#less than 2 weeks remain and we will get there with your help!

[ginnsbaker]

In Silent Screams (2/3)

Several weeks into her affair with Vision, the voice inside Wanda's head urging her to end things diminishes to faint murmurs, eventually fading away entirely.

Chapter word count: 8k+ Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader, Wanda Maximoff x Vision Warnings: Smut (F/M), Cheating, Angst, Gaslighting, Manipulation, Dubious Consent, Toxic Relationships

Notes: M rating this time. It gets spicier because what's between them is just pure lust. There will be a full smut scene that is a bit triggering given the context of how it happens, why it happens. I will mark it in red so you can skip it. Again, you will probably hate Wanda here more than the previous part, be warned.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

-

Part II

Comfort starts to creep in, wrapping around Wanda like a cozy blanket.

Several weeks into her affair with Vision, the voice inside Wanda's head urging her to end things diminishes to faint murmurs, eventually fading away entirely. And as she allows herself to indulge in the newness of his body and all the ways he is different and not what she’s used to, it becomes even more pleasurable (and addicting) for her when they come together. 

Wanda starts to think that maybe being with Vision like this doesn't take away from the love she has for you. It's almost as if she's compartmentalized herself—her relationship with you remains sacred, undisturbed by the dalliances that occupy her days. Vision has become a separate chapter, a deviation from the norm, but he's not taking the place of what she's built with you over time. Every night, regardless of how late it gets or how entangled she becomes in her meetings with Vision, she finds herself retracing her steps back to you. Her days begin with your face, and they end with your arms around her. There's a routine in that, a certainty she clings to.

Being with Vision helps her forget she's even in Westview. She's less haunted by the child she couldn't have with you, by the job she left behind for your sake. She dwells less on missing you, on feeling like she's become a secondary character in your life as you work tirelessly to provide for her. And isn't that what marriage truly is? More than the vows and the rings, it's about choosing the same person every day. It's about finding ways not to hold grudges, to keep the bond strong, to maintain a balance, right?

Her friendship with Vision, devoid of the usual societal filters, feels pure. They share, they debate, they laugh. But as the sun sets, Wanda always knows where she belongs. 

To you. 

-

“You’re kidding.”

Vision glances back at her over his shoulder, flashing a playful grin. They're in a park just outside of town, a result of those spontaneous drives they occasionally take. They've found a quiet corner, a place where they can be with each other, away from the rules of their complicated lives. Him being her student makes everything that much more delicate.

“Why would I joke about something like that?” he says, looking pleased with himself.

Wanda puts down the essay she’s reviewing and leans back on the picnic blanket, shielding her eyes from the sun. “You seriously want to buy art from the gallery?”

He shrugs, “I like what they showcase. Plus, I thought... well, it might be a good opportunity for you to earn a commission.”

It’s a weak argument and they both know it. She smirks, “Trying to impress someone?”

Vision pauses, taking a deep breath, serious as he says, “Maybe.”

Wanda sighs, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach. “Vision, we need to be careful.”

“Careful? Wanda, we're miles away from Westview. I'd say we're being pretty meticulous about this.” He smirks, pointing to the tall trees that shield them from any possible onlookers. “With all these trees and not a bird in sight, we could even fuck right here in the open if we wanted to.”

Wanda fixes him with a sharp gaze, one that immediately conveys her disapproval. Immediately, the smirk fades from his lips, replaced by  a realization that he might have gone too far with his teasing. He reads the message in her eyes loud and clear. Not only is his suggestion off the table, but he also senses that he may have jeopardized his luck in the coming days.

“I… I’m sorry,” he murmurs, going back to his sketchpad. They don’t speak to each other for a while. Wanda is deeply engrossed in the essays she has to review, already behind the deadline she set for herself, while Vision gives her space to cool down from his mistake. Their arguments are always brief but intense, and lately, they haven't been leading to sex as often as Vision would prefer.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Vision starts, “How is it, being with Y/N? Being married, I mean.”

Wanda stiffens at the mention of your name. She's never discussed you with Vision, and a surge of panic begins to rise within her. She hides her reaction by neatly rearranging the papers alphabetically in front of her. 

“I told you she’s off limits,” she answers a moment later.

Vision feigns surprise, tilting his head slightly. “Ah, my apologies. I meant no disrespect,” he says, his voice carefully neutral.

Wanda purses her lips, her posture tensing further. “Just... let's not go there.”

Vision nods, though he can't help but steal a quick glance at the wedding ring on her finger. It taunts him everytime he sees it, reminding him of the life she shares with someone else—a life he often finds himself yearning to be a part of. He's been daydreaming about a different reality, where Wanda is by his side not on borrowed time, where he is the one she turns to at the end of a long day.

He's persuaded her to share her thoughts with him, to spread her legs for him; how much more challenging could it be to win her heart next? He'll take it one day at a time if he has to. Patience is something he doesn't mind exercising.

Cleverly masking his intentions behind a facade of casual curiosity, Vision continues, “Hypothetically speaking, if you were to give insights on marriage, just in general...What are your thoughts?” He leans back, making the conversation seem casual, though every word is carefully calculated.

She glances at him, slightly suspicious but not fully alarmed. “Why the sudden interest?”

“Oh, you know," Vision waves his hand dismissively. “It's just something that's been on my mind lately. As a concept, I mean.”

Wanda narrows her eyes slightly, studying him. She knows Vision well enough to understand that behind his seemingly innocent inquiries, there's often an ulterior motive. But she also knows that he's persistent, and sometimes, the best way to deal with him is to play along, to a point.

“It’s…” Wanda finds herself grappling for an answer. She hadn’t expected that the answer would be much more complex now given recent events. She used to look at it in an idealized way, where marriage is what happens at the end of an epic love story, the banner over the path that the two main characters continue their journey on; the natural conclusion when people say 'happily ever after'.

Perhaps she's been wrong to view it that way all along. Perhaps marriage is just a tool to peel back the facade meticulously crafted during dating, for nothing remains hidden in marriage. To enforce a commitment that's always existed. To harness the rights it bestows between two individuals. To—

Wanda can list countless facets of marriage, and yet it wouldn’t change the way she feels about you, with or without it. She can change—she has, and marriage can vanish from the world, her love for you would persist unscathed. While every fiber of her being might be judged for her actions, she believes her love can’t be tainted. She’s sure of it. And so, essentially, marriage is—

“...it’s an indemnity.”

It’s not at all what he assumed she’d say. “An indemnity? That's an... interesting choice of word.”

Wanda nods, pushing a stray hair behind her ear with a thoughtful look. “Right. It's like our safety net, not just from what's out there but from our own doubts too. It's us saying to ourselves—and to anyone watching—that no matter how tough things get, we're in it together.  It's a promise that even in the darkest times, we'll stand by each other.”

Vision absorbs her words, trying to see the cracks, the spaces where he could insert doubt or lay the groundwork for his plans. “But don’t you think,” he ventures cautiously, “that sometimes, that very protection, that indemnity, becomes the chain that binds? Don’t you ever feel... trapped?”

Wanda takes a deep breath, sensing the subtext of his question. He has a knack for drawing out the very things she's trying so hard to keep from him. In the end, she still ends up talking about you. If he's truly eager to hear what she has to say about you, then Wanda doesn’t care if he won’t like what he hears.

“I know what you’re trying to do here,” Wanda says with a wry smile. “To assume she's the one trapping me would be a gross misunderstanding.”

He laughs for a long moment. It's loud and over the top, and somewhere in the midst of it, it begins to feel like an insult. Wanda lifts her chin, unfazed by his antics.

After a few moments, Vision's laughter subsides, replaced by a somber look. “I apologize,” he says, even as Wanda goes back to her readings. “I didn’t mean to make light of your feelings. It's just... sometimes I feel like you're still lying to yourself, Wanda.”

Wanda's eyes narrow, her stance firm, but she doesn't rise to the bait immediately.  “How am I lying?”

There it is—his opening.

“Yes. Sometimes, I wonder if you're using these philosophical explanations as a way to protect yourself from confronting something deeper. Something you might not want to face,” he says.

She chuckles, but it's devoid of any real amusement. “And what might that be?”

“That maybe,” Vision says, crawling closer to her until they're just a breath away. “Maybe being with her isn't everything you once believed it to be.”

A retort forms on Wanda's lips, ready to be unleashed. But as she looks into Vision's eyes, she notices something genuine and disarming in them. 

“All I’m saying is that you don’t need to defend yourself around me,” he murmurs, his voice gentle, fingers lightly grazing her cheek. “You don't need to explain yourself. Not about this, not about anything.”

His lips find the curve of her neck, placing a chaste kiss there, sending a shiver down her spine, making her sigh softly. 

“You can enjoy that,” he whispers against her skin, voice husky. His lips move upward, caressing her cheek before they meet hers. His hand slides to her waist, pulling her closer, until she’s on his lap, straddling him. Her skirt rides up her thighs, allowing him easy access to her dampening underwear.

Wanda shifts nervously. “Vision, we're in public,” she whispers sharply, but doesn’t make any move to get away from him.

His lips twitch into a confident smirk. “I know.” His fingers daringly slide beneath the hem of her skirt, edging towards her panties. “Don't worry,” he assures her, “I just wanted to see if your body tells the truth, even if your words might not.”

Her breath catches as his fingers find the growing wetness there. “See?” he murmurs, his mouth twisting into a boyish grin. “Your body doesn't lie.”

She enjoys it. To be brutally honest, without the haunting thought of your reaction if you were to find out, she concedes she savors their meetings. She’s attracted to him and it’s consuming her every thought. 

Wanda blushes furiously, coupled with the fear of being discovered like this, she’s surrendered to this wicked game. He doesn’t worship her like you do. He doesn’t try to make her feel like nothing is her fault the way you do. Why weren’t you disappointed that she couldn’t get pregnant? Couldn’t contribute to your household like equals? Why didn’t you agonize over the financial repercussions of her relentless quest to start a family with you?

Why won’t you ever, ever hate her?

It's twisted that she even thinks of you as she tilts her hips upwards, urging Vision to touch her just right.

Without warning, Vision plunges his long middle finger inside her, causing Wanda to gasp and grip onto him. The intimate intrusion is brief, and she barely has time to process the sensation when he withdraws, pushing her off his lap and onto the soft grass beside him. He holds his glistening finger up to the light, then brings it to his lips, never breaking eye contact with her. She watches, entranced, as he deliberately savors her taste.

Wanda’s chest rises and falls rapidly, every nerve in her body alive and buzzing. She feels exposed, laid bare both by his actions and by the force of her own arousal. There's a delicious humiliation in it, a thrill of being seen and wanted so openly.

But before she can get a chance to speak, Vision reaches into his pocket, producing an envelope thick with cash and hands it to her. She doesn't need to count it to know it's a significant amount.

“What the fuck is this?” Wanda asks, looking down at the cash in her hands.

He laughs again. He enjoys riling her up. Makes this all the more charged and exciting.

“It's for the painting from your old gallery,” Vision explains calmly. “Going back to that, yes, I want to purchase it. And that’s just 50% of my intended offer.”

Wanda reflects on all the support you've offered her, the financial aid you generously extended without ever demanding explanations. A portion of the money in the envelope—her future commission— could be a start, a way to repay some of the debts she owes you, even if it doesn't cover everything.

Not that you’ve ever asked her to pay you back. You’ve never once hinted at any imbalance in financial obligations in your relationship.

“I shouldn't take this,” she mumbles, yet her fingers clutch the envelope a little tighter.

“I want to,” he insists. “Although, I want a special request.”

Wanda's eyebrow arches in skepticism. “Which is?”

“A handwritten dedication from you, when the painting is delivered,” he replies.

She averts her gaze. “I’ll think about it.”

Vision nods. “Keep the money while you do.”

-

Wanda starts leaving the house early too, going to her lover’s apartment before they go to the university together.

Vision sits comfortably on the plush couch, engrossed in his video game, his fingers swiftly moving over the controller. Wanda enters, shrugging off her light jacket, her simple, functional underwear visible from the thin material of her dress.

“You know, Wanda,” he begins casually, “Have you ever considered just... being in your natural state here?”

“What do you mean?” Wanda asks, helping herself to some tea.

“Your body is a work of art,” he replies, pausing the game now and turning to face her fully. “And as someone who appreciates art...” His gaze travels to her current choice of undergarments and back up to her eyes, leaving his sentence hanging.

“Are you suggesting I walk around here naked?”

He grins cheekily. “The thought did cross my mind.”

Wanda's cheeks flush. “That’s not happening.”

“Alright, maybe not that,” he relents with a mock sigh. “But perhaps wear something more... refined? Exquisite?” His emphasis on 'exquisite' draws a clear line between what she currently wears and what he's suggesting. 

She's always prided herself on being confident, knowing her worth. But Vision’s playful, yet sharp suggestion chips away at her armor just a bit. For a split second, she wonders if this is how he truly sees her. If her choice of underwear, something so personal and intimate, is a reflection of her self-worth in his eyes. It's crazy to let his comment get to her; she's aware of that. But she can't help but think of you, of the intimate times you both share, the mornings she finds herself waking up beside you, and the nights you take off her clothes.

Do you notice? She wonders. Do you think the same?

It's all these tiny moments, insignificant on their own, but together they build a narrative in her mind. A story where maybe you don't desire her as you once did. That thought affects her more than Vision's words. The insecurity, an old nemesis she thought she had left far behind, resurfaces.

Wanda forces a nonchalant smile. “Why don't you mind your own business, and focus on your own wardrobe choices?” she retorts, but there's a lack of her usual sharpness in her tone.

He snickers, going back to his game. She hopes you don't see her the way he does. 

-

She buys a new set of lingerie—for you.

-

Wanda decides she’ll do it by the end of the week. Determined to finalize the sale, she picks up the phone while dinner simmers on the stove. With you still out, Sparky remains her only companion, and a pang of guilt strikes her for having neglected him lately.

She dials the gallery. After a few rings, the familiar voice perkily answers. “Hello?”

“Agatha, it's Wanda,” she says. “About the painting I texted you earlier. My buyer is all in.”

“There's already a bid on it,” Agatha interrupts, “with a deposit ready to go. But if you can secure the painting by tomorrow at the latest, it’s yours to sell.”

“Thanks. I'll make it happen.”

Only after hanging up does she understand that she'll need your help to ensure everything goes smoothly. The next morning, she broaches the subject, and, thankfully, doesn’t have to jump through many hoops to convince you. She loathes bending the truth about the gallery's closing hours, but she's pressed to secure the painting promptly.

Of course, you're there for her again. You even go as far as to offer her lunch, but she has to decline; she genuinely has an appointment with the dean. She reluctantly agrees to dinner, already having said yes to Vision to visit the Museum of Modern Art, where he's also set to give her the remaining 50% for the painting.

“We can have dinner,” Wanda proposes tentatively. “Maybe drive to the city for some steaks and a dive bar after?” It’s tiring to drive back and forth like Manhattan isn’t at least one and a half hours away without traffic, but she wants to spend time with you, and thank you for your effort.

“I'll pick you up at seven,” you say. “It's a date.”

She's excited, but deep down she's aware of the tight schedule. It would be nothing short of a miracle if Vision gets her back to Westview on time.

-

Wanda cancels dinner at the last minute. She's relieved that you're amenable and just texts to ask her what time she’ll be home.

-

When she gets her hands on the painting, it takes her a long time to think of a dedication message. Truthfully, writing heartfelt letters has never been her strong suit; she struggles to articulate her feelings. But as she contemplates her feelings for Vision, she draws a blank.  She considers simply thanking him for engaging her in conversations she hasn't had with anyone in so long, conveniently omitting their other indulgences. At the same time, she doesn’t want to leave a piece of herself behind, not even something as trivial as a personal dedication.

So she settles on a quote:

‘To Vision, the only secret people keep is immortality.’  - W

On a particular plane, it speaks to her. It's a phrase that mirrors the fundamental human longing for significance and a sense of purpose—something she has unknowingly let slip along the way.

-

Surprisingly, Vision appears content with the note. Wanda doesn't bother to inquire about his thoughts on it. He doesn't make a spectacle of his appreciation for the painting either, and it becomes apparent that he's indulging in a fantasy from some porno, where an older woman brings him something before he takes her to bed.

The sex is always intoxicating in its own messy way, now that she’s ready to admit she’s not after perfection whenever she comes to him. She doesn’t go to him because there’s something wrong with you. It might be because something is wrong with her, but there isn’t really any room to psychoanalyze her own mental state when she’s being taken from behind, facing a full length mirror. As pleasure builds, her eyes roll back, she briefly toys with the idea that she might be harboring deeper feelings for him. 

Then, out of the blue, a red flash catches her eye, but with two quick blinks, it vanishes.

“What’s that?” Wanda whispers, momentarily distracted before a moan escapes her lips.

“What?” he mutters distractedly, pulling her hair, when her head starts to droop. 

But before Wanda can form a coherent thought, he adjusts, lifting one of her legs and shifting his angle. With a few deliberate thrusts, she's spiraling into an overwhelming climax. And as pleasure washes over her, any lingering thoughts of deeper feelings for him evaporates along with the haze of lust.

Later, she would brush aside the memory of that brief red flash as she stealthily slipped into your shared home, careful not to disturb Sparky, who slept soundly. With a day off scheduled for tomorrow, she had completely lost track of time, fooling around a couple more times with a college kid.

-

“D-Did I hurt you?”

Right this second, Wanda feels like she'd welcome the ground opening up to take her or a random bullet finding its mark in her heart. Anything, if it would end her anguish. 

She watches your face crumple with guilt and hurt, and she can't believe she's caused you to feel this way when you’re just aching for her. 

Without missing a beat, Wanda draws you into an embrace, feeling your heart race against her chest. “No, you didn’t. I shouldn’t have made you feel that way,” she whispers. The mere thought of you second-guessing your intentions with her shatters her heart.

You lean into her completely, feeling like a child in her arms. “I’ve been missing you so much lately, and I thought... I thought we were on the same page.”

Wanda insists it's not your fault. None of this is your fault. She desires closeness with you, but she hadn't expected it to make her feel so uneasy beneath her skin, especially considering she had been touched by another less than 24 hours ago. She has to remind herself that you aren't aware. But she knows, and it plagues her mind, why you’d want to touch her.

Your reply, soaked in typical selflessness, is, “I know. I’m sorry.” 

Your apology, the earnestness in your tone is starting to make her feel dizzy. The fact that you feel this way, that she has led you to question your privilege—something she has always granted you—to touch her, is agonizing.

“Stop saying you're sorry,” Wanda snaps, her words sharper than she intends, fervently hoping that you understand her outburst isn't aimed at you. “You do everything right. It's me. I've missed you too, more than you can possibly imagine.”

When you softly say, “I love you,” it's filled with so much emotion that it brings tears to Wanda's eyes. It takes her too long to respond with an “I love you, too,” because there’s many more she wants to say. And she can’t say it without revealing the one thing that she fears will drive you away. 

She can only hope that you believe her because she means it more than anything.

-

Wanda can't pinpoint exactly when she developed the habit of locking the bathroom door. It likely started around the time Vision would text her, innocently asking about her lectures. Then, one day, she received a short video clip of him pleasuring himself and moaning her name. She promptly deleted the clip, but from that point on, she learned to check her messages at home only when she was about to step into the shower.

-

Natasha visits and something inside Wanda unfurls itself. She becomes hyper-aware of her activities with Vision, how she conducts them and where. Before relocating to New Jersey, you mentioned that Natasha had taken an open-ended break from her job, suggesting she might be ready to leave her old life behind. Still, she’s uneasy when she learns about it too late, and Natasha’s already outside, waiting to be let into the house.

You're still in your office attire, donning a pristine suit that would have captured her attention for the entire evening, if not for the fact that she's on the verge of breaking down at the mere thought of you discovering her affair with Vision.

“Why didn't you tell me she was coming?” she snaps, gesturing at the dinner table set for two and the disorderly state of their living room. Her eyes dart to a stack of her students' reaction papers lying exposed on the coffee table, and the unkempt pillows. To you, it might seem trivial, but to Wanda, every small detail could give away something she'd rather keep private.

“You could've at least warned me,” she continues, her tone reflecting more than just her concerns about dinner and the state of the living room, but you fail to catch it. You try to help, reaching out to straighten the living room, but she's too frazzled. Seeing the frustrated look on your face, she can't help but feel cornered. She hastily scatters the pillows about, her movement nothing short of hysterical. 

Sensing that things might take a worse turn than they should, you make the decision to be the one to step back.

“If it's too much trouble for you, we can just grab dinner elsewhere,” you suggest, struggling not to lose your own patience. 

She can't help but throw you a sharp look, feeling as though your words only made things worse. The mere idea of you and Natasha, alone, maybe sharing stories or opinions about her, feels threatening. But there’s nothing she can do but hope you will veer away from talking about her, that you won’t confide in Natasha how you haven’t had sex in months.

“Fine,” she snaps and quickly retreats up the stairs. “Send my regards to Natasha,” she throws over her shoulder, the guest bedroom door shutting loudly behind her.

She sighs heavily, pressing her back to the door, heart racing. From the window, she sees you walk back to the car, your frustration evident in every step. Natasha looks at you with that questioning glance Wanda knows all too well. She watches as you speak before handing Natasha the car keys.

She gazes up at the ceiling, determined to hold back the tears that are on the verge of spilling. She doesn't want to push you away, but her fear of Natasha, and what might be revealed, leaves her feeling trapped.

-

Out of frustration, she calls Vision, and they meet in his car, about two blocks from their house.

In the cramped confines of the backseat, Vision is quick to slide into her, the condom barely in place before he's thrusting with a fervor.

She peaks once, but not from him being inside her. She's too tense, too tightly wound for that. So Vision, realizing this, drops to his knees to truly bring her over the edge.

-

Later, Wanda lies on her side, every muscle tense, acutely aware of the presence beside her, all the while pretending to be deep in sleep.

“She used to crash at our place almost every week,” you murmur into the stillness.

A hint of irritation passes through Wanda, though she can't really tell why. “What?” she asks, her voice low and weary.

“Natasha,” you specify. “I didn't think to mention it because it was just our norm. She'd drop by unannounced all the time.”

You want to have a conversation about it, to work through this issue. She knows how you’ve been trying to give her space, thinking she hasn’t adjusted yet to life in Westview. You’re always thinking about her. Always putting her needs first above yours.

And Wanda can see how it’s worn you down, how you're starting to doubt your own logical reasoning, and how you're piecing together facts to present your case, hoping for her to be more receptive and listen. She despises the fact that she's putting you through all of this, merely because she's determined to prevent her different worlds from colliding.

She can sense you searching her face, looking for answers, trying to understand the wall she’s erected between you too. It’s so tall now, casting a shadow over both of you. 

“Wands?”

“Baby?” you try again. It seems like it's all you ever do these days. “Please?” 

Wanda resists the urge to turn toward you and pull you into her arms. She knows that if she does, the tears will flow uncontrollably, and she understands that you won't let her keep her troubles to herself. She composes herself, letting out a shuddering sigh.

“We're fine, Y/N. Let's just go to sleep.”

You give into her wishes, because you will always give her what she wants.  She extends her hand, delicately interlocking your fingers with hers. It's the smallest gesture she can manage. She pretends not to hear you, feel you shake, as you cry on your own.

-

She'd planned to watch the movie alone, in the middle of the day. So, when Vision discreetly takes the seat next to her, Wanda stiffens. A few others are scattered in the front rows of the dark theater, chatting softly as they munch on popcorn.

Without turning to face him, she whispers accusingly, “Are you stalking me?”

“I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd catch a movie. Pure coincidence.”

“You hate cinemas,” she counters.

He chuckles softly. “Maybe I'm learning to appreciate them.”

​​She’s about to retort when she feels a gentle touch on her hip. Wanda's muscles tense under his soft fingers as they start tracing the curve of her waist, moving slowly downwards, caressing her thigh. Her breath hitches, and she turns sharply to face him.

“What are you doing?”

Vision just smirks, leaning back in his seat. “Thought you might want to spice up the afternoon.”

Wanda rolls her eyes. “I'm not in the mood, Vision. Hands off.”

His laugh is a bit too loud, drawing “shhhs” and glares from the front row. Seeing him unmoved by the stares, Wanda huffs and stands up, making it clear she's moving seats. As she shimmies past him, Vision's hand snakes out, gripping her wrist. “Stay,” he murmurs, eyes serious. “I promise to behave.”

She hesitates, looking at him skeptically. Finally, with a sigh, she slides back into her seat. For the most part, Vision keeps his promise. They sit in silence, engrossed in the movie, but Wanda can't help but notice Vision's restlessness. Twice, he excuses himself, claiming he needs the restroom. She can't help but wonder what he's really up to, but she refrains from asking. Whatever it is, she's not sure she wants to know.

Later, when they step out of the theater, they're greeted by the aftermath of a rainstorm. Puddles dot the pavement, making it tricky for Wanda in her heels. Vision holds out his hand, and she takes it, especially when she almost trips trying to leap over a particularly large puddle. 

For some reason, she suddenly feels like she's being watched. From the corner of her eye, she spots the black SUV, parked in the same spot as when she arrived at the cinema. But before she can give it more thought, Vision pulls her towards a bookstore, quickly diverting her attention. She brushes off the odd sensation, attributing it to anxiety since the theater she picked is quite far from town.

-

Wanda stares, open mouthed and shocked, as Vision shows her his final project for her course.

It's a charcoal drawing on canvas featuring a nude woman, with only her mouth visible, reclining on a bench. Wanda doesn't need a second glance to realize that the woman in the painting is her. From the curve of her jaw to the birthmark on her left hip and down to the fold of her knees, the resemblance is remarkable. 

There's no way she can allow him to submit this.

His audacity to draw her in such an intimate manner without her consent leaves her momentarily speechless. She briefly wonders what other liberties he’s taken without her permission.

“What the hell is this?” Wanda questions in barely contained rage.

Vision smirks, arrogance dripping from every word. “It's you, obviously. Pretty accurate, don't you think?”

She clenches her fists, anger rising. “You had absolutely no right. This is beyond inappropriate. What were you thinking?”

Leaning against the table, he shrugs nonchalantly. “I was thinking about how hot you were and I wanted to immortalize it.”

She frowns, crossing her arms defensively. “This was private, between us. How could you think it's okay to make it public?”

“I thought you liked when I took control,” he says, stepping closer, his voice dripping with insinuation.

Wanda feels like throwing up. “This isn't a game,” she snaps. “You can't just use our personal moments as fodder for your projects!”

“You never seemed to mind before.”

Wanda replies sharply, “There's a difference between us being together in private and you broadcasting it to the world.”

He squares his shoulders, firming up his stance. “Maybe I wanted them to see.”

“To see what exactly?” Wanda yells, but the fear in her voice is unmistakable. 

“How good we are together,” he says. “Maybe I’m tired of hiding, Wanda. Ever thought of that?”

Wanda's mind races, a thousand thoughts crashing into one another. She's always been able to control the narrative, always had the situation in her grip. But now, Vision's defiance, his blatant challenge, terrifies her. The realization that Vision could, and possibly would, spill their secret terrifies her more than she thought possible. For the first time, she's faced with the real possibility of losing everything she holds dear. Of losing you.

“So, what's it going to be, Professor?” Vision challenges, towering over her in a display of intimidation. “Should I submit this, or maybe...” his voice drops to a whisper, “show it to your wife?”

She grits her teeth, trying to gain some semblance of control. “Destroy it. Now.”

Vision grins, leaning in closer until their faces are inches apart. “Make me.”

“Vis—”

Vision's lips crush down on hers in a fierce, demanding kiss. His hand clamps around the back of her neck, holding her in place as he ravishes her mouth. It’s fervent, consuming, and fueled by a hunger she hasn't felt from him before. Her brain screams at her to resist, to push him away, to regain control of this spiraling situation. She shoves at his chest, her nails digging in, but he doesn't budge. Instead, he deepens the kiss, his tongue demanding entry, which she denies him.

In her mounting frustration, she raises her hand and slaps him hard across the face. Vision barely flinches, his gaze never leaving hers. His determination only fans the flames of her anger further, but beneath it all simmers an irrefutable want. Without a word, Vision's hands descend to her waist, deftly unbuttoning and pushing down her pants and off her legs. She makes quick work of his belt, discarding them recklessly to the side.

As he inches closer, his breath hot on her ear, Vision murmurs, “Say it, Wanda… say 'I want you to fuck me’.”

She can feel the solid length of him pressing against her, and despite her anger, the way he slowly gyrates his hips makes her weak. She draws a shaky breath, the words stuck in her throat. It’s wrong, and he shouldn’t have this much power on her. 

He moves in, his lips trailing down her neck, as his hands find their way around her waist, pulling her in even closer. “Say it,” he murmurs again.

“I want you to... fuck me,” she finally breathes out, her voice breaking into a whiny plea that she would never have believed she could utter, especially under these circumstances. 

His response is immediate. Before she can fully register what's happening, he has her lifted, her back pressed against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist. With a sharp thrust, he's inside her, filling her completely. While Vision usually found his release before she did, this time was different. She notices he's holding back, which confuses her. Why would he? Especially now. Wanda, lost in the sensation of him inside her, is curious but also a little apprehensive. 

She soon realizes why. His fingers find her clit, rubbing it in a rough, almost painful manner that sends shockwaves of pleasure through her. “Come on,” he urges, almost impatiently, his voice strained.

She feels herself spiraling, the coil inside her tightening. His cock angles and adjusts, targeting her sweet spot, making her clench around him. The slickness between them grows, and his fingers work in tandem with his thrusts, pressing, rubbing, coaxing her closer and closer.

“I'm gonna... I'm coming,” she warns, feeling the walls of her pussy fluttering.

And then she feels it—the unmistakable warmth, the pulsing. Her eyes widen in realization as Vision buries himself deeper, releasing inside her. 

“No!” Wanda screams silently, the sounds failing to escape her throat as the knowledge that he's come unprotected pushes her further into her own climax. Her instinct is to flee, to pull away from him, but Vision's grip is ironclad. He feels her panic and responds with more pressure on her clit, manipulating the nub with determined fingers. Each stroke sends her further into ecstasy, locking her in place as his other arm wraps around her waist, preventing any escape.

“Stay,” he murmurs into her ear, his voice filled with a possessiveness that she's never heard before. As he continues to spurt inside her, their hips still weakly grinding against one another, the reality of the situation dawns on her. He didn't use protection. He could—he could get her—

Terror claws at Wanda's insides. Was this all premeditated? Had he planned to trap her like this? She struggles to pull away, but Vision holds her even tighter, keeping her pressed against him as the last of his release fills her. He languidly rests his forehead against Wanda's shoulder, taking a moment to revel in the afterglow. When he finally dares to look at her, he expects to see anger or fury or maybe even forgiveness. Instead, he's met with wide, bloodshot eyes swimming with tears that violently spill over, tracing the contours of her cheeks.

His smugness dissipates and his brow furrows in confusion. “Wanda?”

She chokes on her tears, desperately trying to speak. “Did you—did you do this on purpose?” Using every ounce of strength she can summon, she pushes him away, stumbling slightly as her legs threaten to give out. Hastily, she starts grabbing her clothes.

Vision, looking lost for once, reaches out, but she recoils away from his touch.

“Don’t you fucking touch me!”

“Wanda, please. Let's talk about this.”

As Wanda attempts to regain her balance, she can feel the telltale wetness slide down her inner thighs. The physical evidence of their tryst, the proof of Vision's seed making its way out of her, sends a sharp pang of revulsion through her. Her hand moves instinctively, trying to wipe away the residue, a feeble attempt to erase the aftermath—or perhaps the entirety of their history. Her vision blurs as tears continue to stream down her face, her breathing jagged. Vision, looking both remorseful and lost, reaches out in an attempt to console her, but she flinches at the barest contact of his fingertips.

“Please, at least let me drive you to—”

“To where?” she spits out, her voice mocking. “Home? To my...? I can't—not now.”

Vision's eyes widen, and suddenly he looks much younger.

“Wanda,” he starts, voice shaky and eyes beginning to tear up, “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean... I didn't think… I-It’ll never happen again.”

But the pitiable sight of him, looking scared and unsure, only adds fuel to the fire. “You think a simple 'sorry' is enough?”

The door is her escape, and she's quick to reach it. As she’s about to leave, he whimpers, almost begging, “Please don't go. I... I'm sorry.”

But she's done. With one final, withering glance, she exits, leaving the door to swing shut behind her. 

-

While Wanda waits for her period to come, she can't focus on anything else. She feels disoriented during the day, and it keeps her awake at night. 

In her world, everything's spiraling into a fragmented mess, like a vintage vinyl record that's been smashed to bits. 

She tosses out reading assignments like candy at a twisted parade, tells the kids to scribble down essays. For them, it's almost like a holiday. For Wanda, it's a desperate lifeline. By the window, she stands. Watching. Waiting. But not really seeing anything. Vision's eyes, burning into her, but she never meets his gaze. She hasn't been responding to his texts or calls, discarding them immediately without even opening them. The classroom exit strategy is always the same: blend in with the herd, avoid the predator. She doesn't give him even the slightest opportunity to get her alone.

Home should be her fortress. Instead, it's like quicksand. Sparky, always eager for her attention, brings toys to her feet, his tail wagging in hopeful anticipation. But her patience is thin, and she finds herself shooing him outside, much to the dog's confusion. She's been bringing home takeout repeatedly, and the repetition isn't lost on you. While you never openly complain, she notices when you start to take the reins, cooking dinner, a quiet acknowledgment of her current state.

She waits and waits—a ghost haunting a lover, a home, a school, a town, waiting for salvation.

-

She’s more than a week late for her period when she (terrifyingly) decides to buy a pregnancy test kit. Wanda clutches her coat tighter around herself, hesitating for a moment before pushing the door open. Inside, she avoids making eye contact, moving purposefully towards the aisle she's dreading. As her fingers wrap around a pregnancy test kit, her heart hammers in her chest. With the box safely tucked inside her bag, she hurries back home, sneaking glances over her shoulder, feeling as though the world knows her secret.

When she arrives home, she pretends as if she had simply stopped by the grocery store. She musters a smile as she begins to prepare dinner, maintaining a light and cheerful conversation with you. You savor her food as if it were your last meal, showering her with compliments like a discerning food critic, which brings a slight chuckle from Wanda. You peck her lips when you’re finished, thanking her for it. For a while, it seems like everything is back to normal, and that nothing will shatter the illusion that she’s still living her happily-ever-after with you.

She waits, counting the minutes, ensuring you're deep in sleep before she tiptoes into the bathroom. She reads the instructions multiple times, her eyes scanning over each word as if hoping they'd change. It's as though she hasn’t been through this ritual numerous times before, back when her deepest desire was to bear your child. The irony isn't lost on her: in just a few months, she's transitioned from yearning for a baby to fervently hoping she isn't pregnant.

Finally gathering enough courage, she rips the packaging. Just get it over with, Wanda muses. The minutes that follow feel like hours. The silence is suffocating, the potential consequences bearing down on her. She jumps at the slightest noise, every creak of the floorboards or rustle of sheets convincing her that you've woken up.

The alarm on her phone finally goes off, signaling that it's time. With bated breath, she looks down at the test, her world teetering on the brink of change.

-

She’s hidden the pregnancy test deep in the trash bin, concealed under tissues and other refuse. It’s the middle of the night, and she ensured it is further out of sight by taking the trash outside.

As the initial relief floods through her, it is swiftly replaced by a profound sense of shame. She sits curled up on the couch, hugging her knees, desperately wishing to escape from herself and her crimes. She realizes, with a piercing clarity, that she can't compartmentalize or keep secrets when it comes to you, because you're not just a part of her life—you are her life. The mere thought of you finding out fills her with a terror so profound, she's left gasping for breath. She'd rather face any consequence, even death, than watch the love fade from your eyes, replaced by hurt, anger, and betrayal.

She loves you, but Wanda doesn’t—she doesn’t know what to do, how to move forward. 

But in the midst of her life falling apart, an unexpected sentiment finds its way to the forefront: hope. 

A fragile, quivering kind of hope. Wanda's lips twitch, trembling as they pull into a weak smile. Maybe the universe is giving her a second chance. Maybe her not being pregnant is a sign, a way out. It's as if fate is holding out a lifeline, imploring her to take it and mend the fractures in her life. With renewed determination, she silently promises herself that she'll devote every bit of her being to you. She knows she can't change the past, but she believes, fervently, in the possibility of a future where she remains true, where she will never stray again.

Still, the weight of her deeds anchors her to the couch, each sob a violent reminder that she's the villain in her own story. And that’s how you find her, in the dark living room, crying and blaming a nonexistent movie for being in such a mess.

“Wanda?”

She looks up and every cell in her body threatens to crumble. “Hey, baby,” she murmurs, her fingers brushing away the tears.

“Have you been crying?”

“Just a movie,” she lies still, “You know how emotional they make me.”

You smile, your eyes full of that nurturing love. “My big crybaby.” Wanda can't believe a pregnancy scare was what it took to finally wake her up.

Looking into your eyes, a surge of need overtakes her. She longs to claim you, to solidify her stake, and leave no doubt in your mind about where her heart truly lies. She wants to show you just how much she loves you, to make up for all the times she has strayed. 

She doesn't hesitate. Before she fully processes her actions, she's on top of you, her weight pinning you down, her eyes blazing with an intensity that threatens to consume. “Take off your shorts,” her voice trembles. Your obedient response sends a thrill through her, but she's barely registered the progress you've made before she's swiping a teasing finger, tasting the essence that's uniquely yours. She watches, entranced, as a shiver runs through you, your voice shaky with desire. 

“Patience, baby.” 

She barely shakes her head, lips parted. “Don't have any.”

And then she's tasting you, each slow, deliberate stroke of her tongue designed to drive both of you mad. Your body responds fervently, and she can sense your need building, mirroring her own desperate longing. “Please, Wanda, more…” Your whisper is a plea she can't resist. Her lips part to take in more of you, savoring the intoxicating flavor that she had missed so much. 

“I've missed you so much, Y/N,” she says, deliriously lost in your pleasure. “I've missed making you feel good. Missed feeling this way with you…” She doesn't quite realize the hints she's dropping, but she doesn't care. This moment is real, and she wants it to be as honest as it can be.

Lifting your legs, Wanda applies gentle pressure, pushing them back until they're almost touching the couch cushions on either side of your head. The sight of you, so openly displayed for Wanda, sends a rush of heat and desire through her core. She can feel the power she has, not just from the position but from the trust placed in her to have you in such a vulnerable state. It feels so good, being this close to you. How could she have ever desired anything else when she had this all along?

Wanda pauses for a moment, mouth watering, her eyes hungrily tracing the sight before her. She senses a slight shift, seeing your eyes flit away, perhaps overwhelmed. But Wanda can't allow that retreat. Gently cradling your face, she guides those eyes she loves back, sealing their return home to her with a tender, grounding kiss.

“I love you,” she breathes against your lips.

You smile up at her. “I love you. More than you could ever know.”

Wanda shuts her eyes, letting your reassurance wash over her. Nothing lasts forever, but perhaps this could be an exception.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x vision #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda x you #wanda maximoff #my writing #category: angst #iss #my fic #wanda x reader #wanda x y/n

[nicestgirlonline]

dumb dumb

Pairing: Bucky x Dumbass!Reader

Warnings: none! lots of fluff ahead!!! 

Summary: Everyone can see the huge crush Bucky has on you...everyone except you of course.

Word Count: 3.7k and counting because I truly am incapable of being brief

A/N: This is for week one’s writer activity for  @the-slumberparty  the I Spy Challenge! I included all three of the items they shouldn’t be too hard to spot! I hope you enjoy it! Unbetaed, forgive me! Feedback is always appreciated :)

Update 2/17: You guys asked and now there's a Part 2

Typically it was Team Cap that were the first people awake in the Avengers Compound. Steve, Sam and Bucky were still on a soldier's schedule, usually getting up at 5 to work out before getting breakfast. 

So it was a bit of a surprise when they entered the kitchen to see the coffee was already brewed and you were helping yourself to a bowl of cornflakes. You were a Stark Industries biochemical engineer and judging  from your lopsided ponytail and your rumpled clothes, you had ended up sleeping in the lab. Again. Steve checked his watch, it was barely past 6. 

“Good morning! Another late night?” Steve asked.

“Morning Cap! Yeah, the thing about stomach acid is it's so fascinating I lost track of my time while studying it.” You cover your mouth to hide a yawn.  

“I think maybe only you think that.” Sam said, making you giggle a bit. Bucky entered the kitchen slightly later than the other two. His hair was damp and he had a towel wrapped around his neck, freshly showered. Steve definitely noticed that Bucky had started to insist on showering before breakfast right after the first time they discovered Y/N in the kitchen. 

“Good morning Bucky!” You greeted, internally cringing at how loud you were. He was taken aback each time he saw her in the morning. The usually coordinated assassin bumped into the side of the breakfast bar with his hip and winced. 

“Morning.” he mumbled and gave a little wave before immediately heading to get some coffee, walking off the bump. Sam and Steve both glanced at each other. 

“You should kick Bucky’s ass, it’s his samples keeping you up at night,” Sam joked. You blushed and filled your mouth with more cornflakes. You’d specifically been studying well, all of Bucky? The effects of Dr. Erskine’s serum on his body mixed with the cryosleep and the other HYDRA experiments was a vast array of knowledge to tap into.

“It's not his fault I’m bad at time management. I really should stop doing this though. I'm sure my apartment misses me.” You say quickly as Bucky silently fixes himself breakfast. He pulls out the bagels and cream cheese with a bit more anger than usual. He sent Sam a glare but didn’t say anything. 

“Well if you’re here less, we’ll start missing you, won’t we Buck?” Steve asked. Both of them knew about Bucky’s soft spot for the scientist, too bad he didn’t seem like he was ever going to do anything about it. 

Bucky didn’t really answer, just sort of muttered something. You tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear trying to hide a blush.

“I'm sure Bucky won’t miss me. He’s gotten enough of me poking and prodding him.” You said hoping it came off as a light joke. While Bucky had been very willing to provide all of the samples you’d asked for, you secretly were starting to feel like you were no better than HYDRA in his eyes…

“And stealing my blood for science?” Bucky asked, his tone still grim. “‘S’not so bad when you do it.” He gave a small smile that he hid behind a sip of coffee. Steve remained quiet a moment, hoping either of you would make a move but both of you stayed blushing and looking in other directions. 

“Say, I was wondering to get your opinion on something. If there was a fella who was trying to get something nice for a lady friend, are flowers too old fashioned?”

“A lady friend? Steve, are you dating someone?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny. But humor a hundred year old guy for a second here. If someone were trying to catch the eye of a modern woman such as yourself, would he have to buy you flowers, chocolates, diamond necklace?” He asked. You thought about it for a moment tapping your chin. 

“Gosh, not diamonds for me! I can’t wear any jewelry in the lab. I think flowers are nice! Everyone likes getting flowers sometimes. Maybe I should get some flowers for the whole lab, with Valentine's Day coming up and all.”  

Bucky smiled to himself. You were just the sweetest person he’d ever met. Always thinking about others. Steve of course caught the face and Bucky quickly turned away, trying to go back to neutral. It was such a stupid little crush, nothing more. 

x

You felt like your back might snap in half, that lab cot was really not optimal. You’d ended up staying in the lab past midnight and at that point it was easier to just crash than bother driving home.  You’d had to redo nearly all of your samples from yesterday, after your acid experiment melted nearly all the pipettes in the lab. You were probably going to have to get some more cheek swabs from Bucky too. 

You bit your lip. It was nice to have him in the lab so much. He didn’t talk a lot but he was always awfully sweet when he did. He also didn’t seem to mind your science babble. It was safe to say you’d developed a bit of a crush over the past few months. Too bad there was absolutely no way he felt the same way about you. He was a gorgeous Avengers for chrissake, he wasn’t going to date a dorky scientist who was studying the acid in his stomach. 

Speaking of the devil, when you got up to stretch a bit you were taken back by a face full of flowers, you leaped back in surprise. 

Bucky, wearing his sweatsuit like he had just gotten back from a run, was carrying a huge bouquet of pink and purple flowers. His face as usual was unreadable. You placed your hand on your now racing heart. 

“Bucky! I didn’t hear you come in!” You said as you regained your footing. 

“Uh sorry about that. Kind of a habit. Assassin.” He said with a shrug. The two of you stood in silence with the beautiful flowers separating you. Both of you  taking in the other. 

Can’t believe he looks so handsome while I’m sitting here looking like an absolute wreck

Can’t believe she looks so cute in the mornings while I’m in here looking like a creep. 

“These are beautiful!” You gesture to the flowers snapping the two of you back to reality. He half smiled and took a deep breath, ready for the little speech he'd prepared to go along with the ridiculous bouquet. 

“Yeah uh, I was just thinking about what you and Steve were talking about yesterday, with Valentine’s Day and all—“ He began. 

“It’s so nice that you got these for the lab!” You cried out taking them from his hands. Yesterday you had mentioned getting flowers for the whole lab, that must be what Bucky was referencing. 

“I…did. I did get these for the lab.” He said the smile now disappearing and back to his usual grumpy/ neutral expression. Some people found it a bit off putting but you had grown accustomed to it. 

“The techs are gonna flip, an avenger bringing us flowers! This is gonna brighten up the break room.” You squealed happily. It broke your heart a little, secretly hoping they had been for you. The gesture was really appreciated. Maybe he really didn’t mind all of your little experiments so much!

“I’m glad you like them.” He said. He sounded genuine but he looked so sad. You quirked your eyebrows, hoping that you’d be able to cheer him up if he stayed.  “Yeah so I’m gonna go now.” 

He quickly turned his hands in his pockets. 

“Oh you can stay—” You called after him but he was basically out the door. 

 “I’ve got to go on a run.” he called back.

“Oh.” you said to yourself as the door shut behind him. You clearly had been wrong, no way did Bucky like you at all. 

X

“Hey there I got a huge bunch of flowers for the lab. Because I think the lab is beautiful. And the lab is smart and funny. I really like talking to the lab even though I have no idea what the fuck to even say half the time.” 

“Talking to yourself again?” Steve asked, finally catching up with Bucky who had taken off at a mad man’s pace. 

“Eavesdropping again punk?”

“Flowers didn’t go over too well? I take it?”

“Not talking about it.” Bucky said picking up speed. Steve easily matched his pace, refusing to let his friend get away. 

“Maybe you should just ask her out. You used to be pretty good at that. Being charming.” Steve suggested. Bucky picked up speed again and Steve followed, the two of them now pushing hard. Nearly too hard for conversation. 

“Will you drop it?” Bucky grunted. There was no way she liked him. Why would she anyway? She was a beautiful, brilliant scientist and he was the grumpy old meanie avenger. 

“Just trying to help.” Now Steve was pissed, he pushed harder trying to pass his best friend. 

“Stay out of it.”  The two super soldiers ran on, lapping poor Sam a shameful amount of times. 

Used to be charming. Used to be? Bucky scoffed. He’d show them. He was present day charming. 

X

You really needed to work on your time management, you checked your watch and it was already 3 o clock and you hadn’t even had lunch yet. You were out of lab snacks too, so you decided to break for a quick lunch. 

You assumed you’d be in the kitchen on your own but entered to see Bucky with a cup of instant noodles. He was mid slurp when you waved hello. You went straight to the pantry to grab the basics for a PBJ. You could hear lots of coughing as you turned. 

“You’re not choking right? Do you need the heimlich?” You asked only half jokingly. You’d certainly do whatever you could to help him.

You turned back and Bucky was a bit red in the face but breathing normally again. 

“No. S’fine. Went down the wrong pipe.” He grumbled waving his hand as you went back to your sandwich.  

“Everyone loves the flowers. By the way, really made our week.” You took a seat across from him. Bucky straightened up a big and cleared his throat for the final time. 

“Glad to hear it.” He smiled. You smiled back. 

There was a beat of silence. You looked down at your food, then back to Bucky only to discover he had done the same. You were looking into each other's eyes. 

“It was really so thoughtful.” You hoped you didn’t sound as breathless as you felt. 

“Well I was thinking of you when I saw them.” He said softly. Your heart soared. That was the sort of softness that you only heard from him in a few special moments. 

“Tony is having a screening of The Princess Bride. For Valentine's Day. As a treat to the company. Great movie, if you haven’t seen it.” You said very quickly. Not sure what was compelling you to tell him about it. It was one of your favorite movies and you were really excited to go to the screening until another scientist in your lab had asked you if you were bringing a date. It hadn’t occurred to you that the romance movie screening on Valentine's Day was going to be a mostly couples event. 

“I haven’t.” Bucky said. You were about to suggest he check it out when he continued “We should go. Together.” 

“Ok! Yeah! Yes we should go! Wow, that will be so much fun!” You could hardly believe it! Had your gambit worked? Subtly bringing up the movie with the hopes he’d come with you? 

“Uh cool, should I uh pick you up at the lab?” He seemed just as excited as you. You don’t think you’d ever seen him so smiley actually. 

“Yeah, I’ll have to bring my duffle bag so I have a change of clothes. I have this dress that looks like Buttercup’s — she’s a character in the movie. I should have more clothes here anyway. I hate my work clothes. And maybe a blanket too since the screening room is always so cold. We could bring snacks even though they’re usually provided. That might be overdoing it. ” You had started to ramble while Bucky rested his chin on his hand, contently listening. 

“You’re not planning on sleeping in the lab again are you?” He asked, concerned. 

“Well, I want to watch the movie and it's a bit silly to drive all the way home when I'm tired.” You said with a shrug. You really should stop sleeping at the lab so much, it seemed like you were starting to get a reputation. 

“Very true, you should not be driving while sleepy. But uh we could go to my place afterwards. It’s a much nicer commute. Probably a bit more comfortable than the lab.” He offered. 

“But Bucky, where would you sleep?” You asked, cocking your head to the side. The avengers apartments were nice but you were certain he didn’t have a guest bedroom. 

“I’ll take the floor. It’s actually not an issue.” 

“Bucky Barnes, I am not kicking you out of your own bed. No way. End of discussion.” You put your foot down. He let out a sigh looking up at the ceiling lights and then back to you. His whole demeanor changed 

“Well. I was trying to be a gentleman here but it is a pretty big bed. We probably could both fit. Since it seems like there are no other options. ”  He practically purred at you. You blinked, taken aback. You couldn’t remember a time where he had seemed more charming to you! But no, that couldn’t be right. Bucky Barnes was not actually offering to cuddle up with you on Valentine’s Day. This was you misreading the situation with him as usual. 

“Oh. You mean that as friends right?” You asked. Bucky looked pained and sucked his teeth for a moment. 

“Totally. As friends.”

X

“So let me get this straight. You are going to be going to see the romance movie The Princess Bride together. On Valentines day. As friends. Then you are going back to his apartment. Where you’ve planned on sharing his bed. As friends.”Nat asked.  You sat across from Nat on the long L shaped couch in the TV room. You were a little surprised with how well you had ended up getting along with all the Avengers since you got hired for the lab. Nat and Bucky especially were famously unfriendly to newbies and yet, you seemed to click with them faster than anyone. 

“Exactly. What's so hard to get about that?” You gave a shrug and sipped some more of your afternoon coffee.  She let out a groan and massaged her temples. 

“Are you dumb? Like has this whole brilliant scientist thing been like an Elizabeth Holmes scam? Geez Einstein, Bucky is head over heels for you and you spend all of your time thinking about smooching his stupid grumpy little face!” She cried and you winced. You only thought about smooching sometimes.

“His face isn’t stupid.” You muttered and Natasha rolled her eyes so hard you feared they may get stuck. “And he doesn’t like me like that.”

“Why would he ask you out to a movie? Then offer his place afterwards, if not because he’s totally into you!” 

“I asked him if he meant as friends then he said yes he meant as friends.” You cried back. She let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Honestly at this point, I think I may have to hang up my wing woman hat. Can’t get you a date, can’t get Steve a date, I’ve lost my touch.”  She groaned. 

“Doesn’t Steve have someone he’s seeing?” You asked. 

“Uh absolutely not. No way he could keep that from me. Unless you have some intel I don’t know about.”

“He was asking me all these questions a few weeks ago. About getting a girl flowers to show you’re interested in her.” You explained. Why would he bring that up if not for the girl he’s dating? She nodded along knowingly. 

“Quick question, was Bucky also there by chance?” She asked, her wry smirk returning to her face. 

“Yeah he was…how did you know that?”

“And was this before or after Bucky showed up with flowers for ‘the lab’ ?” She asked using finger quotes around the lab. The gears in your head usually reserved for science and math started to turn. “Please, I’m begging you. Use that big powerful brain that’s supposedly between your ears.” 

You trusted Nat, she was much better at reading people than you were. Could she be right? You hoped she was right. 

X

You had changed into your flowy blue dress, you had always thought it looked a bit like Princess Buttercup's wedding dress with its long sleeves and high cinched waist. You took your hair out of its usual ponytail and let it tumble down your shoulders. This was a date. You told yourself. This was a date, Bucky was taking you out on a date. 

It didn’t seem real. How could it be? You had crushes all the time but they never actually liked you back, that just wasn’t how life worked out. But Natasha could read people like no one you’d ever known before. Could she be wrong?

Bucky showed up at the lab door, lightly knocking on the door frame as he let himself in. He was wearing a black dress shirt with black dress pants. The black on black was his usual MO but god did he look so handsome in it. He had stayed his hair a bit too, you could see the gel he had combed in to keep it neat. 

“Hey are you ready for the mo-” you cut him off by pressing your lips to his. The two of you stayed frozen for a minute neither sure what to do. 

He pulled you away looking confused. Oh fuck I just sexually harrassed an avenger oh god I’m fired, I’m dead, Bucky is never going to speak to me again!

“What are you doing?” He whispered, his hands on your shoulders keeping you at a distance. 

“I’m so sorry! God I knew Nat was wrong, I’m sorry I’m sorry, I just thought that maybe…god I’m so dumb.” You started to blubber, humiliated. You wanted to melt into the floor. 

“Hey, hey slow down. Now I’m really mixed up here, you said we should go as friends and now you’re kissing me. Can you just tell me what’s going on?” He asked, his voice very measured, his face unreadable. 

You took a deep breath. 

“I like you. I like you a lot. And I always thought that…there’s no way you liked me back. I wished the flowers you brought to the lab were for me but of course they weren’t and I hoped we were going to the movie as a date but of course we aren’t. Nat said she thought you liked me back but I should have never listened to her. I’m sorry.” You covered your face and turned away. You couldn't believe you’d messed this up so bad. 

“You keep apologizing but I’m not exactly complaining here.”  He said his voice low. 

“Huh?”

“I’ve been trying to figure out how to let you know, but every time I tried  it didn’t seem like you were interested in me!” He cried out. You just blinked at him, dumbfounded. 

“Why would you be into me, you're like the savior of the galaxy and I’m a nerd who practically lives in her lab.”

“Why would you be into me, you're a beautiful brilliant scientist  and I'm just some grumpy dope that’s also a  pardoned war criminal?”

You couldn’t take it anymore, you threw your arms around his neck and kissed him again. Bye god this was the second time you kissed Bucky today! Only this time when your lips met he eagerly returned the kiss. His soft lips moving feverishly against yours. His hands went to your hips and you tried not to let out a gasp as he pulled you flush against his body.  

“Wait, wait, are we going to miss the movie?” He asked you with such genuine sincerity you wanted to scream. How was he so cute?

“We can catch it another time.”

X

The two of you, barely able to keep yourself off each other, somehow managed to get in an elevator, go up all the way to Bucky's floor and get into his apartment. All while still remaining lip locked in a daze. 

He was kissing you silly, you almost felt drunk. With a bit of a flourish he tossed you on to the bed (which was quite big, easily room for the two of you like he had said). 

“Uh Bucky, what are these for?” You held up the leather cuffs that were chained across the back of the bed. He frowned, suddenly panicking. 

“I was going to move those, I’m sorry you had to see that. I just, I get nightmares sometimes and it um, it helps to chain myself to the bed so I don't um hurt myself. I’m on meds now and I never need to use them anymore.” He was rambling, quickly trying to sooth the situation. 

“Oh.”

“Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable. I know I’m a whole lot of baggage on top of baggage. I really am totally fine sleeping on the floor if that makes you feel safer or--”

“Don’t say that about yourself. You’re the smartest woman I know. ” He insisted. He sat back down on the bed. He took you in his arms. You pecked him lightly on his lips.

“I just…I thought maybe these were going to be for me.” You fluttered your eyelashes as

Bucky's eyes grew wide. He cleared his throat.

“They can be. They absolutely can be.”

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #winter solider #bucky barns x you #bucky x female reader #navy and roo's sleepover #i spy challenge #marvel fanfic #fluff #friday night posting baby

[aseaofyoongi]

behind pixels 1 | jjk

jjk x reader (f)

genre: sex worker au (jk)

rating: mature audiences only (strictly 18+)

summary: with rising stress, being caught touching yourself and no satisfaction for your own imagination you decide to take your friends advice of using a certain little app for assistance.

warnings: not another college smut au . . you guessed it lol; foul language; sensual/dirty talk; masturbation; computer sex; strangers to sex worker jk helping you out for the night lol (pls stay safe of the world wide web yall); mentions of sexual intercourse - but ofc there is none; cum eating. . she licks her fingers after.. yeah; open ending and no preparation for a pt. 2 so dont hate me.

next part: behins pixels the sequel

word count: 3,3 thousand words

posted: april 8th, 2023

-

-

-

BunnyBoy98 is typing…..

Is this your first time

here?

Sorta.

You can’t sorta be

here for the first time.

It's a yes or no question.

I thought this site was

no questions asked. No

strings attached?

You against conversation

or something? Desperate

to get right to it?

Not desperate. . but that is

what we’re here for.

Right bunny boy?

Right.

There was a second of silence in between messages. For a brief moment you interpreted his quietness as a goodbye but he was still online. . Perhaps, he thought you to be too straightforward and that turned him off entirely and he moved on to the next user.

Still, there was a faint hope within you that he would reply so you sat in the dead stillness of your room, lights turned off to avoid recognition, door locked with only your undergarments to hug your body.

Typically, this wouldn’t be the event to make-up your Friday night however stressed induced days. . and the simple fact that you were in a torment of arousal twenty-four seven with no further satisfaction stemming from the guidance your imagination had on your fingers.

BunnyBoy98 is typing…..

You sat up on the bed in anticipation of his reply even though you'd never admit it to the stranger on the other side of the screen. He was about to help you get off, so you were definitely at the gates of desperation. It trickled all throughout your body as if a rain cloud sat right above you drenching you in its honeyed ardor.

Your skin turned to goosebumps as the chat bubble continued appearing and disappearing again and again.

Fine. But at least

tell me how you

found me.

I wasn’t specifically

searching for you.

Then who?

Anyone really.

Ouch. You know

I actually felt a bit

special for a second.

You still should. You’re

description helped me

choose you.

Be honest, was it

the tattoos?

If I say maybe would

you be mad at me?

Not at all.

Then, yes.

Plus your description

says you have long hair.

Who was the

runner-up?

Someone named Tae. But

I remembered a friend

visits him often.

So you found out

about us through

a friend?

Yes.

We can do either a

video call or messages.

Which do you prefer?

Video call.

If you’re up for it.

I’m OK with it

as long as you are.

I’ll call you in 5.

I’ll be here.

The rippling anticipation waved through you like electric currents rumbling your entire being right off its course. Though, BunnyBoy98 was a complete stranger you were minutes away from stripping yourself of every bit of shame and vulnerability right before him.

You couldn’t believe you actually went through with it.

And it all began about a week prior. When your friend had walked in on you in a . . less than ideal situation. You succumbed to the pleasure of your favorite toy, legs stretched wide and completely bare on your bottom half. Overcome in the feeling as you maintain focus on chasing your own orgasm. You remember hearing the hinges on the door creak but you weren’t expecting anyone so you remained painting a fervor image behind your eyelids. Envisioning slender fingers being pumped in and out of you repeatedly.

There were beads of sweat strolling down your body as you were in position; about to be catapulted into outer space. The atmosphere you set for yourself was serene and the only sounds that could be heard were your occasional whimpers and the music that played softly in the background. Everything drove you closer and closer to where you wanted to be.

Where you needed to be.

You were so close then a gasp inundated the air around you. A gasp that most certainly did not come from you.

“What the fuck?” You shot your eyes open and quickly saw your friend buried into a corner near the door. She faced the wall but you could only imagine the revolted look on her face, “can you lock the door next time?”

“Oh my,” you quickly pulled the covers over your sweaty body, “can you knock next time?”

“I did knock,” she yelled back, “but you were a little busy.”

“So you just barge in?”

“I thought you might have been dead in the toilet or something,” she shrugged and turned back around to find you sprawled in your bed, “oh, you’re done?”

“What do you think?”

“I mean don’t stop on my account. We all do it,” she sat across from your bed and began spinning around on your computer chair, “I personally like to meet Tae when I’m in the mood but you know this all works too.”

“Who’s Tae?” you questioned sitting up in the bed; wrapping your bed sheets around your figure tightly.

“He’s from this app where guys kinda help girls get off,” she said it so casually you almost didn’t fully decipher the words escaping her lips.

“There’s an app for that?”

“It’s the twenty-first century there’s literally an app for everything.”

You cleared your throat, “is it safe?”

“Are you interested?” she waggled her brows.

“No,” you scoffed, “did you need something?”

“I can’t come over just to spend time?” she shook her head, “I should’ve let you finish. Maybe you would have been in a better mood.”

“Fuck you,” you giggled.

“At least use this next time,” your phone dinged after she quickly sent you a text, “let me know how it goes.”

Her exit was barely audible. You were too preoccupied studying the link she sent for the app called ‘Eargasm An App for Women in Need.’

BunnyBoy98 is typing…..

I’m ready.

Can I call you?

Yeah.

You can call.

The ringtone echoing amongst your walls was taunting, and your nerves nearly fooled you into letting it ring. And while it took a lot of physical and mental strength to actually pick your hand up and move it towards the mouse pad you were finally able to press the green button lighting up your screen.

BunnyBoy98 sat up against a wall; glowing under blue LED lights. His black hair was long as detailed in his description and it sat right above his shoulders. Though it was hard to tell under the stark ambiance his eyes mimicked the tint of chocolate and his piercing stare was aimed at you on the other side of the screen. . Well, it was actually aimed at your dark screen. Though, it was selfish of you, as you hid cowardly behind your turned off camera you wished he would remove the black mask hiding the bottom half of his face.

“Hi,” he greeted.

“Hi,” you murmured, perhaps a bit scared that someone might hear this interaction play out although no one would. You made sure your door was locked this time and you didn’t even have a roommate. “Should I continue calling you BunnyBoy or is there something else you prefer to be called?”

“You can call me JK,” his voice was sultry, soothing, grave. Somehow a mixture of all three in one; it vibrated in your inner ear like some sort of an invasively soft tune, one you know you’d be replaying many times after tonight.

“Sorry about the dark screen,” you attempted to swallow down any ounce of nervousness, “I guess you can say I’m a bit nervous.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” his reassurance quickly eased your frazzled nerves, “though I’ll admit you did sound a bit more assertive over messages.”

“I tend to come off over-confident through texts,” you snickered, “it’s a natural flaw.”

“Confidence is sexy so I would say it’s a blessing.”

The word sexy sounded so enticing coming from his lips even as they were hidden behind that damned black cloth. You roamed through countless fantasies of the man sitting right before you, about the way he possibly looked without being covered; how his touch might feel on your scorching skin and the tone of his whispers closer in the proximity of your ear.

“You’re awfully quiet,” he voice was playful, but it was so hard to read his expression behind his covered face, “have you begun having fun without me?”

“No,” you mumbled, “I haven’t.”

“Good,” he said, “why don’t you tell me what you like.”

“Like during. .” you drifted off.

He nodded, tucking his hair behind his ear, “What else are we here for darling?”

“Yes. Of course,” you huffed, slapping your palm on your forehead undoubtedly astounded by your own stupidity, “Uh, I like. .” You gave it some thought but kept rounding the same corners leading to you cluelessness, “I’m not sure I know what I like.”

“Forgive me for being blunt but have you touched yourself recently?”

“That’s the exact reason why I ended up here.”

“You’re addicted to masturbating?” He whispered as if he was keeping some big secret.

“No!” you answered back quickly, “Not at all. I’ve just been a bit stressed lately and well. . something else happened.”

“What happened?”

“My friend kinda walked in on me,” you whispered.

“It happens to the best of us sadly,” he chuckled, a sound so beautiful and gentle it matched the soft tune of songbirds in the morning, “how about you begin by telling me about the last time you were aroused. Just walk me through whatever got you in the mood that day.”

You closed your eyes leaning your head against the headboard. Your thoughts traveled back to a couple of days prior when your body sunk into the mattress under the hex of your fingertips. You were stripped down bare but you recalled the way every inch of your body was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

“I had just gotten home after my classes,” a small white lie was the price to pay to save any once of dignity you had left in the eyes of the stranger before you — in reality, that very day and every other day you’d found yourself under the amorous touches of your sinful fantasies whenever you saw him, the boy employed at the campus student center.

You didn’t know his name and in reality he only lived in your mind in small flashes. The first polaroid was composed of his cheeky smile framed by indents of his round cheeks. While other snap shots focused on the way he always wore in a half up half down style or a bun; others were centered around the numerous tattoos inked into his right arm, especially the snake sitting right above his wrist and the patchwork tattoos on the dorsal side of his hand.

“Were you thinking about someone?”

“Yes.”

“What were they doing?”

There was a rush of heat traveling through you as you recalled the way you dreamt up his touch against your body, the way his fingers left behind trails of goosebumps on your skin.

“First he began touching me softly,” It was like your body was on auto drive and before you knew it you set the laptop beside you on the bed and began getting comfortable on the bed.

“Was he touching you anywhere specific?”

You hummed in response, “he drew all kinds of figures into my inner thigh, kept inching closer and closer and then he would pull away abruptly.”

“Did you enjoy him pulling away?”

“Yes, it made me want it more.”

“Ok, I’m gonna ask you to do a couple of things. If you don’t want to do something just tell me. I’m here for your pleasure.”

You nodded, then realized he couldn’t see you, “Yea, that’s fine.”

A strain of the jitters ate away at your nerves and you weren’t sure if you’d ever come down from that rollercoaster of anxiety. You were sitting at the peak in a single-person cart waiting to be plummeted down the valley of the tracks leading you to the finale; the culmination of an enticing ride.

“Are you naked?”

“Somewhat.”

“Take it all off.”

Even in the stillness of darkness removing your bra and panties made you feel entirely vulnerable. You were technically alone but JK was right there just a couple of pixels away.

“Close your eyes, doll. I want you to begin touching yourself just wherever it feels good,” he instructed and you weren’t sure if it was your mind playing tricks on you but you could’ve sworn his voice became more bass, “start high and slowly make your way down to your breasts. When you’re there let me know.”

His words were tainted with sin meanwhile he still sat back nonchalantly. You'd imagined he was satisfied in the way your soft whimpers overtook the air as you began pinching your perked nipples but you couldn’t tell for sure not while he still wore his mask.

“I’m assuming you’ve made it.” he chuckled.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“You’re not very good at following instructions. Are you, doll?” he rolled up the sleeves of his crewneck, finally exposing the infamous tattoos he detailed in his description. They were like pieces of artwork adorning his entire arm, not a single spot was left visible—and as much as you tried to get a better look at them for some reason you found it impossible to focus on just one.

“Sorry,” you muttered once again, “I was caught up in the moment I guess.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” he offered, “but I need you to be vocal since I can’t exactly see you.”

“I’ll be more vocal. I promise,” you said, still toying with your nipples in between your fingers, “right now my hands are still at my tits.”

“Are you bored of that yet, doll?” the onset of his tumultuous utter; it was thunderous, like music for the soul, “you wanna aim lower?”

“Yes.”

“With the tips of your fingers I want you to move down your cleavage,” he said, “and stop right at your pelvis.”

Quickly, it felt like the evening had rushed by and the sun had been relocated right beside your bed. Though you complied with his command any form of coherent words became jammed in your throat incapable of rolling off your tongue.

The way your fingers slid past your folds earned a string of whimpers from your lips earning a satisfied titter from JK on the other side of the screen.

“Nice and slow, doll,” JK said, “be gentle but I want you to apply a bit of pressure every time your fingers meet your clit.”

JK’s voice was no longer muffled from the laptop’s static microphone. Instead in this version of your altered reality he was laying right beside you on your bed, and his fingers substituted yours against your cunt. His touch contained something yours simply did not possess, composed of a sort of spell that left you babbling moans. And as his fingers traced whichever incoherence they wanted into your clit you felt closer to your pinnacle.

“Fuck,” he stuttered, “I love the way you say my name.”

The bubbling daringness dazed with pleasure drove you to chant his name over and over in between your pants and obscenities. “You have no idea the things I would do for you to fuck me right now,” It was your best attempt at trying to break past his professional shell — His head fell back against the wall as his adam’s apple bobbed up and up, his eyes were shut tightly and his hands fidgeted with something off frame.

“You have no idea how much I’d love to fuck you but this is a contactless doll,” his breathing became uneven, “I’m afraid we could never meet. You could never know who I am and I could never know who you are.”

“N-never say never,” the contract enforced by the site was clear and simple, both parties must grant their consent to the meeting online without disclosing their identities. For safety measures you understood the implications of the rules applied but what of it when you genuinely just wanted to meet the dulcet stranger and ride along him for the wildest time of your life.

“Just focus on the feeling,” his voice was rugged; raspy as a result of the groans he sang into the air, “Focus on that shiver taking your back hostage and that very knot tightening in your core. I want you to only let your thoughts be consumed by that very feeling.”

You sat up using your elbow for support, still thriving to maintain the mental image of having JK near in curated colors. Again, you were in the presence of the man dipping the mattress beside you as he laid down with eyes to scorching their umber tone surrounding you in warmth.

“Now, finger yourself.”

The squelching sound of your finger pushing past your entrance had JK sitting up straight like he was intrigued by your facile compliance but you thought it was obvious that by now there was very little you wouldn’t do as long as it came from him.

“I wish I could see you doll,” he confessed, “I bet you look heavenly with your fingers inside of you.”

“C-contactless r-remember,” The motion living up to your satisfaction was hastened —you became divulged in the feeling of your walls on your fingers. You felt soft, warm, tight. All of the sensations combined to create a feeling so addicting your fingers developed a mind of their own as you drove themselves in and out of you with ease.

“Right. .”

“Fuck, this f-feels,” you swallowed to ease the desert developing in the back of your throat, “it feels s-so fucking good.”

“If I were there,” he mumbled, barely audible but your ears still perked up at the lulls of his voice, “First, I would serenade every inch of your skin. Your body would be the portrait I’d paint with my lips.”

“Mhm. .”

“I would cherish your body so well. Eat you out until your legs shake and fuck you until you’re a candid mess.”

“O-oh, fuck! JK don’t stop.”

“I would fuck you so well, doll.”

“I-I’m so close,” your arm became numbed yet, you kept fucking yourself with your fingers still succumbing to the fantasy of having JK in replacement of your own hand.

The temperature in your room draws beads of sweat on your body and the more you strive to reach your high the more scorching the temperature becomes. The creaking of your bed accentuated the speed of your movements, it was like a song featuring your constant moans.

“Until you’re babbling nonsense, and your headboard is marking up the wall and the neighbors finally know my name.”

JK’s words were laced with a delectable nectar, so sweet, a once off taste wasn’t enough and as you pleaded for more and he complied, continuing to fill your ears with sinful promises you crashed hard. Coming in spurts of white coating your fingers.

“I have a surprise for you,” you panted in between almost every word, “you ready?”

He nodded.

Call it post orgasm tipsiness but after sitting up a bit and adjusting the laptop to leave anything that wasn’t your mouth out of frame you turned on your camera for the very first time that night, pushing your glistening fingers which once invaded your walls past your swollen lips.

His hands rose to his hair and he slithered his fingers through it lightly before gripping his roots into his fists looking a fair amount aroused and frustrated. The tattoos you desperately wanted a peek of were finally on full display. After turning off your camera once again and JK began uttering praises your way, you began scanning the ink on his arm from his forearm up slowly. The artwork adorned his skin beautifully.

As you neared his wrists you noticed a very similar serpentine snake—one who you have stared at too often.

“Typically, things here are a bit different,” you finally registered his voice, “you would turn on your camera and I would provide more detailed assistance but I hope you still had a good time. I did.”

“Yeah,” your mind was in outer space, “I had a really good time.”

“Don’t shy away from visiting me again, OK?”

“Yeah,” you said, “bye, JK.”

Once the camera was off and you shut your laptop tightly, coming to the realization.

JK was him.

The boy, your boy from the student center.

-

-

-

an: i was bored and im so sorry lol

reblogs, likes, comments, replies are always appreciated 🫶🏽

#bts #bts smut #bts imagines #bts reactions #jeon jungkook #jungkook smut #bts jungkook smut #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook x y/n #very brief mention of tae #jungkook drabble

[lovesickry]

- let the light in.

┈⋆⭒ lando norris x rival femdriver!reader [1.8k] ┈⋆⭒ part 1 !

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⎯ find all parts here! ˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⎯ contains: 18+, swearing .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⎯ a/n: its kind of a filler.. ............. comment if you wanna be added to the tag list x

The shred of relief you felt after Miami was only due to the 2 week gap between races, time to focus more and time to maybe, slightly get on with things. Lando Norris had occupied your mind for far too long but no matter how many times you rerouted your thoughts, It wasn’t helping. You were still furious, you just couldn’t afford to be, it was interfering with everything you did now. An obsession, an annoying, tugging, nagging thing in the back of your brain. It wasn't supposed to be like this, you've been impeded before and gotten readily over it, why was time different. It had you hung on it and you hated it.

Since Miami there had been countless articles covering the crash and both you and Lando’s reaction to it. Most were fine, others were less so, but thanks to the work being done by your PR officer who told you exactly what to say when posed with any kind of question regarding the “incident” in Miami. Most unpleasant experiences were completely uninteresting and not warranting any article worthy statements. Proof of Mercedes PR managing skills as you watched Lewis laugh to himself when you spoke through gritted teeth how the crash wasn't “anyone's fault”.

Lewis was amazing, you couldn't have asked for a better teammate. Always calm, always kind and always supportive. He was the first to comfort you after Miami and the first to compliment your driving rather than your "composure". Sadly you couldn't spend every moment with Lewis and when he got some world champion privileges, like picking and choosing his media days, you did not. Which meant on Thursday when it was told to you who would be in press together you nearly had an aneurysm because it would just be you and the 2 McLaren members. Of course, of fucking course. Where was Lewis, anywhere but here. You wished you could’ve gone with him. Maybe when you have a few world championships under your belt Toto will let you skip out on media duties.

༊*·˚ SPANISH GRAND PRIX 2022

Spain definitely wasn’t cold the first day you arrived on track, briefing with the engineers and teams before being escorted to press. You spoke with Daniel before going in, you know he has it hard with McLaren, they treat him like shit and it’s starting to show, you laughed a bit before you felt Danny go stiff and you knew who must’ve arrived.

“Hey mate” Lando pulls Danny in for a kind of high five, handshake thing. Weird.

You're still just standing there. 

“Oh hey Dylan, I didn’t know we were doing press together”

You smile weakly and nod, you know he's lying. Danny gives you a sympathetic look. 

“Sorry if they ask me a bunch of questions about my win, i know it might be a bit annoying for you” he was half joking, but it still made you fucking mad. 

He was so cocky you fucking hated it. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll have lots to say, it is quite a momentous thing anyway, first win in formula one and it only took crashing into me."

He snorts at that and Danny gives you a knowing look.

Lando walks towards you some more and goes to open his mouth before Danny steps between you two. 

“Yeah alright, alright, lets just calm down okay”

Always the mediator. You were silently grateful as you were suddenly ushered into the press conference glaring at the back of Lando’s head and sitting down between the 2 drivers. You wished you were anyway but here as you looked out at the boppings heads of journalists and the prying eyes. 

“My question is for dylan”

Your head perked up, initially zoned out. You nod at the journalist for them to continue.

“How confident are you feeling about Spain after Miami?”

Good this was good, remaining fairly neutral. Thank you.

“Yeah, I mean, in Miami the car was insane, but I did find myself struggling just in regards to wear on the tires and grip with the street circuit a bit more, but the team is expecting great things from the car this weekend, so yeah. Fairly confident.” you nod and move the microphone away from your face to signal that you’d finished. 

The conversation flows on and you suddenly feel a hand on the back of your neck, quickly glancing next to you. You’re met with a smug Lando Norris who happens to have his arms spread out over the couch. You scoot slightly away from him and see the smirk that follows as you express your dis-comfort. You shoot him a look, which he responds to by moving closer to you and again touching the back of your neck. As his cold hands touch the skin at the back of your neck you subconsciously take a deep breath in. Was he this fucking stupid, what was the media gonna say about this shit. You couldn’t move away again it would seem unnatural, but the way his touch felt on you was wrong, you tried to not let it affect you. Not let him affect you, but it was, you try thinking about anything else, but all you can feel is his hands on your neck. He’s taunting you, playing you. His hand remains there until the end of the press conference to which you promptly flee from. So promptly in fact you have Danny chasing after you to check if you’re alright, you insist that you are and then pose the idea of dinner with him and Heidi soon, you guys hadn’t caught up in a while. He smiles at this and gives you a pat on the back before walking back to the McLaren garage as you walk to the Mercedes garage. 

On Friday There's a few team meetings before you get ready to hop into the car, the activity you had been anxiously anticipating since Miami. Hopping into the car going into practice 1 is reminiscent, it had only been two weeks but you’d missed it. Pulling out of the pit lane ready to hear the car once more. 

Practice 1 was less than satisfying, a meagre P8. However practice 2 was much more fun, as it always is, needing a little bit of warming up to things you clocked a P2. Getting out of the car for the day smiling was something that even your engineer was shocked about. Everyone had been shocked with your performance but you’d never been outwardly impressed with yourself. Maybe now it was just a reminder that the man who took your win was struggling significantly more with his McLaren than you were with your Mercedes. He got under your skin, now it was your turn to get under his.

Saturday rolled around and you had a pep in your step, you had a good feeling. The car felt great and you loved the track too. You hadn’t gone around spain too much but you’d reserved a few days to look around that weren't going for runs with your trainer. You said hi to Lewis in the morning as you sat down with the team, debriefing on yesterday’s results and car performance, Lewis had a small problem with his brakes yesterday that the mechanics said they had fixed, you raised the problem of a small oversteer but how it was not too much of an effect to your driving yesterday. You hopped into the car feeling settled and your engineer who you'd had a talk to before had advised you to “push even more”. So you did, you pushed the whole time and in doing so, pulled the car into P3, honourable but down a place since FP2. 

Sat in your drivers room, legs-crossed sitting, a ritual for qualifying, calm before the storm. You are interrupted with 2 short knocks, you thought it might be holly (your physio) so you get up and don't hesitate to open the door. You roll your eyes at the smirking fucking face you see, you close the door almost immediately to which he only opens it again. 

“Rude” he says. 

“Fuck off”

“Just wanted to wish you good luck” his voice is high and taunting.

You glare at him, you’d been doing better than him all season he’s the one who needs “good luck”.

“I should be saying that to you, considering your results in practice”

He throws his head back and laughs, acting as though you've wounded him.

you walk towards him, hoping that with the movement he’ll edge towards the exit, but he stays put, looking at you. 

You tense your jaw and walk past him, opening the door, gesturing for him to leave.

“Good luck”

He walks out with a grin on his face. What the fuck did he get from riling you up like this?

Holly, your physio finally arrives and you greet her with relief as you get prepped for qualifying. Holly was both friend and doctor as you knew her and she was always there to listen when you had drama to talk about, this specific one relating to a certain boy wearing orange who couldn’t seem to stop annoying you. She laughed at the gestures you made and stayed to talk as the PR officer came to talk to you about the Post-quali interviews and while you put on your fireproofs, telling you about her most recent life events. As you climbed into the car, still mouthing the words of the last song that played in your eyes, you wished you weren’t thinking of one thing: him. You begin your lap with a blank mind, pushing and pushing and pushing the car and the thoughts out of your mind of anything. Especially him. Its gruelling going into Q3 but you do it and your engineer is giving you points on where to push. 

“That's P4 Dylan” 

“Thank you” you say out of breath.

“Thank you”

“Great job”

You leave the track that night with a sense of satisfaction, not once thinking of him as you drive to your hotel. 

tag list:

@eviethetheatrefreak, @fairiesdowntheroad, @landosgirlxoxo,@hiraethrhapsody, @hockeyboysarehot

#source: cafekitsune #f1 #f1 fic #lando norris #f1 x reader #f1 x you #lando norris fanfic #lando x reader #lando norris smut #lando norris x reader #lando norris imagine #lando norris fic #lando norris series #lando norris enemies to lovers #lando norris rivals #lando norris x you #lando norris angst

[eroslove88]

"She only wanted to lie beside him"

Pairing: Yan. Kenma x Fem. Reader

Warnings: Stalking, kidnapping, bondage, noncon touching and noncon implied

Note: WOAH!!! I POST 2 TIMES IN A WEEK. WILD!!! Uhm yeah, this is a guilty pleasure fic.

Turning on your computer you feel a bit... dumb? It feels useless to even message him- but yet here you are. Kenma messaged you, and that's not out of the ordinary. Actually it's pretty normal, it's been normal for like 6-7 months.

You got close to him because he was in a server with a mutual friend. He goes to your high school and growing up the most you said to him was something about project years ago. Senior year- you thought that this would be the year where you'd come out of your shell but that never happened. Anxiety crashed that thought early on. When you got on a daily routine of texting Kenma you thought he'd actually want to befriend you, but that's not what happened. Long late night conversations and not a word said to each other in real life. It doesn't help that you two walk the same way home either...

Maybe you wouldn't have cared so much if you didn't have a small crush on him.

'hey did we hv hw' your computer gets a notification, Kenma. You sigh and type back, 'Yeah, the insert for this lesson.' you see that he's typing but he stops and doesn't respond until about 5 minutes later- despite being online. '👍' you couldn't help but roll your eyes and just sigh.

None the less he was an ok dude, he had offered to gift you things, games & chocolates- all of which you declined. You didn't want to feel materialistic and greedy.

'do you wanna play gungeon' you put your jacket on and replied quickly, 'Sorry, I'm going for a walk. I can play in an hour though!' you patiently waited and he replied quickly. 'k' huffing you closed your laptop, charging it before you left.

During the winter, the sun went down faster than usual. So around 7ish the streets were empty for walkers except for the occasional dog walkers.

The sound of quiet foot steps penetrated your mind. Snapping your head around you're faced with empty streets, probably paranoia you thought. You turned your music up walking down your usual route.

Even with the music playing you couldn't help but hear footsteps everywhere. You weren't so far from the park... just 3 more blocks.

The feeling of being watched burns your neck, you really should've turned around. Pounding footsteps come running towards you but you were too late. Your screams were demoted to tiny whimpers as you weakly try grasping the needle in your neck.

You were freezing, your arms and legs were duct taped together. It was a pretty lazy job, but whatever kind of tape it was was pretty fucking strong. Your vision was blurred with tears and you whimper into your gag and curled into yourself seeming to have missed the boy sitting at the desk across the room.

It wasn't until you heard the creaking of the chair and light footsteps that you felt panic. Your eyes remained closed even when he was right by your face.

The bed dipped down, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you" a small crying noise comes out from your gag as you try to beg him to stay away. He shushed you coming closer but all you could do was shake your head and try to move away, "Hey, it's ok" he spoke to you like a stray kitten as he slowly approached your trembling body, "Sh... It's only me" you knew that. But that didn't stop you from squirming in his arm as you tried pushing him away. He tisked at your pitiful attempt, " 'm really sorry for not approaching you" he mumbles kissing your head. "I knew you were lonely..." he chuckles, "But that honestly made things even easier" he let's you go and stands up. "I've been waiting a while to do this you know" he pulls out a black box. He opened it and paused "I've always been curious to see how your pretty face would look with a full pussy" he pulls out 3 big dildos, "and ass" he smirks pulling out a condom. "2 v. 2?"

#tw yandere #tw kidnapping #yandere #tw noncon #haikyu smut #haikyuu yandere #yandere haikyu x reader #yandere haikyuu #yandere kenma #yandere kozume #kenma kozume

[agustdiv1ne]

˗ˏˋ꒰𖦹｡🧪⋆°｡2:54 p.m. — kang taehyun

genre: kinda meet cute? idk they're lab partners (as a stem major i am projecting heavily), college au

wc: 998

kang taehyun has terrible luck with lab partners.

he figures it comes with the territory — labs can be stressful, and sometimes the procedures written by the chemistry department are, at best, redundant, and, at worst, practically unintelligible. past partners have royally screwed him over by messing up the experiment halfway through, then banking on him to fix everything with the little time that is remaining. despite his annoyance, taehyun is well aware that he is not perfect; he has messed up experiments before, too, and he can easily admit that. however, unlike some of his peers (see: choi beomgyu, forensic science major), he will always clean up his own mess without anyone else’s help.

after last week’s class that only covered lab safety procedures, the first actual experiment day in his organic chemistry lab brings with it a looming sense of dread. he’s sitting outside the lab and waiting for class to begin, praying that he is not paired up with beomgyu again, not after the fiasco last semester in which he was seconds away from blowing up the science building.

within a few minutes, the lab instructor props open the door, announcing that partner pairings could be found near the fume hoods. once he walks up to the paper, he sighs, crosses his fingers, and searches for his name. directly next to his, he finds a name that he doesn’t recognize. despite this, he mentally fist pumps; anyone is better than beomgyu at this point.

“looks like we’re partners,” he hears from next to him. the finger he was using to search for his name lifts from the paper, and he swivels his head over to find you, donned in similar attire of a white coat and safety goggles, a small smile spread across your lips. you extend your arm, introducing yourself more formally. “i’m looking forward to working with you.”

“same here.” he moves to shake your outstretched hand, though he’s not sure if he means it yet, unsure of how you operate in a lab. really, it all depends on how well you work together.

“what’s your major?” you ask in an attempt to strike up conversation while you grab all of the necessary flasks and beakers and other tools required for this experiment. synthesis of aspirin — should be simple enough.

“biochem, and i’m also pre-med,” he says, before he’s asking for your own. your answer colors him shocked: you’re the same major, and on the same pre-med track? then…

“how come i’ve never seen you before?” he questions as he sets up some of the apparatus. you simply shrug in response while you finish setting up the other half. it’s impressive how quickly, how accurately, you complete it. is his bad luck finally gone? are you the lab partner that he’s been wishing for?

“i tend to keep to myself. ‘m not a fan of most people.” you’re already starting the experiment, scanning over the procedures to ensure that you’re doing everything correctly. “is the steam bath ready? the salicylic acid is all dissolved.”

“yeah, give it here.” you carefully slide it over the benchtop and he places the flask in the bath. as you wait the proper amount of time, he can’t help but ask, “am i most people?”

“i’m not sure yet. we’ll just have to see, won’t we?” and you’re almost smirking, a teasing lilt in your voice. it should be annoying after getting a total of three hours of sleep, and yet it only serves to intrigue him. you say that you don’t like people, and yet you’re basically a master at conversation; you can tease and crack jokes but still keep track of everything that is going on in front of you. it’s impressive. so far, he really likes you — in the most platonic, professional way possible, of course. you just met, and you're only lab partners. nothing more, nothing less.

the two of you work in almost perfect tandem until the experiment is finally complete, all data collected and post-lab questions already answered for the report that’s due next week. relief floods his veins the moment the two of you exit the stuffy, humid lab, stripping yourselves of your coats and groaning at the sensation of the post-experiment grime that clings to the skin of your faces. you haphazardly shove the article of clothing into your backpack, unbothered by potential wrinkles. you give him a playful salute before you’re moving to leave.

“good work, kang,” you comment, grinning tiredly as you walk backwards. you spin to face away from him and call over your shoulder, “see you in lecture!”

“actually,” he starts. you spin on your heel, a curious quirk in your brow as you stare at him. “you wanna grab some food? i’m sure you’re starving, too.”

and you’re smiling wider, and his heart is beating faster and no, he’s absolutely, positively not forming a little crush on you. he just admires your competence, the rational part of his brain supplies. you’re lab partners, completely professional, newly acquainted lab partners that barely even know each other, though he finds himself strongly hoping that you’ll say yes.

your fingers loosely grip the straps of your backpack, eyes lighting up, as you respond. “yeah, i'd like that. wanna get chick-fil-a?”

“it’s like you read my mind,” he quips, celebrating internally. “i’ve been craving that all day.”

as he falls into step next to you — the two of you complaining about the professors that you share and promising to sit next to each other and study together from now on — taehyun begins to think that luck is finally on his side.

“soooo,” he draws out, one eyebrow raised in an inquisitive expression. you glance over at him through the corner of your eye, urging him to continue with an impatient wave of your hand. “am i most people now?”

chuckling, you jostle his arm with your elbow. “nah, i think i might be able to tolerate you.”

masterlist

© to agustdiv1ne. do not copy, repost, steal, and/or translate.

#txt fluff #taehyun fluff #txt x reader #taehyun x reader #txt imagines #taehyun imagines #taehyun soft hours #txt soft thoughts #txt soft hours #taehyun scenarios #txt scenarios #💌 — tyun

[scotianostra]

Ooh, what’s Edinburgh like? Moving there next year hopefully, from Africa, and after a few quick trips I can’t say I’ve gotten too much of a sense of the city :(

I'm kinda biased, but it's a good place, quite small and easy to get around, the main bus serice is Lothian Buses, for a flat fare of £2 you can get from ato b on one bus, for £5 cash you can hop on and off, the best value is paying by debit card , what they call TapTapCap from as little as £4.80 per day and £22 per week, so if you are one 3 or more buses in one day it caps at £4.80, and £22 is the most you will pay fr a week. The bus service is very good and I use their bustracker, find it on Google Play "My Bus Edinburgh" The vast majority of Museums and Art Galleries are free, only charges tend to be if there are special exhibitions, like The National Museum of Scotland had a Doctor Who exhibition last year. There are two main train stations, Waverley and Haymarket, and several small ones and stops.

Most people don't realise that Edinburgh and the surrounding areas have some great beaches, Portobello is the best in the city, ad has plenty of places to eat and drink at there. Cramond Beachis a mecca for dog walkers, there is a Causeway there where you can explore Cramond Island, just watch the tide times. There are plenty of parks and green spaces, the city is officially the greenest city in the UK, with almost half the city (49.2%) being classed as 'green space'.

If you are relatively fit there are plenty hills to climb to get great views, some are very easy, Calton Hill, Corstorphine to name but two. Arthur's Seat offers different routes to the summit of varying difficulty, but you can actually drive so far up and just make the easy climb to the top, there are three man made "Lochs" around Arthur's Seat, if you're lucky you will see Otters at Dunsapie, Duddingston and St Margarets have plenty swas and ducks. For more serious walkers the Pentland Hills are a great place to explore, there is even a herd of oor Highland "Hairy Coos" up there. If you can ski, there is a dryslope on The Pentlands, the longest in the UK.

Pubs and clubs are a plenty, I have no idea of your age as you have decided to remain anon, but many places cater for students, prices vary, I pay between £2 and £4 for my drinks, although the touristy places will charge you up to twice this amount, over £6 for a drink is not unusual.

Of course we have the Festival, well there are several throughout the year, Edinburgh gets the tag of Festival City at times. The main one is in August and the population of Edinburgh is said to double in the time, licensed premises are automatically given an extension to their opening hours, some open to 5 in the morning.

It's a safe city  with a low crime rate, but as with other places you have to be aware of your own safety. If you plan on taking in the paid attractions The Castle wil set you back about £20, as will The Palace of Holyrood House. Opposite the Palace is The Scottish Parliament, you can visit thisfor free and sit in while it is in session. If you are planning on venturing around Scotland and like your history I recommend a membership of Historic Scotland, again I don't know your age, but prices start at under £3 a month and are less than a fiver for adults over 24. National Trust of Scotland also offer meberships from £3.35 to £5.80.

Can't really think of much more to put for now, perhaps my followers can make suggestions, or ask questions?

Oh and pack your umbrella get a waterproof jacket, even in summer we can get some heavy showers, naturally you will be aware it can get cold as well, invest in a decent winter jacket and layers to keep warm.

I hope this has been helpful.

#scotland #scottish #history #edinburgh #Advice

[blackhairedjjun]

flowers of every color | 8. sweet peas

overall summary: when your father is assigned as the new head gardener to the royal family, you are also tasked with helping him maintain the castle's many gardens and extensive floral arrangements. by chance you find yourself crossing paths with the "ice-cold" crown prince, choi yeonjun... who turns out to be not as ice-cold as everyone says he is.

chapter summary: yeonjun's engagement starts to speed up. despite the end of your friendship with him, you somehow make amends with the other two princes.

word count: 2.1k

warnings: none? less angst than the previous 2 chapters but still some of it

author's notes included at the end!

prev | masterlist | next

yeonjun hates how easy it is for him to act indifferent these days.

his tea has gone cold and queen hwayoung is blabbering away about some recent economic development in her kingdom, yet her words simply go in one ear and come out the other. her daughter, princess ajin, sits stiffly across him, the lemon tart on her plate barely touched. she’s hardly said a word all afternoon, offering only a few polite words when spoken to, and when she looks at yeonjun her face is a mask. these teatime sessions are supposed to be a way for him to get to know her, yet she remains as impenetrable as ever.

in response he offers little more than standard courtesy. if the princess is only interested in him as a political tool, then why even bother to open himself up to her?

“what do you think of the tarts, your majesty?” he says. “our kitchen makes fine pastries.”

“they’re delicious.” princess ajin’s voice doesn’t even change in tone.

queen hwayoung nods. “and what say you on the tea we brought? our farmers grow the finest tea leaves served in royal courts and noble houses all over. i like to think that whenever we serve our tea to distinguished guests such as yourself, you share in the privilege of being part of our heritage.”

“that’s... a lot of meaning to place on tea.”

the queen frowns. “it’s a meaning that brings us might. besides, it’s not any different from placing silly meanings in, say, flowers.”

yeonjun presses his lips together. he would argue that it isn’t silly, and in fact the meanings that placed on flowers have brought people together 一 he would know firsthand. but he thinks of you, of the vase sitting empty in his room for weeks, and of the striped carnations you ultimately filled it with as a final message, and he realizes that flowers are just as capable of separating people as they are of binding them.

“i guess you’re right, your majesty. and the tea is delicious.”

“and this was a good tea break,” princess ajin adds, as if reading from an invisible cue.

yeonjun nods. he glances at the half-eaten tart on his own plate and remembers the key lime pie he asked beomgyu to deliver to you. he realizes that he never found out if you liked it, or if it even reached you in the first place. tea with you was always more lively, even if you did nothing more than sit next to him, your side nestled against his, as you listen to him chatter about his day. an ache tugs at his heart at the memory.

perhaps those days with you were always meant to come to an end. they certainly would if he marries princess ajin, and they would too if he were married off to any other royal or aristocratic figure. perhaps you did him a small mercy by ending things quickly on your terms to save him from the heartache of being forced apart.

but even if it were a mercy, it certainly doesn’t feel like one.

queen hwayoung clears her throat and yeonjun is shaken out of his thoughts. “things are going smoothly, aren’t they? i haven’t heard any objections from you or my daughter, after all.” she is smiling but her eyes are narrowed. “i take this as a positive development. perhaps it is time to hasten preparations for a wedding?”

yeonjun’s eyes widen. he glances at princess ajin and her expression remains exactly the same.

“i don’t think being hasty is such a good idea, your majesty一”

the queen sighs. “i am not being too hasty, i believe. i am simply reading the signs of an advantageous marriage.” she glances down at her daughter. “don’t you think so, my dear?”

the princess nods and smiles. yeonjun can’t tell if it’s genuine or not.

“and your majesty, do remind me to place the rest of the house of choi on the guest list, yes? i hear that their delegates are leaving soon. i do not want them to miss out on a momentous occasion.”

一

while tending to the marigolds at the front entrance one day, you notice two carts parked to the side partially filled with suitcases. at first you don’t think much of it 一 guests come and go to the castle all the time 一 but when you pass them by on your way to the greenhouse, you notice that some of the suitcases in both carts are embossed with the house of choi insignia. your interest is piqued. when you walk up to the suitcases for a closer look, you see that the crests are not identical to the ones found around the castle; rather, they look like the alternate versions that soobin and beomgyu have on their coats.

ah, you realize. the members of the other branches are heading back home soon.

for the past few days you’ve felt numb, keeping to yourself and sticking to your daily tasks, but the sight of the crests causes a bit of sadness to hang over you. for the first time in weeks you think back on your time with the three princes. in your mind you still hear beomgyu’s raucuous laughter after scoring a point against soobin at football, or the light in soobin’s eyes as he rambles about his favorite adventure novels. you remember how kindly they treated you and how readily they welcomed you as one of their own friends.

you didn’t mean to push them away, but since they were always around yeonjun, the end of your friendship with him inadvertently meant the end of your friendship with them too. the guilt creeps at you as you head back to the greenhouse, your heart now heavy.

as the days pass, you see more and more signs of the other branches’ impending departure. you deliver some more herbs to the kitchen and spot the menu taped to one of the walls, recognizing some of the dishes as specialties from the central and eastern regions. you see more and more of the branches’ guest advisors roaming the hallways, idly chatting and laughing with court officials, catching up with old friends one last time. when you pass by the carriages again, you see even more luggage piled up.

you consider saying hello to soobin and beomgyu one last time and apologizing them for getting them into the mess that you made. you don’t want their last memories of you to be bittersweet, after all. yet when you imagine what the encounter might be like, you freeze; you don’t know if they will forgive you or accept your farewell. in the greenhouse you contemplate preparing two pots of sweet peas for them, flowers of goodbye to send them off and wish them well, and you get as far as setting aside two earthen pots and filling them with soil. but when the time comes to actually fill them with blooms, you hesitate.

despite your hesitation, you run into them anyway.

one afternoon, as you head back to the greenhouse, you pass by the open meadows and hear the familiar shouts of a badminton game in progress. you stop in your tracks to watch beomgyu pick up the shuttlecock and lob it at soobin, and for a while you smile to yourself as they hit it back and forth, back and forth, running and teasing each other the whole time. beomgyu tries his best to distract or startle soobin by making loud noises whenever the shuttlecock flies his way, yet soobin manages to keep his focus... until he misjudges his swing and the shuttlecock ends up bouncing off his nose.

you laugh at the sight and the game comes to a halt.

the shuttlecock is forgotten on the grass as both boys turn to you. soobin looks at you with narrowed eyes, as if watching a suspicious stranger instead of an old friend, and you want to crumple into yourself at his gaze. you remember the conversation you had with him: it’s been a really long time since yeonjun opened himself up to someone and it’s doing him good, so thanks for being there for him. 

you turn instead to beomgyu, whose gaze is more neutral but tinged with hesitation. still, the younger choi trudges through the meadow towards you, ignoring soobin’s look of scrutiny. he wrings his hands for a bit while saying nothing, but manages to pull himself together and look you in the eye.

“so, uh... we haven’t heard from you in a while,” he says.

again you feel like crumpling into yourself.

“yeah... i know.” you shift your weight from one foot to the other. “i’m really sor一”

“do you want to play with us?”

you blink. the last thing you expected was an invitation to join them, not after avoiding them and especially not after what you did to yeonjun. soobin seems to share your sentiment, his mouth agape as he shoots beomgyu a confused stare. but beomgyu glances back at him and nods, instantly communicating something; when soobin turns back to you, he looks a little less suspicious and gives you a nod too.

beomgyu turns to you again with a polite smile. “so, how about it?”

then it clicks in your head: this is a tentative truce. they want to test the waters with you, see if you can be trusted again, but first beomgyu needs everyone to calm down and put down their walls. when you realize this you stop shifting your weight as the energy in you changes. you’re being given a second chance, and you need to seize it.

“sure, i’ll join you,” you say.

you jog over to them and beomgyu hands you a spare racquet. soobin sits the game out 一 you can tell that he still feels uneasy about you, and you don’t blame him. you take your position as beomgyu picks up the shuttlecock and prepares to serve.

the game begins.

the first few points are short and uneventful, going back and forth between you and beomgyu without flair. but at 3-3, you somehow end up in a long rally — you try to smash, he nearly dives to send it back, you scramble to hit, he screams as he miraculously picks it up, you try to smash again, he screams even louder and lobs the shot, you send it back just in time, but it’s too high and he smashes it down on your side with an almighty yell.

“HAH! I’M WINNING!” he shouts as he waves his racquet above his head like a flag. you’re out of breath from the rally but you still find it in you to cheer.

even soobin is laughing and clapping. “you finally have a worthy opponent.”

“yeah! i never have long rallies with you, hyung!”

the rest of the game is just as exciting. you and beomgyu struggle for each point, chasing after the shuttlecock and screaming with each hit, and soobin gets on his feet to serve as referee. that turns out to be a good thing, because beomgyu starts to challenge all of your clean smashes as out of bounds just to mess with your head. but you don’t mind either way; you’re breathless and smiling and truly happy and it feels like old times all over again.

the two of you are in the middle of another long rally before beomgyu interrupts the point. “hyung! do you want to join us? yeonjun hyung!”

you turn around and see yeonjun for the first time since your argument. you’re far enough from him that you can see his whole posture and the way his shoulders are noticeably slumped. whatever lightness you felt starts to disappear as your chest tightens and the guilt floods back in.

but oh, something good still blooms in you at the sight of him.

he turns in your direction with an empty stare. “i can’t. i’m busy.”

with that, he marches off.

you open your mouth to call for him but all you do is choke back a sob. your racquet falls from your hand and, in a daze, you stare at the spot where yeonjun stood. you barely register beomgyu jogging over to you and talking.

“let’s stop the game for now, okay?”

you nod, not even moving to face him.

“i’ll go after hyung,” you hear soobin say as he starts to walk out of the meadow. he glances at beomgyu, then at you: “you really need to work things out.”

notes:

this chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones, and actually this + chapter 9 were originally supposed to be one chapter. but since the second half was getting long i decided to make it into its own chapter instead.

at this point i've pretty much drafted the rest of the story, so the plan for the rest of the fic is this: there will be two more regular chapters, followed by the two alternate endings. since the story is ending soon i'm closing the taglist on wednesday, may 31, 12am utc+8. if you want to be added please send me an ask before then!

taglist (closes may 31 12am utc+8) @seosalad @lilplilplilp @yeonboy @pyuae @hyuneyeon @strawbrinkofdeath @yushiu @mazeinthemoon @banggyu0308 @shytubatu @kyaneosprincess @agustdiv1ne @whippedforbeomgyu @justineasian @skywithf1 @wrongbathroom

#txt x reader #yeonjun x reader #txt x you #yeonjun x you #choi yeonjun x reader #kpop x reader #txt imagines #kpop imagines #yeonjun imagines #txt angst #txt fluff #yeonjun angst #yeonjun fluff #tomorrow x together imagines #txt fic #txt fanfic #bhj originals #fic:flowers of every color

[artiststarme]

What If Steve Were To Leave Hawkins? Part 3

Part 1 Part 2

I'm still surprised that people are interested in this but hey, if you want more, I'll keep writing more! Thanks again for all of your nice comments. I think I managed to tag everyone that wanted to be tagged. If not, let me know and I will tag you in the next part!

~*~*~*~

Steve called his mom on his fourth day of being in the city. He had already used his charm to secure a job at a preppy coffee shop in downtown Chicago. And he had put her name down as a reference in an effort to secure the studio apartment located above the shop. She seemed surprised that he had stayed in touch, despite him telling her he would. Regardless, she remained engaged throughout their admittedly short conversation and told him about his friends visiting the house. And wasn’t that a baffle. He hadn’t expected anyone to notice his absence, much less go to look for him at all. Maybe that meant that he could still be of use to them despite him acting hastily. 

Later that day, he called Dustin from his motel room phone. Mrs. Henderson answered and told him that Dustin was at the Wheeler’s house playing DnD. She asked if Steve wanted to leave a message but he declined and said his goodbyes. He didn’t want to bother Dustin if he was going about his typical routine. Maybe his mom was wrong about them worrying about him?

He called Family Video next to speak to Robin. Steve was not mad at his best friend, he was happy for her. She was finally in a happy relationship, she was spending time with family, and she was aiming to go away to college in the fall. Even still, their growing distance stung. She had better things to worry about than some dumb jock that dragged her into the nasty Upside down business. But man, talking to his best friend after being entirely alone for a little while sounded pretty damn good. 

“Hello, Family Video, how can I help you?” Robin answered with bored inflection. 

“Hey Robs, it's Steve.”

He heard a clatter over the phone before she hurriedly responded, “oh my god, Steve? What the hell, Steve. Where are you? I leave town for four days and you fall off the face of the planet. Jesus Christ, are you okay?”

Steve smiles at her familiar rambling and lets out a happy sigh. “I’m alright. How was your grandma?”

He hears an angry grumble and hardly has time to brace himself before she releases her worried wrath. “We are not talking about my grandma, Steve! We’re going to talk about you. About how you left town without telling anyone after avoiding everyone for months and getting kicked out by your parents. What the fuck, Steve! Why wouldn’t you come to one of us? We could’ve helped you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Bullshit Steve!” He full-body flinched at the venomous word. “People that are fine do not run away from town without telling any of their friends!”

Steve rolled his eyes and huffed, “I’m surprised anyone even noticed.”

There was a moment of silence in which Robin stared at Eddie with the phone held between them. Thinking she may have hung up, Steve pulled the phone away from his ear to look at it before asking quietly, “hello?”

Eddie spoke then in a subdued and quiet tone, “why wouldn’t we have noticed, Steve?”

Steve blinked in shock. He hadn’t realized that Eddie was there. This was too much, too quick. Apparently his friends had noticed he was gone and were offended he left without telling them. What the fuck. 

“No one has wanted me around for weeks! I’ve been alone for months and the only time someone reached out, it was for a ride or to borrow money for the arcade. No one even talked to me unless I reached out first. So, I didn’t think it would be a big deal if I left. I didn’t realize anyone would notice.”

Robin or Eddie made a strange keening sound before Eddie spoke into the phone. “Steve, you’re our friend. Of course we noticed, man. Where are you now?”

Steve let out a derisive laugh of disbelief, “some friends, man. You don’t even like me. I have to go. Bye.”

He placed the phone back in its cradle and laughed humorlessly. How dare they say they cared now that he was gone? Their actions certainly didn’t show it. Some revelations have been made since Spring Break. He knew they were his friends but he definitely wasn’t theirs. So much for staying in touch. That’s on him for being hopeful he mattered to someone. 

~*~*~*~

“No, no, no, Steve!” Robin yelled into the phone but Steve had already hung up. Tears bled from her eyes as she realized just how much she had messed up with her best friend. She cried as she watched the phone, waiting for Steve to call back.

Eddie looked stricken on the other side of the counter where he held the phone in front of him, unseeing eyes clouded and looking into the distance. He set the phone back on the cradle and settled his elbows on the counter before letting his face fall into his hands. Of all the things Steve could have said, Eddie had not been expecting him to say he thought Eddie didn’t like him. He might love the guy. He had blown things out of proportion though and his attempts at protecting his own heart had broken Steve’s. 

Robin looked up at Eddie through her eyelashes, tears still dripping down her face. “How are we going to fix this, Eddie? He’s my best friend. He can’t just be gone.”

Eddie stressfully ran a hand through his unruly curls as he sighed. “I don’t know. How did we not realize it had gotten so bad?”

“I don’t know, it’s Steve! He’s always there, he’s just… Steve. He’s never not okay,” Robin said, gesturing as if to motion to Steve’s ‘okayness’.

“Apparently not! But what do we do now? The Chief said he couldn’t file a missing persons report because he left of his own damn free will. What else can we do?” 

Robin just shook her head and turned to help a customer ready to check out at the counter. Both her and Eddie made a silent promise to themselves. They were going to fix this somehow.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20: Epilogue

Taglist:@nickavalens@conversesweetheart@themostunoriginalpersonever@swimmingbirdrunningrock@eddiethegreatteddybear @call-me-big-eyes @cornwallisandkerley @moonshadows-13 @glittergluekintsugi @cpidcupk @doubleb11 @mentalcyborg @amoris-no-smut-allowed @purple-lemonade @labels-are-for-the-weak @thebrazilianatheist @rajumat @livelaughlexa @5ammi90 @colorful565 @marvelousforlife @chaoticcoffeequeen @gregre369 @suddenlyinlove@thegreatmistake @stillfullofshit @nburkhardt @batxsignalsx @newunknowns @thosemessyvibes @tailsfromthecrypt @luciana-rowan @batxsignalsx

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #dustin henderson #steddie #fanfic #I hate writing dialogue #how angsty should I make this? #so far the party is all talk #so much miscommunication #poor Steve is going through it

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Flowing like a river (part 2)

Shanks x reader. Violence, blood - a lot of blood.

Sequel to Being a native of Foosha Village and falling for Shanks would involve..., even though it can be read as a standalone.

This fic is dedicated to @machinema7k, who first requested a sequel! This is part two of two.

Samuel Axe was a real-life pirate (actually a privateer) active in the 17th century. Chi is the japanese word for blood.

*****

You sigh as you leave the transponder snail on the little table next to you at the bow of the ship, at the end of another tense conversation with Shanks. Your lover has insisted he wants to hear from you every two hours to make sure you are all right, and hearing his voice is a balm for your soul, but you are so tired - tired enough you feel your legs could collapse under you any moment, and your eyes close, and then you could sleep for a full week…

A discreet but deliberate coughing behind you makes you jump as you turn; you really are a bundle of nerves, as you are sure the man now in front of you can tell. Still, Nejima, the helmsman of the pirate crew that is now completely under your control, even if seventeen men short of its original number, doesn't bat an eyelid.

"We are going to reach the island in less than two hours, if the wind remains constant." he reports; you nod in response, the relief filling your heart so intense you almost forget how arduous, and terrifying, the last two days have been - almost. Only an hour, you promise yourself, just an hour more, two at most to decide what to do with your prisoners and report everything that has happened to your captain, and then you will be free to sleep, and cry, and get drunk - not necessarily in that order.

Your prisoners. It seems strange to ever think those words referred to you, but that is what they are, according to the unwritten rules of the sea. It doesn't matter that nothing would have happened had Axe not ordered to kidnap you, or that you have only acted in self-defense, especially during the brief but deadly skirmish of last night; you have captured their ship, subdued the crew, and now it and them are all yours, to do as you please.

That is a responsibility you have never asked for.

Nejima remains behind you, as you scan the horizon under the newly-risen sun from the bow of the ship. You have no idea what he is thinking, whether how he hates you for what you have done to his friends, how afraid he is of you, or something else; and to be honest, you do not much care. At the very least, you are confident he is not planning another rebellion, after the one the end of which has seen the surviving Axe pirates scrubbing the galley's floor to remove their crewmates' blood and innards, and having to store seventeen (seventeen!) bodies in the hold until they can deliver them to the sea, as is customary when a pirate dies, and that is enough for you. Still, you can not trust him, you remind yourself, since he has already deceived you, taking advantage of your instinctive desire to help whoever is hurt and needs it, and that is why, when Nejima finally breaks the silence by asking

"You want to have some food brought to you?"

you shake your head decisively in response; the truth is you are starving, since the bread and cheese you ate yesterday were not enough to fill you up, but the pirates might decide to get rid of you adding a special ingredient to any food you could ask for, and since you would have no way, nor the time, to create an antidote for the poison, you have decided the safest thing to do is to go hungry… and sleepy, since you didn't sleep a wink last night, sure the pirates were just waiting for you to nod off to hit you in the head, throw you overboard and let the sea take care of you, since eating the Devil Fruit made you unable to swim. So you kept vigil, and considering that you had spent the previous night in the company of Axe and his whip, you haven't slept for… well, too long, that's for sure, and you are so tired you could simply close your eyes as you stand, and doze off in a matter of seconds.

But you won't. Shanks wouldn't let hunger and exhaustion make him lower his guard, which means you mustn't either; you wanted to be worthy of him, as your captain and lover both. After all, you are no longer the simple doctor of Foosha Village, but a member of the Red-Haired Pirates, and you have to behave accordingly.

You remain at the bow, alone, until finally the island appears in front of you, and that is why you order Nejima to have the men assemble on the deck, except for the few who need to remain at their stations to maneuver the ship, so that Shanks and the others will be able to keep them under control once the the two crews come into contact. You notice they all give you a wide berth, huddling together to avoid having to come within ten paces from you. You can't blame them: they have seen you kill their friends, brutally and mercilessly, a scene they will probably see in their nightmares for many years to come, and while they must know it is too late to get rid of you, since they will be before Shanks and his men in a matter of minutes, they know you have reason to hate them.

And you do. You really do, even if they were simply following orders and you had not even met most of them before a group of the most reckless attacked, hoping to overpower you with sheer numbers, and you were forced to defend yourself. You hate them for what they forced you to do, and for what they would have done once you were no longer of use to their captain. You hate all of them, and while that is not a pleasant feeling, you welcome it, because you are able to draw strength from it.

Shanks' entire crew (your entire crew; your mates, your friends, the men who over the last year have become your family) is waiting for you, observing Axe's ship, from which you had the Jolly Roger taken off to symbolize your capture of the vessel, at the abandoned pier you have been abducted from… two days ago, you realize, only two days have passed since you last saw your lover, saying goodbye to him with a kiss as he left to visit the man he planned on recruiting and expecting to see him again by nightfall. Those two days were undoubtedly the most painful and terrifying of your life, but you feel as if you had been away for weeks…

And then there is him; you would recognize him anywhere, even if the ship were not close enough by now to allow you to see him clearly, even if he were not standing alone at the head of his crew, as fitting for a captain, even if you could not see his red hair (as red as the sun at sunset; as red as blood) gently tossed by the wind, and that you have stroked and played with so many times.

It's him; your captain, your lover, your Shanks, whose very presence you feel in your heart, as if you were the two opposite poles of a magnet attracting each other. Once, as you lain in bed together in his cabin, your cheek on his shoulder and your lover's hand resting on your chest to feel your heartbeat, Shanks said you would always find each other, whatever distance or adversity had separated you, because each of you were a part of the other's soul, the two halves of a single whole, and no adverse fate would ever keep you apart. You joked that it was the rhum he had imbibed talking, or the fact that you had just made him climax so hard he had forgotten his own name - twice, but the truth is your heart was full of joy, and gratitude, and hope, because you knew he was speaking from his, and he really would move heaven and earth to be with you and keep you safe.

This is what you thought would happen, sooner or later, with Shanks being one of the most powerful pirates in the world and you still a neophyte; that he would have to defend you - which didn't mean you were content with being a burden to him and your crewmates, or didn't want to learn to defend yourself to fight alongside the others. Still, you would have never imagined you would be the one returning to him, having had to kill so many men to set yourself free, with Shanks waiting for you like the wife of a soldier back from the front; he probably didn't expect it either, but when you told him that you didn't need to be rescued and you would have your kidnappers bring you back to the island, he didn't protest, letting you decide what to do.

You loved him for it; and now you can't wait to be once more where you belong: by his side.

Your eyes meet while the ship reaches the pier, gently moving to approach the gangway protruding from the beach, and whatever pain and terror you may have suffered in the last two days, it is probably nothing compared to what your lover has gone through since he was informed of your disappearance, and that didn't diminish after you contacted him and assurred him you were all right. The joy and bittersweet relief in his warm eyes is so intense, Shanks seems for a moment about to cry; but as an experienced captain and pirate, he knows you are not safe yet - rather, this is in some respects the most dangerous moment of all, when the joy for your return may lead your crewmates to lower their guard, or Axe's pirates to attempt to escape and take you with them.

Nejima is once more behind you. "Lower the gangplank." you tell him, feeling extraordinarily foolish as you do, since the only orders you have ever given were of a medical nature and even those are routinely disregarded. Nonetheless, you are obeyed, and Shanks sends half his crew on the ship, to keep Axe's pirates at bay.

Most of your friends smile, wink, or pat you on the shoulder while they pass you by, and you greet them in kind, deeply happy to see them again.

"I had forgotten how insufferable he was when you were not around." Benn Beckman, Shanks' faithful and ever present first mate, mutters in your ear, making you laugh. You feel already much better, the simple presence of your crew around you comforting and reassuring: you are home once again, because they and him especially are your home, wherever in the vast sea your travels would bring you. Since you have joined the Red-Haired Pirates, you have forgotten what feeling lonely feels like, and you'll never cease being grateful for that.

"Believe me, I didn't leave by my own volition." you answer, turning serious.

"I know it, (name). Just…"

"Yeah."

Benn quickly takes command, sending the others to confiscate all weapons on board. You turn to look at Shanks, still waiting on the pier; he is not smiling, but you can see love and the almost uncontrollable desire to embrace you shining in his warm brown eyes - a desire you can easily recognize, because it's the same filling your heart.

Come here, he invites you with a brief gesture of his hand, and you are all too happy to obey. You turn to Nejima. "Come with me." you order, and the helmsman obediently follows you down the gangplank until you and your lover are finally, finally face to face, together once more, and for a moment nothing is wrong in the world.

"Captain." you respectfully greet him, and your lover nods.

"Doctor. Are you all right?"

"I have been better." you admit; you and Shanks have promised to never lie to each other, not even to spare each other pain and worry, and the signs of your abuse are evident on your face and body "But I'll live."

"Good. You are the first officer?" Shanks, whose eyes have moved on the man on your left, asks then, since you forgot to tell him the first officer was one of the men who attacked you last night.

"I am the helmsman, captain. The others have asked me to speak for them."

"I see. You know your situation is dire; you have kidnapped our doctor and abused her, and this is not a crime I can easily forgive."

Silence is the only answer he receives. Shanks sighs as he stares at him, his head tilted to one side, as he considers the man in front of him, his gaze not cruel but piercing.

"Your name?"

"Nejima, captain."

"What do you think your captain would do in my place, Nejima?"

The helmsman needs only a second to find an answer. "He would kill you all." he says evenly "The captain was not an easy man to serve under, but he considered each of his men as his brothers; the kidnapping of one of them was the sort of crime he would not forget."

"Hmmm..."

Shanks sighs; he is clearly torn, aware of the need to protect his men, and you, and loathe to commit unnecessary bloodshed. You have no idea what he will decide to do, but whatever it will be, you will support him, as his subordinate and lover, like you know he would support you.

"All right." he says in the end "Give me a minute."

He turns to you, gently inviting you to step away to talk in private.

"I missed you." he murmurs; surrounded as you both are by your crewmates and, more importantly, by Axe's pirates, he doesn't kiss or hug you, electing to simply rest his hand on your shoulder "I was afraid... But I shouldn't have, clearly. I know how strong you are."

The smile that blossoms on your lips is probably the bitterest of your life. "Had I not eaten the Fruit, by this time I would be fish food." you softly point out, before grimacing "I'm sorry I made you worry..."

"(name), we will have time to talk about everything later. You need to rest, now."

"I really do. But can you promise me you will wait until then before deciding what to do with them?"

Shanks nods, compassion clear on his face. "I promise. You want me to send someone to accompany you?"

You shake your head, since the Red Force is docked maybe a hundred paces behind you, and you are pretty sure you can walk to it without keeling over.

"I have missed you as well." you murmur; while you are not lying at all, those simple words are so little, a drop of water in the sea, compared to what you would like to say and do. You do need to rest, to sleep and to eat and to clean yourself, but you feel, no, you know that a single hug and kiss from Shanks would be enough to make all the pain and exhaustion disappear... "I... I was so afraid I would never see you again. There is nothing I wouldn't have done to return to you, no sin I wouldn't have committed, no carnage I wouldn't have carried out, but I was so afraid... I was so alone, and I kept telling myself this was not the end, not after we had waited so long to be together, but... I was hurting so much, Shanks..."

"Gods, (name)..."

Your lover's hand takes yours, delicately, to bring it to his lips, and you don't care if Axe's pirates are looking at you, you wouldn't care even if the whole world were, billions of strangers witnessing that intimate moment; he smiles at you, real and so close, and he feels like the sun after a century-long night.

"I'll be with you soon, I promise; and I won't take any decision without consulting you, since you are the offended party." he says "But please, now go rest; as a doctor, you must realize you need it."

You do, and so you let yourself enjoy the feeling of his warm hand holding yours for a moment more before taking a step back, and turn to set off towards the ship, still hurting but relieved to leave that nightmare behind you, if only temporarily.

The ship's empty corridors resonate with the muffled noise of your steps as you head to the infirmary (your little fief in Shank's kingdom, your lover likes to call it) without you fully realizing, almost as if obeying to muscle memory. Everything is like you left it: the two beds separated by screens, so as to ensure a little privacy to your patients; the shelves on the wall, with medicines and tools neatly arranged; a small chest with your personal belongings in a corner, a new dress you had bought the day before your kidnapping and that you planned to wear the next time you and your lover had some time for yourselves folded on the lid.

Being the only woman in the crew, and at the same time unwilling to give the impression you were receiving a special treatment from the captain because of that (or, worse, because you were sleeping with him) you asked his permission to sleep in the infirmary, which therefore also doubles as your personal cabin: this way you can keep watch on any patient who needs to be assisted during the night, and at the same time spare yourself and your crewmates the embarrassment to divide their space with someone who has a different anatomy. Until now, the arrangement has worked perfectly... and the others have been kind enough to never mention that the whole matter is a moot point, since you spend most of your nights in Shanks' bed in any case.

In the last year, that tiny room, and the ship in its entirety, have become as familiar as your home and practice in Foosha once were, so much that you could move around with your eyes closed and easily find your way; you feel at home here, surrounded by things you know and people who care for you, and you have been away for just two days, but nevertheless you feel a weird sense of... detachment, as if you had returned to your childhood home after decades of absence, or this were a place you had just briefly visited without lingering. It's still unreal; you are home, you know it, but somehow your heart hasn't fully grasped it... because you can't fully accept you have come back, or maybe because you had been so sure you never would.

Worse, you are still afraid, well aware that your lover and his men are more than capable of dealing with your kidnappers, and that in any case you have already demonstrated you can take care of yourself, but still frightened, irrationally sure an enemy could come anytime, from anywhere, as soon as you lower your guard. After all, Nejima only had to learn you were a doctor, wait for you to be alone, and tell you there was a patient who needed your help; clearly you still had much to learn about perceiving threats and dangers, which is an important skill for a pirate. What if it happens again? What if next time your captors are able to get the best of you, and use you to hurt your friends, and Shanks? What if he needs to come save you, and to defend you at the cost of his life...?

It won't happen. At least, it hasn't happened this time. Calm yourself, (name), you repeat yourself, with a voice that sounds surprisingly like that of your mother, as you finally begin getting comfortable in your room, you are at home. You are safe. Maybe you don't feel like it, but you are, and that is what really matters.

You remove your shoes, for a moment torn between the desire to get rid of your torn, dirty clothes, and the exhaustion that makes washing yourself in the basin of clean water next to the bed, taking clothes out of your chest and putting them on, an insurmountable task. Gods, you must have never smelt so bad in your life...

In the end, you simply wash the filth and sweat (but not blood; there is not a single drop of blood marrying your skin and clothes, nor yours nor of your victims) from your face and hands, pass a comb in your hair to try and give them some semblance of order, and check your shoulder wound, happy to see it free from infection. Then, you take a blanket from the chest; it is perhaps too much for the day, warm with the promise of an oncoming summer, but you are cold, so cold you are even shaking, and suddenly you are thinking back to when you were still a young girl, and your favourite quilt was the only thing that could protect you from the monsters hiding in the dark corners of your room...

The windows are closed, as well as the door. You drape the blanket over yourself as you lie in a foetal position on the bed on the right, the one you usually occupy unless you have two patients to take care of - or are happily sleeping in the embrace of your lover. You sigh, close your eyes, and do what you had ordered yourself to never do as long as you remained on Axe's ship, and that you have always tried to also hide from Shanks, in the rare occasions you felt the need to, so as not to worry him.

You cry. Out of relief, pain, regret, and to simply release all the stress and fear you accumulated in the last two days and that, now that you give yourself permission to stop being strong and simply feel, pour out of you like the tide released from a dam. It starts with a shy, almost inaudible whimpering, a few tears you quickly dry with the hem of your blanket, before realizing that no one can hear you, since you are alone on the ship, and you better get this out of you before Shanks sees and feels even more unnecessarily guilty than he already does. And so you cry, sobbing and wailing and shedding bitter tears that never stop coming, no matter how already soaked your pillow is; you cry until you can't cry anymore, because you are still scared, and hurt, and because you did it in self-defense, and Axe and his men had it coming, since they had kidnapped and were going to hurt you, they weren't even your first victims since you had taken to the sea, but... but...

You don't remember your tears stopping; you don't remember falling asleep either. Still, you do both, and in the end, when Shanks joins you in the infirmary, he finds you dead to the world, your chest still heaving with sobs, curled up with a dagger you retrieved from inside your chest hidden under your pillow.

*****

The ordeal you have gone through is the sort you expected to have nightmares about for months (at least, a still unexperienced pirate like you would; a veteran like Shanks would probably leave it behind him in a matter of days, but for you, alas, things are different), screaming as you wake up with the image of Axe brandishing his whip, or of the blood-covered bodies of his men lying at your feet, still vivid in front of you.

Instead, at least for today, your awakening is tranquil, the voices of your crewmates once again populating the ship reaching you through the thin walls of the room; you mumble to yourself as you turn to one side, vaguely trying to perceive what time it is, and whether you are waking up from a short nap or a night of uninterrupted sleep, when suddenly you realize you are not alone in the infirmary.

"So, apparently the best way to make a patient sleep and soothe his pain before surgery is to administer laudanum." Shanks considers, one of your medicine books in his hand as he deftly uses his thumb to turn the page "I've only seen use rhum. A poor devil on my old captain's ship had to have his left leg amputated, he drank every drop the cook had in the galley..."

"We used neither for you." you consider, thinking back at the terrible day Shanks lost his arm to defend Luffy from the Sea King; by the time you reached him, there was no longer need for pain medication, only to clean the wound and hope it hadn't gotten infected already. That was the day the two of you officially began your relationship, but you still can't think back to it with pleasure, because of the loss and the pain your lover had to bear.

"We didn't. Just my luck, I could have drunk as much as I wanted without anyone telling me off..."

You could point out that Shanks has always drunk as much as he wanted, without anyone ever trying to stop him, since he's an adult and his men enjoy rhum and beer as much as he does, but you don't, content with observing the man sitting at your bedside, an ankle resting on his opposite knee in a position only he could find comfortable, his warm brown eyes full of love.

"How long have you been here?" you ask in the end, sitting on the bed and pushing your dagger away; Shanks' presence is enough to make you feel safe.

"Not long. Feeling better?"

You do, surprisingly, and you happily accept the plate of food Shanks has left on the bedside table. He smiles as he sees you eat voraciously, lightly caressing your leg after lifting your ankle on his knee, and for a minute everything you need to do and talk about is forgotten, and nothing in the world matters except for the two of you being together.

For a minute.

"We need to decide what to do with Axe's pirates." you point out in the end, aware there's no point ignoring the most important topic you and your lover need to discuss. He nods, turning serious.

"Killing them all would be a show of strenght and ensure other pirates know they can't attack us without suffering the consequences. It would protect us, and you especially."

"I know."

"But you don't want them to die."

"I don't." you admit, and a sad smile appears on your lips "I know, not very pirate-like."

Your lover gently points out he would never scold you for the desire to be merciful, which is one of the many things he loves about you; on the other hand, pirates have their own laws, no one would ever blame you for demanding justice, and Nejima himself told you Axe would show no mercy, if the roles were reversed.

"The one I should want revenge against is Axe imself." you tell him as you eat voraciously; you have been taught it is bad manners to stuff your face, to carry out a conversation while you do it even more, but given the circumstances you think you can dispense with formalities "And I killed him already. His men were only obeying orders."

"His men were also very faithful to their captain, and may desire to avenge him, no matter how... how terrified they are of you."

He is clearly reluctant to utter those last few words, that hurt nonetheless; many pirates would be proud to know they have striken such terror in their victims they might decide to forgo honor and sense of duty, but you aren't - not yet, at least. Shanks looks at you, sighs, and as soon as you have put the now empty plate away, he takes your hand in his.

"I know it's not an easy decision to make, even for someone who is not a doctor, or who has lived as a pirate longer than you have." he says gently, and having someone perceive your thoughts and emotions with such clarity, as easily as with the book he was reading a moment ago, would be terrifying, almost a defilement, were the man doing it not the one you have given your heart to, and who has given you his "I don' like it either."

"But you have done it already, with other pirate crews you have fought."

"I have. I had to."

You sigh. "Can't we... feel free to laugh if you want... surrender them to the Marines?" you ask after a pause "Axe was a pretty notorious pirate..."

"But most of his men aren't; there are maybe four men with a bounty on their head in the entire crew, including the navigator. Think about it, (name); if the Marines were to arrest every single man in every crew they capture, their prisons would be full. Most of them would go free in a day or so."

Part of you wants to point out that if the rest of Axe's men are so harmless, there is no real danger in leaving them free, but your lover is right. Not only is the idea of consigning your fellow pirates to the World Government risible, but making sure they cannot hurt you and your crew anymore is only half the goal. Red-Haired Shanks is a feared pirate, and he needs to remain so; sometimes, even a merciful man like him, known for avoiding unnecessary bloodshed and not harming civilians, needs to be cruel... and so does whoever follows him.

"All right. Let's do it." you decide in the end "They have to pay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It is the right thing to do, even if I don't like it."

"I agree."

Your lover stands with a sigh; he bends to kiss you on the forehead. "I'll give the order; you can rest for a little more if you want."

"I think I can manage; what I need now is things to return to normal, and I do want to get back to work." you answer as you stand, but your determination lasts only a moment "... Shanks?"

"Yes?"

"Are... are the others afraid of me? Now that I can do... that."

"Oh, (name)..."

He smiles, his warm hand resting on your cheek. "No one is afraid of you; no one who actually knows you ever could be." he assures you; his voice is soothing, as if he were trying to calm a skittish colt "Rather, they were afraid something terrible had happened to you, and were happy to see you safe and sound."

You tell him you are also happy to be among your friends once again, but the fact remains that you are now the only member of his crew who ate a Devil Fruit, and who now possesses powers that could be used to hurt whoever is close to you.

"And you plan on doing that?"

"Obviously not!" you exclaim, frustrated; why is he not taking it seriously? "I never would. But now I... I am dangerous, even more than many other Devil Fruit users, and I don't want my friends to fear me..."

"Anyone on this ship is dangerous. Otherwise we wouldn't have survived until now on the Grand Line. Don't take it the wrong way, but if I were to be afraid of someone here on the ship, you would be one of my last choices."

You are not really sure how to interpret those words, whether to feel relieved or insulted; but you know Shanks is trying to comfort you, and you trust he wouldn't lie to you to do it. Still...

"And you're not afraid either?" you ask again; you hate how needy, how fragile, your voice sounds, and you know that your lover's feelings for you are deep and strong enough to withstand any difficulty and problem, but this is still all so new for you, and you can't help needing to be comforted.

"Why should I?" Shanks asks back, sincerely surprised by your question; then he smiles, lifting your hand with his to kiss the back of it. "I am used to danger, as well. Also, I know what sort of person you are, and if we ever were to fight for some reason, I trust we would discuss about it like reasonable adults, and you wouldn't make me bleed out like a pig in a slaughterhouse to punish me."

"Gods, no!"

"I was kidding, (name). Believe me, you have nothing to fear. I know what we share; and nothing in the world will ever make me fear you, whatever power of ability you develop."

Finally, you smile - truly, this time, completely unaware of how breathtaking you are in his eyes when you do it, your heart full of gratitude and relief, feeling as if you were falling in love with him again after a whole year... and eleven.

"Feeling better?"

"Very. May I have a kiss now, captain?"

"If you really insist, doctor..."

Shanks generously fulfills your request, and smiles when you rest your forehead on his shoulder, quietly enjoying his presence in the chaste intimacy of your room, and at the same time aware you have still work to do, and it won't be pleasant.

"We need to do it soon, right?" you sigh without opening your eyes, as if trying to keep hold of a dream when the light of sunrise is creeping in "This is not the sort of thing you can put off until tomorrow."

"I'm afraid so."

"Just a minute more?"

Shanks' arm circles your waist. "Just a minute more." he agrees, and his red hair brush against your cheeks as he rests his chin on your head.

*****

The sentence is carried out at midday, on the beach whose sand is soon turned red by the blood flowing like a river. Even though they have been ordered to hand over their weapons, some of Axe's pirates try to escape, either slipping away behind the backs of their crewmates or rebelling as they are forced to their knees; they are quickly brought back and put to the front of the line. A few are openly terrified, stumbling as they walk, crying softly or praying under their breath; many keep their head high, defiant and proud until the last moment. None asks for mercy as Shanks' closest companions move among them and use a dagger to cut their throats.

Shanks observes the scene surrounded by his men, his expression sombre but impassive, while you have asked to be among the executioners; you are deliberately avoiding using your powers (also, you are not yet sure you would be able to in a non-threatening situation) and the shirt you have put on to replace the one Axe's whip has reduced to shreds is already stained with splashes of red drops. As you deal the death blow to your third victim, looking at his throat from the side, a few of those fall on your cheek; you clean yourself with your fingers, and then absentmindedly lick them.

Nejima is the first to go; he looks in front of him, aware of and ignoring all the eyes on him, including yours, while he obediently tilts his head back to allow Benn to open his jugular vein with a knife and quicken the bleed-out. When Shanks told him they would be put to death, the man did not argue, having probably realized begging and promising would not save their lives, and only asked your captain to set their ship on fire with the bodies of all the crew inside, as is customary for pirate group funerals.

You don't feel pity for him, not even a little, even though you wish you didn't have his blood (the blood of all of them, sixty-eight men dead because of you, directly or otherwise) on your hands; still, you can't help admiring the calmness and self-composure the navigator is displaying as he faces his end. Who knows if you would be able to be equally brave in his place, you wonder as you clean your dagger from the blood, having been so focused on the men you were killing you didn't think of counting them; somehow you doubt it, unless Shanks were next to you or you had lost him already. In that case, death would be a sweet relief, even if you don't know what awaits you all on the other side...

The atmosphere is tense but solemn, Shanks' pirates keeping an hand on the butt of a gun or the handle of a sword in case some of their victims attempt a last, desperate dash for liberty, but there is no mocking the victims, no jeering, no desecrating the corpses. They are not that sort of men, and your captain wouldn't allow it either. In the end, when dozens of men (some with hair turned grey by age, a few barely past boyhood) lie on the sand in front of you, Shanks orders them to be carried to their ship, its hold emptied of all treasures and riches that are now part of your crew's loot. The vessel is then pushed offshore, and its sails and hull set fire to with blazing arrows.

The sun has just begun its slow descent towards the horizon as you observe the small bonfire silhouetted against the sky. "You can smell the flesh burning from here." you whisper, standing close enough to Shanks your hand brushes against his; your lover frowns for a moment, but he keeps silent, and his fingers find yours to interwine with.

"Have you convinced him?" you ask him a while later, as you walk along the beach, having left everything and everyone behind you, at least for a few minutes "The man you wanted to recruit. Is he joining us?"

Your lover blinks, as if momentarily unsure of what you are talking about. "Oh! No, unfortunately no. He is raising a family now, he says his pirate days are definitely over."

"What a pity..."

Shanks sighs; he is still holding your hand, clearly reluctanto to let it go. "If it weren't for that, nothing would have happened to you." he reasons, his voice raising so little above a whisper the noise of the backwash almost covers it "I would have been there to protect you."

"It is not your fault; I was asked to assist a man who had gotten hurt, I wouldn't have let you forbid me from going."

"No, but I would have stopped you from going alone; and then you wouldn't have been kidnapped."

"True. But then again, I should have realized it could be a trap; I have myself to blame, and myself alone." you gently point out "Thank the Gods I'm all right, and from now on I'll be more careful, I promise."

Another sigh; clearly your lover is not convinced, or at least he cannot leave the whole matter (everything you went through, the fear you both felt you wouldn't survive) behind him anymore than you do. In the end he stops, putting an end to the lines of footprints following you.

"I could have lost you." he murmurs, his hand already caressing your cheek "I... I can barely stand thinking about it. What would I have done without you?"

"Shanks..."

"I love you so much. I... I can't even explain it. I have known it since before we said goodbye in Foosha, and in ten years we have spent apart what I felt never wavered, but now... now that I can see you every day, and sleep holding you close and hold your hand and share my food with you and kiss you every time I want, it is as if I... I had developed an addiction. I can't live without you. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you; you know I would give my life for..."

"Ssh..."

You gently press a finger to his lips, hating to see the man you love blaming himself. You know he can't help it: he loves you, and as your captain, you are under his protection. On the other hand, you are an adult woman who was aware of the risks when she decided to join his crew, and you need to learn to take care of yourself, as you effectively did. And should it happen again (and it will, no doubt, since there are many less dangerous lines of work than piracy)... you'll worry about it when the time comes.

"I am fine, and I am here with you." you remind him as your arms circle his shoulders, pressing your bodies together "And I love you too so, so much. My beloved captain... I would have killed all of them if it meant returning to you."

"I'm sorry you had to do this."

"Stop blaming yourself for things beyond your control; I did what I had to in order to survive, and I'll never regret it."

He smiles; and then he kisses you. "So you ate the Fruit." he points out. Shanks was the first person you talked to after finding the fruit, and he had advised you to think carefully about what to do with it, hether to sell or use it, since once you had taken a single bite from it, the effects (both the loss of the ability to swim, and whatever power it would grant you) would be irreversible. You did carefully reflect on it... and on the night before your kidnapping, you did eat it. "Was it bad? They say they taste bad, Luffy's did."

"It tasted horrible; like burnt gum. But since it gave me the power to subdue Axe's pirates and come back to you, it was a small price to pay. And from now on, I'll fight with you all: I doubt I'll ever be a great swordsman or combatant, no matter how much I train, but with these powers I won't have to remain back at the ship or hide in the galley every time you and the others fight. I can stand with the others, help, instead of being a burden and having to be protected."

"You're our doctor; your role is too important for you to put your life in danger."

"I know. But I want to do more than suture wounds or brace broken bones. I am one of you, Shanks; I want to pull my own weight, in the infirmary and outside. And who knows." you add with a new smile "Maybe one day I will save your life, like you saved mine twice already."

Your lover smiles, and says that as long as you watch out for yourself first, he has nothing to object to. He holds you against him, close enough to make you feel the beat of his heart, close enough to kiss you, which he does, again and again, until you can no longer remember where he ends and you begin. "Please." he whispers "Never leave my sight again."

"I won't."

#One Piece #One Piece Live Action #OPLA #Shanks #Red-Haired Shanks #Shanks x reader #Red-Haired Shanks x reader #Peter Gadiot #Bellona's stuff

[vivisection-and-vampyrism]

Home Sweet Home part two

Content Warnings: burns, muzzles, restraints, general threats of violence, Stockholm Syndrome, captivity, escape plans, rats, spiders, pet whump, vampire whumpees, human whumper, vampire hunter whumper

Chapter summary, brought to you by TV Tropes (I'm so so sorry for this) 1 2 3 4 5

"We need to find a way out of here," Odessa said. "I know you won't really help us. But you can at least tell us how to get out of this basement."

"You can't," October said. "We're solidly underground. The only door is solid silver, including the lock and hinges. The only way out is to earn enough trust to be let upstairs, then hope you can get out from under Falkner's direct line of sight."

"Fuck you!" Odessa's burnt and blistering face contorted with rage under her muzzle. "I want to go home!"

"Shouting isn't helping," Pavel said. "Do you want Falkner to come back down here?"

Odessa took a deep breath before snapping at October, much quieter now. "Put on a shirt, won't you? You're distracting me."

Despite the highly limited amount of blood in its veins, October still managed to blush. Years had passed since it last gave thought to concepts like modesty.

But its initial embarrassment was soon replaced with anger. What gave Odessa, of all people, the right to talk like that? She was new. No better than a guest in October's home.

"Eyes to yourself then," it snarled. "I don't owe you jack shit."

"Leave it alone," Pavel said. "We have bigger things to worry about."

October quickly changed the subject. "If you guys promise to behave, I can call Falkner down here to untie your hands. No promises about the muzzles."

"We won't make any progress with our hands tied," Pavel argued, sensing his sister's hostility towards the idea. "If you can keep your mouth shut, we'll stand a better chance at freedom."

"Fine," Odessa said. "I'll sit still and look pretty for a few minutes. But that doesn't mean I'll like it."

October plopped down on the anvil again. "First, I want to tell you a few rules. You'll be punished less if you can follow them."

"Sure," Pavel said. "Thanks a million for trying to help us."

Odessa remained silent, but her disapproval was as obvious as the muzzle obscuring half her face.

"I know this'll be hard," October said, knowing how painfully bad of a start it had chosen, "but you've got to be respectful. If you lash out, Falkner is just going to beat you into submission. And no, he isn't bluffing about putting you out in the sun. It hurts like a bitch and takes weeks to heal. I don't want you going through that."

"I'm scared," Pavel admitted, staring down at his lap.

"You should be scared. This is a dangerous situation. Fear will keep you alive." It cleared its throat. "Besides, this is home. At least, it will be. Years of captivity will wear down on you. After half a decade, you won't even want to escape."

"Then we'd better escape before we end up like you," Odessa said resolutely. "I'm not giving in. Not for a fucking minute. You hear me?"

"Listen to the rules then, if you want to stay alive long enough to achieve your little pipe dream."

"We're listening," Pavel said. "Keep going."

"Falkner lives upstairs. He hardly ever leaves, except when he's out hunting or on the occasional date. He lets me hang around with him sometimes. But that's because I earned his trust. You won't be out of this basement for a long time."

"Why does he bother with letting you up there?" Odessa asked. "If you're supposed to be a prisoner."

October considered its response. It had never been able to confide in anyone before. But now that it had the opportunity, it found the truth hard to force off its tongue.

"He likes spending time with me," it said. Not quite a lie, but only half-truth. "He's grown fond of me over the years we've spent together. I'm his most beloved pet, don't you know?"

"I'll buy that," Pavel said, before his sister had a chance to respond. "But why is he keeping you down here, if he loves you so much? It's hardly prime real estate."

He stood up and gestured around the unfinished basement that had grown so familiar to October over the last eight years. It had once hated the place, but now it felt right at home within the mold covered walls and uneven concrete floor.

"No bed," he continued. "Or any furniture for that matter. An infestation of rats and spiders and every other filthy thing. I don't even see a source of water. The place reeks of decay. How do you live like this?"

"The rats are my pets," October said. "Spiders too. So you can stop being rude. And Falkner doesn't always keep me down here. I spend nights at a time upstairs with him. But he's always kept me here. I like it. If I want a bed, I'll sleep in his. If I want water, I'll ask him for some. They're privileges that I've earned."

"You're crazy," Odessa said, now shocked rather than angry. "Here I just thought you were a bootlicker, turns out you're an overqualified maniac."

"I was trying to help you. Why are you complaining so much?"

Odessa ignored this question in favor of her own. "How'd you end up here? I think we deserve to know. You're awful docile for someone who's been held captive for eight bloody years."

"You know what they say." October gave Odessa a crooked smile. "No good deed goes unpunished."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I saved his life. Didn't realize he was a hunter. He showed his appreciation in a way I hadn't expected. Is that enough for you?"

"Plenty."

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Pavel said. His main strategy for avoiding conflict seemed to be awkwardly changing the subject of conversation. "I really appreciate you trying to help, October."

"Well, some things you'll just have to learn as you go. The way I did. He doesn't just plop down a list of rules and ask you to read them. But I can tell you that he doesn't like there being any noise when he's trying to sleep. And that trying to fight him is a damn good way to make sure you get left in the sun for a week. Got it?"

"Got it."

"I think I'll be more cooperative when my wrists don't feel like they're on fire," Odessa complained.

October took the hint, and walked up the creaky stairs leading to the upstairs. It was careful not to burn itself on the silver door, but stood as close as it could before calling out.

"Falkner, I'm sorry to bother you, but they want to talk. I think I've convinced them to cooperate."

It heard Falkner's heavy footsteps, and stayed perfectly still on the stairs, its head bowed for a show of submission.

Before it had worried about Falkner preferring his newer pets, but after meeting them it felt more secure than ever in its place as his favorite.

Taglist: @sulnusoup13 @heavenlyeden @kira-the-whump-enthusiast @excessive-vampires @pigeonwhumps

#pet whump #vampire whumpees #vampire hunter whumper #Whump #Pet whump #pet whumpees #nonhuman whumpee #whump writing #Whumpblr #Whump series #Stockholm Syndrome

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Rescuing you [E. M]

Vamp!Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Word count: 9.6k

Summary: Eddie came back to you, but not in the way you expected. Now it will be necessary to help him come back as your real boy

Warnings: angst most of the fic, tragic past of the main character, a bit of a villain!Eddie if you squint but I think a happy ending.

A/N: The Vecna attacking thing happens a bit later and I took the liberty of modifying Eleven's powers for plot convenience. Also this definitely won't get a part 2 but I'll probably write more of vamp!Eddie (with less angst of course so if you have any ideas drop them in my inbox)

I always check this three times (once for pronouns, once for grammar, and once for translator errors) but I'm so fucking tired and this is so long so sorry for any mistakes

Things had happened so fast and everything was so difficult. Hawkins had become almost a ghost town and the only people left out there took refuge in the school, which now fulfilled the function of a kind of shelter for the neediest.

After the portals had completely fragmented the town, most of the people had taken their cars, had put the most important belongings in them, and then fled from there in a hurry. Only people who had nowhere else to go and no money to do so had remained; Wayne Munson was one of them. You were another one of them.

Joyce Byers had offered you shelter in her home more than once, but you didn't feel comfortable even with the idea of ​​being near them. You didn't wish them ill, of course, but after leaving the Upside Down everyone had acted like nothing had happened and it was making you sick. There were family gatherings, hugs, kisses, tears of joy, and all while you drowned in the pain of loss.

You had lost Eddie.

Only Dustin had been there and only he could understand part of the feeling, but only a tiny part of everything that was going through your mind and your heart. Eddie had been your boyfriend since middle school when you still didn't even understand what love was and it was just child's play. You had grown up with him, matured with him, and had all kinds of experiences, and now there would be no more of that. Never.

And honestly, his death had been so stupid. He had been such an idiot to go back to the demobats to face them and buy some time. A part of you was selfish enough to wish he'd run out the portal with you and let those monsters get back on their way. It would have been someone else's problem; he would still be alive if he hadn't decided to play the hero as Steve had warned you before this all started.

You remember crying yourself out of tears the first night and the next night it was only worse. You didn't sleep at all and ate barely enough to keep you going. You were heartbroken, you didn't even have a body to cry to and you didn't even have something to remember it by. Except for the jewel on your ring finger, which he had bought for you on one of your anniversaries, with the promise that a few years later he would give you a nicer one. And there would be nothing later, the only thing you could do was keep that promise broken by a situation of which he wasn’t even guilty.

So you decided it would be best to stay with Wayne Munson and at least help him get through things, or have him help you, or maybe a bit of both.

That was until a week after you thought hell was over you saw that it was actually just the beginning. Vecna ​​was there, back and stronger than ever. The meadows had dried up, the air was filled with those strange particles, and the blue sky had been replaced by red clouds with lightning bolts between them. That had brought you to where you were, sitting in a circle with all the other people who could still defend this town and hopefully save the world.

"We don't know how powerful Vecna ​​is now, so we have to be careful," Hopper instructed, all of you. You had decided to team up again so you could scout the grounds and see how close you were to getting close to Victor Creel's house, where you thought Vecna ​​might be physically. There was only one route and almost the entire line was full of monsters, so someone would have to clear a path for the others to enter.

You would go with Nancy, Robin, Steve, Jonathan, and Hopper so you could test the waters and could think something out as soon as possible. You were acting rather impulsively, but Vecna's return hadn't given you time to think more clearly. The last time you had faced the monsters it was just you and… well, the point is that there were very few personnel. Now with all of them there, you would have a better chance.

"You guys stay behind me, do you understand me right?" Steve muttered, as protective as ever, though you knew he too had gotten the same words from Hopper. You had returned to military clothing and now that there was hardly anyone on the streets it was easier to walk around with weapons.

All this was crazy, it was stressful and you wanted to cry for fear of seeing someone else in the group die at the hands of those things that would haunt your dreams forever. The plan was reckless and stupid, but it was all there was.

"If anything goes wrong, we'll all get out of here as we agreed," Hopper warned, now holding his shotgun firmly. He had changed a lot since the last time you saw him, but you didn't say anything and you just nodded, ready to help in any way you could, until a sound made you stop in your tracks.

It was a guitar, from somewhere in the street, and you knew exactly what song it was: “Shot in the dark” by Ozzy Osbourne. The notes were lazy, but you could still recognize him from all the times you'd heard the guy play it in his trailer.

"What the hell is that?"

"Eddie…" you whispered, feeling the sob catch in your throat. Hawkins seemed to always be at night thanks to the clouds that covered the place, so it was hard to see beyond the bushes you guys were hiding in, but when you finally did you felt your heart was going to jump out of your chest. There was a figure in the distance, in the midst of all the flying monsters, and from the shock of curly, unruly hair you knew it was him. It couldn't be anyone else, or maybe you were just hallucinating.

"Who is that?" Hopper asked, rather cautiously. So you weren't crazy, these people were also seeing what you were seeing. And so that meant it was real.

"Eddie" you exclaimed again, emerging from your hiding place to start walking in the boy's direction. They all tried to stop you, but their hands slipped out of your arms just quickly. Nothing mattered to you, you just wanted to know if he was real or if it was just Vecna ​​playing with your mind "Eddie!" you yelled as you quickened your pace towards him. This scream was the one that caught his attention and you saw him turn a little to look at himself. Even from a distance you could see that he was smiling broadly, which made your eyes start to glaze over. You didn't last more than another couple of seconds running before you lunged at him. You were holding him, it was real… Eddie was alive “Eddie” you sobbed again. Your mind couldn't form a coherent sentence because of how happy you were to feel him in your arms again. You didn't understand how it was possible and you didn't care either.

"Hello, beautiful" you heard. His voice was deep and raspy and the way he had said 'beautiful' made you shiver. Your glance went sideways to your arm and you noticed that the hand that held you was extremely pale, cold, and with sharp black nails that dangerously pressed your skin. You took your head off your chest and looked up, only to meet a totally different man than the one you remembered. Totally black hair, black circles around his eyes that were now a reddish hue, and a smile that showed a pair of long fangs inside his red-stained lips; with blood “Did you miss me?” he said mockingly. The way he told you that made you realize that he really wasn't your Eddie. It was something else, horrible and evil.

You screamed and backed away, but all you got was a few scratches where your fingernails had been before. From a couple of steps back you could see it more clearly and panicked at the sight in front of you. Even in the heat of the moment and with adrenaline coursing through your body you understood what kind of thing he was: a vampire.

Eddie didn't give much time for small talk, or to greet you, or even to give any sign that he was going to help you. On the contrary, he hardly realized that he had lost you he pounced on you. His hands had grabbed both of your biceps roughly and he was ready to attack right at your neck, while you screamed at the top of your lungs in panic. You didn't know how to react because he had caught you off guard, taking advantage of the fact that you had been too happy to see him.

The speed and certainty with which he had acted chilled your blood and now to feel him so cold and dangerous were twice as terrifying. You heard a shot in the distance, when he had just broken your skin with his fangs, which forced the boy to look up. It was Nancy, who had been the first to attack.

If you got out of this alive, you would become that girl's greatest devotee.

"Move on!" Steve yelled at you as he began to attack with his old nail-studded bat. Eddie seemed to lose interest in you when he saw that you were accompanied and released you almost annoyed, letting you fall to the ground.

From the floor you saw the boy plant himself firmly a couple of steps from you while he let out a macabre laugh and raised one of his hands towards the sky. The demobats began to circle him like a tornado, and your brain wandered back to the memory of you guys in the Upside down when Eddie decided to fight those animals himself. Except now he was the one commanding them to attack. And to be honest he seemed quite pleased to be turned into the evil vampire general that he was now.

You wanted to throw up because of what was happening. It was too much to process and too little time to do it, but if there was one thing you were sure of, it was that you had to do something. And you had to do it now.

"Eddie!" Steve insisted as he tried to take down a couple of demobats. Robin and Jonathan were the clumsiest with weapons, but they were still putting up a good fight, plus they had Steve and Nancy to help them respectively. Hopper was the only one who was rampaging through those things like he was an expert.

Still sore in the chest (from seeing Eddie like that, rather than from the blow) you got up and drew your spear, running in Hopper's direction to help him and also gain some confidence.

You fought for a while until your hands got tired of hitting the air so many times, because the way all the demobats were surrounding you it was also impossible to execute the emergency plan and run away, until suddenly all those things stopped attacking. When you looked at Eddie you realized that he had raised his hand again to order them to stop.

“What is it that you have come for if not to die?” he asked, from a distance. It sounded like those times when he pretended to be some D&D character during campaigns or when he fooled around with you at your house. He had always been a wonderful actor, but unfortunately this wasn't about acting. “This plan of yours sucks. You know you can't beat him, right?"

Without worrying too much about him, you ran to where your friends were and thus formed a larger group. Most were injured, but nothing seriously, thanks to God.

“Munson, how the hell are you…?”

"Alive?" he asked, with that usual boyish glee "I'm not Harrington, that's the best part" he smiled, giving way for everyone to see the shiny fangs protruding from his lower lip "Vecna ​​needed a right hand and decided I it was perfect. This fit me, don't they?”

Again you felt your stomach churning at the sight and hearing of it. That bastard had brainwashed him or maybe he was just using him to scare you. But having a collective nightmare wasn’t that common and the blood falling from your arms was proof that you were in the real world. Well, in Hawkins being sucked into that bloody evil, but the real world at the end of the day.

"Eddie!" you sobbed again. It was the only thing you had said since you arrived and you forced yourself to say something else “It's Vecna! He’s controlling you!”

“I thought that was clear enough,” he laughed, cynicism painting his voice. One thing you'd always loved about Eddie was his sassy side, normally reserved for dealing with jocks and jerks, but now used to make fun of you.

"Have you forgotten Chrissy?" you insisted, hoping that you could snap him out of the trance he seemed to be in. It wasn't like he was actually speaking, it was like Vecna ​​was speaking through him. His voice sounded strange, he was like a simple… puppet "Have you already forgotten what he did to Max?"

"Small sacrifices for a greater good" he exclaimed with all the naturalness in the world. You were so terrified to see him that you subconsciously became attached to Steve's body, that he was the closest to you “All is not lost, you know? You can still join us. Voluntarily"

Us… it sounded so sick.

"So what if I don't?" you shouted, armed with courage and making your voice not tremble a bit.

“You will join us by force. There really aren't many results, I'm just giving you the flexibility to choose how you're going to do it. In the end we will all be part of him” he smiled.

“We have to get out of here right now,” Nancy said, determined. Eddie looked so out of it and you weren't the only one who had noticed, so the best option was to walk away now that he had allowed it. It was almost as if he was making fun of you.

"If you're thinking of running away" he spoke, as if he had read your thoughts or heard your friend's whisper "I suggest you do it now, because it will be your only chance"

"Let's go this fucking time," ordered Hopper, who hadn't taken his eyes off your dead boyfriend since the first moment he'd appeared. The car was across the street and if you ran fast enough you'd get to it, but as utterly horrified as you were you didn't want to leave. You weren't going to leave if Eddie didn't come with you, the real Eddie. “Y/N, now,” he hissed, grabbing your arm and squeezing just enough to draw some more blood. You let him drag you away without taking your eyes off the boy above you, who seemed very pleased with your escape. He had that look he got when he managed to set you up during campaigns, only again you weren't in a damn campaign but in a town completely corrupted by evil.

They almost dragged you to the car and once there, you burst into tears as you had never done before in your life.

The next stage after arriving at the shelter and crying uncontrollably on Dustin's shoulder was the overwhelming desire to go back there to try to save Eddie. You were in complete denial, no matter how much everyone tried to convince you it was stupid.

"That's not Eddie anymore, do you understand?" Steve had said, seeing you so upset and thirsty for revenge, while he took you by the shoulders.

"We can't know that if we don't try to help him"

“He's going to kill us! Didn't you see that he has that whole horde of monsters under his orders? He controls them, and Vecna ​​controls him”

"If it was Robin, would you leave her there?" you asked suddenly. Everyone was looking at you now, children and adults alike “Or Nancy? What if he was Dustin? Would you leave them there just because of the thought that 'they are no longer themselves'?" you muttered, completely furious.

You had a long conversation (it was more of an argument than a conversation) in which the elders held their ground only until they could think of a good enough plan to defeat Vecna ​​and save Eddie at the same time.

So night fell and with the passing of the hours you decided that no one was willing to do something, you would do it by yourself. Fuck everyone, you were going to save him.

You stuffed a revolver, water, a flashlight, and a walkie-talkie into your backpack, in the totally stupid hope that that would be enough for the suicide mission you wanted to execute. It wasn't until you crept out the door that you found you weren't alone. Dustin was there.

"Waiting for someone?" you asked vaguely, wishing you had followed your first impulse to climb out the window.

"You're insane if you think you're going to go get him"

“Luckily for me, Henderson, you guys don't boss me around”

"You can't go there alone, it's too dangerous"

“Well, I didn't see anyone willing to accompany me and I'm not going to sit idly by either. So step aside and please pretend you didn't see me leave."

"I want to save him too," he insisted. Apparently he and you were the only ones who had really been worried about Eddie's state. "But if you don't have a plan, you'll only have been in vain and get him to kill you," he murmured, making you see reason. As much as it hurt to accept it, you weren't the most objective when it came to love. You were just acting without thinking “We have to think of a way to help him get back. You know, like being himself."

“And do you think there is a way?” you asked. The question had been going around in your head since you had arrived, afraid that indeed he was simply lost.

"Well…"

“Me," said a small voice in the dark that made you jump.

"Eleven?" you asked frowning. Dustin also seemed surprised by your friend's willingness to help. "What are you doing here?"

"I can help" she repeated, shyly "With your friend"

“No, no, no way. Hopper and Mike and everyone will kill us if we put you in danger."

“There is no danger” she continued “Not for me”

You looked at Dustin, confused, and then you looked at the girl again.

“What do you mean, El?”

“His mind” murmured the girl, moving closer to you to speak more softly “I've been thinking and I think I can help you get into it. Maybe then we can rescue him” Eleven wasn’t a girl of many words, but what she had told you was enough to understand what she meant.

Eleven had powers, she really could do something.

"I’ll do it. Whatever you think is going to work, I'll do it” you answered with total certainty.

If there was a hope to save your boyfriend you were going to take it. And you were going to cling to it with all your might.

After almost two hours you had finally cemented a plan. It wasn't a complete plan, but it would go a long way. It was amazing what a miniature genie, a depressed girlfriend, and a girl with powers could do together.

"And how am I supposed to do this?" you asked nervously, getting into the pool full of salt water that Dustin had taken care of preparing.

The idea was this: with the help of Eleven's powers you would enter Eddie's mind to free him from within Vecna's control. It sounded totally absurd and even at this point you thought it was impossible, because it wasn't like the girl could do some kind of power transfer or anything like that. But she assured you it would work and Dustin seemed pleased with the plan too, which made you trust a little more.

You didn't care about the risk at all, you just didn't want to end up doing more damage than what was already on Eddie's mind.

“Sometimes it's like being in a place when people remember. Other times people may be stuck somewhere or… well, they may not be around and you will have to look for them”

"What if Vecna ​​is there?"

"Then tell me and I'll bring you," she informed, trying to reassure you. Another reason you had to do it (besides clearly that it was too risky for Eleven to be seen by Vecna) was because you knew Eddie and maybe being on his mind would make it easier for you to find the right spot or react in the right way.

"This is going to work out, Y/N," Dustin said to you, holding your hand lovingly "Just relax”

Still shivering a little from the temperature of the water you lay down. You were wearing only pajama shorts and a tank top, the girl had said it was easier with light clothing, and then they handed you a neatly folded handkerchief so you could cover your eyes.

You floated for a few seconds until you got used to the water. Being deprived of sight and partially hearing you were hypersensitive to touch, so you jumped a bit as soon as Eleven wrapped her fingers around your wrist.

You didn't know how long you were there, but little by little you felt as if you were falling peacefully asleep. You were at peace and literally floating until suddenly it was as if something sucked you in and then you fell into the void. You screamed in terror as you were enveloped by so much darkness, but a few seconds later you hit a hard surface with your body. You groaned at the sensation, noticing that your eyes were no longer covered and that the place where you had fallen was the floor of a house.

“Y/N?” you heard they called you. You woke up scared, but when they repeated your name, you realized that it was just Dustin "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine" you exclaimed, hoping he could hear you. The communication worked similarly to the Upside down, right?

"Where are you?"

"In a house"

"Victor Creel's?"

"No," you replied absently. It was a simple house but it was still pretty and it had a shelf full of photos, most of them of a small child. You frowned at this and moved closer to look at them more closely, trying to figure out who it was.

“Mom!” you heard someone scream. You turned around startled only to find a short, smiling figure: it was a boy with dark brown hair wearing an oversized rock band shirt.

“I'm here, Eddie,” a woman said, from the kitchen. She was blonde and beautiful but she looked extremely tired.

"What time is daddy coming?" he asked curiously, letting himself fall against the couch and moving his legs from side to side. He was a very hyperactive little boy, you could tell that.

"Later, do you want cookies for snack?" she asked, notably avoiding her son's question. You didn't know what you were doing here or why Eddie's mind seemed to be on that memory, but then you remembered that he had never told you about his parents. You only knew that he lived with his uncle, but pressuring him to tell you about a part of his life felt wrong, so you stuck with that poor piece of information for all these years.

"With chocolate!" he said cheerfully. It was clear that he couldn't see you, but you stood in front of him to be able to see him more carefully, noticing that he was a most tender child.

You saw him run to his mom to hug her and receive said cookies with joy. Without meaning to, a smile escaped you, just imagining that your boyfriend had had such a beautiful relationship with his mother, but the scene was distorted a second later and the scenery changed completely. It was the same house, but this time it looked much darker and colder.

"Mom?" a small voice asked. Again you turned to see where he came from and you noticed that the boy was kneeling on the floor, with a huge bundle to one side; a body “Mommy!” he screeched, moving his mother from side to side. But she didn't wake up or give any sign of wanting to. “Are you mad at me? Wake up!" he sobbed, clutching his tiny hands to the woman's worn shirt.

That damn dizziness came again and when you opened your eyes you found yourself in another scene, again in the same house, this time with the door open and the windows illuminated with a police light. You looked everywhere for Eddie and noticed that he was right next to you, with a policeman holding his shoulder while he wept uncontrollably. He was no longer such a little boy, you estimated that he would be around 10 years old at that time and as he had told you his hair was too short compared to his current style.

You also noticed that the cops were taking a man away in handcuffs who looked a lot like Wayne Munson… was that Eddie's father?

“We will take the boy with his uncle to Indiana, to a place called Hawkins. It's the only family he has left” you heard one of the men say. You also didn't know that Eddie had lived somewhere else before Hawkins, you just assumed that he had lived there all his life "First his wife and then this... that man is crazy”

Your blood ran cold as you pondered the man's words. Had Eddie's dad killed his mom? That was not possible, no way...

A stab of pain filled your head and you hunched over yourself as you held on with both hands. When you rejoined you were in another place, now a different one that you knew too well. It was the trailer where Eddie lived and you were in his room, with walls clean of any posters and also tidy.

You could see him curled up on the bed, crying uncontrollably with no one there to keep him company. You knew it had probably been years from the way his hair looked longer and from how tall he was, plus you remembered seeing him a few times in middle school in that faded red sweatshirt. You saw him take one of the pillows to hug it as he might hug a person for comfort and your heart squeezed too hard inside your chest.

"Eddie" you spoke softly, sitting up in bed. You wanted to hug him and tell him that everything would be alright, because you had never been able to bear to see him cry. It's not like Eddie cried too much either.

"Why does this happen to me?" he asked through tears. You opened your eyes in surprise, because you didn't know you could intervene in a memory, until you saw that he wasn't talking to you, but to a picture of his mother "All the kids make fun of me at school, I wish you were here with me” he sobbed.

You couldn't stand the scene; it was heartbreaking to watch. Suddenly you wondered, had he had to keep quiet for so long? How many nights would he have spent the same way, crying alone in his room?

You wanted to reach out to touch his shoulder, but something stopped you and when you looked at your leg you realized that there was a vine holding you. It was just like the ones you had seen when you were on the other side, the ones that were controlled by Vecna.

You didn't even have time to say anything when it dragged you across the floor for what seemed like minutes. When you finally stopped somewhere your clothes were torn and dirty, but you could hear the screams of a person calling your name.

“I'm fine, Henderson,” you exclaimed, once you were on your feet. “I was just left with… some memories. They are bad memories, it seems that Vecna ​​uses them to torment or imprison him” you exclaimed, making both children aware. Dustin was watching you from floating in the pool and he was also seeing Eleven kneeling next to you, a trickle of blood running from her nose.

“Can you see anything else? Where are you now?"

“In the Upside down” you whispered, paying some attention to the environment and coming to that conclusion. Your eyes searched desperately for something that seemed familiar and your breath hitched when you saw Eddie's trailer in the distance. Your feet moved by themselves towards there, trying to get there as fast as possible.

"You are in danger?"

“Eddie!” you yelled. The door was covered by wooden boards and although you tried to remove them it was completely useless “I found the trailer, kids. Maybe he is here. Eddie!” you repeated, saying the second thing louder and continuing to bang “Eddie! Are you here? It's me, Y/N” you murmured desperately, pressing against the door that had some small cracks so that he could hear you better, if he was there “It's me, love. I came to help”

You looked around for something to help you remove the boards and almost like a miracle you managed to see an ax on the porch. Without hesitation you ran to take it and started hitting the boards to break them, desperate to meet him, but when you were about to finish one you felt something sticky holding you by the leg again. You screeched when that thing dragged you again and luckily your hand's grip on the ax didn't loosen a bit, so after a couple of meters you swung the ax hard at it, managing to snap it in half.

You were sore again but still found the strength to get up the next second and run back to the trailer. You hit the boards a few times, right in the middle, but you fell into despair and when they were weak enough you kicked them, breaking a couple of pieces of the door as well. You threw yourself against the wood a couple of times (hurting you in the process) until the door swung open and you were able to get in. You fell to the floor for the thousandth time and although the pain stung all over your side you got up, but you were disconcerted to see that everything was in order. The place looked like the trailer normally did, dimly lit and just as still as ever. Where was he?

“Y/N?” a voice asked, soft and confused. When you turned around you saw Eddie, standing up, clean and safe.

"Eddie?" you asked fearfully. Perhaps in other circumstances your first impulse would have been to throw yourself into his arms immediately, but fortunately you learned from your mistakes. The last time you did that, it turned out to be a vampire wanting to kill you.

"You're here" he murmured excitedly, taking a couple of steps and cupping your cheeks with his hands. The feeling was different, his hands had always been calloused and his grip a bit rough, but these were soft and careful "I'm so glad you're here" he whispered sweetly, however, you put your hands on his wrists to push him away a little. Being close to him gave you the same feeling as the vampire you had encountered. It was identical to him, but... no, somehow you knew it wasn't him. "What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you open the door?"

“I couldn't do it, the boards were blocking it”

"Outside," you exclaimed, still cautious about what you said and did.

“Vecna ​​must have put something down so I couldn't open it either. But that doesn't matter…” he started to say, wanting to lean back in your direction. You took steps backwards, in fear, until you collided with the kitchen counter "now we are here, the two of us together"

"Don't you want to go out?"

"Going out where? Here everything is perfect! We have just what we need,” he exclaimed, oddly cheerful and comfortable with this. A voice yelled at you that it was wrong, to run away, to do anything. That wasn't Eddie and as he walked towards you, you felt like you might cry “Stay here with me, forever”

You didn't even have time to register when your hand went to the ledge and held a bread knife, driving it hard into Eddie's chest. A part of you still suffers from thinking what would have happened if that boy had been your boy, from thinking that you would have killed the one you called your love. But luckily, when the blood began to flow and you noticed that it was a black and viscous liquid, you knew that he was not. That face contorted in a grimace of indignation and surprise at what you had just done, which turned into fury. His skin started to peel off that thing and he wanted to lunge at you, but you were quick and moved out of its way, pulling the knife out in front to stab it back in behind. You were never particularly skilled at doing anything, but to save your boyfriend you could become a professional gymnast if you had to. 

The thing screeched, the way demobats did, and you stabbed the knife in and out until you were splattered with that black goo, not giving it time to even do anything. While the creature bled to the death against the kitchen counter, you saw how the walls washed away, as if it were paint against the rain, and revealed the true scene; the dark trailer, full of vines and white particles that filled the Upside down.

The monster was no longer lying on the floor, but in its place was something else; a body pinned against a vine pillar… it was Eddie.

"Eddie!" you screamed. 

"You found him?" Dustin asked, scaring you because you had even forgotten that he could hear you. Maybe the encounter with that impostor had been a kind of trance and that's why you hadn't heard anything coming from the boy.

"He's possessed, he's... he's trapped," you said desperately, picking up your ax again to start hacking. His eyes were white and his skin was pale, but other than that he seemed fine. I mean, there wasn't one of his broken bones to be seen or blood gushing out anywhere.

"What do you mean trapped?"

"He's on a pillar, his eyes are white like those of the victims" you murmured agitatedly, because you tried with all your might to free him from where he was "Music! We need music!” you yelled “My Walkman is in my backpack, Dustin. There I have a list that Eddie made for me, quick!” you exclaimed, hoping the boy had heeded your words. Your hands were slipping and at one point you even used your legs to support yourself and pull, but it was still very difficult to get it free.

Suddenly the sound of the already advanced song N.I.B. filled you with motivation. Eddie had sung that song to you once and you hoped it was enough to bring him back.

Your love for me has just got to be real

Before you know the way I'm going to feel

I'm going to feel

I'm going to feel

Dustin must have turned the Walkman on full blast in the gym silence was enough to hear him and (hopefully) hear him too. The music went on and on and you scrambled to hack away at anything that would keep Eddie from moving until he fell to the floor with a thud. You threw the ax at God knows where and leaned down to put him in your lap, painfully remembering that this had been the last position you'd been in with him.

You called him by his name and shook him a bit waiting for some reaction, but there was nothing. In a last attempt to wake him up, you approached him to kiss him gently, feeling your lips tremble in fear of having made everything worse. But when you separated you noticed that you were no longer in the trailer, but that you were lying on the grass and surrounded by the cold night. But Eddie was still there, still with his little eyes closed, but this time it was the Eddie you had seen before, the pale one with fangs. You wanted to say something, but your voice caught as the floor below you seemed to turn to water in which you completely sank. When you fell you felt something cover your eyes and you ripped off said garment, realizing that it was a handkerchief. Next to you was Dustin and on the other, still holding your hand, Eleven was looking at you.

"What happened? It worked?" he asked desperately. You didn't know how much they had heard, but either way they couldn't have guessed what all you had seen was. You felt dizzy and tired in equal parts, but when you tried to slow down your breathing you realized a trickle of blood was running from your nose. You wiped with one hand and forced yourself to spit out a few words.

“I think so, I don't know. It was all very confusing,” you murmured worriedly. You tried to explain everything you had seen, without giving too private or embarrassing details, just saying that Eddie was haunted by bad memories. You explained to them how he was trapped and the change of scenery you had made to the area where you had seen the vampire this morning.

"So do you think he really regained consciousness?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," you said, while trying to stand up and falling on your face in the attempt. Your whole body ached and you were weak as if you had just run a marathon. You wondered if that was what Eleven felt whenever she traveled to any side of it and you felt sorry for her.

"You are crazy? What are you going to do?"

“If we really manage to free Eddie, he is going to wake up in the middle of a town that is cursed, turned into a monster, and surrounded by demobats that are probably no longer under his orders. He's going to be scared as shit if he wakes up and he's alone, so I'm going to the area I teleported to at the end”

"Y/N, it's dangerous"

“Everything is,” you replied, finally gathering the strength to stand up and climb out of the pool with your clothes and hair dripping, “And I know Eddie would have done it for us. I owe it to him”

“I will accompany you”

“No, you stay here. You're hurt and only you can explain where I went without it looking like a suicide plan" you exclaimed, kneeling to look at him "I promise I won't go back without him"

“I don't believe in promises anymore,” he said with a trembling voice. You knew what he was referring to, the last time someone had promised him something it had been your boyfriend and that story ended badly.

“Belief in this one,” you murmured, placing your hand on his forearm to comfort him. You crawled over to where the girl was and to her surprise you wrapped her in a hug “Thank you for this. You don't know how much you've helped me” you said about her neck. She had given you even more than hope, she had given you a chance to get your boyfriend back.

"Friends help each other," she murmured, feeling happy that she had done something nice for you, as she wrapped her arms around you. After breaking the hug, you almost ran to your backpack and put on a new change of clothes, trying to take as little time as possible to get on the road to where you could find him.

The only thing you could do the whole way was to tell yourself that things were going to be okay, even if that might end up being a lie.

After almost an hour of walking, you found the spot where he might be and tried to be more cautious this time because of the demobats flying over the area and also because of the possibility that Eddie was still Vecna's evil follower and wanted to attack you. The place you had seen in his mind was covered by grass, so you walked around looking for something like that and you thought you would have a heart attack when he saw a lump lying on the floor. Perhaps showing you too trusting you ran there, only to check that he was still with his eyes closed. Your hand went to his neck to take his pulse and you gasped feeling nothing, but then you remembered that if he was supposed to be a vampire it was because he was already dead. Could vampires die twice? Could their mind die? How were you going to check that he was okay? Can they even breathe? You knew that if you thought about it you would end up consumed by bad thoughts so you just used all your strength to carry the boy (or at least try) and drag him to the nearest establishment. It was a grocery store that had belonged to a couple of very sweet old people but was now empty. Luckily you remembered the time Eddie had taught you how to pick a lock (a great activity to do on a date) and you managed to open the door, stuffing the boy's body in there and immediately closing it to prevent any unwanted intrusion. You were nervous because it wasn't 100% sure that he had gotten out of Vecna's control and maybe when he woke up, he was going to kill you, but you still decided to stay at a safe distance, where he couldn't see you, but you could see him. You had never been more exhausted in your life, but you still forced yourself to stay awake, aware of all the dangers around you. You stole a soda off the shelves (not like anyone would notice) and downed it almost in one gulp, hoping for the sugar to keep you on your toes.

You didn't know how long you sat there, staring at Eddie and humming songs under your breath, until he finally woke up, gasping in amazement. You wanted to throw yourself at him as soon as he woke up, but you forced yourself to wait a bit just to see his reaction. You noticed, for the first time in the two distorted versions of your boyfriend you'd seen, that he was afraid, and you took that as a good sign.

"What the fuck?" he asked himself, putting both hands on his chest to check that he was in one piece. But as he felt his skin, he must have noticed how cold it was and also the missing heartbeat on his left side. It wasn't until he saw his nails and felt the strange shapes on his teeth that he realized something was wrong and he let out a cry "Jesus H. Christ!"

And you proved that this was indeed your Eddie.

"Eddie?" you asked, just in case, as you came out of hiding. You realized that you didn't carry any weapons with you, probably because you were too trusting or just too stupid.

“Y/N?” he called to you, with his bulging eyes and fearful voice. He knelt to try to reach you, but you were faster and threw yourself into his arms “You… what are you doing here? How did we get here? Are you okay?"

“By God, this is you”

“How is this really me?” he said, concerned and confused. You heard him let out a hiss and when you looked up you saw that a trickle of blood came out of his lower lip “Am I dead? I'm in hell? God sent me here and I'm a demon?” he asked, completely terrified, while with a finger he touched the elongated fang that had injured him. But almost as soon as his wound appeared, just like that he was healed.

“Hey, hey, you're not in hell” you whispered seeing how he had already started to hyperventilate “I need you to be calm, my love. Very calm," you asked, raising your head to leave a kiss on his forehead "I have to explain a couple of things, but first I need to know that you will take it easy, okay?"

“Mhm-mhm,” he hummed to you, unable to come up with a more elaborate response. You exhaled with a bit of concern, wondering where you should start.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well we were with Dustin and I went back to buy time and fought the…" he paused for a second, staring off into space as if he'd realized something. "I'm dead, right?"

"Eddie..."

“That's why I was in that loop of… I… they weren't dreams,” he muttered, seized with fear at what he had just discovered.

“Eddie” you repeated to get his attention. The last thing you wanted was for him to panic "Let me explain, okay?" you asked keeping calm, while your hand went up to his cheek. It was cold again, a feeling you would have to get used to.

He nodded gently, holding back tears, and you began your story, always keeping your hand somewhere on his body to give him some reassurance and comfort. You told him most of the details (omitting only the fact that he had physically hurt you) because you thought the boy deserved to know everything you had seen and everything that had happened since the day you thought he had died.

“Is Wayne okay?” he asked, even though you had already told him that his uncle was safe and sound, just heartbroken over the loss of his nephew.

“We're all doing relatively well, except for… huh… you know, Max,” you said, your voice cracking. You still suffered a little from what had happened, completely understanding Lucas when he cried silently for his love. Although now you didn't know if you could understand it, because you were in Eddie's lap while you stroked his hair and he was still sitting next to that hospital bed.

You felt his hand go up to your neck to remove the fabric of your sweater and when you realized what he was up to it was already too late to avoid it.

“Did I do this to you?” he asked, his voice trembling, as he looked at the two reddish spots that still had a little blood on them. You didn't even want to imagine the look on his face when he saw the scratches on your arms, which he probably didn't remember either. He described that time as a kind of “dream” where you don't know if things are really happening or not. It was confusing and weird for him and you didn't want to make him feel any worse so you took his hand away from you almost immediately.

“No, Eddie. Do not worry about it. It's nothing, I promise."

"This sucks," he whispered, feeling tears prick the corners of his eyes.

"Hey…" you called out to him, feeling bad from the sad look on his face. Again you put your hand on one of his cheeks and forced him to look at you “I know this isn't the best, but at least we managed to free you from that thing's control, huh? We can go home”

“Of course not,” he exclaimed quickly.

“And why not?”

“I still feel him. It's like... if he was always behind me, on the back of my neck, stalking me all the time. When he was checking me out it was like I was just blinded or covered by some sheet,” he said, in a worried whisper. For him all this was also very blurred "He's not going to stop and if I leave the only thing we'll achieve is that... well, he can't kill me, but he'll take control of me again or I don't know" Eddie ran both hands over his face, with desperation “And I don't want to hurt you. Neither you nor anyone”

“And what do you suggest? Stay here and continue helping him?” you asked in an irritated tone, hoping he understood how stupid that sounded, but Eddie's eyes snapped open and he looked at you as if you'd just said the keyword to solve a Sherlock Holmes-level mystery.

"Yes," he murmured, almost happily. You had a totally confused expression “Don't you see it? We have an advantage, Y/N. Imagine this as a D&D campaign…”

“This is not a campaign, Edward”

“I said to imagine it” he scolded you “If you had an ally from the evil side but the evil one doesn't realize it that would be an advantage, wouldn't it?” the argument.

"What do you mean?"

“It's like those times you have a spy or a double agent or stuff. Like…” he thought of an example for a moment, until his face lit up again. “You remember Kas, right? the one who was seduced by his sword so that he…”

“Will kill Vecna,” you completed, beginning to put the pieces together. “So you want to continue this charade so you can destroy it from the inside?”

"Sounds like a good plan, doesn't it?" he asked, with some hope. Even in the condition he was in he wanted to help and that made your eyes glaze over quickly.

“But I promised Henderson that I would take you back,” you sobbed. Eddie gently pulled you to his chest and you hugged him tightly, missing the warmth your hugs always had, but grateful to at least be able to.

"And I'll be back, sweetie," he whispered, holding you lovingly, "But you can't deny that this is... this can help us, we can't waste it."

"What if something bad happens to you?"

“What will happen to me? I'm going to die?" he said wryly, but instantly feeling the weight of his words "Damn, I can't believe I'm dead..."

“Does something hurt? Do you feel… different?” you asked, feeling a little curious, but mostly worried.

“Everyone feels the same. I think what makes me uncomfortable is like… knowing that I am, you know?” he exclaimed, sheepishly.

You were silent for a minute and you kept hugging him, still thinking about his suggestion. You loved Eddie with all your heart and you were willing to do anything for him, but keeping a cool head you knew that the best thing you could do was exactly what the boy had come up with. Maybe that way you'd tip the scales and have a better chance of beating Vecna.

"It's just that I love you so much, Eddie, and I don't want to lose you again," you ended up saying. The last few days had been the worst of your life, and now that you had the young man back, the fear that something might happen to him only grew more intense.

“Let me do this. You know it's for the best,” he asked as if he could read your mind and knew you didn't want to let him stay.

"But promise me nothing will happen to you" you whispered, looking up at him. 

"I can't make promises that I'm not sure I can keep"

"This yes," you said with determination. Your hand gripped the collar of his shirt and you went up to kiss him on the lips, taking him by surprise. "You have to fulfill this one, Eddie, do you understand me?" The boy looked at you, his eyes now bathed in reddish tones, and he smiled just a little "Please"

“Okay, I promise. Only for you” he exclaimed. You went back to his lips, but he stopped you with a hand "I can hurt you"

"You're not going to hurt me," you said confidently, leaning in again so you could capture him in a kiss. It was obvious that Eddie wanted to be twice as cautious now, but that didn't stop the contact from being quite enjoyable, and to your surprise, he didn't taste like blood, like you'd hoped he would. "How are we going to do this?"

“Just… pretend we didn't have this conversation and I'll take care of the rest. No one can know, that will only make things worse."

"What if Hopper or Nancy want to hurt you?"

"Do you think that trick with the demobats still works?" the suggested.

"We'd have to check it out" you exclaimed nervously, biting one of your fingers. He sat up a little just as far as he could turn to look out the window and then raised one of his hands in the direction of a demobat. The monster flew up and Eddie moved his hand in a few directions just to check that it mimicked all of his hand movements.

"No fucking way," he said, notably excited. At least he seemed happy about something "This is so metal"

"Are you literally at risk of being possessed by an entity from another dimension and is that what matters to you, Eddie?" you complained to him, but the truth was that hearing him say that had relaxed you a bit too. You pressed against his body harder, burying your face in his neck, and you stayed like that for a long time. You would swear you could fall asleep at the feeling of tranquility. You were exhausted and, although, in a very twisted way, you had Eddie again holding you to give you peace. You let yourself enjoy at least a fleeting moment of that feeling and when you felt Eddie's arms caress your back to get your attention, then you spoke again "So... then you'll stay”

"Apologize to Henderson for me," he murmured, visibly sad. You knew you couldn't convince him to change his mind “And be careful when you come back, okay? I still don't know very well how this power thing works, but I'll try not to let anything attack you."

"Okay," you nodded. Eddie wanted to kiss you again, but he didn't dare and instead helped you up so he could do the same. You wanted to mention something about what you'd seen of his parents, but it didn't seem right, especially since he'd been so tense at the vague mention of it a few minutes ago. You expected to be able to talk about everything, in due time "This is so horrible"

"What of everything?"

“Weeks ago it was just the two of us worried about your graduation and now… we have to plan a war and pay attention to every move we make” you sighed, feeling quite affected by the idea that you would never have a normal life again “I just wish I could give back time"

"You don't like me now?" he asked, feeling suddenly insecure.

“What are you talking about, Eddie? No, no, you… I like how you are, I'm serious. You're still my boy” you replied, hoping to reassure him, as you reached out to take his hand. His slightly long fingernails felt sharp, but it was nothing you couldn't handle “And yes, you look a bit different now and you're… a bit different now, but we'll find a way to get over it. I know, we have overcome worse things” you assured him. As a couple you had been through a lot, but as people too. It was a long road that you would still have to travel.

“I'll do my best, I know we're going to win, you just… have faith” he exclaimed, getting another nod from you. He leaned down a bit to kiss your forehead, still afraid of hurting you in some way. "And I love you too, you have no fucking idea" he confessed, on the verge of tears. Why were both of you suddenly so sentimental? Ah yes, you were under threat of world destruction “Thank you for coming to my rescue”

You gave him one last hug, still reluctant to leave, and when you looked at him you smiled kindly at him.

“You know that he could never leave you alone. Never” you replied, and it was nothing but the truth.

For Eddie Munson, you would be able to go to the end of the world without even hesitating.

TAG LIST: @sweetdayme4427 @smol-book-nerd @mulletboystan @hiccup005

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #stranger things 4 #joseph quinn #vampire eddie #vampire!eddie munson #vampire eddie munson #Kas theory #kas the bloody handed

[wiltking]

Trans Book Reading Challenge

for those that don’t know, i run a discord server for LGBT+ books where readers can discuss books, give and request recs, and participate in an optional book club. in less than 2 weeks i am hosting a 7-day reading challenge open to newcomers! if you want to join us in challenging yourself to read a trans book in one week and discuss it with other lgbt readers, here’s what you need to know:

📔 When: April 23rd - April 29th (start/end based on your own local timezone) 📔 What: Find and pick any trans book of your choice and do your best to start and finish it within seven days. The book can be any genre, the only requirement is that at least one main character has to be canonically trans. Book can be any length. 📔 Where: All discussions will happen in our reading-challenge text channel (no VC). 📔 How: Every day I will send out a ping with a daily discussion prompt. You can then post your thoughts at any time in the day. Deciding your daily page count / pace will be up to you. You might even finish before the week is over (that's great!) in which case you can choose to pick up another trans book for the remaining days or sit back and see if what anyone else is reading might interest you in the future. Participation in discussions is not required but highly encouraged!

What if I need help picking a book? we have a backlog of trans book recs within the server to browse through, or you can look through this massive spreadsheet to get started, or ask for more personal recommendations in our rec-request channel!

To JOIN: submit an app for the server through this [google form].

#i've hosted a reading challenge on this server before and it was really fun! #and i think there's some people here who might be interested so please don't be shy. i'm shy too. but we are all readers here :) #there's also no pressure to stick around after the challenge is done

[atomic--peach]

Her Grace's Handmaiden Pt 20

(Sandor Clegane x Fem Reader x Cersei Lannister HEAVY SPOILER TW: pregnancy loss)

AO3 version: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48276340

News of Lord Renly's death swept the court and you were genuinely sorry to hear of it.

You had only met Renly a few times, but each time he had been kind to you.

But with Renly now dead, Stannis had claimed his remaining forces and tripled the size of his army.

It did not take a genius to understand that King's Landing was under threat.

According to The Master of War, they were only a few weeks away by ship.

As the fleet drew closer, you received a surprising invitation.

It had been 2 months since you had stood in the presence of Queen Cersei. You hadn't looked at each other, you hadn't spoken to or about one another.

You refused to be the first to crack.

You weren't the same scared girl who had followed the Lion Queen across the continent nearly a year ago, now you were a lady, the wife of one of the fiercest men in Westeros, and soon to be a mother.

You would not crack.

"The Queen wished to see you, My Lady."

Lancel looked pale and skittish. You figured the knowledge that his first real war was looming just beyond the water's edge was wearing on him.

"You should get some rest." you counseled him. "You look tired."

Sandor wanted to come with you, lest you return with fresh cuts and bruises, but you would only allow him to escort you to the royal quarters.

Even with the crutch Pycelle provided, walking proved to be a challenge.

Your ankle had healed enough to bear a little weight, but your pregnant belly made it hard to keep your balance.

Cersei was waiting for you with a jug of red and two chalices laid out with cakes and cheeses. She kept no handmaids about for your visit.

"You're looking better." Was the first thing she said. "Please sit."

"Many thanks, Your Grace." you nodded, moving to sit carefully grunting a little as you did.

"My love." Cersei sighed, "I wanted to say I'm sorry."

You smiled a little, relieved.

"It's all but forgotten, my queen."

"No" Cersei shook her head. "I was angry, frustrated with my brother and the council, and his grace. And I took it out on you. That wasn't right of me."

This show of accountability left you speechless in the best of ways. You almost wanted to pull Sandor in and say "Look, see. I told you."

"You must be famished." Cersei moved to pour the wine, "I know I was in my final days."

"My Queen. Forgive me, I am so happy we're speaking again," you confessed, accepting the chalice gladly. "I love my husband, but...I missed you so much. It was like someone had punched a hole out of my chest and left an empty space."

Cersei smiled a little, taking a deep drink of the wine and motioning for you to do the same.

You obeyed.

"Pycelle says I shouldn't drink too much wine or ale" You filled the air with your words, not noticing the queen had gone silent.

"He says it might hurt the baby, but it's so late in. Only two more months now. Surely just a glass or two wouldn't hurt."

"Of course not" Cersei brushed off the Grandmaester as if he were nothing more than a sideshow magician. "Drink as much as you like my pet." Cersei took your hand, squeezing it and you felt as if she was squeezing your heart.

"I am so glad you're back where you belong."

You drank and laughed together into the evening.

You ventured another glass of wine. It tasted different this time, less sweet.

The drink had an herby, earthy taste to it, different from the Reds and Golds you usually drank.

Glancing into the cup and you found the liquid to be dark, almost black.

"What vintage is this? I don't know that I've ever tasted it before."

Cersei paused and smiled, "Oh just, something I have been working on. We have land in the Arbor, as you know. With the King nearly grown, soon he won't need his mother's help, so I've taken up a new hobby."

You nodded, struck suddenly by how heavy your head was on your neck. you must have drunk too much.

Setting the chalice aside, you tried to focus your vision.

"I beg your pardon," you swallowed, finding your throat dry and acidic, "But I think I'm a little drunk, I should-"

Your body grew intolerably hot, but no sweat came to cool you. You tried to stand, reaching for your crutch but your fingers fumbled against the wood's grain and it fell to the floor.

You looked to the queen and found your vision doubling, the world around you swaying and tilting as the sound of yourr own panting filled your head.

"My Queen-"

"Sh, sh, sh, sh" Cersei watched you with stony eyes, calm as can be.

"Hush now, love."

"Please."

"This needed to happen, pet" Cersei explained. "I would have told you if I thought you'd understand. But that's fine because I'm handling it. Just relax and let it happen."

Your body was on fire, and if you had the strength, you would have been desperately trying to peel your gown and small clothes off for some relief.

A pain was growing in your belly, which made your heart race as you frantically tried to will it away.

No, you begged the gods for help. No please, please help me. Please don't let this happen.

The Queen was trying to kill me.

Varys' word to you rang in your ears.

"There's more than one way to be rid of the troublesome wife."

No.

You would have sobbed if it hadn't felt like every drop of water had been sucked from your body, leaving you stiff and burning.

You tried to rise once again, pushing yourself from the chair only to crash onto the carpet. your ankle screamed with pain as you tried to crawl across the floor, desperate to make it to the door.

Cersei rose as this, grabbing your arm and flinging you limply onto your back.

To your horror, Cersei knelt between your legs and lifted your skirts critically.

What was she looking for?

"Not yet" she grumbled, looking down on her lover pitilessly.

You lay on the ground for what felt like hours.

The blurred edges of your vision crept inward until the whole world was a blur. No hard or defined lines, only masses, and shapes.

Your ears felt as if they were plugged with cotton, every sound was muffled save for your own breathing.

You felt like a dry dead tree thrown on the fire, the heat never letting up for even a moment as the pain that started in your belly spread up to your spine and down through every muscle in your legs.

You wanted to rise. To run.

But when you tried, your body began to shake uncontrollably.

Your movements were no longer your own and you felt the muscles of your throat being to seize and shake along with every other particle in your body.

You could vaguely hear Cersei begin to call for aid.

You were momentarily aware of hands gripping you because their touch only made the fire burn hotter. You must still be thrashing because the hands held tighter.

People were talking, yelling even, but you would not make out the words.

You were moving, and the slight breeze that blew across your brow felt like heaven.

I'm dying, you wanted to say, there's no saving me.

I should have let Sandor come.

I shouldn't have gone at all.

I never should have gone to the docks.

We never should have agreed to wait 3 more months before leaving.

Wherever you were, it was dark.

Or had your vision gone completely?

You could hear the frantic sounds of movement.

You felt hands gripping your body to move it around as needed.

After a while tou were completely unaware of your body outside of the heat.

Where were your arms?

Were your legs still there?

Was your head simply floating around, unattached?

It was hard to tell.

Then came the pain.

The real pain.

Pain you had no concept of until right at this moment, and even now it was so overwhelming you couldn't comprehend it.

It was as though your body was being slowly torn apart at the seams.

Your very being was forced to condense and expand on the whim of some unseen and unknowable force, and you were powerless to stop it.

You had no concept of how long the pain had racked your body. It could have been 10 hours just as easily as it could have been 10 minutes.

And all at once, the pain was over.

You weren't sure if you had blacked out, or if you had died, but your body had altogether gone slack, and you had never been so grateful for anything in your life.

Your skin still burned, but some angel from heaven had begun to lay cool clothes soaked in cold water over your body.

Someone was speaking to you.

Or was that just your own mind?

It didn't matter.

You could only pick up one word.

Sleep.

You obeyed gratefully.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time you had awakened, arrangements for your funeral were being made.

You lay on a small cot, close to a window. It was daylight.

Your body ached as if you had gone to war.

The sheet that covered you clung to your body with sweat and you struggled to raise your arms to stretch.

You felt as if you were made of wood, joints immovable and creaking from lack of use.

Yiu sat up slowly and froze. Hands traveled down your body, over breast, ribs, and down

to your stomach.

It was gone.

Where had it gone?

pulse racing as you tried to stand, crying out at the shot of pain that bolted through your leg.

the sound of clattering glass and shuffling feet answered your cry as Pycelle rushed to find you leaning against his workbench, disoriented and panicked.

"My Lady" He cried, "Please sit back down, please."

"Where is he?" you stared at him with wild eyes, hair falling loose from a braid someone else had done. "Where is he?"

"Your husband is on his way, My Lady. Please!" Pycelle took your wrist and motioned back to the cot, "Please sit. You will tear your stitching."

"Not my husband, my son! Where is my son?"

Pycelle blanched but succeeded in getting you to sit back down by the time others began to enter the Grandmaester's quarters.

Sandor came first, followed quickly by Queen Cersei, and Lady Sansa.

You looked at them all with wide, confused eyes.

"Sandor." You breathed, reaching for your husband for reassurance. "Where is he? Where is our son?"

Sandor didn't answer at first. He wanted to run to you, to embrace you tightly.

But he couldn't, not in front of them.

"My Lady." Pycelle began again, "Please listen to me."

He pulled your full attention as he moved to sit next to you, taking your hand in his.

"My Lady, you had a terrible fit. Do you remember that?"

"No?" You shook your head, "I don't remember anything, I- I think Her Grace summoned me, and after that, I don't-"

"It was during your visit with the queen that you took ill. You fell into a terrible state, and while it was quite the fight, we were able to bring you back. But..."

He looked to Sandor, suddenly at a loss for words.

"My Lord, I think it best you go from here."

Sandor swallowed hard but took Pycelle's place next to you.

Your eyes were so pleading and desperate, he couldn't look at them.

"After a few hours, they told me they would only be able to save one of you, and I had to choose between you and our son.....Darling, I'm so sorry."

Your soul froze and dropped to the deepest pit of your stomach.

"That's a lie." You shook your head, "That's a lie, you're lying, it didn't-they never- No! No, No, No!"

He held you. You screamed your rage to the heavens and beat your fists on his arms, but he held you.

"How did it happen?" You demanded, "I don't understand! I don't!"

"There is no way to tell, I am afraid." Pycelle remained calm, as was his duty in these particularly hard situations. "Sometimes these things happen."

"I want to see him!" You wailed, "I don't believe you! I want to see him!"

"No, my love." Sandor gripped you tightly, pinning your arms to your sides as you tried to claw yourself up from the cot, "He's been buried."

"So soon?" You blinked.

"My dear," Cersei said delicately. "You've been asleep for almost 2 weeks; we feared you would never wake up."

It was as if the world had come crashing down around you.

There was no future, no past, there was only this moment.

Only this debilitating pain that knew no end.

"I think it would be best if Lady Clegane take some time to process." Pycelle insisted.

"Yes, of course." Cersei took Sansa's arm. The teen had begun to silently weep for her friend.

"Come, little dove. Clegane, take a few days. I will explain it to the King."

Sandor nodded and his wife melted into him silently.

"I need to see it" you begged, "please, I need to see his grave."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

It was supposed to be a high honor to be buried in the crypts of King's Landing.

And honor reserved for kings and their families.

The tiny grave was set aside, away from the hulking stone monuments to great men.

"There's no name." You observed, leaning on your husband, "I- I suppose we never actually discussed one."

Sandor was silent, eyes trained on the small stone monument to a life that had not lasted more than a day.

At first, he hoped against hope that the child would live.

He was so small. So small Sandor was at a loss what to do with him when they placed his son in his arms.

His face was red and squished, but he never cried. Not once.

After the first few hours, when he hadn't died, The Hound thought maybe, just maybe they had beaten the odds.

He was his son after all.

He came from a line of strong men.

His mother was the strongest woman Sandor had ever met.

Sandor never prayed but that night he had.

He prayed to the Mother to have mercy on his wife and child, the Smith to aid the Maesters in their work, and the Father for the strength to care for his son if you didn't make it.

His son passed silently the day after he was down. It was peaceful, and he hoped it had been without pain.

The Silent Sisters took his tiny body away to prepare it for burial, and Sandor never saw him again.

He hadn't realized he was crying until you pulled him tightly to you, reaching up to touch his face.

"Oh, my love." You breathed, "I should have been there with you."

"He was so small." Sandor's voice caught, "I hoped maybe he would- but he went quietly. He didn't suffer."

You stood there in the darkness of the crypt, the torchlight licking at your skin and sending your shadows dancing across the stone walls.

You both cried bitter tears for your child, saying a million goodbyes to the stone memorial but neither was willing to leave.

"Lady Clegane."

A light voice cut through the darkness and you pulled from your husband's embrace, squinting in the darkness.

"Varys?"

"We haven't the time for your nonsense, Spider." Sandor growled, "Have some decency."

"Decency, my friend, is what brings me here." Varys come dressed in black, out of respect for his friend's mourning. "I brought someone I believe you are both familiar with. Come, son."

Lancel stepped out of the shadows, his head bent low as he approached the two of you.

"Lancel?" You blinked in confusion, "What is this?"

"Tell them what you told me." Varys insisted.

"Ser, My Lady" Lancel began, "I know you have no memory of what happened, but I beg of both of you to believe me when I say my words are the truth."

"Go on" Sandor was interested now. The Lannister boy had made it a point to stay out of The Hound's line of sight since that night in the King's Wood. He had a lot of balls to present himself mere weeks after his son's death.

"Your son's death was no accident." Lancel insisted, "I know how it sounds, but please listen. The Queen knew that once you had given birth, you would leave for the Westerlands. She was desperate to make you stay, and one day she returned from Pycelle's with a potion. I asked her what it was for and she said I wasn't...." he paused there swallowing his embarrassment for the sake of the truth.

"She said she didn't want to risk getting pregnant by me, so she was taking it every night to make sure it didn't happen. But I never saw her take them. "

Your eyes widened in horror, "The night I went to see her. I remember the wine. It tasted different; I couldn't put my finger on it."

Your face twisted, "No. No, Her Grace...she wouldn't do something like that. She knew what this baby meant to me."

"I'm so sorry." Lancel looked at you distraught, "If I had known, I would have come straight away. I swear that on my life. I never would have sent you to her."

"Boy, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me you are certain what you just said is the truth."

Sandor moved in front of you and met the young knight face to face.

"I'd swear it before The Seven themselves."

"Swear it to me."

"I swear."

Lancel made his face serious as the grave as Sandor studied him before nodding.

"We must go." Varys said, "Before we are found out. You two go up the way you came, Lancel you follow me. My Dear-"

Vary's caught your hand and you found his eyes uncommonly sincere.

"I know I didn't always look out for your best interests, but I hardly have the words to express my sorrow. I mourn with you."

You felt tears in your eyes again and wiped them away quickly.

"Thank you, Varys, and you Lancel, for the truth."

"Use it wisely" he advised you before disappearing once again into the darkness. Lancel hung back for a moment until Sandor nodded to him.

"You know what must be done," you swallowed coldly, not looking at your husband and instead staring at the nameless grave before you. "She get away with this. I won't let her "

"She won't, my love." Sandor's grip on your shoulder was strong, "I promise you."

You nodded slowly, approaching the grave and kneeling. You ran your fingers over the blank stone and breathed a hard and almost painful sigh.

"I know what name should go here."

"What?"

"Aello" you breathed, the name becoming a vow as it passed your lips.

"Aello" Sandor echoed. He'd heard that name before. He'd forgotten where. "Why that name?"

You looked back at him, the torch light casting a gleam in your eyes that he had never seen before.

"It means Storm."

#cersei lannister x reader #sandor clegane x reader #game of thrones fanfiction #her grace's handmaiden

[jigujellee]

THROUGH WITH YU -> karina yu hates your guts and you don't really know why. | read part 2 here!

karina x reader angst word count: 3.8k warnings: there might be a swear word or two, nothing crazy

a/n: wow, another fic in less than 2 weeks? who is she? lol i'm jk but the first part to the karina enemies to lovers college au is here! there's only two parts, so hopefully, i should be able to get it out soon. don't worry, i'm also working on the requests you've all sent me so please look out for those. take care everyone, thanks for reading!

smu was home to numerous intelligent and hard working students who were slowly losing their sanity every day in order to achieve their future. if they weren’t burying their faces in their laptops or textbooks, students were drowning themselves in caffeine as they desperately try to work through the hell known as university. it’s definitely not easy for most, but then there are people like karina who make the university life look so easy.

karina yu graduated from kwangya high as valedictorian and received a full grant scholarship at smu where she is now a biomedical student with a dream to pursue a career in medicine. she also manages to maintain the top spot in the entire school while being the captain of the swim team and balances a part time job. the girl’s credentials are unmatched, you’d think she doesn’t have a social life but no. everybody and their grandmothers know exactly who karina is, and with a god given face, brain, and talent like hers, who wouldn’t be drawn to her? dubbed as the campus goddess, she captures the hearts of anyone who glances her way. karina could care less about the title though. she was nice to everyone she encountered and remained humble despite being treated like royalty at school. so when everyone’s attention is focused on something else, or rather someone else, karina suddenly becomes intrigued.

“alright class, that wraps it up for today. don’t forget, your assignments on DNA mutagenesis are due next Friday so i hope most of you have at least started on it”

as soon as the campus goddess finished typing up her last few notes, she sets a quick reminder for herself to finish the references for the assignment. karina’s work ethic was something every student dreamed to have in a perfect world, hence why it isn’t uncommon for students to ask her for help every now and then. her best friend ningning is a perfect example of these said students.

“so you’re going to help me with my assignment, right?” the blonde says, not even sparing a glance to karina as her eyes remained glued on her phone.

“ning, why do you still have to ask? i’ve been helping you with your assignments since we were in high school. but let me remind you that you’re smart enough to do it on your own. maybe if you spent less time on your phone, you would’ve gotten it done early”

“thanks for the ted talk but you know i gotta stay updated with the tea around here”

“right, so what’s new gossip girl hm?”

“well, jeno recently got injured after their last basketball game so he’s sitting out for the next few. then there’s yeji and ryujin who got into a pretty nasty fight and people are saying they still haven’t talked it out”

“isn’t it gonna be their 3 year anniversary in a few weeks? i hope they resolve things soon”

“well well well, would you look at that? seems like someone is fairly updated too” ningning chuckles and finally tears her eyes away from the phone to find karina putting her stuff away into a tote bag.

“you live and breathe tea and drama, and unfortunately, i’m the only one who has to hear all of it since i’m pretty much the only friend you have,” karina jokes.

“you make me laugh miss yu,” her best friend says dryly as rolls her eyes and continues to scroll through her phone once more. “oh, and there’s a new student coming in today. apparently they’re coming all the way from canada,” ningning turns off her phone and grabs her bag before sticking her arm out so that karina could link arms with her. the latter didn’t care much about the new transferee, not with her empty stomach practically ringing in her ears.

“yeah yeah whatever, let’s go grab lunch. i’m starving” she links her arms with ningning and the two make their way to the campus cafeteria.

they were greeted with crowds of students, which wasn’t a new sight to the two. almost all of campus knew karina ate in the cafeteria during lunch so they would always have an audience as they ate in peace. what was surprising to karina was that the students weren’t swooning over her like they usually do. instead, they were running right past her and making their way to the table where karina and ningning usually sat. confused, karina looks over at her best friend.

“why is everyone rushing to get over there? we’re not even there yet”

“you think i would know? i was beside you this entire time. but it looks like someone is sitting there already, i can’t see who it is though”

a girl in front of the two overhears their conversation before realizing who it was and immediately moves out of the way to let them pass. everyone else followed suit and the two manage to get a clear view of who was causing such a big crowd. they walk towards the table, but even as they get closer, they are unable to put a name to the face sitting in their usual spot.

as soon as they approached the unfamiliar person, ningning doesn’t hesitate to speak, “hi! i’m ningning and this is my friend karina!” the purple haired girl’s eyes widened at her friend’s sudden introduction, but not wanting to be rude, she just smiled and gave a small wave.

“hello! i’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you both” you say with a big smile plastered on your face.

“ah! you’re the new student, right? from canada?” you eagerly nod your head and continue to answer ningning’s never ending questions about your home country. meanwhile, the girl beside her stayed silent and just stared at you. you couldn’t tell what she was feeling, her face remaining stoic the entire time you were talking with her friend. you open your mouth to address her and try to include her in the conversation, but another student calls your name and invites you to eat lunch with them.

“karina and ningning usually sit here, so just sit with us for lunch” the student then whispered in your ear. you look back at the two girls and realize that they’ve been standing this entire time, so you immediately get up and allow them to sit at their respective table.

“well i’d be glad to answer your questions about canada some other time ning,” you chuckle. “i hope to see you both around more! sorry about taking your seat,” you say as your gaze lands on karina, who just quickly bows her head out of respect before taking a seat at the spot you were just in. ningning quickly hands you her phone for you to put your number in before letting you go. as you leave, you turn to take a look at the purple haired girl one more time.

you now understood why she was called the campus goddess.

-

funnily enough, the campus goddess wanted nothing to do with greek gods and goddesses, or any greek mythology in general. she hated history classes. the only reason she was taking it is because she needed an elective that wasn’t related to her major, so she chose ancient greek mythology and apparently, it was a really easy course. but even if this course was super easy, she got bored so easily. it was the only class that she rarely paid attention in and it made her want to fall asleep.

it doesn’t help that this class was a dreaded 3 hours of her professor going on and on about information that had nothing to do with what karina wanted to do with the rest of her life. oftentimes, her thoughts loved to wander off during class, and to her surprise, you are the one currently taking up space in her mind. karina couldn’t help but think about your smile, your dark brown eyes, your soft voice, the way your hair sat perfectly against-

“miss yu?” karina shakes her head and brings herself back to reality. was i really just thinking of the new student just now?

“sorry sir, what were you saying?”

“i asked which two groups fought during the battle of cynoscephalae?”

karina couldn’t bring herself to answer. she should know this, she did her readings on it so why couldn’t she remember? oh right, because some new girl was distracting her, that’s why.

“it was fought between the romans and the antigonids,” you spoke up after minutes of silence from karina. she looked back in shock, finding you three rows behind her. great, the person who’s been wrecking my train of thought is also in the same class as me.

you shoot her a wink with a smile, causing karina to immediately turn back around to the front, hoping you wouldn’t see her cheeks heating up out of embarrassment.

“that’s correct y/n, thank you. pay more attention karina, this isn’t like you”

“yes sir, it won’t happen again” karina sinks into her seat and groans internally for letting herself get distracted and embarrassing herself in front of you… and the class.

and now, she despised you for making her feel this way and decided that she wanted nothing to do with you.

so any attempt you made in trying to be her friend, whether it be buying her snacks, coffee, cup noodles, and even a whole cake, or trying to follow her on instagram and her other socials, karina shut all of it down. she couldn’t afford to be embarrassed like that anymore and she tried her best to avoid you, but she quickly learned that you were stubborn and you weren’t going to stop until you two were at least acquaintances.

“hi karina! i grabbed you a triangle kimbap and a choco pie in case you were hungry,” you hold out the snacks in front of her, hoping she’ll actually take them this time. but as usual, she just stares at them and her hands remain still by her side.

her eyes shift from your hands to your own eyes, and you could feel a bitter coldness being emitted from her dark brown orbs. “i’m going to make this very clear, y/n. i do not care who you are or where you came from, but i do not need you around me. buying me snacks is not going to get me to be friends with you, so drop the act. we are never going to be friends,” she says, words hitting you like a knife. your hands that are filled with snacks drop to your side as you watch the campus goddess walk away from you. from that moment on, you do your best to avoid her, hoping that you are finally giving her something she actually wants.

-

it’s only 9 in the morning, and karina is already having a horrible day.

“what? what do you mean i’m failing? that’s nearly impossible-”

“calm down karina, you’re not behind by much. with a little tutoring and some catch up assignments, you’ll be able to bring your grade up in no time,” her english professor says.

karina huffs in frustration. how could this happen? she swore she handed in all her essays on time and they were all done very well, so she had no idea how could she be failing the class.

“i asked the student who will tutor you to come in today so that i could introduce you two,” and as if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

“perfect timing. come in!”

karina doesn’t bother turning around to see who it was, still trying to rack her brain over how she could possibly be doing badly in english class.

“you wanted to see me professor lee?”

the purple haired girl’s eyes widened and her mouth falls slightly agape. she didn’t need to look at who it was; the voice said it all.

“thank you for coming, y/n! i wanted to introduce you to karina, have you met before?”

“yes, we share a few classes together” you say dryly.

you were aware that you had to tutor someone, but you didn’t know it’d be her. from where you were standing, you could see that she didn’t want to be in this setup either. she was avoiding your presence, putting all her attention onto the stack of papers on the professor’s desk and studying it as if it were the most intriguing thing in the world right now.

“with all due respect professor lee, i’m sure there are a number of other students who would be willing to help karina out. not to mention countless other students who speak english at a much higher level than i do, such as aeri, chaeyoung, jennie, yunjin, jisu, seungkwan.. need i list more?”

for the first time since entering the office, karina looks at you with a confused expression; she didn’t expect you to turn the opportunity down, not after all the nice things you’ve done for her just to be her friend. your focus remains on the professor as you wait for a reply, ignoring the other girl beside you who was trying to figure you out, the stack of papers on the desk now long forgotten.

“nonsense y/n, what better way to learn english than from someone who’s just transferred from canada? besides, english is your first language, correct?” you nod your head, unable to lie because the records were right there in front of the prof.

“then it’s settled! think of it as a way to get closer to one another. karina, i promise you won’t regret this and your grade will improve in no time! you two are dismissed, i’ll see you both on wednesday”

both of you bow your heads, and karina is the first one to get up and leave. you follow suit, rolling your eyes once you’re at the door because she didn’t even have the courtesy to hold it open for you. once you’re both outside of professor lee’s office, you’re about to retreat to your own dorm but karina stops you.

“hey”

you say nothing and just turn to look at her, waiting for her to continue what she wanted to say.

“2pm tomorrow at the library. don’t be late,” she says sternly.

with no ounce of emotion on your face, you turn around and leave the purple haired girl standing in front of the prof’s office.

you hoped this tutoring session will go somewhat smoothly.

-

no, it’s not going smoothly.

karina was the one who said not to be late, yet she’s the one who came almost 20 minutes late. she blamed it on ningning for asking her to accompany her while she talks to one of their other professors.

and now, karina hasn’t spoken a word to you since she got here. she didn’t bother asking for any clarification or any questions and just began working on her assignment, but you couldn’t care less. if she didn’t want to fix her grade, then so be it. you allowed yourself to enjoy this quiet time by catching up on your favourite book, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last long.

“here, check this for me”

you scan the paragraph writing assignment she had to do. with a pencil, you lightly circled her mistakes and even wrote down some comments on things that could be improved. when you hand it back to her, you watch as her eyes scan over the paper and she huffs in frustration. you continue to watch the campus goddess scribble onto her paper, erasing and rewriting things every other second. your eyes move to the paper and you notice her making the same mistake again.

“you did the same thing aga-”

“shut up, i got it” but even after she erases it, she does it again. this time, she realizes what she wrote.

“not a word, y/n”

“rina look, i just-”

“first of all, do not call me that. we’re not close, okay? and second, i don’t care that you were asked to help me. i just need to pass english and then i’m through with you,” without missing a beat, she continues writing her assignment.

you won’t lie, it hurt whenever karina dismissed you like that. you don’t even understand why she hated you so much. was it because you answered for her in class? or was it because you stole her seat on the first day? whatever it was, it still hurt. but if she was going to be like this towards you, then you figured you should be the same back.

and that’s how the rest of your tutoring sessions go. you both arrive at the library, not uttering a single word to each other. you immerse yourself in your book or in other school work, and you only say something if karina asks you. as you meet up more and more, however, you notice karina is slowly starting to ask more questions and actually initiate conversation but you always gave her a dry reply, not even bothering to look up at her as you answer. why should you? you were just here to help her.

after one of your tutoring sessions, you were walking back to your dorm when you suddenly receive a phone call. the caller ID was enough to make you decline the call, but you answer it anyway. you don’t bother saying hello, and just wait for the other party to say something.

“not even a hello? wow, who do you think you are?”

“what do you want?”

“jeez, what’s gotten into you? i just called to check up on you”

“i never asked you to check on me”

“god, you’re unbelievable. you should be thankful i’m even checking up on you even after what you did to your-”

“stop trying to act like my mother. you are not her and you will never be her, so just shut up and leave me alone,” you angrily say as you hang up, not letting her get a response in. you shove your phone back into your pocket and stormed off to your dorm, but you don’t notice the girl behind you who heard everything.

she didn’t mean to eavesdrop. if anything, she blames you for stopping in the middle of the hallway and answering the call, and even putting it on speaker phone. but she heard it either way, whether she wanted to or not. karina watched as you stomped away and she felt a heavy feeling in her chest - it was guilt. she’s been rude to you all this time when all you wanted was to be her friend. you even agreed to tutor her (though it was pretty much forced) and she was still acting like such a bitch to you. but after hearing the conversation, she couldn’t help but feel sad. she didn’t have the best relationship with her mom either, so in a way, she kind of related to you. she starts thinking that maybe you weren’t so bad after all.

-

a few more tutoring sessions and three assignments later, karina manages to get her grade back up. once she hears the good news from professor lee, she immediately goes to find you.

“y/n!”

you turn around to find an ecstatic and smiley purple haired goddess coming your way. she crashes into you and wraps her arms around you, but you just stand there and look straight ahead, leaving your arms glued to your side.

she finally lets go of you after what seemed like minutes of hugging, and she shoves a paper in front of your face.

“look! i got my grade back up, and it’s all thanks to you!”

“good. now we can go our separate ways,” you try to walk pass her, but she grabs your arm to stop you.

“wait! let me treat you to something to eat! as a thank you for helping me”

“i’ll pass,” and you try to walk by her again. she doesn’t stop you this time, but she starts following you instead.

“how about tomorrow? or next week? i’m free whenever, just let me kn-”

“what’s your deal, hm? why are you so nice to me all of a sudden? just because you got your grade up or what?”

karina’s smile fades and a nervous expression appears on her face, scared to tell you why she was acting this way. she fidgets with the paper in her hand, avoiding your gaze and biting her bottom lip.

“so what do you want?” you ask, trying to get an answer out of her.

“i..” she starts. “i overheard your phone call with your mom. i didn’t mean to, it’s just you were right there and you even put it on speaker phone so i just happened to hear everything..” you say nothing, and you wait for her to continue.

“i feel bad for how i’ve treated you all this time. the truth is, i get it. i know what you’re going through, and it’s okay to-”

“stop,” karina looks at you, and she looks scared but she’s not scared that you were angry, she knew you’re probably pissed at her. what was scaring her is the lack of emotion you were showing. she wanted you to scream at her, to cuss her out for being such a bitch, but instead you’re as calm as ever and it terrifies her to her core.

“she’s not my mother. that was my stepmom who tries way too hard to be my mother,” you say calmly. you start making your way to her, making sure that she hears what you have to say next loud and clear. once you're right in front of her, you continue.

“don’t act like you fucking know me just after hearing one phone call. if you’re being nice to me because you feel bad for me, then just save it. i don’t need your pity and i don’t need you around, got it? i’m through with you” you’re close enough to feel her breath on your lips, but you back away as soon as you’re done talking to her and you leave her in the middle of the hall with people were staring, but you didn’t care. you didn’t need karina or her pity, and the campus goddess got that message loud and clear. but it still hurt her. it hurt enough to make tears fall from her eyes, and karina rarely ever cries. she wipes away whatever tears were on her cheek and starts making her way to meet with ningning.

karina didn't want you to be through with her, but she deserved it. especially since she's the one who said it first.

#kpop scenarios #girl group scenarios #kpop imagines #gg scenarios #gg imagines #aespa #aespa karina #karina yu #yu jimin #karina angst #karina scenarios #karina imagines