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viennakarma · 2 months

Text

Something you paid for

Fernando Alonso x Reader

Summary: Two years into the best relationship of your life, you find out that Fernando thinks you don't love him. But it get worse and you realize the whole world think of you as gold digger.

Word count: 5.7k

Tags: female!reader, established relationship, slut shaming, reader is confused, fernando is even more confused, miscommunication, cursing, a bit angsty, hurt/comfort, soft smut (almost not there), happy ending, not beta read

Relationship: Fernando Alonso x Reader

Note: I'm honestly not 100% sure about this story, a had another ending planned but I wanted it to be HEA. I don't know. :(

I'm sorry if it's rushed or full of mistakes. Feedback and opinions are appreciated xx

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It was supposed to be just a pause in your studies. Something quick since your brain was already mushy from studying and writing your research for too long.

So when you picked up your phone, to aimlessly scroll through social media, you didn’t expect to see a new, sudden rush of comments on your instagram page. There were thousands of comments in your last post, calling you a gold digger, and much, much worse. Ever since you started dating Fernando, you had been getting these comments, and in the beginning they were worse but slowed down with time. Now they were on a new high again. Confused more than anything, you went on to try and find out what happened for this to happen all of a sudden. You and Fernando hadn’t gone out together for more than two weeks and you hadn’t been to a race week for a month.

After digging you eventually found out what happened. Deuxmoi posted something that made everyone quickly think it was you.

A lady who’s 12 years younger than her famous Spanish Formula One driver boyfriend, is known for being with him for his money. Many tried to warn him, but it seems like he doesn’t believe or doesn’t care.

Confused, you stared at the post, scrolling through hundreds of nasty, poisonous comments. That wasn’t true. Fernando did give you lots of presents and spoiled you a lot but he did this out of his own want, not because you asked for or demanded it. He was constantly giving you things, especially clothes, shoes and bags, and loved seeing you wearing them. He also gave you an Aston Martin car on your last birthday. He even went as far as getting you a credit card attached to his, for whenever you needed to buy books or go on a shopping spree. You never minded it because you knew he liked it, instead of refusing you were just grateful for his generosity.

You wondered if you should talk about it with him, but deep down you knew Fernando was never one to care for gossip of any kind. And this probably wasn’t even true to begin with, just someone trying to stir the pot. So you just limited the comments in your posts and went on about your day.

A week later you went to the race, it was Silverstone, and the last before summer break. You decided to dress your best, wearing clothes that were pretty and elegant and had been given to you by Fernando.

He always treated you like a princess, he was kind and patient, and always found a way to align your schedules to spend time together. He liked taking you on trips during summer break and to ski trips during winter break. Fernando adored having you around in race weeks, you could see in his face that he was radiant with your presence. And you loved all the gifts and the trips but you especially loved staying home with him, lazing around, making love on the sofa and taking walks hand in hand in his hometown. You loved helping him cook, trying your best to follow his orders and not mess up his recipes.

You walked into the paddock hand in hand, and you kept him company whenever you could. He would keep you around the most, only letting you go when he had meetings or media duties. During that time, you would go back to his room and do a little more of your research, writing your thesis.

You left his room so you could grab a snack and a coffee at the hospitality, but as you passed by a hallway, you heard someone saying your name in conversation. You stopped, leaning against the wall to hear, with a glance, you saw two mechanics talking.

“Seems like everyone tried to warn him, man. But it’s like he doesn’t mind dating a gold digger.”

“Is she a gold digger, really?”

“Man, she doesn’t do anything! She doesn't even work.”

“Has anyone warned Fernando?”

“Everyone.”

You went back inside his driver’s room, sitting down, completely shocked. So that’s what people thought of you? You knew people on the internet talked about it, but they were strangers so you wouldn’t allow yourself to mind because those people didn’t know you. But the people in the garage? They’ve known you for almost two years now, you were always kind and polite to them, even going as far as bringing them cookies and donuts as thank you for welcoming you so well.

You avoided crying, it would ruin your makeup, and Fernando would notice it very quickly. So you just sat there, numb. Thinking about how everyone believed you were with Fernando because of his money and nothing else.

When Fernando found you again, before he had to go get ready for the race, he noticed you were a little down.

“You should not study so hard on the weekends, princesa.” He muttered, hugging you from behind and leaving a gentle kiss to your neck. Of course, he would think you were just tired.

“You are absolutely right, mi amor,” you smiled a little, turning around so you could hug him properly, “do you have time for a little kiss?”

“Even two,” he joked.

You ended up sitting on his lap, making out like two teenagers, until someone knocked on the door, calling Fernando to go get ready.

“Hey, good luck, yeah?” You said, kissing him one more time then kissing the back of his hand, “I love you.”

You watched the race from the garage, feeling self conscious now that it seemed like everyone thought you were leeching off of Fernando.

In the end, Fernando got P3 which was a great result and you celebrated wildly, proudly watching him get on the podium.

After his post race meetings, you met him in his room.

“Let’s go out to celebrate! Dinner is on me!” You hugged him, mood better now than before.

You and him ended up going out for dinner, at a high end restaurant, dressed to the nines. It was fun, you listened to Fernando talking about the race, then he asked you what you thought about the race.

Before dessert, you went into the bathroom to retouch your makeup and freshen up. When you came back, your tiramisu was already there. You and Fernando shared the dessert, laughing to each other.

When the waitress came, you picked the opportunity.

“Dear, can we get the tab please?”

“It’s already taken care of, Madam.”

Your smile faltered, and you looked at Fernando as she left. He was smiling like he couldn’t hold it in.

“Fernando! I said dinner was on me!”

“Why would I let you pay, princesa?”

“Because you got a podium today! As a celebration!” You whined, upset. Fernando pulled your chair, until you were right beside him and he kissed your cheek.

“I like paying for you, Hermosa,” Fernando stood up, offering you a hand, “come on, you can treat me right in our hotel room, what about that?”

You smiled as he pulled you away, but something still nagged at your brain.

You and Fernando took the private plane back to Madrid after the date, because he had sponsor meetings over the week, and you honestly wanted to sleep in your bed. The trip was quick, and while Fernando took a nap, you tried studying, but your mind kept going back to being called a gold digger.

Deep down, you really wanted to talk to Fernando about it, but you were unsure if he could fix this in any way. What could he do? Make a post on instagram saying hey, my girlfriend isn’t leeching off of me as most you think!? You did live with Fernando, for six months now, and he paid all the bills and the house was his. But he also gave you many many gifts.

When you got home, putting your bags inside the closet, you two just changed into sleepwear, ready to doze off.

Then Fernando opened his bag and grabbed a small box.

“Oh, I had forgotten! Got you a present last week in Austria!”

He handed you the box, and with your heart beating fast, you opened it to a beautiful vintage watch. It was gold, delicate with a beautiful bracelet. There was a lump in your throat as you stared at the piece.

“You didn’t like it? It’s ok, princesa, I’ll get you another one,” he said, with a gentle smile.

“I don’t need another watch, Nando. You gave me this one not even a month ago,” you raised your wrist, showing him the brand new one he gave you.

“I want to give it to you. It doesn’t matter,” he shrugged.

“And I don’t want it,” god, you didn’t want to sound so ungrateful, but how could you tell him that his presents felt like something else now? “You have to stop giving me so many presents,” you said, trying to put into words what you were feeling.

“But that’s how I won you over, why would you refuse my presents now?”

Something about the nonchalance in his voice made you stop, stomach dropping. That’s how I won you over? That’s how he believed your relationship came to be? That’s why he thought you were together?

“What did you say?” You paused, suddenly turning to him, it felt like a punch to the throat, “You- you believe I’m a gold digger? You believe it?”

Fernando walked up to you, putting both hands on your waist, a soft smile gracing his face.

“Amor, you know I don’t mind spending my money on you. Quite the opposite, I love to spoil you.”

You stood there, speechless for a couple of seconds. Then you snapped out of it, pushing his hands off you.

“That’s not what I asked!” Your voice sounded louder, you tried to regain your composure, “people talk a lot, the press too, but you know the truth, right?!”

“I’m a rich man, I like providing you with the luxurious lifestyle you lead. I don’t care that you enjoy my money.”

His words made it so much worse. It made you nauseous, the idea that all this time, he’s been thinking of you as a gold digger, as someone who’s only with him for his money and for what he could provide for you.

“No, Fernando- no!” Your voice wavered, “that’s not true! I love you, you know that right?”

“Why are you so caught up in some silly rumor?

“You know right? You know I love you.” You pressed further waiting for an answer. Hoping against hope that he knew it deep down, that he could acknowledge that you harbored love for him.

“Amor, we have such a great dynamic like this. I don’t need your love, just your loyalty and for you to be my pretty girl.”

He was so calm and reassuring, like he had made peace with the fact that you didn’t love him. Like he wasn’t bothered at all by the fact that you were supposedly a gold digger. His dismissal broke something inside you.

“So you don’t- you don’t believe I love you?”

You felt pathetic and helpless, repeating the same words again and again, hoping and praying for a different answer from Fernando.

“Come on, I’m really tired, can we go to sleep?

“Fernando.”

“I’m going to wait for you in bed,” was all he said, dismissing you completely.

You walked out of the room at the same time he went into the bathroom, you held your head up until you softly closed the door behind you, then finally the tears spilled. You went to the bathroom downstairs, the farthest you could go away from him as the sobs broke from your throat violently.

Sliding down on the floor you wondered if everything was lie. You knew it wasn’t but the fact that he thought you were only there for the money was completely wrong. How long had he been thinking that? How many times had he heard you say “I love you” and thought it wasn’t true? You didn’t even know what to do or what to feel. How could you feel if this whole time while you were pouring your heart into this relationship he thought you were just leeching off of him? How can you love someone so deeply and still live with the fact they think of you as a freeloader? Did he joke with his friends like yeah, she’s a gold digger but at least she’s loyal and fucks me well?

Your chest hurt and you felt repulsive, making your way to the living room, opening a bottle of his whiskey, not bothering with a glass, just sipping it straight from the bottle.

What could you do now? Talk to him? Tell him you’re not with him for his money? After two whole years accepting his every gift with open arms? After getting a fortune worth of presents? After letting him pay for your books, textbooks, new laptop? After letting him pay for dates, trips, clothes, accessories, shoes and jewelry?

You hated yourself for it now. For taking it just because you thought it was his love language, not because deep down he was trying to keep you, buying your affection.

After spending the whole night awake, nursing a bottle and with only your repulsive thoughts as company, you watched as the sun rose from the big living room window.

It was time to fix it.

Fernando was an early riser almost every morning, so after the sun fully rose in the sky, you went in the kitchen and prepared coffee, to cut the effect of the alcohol. You weren’t drunk, really.

“Morning, bebé! You woke up earlier than me today?” He said, passing you with a kiss to your cheek, then going to the cabinet for a mug. He was so unbothered by your argument last night it was pissing you off.

“I didn’t sleep.”

He paused, looking at your face.

“We should talk.” You readied yourself. Fernando stopped in front of you, attentive. “I’ve been hearing a lot this past week that I’m a gold digger, this has been making me feel some kind of way, and I wanted to address this with you. Last night you were tired and we probably misunderstood each other…”

“Where are you going with this, corazón?” He asked, confused.

“I’m not with you for your money, Fernando. Do you understand that?”

He stood silent, which only made you feel worse.

“I want you to stop giving me presents without a proper occasion. And I want you to stop paying stuff for me. And we’re going to share house bills.” You laid it all out, after thinking hard all throughout the night.

“What are you talking about? No, I don’t accept it.” He frowned, “that wasn’t the deal when we moved in together.”

“Because I didn’t know everything back then. I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of you, and I don’t live at your cost like this.”

“No, Y/N.” He took a step back, shaking his head as if you had said the most stupid thing he had ever heard.

“I’m serious, Fernando.”

“No, I’m not negotiating this. I pay for everything. That’s how it’s been and that’s how it will be.”

“I just want to show you that I’m not with you for the money! I’m not what they’re calling me! No more presents, Fernando.”

“You took them.”

“Because I thought you wanted me to have them!”

“I wanted you to have them so you would want to stay with me!”

You gasped, hearing it from his mouth finally. The tears finally started flowing, and you swallowed, trying to keep your voice steady even with the tempest happening inside your chest, staining the beautiful story of your relationship. Well, what you thought was a beautiful relationship.

“You’re just like them, right?” You said, defeated, “you think of me as a gold digging whore. You probably never defended me when they called me that.”

“I gave you all this stuff because I didn’t want you to leave!”

“It was never about the fucking money! And guess what? You lost me anyway!” You marched to the bedroom, Fernando hot on your heels.

“Don’t. Don’t leave.” He said, following you. “I did everything for you to never leave!”

“Everything but loving me! I don’t fucking care!” You unlatched your necklace, putting it on the table, “I don’t care about your money and the jewelry and the clothes and the bags!” You put down your watch and earrings too. Everything he had given you not because he wanted you or loved you, but because he thought they were the price to pay to keep you around.

“Fuck, I love you!” You shouted, feeling desperate and lost, “And all you see me as is something you paid for. A toy you can parade around and look pretty in your arm! You don’t even love me, Fernando. I could write a list about everything I love about you, and none of it would be your stupid money!”

In the closet, you picked a bag, and started putting your clothes inside. Then you noticed how most of them were gifts from him. So you put it back, taking only what you had bought yourself. Fernando stood there, helpless as you packed, putting clothes and a few shoes in a couple of baggage. You also took your study material and laptop, which he had gifted you, but you knew you’d refund him.

“Stop, no,” Fernando tried to stop you as went into the garage, “I do, I love you.”

“You don’t, Fernando. You’re not even sure of that.” You shook your head, putting the bags inside the car. The Aston Martin he had given you, “you have to think. If you really love me as you say, then why do you love me? Because I’m eye candy you can take to galas? Because I’m a good fuck? Because I stand there and look pretty when you have to kiss those old men’s asses?”

You didn’t give him a second, getting in the car and starting the engine.

“This is so messed up, oh my god, how could I let myself believe this for two entire years?” You whispered to yourself, accelerating the car and driving off.

Through the rear view, you could see Fernando standing there, doing nothing.

You drove and wiped the tears away, breathing in. When you moved in with Fernando, you hadn’t been able to get out of the lease of your flat because you still had a few months on your renting contract. Now it felt like luck that you had a place to stay. Despite getting your doctorate degree, you didn’t have any friends in the city, only a few acquaintances here and there.

You got to the apartament, not bothering to unpack your bags, only leaving it on the bedroom floor. You took your study material and with your phone in hand, you sent Fernando via transfer a total 4000 euros, for what you hoped covered the “laptop and books expenses” as you wrote in the little note.

Then you laid on the bed, crying yourself to sleep.

You woke up and it was getting dark, the sun setting outside. Checking your phone, there were fourteen missed calls from Fernando, and a notification, showing that he had returned the money to you, with additional 30000 euros and only “no” written on the little note. Huffing, you sent the whole amount back and blocked him, so he couldn’t transfer any more money to you.

He still had not realized what was wrong, he was still thinking money was your motivation.

The next few days felt like a haze, you were barely getting any sleep, only eating and writing your research, which ultimately reminded you of Fernando, since it was a study on aerodynamics. You couldn’t lie to yourself, thinking of how many times you stared at the door, waiting and hoping he would understand and come after you.

Fernando had work commitments in England, and going back to Madrid, he ended up giving George and his girlfriend a lift. Fernando was visibly not himself as soon as George saw him.

“How’s Y/N doing?” George asked, casually. But from the way Fernando’s face dropped, he could tell something was wrong, “trouble with the missus?” He joked, tried to lighten the mood.

“She- uh, she left.” Fernando muttered.

“What do you mean, she left?” Carmen joined the conversation, “She’s traveling?”

“No- no- I guess we broke up.”

“You guess?!” George’s voice went a little high pitched out of nervousness.

“Fernando, what happened?” Carmen tried to understand.

Despite not being exactly best friends, you and her were pretty close, always spending time together whenever both of you were on race weekends. The fact that you’re both engaged academics was also a common topic between you.

“You know about the rumors, right?” Fernando started, hesitating.

“What rumors?” George paused.

“That she’s only with me for the money,” Fernando muttered.

“All girlfriends of drivers are accused of that at some point, what’s new?” George pushed.

“I might have implied that I agree with that.”

“Oh, my god,” Carmen covered her mouth, absolutely shocked, “What?”

“Fernando, respectfully- Are you fucking insane?!” George exclaimed, jaw slack, “she looks at you all lovey-dovey, like- like- you’re the only person in the entire earth and you think she’s with you for the money?”

“She would never be like that! She’s so smart and kind,” Carmen added.

“I know- I just- I don’t know! Maybe I let the rumors get to my head!” he ran both hands over his face, exasperated, “And she always lets me pay, and she always takes the presents, I don’t know!”

Then, Fernando explained about how you tried to pay for dinner, and you refused his gift, he told them about the argument and how you wanted to set boundaries about money and gifts.

“She was trying to prove to you that she’s not a freeloader. She was trying to show that the money didn’t matter, and what did you do? You pushed more money on her!” George practically spat the words in Fernando’s face.

“Eres muy estúpido, Fernando. Te lo digo como tu amiga.” Carmen muttered.

“I don’t know what she said but I heard the word stupid, and I agree.” George backed her up, “Go talk to her, apologize and fix it.”

“That is,” Carmen interrupted, face serious, “If you really love her. Otherwise, better let her go find someone who can really love her, it’s what she deserves. Love and happiness.”

Fernando swallowed, his chest constricting with the mere thought of you moving on, of someone else having you in their arms.

Getting back home without you there felt like a thick fog day, cold and empty and he missed you, he missed his sun. He missed you jumping into his arms as soon as he opened the door. He missed the smell of the candles you always lit while studying. He even missed the little mess of textbooks, colorful highlighters and notes scattered around.

Home didn’t feel like home without you.

In the middle of the living room, there were big cardboard boxes, as he opened, he noticed they were full of clothes, shoes and bags he had gifted you throughout your relationship. In a smaller box, all the jewelry he had given you, even anniversary gifts. Even the beauty products he had given you like perfumes, makeup products, and face creams.

You had returned every single thing.

And on the coffee table, your keys to the house and the keys of your Aston Martin DB12.

It seemed like you had returned everything that could tie you to him, everything that made him wrongly call you a gold digger. And it felt painfully like a goodbye.

While mixing your homemade coffee, your eyes flicked to the door, then to your phone on the table, facing up. Despite the searing pain in your chest, and the sorrowful hole in your heart, maybe it was time to start to move on. It had been more than a week, if he wanted to come back to you, he would’ve come by now.

You got ready to meet with your advisor, and she brought up a topic that had been common now, about you taking a position as a professor for a couple of Engineering subjects. She said it’d be good for you to work in your area while on the last few months before getting your doctorate degree. You had mostly denied the other times she offered the position, because you wanted more time with Fernando, because you wanted the freedom to fly around the world following him to his races.

Now- now you had more bills to pay and no boyfriend to follow. You also had more free time, a broken heart and a vacant mind.

“I’m considering the position. I believe it could do me good right now.” You said to her, thoughtful, “can I confirm with you tomorrow?”

After going through the meeting and getting a review on your thesis, you went back to your flat, taking a long shower. You had just dressed in pajamas when the doorbell rang. With long strides, you were faced with Carmen, and not Fernando as you expected.

“From your face I take it he hasn’t spoken to you, yes?” Carmen muttered, seeing the visible disappointment in your face.

“I’m sorry, please come in,” you opened the door wider, forcing a smile. Carmen had a couple of bags that she set on a nearby table.

“He told us what happened, I’m so sorry,” Carmen hugged you and you immediately started crying, since you had no one to talk about the past few days, “I brought chocolates and wine, so we can talk.”

Over chocolates and a bottle of Merlot, you told her everything, starting at the deuxmoi rumor. She looked horrified when you said word for word what had transpired the last time you spoke with him.

“I just don’t understand why he didn’t come talk to you yet,” Carmen added, at some point.

“Because he won’t, at all.” You say with your voice shaky from crying so much the past hour.

“Don’t say that. He loves you.” Carmen said.

“I’m not entirely sure about that,” you shrugged, pretending it didn’t hurt as much as it did, “He’ll find another one, someone who can enjoy his money since it seems like it’s all that matters to him.”

Carmen didn’t say anything to that and you knew she couldn’t argue with the facts. Later, George dropped by to get her, going up to your flat so he could hug you quickly and mutter “I’m sorry”.

With a heavy heart, you slowly rebuild a healthy routine again, doing grocery shopping, cooking meals, going to the gym, studying and everything.

One day, you went back home after going on a shopping spree, and as you got into the hall, Fernando was there, standing in your hall, waiting by the door. You stopped, almost losing the timing to leave the elevator. When you walked closer, he noticed you. Meeting his eyes was different this time, uncertain and a little distant.

“What do you want?” You asked, you hoped your voice would come out harsh, but it only sounded defeated.

“Can we talk?” He asked, and you nodded, opening the door and letting him in.

There was a moment of awkward silence as you put the shopping bags down. After doing that, you crossed your arms and stood against a side table, waiting quietly.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, for not fully believing your love, I guess I was so focused in protecting myself, that I ended up hurting you, and it was never my intention,” Fernando stood just two steps away from you, his eyes holding such pain and fear, that it made you crumble, he didn’t look like he’d been sleeping well, “I love you, I really do. For who you are and nothing else.”

You wanted to give in so bad, you wanted to run into his arms and never let go, but you also didn’t want to suffer again.

“How do you know? You never knew that for two years, how would you know it now?” You shook your head, tears starting to fill your eyes again.

“Because it is hard being without you,” he said, like he was trying to find the right words, “I can’t sleep without you. My life is miserable without you around.”

You only nodded, covering your lips with a hand. You wanted to tell him that you had not gotten proper sleep without him, that your life feels empty, that not knowing about him everyday was painful. But you needed more. You needed something you could hold onto, and maybe, just maybe take another chance at the two of you.

“I- I made a list. Like you said,” his voice failed, and you noticed his hand was shaking a little as he held the paper, “I love you. I love coming home to you every time and feel our house so lived in. I love how you always hug me first thing after I’m back home. I love the silly texts you send me randomly throughout the day talking about your day. I love the selfies with your tongue out too,” that made you two chuckle, and the movement made your tears fall, so you wiped them, staring at him intently, “I love that you’re always the smartest person in any room we’re in. I love that you’re humble, never showing off or being a smartass. I love how cheeky and witty you are. I love that you talk in your sleep. I love that scar in your knee, because it shows you were always a little naughty, even as a kid. I love that there’s always fresh flowers at home. I love that you love kids. I love that you get along well with my family. I love that you-”

He didn’t finish, as you closed the distance and launched yourself at him, hugging him tight. Fernando held you close, pressing you into him, inhaling your perfume, feeling like he was at home again.

“I’m so sorry, princesa. So so sorry. I missed you so much,” he whispered against your cheek, kissing it softly.

“I missed you too, Nando” you said, eyes closed and allowing yourself to just feel him again, “I love you so much.”

You let go, holding his face with both hands, looking into his eyes before kissing him softly. He, on the other hand, held the back of your neck firmly, licking your mouth open, until he had tasted your mouth, leaving you breathless.

“Come back home with me, princesa.”

At that, you took a step back.

“I- I can’t, Nando. I got a new job at the university.”

“What?”

“I thought you weren’t coming back to me,” you muttered, and your words made him wince, “I needed something to hold on to.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” he ran a hand over his face, looking embarrassed for taking so long to come after you.

“I believe we should- we should take a step back, rethink a bit about our dynamic,” you told him, hesitant of his reaction.

“Are you unsure about us?” He asked, visibly worried.

“No, no- I love you- I do-” You started, taking his hand, holding it firmly against yours, “I just think we should rewind a bit. Have my own place and pay my own bills, I just don’t want to feel like that again, I need to regain my dignity in this.”

He kept quiet, because he knew deep down you were right. He felt awful about all the misunderstandings, but he knew you probably felt much, much worse. He should just get on his knees and be thankful you still loved him and still wanted him. He’d take all your conditions to get back with him.

And deep down both of you knew it was for the best. Moving out and living alone, working and seeing him occasionally as a boyfriend.

Holding your face, he kissed you, leaving little pecks on your lips, your cheeks, your chin, your forehead. You closed your eyes, letting him kiss you, and he muttered how much loved you and how much he missed you, kissing down the side of your neck. He walked you inside and let him, feeling his hands quickly peeling your clothes off, leaving a trail of clothes from the living room to your bedroom.

You parted so you could undress him, pulling at his jacket and the t-shirt.

“I love you, I love you so much,” he mumbled into a kiss, laying you down in bed.

You laid on the bed and he hugged him, making space for him between your legs. He held you, touching your nose with his gently.

“I missed you, princesa,” he kissed your cheek, “I promise I’ll do better from now on.”

“I know you will, baby.” You kissed him again, running your hand down his back, “make love to me now.”

He filled you up at once, and you groaned into his mouth, scratching your nails down his back as you cunt welcomed him. As he fucked into you, slowly at first then picking up pace, he muttered how much he loved you and how sorry he was, over and over.

As you cuddled after, quietly enjoying each other’s company.

“What do we do about all your gifts?”

“Give them away,” you shrugged.

“Can I convince you to take it back?”

“Not if you still want me in your life,” you muttered. He nodded, placing a gentle kiss on your shoulder.

“You know how I know I love you?” Fernando asked, drawing invisible patterns on your back, “there’s an engagement ring in the third drawer of my bedside table.”

You hesitated for a second, but he knew you well. Better than anyone else.

“I know what you said, I just wanted to let you know. I bought it a week after you moved in with me. I know we’re rewinding a little bit for now, but you’ll be my wife one day.”

“And what if I refuse when you propose?” You smirked, and he pulled your leg over his waist.

“You won’t.”

Note: UGH IDK GUYS :(

#f1 fanfic #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fic #f1 #formula 1 #fernando alonso x you #fernando alonso x reader #fernando alonso #Spotify

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wasawattpadkid · 1 year

Text

Housewife

Part - 19

Summery: Billy and Stu have been planning these murders for quite some time. Everything is going to plan until you show up. What happens when they meet someone who is just as mentally deluded as they are?

Pairing: Poly! ghostface x fem!reader

Warnings for this series: murder, blood, smut (will be more in depth on smut chapters), power dynamics, a dash of sexism, knives, stalking, perverse behavior, cheating,

Part 1

Dewey looked at the boy with pity. Billy's right hand was wrapped in a white cast. He had spent an hour in the hospital setting his broken hand back in place. It was way worse than getting stabbed according to him. The officers on duty all thought the boy was hilarious. The makeup paired with the outfit he was a walking joke. Dewey only made matters worse. His coworkers almost died laughing watching the deputy sign his name on Billy's cast.

"I hear Batman is getting released," Todd said leaning on Dewey's desk. "Yes, Billy is being released I already called someone to pick him up." The deputy left his seat on his way to talk to the inmate.

"Stu said he's on his way," Dewey said taking a seat outside of the holding cell. Billy hadn't spoken much. The few times he did it was to give his statement on what happened or ask if you were okay. He didn't care about anything else. Billy was too busy planning on killing the fucker that laid his hands on you. "Did he say how Y/n was doing?" The boy's gaze stayed glued to the moldy ceiling. "No, just that he'd be on his way to pick you up. I told him about your hand." Billy looked at the deputy with a scoff. "That's great."

"What did you think he's going to miss that when he shows up to get you?" Billy had begged the doctor just to set his hand and leave it be. Turns out they can't do that. Now he was stuck with a heavy cast with Dewey's name on it. He didn't even agree to that the deputy just grabbed a marker and did it.

"I know seeing that mask set you off. That and what happened to Y/n. Look, you're not in any trouble. If Daniel decides to press charges the county won't prosecute you. It'd be a waste of time. You were protecting her and after all that's happened you don't need to worry about this." Dewey's change of heart confused Billy. Every time he's run into the officer he's been met with nothing but disdain and hostility. Now Dewey wants to act like his friend. "What happened to you? You hated me just days ago." Billy sat up on the bench making eye contact with the man.

Dewey realized what you said that day in the office was true. The three of you needed to look out for each other. At the end of the day, he felt bad for all of you. The ghost of the massacre would follow the survivors for as long as they lived. They were just kids. No one deserved what happened to them that night. Dewey hated himself for living through it and he was sure the three of you felt similarly. Survivor's guilt they call it. He read a book about it.

He pulled off his hat sitting it neatly on his lap. "It's been 26 days since I lost Tatum... Even less since the funeral. I can still hear her sometimes." His eyes focused on his shoes as he talked. "I couldn't save her. For a while I blamed Stu. How could her boyfriend who loves her let that happen? I know that Neil was the one who took her but I guess I needed someone else to blame." Dewey leaned forward looking up at Billy through the bars.

"I care about Y/n like I know you do. I treated you and Stu poorly because I saw what happened to the people you loved. That was messed up, I get that now and I'm sorry. I don't want her to go through what my sister did. You did a damn good job of taking care of her tonight."

Billy sat in silence. He didn't feel bad about what he did to Tatum. Neither did he feel bad about what he did to Sydney. It was necessary to move on with his life to start over. He felt It was fair considering what the Prescott family took from him. Maureen's choices shouldn't have fucked up his whole life but they did. Billy just leveled the playing field.

Listening to Dewey's sob story almost made the boy sick to his stomach. He didn't feel bad about what he did rather he felt horrible that he didn't care. Dewey wasn't his friend or his brother, he shouldn't care about his feelings. Yet here he was feeling sorry for the officer. "I can't lose her," Billy spoke in something akin to a whisper. His voice was broken almost as much as his hand.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders. You won't. After the stunt you pulled tonight I'd say she's in good hands." Dewey did think it was odd that Billy was able to move on so quickly from Sydney. He guessed that the boy was trying to fill the hole that abruptly appeared. Dewey couldn't blame him. He was doing the same thing. Where did that leave you though? After all of this, he didn't want you to get more hurt than you already had been. "You think so?" Billy asked loving the idea of protecting you. What he did at the party felt good. Feeling that fuckers bones crack beneath his hand was exhilarating. Of course, he wished he didn't have to do it. He hated the fact he let it happen. The details of your attack were lost on Billy. All he saw was the masked boy pining you to the wall as his hands pulled at your dress.

"I do. Just maybe take it easy for a while?" Dewey smiled lighting up the conversation. "I'll try." Billy nodded. "Deputy, Can I speak to you for a moment?" Another officer called Dewey away leaving Billy alone in the cell.

Billy looked down at his cast trying not to pick at it. He didn't like having it on. It was a nuisance to put it lightly. The doctor told him he'd have to wear it for at least six weeks. Frankly, he didn't think he could make it that long mainly because of the name written in black ink on the cast. "Billy?" Dewey spoke walking into the room. His keys jangled as he opened up the cell door. "Stu's here to pick you up."

Once all the paperwork was done and signed Billy was finally allowed to leave the county jail. "Oh, she's going to kill you," Billy said looking at your car in the parking lot. Stu was upset. Billy hadn't said one word to him. Not a "thank you," "glad to see ya," "go fuck yourself," nothing. "Me? What about you?" Stu spat getting into the driver's seat.

"What about me? I saved her from that creep." Billy thought he was your knight in shining armor. You kept him fed and he kept you safe. After all, that's what you wanted right?

"You told the whole town you two were dating. Billy, you knew she wanted to wait." Stu drove while Billy rolled his eyes. "They were going to find out eventually. Everyone already thinks you two were fucking behind Tatum's back." Stu kept his eyes on the road. "Don't talk about her." After his talk with Dewey, Stu felt differently about a few things. "Jesus, what crawled up your ass tonight?" Stu hit the brakes making Billy's head hit the dash. "What the fuck!" The boy yelled holding his now bleeding head. "It's four in the morning. I just had to drive across town to pick you up from jail and you haven't said thank you. I begged Dewey not to call your dad to save you from the fight that was bound to happen and still, no thank you. Do you give a shit about me at all? Cause lately I feel like the only one you pay attention to is little Miss Betty Crocker. If I have to put on an apron for you to give a fuck I will. Is that what it's going to take?"

Billy's head pounded and Stu's yelling didn't help. "I'm sorry. Is that what you want to hear? My fucking hand is broken and you're upset that I didn't say thank you? You didn't even give me the chance. Where were you when she was getting attacked?" Stu's demeanor changed as he seemed to shrink. "You told me to get water-"

"That's right you were getting her water because you just had to give her alcohol. If you would've just gotten me and you a beer none of this would've happened. Don't jump my ass because all of this is your fault." Stu's face was red as tears weld up in his eyes. He gassed up the car driving in silence. The streetlights were smeared by his tears making it harder to see. This was his fault. That was what he told himself over and over. He was the one being selfish. He hadn't even noticed the bright white cast covering his partner's hand.

While Stu beat himself up over something he had no control over Billy cursed himself for yelling. "I'm sorry for shouting." Billy broke the silence. Stu sniffled trying to compose himself. "I'm sorry for jumping your ass." He responded quietly.

Billy turned towards the driver sighing at the sight. "It's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault it's Daniel's." Stu rounded the corner sending a glance to Billy. He didn't know his partner knew your assailant. "Daniel?" Stu asked. "Daniel Lawson. I heard Dewey say his name when talking to some other asshole." Stu looked over at his friend seeing that gleam in his eyes he hadn't seen for a while. "What are you thinking?" Billy smirked already having a plan. "I'm thinking we're about to have one less student attending Woodsboro high school."

By the time Stu pulled into the garage both men had smiles on their faces. Stu was happy to have his partner in crime back. It was probably unhealthy that the time he felt closest to Billy was when they were planning a murder. This was something only the two of them shared. Billy didn't want to include you because he saw you as too innocent to partake in such a depraved act. Even after what you did that night at Stu's place. To put it simply it was men's work.

Stu didn't want to include you because he had Billy to himself. It was their little secret this time. Stu would make sure you wouldn't find out about it. It was a win for everyone involved. Your attacker would disappear and Stu got to spend quality time with his boyfriend. It was a win win scenario.

"I'm going to take a shower and get something to eat before I head to bed." Billy pulled his boots off sitting them by the door. Stu stood behind his lover starting to kiss his neck softly. All the planning had stirred something inside of the short-haired boy. "Stu..." Billy warned not really in the mood. That didn't stop him however as his hand slowly slid down the front of Billy's outfit. "I'm tired." He spoke trying not to hurt Stu's feelings. His hand slipped underneath Billy's pants making him pull away. "Enough, alright? I'm tired and I'm hungry. I'm not in the mood right now."

Billy's hand was still killing him and his stomach was fighting for attention. Not to mention the throbbing headache he now had thanks to Stu. The last thing on his mind was sex unfortunately for his partner. Billy didn't mean anything by it. It wasn't personal but Stu took it as such.

"Whatever I'm going to sleep. You'll probably have more room on the couch than the bed." Stu walked upstairs leaving Billy with a headache. He was used to Stu's mood swings they happened ever so often. That along with an occasional manic episode. If he was lucky Stu would wake up in a better mood. Billy rubbed his face stopping halfway realizing too late he had makeup on. "Fuck..." He cursed.

Billy walked into the kitchen fixing himself a sandwich. He decided he would eat first and then take a shower. It was a funny sight. The man covered in makeup and blood stains was sitting at the kitchen table trying his best to eat a sandwich with his left hand. Once it was gone he put his plate in the sink, he'd wash it later. Billy decided to use the downstairs bathroom not about to suffer Stu's wrath once again.

Showering was more difficult than anticipated. The more he struggled to get his shirt off the more aggravated he got. "God damnit!" He cursed a little too loud. "Stupid..." He whispered to himself. With a couple of deep breaths, he went into the kitchen grabbing a pair of scissors. It wasn't an easy task to cut the shirt from his body. The doctor at the hospital cut the duct tape and the sleeve of his shirt off leaving room to put on the cast. Funny enough he left Billy to suffer with the rest of the fabric. His hand fumbled with the scissors struggling to get them to cut anything.

His yelling had woken you up. You could still feel the effects of the alcohol coursing through your veins. Thankfully it was less aggressive than before. Stu was laying sideways in the bed drooling onto your pillows. "Guess everyone had a rough night." You grumbled pulling yourself up from the bed.

You threw on your robe before heading down the stairs. Billy was home. His cursing and mumbling gave him away. "What are you doing?" Your eyes were squinted, offended by the white light in the bathroom. "Babe thank fuck. Cut this." He held the scissors towards you while you just stood confused. It took a moment for your eyes to adjust.

"What happened to your face?" You moved forward to run a finger over the dried blood. "Police brutality." He raised his eyebrows at the joke which didn't make you laugh. "Your arm..." You noticed the cast branded with Dewey's name. Gently you reached out inspecting the cast. "Don't ask." Billy shook his head at the signature. "How bad did you break it?" Just like that the whole scene replayed in your head. For a minute or two you watched your boyfriend turn into something you couldn't describe.

It was scary. You remembered how he looked when he was chasing you in the mall a few days after you moved. It was that same terrifying look just directed at someone else.

"They said I broke four knuckles, nothing too horrible." It was horrible. Some of the worst pain that boy ever felt but he wouldn't tell you that. You huffed a laugh. "How are you feeling?" He asked running his left hand over your head. Billy's eyes looked you up and down. You knew what he was wondering. "I'm okay. He didn't get that far if that's what you're asking." Billy shook his head. "It doesn't matter how far he got Y/n he shouldn't have touched you at all."

You grabbed the scissors slowly cutting the fabric off his body. "Are you upset that he touched me or are you upset that he hurt me?" The question was asked calmly. Billy didn't understand the difference between the two questions. To you however the difference was great. You seriously doubted Billy would've acted that same way if it was some other girl.

Billy chose his words carefully seeing you had scissors and all. "I'm not upset, I'm furious." His fingers grabbed your jaw lifting your chin. Your hands stopped, waiting for him to say something. Billy's eyes wandered your face his heart squeezed at the thought of anything happening to you. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you tonight. I didn't know what he was doing. I heard you say my name and I saw his hand under your dress. I blacked out for a second." It was a bullshit excuse. He remembered every thought that flew through his brain. Billy could recite the boy's pained pleas if you asked him to. Now was the time to play up the boyfriend act. As days went on it got easier for him to do.

His eyes softened as he spoke. It was funny how things came full circle. You met Billy because of some bully trying to see down your shirt. That was the first person he ever hit. Now look at the two of you. Both of you were broken but somehow you were looking out for each other.

"You think you embarrassed me?" You pulled away from his touch. Everyone would be talking about it. You knew that, but Billy almost killed a man with his bare hands and he's worried about the scene he caused.

"You're not embarrassed?" Billy cocked his head to one side. You started to peel off the cut up shirt as you spoke. "No. I'm scared, I-I'm worried but I'm not embarrassed. Do you think I'm embarrassed of you?" That was one of Billy's concerns. That after tonight you wouldn't want anything to do with him. He knew if the roles were reversed he'd probably never leave his house again. Fearful of what people might say. You looked the man up and down. He looked broken literally and figuratively. "The guy wanted to see my scar. I think he had more to drink than I did." You laughed trying to make a joke out of the serious conversation. "It was scary, I thought... something bad was going to happen and it might have. I don't know. You stopped him before anything seriously fucked up happened so thank you."

You tossed the ripped pieces of the shirt in the trash almost falling over from spinning too fast. "Baby," Billy said as he grabbed your arm stabilizing you. "Still feeling it huh?" He smiled. "I'll never do this again." You promised but Billy doubted that. Billy knew by the way you and Stu danced that you two would have partying in common.

"I bet." He said turning on the shower so the water could warm up. "Make sure you scrub your face good. You don't want to break out." Billy nodded at your advice. "Are you going back to bed?" You yawned at the mention of sleep. "I'm exhausted. I'll save you a spot in bed okay?" Billy watched you walk into the hallway. "Okay, I won't be long." You shut the bathroom door behind you going back up to your room.

You tried to be normal about it all. Part of you swooned over what he did. In some sick twisted way, you enjoyed seeing him defend you the way he did. It made you feel invincible which was a dangerous feeling. The other part of you however feared the man you began to love. He could keep you safe from everyone but himself. Stu's behavior at the party was unsettling as well. The violence was more important to him than you. He rushed to your side but his shouting didn't stop. The fight was thrilling for Stu.

With a heavy heart and head, you threw your robe over the chair crawling into bed next to Stu. "Scoot." You shoved the boy forcing him to move to the side of the bed. Stu rolled over his back facing you. Deep in sleep, he grabbed your hand pulling your arm over his waist. With a small smile, you pulled him in effectively snuggling up to the man.

You didn't know how things would go. The headache you had could've been the alcohol or your overthinking. You were scared of the future. For too long you had lived on a day-to-day basis. It was nice for a while but eventually, you'd have to face the music. Something had to give.

Billy pulled on a pair of boxers along with a t-shirt before heading to bed. Stu had you wrapped in his arms leaving plenty of room for Billy. Carefully he climbed into bed not wanting to wake up either of you. He wasn't happy with the way things played out. Daniel should be dead not just concussed with a broken nose. Billy didn't give a shit about the details of your attack. That son of a bitch laid a finger on you, the one thing Billy promised to prevent. Daniel didn't know it yet but he was a dead man walking.

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neptunes-curse · 1 year

Text

How They All Found Out || ER

You and Eddie were doing a good job of sneaking around with your realationship. But slowly, as you two start to fall more and more in love, it gets harder to hide your feelings from the band.

pairings: Eddie Roundtree x Fem!reader

warnings: me messing with the timeline for the fic’s sake, cussing, talks of kids in the future, allusions to sex

authors note: Djats is my new favorite thing. Let me know if you guys have any other requests, i’d be happy to write them.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

You and Eddie starting seeing eachother on the break of the SevenEightNine tour. It was perfect timing, you didn’t have to hide, since it was always just the two of you. You got along so well, It felt like you were the only people in the world. Nothing else mattered. The two of you would lie in bed all day, no worries but eachother. It was all perfect. That was, until, Billy got out of Rehab and the band got together again. Then everything got hard.

Eddie Roundtree (Rhythm Guitarist): That first month or two, man, those were the days. Just me and my girl, nothing else to worry about. It was all so easy. And don’t get me wrong, when we [the band] got back together, I was thrilled. It just meant things would get harder for Y/n and me.

You and Eddie were lying in bed together one morning, the sun shining through the windows of your now shared bedroom. Your head was lying on his chest while his hand rested on your lower back. The only thing you were wearing was (his) a tshirt and your underwear. It was a perfect, peaceful scene. But, inside your head, everything was the opposite. Billy had just gotten out of Rehab. Which would normally be good, but all it did was make things more complicated. The band would start practicing again. And you didn’t want what you had with Eddie to just stop. You hadn’t talked about what you were, but you were sure he would want to stay together. He acted like your boyfriend. And that was all the mattered, right?

“Eddie, what do you think will happen when we start practicing again?” You asked, tentatively. You had been thinking about asking this question for a while. If Eddie was going to end it, you wanted it over with. Rip the band-aid off, right? He turned his head toward you and smiled slightly. “Well, what do you want to do?” He started, “I mean, I dont want to stop this. I like you, a whole lot.” You felt your face heat up. You felt like a 13-year-old girl with her first crush, but you didn’t care. Eddie had that effect on you. You replied, “Me too. It’s just- Would you mind if we don’t tell the others? Just for a while.”

Y/N L/N (Bassist): When you’re a woman in a band, people say a lot of shitty things to you. They’ll question your ability to play, say others are better than you. Back then, what other people thought meant a lot to me. I didn’t want to be “Eddie Roundtree’s Girlfriend.” I wanted to be known as me.

You could see his smile falter. You didn’t want this, but it was for the best. The best for you, atleast. You’d still have lots of time together, right? Everything would be the same. That’s what you kept telling yourself.

“Yeah, sure. As long as I get to keep kissing you.” Eddie said. You were glad he was taking it well. He puts a smirk on leans over to kiss you. You laugh and put both your hands on the side of his face to pull him in. He adjusts himself to be on top of you.

Maybe this would work out better than you thought.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Practice with the band has been going great. It was four months after Billy had gotten back. He was doing a lot better, and you were proud of him. You guys were playing more than ever, just trying to make up for lost time. That meant waking up early and staying in the studio til the late hours of the night.

The downside of this was that you and Eddie got less and less time together. You could see his longing glances across the studio, when the rest of the band was there. He just wanted to be together, which you could understand. You would take every opportunity possible to sneak into his room, most times just to talk. You wanted to be near him, to hear his voice and feel his touch. It was getting increasingly harder to not do so in front of others.

One night, after a long practice, you were struggling to sleep. It had been happening for nights and nights in a row. You weren’t sure why, most likely due to all the stress of the rehearsals. You had tried everything from counting sheep, flipping yor pillow, you even smoked a cigarette or two. But nothing helped. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, you decided you would head into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

You slowly rolled out of your bed, your feet touching the cold floor beneath you as you walked to your door. You quietly opened the door, slipping out of your bedroom. The last thing you wanted was to wake the whole house up at this hour. Quickly, you scurried into the kitchen. You stuck your hands out to feel around for the cabinet holding the cups. But, instead of your hands finding a knob, you felt a mop of soft, blonde hair.

“What the hell,” Eddie quickly turned around to face you, loudly shutting the cabinet holding the glassware. “Eddie!” You scolded him for being so loud. You placed a hand over his mouth, symbolizing for him to be quiet. He tried to stifle a laugh as he grabbed the hand in front of his mouth, encasing it in his much larger hand. “Funny seeing you here, baby.” Eddie smirked as he placed one hand firmly on your hip, still holding one of your hands. You laughed quietly, a smile reserved only for him starting to appear on your face. He leaned down to kiss you on the forehead. “I’ve missed you.” Eddie said. You laughed quietly, quickly responding, “I saw you five hours ago, remember?” He rolls his eyes at you. “Not like that. I miss being alone with you.” He says suggestively. He slowly starts tracing patterns on your hand with his thumb.

“Well, we have alone time right now… why not make good use of it?” You smirk. Eddie leaned down to kiss your jaw, moving down until he reached your neck. Your wrapped your hands around his neck, slightly turning your head to give him better access. You were fully wrapped up in the kisses before you realized where you were. He was kissing you in the middle of the kitchen! Anyone could walk in! “Eddie,” you started, but he ignored your call. “Eddie!” you said it much louder this time, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear. He stopped his trail of kisses, leaning his forehead against yours. He was so close to your lips, if he leaned in any further they would touch.

“We shouldn’t be doing this right now. Atleast not here.” You said. You bit your lip immediately after, pulling back your words. You knew it wasn’t right, but you missed him so much you couldn’t help it. “I know you don’t mean that.” Eddie said, tauntingly. He pulled a hand up to your lip, untucking it from under your teeth. “You bite your lip when you lie, sweetheart. You’re not very good at it.” He whispers to you. What happens next, you couldn’t control. You crashed your lips into his, hungrily looking for more.

Eddie places his hands under your thighs, and you jump up, wrapping your legs around him. His hands trace circles on your bare skin, making your heart jump. While your lips are still on his, he carries you to the counter, placing you down in front of him. His body is between your legs. Eddie is kissing down your neck, leaving light hickeys wherever he wants too. Those will be a problem for tomorrow. But right now, you’re fully in the moment. His hands are now under your shirt, and you can feel your heartbeat rising.

You’d been waiting for this forever. At this point, you’d forgotten you were in the middle of the kitchen. You needed him, and he needed you. The last time you were able to be together like this was weeks ago. All the pent-up tension between the two of you was being released with each kiss. Eddie grabs the end of your shirt, signalling for you to take it off. You do, and he kisses your shoulders and chest. But all the sudden, he stops. You look down at him, confused.

“Eddie? Eddie what happen-“

“Woah.” Warren says, startling you.

You turn your head, your face displaying total shock. Of course, someone would walk in! Just your luck. You quickly pull your shirt over your head and hop off the counter. This would take some explaining.

“You guys? You guys are hooking up?” Warren continues. His mouth is wide open. He’s laughing, rather loudly too. “I would’ve never guessed, man!”

The three of you stand there, all in total shock, for about a minute.

Warren Rojas (Drummer): It was crazy. I mean, we all knew they [Y/n and Eddie] had something. But I would’ve never known they’d been fucking. I always wondered why they didn’t tell anyone.

“So,” Eddie said. He looked at you for guidance.

“Please don’t tell anybody, Warren. Please.” You were practically begging him. You looked at him with your best puppy dog eyes and pleading smile. You could feel Eddie brushing his fingers against yours, almost for comfort.

“You guys don’t have to worry about me. I‘ll keep your secret.” He said. “I better be best man at the wedding, though.” Warren laughed.

“It’s not-“ Eddie said.

“Yeah, yeah. Can I atleast get some food though?” He said motioning to where you guys were standing, blocking the fridge.

You both nodded and scooted over very akwardly. You looked up at Eddie and all you could do was laugh, leaning into him. You placed your head on his chest, and he reached his hand up to cradle the back of your head. You were both laughing quietly. The situation was really ridiculous. You had been so careful, you never thought you would get caught. But it’s only one person who knows, right? And Warren wouldn’t dare tell anybody.

When Warren finished with whatever he was getting from the fridge, he started to walk away. When he was almost to his door, he turned to face you and Eddie. He looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it. He settled with an akward wave. With that, Warren was gone.

“So, where were we…” Eddie said, slowly starting to kiss yor jaw. You put your hands out, putting space between the two of you.

“I’d rather not have the entire band walk in on us, Eds.” You say. Your decision still stands, about not wanting the whole world to know of you and Eddie’s realationship. If you could even call it that, really. “But, maybe if we went to one of our bedrooms…” You trail off. Eddie doesn’t have to hear anymore. He is dragging you off to his room.

Eddie Roundtree: That was a good night for me. For us. I think it really made me realize what I wanted for us. Y/n still didn’t want to come out in the open with our realationship, which I understood. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t have something just between us. So I asked her to be my girlfriend that night. And she said yes. *smiles*

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

About two months or so after the Warren incident, the band was back in the studio recording. You were working with Teddy Price again. It was a miracle he let you back, considering how terribly the last tour ended. He suggested you bring in a new voice, someone who could bring more traction to the band. He suggested Daisy Jones. So, the band got to work on your new song Aurora, with the help of the wonderful Daisy.

One late night, the whole band was out with Daisy at Chateau Marmont. It was one of her many parties, which were always marvelous. You were wearing a short black skirt, matched with a white halter top with red floral detailing. You put together this outfit especially for a lipstick you wanted to wear, that was gifted to you by Karen, for your birthday. It was a gorgeous deep red color that complimented your skin perfectly.

You arrived at the Chateau a little later than everyone else, and you quickly found who you were looking for. Eddie. You made your way across the room to him. His face lit up with an all too familiar boyish smile. Eddie was standing alone next to the drinks, nursing a beer. He reached down to the cooler and grabbed you one, popping it open for you.

“Here you go, Y/n.” Eddie said while holding out his hand with the open beer. You took it with a smile.

“I’ve been looking for you all night, baby. Where have you been?” said Eddie. He takes a quick sip of his beer, admiring you. You can see his eyes flick up and down, from your legs up to your face. You could tell they lingered on your chest, which was exactly what you wanted. “I like this shirt.” He says, winking. You scan the room, making sure nobody is watching. You slowly take his hand and place a sloppy kiss on his lips. You start to lead him into a close bathroom.

“Are you sure Y/n? I mean we just got here, and you said you still wanted to keep us a secret.” Eddie says, looking at you concerningly. But you can tell, by how Eddie is looking at you and how he’s standing, with one hand holding yours and the other tight on your ass, that he really wants to sneak into the bathroom aswell. He was looking out for you, which was always something you admired about him. He was always considerate.

“It’ll be quick.” You smirk. You both make it into the restroom. You turn and lock the door behind you.

Around 30 minutes later, Eddie emerges from the bathroom. You both decided he would go first, just in case someone you two knew was by the door. This way nobody would become suspicious. He walks out back into the party, which has gained guests and volume while the two of you were away. He navigates through the crowd to find another beer. While searching for that, he finds two people from the band. Karen and Daisy were standing in the corner together. They wave Eddie over and he walks towards them.

“Hey Eddie, where have you been?” Says Karen. Daisy and Karen both smile at him, whilst exchanging looks. Eddie doesn’t catch it at first. He starts a conversation with them. But soon, after a while, Karen and Daisy burst out into a fit of laughter.

“What, what is it?” Eddie says, irriatated. Are they laughing at him? He hasn’t done anything embarrassing. Karen and Daisy don’t answer his question, they just continue to giggle.

“What’s funny?” Eddie restates himself. Now, he is just as much confused as he is annoyed. Did Billy tell them something? At this point, he was ready to leave and find somebody else to talk to. He was just about to walk away when Daisy grabs his hand.

“No, Eddie, wait,” She says between laughs, “We’ll tell you what’s funny.”

So, he turns backs around and crosses his arms. He could be doing much better things than being laughed at by two band mates. He looks around the room, impatiently waiting for their answer.

“Did you realize you have lipstick on your face, Eddie? Red lipstick?” Daisy says.

Oh.

That’s what they were laughing at.

“And it looks an awful lot like the one I got Y/n for her birthday.” Karen adds.

Karen Sirko (keyboardist): Oh my God! It was hilarious! Eddie comes out, and he has lipstick everywhere. His lips, his neck. And at first I was like, “Oh, good for him.” but then I realized that it was Y/n’s lipstick! The one i got her for her birthday, even. God, that was the highlight of my week.

Eddie reaches a hand up to his lips, and sure enough, deep, red lipstick residue is on his hands. The trail goes down his neck, too. He keeps trying to rub it off to the best of his ability. He laughs akwardly, looking down. Daisy senses the akwardness and tries to comfort him.

“Hey, i’m really happy for you guys. You two will be a great match, i’m sure.” She smiles, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Eddie looks up, smiling back at her. “Would it be okay if you guys didn’t tell anybody for now? We aren’t ready to tell everyone yet.” He says.

Daisy Jones (vocals): Eddie and Y/n? They were adorable. You could just tell that he was in love with her. When he would play, the only person his eyes went to was Y/n. As for Y/n, she was the same. When he walked into the room, you could see her smile. If I wanted my future to be like anyone’s, It would probably be their’s.

Karen and Daisy both nod. Eddie felt really bad about them finding out. Y/n had asked him to keep it a secret and he was dumb and messed it up. But, hey, Warren already knows. So two more people shouldn’t be so bad? And Eddie trusts Karen. He wasn’t sure about Daisy yet, but Y/n seemed to love her. He’d have to tell Y/n soon.

Y/n L/n: I wasn’t mad at all. It was really my fault for not noticing the lipstick. I helped him wipe it off after that, and I have to admit, he looked really silly. I can’t believe he left the bathroom looking like that.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

It was Julia’s first birthday. Camila had put together a celebration with balloons, banners, and an adorable little pink cake. It was all out together in their new house’s backyard. They had a housewarming party a while ago. It was one of the best parties you’d ever been too. Being surrounded by friends who loved you always made you feel better.

At Julia’s party, you and Eddie were playing with her. She had brought a couple Barbies outside and was acting out a scene with them. You and Eddie were doing it with her, going along with whatever she says. “We go swim!” Julia moves her Barbie over to a nearby puddle, grabbing both your hands and making you move yours over too. “Weeeeee!” Julia makes the Barbies jump up and down in the puddle. While they were jumping, she moves them around wildly in your direction and they splash your sundress.

“Woah! Julia!” You say, holding her hand to settle her down. “You got me all wet!” You joke, fake scolding. She giggles, apologizing, “I’m sorry Aunt Y/n!” You smile at her. How could you be mad at such a cute face? You grab Julia’s hand while standing up, and point in her dad’s direction. “It’s okay, Jules. Why don’t you go find your dad while I go clean up?” She follows your directions and runs over to her father, Billy.

You stand up, swiftly brushing the dirt and grime off your hands and dress.

“You’re really good with Julia, Y/n” Eddie says.

You smile widely at him, laughing happily. “You think so? I always imagined myself with kids when I was younger.”

“It just got me thinking. We could do that one day.” Eddie says, looking down at you fondly.

“Have kids?” You ask. It was true, you always thought you’d have a family. Two, even three kids. Maybe a dog, too. But that was all back in Pittsburgh. You weren’t sure if that life would fit into your life style now.

“Yeah. Big house, white picket fence. Some kids running around. Wouldn’t you like that, Y/n?” He says. You two were dangerously close, in the middle of Billy and Camila’s yard. Everyone you knew was there. But at the moment, it only felt you and Eddie were present. It was like the world closed in on you, and it was just him and you left. You liked the close, intimate feel. Even though you had been dating for around a year, you had never talked about your future outside of being in the band.

“Yeah, I think I would like that.” You say happily. You liked this side of Eddie. The warm, inviting side. You really were beginning to see a future with the blonde. The two of you stood, in the middle of the yard, just looking into each other’s eyes. Words didn’t need to be spoken. It was a silent “I love you”.

Eddie Roundtree: Yeah, I remember that day. She just looked so beautiful, playing with Jules. She was so kind, always was. You couldn’t help but love her. *smiles*

You are quickly snapped out of the moment by Camila calling to you.

“Hey, Y/n!” Camila says. She walks up to you and frowns. “I heard about your dress. I’m so sorry, i’ll talk to Jules after the party.” She apologizes.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just wash it when I get home.” You respond. You look down at your blue sundress, taking a look at all the muddy spots. “I think i’ll go inside and try to find a washcloth. I’ll try to get some of the mud out.” You say. Camila nods.

“I’ll come with you!” She exclaims. You flash Eddie a sweet smile goodbye, and he winks in return. Eddie turns to go talk to Graham as you go inside with Camila. As soon as you shut the door, Camila starts to smile suspiciously.

“You and Eddie, hm?” She questions. You freeze, simply in shock. You were going to have to dig yourself out of a big hole. Plus, you were never good at lying, especially to Camila. It was like she could see through people. You always envied it about her.

“What do you mean, Cami?” You ask. You begin to make you way to the sink, avoiding her eyes.

“Don’t try to fool me. I see the way he looks at you, Y/n. It’s like you hung the stars and put the moon in the sky. He loves you.” Camila smiles. She digs through the drawers of her kitchen before handing you a white washcloth.

“I don’t,” You start. The question had totally caught you off guard. Was it love? Had you fallen in love with Eddie Roundtree? “I don’t know how he feels.” You stutter. Guess there is no hiding it now.

You begin to wet the washcloth, but your mind is anywhere besides this room. Is Camila right? You always knew you had something special with Eddie. But you’d never thought about it this much to be honest. With the baby conversation today and Camila’s conversation with you right now, you are seriously considering it. Things between you and the blonde wasn’t just hooking up anymore and it hasn’t been for a long time. It felt as if things were suddenly gettin for serious, and you were not going to say no to it.

“Well I think I know how you feel.” The girl says, poking you in the side. You laugh with her, moving your hip out of her reach. You shake your head in response, but the radiant smile on your face tells otherwise.

When you recover from the laughter fit, you begin to blot the muddy fabric of your dress with the cloth. Cami settles down as well. She peeks out the window and smiles, “Looks like everyone is about to sing happy birthday. I better go get the candles. Come out in a second, yeah?” She says. You nod, waving her goodbye.

Just before she is about to walk out the door, she turns around and teases, “Oh, and Eddie will be out there, too. You might want to hurry.” She winks at you mischievously before shutting the door and hurrying over to where Julia and Billy were.

Camila Dunne: Oh, Gosh, they were an amazing couple. I would’ve never known, but once I did, it just felt so obvious. They were perfect together, and I mean it. You could just tell by the way they looked at eachother. As soon as his eyes fell on Y/n, they turned into hearts. And vice versa.

Normally, you would be freaking out. You just gave away the secret of your realationship to yet another person. But right now you were on cloud 9. Eddie Roundtree might love you. And you might love him back.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

When Aurora was finally finished, the entire band was thrilled. Everyone had working together, and it turned out perfectly. You could feel it was about to be a big hit. The single, Look At Us Now, was already topping the charts. You had Daisy’s and Billy’s perfect vocal chemistry to thank for that.

Everybody was getting ready for the album cover shoot. It had been scheduled for weeks. After much bickering from Daisy and Billy, they decided on a desert shoot. The whole band was wearing tan, blue, and brown costumes, some more extravagant than others.

You and Eddie, though, had different plans. You snuck into his room late the night before. Everyone was staying in a hotel, as the photo shoot location was about 3 hours out of town and nobody wanted to drive that far so early. So, while everyone was getting ready, you and Eddie were lying in bed together, enjoying the solitude of the morning.

You were brushing stray hairs out of his face, to make sure you could see his beautiful eyes. Atleast you always thought they were beautiful. He was looking right back at you, with a dopey grin on his face. “I love you, Y/n.” He whispered. And you whispered it back.

After ten more minutes of this lovesick haze, you sat up, grabbing your watch that layed onnthe bedside table. Your face froze with shock.

“Shit, Shit, Shit! Eddie, it’s already 9:30. We were supposed to be down five minuetes ago!” With those words, the two of you flew out of bed, hurrily throwing on coats and blouses and brushing knotted hair from last night’s activities.

Meanwhile, downstairs, everyone was waiting on you two. Daisy, Karen, Warren, Camila, Billy, even Julia, all sat downstairs around a couple tables. They had finished breakfast a while ago, as it was now 9:45.

“Okay, where the fuck are they?” Billy said, tapping his foot. Karen and Daisy shared a look, Warren snickered, and Camila avoided his gaze. But Graham was clueless.

“I’ll go get them. I’m done eating anyway.” The younger Dunne brother said, hopping out of his seat next to Karen. He walks up to the elavator and steps inside, pressing the button of the band’s floor.

Meanwhile, you and Eddie were still frantically trying to get ready. You were applying a nude lipstick while Eddie buttoned up his shirt. You were no where near ready and you figured time was running out.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. You both freeze, making eye contact in the mirror.

“Probably just maintenance.” You reason.

“Yeah, just maintenance.” He agrees.

But you both quickly found out you were wrong when Graham’s voice sounded from the other side of the door. “Eddie, man, get up! You’re already thirty minutes late for photos.”

Oh, so it wasn’t maintenance. It was Graham. And Graham didn’t know. You and Eddie had started to consider telling everyone for good, but it had been so easy how it already was. You had settled into a routine of secrecy. It would just be so much harder to stop.

Graham knocks again, sounding impatient. You quickly pull out a curling iron to atleast get half your hair done while Eddie rushes to the door.

“Hey, just give me five more minutes.” He says before shutting the door in his face. Your boyfriend quickly rushes over to you in the bedroom, as you had given up on the hair curling idea after the front two pieces.

“What are we going to do, Ed?” you ask. He places a reassuring hand on your cheek, brushing a piece of hair away from your face.

“I’ll go out first. I’ll talk to Graham for a little before moving on downstairs. Then, he’ll go to your room next door and knock. You’ll slip out of here and try to walk a little ways down the hall so he doesn’t notice you came out of my room. Just pretend you were getting ice or something.” He says. You nod, trying hard to listen to exactly what he says.

When Eddie finishes speaking, you place a gentle kiss on his cheek. “For good luck.” you say. He smiles and embraces you quickly before heading for the door, motioning for you to hide on the other side of the room.

“Sorry about that Graham. Woke up late.” You can hear Eddie say from the other side of the wall. You press your ear up against the wallpaper trying to listen to more.

“I get it. I’m going to knock on Y/n’s door too. She must’ve overslept as well.” He pats Eddie on the shoulder before moving on to your door down the hall. You hear the steps of boots which you assume means he’s far enough away. You make your way to the door and open it very slowly. You manage to squeeze out of the half opened door. Now, you shut the door quietly before walking a little ways down the hall, like Eddie said.

“Hey, Y/n!” Graham calls out, and you stop in your tracks. “Where’d you come from?” He asks.

“I was just getting ice. Down the hall. At the ice machine.” You manages to sputter out. You’d never describe yourself as a nervous person, but right now, the nerves where like butterflies floating in your stomach, in your brain, and throughout your whole body. Graham furrows his brows at you, not very convinced by your efforts.

“I’m going to go ahead and get some breakfast.” You say quickly, speedwalking down the hallway. You thought you handled that pretty well.

Graham Dunne (Lead Guitar): She had come out of Eddie’s room. It was very obvious. Y/n was also always a terrible liar. I knew they were hooking up way before that ever even happened.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Karen Sirko: I think everyone knew they were in a realationship by that point. Daisy and I had a bet on when they would tell us.

Daisy Jones: It eventually came out when we were on tour, so Karen won technically. But they were just so shit at keeping secrets we all figured out a long time ago.

Warren Rojas: I was actually best man at Eddie’s and Y/n’s wedding. It was probably the best wedding i’ve ever been to. But don’t tell Lisa that. *winks*

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

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wandixx · 7 months

Text

Dani gives people heart attacks and brings down a lot of trafficking rings, making friends along the way. Everything by accident, really

Dani traveled around world, hadn't she? While doing it, she had to meet a lot of interesting people.

Like heroes or villains.

In civies or not or both who knows.

But to actually learn things about someplace you have to spend more than one night there. Like, idk? Month? Probably more but I doubt she would be able to sit in one place for any longer. In many places she is shorter.

Month is long enough to create some connections though.

Enough to get someone to realize when you disappear...

Yeah, Dani on her way of gremlin and self discovery ghosted bunch of people without second thought. They'll probably forget her in few months anyway. And she was everywhere in USA. She didn't left American soil only because she didn't want to be too far from Danny in case of emergency. Before anyone tells me he was in space so he could fly to her wherever on Earth she would be, Earth's atmosphere ends about 100 km above sea level and officially this is border of space. Telecommunication satellites are between 8000 to 12000 km up. It's about how wide Atlantic Ocean is.

Plus y'know, time. If she needs help, she probably can't quite wait until he flies all the way to Hong Kong, Wladywostok, Rio de Janeiro or wherever she is.

So America it is. For now at least. When they're 100% sure she is stable she'll fly elsewhere.

Anyway people who she ghosted are used to batshit crazy stuff but "this tween is alone on her road to self discovery and just left for new city" isn't first thing anyone thought about. Maybe outside of Martians. They know. Everyone else? No idea what happened to this tiny, chaotic, snarky, probably meta child.

First thought though?

She got kidnapped.

So now 3/4 of Justice League, some individual heroes and bunch of less intense rogues are scrambling around their cities tracking every trafficking ring they found glimpses of, trying to find Dani.

Flashes work with Captain Cold on this and seem to slowly descend into madness. At the same time, Dani eats ice cream with nice museum lady from Washington who introduced herself as Diana. Then she helps at animal shelter with kind stuck up boy called Damian. Oh, Danny likes aliens, let's visit Martian Manhunter. Maybe she'll manage to get autograph for her template. Wait Space Cops? Kinda sucks but Danny would probably like their signatures too. Let's go. Oh, Superboys are fun mess with and older one is like her! This Nightwing guy puns like Danny but she always feels like he looks at her weirdly. Billy should eat more, magic or not, fighting is tiring. Good thing she has Sam's money to buy him burgers.

She has time of her life while people she met are slowly dying.

She probably doesn't even hide that she is traveling but for whatever reason they don't think she actually left.

They don't bring it up on any meeting because no matter how concerned they are, it's not really whole league type of business. And Martians just discreetly enjoy chaos.

There is a lot of ways it can get resolved (or not) but I kinda thought about Jon introducing his old buddy Damian to his new buddy Dani because he thinks they would get along and they just stare at each other for long moment before:

"Dani..."

"Dami!"

"WHY DID YOU LEFT WITHOUT A WORD! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE KIDNAPPED OR DEAD!"

Some screaming and revelation that Killer Croc was looking for her too, Dani hits moment of realisation.

"Wait, is this what people think when you just up and go?"

"Honestly? Yeah"

"Oh, Ancients I did this to so many people. So many..."

Idk, just Dani traveling and leaving people behind.

Do with it what you will

#dp x dc #dpxdc #dc x dp #dcxdp #nobody really questions why Martians brought popcorn to Watchtower meeting because their stretch to thin between attending said meeting #and wondering where this tiny gremlin disappeared #it would be kinda histeric to me if she visited some cities few times but met other people #like first time in Gotham she bothers Jason and pets hienas #then few months later she has brawl with killer croc and becomes Duke's kibda sidekick for a week #then she smacks Joker and volunteers at animal shelter with Damian #and somehow they don't connect it #or they do and think she repeatedly gets kidnapped and escapes but doesn't leave the city because something #only hope flashes have left at this point is that she didn't show up in morgue #they actually consider running back in time to save her #also #some heroes and villains heard some thing and they *preparing weapons*#just want to talk with Vlad #just talk they promise #idk just enjoy and spread the chaos #have a nice day dear stranger who got to this part

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maltedmilkks · 1 year

Text

after the night at the byer’s, billy and steve both sport the same bruises.

and it doesn’t make sense.

steve’s sure he didn’t get that many hits in, and even then, it wasn’t hard enough to give billy a shiner like his.

and the worst part is, he feels bad.

“Hey, man,” He starts, cornering billy after a particularly difficult basketball practice. billy was awful. he kept his shirt on, too, which was weird. steve was benched completely; he can barely see out of one eye, and the other is still swollen shut.

billy’s panting from practice, hunched over as if it hurts to breathe. facing his locker and not replying to steve.

“um,” steve continues. “i…feel bad about what happened this weekend. i was just looking out for the kids, y’know, and i didn’t mean to hit you that h-“

billy turns around, snarling. looking like a battered, cornered wild dog.

“oh fuck right off, harrington,” he spits, and shoulders his way out.

“dude,” steve says, curling his lip. “i’m trying to apologize to you, asshole.”

“i don’t need your apology,” billy replies, and it hurts a little.

“well maybe if you hadn’t been a racist asshole i wouldn’t have had to hit you in the first plac-“

billy seems even angrier.

“i am not a fucking racist, harrington,” he snarls, but it lacks the horror his voice used to hold because of the wounds on his face.

steve grimaces. “yeah, totally, you just attacked lucas because he happened to be the closest.”

billy looks around the locker room as if someone is watching him. nervous.

“it’s not because of that,” he mutters, chewing on his swollen bottom lip.

“then why?” steve presses. “because if i recall, he didn’t do a damn thing to you, billy.”

billy swallows and refuses to make eye contact.

“it’s my fucking dad, harrington. he finds out max is messing around with a black kid and all three of us get a shiner worse than mine. i couldn’t care less about what those little shits are doing, but he does.”

steve’s face softens.

“so you’re…taking the punches for max?”

“that’s a stupid way to put it.”

“i…” steve gapes. “why don’t you go to hopper or something? he could put your dad in j-“

“because, harrington, i’ve got nowhere to go and no one gives a shit anyway if a dad beats his son as discipline. but i can’t let him put a hand on max. she doesn’t deserve it. even if she’s a fucking bitch.”

billy shakes his head like he’s said something awful.

“now you know. congratulations, harrington. i spent all this time stealing your crown and now you know that i’m just a pussy whose dad beats him. have fun spreading that one around.”

billy turns to leave and steve catches him by the arm.

“i’m not going to tell anyone,” he says, and billy scoffs.

“i promise. i’m not like that anymore. like you said…turned bitch.”

billy laughs.

“so, what? you look at me like i’m a kicked puppy every time i come to school with my teeth knocked in? because i’d rather you spread rumors about me instead.”

steve shakes his head.

“i wont do that either. promise. i just…i dunno. can i help in any way?”

billy shrugs him off.

“do what you do, i guess. protect those little shits. i’m not as good with kids as you are, mama bird.”

steve flushed at that and grimaces.

“please do not ever call me that again.”

and they laugh. and it feels nice.

“hey, uh, are you doing anything this friday?” steve asks, and it feels natural.

“probably looking after max. parents like to go out a lot and leave me with her.”

“well, why don’t you and her come with me and we can catch a movie maybe? she can bring lucas and you two can patch things up?”

“are you asking me on a date, harrington?”

steve’s face gets even redder.

“no, i just meant-like y’know, it would be nice, and i could, um-“

“it’s cool. i’ll come by friday. 5:00? you get lucas, i’ll bring max.”

steve nods. “um, yeah. that sounds good.”

billy smiles softly. “good. and don’t pick some girly movie. max and i like slashers.”

“right. got it.”

“see ya, steve.”

billy nudges him before jogging off, undoubtably late to pick up max.

and steve is frozen. what started as an apology for his own moral compass turned into a date. steve’s going on a date? with a boy? no, it was just a joke. maybe. probably.

he hopes it wasn’t, though.

#stranger things #billy hargrove #steve harrington #harringrove #steve x billy #idk I wanted to write something #thought about this on my walk home from classes #steve and Billy reconciliation moment asf #wish they had something like this in the show #sad face #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #I just think their double date would’ve been cheesy as fuck LMAO #tee hee #billy hargrove redemption #and then Billy gives Steve a box of chocolates as an apology for the Byers house #and him and max finally talk through everything #and he apologizes to Lucas and explains and then they become basketball practice buddies

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reasonsmandy · 1 year

Text

With love, Eddie Roundtree

Eddie Roundtree x Fem!Reader

✧.* requested by anon — saw you're taking requests for eddie roundtree x reader so i wanted to ask if you could do something inspired by either tear in my heart (twenty one pilots) or lets fall in love for the night (finneas)!! love ur writing btw!!

✧.* you're reading part one, here's the sequel — Dear Eddie Roundtree

✧.* summary — Your life in the acting business has been very stressful, but in one night Eddie makes you forget about it all.

✧.* warnings — Extremely fluffy content, mentions of drinking and drugs.

✧.* word count — 2.2k

✧.* 🎸 — Eddie's masterlist

✧.* mandy's notes — I tried to mix a little bit of the two songs, I don't know if I managed to do something very good. but i hope you like it 🫶🏾

"We'll send Harold to your set more often, the gossip magazines will start planting the idea that you two are together." Your manager said excitedly, he insisted on the idea that you should fake a relationship with actor Harold Schmidt. "I can already see the headlines: Y/N L/N and Harold Schmidt the Hollywood lovebirds"

"That would be the most ridiculous thing I've ever read!" You say rolling your eyes with a glass of water in hand.

"Well, I don't care!" Your manager says, getting a little mad. "You know you need these rumors to boost your name, and you're lucky that Harold agreed to fake this relationship with you."

"I don't need anyone to get my name to boost Adam!" You say irritably. "And besides, no one will believe I have something with this guy, we never talked before!"

"Stop making things more complicated Y/N." He says. "You know it's going to be the best for your career, now rest … tomorrow we have recording early"

He leaves you alone in your apartment, you put your face to the pillow and let out a scream in it. Being an actress was amazing, but there were things that frustrated you a lot in the profession like what you were experiencing now, you had never exchanged a word with this Harold guy and now you had to pretend to be madly in love with him for everyone. Just thinking about it sounded crazy.

Despite all this fake dating mess Adam wanted to shove you down into, you couldn't stop thinking about what happened a few days ago. You received an invitation to attend the party of the band Daisy Jones and the six. It was a really fun night where you finally managed to distract yourself a little and it was also the night you met Eddie Roundtree, one of the nicest people you've come in contact with in such a long time.

Let's say you had gotten along quite well…

You weren't really in the mood to leave your apartment, but you felt that if you stayed another two hours listening to your manager talk about absurd things about how you should fake a scandal for your name to go up you would go crazy. So when Daisy Jones' invitation reached you, you thought: Why not?

Which was exactly why you were now in Billy Dunne's backyard, having a beer and smoking a joint. Nothing very interesting seemed to happen around you and there wasn't anyone very interesting to talk to.

Well, at least the music is good... You thought.

As you traveled in your thoughts and watched the unknown people around you, Eddie Roundtree watched you too, he stared at you trying to remember where he knew you from.

"I'm telling you man, she must have stopped by the studio sometime." Warren says to the bassist.

"I'm sure that's not it, otherwise I wouldn't remember her" Eddie says frustrated.

"Eddie, man!" Warren changed his expression, he looked amazed at something. "Rollerball!!! She was in the Rollerball movie!"

"Holy shit, that was it! I knew I knew her somewhere." Eddie beams, overjoyed that he finally remembered. "I didn't remember she was so beautiful, man…"

"Go talk to her!" The drummer says, pushing his friend towards the actress.

You notice the two best friends laughing and pointing in your direction, not understanding you turn to look behind you but no one was there. You arch your eyebrows hoping they'll notice that you saw them, which takes a few minutes to happen.

The blonde approaches you, with a smile on his face and two beers in his hand. He sits down next to you, handing you the drink.

"I have a challenge for you." he says, catching your attention. "Tell me a song you like and if I get a part of the lyrics right, you spend the night talking to me."

"Look, I didn't even need the challenge, I really would have talked to you without a problem" You say laughing. "But since you offered…"

Eddie Roundtree: I was so lucky that Camila showed me this song *chuckled*

Y/N L/N: He had changed 50% of the words in the song but he seemed like a nice guy, so I pretended he got it right.

"Y/N that's my name" you say while taking a sip of beer "You are?"

"I'm Eddie" he smiles, taking a closer look at your face.

You spent a few hours talking about everything, it was impressive how he managed to talk about any subject you proposed. He really seemed to be interested in what you had to say, something you missed. You told him that since you moved to Los Angeles you haven't been to any of the tourist spots in the area, which he found absurd, and that's why you were in Roundtree's car going through the city streets with no final destination.

"I can't believe we're doing this" you laugh at the situation, probably the beers you had had made you a little happy. "I don't even know you well and I'm in your car going to unknown places."

"Ouch!" He pretends to be offended. "I told you my whole life tonight, what do you mean you don't know me?"

"Oh yes, of course I apologize" You laugh looking deep into his eyes, something inside you wanted to be closer to him.

"Wanna get a swim?" he says, parking the car close to the beach, you could hear the waves from afar.

"That's a terrible idea..." You say getting out of the car, alarmed he gets out too. "I'm in!"

You take off your shoes leaving them near the car, running wildly towards the dark sea. Eddie shakes his head in disbelief, taking his shoes off and chasing after you, or at least trying to.

You wait for him where you could just feel the water on your feet, he approaches holding you by the waist and going with you into the sea. Would it be crazy to feel so connected to someone in one night? You didn't know, and you didn't care! When the icy water came into contact with your body and his body heat kept that feeling more intense, nothing else mattered.

Trying to fix the locks of your hair, you looked at him in disbelief with everything you were experiencing that night, it's been so long since you've felt alive like this, free from any pressure.

"I feel like I've known you since forever, Eddie Roundtree." You whisper, kissing the blonde's lips intensely.

He holds you tighter, as if he wants to remember this moment forever, the fear of forgetting what he was experiencing in the morning was intense. After all, with all that they had both smoked and drunk, it was probably that the passion, that love, would fade from their memories during their rest until tomorrow.

The early morning wind hits your bodies making you shiver with cold. You soon decided it was better to get back in the car and go somewhere else. Eddie didn't care that the car would be wet because of your clothes, nothing else mattered to him, that night was so intense and wonderful that he just wanted to stop time to have you there with him a little more.

And logically, after smoking so much, the munchies hit, so nothing more plausible than changing your destination to the nearest bar. It was hard to find anything open at that hour, but after several turns you finally managed to spot one.

There were just the two of you and one other man who was clearly begging for you two to leave as soon as possible, so he could get to sleep.

"I don't think I'll remember anything tomorrow, my head is already exploding" You say, drinking some of the juice you ordered.

"Is that so?" Eddie asks, stroking your hand across the table.

"Uhum" You mumbled, and he could tell that you were getting tired and needed some sleep. "But don't worry, I promise you that if I forget about you tomorrow I at least fell in love with you tonight."

Your words made him feel butterflies in his stomach, he looked at you with affection and without containing the smile that grew on his face. He didn't want to settle for the idea that he wouldn't see you anymore.

"Did you fall in love with me too Eddie Roundtree?" You say sleepily, slurring your words as you struggle to keep your eyes open.

"I for sure did, Y/N L/N." He says, getting up to pay the bill. A few seconds later he comes back. "Can you tell me where you live? I will drop you off at home."

"No please, I want to spend more time with you." You whisper, closing your eyes with long blinks.

"I promise you will see me again" He says, stroking your hair. "Now tell me pretty girl, where can I drop you off?"

You tell the bassist the address of your apartment, so soon after he takes you to the car trying his best to avoid making you feel the wind with wet clothes, afraid you might catch the flu or something.

As the sun slowly rose, you fell asleep in the passenger seat. Roundtree slowed the car down so as not to wake you up with the potholes in the road leading to your house. Admiring you in the moments when he didn't have to keep his eyes on the road, a smile appears on the blonde's face as he observes how much prettier you look with the sunlight on you.

He wakes you up when he arrives at the scene, you mumble something he doesn't understand and you hide your face in his neck, he feels butterflies in his stomach with the contact and already misses you when he finally has to say goodbye.

"So I think that's it…" Eddie said, holding your hands. "Take care, pretty girl".

"You too baby." You place a peck on the blonde's lips, then hug him for a few seconds. "You better not forget me huh."

"How could I?" He smiles, letting go of your hands. "I'll see you."

"I hope so." you say, walking into your apartment and soon falling asleep on the couch.

…

The sun was already setting and you were ready to spend the rest of the night watching anything on television. When Adam shows up opening your door like he has an emergency going on.

"Adam what the fuck!" You exclaim, trying to calm down from the fright, he came in with a box in his hands and a magazine in the other. "What the hell is going on?"

"Y/N L/N you naughty girl, if you were dating you should just have told me!" He says sitting next to you, handing you the magazine. "Now it makes sense why you rejected my fake dating idea"

The magazine had a picture of you in a bar, an orange juice in front of you. You had the straw between your teeth smiling at the man in front of you. Your hair was wet and your clothes looked soaked too, as did the man in front of you in the photo, Eddie. He was looking at you with a smile, his eyes were closed if you looked fast, but as you knew that smile very well you knew that when he smiles his eyes shrink. The headline read: Y/N L/N and Eddie Roundtree the romance of the Stars.

You quickly open to the indicated page to read what it said.

Sub Rosa

AUGUST 9, 1977

Eddie Roundtree and Y/N L/N! they are the definition of a star couple

No, your eyes are not deceiving you! Last night after one of the parties given by rock star Billy Dunne, our Hollywood star Y/N L/N was seen with the bassist of Daisy Jones and the six: Eddie Roundtree, leaving the party.

The charming bassist was rumored to have been with L/N throughout the event and he was even seen with our favorite actress in a bar a few hours after the party. Although this is the first time we've seen these lovebirds in public together, you must agree that they make a great couple.

Would that be the end of Y/N's single life?

You finish reading in disbelief, bursting out with a hearty laugh at the last sentence.

"They basically called me a spinster!" You say when you're done laughing, taking a breath to compose yourself. "Look, me and Eddie we-"

You are interrupted by Adam again, who hands you the box he had in his hands when he entered. Curious you take it, seeing a note on top that you decide to read later, inside the box there was a cassette tape, a rose and a napkin with a phone number.

You are still confused and decide to read the note.

Hey pretty girl, I hope you're doing well.

As I promised you, through these things I decided to earnestly ask you to let me have more wonderful nights by your side.

On the tape you'll find my attempt to sing that song you told me you loved, the rose is for pure chivalry and the phone number, well... I think that's clear.

I hope to hear your voice soon…

With love, Eddie Roundtree.

...

Hi, I hope you enjoyed it... If you wanted to ask for something my requests are open, and if you want to ask and don't have any ideas check out my prompt list :) xoxo

Want to be tagged when new stories come out? REASONSMANDY'S TAG LIST

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bullet-clubs-bitch · 4 months

Note

Can i request a Billy Gunn fic with some NSFW? Possibly he and reader were old friends when he worked for WWE but they reconnect after a long time and get close to each other again and maybe a wrestler cuts a promo on him and says something about y/n and he snaps and kinda confesses his feelings he has for her.

Old Flame

An: This ended up to be way longer than I thought it would be. I decided to play a different route with this request

Summary: Billy and Y/n "dated" (really just sex) a while ago and Billy hates how he let Y/n slip through his fingers all those years ago because he was afraid of commitment. What happens when she shows up in AEW and he relies he still loves her.

Word count: 2K

Warnings: SMUT (18+) Billy Gunn X Female reader, Mentions of Sex and sexual acts, mentions of alcohol and spiked drinks, 18+ themes

Main Masterlist Part 2 Part 3

I had mixed feelings about having Y/n in AEW, sure it was great to see her after all these years but it was strange since how much we had both changed. I remember when I first saw Y/n after all our years apart. I was backstage at dynamite when I saw her, jokingly said to my sons “That chick over there looks like Y/n” and once she turned around I noticed it was indeed her. I felt my stomach drop. She looked different, older, well of course she looked older we were both way older now but she aged like fine wine, still gorgeous as ever. When I asked what she was doing backstage at Dynamite she explained that she was there to help the young talent in the women's division, along with teaching her daughter how to wrestle. I was happy for her but for some reason I was nervous.

The first few weeks went by fast and I barely ran into Y/n which I was secretly grateful for. That was until my sons, The Gunns joined bullet club gold. Although we didn’t work on screen together at the end of the day they were still my children. I guess the boys did some digging and found out about the little fling Y/n and I had all those years ago. I tried to explain to them that it was years ago, way before they were even born, for them to leave it alone, but they knew I obviously wasn’t over it since I had been practically avoiding Y/n. The boys thought it would be funny to ask Y/n to train them even though I already taught them everything they needed to know. So here I am sitting across the ring from the woman I let slip through my fingers years ago.

“So Y/n, I heard you and my dad used to date back in the day” Austin said. I store daggers at him, but he didn’t care, instead he gave me a smirk, wanting to see how far he could push me before I broke.

“I wouldn't say we dated necessarily” Y/n said, as she corrected Colten’s grip, making the choke he was practicing on his brother more effective. “Sure we went out on a few dates but we didn’t date. Your father didn’t want to commit to a relationship” Her words stung, the story she told had no effect on her but I still hated myself for it even if it was 30 years ago. “So you guys were just fuck buddies then?” Colten asked. “COLTEN!-” I yelled but Y/n cut me off. “I guess you could say that, but your father was a gentleman and always bought me dinner first”

To say I was embarrassed would be an understatement. I was just about to leave when Y/n called out “Come on Billy, don’t be such a baby. They are just messing with you” I continued to walk pretending not to hear her, she came up to me and grabbed my arm, forcing me to turn and look at her. As I towered over her, I felt like I had gone back in time. Back to the time where I fucked everything up years ago.

****

“Y/n I’m sorry!” I yelled out to the poor girl who stood beneath me with tears in her eyes. “I should have known you were only using me to get your dick wet” She yelled back, her words laced with venom. I knew it was only a matter of time before she would ask to be more than whatever it was we had going on but the truth was I was so scared to mess things up between us I didn’t even realize the hole I dug myself into until it was too late. I was trying to protect her but instead I hurt her.

This little buddy system started a few months ago when a very drunk Y/n admitted that no guy she had been with had made her cum. One day after a PPV we all went out for drinks when Y/n’s got spiked, luckily for her it wasn’t too bad but boy did she say some crazy things.

Being a good friend I took her back to my hotel room before she could embarrass herself too much and she ended up passing out right as we stepped foot in the room. Carefully I placed her on the bed and removed her shoes before tucking her under the covers.

When she came to, she was confused. “Did we fuck?” was the first thing she asked me, noticing she was in my bed. “No, but you wanted to” I told her, Y/n looked at me confused. “Someone spiked your drink at the bar. I took you back to my hotel room to keep you from embarrassing yourself” I told her truthfully. “Oh god, what did I say?” “Nothing much, just that you have never had an orgasm before” “Great” “Don’t worry, I'm sure I can help you with that problem” I told her with a smirk.

I couldn't deny the effect she had on me, she was perfect in every way. Seeing her in my bed didn’t help my crush on her. As we made our way back to the hotel she kept rambling about random things and even suggested that we sleep together. I knew that wasn’t her talking, she was drugged and wouldn't remember a thing in the morning. Even though I liked her, no way would I take advantage of her in such a state. I wanted to get with her when she was fully sober, wanting to have something real not just an impulsive booty call or being so fucked up we woudn’t remember anything in the morning.

So I waited until the time was right. I sat in my private locker room fantasizing about Y/n when I heard someone knocking at my door. “Who is it?” I yelled through the door. To my surprise it was Y/n herself. “It’s me! Are you almost ready to go?” She asked me “Yeah, just give me a minute!” I said before opening the door to let her inside. When I opened the door I saw the shocked look on her face. “Well someones excited to see me,” she said as she looked me up and down. I was confused for a second until I looked down noticing I was fully hard. “Shit!” I could feel my face get red. “Don’t worry, it happens to everyone. You don’t have to be embarrassed” She told me reassuringly. I quickly grabbed all my things, changing the subject. “Do you want to get room service tonight instead? I don’t really feel like going out tonight.”

The two of us sat in my hotel room in silence. Y/n was first to break the silence. “Does it hurt?” She asked, referring to my still hard cock. “It doesn’t hurt, just uncomfortable” I told her, the effect she had on me still being shown. “Do you want help with it?” I almost choked when the words came out of her mouth. “What?” I asked in disbelief. “Do you want some help with that?” She repeated as she got up from her seat, deciding to sit on my lap. “We could help each other out?” I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Everything happened so fast, before I knew it we were tangled in each other, frantically taking off the others clothes fighting for dominance. “You have no idea how long I have wanted this,” I told Y/n. I could tell by the look on her face she was shocked by my size. “Don’t worry I’ll take good care of you” I told her reassuringly. I wanted to take my time with Y/n. I placed delicate kisses down her body before settling between her thighs. Kissing and sucking her inner thighs before inserting myself in her. I started with slow thrusts, trying to keep my promise of being gentile but she just felt so good, I needed to feel more, I needed to make her cum, I needed to make her have an orgasm so good, she could never be with anyone else, and that’s exactly what I did. My thrusts were hard, the grip I had on her hips as I pounded into her would bruise but neither of us cared. The two of us a moaning mess, my ears where filled with praises that left her lips. “Fuck, you feel so good, you fill me up so good” I could tell by the way she fluttered around me her words were true. “Fuck Y/n” I called out. I could feel she was close. “That’s it baby” I praised “Right there, You're close. Just relax baby. I need you to relax for me, don’t fight it” I told her as I continued my assault on her pussy. I reached my hand between us to play with her clit. That put her over the edge. “That’s it baby, I got you, let it out, let it all out” I told her as I continued to fuck her through her orgasm before I pulled out, cumming all over her chest.

That became our routine. After shows we would either go out for dinner or order room service then have some crazy sex. As the weeks went past I found myself falling in love with Y/n and it terrified me. I was scared I was going to hurt her so I pushed myself away. I didn’t even realize it but I had become distant with her. Looking back on it I was kind of a jerk, I was never one for aftercare but with Y/n it was different, I almost found it better than sex, it was more intimate. That was why I fell in love, so, I became distant after sex, I acted like I didn’t care but I cared too much. When she asked what changed I avoided the question, when she asked to be more than just sex I turned it down without thinking. By the time I realized what I did it was too late.

“I’m Sorry Y/n!” I yelled out to the poor girl who stood beneath me with tears in her eyes. “I should have known you were only using me to get your dick wet” She yelled back, her words laced with venom. I knew I fucked up. “Y/n wait! I didn’t mean it.” I yelled but It was too late. She was already grabbing her clothes that were scattered around the room and left before saying “And to think I was in love with you”

****

Since that day at the training facility I couldn't get Y/n out of my head. She was all I thought about 24/7. That day replaying over and over again. But tonight I had a Trois match with the acclaimed against top flight and action andretti and I knew I needed to focus on the match, not Y/n. The match went well, another successful title defense until we were interrupted by bullet club gold. Austin and Colton were obviously still not over how I picked the acclaimed over them, the two of them alongside Juice Robinson requesting a title shot. I was going to say no until they brought up Y/n. “Of course you would say no Billy. I’m honestly shocked you are still with the acclaimed, I know how you are with commitment. I mean you let the love of your life slip through your fingers because you were scared of commitment. I wonder what Y/n would think if she knew you still beat yourself up about it 30 years later. Now you are all alone, still wrestling when you should be retired because you have no one to go home to” Their words stung but they were true “You want a title shot? FINE, Next week Bullet Club Gold Vs The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass!” I yelled back at them!

I sure hope Y/n didn’t hear any of that.

#bullet clubs bitch #aew smut #all elite wrestling #aew #aew fanfiction #billy gunn #Billy Gunn aew #Billy Gunn smut #daddy ass #the acclaimed #daddy ass x reader #Billy Gunn x reader #Billy Gunn fan fic #Billy Gunn one shot #billy funn fluf #Billy Gunn imagine

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munsonsreputation · 1 year

Text

Soon You'll Get Better

Chapter One: Doctor's-Office-Lighting

↢ prologue | series masterlist | chapter two ↣

summary: revelations of max's mental and emotional health come to light when you and steve take her to a check-up. determined to do whatever you can to help her, you and steve work on getting her to open up about her life. max comes to realize that the support is genuine and that she isn't alone, whether if it's about her state of mind or relationship.

word count: [12.2k] kinda proof-read

: ̗̀➛ pairings: big-brother!steve x max & big-sister!reader x max

: ̗̀➛ romantic pairing: steve harrington x fem-college-student!reader

: ̗̀➛ warnings: talks about mental and emotional health, billy's death, self isolation, panic attack, crying, talks about attempted sewerslide (max almost says it, but steve stops her), mentions of breakups, overall a lot of fluff despite the angst.

With the sun beaming down at Hawkins and the skin tickling breeze passing by, it would’ve seemed as though nothing bad had ever happened in this small town, but that would be far from the truth.

Max hadn’t felt the warm enveloping blanket of the sun and the gust of wind against her skin in days. Instead, she spent the dwindling hours of summer locked in the trailer, watching the same VHS tape on repeat like background noise while she paced back and forth cleaning up the pile of messes and lost in her own thoughts.

The only time the depths of misery in her mind paused was when the telephone rang. She would stare at, contemplating on answering, but just being too drained to even reach it or utter a single world. Her best friend El, leaving countless of voicemails asking when she would like to hangout next or simply if she was ok.

She didn’t like worrying El. It wasn’t her fault that she was feeling like this. At the end of the day, it was no one’s fault. But shutting people out just seemed to be her default way of dealing with everything, especially something like this.

“Max, honey,” A few more knocks tapped on her door. For once her mother was home, but spent the day figuring out payments with the bank and handling a bunch of adult shit that she was too far to care about.

The young girl sighed, kicking off her blankets, and staring up at the ceiling. One. Two. Three seconds before she mustered the energy to get up and open the door. “What’s up?”

Her mom looked over behind her shoulder, then back at her daughter, “Your friend El is here. She’s worried about you.”

Max brushed past her mom, heading straight down the narrow hallway of the trailer until she saw her best friend along with Steve and you, his girlfriend, on either side of her.

“Hey—” She couldn’t even get the whole greeting out before El had stepped forward and bound her arms securely around her best friend, a sigh of happiness leaving her mouth.

Slowly, Max hugged her back, not knowing that El was this concerned about her and if she had known that her best friend was going to show up unannounced like this, she would have picked up the last seven calls she had missed.

“Why haven’t you picked up my calls?” El wondered, pulling away and observing the features on Max’s face that seemed to have dulled.

The apparent bags under her eyes, a tell-tale sign that Max had not been getting enough sleep and was fatigued.

“Busy doing chores, I’m sorry, El.” Max felt terrible, she didn’t mean to treat her friend like this, let alone make her worry so much, but El just gave her a reassuring smile and shook her head mouthing, “It’s ok.”

“Did you ask them to drive you here?” She looked at you and Steve as you two nodded, him stepping forward first to give her a hug.

Max didn’t share many hugs with Steve, but today she granted him one knowing he took the time out of his day to drive here, “She was worried, which then made us worry, so we wanted to come here to make sure you were alright.”

When he pulled away, he took notice of the way Max forced a laugh just as quickly as it died in her throat when you stepped forward and hugged her strongly.

“Are you doing ok, sweetheart?” You inquired softly against her hair, and she only replied with a “yes,” before you had nodded and pulled away, not wanting to poke and prode.

It wasn’t long before her mother came back into view, resting a hand on Max’s shoulder and smiling at you three. You could tell she was worn out, the same way Max was. But the only difference was that her mother was good at trying to hide it. Meanwhile Max tried to, but the discomfort on her face said it all.

“I actually wanted to ask a favor from you two if that’s ok?”

Max glanced behind at her mom, raising a brow, but she squeezed her shoulder warmly, “Max, why don’t you invite El in for a little bit? I just need a word with these two, ok?”

She wanted to ask why, but not wanting to make the situation sticky, she grabbed onto El’s hand and led her inside of the trailer and towards her room where they could catch up in private.

Her mom stepped outside, closing the door behind her and smiling at you two, “I just hope this isn’t too much to ask, but, Max actually has a check up tomorrow morning, but I can’t take her because I’ll be working.”

You and Steve’s eyes caught the way her fingers fidgeted against one another, a distinct perception of stress and anxiety, just because of her asking for the favor.

“We could totally take her!” You chirped, taking away the embarrassment she had felt for asking such a favor from some teens.

Steve nodded, wrapping his arms over your shoulder and pulling your side into him, “Yeah, the two of us are both off, so it should be no problem.”

Her mom shifted eye contact between you both, “Are you sure it ok? The appointment is at nine, but I could reschedule it if that’s too early.”

You shook your head, looking over at Steve with a smile, “We’re usually up before then, so nine is perfect.”

When you looked back at her, she was more than relieved, placing a hand over her heart gratefully.

“Thank you! I would send Max there herself, but they need someone over eighteen to be with her in case, and I know she really trusts you two the most.”

Max wasn’t always particularly close to you and Steve, but as she had caught more rides from you both, she had warmed up to you two out of all the older teens.

“We’d be happy to take her. Do you have the address by any chance?” Steve sought before Max’s mom nodded, gesturing back inside the trailer.

“I’ll go write it down and I’ll be back out.”

You watched as she hurried back inside, leaving you and Steve there waiting.

“Maybe we could stop by a little cafe and get her some breakfast before we pick her up?” You suggested, leaning your head on his shoulder.

He kissed the top of your head first, “I’ll need a coffee. Do we really look like we’re the type of people to be up by nine in the morning?” Steve half joked with a short laugh.

You snorted, nudging him softly. “I didn’t want to make her feel bad…if this is the least we can do to help them, we can sacrifice a few hours of sleep.”

“I know, I know, you’re right.” He apologized, resting his chin on top of your head while they waited around for a couple of minutes before her mom and the two girls had come emerging from the door.

You reached for the small piece of paper with the scribbling of the address written on it with a faded blue ink that was still readable. Steve took it from you when you passed it to him, placing it in his jean pocket and creating a mental note to not forget it was there.

“Do you think I can stay for dinner?” El requested kindly towards you two, who were just offered to stay a little longer by Max’s mom.

Steve hummed, checking the time on his watch, but sadly shaking his head when he saw the time, “Sorry, El, we promised Hop we’d have you home by five remember?”

She pouted nevertheless, but smiled when Max hugged her and told her that it was ok.

“Maybe tomorrow you can head over to Will and El’s after your appointment?” Her mom suggested, “But you’ll have to ask her and Steve for a ride since they’re taking you tomorrow.”

The redhead grumbled, pulling away from her friend and looking at her mom begrudgingly, “Can’t we reschedule?”

Her mom shook her head, taking a deep breath. “You’ll need to go, Maxine. My insurance plan finally is in effect and it’s covering all our medical expenses, thank god.”

“Fine.” She puffed, crossing her arms over her chest a clear sign that she did in fact not want to step foot into any doctor’s office whatsoever.

“C’mon, hon, let’s get you back home before your dad freaks.” You smiled delicately, reaching a hand out for El who took it, and stood by your side.

Steve pointed at Max, a small smile on his face, “We’ll see you tomorrow morning, alright?”

Max just nodded, forcing a smile as she watched the three of you get into the car with El in the backseat, waving goodbye to her best friend as they drove off into the late afternoon.

“Maxine, I know you’re upset.” Her mother spoke apologetically, resting a hand on the small of her daughter’s back, guiding her back into their home.

She moved away from her mother’s hand, settling onto the couch to bring her knees up to her chest, “I just don’t understand why you can’t take me? Can’t you just go to work late?” she argued.

Her mom sighed heavily, grabbing dishes from the small cabinet and placing them down on the even smaller corner table of the trailer, “Honey, we’ve been through this a million times.”

Max rolled her eyes, the script she had memorized time and time again flowing out of her mouth before her mom had anytime to beat her to it, “Going in late means missing hours which means less money, which means no food, no electricity, no money, no rent, no home.”

Her mother took a deep breath in and out, approaching Max and kneeling at her side. “I’m sorry, Max. You know I have to do this for you.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s whatever.” Max brushed off, resting a heavy head on her kneecaps with an unsatisfied frown.

With the windows rolled down, El relaxed in the soft leather seats of Steve’s BMW. The only sounds were the soft hum of the icy cold air conditioning cooling the hot air and whatever that was on the radio playing faintly.

“You ok back there?” Steve said, looking into the rear-view mirror catching the sight of the young girl who wrenched her shoulders.

You turned back and gave her a one over. The pout was still on her face and now her arms crossed like Max had hers a few minutes ago, “What’s the matter, hon?”

“Max….she is sad.” She told you two obviously.

Steve pursed his lips, glancing quickly behind at her, “Did she tell you that?”

She shook her head, but spoke, “I know she is. When I asked if she was ok, she didn’t answer.”

“I’m sure she just wants some time to herself,” you assured her. “Her and her mom are still trying to adjust to life without Billy and his dad around.”

It had been a little over a year since the battle at Star Court where Billy had sacrificed himself to the mind-flayer in order to save Eleven’s life. You and Steve could still recall the memory vividly. How you two watched from the second story of the mall where you two had been throwing fireworks alongside Lucas and Max in order to deter the monster.

Yet it all happened so quickly, Billy putting himself in between El and the mind-flayer, before getting brutally wounded by the creature and the blood oozing through his white wife-beater and splattering in the air.

Max couldn’t believe her eyes, dashing down the stalled escalator stairs and dropping to her knees beside her slain brother. His eyes blanking out and only a few words escaping his mouth before he had died. She was in shambles, shaking him, screaming at him to wake up, but he had accepted his fate.

You and Steve had rushed down the same steps, nearing the two girls who had been weeping. El had pulled Max into arms, letting her cry there, and shielding her eyes from her brother who was bleeding out in front of them.

“I’ve got Max.” Steve declared, running up to the girls and guiding Max out of Eleven’s hold and into his arms where he led her outside of the mall.

El had immediately sprung to you, crying into your shoulder as you walked the two of you behind Steve and Max as the sirens resounded through the air.

Ambulances, firetrucks, and military vehicles overflowed the mall parking lot as they all hastily assessed the well-beings of the children first.

Hopper had found El in the back of an ambulance, the scar on her forehead being dealt with before he embraced her in a tight hug.

Nancy wrapped a blanket across the shoulders of her brother Mike, rubbing her hands and down his shoulders to create warmth.

Lucas and Erica ran to their parents as soon as they saw them stopped at the bright yellow caution tape, baring them off from seeing their kids.

She watched as everyone reunited with their family while she had no one waiting for her. But you and Steve, stuck by her side in the back of the ambulance, letting her rest her head on Steve’s shoulder while you soothed her.

Steve shook his head at the horrible remembrance, thankful that the worst was over and finally everyone in Hawkins could live in peace away from all that supernatural shit. He had you and his friends, something he was grateful for, but a part of him still felt the heaviness of it all, especially for the young girl Max who never seemed to fully recover from the year ago attack.

“I’ll tell you what,” Steve started, catching El’s eyes in the rearview again, “If she’s up for it, we’ll swing by tomorrow and take you guys to the arcade.”

El erupted at that, smiling broadly with an excited nod which made you laugh, hopeful that Max would feel a little better and would want to have some fun with her best friend that missed her greatly.

The next morning, Max was out of bed earlier than usual not wanting you two to wait around for her if you two were to show up earlier. She had gotten dressed in her usual baggy jeans, a stripped t-shirt and Billy’s oversized jean jacket to go over it.

A note hanging on the refrigerator read, “Have a good day, Max…Mom loves you, always!” She left it hanging there, switching on the TV while she waited.

When a soft knock followed by her name, came against the door, she knew you two had arrived. The clock on the stove read 7:15 just a few minutes early. She promptly grabbed her keys and her walkman, hooking it onto her jeans and opening the door.

“Morning sunshine.” You radiated against the morning sunlight, holding out a small cup of hot cocoa and a breakfast sandwich for her.

She actually smiled a little, locking the door before taking the items from you as you both walked the short distance to the car where Steve had been waiting in the driver’s seat.

“Hey Max, the cocoa good?” Steve turned, watching the young girl open the door as she took a sip of her drink.

She hummed warmly, and you shut her door before getting into the passenger, “I told him you were more of a latte type but he supposes that sixteen-year-olds shouldn’t be drinking coffee.”

Steve rolled his eyes, picking up his now empty cup of black coffee, and shaking it side to side, “Kids shouldn’t be drinking this shit.”

“So you’re calling yourself old?” Max proposed, opening up her bacon, egg, and cheese taking a bite.

“I think he is.” You tormented, jabbing at Steve’s side while he fussed and Max snorted quietly at the scene.

You and Steve looked so happy—not only as a couple, but just as humans.

For the most part, you all had gone through the same things last summer—except you and Steve were locked in the Russian base while Max and the others dealt with the mind-flayer stuff. Nevertheless, the anguish and memories of what had happened all remained the same throughout their group of friends, yet everyone else seemed to get over the hump of what happened.

Everyone except her.

She wanted to be happy again. Happy with herself. With her friends. With her boyfriend. With life. But everything just seemed as though it wouldn’t pass.

The sadness, the guilt, the nightmares would never be something she would be able to escape.

As you drove to the doctor’s office, you tried to make small talk with Max, asking her about what she had been up to lately. She gave short, one-word answers, and you could tell that she was still feeling down just like yesterday. Steve remembered what El had told them about Max being unhappy and decided to try to see if he could get her to open up.

“Max, is everything okay?” Steve finally asked, breaking the silence that passed after a couple of minutes.

Max shrugged, staring out the window of passing buildings and slower cars, “Just tired, I guess.”

You exchanged a worried peek with Steve, but didn’t push her to talk. It would only make her more uncomfortable and irritable, something you both wanted to avoid.

The doctor’s office was a small clinic a little further into town, nevertheless you three were on time, avoiding the morning bustle of traffic on this Friday. Steve greeted the woman at the front desk, checking Max in while she helped you fill out the necessary forms.

“Maxine Mayfield?” A nurse called out as she walked into the waiting room.

You patted Max on the shoulder, giving her an encouraging smile. “Just call out if you need us, ok?”

“I will.” She assured you, following the nurse into the exam room.

The appointment wasn’t anything special, just a yearly exam to make sure everything was going smoothly with Max’s health. They checked her ears, eyes, reflexes, and asked her a few questions.

“One last thing,” the nurse smiled, putting down her stethoscope and grabbing the clipboard and pen resting on the counter, “This is just a short questionnaire I need you to fill out. I’ll leave the room and give you a few minutes ok?”

Max nodded, grabbing the clip board and begun filling out the form. Reading the questions in her head and thinking for a few seconds before appropriately determine where she fell in each of the boxes. After ten minutes, the nurse came back, collecting the form and allowing her to head back into the waiting room while the doctor reviewed the report.

Steve sat up when he saw her emerge from the doors. He recognized the jean jacket to be Billy’s, practically too big and swallowing Max up whole. “How was it?”

Her pointer and middle finger gestured to her eyes then back at him, “I still have 20/20 vision and impeccable hearing.”

“That’s what we like to hear.” You grinned, patting a chair between you and Steve so she could sit awhile until she’d be seen by the doctors and discharged.

The waiting room was quiet. Just the small talk of the receptionists and replay of I Love Lucy playing through the TV filled the comfy space. You conversed with her for a short while, talking about the Kate Bush tape she had in her walkman. She let you have a listen to her favorite track, “Running Up That Hill,” telling you about the meaning of the song before her name was called, prompting you to take off the headphones.

“Guardians of Maxine Mayfield?” The doctor wore the typical white coat with a stethoscope cloaked over her neck and a clipboard in hand with Max’s files.

“Here.” Steve stood up, and the doctor smiled, nodding her head gesturing for you and Max to come along into her office.

“Are you her brother?” She called for, holding the door open to a small room.

Steve looked at Max unsure of how she wanted him to answer that, and the redhead shrugged, “Something like that.”

The doctor chuckled, offering you three a seat in front of her desk. Max sat in the middle with you and Steve on either side of her.

She glanced through the documents once more, and nodded to herself before looking at you two, “Everything seems to be looking good with her physical health. She did great on the vision exam and even better on the hearing test.”

Max smirked, nudging both you and Steve with her elbow. “Told you so.”

The doctor looked over the last page of the clipboard, the questionnaire that Max had filled out moments ago, all indicating worry, “But we do have an area of concern when it comes to her mental and emotional wellbeing.”

Max could feel the space suddenly become thicker, all eyes shifting towards her and the painful quietness lingering as you all expected her to say something, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to admit that there was something obviously going on in her life that she had been hiding, but now was eating her alive.

Steve coughed, tearing his eyes away from a very uncomfortable Max and looking at the professional, “W-what’s the matter?”

She pulled off one of the pages, and slid it towards him, “On a scale of zero to five, five being everyday, have you been feeling down, depressed, irritable or hopeless? She checked off five.”

You gulped, looking at Max who now seemed to be burying her head in her shoulder, looking towards the door closest to Steve.

“Max, do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head, her shoulders sulking deeper, “It’s nothing. Everyone feels like that sometimes. It passes. Normal teenage shit.”

“Hey,” Steve pointed, shaking his head at the explicative, “language.”

The doctor shook her head, understandingly, “No, it’s okay. Max, these feelings your having isn’t normal. I know it may seem like it, but if you’re constantly feeling bad about yourself everyday, then it may be a bigger issue.”

She reached for a pamphlet in her desk drawer, gliding it towards Max who finally peered at it. A girl crying in bed on the front page, with some sort of statistic in bold font above.

“Most teenage girls your age are more likely to develop depression and anxiety, especially if there are contributing factors like bullying, isolation, a rocky home life—”

Max snapped her head, suddently triggered and fed up with the conversation, “Nothing is wrong with me!”

Your eyes enlarged, attempting to soothe her with a touch of your hand on hers, “Max, hey, c’mon—”

She recoiled, retreating from your hand, “No!” she shouted, standing up, directing her anger towards the doctor in front of her who didn’t take the outburst personally, knowing there had to be an underlying issue.

“You don’t know what I’m feeling. You don’t know my life. You don’t know a damn thing about me or my family.”

With that, her feet thudded against the floors, tearing the doctor’s office door open and hurling it shut. She didn’t care about the stares she got from the other patients in the waiting room and the receptionists calling out for her—she wanted one thing and it was to get the hell out of that place.

You and Steve had never witnessed a frenzy like this from Max. It was out of character for her to take help defensively. She obviously had her guard up for a reason, but you two had no clue what it was about.

Steve only glanced at you once, before he was following behind her. “I’ll check on her.” You nodded, remaining in your seat as you shot the doctor an apologetic look that she lifted.

“I want Max to know that I’m here to help, not to judge her. Her answers to the questionnaire is extremely concerning. Do you maybe have any clue as to what might be causing these feelings?” She asked you and your thoughts for a moment, shrugging your shoulders.

“I mean,” you gulped, “s-she lost her brother over a year ago, but she hasn’t really opened up about it too much to know.”

The doctor nodded, reaching for another pamphlet and passing it to you, “That could be it. Especially for girls her age, it can be hard to talk about what they’re feeling. All of these emotions she’s been dealing with could be starting to build up and bubble over.”

You took a deep breath, nodding, trying to process what had just happened and what were the next steps to helping Max. Telling her mom would probably make her more upset, yet you didn’t know if it was right for you and Steve to keep it a secret.

Steve raced out the clinic doors before it could close shut and Max was even faster darting towards his car, tugging on the door to try to hide away in the backseat, as if she wasn’t going home with either of them seeing her breakdown.

“Max! Stop!” Steve pursued, clutching her shoulder tenderly, to try to get her to look back at him.

Through the reflection of the glass window he could see her scrunched face, reddening cheeks with tears pushing past the brink of her eyelids where they tumbled down. Her chest heaved up and down heavily as her fingertips tightened around the door handle, still trying to tug it open.

“O-open the door, Steve.” She choked, pushing her shoulders back to try to get his touch off of her, which he complied with, dropping his hands from her shoulder, but never opening the car doors.

He sighed, moving beside her, stooping down a bit to look at her.

“I’m not opening the door until you talk.”

She shook her head, fingers wiping her cheeks when she finally met his eyes that were full of concern, “T-talk about what! How f-fucked up my life is? Is that what you wanna hear?”

Steve swallowed thickly, shaking his head with immediate regret. That wasn’t what he wanted. For her to think he pitied her or wanted to force her to open up. He just wanted to be let in, to know why she was feeling like this and why she hadn’t asked for help sooner.

Her eyes kept on him, the tears never stopping their journey down her cheeks. Her jaw trembling as she started to speak once more.

“God, Steve, I mean, isn’t it obvious that my life is total s-shit? I don’t need a doctor to tell me that I’m fucking sad! I already know that! She doesn’t think that I already know that I’ve contemplated to—”

He didn’t let her finish her sentence, “Hey, hey, c’mon,” smoothly guiding her head to his chest where she ultimately ceased talking and open mouth sobs left her instead. She let herself fall into Steve’s hold, her finger tips falling from the car door and instead clinging around Steve like an anchor, which would be the only thing to keep her from floating away.

Her sobs grew louder by the second, every single suppressed emotion she had been bottling up inside of her finally overflowing into tears that now drenched Steve’s polo. But Steve didn’t mind at all, holding her tighter as he closed his eyes tightly and begun whispering soft words of reassurance to her.

As you tightly held onto the pamphlets the doctor had given you; you pushed open the doors of the clinic, instantly met with the scene of Max in Steve’s arms. Your heart sank, quickening the pace of your footsteps as you shoved the papers into the back pocket of your jeans.

When Steve had finally opened his eyes, with his arms still engulfed around the young girl he held, he saw you, face full of concern as he mouthed, “she’s not ok.”

You winced, nodding your head, still calmly approaching as you placed a loving hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I’m here.”

She slowly retracted her face from Steve’s chest to look at you. Her features were twisted in heartache—brows furrowed and the tears streaming down her face, leaving a trail of wetness in their wake. Her lips quivered as she tried to catch her breath to speak to you, yet she couldn’t.

Instead, she unwrapped herself from Steve, hurrying into your arms where you immediately wrapped your arms around her securely.

“Shhh, I’m right here, sweetheart. It’s gonna be ok, ok?”

You held her close, clinging to her shaking body with each sob she took, rubbing her back gently and offering her the comfort she desperately needed. Steve watched the scene unfold, his own eyes filled with tears and without hesitation, he moved closer to both of you, wrapping his arms around you and Max.

Together, the three of you stood there in silence, holding onto each other as if your lives depended on it. Max continued to cry, but her sobs grew weaker as the moments passed. The only sounds in the car were the occasional sniffle or hiccup as she worked to regain control of her emotions.

When she finally did begin to pull back, Steve immediately let go, as did you, watching her concerningly as she mopped her tears with the back of her hand as she asked, “can we g-go home?”

“Of course.” Steve nodded firmly, finally opening the back door where he let her get in first.

You quickly got into the passenger seat, rummaging through the glove box where extra napkins were kept, and you passed her a few to dry her tears with and she let out a quiet, “thank you.”

The drive home from the doctor’s office was subdued, the only sounds in the car the soft hum of the engine and Max’s occasional sniffle. You and Steve exchanged worried glances, both of you unsure of how to help Max in her current state, but still determined to, nevertheless.

When you three finally pulled into the trailer park, you’d fully expected for Max to wave her goodbye and let that be the end, but instead she invited you inside.

The trailer was clean and tidy, not a single pile of mess could be found in the space, but it was mostly because Max had spent all her days in here trying to use up her time in any way shape or form that didn’t deal with facing anyone.

“Do you want me to make you some lunch?” You offered politely, shrugging off your jacket and slinging it over one of the kitchen chairs.

Max went over to the small sofa into the middle of the living room, shrugging her shoulders as she pulled Billy’s jean jacket over her body like a blanket.

“There’s some crackers and peanut butter in the pantry. That’ll be ok for me.” She said, and you nodded, grabbing a plate and butter knife from the dish rack and heading for the pantry.

Steve sat on the other side of Max, still placid as he wanted to wait for you before talking to Max about the events that just unfolded. After a few minutes, you returned with a plate of crackers and a small dish of peanut butter on the side. You offered it to Max, and she happily took it, beginning to munch down on the snack.

You looked at Steve, his eyes silently telling you whether it was ok for him to speak about everything and you nodded lightly, just enough for him to see.

“Max, uh, do you wanna maybe talk about how you’ve been feeling?” He proposed, resting his elbows on his knees, watching her chew her last bites before she swallowed and shrugged.

She was hesitant to open up. She had never really told anyone at all about how she was really feeling inside. It wasn’t something that she normally talked about…her feelings that is. She thought it was just better to suppress everything, but today was the breaking point and she knew that it was time.

“Sometimes, I feel so lonely,” Max expressed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I know I have you guys a-and my friends, but sometimes it feels like nobody understands what I’m going through.”

The pain she felt. The loss. The sadness. The guilt. That’s what nobody knew she was going through.

Steve reached over and placed a comforting hand on Max’s shoulder. “We may not know exactly what you’re feeling, Max, but we’re here for you. Always.”

Max nodded, her eyes misting over with tears as she felt comfortable to say a little more. “It’s just that...I’ve been feeling so guilty lately,” she continued, her voice trembling. “About Billy’s death. Like it’s my fault somehow.”

Her eyes finally turned to yours, first, ocean blue orbs looked like a flood of waves crashing with the tears beginning to form.

Then her head turned to Steve, blinking where the salty tears leaked again, “I-I just keep picturing his face. The…the blood. E-everything comes back to me and I can’t escape it.”

The words poured out of her in a rush while you and Steve listened attentively. Distress coating both of your gazes as you watched Max’s tears begin to pour quicker, her voice nearly breaking, and her hands shaking as she went on.

“M-maybe if he was here, then I wouldn’t feel this way, but…but I know that I can’t do anything. And I hate it! I hate that I can’t do a-anything about it!”

Steve could see the panic rising in Max’s eyes, and you both knew what was coming. Sure enough, a moment later, Max let out a strangled sob and clutched at her chest, her breathing ragged.

And so Steve quickly got up, stretching towards the kitchen for a glass of cold water while you scooched closer to Max, holding her hands in your palms and soothing your thumbs over her shaky knuckles.

“Hey, take a deep breath for me, Max,” You guided, breathing along with her as she kept her eyes on you and followed your directions.

In and out. Breathe. In and out. Breathe.

The cold condensation from the glass cup dripped on top of your hands where Steve was holding the glass above. Max instantly reached for the cup, gradually gulping down the ice cold water every so often as she continued the breathing routines.

Steve remained standing in front of you two, ready to spring into action if Max needed to be rushed to the hospital or anything like that, but thankfully she began to calm down, handing the cup back to Steve once she had finished it.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered shaking her head, annoyed at herself for not having any control over her emotions that she had to act out like that, “I didn’t mean to freak out like that.”

You and Steve both shook your heads, him moving to take his place back on the couch beside her, “Don’t apologize, Max…sometimes it happens. Nothing wrong with that.”

You nodded in agreement, slinging one of your arms across her shoulder while the other rested on her knee, “We’re here for you, alright? You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Max didn’t know how to react. She wasn’t used to this level of sympathy, or at least not since she was a younger child. Nowadays, her mother didn’t have much time to comfort her like she used to. Instead, she settled for simple phrases like, “It’s just in your head Maxine,” or “You’re just having one of those days, it’ll get better.”

A part of her, missed the comforting talks and hugs that she and her mom used to share, but she knew that it was a part of growing up and getting older.

She wasn’t expecting to be coddled all her life, but it was nice having you and Steve around to make her feel assured. To know that you both were actually here for her and trying your best to understand where she was coming from and all of her feelings rather than brushing it off.

“Thanks for being here.” Max spoke gratefully, reaching either of her hands out around both of your shoulders and pulling you in for a squeeze.

Steve let out a small puff of relieved air from his mouth along with a, “Yep,” while you leaned in and hugged her closer, kissing her temple before pulling away.

“Why don’t we go to the arcade?” Steve suggested, knowing that it would be a good opportunity to get some of the heavier things off of Max’s mind especially after the eventful morning you all had.

You nodded, nudging the young girl slightly. “I’m sure El would like to hang out, right?”

She sniffled, nodding her head as she sat back against the cushions and your arm, “Yeah, she did tell me she misses me a lot…I miss her too.”

The three of you spent a few more minutes on the couch, just sitting and talking about what games she wanted to play at the arcade after not being there for a couple of days. After Max finally settled completely, she called El and invited her to the arcade, even Will, but he was busy working on a new painting but offered to come next time around.

The car was now filled with music as the four of you drove to the arcade. Steve seemed to sneak more glances at the backseat through the rear-view mirror. A smile on his face as he saw Max loosening up with the presence of her best friend while they softly sung to the radio and talked amongst themselves.

Once you finally arrived at the arcade, Max seemed to feel a lot better already, laughing and screeching excitedly as she and El played their favorite games while you and Steve stood off to the side in order to give them some space.

“Max looks like she’s having fun.” You nudged Steve playfully, watching the way his face lit up, knowing his idea was so far working.

He grinned sneaking his arms around your waist to pull you closer.

“She deserves to have some fun. She’s been through a lot today…and god knows for how long.” he sighed sadly, resting his head on top of yours.

You understood how Steve felt—if only you two had known what was going on with Max sooner, maybe then you’d both would be able to help her earlier. Yet you knew there was no use in regretting the past but just hopeful for what was to come.

“C’mon, I think I want that pink unicorn.” You dragged him towards the claw machine on the other side of the arcade, still in view of the girls to keep an eye on them.

Max and El continued to compete the high score on Pac-Mac while you and Steve took turns at the claw machine trying to win the fluffy bright pink plush you wanted. After a many tries, Steve was successful, happily presenting you with it and you thanked him with a kiss.

“I think we have a winner!” Steve whistled, strolling behind Max and El with two other plushes in his hand that he had won after a few more attempts.

They turned around, smiling as they each reached for one. El picked the baby elephant and Max got the koala bear. Each of them satisfied with their gifts as they laughed and thanked Steve with smiles.

“We gotta get you girls home.” He announced, looking at his watch for the time, followed by some whines that were quickly eased away by you.

“In a few days we can give you two a ride here again, alright? Steve has work tomorrow and y’know how he is about his sleep.” You smirked, squeezing Steve’s cheeks as he groaned but leaned back into you.

“Oh, we know! Remember that time you fell asleep, and we drew a mustache on you?” El piqued enthusiastically, causing you and Max to laugh out loud.

Steve glared, reminiscing of how he volunteered to host movie night at his place for the kids only for them to grab the markers and begin doodling all over his face. He only realized it the next morning when you popped in with breakfast and couldn’t stop laughing when he greeted you at the door.

“Yeah, yeah, c’mon you twerps.”

El was the first one to get dropped off, already wistful about having to leave her best friend, yet excited for the upcoming plans to come. As you and Steve drove back to the trailer park, Max sat quietly in the backseat, fiddling with her stuffed animal and lost in her thoughts.

Today felt like one of the most relaxing days she had in a long time, despite how the morning had started off. It was nice being able to be consoled and not having to feel like her feelings were such a bad thing. She wanted this feeling to last, but she knew today would eventually come to an end.

When Steve finally pulled up in front of her trailer, her mom’s car was already parked in the grassy space, indicating she was home from a long day of work.

He turned around to face her, watching her unbuckle her seatbelt, “We had a great time, Max.”

Max gave him a smile in return, wiggling the plush he had won her today, “Thanks for taking me…it means a lot.” she said quietly.

“Of course, sweetheart,” you said kindly, maneuvering in your chair to face her as well, “We’re always here for you.”

For her. Always there for her. You two.

The words itself were like a warm embrace to Max’s cold soul that filled her with comfort and security. Just like the hug that you three shared earlier in the day in the doctor’s office parking lot. You two had no idea how much that hug meant to her. How nice and safe it was to feel like she was protected, to feel like she was heard and listened to instead of interrogated and shunned.

Max nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “I know,” she said, her voice breaking. “And I appreciate it so much. Especially with everything that’s been going on lately.”

You and Steve exchanged another set of concerned looks that was familiar from this morning, but you two knew you wanted to do everything you could to support Max through what she was going through.

“Max, we’re here for you no matter what,” Steve said firmly. “You can call us anytime if you need to talk or help with anything, alright?”

Max nodded, sniffling as she wiped her tears away, pushing a smile onto her face, “Thank you,” she said softly. “And thank you for taking me to my appointment. It means a lot.”

Steve smiled reassuringly. “Of course, Max. We’re happy to help.”

As she gathered the rest of her belonging, ready to exit the car and call it a day, she turned back to you and Steve, “Can we do this again soon?” she asked hopefully, her voice filled with need. “I had a lot of fun today.”

You and Steve grinned, nodding your heads as Steve reached out to ruffle her hair, making her laugh freely.

“Absolutely, I’ll give you a call tomorrow and let you know when Steve is off next.” You told her, and she beamed with excitement as she got of the car.

“Thanks…I’ll see you guys soon!” she said, closing the door behind her as she got out.

She waited there to watch you both drive off, waving goodbye as you and Steve watched her in the rearview until she was out of sight into the afternoon sunset.

The car ride was quiet, the both of you not wanting to spark up the conversation around Max’s mental health. You two would never truly be able to understand what she was going through, but there seemed to be a silent agreement that the both of you were going to be there for Max every step of the way.

It wasn’t the fact that Steve didn’t like working at Family Video—He got to work with one of his best friends, Robin. He got first dibs on new tapes for date night. He didn’t have to do much beside stock shelves, count inventory, and work the register.

But the pay wasn’t much, and the days were slow…sometimes too slow, like today.

Barely any new customers came in to rent some tapes and the old ones had yet to return their way over due tapes, something Robin would take care of with a phone call. He just needed to stick around for a few more weeks until he’d hopefully get promoted now that Keith was leaving his position as manager and he would get a little more money.

The money, of course, was going to a good cause: getting to move in with you and helping you with rent.

Though you never asked Steve or made him promise to help you with rent once you got your own apartment after graduation, but he just wanted to be considerate. He knew it wasn’t easy being a college student and adding on working a part-time job, so he wanted to do all he could to help you out if he was going to move in with you.

“Harrington!” Steve exhaled thickly, the chime of the front doors ringing followed by the voices of the teenage boys who loved badgering him on the job.

He turned around, being greeted by Dustin, Will, Lucas, and Mike, “Hey shitheads.” He joked, followed by a snort that came from Robin in the aisle over.

Mike and Will ignored the repartee, heading off into the horror section to see what new tapes were available, while the other two boys followed Steve as he headed towards the front desk to check off some of the inventory lists.

“You took Max and El to the arcade yesterday?” Dustin queried, watching Steve nod as he worked the pen.

He glanced up at the boy and shrugged, “They wanted to spend some girl time together��are you jealous you weren’t invited?”

Dustin rolled his eyes, shaking his head, “Never, it’s just that Eddie said he saw you and your girlfriend pick up Max early in the morning.”

Eddie Munson lived right across from Max’s trailer with his uncle Wayne. The two were never particularly close, but after Dustin started hanging around the dude and joined his DnD club, it was kinda inevitable that they’d become somewhat friends through the kid.

“Yeah,” Steve bowed his head, placing down the clipboard and resting his elbow on the desk, “We had to take Max to take care of a few things…have you spoken to her recently?”

He looked towards Lucas, her boyfriend, hoping to hear that Max was doing better, but instead, the young boy seemed to tense up at the question, shuffling from foot to foot.

“W-we actually broke up a few weeks ago and I haven’t heard from or seen her since. I think she’s avoiding me.” Lucas confessed quietly as Steve’s eyes widened at the announcement.

Dustin elbowed Lucas pointedly. “Dude, you didn’t tell him!?”

For a while, everyone knew about Max and Lucas’ split. Everyone except for you and Steve who were too busy to be probing into the lives of the kids they occasionally babysat. But in hindsight, it seemed to all make sense. Steve hadn’t seen the whole group of kids together at once for a while—Max was always missing. And Max seemed to only hang out with two other people El and sometimes Will.

Lucas sighed, shaking his head, “No! It’s embarrassing alright…I don’t even know what I did wrong. She just kinda dropped the bomb on me out of nowhere. I-I tried calling, but she never picks up.”

Steve’s heart sank, the words coming from Lucas reminding him of how El had phoned him the other day to tell him how concerned she was that Max wasn’t returning any of her calls for a while.

He knew that it might have something to do with what was going on with her emotional and mental wellbeing, but the breakup wasn’t the main thing. Max was strong and independent even before she and Lucas began dating. Steve knew that Max didn’t need a boyfriend to survive, but he had a feeling that maybe just maybe her emotions had pushed her to break it off with Lucas so suddenly and that was concerning enough for him to excuse himself into the break room to use the phone in there for more privacy.

The phone rung a few times before you finally picked up, “Hey, baby,” Steve said breathlessly when you answered.

“Stevie! How’s work?” You requested, closing the textbook you were studying and giving your boyfriend your undivided attention for a few minutes.

“Slow as per usual. The boys actually dropped in.” He told you, and you hummed, guessing they were probably causing some trouble that Steve needed to get away from.

“Yeah? Have they been poking fun at your vest?”

He chuckled, looking down at the pin you got made that said, “Best Salesmen” followed by his name, “No, no, actually it’s about Max.”

You furrowed your brows, sitting up in your desk chair as you listened more for the information that Steve was hurling at you.

“I asked Lucas how Max was doing, but he said that she broke it off with him a few weeks ago and he hasn’t been returning any of her calls. Completely out of nowhere.”

“Shit,” you moaned, rubbing your temples as he let out an agreement on the other side of the line.

“Right. And…I don’t know. I know she doesn’t need Lucas, per se. I mean she’s smart, and witty, and cool, but—but, maybe, do you think it has anything to do with what the doctor said?” He proposed, thinking back to the conversation in the doctor’s office.

You thought to yourself, nodding your head and responding, “Possibly, I mean, the doctor did say that isolation is a big thing that she could be doing to avoid talking about her feelings. M-maybe she broke up with Lucas because she felt bad about her feelings and didn’t want him to worry?”

“Yeah, yeah, that could be it,” He rubbed his chin, checking the time on his watch hoping that his lunch break was soon so he could stop by Max’s trailer to see if she was ok and was coping with the breakup alright.

But still, his break wasn’t until another hour, and the worry was eating him up alive, “Do—”

“I can go and pick up some of her favorite things and go check up on her?” You offered before he could ask, and a sigh of comfort left his mouth.

“Please…and let me know how she’s doing?” He asked almost desperately, as he heard you putting your highlighters and pens away.

“Of course, baby, I’ll call you when I get back.” You told him, gathering your keys that were a short distance from the phone before getting ready to hang up.

“Sounds good…OH! And maybe you could get her the Hershey’s bars with the almonds inside? I know she likes those.”

He remembered the movie night a few months ago, the same one where they all drew on his face. Max had gone straight for the candy bar, monopolizing it to herself and only giving pieces of it to El and a few to Steve, since he was the one who bought it.

You laughed, making a mental note and adding it to the list of things you were already planning to get Max in order to cheer her up, “Got it, babe! I’ll head out now. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He replied, hearing you smack your lips giving him a telephone kiss as he chuckled and did the same before hanging up first and getting back to work. He had hope that the more he worked the more time would pass and he would hear back from you with good news.

The grocery store had all you needed for the pick-me-ups that Max would surely like. The chocolate almond bar that Steve told you to get, a few more bags of candy, some tissues, and a small bouquet of flowers for the extra touch.

You stood there in front of the trailer, tapping gingerly and calling out her name a few times before you could hear the footsteps from inside coming closer until the doorknob twisted and there was Max dressed in an oversized t-shirt with her hair in a messy bun. Your smile faltered slightly when you remembered why you were here in the first place.

“Hey,” she greeted, opening the door wider when she saw it was you. Furrowing her brows with the items in your hand, you smiled apologetically, handing her the flowers first.

“Hey Max. I brought some stuff to cheer you up,” you said watching her take the florals and look at you confused, “I’m so sorry if this is awkward, but Lucas told Steve about the breakup and he told me, and we just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

Max’s expression softened, stepping aside to let you in, “It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize…this is actually really sweet.”

You smiled weakly, walking into her trailer and feeling relieved that she wasn’t upset. “No, yeah, we just wanted to make sure you’re doing alright since we had no idea about it.”

The two of you sat down on the couch, and you watched as she grinned when you gave her the rest of the treats. The chocolate bar being immediately ripped open as she broke off a piece and offered it to you first, which you accepted before she began indulging in it.

You chewed on the sweet treat, swallowed before you spoke, “So, uh, Steve and I were just wonder…did Lucas do something to hurt you? Or is it just that you’re not interested anymore?”

Max felt the knot in her stomach, sighing as this would be the first time she was explaining it to anyone. Even when Lucas asked why and even El, she simply brushed them off and told them it was normal or nothing.

“It’s not that. I still love and care about Lucas, but I just…just don’t think that a relationship is good for me right now. I’m not in the right mindset, y’know?”

You nodded, understanding where she was coming from and it all washed over you, “Yeah, I totally get it. And I’m sorry again if we were prying or anything. Just want you to know me and Steve are here for you, through anything and everything.”

The young girl smiled, feeling grateful for the kindness and time you took out of your day to come in and check on her when you could’ve simply picked up the phone and called. The effort mattered, and she was appreciative of that.

“Hey…and if Lucas loves you, he’ll understand and be patient,” you added, smiling softly and resting a hand on her knee, “take all the time you need, and when you’re ready, you two can work things out.”

She didn’t bother speaking a word to you. Her smile and arms that she wrapped around you were enough for her to express that she was thankful for everything you and Steve had done in the past three days.

“Do you think I could spend the night at yours? Girls’ night with me and El, if you’re not busy or working tomorrow?” She sought, pulling away from you as you smiled and nodded.

It was a Friday and thankfully you didn’t have much work to get done for school and you didn’t pick up a shift at the general store until next week so you were practically free, “Sure, but just in case can you call your mom and make sure it’s alright with her?”

She nodded, getting up for the phone before she turned to you, “There’s some lemonade in the fridge that I made this morning. Eddie’s uncle gave us a whole bag last night…apparently some guy at his plant has a huge lemon tree.”

You snorted, nodding your head as you got up, heading for the kitchen and pouring yourself a refreshingly sour glass of lemonade while Max called her mom’s working place to get through and ask if it was alright to spend the night at yours.

Once she got the green light from her mom and calling El to invite her, she headed for her room, packing some of her things that she would need while she was at yours, along with some cassettes that she wanted to show to you and El. You washed up your glass, tidying up a bit before you used the phone to call Steve and let him know that everything was ok and that Max and El would be staying with you for the night.

She shut her bedroom door, walking out with her duffle bag slung over her shoulder, “I’m ready,” she announced to you as you smiled, still holding the phone to your ear.

Steve was concerned about Max and asked if he could speak to her over the phone to check up on her, “It’s Steve. He wants to talk to you if that’s ok?” You asked her, and she agreed, dropping her bag down on the sofa and accepting the phone you held out for her.

You could hear Steve talking her ear off the moment he knew that she was now on the phone with him. Max kept humming out “mhm’s” and “yes’s” nodding her head along with whatever Steve was telling her.

“You made a really brave and good decision, Max.” Steve spoke, his voice soothing, “Putting yourself isn’t a bad thing and if anything I’m so proud of you for doing it. If Lucas can’t see what an amazing girl you are it’s his loss at the end of the day. Take some time for yourself and when you’re ready, maybe you both will find your way back together.”

God, he felt like such a dad right now, but he said all the right words, the ones that Max needed to hear.

Her cheeks rose with a smile on her face as she thanked him, grateful for his support.

“Thanks, Steve. It’s just hard, you know? I still care about Lucas so much, but I just don’t feel like I can be in a relationship right now.”

“I get it,” Steve responded. “But I want you to know that you’re smart and don’t need a boyfriend behind you. You’re good enough on your own right now, and when you’re ready, you’ll find someone who deserves you.”

Max felt a sense of comfort wash over her. Sure maybe all the teens, including herself would make fun of Steve of being such a dad with all his lecture and advice, but he had this special knack for knowing how making people feel better, even in the toughest times and today it was no different with her situation.

“T-thanks, Steve. That means a lot,” Max’s voice cracked, feeling her eyes start to well up with tears out of nowhere.

You moved beside her, hoisting an arm around her shoulder, and you pulled her into a side hug, and brushed the tears off her cheeks with your thumbs. You knew she was massively touched by everything you and Steve were doing for her, and it was heartwarming to see her so vulnerable when it came to you two.

“Hey, don’t cry,” you could hear Steve say through the speaker, his voice gentle. “I know this is tough, but we’re here for you. Whatever you need, we’ll be here to support you.”

“Thanks, Steve,” Max spoke, smiling up at you as you continued to brush away her tears. “I really appreciate it. I just hope that one day, Lucas and I can patch things up.”

“I’m sure you will, Max,” Steve said, his voice reassuring. “But for now, just focus on taking care of yourself. That’s the most important thing, alright?”

She assured Steve and thanked him once more before he let her go. Yelling out an “I love you” for you before Max placed the phone back down on the receiver. She locked up the place, petting the stray cats outside the porch before she got into your car and you two drove off to pick up El.

Once the three of you were in the car, the party was already started. Madonna blasting through your radio with the windows down as you all shouted out the lyrics and danced in your seats. You decided to stop at the store to pick up a few more things to make it a bit more special. Wandering the aisles, you picked out face masks, microwavable popcorn, and all the other things that would make a sleepover fun.

When you finally arrived at your apartment, the girls couldn’t wait to make themselves at home, springing up the steps until they got to your floor, already hearing you doggie, Ollie, barking from inside.

You smiled, unlocking the door and letting them in first, watching as they dropped their bags and went straight for your pup. Cuddling him in their arms and giggling at his playful antics while you began unloading the bags from the store on the coffee table in the living room.

“Okay, tonight we’re going to have fun, but there’s just one rule!” You announced, dusting your hands off as you plopped onto the couch, watching the girls tilt their head up towards you and nod.

“No boy talk! None at all! Nothing about current boyfriends, ex-boyfriends…I don’t want to hear about your romantic lives and I’m sure you don’t want to hear about mine—no boy talk! Capiche?”

The girls snickered, nodding their heads, as they got up from the floor and decided to join you on the couch, reaching for a bag of chips and opening it to share with each other.

“So, how is college? Is it harder than high school?” Max sought before stuffing her mouth full of the crunch chips.

You breathed, nodding your head wistfully as their faces dropped.

“It’s definitely more rigorous, but it helps to have a routine. I’m getting used to it.”

El sat up, nodding her head in agreement, “Jonathan says that college is tough…he gets sad when Nancy is busy and doesn’t call because of study or exams.”

Jonathan, her half-brother through Joyce, had decided to stay in Hawkins, pursing his career of photography in town by booking some weddings and birthday parties. Nancy headed off for college the same year you did, but she went out of state at a university while you stayed back and decided to attend a community college to save some money first.

“Yeah, but it’s all worth it in the end,” you assured her, patting her shoulder as she went on, with wide eyes.

“I’m so nervous about college,” she pressed her hands on her cheeks as you and Max giggled, “what if I don’t get in?!”

You knew how she felt and it wasn’t too long ago when you were a senior feeling totally lost in the mix of applying for colleges and hoping for an acceptance letter.

“Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to figure it out,” You criss-crossed your legs together and looked between the two girls, “You two are gonna be sophomores in a few weeks and maybe then you’ll figure out what you wanna pursue and that will be something to check off your list.”

They looked a bit more relived yet nervous, realizing that they were in fact entering sophomore in a matter of days. The summer had flown by quickly and a new school year was about to be in session. Freshman year wasn’t too bad considering the fact that the group stayed together, but as time goes on, they knew that new friends would sprout and growing apart was normal.

“Hey…and when your senior year comes, I’ll be there to help you both with college applications and I’ll even read over your essays and make sure they’re ready to go.” You assured them, making them smile broader, no longer fearful about the future, but more so glad that they’d have you to go to for any college advice.

“We’ve got this,” Max smirked, high-fiving her best friend before Ollie had joined in on the excitement, barking cheerfully and running around in circles, making all three of you giggle at his cuteness.

As the day slowly dwindled into night, the three of you had changed into more comfortable clothing: big t-shirts and sweatpants. The couch was now situated with fluffed up pillows and even softer blankets. Your faces now glazed in the clay face masks with a movie playing on the TV and a big bowl of the popcorn being passed around the three of you.

Only the knock on the door made you three tear your eyes away from the TV. Ollie immediately running towards the front door, sniffing then barking. You got up, and Max paused the movie, as the two sat up, watching you open the wooden door first, revealing Steve on the other side of the outer screen door.

“Did someone order half pepperoni and cheese and half pineapple for a girls’ night?” Steve tries his best to deepen his voice as if his own girlfriend and the girls wouldn’t recognize him.

You rolled your eyes, stifling a laugh as you opened the door, to greet him, “You’re such a dork!” you say, giving him a kiss as he chuckles against you making sure his lips don’t touch the mask on your face.

He enters the apartment with the pizza box balanced on his palm, shooting a smile to the girls and Ollie who races in circles around Steve’s feet—the usual Ollie greeting.

The girls get up. El taking the pizza box from him and setting it down on the coffee table while Max picks up the small container of the clay face mask. He looks at them, puzzled, as El begins to speak, “You can stay, but you have to follow the rules!”

You’re highly entertained, listening to their conversation as you locked up the door and headed for the kitchen to grab some plate and napkins.

He huffs, crossing his arms over his chest, “Lay it on me.”

“No boy talk!” El declares firmly with a pointed finger, and he nods. Steve can totally do that.

Max steps closer. “Annnnd you have to put on the face mask,” she says with a mischievous grin.

Despite his protests and even begging for you to back him up, he eventually agrees, letting Max dip her fingers into the goopy product and smear it across his face. El grabbed the extra scrunchie on her wrist, tying back Steve’s hair into a wonky ponytail when he complained about it getting in his hair.

You couldn’t help yourself, jogging into your bedroom to snatch your polaroid off your desk in order to snap a picture of the scene in the living room. Steve sat on the couch with his face scrunched up, while Max laughed and swatted his hands away when he tried to stop her from putting more on. And El in the background giving a thumbs up with a massive smile on her face. The photo was definitely going to be one of your most prized possessions now.

Soon enough, Max’s hands were now free of the clay and all four of you had some pizza while you continued on with the movie before talking to each other about life. Steve was about to say something about Eddie entering the dating scene, but before he could finish, the three of you were shouting and groaning, “No talking about boys!”

Steve laughed, shutting his mouth as he apologized and you all laughed, “Sorry! Sorry. I forgot the rule!”

You smiled, shaking your head as you cuddled into his side, rubbing his arm up and down comfortingly, “We just want a night without talking about guys…I mean it’s pretty stereotypical, but sometimes it’s exhausting talking about boy…no offence, baby.”

Steve chuckled, nodding his head in agreement with your statement, “None taken, doll. And you’re right, boys aren’t the end-all, be-all, of life. All three of you can make it on your own without any man,” he looked down at pouting, “but like, totally, don’t break up with me because I just said that.”

Max groaned, garnering the attention of you both as you looked at her, “This is the only time, I’m breaking the rule,” she pointed at you two as you both nodded, “You and Steve do make a pretty good couple—caring, funny, and surprisingly reliable.”

El piped in, “Don’t forget cute!”

“Oh, and cute!” Max added, as she and El high-fived each other and you and Steve snorted at their amusement.

Steve wrapped his arms around you, holding you close, “Thanks, and now I can say that me and my girl are the cutest couple in Hawkins! You heard it here first!” He announced, making you laugh while the other girls sighed, shaking their heads.

“Oh god, we shouldn’t have said that!”

Soon all your faces are now cleansed and refreshed and the night is slowly simmering down with yawns and sleepy eyes filling the living room. You tidy up the kitchen, washing the dirty plates and cups, as Steve helps you out while the girls get homey in the living room, getting ready for bed.

“Thanks for letting them spend the night here.” Steve murmured from behind you, kissing your neck as you hum and close your eyes, letting him stay them for a moment before you turn your head and kiss his lips.

When you pull away, the two of you are still smiling, before you pat his chest, “C’mon lover boy, you need your sleep remember?”

He nods with a grin, taking your hand and kissing it before the two of you are walking back into the living room, standing in front of the couch where the girls are fluffing up their pillows.

“I’m heading out now, I’ve got a shift in the morning,” He told them as they nodded, getting up and each going in for a hug.

You smiled at the scene, heart-warming up as he wrapped his arms around them and pulled them a little closer, savoring this moment that was so simple yet meaningful to him. And especially for Max who held on a little longer, quietly whispering a “thank you,” before she pulled away and got comfy on the couch.

“Goodnight, Steve.” The girls yawned out tiredly, as they pulled their blankets up over their bodies.

Steve grinned, looking at how comfortable they were already, “Night bugs.”

He opened the front door, bending down to pet Ollie goodnight, before he was off running towards the couch and settling between the two girls comfortably. You wrapped your arms around him, inhaling his scent before you rested your chin on his chest, looking up at him as he looked down on you, pressing your lips together again.

“I love you, drive safe ok?” You told him and he nodded, kissing your forehead, then one more time on your lips before you had to unwrap your arms.

“I will, and I love you too…I’ll call in the morning before my shift.”

You nodded, smiling as he parted ways with you, walking down the steps of your apartment building and into the parking lot below where he waved at you before he drove off into the night.

Closing the door and triple checking that you had locked it, you made your way over to the girls, already beginning to doze off slightly as they forced themselves to stay awake to say goodnight to you.

“I’m gonna let you two have the couch with Ollie tonight, but I’ll just be in my bedroom and I’ll keep my door open if anything, alright?” You told them softly, and they nodded their heads, with dopey smiles on their faces.

“Kay, goodnight,” they singsonged as their eyes fell and you quietly giggled, bending down to press a warm kiss to the tops of their heads.

“Goodnight, sweethearts…night Ollie.”

As Max laid there listening to the slight snores already coming from El, she couldn’t help but think about how uncomfortable she felt a few days ago in the doctor’s office. The bright fluorescent lighting and the cold, sterile environment made her feel uneasy and anxious. She was on edge about everything the doctor was saying and how it all erupted before her eyes.

But now, as she lay on the couch in your living room, with the soft glow of the moon seeping through the curtains and her eyelids, she felt safe and at peace. The warmth of the blankets and the gentle hum of the air conditioning made her feel calm and relaxed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the tension in her body melt away.

As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn’t help but feel hopeful about the future. She knew that there would be challenges and obstacles to overcome, but she also knew that she had the support of her friends and especially you and Steve. With a smile on her face, she whispered a quiet “thank you,” grateful for this moment of peace and comfort.

a/n: i hope you guys liked chapter one of this series!!! i know it is angsty and there is a lot of talk about mental and emotional health, but i really feel like it's something worth talking about. opening up is never easy and i hope this story depicts the high and lows of what that's like from max's eyes, but also the blossoming relationship that max and steve (and reader) will start to form as time goes on. a big big thank you to @translatemunson for always listening to my ideas and giving me some to incorporate as well!! i love you, effie <3 going to start working on chapter two soon!!! in the meantime, let me know what you think: reblogs, tags, comments, and likes are greatly appreciated!!!

taglist (if you would like to be added just leave a comment!): @translatemunson @kennedy-brooke @manda-panda-monium @tvserie-s-world @wanderlustaflame @fruitbutt @thegaysaretired

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