Nanaba’s voice was hushed and carried an edge of scolding on it as she spoke. Levi followed their gaze back to you, sitting between Jake and the red head, their shoulders brushing against yours as the three or you scarfed down the food. Directly across was the brunette, his eyes were dull and constantly roaming across the room, almost as if he was on look out duty.

“Come on Nan, look at the poor runt! I’m only speaking the truth.” Gelgar argued, your back was to them, jacket strewn across your lap, meaning that your spine could be seen, even from nearly across the room.

“Who’s going to want that responsibility? It’s like sending a lamb off to slaughter!” Gelgar continued and Mike gave a grunt in agreement.

“I’ll take her.” Levi’s voice surprised himself, the table fell quiet as they all stared at him in awe.

“What? Clearly she has some talent if she’s made it this far.” Levi grunted, lifting his tea to his lips in hopes of deterring more questions.

“How bold of you.” Hange said with a wide smile.

“Shut up shitty glasses.” He scoffed and stood, eager to find Erwin and request for the mangey runt to be in his mini squad.

Your feet kicked out in front of you, tapping harmlessly against Casper’s shins. You were eating slower than usual, feeling pressured by Jake and Carina on either side of you. Casper was dutifully keeping watch, something that he had done since you were children, the threat of loosing dinner to rabid street dogs or other children. The inner walls were only kind to those of status, you were examples of that. Casper and yourself had met on the streets and been inseparable ever since, picking up Jake and Carina in the cadet corps. Now you had a happy little family.

“What squad are you assigned to?” Jake prodded your boney ribs, spitting crumbs on you as he spoke.

“Erwin’s.” You answered, taking a chunk out of your own bread as well.

“Ahh for real? I’m with squad leader Hange.” Jake’s chest puffed out proudly and Casper rolled his eyes.

“I’m under Erwin as well.” He said, looking to Carina expectantly.

“I’m under Mike.” Carina said with her mug pressed to her lips.

“So we’ll be splitting up...” You said with a dark look on your face.

“Seems so.” Jake agreed in a light hearted manner.

“We’ll be okay.” Casper said to the group, but his eyes were locked on your own.

As it turned out, you weren’t exactly under Erwin Smith’s care. Instead you were standing in front of his prickly subordinate, shivering in the cool morning air.

“You lot will be working alongside me, when I say to do something I mean it. I don’t like repeating myself.” Levi paced up and down the row of cadets, only about five kids in total.

“You want to live, train hard and trust in your comrades.” He continued, pausing in front of a girl with blonde hair.

“Study the formations, keep your gear pristine, and care for your horse as if it was your own child.” Levi’s boots crunched on the gravel as he stopped in front of you. You were tense and your eyes were more alert than he remembered.

“Got it?” He growled and all the cadets nodded eagerly and gave him a flurry of ‘yes sirs’ .

“Yes sir.” He noticed how your jaw was locked and your shoulders were pulled back. Already he was seeing improvements.

“Good, let’s get started then.”

In the few months that you had to prepare for the expedition, you made slow progress. Putting on weight and muscle alike, all thanks to Levi. He often requested you to help him with his paper work and re shelving the books in the scout’s library. As a reward he would often gift you extra rations, you were grateful of course. But as the expedition neared it became obvious that he was not going to sign you off.

“-Captain I have to go, it wouldn’t be fair to my comrades! They need me!” You begged, hands splayed out on his desktop as he leaned back in his chair.

“Quit whining, I’m trying to spare your pathetic life.” Levi scoffed as he glared up at you.

“But sir, it’s not fair. It’s like you said, my life isn’t worth more than my comrades’.” You argued, surprised by your own stubbornness as you glowered at your superior.

“You’re right....but every human life is special in its own right. If you were to perish under my care....I’d never-”

“It’s part of the job. I signed up knowing the risks, I’m sure you did too. So....let me do what I signed up for.” Your voice mellowed out and you averted your eyes, embarrassed by the outburst.

“I won’t let you die out there. Sit this one out, work harder, gain some strength and then you can join us on the mission. If there’s one thing in this world that I hate more then filth, it would be a pointless death.” Levi rose to his feet and met your gaze once more. You couldn’t deny that you were weak, he was right, if you were to go out there now, you would surely perish.

“Fine, just this once.” Levi felt his heart float with relief, even if it was just one mission, it was still more time that he could spend on training you.

“Thank you, now get the fuck out of here.” He pointed at the door and you saluted him one last time before leaving him alone in his dimly lit office. He promised himself that he would do his best to prepare you, keep you safe, keep you alive. That was all he wanted, he knew that this was a dangerous wish, but he was determined to see it through, no matter what.

#levi squad #levi aot #levi ackerman #levi x reader #aot fanfiction #hange zoe #erwin smith #levi x fem!reader #levi x reader insert #levi x you #levi x y/n #levi ackerman x you #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi ackerman x reader #aot fandom

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bluesylveon2 · 3 years

Text

How to Confess to a Guy

Summary: Levi and Hange have a crush on one another for years. It is now time for someone to step up and confess!

Disclaimer: Attack on Titan is a manga/anime series written by Hajime Isayama and published by Kondasha

A/N: @levihanweek Thank you for hosting the Levihan Eggschange event! I enjoyed participating in it.

To my giftee, I hope you find your gift and enjoy it. I hope the clues I gave you helped as well. Enjoy! :)

Camp Paradis is a 7-week, 400-acre summer camp for teenagers hidden deep in the woods of Washington state. Founded in the 1950s by the Fritz family, it is run by Dot Pixis, a man famous for his many achievements when he was a camper many years ago. It is known for offering a variety of activities for each camper. Some activities included fishing, sailing, swimming, paddle boarding, and more!

The camp had a small lake with 12 cabins surrounding it. Each cabin had three campers and one counselor. Each camp counselor was typically seniors and college students. Additionally, there was an even bigger lake, Lake Maria, where the camp's rival, Camp Marley, resided across. Camp Marley was also 7 weeks but had 500 acres, and it was by Theo Magath.

No two counselors in Camp Paradis are alike. Each counselor is unique. For example, Erwin Smith, the counselor for Ursus cabin, is greatly admired by his campers because of his dedication and leadership quality. He is the counselor who typically leads his cabin to victory every year at the Paradis games that occur at the last week of camp.

On the other hand, Levi Ackerman, the counselor for Vulpes cabin, was known as very strict with his campers. Other campers from other cabins note how it always smells like detergent, and his campers clean the cabin often.

(They are in the woods, for crying out loud! How did he manage to bring all of the cleaning supplies? This remained a mystery to everyone except in the Vulpes cabin.)

Just like any other teenage-related camp, the campers always spread rumors to relieve their boredom. Some of which have not been debunked.

Rumor 1: Bigfoot is hidden somewhere deep in the woods that has yet to be found. There were occasional sightings near the camp in the previous years. Dot Pixis himself almost caught him one day but failed. Anyone who can find and capture Bigfoot can earn a generous reward from Pixis. Eren and his friends actually tried to look for it but ran into his older half-brother, Zeke, instead (he kind of looked like one in the dark). He and his friends did not realize they walked all the way to Camp Marley.

Rumor 2: Someone went to Camp Marley to serenade Annie Leonhart when she was outside playing the piano. Annie refused to reveal who, yet she blushed every time someone from Camp Marley asked. Someone (*cough Ymir) had an idea who. Some campers claimed to see Ymir often tease Armin after the rumors started. It is possible the Armin did it.

Rumor 3: Levi Ackerman likes Hange Zoe from Strix cabin and vice versa. Actually, it seemed more like a fact than a rumor to everyone except them.

Let's look at the evidence:

Evidence 1: Levi always takes care of Hange when she forgets to take care of herself. It typically ranges from, but not limited to: making sure she eats, jumping into any time she is at risk for injury without a second thought, tending to her wounds when she does get hurt, forcing her to bathe (Connie accidentally walked into it once. He vowed to constantly check on Levi and Hange's whereabouts before he gets killed by Levi's death glare), and "accidentally" eliminating any suitors Hange may have.

(He does not actually kill them or anything. That is against camp rules. There was one time when Zeke Yeager went to Camp Paradis to confess his feelings to Hange. He actually almost made it to her cabin but a random shoe "accidentally" hit him on the head, causing him to stumble and fall into the lake. No one knows how he fell, but Hange walked out to see what was going on. She saw Levi drinking tea nearby, while mysteriously missing a shoe, and went to him. Apparently, she did not see Zeke at all, so Zeke had to get help from Pieck, who was hiding nearby)

Evidence 2: Hange rants to Levi about her latest research back home. Hange can talk anyone into sleeping with the amount of research she does. Yet, Levi stays up to listen. It could be because of his insomnia, but he never gets tired of listening to her rants. Other campers note that he at least looks interested every time Hange rants.

Evidence 3: The one incident last year when Hange was jealous and did not talk to Levi for half of the camp duration. There was a rumor going around that Levi was dating Petra, counselor of Lynx cabin. As a result, Hange hung out with Moblit, counselor of Lupus cabin, more that year instead. Hange claimed it was to give the couple space, but only her closest friends could tell something was up.

For instance, Eren was hiking on another expedition to find Bigfoot when he ran into Hange, kicking down a tree in anger. Eren immediately ran back to camp in hopes that Hange did not notice him and broke his bones. He was actually intimidated by her for a week.

(In reality, Hange was so sure Levi was going to confess to her that year. Additionally, Levi was jealous of how Hange spent time with Moblit more. Not everyone in camp could tell except for his campers Eren, Jean, and Connie. They could feel the chills running down their spines every time Levi was in the cabin with them, and it was summer.)

Evidence 4: Levi was always by Hange's side. Anyone in the camp can tell you that Levi is at least nearby Hange unless it is for very personal reasons (except bathing). He mainly stayed close to her after last year's incident when he literally kicked down her door and cleared the misunderstandings.

(In reality, Levi and Petra were not dating. Petra had confided to Levi about dating advice (for a reason he is unaware of, except everyone in the camp *cough Hange *cough). In the end, Levi remained single and had to fix the Strix cabin's door. On the bright side, Petra started dating Oluo Bozado from Meles cabin.)

Neither party had ever confessed to one another despite all the evidence proving that they have feelings for one another. Now that both Levi and Hange are about to graduate high school, it was the perfect time to confess before they go their separate ways because of their careers.

However, life is very unexpected, and when you add Hange to the mix…

Well, anything goes.

---

"This is it," Hange said to herself as she got everything ready in her canoe. She was prepared to sail across the lake towards Levi's cabin.

Both cabins were situated on different sides of the lake. The camp was designed so one half was for boys and the other half was for girls. It was a very dumb inconvenience for Hange.

Hange scoffed as she sat down on the canoe and began rowing. "Why couldn't our cabins be placed next to each other. It would give me less work to do." The only guy and girl cabins next to each other were Petra's cabin and Mike's cabin.

Hange decided that today was the day she will confess to Levi. They have been in an awkward "does he/she like me? does he/she not?" for years now, and none of them confessed at all. There are even rumors about it, for crying out loud!

The two had met three years ago when Hange and Levi were campers at Camp Paradis. It was really unexpected. Hange was ready to get down in the dirt during the activities and often kept some insects to study. On the other hand, Levi was a clean freak and a prodigy at the camp activities. It became sort of like a friendly competition between the two, and then they suddenly started hanging out more. They have known each other for years. She even calls herself his best friend.

(She never realized how recently Levi would scowl every time she claimed to be his best friend. To him, she was much more than that.)

Overall, Hange would look forward to seeing Levi again every summer.

It has been four years of dancing around whatever they have that Hange now dared herself to confess before the summer ends, and they leave for college. It is better to do something and get rejected (which she hopes does not happen) than do nothing.

Hange stopped rowing when she got close enough that Levi has to hear her. She could make out his figure sitting on the front steps of his cabin with Mike, Erwin, and Furlan.

She sets the oar to the side, takes a deep breath, and presses play on the small radio she took from Rico's cabin. The beginning notes of the song plays in the air.

You can do this

Hange began to sing the first line.

---

Minutes before

Mike, Erwin, and Furlan were talking about who knows what, not Levi was not paying attention anyway. His mind was preoccupied with a certain eccentric girl he knew.

She was very secretive lately. Sometimes she would freak out whenever Levi approached her, and he has not seen her all day. He even planned on confessing to her after dinner. It seemed as if Hange was preoccupied with something.

Levi would not even get to say one word before Hange ran off, claiming she is busy and cannot be disturbed.

Levi scowled at the thought. Hange would usually tell him beforehand if she is busy, but her saying nothing? Something is definitely up, but she wants to not tell him then it was fine by him (or so he says).

Furlan, who noticed Levi's brooding, smirked. "Hey Levi, are you thinking about Hange again?"

Mike and Erwin stopped talking and smirked as well.

Levi rolled his eyes. "I was not thinking about Hange. At all." He said in a serious tone.

"Mhmm," Furlan replied. He shifted in his spot and gave Levi a smug look. He was not convinced.

"Don't hide it, Levi," Mike added. "We all know how you go goo-goo eyes every time Hange enters the room. You are always checking up on her too."

"I don't make goo-goo eyes at Hange," Levi deadpanned with a monotone voice. "I only check up on her because it is a miracle she can see those dirty her glasses she wears."

Erwin's smirk never faded away as he lightly elbows Furlan on the side. "He always calls her by two nicknames, Furlan. He gives anyone more than one nickname too. They might not sound endearing, but he rarely calls Hange by her name."

"Can you imagine what Levi is thinking now?" Furlan laughed. He turned around from his spot, so he back faced Levi, hugged himself, and started making fake kissing noises.

"Oh, Hange! I don't want to be just friends with you. I will marry you, and we're going to have 100 bab-"

Levi slapped Furlan on the head. He stood up the moment Furlan spoke. Mike and Erwin were in the background howling with laughter.

"Cut the crap, Furlan," Levi said and made his way back to his spot on the steps.

"Ok, ok. You win, Levi." Furlan rubbed the back of his head where Levi had slapped him. Luckily for him, Levi did not hit him too hard, and it did not hurt that badly. He goes back to talking to Mike and Erwin about other counselors about other rumors they heard. He will tease Levi again later.

Meanwhile, Levi rolled his eyes at his friend's childishness and began to think about the subject of his earlier torment. It was already almost dinner time, and he has not seen Hange all day. He was hoping she would at least appear for dinner, or else he would have to drag her to the dining hall by force.

Levi was busy with his thoughts and staring at his feet to notice anything around him. He was too busy to focus on the music playing, and the girl he (does not) have a crush on making her way over from across the lake.

"Uhh, Levi?" Furlan spoke while looking at the lake. Levi ignored him; instead, he was too busy thinking about Hange to notice she was heading towards him at that very moment.

Mike and Erwin turned to face what Furlan was staring at. Their jaws dropped.

On Lake Sina was the one and only Hange Zoe making her way towards Levi's cabin on a canoe while singing the song "We Belong" by Pat Benatar so loud that everyone in the camp could hear her. She also wore shorts and a camp T-shirt. She did not wear a life jacket.

Talk about romantic.

"Levi!" Mike said urgently and shook his shoulder.

"What?" Levi turned to Mike. He was irritated by his friends messing with him about his crush (yes, he will admit it but not out loud to his nosy friends).

What else did they need now? They could always bother someone else.

Levi noticed where Mike was pointing to and was about to turn in said direction until he heard a voice coming from somewhere behind him.

"Well, it seems like you won't die a virgin after all, huh, shortass? Who knew?"

Levi knew that voice. His cousin, Mikasa, from Cervidae cabin, Levi had the pleasure (not) of watching over at this camp. It was a good thing he did not have to deal with her and her obvious crush on Eren Jaeger. He did feel bad for Rico because she had to deal with that gloomy brat in her cabin.

Levi turned around to face his cousin. She was standing a few feet away from him with a few of her friends that he recognized. The tall, brunette one with her hair in a ponytail, Sasha, also from Cervidae cabin, was eating a sandwich (she probably got it from the camp across the lake). She must have raided Camp Marley recently.

(They have a chef there who can apparently make really delicious food. Levi only knew because Hange planned on kidnapping him one time just to try some).

Mikasa's other friend, Historia, the short blonde-haired girl from Lynx cabin, smiled pleasantly at Levi.

"What are you talking about, brat?" he glared at Mikasa.

Historia giggled and pointed in the direction of the lake. "Over by the lake. Can't you hear Hange singing? I knew she could sing, but wow! I wonder if she is singing to a lucky guy? That would be so adorable!"

Levi's eyes widen in surprise. He tuned out Historia's gushing when it hit him.

That means…Hange...oh no.

He turned his head to find that Hange was indeed singing and making her way towards his direction.

His direction!

Erwin and Mike noticed the blush on Levi's face and smirked. Furlan clamped his hand on Levi's shoulder like a proud dad. Levi could hear the smirk in Furlan's voice that he would love to punch away if it weren't for Hange.

"I wonder who the guy is too, Historia. He is indeed a lucky guy."

Levi shook Furlan off and started heading towards Hange.

Hange noticed Levi coming closer and stops rowing. She dropped her oar off to the side.

"Hey! Levi!" She yelled out loud while waving her arms around.

She did not have to yell so loudly, though. The sound traveled perfectly from her mouth and into Levi's ear within seconds because of the lake.

He began speed walking towards Hange.

There was a voice in the background yelling something about how Hange was doing great so far. It sounded like Nifa, but Levi was too busy to check. He needed to get to Hange first.

Levi watched as Hange accidentally drops her oar into the lake when she moved back to row some more. Hange, scrambling to retrieve it, said an "I got it!" in her normal voice until she accidentally tripped and fell into the lake.

She was not wearing a life jacket on either.

Levi stopped speed walking and ran towards Hange. Once he was close to the lake, and without thinking, he took off his shirt and dove into the lake to save Hange.

---

Also a few minutes ago

"I know Hange is a smart girl and all, but wouldn't it have been easier to just walk around the lake to confess to Levi?" Nanaba asked aloud as she took a sip from her water bottle. Some sweat dripped down her brow from being out in the sun all day.

Nanaba sat on the steps of her cabin (Alces) while her campers was out and about. Her cabin was next to Hange's, and she even helped Hange prepare before her big love confession.

Rico, who walked by earlier to see why Nanaba was staring at the lake, sighed from Nanaba's right. "Love does weird things to you, Nanaba. Remember when Mike confessed to you last year? I wonder why do people from this camp confess while using the lakes, though?" She questioned while recalling that one rumor and how Mike confessed to Nanaba by bringing her to a picnic near Lake Maria.

Nanaba laughed and turned to Rico while wiggling her eyebrows. She grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "So when are you going to get a canoe across the lake and confess to Ian?" she said while gesturing to Hange, who was still singing to Levi.

Rico blushed and elbowed Nanaba's side. "Shut up! I do not like Ian like that! Mind your own business!" She turned away from Nanaba and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her face was still red.

Nanaba turned back to watch Hange sing and rests her chin on the palm of her hand. Her elbow was resting on her thigh. "Mhmm. Go tell yourself that."

"I think it's a cute idea. It would be very boring and tiresome to walk around the lake just to confess. Serenading on the lake is much more unique." Nifa, counselor of Tamias cabin, piped up from Nanaba's left. She had heard Hange's singing nearby and was curious about what was going on. She sat next to Nanaba. It seemed like Nanaba knew what was going on.

Ah. It seemed that Nifa also joined in on the watch party, Nanaba thought. Now a good chunk of the camp was curious about Hange's business.

The trio watched as Hange rowed closer to Levi. This time, some of the campers from the other cabins watched Hange from Levi's side. They did not stand close but a far distance instead. They were curious about what was going on and did not want to get too close to suffer from Levi's wrath.

They all watched as Levi stood up from his spot and began speed walking towards the lake. Meanwhile, Hange continued to sing her song.

Nifa brought her hands up to her face and cupped them around her mouth to amplify her voice.

"You're doing great, sweetie!"

Hange was doing great. Indeed, she was almost at her destination. All she had to do was pick up the oar and go back to rowing…

Until she accidentally dropped her oar, causing Levi to start running towards her.

They could not hear what Hange said, but they could assume she was trying to reassure Levi that she was ok and to retrieve the oar...until she misstepped and fell into the lake.

Oops.

Nanaba and Rico turned to Nifa with a shocked look. Nifa held her hands up in innocence.

"I swear. I did not mean or intend for all of that to happen."

"We have to help Hange!" Nanaba yelled. Both she and Rico stood up to try to help Hange but stopped by Nifa, grabbing the back of their shirts.

"What are you doing, Nifa?" Nanaba said with irritation. Nifa did not say anything but nodded her head towards the lake. She lets go of their shirts after they brought their attention to the lake too.

The girls watched as Levi took his shirt off and dove into the lake to save Hange.

Problem solved.

"Doesn't Levi know that Hange is a good swimmer?" Nifa asked from behind Nanaba.

Rico scoffed. "You tell me. I always have to train for the swimming competitions, but I can never beat her." Rico always dreaded when her cabin was put up against Hange’s. She usually placed at either second or third place. No one could outswim Hange, not even Levi.

They watched as Levi grabbed Hange, threw her over his shoulder, and made his way back to his cabin. The onlookers made a path for him because they were too scared to focus on Levi.

The girls sighed with relief. This was practically a typical day at Camp Paradis.

Nanaba turned to Rico and Nifa. "Anyone up for a snack at the dining hall?"

After everything they just saw, Rico and Nifa both nodded in agreement.

---

"Is the cabin empty?" Hange asked from behind the bathroom door. It has been an hour since the incident. Levi had dragged her into his cabin, and he threw her into his bathroom. He also gave her some of his extra set of clothes and demanded that she took a bath before she gets sick.

Each cabin has two bathrooms, so each camper only had to share with one person. Levi shoved Hange into his/Eren's bathroom while he took a shower in Jean/Connie's. Hange freshened up and clean, stood stationary behind the bathroom door. She practically smelled like Levi. From the soap, she used to the clothes she wore. They all smelled like the definition of clean.

"Yes." That was all Levi replied with a slightly irritated tone in his voice.

Hange groaned from behind the door and rested her forehead on the hardwood. That was the voice Levi would use when he was ready to lecture her. She leaned her head back and placed her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath as she opened the door and met Levi's expecting face. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, he had his arms crossed over his chest, and he looked a bit irritated.

(Hange was thankful that he was dressed similarly to her and she did not walk out to see him shirtless)

She walked towards Levi, sitting on his bed. Each cabin is big enough for each camper to have a total of four beds. Each footstep was like a walk of shame for Hange. Yet, Levi did not say a word. He spoke up the moment she sat down next to him on the bed. The bed shifted down slightly from the extra weight.

"Hange, what were you thinking? You did not have a life jacket on, and you fell in the middle of the lake. You scared a lot of the camp and me. Be careful next time you pull something like that," He said while facing her, concern laced in his voice.

Hange rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She looked up to meet Levi's steel-gray eyes.

"I'm sorry I worried everyone, Levi. I will be more considerate next time. Although…"

Hange began to chuckle to herself at the memory of Levi umping in to save her.

"You know I'm a good swimmer, right?" She placed her hand on Levi's shoulder and shook it slightly. "I would have made it back just fine-"

She stopped shaking his shoulder and sets it down on her lap. "I appreciate you umping in to save me, though." She said with a grin.

Suddenly, Hange raised her hands and leaned forward. She wrapped both of her arms around Levi's midsection and pulled him close to her body for a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Levi."

Levi prayed that Hange could not feel his heart pounding against his chest or see him blush. His crush was close to him, for crying out loud!

He moved his arms to hug Hange back. He could feel nervousness rising up in his body along with his rapid heartbeat. This is it. He will confess to Hange now, and it does not matter if he gets rejected or not. She had to know, even if the song she sang was for someone else.

Levi leaned back from Hange, but he maintained the hug. Their faces were only a few inches away from each other.

"Hange, I have something to tell you. I need you to hear me out for a few minutes."

Hange nodded in agreement. "Ok…" she said with some uncertainness. She was unsure what he was going to say, and he gave her the most serious look on his face. He stared deeply into her amber-brown eyes.

"I appreciate you."

Huh?

Hange tilted her head in confusion. "Come again, Levi."

Levi looked away and sighs. Ok. That was not a rejection. He just has to change tactics to get it to Hange and hopefully not make it sound awkward. Levi had no experience with him confessing before. Other girls had confessed to him, but it was with material stuff. He wanted to use words for his confession.

Levi looked up again and stared into Hange's eyes again. "I want to dedicate my heart to you." Ok, now that sounded a bit too much.

Levi continued speaking anyway before he could change tactics again.

"I just want to say that I like you, Hange." He said sincerely. "I like listening to you talk, your personality, and your humor. I want you to at least be aware before we go to college and if the song from earlier is not for me."

Levi stared at Hange's face and attempted to read her emotions. Her eyes widened with shock, and her mouth was open in a small o. She stayed that way for a few minutes until the shock became full-on laughter.

Hange was laughing at him.

She let go of Levi and threw her head back. Her face was full of delight.

Usually, Levi would not mind listening to her laugh, even if it was at him. It was one of his favorite sounds to her, not that she needed to know that.

However, this is different from before. Levi frowned but did not make a move to stand up. He needed an explanation for this.

Hange turned back to Levi after she calmed down a bit. "Levi." She said. Her voice had some laughter evident in her voice. Here comes the rejection.

"The song was for you."

What?

Levi only blinked in response. Hange began to swing her legs a bit and placed her hands on her lap. "I wanted to confess to you today, and I thought what serenade you from the lake." She explained.

"I guess I was too excited to miss some necessities. Sorry about that, by the way."

She leaned forward to grab Levi's right hand. Levi made no move to remove it, so she interlocks their fingers together.

"But you beat me to it, huh, Levi?" She chuckled while staring down fondly at their hands.

Levi stared at their hands as well. He could not believe this. They were going to confess to each other on the same day.

Suddenly, Levi leaned forward to rest his head on Hange's shoulder. "Will you be my girlfriend, Hange?"

Hange turned to Levi in shock. Levi moves his head to meet her eyes. The eyes he adores.

Hange smiled at him. Her eyes glowed with happiness. "Yes." That was enough for Levi.

He let go of Hange's hand and placed it on the back of her head. He grasped her hair a bit but not rough at all.

Hange watched as Levi leaned closer.

And closer.

Until they were a few centimeters apart. The cabin was quiet except for their breathing. Both of their breaths fanned each other's faces.

"What are you doing, Levi?" Hange asked with a hint of curiosity. She made no move to pull away, so Levi took it as a sign to explain his motives.

"Can I kiss you?"

Hange blinked a few times before nodding her head to give Levi an ok.

Levi closed the gap between the two. It was a short and sweet kiss. There heat or desire to move their relationship up to another base.

They leaned back from the kiss with a happy look on their faces. Hange had a goofy grin while Levi smiled at her. It was rare to see Levi smile, and Hange was delighted to be a source for it.

"That was my first kiss," Hange confessed.

"Mine too." Levi chuckled. His hand was still gripping Hange's hair. He kept his grip as he elated back on the bed, bringing Hange down with him.

"Levi!" Hange exclaimed and sat up on her elbows. Who knew Levi was so bold?

"What if the other campers see us?" She said with some nervousness.

Levi rolled his eyes and lightly flicked Hange's forehead. "We are not having sex. I'm just tired, and I want to take a nap with my girlfriend."

He smirked. "Besides, I sent my campers over to Furlan's cabin. They won't come back until we have to go to bed."

Hange looked at him suspiciously while rubbing her forehead from earlier. "You promise?"

Levi nodded his head. "I promise."

Hange let out a small yawn. It has been a long day. She moved so she can lay her body to the spot next to Levi. Meanwhile, Levi turned over to face his nightstand, so he can set his alarm for them to wake up before dinner. He then picked up the blanket and placed it over both of their bodies. They were both facing the wall.

"Sleep well, Hange." He spooned her from behind and placed a small kiss on the back of her neck.

Hange smiled before getting comfortable in Levi's arms. "Goodnight, Levi."

The two spent a few minutes in silence and tranquility. Levi was happy to spend some quality time with his dream girl.

“Hey, Levi. Use that dedicate your heart line for when you propose.” He can hear the smugness in Hange’s voice.

He lightly kicked her on the shin. “Go to sleep.”

Hange could not see it, but Levi had a small smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep.

---

"I KNEW IT!!!" Nanaba yelled while standing up and pointing at the new couple walking into the dining hall holding hands. Erwin and Mike were startled by the sudden outburst. Furlan was smirking victoriously. His friend, Isabel, rolled her eyes at Furlan's smirk.

(Petra, Nifa, Moblit, and Rico were sitting at another table noticed the couple at the doorway. Nifa and Petra squealed in delight while Rico and Moblit smiled. The other girls from Hange's cabin squealed as well since they secretly shipped her with Levi).

Levi and Hange stopped walking. Hange started laughing behind her free hand, and Levi gave Nanaba an annoyed look.

Everyone stopped eating to turn to the source of the sound. Nanaba, noticing the multiple stares, rubs the back of her head nervously and laughs. "Sorry about that, go back to eating."

Furlan smirked as Levi and Hange passed by the usual table to get some food. He turned to Isabel sitting next to him. He stuck his hand out to her and moved his fingers in pay-up motion. "Pay up, Isabel. I won the bet."

Isabel stuck out her tongue at him. "If only Levi-Bro waited until the end of the summer. I would have won 50 bucks," she said while reluctantly handing Furlan 50 dollars.

Furlan hummed in content and pocketed the money in his shorts pocket. "Appreciate the business, Izzy. Now, are you willing to put down money for when Levi and Hange get married?" He said and held his hand out for a handshake to seal the agreement.

Isabel smirked and shook Furlan's hand in agreement. "You're on, Furlan. We'll discuss this later." She turned away from Furlan and smiles at the couple coming to their table. "The new couple is coming here now."

"Hi everyone!" Hange beamed after sitting down across from Furlan. Levi sat between Hange and Nanaba.

Everyone at the table said hi in reply.

Erwin pushed his finish tray slightly on the table in front of him and turned to Hange. "Congratulations, Hange and Levi. I hope the two of you have a happy relationship."

Nanaba and Mike smiled as well. "Congrats, Levi," said Nanaba.

"Congrats, Hange," said Mike.

"I knew you could do it. Levi-Bro! You have had a crush on Hange since forever!" Isabel exaggerated the word forever.

Levi blushed, and Furlan smirked. He turned to Hange. "Say, Hange. How many kids-"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Furlan." Levi threatened, yet his face was still red from blushing. He did not want Furlan to bring up the conversation about children from earlier today.

Hange laughed from the interaction and leaned down to kiss Levi on the cheek. "Don't worry about him, Furlan." She leaned down towards his ear.

"We can discuss the number of children we would have later." She winked at him and went back to eating as if nothing happened between the two. Meanwhile, Levi opened his mouth slightly in shock. He did not expect that out of Hange! Mike, Erwin, and Furlan chuckled at this.

Nanaba (who luckily did not hear Hange) still noticed Levi's shock. "Levi, close your mouth before some flies get in." she lectured to him in a motherly tone. This broke Levi out of his shock, and he goes back to focus on eating.

Everyone continued talking and sharing any recent stories they had. Suddenly, Hange slammed her hands down on the table, shocking everyone at the table. She turned to face Levi.

"Levi! Where is Mikasa? We need to tell her about us!" She exclaimed and shook Levi's shoulders.

Oh, right. Hange would want to tell Mikasa about her new relationship since she saw Mikasa as family. Plus, they will most likely be an actual family in the future. Levi raised his hands up to grab Hange's and set it down on her lap. "Stop, Hange. She's probably eating with Eren and Armin. We can tell her later."

Erwin raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Actually, Levi. I haven't seen Mikasa ever since she showed up with Sasha and Historia. Isabel put her utensils down and joined in on the conversation.

"I saw her with Eren and Armin an hour before dinner. They were sitting together deep in a conversation…"

Levi looked up to scan his eyes across the dining hall. He noticed Armin's blonde hair sitting at his regular table with his friends. He sat at a table with Jean, Connie, Sasha, Ymir, and Historia. He noted how Armin noticed his stare and looked away as if he was scared of him.

Mikasa and Eren were nowhere in sight.

---

Bonus:

"Be careful, Eren!"

Mikasa said while raising her voice slightly. She did not want to yell, or else she might alert anyone in the forest.

"I'll be fine, Mikasa," he assured her. "I can feel it! Bigfoot is nearby." He said with excitement.

"This is the last time, Eren. We are already missing dinner, and who knows if Armin can stall for us any longer. Levi is going hunt us down. Plus, I don't want to end up in Camp Marley again."

Mikasa and Eren only had a few snacks on them. Mikasa managed to slip into her cabin to grab some from Sasha's secret stash. Sasha and Historia were busy watching the chaos at the lake.

"I promise, Mikasa. Thank you for coming with me. I don't think I can do this alone." He turned back to Mikasa with a big grin. He was also recalling the time he was searching in the forest to find Bigfoot and ran into an angry Hange instead,

Mikasa smiled in return, and the two continued their search to find Bigfoot.

Meanwhile, the two did not realize that they passed a figure watching them from a reasonable distance away behind a tree. Its eyes watched as the two humans continued their search. It slipped away sneakily into the darkness. It went away from Camp Paradis and towards the forest near Camp Marley instead.

---

Some quick notes:

I kinda based this fic off of one scene from Pitch Perfect 2 and other summer camp-related movies I watched (I don't have much knowledge of summer camp 😭)

Cabin names are based on scientific names of different animals

I hc Hange being good at swimming. Let's face it. If she can swim down a river while carrying a 65 kg man, and miraculously not get any gunshot wounds (not counting a spike in adrenaline to live); I'm sure Hange is a good swimmer.

#levihaneggschange2021 #levihan #levihan fanfiction #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #levihan eggschange

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euphoricethan · 3 years

Text

Alpha’s Kingdom - G.D

Summary: Grayson and Y/n have been friends since high school; a little before that to be exact. They had a not-so-friendly altercation 8th grade graduation, but began a spark with polar opposite attitudes. A typical college party turns to the most surprising nights of their lives.

A/N: this is an old, old, old draft from the beginning of last year that i never finished but now it’s done & i hate it so enjoy! (also lmk if i need to add more tw warnings just in case)

Warnings: smut, mentions of abuse, language, underage drinking, public humiliation(?), violence (blood)

Word count: 5.6k

That evening, Y/n (typically) would be in her dorm blasting music so loud in her earbuds that her introverted, comic-loving roommate would yell at her to turn it down as she studied for a big test the next day.

But, instead, she was called to "haul her ass" over to the Alpha Kingdom —which was what Grayson and all his buddies called the frat— to help with their party they were having for the reason she didn't know.

Y/n was against it, but she had no other choice since she was close friends with Grayson and owed him a favor. (Not to mention that he couldn't hang up streamers to save his life.)

So there she was, resting one hand on his broad shoulder while she pressed the white streamer into the ceiling.

"Hold still." She said under her breath, while Gray was moving around a bunch in hopes his knee's wouldn't give out.

"I can't, my knees are about to give out Y/n," he was looking up at her, watching her shove the dainty piece of paper up into the ceiling.

"'s not my fault." Y/n licked her lips, concentrating hard.

Sooner or later, she came down from the wobbling ladder and took a few steps back to look at her work.

"Looks good kid." he awarded.

"Kid" was always Y/n's nickname; no matter who was older. She was always "kid" and he was "Blue".

Ever since last year or so, Grayson has grown into a huge Godzilla look-alike, and Y/n thought it was hilarious since the reason behind it was that he wanted to impress some girl he met the beginning of the school year and claimed she liked guys who were "bulky."

Then, Blue Whale was introduced. But Y/n got tired of adding the Whale, and Blue just kinda stuck.

"You should help me and Brandon grab the kegs from the back." Grayson folded up the ladder, and whether Y/n was following or not, he walked away to place it back where they got it.

"You know, you really are the impidamy of a typical college frat boy!" she called out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brandon, another frat member who was just as dumb as the rest of them, said.

The fact that they didn't even get the joke just claimed to prove her point to where she just shook her head and proceed to the backyard to help the two twin towers carry the one-hundred sixty-five pound keg into the house.

They were all soon lifting, Y/n rather struggling while the two other boys grabbed it with ease.

"God, where do you guys even get these?" she was generally curious, she hadn't seen an actual beer keg in person before. They've only been in movies...

"Brandon's friend's uncle who worked at the bar downtown."

"Worked?"

"He got fired when the manager started realizing that he was missing a bunch of kegs like every week." Grayson said this with ease as him and Brandon finally set the huge keg onto the kitchen floor.

"Kid, pass me that thing over there will you? It's over there." Grayson pointed with his head.

"Grayson, you can't just tell me to hand you something and point with your head and just assume I know exactly what you're talking about."

He was apparently fed up with her, as: he stood, reached behind her, and pulled the hose and nozzle with a sly smirk on his stupid face.

"If you guys need any help, I'll be on the couch." she told them both and exited the kitchen before they said anything; if they hadn't already decided she was no help to them.

Shortly after, Brandon was walking into the living room to sit next to Y/n and place both of his legs over her's.

She let out a small grunt, letting her phone slip from her grasp and leaned into his legs.

"Jesus." she went to retract her phone, but he had beat her to it and was holding it above his head trying to see what she was doing.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked, flashing the screen on his face.

Y/n was now reaching over him, still just reaching for her phone. "Brandon, I swear to god." she muttered.

"Who's Bryson? Ooh yikes, he has a B name..." he gave Y/n a hard look with his eyebrows raised slightly.

"You have a B name." she shoved his legs off her and was now even more invested on getting her belonging back.

"Yeah but that doesn't count," he was now facing away from her, pulling the phone close to him and reading her most recent text word for word.

"Don't think i'll be able to make it tonight, big test tomorrow. Y/n, what is this!" he showed her own screen to her as if she didn't know what it said.

"Can I please just have my phone back? You're being a dick." she told him.

"Hey Grayson! Y/n's got a boyfriend!" he called out, causing him to walk into the room with his face slightly scrunched in confusion.

"Huh? What'd you say?" he ran his hand though his hair before placing both on his hips.

"Look." he said.

"I don't have a boyfriend, he's just my parter for a class, now can I please have my phone back?!" Y/n was reaching over him again but he had moved his hand.

Just then, Grayson grabbed a hold of his wrist and took it from him. "Dude, don't be a cunt."

"Here kid." his eyes flashed over to her, handing it over as their fingers came in contact with one another.

Grayson found his way back into the kitchen, letting out a heavy sigh as he walked away.

She had followed behind him, seeing his behavior shift and his shoulders drop.

"What's up?" she said, leaning over the counter and watched him rinse off the dishes.

"Blue? what's wrong with you?" she said now, furrowing her brows.

A small sigh left his nose while he just placed the dish in the rack.

Grayson had always been protective over Y/n—ever since they were 11 and some kid made a joke about she smelt like cigarettes because of her father.

He always stood up for her, always. Even though he knows she can defend herself he feels the tightness in his jaw and in his fists when someone mentions her in the conversation.

"Are you mad about something?"

He sighed again, moving from the dishes to the restocking of the fridge.

"Can you talk to me? Like I don't know why all this sudden you're having a pity party..." she cocked her head forward to try and get something out of him.

"It's nothing. It's fine."

"Well no, obviously something is bothering you. You can tell me. Like did I do something? Was it the phone thing? What?" Y/n slid her hand across the counter, standing up now and walking towards him.

"You shouldn't told me if you had a boyfriend." His eyes were harsh on her, leaving them to look at her until she turned her head.

"He's not my boyfriend..." her eyes were to the floor.

"Doesn't sound like it." he closed the fridge and started smashing the cardboard boxes the drinks came in.

"Blue, it's not like that, like at all. We're just parters, he wanted to work on our project tonight but now i'm here so..."

"Why don't you go, since you don't wanna be here." he smashed the final box hard against the counter, causing Y/n to flinch and blink quickly.

"I wanna be here! Damn Grayson why are you being like this holy fuck! Are you drunk already?" Y/n cheeks were getting warm and she gave Grayson side eye until she scoffed and turned on her heel.

She didn't know what he was thinking, getting mad about something like that and telling her to just go home?

She didn't know the reason behind why he said it either... because if she knew now she probably wouldn't hook up with him later that night.

It's 8th grade graduation. Ethan and Grayson are about to get called up to get their "diploma".

But as soon as the kids who were seated in front of them had to get up and wait to get called up left, Grayson was no where to be found.

Along with Y/n who was a few rows behind them.

Where were they? Good question.

Behind the Gymnasium drinking a Mike's Hard Lemonade Y/n had snuck from her dad before they left.

"Y/n, we're gonna get in so much trouble!" Grayson whisper-yelled, watching her lean over in her dress and press the top of the bottle on the jagged wall.

The top had popped off and she giggled before taking a gulp and holding out for him to hold.

"Shh! We'll only get in trouble if we get caught, now take this before I spill it on my dress. My dad will shit his pants if I ruin it."

Grayson took the bottle from her, awkwardly holding it in his hands.

"Take a sip, it's so good!" she told him, her smile wide and her eyes filled with adrenaline.

This was the first time he had seen Y/n in girl clothes and makeup. Her Aunt was in town for her graduation and helped her pick out a dress and did her makeup.

She complained about how the mascara felt weird on he eyelashes, but he thought she looked beautiful.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't always think Y/n was beautiful. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his whole life.

He trusted her with his whole heart too. Took everything she said serious and was so gullible it made Y/n laugh so hard she lost her breath.

He loved her laugh too. Making her laugh was his favorite thing he could do, it was like a super power to him.

Which is why when she caught him staring at her in her puffy dress and little platform heels, his cheeks turned bright red and he couldn't stop himself from putting his lips on hers in a quick peck.

He tasted the Mike's Hard Lemonade on her lips, and she was right... it was good.

So good that the peck lasted longer and longer until Y/n placed her hands against his fiery cheeks he let his hands go numb and the bottle shattered onto the concrete.

She pulled away, quickly opening up her eyes to see how dilated his were.

But then, almost at the same time, both of them turned their heads around the corner to see one of the teachers coming to inspect.

Grayson took her by the wrist and they sprinted around the corner until it was safe to quickly walk back to the ceremony as he was called up on stage.

And there he was, walking across the stage in front of almost a thousand kids and parents with the biggest boner ever as Y/n sat in the crowd, her cheeks red and holding the bottle cap in her palm.

They never talked about it after that.

And that summer, going onto freshman year, Y/n had gotten her first boyfriend... who wasn't Grayson.

His name was Tony, and he was a Sophomore.

Grayson was supportive of their relationship of course, but his little heart broke almost every time he saw them together or every time Y/n brought him up.

After September, he had finally broken up with her because she wouldn't give herself to him. She was heartbroken.

But again, Grayson was there for her. Always.

She never knew why he cared so much, because unlike her father, he didn't give up on her— he didn't tell her how much he loved her and then disappeared to get drunk for days at a time.

She really only had Grayson if were being honest here. Her mother moved out of state when she was little, and shortly after that they moved and she met him.

She knew there was always something there. She just didn't know what was stopping her from doing something about it.

Until tonight.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." Grayson said walking past Brandon to quickly walk up the stairs two at a time.

By now, Y/n was now back at her dorm with a million thoughts cursing her brain.

"What's up with you?" her roommate asked, sitting at her desk while finishing up a project for her class.

"I hate men." Y/n said.

"Same. I'm just saying, girls are so much more fun."

Y/n collapsed on her bed, curling up in her jeans and t-shirt as she spoke her thought out loud.

"Should I go?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Go where?" her roommate asked.

"Graysons having this party tonight at the Alpha Kingdom or whatever and I think I kinda wanna go." she was now sitting up in her bed, watching as she turned around.

"You should go. Why not?"

"Well he had a fucking hissy fit earlier because his roommate or whatever took my phone and that Bryson guy kept texting me and— whatever. He's just being overprotective for no reason & told me to go home."

"But I low-key wanna piss him off s'more."

"You should. You can wear that like skirt thing you got and be all slutty. Plus I met this girl yesterday at the coffee place by the L campus and I think we're gonna..." she gave Y/n a raised eyebrow glare and pointed with her head towards her bed.

"Well first of all, I'm not gonna dress slutty; that's like asking for it. Second of all, T.M.I."

Her roommate scoffed. "It is not asking for it, it's called having confidence and if they take it too far that's on them. I say you wear it."

So that's what Y/n did. She put on that dress she had just bought with the red little cherries printed all over, slid her shoes on after brushing out her hair & sprayed her favorite perfume.

"See, told you." she told her once Y/n had grabbed her phone off her bed and jumped down.

"Yeah see and I even put on those pair of thongs I got too. Look!" Y/n lifted her dress slightly, showing off the dainty piece of material.

She gave her wide eyes before saying, "Don't get pregnant now." as Y/n opened the door.

"Same for you."

When Y/n arrived at the "Alpha Kingdom" she was greeted by the heavy smell of beer and blaring music from outside the front door.

As she entered, she made her way to the kitchen where her and Grayson's altercation took place to grab a red solo cup and fill it with punch.

Just before placing the ladle back into the bowl though, someone was grabbing her arm and dragging her with her cup to a secluded area away from everyone else.

She met his eyes with confusion laced in them.

"Ethan, what the fuck man! You made me spill my drink everywhere!" she told him, looking down at her arm as the red colored drink slightly stained her skin.

"Shh!" he told her, gently placing a hand over her mouth before she stuck her tongue out to retract his fingers.

"What do you want." she was shaking the drink off her while putting the cup in her opposite hand.

"Does Grayson know you're here?"

Her brows were furrowed, and she gave him a look that simply answered his question.

"Why-"

"Just come with me." his hand was gently wrapped around her wrist, now taking her out back where at least a hundred people were scattered about.

"What are you doing? And let go of my hand!" she pulled her wrist away from him harshly and placed both of her hands around her cup.

"Fuck! Where'd he go?! Fuck." Ethan muttered to himself.

"E, what's going on?" now Y/n had a worried pitch in her voice, watching Ethan's eyes as he scanned over the back yard desperately looking for his twin brother.

"This guy. He wants to fuck Grayson up or something." he was running his hands though his hair, looking a frantic mess and acting like he was having a bad trip.

"Are you high?" she asked, quickly watching him snap at her.

"No Y/n I'm not fucking high! I don't want someone to beat the living shit out of Grayson, okay?"

"Have you seen him? He's huge. Plus, why would anyone wanna beat-"

"Because of you okay! Some shit went around that you were with this guy and you cancelled to come hook up with Gray. Now he's pressed and is probably gonna kill us both."

"Wait— who? Who said that? Ethan?"

His head along with almost a hundred others spun around when a loud "Dolan!" was called out from the deck above us.

"Fuck me." he said under his breath.

Bryson made his way down, taking the steps two at a time and skipping the last three to land hard on the grass with his heavy work boots.

"Hey Y/n." he spoke, vial in his tone and liquor on his breath.

Y/n and Ethan stood there both in shock. For two different reasons. Ethan was shitting himself, thinking this was how he was gonna die because he hates conflict; and Y/n thought back to the last three hours catching up to her wondering why she came over in the first place.

"So, this the guy you came to fuck tonight? Because it's certainly not me." a chuckle escaped his lips as he took a few steps closer and now having everyone's attention.

"Look man, we don't wanna start anything. I'm sure whatever's going on can be resolved peacefully, alright?"

Bryson took one look at Ethan before retracting his eyes back to her.

The crowd was starting to form around them and soon peoples phones were pulled out filming every second.

"What do you want, Bryson." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I just came for the show. You know."

Y/n scoffed at him, brushing the hair away from her face.

He took a deep breath in, now interacting with the crowd that was formed and made eye contact with a few people.

"Y/n can be kind of a slut—" the ooh's and small gasps got him willed up, so he continued. "Don't get me wrong, girls who dress slutty and act it in the bedroom is hot... but when you go to a study session and she begs to suck your dick in the library; see, that's I guess that's just the price you pay when you go to school with the Y/n Y/l/n."

"Dude—" Ethan tried stepping in now, getting in front of Y/n and looking Bryson dead in the eyes. "Don't be a fucking dick."

"Don't act like I'm wrong. Well all know she's a slut! Just look at her!"

Everyone's eyes were shifted upward, looking past Bryson to see Grayson standing by himself in a white plane T-shirt with a green olive jacket on top some jeans.

His tall shadow was standing behind Bryson, causing him to turn around and now face him but he couldn't even get a single word out before Grayson took his balled up fist and forced it against his jaw.

In seconds he and Grayson both were on the floor while Bryson took multiple punches to his face as Y/n's screams for him to stop muffled out.

How dare he say something like that about Y/n? How could he say that to her when she's such an angel? Did she really do that in the library?

The questions were sprinting around in Grayson's head as he took punch after punch to Bryson before the ringing in his ears faded away.

"Grayson! Stop, please!" Y/n's desperate scratchy screams were loud enough to where he looked up at her only for him to be pressed up against the grass.

Bryson was punching Grayson now, and with all his 175 pounds on him, Ethan and some random guy was holding him up and had his arms behind his back.

Grayson stood— only with a bloody nose, split lip, some some small bruising around his eye and both of their blood on his knuckles.

He spit blood out onto the grass, looking around into the crowd —including Y/n— and walked inside while shaking his hands as if they were wet.

Back in the kitchen, Grayson had placed the frozen carrots on his hand and let his head fall between his shoulders over the sink.

He felt her presence approaching, the familiar smell she carried around with her everywhere. "What the fuck was that about Grayson!" she screamed, stomping in the room with her eyes staring at him hard.

"Nothing Kid." his jaw was clenching. He was about to explode again.

"Nothing?! That was nothing!" she was already gone. God, why did she even come in the first place?

"I told you to go home." his eyes were digging into her and he placed his finger to his lip to wipe the blood away before he disappeared up the stairs.

Y/n was about to be death of him.

"You can't just ignore me!" Y/n said while banging on Graysons bedroom door after repeatedly trying to turn the nob.

Inside the four walls Grayson had trapped himself in, he was alone with his thoughts and Y/n desperate to come in and give him company.

Then there were four knocks on his door. The same four knocks they did when they wanted to apologize to one another in 8th grade but we're too ashamed to say the words aloud.

It was their only promise they held to this day. Which is one of the only reasons Grayson sighed heavily and opened up the door for her.

He closed the door behind her, now both of them standing in awkward silence.

Y/n's eyes were glued to her feet while Graysons were softly looking at her in all her glory.

As mad as he was, and the fact that he was breathing hard from his nose to subside how much he wanted to finish Bryson off, when his eyes fell on Y/n he was in awe.

He hadn't noticed how nice she was dressed until now. With a soft white dress, curled hair, and her favorite sneakers that didn't quite match. It made him chuckle.

Her eyes were on him. "What?" she asked, placing her arms across her chest.

"Nothing."

"No, what. Now you have to tell me."

Grayson shook his head in disapproval.

"C'mon Blue, I tell you everything!"

Her words stung him like a bee, because she could see his jaw tense up again and walk away from her.

"Just like when you told me you didn't have a boyfriend?"

"So this is what that was about? Because he is and never will be my boyfriend— or anything remotely like that, ever."

"But you still sucked his dick in the library? See, Y/n I don't understand you sometimes. You can be the nicest girl i've known since we were 13, or the complete opposite."

He was inching closer to her now, his vile words building up to protect himself from slipping his biggest secret.

"Why are you being such a dick! So what if I did?! It's none of you're business anyway. You're so protective Grayson... so manipulative and controlling. You spend all you're time worried about me you can take one second to see what you've done. For fucks sake you just beat the living hell out of some kid in your backyard!"

"He was harassing you!"

"He was drunk. And so are you? How much have you had to drink? Huh?!"

"This isn't about me— it's about the fact that—"

"It's about me! Always my fault, isn't it?! It was my fault I got us in trouble in middle and high school, my fault I caused you to almost lose you're scholarship... is it my fault my dad was a drunk and used to beat me?!" she shoved his chest, causing him to stumble backward a little.

"I never said that." he sighed.

"No but you've thought about it. C'mon admit it! You've once thought about how I could have ruined you're big dreams. And now you wouldn't be here now right?" another shove to his chest.

And that's when Grayson is pressing Y/n against his bedroom door, his hands surround her cheeks and her arms fall to her sides only to be gently placed against his torso seconds later.

They were so close. So close just like the time they kissed in the back of the Gymnasium when they were younger. Her lips were the same to him, still holding onto that Mike's Hard Lemonade, but this time it was more fruity due to the punch Y/n had drank.

But to Y/n it was different. It was so different.

She was taken back almost six years to when she took that lemonade from her Dad's outside fridge and got so much shit later that because he found the bottle cap on her dresser.

She never regretted it though. She felt alive, being rebellious, being secretive and her adrenaline pumping through her veins. She haven't felt the same since... until now.

Grayson opened his eyes, slowly pulling apart and watching her eyes flutter open to look up at him.

"Gray..." he was scared of what she might say next.

"You're drunk." her voice was soft, but it still cut into him like butter and he pulled his hands away from her and took a step back to sit on his bed.

"I'm drunk? That's all I am Kid! Because last time I checked I was in love with you." his mouth formed the sentence and spit it out before he even had a chance to think it over in his head.

"Grayson..." Y/n was still against the door, too afraid if she moved he'd have her back where she was.

"Do you realize how long I've liked you for?! Go on ahead I wanna hear what you have to say." the tone in his voice was something she had never heard before.

"I-"

"The first day I met you Y/n! The second I laid my eyes on you I- I- I had this feeling in my stomach- butterflies. That never happens. Ever. And you know what else?"

She stood there with her arms pinned to her side waiting for him to speak again.

"You'd always flirt with me, all the time. Do you remember that? Remember all those times in the library when you'd drag me down an empty hall and hold my hand until class was over? Or after school when we went to the park and you convinced me to write on the playground? I even wrote our initials under the slide!" he took a deep breath in before he stood up and started pacing the room.

"Oh yeah! And the endless times we would skip class to hid in the locker room and take people's locks and switch them around! You did that shit to me all the time Y/n! And I let it happen..."

"It's not like that," her voice was just a whimper compared to his.

"It's not like that?! What is it like then? You fucking led me on all the time for years and I still stuck around because you're Dad was a drunk and I was the only friend you had and I liked you so much it wouldn't even matter if I wanted to leave!"

"And when you kissed me, behind the Gym at our graduation, I went home and looked at rings because I was so delusional that I thought I'd marry you." Grayson's hands came up to ruffle through his hair, and the tears had started to form in his eyes before he could do anything about it.

"Will you please just listen me to me!" she had raised her voice now, her hands talking with her while her eyes locked with his.

"I like you Blue. I just- it's complicated."

"Right. Because you don't like me like that. Right?"

Y/n sighed. Both of them were too fucked up to be having this conversation right now. "No, because I'm fucking scared! Okay?! You're the only man in my life who hasn't treated me like absolute shit and- and what happens if we do this? Then what? I lose you too? Jesus Grayson do you ever think about anything through before you just go on a rampage?"

"Y/n, just shut up." and that's when Grayson's hands were pressed hard against her cheeks, pulling her close enough to feel him through his jeans.

Y/n still didn't know how it had happened, how they had gone from fighting to her being pressed up against his twin-sized bed in his room with him between her legs.

He hovered over her with his hands on either sides of her face while they locked the eye contact with silent consent.

Grayson's hands found Y/n's waist and slide down slowly until both of his hands were holding her legs open.

"Lift your dress Kid." he said, and she could feel his breath against her clothed clit while doing as he said quickly.

His hands rubbed slowly on her smooth thighs while he watched her do as he said before he pulled the dainty, thin piece of fabric Y/n was wearing to the side.

While doing so, Y/n's breathing caught in her throat to the touch of his rather large fingers grazing against her.

She was nervous, but the adrenaline she craved took over and followed every order that was asked of her.

There was another moment of consent, and that small nod was all Grayson needed as his tongue came in contact with Y/n's wet core.

He started off slow, trying to see how long it would take before she was begging for more, asking him: "Please, Blue... please."

The thought of it made him groan as he felt himself grow in his jeans that caused them to fit a bit more tight.

"Oh," Y/n moaned as Grayson made eye contact with her, just to pick up his pace.

He could hear the light taps on his comforter, and so he took it as another sign until she was slightly arching her back due to his work between her sweet folds.

He didn't realize he was burying himself in her until he loosened his grip on her thighs and stopped quickly to get a breath of air.

But Y/n's breathing was a bit harder now, and she croaked out a small "Gray," to beg him to continue.

But that's not what he wanted to hear. Blue.

His right hand let go of her leg, only to reach down and lightly trace along her silky folds to her pearl. "Hm?"

Y/n reached forward a bit at the sudden touch, and he found two of his fingers slowly dancing around her small numb that made her beg.

"Ple... please," she breathed out feeling him between her with a playful look on his face just knowing he'd get her to say it.

"Pleaseeee, what?" he mocked, opening his fingers just slightly to find her small, tight opening.

Grayson's mouth was just near an inch away from her core as he blew cold air into it making Y/n squirm just to have him grip onto her thigh.

"Gray," Y/n had a hard time finishing her train of thought before he had taken the two fingers and slid them into her wetness as they disappeared in her.

She gasped now, gripping onto his bed sheets and pulling her brows together to help keep the moan in.

She could fight it for as long as she could, but if he kept doing this to her, the whole neighborhood would know what they were up to.

Once again Grayson sped up, now moving his fingers in and out of Y/n while also swirling his tongue around her numb before kind of kissing sloppily and mixing the fluids around slightly.

"Fuck," she said, trying for reach for him as he moved her hand away.

"Say it Kid, go on." Grayson continued while he waited, listening to the sound of fingering his best friend.

And there were the magic words. "Blue, please... shit,"

This time Y/n successfully reached up for him, grabbing onto his brown locks and pulling him close to her core and using both hands to hold her still.

Grayson's mouth was open against her, and when he heard her screech as he felt her legs start to shake, he knew he was doing something right.

This continued, and he loved the sounds that he made her make, and he was nearly coming to his breaking point when he heard one last moan and felt the warmth on his chin.

He took a small collection of Y/n with his tongue and pulled her even loser while she whined and breathed heavy, her grip on his hair still strong.

Once she finally let go of Gray, and before he could even say a word to her, she said: "Fuck me Grayson."

#eeswork #grayson dolan #ethan dolan #grayson #dolan twins #grayson dolan imagine #gray

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sh1tbird-shantytown · 3 years

Note

Can i get some sweet stommy with the party + Johnathan and nancy?

Also some nancy and tommy sort of getting along?

I hope you have a good day :)

oh yes, yes, you can!! and i hope you’re having a wonderful day.

...

It was the Easter of 1984 and Tommy was straightening his tie in Steve’s floor length mirror. They were both getting ready for their holiday invitation to the infamous Byers house.

Tommy craned his neck to check for collar creases, “Remind me again why we can’t just stay here and eat discounted chocolate. Alone.”

Steve’s voice echoed back from where he was in the open bathroom, “Because, my father is somewhere in Cuba and he won’t let Diana come back home until their deal is done. Apparently the business man’s wife has taken a liking to her and he wants the extra tool.”

Tommy squinted at himself, “I always forget about that little thing your mom and you do. It’s odd you know.” Steve stepped out and Tommy spotted him through the mirror. Pleased with Steve’s laid back look. Light trousers and a tucked in pastel pink button up. He was folding the cuffs up to his elbows and smiled up dashingly.

“What’s odd about it? She doesn’t like being called mom so it’s like our own inside joke.” He laughed to himself and stopped walking when he was right behind Tommy. He seemed to admire Tommy’s own getup. Light green dress shirt and smooth pants. His tie was striped like an easter egg with greens and purples and pinks. Steve had been the one to dig it out from the lost pile of presents he’d gotten from lackey aunts over the years. “You look nice,” Steve leaned his chin on Tommy’s shoulder.

Tommy grinned, “Well someone’s got to be the star of the show when we get there.” Steve pouted but gave him a hug from behind and left after a smooth kiss to the shoulder.

“Meet me downstairs when you’re done, I have to go get all the eggs in the car for the egg hunt,” he called as he trotted out of the room.

Tommy groaned in response, “I still can’t believe you signed up for that!”

“I’m a dedicated man!”

===

Joyce had immediately given Tommy a tray of deviled eggs. Said something alike to ‘make yourself at home’ and dragged Steve off to hide easter eggs. Mike stared at him from the couch, Will Byers and Nancy Wheeler upon it with him.

“Why are you here?” he asked disdainfully, face pinched up.

Tommy moved the tray around so it was better secure in his arms, “I came with Steve. I was invited,” he spouted defensively.

Mike shook his head, “I don’t even know why he was invited in the first place either,” he muttered. Will frowned and Nancy and Tommy scolded him together accidentally.

“Hey!” they looked at each other and then back at Mike, “Don’t say that!” they looked back with glares.

“Stop copying each other,” Mike stood up and Will frowned at him, looking away from his and Dustin’s conversation. “It’s weird,” he walked over to the hallway and Will only stared a moment more before looking at Tommy with a small smile.

“You’re welcome here, don’t mind him.” Will put a hand up to cup his mouth as though he was sharing a secret, “He doesn’t like new people.”

Tommy scoffed and rolled his eyes, “I can tell.” When Will looked uncertain, between a smile and even more hesitation. He smiled at the kid and stepped forward with the plate, “Can I take a seat with you?” he looked between the two. Nancy rose an eyebrow but gestured to the empty spot Mike has left. He took it after Will gave an enthusiastic nod.

Dustin noticed quickly, luckily not as judgmental as the younger Wheeler, “Hey, can I have one of those eggs?” Tommy glanced down at the full tray and held it out.

“Help yourself, kid,” he encouraged. Dustin smiled and Tommy didn’t mention the odd formation of it. Just set the tray back in his lap when Dustin seemed satisfied with the amount he’d grabbed. Nancy coughed lightly to get his attention, to which he gave politely.

“So you and Steve are...” she hung off the last word.

Tommy stared blankly for a long moment until it hit him, “Would that be a problem?” he asked in the same tone she had used. Only a little mocking.

She sat up straighter, “No, no! I support you and him completely! I’m so happy he’s finally found himself,” she spoke quieter.

Will tugged on his sleeve, “So you’re actually with him?” he asked and Tommy grinned.

“Jealous?” he teased, and Will went bright pink before laughing. Lucas wandered into the room with another tray, decorated with pigs in a blanket instead. Nancy took one eagerly when he offered the plate to her. Lucas held the tray back after and eyed Tommy speculating.

“You’re cool now right?” he held the plate out to him too.

Nancy tapped at his foot with her stout heels and he nodded, “Cooler than a cucumber,” he answered cheerily. Kept back a cringe at himself.

Lucas nodded sympathetically, “I’ve heard Hopper say that one too many times. Steve say it too?”

Tommy nodded, “He won’t stop.” Lucas laughed and left the plate on the coffee table before joining Dustin.

Steve came back into the room and sat on the floor in front of Tommy’s legs. He had a few grass stains on his knees and Tommy knew they came from his determination to find the best hiding spots.

Dustin took notice of his appearance fast, “Hey, man, Lucas and I want a third player for rummy. You down?”

Tommy leaned forward before Steve could answer, “Can I play too?” he asked eagerly. Didn’t even try to hide it.

Dustin stared at him, a bit wide eyed in shock, but nodded nonetheless, “Sure. You know how to play?”

Tommy smirked proudly and puffed his chest a little, “I’m my family’s champion.” Lucas took a pack of cards out from his jeans and started shuffling them.

Will watched for a short while but then stood up, “I’m going to go talk to Mike,” he explained. Tommy expected Steve to get up and take the open seat, but he didn’t. And no one questioned why he didn’t after he leaned his head against Tommy’s knees comfortably.

Nancy knocked on the table as Lucas prepared to deal, “I’m in too. I wanna give Hagan a run for his money,” she nudged him playfully with her hand.

Tommy laughed and shook his head, “Too bad for you, I didn’t bring my wallet.”

Steve grumbled, “Awe, I was gong to make you drive home.”

Tommy pressed his lips onto the top of Steve’s head unceremoniously, “Just kidding, Honey.” Steve smiled and handed Tommy his hand from the pile on the table. When the game began, he didn’t tell Steve that he could see all his cards. And Steve either didn’t care or didn’t realize. Knowing him it really could have been either.

Nancy cackled femininely when he put a three of diamonds down. He smiled at his cards and watched over them as she took up half the discards. Steve frowned and his shoulders slumped as she put down a lengthy row of numbers.

“Nice move, Wheeler,” he complimented.

She smiled, “Thanks, Hagan. I could give you some pointers,” she offered in mock seriousness.

“I’m good,” he deflected with a laugh of his own. Dustin continued the round and put down a few points of his own. Johnathan joined them not too long after at the side of the couch beside Nancy. He pointed as though he was giving her alternative options and opinions of his own.

Tommy looked down at Steve’s mess of a hand. He felt badly for him. Steve wasn’t good with card games, with good luck strategy. And his hand really had started horrendously. He tapped on Steve’s five of hearts and then pointed at the discard pile. Something that didn’t match any of the other suits. He was met with Steve’s upside down face, beaming brightly back at him.

It was a few more turns later that Tommy picked up the whole entire discard pile. Everyone gasped, even Johnathan. Tommy felt a small thrill and smirked.

Nancy clicked her tongue at him, “So you’re one of those people.” He simply focused on his overflowing hand of cards and then put down half of them in one go. Nancy pursued her lips, “I see how it is.”

Dustin threw his hands up, almost loosing his cards, “What the hell, man!”

Steve snapped his fingers, “Language!”

Lucas shook his head at them and grinned at Tommy, “You could teach us a few things, couldn’t you?”

Tommy nodded back and started organizing his cards after discarding, “After I leave you all in the dust winning. Sure.”

It was yet again a few more turns later, and Steve’s first couple actual plays set down, when Mike was dragged back out by Will. They sat by the open side of the coffee table on the floor.

Mike watched as Tommy played and then opened his mouth slowly, “I’m sorry for being so rude to you.” Will nodded along and smiled at Tommy. Tommy looked down to see Steve grinning proudly and nodding along to Mike’s apology. Although he continued on, “Even though I think you deserved it.”

Tommy nodded and Mike rose a brow at him just as his sister had prior, “Probably,” he agreed plainly. Nancy discarded an eight of spades and he looked down at his last three cards.

She looked at her brother, “I think Hagan’s okay.” Steve turned his head and pressed his lips against the side of Tommy’s knee sneakily.

Dustin was rearranging his hand, “Yeah, Mike. Give him a chance.”

Lucas eyed Tommy’s hidden cards as though he could tell what was to about happen next, “I think Steve’s made a good choice in bringing him today.” Mike crossed his arms and Will nudged him perkily.

Everyone sighed, except Steve, when Tommy picked up Nancy’s discard and set down a small set and his final discard.

Nancy laughed with him through his victory cry of, “Rummy!”

#tommy hagan #steve harrington #stommy #nancy wheeler #will byers #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #stranger things

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halo-jpeg · 3 years

Text

Bearable | A Reddie Fanfiction

Read it from the beginning

Chapter 2

Richie's phone buzzed. Instantaneously, his phone was out of his pocket and into his hand, and he opted to check the message rather than watch the sidewalk ahead of him. A grin split his face and he caught the inside of his cheek between his teeth, biting down on that instead of letting out an excited little squeal. The text was from an unknown number and read,

Hi, it's Bill from the coffee shop. Can I get the party information?

With another three guests set to come, Richie was all the more anticipated. That brought the list of guests up to an even 40. With flying thumbs, Richie tapped back his answer consisting of his address and the time the party was starting before saving the number into his phone underneath the name 'Stuttering Bill'. The phone was slid back into the pocket of his jeans. A stiff breeze whisked past him, and he almost felt cold enough to shiver, pulling the edges of his arcade-floor print button-up closer together in an attempt to shield himself. The sky overhead was a pale grey, promising rain soon to come and snow, too, in no time at all. It was nearly November, and while the snow usually fell heaviest from December to January it was no rare occurrence for it to make an early appearance just for a week or two. Again, Richie's phone buzzed.

Thanks. Any snacks we should bring?

For a moment, Richie pondered. He had a perfect reply locked and loaded but didn't know if it was too soon for this kind of joke. What he wanted to say was 'only yourself, hot stuff' and maybe he'd throw in a 'and the short one too' but he quickly decided he didn't want these three random people to hate his guts too quickly on the off chance that they weren't okay with guy-on-guy flirtation like that. Instead of one of the many cruddy pickup lines he has ready to go he says,

No pressure, unless you want something for yourself.

As Richie puts his phone away yet again he found himself right where he wanted to be, the lovely little family-run grocery store known as 'Hanlon Grocer'. The people inside actually tolerated him and took the time out of their days to run 50 bags of Doritos through the checkout, when a few other places he'd been to for party snack stocking had actually turned him away- it also helped that the owners son was one of his best pals. He stepped through the door, running a quick hand through his slightly wind-swept hair. Almost immediately he was greeted by the young lady currently working the register, the younger cousin of Mike Hanlon herself, Jennifer Hanlon.

"Morning, Richie," She greeted with a casual wave, attention temporarily stolen from the book she had open in front of her, "Mike tells me you're having a party tonight. I'm guessing that's why you're here?"

"You're a cunning one, Jenny!" Richie leaned against the counter, his radiant smile making him look something close to insane, "I have about an entire aisle of soda to buy from you!" Jenny smiled back at him, plucking her bookmark from the counter and slipping it into place. She closed the book, sliding it aside, and Richie caught sight of the cover- The Prestige, by Christopher Priest. It was a new one that Mike had been reading a few weeks back.

"Well, Mike's somewhere here. If you flash him that million-dollar smile maybe you can get him to help you carry some things." Richie clapped his hands together, and took a step back.

"Thanks a billion, Jen- I'll see you shortly, I'm sure. Get those scanning hands ready, I'll have quite the haul," Richie took a few more steps backwards, still talking to Jenny as he made his way further into the store, "I really hope you don't mind me always making such a big fuss!"

"Pshh," Jenny waves a hand, "You're our top customer, Rich, I could never mind!" And, with that, Richie spun on his heel, leaving Jenny to return to her fine literature so he could go pack his arms full of snacks, too many to carry for one man alone. Lucky for him, just as he was about to disappear into an aisle in search of his friend, Mike stepped out into view from nearer the produce section, catching Richie's eye.

"Sure an begorahh, me ole' laddie Mr. O'Hanlon, sor!" Richie danced along the linoleum tiles, trying both to stomp and float at the same time, graceful and intimidating as his Irish Cop, "Doh ye mind lendin' me a hand 'er two?" At once Mike set aside the crate of cans he'd been carrying, meaning to restock some shelves- in Mike's mind, that could wait.

"Morning, Richie," He greeted as he stepped away from the crate, instead beckoning with his head for Richie to follow him towards the primary snacks isle, "Putting off shopping til last minute again? Do I have to tell you it might be a little more wise to get this done a week or so in advance in case you forget anything?" Mike glances over at Richie, his eyes alight with a teasing mischief as they turn left into isle 6.

"No, my good sir, you do not." Richie clasps his hands together as he speaks, leaning over just slightly to rake his gaze across the bottom shelf. One bag after the other, he scanned in search of just what he wanted and- aha, there it was, the barbecue chips, and, more precisely, the Lays barbecue chips.

"I called in for an extra order of those just for you," Mike gave Richie's shoulder a gentle push, which Richie returned with one of his own.

"Oh, you!" He was now the Southern Belle, a hand spread on his chest as he batted his eyelashes, "You really shouldn't have, Sir Michael, you are just too kind!" With that, the charade was abandoned and Richie dropped to his knees, none-too-graciously jamming his absurdly long arms onto either side of the rows of barbecue chips. As if they were his bride, he scooped them up, holding them with as much care as he would if this metaphor were true.

"Do you... want a basket?" Mike was snickering to himself, one hand lifted to hover over his toothy grin, the other planted on his hip. "Let me get you a basket." Richie was left alone for a second as Mike hurried away. Right, a basket- that... that could have been smart, Richie thinks to himself, but he isn't always too smart. Case in point, instead of recognizing that his arms were way too full and he couldn't carry anything else, he got distracted by the rows of chocolate bars and hobbled his way over there. A box of Atomic Fireballs sat in the midst of the candy, basically begging him to buy them. Against his better judgement, he tried to free up one hand enough to snag the candy.

-----

Eddie's gaze darted back and forth between two different cereal boxes- the classic Corn Flakes or the new Special K. One had less sugar, the other less calories, and he would be getting about the same amount of cereal for the same price but- All of a sudden, Eddie's careful thinking is interrupted by a crash, and he leaps nearly three feet in the air at the sound of it, letting out a horribly embarrassing sound like a quite shriek. Both cereal boxes went to the ground and he suddenly didn't care about them any more. A sound like that couldn't possibly mean anything good, could it? Someone might have been hurt and he has the equipment with him right now to help them on some minimal scale. Eddie hurried forwards, exiting his aisle and heading straight for the source of the noise in aisle six. As he sped around the corner, he came skidding to a halt for just a moment before pushing forwards once more and stopping at the side of someone covered in a mixture of chip bags, candies, and metal.

"Shit, are you okay? Anything hurt? Here, let me help-" A little metal rack in the center of the aisle had been pulled over onto the poor guy trapped underneath, one rung jabbed against his ribs in a manner that couldn't possibly be comfortable. Eddie fastened his hands around the rack as best he could, pulling it off and away as quickly as possible. As soon as it was pushed aside his full attention went back to whoever had been trapped underneath, and a gust of familiarity punched him right in the stomach. The only one Eddie had ever seen wearing those wretched thick-framed glasses had been the coffee guy from the night before. Eddie brushed away the pang of annoyance in his gut and helped brush bags of barbecue chips aside to pull the barista into a sitting position.

"Ah, thanks," The guy said with a chuckle, pushing his glasses up and reaching for one of the bags of chips. He frowned as he picked it up, suspecting it for damage and most likely discovering that at least half of it's contents were crushed, "My bad for the trouble, my long-ass limbs sometimes get the-" He paused, finally looking up at Eddie, and then his own eyes lit with recognition and he was grinning like a maniac. "Hey, I know you! New guy! Eds!" Eddie fought the urge to roll his eyes at the nickname, brushing right past him.

"Are you okay? Hurt at all? Do I need to call a doctor? When did you last get a tetanus shot? Are you bleeding anywhere?" Eddie was already moving to unzip his trusty fanny pack, knowing he had butterfly tape, disinfectant, bandages and all things alike just inside. "How are you feeling? Dizzy at all? You might have hit your head or something and-"

"Hey, calm down there buddy, you'll give yourself an aneurysm if you don't stop and take a breath!" The barista was chuckling again, hands held out in front of him in some attempt to calm Eddie's already-racing thoughts. Worst case scenarios sprung up left and right, the current most prominent possibility being that this goof could get some sort of instantaneous infection that would transform him into a zombie, "I'm just fine, actually. I've taken quite a few tumbles in my day and this is nothin'. If anything, I'd be more concerned for the chips!" He went to climb to his feet, and Eddie was almost reluctant to allow that. Maybe he'd throw out his back or tear a muscle or fall again- he shoved the thoughts away and instead just stood as well. "Thanks, Eds," The guy said with a big glowing grin and a shrug of his shoulders, one hand rising to scratch at the back of his neck, "If I'd known you were here to save the day I'd have fallen sooner! My knight in shining armor!"

"Don't-" Eddie began, biting his tongue and then finally snapping out, "Don't call me Eds! And for the love of God, don't go getting yourself hurt just for the hell of it. That's stupid. You could have broken something!" Crossing his arms over his chest, Eddie huffed out a breath, shaking his head out of disapproval. Eddie's damsel in distress opened his mouth to speak when a new voice sliced in and someone Eddie hadn't seen before hurried around the corner with concern etched into his every feature and a shopping basket slung over one arm.

"Richie, what- What happened? You okay?" He approached quickly, glancing briefly at Eddie before his full attention went to Mr. Damsel- or, otherwise, Richie. Richie shot two thumbs ups.

"I'm great, Mikey, my good pal Eddie came to help me up."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mikey set down his basket and turned to Eddie instead, extending a hand and a friendly smile, "I'm Mike. I didn't mean to intrude if you two were talking, but Rich tends to get himself hurt more than the average human male. It's second nature now to fret over him." Richie let out a scoff, adopting a dramatic frown and upturning his nose.

"It's really hard to control my noodle arms, thank you very much! And, come on, did you really expect me not to go for the Fireballs? The heart wants what it wants, doesn't it?" Eddie let Mike's hand go and, feeling a little bit awkward now to be talking to these near-strangers, said,

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I, uh... I guess I'll be seeing you again later tonight at the party," Eddie tried to smile, "Don't go knocking over any more display shelves." Eddie was just about to turn and hurry away, just about to get out of the social interaction when none other than Bill appeared down the hall, a grocery basket hanging off his arm, obviously curious and with Stan at his side. Bill spotted Richie, Richie spotted Bill, and then the latter was approaching with his Big Bill smile.

"Oh, hey!" He greeted, nodding cheerfully in Mike's direction as well, "It's you again! I juh-just wanted to thank you fuh-for the invitation to your party." The best thing Eddie thinks Bill has ever done is draw the attention away from him. He has a tendency to do that- most eyes shift right for him when he enters the room, as if everyone sense that he is the leader. That's alright, in Eddie's opinion, because he could never be a leader and is much more content to be a follower hiding in the shadows. Now, both Richie, Mike and Bill are locked in conversation, much more friendly and natural than the one Eddie had been caught in moments earlier. Stan takes a few subtle steps towards his much shorter friend, leaning over a little to hiss out a whisper,

"They'll be talking for hours, I can already tell." Eddie found himself smiling and nodding right along. Stan was absolutely correct. The chemistry that was already brewing was that foretelling of three great friends. "Interested in coming with me to look at the bakery? I can smell it from here and I want to see what they have." Eddie only smiles wider. He nods his head without seconds thought, only trying for a second or two to catch Bill's gaze before just giving up and following Stan out of the hallway and towards the back of the building. Matching him step for step, the two picked up a much more comfortable, much more pleasant conversation that Eddie actually enjoyed having. "The curly haired one sure talks a lot. What are the chances that we're seeing him again today? How many grocery stores are there in Portland?"

"Apparently just the one. Some higher power must hate me to make me run into him again." Eddie rolled his eyes dramatically, and Stan let out a snicker, gently bumping his elbow into Eddie's and quirking a brow. In return, Eddie's own brows bent down into a questioning furrow. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face or something?" One hand lifted to wipe at his cheek but it came back clean. Stan just shook his head, a small smile ghosting his lips as they arrived at the bakery. "Oh sweet, sesame bagels!" His attention redirected, Eddie dismissed the odd look and moved to stand right in front of the glass, hovering over it and scanning it's contents but never putting his hands on it. That was icky, in his opinion- Stan was at his side moments later, scanning over the iced sweets just next to the bagels that had caught Eddie's eye.

"What do you want to bet Bill won't want us wasting our money on any of this?" Stan said with a grin, gaze still glued to a tantalizing slice of carrot cake.

"My soul. How much extra cash do we have to waste?" No one needed to speak another word. The two made a silent agreement- buy whatever the hell you want and defend your purchase with your life. Neither Stan nor Eddie would let Bill scold them for this. They deserved some sort of 'welcome to Portland' treat. In the end, they were both walking away with quite the haul- Eddie had secured a bag of six of those sesame bagels, and Stan had bought the carrot cake along with a loaf of banana bread. Just as Stan passed over the cash needed to pay for the treats, Bill stepped into view, hurrying in their direction with his grocery basket filled with whatever other food the three needed to last them a week.

"Wuh-what did you two get your hands on?" Bill doesn't waste a minute to start interrogating, though the smile on his face betrays his attempts at scolding the two. He doesn't even make them explain themselves, jumping to the next topic right after and beckoning with his head for the two to follow him towards the checkouts, "We should cuh-come here from now on. I like supporting luh-luh-local businesses. It's good for the economy or something, and Mike is n-nice." Eddie almost let out a groan- that was the last thing he wanted, because then he risked running into Richie again. It seemed he and Mike, one of the grocers, were good friends. Why else would he be worried for Richie's well being? Still, Eddie bit his tongue, instead answering with something less rude and more civil.

"We could, or we could go to a bigger store. They'd have more options- we'd probably get better deals, too." Clutching his bag of sesame bagels and hoping Bill would take the bait, he continued in his attempts to convince him, "Here, they've only got so many different things. If we went to the Superstore a ways away we could pick out healthier foods and stuff and probably save a ton of money."

"Eh," Stan answered rather than Bill, holding a hand out in the redheads direction to silently offer a turn carrying the basket, "I like it here. It's quiet, and it's all family run. There'll be less processed items available. You hate processed foods, Eddie, you should love it here- it's all organic." For some odd reason Eddie felt like Stan was maybe... plotting something? The curly-haired boy seemed awfully suspicious. Usually, he just went along with whatever else was decided, and rarely bothered to help in decision making. He never minded what Bill or Eddie chose because, as far as he was concerned, they were both logical and made great decisions. Alarm bells rang in Eddie's head and curiosity began to bubble within him. What was Stanley getting at?

"Luh-let's see how everything plays out. Maybe w-we'll end up going somewhere else next w-week, buh-but we don't ne-need to decide r-ruh-right now." The three arrived at the till.

"Good morning," The lady behind it looked about their age, with bright eyes and glowing sepia skin, her hair frizzy and light, like a cloud around her head. Her name tag read 'Jennifer'. "Chilly day today, isn't it?" Jennifer got right to work, not even glancing down at her hands as she scanned one item and then the next in rapid succession with memorized ease. Bill and her picked up a natural conversation, his great people skills showing through now more than ever. Bill brought up Mike, and the three found out that he was Jennifer's cousin- they also discovered that hers and Mike's grandparents owned the store and kept it running smoothly. Before they knew it, everything was bagged and ready to go. Stan, Bill and Eddie distributed the bags between them, said their goodbyes to the kind girl behind the counter, and made for the doors. The chill that had been in the air when Eddie had first arrived had eased, just a little. The sun peaked out timidly from behind thickening swaths of darkened clouds, and the taste of rain hung heavy on the breeze.

"We should get a cab. I swear to God, if it starts raining and I catch a cold I'm blaming it on you guys." Eddie grimaced as he looked up towards the sky, and the three set off back in the direction of home.

"What are we doing for the rest of the day?" Stan asked, staring up and around at all of the buildings lining the street, taking in every little detail Portland had to offer. Bill was doing just the same as he answered,

"I have nuh-nothing planned. I might take a n-nap or suh-humthing like that before the party." Eddie let out something akin to a scoff, though it sounded more surprised than hostile or anything negative like that.

"Don't you still have unpacking to do? You can't seriously be finished, can you?" Bill shrugged his shoulders, shuffling his grocery bags from one hand to the other. Eddie took that as a sign that Bill was, in fact, done with his unpacking. How, Eddie had no idea- shit, he's hardly finished half of his, and Stan couldn't possibly be done either with how much of a perfectionist he was. As if to prove Eddie wrong, Stan spoke next.

"I finished earlier this morning. You aren't done? How much do you have?" Eddie had brought his biggest suitcase from back home. After all, he had basically taken everything he owned with him; his entire closet, his whole medicine cabinet, more miscellaneous things like some toxin-free cleaning supplies- getting everything into a convenient spot (and needing to clean those convenient spots first) took time and effort and Eddie tended to get distracted. It made sense that he wasn't done yet, but he hadn't expected the other two to have finished so quickly. "That's alright, it's fine," Stan continued, cutting into Eddie's thoughts, "I can help you if you want me to?" Eddie was quick to deny that offer.

"Thanks, but I'm more than capable of putting my own shit away. You guys can do whatever- don't worry about me." Sooner or later, the three arrived back at home, and Bill offered to unload to groceries which left Eddie to get right to work. When they arrived back up in their apartment, Eddie dropped his grocery bags in the new, untouched kitchen and dismissed himself to head for his room. Straight down the hall from the kitchen sat Eddie's door, and behind that, his bedroom, perfectly neat and tidy. As he stepped inside, he took in the sight of it all again with a burst of pride- this was his room, and he finally had the privacy he had always craved. To the direct left of the door sat a small set of drawers with a sizable mirror mounted just above it. Facing those drawers was the king-sized bed fitted with sleek grey sheets and a whole seven pillows of different sizes. Underneath the bed was a rug, the floor a pale hardwood- two bedside tables sat on either side of the bed and a door to the closet was to his right. Finally, the piece de resistance were the large double-doors that led to his own private balcony- since Bill's room had an ensuite and Stan had a walk-in closet, he had scored the balcony and he was more than excited.

At last, Eddie stepped into his room, pushing the door near-shut behind him. The white, cold light filtering in through the glass panes of the balcony doors washed everything around him in a pale luminescence. Any minute now, he was certain, rain would start to fall, and he was glad to have made it home before getting caught in it. Eddie made for his suitcase, which was set at the foot of his bed. It was huge, silver, heavy-duty and still half-full despite a whole hour of unpacking. Pushing it onto it's side, Eddie pulled on the zipper and flipped open the top, not wasting a minute as he began to pick out the pharmaceuticals tucked within. Despite escaping his mother, he hadn't escaped old habits- paranoia still gnawed at his insides whenever he thought of sickness, his own weakened immune system- he pushed the thoughts away and began to arrange his assortment of emergency medications on top of the drawers. As he did so, he stared at his reflection in the mirror- the fear of sickness was, at once, forgotten. Instead, he found himself soaking in the feeling of his newfound independence. Eddie had finally left the nest for good.

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tran5rightsos · 4 years

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alright i have no idea if you're still doing the blurb prompts but im sending this anyways cause i've been thinking about Reanimate so much rn. could you do "why didn’t you tell me?” with muke, maybe a little angsty but mostly comfort/fluff??? and of course in the reanimate universe (i love the series so so much).

Sorry this took so long. I had an idea but I finally figured out what to do with it today. There’s comfort, but way more angst than you probably wanted, but I hope I made up for it with a few lore insights.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Doctor Adams demanded, gripping L2U’s arm hard, “Infection needs to be reported the moment you notice it.”

“I didn’t realise,” L2U lied weakly, “I’ve never had an infection before.”

Which was technically true, but foundations came with knowledge of infection and how to recognise them and Doctor Adams knew that.

“Do you need to be disciplined?”

“No.”

Adams released L2U with a shove. “Go to Discipline,” she commanded, picking up his file, “I’m booking you into solitary for the rest of the day. Never lie to me again.”

L2U nodded, head spinning. Foundational memories of a stark white room filled his mind. Not wanting to be booked in for longer, he hurried out of the lab and nearly ran to Discipline, earning a number of confused looks from passing researchers and reanimates alike.

A team was ready when he got there and was directed to a lab. They stuck a needle of antibiotic into his arm, cleaned and rebandaged his wound and told him to strip. A skintight band was strapped to his arm, a researcher read out his vitals as his fingernails were trimmed short and then he was told to step into the next room.

The next room being the one from his memories.

The lights were dimmer than he expected, but there wasn’t much to see anyway. The circular wall, and floor were stark white, the only splash of colour in the room being L2U’s own skin. Even the ceiling was designed so that the lights themselves couldn’t be seen. The floor was soft under L2U’s feet, spongy, even. He touched the wall and found that it seemed to be made of the same material.

L2U’s terror subsided and he realised that this wasn’t so bad. There wasn’t much to do, but at least he could lay down. The floor was nice on his skin. He even started to doze off, but right before he could get there and loud siren went off and the ceiling flashed brightly.

Sitting up, L2U looked at the door, just a rectangle of the same material the wall and floor were made of from this side, wondering if there was some kind of emergency happening. The siren and flashing stopped as abruptly as they started, though, and the door didn’t open.

The same thing happened every time L2U tried to sleep and he quickly realised that he wasn’t allowed to. He tried pacing, but there wasn’t enough room to do it comfortably and he kept wondering how long he’d been in there. How could he tell? There wasn’t a clock. Maybe counting would help. He made it to the three hundreds before losing track and starting again, this time making it two hundred and fifty something and wondering if the researchers who’d sent him in were watching him.

What if they weren’t? What if they forgot he was in here? L2U hit the wall with his hand. It didn’t make a sound. He hit it harder, but it wasn’t much louder. He stomped as hard as he could to the same effect. Who would hear him if they’d forgotten? He went to the door.

“Hello?” he called, “Something’s wrong! My stomach hurts!”

The door didn’t open.

Had the shot they gave him been enough? Was the infection spreading?

“Help!”

His head hurt. He sat on the floor and held it, gasping for breath. They were expiring him. They knew about the pills and they were angry, not telling Doctor Adams about the infection in his wound had been the final straw.

M1C.

If they knew about L2U, they knew about him, too. Were they expiring him right now? Was he locked in a small white room just like this one?

L2U tried banging on the soft door again.

“I’m sorry!” he screamed, “I won’t do it again, let me out!”

He kept screaming until his voice gave out. Another symptom of the infection slowly expiring him? Fluid was leaking from his eyes and nose, his face was soaked with it. Was he going to go blind? It was taking so long. How long had he been in here? Minutes? Hours? Days?

The white was hurting L2U’s head. He scratched at his arms and legs with his too-short nails, succeeding in reddening the skin somewhat. He kept going, watching colour slowly bloom until, by some miracle, the door opened.

L2U stared up at the researcher looking down at him, unsure of what to do.

“Get up.”

He stood.

The researcher turned and left.

L2U ran to the door before it could close and pushed past, wincing against the bright lights of the lab. The researchers took the arm band off and told him to put his gown and slippers back on, volunteering no explanation for anything.

“My stomach hurts,” L2U told them when they said he could leave.

“Go to dinner.”

“But the infection-”

“You were given a shot for it.”

L2U didn’t want to make them angry again, so he hurried out, making for Domestic. He’d nearly reached the mess hall before remembering M1C and turning to run to their room.

To his surprise and relief, M1C was there on his cot when he got there.

“You weren’t at-”

“Mike-One.” L2U cut him off, diving onto the cot and squeezing him tightly.

“I thought they expired you.”

“What? Why?” M1C asked in bewilderment.

“I didn’t tell Doctor Adams that my arm was getting infected, so she sent me to Discipline for solitary confinement,” L2U confessed, feeling his eyes warm, “I thought they found out about the pills.”

M1C stiffened, then embraced L2U back. “No one sent me to Discipline,” he assured him, “I don’t think they know, but we’re gonna be more careful now, yeah?”

L2U nodded, salty fluid dripping from his eyes.

“Alfa-Five made more pictures, do you wanna see?”

“Okay.”

M1C extracted himself from L2U’s arms and went to A5H’s footlocker, taking out one of its books. He sat on the cot against the wall and pulled L2U close, giving his arm a comforting rub before opening the book.

He flipped through the pages they’d already seen when going through it while A5H wasn’t around before, theorising about what everything could be. There were a lot of abstract shapes and colours, but some looked like they were meant to be things, like the boxes with rows of squares running along their lengths.

“Check this one out,” M1C said, when they reached the pictures of people.

He flipped a page and L2U was met with a grey picture of M1C in the mess hall with a reanimate with curly hair much longer than they were allowed to have.

“Who’s that?”

“You.”

L2U took the book and peered at the reanimate. “Why is my hair like that?”

“Dunno. Alfa-Five’s weird.”

“Didn’t recognise it at first,” L2U laughed.

“I did.” M1C shifted. “It was weird, but for a second I felt like you actually did have hair like that. Kinda medium coloured, like Doctor Cooke. I forgot you’ve never had it longer than like a centimetre.”

L2U hummed. “Weird.”

“Yeah.”

L2U’s stomach made a noise and he dropped the book in alarm. “Mike-One!”

M1C sat up. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I’m expiring, my stomach feels really weird.”

M1C’s eyes widened. “Did you have lunch?”

“No?”

M1C relaxed and got off the cot. “I think you’re hungry. We should get dinner.”

“Hungry?”

“It makes your stomach feel weird,” M1C said, returning the book to A5H’s footlocker, “If you’re still feeling bad later, I’ll take you to Emergency.”

His calmness made L2U feel better. “Okay.”

M1C pulled him off the cot, frowning at his arms. “What happened?”

“I scratched them. I was really sick-feeling.”

M1C pulled him in for another embrace. “Once we get out of here, they’re never gonna be able to do that to you again.”

L2U squeezed him back. “I can’t wait.”

#blurb #au: reanimate #:**

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lucarioisinthevoid · 4 years

Photo

(Okay, I recently realized a few asks that are very interesting and out of left field and whoever sends them, I really appreciate you. All asks are great, but it’s pretty fun to just look at an ask and go “… I never implied anything about this, but I will take this, no questions asked. I wish I weren’t so tired, otherwise I would answer them ALL in one go. … welp, I mean if I could I would answer ALL asks in one go, but my brain is just so drained. H e c k. Anyways! I’m happy about these, always feel free to go nuts on my inbox! Thank you!) Well this is quite the question! We’ll start easy! Mike is obviously wrath. That really doesn’t need explanation, does it? Hell, rage is his main emotion, both as a defense and to solve his problems. I think though if wrath was his true signature, as in him being a personification of wrath, ironically enough, he would have a better grip on it. Mike doesn’t LIKE his wrathful behavior, that’s why he doesn’t ever confronts it, thus getting better at acting on it or not. There would be something to rationalize himself with and that would do Mike some good. Now, you guys are probably going to laugh, but I’m serious: My Dave certainly represents Lust. Not in the outright sexual way, but he is led by his desire to feel good and happy, all his acts are led by his desires for good emotions and his immortal passions- which also tends to include killing children/building dangerous robots. It’s borderline impossible to make Dave do something he doesn’t want to do already, at least not without talking it up for him. The sinful nature of Lust is that it’s about picking up passions and indulging in them when they’re not helpful or healthy. That oftentimes is sexual in nature, but at its core, it can be a lot. Hell, it even got characterized in a few translations more as “set one's heart upon a thing, long for, covet, desire". He’s the little stupid impulse of doing something anyways, because it feels good and makes you giddy. That could go as far as theft, or to drive on the highway on your motorcycle without helmet, without a care in the world- Yes, Dave always submits to his impulses. Jeremy for sure is sloth. He isn’t EVIL. He isn’t MALICIOUS. But oh dear, he is inactive. What did he do to help? What did he do to find out the truth? No, as long as there isn’t an obvious problem, he stays in his bubble, happy as can be, a foolish boy who thinks making the world a better place is as easy as giving everyone a smile and a hug. He doesn’t understand anything and even worse, he never tries to learn. Any excuse to stay passive is taken. Like I said. Jeremy isn’t evil. But in a way, he is harmful. Now it’s getting less easy. Marion, COULD be envy, that is one of his characteristics, his envy towards the other kids and the guards who get to live and be grown up. But I think another fits just as well! Marion is Gluttony! Sure, usually Gluttony gets associated with food, but technically speaking it is merely over-indulgence… craving more and more of what you already have… and the Marionette certainly is the definition of that. One more row of kids doesn’t hurt. One more row. ONE more row. ONE MORE ROW. What did he think? Why didn’t he leave the spirits well enough alone? Sure, the murder and pain scarred their soul, but they could have rested in the purgatory, instead of being forced to perform in front of audience that laughs at their misery, just to afterwards be confronted with their killer constantly. Really, what would a group of terrified ten year olds really do? Creating an army against Dave and Henry was stupid and pointless from the beginning. But he couldn’t help it, could he? Just a little more. Just a little bit more. Not much, just a little bit extra. Stuffing kids into suit when they could have retreated without losing their sanity, hell, maybe moving on from purgatory on their own… Yet somehow, Marion needed more helper. More kids on his side. More kids he abandoned, alone, discarded because he never needed them in the first place. Gluttony is a tragic sin. Phone Guy is PROBABLY envy? He doesn’t show it a lot, he tries to stay focused on what he is doing and where he is. Though, it’s true, he doesn’t feel bad for the customers and part of that is, because he feels like he has a worse lot in life. Even compared to the kids- yes, they are dead and all, but so is he and he gets watched over 24/7. The animatronics were allowed to murder and fuck up, but he gets threatened with a SECOND death if he misbehaves. It’s unfair. And that makes him spiteful and uncaring. He inflicts misfortune on them with his lack of empathy, born by envy. It’s a sin, for certain, harming so many opportunities they could have helped each other! It doesn’t show itself outright, that makes it hard to pinpoint. But perhaps that is the toxic part. We never really realize we feel lesser than those around us, do we? Thus we can never really deal with such an emotion maturely. No, it shows itself in bad talk, in dragging the person down, attacking them more aggressively on other fronts, where we sense weakness in them. In finding excuses, seemingly good excuses to do harm to the others, to take something else from them, if we can’t directly have what they have. We start looking for the worst in the others, so we can say “sure, they may be/have x, but at also, they’re y, so I’m glad I’m not like them.” Yes, truly, this is the serpent’s sin, the sin of cowardice. Now though, we come to the hardest. Henry and Old Sport honestly are birds of a feather in regards to their sins, but I can’t decide to which I apply which sin. You may say “Of course Henry carries pride, the devil’s sin”. The sin to birth all sin? I don’t think so. I think Greed is the sin of humanity, out of which everything else comes. Hell, everything can be turned into an act of Greed. It would make sense if every other sin has elements of greed, of the desire for MORE, that Henry carries that sin- the others are creations of his making. He and Old Sport share the trait. They want more. More of everything. Drowning in their desire to overcome what they are and grow into more and more, into EVERYTHING. Restlessly searching out more stimuli, more goals, more life! Henry’s desire to be immortal is fully greedy. He wants to live more. Learn more. Experience more. That is also the part that he tries to keep under control the most. He knows it’s his weakness. Meanwhile Old Sport acts on all of these things, gathering things, tokens, then uses those to gather more items, they might become useful sometimes, oh, he wants this and that and he takes it, regardless of how many people it messes up. “More than you need”. If that isn’t what describes these two, I don’t know what. Though Pride is also very prevalent in both of them. Neither of them thinks anyone else is more important than them. Sure, Old Sport used to and Henry fakes to, but both of them they’re the only ones that matters. Hell, his pride and savior complex led Henry to help a few people out, turning nasty really quickly when he felt replaced by someone who apparently did it “better”. He’s desperate to become the best at everything and he cannot bear the thought of someone being smarter and more capable than him. That is all the more motivation for him to get better, solely to overcome that person. Sure, he’s not canon level Henry, who pretty much killed children to get his doctorate back, but he’s pretty bad. Meanwhile Old Sport solely acts good due to validation. As soon as the praise from the puppet and the ghost children became insufficient, he turned to other things to get his kicks… eventually Dave, who is seemingly endless supply of love, validation and admiration. Hopefully he is right about that, because if Old Sport feels like Dave doesn’t respect or cares about him enough… oh dear. Jesus Christ, even my good route Old Sport is willing to let children die, despite being able to wake and release the puppet, just because he craves being surrounded by admiring and grateful yes. Yes, these two are more alike than either of them likes. You get your pick which of these you think fits best. Every sin has its horrible side, but every sin also has their place within a human. As bad as these things above are, we need a little bit of all of them to be truly human. They have their good parts, even as sins and in the end, perhaps it will reveal itself to those that deal with them. Maybe they get the best out in each other. Or maybe they’re doomed to fall prey to their own vices. If you meet them, then don’t fear them. Know what to do with them. Then maybe they can turn into your most valuable asset.

#the Group #henry miller #I have a totally undeveloped purgatory AU tbh #So I've actually been thinking about this for a while #You guys won't BELIEVE how many AUs I have

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andaleduardo · 5 years

Text

Rooftop N.12

Ao3 N.11 N.13

Preview: “What conclusions did you come to?” “That I might go home unless some sign tells me to go back in there.” Richie leaned forward against the steering wheel and let his arms spread out on the dashboard, as far as they could stretch. “Guess you came at a good time, huh?” At that, Stan actually giggled and laid a hand on the back of Richie’s neck. “Ah, I knew I heard the voice of the Universe calling out.”

Saturday 29.05.1993

“Has anyone seen Richie?”

At first, it surprised him that the words didn’t come out of his mouth. Instead, everyone looked up at Beverly, who had come up behind the couch with apprehension in her steps. Secondly, it annoyed him how everyone turned their heads to stare at him in hopes for an answer.

“What are you looking at me for? I’ve been with you ever since we got here.” Eddie defended himself from four inquiring pairs of eyes.

Bev huffed out in stress. “It’s not like we have things scheduled, but Mike and I haven’t seen him for over an hour.” Speaking of which, Mike chose that exact moment to appear behind the redhead speaking. The four heads that were fixed on Bev inched slowly to the left, trying to catch every word Mike said with all the noise in the barn.

“-Someone just told me they saw him heading down the street about the same time we lost sight of him.” Mike explained to her. His eyes pooled with uneasiness and Eddie was sure he, himself, looked similar, but he bottled it up.

“What?” She asked incredulous. “But where could he even go by foot?”

Bill raised his hand slowly and cleared his throat. “He d-did mention something about taking muh-my car keys earlier.” Now, yes. Eddie started to sweat.

No one actually said anything for a while, and then Mike had the decency to answer in the name of everyone before any of them could verbally attack Bill.

“And you simply gave them? To Richie?”

Bill raised both hands in defence. “He asked if I had a spuh-sspare jacket! I didn’t think much of i-it…”

“Okay, well. Great, I’ll go look for him.” Before Beverly had the chance to follow through her words, Stan got up and caught her wrist mid turning around. She looked back at him.

“I’ll go, if you don’t mind.”

Eddie felt something alike spikes inside his chest, later running down his arms and wrists and clenching his hands into fists, unwillingly. Usually, he was the designated ‘go get Richie’ of the group. It seems like he deserved to lose that role, at least until he fixed things. This particular thought was the start of a long chain of stress inducing others. When Eddie came back to reality after a few simple seconds, Stan had already abandoned the barn and now two more people were squeezed on the couch. He was glad he took the floor instead.

It was weird. Usually noise, specially music, was always welcomed, but at the moment there was nothing more blissful than the quiet of Bill’s parked car to Richie’s ears.

Initially, he wanted to free his mind a little, have something to do other than hang out with anyone inside. But once the excuse was used and he finally got some space to breathe inside the car, Richie was actually wondering how bad it would be to drive away and 1. Leave Mike and Bev hanging, and 2. Steal Bill, Ben, Stan and Eddie’s ride back home.

The need to leave came out of nowhere, hit him the forehead with a soundless flick to the brain. Richie would say he had been holding up decently, but tonight… nothing felt right. It was a permanent stressful press around his ribs that gave out a little warning if he even got as far as to inhale too deeply. Shallow breaths only. Just the amount necessary to keep your blood oxygenated.

It would have worked out for longer if he didn’t have a sudden craving for sighing out loud, tonight. Sighing takes more air; sighing means more aching. Who would have guessed a chest could be feel this heavy?

Richie dropped his head against the steering wheel in an act of pure exhaustion. It’s been almost a week since he told Eddie to “find himself”. Which was funny because it was a corny thing to say. But also now, Richie knew he left his own true self back in Eddie Kaspbrak’s bedroom. It sort of took the moral away.

It was the knocking on the window that made him jump further and, inevitably, press onto the horn button. Richie snapped his head up with the sound and stared at Stan’s similar startled expression on the other side of the window. He must have gotten a good scare, if the way he walked around the car with wide eyes and a hand over his chest meant anything. Richie followed him with his eyes until Stan was settled on the passenger seat and shut the door closed.

“That stupid horn made my heart stop.” Stan announced, simply.

“Thought it was my handsome face.” Richie retorted poorly.

“Why are you hiding out here? You got us worried.”

“That’s it? No lecture about, possibly, driving away without a license?” Richie threw his head back against the head-rest and closed his eyes.

“I think I gave you enough lectures this month.”

That took a good chuck out of him. “Yeah, that’s about right.” He heard Stan sigh, but neither talked for a moment.

“… Richie, I’m sorry for acting this way, sometimes.” Richie opened his eyes but decided against facing his friend. “For getting pissed off so easily, for being on top of you constantly when it’s not my place.”

“Nah.” He brushed him off. “I know that’s who you are. We get on each other nerves and that’s the fun of it.”

“Some might argue…” Stan whispered. Richie went on.

“Apology taken, though. But don’t stop lecturing me, I get off on those big words you use.”

Stan huffed; Richie could guess he rolled his eyes. “I’ll let that pass.” Richie turned sideways to face him. “I don’t know why you’re here, and I don’t need to know, but I thought it might be of your interest to tell you we had a really great time watching you guys last week.”

“You mean… Besides the lack on trust.”

“Besides our lack of trust.” Stan nodded in agreement. “Eddie and I feel sorry, I think you already know that, but here it is again. To remind you.”

It felt weird to have such a serious conversation with Stan, of all people. Stan was mostly made out of seriousness, but between Richie’s mood not being for fun at the moment and Stan showing any sort of honest affection… yeah, it was weird. Good, too.

“It’s a nice reminder.”

“Well I’d hope so.” Stan offered a short smile.

“To vaguely fill your curiosity, I don’t know why I’m here. T’was to much, just wanted to think.” Richie saw the exact moment Stan had to bite down a funny remark. They both sat there looking at each other with the need to chuckle out loud. It ended up fading.

“What conclusions did you come to?”

Sighing (again), Richie thought of a good way to answer. “That I might go home unless some sign tells me to go back in there.” He leaned forward against the steering wheel again and let his arms spread out on the dashboard, as far as they could stretch. “Guess you came at a good time, huh?”

At that, Stan actually giggled and laid a hand on the back of Richie’s neck. “Ah, I knew I heard the voice of the Universe calling out.”

Eventually, both of them left the car behind and made their way back. Once the barn’s structure became clearer under the night sky, Richie’s stomach started to turn without proper reasons. His uneasiness must have shown, because Stan bumped shoulders with him and added with a clear voice.

“Who knows, maybe tonight will go better than you expect.”

"Goodnight everyone." Mike's soothing voice spread out evenly through the room. Richie stared religiously at his back covered by an orange toned flannel. "It seemed to us that last week we managed to deliver a new sort of fun for you." The somewhat small crowd cheered. "Hopefully, tonight will be just as great, with a few twists."

Feeling lucky, Richie stole a glance in the direction of the couch. He was pleased to see everyone focused on Mike. Eddie was included in that group, his eyes were shiny, reflecting the warmth from the rows of hanging bulbs. And he had that look in his eyes… Richie knew it very well. It was close to worship, adoration, completely absorption and amaze by what caught Eddie's attention. In simple words, Eddie was angelical in that moment, pure intentions and interests beyond his skin. Richie gulped.

"What we bring to you tonight is something a bit more personal, yet still great for all of you in a hardcore mood to party." Mike's communication skills were obviously different from Richie's, and if he weren't so utterly fucking sober and self-aware, maybe he would have the audacity to joke about it once they were back with their friends. But let's be fair, if Richie weren't so utterly fucking sober, he'd be the one talking to the public right now.

Mike cleared his throat before finishing. "Here are some originals we put our hearts into. We hope you enjoy." Richie waited until Mike turned around and sat on his stool. The three of them shared looks.

‘Okay, this is it.’ Richie thought. ‘A moment I think will matter for life but probably won’t.’

Richie stood there, facing not only a crowd but his two former bandmates. This was all planned. They agreed to keep Richie's identity as the author of the songs a secret. They also agreed to the new setup.

They stood in a triangle, but Richie was in the far back. Mike and Bev completed the other two vertices, standing in the front closer to the crowd. But they were all facing inwards, they were all facing each other. It closed them to the public, it made it more theirs. It stated that "This is for us, not for you. But you can enjoy it if you want."

It made it more special, and Richie couldn't feel more grateful than in the exact moment he saw Bev and Mike lock eyes with each other and share a smile.

They were ready when he was.

They were

"Ready when you are." Bev mouthed, to him and only him. Anyone else could only see part of her profile.

Richie closed his eyes and unclenched his fists. He emptied his mind from outer distractions or intrusive, unwelcomed thoughts and let his fingertips slide through the guitar’s strings.

*Mike didn’t fail to follow Richie��s lead immediately, completing the harmony created by their two instruments. It was as perfect as it could ever sound. It made the wood beneath their feet vibrate. The floor, the walls, the people and the people. It made Richie’s heart pulsate with something new.

I'm an exception, it's hard to accept Because I try to be happy, but then I forget

They tell me I need to chill, man, It's all in your head

Maybe I'm paranoid

(The smallest break between verses opened space for whistles and cheers. Richie was vibrating alright.)

I don't wanna be myself, It's making me so unwell

For the chorus, Beverly joined him with her perfectly tamed voice.

I don't wanna be myself Just wanna be someone else

…On his side of things, Eddie sat there with empty hands. He felt incredibly alone. In the crowd, no one cared about who was next to each other; and on stage, the three of them didn’t have a single drop of attention on the rest of the room. If Eddie’s chest hadn’t tightened yet with the words coming out of Richie’s mouth, it surely would after what he heard next.

I once had a thought but don't know where it went 'Cause I've been living off soda and cheap cigarettes

Maybe when I was a kid, I was dropped on my head Yeah, that would make some sense…

In that moment, a brief image of Richie’s parents came to Eddie’s mind, like a faded, old photograph. He thought about the two adults he met as a kid, they were the cool parents of the group, they were the ones who always welcomed sweaty, dirty children into their house to have a mid-afternoon snack. That image went away as quickly as it came, Eddie tried not to read into things too much but there was a sour aftertaste on the back of his throat. Maybe it was a simple knot.

He allowed his mind to wander while they sang the chorus three more times, each successively less heated. It didn’t take a genius to know who wrote the song, and Eddie had the feeling that next ones would all fit into Richie’s lips like they were born from them. They were, Eddie knew they were. But he didn’t know what to do with that information. This was new, this was Richie himself coming clean about his self-view. Exposing himself to others and allowing everyone to see him as vulnerable. Eddie supposed it made sense that they didn’t state who wrote tonight’s music. They didn’t need to know that much.

His heartbeat was slowing down as if an organ had the ability to feel sad and blue. What was the point of questioning things like that, anymore? They’ve seen enough to believe anything. Right now, Eddie believed that Richie was the bravest person alive. And he knew that he, himself, would never conquer half the things Richie would.

Superficially, he couldn’t help but think about the possibilities of subjects that could come with the next songs while the current one finished with a calm, repeated guitar solo. His weaker side gave it to wondering if there would be anything written about him, about them.

I don't wanna be myself It's making me so unwell I don't wanna be myself Just wanna be someone else

The cheering broke his thoughts away, Eddie caught a glimpse of an inside moment between his three talented friends. * Between heavy breaths and reassuring smiles, they instantly drove off onto a new, more energetic sound. Eddie watched, completely absorbed, to Richie’s frenetic head banging and wild hair swaying. At least he seemed to be having fun, Eddie couldn’t ask for more.

I can be a handful But that's why you have two hands I'm not ever careful And I can be rude, yeah

Defeated, Eddie sank further onto the couch. It seemed that tonight’s track was fixed on a sadder note, if you were to ignore the instrumental and the smiles that painted three faces.

Too many issues, so I wouldn't blame you Bearer of bad news, I've got no excuse

I talk to myself. I think I need help, So what if I’m not okay? I'm not okay I'm bad for my health, My head's on a shelf.

With the next verses, Eddie felt himself straighten his body from the couch and sitting closer to the edge. It didn’t help to calm his heart rate down that Richie finally, finally, smiled and looked right back into his eyes.

Drinking on a Monday Feeling unstable You said "You're doing it the wrong way" Then you got up on a table

Despite fighting against it, Eddie chuckled at the memory of Richie struggling with a trashcan to get up on the roof. He remembered that Monday night like it was yesterday, when in reality, a whole month has gone by. And holy shit, how much things changed in just a month. The more he thought about it, the more the crowd faded into numbness and the more the voice in his ears sounded blissful, even though it was a tiny bit too rough to be called that.

Eddie didn’t care anymore, what Richie’s voice did to him was out of this world. It wrecked him right to the core, undressed his emotions down to the purest, unspeakable ones. It was something he was sure he’d never get over, and Eddie even went as far as to wish he had found this side of Richie sooner, way, way sooner.

(So what if I’m not okay? I’m not okay.)

(I'm just like everyone else, Fucked up like everyone else.)

The next round of applause and cheering was enough to cut the line of Eddie’s thoughts. He jumped slightly on his seat, only now realising he had been staring (dreamily) at Richie while still on the edge of the couch. He awkwardly scooted back against the cushions and joined everyone’s praise at the band. He could see how euphoric Ben was from the corner of his eye. Eddie wished he had the same freedom to love and support a partner.

Instantly, his face got warm. The implications of that particular thought were way to clear to be ignored. God, Eddie was asking himself what those reasons behind him staying clear from more alcohol experimentations tonight were. He soon remembered exactly why-

“Alright everyone, we promise just another one and then you’re free from us.” Bev giggled as she spoke, turning her head sideways to make more eye contact with the generous amount of people entranced in their performance. Eddie smiled sheepishly, that awkward shyness over the attention his friends get still messed with him in an unpleasant way. He couldn’t help it, Eddie despised attention, foreign eyes are unwelcomed. Tonight, however, he was doing a better job at forgetting about that particular part than he was on the last party.

Two things happened at the same time to make Eddie’s eyes widen. They were two small things, but still. One, Richie took a big breath and opened his mouth to speak; and two, Eddie felt weight dropping on his shoulder. It was his instinct acting that instantly made him look at what was weighting him down. He found Bill’s head carefully placed on his smaller shoulder. In reality, Eddie wished he could have commanded his attention to never leave Richie, but when he turned back to the stage with a small smile on his lips (which he didn’t understand the reasons behind), Richie was looking down at his guitar. It was somewhat shocking that he managed to keep the words he planned on saying, down. Eddie deflated on the inside, otherwise Bill’s head would fall off his shoulder. On a bad day, Eddie would have said he wasn’t comfortable with the physical contact because he didn’t want others to get their noses involved, but tonight was a calm night for those types of feelings. Tonight he had to be stronger than to give in on that.

Tonight was important for many different reasons. A new one to add to the list was the depressing level of Richie’s, or so he thought, lyrics. This time, Eddie wouldn’t make more hurtful mistakes.

Richie didn’t know what he opened his mouth for. He didn’t think much before speaking, maybe that was what if felt like. In fact, he didn’t really have anything useful to say, his mood wasn’t the complete best. So in short, it was better to shut the fuck up and go on with the number one act of the night.

Nerves weren’t that common for him with these things, but he was, in fact, weighting down the possibilities of his stomach dropping so low he would blow chunks all over his sneakers.

Richie closed his eyes, took the millionth deep breath of the night, and focused on Bev’s old, wise words while exhaling through his nose.

(“We should play some of your originals next time.”)

Richie smiled fondly at the bitter sweetness on his tongue. He did what she said, he sang about himself, twice. But the whole point of the night didn’t reside in any of those two songs, but on the third and final one.

(“Something about relevant people in your life.”)

Tonight, Richie would be singing to his parents.

* He kept his eyes closed as he felt the neck of the guitar under his hands. The angry, skilled picking echoed through the barn and his heart skipped a beat once Mike and Bev nailed their entrance, like always. What they tried to accomplish with the melody of this piece was that anyone who heard it would feel it sink in their veins in something unpleasant, revolted and livid. Even if they didn’t pay enough attention to the words, it wouldn’t leave anyone indifferent.

It was Richie’s way of screaming, the only escape from being this angry with everyone around him. He bottled those emotions up and saved them from this exact moment, to pour them sourly all over the stage as easily as blood flows out of an open wound.

Nothing, You always say I'm nothing Those words fucking haunt me, they do

Cast out, Make me feel like I'm a cast out Always say that I am too loud, I am

The things you say always leave me Drowning in tears They're pulling me under I'm a waterfall, a waterfall

Richie’s eyelids fluttered open while he sang. His blood was boiling with adrenaline and nameless emotions. Mike’s arms were moving just as harshly, his whole body threatening to jump out of the small stool and jab both drumsticks through the material of the bass drum. Bev’s part in this particular song was crucial, the main reason the instrumental reached deep into people’s bones and made shivers and goose bumps break their skin was due to her pre-recorded sound mixes. They were fucking messed up in just the right way. The three of them put their whole hearts into this. And maybe they were biased, but if you asked Richie, the hard work showed off perfectly.

Crazy Feel like I'm going crazy Your games are quite amazing, they are

Toxic Like chemicals you’re toxic Your poison makes my head sick, it does

It was only inevitable to let the swirling memories of a childhood inside his head, but it was another thing to let them drown you. Richie had enough of the sorrow, he now wanted to move forward and grow up to be better than his parents. He tried, for a really long time, to find the turning point. Was it a day that went wrong? Was it something he did? Could it be another random thing that he had no control over? No matter how hard he searched through his memory, he couldn’t seem to find the reason his family broke apart like this.

Drowning in fear It's pulling me under I'm a waterfall, a waterfall Drowning in tears

He could almost guess that… maybe it was always that way.

Maybe it was his child mind that didn’t see it at the moment, worried about more important matters, like crayons and Star Wars’ toys. Maybe his friends liked his parents better because they weren’t all that worried about their messes or curfew. Maybe, if he asked Bill, Richie would be sure that he saw more liquor bottles than milk cartons on his kitchen counter before he turned 10. But they were way too young to notice, they were way too young to care.

Maybe, this was all a string of failures.

Richie would never get those answers.

He jumped out of the stage after setting his guitar on its stand, Bev and Mike had already made their way to their other friends. Richie was expecting a group hug as he made his way over. What he wasn’t expecting, however, was that the six of them were waiting for him with smiles on their faces and… tears. Richie let his mouth hung open as he came to a stop. The two that performed with him wore proud smiles, but there were actual tears streaming down Bill’s face, and Eddie’s… The smaller boy was standing in the middle, looking up at him with crossed arms and big, wet eyes that made Richie’s heart tear down the middle. Richie kept staring at him. He wanted more than anything to jump in on the hug that Eddie clearly wanted to give. But he had space to keep until Eddie decided to close it.

Eventually, Ben (that fucking angel) pushed Eddie onto Richie’s direction, which proved to be enough to break Eddie’s hesitation. The boy practically threw himself onto Richie’s arms, squeezing his mid-section so hard that Richie worried for his ribs’ well-being. No one needed to know that he squeezed back just as hard. A second later, five other pairs of arms were joining the big bundle of bodies, which gave him such an overwhelming amount of affection that Richie felt tears pooling up in his waterline as well.

“Hey Eds, I hope you don’t mind getting snot all over your hair.” Great, his big mouth was working again, and his throat was extremely dry, which turned his words raspy. Richie was caught by surprise when Eddie only squeezed him harder, completely ignoring the implications of what he had said. That gave him the strike of energy necessary to lift Eddie up for a total of two seconds, which was all he could handle. He swore he heard muffled giggles.

“We’re so ss-sappy.” Bill was the first to break the hug in order to wipe his face. This was such good blackmail material for when he sobered up. Bill was a rollercoaster of funny sights when he drank. The hug dispersed, and Richie felt the hesitation behind Eddie’s movements as he recoiled both arms into his own chest again.

Richie copied Bill’s previous actions and tried to wipe away his unshed tears as subtly as possible, he still noticed Eddie looking up at him from his side without a word.

To bring everyone back from the emotional turmoil to a closer sense of normality, Richie gave away one exaggerated sigh before speaking. “I’m so thirsty right now I could drink all of your moms’ breastmilk in one go.” To which he gladly took all of the complaints, groans and things like: ‘That’s so not funny.’ Or ‘You had to ruin it.’ And even ‘That’s fucking disgusting.’ That could have only come from one specific firecracker boy. But he still heard the faint ‘Love you Rich.’s that were kindly thrown at him as they made their way over to one of the tables that served as a drink station.

No one saw him stay behind, but Eddie didn’t mind. He wasn’t particularly ready to act normal just yet, but he also didn’t want to ruin anyone’s mood. So he needed a moment to ground himself, and he watched his friends’ backs for a moment. There were many people in the way, but Eddie settled himself against the backrest of the couch and waited a total of 30 seconds, the time it took for Richie to down 2 cups of mango juice. Then, lacking self-control, his body jumped away from the couch and he marched his confident way to Richie’s side. He even got as close as to tap Richie’s shoulder blade. All it took was Richie turning around with the corners of his eyes scrunched up due to a genuine smile, and Eddie melted away onto the wooden floor without another word. Or at least that’s what it felt like. In reality, he stood there, speechless, with his mouth hung open long enough for Richie’s smile to twist into a worried frown.

Eddie’s heart was probably testing out some acrobatic moves, if the way it was jamming against his ribcage had anything to do with that. Little did he know Richie’s was in a similar state, and that he had a hard time swallowing down his last gulp of juice once he turned around to find Eddie standing there, looking up at him with big, doe eyes.

Then, Eddie’s fingers wrapped around Richie’s wrist. The movement was soft and strong at the same time, Richie thought that was one of millionth perfect ways he had to describe Eddie as a whole.

He wished he had more time to process the look in Eddie’s eyes in the moment he ordered him to

“Come with me, Rich.”

It didn’t sound like a question at all.

“Please.”

Fuck.

rooftop taglist: @richietoaster @rainydayriots @reddieloves @thetrashmouthclub @lemonboi03 @noodleboyshane @pillsandglasses @studpuffin @dandelion-stan @reddiesetrichie @squishynonbinarytwink @itschunky @burymestanding @duderrific @its-rye @salty-kaspbrak @youtubequeens @reddieseggrolls @addimagination @pastelstozier @sleepysirenprincess @constantreaderfool @mrs-vh @eds-trashmouth

perma taglist: @constantreaderfool @mrs-vh @eds-trashmouth @girasol-eddie

#rooftop #me #fanfic #reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #mike hanlon #beverly marsh #stanley uris #bill denbrough #ben hanscom #mango juice #stay healthy

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2-for-a-penny · 6 years

Text

A Train and A Tumble pt.1

New multichapter Fic! ButtonsxTommy Boy moden au, they work in a train store warehouse!

Masterlist Archive

ENJOY!!!

Buttons pulled open the backdoor to the warehouse and entered. He laid down his stuff and waved to everyone already at work at their stations. He clocked in as his manager, Finch, was walking over.

“Hey Buttons, how were classes today?”

Buttons looked up from the computer and smiled at the guy asking. “Same old same old, they talked I listened, I may or may not have learned stuff. The usual.”

Finch smiled at the sarcasm and handed him a stack of papers. “Once you clock in I need you to pick these orders, shits about to get crazy soon with the holidays coming up.”

Buttons took the papers and began to file through them as he walked away towards the shelves. “Got it.” He called over his shoulder. Finch nodded and went back to processing orders.

Buttons glided through the warehouse, his feet taking him where he needed to go without thinking. Buttons knew this place like the back of his hand. A small warehouse with sixty or so shelves, jam packed with model trains, rails, and tiny houses alike. The smell of cardboard filled the musty room. Buttons continued along his path, scanning the paper in his hands, and expertly dodging the boxes half hanging off of the shelves around him. When he found the shelf he was searching for, he glanced down at the paper, and picked up the box with the correct label. Double checking himself, like the perfectionist he is, he carried the train over to the next open cart with the order form.

“Are you sure that’s the right train?” Buttons heard a voice call from the side. He turned to see a redhead calling from her computer in the corner of the warehouse.

“Yes, I’m positive Katherine. That was the only Railking on that shelf.” He called back to her. He walked over to her work station, she was dressed in the average warehouse clothes; a t-shirt, shorts, tennis shoes, and her long red locks were in a loose bun atop of her head. She smiled teasingly at him while she continued printing out the shipping labels for the boxes sitting in front of her. There was an entire full cart waiting to be processed, this was unusual for Katherine as she was normally a very fast worker and liked to stay ahead of the packers.

“Forget about me, looks like you’re a little behind there Kathy, something wrong?” Buttons asked jokingly. Katherine sighed dramatically and flopped her head down onto her head on the desk.

“Everything is wrong my dear Buttons! When is life ever right?” She exclaimed loudly, causing Mike and Ike to look up from the boxes they were packing, and give her a shake of their heads as they resumed their tasks.

“Awe what’s wrong Kathy?” Buttons asked consolingly.

“There is a temptress, she haunts my dreams! Everytime I close my eyes, there she stands, beckoning me! I feel her gaze, and she draws me in. Those eyes, those lips, I shant look away!” Buttons let out a small laugh at her elizabethan monologue and lightly pat her on the back. Buttons thought she was ridiculous. Katherine had been in love with the girl from inventory since she walked by to get a cupcake from the breakroom about a month prior. Katherine since then, had refused to go back into the inventory section, for fear she might make a fool of herself falling of a stool or something. This left Buttons to do all of the work that occured in that section of the warehouse.

“It’s the girl from inventory isn’t it.”

“Yes! How dare she just walk around like that!” Katherine declared.

“Walk around like what?”

“All pretty, and sweet, and perfect and stuff. Ya know?” Katherine looked up at Buttons hopelessly. He took pity on her poor soul. She was just a tired lesbian trying to make her way through life. He could relate...sort of.

“Yeah Kathy, I know.” She just continued to look at Buttons with her puppy dog eyes and finally he huffed.

“How about I talk to Medda and Nunzio and see if I can find out anything about her?” Katherine’s eyes lit up as she hugged Buttons tightly around the waist.

“Thank you! Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“Not nearly enough.” She released him from her death grip, and quickly got back to processing the boxes on the cart, at a much faster pace now. Buttons rolled his eyes and grabbed an empty supply box, and made his way back to inventory.

Walls of rolly carts filled with stacks and stacks of trains and tracks waiting to be put into the system surrounded Buttons. He fluidly walked through the dangerous rows, careful not to break anything, and arrived at the first desk located in the very back. An old man with glasses and a rather fantastic mustache sat at the computer, staring at the pile of small matchbox cars laying on the desk. He let out a thoughtful noise, then quickly rose and grabbed a small cardboard container, and swiftly fit all of the cars neatly inside. He grabbed the sticker with the item ID and placed it onto the box, then moved it onto the cart next to the desk.

Buttons cleared his throat and the old man turned his head.

“Buttons! Long time no see!” The man said cheerfully. Buttons smiled at his enthusiasm and offered the man the empty container in his hands.

“I worked full time three days last week. I didn’t see you.” The man accepted the box and carefully balanced it on the stack that was currently taller than Buttons.

“Oh, I was on vacation last week, that explains it.” The two stood in comfortable silence before the man spoke again.

“So what brings you back here?” Buttons shook his head and smiled, “Can’t a guy just want to see you Nunzio?” Nunzio had been nice to Buttons since day one. He was the one that checked on Buttons every night. Making sure David knew if Buttons was working later that night, and getting him secret snacks, and showing him around the warehouse. Nunzio was sort of like Buttons and Katherine’s work father. They both loved him, and his semi elderly ways.

“They can.” He answered back, “But I know you have a purpose. You don’t normally come back here until the end of the day.”

Buttons put his hands up and let out a small laugh. “You caught me. I had a few questions, and maybe a favor to ask.”

“Shoot.”

“Okay, so you know the girl in inventory?”

“The one with the long hair, and also the only one back here under 40?”

“Yeah her.”

“Go on.”

“Well, our dearest friend Katherine, has a little crush on said girl.” Buttons explained.

“Ahhhh, so she sent you back here to find out more information and such on her.”

“Precisely.” Buttons responds with a curt nod of his head.

“Well, I can tell you, she and Katherine are probably soulmates.” Buttons laughed at this strange proclamation.

“What makes you say that?”

“They are the same person; twins in a different life if you believe in that sort of thing. They have the same attitude, and spunk. I think they would be good for each other.” Buttons grinned.

“I’m sure Katherine will be glad to hear that.” Nunzio smiled and shooed him off.

“Now get going, we both have work to do.” Buttons waved as he walked off, back to his station. He grabbed more sheets, getting ready to go on the hunt when Finch walked up to his station.

“Hey Finch.” Finch smiled in response and looked down at the clipboard in front of him.

“Hi Buttons. So quick question. With the holiday season coming up, are you still okay to work nights? I know school is going to start getting a little tougher with finals and everything. But you’re still okay with your normal hours?”

“Absolutely, if I ever need a day off I will let you know.” Buttons replied happily. Finch wrote something on his clipboard and focused on the paper in front of him, scrutinizing the words as he read them.

“Good, because we have a new guy that’s going to start here tomorrow. He’s a packer and he’s going to be working the late shifts with you. I think he actually attends the same school as you.” Buttons took in what was being said to him. He couldn’t help but feel a little sad. He really liked working the late shifts. He could play his music as loud as he wanted and charge across the warehouse without a worry for bumping into someone, or someone catching him mouthing the tune playing in his ear. It was also just more peaceful later. The whole place has a comforting silence about it. As much as he was going to miss being able to dance around while walking to the pickups, he was pretty sure the new person wouldn’t change much else. He probably wouldn’t even want to talk to Buttons anyway.

“Sounds cool. What’s his name?”

“Tommy Boy.” Buttons frowned. That’s a weird name.

Finch let out a small laugh. “Yeah, sure, go ahead and judge someone’s name, Buttons.”

Buttons scowled at the man in front of him. “Isn’t it time for you to go home Finch?” Finch checked the watch in his wrist and his eyes lit up.

“Thank God, you’re right.” He turned to address the full time workers of the warehouse. “Let’s wrap it up ya’ll!” He turned to head back to his station and Buttons plugged his headphones in. He walked around as the other workers filtered out around him. He could faintly hear “bye Buttons” and “See ya later”. He nodded in acknowledgement and continued the task at hand. When the warehouse was finally empty, save for him of course, Buttons took a deep breath and smiled softly, taking in his last day of peace in the small, dusty, dirty warehouse that he wouldn’t trade for the world.

Taglist (ask to be added)

@insane-tomato

@madiwest00

@thatpoorguysheadisspinning

@auspicioustarantula

#newsies #newsies liv #2forapenny fic #buttons #tommy boy newsies #buttons newsies

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unsaid-stardust · 6 years

Text

Some Things Can’t Be Closed

Chapter 1: Stranger Dreams

Word Count: 1911

Summary: Ten years after Eleven closes the gate, A friend of Holly Wheeler mysteriously disappears sending her on a mission to discover the truth about Hawkins, Indiana.

Shoutout: Special thanks to @hannahberrie for being amazing and helping me brainstorm the plot for this. Couldn’t have written it without ya, Hannah!!

Holly Wheeler stood in the middle of a dark hallway; Something was calling her- Something hungry for blood. Suddenly, lights flickered above her. Christmas lights. She looked up then and noticed that they were strung up and down the hallway ceiling. One by one, they flickered, creating a path of reds and blues and greens. A voice in the back of her head told her that she should stay put, but she ignored it, her curiosity getting the best of her, she followed the flickering lights.

They lead her to a bedroom where lights continued to flicker off and on. This time, they weren’t Christmas lights, but simple household lights. All different types of lamps flickering one by one in a circular fashion kind of like a merry-go-round. They spun faster and faster and faster until suddenly, they stopped and all was quiet. All except for a low growl coming from the walls.

Holly stood in front of the bare wall; her heart pounding a mile a minute. It began to bubble. The wall. Holly peered closer to it, a shape beginning to form. It moved like a hand-like creature, wiggling to escape. Holly felt the sudden urge to help it. She moved closer to it, the thing from the wall almost bursting the seems of the wallpaper. She held up her trembling hand to touch it, fingertips inches away when suddenly-

“Holly! You’re going to be late for school!” Holly groaned at the sound of her mother’s voice. It was all just a dream. An extremely real dream that seemed more like a memory. Holly sighed heavily. It couldn’t be just a dream. It felt too much like it’s happened before.

“Holly!” Karen cried again. Holly rolled her eyes and threw her covers off of her body.

“I’m up! I’m up!” She shouted back. She then forced herself to get out of her warm and cozy bed to get ready for her first day of cold and dreary prison a.k.a Hawkins High School.

Once she got dressed, Holly headed downstairs for breakfast. The smell of fresh eggs and bacon perfumed the house and she was thankful that her older brother Mike wasn’t there to drizzle her eggs in syrup. She shuddered at the thought. She made the mistake of eating it once and It was totally disgusting.

She reached the kitchen table where her mom already sat and had placed a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon for Holly.

“Good morning, Holly. Ready for your big day?” She greeted with a smile.

“If you mean, ‘ready to die in prison’ then yes, yes I am,” Holly answered sitting down in her seat.

“Come on, Holly, It won’t be that bad. Nancy and Mike got through it” She explained. Holly rolled her eyes. She hated when her mom mention how easy high school seemed for Nancy and Mike. She’s heard stories and things certainly weren’t easy.

Nancy had boy troubles and grievances, Mike faced bullies. What would Holly be confronted with? Monstrous teachers?

“Barely,” Holly mumbled under her breath. Karen sighed heavily.

“Holly Wheeler stop being so negative. I promise you will make it through high school with flying colors. Now hurry up and finish your breakfast. You’re going to be late if you don’t leave soon”

After finishing her breakfast, Holly Wheeler grabbed her stupid bike out of the stupid garage and wheeled it out. She called her bike stupid because it used to be Mike’s and it’s completely old and rusted. She hated the thing with a burning passion, but it was much better than walking.

Not only was it better than walking, her two best friends had similar bikes as well. Rose Gallagher and Ben Stratford. If she didn’t ride her bike, she would be forced to trail behind them like a confused little duckling. Speaking of Rose.

“Still got Mike’s bike, Holls?” the brunette inquired, wheeling up her own bike to Holly’s driveway.

“Unfortunately, but not for long because I’ve been saving up!” Holly answered as the two of them began their route to Hawkins High School.

“You mean to say you’ve been ‘borrowing’ money from Nancy again” Rose stated.

“That too,” Holly replied. Not saying another word, Rose began to turn the corner onto Mirkwood and Holly suddenly felt something deep in her gut. Mike had always told her to stray away from Mirkwood when she could. He never explained why and though he was annoying as a brother could get, Holly would trust him more than anyone. Holly stopped pedaling.

“What’s up? Why did you stop?” Rose questioned as she pedaled towards Holly.

“This is Mirkwood,” Holly simply said. Rose raised an eyebrow signaling that she was clearly confused.

“Yeah, and?” She asked letting go of her handle bars.

“Well, it just that-Mike always told me to stay away from Mirkwood,” Holly explained reluctantly. She knew that Rose wouldn’t understand why. Holly didn’t even know why. She just had a feeling, one similar to how she felt in her dream, that really should listen to Mike and turn the other way.

“Well Mike’s not here, so he’ll never know that we used it to get to school,” Rose pointed out. She did have a point there. It’s not like Mike would ask her if she took Mirkwood to school. Plus, it was the fastest way to get to Hawkins High School and they were already running late.

“You’re right. We should probably get going anyway,” and with that, the two girls were on their way.

They made it to Hawkins High School with no trouble at all, much to Holly’s surprise. Maybe Mirkwood was just a road after all, she thought after parting ways with Rose. Unfortunately, their lockers were on opposite ends of the halls.

Reaching her locker in no time, Holly turned the dial on her lock and successfully opened her locker. Wasting no time, she reached down to grab her binders for her morning classes. Straightening her back to reach her pencil case on the top shelf, she noticed something moving in her locker mirror. She turned around then and what she saw was truly frightening.

“Ben! You idiot! You scared me,” Holly shouted as she hit him lightly in the chest. A gleam appeared in his green eyes as he let out a small chuckle.

“Well, hello to you too, Holls” Ben replied with a smirk on his lips. Holly rolled her eyes at him before turning back around to grab her pencil case.

“What’s got you so on edge today?” He asked her. She paused before closing her locker shut contemplating if she should tell him about her dream. He is her best friend after all, but the last time she told Ben about the dream, he just brushed it off as a simple nightmare and it was definitely much more than that.

“N-nothing just-I had that dream again and it’s kind of freaking me out. It just felt so…real,” Holly explained turning around to face him. Ben looked at her with sympathy and touched her shoulder gently.

“Look, Holls. I know that dreams can be scary and they can feel so real, but just remember that that’s all they are. Dreams. They can’t hurt you ” Ben said. Holly pursed her lips. She appreciated his effort in trying to comfort her, she really did, but she didn’t completely believe him.

“I guess. Thanks, Ben,” She simply responded.

“Anytime,” he answered with a smile. Though she wasn’t exactly comforted, she smiled back at him, and they probably looked a bit like idiots for staring just a bit too long, but then the bell rang telling them that they should get to class and broke their eye contact.

“We should get to class,” Holly said a little too quickly.

“Right. Off to our first class of hell. You ready?” Ben inquired. Holly shook her head.

“Not really, you?” She responded as they walked down the hallway, though she already knew the answer.

“Not in the slightest,” He stated immediatley. Holly smiled at the fact that her guess was right and that they thought so much alike. It really shouldn’t make her this happy anymore, they’ve been friends since they were small, but that didn’t seem to matter.

“Well, hey, at least my uncle is our teacher. That should make it a little less dull,” Holly reasoned as the two of them entered their first class of the day; biology.

“Let’s hope so,” Ben said taking a seat in the third row. Holly pursed her lips sliding into a seat in the row next to him when the bell rang and in walked a certain curly head teacher.

“Good morning, class! I’m Mr. Henderson and I’ll be your biology teacher this semester! Now who’s ready to cut open some frogs?” Holly looked around as she raised her hand confidently to find that only her and Ben were willing to dissect a frog. Other students had disgusted and confused looks on their faces.

“Well, I’m glad some people are ready. Always nice to see you, Holly,” Mr. Henderson states with a wide smile. Holly returned the action as she brought her hand down.

“You too Dustin-uh-Mr. Henderson,” she stuttered. Holly heard a couple soft laughs coming from throughout the room and her cheeks suddenly became warm. This was going to be a long year.

Holly was exhausted by the time school ended and all she wanted to do was go home and crawl onto the couch to take a nap. But, sadly, she couldn’t do that. No, because she had AV Club.

She wasn’t really into the stuff that happened during AV Club. Not particularly. But, her Uncle, Dustin Henderson, was the supervisor of the club and needed more members in order to keep it running. So, because she loved Dustin more than anything, Holly became a member of the AV Club alongside Ben Stratford.

Rose Gallagher had other obligations, she had claimed. Something about helping her older brother out with some photography project.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Rose? There’s still spots left,” Holly inquired as the three of them stood outside the door to the AV Club.

“I’d love to guys, but I promised i’d help Tyler after school. I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” Rose waved goodbye then and Holly and Ben made their way into the classroom.

It was 8 O’clock at night when Holly heard the doorbell ring. She was working on her unnecessarily frustrating algebra homework and the doorbell only made her more frustrated.

“Holly, can you come down here, please!” Her mom shouted up the stairs. Holly let out a heavy sigh.

“Just a minute, mom!” She called back before standing up from her desk chair. As she made her way down the stairs, Holly wondered what her mother could possibly want from her, neither of her conclusions coming to the idea that two policemen would be standing at her front door, which was what she found when she stepped on the last stair.

“I could assure you that my daughter has nothing to do with this” Karen argued with the police. Holly made her way next to her reluctantly before her mom placed a protective arm around her.

“We understand why you might feel that way, Mrs. Wheeler, but we still need to take her down to the station for questioning,” one of the policemen responded.

A million questions began to swarm in Holly’s head. She hadn’t done anything that would require the police to come after her. Mike, maybe, but not the police.

“What’s going on. What do you need me for?” She managed to ask.

“It’s your neighbor, Rose Gallagher. We believe she’s missing,”

#bree writes #STCBC #stranger things #holly wheeler #mike wheeler #Nancy Wheeler #dustin henderson #fanfiction #future fic

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call-me-rei · 3 years

Text

Chapter 38

“Finally I think I’m ready for a love like this.”

---

The last month of school was one of the most peaceful months I’d had all year. After Vic threatened Jacob the day after my birthday no one messed with us. Sure, they stared, but they were the usual stares Vic got when he walked down the hall. Only this time I was walking with him.

I was afraid that kids at school would pick on Vic or me when we came out as a couple. That was a dumb thought. Vic had shown that he wasn’t one to fuck with, and that I shouldn’t be fucked with or else there’d be hell to pay. We didn’t seem to have any problems though. Some girls who had crushes on my boyfriend shot me looks but knowing that they didn’t have a chance with him made me feel confident as we passed them.

Overall, everyone was happy for us. Vic and I were able to walk through school holding hands and kiss when teachers weren’t looking without much judgment from our peers. It was really nice.

I was hoping we could do the same next school year. Vic and I had both been accepted into San Diego State. Vic was going to major in graphic design, and I was majoring in creative writing. We were even planning on being roommates when housing applications opened.

But before we could get there we had to graduate. Thankfully we only had to wait a couple hours to do so.

I nervously adjusted my tie as I looked at myself through my phone screen. For some reason I couldn’t get it straight, not that I had done it before. Today was one of the few times I’d ever worn the thing. Shouldn’t guys be good at this? Maybe I should’ve taken Mom’s offer to help before I left.

“Stop.” I looked up from my phone and met Lynn’s annoyed expression. “Let me.” She put my phone down in her seat with a sigh and gestured for me to stand up. I followed her unspoken directions and looked at her as she fixed the position of my black necktie.

“There,” she said triumphantly. “Now, leave it alone.”

“Yes mom,” I mumbled. It was loud enough for her to hear and flip me off. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“Yeah, but I’m usually not very nice to you.” I rolled my eyes at her stupid cheeky grin.

“Whatever,” I mumbled as I sat back down. She walked back to her seat and handed my phone back to me. “Can you believe this is the last time we’ll be hanging out in this building?”

I looked around the room we were sitting in. All of the graduates were placed in the two largest gyms of the school, which were conveniently next door to each other. Kids with a last name that started with A-M were in one gym while N-Z were in the second. I was glad the school still recognized my last name as Bostwick so I would be in the same room as most of my friends, minus Ashley, Tony, and Jaime.

The fact that this was the last time I’d be in this school with all of them felt surreal. On one hand it would be weird not seeing them every day, but it would be great to not have to come back to the building.

“It’s crazy,” Lynn said softly, “but it’ll give us more time to hang out in other places before we leave.”

I nodded, trying not to think about the fact that we were going to different places next year. Lynn was going to UCLA in the fall; Ashley was going to a community college to get her basics out of the way, and Savannah was moving to Los Angeles to work with an environmental group. Jaime was heading to a trade school, and Tony was taking a year off to figure out what he wanted to do.

“Do you think we’ll still be as close as we are now when we leave?”

“Oh, hell yeah! I’ll be dammed if you think you’re gonna get rid of me.” I laughed at her answer. I knew that Lynn wouldn’t let me out of her life so easily; I just needed confirmation.

“Of course not, Gunn. You’re my best friend. What would I do without you?”

“Cry and be miserable,” she answered without missing a beat.

I rolled my eyes. “Sure.” She giggled. “But anyway, I meant all of us. Our whole group.”

She leaned forward and rested her chin on the back of my chair. “Of course we will. We’ll get busy but there’s no way in hell we’re gonna forget about each other.”

I smiled warmly at her.

“In fact,” she continued, “I know someone who’s gonna be thinking about you forever.”

“Who, you?”

Just then a pair of arms appeared from over my shoulders and brought me in. I yelped then relaxed into their body when I realized who it was.

“Why?”

Vic chuckled before he kissed the top of my head. “You two were having such an intense conversation and I didn’t want to interrupt.” I shook my head at his response then tilted it backward to look at him. He took the opportunity to kiss me on the forehead before letting me go and going to stand in front of the chairs Lynn and I were sitting in.

“You look good, darling.” I blushed. Vic had started calling me “darling” after we came out as a couple to the school. I still wasn’t used to it, but it made my heart flutter each time he said it.

“He only looks so good because I helped him with his tie. He’d be a mess without me.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Lynn was right. I wasn’t very dressed up. I had on a long-sleeve light blue dress shirt and black dress pants. The most effort I’d taken went to my hair this morning. I’d brushed it and put some product in it so it wouldn’t fly all over my face when I walked to get my diploma since the ceremony was outside.

“Thanks,” I mumbled bashfully, “but you look way better than I do.”

He did. Vic was wearing a long-sleeve black dress shirt and dark grey pants. He had on a red bowtie and red suspenders that pulled the look together. He had gotten his hair trimmed a couple days ago so it now sat on his shoulders rather than below them, but it had that wavy look that I loved.

“Oh my gosh, you’re both hot.”

I stuck my tongue out at Lynn before standing up. I took a couple steps toward my boyfriend and wrapped my arms around his neck. He answered the move by placing his hands on my hips.

“You are really hot,” Vic whispered to me.

“Takes one to know one.”

The screech from a bullhorn sounded through the gym before I had the chance to kiss him. We quickly pulled apart and flinched.

“Okay seniors,” one of the assistant principals said through the horn, “put your caps and gowns on and sit in your assigned spots. We’re leaving in five minutes!”

We wasted no time putting on our attire seeing as we were so close to leaving. Vic and I shared a quick kiss before we took our seats. Soon enough we were led out of the gym and through the school to get to the football field where the ceremony was taking place.

Cheers and applause could be heard as we walked to our assigned seats in the middle of the field. I immediately saw my mom with Vic’s family. I waved to them all enthusiastically with a huge smile on my face. I was happy to see that they were getting along so well, or at least well enough to sit next to each other.

The processional music stopped a bit after the last student took their seat. I took a moment to look at all of the seniors around me. The graduating class was sitting in two different sections of the football field with an aisle in between them. I was sitting with Savannah on my right in the fourth row of students. I looked back and saw Vic was three rows behind me and Lynn was a row behind Vic. Tori and Ashley were a few rows behind them. Tony and Jaime were behind Ashley’s row sitting with five chairs in between them. I smiled at them all then turned around when our principal took the stage.

Dr. Johnson gave his speech then the salutatorian and valedictorian gave theirs. Finally, it was time for us to get that piece of paper in a fancy folder.

I watched as the rows before mine stood and walked to shake hands with the administration and get their diplomas. Excitement rushed through me when it was my row’s turn to stand and walk toward the center of the stage.

“Kellin Quinn Bostwick!”

I smiled as the cheers rang in my ears. I shook Dr. Johnson’s hand and took the folder before looking out into the crowd. My mom was yelling her head off while Vic’s parents and his brother were cheering a reasonable amount. I saw Lynn stand and clap while Vic held up his hands in the shape of a heart over his head.

I took my picture after I got off the stage and sat down to watch my friends receive their diplomas. I blew a kiss at Vic, screamed for Lynn, and joined them and Sav to cheer for Tori, Ashley, Tony, and Jaime.

The last student walked down the side aisle to get back to their seat. Once they were seated Dr. Johnson got back on the microphone. He instructed us to stand and gave us permission to move our tassels on our caps from the right to the left. More cheers erupted through the stadium from students and family members alike. We’d finally done it, and damn did it feel good.

Afterward we all gathered for pictures with our families and each other. I took a few with Mom and the girls and jumped into Vic’s pictures with Jaime and Tony. We ended up taking a group photo with everyone, including Mike and Kortney who wouldn’t be graduating for two more years.

I was the happiest I’d been in a while. A warm feeling coursed through my heart and laughter filled my ears. Being there, surrounded by my best friends, family, and loving boyfriend, gave me a sense of happiness I never wanted to let go of. I was filled with a sense of accomplishment and surrounded by so much love, and I knew in that moment that I never wanted to be without it.

***

We all met up at the beach at the end of the day. After each of us doing individual things with our families to celebrate we were finally celebrating together. That celebration included a couple six-packs of beer and music playing through a speaker.

“Okay,” Mike started, raising his bottle in the air, “cheers to my brother and the rest of you old people for graduating and getting out of that hell hole! Even though you’re leaving Kortney and me alone without friends for two years.”

“Amen brother,” Kortney chimed in.

“You’ll be fine,” Jaime waved them off. “Salud!” We raised our bottles to meet Jaime’s as we chuckled at his joke.

“I don’t know man; you’re all leaving and doing adult shit. Kort and I will have to fend for ourselves.”

“I still think you’ll be fine.”

Mike and Jaime continued to go back and forth. With no intention of listening to their playful banter eventually turn into a small argument, I leaned back against Vic’s chest from my position in between his legs. His arm that was draped over my shoulder moved to snake around my waist.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

I looked up at him then back at my friends who were sitting with us in a circle. “I’m just grateful I found all of you.” Mike and Jaime quieted down once they heard me speak. “You guys were there for me through all the worst shit I’ve ever been through. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

“Stop, you’re gonna make me cry,” Jaime exaggerated, wiping his eyes and all.

I shook my head with a smile. I heard Vic chuckle from above me before I felt his lips on the top of my head.

“I’m serious,” I continued. “I met my best friends and the best boyfriend through all of you. You guys saved my life in more ways than one.”

“Shit, now you’re gonna make me cry.” I reached out to hold Savannah’s hand and squeezed when I saw unshed tears in her eyes.

“Alright, so another toast!” We looked to Mike. “Cheers to us! Kicking ass for and with each other no matter what!” I laughed and brought my bottle up to the center to meet the nine others.

We all sat back and continued our conversations. We took many more pictures, relived memories from the last year, and had some more beer. The sun had set when we decided to sit back and listen to the ocean in silence.

I leaned back against my boyfriend and hugged myself over the arm he had wrapped around my middle. A sense of comfort washed over me like the tide meeting the shore. I felt peaceful, warm, and secure, and it was all because of the people around me.

“Hey.” I tilted my head back to look at Vic. “You doing okay?”

“I’m great,” I answered with a smile. Vic held my chin and turned my head to kiss me softly.

He smiled when we pulled away. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know. I love you too.”

I never expected that I would go through so much in a school year, but I figured it was worth it. I’d found true love and friendship through those events, and I wouldn’t have traded that for anything in the world. Even if those events were traumatic, I had comfort from people who meant the world to me. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Sitting there in the sand with all of them, I knew that this was exactly where I wanted to be.

-----

What a perfect song to end this story with. I listened to it on repeat while I wrote this chapter and got so emotional.

Y'all, thank you SO MUCH for reading this story! When I started it in 2017, I didn't have a plan. I'd read so many Kellics and I thought I could write one. I had no idea what would come of it.

Four years later and I've met so many friends through this story! Even though my updates were so inconstant I'm glad you stuck around 💜

I'm so emotional right now because this is my first Kellic so don't mind these ramblings 😅 Anyway, thanks for loving PL as much as I do. Please continue to show love to my other stories: Pen Pal and Soulmates, and be on the lookout for my new stories coming TBA. I'll be posting the covers for those stories soon!

ALSO be sure to follow @kellicisprotein on Wattpad because fun things are coming to you soon 🤭

Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna reread this story from the beginning and cry my eyes out 😭😭😭

Much love, y'all!

-Rachel

#Recent Rumors - Love Like This #Playlist Love #Vic Fuentes #Kellin Quinn #Pierce The Veil #Kellic #Kellic fanfiction #Kellic fanfic #Pierce The Veil fanfiction #Pierce The Veil fanfic #Fanfiction #Fanfic #Thanks for reading #Much love

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imaginemycroftholmes · 7 years

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A Mycroft imagine where he has a really big crush on you,and is trying to ask you out,but your too busy with John trying to make Sherlolly happen.And when it actually does(at 221b) you're there with John and Mycroft so in the excitement you kiss John(who isn't married,this is before everything went to hell and tears) when Mycroft sees this he just flips the coffee table and accidentally confesses his feelings. :P

“Oh the hell with this,” Mycroft scoffs as he totters over to coffee table in an attempt to lift it. His wooden pegs sound just annoyed as he looks going over to the unaware furniture standing haphazardly in the hallway.

It’s a funny thing to witness in the castle as the coffee table is more than three times the height of the ornate clock but outweighs him by over four stone.

“Myc what the hell are you doing to Mike?” Greg demands trying to close the giant ballroom doors as quietly as he with his candle stick arms can so that neither Sherlock or Molly are none the wiser to the outburst.

It had taken them months of planning to get the two talking without Sherlock making her cry and getting Molly to find confidence in herself to become an equal.

To have them suddenly take on a romantic turn just before the final rose petal would drop at the end of winter was something that everyone in the castle of Baker Street ecstatic; Mycroft especially since it was all his idea.

“Mr. Holmes I’d prefer you not try to lift me. Your metal arms really scratch up my wood and I really wouldn’t like to see how that translates when we’re human again,” Mike pleads edging away carefully from the fuming clock.

Although Mike Stamford was one of the second largest of them all next to Mrs. Hudson he was always ready to bend over backwards (as much as a coffee table could) to avoid injuring the smaller pieces.

“What’s all this noise about back here?,” John complains with little Rosie hopping along side him, “We got Sherlock and Molly together!”

“Together,” little Rosie chimes in excitedly as a little cup can be. Out of all the servants in the castle she had been most enthusiastic about the whole scheme if not the most subtle.

Next her papa pot John little Rosie was certainly the boldest in her schemes to get the two start spending more time in each other’s company reading her stories and doing experiments for her benefit.

There was no doubt it had been a team effort and everyone had there parts to play.

Mrs. Hudson the dresser talked Sherlock up to Molly every chance she had, Soo Lin Yao the feather duster made sure to create distractions to get the pair closer, Anthea the trolley bringing them things they needed seemingly out of thin air, _____ the suagr pot adding extra sweetness to everything to soothe their nerves, Redbeard the footstool did his tricks, Angelo the oven cooking decadent dishes meant too share, Dimmock the rug would “accidentally” rip himself from under their feet to get them to touch and even Anderson the coat rack pitched in every now and again.

All in all they should all be happy and yet Mycroft still has this sour look on his glass face as he eyes John disdainfully and totters away down the dark side of the corridor.

“Is something up with old fusspot again,” Mrs. Hudson accuses from her spot in the hallway.

The old dresser was already upset that she couldn’t witness the change beyond the guest room between Sherlock and Molly due to her disruptive size and made no allowances to be quiet about her displeasure either.

How she managed to get down the hallway was a trail in and of itself much less to do so in stealth.

Her dresser drawers open and shut in annoyance.”It’s not like he didn’t get a front row seat to see Sherlock and Molly kiss unlike some of us who had to hide out in the dark just to hear the aftermath.”

She was making such a racket that the others were sure that Hudson just might break the mood in the ballroom.

“Mrs. Hudson,” John tries to shush her only to be met with more drawer slamming until Rosie saddles up to the old armoire with a scandalized “Nanna Hudson!” to settle her down.

“Alright, alright everybody settle down,” Greg urges quietly and carefully with his candlestick arms. He’s careful not to swing them too broadly to Soo Lin or drip on Dimmock the carpet. “Look, I’ll see what’s on Mycroft’s mind but as far as everyone is concerned we’re still going with Myc’s plan yeah?”

There’s a steady hum of agreement from the others that Greg hopes is acknowledgement but its hard to tell when almost everyone’s faces are ingrained into their surfaces or fabrics.

Oh well, time to find Myc.

Looking around the hallway Greg finds the trolley. “Anthea,” he calls over to her, “can I borrow you for a bit?”

She’s as silent as she ever was to him both as human and enchanted furniture alike (in all honesty Greg had been convinced that the trolley wasn’t a transformed person at all until it spoke to Mycroft) but rolled over to him nonetheless.

If Greg was honest it creeped him out a bit and this was coming from a guy turned into a candlestick holder however he would never tell her that since she was 1) his means to catching up to Mycroft and 2) probably could dispatch of him very easily whether human or not.

He always found it a bit tricky to climb on for a ride (candlestick arms or not) as he had no idea what was what on Anthea’s new form but Greg found it always best to stick to the bottom tray rather than trapeze to the top.

Settling into the bottom tray was never a problem but hanging on-that was another story altogether.

Giving what he hoped was a gentle tap to what he assumed to be a leg Greg said, “Let’s see if we can catch up to him yeah?”

Anthea says nothing but starts to wheel herself down the corridor with Greg hanging on for dear life into the darkness.

After too many turns and sudden stops down the south wing hallway Anthea finally stops by the great window that overlooks the garden on the fourth floor.

“So you’ve sold me out,” Mycroft accuses to Anthea as she slows to a roll so Greg can stumble out.

“It needed to be done sir,” she says plainly rolling back out of the moonlight to avoid blinding anyone, “besides not everything is as it appears.”

Putting up one arm from his place on the ground attempting to catch his breath and dignity Greg adds, “Yeah-what she said but also what the hell is going on?”

Mycroft refuses to look at Greg as he stares blankly out onto the darkened garden. “You can’t be that obtuse inspector,” Mycroft states coldly.

“Hey I may be a candelabra but I’m not-” Greg stops to heave a bit only to come up dry because they cannot eat. “I’m not stupid,” he finishes lamely trying to stand steady. “Just tell me what’s got your sprockets in a bunch Myc.”

The clock gives a disgruntled sigh and elaborates, “I have…affections for the sugar bowl for quite some time prior to our transformations and have had a lapse in control when watching her lavish physical attentions to anyone male.”

Greg lets out a loud snort.

It sends Mycroft off his preach on the window sill and earns him a rude glare.

“So you’re saying you’re jealous because _____ kissed John in joy when Sherlock and Molly finally admitted they might love each other? You do realize the only reason she didn’t kiss you was because ____ literally has zero clue how you feel about her right?”

Mycroft’s face betrays nothing even within the trust of their friendship but even in their new bodies Greg and Anthea could tell there was an unusual stiffness in the clock.

“Sir ______ has been doting on you since before the curse with little noticeable receiving signs from you for regular humans to comprehend much less in these forms,” Anthea adds from her spot on the outskirts of the window’s moonlight.

Mycroft is careful as he trots toward Greg. “So you’re saying that my emotions toward the sugar bowl aren’t one sided.”

“Myc if you’re finally going to have a go at ____ you might want to stop referring to her as ‘the sugar bowl’,” Greg advises as he helps Mycroft into the bottom tray. “But yeah, ____’s been holding a candle for you since she got here if you get my drift,” Greg jokes as he tried to pull himself back into the bottom tray.

It was difficult to will himself to go back onto Anthea after her dramatic run through the wing but if it was for love Greg was willing to deal with it especially for a friend.

“There’s hope,” Mycroft says softly as if he never considered that he had any at all beyond that for his brother.

“Yeah well, as long as you don’t try to tip Mike again I’m sure ____ will have no problem warming your wires even before Sherlock gets a kiss,” Greg says cheekily earning a side glare from Mycroft and a not so subtle jump forward by Anthea to hit him with her metal leg.

“Gregory please.”

“What it’s not like you weren’t thinking it earlier!” Greg accuses rubbing his candle head, “And I better not have a dent. It’s a big pain having to change these things.”

“Gentlemen.”

Bracing himself and Mycroft against Anthea’s need for speed Greg gives the okay and away they go flying down the south wing once more.

#mycroft holmes #mycroft x reader #sherlolly #beauty and the beast #beauty and teh beast au #sherlock au #john waston #.rosie waston #everyone is in it mostly #mrs hudson #bbc sherlock #mycroft imagine #mycroft prompt #ask #anon

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mentalpushups · 6 years

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LEBRON'S SECRET WORKOUT YOGA 'BUBBLES' COULD START A PREGAME REVOLUTION

TOM HABERSTROH NOVEMBER 3, 2017

It might not shock you to learn that the most viral video this season on the NBA's official Instagram feed is a clip of LeBron James. Duh.

But what is shocking? This video does not capture his dunking in transition, whipping a pass around multiple defenders or swatting a fast-break layup into the first row. There are plenty of those clips on the NBA's feed, which broadcasts content to over 25 million followers worldwide. But those didn't captivate the audience quite like this one.

Turns out the most-watched video of the season—generating 3.2 million views—is a clip of LeBron James merely standing in place. And it is mesmerizing.

The magic of the video, which was filmed just before an October 25 game against the Brooklyn Nets, can be traced down to the clear plastic bubbles he's standing on. Actually, wobbling is a more accurate descriptor for what's going on courtside.

With Beats headphones on, James is trying to maintain balance on these neck-pillow-looking things and tossing a basketball back and forth to his longtime trainer, Mike Mancias. After he does that a few times, the four-time MVP does a little patty-cake hand exercise with Mancias while attempting to stay upright on the translucent pillows, one underneath each of his Nike LeBron 15 shoes.

Mancias looks on and monitors his movements. James is dead-focused, legs shaking all the while. It looks equally difficult and alien.

The short clip would get almost double the views generated from Blake Griffin's buzzer-beater three-pointer a day later. A few days later, the Cavs' official feed filmed the same pregame routine in Cleveland. And that became the team's most viral content of the season. Boom, one million views. All because of the mini-pool-tube floats.

So, what on Earth are those things? And why is LeBron doing this? They're called Waff Mini Elites, the latest training tool originally marketed to hardcore yogis that is now quietly sweeping the NBA.

They serve a purpose beyond being social-media magnets. James began using the Waff Mini Elites this preseason with Mancias after an ankle injury sidelined James in early October. A weak ankle can trigger all sorts of breakdowns in the long chain of body movement. When James plays nearly 40 minutes per game for a battered Cavs squad, he needs that chain to be as rock-solid as possible.

As other players get up shots as part of a decades-long routine, you can find James performing the wobbling act as a warm-up of sorts, potentially becoming a threat to Stephen Curry's dribbling routine as the NBA's must-see pregame theater. As the ankle needed strengthening, Mancias and James decided to incorporate the bizarre activity into James' pregame ritual—a most sacred time for a pro athlete.

Trainer types refer to a Waff pad as a proprioception tool that helps control and boost unconscious movement—something important to maneuver through a hyper-fluid NBA game that requires jumping, sliding and sprinting without conscious thought. Waff balance devices can help ignite the central nervous system and wake up the core muscles for rigorous activity.

How did this come to be? The road to James' feet begins, in part, with French workout guru Fabrice Gautier, who has been working with NBA athletes for almost a decade as the osteopath for the France men's national basketball squad. Through his work abroad and in his Los Angeles facility, Gautier is close with Rudy Gobert, fellow banana-boater Carmelo Anthony, Joakim Noah and other pro hoopers needing offseason workouts to prep for the NBA grind.

Gautier was familiar with similar products like Airex pads or Bosu balls, which have been popular tools in workouts that help build the core and sharpen proprioceptors. But he needed something more portable and more challenging for his work around the globe. Then he found Waff, a small company in France with inflatable versions of products he already used. He brought them everywhere with him, and players gave him positive feedback after it challenged their mind and body. Gautier later became VP of Waff Corp as he introduced the tool to pro athletes in workouts.

A few weeks ago, when Waff began selling online, Mancias picked up some Waff Mini Elites for James. Trainers such as Mancias can pick up on valuable information in how the athlete wobbles or stands on the Waffs. How do you know if an ankle is weak or his body's circuit board isn't firing correctly without the benefit of an X-ray or MRI machine? Products like Waff can provide a window.

"It also serves as an assessment tool," Gautier says. "If you put an athlete on two Waffs and you have an athlete just balance, you can see which chain he or she favors. LeBron is doing it to make sure all the proprioceptors of his tendons and ligaments are firing."

In layman's terms, James' viral workouts have a clear use: to jolt the sensors in his body awake.

But the critical benefit is that you can't hide on a Waff. If your ankle is weak, it'll be very clear when the left foot shakes and gyrates on the bubble. That's a signal that something underneath may not be as strong as it needs to be, a critical red flag for return to play. That's why Gautier calls it a lie detector test. It's like a field sobriety test that exposes an impairment to your proprioception when you can't touch your nose with your finger.

For James, who's dealing with a sore ankle, it's an essential tool.

"Mike [Mancias] does a really good job of challenging him and his weaknesses," Gautier says. "The more you do it, the better you get at it. And it's not just your ankle; it activates everything."

The funny thing is that the Waff originally began as a relaxation tool with a giant circular bed that helped athletes and yogis alike to "deactivate," a fancy word for napping after workouts. For instance, the first video on the Waff YouTube channel, posted nine years ago, is titled "Waff relax baby 4 months." It shows a baby trying to nap in what looks to be a white pool float tube. Another video is of a pregnant woman in yoga gear getting some rest on her side.

But the company grew. What started as a relaxation device invented in 2008 became a health and fitness tool for athletes. Later, the company developed smaller versions called the Waff Mini Classic, which allowed users to stand on inflatable pods, one under each foot. Soon, videos popped up of surfers, tennis players and golfers standing (wobbling) on them to stimulate their core and proprioceptors.

To see this in action, watch this video of Gautier's client who was rehabbing from a herniated disc in his lower back. Squatting down on a flat surface may not immediately reveal a weakness or imbalance, but on the Waff? His left leg turns into a jackhammer.

NBA fans' first introduction to the Waff may have been in Dec. 2015, when Carmelo Anthony posted an Instagram photo with the caption "Find Your Comfort Zone!!!! #StayMe7o." In the photo, the 6'8" former scoring champ is lying in a Waff Max—the relaxation bed version of the product—with black Normatec sleeves covering his legs and spurring recovery. (This is what trying to stay fresh during a grinding NBA schedule looks like.)

Go to Gautier's Instagram feed and you'll step into a portal showing what offseason workouts look like for the world's top athletes. There's Gobert performing an overhead squat while standing on the Waff Max and shaking as he lowers his body to the pillow. There's Bismack Biyombo somehow doing lunges with the bubbles underneath each foot. Before Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton mashed an MLB-best 59 home runs this season, he was standing on Waffs with Gautier in offseason workouts, aiming to stabilize his core and control his power.

These bubbles won't make you a world-class athlete, but Gautier believes it can help fine-tune the athlete's mobility and stability. It won't make LeBron an MVP or Stanton a Hall of Famer, but it could help fuel their health and wellness going forward. The Waff device is yet another wonky technology to help sharpen the body's sensory system—not unlike the strobe-light glasses that Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard wear in their training.

"You're putting gas in a Ferrari," Gautier says.

James is going to need every edge he can find in his 15th season. He has played every postseason game of his career and has reached the Finals a whopping seven straight seasons. With news that Tristan Thompson is out for the next month nursing a calf injury, James' responsibilities will only grow. The margin for error is dwindling every passing day.

The Cavs entered November with a 3-5 record and a gimpy roster, so James' championship hopes stand on shaky ground. But that doesn't mean we can turn away.

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weekendwarriorblog · 5 years

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND August 30, 2019 - Labor Day Blahs

I was trying to decide whether to do one of these this week, because it’s Labor Day weekend, and this is likely to be a particularly short column because I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING! In fact, I’m not even doing my regular Box Office Preview column over at The Beat, because there just doesn’t seem to be much point to it. There used to be a time when studios would release movies over the four-day holiday weekend but not so much anymore, and this is a particularly weak Labor Day with no new movies opening in 1,000 theaters or more. No, it’s more about reexpanding movies already in theaters like Spider-Man: Far from Home in order to try to make more money before the summer is over. But if this is boring, you can also read my 2019 Summer Box Office wrap-up over at The Beat.

The only new “wide” release is BH Tilt’s latest release DON’T LET GO, a thriller directed by Jacob Estes (Rings) and starring David Oyelowo and Storm Reid from A Wrinkle in Time, and it’s not even opening in 1,000 theaters. It might not even get into the top 10. Apparently, BH Tilt is now going as “OTL Releasing” but I don’t think this movie has as much buzz as Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade, released by Blumhouse’s distribution branch in June 2018 to make $4.7 million opening weekend and $14.4 million total domestic. I don’t see Don’t Let Goopening that big as its plot is far vaguer, and I think if this make more than $4 million over the four-day holiday, it would be considered a coup since it’s only playing in less than 1,000 theaters. Who knows? I might even go see it on a lark.

Interestingly, there are two foreign language films from other countries (because as hard as it might be to believe, they speak other languages in other countries!) getting moderate releases this weekend: Sujeeth’s Bollywood action-thriller SAAHO (Yash Raj Films) and from Mexico, Ariel Winograd’s Spanish language TOD@S CAEN released by Lionsgate’s LatinX division Pantelion Films. I will be the first to admit that I’m not the best person to gauge interest in either movie because they’re not my communities, so I rarely see much marketing for these films.

Opening on Thursday, Saaho actually looks pretty cool, and if I can find three hours of time over Labor Day, I might actually check it out. It’s being released in three languages versions: Hindi, Telugu and Tamil, all with English subtitles, and that seems very groundbreaking, and it will also be in IMAX theaters. This could be another hit for Yash Raj ala the “Dhoom” series—Dhoom 3 opened with $3.4 million in 239 theaters in 2013 -- and possibly the studio’s widest release since 2018’s Thugs of Hindostan.

Check out the Hindi trailer below:

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(Oddly, Saaho was supposed to be released on India’s Independence Day August 15, but then was pushed back to American Labor Day. Bollywood films tend to get day and date releases nationwide to avoid piracy.)

Tod@s Caen (pronounced “todos caen” – don’t yell at me! It wasn’t my idea!) stars Omar Chapparo, the hot Mexican star from Pantelion’s hits No manches Frida and its sequel plus How to Be a Latin Lover. No manches Frida grossed about $11.5 million after its $4.6 million opening over Labor Day in 2016 while the sequel opened slightly bigger this past March but grossed less. Latin Lover was a huge crossover success for Chapparo and Pantelion, grossing $32.1 million. This is likely to be more in the former category and opening in 365 theaters, it probably can make around $3 million or more.

STREAMING AND CABLE

There aren’t many movies I can recommend, but at least I can recommend the new Netflix series THE DARK CRYSTAL: THE AGE OF RESISTANCE, which is a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson movie that was made quite lovingly using the same puppeteering techniques as well as some of the same designers from the original movie. Plus the series has an absolutely brilliant voice cast that includes Taron Egerton, Helena Bonham-Carter, Anya Taylor-Joy, Alicia Vikander, Sigourney Weaver, Natalie Dormer, Lena Headey, Jason Isaacs, Theo James, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Simon Pegg and many, many more. As someone who wasn’t really a fan of the original movie, I found myself quite wrapped up in this series, having watched the first five episodes so far, and I think fans and non-fans alike will dig it.

You can read my interview with the writers over at The Beat.

(Netflix is also releasing a movie called Falling In Love, starring Christina Millan and Adam Demos... but that title... I just can’t!

Amazon Prime will begin streaming its own fantasy series, the very different Carnival Row, starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, on Friday. It’s a steampunk noir crime series in which Bloom is an inspector trying to solve some Jack the Ripper style murders of the city’s fae and puck population, fantastical creatures who act as the city’s slave labor. I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as it just doesn’t feel like my kind of thing even though I do love Victorian era stuff usually. I think it just hasn’t found its footing in the couple episodes I’ve seen. I also interviewed a few of the actors which will be on The Beat later today.

LIMITED RELEASES

Okay, I definitely lied as I’ve also seen Kim Farrant’s ANGEL OF MINE (Lionsgate), an amazing psychological drama starring Noomi Rapace as a woman whose daughter died but whom thinks that her neighbor’s daughter is actually her own. Also starring Yvonne Strahovski, Luke Evans and Richard Roxburgh, this mostly Australian film is actually a little like the recent After the Weddingin terms of the strangeness of its premise but it’s handled more like a thriller and Rapace gives another stirring performance. It will be in select cities starting Friday, and I recommend checking it out, especially if, like me, you’re a long-time fan of Ms. Rapace.

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Never got around to seeing Gavin Hood’s new movie OFFICIAL SECRETS (IFC Films), because I’m such a fan of Keira Knightley, and in this one she plays Katharine Gun, a British intelligence specialist handling classified information in the lead-up to the Iraq War in 2003. She receives a shocking memo from the NSA seeking help in collecting information on UN Security Council members to blackmail them into supporting an invasion of Iraq.

Hannah Pearl Utt’s BEFORE YOU KNOW IT (1091) stars the co-writer/director as stage manager Rachel Gurner who lives in her childhood apartment with her sister Jackie (Jen Tullock), father Mel (Mandy Patinkin) and preteen niece Dodge (Oon Yaffe) above the theater they own and operate. After a tragedy, the two sisters find out their mother, long thought dead (Judith Light) is still alive working on soap operas and they need to come to terms with that. The movie also stars Mike Colter and Alec Baldwin and it opens in select cities.

Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst also has a new movie as director, a thriller called THE FANATIC (Quiver Distribution), starring Devon Sawa from Final Destination and John Travolta. Travolta plays movie fan Moose who is obsessed with his favorite action hero Hunter Dunbar, played by Sawa. With the help of his paparazzi photographer friend Leah (Ana Golja), Moose tries to find Moose as his interactions with the celebrity become more dangerous as Moose becomes more obsessed.

Liam Hemsworth from “The Hunger Games” stars in Malik Bader’s Killerman (Blue Fox Studios) as a New York money launderer who wants to find answers after waking up with no memory and with millions in cash and drugs, as he’s chased by a team of dirty cops. The movie also stars Emory Cohen, Diane Guerrero (“Orange is the New Black”) and Suraj Sharma from Life of Pi, and it’s getting a small theatrical release in select cities.

Now playing at New York’s Film Forum is Marjoline Boonstra’s doc The Miracle of the Little Prince (Film Movement) which looks at the sustained global popularity of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince in the eight decades since it was first published.

Opening in IMAX theaters Thursday and then nationwide Sept 6 is the Chinese animated film Ne Zha (WELL Go) about a young boy with superpowers who must decide between good and evil.

There’s a couple other things but I’m so behind for the weekend that I’m done.

REPERTORY

A few rep things to mention before we get to the regular theaters. The Wachowski’s original The Matrix will be celebrating its 20thanniversary with a rerelease across the nation in Dolby theaters, so I’ll be seeing that Thursday night. The Alamo in Brooklyn is also screening a special 70mm print of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and that’s where I’ll be on Saturday.

METROGRAPH (NYC):

On Friday, the Metrograph will begin screening a 35mm print of Eric Roehmer’s 1986 film Le Rayon Vert, but there lots of series continiung through the weekend including the “Shaw Sisters” series which is fairly interesting so far. Angie Chen’s Maybe It’s Love (1984) plays again on Thursday evening –that’s a weird one—and Ann Hui’s Starry Is the Night (1988) will play tomorrow and Sunday and a few others. If you want to see a weird and really bad but very funny horror film, you have to check out Angela Mak’s The Siamese Twins on Saturday night, plus there’s a few more I haven’t seen. The Metrograph has also expanded its “Godard/Karina Late Nights” series so that you can see Alphaville (1965) and Pierrot Le Fou (1965), both beloved classics, through the weekend, as well as this weekend’s offering to the series, 1962’s Vivre Sa Vie. This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph is Leo Carax’sHoly Motors (2012) and Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue but you can also see the late Japanese filmmaker’s excellent Paprika (2006) through the weekend, as well. This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matinees is another Ray Harryhausen classic, 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

The New Bev ends its month of mostly showing Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood before returning to repertory fare next week, but its Weds. matinee is the 1953 Western comedy Calamity Jane, this weekend’s KIDDEE MATINE is Disney’s The Ugly Dachsund (1966) starring Dean Jones, and then on Monday, you have two chances to see Michael Mann’s 1995 crime-thriller Heat, although you’ll have to see it at 9:30AM cause the usual 2pm matinee is sold out.

AERO (LA):

Thursday begins a “Sellers and Southern Double Feature” series (?) of Dr. Strangelove (1964) with The Magic Christian (1969), Friday is a double feature of 1999’s Office Space with Kevin Smith’s Clerks(1994) and then on Saturday is a Mad Max TRIPLE Feature of the first three movies: Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior (1982) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Sunday is a special screening of Thom Anderson’s 2003 film Los Angeles Plays Itself, and Monday begins Aero’s “Heptember Matinees” series as in Katherine Hepburn, and it kicks off with 1940’s The Philadelphia Story.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Marty and Jay’s Double Features runs through next Thursday and there are one or two of these double features every day with a mix of classics and esoteric and rare stuff. You can click on the link to see all that’s playing.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

“Make My Day: American Movies in the Age of Reagan” continues up at Lincoln Center through Tuesday with highlights like Robocop, David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, Scorsese’s The King of Comedy and The Last Temptation of Christ, Conan the Barbarian, First Blood and more.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

This week’s Weekend Classics: Staff Picks Summer 2019 is the original, classic King Kong, while Waverly Midnights: Staff Picks Summer 2019 is Office Space (1999) and Russ Meyers’ Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970). Late Night Favorites: Summer 2019 is Aliens, Suspiria and Eraserhead, just in case you missed any of those the dozen other times they’ve been shown.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Saturday’s “Beyond the Canon” offering is a double feature of Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Wadja from 2012 and Wim Wender’s 1974 film Alice in the Cities. BAM is also showing the second part of its “Programmers Notebook: On Memory” with offerings like Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Kurosawa’s Rashomon, Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (of course) and more!

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

“See It Big! 70mm” will screen Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One on Friday and Saturday evenigs but ALSO, they’re showing one of my favorite comedies It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) in 70mm on Saturday afternoon.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

Tonight and Sunday, the Roxy is showing the 1965 film Juliet of the Spirits. On Saturday, the theater is showing Agnes Varda’s 1965 film Le Bonheur.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

This week’s Friday night midnight film is Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

This weekend, the Egyptianin L.A. is taken over by the Cinecon Classic Film Festivaland you can find out what that consists at the official site.

Next week, New Line releases It: Chapter Two, which I probably will have seen by the time you read this but probably will still be under embargo.

#WhatToWatchThisWeekend Movies Streaming Repertory

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