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chiriwritesstuff · 6 days

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Hometown Glory; 1. Back to the Old House

Series Masterlist

Chapter Rating: M

Chapter Summary: Glory and Frankie, two best friends from a small town in Texas, find themselves in different places as adults. They haven't spoken in years, yet find themselves being drawn back home, searching for... something they can't quite explain. Will they be able to find their purpose back to where it all began?

Chapter Warnings and Tags: Strong language, Frankie is going through it, Someone decides it's a good idea to dip in the middle of the night, Sexism in the workplace, Unstable family dynamics.

Word Count: 8k

1998 (16 years old)

It's a school night on a random Monday, and you're perched cross-legged in a boy's room, a bowl of popcorn resting precariously on your lap. With a mischievous grin, you snatch the remote control from said boy, clicking it over to ABC as he groans in annoyance.

"Hey! What the hell!" he grumbles in annoyance, "Don't you know it's rude to just take a man's remote?"

"It's my night, remember?" you remind him playfully. "There's a new episode of Ally McBeal, and I'm dying to find out what happened between Ally and Billy."

"Gross. Not the biggest fan of that girly romance shit-" he drawls from above, his arm snaking around your shoulder as he reaches for a handful of popcorn. "I would rather watch something cool, like that 70s show. At least it's funny."

You roll your eyes at his protest, a playful smirk dancing on your lips. "Come on, Frankie, let's be real here. We both know the only reason you want to watch it is because you have a huge crush on Jackie," you tease, nudging him lightly with your elbow. "But remember, we made a deal, Frankie baby. Mondays are my night!"

Frankie flops back onto his bed, his arms crossed over his chest in a mock pout. "Fine, but I reserve the right to complain the entire time," he declares, a faint smile on his lips. "I mean, at least Ally is kinda hot-"

You playfully toss a piece of popcorn at your best friend. "Anyway, remember when we had to write that paper in Mrs. Miller's class? About what we wanted to be when we grew up?" You lean in closer, your eyes fixed on Calista Flockhart as she flirts with Billy on the screen. "Well, I wrote that I wanted to be just like Ally," you share, taking a sip of Pepsi.

"What, like a lawyer?"

"No, like an actress. Of course like a lawyer!" you exclaim. "I mean, I love to argue-"

"Not correcting you there-"

"... and, it's like, so grown up, right? She looks like someone who has her shit together, her lack of love life notwithstanding, but still. I can see myself doing that!"

Frankie groans as he props himself up on his elbows, his warm breath tickling your ear. "I can totally see you doing that," he says with a chuckle, his voice close to your ear. "But hey, you're good at everything you set your mind to, Glo."

"Aw, Frankie... is that a compliment I hear? maybe I should check outside and see if any pigs are flying-"

"Very funny," he scoffs, joining you on the floor and reaching for the bowl of popcorn. "You know you're smart as hell, so I don't doubt that you can do it."

"What about you?" you ask, nudging his shoulder playfully.

"What about me?" he responds, his shoulder bumping against yours. "What do I want to be when I grow up? That's easy. I want to be a pilot."

"So, like... the military, then? Flying Black Hawks and getting everyone to safety? I always knew you had a hero complex," you tease, nudging him again.

Frankie grins, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Yeah, something like that," he says, his voice full of wonder. "I've always wanted to serve my country, you know? And being a pilot in the military seems like the perfect way to do it. Plus, I get to carry a gun," he adds with a smirk. "Chicks dig that, you know?"

"Chicks? Frankie, I love you, but for the love of everything holy, please don't refer to women as "chicks", it's degrading-"

"Some chicks like to be degraded," he quips, cocking his head. "At least that's what the guys say in the locker room."

"Not me though," you muse, resting your head on his shoulder as he settles himself against you more, placing his arm around your shoulder as Ally and Billy kiss on screen. "I guess that makes me not like other girls, huh?"

You feel the slight rumble of his chest as he chuckles.

You swear you feel the ghost of his lips on your temple.

Frankie leans in, his breath warm against your ear. "No, Glory," he whispers. "You're so much more than most girls."

16 years later.

"Excuse me, I think I heard you wrong."

"No, you didn't," you retort firmly, eyeing the hefty stack of papers across from you, addressing the group of men- the partners and board members of the firm you decided to spend the last ten years of your life at seated before you. Settling back into the plush leather chair, you cross your legs with an air of confidence. "While I appreciate your acknowledgment of my ten years of hard work and the countless cases won," you pause for emphasis, casually inspecting your nails before meeting their gaze head-on, "...if it weren't for a stupid technicality, I'd be hailed as the first female lawyer in the entire state of New York with a flawless record, right?"

"Indeed, we recognize your almost-stellar track record," Nigel, the lead partner of your firm continues, glossing over your achievements like you expected, chuckling as he adjusts his suit collar. "That's precisely why we believe it's the perfect time to bring you on as a junior partner. We think you're ready."

"Junior Partner?" you echo, incredulous, your tone laced with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. "After all these years of fighting tooth and nail against men who were promoted with far less experience, after winning case after case and saving these assholes millions of dollars in alimony payments, I'm still only good enough to become a Junior Partner? Please. Please tell me you're joking." You lean forward, fixing them with a pointed stare, the intensity of your gaze daring them to justify their belated recognition.

The ten men in question, a mix of balding, beady-eyed partners and sharply dressed greying board members shift uncomfortably in their seats. The rustle of their tailored Armani suits rubbing against one another fills the room with a grating sound akin to nails on a chalkboard.

"It took me a decade to even get offered Junior Partner. How many more years until I'm considered for a full Partnership? Another decade?" you ask, your impatience seeping into each word.

"Is there something amiss?" another member of the board interjects, gesturing towards the stack of papers on the table once more. "We don't often extend promotions like this, especially to someone as young as yourself... or any woman, for that matter," he adds with a cough, a smirk playing on his lips as if he's cracked a clever joke. "Most would consider it a gift, wouldn't you agree?"

"I appreciate the offer, truly," you interject, "but I believe my worth exceeds what you're offering." Each word resonates with a sense of determination, a testament to the challenges you've overcome and the achievements you've earned in your career.

With a flick of your wrist, you push the stack of papers back across the conference table, the pages dancing in the air as the men across from you watch in disbelief. The gravity of your decision hangs heavy in the room. "I'm done," you announce firmly, the weight of your words echoing in the silence that follows.

The room fills with gasps as another suit interjects, his face flushed with anger. "I beg your pardon?!" he exclaims. "This isn't a negotiation, and it's a fair offer for someone of your talents," he spits.

You fix him with a steely gaze. "Tell me, Bill-" you retort sharply, "who's the most sought-after associate in this firm? Why do I have gold-digging socialites, cheating tech bros, and trigger-happy celebrities clamoring for a meeting with me at the front desk? Whose face is it on the news when the courts decide to rule in our favor? Certainly, it isn't any of you, that's for damn sure."

Gone is the girl from the small town off the outskirts of Austin, Texas- a former homecoming queen slash magna cum laude loved and cherished by a town that seemed so minuscule compared to the vastness and hunger of your ambition.

You were both a dreamer and a doer, tirelessly working and amassing scholarship after scholarship, grant after grant. Your sights were set on one school only: Yale. You believed that if you couldn't make it there from the start, settling for anything less wasn't an option.

"I'm gonna be like that when I grow up," you declared, flopping onto the lumpy couch as reruns of Law and Order SVU played in the background. Your Nana, her tight, white curls peeking out from the worn brown fabric of her La-Z-Boy, glanced at you with mild curiosity.

"Be like what?" she would reply absentmindedly, her voice raspy from the years of Misty's holding constant residence at the corner of her lips. "Like an actor? Like Mariska? Did you know she's the daughter of Jayne Mansfield?"

"No, like a Lawyer," you would tease, your eyes locked onto Stephanie March as she takes the stand, her sneer as icy as the blonde of her pin-straight hair, her voice strong and confident as she calmly verbally eviscerates yet another rapist, this time one of the shaky-ijustwantedtosmellher-variety, shaking like a leaf as they undergo cross-examination. "She's so fucking cool," you would whisper to yourself, the loud chuckle-cough-chuckle of your Nana as she peers at you from the corner of her eye.

"... but you're such a sweet girl!" she would retort, "how are you gonna win the case when you're so damn nice all the time? those suits would eat you alive, believe you me!"

Your voice rises steadily, like a crescendo building to a climax, until you're finally shouting. All the hurt and embarrassment you've bottled up explodes, coursing through your veins like an unstable chemical reaction. "The reason we're all still in business is because of me!" you declare, your words punctuated by frustration. "Or should I ask Bill in finance for confirmation? Maybe he's mistaken." You unclench your jaw, feeling the tension in your neck as you reach for your phone. "All those high-profile clients? They're loyal to me. If I leave, they'll follow. Think about that."

As the partners exchange bewildered looks, Nigel's discomfort is palpable as he clears his throat. "But... where will you go?" he stammers. "How do you expect to thrive in this industry without the support of a prestigious firm like ours? Besides, no one just turns their nose up at a salary increase of a hundred thousand dollars-"

"Okay, got it. So this isn't a negotiation, and there's no room for reconsideration?" You glance around the room, meeting each of their downturned gazes. Leaning back in your chair, a smirk plays at the corners of your lips as you hold their gaze.

"Oh, don't worry about me," you retort, rolling your eyes slightly. "You don't have to concern yourselves with my well-being. After all, you haven't given a damn about it throughout my entire career here, have you?"

A ripple of anxious laughter echoes through the room, mingled with the partners' disbelief at your audacity. "And just where do you plan to go?" Nigel presses.

With a knowing smile, you rise from your seat, gathering your belongings with a newfound sense of purpose. "Back to where I belong, I suppose," you declare. "Home."

You give the group of men one last nod, your expression firm. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think this is going to work out," you say, your tone resolute. "And frankly, I've had enough of playing by your rules."

With a final flick of your hair, pin-straight and glossy like Stephanie, you stride out of the conference room, leaving behind the stifling atmosphere of the sleazy-suited assholes, their mouths agape, completely stunned. As the door clicks shut, you feel a sense of liberation wash over you, like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

Good fucking riddance, you think to yourself, walking past your colleagues, their heads bobbing up curiously from their cubicles as they watch you march away. You laugh to yourself at the sight of it, your head held high in defiance. Today marks the beginning of a new journey, one where you refuse to let others dictate your worth or your future.

Back in your corner office, tucked away at the back of the building- a spot they seemed to think was where you belonged, far away from the big boys club, you're surrounded by the familiar trappings of your professional life. The cardboard box on your desk awaits its contents – the remnants of a career spent in a firm that never fully appreciated your efforts, despite your unwavering dedication and the millions of dollars earned in your wake.

Shaking off the sting of humiliation and blinking back the tears of frustration threatening to spill, you begin the task of packing up your belongings. Your framed Juris Doctor is tossed in haphazardly, followed by a flurry of other items scattered across the surface of the box. Three framed photos: two girls, with wide smiles and pigtails, an old woman standing on the porch of a decaying home, and a group of like-looking women, the bright smiles and the promise of the endless possibility of the future in their eyes. Gone is the meticulously styled hair, now hastily tied up in a messy bun as you delve into the depths of your desk drawer. You pull out items in a flurry, tossing them into the box until your fingers come across something unfamiliar, hidden at the very back of the drawer.

Your fingers brush against something soft, and you pull out a faded friendship bracelet. Its beads are strung together to spell out a name you haven't seen in years. The memories flood back, threatening to overwhelm you as you stare at the name engraved on the bracelet.

F-R-A-N-

In an instant, you're transported back to a moment etched deep in the recesses of your mind: small hands trembling as they offer the bracelet to yours, the earnest gaze of a young boy not much taller than you. A tentative smile graces his lips as he extends the friendship offering. "You gave me yours, so I'm giving you mine... that means we're friends, right?"

You accept the bracelet with shaky hands, feeling a warmth spread through you. You smile back at the boy in front of you, his smile widening to match yours. "Right. Best friends!"

A pang of regret washes over you, mingling with a bittersweet sense of nostalgia for the friendship that once meant so much to you. With a heavy heart, you carefully place the bracelet into the box, a silent reminder of the past you've left behind.

Two Weeks later (somewhere in between New York and Texas)

"Okay, let me get this straight. They finally offer you a promotion, and that's when you decide it's the perfect time to quit? Seriously, Glory, please explain that logic to me," your sister's voice crackles through the car speakers as you navigate down the coast, taking another sip of your coffee to steel yourself for the conversation. "I'm begging you, please make it make sense. If management told me I needed to shake my ass to get a wage increase, I would say when and where. Surely, a hundred thousand dollars is a decent offer-"

"Yeah, they dangled a hundred thousand dollar salary bump in front of me, but it's not just about the money," you reply, frustration evident in your voice. "They were going to make me a Junior Partner. Junior. It's like they're saying, 'Hey Glory, you're good, but you're not quite good enough to sit at the big kids' table yet. Maybe in another decade or two, you'll get there.'"

"So what's the plan, then? You're just gonna pack up your office, leave your fancy Upper East Side condo behind, toss your shit in a U-Haul, and hightail it back to Nowheresville, USA? You're seriously going to start your firm in a place you swore up and down and to the heavens above that you'd never return to?" Your sister's incredulous voice echoes through the phone as you navigate the winding roads back to your hometown. "As much as the kids and I would love for you to finally be around, shouldn't you be aiming a bit higher than Fredericksburg? There's nothing here-"

You bite the inside of your cheek, the sharp pain making you wince as the metallic taste of blood fills your mouth. Relax, you tell yourself. She's right. You should be aiming higher.

"And don't even get me started on that rundown old house that Nana used to live in. Seriously, Glo, you're going to live in that dump? I wouldn't touch that place with a ten-foot pole, let alone live in it. It's a fucking money pit! You'll lose more money than what it's worth!" she snarks, chuckling to herself. "I know that it was all fun and games, talking about how you were gonna fix up that place, make it your forever home, but that was when we were kids! That place barely has a functioning roof!"

"Well, you must read minds, then." you retort dryly. "Sister, I think that you should think about becoming a psychic, because how did you know?" you sing-song back. "Besides, don't you have a guest room in that place of yours? I remember you asking me very nicely to help you out with the reno you did a few years back as a wedding gift, doesn't that mean that the room is mine if I ever needed it?"

There's a weird, awkward silence that suddenly fills the cab of the U-Haul, and you swear you can hear the gears turning in your sister's brain as she processes the implications of your words, holding your breath as you can feel the wrath that is sure to follow next. You appreciate how predictable your sister always was, knowing damn well that if you had told her that you were actually telling her the truth about your plans on returning home, she would try with every fiber of her being to convince you not to.

"There's nothing here for you, Glory. Nothing but heartbreak and the skeletons that have gathered dust in your bedroom closet. You've always been better than this little old town..." You remember her drunkenly telling you over FaceTime as you down your third glass of Pinot Grigio, your eyes fixed on the blue light radiating from the screen of your MacBook.

Congratulations, the email read. The buyer has accepted your terms, and is expected to move in shortly-

"No, Glo-" she starts.

"The condo sold for over market value-" you offer, a thinly-veiled attempt to try to reason with her.

"Wait. Are you fucking telling me that you're in a U-Haul driving back home? and you're only telling me this now when I haven't even had time to clean out the guest room?! You know how I get when things are left to the last minute-"

"Relax, I'm not going to crash at your house, not when Andrew doesn't know, I've already booked a month at the Hyatt in Austin while I square away the final plans for the house. Think of it this way, if you ever need a place to stay after another one of your husband's benders, you could always sneak away to the hotel room, now that I'll finally be close by. Plus, Hank told me that there's a vacant storefront on Main Street, It's a perfect spot to open the firm-"

"It's just..." Your sister's voice trails off, her chuckle sounding forced. "You always seem to have impeccable timing." There's an odd tension in her tone, a hint of something unsaid lingering between you.

"Impeccable timing, huh?" you prod, sensing there's more to her words than she's letting on.

But before you can dig deeper, she interrupts with a hurried excuse. "Hey, I'd love to chat more, but I've got to run. We'll catch up later, okay? Call me when you get to the hotel, we can grab lunch or something with the kids-"

"Hey, what did you mean about impeccable timing?" you press curiously.

"I gotta go love you byeeee-" she says hurriedly, cutting the phone call.

You're left staring at your phone, a gnawing sense of confusion settling in your gut. Something about her sudden evasiveness doesn't sit right with you, but you push it aside for now, focusing on the road ahead as you continue your journey back home. "Love you too, I guess."

You continue to drive throughout the night, the 26 or so hours that the GPS has estimated your trip to be, refusing to stop for anything other than gas and the occasional bathroom pit stop, grabbing yourself a Buc-ees t-shirt for shits and giggles to commemorate your arrival, breathing a sigh of relief as you eye the “Welcome to Texas!” Sign out in the distance, its surface illuminated by the purple skies of early morning.

"Not much longer," you reassure yourself as you nibble on a sad-looking fruit bowl and sip lukewarm water in the Buc-ee's parking lot. Between bites, you check the time on your phone, swiping away the occasional concerned email from your former associates at the firm.

You raise your phone, capturing the Buc-ee's sign in the distance with your camera app. The empty parking lot reflects the loneliness that has become all too familiar in your adult life.

It's not like I meant for it to be this way, you muse silently, drafting a caption for the photo. "Homeward bound, just a few more hours!" You type out as you hit upload, sharing the moment on your Instagram feed.

As you enter the city limits of the small town you once called home on the way to the Hyatt, you can’t help the wave of nostalgia that suddenly washes over you. You can't help but smile as you pass by familiar landmarks – the public library where you would spend countless hours buried in books, the little Italian place with your favorite lasagna, still in the corner where all of the birthday dinners would be held, the bustling mall, still bursting at the seams with teenagers and young families alike, a place where you and your best friend used to gossip about boys and clothes and how much you hated Mr. Frankel constantly staring at your tits over scoops and cones of ice cream, the shrillness of your combined laughter ringing throughout your ears.

Ex-best friend, you remind yourself bitterly, your knuckles turning white as you clutch the steering wheel. It's a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that the one person you would never think would betray you ending up with the guy you once harbored feelings for. The guy. They probably have a picture-perfect life now, living in some military town with a gaggle of kids, the sound of their laughter echoing in your mind like a haunting melody.

As you drive through the familiar streets of your hometown, memories of you and him start to slowly flood back into your consciousness – lazy afternoons spent together, whispered secrets shared under the shade of a tree. But now, those memories are tainted with a bittersweet ache, a reminder of what once was and what could have been.

You can almost see him now, running around the backyard with their children, his laughter mingling with theirs as they play. The image is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, a painful reminder of the love you lost and the friendship that slipped through your fingers.

With a heavy sigh, you tear your gaze away from the fleeting fantasy, focusing instead on the road ahead. It's time to move forward, to let go of the past, and embrace the uncertainty of the future. But as you drive away, a part of you can't help but wonder – what if things had been different?

As you navigate the winding streets, you can't help but feel a sense of belonging wash over you. This may not have been the life you planned, but somehow, returning to your roots feels like coming home in more ways than one.

After a few more hours of driving, you finally pull up to the Hyatt, grateful for the chance to stretch your legs and unload your belongings. The luxurious lobby offers a stark contrast to the worn-out upholstery of your car seat. With a sigh of relief, you drop off your bags in your room before heading back out onto the road.

As you pull up to your Nana's old place, you can't help but feel a pang of nostalgia mixed with apprehension. The once-charming house now stands in complete disrepair, its paint peeling and windows boarded up. Standing outside the weathered front door, you can't help but shake your head.

"Welcome home, Glory," you mutter to yourself, the words carrying both resignation and determination. With a deep breath, you unlock the door and step inside, ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead.

Frankie, two weeks before your arrival.

Frankie forgot how fucking hot it was in Texas.

With a heavy sigh, he turns off the ignition of his truck and gazes at the house he hasn't seen in the last few years. The weathered paint job catches his eye, the deep cracks spiderwebbing across the exterior walls. Once-bright white has faded to a tired tan, and a single bright blue shutter still hangs slightly askew from his bedroom window.

"Shit Frankie, do you think your pop is gonna kill me for that?" The voice seeps into his thoughts, unbidden. He shuts his eyes tight, battling against the memories he's long kept buried deep in the recesses of his brain.

His ears catch the familiar sound of tinkering echoing from the depths of the carport beside the house, still cluttered with dismantled shells and rusty car parts. He recognizes the soft grunts of his father as he works on yet another car he decided to fiddle with probably after spotting it abandoned on the roadside.

I've been gone for fifteen years, and yet, it feels like nothing has changed, he muses to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.

Frankie lets out a groan as he swings open his car door. His legs feel like lead, knees protesting from the strain of hours spent behind the wheel. He's just made the long haul from his actual home in Florida, leaving behind his daughter and the life he's built there for the last fifteen or so years.

Or tried to, at least.

The notion of divorce loomed over Frankie's thoughts like a persistent shadow, coloring every interaction with his wife. Even in the mundane moments of their daily life, he couldn't shake the feeling of their impending separation. It was as if they were constantly tiptoeing along the edge of a cliff, one wrong step away from falling into the abyss of divorce.

He found himself distancing emotionally, a subconscious defense mechanism against the possibility of heartache. Small disagreements turned into major rifts, each argument fueling the belief that their marriage was irreparable. He couldn't help but imagine a life without Chelsea, even as they sat across from each other at the dinner table or shared a quiet moment on the couch.

The weight of his doubts pressed down on him, clouding his perception of their relationship. Frankie had never truly loved his wife; their relationship was born more out of convenience and familiarity than genuine affection. He often wondered if Chelsea sensed his lack of affection, if she felt the absence of passion and connection that should have been the foundation of their marriage.

Guilt gnawed at him, knowing that he had never given Chelsea the love she deserved. He had entered into their marriage with a sense of obligation rather than devotion, and now he was trapped in a cycle of discontent and disillusionment. Divorce had become more than a possibility; it had become a constant companion, lurking in the shadows of their marriage.

Fuck. She never stood a fucking chance.

So, with a heavy heart and a mind full of fucking turmoil, he'd packed up his car and hit the road, effectively abandoning his wife and kid like a fucking coward, driving with no destination in mind until he found himself back in the town where it all began.

Frankie's chest tightens at the memory of Lily's desperate pleas, her small face etched with fear as she begs him not to leave. He had thought he was being discreet, tiptoeing past her room, his rucksack slung across his back. Pausing in the dim light, he takes a long look at his daughter, knowing he might not see her again for some time. "I love you, baby girl," he whispers, his voice barely audible as he gently closes her door, the click echoing in the quiet hallway.

He pushes open the door leading to the garage, grateful that he had the foresight to leave the garage door open earlier in the evening. It was a calculated move, part of his plan to make a quiet exit from this house that never felt like a home. He had thought about his grand escape throughout dinner that night, opting to remain silent as he tuned Chelsea out, her words of her displeasure falling on deaf ears as he nodded in agreement, cutting into his meatloaf as he slouches himself down his chair.

Lousy, lazy husband. Neglectful and absent father. The biggest disappointment and regret of her fucking life. Coward. Fucking Coward.

Ah, there it was.

I bet you wish that it was her, huh? I bet you wish that it was her pussy that you were fucking instead of mine, right Frankie? Chelsea would accuse, her hand motioning for him to pass over the mashed potatoes in the same breath.

Hell. She isn't wrong.

He thought his plan was about to unfold smoothly, exhaling a sigh of relief as he set his rucksack in the bed of his truck. Then, he heard it—the unmistakable creak of a door opening, followed by the soft padding of feet on concrete, drawing closer from behind. With a heavy heart, he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain he knew was coming.

"Daddy?" his daughter's sleepy voice broke the silence of the darkened garage. "Where are you going?"

Frankie's heart sank at the sound of Lily's voice, her innocent question piercing through his resolve like a knife. He turned around slowly, his eyes meeting hers in the dim light filtering through the garage.

"Lil, sweetheart," he began, his voice catching in his throat as he struggled to find the right words. "I... I have to go away for a little while." His chest tightened with every word, the weight of his decision heavy on his shoulders.

"Why?" Lily's voice trembled with confusion and fear, her small frame shivering in the cool air of the garage. She took a hesitant step closer, her eyes searching his face for answers.

Frankie knelt down in front of her, his heart breaking at the sight of her tear-filled eyes. "It's... it's complicated, baby," he said softly, reaching out to gently brush a strand of hair away from her face. "But I promise, I'll come back for you. I love you so much, Lily. You're my everything."

Lily threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder as she sobbed. "Please don't go, Daddy," she pleaded, her words muffled against his shirt. "I need you."

Tears pricked at Frankie's eyes as he held his daughter close, his own heart breaking with every second that passed. But he knew he had to go, for both of their sakes. With a heavy heart, he gently pulled away from Lily's embrace, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll always be with you, sweetheart," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I promise. I'll come back for you, but you have to stay with Mommy for now, okay? I swear I'll come back for you."

As he stood up and turned away, leaving Lily behind in the garage, Frankie couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that weighed on him like a lead weight. But deep down, he knew that he had to do this—to find a way to be the father Lily deserved, even if it meant breaking both of their hearts in the process.

His throat tightens as he relives that moment, the memory etched vividly in his mind like a relentless nightmare. He can still see Lily's tear-stained face, her eyes pleading with him not to leave, her small hands reaching out for him as he walked away, the way her small form looks back at him as he looks at his rearview mirror, getting smaller and smaller as he drives out of the cul-de-sac like a fucking coward. The weight of her despair presses down on him like a vice, suffocating him with guilt and remorse.

Frankie silently makes his way over to the carport, his father's familiar silhouette outlined against the fading sunlight. He watches as his dad tinkers away, lost in his own world of gears and grease. With a smirk playing on his lips, Frankie leans against the doorframe, soaking in the scene before him.

"When I left, I was saying goodbye to a pair of feet under a fender, and I come home years later and it's like you haven't moved an inch," Frankie quips, his tone laced with affection and a hint of disbelief. "Are you sure you ain't dead under there, old man?"

His dad chuckles, a deep, rumbling sound that fills the air. "Nah, still kicking, just like always," he replies, not bothering to look up from his work. "You, on the other hand, look like you could use a good night's sleep."

Frankie rolls his eyes, but there's a warmth in his chest at the familiar banter. Despite everything that's changed, some things remain constant – like the easy camaraderie between a father and son, even after years apart.

Frankie's dad finally emerges from under the car, wiping his hands on a greasy rag as he beams at his son. "Well, well, look who's finally back home, a child of mine finally appears!" he says with a grin, opening his arms for a hug.

Frankie steps forward, enveloped in his dad's embrace, the familiar scent of motor oil and sawdust washing over him. "I'm your only child, Dad, or did you forget?" he teases, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

His dad chuckles, patting Frankie on the back. "No, son, I didn't forget," he replies with a twinkle in his eye. "But you always knew who my favorite was."

Frankie nods solemnly, his eyes squinting in the distance, not wanting his mind to go there. He clicks his tongue. "So-"

"I assume that your sudden appearance has something to do with that wife of yours screaming into my voicemail about you abandoning your family in the middle of the night?" his dad asks, a hint of concern lacing his words as he studies Frankie's expression.

Frankie lets out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping as he meets his father's gaze. "Yeah, Pop," he admits, running a hand through his hair. "Things with Chelsea... they haven't been working for a while now. I couldn't stay there anymore. I had to get out."

His father's expression softens, concern etched into his features. "And what about Lily? How's she taking it?" he inquires, his voice laced with worry as he thinks of his granddaughter.

"Yeah, she was torn up about it," he admits, his voice heavy with sorrow. "But I couldn't just take her. Chels would accuse me of kidnapping, and you know how the courts always side with the mother. I can't risk getting arrested again. Not after what happened last time."

"Well, that seems about something she would do, I guess," his father surmises, "... but what the hell are you doin' back here? I swore the last time I saw you, you told me you would never step your foot back here, especially with what happened with Glory-"

Frankie cuts him off, his jaw tensing as he steels himself against the memories threatening to resurface. "Look, Dad, let's not go there, okay? It's been years, and I've moved on, she's moved on," he says, his tone firm. "I'm just here to figure things out, clear my head. I don't need to worry bout no skeletons in my fucking closet, especially when I know for a fact that she ain't here no more to spook me."

Frankie's dad pauses, his gaze distant for a moment before he speaks again. "You know, son, I always loved her like my own," he says quietly, his voice tinged with regret. "She was like family to us, and seeing her leave was one of the hardest things I've had to witness. It broke my heart, and I know for a fact that it broke yours, too. Maybe if she had stayed... you wouldn't be here standing on my front lawn, hiding from your wife."

Frankie's chest tightens at his father's admission, a pang of guilt gnawing at him for the pain he caused. "I know, Pop," he replies softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I wish things had turned out differently."

"Yeah, well... shit happens, I guess." His father slaps his hand on his shoulder once more, motioning towards the house. "Come on, I got a pot of Chili that’s been simmering for the last few hours, I reckon it should be ready right about now. Go grab your shit and come help me set the table after you get settled, alright?"

Frankie nods, giving his father one last smile as he makes his way back to his pickup truck, slinging his military-grade duffle over his shoulder. Groaning, he makes his way up to the old house, the floorboards of the patio creaking as he opens the front door, the smell of his father's chili wafting in the air. He takes in the familiar sight of his living room, still the same as he left it all the years ago.

The same lumpy couch, the imprint of his father forever immortalized in his spot where he watches reruns of Pawn Stars and Columbo, greeted Frankie as he stepped into the living room. The faded fabric sagged under his weight as he lowered himself onto it, memories flooding back with each creak of the worn-out springs.

As Frankie's gaze shifted to the mantle, he couldn't help but notice the familiar photos arranged there. His eyes lingered on the one of him and his mother, her radiant smile captured forever in the frame. Beside it was a picture of you and Frankie as kids, arms wrapped around each other in a tight embrace, the innocence of youth reflected in your beaming faces.

Frankie's breath caught in his throat as he noticed a new addition to the mantle – a photo of you and his father in front of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. His father's arms were proudly slung around your shoulders, and both of you wore wide smiles that reached your eyes. It was a moment frozen in time, capturing a bond that had evidently formed in his absence.

"Well, what are you doing just sittin' there? Table ain't gonna set itself."

Frankie rolls his eyes at that. Yep, shit hasn't changed a bit. "Placemats still in the same drawer?"

"Unless someone moved them, which I highly doubt, being that it's just been me in this house for the last fifteen years," his father replies with a weary sigh, retrieving a steaming casserole dish from the oven and setting it on the stove. "Made some of that cornbread you like so much too," he adds with a wink. "Your Mama's recipe, not that boxed shit."

As they arrange the table settings, Frankie's father casts a cautious glance at him, a hint of concern in his eyes. "So, besides your marriage, How's everything going, son?"

Frankie lets out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging as he carefully places the silverware beside each plate. "Could be better, Dad. Could be a lot better."

His father's expression softens with understanding. "I heard about what happened. You doing okay?"

Frankie nods, though the weight of his recent troubles still hangs heavily on him. "Yeah, I'm managing. Just trying to figure things out."

His father places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You know, son, we all make mistakes. What's important is how we learn from them and move forward."

Frankie meets his father's gaze. "Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it."

His father's fork hovers awkwardly over his plate, his gaze fixed on the food as if it holds the answers to questions he dare not ask. "Dig in, for fucks sake. Don't let it get cold."

Frankie senses an opportunity to steer the conversation elsewhere, away from the awkwardness. "Hey, Pop," he begins, trying to sound nonchalant, "I couldn't help but notice that photo on the mantle. Is it new?"

His father pauses, then looks at him, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he answers, "The one from New York? Yeah, it's recent."

"How recent?" Frankie probes further, his curiosity piqued.

His dad casually tears off a piece of cornbread and dips it into his chili, shrugging. "About three months ago," he replies, his tone casual. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just surprised, that's all," Frankie says with what he hopes is casual, stabbing his spoon into his bowl, pushing the pieces of beans and corn around, refusing to make eye contact with his father who is surely gazing back at him with the quirk of his brow. "Wasn't aware that the both of you were still close," he mumbles, the sight of your bright wide smile feeling like death by a thousand cuts straight into his jugular. “Never thought that you would actually leave this fucking place, let alone go to New fucking York.”

"Well, we haven't stopped being close, son. Did you know that she sends me a bottle of tequila every year on my birthday? Noticed the difference in quality as the years gone by, she's doing quite alright up there in the big 'ol apple." Frankie hears his father make a noncommital snort as he continues to eat. “Besides, she asked me to visit her the last time she was in town, and I ain’t getting any younger, have to enjoy life somehow, right?”

You still remembered his father's birthday. Do you still remember his? he wonders silently.

He strains his eye at the label of said tequila bottle, near the center of the dinner table. José Cuervo 250 Aniversario. Twenty-one hundred off the shelf, easy. A soft snort escapes his lips, shaking his head. Well, at least you still remembered your shit.

"You know, she's one of those lawyers that deal with family stuff," his father muses, chuckling to himself as he gets that gleam in his eye when he realizes he has a (stupid, but convenient idea). "Maybe you should-"

“No.”

“I could even be the one to call her, I know she won’t say no to me-“

“Pop-“

“She’s still single, you know.”

“I don’t know what her being single has to do anything with my divorce-“

“She never really got into anything serious, at least she never told me… but I knew. She was too busy for it, you know? Too distracted. Told her she should stop playing ball with the boys and start her own firm back here."

Frankie's father continued, a wistful tone creeping into his voice as he reminisced. "She always had that fire in her, just like her grandma. I remember when she was just a kid, always standing up for what she believed in, never backing down from a challenge. That girl could argue her way out of anything."

Frankie listened quietly, his mind racing with memories of Glory's fierce determination. Despite their differences, he couldn't deny the admiration he held for her unwavering spirit.

"Yeah, well, she's probably forgotten all about this place," Frankie muttered dismissively, though a small part of him hoped it wasn't true.

His father's gaze softened, a hint of sadness flickering in his eyes.

"Maybe. But some things, some people, they never really leave you, no matter how far you go."

"Why settle for Fredericksburg when she's killing it up there?" Frankie says bitterly, his frustration palpable. "She's made it clear that there is nothing for her here beside her sister, and her Nana has been gone for the last ten years. This place is a shithole, honestly."

"If it's such a shithole, then why the fuck are you here then?" his father challenges, his irritation evident as he stabs his salad with more force than necessary. "It might not be fancy like New York or as interesting as Tampa, but it's your home, son. It's her home, too."

"Well, I'm glad to know that you still gave a damn about somebody after all these years," Frankie retorts quietly. "... and here I thought I was your actual child-"

"What do you want me to say, huh? I feel like you're trying to insinuate something here, son, so just be a fucking man for once and spit it out!"

"Why didn't you visit me, huh? If you had so much time on your hands, why her and not me?"

"What, so I could bear witness to the shitshow that's your marriage? Do you think I like watching you suffer?" his father shouts, slamming his fork on the table. "Your wife can barely stand being in the same room as me! I ain't gonna waste my time spending it with people who clearly don't want me there."

"Well maybe if you didn't find the need to compare her to Glory all the damn like you did, maybe she would have made my life a fuck of a lot easier, don't you think?"

His father's expression shifts, a mix of surprise and guilt flickering across his features before settling into a resigned acceptance. "Son, I never meant to make things harder for you," he starts, his voice softer now, devoid of the earlier hostility. "But you gotta understand, Glory was special. She was... different. And I know I shouldn't have let that affect how I saw your wife, but I guess old habits die hard."

Frankie's shoulders tense as he absorbs his father's words, a bitter taste lingering in his mouth. "Well, you certainly made it clear where her place was in your eyes," he mutters.

His father sighs heavily, his gaze dropping to his plate. "I know, son. And I'm sorry for that," he says, his tone laced with regret.

Frankie's jaw clenches as he struggles to contain his frustration. "Yeah, well, easier said than done," he grumbles, his gaze flickering to the tequila bottle on the table, a stark reminder of the divide between them.

His father rises from the table, his movements slow and deliberate, as if weighed down by the gravity of their conversation. "I'm heading to the bar," he announces quietly, his voice tinged with resignation. "Don't wait up for me."

Frankie scoffs under his breath, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "Typical," he mutters, bitterness seeping into his words. "Always running away when shit gets dicey. Coward."

As his father reaches the door, he pauses, casting a sorrowful glance back at Frankie. "Takes a coward to know one, son," he says softly, the words heavy with unspoken regret. Then, without another word, he slips out into the night, leaving Frankie alone with his thoughts.

With a frustrated grunt, Frankie snatches the tequila bottle from the table, his movements rough and unceremonious. He doesn't bother with a shot glass, instead opting to take several swigs straight from the bottle. The fiery liquid burns as it travels down his throat, but he hardly notices it amidst the tumult of emotions swirling inside him.

"Fuck," he curses. "Welcome home, I guess."

Clutching the bottle tightly, he trudges up the stairs to his bedroom, the weight of the day settling heavily on his shoulders. As he disappears into the darkness of his room, the only sound that fills the empty house is the quiet echo of his footsteps on the creaking floorboards.

Series Taglist:

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#fic: hometown glory #pedro pascal #frankie morales fanfiction #frankie morales #hometown glory #frankie 'catfish' morales #frankie morales x f!reader #frankie morales x you #frankie catfish morales #francisco catfish morales #francisco morales #frankie morales x reader #pedro pascal fandom #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal characters fanfiction #triple frontier fanfiction #triple frontier

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 7 months

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IOTA Reviews: Action

So, this is a interesting one to talk about. Not only is this the first episode in all five seasons to not be written or directed by Thomas Astruc in any capacity (though the other three writers on his team, Melanie Duval, Fred Lenoir, and Sebastien Thibaudeau still wrote this one), not only is it not connected to the ongoing plotlines of Season 5 in any way, but this episode was made with the help of the Breteau Foundation.

For those who don't know, the Breteau Foundation is an organization that works together with schools by giving children access to technology for their lessons, helping them with their psychological needs, and teaching them about ways to protect our environment. This episode was even made available on the Breteau Foundation's website for free in addition to educational materials meant to teach kids about recycling.

Yeah, when we were kids, we got excited whenever the teacher played an old episode of The Magic School Bus or Bill Nye the Science Guy in class, but nowadays, TV shows are producing episodes of their shows specifically so they can be shown in class. And I'm not talking about those half-assed science lab worksheets with pictures of SpongeBob on them either.

The point I'm trying to make is that there was clearly a lot put into this episode, and it's all for a good cause to help teach children about how to protect the environment in order to ensure a better future... and of course, I'm still going to make jokes about it, because I'm just some schmuck on the internet who isn't backed by a major educational foundation.

Let's get into the 27th episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Action

We start off with Marinette and Adrien heading over to the Liberty so they could be told about the pollution in the Seine River by their class' resident environmental activist, Myl—Nino, I mean, Nino. No joke, Nino gets more lines in this episode than Mylene does, even though ever since Season 2, Mylene has been established as the one to protest polluting the environment. I get that she already had a lot of screentime in an earlier environmental episode (Mega Leech), but why would you have Nino be the one to help spearhead this protest instead of Mylene? Hell, the plot of another episode started from him trying to get him and his friends out of helping Mylene plant trees for the environment (Party Crasher), so this makes even less sense.

I should also get this out of the way by pointing out a few continuity errors in the episode. For one thing, Marinette is stuttering around Adrien when she had mostly gotten over that issue after “Derision”, Kagami is now one of the avatars for the Alliance rings, something that had been established in “Revelation”, and the episode mentions that the Alliance rings are made of plastic when the season finale shows that they're actually made of metal. I don't want to harp on this too much, as this episode obviously wasn't meant to really tie into the main plotline so it would be easier for kids who aren't familiar with the show watching this episode, seeing how this was meant to be viewed as a standalone story. Besides, compared to other plotholes in the show like the ones I'll cover next time, these are fairly minor.

Nino tells Marinette and Adrien, and by extension, the audience, that the Seine River is full of pollution, and the Liberty has recently been converted into a makeshift water treatment plant. The problem is that with a recent increase of plastic in the Seine, it's becoming harder for the Liberty to filter out all of it. Hey, here's an idea: Maybe don't set up your homemade water treatment plant in the longest river in Paris.

The reason for all the new plastic comes from a recent ad campaign promoting some vending machines that sell these paper fans that were designed by Gabriel and are sold by a man named Bertrand King, who looks like a cross between Willy Wonka and Colonel Sanders, down to having a southern accent in the English dub.

Nino suggests that Adrien talk to Gabriel himself, but as usual, Adrien doesn't think he'll listen, so the kids decide to go to Bertrand King's company while picking up an order for plastic containers for the Dupain-Chang bakery... even though I'm pretty sure most bakeries store pastries in paper instead of just plastic.

Nino has the others dress up in disguises, but like most of his plans this season, it fails miserably, so Marinette comes up with a little story about Adrien meeting up with Bertrand. The kids make an impassioned presentation to Bertrand, asking him to help change the way he operated his business like making his fans out of more biodegradable materials. Surprisingly, the man whose entire livelihood revolves around selling plastic doesn't want to listen to the people saying everything his company is doing is wrong.

Bertrand: This is all intentional. It's the wonderful cycle of throwing away and buying again that makes my fortune. If people didn't throw away and buy new items again then I, Bertrand King, would no longer be the King of Plastic! So, there is no way any of this is changing.

Wow, a rich person in Miraculous Ladybug turning out to be a total jerk? What an unexpected turn of events.

Bertrand points out how much plastic is used in everyday society, using pens and the Alliance rings as an example, and seeing how we cut to the next scene afterwards, we can assume he had them thrown out. Oh, come on, you couldn't even parody The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air like you did during “Migration”? The kids then try to go to Andre and Gabriel for help protesting the fans, but because one's a corrupt politician and another helped make them, they won't do a thing. Marinette tries to ask Nadja, the local news anchor, but because the ad revenue from Bertrand's company funds the channel she works for, she can't do a thing or else she'll be out of a job.

This leads to the kids deciding to do the sane thing and HACK THE NEWS BROADCAST SO THEY CAN MAKE A SPEECH ABOUT POLLUTION.

Because it's not like Marinette and the others could have just gone to another news network with this story or uploaded it to the internet instead, right? And sure, scowl at the camera while you're giving this presentation too. That won't make you look like a bunch of eco-terrorists at all. The kids give a presentation about how dangerous plastic is, and how people can use fans made of more biodegradable materials like bamboo instead. Also, we get cameos from Jess, Aeon, and Fei, but they're pretty much there just to remind viewers that the New York and Shanghai specials happened.

Of course, the episode's following RWBY Volume 8 logic, so rather than view them as a bunch of lunatics who hijacked a news broadcast, the public immediately turns on Bertrand's company, arguably faster than what happened with Andre in “Mega Leech”. Speaking of, Andre and Gabriel change their opinions to make themselves look like they were always against Bertrand, and seeing how this episode aired after Season 5 ended, didn't really sit too well with viewers.

Bertrand calls out Gabriel for lying, but Gabriel doesn't care, secretly using this as an opportunity to akumatize Bertrand into King of Plastic through his pen.

King of Plastic has a pretty underwhelming design. It's clear that the intent was to make him look like plastic, and there is a noticeable reflection on his body, but other than that, it doesn't really fit the anti-plastic moral. I think maybe if they did more to make his movements seem more stiff like a living doll, or at least make him look less like he's made of candy, it could work more. The Miraculous power this time is the Bee Miraculous' Venom, which he can use through one side of his lance to stun any victims so he can use the other side to turn them into plastic statues. It's sort of like the dollmaker episode of Arrow, only we don't get to hear the sound of anyone's esophagus hardening.

King of Plastic makes short work of Andre and the local police squad, and Adrien is forced to put teaching Marinette Mandarin on hold so he can transform into Cat Noir, while Marinette transforms into Ladybug as soon as she's alone. After he transforms Adrien's bodyguard into a plastic statue, King of Plastic fights Ladybug and Cat Noir, eventually transforming Cat Noir's staff into plastic too. Even though he was originally akumatized to get revenge on Gabriel, King of Plastic leaves the Agreste Manor and heads to the Liberty to get revenge on Marinette and Adrien's friends instead... for some reason. Even the episode points out how weird this is.

Cat Noir: Didn't you want to take revenge on Gabriel Agreste?

Ladybug: He probably has more than one enemy.

After following King of Plastic there with Cat Noir, Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm, getting a plastic bag. Because it's already made of plastic, it can't be transformed, which gives Ladybug an idea. She tells Alya to activate the Liberty's water treatment function, intentionally overloading it before Cat Noir Cataclysms the engine. This jettisons the collected plastic and overfills the deck of the Liberty, trapping King of Plastic so Ladybug can break his lance. So in an episode meant to teach kids about how dangerous plastic is, the day was ultimately saved by plastic. I'm sure that won't confuse any kids watching this in class.

Ladybug de-evilizes the Akuma, tells Bertrand about how dangerous plastic is, and he immediately vows to change his company's ways before Ladybug gives him a Magical Charm as useless as a plastic toy before she uses Miraculous Ladybug to fix the damage.

The episode ends with Bertrand funding the repair of the Liberty before vowing to change the way his company operates, as do Tom and Sabine, who now sell their products in eco-friendly containers. Unfortunately, with all the renovations being made to his company that come with moving away from plastic, Bertrand had to stop funding this groundbreaking cancer research institution in America in order to prevent his company from going bankrupt.

Anyway, this episode was pretty good. I honestly didn't have a lot of problems here. The plot was pretty straightforward, the themes of how easy it is to perpetuate companies that damage the environment were handled pretty well, and the main characters were pretty active.

Even the greedy corporate asshole meant to be a stand-in for real life executives was handled pretty well, having some quirks that make him stand out while showing how ignorant he is to the situation without making him completely insufferable. This episode could have easily gone the Captain Planet route with Bertrand, but they showed he wasn't intentionally endangering the environment because he felt like it, but rather, because he cared more about his company making money, even showing him ultimately realizing the error of his ways.

If there's one problem I had, it's with the way the Akuma fight was resolved. I get that any other Lucky Charm wouldn't have been immune to King of Plastic's plastic powers, but I feel like weaponizing the plastic the heroes spent most of the episode fighting against in order to stop the Akuma sort of muddles the message the episode is going for. It's not the worst way to resolve an Akuma fight, but it just bugs me personally.

While I still think “Mega Leech” did a better job with the environmental message, overall, this episode did a pretty good job teaching the moral it set out to teach.

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS... ANDRE (THE OTHER ONE)

Shockingly, nobody really acted that stupid this episode. Yeah, the kids were pretty naive thinking they could make Bertrand change his company's way of production, but still took action when that didn't work. Andre, on the other hand...

While Gabriel and Nadja had their own reasons to support Bertrand (Gabriel for Monarch reasons and Nadja for financial reasons), the only reason Andre went along with the fans polluting the environment was because they happened to have his image as one of the designs, and when the public started to turn on Bertrand, Andre acted like he always opposed him, and when confronted with an akumatized Bertrand, begged for his life like a coward and said he would reinstall the fan vending machines. While I guess it's better than having Chloe be the primary supporter of Bertrand's company, I need to reiterate that this aired after the last few episodes of Season 5 tried to place Andre in a more sympathetic light.

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eating-plastic · 9 months

Text

Carnival Lights: Henry Barrow x Reader

Warnings: mentions of murder (come on, it's Henry), swearing, some mean!Henry, naive!reader, sunshine!reader x grumpy!Henry (my favorite dynamic lol), some fluff, probably grammatical errors

Word Count: 3434 words

A/N: This is for that anon that asked me if I wrote for Henry Barrow (assuming that they wanted me to write something for him lol). I know I said I was going to take a break from Killer Frequency, but the “people pleaser” in me wanted to get something done. So yeah, I hope this isn't too disappointing. I also hope that my interpretation of Henry is to your liking (you gotta get creative when given a blank slate like him 😆). As such, I also hope anyone else that is a fan of this skrunkly also enjoys this as well. Oh, also, this takes place before the events of the game during Marie and Henry's "national murder tour" leading up to Gallows Creek. Just thought you should know that. Bye!

--------------------

Sparkling lights and the sound of upbeat music and screams of excitement flood your senses as you skip through the crowds attending your hometown's yearly carnival. You had always partaken in the festivities ever since you were a child, and the event still filled you with joy. Some of the older booth vendors and ride operators even knew you by name.

You had originally shown up with two of your friends, promising that they wouldn't get too "lovey-dovey" with each other since they were a couple, but that was broken about 15 minutes into your arrival. Feeling like a third-wheel, you broke off from them, not really caring too much. You could easily enjoy yourself here without them.

After you finished playing a game where you had to try and hit cartoon sea creatures with a water gun (and failing since your aim wasn't the best), you decided to head to something you knew you were good at: the funhouse maze.

You knew the maze like the back of your hand, and could easily make it from the entrance to the exit, so you decided to see how many combinations of routes you could go. You wanted to know every nook and cranny that these dark, black light lighten halls had to offer.

Once you got bored, you began to make your way to the exit. Once at a crossroad where you needed to turn right, you stopped when you heard a man let out a shout of frustration. Worried that they were lost, you made your way towards the noise to help them out.

'God fucking damnit,' Henry thought. He was so fucking close to getting the man his mother told him to kill. He was right on his tail and then...he was gone. Now he was lost in this Goddamn maze and it was all his stupid fault because he knew he wasn't good with mazes. It was a good idea in theory, since the man would be all alone with no one would hear him scream. But of course in practice it had to bite him in the ass.

He tore his mask off and shoved it into his large duffle bag at his side. God, was it making it hard to breathe in this stuffy prison. Not to mention how that man was probably long gone by now.

'Augh, what am I gonna tell mom?' worry began to flood his mind. She was no doubt going to be pissed at him.

Luckily for Henry, his unaware savior was approaching.

--------------------

As soon as you rounded the corner, you were now facing a man of decent stature, with long hair, a black trench coat, and a large duffle bag at his side. It was quite odd attire to be wearing in the middle of summer, but maybe he was just a worker at the haunted house who wanted to try out the maze on his break. He also seems to be oblivious to your presence, muttering to himself.

"Hi!" you chirp, causing the man to jump and spin around.

"The hell are you doing, here?" he hisses.

"Uh, it's a maze at a carnival. I'm here having fun," his harsh tone was completely lost on you. "You're lost, right?"

"What do you think?" he snarls, but you just laugh.

"Yep! I thought so! Come on, I'll show you the way out," you grab his hand, noting that he was wearing black leather gloves. Also odd, but once again that could've been just another part of the haunted house attire.

The man rips his hand from your grip as if yours had burnt his. You look back at him confused, but just shrug and begin to run off towards the exit.

"Hey, wait!" the man shouts and begins to chase after you, making sure to be on your tail so he could leave.

Eventually, you and him were able to taste the fresh air of the carnival, with the added smell of fair foods. You turn to look at the man, only to be taken aback a bit.

He looked to be a boy about your age, with piercing eyes but a very handsome face. You also noticed that he was unfamiliar to you.

"Huh, I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new?" you smile at him, but he just turns to walk back towards the crowded rows of booths. "Hey, wait up!"

You decide to follow him. If he was new, you didn't want him to be overwhelmed or lonely.

"I'm Y/N!" you grin, but he just continues walking forwards. His eyes scanning the crowds and his jaw tight.

"Oh, you don't talk much, huh? That's okay! What do you wanna do? Do you wanna get something to eat? Oh! Or we co-"

"Look, don't you have friends or something that you can go hang out with?" he asks sharply. Unfortunately for Henry, the tone was once again lost on you.

"I do, but they'd rather make out in the tunnel of love than hang out with me," your tone drops slightly which makes Henry's eyebrow quirk up. After a couple of seconds though, just shake your head and smile back at him. "It's okay though, because I met you! I love meeting new people!"

'Jesus, what was your deal?' Henry thought. You were like a Care Bear in human shape. So sickeningly sweet that it was making him feel weird. How could someone like you exist in the cruel world his mom had told him so much about? Has it not broken you, yet?

"Oh, look! Bumper cars! You wanna go do those?" you beam up at him. Henry sighed. If he put up with this, maybe you would leave him alone. Besides, you provided him good cover. A new face like him dressed the way he was all by himself may drive suspicion. So he turned his head to look at your eager face and uttered one word.

"Fine."

--------------------

You weren't bad at bumper cars, but you also didn't win. Not that you cared though, especially since your mystery man had won. You were surprised at his skills and made sure to tell him.

Henry listening to you gush over him was odd. Not used to getting such praise from someone who wasn't his mother. And like with his mother, it made him feel good.

You continue to skip through the crowds with him at your side. He was still scanning all of the people around you, but his jaw wasn't tight anymore. That elated you, as you took it as him finally enjoying himself. You both stop when you hear someone call your name.

"Is that you, Y/N?" the voice of an older man called from a game booth. Your face brightens and you run to him, Henry following after you.

"Frank! I haven't seen you in ages!" you hug him over the booth's countertop. Henry tenses up and watches the man closely.

"You're one to talk! I haven't seen you since you were just 'this' tall," Frank levels his hand to show just how small you were when he had last seen you. He opens his mouth to speak again, but stops when his eyes fall on Henry. "Hey, Y/N, who's your friend?"

"He's new in town! I saved him from the maze!" you chirp.

"Ah, okay," he drawls, looking at Henry suspiciously. Upon seeing you look at him fondly though, he puts on his best "friendly face" and holds his hand out. "Pleasure to meet you, son."

Henry looks at Frank's hand before shaking it, still analyzing the older man. You are completely oblivious to the tension, as you look at the milk bottles that are stacked up in the booth.

"Hey, Frank! Care if we play?" you pull some tickets out from your back pocket. Frank's mood changes at the sound of your voice and smiles at you.

"Of course! You and your friend here get three shots," he kneels down to hand you three baseballs first.

You throw all three and only get three of the six bottles down.

"Oh, well! Your turn!" you turn to smile at Henry and move out of his way. Frank hands him three baseballs just as he did with you. He takes the ball, pulls his arm back, and....

All six bottles tumble down with a force that startles both you and Frank.

"Well I'll be damned! I have never seen anyone knock those bottles down like that! You play baseball, son?" the older man asks Henry, amazed.

"No," he says, shortly.

The older man clears his throat at the awkward silence before looking towards the stuffed animals that hung around the booth.

"Well, you won. Pick out your prize."

Henry wanted to just walk away, but looked at you in his peripheral. You were staring longingly at a pink elephant plush that had a cute, cartoony face. He points to that one.

"This one right here?" Frank asks, taking the elephant down. Henry nods. "Alright! Here ya go."

Henry takes the stuffed animal and nods at him.

"Bye, Frank!" you call as Henry begins to walk away from the booth.

"Bye, Y/N! See you next year!"

As soon as you both are five feet away from the booth, Henry practically shoves the plush at you.

"Here."

"What-?"

"You wanted it. I got it. Now take it," he says shortly. You look up at him, confused, but he still continues to walk forward and scan the crowd. You take the plushie and smile at it. It was the cutest thing you had ever seen, with the softest fur you ever felt.

You squeal and pull Henry into a hug, thanking him. He tenses up and pushes you off.

"What the hell are you doing?" he scowls.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I just w-wanted to...," you trail off, hurt evident in your voice and eyes.

Your change in demeanor causes Henry to feel guilty, and the couple of eyes he could sense on him only added to that feeling. He sighs and rests his hand on your shoulder.

"Look, I'm...I'm sorry, okay. Just...just warn me before you do that again...please," his voice is now soft as he looks at you, wanting you to know that he did really feel sorry.

"Okay," you whisper, still feeling miserable about making him uncomfortable.

"Hey, why don't...," Henry thinks for a second. "Why don't we go on a ride, huh?"

"Okay," a smile forms on your face. "Which one do you wanna go on?"

"Whichever one you'd like," Henry gives you the first genuine smile you had seen that night. This causes your own smile to grow and you take his hand to lead to one of the more thrilling rides. Henry doesn't rip his hand away this time, allowing you to drag him to where you wanted to take him.

Once at the ride you wanted to go on, you handed your elephant to the ride operator and Henry hesitantly gives up his bag, before you enter the ride.

--------------------

By the time the ride had ended, you and Henry were wobbling in the best way possible. Henry let out a shaky laugh. He had never felt so alive. Where had this been his whole life? You let out your own laugh at Henry's reaction, before you and him collect your belongings and go on to do more rides and games. While walking, and even making some small talk with your mystery man, he stops when he spots a phone booth.

Henry thinks about his mother, about his mission. He had to call her, to tell her about how he couldn't get a good opening. He wouldn't mention how he was getting distracted or how he was having fun with a living ray of sunshine. He knew how she would probably react if he was honest.

"Hey, uh, Y/N?"

"Yeah?" you look up at him, beaming.

"I, uh...I have to make a phone call. I-I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay! I'll wait right here!" you chirp.

He nods and gives you a small smile, before walking to the booth.

Henry enters the booth and sighs. He rummages around in his pocket before finding some quarters and inserting them into the machine. He lifts the phone and inserts the number to the motel room he and his mother were staying in. He waits, tapping his foot nervously as he waits. Then it stops, and a familiar voice speaks from the other end.

"Yes?" his mother says.

"H-Hi, mom."

"Oh, Henry!" her voice is cheerful. "Did you finish your 'assignment'?"

"No, I haven't. I can't get a good opening," he doesn't mention that he had lost the man to begin with. "Besides, this one person won't leave me alone. They're constantly following me around and bothering me."

His mom sighs on the other end and thinks.

"I'll be over there in a bit. Keep trying, dear. And remember, if you do find your opening, do what you must. Poor kid," she mutters towards the end of the statement.

Henry's stomach drops. He knows instantly what she meant. He didn't want to hurt you. You had nothing to do with...with all of this. You were an innocent, sweet person in this miserable world. Why get rid of someone like you?

"Henry, sweetie, you there?" his mother questions.

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I, uh...I was just looking around. Look, don't worry about coming over. I got this, I promise. I'll call you if I need you, okay?"

"Hm...okay," she pauses, clearly skeptical at her son's words. "Please just stay safe, okay? I love you."

"I love you too, mom. Bye."

"Goodbye."

There is a click, and then the line goes dead. Henry lets out a shaky breath and sets the phone back on its cradle. A knock at the booth startles him out of his thoughts. He turns around to see you looking at him, concerned.

He opens the door to the booth and steps out.

"Sorry," you apologize. "I just wanted to know if you wanted something to eat. Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, yeah...don't worry about it, okay? Food, uh...food sounds great."

"Okay. What would you like?" Henry thinks for a moment before cracking a smile at you.

"Surprise me!"

You nod and walk off to find a food booth. You knew exactly what you wanted to get. You had been craving it ever since you entered the carnival grounds.

Henry followed behind you, curious as to what you were going to get as you passed booth after booth. Then you stop, just what you were looking for.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up," a woman greets you.

"Hi, Pam!" you smile at her and hand her some dollar bills. "Two candied apples, please!"

"Two?" Pam cocks her head to the side until her eyes fall on Henry. "Oh, I see."

She smirks, interpreting the mystery man besides you and how you were lovingly holding your elephant plush as a date.

A few moments later, Pam turns back to you and Henry with two candied apples in her hands.

"Enjoy, you two!" she winks at you when you and Henry take your treats. The two of you walk once more, while Henry investigates the sweet in his hand. You look over at him and laugh.

"What? Have you never had a candied apple before?"

"Uh, no actually. Are...are they your favorite?" he asks.

"Uh huh!" you nod eagerly. "I have to have at least one when the carnival's up!"

It was true. Ever since you had the teeth to eat them, candied apples had been your favorite treat, even with all of the cavities you had gotten over the years because of them.

Henry slowly raises the apple to his lips and bites down. The taste causes him to pause. He had never tasted something so sweet. It seemed fitting that they were your favorite.

"You like it?" you ask.

He nods his head, before he takes another bite.

--------------------

"So you really aren't gonna leave tomorrow?" you look at Henry sadly.

"Yeah, I-I'm, um...I'm afraid so."

You had learned that Henry was just visiting your hometown on a road trip with his mom. You thought that was fun, because your family always goes on road trips every summer, and yet you were going to miss your new mystery friend.

"Oh, Y/N! There you are!"

You and Henry turn around, seeing your two friends running towards you.

"Yeah, we were really worried!"

That causes Henry to stare daggers at them. They were worried? If they were so Goddamned worried about your safety, then they wouldn't have abandoned you.

"Uh, Y/N...who's this?" they both look at the man beside you that was making them feel uncomfortable under his stare.

'Good,' Henry thought.

"Oh, this is just my friend I made who kept me company this whole time," your voice is still cheerful, but you were still trying to guilt them. Henry smirks at that.

"Oh, well, uh...it's-it's getting late. We should start heading home."

Your eyes widen at that and you look down at your watch. It was almost midnight. God, your parents were gonna kill you.

"Yeah, you guys head to the entrance. I'll catch up!" your friends look at the boy besides you. Despite being the same age as them, something about him didn't seem right. They slowly turn around and do as you told them. As you watch them go, you hear a certain someone mutter something behind you.

"Henry."

"What?" you turn to look up at him.

"That's my name," Henry says.

You try the name out and smile. The sound of you saying his name made his chest feel weird.

"You look like a 'Henry'," you quip.

"That a bad thing?" he quirked an eyebrow at you.

"Nope!" you giggle and shake your head. Your demeanor changes and you awkwardly fiddle for something in your back pocket.

"Here," you hand him a small slip of paper.

Henry takes the paper and unravels it, a phone number revealing itself to him.

"Just in case you wanna keep in touch, o-or you know...just letting me know if you're gonna be in town again," you sheepishly state, squeezing the elephant in your arms. You had written your number down when he went off to make his phone call. You felt silly since you didn’t even know his name yet, but you knew you liked him either way.

"I, uh...I think I'll do just that," he smiles at you and puts the paper in his pocket. You smile back.

"I'm gonna hug you. Is that okay?"

Henry laughs, before opening his arms to you. You wrap one of your arms around him and he wraps his arms around your waist. Neither of you want to pull away, knowing that it would mean the end of your night together and who knows how long until you see each other again.

Unfortunately, your friends were waiting for you and he had a mission that you were unaware of. You pull away first.

"Goodbye, Henry," you quickly press a peck to his cheek. He tenses, but then looks at you shyly.

"Y-Yeah...goodbye, Y/N," a shade of pink crosses his face. He then clears his throat before pointing to your plushie. "You take good care of him."

You giggle and nod your head, before turning and walking away from him. Not even five feet away from him, you turn back and wave both your hand and your elephant's arm goodbye. Henry shakes his head and smiles, lifting his hand up to give a small wave of his own.

He stood there, watching your figure get smaller and smaller, until you disappeared into the crowd entirely.

--------------------

The man was killed swiftly in the haunted house of all places. No one suspected a thing, believing that the body was just a prop and the screams just sound effects.

Now Henry was laying down on his bed in the motel room his mother had rented. She was in the bathroom washing his knife and mask.

He could still hear the noises of the crowds cheering, feel the shakiness in his limbs after a thrill ride, taste the candied apple on his tongue, and feel your kiss on his cheek.

Perhaps when he and his mother got into the next town and had to split up again, he would see if that number you gave him was real.

#killer frequency #killer frequency game #killer frequency x reader #killer frequency game x reader #henry barrow #henry barrow x reader #x reader #rita writes

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throwaway-yandere · 3 months

Note

hello, hello! i wanted to drop by to say that your kaveh + dr ratio fic was amazing. i only finished reading it just now, so excuse me if i sound like i consumed excessive sugar but anyway— i adore the way you played around with the concept of "expy"!! at the start of the fic, i already know that something was gonna tie both ratio and kaveh together (although i don't think we were made aware of ratio's intentions at first besides hints here and there??) but man, reading it till the end filled me with catharsis. it felt so good, everything was so neatly tied and weaved together. you did such a marvelous job. also, one of my favorite parts about the fic were the flashbacks veritas had about him and his (y/n). i think those were crucial in giving us a solidified view about the relationship between them and not to mention, the little 'lie' he did. ANDDD OH OH i loved the way you wrote kaveh's dialogue when he first saw his delam awake. something about how he stuttered/mumbled (?) in such relief made me feel like i could feel his relief myself. this may be because you introduced his despair over our loss so well somewhere in the beginning, so thank you for that!!! or really, thank you for writing this delicious fic in general.

anywho, i think i've said far too much on here but i just had to— wishing you a good day/evening! AND SORRY FOR THE RAMBLE.

[From this Yandere!Kaveh &/vs Yandere!Dr. Ratio x Reader]

Kaveh: What lie were they talking about?

Veritas: Nothing. Do not mind them.

Kaveh: If it's pertaining to (Y/n), I find that request difficult to follow.

[Author's notes utc]

Aight my turn to speak now HAJDJAIDIIW— DW DW I LOVE IT A LOT WHEN PEOPLE RAMBLE ABT MY FICS AAAHHHHHH TY TY TY!!!!!

Yeah it was meant not to be explicitly stated in the beginning what Ratio was up to (≡^∇^≡)!!! I just thought it'd be a nice "plot twist" when it's revealed Veritas also has a (Y/n) [although it's prolly obvs it was leading up to that haha].

His lie is actually pretty solid too. No one can deny or verify those claims. Not when he did leave those notes on (Y/n)'s computer [those quick little "Good morning, I love you. — R." messages he put in by hacking lol]. Not when he can say they were hiding their relationship. Doesn't help that his (L/n)'s colleagues can provide testimonies that they did use to be close enough to exchange jackets.

If Kaveh found out it's a lie there's no way in hell he'd allow Veritas to share you.

Speaking of our boy, Kaveh's parts are fun to write too. He nearly made me make the fic more sadder but my goal for these next fics is to be more lighthearted with a "willing"/compliant darling 😭😭😭 I love our boy very much. He doesn't have any will to go on but now he has something to get excited about and wake up for with you being here.

Aight I'll shut up now HAJSJAIISOQKA Ty ty ty (≧∇≦)/!!!!!

#ansy-stalks #yandere kaveh #yandere kaveh x reader #yandere dr ratio x reader #yandere dr ratio

85 notes · View notes

sombrashe · 2 months

Text

content drug dealer!Troy x weed smoker!Reader, chubby! afab! gn! reader, drug mention, lots of dr♡g content, reader is a little dr♡ggie 🫶🏻, it's just weed, pubic hair, cunnilingus, blowjob

note(s) this is not at all edited, i wrote this on my phone and need to post it immediately ♡ this is for all my slutty virgins

Huffing you follow closely behind your friend. Her hand is intertwined with yours, but you still feel like you could easily lose her in the crowd. You weren't exactly sure whose party this was all you could tell was they threw ragers based off the noise level that only grew the further down the block you walked. Despite the bruised ribs from randoms elbows you made it to the front door in one piece.

"Hey Charlie!"

Ahhhh so this is Charlie. Smiling you give the blonde woman a quick nod. Your friend keeps her grip on your hand and you suddenly feel like a child whose mom just saw a friend at the grocery store. You manage to keep your patience the people in like behind you two more than annoyed enough. After a good few minutes Charlie kind of shoves your friend forward with the promise of finding her later. Making your way inside, you're surprised at how dingy the house is. From the outside it looked gorgeous with the dark masonry complimenting the lighter woodwork. You barely have time to check out the area before you're being led down a hallway and into a white tiled kitchen. Now this is what you were expecting. Granite topped counters, sparkling white tiles at your feet and sea green back splash adding a pop of color to the medicinal styled room. It was a gorgeous room and you got to take a longer look before you are led to the opposite side.

"Troy... Troy! Hey! This is my friend. Yeah, the one i was telling you about. Yeah. It's their first real party."

She punctuates her sentence with a gently shoulder bump. You have absolutely no idea who this man was. He was ridiculously hot though. You find yourself unable to look away as he conversed with your girl. Only when he takes a glance at you do you break your eye contact. Heat creeps up your neck as you slowly look at him again. Trying hard not to seem eager at getting an eyeful.

"Troy."

He extends his hand and you shake it. Awfully formal for a house party. You can't help but think theres something more to this guy. The way he held himself and how he was alone but in a deliberate way. This is the dealer I was telling you about. Your friend mutters against the shell of your ear. The music thumps in tandem with your heart as you try to give a polite smile. Theres no way this guy will want to sleep with me.

A few months ago your friend was so excited to tell you about the new drug dealer who moved in down the street. His house an immediate hub of activity. She blabbed on and on about how cute he was and how she couldn't wait to introduce you to him. You let her have her moment and listened carefully to every word she said.

"... So I told him about you and he really wants to meet you! Showed him that cute photo of you when you got your hair done last week."

You were shocked to say the least. Why the hell did she tell him about you? And why did he really want to meet you? These were both questions you verbalized and her response had heat rushing to your head.

"Oh well he normally gives discounts to pretty girls, especially the ones willing to sleep with him, but i think he's willing to make an exception for you. He said he loves your style. Thats a huge compliment coming from him."

You blink up at her and move from your lying position to sitting fully upright. Sleep with him?

"I haven't even tried his shit yet. There's no way I'm giving head to a dude with shit weed."

Your friend just hopped down beside you and bumped the contents of her Sephora bag onto your lap. Two packs of edibles, an eighth and a cart bounced onto the fat on your thighs. Taking a moment to look through everything you finished your investigation by opening the baggie and taking a wiff. Your friend sat by expectantly, waiting for your response.

"Just because it smells good doesn't mean it is."

She sighed and flopped back onto your bed.

"Then try it silly. Thats the whole point. If it's as good as Jessica says it is then you could put that mouth to good use and score us some freebies."

You mumble under your breath saying nothing of real importance. Sliding open your bedside table you removed a small red and pink speckled bowl. Alongside the bowl you pull out a hello kitty grinder and a paper plate. While your friend plucks a few bits of the bud from the baggie you open your grinder and let her place the small pieces onto the spikes. Closing the lid you twist it a few times checking once to make sure there was none stuck. Carefully, using the plate to catch and fallout, you start packing the bowl. Picking up the few little bits that fell from your fingertips you dust them on top of the packed bud. Slipping the plate and grinder back into the drawer you replace them with a plain black lighter. Clicking it on you raise the bowl to your lips and take a breath. Holding it for a moment you soon exhale a cloud of dilapidated white smoke. Smacking your lips you make a show of trying the bud. Another hit. Another exhale. And you're passing the bowl over to your girl.

"Okay so maybe I am willing to meet this new guy."

"I'll introduce you." She puffs proudly in between coughs.

He mirrors your polite smile with one of his own, a bite of something more behind his pearly whites. Squeezing your arm your friend excuses herself to go and find Charlie. You watch her go before turning back towards the tall man. God he has to be at least 6 foot. And handsome as hell. Taking a step closer you lean up hoping he takes the hint. He does and leans down so you can speak against his ear. The music much too loud for regular conversation. You introduce yourself, a manicured hand gently gripping lean muscle. You got them done especially for him. Your friend explaining he goes for the ones with longer nails, "maybe he likes being scratched." She had giggled. Her eyes bloodshot.

"How do you know Layla?"

His voice is a deep rumble coming straight from his chest as he spoke lowly. A conversation for just the two of you.

"We've been friend since middle school, met in math class. We were both in one of those higher level classes. Never got anything done though."

You give a small laugh and squeeze at his bicep making sure he feels the blunt edges of your nails gently pressing into his polo. He's so close you can feel him smile against your helix.

"Sounds like you had a lot of fun."

"I'm always having fun. I love fun."

It was corny, but it worked. His left hand leaves his side and finds its way against the small of your back. Guiding you he stays hunched over for a few more moments.

"Then I think I have something you're going to love."

Straightening he's at his full height as he walks side by side with you through the crowded living room. Red solo cups and beer bottles clink on the wooden floor as you shift through them. You catch your girls eye and give her a small wave and a oh my god he's so fine look. You see her start to make a thumbs up before you're ushered into a small room. The room was bare except for a table almost displayed in the middle of the room. He places you in front of the table and you wait patiently as he moves over to the small closet in the corner. Shifting through a few things he seems to find what he was looking for and with a smile shakes a fairly large metal box in your direction. Coming back to the opposite side of the table he spends like ten whole minutes organizing and placing different products onto the table. Your jaw drops slightly at the amount of strains he had placed in front of you. Once he's finished he opens his arms wide with an award winning smile.

"Ta Dah. I have a gun so don't try taking my shit."

You shake your head and scoff.

"Im trying to see your dick not get shot."

His grins turns wolfish as he plucks a small baggie with no label. Opening it carefully he plucks out a piece of bud and holds it up to you. You lean forward and take a quick sniff. Loud as hell. Fuck he smells good. Opening your palm you examine the piece under the lamplight. Deep orange speckles with dark green in a gorgeous cacophony of color.

"Whats the strain?"

You move the piece of bud from one hand to the other.

"Hybrid."

Rubbing your fingers together you feel just how sticky they are.

"How much?"

Another sniff

"For you? On the house tonight. How much do you want?"

You pause and raise an eyebrow. Free?

"An ounce?"

You say it more like a question. He responds by plucking the piece of bud out of your fingertips and drops it back into the baggie. Wrapping the baggie back up he pockets it before looking back into your eyes.

"Wanna see any others?"

He drums his fingers across the table. You shake your head.

"An ounce will be enough for the month. If i need more i'll be sure to come straight here. Do you have any papers? Preferably pre-rolled. I don't like getting my fingernails dirty."

You wiggle your nails at him and he actually takes your hand in his to look at them. You weren't expecting it and blushing heat fills your cheeks. He hums in agreement. He's so gentle when he releases your hand before packing up. Clutching your hand in the other you watch him meticulously put every baggie into the box. Carefully stacking them on top of one another.

"On the house. You do that for everyone who wants to give you head?"

"Only the ones I actually want it from. Youre one of the lucky ones."

He flashes you another wolfish grin before turning to hide that box away. You make a point not to watch as you wait patiently.

"My papers are in my room. You can wait down here while I grab 'em."

"Do you mind if I come with? I'm a little picky."

He makes the few steps from the closet to you. Holding out his arm he waits until you're wrapped around him. Leading you through the door he pushes past people bent over taking a bump. You straighten and stay close like the sweetest piece of candy. The stairs are tricky, people slumped over half asleep and you have to trail behind him. He keeps your finger interlocked though and you know for sure he's wrapped around your finger. At least for the night. Hopefully many nights. Hooking a right you walk into a master bedroom. It was huge with a giant plush bed resting in the corner. Is that a fucking mirror?

"You have a mirror above your bed?"

"Yeah. I find it helps my clients cum faster when they can see me fucking 'em. You mind?"

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

You turn around and listen as he rustles around seeking out his product. Was he going to make me watch? God you hoped so.

"m'good."

You turned back around and towards his bed. Laid out were a few different types of wraps. You walked over and placed a hand on his arm. Scratching at him with a pout.

"I'll take any pre rolled, i don't care. I'm in your room now. Can we move on?"

"Thank god."

He grabbed up the wraps and discarded them on top of his spotless dresser. He's cupping your face within a blink. His lips crash against yours and you taste the faintest hint of Mary on his lips. The kiss is brutal and you smush your face closer to his. Teeth nicking lips. Tongues licking lips. And all you can do is moan nice and pathetic for him.

"You're like really hot." He mutters out loud.

His hands float from your neck and jaw to your hips where he pulls you nice and close. You feel how hard he is through his jeans. Reaching down you cup him. Trying your best to rub at him through the denim. He groans and grinds into your hand. He's back to cupping your jaw and his thumbs rub at your cheeks. His lips never leave yours and you swear you weren't going to have any left if you kept this up. You decide to pull away and looked up at him. His eyes are stormy. Fuck he made you wet. You fight the urge to pull him back into a kiss. His lip has a split down the middle and you realize you have a matching one on the top lip. He doesn't wait even a moment before he's pushing your jaw up so he can mouth at your neck. Sucking in some of your flesh he chews on it before letting go. Moving down a bit he leaves wet bruises in his wake. Licking at your collarbone he chews on the fleshy bone. All the while you're undoing his belt to let the tip of his cock poke out of his briefs. Squeezing at the length of it you occasionally rub the tip of your finger against his slit. He pulls away just enough to pant at your slick skin. Bumping his forehead against your chest he replaces your hand with his. Yanking down his pants he let them pile at his ankles. You take the hint and gently pull at his hair to remove him from your chest. Sinking down to your knees you roll his briefs down his thighs and over his knees. He shrugged off his jacket in the process and his leaking cock jumps against his t shirt. Olive green darkening to an army green as his cock leaks a wet spot. You hum and take him in your palm. Taking the tip of his cock in your mouth you suck gently on it. It tastes surprisingly sweet and you hum directly against him. He groans out and cups the back of your skull. He doesn't push down and you appreciate it greatly. Letting spit fill your mouth you wait until you get a good bit. Letting it leak from behind your lips you use your palm to slick his shaft. You move fingers over veins and pull away to lap at his slit.

"You taste so good. Such a pretty dick."

His hips jerk and this time he forces your head back down onto his cock. You smile and swallow around him. Pushing yourself you swallow inch by inch until you can fully relax to take him down your throat. The patch of hair that leads from his belly button to right above his pelvis tickles the tip of your nose. So fucking pretty. As you bob your head he lets out the sweetest noises. Moans and whines fill your ears. His hips jerk every time your nose touches that patch of hair. You feel his abdomen clench as he tries his hardest to stay still. Scratching gently at his hardened abdomen his skin jumps a few times. He grabs at your wrist and keeps his grip loose as to follow your actions. Squeezing his spit soaked cock you suck at his tip a few more times.

"'m 'boutta cum."

You hum in acknowledgment and continue to jack him off into your mouth. It doesn't take long before his hips surge forward and he's filling your mouth. Salt coats your tongue and you greedily milk him dry. Swallowing every drop you pull away from him completely and wipe at your mouth with the back of your hand. He crouches down and sticks his tongue in your mouth. Making out with you for a few minutes before pulling away beaming.

"G'nna let me taste you?"

You lick at the bone of his jaw. Chewing on it before answering.

"First time i've been asked that." You give a short laugh.

He looks into your eyes suddenly serious. "Go on 'head and get on that bed."

You suck in your bottom lip. Standing you pull off your slacks. He looks at your exposed cunt. Looks back up at you. Then finished by making eye contact with your cunt again. He presses a sloppy kiss against the fat of your labia. Kicking off your jeans, socks and shoes you climb onto his bed. Stretching out you arch your back before settling down facing him. His cock is already hard again and rests against his abdomen. His shirt having been discarded during your little show. Crawling towards you he looks up at you over your belly.

"Just know, this is the first time i've eaten a client out."

Heat washes over you and causes you to clench around nothingness. Using his thumbs he spreads your folds apart. They split with a wet squish. Reaching down you gently run your fingers through his hair.

"So pretty. Bet you taste so good."

He's leaning in, his tongue out and waiting. Flattening it out he presses it against your clit with a low groan. You feel heat burn at your eyes as his tongue gently laps at your clit. It's overwhelming how good this feels.

"Wait do that again... fuck. Right there. Thank you thank you thank you."

you can't help but chant praise as he follows your lead. Only breaking it to give an experimental suck. When you react positively he follows a routine. Lick, suck, lick, suck. You say his name in warning already feeling yourself worked up enough to cum.

"Hold on. W'nt you to cum on my tongue."

He replaces his tongue with his finger and you let out an annoyed huff. Kicking your leg down you connect your heel with hid shoulder blade.

"Oh come on. I can get you there again."

He rolls his shoulders giving you a warning glare. You just roll your eyes a slump back.

"You ruin every clients ability to cum?"

"Just the one's i think deserve a little extra time."

Even though there was anger at having been kicked bouncing around his eyes he gave you a genuine flirty smile. He takes a moment and starts circling your clit with the pad of his pointer finger.

"Tell me how you want it."

His words flip your stomach as butterflies threaten to burst out of you. You give him simple instructions: "just like that." "No wait do that again." "Can you try something?" He follows every order with great precision like he was made to be in between your legs. You're so turned on you're not even thinking about much better he can make it. Saying something too soft to make out he plunges his tongue inside your dripping cunt. You let out a mewl as he flicks his tongue inside of you. No one has been so attentive like him and you start to get lightheaded. Dragging your nails gently against his scalp you egg him on with a crescendo of noise. Removing his hand from your clit he reaches up slightly and roughly tugs at your pubic hair. Your hips jerk and you let out a shout as you grind incessantly against his face. He takes turns causing you that small amount of pain before rubbing at you. You're so close now. You can feel the heat in your lowers abdomen start to smolder. So close. So close.

"Please don't stop."

He mumbles something into your cunt but it's far too mumbled to even begin to decipher. He keeps his actions strict his only focus right now was to make you cum. The way he laps at your core tells you all you need to know. Soon that heat bursts and you're gasping out a cry. Your thighs clench around his head and he gets buried in soft skin. Removing his hands from you he reaches to clutch at the fat of your lower belly. He seems to be enjoying himself just as much as you. The vibrations of his moans and sharp whines help tumble you further and further. When you're finished and calmed enough to relax your legs he gets to work pressing gentle kisses all across your pretty soaked cunt. When he leans back you're able to sit up. You immediately feel the need to lay back down when you get a look at him. His styled hair was a complete mess, sweaty strands sticking to his forehead. His lips and chin were covered in your essence, slick that he licked his lips to get. It's his eyes that cause your stomach to clench, oceans of blue darkened and pupils blown so wide you might as well of been looking into a black hole the way they sucked you in. If he wasn't gorgeous before he certainly was now. Especially with the cum stain on his shirt. He came by eating me out... i wanna fuck him so badly. He stands and offers you his hand. You slide your palm against his and he helps you onto your feet. And then holds onto you as you stumble your bones feeling like jello. He chuckles and tucks some hair behind your ear.

"Don't go falling for me now."

"Corny." You let out a snort of a laugh and he grins triumphantly.

Straightening you up he waits until you're able to stand without shaking before letting go. He leans down and yanks his brief and jeans back onto his hips. Leaving you unattended you dress yourself as he goes through a closet finding a new shirt to wear.

"You can go 'head and pick any cones you want. Here's your ounce."

He chucks off his shirt and tosses it into a pile of clothes. He removes the baggie he stashed earlier and tosses it your way. You catch it and slip it into your pocket. You were used to this part. Going through the cones you settle on some hemp ones. Pocketing those too you start to head out when he calls to you.

"This better not be the last time I see you."

"Trust me, after tonight I'm a regular."

He chuckles and pulls on the chosen top of the evening. It's the last thing you see before you're closing the door with a click.

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#fear the walking dead #fear the walking dead smut #ftwd #ftwd smut #dealer!troy #troy otto #troy otto smut #troy otto x reader #troy otto x reader smut #chubby reader #serena writes

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hairstevington · 1 year

Text

That '90s Fic

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Eight years after defeating Vecna, the Hawkins crew has done their best to forget their past (and the ones they lost along the way). You can only imagine Steve's surprise when he runs into a very-alive Eddie at a coffee shop. (Ao3 link here)

Word Count: 5.5K

Warnings: Fluffy shit as always, canon universe, first kiss, Steddie reunites and eventually gets together, it takes way too damn long because they're idiots, angst, implied sex, also mentions of the rest of the characters!

A/N: This fic is for @detachedfacade and I wrote it for the Steddie Valentine's fic exchange!! Enjoyyyy

The year was 1993. Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley had remained best friends and followed each other from shitty apartment to shitty apartment. They’d skipped town pretty much the moment she’d graduated, once they knew the rest of their loved ones were safe from the absolute hell they once called their home - Hawkins, Indiana.

After that final battle, everyone pretty much scattered, and while they would always feel connected from the experiences they’d shared in the upside down, they didn’t keep in touch nearly as much as they’d used to. It was one of those things where, if any of them were to call another, they would be there. But everybody had moved on from their lives. They didn’t want to be a slave to their trauma anymore.

It had been eight years since they’d defeated Vecna. Once they’d gotten through the 80’s, they started to settle back into normalcy. Robin and Steve stuck together, but they rarely talked about their past - it was no longer relevant.

The two of them were out of town for a week, taking a trip to a big city and draining their bank account to have a little fun for once. It was, more or less, a yearly tradition. This year, they’d chosen Philadelphia, mostly because there was a concert there that they wanted to go to.

Their first full day, they didn’t have much planned other than to scope out fun things to do that were near their motel. Robin slept in, as always, but Steve was up, so he decided to go for a walk (he left a note for Robin so she knew he was okay). He found this cute cafe a block away from where they were staying, and decided he could use a bit of a caffeine boost, so he went in.

It’s funny how such a mundane morning can turn into something extraordinary.

“Thanks, doll. Have a good one,” a voice said from beside him in line. Steve looked up to see a person he hadn’t thought about in years, not since -

No. That would be crazy. There’s absolutely no way Steve was seeing this right. The man in front of him just looked so incredibly familiar, like an old friend, but that’s all. A doppelganger.

He was wearing black jeans with a black t-shirt tucked into it, a belt holding the ensemble together. His long hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of his neck, a guitar pick necklace hanging against his chest.

He was the spitting image of Eddie Munson. It was freaky.

Steve ordered his coffee and tried his best to shake off the fact that he’d basically just seen a ghost. He averted his gaze and tried to convince himself that he was somehow still high from the night before. That was a thing that could happen sometimes, right?

As they waited for their coffees side by side, Steve decided he had to ask.

“Hey, you look really familiar,” he began. “Do we know each other?” The man chuckled, amused, then put the back of his hand to his forehead and dramatically stumbled backwards, as if he was fainting. Steve reached out to catch him (as if that wouldn’t have taken them both down), but then Eddie stood up straight again, completely unharmed.

“Steeeve Harrington, how you break my heart.” No fucking way. “You don’t remember me?”

“Oh, I remember you,” Steve replied. “But you - I mean we - and then -”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I know.”

“How?!”

“Magic,” Eddie said, wiggling his fingers around his face. “Just kidding, nothing too exciting. Some government people found me, had a quick coma, blah blah blah, started a new life in a new town because I would have been sent to the electric chair if I stayed in Hawkins, by the time they found out I was innocent I’d already settled into my new life, and uh, yeah. That’s about it.”

Steve stared at Eddie, wide-eyed. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. I’m dreaming. I’m high. I’m high AND I’m dreaming.

“Black coffee for Ron,” the barista said. To Steve’s surprise, Eddie reached over to pick up the cup.

“I’m sorry, Ron?!” Eddie laughed, then lowered his voice.

“They told me to pick a new name,” he whispered, his lips dangerously close to Steve’s ear. “I was twenty, and obsessed with Dio. Thought it would be cute to choose Ronnie and pay tribute to the lead singer. I hate it, but I’m too damn lazy to go through the trouble of changing it again.”

“Oat milk latte for Steve,” the barista called again. Steve grabbed his coffee, then turned back to Eddie.

“Okay, so this is obviously all insane, but Ron? Really? There’s no way you could pass for a guy named Ron,” he teased.

“Oh, but Steve, I’ve been doing it for years now,” he replied playfully. “So, are we gonna catch up over coffee or what?”

Eight years since Steve had left Eddie in the upside down. He was dead. He was absolutely, 100% no longer living, his injuries far too serious to fix with the limited first aid they had access to - aka pieces of fabric torn from their own backs. Things had been so complicated then - the extent of Eddie’s interactions with Steve were done while they were highly stressed, traumatized, and managing the upcoming apocalypse. Even so, their friendship (if you could call it that), was cut short, and Steve refused to think about those few days together since then. He’d successfully managed to shove it down deep inside. It barely hurt anymore.

Now, it was brought to the forefront of his attention again. Eddie looked happy and healthy, which was great, but still - how the fuck had he been alive this whole time and nobody knew? Steve thought about asking, but it wasn’t his business, not really. Plus, he had to get a new name and everything, so he likely wasn’t able to reach out. And they weren’t even that close in the first place. And, Steve had tried to forget about it all, so he couldn’t judge Eddie for doing the same. Jesus.

“Steve, you look like you’ve seen a ghost, man.” Eddie smirked as he sipped his coffee. “Relax.”

“Relax?” Steve raised his eyebrows. “You’re not the one who just found out their friend who they’ve been grieving for years never actually died.”

“Friend?” Eddie cocked his eyebrow and grinned devilishly, as if he was mocking Steve’s words.

“I don’t know what else we’d call it.”

“I usually go with ‘unlikely companion against the forces of evil,’ personally,” Eddie replied.

“Usually, huh? So you talk about me a lot then?” Steve drank his latte and tried to focus on the sweet taste to combat his angst. It all felt like a dream, but somehow a stupid oat milk latte grounded him back to reality.

“I mean, not a lot,” Eddie clarified. “I can’t really disclose the full story or anything, but I do talk about the popular jock from my hometown who ended up being a lot cooler than he had any right to be. And Wheeler? Who the hell knew, am I right? And - oh, Robin!” Eddie waved towards the door, where Robin burst in. Steve had called her about ten minutes prior telling her the news. Her hair was a mess, and she was still in her pajamas.

“Holy shit,” she said as she ran frantically towards the table. “You’re real.” She pinched Eddie’s arm to make sure, causing him to laugh.

“In theory,” he responded. Steve pulled up a chair next to him and gestured for Robin to sit. She did so, moving on autopilot, her eyes still fixed to Eddie.

“You didn’t have to rush, Robbie,” Steve said, using his thumb to clean a bit of toothpaste off the corner of her mouth. She was unfazed by his touch.

“Of course I did, Steve. What the hell?”

“I didn’t know you guys were still -” Eddie hesitated. “- Still in touch. Friends. Or are you guys, like…?” Robin cackled.

“Noooo, no, no, no,” she said.

“Okay, let’s not be mean about it,” Steve huffed.

“Sorry Stevie, you know I love you.” She turned back to Eddie. “I’m a lesbian. Steve was actually the only one I was out to in high school.”

“No shit,” Eddie said, leaning until his elbows were on the table. “Ohhhh, that explains so much.”

“Does it?” she asked, confused.

“Well, just because you guys obviously were close, but insisted upon being just friends, which usually means you’re not just friends,” Eddie explained. “I don’t know, I was kind of thrust into a lot of shit back then without any context. Mostly I was just trying not to die, and then, well - I mean, you get it.”

“Oof,” Robin winced.

“You guys, it’s fine.” Eddie laughed again, then leaned back in his chair. “Water under the upside down bridge, am I right?” Robin and Steve grimaced. “What?”

“We don’t really talk about that time of our lives anymore,” Robin shrugged. “All of us just tried to leave it all behind.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “It’s great to see you again, I think, and I’m glad you’re okay and all, it’s just -”

“Weird,” Robin finished his sentence. “Not in a bad way, just in a way where we might need a moment to act semi-normal.”

“Ugh, normal?” Eddie groaned. “I didn’t like you guys so much because you were normal. I liked you because you were batshit crazy.” He chuckled at the double meaning of his words. “Ha ha, bat-shit. Those things were nasty. I can’t believe you took a straight-up bite out of one, dude.”

“Jesus Christ, I forgot about that.” Steve put his head in his hands before running them through his hair. “This is crazy. So crazy.”

“Sorry,” Eddie said with a shrug. “You know, you’re the first people I’ve been able to talk about this with. I didn’t think I’d ever seen any of you again, but here we are.”

“Are you even supposed to be talking about it?” Steve asked.

“I dunno, maybe not. But it’s been long enough. No trouble in Hawkins since, right?”

“Nope,” Robin confirmed.

“Not that we’ve been back,” Steve added.

“No? What about the others? Dustin?” Steve smiled, remembering that Eddie and Dustin had their own brotherly thing going on.

“He’s good. Everyone’s okay,” Steve smiled. “Dustin and I still talk sometimes. I’m sure he’d love to hear from you actually, if you wanted. I mean, he was really shaken up over your ‘death’ and all.” Steve used quotations when he talked about Eddie’s death now. Insanity.

“Yeah, for sure,” Eddie agreed. “Steve, man. It’s genuinely so good to see you. I’ve wondered a lot about what happened to the King of Hawkins High.”

“Really? I guess I didn’t realize I left such an impression,” Steve said with surprise. It had been a while since he’d been reminded of his King Steve days. Eddie chuckled again, rolling up his sleeves absentmindedly as he continued talking.

“Oh my god, Harrington, I wanted you so bad back then. I didn’t realize it until shit went down, but yeah. I thought I was making it really obvious.” Steve’s eyes widened.

“Oh,” he said. “Well, um, I mean -”

“You were,” Robin interjected. “And you were totally jealous of him and Nancy, which is hilarious because -”

“Robin!” Steve groaned. “Anyway, yeah. There was that, and the whole ‘big boy’ thing.”

“Really? Eight years later and that’s still fresh in your mind, huh?”

“He used to talk about it every time he got drunk,” Robin laughed.

“I will kill you,” Steve threatened. “Fine, yeah, whatever. You helped me realize I like guys. I owe it all to you - the big man himself - Ron.” Eddie practically snorted at the way Steve said his fake name.

“God, it’s so bad,” he agreed. “But Ron has been good to me. Things are good.” They all smiled, realizing things had somehow all turned out okay. Normal, in their own messed up way. “So! How long are you guys in town?”

The three of them hung out in Philadelphia a few more times that week, catching up and getting friendlier with every passing moment. Steve started to relax around Eddie, something he never had the chance to do before. Eddie was touchy, and called Steve things like babe and sweetie and once, Big Boy for old time’s sake.

But the week was coming to an end, and the Dynamic Duo was scheduled to return home the following morning. They decided to go out one last time, and made sure to exchange numbers to stay in contact. Steve promised he’d reach out to Dustin and break the news, but he wasn’t sure when he’d see Dustin again.

Robin went home first, insisting that she get her beauty sleep before their flight. This left Eddie and Steve alone at the bar, where they continued to chat until eventually, Steve decided he needed to get home, too.

He didn’t really want to go, at all. He didn’t want to say goodbye to Eddie. Reconnecting with him had genuinely been great, weird as it was. Plus, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Eddie had told him in that cafe. Harrington, I wanted you so bad back then. Enough time had passed where Steve wasn’t sure that statement still applied, or if he even wanted it to. The whole week had been a whirlwind of the past becoming present, the lost being found, the gone returning.

Eddie walked Steve home, and it was too short. Eight years ago, when their budding friendship(?) was cut short, Steve didn’t know the extent of his sexuality, or understand the feelings he was having. But he knew then, with Eddie at his door, and he decided to be bold.

“Ya know,” Eddie said, “usually when I walk a guy home like this, I kiss him goodnight.” He had said it so casually, in the same joking manner he’d done everything else. He said it in a way where, if Steve hadn’t been into it, he could just as easily say he was kidding and move on. Steve knew it well, and he wasn’t going to take it this time.

“Okay, so kiss me then.”

“What?” His eyes went wide in shock. Steve smirked at the way he was finally able to catch Eddie off guard.

“You heard me. Come on, I dareeee youuuu.” Steve had quite a few drinks at the bar, a deadly combination for a guy who was already pretty confident in the flirting department.

“Where the hell is this coming from?” Eddie asked, still unsure. He couldn’t believe what Steve was saying. Even though Steve had said Eddie was his bisexual awakening, that had been ages ago. Eddie never in a million years thought he had a shot with Steve in actuality.

“I knew it, I knew you wouldn’t do it.” Steve gently pushed against Eddie’s chest, then leaned against his door. “All those flirty glances and the pet names and talking about how you used to have a crush on me when-“

And then Eddie was kissing him.

It was awkward for a split second, as Eddie had all but smashed his lips against Steve’s, but they quickly melted into each other, reaching an unspoken groove.

It was nice. So incredibly nice. Eddie was warm and inviting and sensual, his hands explorative and firm around Steve’s body.

As they broke away from each other, Steve pouted at the thought of never finding out what kissing Eddie while sober would be like - it’s just that they were about to be separated by a few hundred miles, so the possibility seemed unlikely.

“Just as good as I thought it would be,” Eddie grinned as he let go of Steve’s waist. “Now you have a new thing to talk about when you get drunk, Harrrington.”

That he would, Eddie. That he would.

So, Steve and Robin returned home, still somewhat unconvinced they hadn’t had some sort of mutual acid trip and hallucinated the whole thing. He told her about the kiss, which she was entirely unsurprised by, and asked if he’d call once they got home.

Steve wasn’t sure. After all, he’d left that whole life behind, and he wasn’t interested in anything long distance. It felt weird to return to a life he so deliberately ran away from. He’d spent so long shoving away those memories, but they were back, and they were back with a vengeance.

And now, there were new memories too - the ones of them in Philadelphia, catching up under new circumstances, haunted by the old ones.

He didn’t end up calling Eddie, in fear of it getting even more complicated, and eventually the events of their week in Philly became a dream-like visit to the land of what-ifs.

In 1994, Dustin came to visit. It had been the longest Steve and Robin had ever stayed in the same apartment. In fact, not much had changed at all in the last year - Except that Robin started going to grad school, and Steve was promoted at work, which worked out well considering Robin’s income dropped when switching to part-time.

Robin was engaged - she’d been dating the same person for years now, and it had been long overdue. They were happy together, but waiting to get married until Robin finished school. Well, they wouldn’t be legally married, thanks to the government being homophobic, but they wanted to celebrate with their friends and family nonetheless.

Steve had also begun dating a woman from Robin’s class. She was kind and quiet, and it had been going well for a month or two already.

Catching up with Dustin was always a whirlwind, because they didn’t do it nearly enough. He spoke quickly and without abandoning, covering so many topics in such a short amount of time that Steve could hardly keep up. Robin, on the other hand, followed beautifully, and filled in Steve whenever he got confused.

“So I was telling the head of DETRA,” Dustin said. Steve turned to Robin.

“His company,” she muttered. Steve nodded.

“And he basically said that Justin was going to get the promotion, even though I was the one who came up with, developed, and perfected the prototype for G-TER.”

“The robot,” Robin clarified, quiet enough only for Steve to hear.

“Oh, right,” Steve said in recognition. “The thing you’ve been working on for like a year now?”

“That’s the one,” Dustin confirmed.

It went on like this as he continued to talk about engineering and robotics, things that went way over Steve’s head, but he listened the best he could anyway. Once he was done updating them on his first official post-college job, he asked them what they’d been up to.

“School,” Robin answered.

“Work,” Steve added. “And Diana, who I’ve told you about.”

“Still going good?” Dustin asked. Steve nodded. “Sweet. How’d the trip to Philly go?”

Steve and Robin froze, glancing at each other nervously. Once again, it was something they had pushed deep down into oblivion, in fear of opening the can of worms yet again. They hadn’t talked about it since the plane ride home.

“So fun,” Robin responded at last.

“Concert was great,” Steve added.

“You guys are so comically bad at lying,” Dustin said with a roll of his eyes. “What happened?” They paused, knowing the upcoming conversation was a big bomb to drop.

“It’s…serious,” Steve began. “Has to do with Hawkins stuff.” Dustin’s face dropped into sincerity, understanding the weight of the situation.

“Is everything okay? Do we have to go back?”

“Everyone is fine,” Robin blurted out. “Everyone.” She stressed the word as if that would be enough to break the news. When Dustin was still confused, Steve decided to just go for it.

“Eddie Munson is alive, Dustin.”

“What?!”

“It’s true,” Robin said. “He lives in Philadelphia under a different name now.”

“But how??”

They continued to explain the situation, going over the story that Eddie had told them, and the time they’d spent together. They left out the kiss, of course, but that wasn’t relevant.

Dustin processed the news slowly, before running to his computer and urgently looking something up.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked.

“I’m gonna go to Philadelphia,” he answered. As Steve peered over, he noticed Dustin looking at flights.

“Woah, seriously?” Steve asked, shocked. “Don’t you want to call him first?”

“Well, yeah, duh,” Dustin said. “We call him, then we go. Or, I go. I mean, if you can’t.” He sighed, putting his phone down. “You knew about this for a year and didn’t tell me?”

Robin and Steve felt the weight of their secret. They’d been protecting themselves, or so they thought.

“I’m sorry, man,” Steve apologized. “We didn’t wanna -”

“It’s whatever. Just call him.”

Even though Robin and Steve hadn’t planned their annual getaway yet, it was far too short-notice to go with Dustin. It did, however, mean that his visit with them was cut off after only a day, and that kinda sucked. They really tried to make it work, but between Steve’s job and Robin’s classes, there was no way they could join in on the action.

So, Steve called Eddie

“Steve Harrington,” he greeted as always.

“Edd- I mean, Ron,” Steve replied. Eddie chuckled.

“I didn’t think you’d ever call me. It’s been what, a year?” Steve grimaced at the realization.

“I’m sorry, I just -”

“It’s cool. What’s up, man?”

And so, Steve told him what was up. Eddie was thrilled at the prospect of seeing Dustin again, and together they arranged a place to meet up. Eddie also gave Steve his address to give to Dustin, although Steve couldn’t help but wonder if he had ulterior motives.

No, Steve. Don’t do that, he thought to himself. You closed that book, and you’re with Diana now.

It was probably for the best Steve couldn’t go, honestly. Because the moment he heard Eddie’s voice, he realized he was an idiot for not calling the moment he got home.

By 1995, Robin had moved out to live with her fiance. They’d even set a wedding date for the following year. Steve was still dating Diana, and things were good there, but he had no plans for proposing just yet. He felt as though he needed to live with her first to see for sure how compatible they’d be, so she joined his lease once hers ended - her name replacing Robin’s.

Steve had a business trip in Philadelphia. He considered visiting Eddie, but thought better of it.

They ran into each other anyway at the grocery store.

“Well, if it isn’t the heartbreaker himself?” Eddie teased. Steve froze, feeling immediate guilt and panic.

“E - I mean, Ron!” Steve said, as he always did.

“You know, I finally legally changed my name back, so you can stop doing that.”

“Oh,” Steve said. “Okay.”

“I’m not mad at you, Steve,” Eddie assured him.

“Why would you be?” Steve asked, as casually as possible. Eddie opened his mouth, but before he could explain the very valid reason he’d be upset, Steve continued. “Don’t answer that. I’m sorry. I’m still sorry.”

“It is what it is,” Eddie said nonchalantly. He genuinely seemed unbothered. “So, what brings you back?”

“Work,” Steve answered. “I’m only here for the weekend this time.”

“Would you want to grab a drink, then?” Eddie asked. Steve swallowed.

“I - I shouldn’t.” Eddie seemed confused for a moment, then lit up in understanding.

“Ah, I see,” he said with a smirk. “You’re still with the lady.”

“You know about her?”

“‘Course. Dustin told me about it when he was here.”

“Oh,” Steve said, unsure how he felt about that. “How’d that go for you guys, by the way?”

“It was great,” Eddie answered. “You don’t even want to go out in a completely platonic, friend way?”

Admitting that being just friends with Eddie seemed impossible felt worse than it did to go and inevitably act weird and closed off. In any case, Steve agreed to one drink.

Three drinks later, he felt relaxed again, and almost forgot why he was so nervous about this in the first place. Like, he and Eddie didn’t know each other that well, and they lived in different states, and they’d kissed one time. That was it. It was practically nothing other than them both being queer, flirtatious, and enjoying each other’s company.

“I’d really like to be friends,” Eddie had said at the end of the night.

“I think I’d like that, too,” Steve agreed.

He went back home, relieved that the guilt he felt was no longer relevant.

Eddie and Steve were friends in the sense that they occasionally called each other to talk about new movies, or to rave about the amazing things Dustin was doing, and eventually, they talked about Robin’s wedding.

Robin had decided to invite Eddie after he and Steve became friendly in a genuine way. She tended to have a sense for these things, and they really did just seem like good friends.

She was wrong.

Diana worked overnights, and Steve would end up on the phone until well past midnight talking to Eddie. It was a gradual change from the conversations they’d had before, but an important one. Eddie was giddy at the thought of being reunited with the Hawkins gang - they joked that Steve shouldn’t tell anyone so Eddie could surprise them, but ultimately decided they could never stir up that much drama on Robin’s wedding day.

“Maybe during the rehearsal dinner,” Eddie suggested.

“Yeah, maybe,” Steve replied.

Steve broke up with Diana a few months before the wedding, where she was supposed to be his plus one. It was a clean break, or as clean as it could have possibly been. Steve just knew that if they went to the wedding together, she’d think about the possibility of marrying him, and he knew she wasn’t the one he wanted to spend his life with.

He had an inkling he knew someone he would marry. Well, if marriage between them had been legal, anyway.

He didn’t tell Eddie about his change in relationship status, though. Even when they still talked late into the night, when Steve had to wake up early the next morning. He didn’t tell him, because he still lived so far away, and he didn’t want to ruin something so perfect.

Robin’s wedding was in the Spring of 1996. Steve was going stag, as he’d decided when Robin asked whether she should eliminate a place setting or invite someone else. He could have found another date to replace Diana, but he didn’t want to.

It was the first time he was going to see Eddie since they’d gotten a drink a year prior, which would have been exciting enough - it was just that Steve was single now. And if Eddie was too, and if he was still interested, there was no way Steve was going to miss out yet again.

It didn’t matter that they lived far away from each other, or that they’d spent very little time together in the same physical space - Steve knew there was something there. He knew it.

Steve was, of course, in the bridal party. In fact, he was technically Maid of Honor, although the role wasn’t really defined that clearly because Robin didn’t want to follow any of the normal traditions. She really just wanted Steve as her best friend and right-hand man. His tasks mainly included making sure she didn’t fall over, and handing her various fidget toys when she got antsy.

The rehearsal dinner was the night before the ceremony, and was mainly just close family and friends. It was the first time the entire Hawkins gang reunited in ten years.

Hopper and Joyce were happily married. The kids were now 24 and figuring their lives out. Dustin was already rich, and everyone else was financially okay as well due to El having rigged a lottery one time to split the reward (Mike’s idea - but it worked out pretty well).

It was so nice to see everyone again under non-apocalypse circumstances. Everybody seemed happy in their respective lives, and catching up seemed entirely normal.

Eddie showed up late - he had told everyone in advance he would, so it wasn’t rude or anything, but it did mean that they were already sitting down and deep into conversation when he snuck in and sat down beside Steve - the last empty seat.

(Which was pretty much exactly what Steve hoped would happen)

They waved to each other and smiled, and then the conversation resumed as normal. They ate, they drank, they laughed, and then the group split - half of them going home, the other half going out.

“Where’s Diana?” Eddie asked at the bar while sipping his beer. “Is she sick or something?” Steve froze, realizing the time had come to break the news.

“Uh, no, she’s not sick.” Eddie looked at him curiously, having no idea where this was going. “We broke up a few months ago.”

“What?!” Eddie asked, a thousand emotions in his voice. He was confused, concerned, and a little upset. “Why didn’t you tell me? I talk to you all the time!”

“I don’t know!” Steve responded, shrugging. “I don’t know why I didn’t, I just -”

“Wait, before we go there. Are you okay?”

Steve was taken aback by the question. He was okay, but a few months ago? Shit was tough.

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s what I needed to do,” Steve answered.

“Why?” Eddie’s voice dropped in volume ever so slightly. “I mean, what happened?”

“She just wasn’t -” Steve averted his gaze, as though eye contact was too intimate in the moment. “She wasn’t the one.”

Their conversation was interrupted when Dustin insisted they all play a game. And that was that - at least, that’s what Steve thought.

He was getting ready for bed after everyone else had split off to their own hotel rooms. He showered and brushed his teeth, then climbed into bed to watch TV. He wasn’t tired yet, but he hoped the sounds of Friends would lull him to sleep eventually.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

It was late, and as Steve jumped out of bed and walked towards the noise, he worried it was Robin or that something terrible had happened.

Instead, it was Eddie.

“Hey,” Steve greeted him.

“Hey,” Eddie echoed. “Tell me if I’m reading this wrong.”

Eddie knew it was a bold move, showing up like this, assuming that their friendship had transcended into something more. Or, perhaps they were never really just friends.

“Okay,” Steve responded.

And then, Eddie was kissing him again.

Steve shut the door as soon as they’d crossed the threshold into his hotel room. They were alone, single, and clearly into each other. Clothes came off before Steve even had a chance to catch his breath.

Eddie started giggling when they fell to the bed.

“I’ve always wanted to hook up with a Bridesmaid,” he joked. Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop himself from laughing, too.

“Can we turn the show off?” he asked, distracted by the antics on screen.

“What, Rachel doesn’t do it for you?” Eddie teased. Steve reached over to find the remote, then pressed the off button - leaving them in silence.

“I’m more of a Chandler guy, myself,” Steve replied with a smirk.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Robin’s wedding was beautiful. Eddie and Steve snuck knowing glances at each other throughout, but made sure not to make it obvious they’d hooked up to avoid stealing any thunder.

Everyone knew pretty much immediately, anyway.

It was New Year's Eve, 1999. Eddie and Steve had gotten their own apartment after the wedding, and had been together ever since. Steve insisted they stay in the same town as Robin, and Eddie obliged - there wasn’t much tying him to Philly except that it was where he’d been for a decade, and a little location change seemed like the perfect way to enter the next phase of his life.

“I can’t believe the world is going to end in five minutes,” Steve said sarcastically. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“You don’t really believe that shit, right?”

“Well, the world wouldn’t end,” Robin interjected, “just all the computers in the world might crash, which would be just as not fun.”

“Exactly,” Steve agreed. Robin smiled, then was whisked away by her wife. Steve turned back to Eddie. “You’re not nervous at all?” Eddie shook his head.

“No, not really. We’ve already been through an apocalypse together, you know? And we got through that.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Steve realized. “So what’s one more?”

“What’s one more?” Eddie agreed, kissing Steve into the new millennium.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Steddie Valentine's Day fic exchange #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #robin buckley #writing #me #st fanfic #stranger things fanfiction #steve x eddie #eddie munson x steve harrington #eddie x steve #eddie munson lives #stranger things gay

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tagedeszorns · 4 months

Note

What's boring you about the fandom? Sorry to hear you're struggling with that at the moment.

Just wanted to say though, it is normal to go through stages of fixation and ambivalence, especially if it feels like you might have plumbed the most exciting depths of your preferred niche. (I have felt like that so many times in other fandoms lol...) Maybe it's worth exploring other parts of the fandom, you might find something that ignites your passion again. Alternatively, if you need a break or feel the need to branch out, do it. The fandom will still be here when you feel like engaging again.

(Also, if you feel like it sometime, please tell us more about your minis and joytoy figs. Are they named? Do they have backstories?)

I'm not bored. I'm just having a severe "old man yells at cloud"-moment, like I do semi-regularly. 😉

When I came to the Tumblr-branch of Warhammer-fandom it felt so very exciting - artists and writers regularly got 80 to over 100 notes in a few days on their texts and pics (not just memes and/or shitposts, mind you! The real stuff!) - and not just likes, a lot of reblogs, comments and so much discussion! So many HC were developed here for everybody to see and to participate.

But this all changed. No fire nation, though.

I'm getting a bit tired of saying it over and over myself, but in my opinion it still is true: Discord is slowly killing fandom-permanence. Discord isn't good for conserving things. Ideas vanish. Pics get consumed like fast food and digested just as fast, leaving no nutritional value for viewer or artist. Thoughts get lost, because they wander down the chat-drain and vanish into nothing. HCs get no engagement, fade and die.

The slow, ugly decay of Twitter didn't help. A lot of new people not getting how Tumblr is supposed to be played and take the easy way out to Discord, too.

A Tumblr-blog is a very intimate showcase of a person's journey as a fan. It's like a geological slice of their interests and thoughts. I love that. I want to keep that. I want to get to know other fans. And not the shallow, fleeting way of Discord.

Yeah, as I said - old man yells at totally uncaring cloud. I can't stop time. I have to adapt or remain behind.

And the other thing is my "ceterum censeo" of being bitter about people just paying attention to Primarch-content and don't care about the guys from second row who are in my opinion so much more interesting and colourful. And if they get the spotlight it's just some meme-shit or being waifu'd to hell and back.

I love being silly about characters I like. I love making up shitty sidestories, silly AUs and other absolutely hilarious OOC-stuff. But if that's all that remains from a character, that's just sad.

I need way more Credible Hulks who love quoting the books as much as I do, around me!

But anyways, I'll come around.

That I had quite a few not so very good books this year didn't help either. I need both the Eidolon- and the Xantine-book to be good, next year! And St. Martin better NOT writing any shit about Lucius attacking Fenris (I mean, WTF, St. Martin! That short story was the worst you ever wrote, man!).

#warhammer #Fandom #Meta

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ultraintrovertedgryffindor · 2 years

Text

Something About Books and Covers - Eddie Munson

Eddie is a metalhead. I'm a metalhead. We're perfect, right? Right. Anyways, I sat down and wrote this for almost 3 hours straight with only one bathroom break...I don't expect this to pop off lmao

Warnings: Possibly triggering content, bullying (physical and religion based cause metal music was considered of the devil in the 80s) , very fluffy in the beginning, very angsty in the middle, then back to very fluffy, and very slight spoilers for S4 i guess? But not really.

5.4K Words🤙🏻

~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie was ecstatic. Metallica was finally coming to Indiana and there was no way he was missing this tour date. No way in hell.

It was on a school night, but he couldn’t care less. He’s skipped school so many times already so he didn’t care that he'd miss a couple days, it wouldn’t make much difference anyway, he knew he would already have to repeat the grade regardless. So why not?

He hadn’t seen Metallica before, never having the money or transportation to take him to one of their concerts, but finally having a driver's license and having saved up some money from summer jobs, he would finally be able to see one of his favorite bands.

He was talking to his friends about how excited he was about it. He wore a smug grin when they expressed their jealousy. He was a little disappointed that none of his friends could go with him, but he also didn’t mind going to the concert alone. Besides, it’s not like he’d be paying attention to them during the set anyway. Driving home would be the worst part because he just knew that he’d be exhausted after the fact. But something his friend said suddenly caught his undivided attention. “Sorry, can you repeat that please?” Eddie voiced.

“I said, I heard a rumor that Y/n girl was going to that concert tomorrow night too. I heard some of her friends talking about it at their lockers.”

Eddie scoffed. “There’s no way. I mean, look at her, she looks like she listens to Cyndi Lauper or Madonna or some shit.” He chuckled. “That girl wouldn’t be caught dead at a metal concert.”

“I don’t know, man. Her friends seemed pretty upset about it.”

“Dude, I bet my life savings that there’s no way she is going. It’s impossible. She goes to Harrington parties dude, trust me, it’s just a rumor.”

As Eddie got ready for the concert that next day, he couldn’t help but think about what his friends were talking about. He also couldn’t help but laugh. Picturing you at a metal concert was a hilarious thought. You’d stick out like a sore thumb. For Eddie, he wouldn’t even go near a concert that wasn’t metal, they’d probably stone him to death or something. He scared people, he made them uncomfortable, just by being himself. It was bullshit.

Eddie quickly shook those negative thoughts out of his head, he was not going to go into a mindspace that would put a bummer on his whole night. He turned up his radio all the way and belted out every song that came on his mixtape, trying not to get into a crash from headbanging.

He made sure to get there early, hence skipping school. He needed to get a good spot, hopefully near the front at the barricade. That would be a dream. But this was the first time Metallica ever had a show in Indiana, so there were a bunch of people who even camped outside the building. Yeah…these were Eddie’s people. Didn’t see you in the line though. He didn’t know why he was looking, it’s not like he wanted you there, he was just really curious.

As everyone started to pile into the venue, he felt the nervous excitement bubble up in his chest, almost like the time when he got his first tattoo, but this was obviously different. This was excitement to see a band that inspired him, that he looked up to, a band that made his life significantly better. He’d remember this night forever.

Eddie cheered along with the rest of the crowd as the opening band came on, he knew a couple of their songs but he was really only there for Metallica, but he’d enjoy himself regardless. And he got a pretty decent view considering the larger crowd, and his height helped. He felt bad if anyone behind him was shorter, he’d absolutely hate it if he was behind a taller person. There was this one kid behind him, holding a sign that said it was his first concert. That warmed Eddie’s heart, he couldn’t not let the kid move in front of him.

From his new spot, he could still see the stage pretty well, so he was thankful for that. But the new spot also gave him a chance to have a better look around to see who was in the crowd. It’s not like he wanted to people watch, he had that done to him too many times already, but he did like seeing who else was in the crowd to see who he could be friends with if they looked interesting enough. But one person only really stood out to him.

Eddie couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. It must’ve been a hallucination, right? There was no way you were at this same concert. You, miss straight A’s and future valedictorian and member of the student council, were at a metal concert? On a school night? Eddie must’ve been dreaming because there was no way someone like you would be in a place like this.

Eddie pinched himself a few times, almost breaking his own skin, but he was still not waking up. Damn…he wasn’t dreaming.

You couldn’t have been there of your own volition, he decided. You must’ve been dragged here by a boyfriend or best friend…or it was a dare. But from where Eddie stood, it looked like you were having fun. You were even dressed in a slightly different getup, not completely far from what you normally wore in school, but enough that you didn’t look too out of place. But to everyone else, you probably looked like you were in your element. They didn’t have the knowledge Eddie did.

It’s not like you were one of those stereotypical popular girls, he never saw you be mean to anyone or partake in the bullying of nerds and outcasts like the jocks. Granted, you weren’t a jock, but you were still a popular. You were actually pushing people around on the outskirts of a mosh pit with a huge smile on your face, the biggest smile he’d ever seen you wear. It was kind of…attractive. He had a hard time paying attention to the opening bands, he was so enthralled watching you in his preferred environment. He didn’t know why, but he felt a bit of pride even though he didn’t really know you. Maybe he’d have to change that.

While the stage crew set up Metallica’s equipment, Eddie pushed through the crowd to get where you were, apologizing to every person he pushed past until he finally was next to you. “Well, well, look who it is. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Your eyes widened in excitement, wearing that big smile like you had been earlier, it made Eddie’s stomach feel like it was doing somersaults. “Oh, hi! Eddie, right?” You replied. Well, he definitely didn’t expect you to know his name.

“Uh, yeah.” Eddie cleared his throat nervously. “What’re you doing here?” He tried not to sound accusatory, but that edge was still in his tone. He didn’t want to come off as an asshole, but this scene was important to him and he didn’t want someone who didn’t enjoy the music to spoil the atmosphere.

You caught on to his attitude immediately, raising an eyebrow. “Same reason why you’re here, I’d assume.”

“Mm, sorry that I kinda doubt that.”

“Oh, and why is that?”

“Well, you’re…you. Popular, straight A student, someone who hangs out with people that makes fun of people like me.”

“Oh, so, people who do well in school can’t possibly like this kind of music right?”

Eddie winced, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “Well, no…it’s just, I never expected you to like this kind of music.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover. You of all people should know that, right? Or is everyone right about you, that you’re a devil worshiping freak?”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry. I got a little protective. This is my safe space and I was just worried you’d…ya know, ruin it or something.” Eddie mumbled, fidgeting with the ends of his hair, then holding out his hand. “Truce?”

You stared at his hand for a moment before rolling your eyes with a smirk. “Yeah, okay, truce.” Taking his hand, you almost shivered at the cold metal of his rings that lined his fingers. You had always thought he was attractive, the jock types never really interested you, but Eddie was interesting. There was just something so alluring about him. The rough start was more than a little concerning, but at least he apologized.

Nobody really knew that you were a metalhead, it was something that you kept on a need to know basis. Hearing society’s opinion about metal music didn’t really make you comfortable to be open about it. Almost everyone thought people who listened to metal were a devil worshiper or a serial killer. You had heard people talking about how Richard Ramirez listened to heavy metal and that must be why he was going on a killing spree, though it was mostly middle aged Christian women you had heard talking that way, but it still wasn’t very reassuring.

You always admired Eddie from afar, but you were always too afraid to talk to him, even about the similar music taste. He seemed nice enough, but then again, you both were from two completely different worlds. It just didn’t seem likely to happen. You had always planned to go to this concert, and when you found out that Eddie would be too, you felt like the stars aligned. Even if you never saw him in the crowd, you would be happy to know that he was at least in the same building as you, as creepy as that sounds. But when he actually made an effort to talk to you, it was almost as good as being at the concert.

After the truce, you both got to talking before the headliner finally played. You actually had some common interests. Eddie played the guitar and you had always wanted to, he said that he could try to teach you sometime, which was unexpected. You hoped the dim lighting in the building would hide your blush, but you could see a smirk on Eddie’s face in the corner of your eye. Thankfully, the lights completely dimmed and the stage lights coming on signaling that Metallica was finally coming on saved you from further embarrassment.

And out came Metallica, James Hetfield front and center in all his glory. It was a real starstruck moment, for both you and Eddie.

Every once in a while, you and Eddie would glance over at each other, huge smiles on both of your faces and slightly sweaty from jumping around and singing to the tops of your lungs. It was surprisingly intimate. You loved seeing Eddie in his natural habitat, you could tell how much this concert meant to him. It was really a sight to behold, if your eyes weren’t on the band you were looking at Eddie. The same thing could be said for him as well. Eddie didn’t know how to handle seeing you like this, it was a fine line between surprise and arousal, he didn’t know if the scale would tip by the time the night ended.

You and Eddie laughed as you both were squished together by the force of the crowd, the only way for him to be truly comfortable was for him to wrap his arm around your shoulders but you didn’t mind. It actually felt nice, despite the humid heat that enveloped the whole crowd, making your exposed skin stick to his leather jacket. Sometimes you’d stumble onto him, but he always made sure to never let you fall. You were grateful that he was your tall person that saved you from being crushed by crowd surfers, making sure your head was ducked before he’d help the person. You got kicked a couple of times, but it was no big deal. You were sure you’d have bruises by the time you got home.

As the band started playing their encore, you and Eddie held onto each other and sang along as loud as you could, knowing all the lyrics by heart. The two of you weren’t each looking at the band, you both were practically singing to each other. Your mouth was so sore from smiling so much, and you could tell that you wouldn’t be able to talk properly after singing for so long.

As Metallica said goodnight and walked off the stage, you felt the post-concert depression already kick in. It was over all too soon, but it was in part because you and Eddie probably wouldn’t even talk to each other after this. You didn’t want that to happen. You wanted to have someone who would go to concerts with you. You didn’t really feel like any of your other friends truly saw you. Music was important to you, and someone like Eddie would understand that. You’ve only hung out with him for a few hours, not even talking to each other, but you already felt closer to him than anyone else.

Eddie kept his arm around you as you both walked out of the building with the rest of the crowd, the cold air instantly making the sweat on your skin feel freezing. You knew you should’ve brought a heavier jacket. He noticed you shivering and he quickly removed his own jacket, putting it around your shoulders. The inside of the jacket felt like a warm blanket, encompassing you and the scent of sweat mixed with cologne filled your nostrils, Eddie’s scent. It brought that blush back to your cheeks, but at least you could blame it on the cold air this time.

“So…do you have a ride home? Or did you drive here?” Eddie asked after a beat of awkward silence.

“Oh, I was just gonna hail a cab. I just had a family member drop me off.”

“I drove here, I can give you a ride.” Eddie pointed to his van that was parked in the lot outside the venue. “It’s pretty busted up, there’s no air conditioning or heat, and it makes this weird clanking noise sometimes...but it’s something.”

“Yeah, it’s something.” You giggled, wrapping his jacket around you tighter. “Can I keep wearing the jacket?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course! Can’t let you freeze to death now, can I?” He grinned, tugging you by the jacket sleeve to lead you to his van.

It was still really cold inside the van, but now being alone with Eddie, you felt the heat from your blush all over your body. You tried not to wince as the van’s engine rattled loudly as he started the vehicle, it definitely sounded like it was crying out for a tuneup. Hopefully it wouldn’t die on the way back home. You told Eddie your address, thankfully it wasn’t too far out of the way. It wasn’t on the wealthy side of town, but you didn’t live in a trailer park like Eddie, it was someone in the middle and only round fifteen minutes from where he lived.

You felt guilty as you let your head rest against the window, your eyelids feeling heavier than you expected. This wasn’t exactly your first rodeo, but you used up a lot of energy during the show. “Ugh, I’m sorry I’m falling asleep.” You chuckled weakly.

“Oh, that’s okay. Go ahead, I’m good by myself. I’m a veteran at this point. I’ve only been in a couple car crashes.” He smirked, chuckling to himself when your eyes widened. “Seriously though, you can sleep. I’ll wake you up when we’re in Hawkins.”

“Thanks, Eddie.” You spoke softly, the drowsiness taking over your body quickly and making your eyes close for the rest of the trip.

Keeping his eyes on the road proved to be more difficult than Eddie had anticipated. He couldn’t stop himself from glazing over at your sleeping form, and you looked so peaceful. He couldn’t believe you were actually allowing him to drive you home. It seemed tonight was full of surprises. He almost didn’t want to wake you up when he saw the “You are now entering Hawkins” sign, but your sleepy voice and tired smile definitely made up for it.

“I’ll tell you when to turn.” You yawned, tucking your knees to your chest as close as you could to try and retain some warmth, Eddie’s large jacket almost swallowing your torso and legs.

“Hey, just out of curiosity, do you listen to Cyndi Lauper?”

You snorted followed by a couple giggles. “That’s a random question.”

“Well, do you?”

“Yeah, of course.” You chuckled. “What?” You asked when you saw his facial expression.

“Nothing, just not surprised.” He smirked.

“Oh and what, you don’t like Lauper?”

“I listen to real music.”

You laughed loudly, almost startling Eddie. “Ah, so you’re one of those metal elitists, huh? You think your music is the only real music? Time after time? Girls just wanna have fun? Come on, no human on earth can’t not like those songs.” Eddie only shrugged, a toothy grin on his face that reeked of smugness. “Expand your horizons, Eds. You’re missing out.” You were too giggly to realize what you had called him, but he definitely did. It managed to wipe off his smug grin. “Oh, you turn here.” You pointed out.

A loud silence came over the two of you as Eddie parked in front of your home and turned off the engine, the shared exhaustion between the two of you apparent. But Eddie looked over to you with a smile. “I should’ve said this earlier, but I had a lot of fun. Best concert I’ve been to yet.”

“Me too.”

“So,” He turned to you, “what happens now? Are we just gonna go back to our respective lives? Ignore each other in the halls until the next concert we find ourselves at?”

You frowned. “Eddie, come on. I’m not going to ignore you just because of what other people think. I’m not as shallow as you think.”

“So, we can still be concert partners?”

“I was thinking more than that. We can be actual friends.”

“Wow, we’re moving on up, huh?” He chuckled.

“Sorry, Eds, but you’re now officially stuck with me.”

“Not the worst fate in the world.” He smiled softly, looking into your eyes intensely.

Before you could overthink it, you leaned over and kissed Eddie on the cheek. “Goodnight, Eddie.” You smiled before getting out of the van, not looking back to see his reaction as you entered your home, leaning against the now closed door and giggling to yourself.

Unlike Eddie, you didn’t skip school the next day after that long night, you still had responsibilities. But you quickly regretted it as you walked through the halls of Hawkins High, hearing whispers and dirty looks getting sent your way as you made your way to your locker. It was mostly the jocks, the people you typically hung out with, which disappointed you even more, especially if they were talking about what you think they were. You even heard some hushed laughter from behind you, causing you to turn around to see some of your other friends looking at you with not so hidden smirks. Thankfully, it was only that, just whispers and looks, until lunch.

You sighed as you saw Hawkins' own golden boy Jason started making his way to your lunch table with a mischievous smirk on his face. You just played it cool, talked to him like you usually would. “Hi, Jason.” You smiled.

Jason looked back at his friends before he sat down in front of you. “Hey, Y/n. So, me and the boys heard some rumors about you today and I just wanted to hear your thoughts on it before I made any opinions.” He said, but it was clear he already made up his mind about you.

You chuckled flatly. “And what rumors would those be?”

“We heard that you were hanging with that Munson freak last night. You went to one of those devil worshiping sessions disguised as a music concert, even though it’s not even music, it’s just noise. It’s in your best interest to tell the truth.”

“Is that a threat, Carver?” You spat, your expression hardening.

“Just answer the question.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. I was at a concert last night, and Eddie was there. He was kind enough to drive me home too.”

Jason sighed in feign disappointment, clearly trying to hide his smirk. “I gotta say, I’m pretty disappointed in you, Y/n. I thought you were better than this. I thought you were a church goer, what would your pastor say?”

“I wasn’t aware that he was the boss of me, or you, for that matter.”

“I’m just trying to look out for my fellow brothers and sisters. You’re going down a dark path. Once you start hanging with the wrong crowd, it’s a slippery slope.”

A feeling of dread came over you when Jason looked back at his friends, trying to be subtle as he nodded back at them, the exchange causing their faces to light up in excitement. Expecting him to say more, he only gave you a sad smile as he left your table. And for the rest of the school day, that fake smile was all you could think about it, how sinister it felt. Your panic really started when you couldn’t find your bike, the lock you had on it had been broken off. Then, you felt a pair of strong hands take hold of your shoulders. You turned to look at one of the jocks from the basketball team, a huge smirk on his face.

You kicked and screamed, but either there was no one around to hear or no one cared. He and other jocks helped drag you to the back of the school, where Jason and the rest of the basketball and some of the cheerleading team were waiting for your grand entrance.

You didn’t know how long it was until they all let you go, but the sun was starting to set, but then again, the sun always set early during winter. It felt like an eternity, but you were just glad they finally got bored of you.

Your outer layers of clothing were ripped, your jeans and jacket having rips and holes in them. They’d have to be replaced. You had scratches and bruises and cuts galore. Bruises, and scratches, and cuts, oh my! You weakly chuckled at your own joke, immediately regretting doing so since your sides were bruised pretty badly. You dreaded having to walk home, they stole your bike so you had no choice. Your house was so far and you absolutely missed the bus, but there was one person who’s home was closer, and he wouldn’t turn you away. You just hoped he was home.

You were relieved to see Eddie’s van in the driveway, and you shakily raised you fist to knock on the door, surprised how quickly he answered. He was stunned for a moment as he looked you up and down with his eyebrows tightly knitted together, before he finally spoke. “What the hell happened to you?” He ushered you into his trailer, making you take a seat on his couch.

“Jason and the basketball team.” You replied with a wince, seeing Eddie’s concerned and confused face turn into seething rage. “Guess the whole school found out I was one of those devil worshipers.” You finger quoted, a weak smile on your face.

“They did this to you?” Eddie seethed.

“Well, they held me down while their cheerleaders beat the shit outta me for them.”

“That’s so fucked up.” He almost yelled, pacing back and forth in his living room while grasping at his hair. “God, I am so sorry.” His voice wavered, tears welling up in his eyes as he gazed at you.

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault, Eds. But, it would be nice if you could drive me home. They stole my bike and your place was closer.” You chuckled.

“Hold on, I think I have a first aid kit laying around here somewhere. They’re essential when living on this side of town.” You watched with slight amusement as Eddie frantically searched around his trailer for his first aid kit, it was pretty cute and you would have laughed if you weren’t in pain. “Ah, found it!” He walked back and sat next to you, emptying the whole box onto the cushions with shaking hands. “Don’t worry, I know how to patch someone up. Had to learn how to do that pretty early in life.” He chuckled nervously.

“Hey,” You grabbed ahold of his hand, “I’m okay. These wounds are just superficial, they’ll be gone in a week or so.”

Eddie stayed silent, staring at your hand that held his and hesitantly placing his other hand on top of yours, delicately running his thumb over your knuckles. “This never should’ve happened.”

“You’re telling me.” You tried to joke, but Eddie’s face quickly told you that this was not the time to be joking. “Sorry. But I’ll be fine, really. I probably won’t be at school tomorrow though.”

“I wouldn’t let you anyway.”

“Oh really?” You smirked.

Eddie finally gave you a weak smile, his larger hands enveloping yours. “Let me clean you up though, okay?” You nodded, letting him clean and dress your small wounds. He was gentle, his touch as feather light as possible. He didn’t want to hurt you any more than you already were. His fingertips running along your skin made you shiver. “Cold?”

“Uh, yeah, a bit.” You stuttered. “Oh, that reminds me, I still have your jacket from last night. I have to remember to return it to you.”

Eddie shook his head. “Nah, I’ll let you borrow it for a bit. You look cute in it, especially because it’s mine.” Those kinds of comments can give people heart attacks, you specifically.

“I’ll be sure to wear it often then.” You replied, wearing a small smirk on your face.

“Well, I’m…I’m all done. Did you want to go home now?”

“Do I have the option to stay? For a little while?”

Eddie smiled softly. “Of course.”

You couldn’t recall how you ended up in Eddie’s bed, but you welcomed it nonetheless. You especially welcomed the heat from his body that was against you, his arm draped over your side and holding you to his chest with a hand on your back. You didn’t realize how comfortable being held in someone’s arms could be, but it was probably because of who was holding you.

You had woken up before Eddie, but that just meant you got to admire his face. He was so cute, you couldn’t help but lean up to gently kiss his stubbly chin. Apparently, that was enough to stir him awake. “Were you watching me sleep?”

“Mhm.” You nodded, smiling sweetly. Eddie briefly turned to look at his alarm clock on his bedside table, groaning in annoyance. “Time?”

Eddie frowned. “If I don’t tell you, will you go back to sleep?”

“No. Sorry.”

He sighed. “I guess I’ll take you home now. But I’m gonna come see you tomorrow, no doubt about that.”

“Can’t argue that.”

The next couple days went by smoothly. Eddie helped take care of you, even though you didn’t need help but you quickly learned you couldn’t win an argument with this boy. You knew he felt guilty for what happened, even though it wasn’t his fault. You tried convincing him of that, but he wouldn’t listen. You also learned that he was extremely stubborn, but who isn’t nowadays. You did dread going back to school, you were more embarrassed than anything else. You probably should’ve been scared, but it was hard when you had Eddie by your side. You’ve known him for a very short time but you already would go to war for each other. The power of music.

But when you walked through the halls, no one even looked at you. Almost everyone moved out of your way when you walked anywhere. You caught some stares, but they looked more fearful than disgusted. You noticed that Jason was nowhere to be seen. It was strange because he wasn't the type to miss school. You heard he had gotten in a car accident, he was driving drunk and ran a stop sign, another car ramming him and getting him a couple broken bones in the process. You thought about asking Eddie, but something told you not to. Either way, you were glad he’d be out of your hair for awhile.

But your curiosity finally peaked when Jason came back and…actually apologized to you. You thought he’d gun for you as soon as he came back, but he apologized. You almost thought that maybe a near death experience knocked some sense into him, but he looked too scared when he was saying sorry to you. It was suspicious, to say the least. You decided to finally bring it up to Eddie.

“Jason was acting pretty weird this morning.” You spoke up after school in his trailer, which became a regular hang out spot for you if Eddie wasn’t at your place.

“What? Why? What did he say to you? Did he threaten you? I swear to Christ, if he-”

“No, no!” You interrupted. “No, he told me he was sorry for what he did to me that day, said he wasn’t thinking straight, among other things.”

“Oh.”

“It just got me thinking, because that’s not like him at all.”

“How would you know what his typical behavior is like?”

“Well, I used to hang out with his crowd and him, for one. Plus, people like him never admit their wrongs, even if it kills them.”

“Guess he’d rather apologize than get killed…”

You narrowed your eyes, thoroughly analyzing Eddie’s expressions and body language. He was fidgeting with his rings, something he always did when he was nervous. And he was looking anywhere else but you. You scoffed in amusement. “You made him crash his car, didn’t you?”

“What? No, I don’t know what you’re talking about. He was the one who ran a spot sign while drinking, okay? It had nothing to do with me.” You only smiled smugly in response, eliciting a heavy sigh from him. “Alright, alright, fine. Yes, I…may have had a tiny part in that.”

“How?” You stuttered, amazed.

“I have some connections. I wasn’t gonna kill him or anything, I swear. I just wanted to scare him a bit. But then…well…it went a little further than I intended. I made him apologize to you, well, more like blackmailed him into apologizing.” Eddie looked up at you nervously, putting on his best puppy dog eyes. “Don’t hate me, please.”

“Oh, Eddie…” You frowned. “I could never hate you. I’m actually pretty impressed. Not gonna lie, I really wanted something bad to happen to that guy. I hope that doesn’t make me a bad person.”

“Y/n, you are literally the opposite of a bad person.” He said with an almost lovesick smile. You couldn’t handle it anymore…

Eddie let out a surprised noise as you suddenly leaned forward to capture his lips in a passionate, desperate kiss. You had wanted to do this ever since that night at the concert, so you were incredibly relieved when he reciprocated with fervor, grabbing you and pulling you into his lap.

You tangled your fingers in his long hair, gently pulling at the roots to elicit a groan from the man. After days and days of tension, having it finally break was almost overwhelming, but you couldn’t ask for anything better. You learned many things about Eddie, now happily learning how intoxicating his lips were. They moved against yours perfectly, his expertise not lost on you. You didn’t want it to end, you wanted to feel him against you forever, but you both had to come up for air.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” You smiled, chuckling breathlessly.

“Honestly, I have ever since I saw you in that mosh pit.” Eddie said, making you giggle. “So, I guess we’re moving on up again. From concert buddies to concert partners, yeah?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

~~~~~~~~~~

aw man...it hurts but my heart is also full

#stranger things #stranger things season 4 #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagine #eddie munson #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x fem!reader

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cryptidghostgirl · 1 year

Text

Kadaver Kids (Xavier Thorpe x singer!Reader)

this was inspired by Tonight You are Mine by @lovetorn cause I really liked theirs and I have been considering doing something like this anyways.

pairing: Xavier x reader

description: Ajax drags Xavier with him to see his childhood friend’s band perform.

warnings: its a song fic. song lyrics are included. yuh.

word count: 2520

Status: unedited

Part two

masterlist

“So who is it we’re seeing again?” Xavier asked as he followed Ajax out of the uber and onto the sidewalk.

“My friend Y/n. We were neighbors growing up. She’s a normie, but she’s always been really kind to me. She’s in a band and this is their first ever concert in Jericho.” said Ajax, paying the driver on his phone before shoving it back into his pocket, “Wanna smoke before we go in?”

“I’ll wait with you.” Xavier politely declined.

Concerts had never been his thing. They were too loud with too many people but Ajax had been so excited for the show, and so insistent that he didn’t want to go alone.

“what type of music do they play?” asked Xavier as he leaned against the wall of the ally beside the venue.

“Uh.” Ajax began, blowing out smoke and coughing slightly as he did, “like, rock? She calls it angry girl music.”

“sounds interesting.”

Xavier turned his gaze to the ally’s entrance to see a throng of people already lined up outside.

“we should probably head over soon if you want to be close to the stage.” he said, gesturing to the crowd.

Ajax nodded and put out his joint before shoving what was left back in his pocket.

“good point.”

A few minutes later and the pair were inside. It was a nice venue, a bit decrepit, but nice. They found places front and center in the audience and began to wait for the band to come on.

“There’s no opener, its just gonna be them.” said Ajax, “and they’re throwing a party after at Y/n’s parent’s house after that we’re invited to. It’s just gonna be a little get together.”

“I forget that you’re actually from Jericho.” Xavier laughed, “and we’ll see, depends on how late the concert goes.”

The pair fell into silence for a moment before Ajax spoke up.

“Listen,” he awkwardly began and Xavier turned to face him, “Y/n? well shes really pretty. That’s all I’m saying. Just, be careful okay?”

“What? is she a maneater like the hall and oats song? don’t worry Ajax, after Bianca I think I can handle anything. Plus, I’m not really looking for anything new right now.”

“I meant more so that if you hurt her we’ll have problems.” said Ajax, “And yeah I know I just wanted to say something you know? just in case. She’s like a sister to me. We literally grew up together bro.”

Xavier nodded.

“Right, no hurting Y/n.”

“No matter how tough she makes herself out to be.”

“Yes. No matter how tough she makes herself out to be.” repeated Xavier, annoyance coloring his tone.

“Good.” nodded Ajax, “Again, I’m sorry about this. I just couldn’t in good conscience say nothing.”

“No man, I get it.” nodded Xavier, “family is family.”

“Thanks.” Ajax smiled, “I wonder when they’re gonna come on. We’ve been here a while already.”

Just as the last word left his mouth, the entire venue went pitch black and there was the sound of muffled footsteps. In the darkness, Xavier could just make out four figures as they found their places.

The stage lights raised and a girl at the front yelled:

“We’re Kadaver Kids! Get ready for us to make your ears bleed! one, two, three, four!”

I wrote a song on your guitar and it sounds like.

The lead singer broke into a killer breif guitar solo.

You wrote a song on my guitar and it sounds like shit.

Xavier moved his eyes across the stage. The drummer was to the right, dressed in ripped black jeans, a black muscle tee, and lots of jewelry. To the left was another person playing guitar with close cropped hair and a muddied and torn vintage dress matched with thick soled combat boots. The bassist stood at the front beside the singer in a pair of black overalls and with hair teased to all hell. The singer herself was holding a guitar that she was only using to play the songs solos.

“That’s Y/n.” Ajax said, leaning over to Xavier so he could hear, “the lead singer.”

You only like me when I’m sad

You only want me when I’m feeling bad

You only like me when I’m sad

You only want me when I’m feeling bad

And now I’m feelin’ so bad!

She sang, her h/c hair whipping around her face as she put her heart into the music. She too wore a pair of thick soled black boots. Paired with a pale yellow babydoll dress and again, a lot a lot of jewelry. Her ears full of earrings, at least five necklaces, a spiky collar with matching wrist cuffs and, of course, rings. Lots of rings.

Xavier understood now why Ajax had warned him.

After the first song ended, the audience cheered and Xavier leaned over to Ajax.

“I’m surprised,” he laughed, clapping, “they’re actually good.”

Ajax nodded enthusiastically.

“I’ve been trying to tell you!”

“Hey all!” called the girl, Y/n, sounding much sweeter than when she’d been singing once the audience had calmed down, “Thank you so much for having us! I am actually from Jericho and this is the first time we have ever had the privilege of playing here.”

There was another round of cheers and Y/n looked around at her bandmates with a wide smile before turning back to the crowd.

“As I mentioned, we are Kadaver Kids! we’re gonna do like, some little stupid introductions for you guys now. On the drums we have Ace!”

The drummer played briefly and the audience cheered.

“On guitar we have the wonderful Violet, everyone give them a good ol’ round of applause.” said the bassist next gesturing to the guitarist behind him who too played a brief solo before the audience silenced them.

“Our lovely bassist here beside me is the incredibly talented Louis.” said Y/n, turning to face the man beside her who smirked and played a bit to the same response as the others.

“And our jaw dropping vocalist and lead guitar is the amazing, undeniable, fucking dumbass, Y/n.”

Y/n waved and the audience cheered much louder than before. Once they had calmed down, she opened her mouth to speak again.

“Just one last thing, I wanna give a shout out to my best friend who is in the crowd with us tonight, Ajax! Ajax, raise your hand!”

Sheepishly he did so to several cheers.

“Alright well, that was quite a warm welcome for us all.” said the bassist with a light laugh, “The next one we’re gonna play is called Awesome Party, dude!”

“We encourage singing along.” said Y/n, dipping the microphone and speaking directly into it.”

The bandmates exchanged a nod before they turned back to the audience and Y/n started singing.

Well it’s a cool, cool party thanks for telling me

to come back to your house that we grew up in back in july

did you know that you forgot to call me on my birthday

well thats okay, cause I dont even know your birthday anymore

I dont even know your birthday anymore

Xavier couldn’t take his eyes off the girl as she half screamed and half sang. There was something so incredibly brutal about her, she was all rough edges.

And things dont change at all that much

you’re still wearing the same sneakers

I still smoke the same cigarettes

The bassist kept making weird faces to girls in the audience who were swooning on the spot, the guitarist was jumping around as they played, the drummer smiled brightly the whole time despite the visible sweat dripping down his face. They all appeared to be having the absolute best time despite the tone of the music they played.

It’s a cool, cool party but I can’t come back again

you are everything, you’re perfect

you’re my best misquito friend

it’s a cool, cool party

I don’t love you anymore!

As she screamed that last line she stood up straight, eyes wide as she looked out at the audience in apparent amazement during a short instrumental break.

I dont love you anymore!

I don’t love you anymore!

She kept screaming the line, appearing more and more joyous with every repetition.

I don’t love you anymore!

“Are all their songs so sad?” asked Xavier as the audience applauded the end of the song.

Ajax shrugged.

“Shes not a very happy person, she tries her best though.”

“I will say, they have a great stage presence. They’re really playing the crowd.” Xavier said once they had finished a song called The World Ends With You that Y/n had spent all of dancing and jumping around the stage. She was absolutely eye catching, intoxicating even.

“Yeah. I’m really happy to finally get to see them live. I used to watch them practice before they blew up and I helped record some of their first album and shit.”

“Really? thats so cool.”

“Alright folks, last song of the night.” Y/n announced all too soon.

“Last song of the night!!!” roared the bassist into his microphone to many cheers and screams from girls in the audience.

Y/n rolled her eyes.

“Oh don’t mind him, he’s not nearly as cool as he seems.” she teased and he feigned offense from beside her, “we’re gonna end it on a sad, slow, fan favorite. Can anyone guess what it is?”

There were sounds of people screaming the names of so many different songs that Xavier couldn’t hear a single thing anyone was really saying.

“Yeah! Howd you know!” cried Y/n in suprise before dropping the act, “Just kidding. I have no clue what any of you said but what I do know is that we are going to play Humpty! yeah! A super sad one instead of a regular sad one!”

The music started and Y/n drew herself close to the microphone, holding it as if it were someone she loved dearly.

I’ll live in the bathtub, its cool and its clean

its smooth and its sturdy, it’s all that I need

“her voice sounds totally different on this one.” Xavier said, leaning over to Ajax.

“Yeah.” he responded with a smile, “it took her so long to figure out how to sing the way she wanted to. This is what she sounded like before the band. They only have a couple songs where she uses her real voice, I’m really happy they’re playing one even if it is so sad.”

All the eggshells are on the ground

and I try, I’m trying to pick them up but

they crack and crumble, it’s all too much

too frail for me to touch.

“Does she write the songs?” Xavier asked, his gazed fixed on the girl who was now bent over into the microphone as she sang with a powerful yearning.

“Yeah.” Ajax nodded, “always has since she was little. She says that everything she sings has to be something she writes because if it’s not, it wont be true.”

I broke what you gave me

but you kept giving more

and I’m sorry for taking

But I keep wanting more, more, more

Xavier thought hard about what his friend had said.

“Does that mean all her songs are based on like, real experiences and shit?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Ajax answered as the song ended and the crowd exploded into cheers once more.

“That’s metal.” Xavier nodded.

“Thank you guys so much for coming out! Again, we are Kadaver Kids and there will be no encore because I, am tired!”

The crowd laughed and her band mates got up. As they were readying to leave, Y/n leaned back into the mic once more.

“Oh! And as for the pretty boy in the front row,” she called, pointing at Xavier who felt his cheeks grow hot, “You can come see me backstage.”

She winked and the audience went wild.

“Guys! Guys! Guys!” she cried, feigning innocence, “It’s cause he’s Jax’s plus one! duh! god! you guys are all so dirty minded.”

She stuck her tongue out in fake disgust before waving and following her bandmates off stage.

Xavier stood there, dumbstruck for a few moments, staring at the space on stage the girl had just occupied.

“Holy shit.” he said under his breath, she said he was pretty.

“come on!” said Ajax, excitedly tugging at Xavier’s sleeve, “let’s go say hi!”

Xavier followed his friend back past the security guards and into a dingy area with several closed doors off of it. In the room was everyone except the guitarist and singer.

“hey guys!” said Ajax with a big smile and a wave, “you were amazing!”

“Thanks” said the bassist, standing up from the couch he sat on and walking over.

“We’re really happy you could make it.” called the drummer from where he still sat, “Y/n is so excited to see you.”

A door opened and out stepped the guitarist now wearing a pair of faded grey sweatpants and a white crop top that lay flat over their chest.

“Sup.” they said, nodding to Ajax who smiled back.

“So, whos your friend?” asked the drummer, pointing to Xavier who suddenly felt very self conscious in his jeans, hoodie, and flannel.

“This is Xavier.” said Ajax, stepping to the side a bit so everyone could see.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Lou.” said the bassist, holding out his hand which Xavier shook.

“I know I was introduced as Ace but that’s my stage name. I’m Nate.” waved the drummer from the couch.

“Vi.” Said the guitarist as they took a seat next to nate.

There was the sound of another door opening and everyone turned to see Y/n emerging, now clad in a pair of short black shorts and an oversized grey hoodie.

“Jax!” she yelled, flinging herself at his friend who hugged her tightly back.

“You were amazing up there Y/n.” Ajax said once they’d separated,

“Why thank you,” Y/n smiled and mimed curtsying before turning to xavier who felt the blood rush to his cheeks once more.

She was much shorter than he had expected.

“I expect you’re Xavier then?” she asked, looking up at him as she pulled her necklaces out from beneath her hoodie.

He nodded.

“hehe we match.” she smiled.

“What?” he asked.

she gestured to his chest and he looked down to see that the hoodie he had on just happened to be the same one the girl was wearing.

fuck. that was cute.

“yeah, I guess we do.” he answered.

“I like you.” said Y/n after a moment, grabbing his hand in her own.

Ajax sent Xavier a look he understood to be a reiteration of the warning he’d given before the show.

“To the after party?” asked the drummer standing up.

“yeah!” exclaimed Y/n, jumping up slightly before turning to Xavier, “Come on!”

With that she dragged him out of the venue through the backdoor.

Fuck. I’m in trouble.

Part two

SONGS USED

Pressed 2 Death by Illuminati Hotties

Awesome Party, Dude by Sorry Mom

The World Ends With You by Newgrounds Death Rugby

Humpty by Mitski

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unabashednightmarepizza · 1 year

Text

𝐵𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒

A/N: Hi, hello! I'm sorry for making people wait but I had to get my shit together, I hope everyone is fine! This chapter was, for some reasons, so hard to write even though it has 7.8K words and I once wrote 18K for one chapter in 3 days...

Warnings: Minors DNI( there is a smutty part in here), dry humping, nipple play, hint on smexy times, my inability of writing anything smutty when I read the most filthy shit, Joel Miller being softie for who he loves, 7.8K words...

Series Masterlist

“Maria, I swear I'll be living in here for these foods!” You moaned in delight at the delicious food while Joel, next to you, chuckled affectionately and offered a napkin to wipe your mouth. But upon seeing that you childishly declined, he sighed softly and touched your cheek, turning your head to himself and wiped your mouth.

Tommy let out a loud whistle, Ellie made a disgusted face while Addy squealed and Maria tried to stop her husband from making a scene that would end with you withdrawing inside but to her and everyone’s shock, you giggled and let him do as he wanted, making him blush and laugh at your puffed out cheeks. “Thanks, old man. Didn’t think I would let someone wipe my mouth...”

“If ya ate like the adult you are, you wouldn’t have.”

“Yeah, and it’s definetly not because you have a caring side...”

The night went like that, with you two sharing meaningful glances and shy smiles and Joel telling embrassing stories of him and Tommy.

“Come on, man! It was one time, stop complaining all the time!”

“One time? Tommy you smoked like shit, and our parents always blamed me because ‘you were such a good boy.’ It hurted me at that time!”

“Just because you have a fuck-boy look, doesn’t mean I can’t use that to my advantage, brother!”

You and Maria smiled to yourselves in the kitchen, the typical Miller mischief as Maria called it kicking in at high drive when the duo sat together and even the girls started to meddle in with their affairs. “Those two are so smart when they’re seperated, but so stupid when they are together.”

“You know what they say, Maria. Two men are always more stupid then one man.” You both giggled at that, briefly looking at them happily sat together when your eyes caught Joel’s through the window. Even though years obviously passed, and wrinkles slowly appeared on everyone’s face by now, his eyes still captivated you. Your first thoughts at seeing the man for the first time was how his eyes seemed so cute and loveable, and even after weeks knowing him, it didn’t change a bit. He was well-built, strong and brave, all the reasons why he survived this long- and made many women swoon over him-

But they never knew that tender side he had he only showed to those close to him. You saw how he went to many shops here even though he didn’t want it just for Ellie, how he always had time for Addy to teach her new ways to hunt...

Or how he always helped you around your home, came by whenever he was close and had a cup of coffee with you while asking how the hell did you find these here happily like an excited kid, you answering with an equally giddy heart how you traded something for the luxury...

How he would sit with you in the middle of the night, talking about the past, the future...

“What are your hopes fo’ the future, Y/N? You don’t think of spending it like this?” you looked at him curiously, both of you leaned over the fence in your home with mugs warm enough to stop you from shivering. It was an odd question coming from him, someone who didn’t see the appeal of a future-yet alone dreaming of one in a shit world like this.

“I don’t know, never saw the appeal. I think I’ll always spend my life, fighting etc. When I no longer can... Maybe I’d teach or something. How about you?”

“Never imagined one either. Before coming here, at least...” the silence stretched over, you nodded at his question absentmindedly and looked over to see him biting his lips. The sight made you smile, not expecting the grumpy man to feel anxious over talking to you. It was no lie that you two had gotten more closer over the days, lingering touches, flirting and embrassing the other...

Both sides thinking that the other wouldn’t accept the other’s feelings.

“Have someone in mind, Joel? Did anyone catch your attention for a possible future?” you asked teasingly, nudging him with your elbow and he gulped nervously. He couldn’t possibly tell you that he thought about one, someone to spend the rest of his life with, here in Jackson after taking Ellie to the Fireflies...

That someone being you.

He didn’t exactly know when his feelings started to change for you, when all he had ever felt was annoyment and anger whenever you spoke.

At least for the first few days.

To him, you were a cold and mean survivor who didn’t care who she killed. And it wasn’t like he was any different, he stopped having any morals after Sarah died and after he saw that the world they lived in had no more ethics or morals. People run around, doing their jobs with fear and if you weren’t someone the others feared, you would be one of those piles of dead. Blow after blow would make even the softest person harden, especially after loosing someone precious.

And that was what happened to him. He was, at first, scared just like anybody else but through time... He became some kind of a scary legend around, to silence his own heart beating in pain and fear.

That was his sorry excuse of a life he wished he didn’t live, not after loosing his daughter.

But, even though you irritated the shit outta him with your corny jokes and answers... He was grateful to have you, to meet you. He was grateful for the way you treated Ellie as one of yours, how you fought for everyone. He was grateful for the way you trusted him and opened up about your past, also making him come to conclusion with his. When you had to listen, you listened and when you had to comfort him, you exactly did that.

If he thought a bit harder, he could feel the warmth and comfort you gave. Feel your hot breath against his neck, fingers softly raking through his hair and rubbing his scalp...

Yeah, he was down bad... But he wouldn’t seal your deal with death by loving you.

Even though eveything led him to you.

“Nah, darlin’. I’m too old for that-“

A giggle made you shook your head swiftly and turn to Maria leaning over the sink and cleaning every plate with a smirk. “You may deny all you want, sweetie but you both are down bad for each other. And before you talk, you both always blush whenever you would look at each other. Just like now.”

You slapped a hand over your cheeks shyly, turning your back to save yourself from the embarrassment of being caught. It was true that you told yourself that it wasn’t your right to be happy, that he wouldn’t feel like that and therefore didn’t see the appeal of ruining what you had.

“The world we live in is harsh and lonely, Y/N. And just because you did bad things in your life doesn’t mean you should shield yourself from happiness.”

“I killed dozens of people Maria...”

“Yet all of them were rapists, cannibals, shitty army! You saved more than you killed, Y/N... Before it’s late, please take a step to your happiness. For yourself.” With a final pat on your shoulder, she went out to her husband’s waiting arms outside, leaving you to your thoughts.

You desperately wanted to confess, to have that said-happiness with Joel. It was one of your dreams when you were younger after all... But the things you did, the horrors you bestowed on people...

The way you lost your last love...

Would you trully feel happy? Would he still look at you the same after he knew-

“What’cha doin’, sweetheart?” Joel leaned on the doorway with worried eyes, coming to where your figure was looking out of the window dejectedly. Upon hearing his husky voice, you turned to look at him and your eyes went to the plates he was holding out. With a smile, you took and set them inside the sink, avoiding his question about you.

"Thank you... I would have come to get these."

“ I know, I wanted to help though.”

You chuckled sweetly at him and put the plate in the sink, slowly turning to him with a playful smirk tugging on your lips, making him blush at how your laugh reached deep into his heart and pulled him more towards you. His feelings got the best of him, making his heart soar loudly and maybe he couldn’t tell his feelings, his love for you...

But he would express his gratefulness.

“Thank you...”

You stopped momentarily at the foreign words leaving his mouth but continued scrubbing the dish with your heart skipping a beat. “You have been doing that a lot recently..." you mumbled quietly, making Joel step closer and set his hand on your shoulder , turning you to himself softly.

"Do what, darlin'?"

"Thanking me. What did I do this time? Because I baked for you and Ellie? Or get her off of your back for a few hours with the training? Oh, maybe..." you continued rambling, hands making gestures here and there and Joel only smiled wider second by second. His eyes watched your lips, even if he tried to stop himself, and the way your chest rose up and down fast. His hands slowly creeped up, following the path the column of your neck and held your face in his much bigger and warmer hands.

The act alone made your heart stop beating, eyes looking at his widely, breaths evened out. You didn’t realize when your hand started to trace the lines on his forearm, slowly rubbing his wrist.

I could get used to this, you thought happily but a frown soon replaced the smile. But what is this to him? Is this a game-

"For being in ma life... our life." He tried to correct himself but you already got the message behind the soft words he uttered.

His eyes betrayed his words.

Shuffling to him, you took his face between your palms boldly. His beard itched yet it was a pleasing feeling to both of you, with him leaning closer to your height. You could just tip-toe and then your lips would... touch...

“You’re welcome, Joel... I’m always here, you know?”

“Hmm...” he grumbled and lifted his eyes to yours, so that he wouldn’t be seen as a creep.

But the eyes he was met left him breathless and shaken.

For the same want, same pull, same... love was there. Waiting for him to do something. Just like how you always did, waiting for him...

He saw your own fear, fear of mistaking all of these, and in amidst all, he wanted nothing more than wipe those silly fears. But he, too was scared.

Scared of fucking everything up.

I can see that you like her, motherfucker. Just go for it! Ellie’s words rang in his mind, telling him that you also liked him. At that time he didn’t believe in her, thinking that she was playing games again because how can a 14-year-old actually understand that concept?

But right now, as you both were so close yet so far, he made a note to thank her.

He slowly lowered his head, finally saying fuck it, and wanted you to know how he felt. You already knew him well-enough to know that he wouldn’t go around kissing everyone and hoped that he could convey his feelings like this.

And, he also wanted to feel your lips too.

Seeing him slowly move towards your lips, waiting for them to touch for the first time, was an agony by itself for you. Not because you didn’t want to, but because you knew you would be betraying both to him and yourself.

Even if you wanted him, this, the voice in your mind wouldn’t allow you to have this tiny bit of happiness... But, still a part of you was able to fight back against it, your still a teenager part which always knew you deserved this.

Yes, you deserved to be happy.

Taking a deep breath, your hand slowly went to his waist and bunched the flannel he wore. The sight of him, all wanting you and loving, made a heat crawl up in your belly, a warm feeling settling in your heart, making it beat harder. You felt his hands also slowly crawl up on your back, slightly pushing for you to land on his chest with a hand on his pounding heart. The sound of it brought a smile, he was also nervous...

But before anything more happen, Addy burst in and let out a high squeal enough to make you both part quickly and look at her with wide eyes.

Gosh, I can’t believe my kid literally saw me almost kissing!

“A-Addy, dear-“ you stuttered to her, Joel’s hand still grasping on your waist with an equally shocked stare at the girl standing there frozen like a statue. She didn’t expect to see her mother in this state, kissing the man she and pretty much everyone was shipping her with, and definetly she wasn’t expecting to be the one who cock-blocked you.

“I-I’M SORRY, IT’S JUST MARIA WANTED ME TO LOOK FOR YOU SINCE IT’S BEEN LIKE 20 MINUTES! I’LL GO NOW, BYE!”

She stumbled out and went to sit with the others with a tomato-face, one that matched yours. And by the looks both Tommy and Maria gave, you knew that they knew what was going on inside.

“We, uh... We shoulda get out... I guess, darlin’.” Joel was also embarrassed, not being used to experience such things. You nodded at what he said, embarrassed and unsure of what to do. You didn’t know what the night would bring for you two tonight, but hoped that you wouldn’t have to break a bone.

“Oohhh, I see that two lovebirds finally came down~”

“Shut it, you old fucker. I don’t make fun of your activities.”

Tommy raised a hand in defence, murmuring to himself that Joel’s head was in trouble with a feisty one and Joel chuckled while trying to hold you back from possibly killing someone who was yet to be a father and rubbed your sides softly, which made you melt slowly and curl up to him.

Tommy would have laughed his ass off but he had half of the mind to anger you, knowing you would jump on him, kill him twice if needed with no sign of tiredness.

Ellie, watching how he cowered slightly at your anger, snorted at his misery. “Dude, you really are scared of her? She couldn’t kill you, right?”

“Trust me, Ellie, that woman is as crazy as the Night Killer and wouldn’t hesitate to land a good punch on my handsome face.”

“That awesome person who murdered more than hundreds of cannibals?!” / “ The one who punishes pretty much every FEDRA officers?!” both young girls exclaimed at the same time, and had it been another time, you would have laughed at how they were in sync with each other.

But it seemed that even when you were trying to get yourself away from that name, that past... It always found its way back to you.

Without realizing, your body tensed under Joel’s arms. Your back muscles were thight as if you were ready to run miles, jaw clenched thightly while they... spoke highly of you, unaware that the person they were gushing about- not that you thought there was anything to gush, after the bloody past you had- was sittin right there, and accross the fire in the middle, Maria’s eyes caught yours worriedly.

She was the only one who knew who you trully were, after all. You only told her after giving birth to Addy, not having anyone to trust. And when the guilt became too much while holding the purest creature you had ever seen with your bloody hands...

You just burst out the truth to her.

You were lucky that she didn’t judge you, but rather understood you. It wasn’t her place to judge, after all she did her own share of questionable things. She swore for secrecy until you were ready to share this with everyone, never ever uttering something to even Tommy even if it ate her alive.

She would protect her best friend.

“Man, I wanna be just like her! She has this wicked yet rightful way of thinking! Like the world is already shit, and the people are even more shitty!”

“Yeah, as if cordyceps isn’t bad, there are cannibals, rapists and ruthless army cornering people around! I say, they deserve it!”

With every word they spoke, your heart beated faster and faster, breaths coming shorter while cold sweats gathered around your forehead. Too much, it’s too much...

You don’t know how I murdered women, how I watched men turn into monster before taking my time with them...

I killed in the most gruesome way, waiting for them to suffer with a sick smile...

I’m not someone heroic, not someone my own daughter should look up to-

“We’re goin’ back, ‘kay? It has been a long day for Y/N and she needs to rest...” Joel voice boomed over the excited sounds of Tommy and the kids. He got up while supporting your frame to his chest, grabbing his jacket to throw it around your shoulders when three heads snapped to you and a worried Addy ran at you, holding your hand in her much smaller and softer ones.

“Mom, you okay? Do you need me to come with?” you smiled at her happily, her worried big, brown eyes making you melt inside at how she was thoughtful of you. You couldn’t blame her, she only had you. She knew that her father died because of FEDRA, you had to tell her after she came to you crying her eyes out while asking why her daddy wasn’t with her, if he hated her.

He would never, sweet girl, you remember telling her while trying to keep yourself from crying. He would have fallen in love with you the moment you were in his arms...

Shaking your head at the past memories, you looked into her much more worried eyes and shook your head while kissing her forehead and cheeks affectionately. “No, sweet girl. Stay here and have fun with your uncle and friend, I’m sorry I ruined-“

“You’re more important mom! But... if Joel’s gonna be there with you... I think I can stay.” She said almost immediately, pouting at you cutely. You gave a small smile and nodded to her, her kissing your cheek while waving you goodbye.

You didn’t see but Addy gave a cheeky smile to Joel and whispered him to do what he meant to do back in the kitchen, which he blushed as an answer.

“Come on, I wanna show you something...” he put his hand on your shoulders, leading just outside of the Jackson where you used to go out with Addy whenever you both needed some time alone as mother and daughter. You walked past the tree you two used to sit under, when Addy was still a baby and a toddler that would run around trying to get her little hands into anything. You used to bounce her up on your lap, lifting her high and slowly making her come back with your arms to give the biggest smooch on her chubby cheeks, resulting with the most beautiful sound you ever listened...

Damn, they grow up so fast... I feel like I’m old even if I’m almost 40...

Joel softly gazed at your far-away look, how your eyes glowed under the moonlight and looked amazed at the fireflies that flew around from time to time. He was nervous, to say the least about both what happened back in Tommy’s and being alone with you right now. What he did back in that kitchen was a sudden burst of confidence and he was sure that he no longer had that.

Get yer ass together Joel! It’s not your first rodeo with a woman... But it’s the first time with the woman you love, you dickhead!

His inner voice screamed at him back almost instantly and he groaned at himself for acting like a teen when he was 52 year-old-man who was trying to ask his 38 year-old crush out... He was no longer the man he used to be, the easygoing man he once was gone. And even then, he wasn’t good with expressing his feelings in general.

But he wanted you to know, to feel how he felt. How you made him feel safe, how you made him feel alive and young again...

How you helped him with his problems, how you made him fall asleep quickly even without really being there.

He sighed to himself, finally getting enough courage to walk up to you, putting his hand before your eyes and cooing at you to calm you down after letting out a shriek. Feeling his calloused hand over your eyes, completely blinding your eyesight, your hands immediately found his to stop him. Your eyesight was everything to you, they were what made you and Addy survive. It was thanks to them that you were able to survive this long, it was them that made you who you were.

And even if it was Joel, with whom you trusted your life with, it was still a big thing to show your trust to him.

“I’ll show ya what I wanted to show now... Yer safe with me.” You breathed out almost instantly, relaxing back against his sturdy chest and he smiled down at you sweetly while making you take a few steps further before you two completely stopped, the voice of the nature was the only thing you heard and the feel of his lips on your ear. “Are you going to let me see, or do I need to bargain with you?”

“What would ya offer if I said yes?” he teased you back playfully, which you responded with a hit of your head to his chest, making him laugh at you amused. “Maybe a kiss that we couldn’t share back then. Would that be enough?”

“It’s more than enough... Here we go.” He gave a long sigh, eyes expecting to see a look of boredom. He didn’t think that this place was anything special, you must have seen it maybe before he did and possibly thought of him to be stupid-

His wide eyes turned to look at your hand thightly holding his, fingers flexing over the veins of his hand. And when he looked inside your eyes...

He saw the true wonder in there.

What was laid open before your eyes was a sight by itself, as if it was dropped from the heaven itself to give a tiny bit of hope to the humanity. It was just what you needed to see after years of fighting, surviving... protecting... killing...

After years of never feeling like you were enough.

All you wanted, ever since you were a teen, to be enough for the whole world, to achieve something, to have someone you could shoulder all of them together. Your biggest wish was, probably, to return to the days before cordyceps, turn back to those days when your biggest worry was what to eat the next day.

You once opened up to Joel about this all, while he was carving the wood he was working on and you were sitting on one of the empty tables with your mug. You told him about your once-hopes for the future, of what job you wanted to do, places you wanted to visit, telling him that you always wanted to sit down under the night sky and watch the stars with someone you loved next to you...

And at that moment, even though he kept his silence, Joel wanted for you to know that you were the whole world.

His world.

And looking at the astonished, wide eyed look you gave around yourself, amazed at how ruins covered in nature could have such a sight, he swore that he wouldn’t loose you like he lost everyone.

If here were to loose you, his whole world, he would loose himself.

And if he lost you... He would make everyone and everything pay, bringing Hell itself on them.

And he wasn’t going to let you get away.

You weren’t aware of the emotional turmoil Joel was in, how a silent rage filled him with the possible outcomes but one look at you, who was already looking at him with a happy and excited look, Joel couldn’t help but marvel at you, eyes going back and forth between you and the hand on his arm when you spoke.

“I have been living in Jackson for 16 years almost, but never thought the scenery would be this good... How did you find this?”

“ Patrolling, I thought you would like it. Wanted to return the favor...” he mumbled the last part shyly, eyes never looking at you for fear that you would hear his heart beat hard and loud for you

“What favor?” you asked curiously, his chuckle making the butterflies erupt again. He tugged on your hand softly, getting back to the path you two took to his home when he awkwardly explained that he wanted to return everything you had done for him and Ellie so far. That he felt like he was using your good will, which you responded with a hard hit to his head, making him flinch and wince at you.

“What the hell was that for?!”

“For thinking bullshit! I’m so mad at you right now, you have no idea!” You playfully hit his chest, him returning it with his own that caused a soft scuffle between you two. “You sure as hell love loving people by hitting them, huh?”

“I love rough and harsh, what can I say?”

The silence you were met stretched over minutes, you walked ahead of Joel, giggling to yourself in dizzying happiness when the weight of what you said dawned on you.

Did... I just say something dirty in front of my crush?Oh, God...

Both you and Joel kept your silence to not make things even more awkward, two adults blushing as if that was their first time with a crush, Joel went to his kitchen to make coffee for you both while you were left alone in the living room, looking at everything that screamed that Joel Miller was living here.

There were not many things yet, with him not even actively trying to find things for himself to have in his home, there were many things scattered around.

Things that you gifted him with, things he took with a grumble but kept.

Your eyes widened yet a soft look soon settled when you realized that he had been so kind and considerate with you, making your heart jump up and twirl in your ribcage when you caught a movement outside, a curtain being pulled. Cautiously walking to the window, you saw Esther-someone Tommy was trying to set Joel up with- peeking through the gap between her window and curtain but immediately closed it after seeing you dead-staring at her.

You didn’t know, but Tommy only did it so that you could act on your feelings out of jealousy...

You always knew he was attractive and basically a heartthrob to many in here. Everyone also had their eyes on Tommy when he first came with you, and you were the one who had to sit back and listen to Maria scowl at every women passing by while taking care of a toddler.

Unaware that there were many men who was the same with you. Not that it mattered to you, not after loosing your first love and the father of your daughter.

But now... You understood how Maria was so vivid about them.

Joel came back with two mugs, steaming hot, and you dropped the curtain when you heard the squeak his shoes made, taking the mug from his hands while thanking him and sitting down on the sofa right next to him. As soon as you did, your legs started to bounce- a habit you had whenever you were stressed, a habit Joel quickly noticed- while drinking the coffee with the most blank face ever.

Joel sighed to his mug and set his down before laying a wide hand on your thigh, making you stop and look at him with wide eyes. He shuffled closer to you, his hand almost covering your whole upper thigh when he spoke, rubbing the tender flesh to soothe your worries. “What’s wrong? You were fine before coming here... If you don’t wan to, you can-“

“No, no... It’s not that or you, Joel. It’s just...”

“I don’t wanna remind you of bad memories but... Is it about the Night Killer?” you willed yourself to not get tense at the name, heart beating hard at the question but shook your head, not being ready to talk about that part of your past.

“No, it's not that either.”

“I saw and felt how tense you were when kids were talkin’ about that person... Did that shit do-“ you sighed at his protective voice and dipped your head low at his stubbornness, knowing that he wouldn’t let go of it if you didn’t tell him the real reason.

“I heard Tommy trying to match you up with Esther... She is a good woman, funny too...” you mumbled to yourself, not looking to where he was sitting right next to you and rather played with your flannel. His hand froze at the sight of you, all shy and awkward and it made Joel’s chest burn in the most beautiful way. His heart beated faster, breaths coming out shorter at the true beauty that was you. His eyes never saw the way women looked at him, even before the Outbreak. But now that he had you, and you had his heart and soul between your smaller hands...

He would never dare to hurt you, or let anyone hurt you.

Not when you showed all of your beauty, inner and outer.

Eyes big and shiny, soul so bright it even loghted his dark one, skin so beautiful that it lighted you in an ethereal way that made you open all of his eyes and take you in.

Let you in...

He no longer could stop himself from reaching out to you, slowly and tenderly, fingers brushing yours so softly that one would think he was holding a fine China.

And you were unaware of the feelings suddenly surging to him, continuing to ramble out of your heartbreak.

“ And it’s not like I have a saying in this, you may choose anyone you wanted. Esther is beautiful and talented-“

“Yes, she is talented and funny too...” you turned and looked up at him shocked, not really excepting an answer and your heart broke more...

Until you saw the look in his eyes.

His hands slowly caressed either sides of your face, rubbing the apples of your cheeks softly and huffing out towards your nose to warm your cold cheeks and nose, amused at the shock of finally understanding what he had been trying to tell you. “... I’ve already chosen but that woman also needs to choose me.” You leaned to the warmth his palm emitted, like a cat nuzzling, and he smiled at you lovingly feeling your smaller and less calloused hands clasp his and look at him with big, full of wonder eyes.

There was no longer the painful beating of your heart, no more hurt. Only one thing you always denied yourself from: Love.

And even if it could be taken away from you any time... You wanted to saviour the feeling of him longer.

“She already had...” Joel’s eyes slipped to your lips as soon as those words left, lingering there for a second and you shuffled closer to him, body half on top of him, lips apart by just a slight inch. He felt your breath as his own, both of you breathing in the same air, feeling the same emotion, being one.

And in that moment, Joel only wanted to kiss you, and officially make you his.

(A/N: I really wasn’t going to interfere BUT AGHH THAT NEYTIRI AND JAKE SCENE! BASICALLY THAT SCENE!)

Just when you were ready to pull away, taking his hesitancy as this being too much for him, his arms shot up and slithered around your waist, making you brace on his chest with a giggle, hopeful eyes looking into yours. “Can I... Can I kiss you?”

You rolled your eyes at his ever gentlemanly attitude, feeling your smile erupt again for the millionth time before diving in to do what you always wanted to do.

“Please, do.”

When your lips touched for the first time, it wasn’t a burning feeling but rather a calm one. It was like all the chaos and rage in you calmed down as soon as you had a taste of him, making you both sag in relief and moan into the kiss in relief. It has been a long time since you let someone in, let yourself love someone again after...

After Michael, your first love, died. Brutally.

If it was up to you, you would have spent your life taking revenge for him. Find the shit who gave his location away, torture that fucker to death for taking such an amazing, considarate and kind man away from you...

But the last words he had told you, begging you to move on and find someone to love again... Knowing how dark of a place your mind was and how you had the potential to ruin human kind, he begged you with his last breaths.

Find someone you could love again, my love. Live your life, don’t waste it over me... Your heart and love is beautiful, any man would be happy to love you...

And that’s what you did, even when a part of your soul left with him that day.

You loved again, you loved Joel and it scared you with how fast you had fallen for the man next to you, but it was all this world meant. Without loving, caring for someone... There was no way to keep going.

And, as the fates would have guessed, in this damned world, to Joel, you were the most beautiful thing. His only light that made him still human, a man with feelings, love and care.

And in amidst all of his fucked up self, you chose him. Waited for him to come to you patiently, never rushing him into things. At first, he always thought that patience, love... They were unnecessary, not when he had the pent up rage of years and the strength to throw a good punch. He was used to make things go in his way through them, and seeing you so patiently explain why it wasn’t a good idea to go to hunt in a certain place or that time when you sat down with Addy to talk about her frustrations so calmly, caressing her hair lovingly made him realize that being loving, having someone in his life wasn’t a bad thing.

And realizing this, alongside with everything you did around, how you always teased him, offered him help with his work, baked and cooked which Ellie was happy to eat, grabbing some coffee beans for him whenever you went out because you knew how much he loved them... All of the little things you did for him and others piled on each other slowly and surely, and with the physical attraction he felt for you whenever he saw you in those thight clothes or whenever you picked something up with the muscles of your arms and back flexing...

It made him fall for you, crave you.

He moaned harder to your lips when you get on his lap while his mind played dirty tricks by reminding him of your body, sitting directly on his cock under the rough jeans he wore, eyes closed in bliss while your hands took a hold of his neck and brought him closer to yourself, bruised lips kissing down his neck and putting a red hickey right on the sensitive spot, which made him groan louder in pleasure and grab your hips hard enough to print his hands on your skin.

Most thought of him to not have an attachment to his feelings, like he wasn’t aware of them. But he was, he always was but just scared to show them when all it would ever end with was agony in his end. But right now, having you between his arms, knowing the taste of you, the feel of you... He knew that what he felt for you was beyond casual fling, it even repulsed him. You were so lovely, yet dangerous, like poison ivy...

And he loved it, he loved you.

Both of you let out breathy moans through each stroke his hardening cock made over your clit, sure that the wetness growing in your panties also leaked to Joel’s jeans but neither of you cared. Neither parts knew, but the moans weren’t just because of the blinding pleasure building up bit more like you both come to accept your feelings. You both were lost in each other, too dazed in the pleasure to care for such things. “f-Fuck, Y/N... I-I....”

Joel felt like a teenager, as if that was the first time he had a woman on him. It surely wasn’t, but it was the first time that he had a woman he loved with all his heart.

Straddling him, making him feel so much love and pleasure by just grinding on him, making him also leek precum and wetting his own boxer briefs. His hand absentmindedly shot up to your breasts, kneading the flesh roughly and making you moan harder at the impact over your nipples. He growled under his breath, yanking down the collarless shirt you wore under the flannel and immediately took one in his mouth, swirling his mouth around the hard nipple but never giving it much attention.

You groaned at how he was teasing you, how coy he was being but if he wanted to play this game, you would give him a taste of his own.

Your hands yanked the shirt open, making the first three buttons fly while he let out a surprised yet amused chuckle, dark eyes watching you kiss down his upper chest while your hands tavelled through the hair on his chest, down to his v-line and up to-

You smiled devilishly to his neck, still kissing his neck when your fingers pinched his nipples, mouth travelling down to take the other in your mouth which made him leave your breasts and threw his head on the couch, letting out a loud groan and a few tears.

Who knew the lone wolf, the grumpy Joel would have sensitive nipples?

“You’re so sensitive, Joel~ It’s kinda cute.” He groaned harder at you, yanking your head up to kiss your feverishly, his chapped lips roughly finding yours. As he lightly nipped on your bottom lip while his hands grabbed a hand full of your ass, his other one pinched your nipple roughly, pulling it up and down, left and right as you cried out in ecstasy, hips grinding harshly on his big cock to reach that sweet release when a familiar thightness grew deep in your belly.

“Joel, Joel I- Fuck, I'm cumming...” your cunt spasmed with want, the sight of the grey hairs and the lopsided smile over Joel’s lips making you cum undone alone. You let out a slight cry at the thunder like orgasm you had, panting and letting out an amazed wow at having such a relaxing and amazing orgasm. It surely wasn’t the same as masturbating and before you could have slumped over to Joel’s chest to catch your breath, you shrieked when he grabbed your hips and made a few hallow thrusts over his cock. “I know, I know... Lemme cum, sweetheart, fuck-“ Joel selfishly chased his own release, touching all over your body while watching your breasts bounce, entranced by your beauty while you whimpered for him, nodding to what he said and moved your thighs even though they burned.

He gave a long groan when he shot inside his boxers, seeing your fucked out look ending it for him, hips giving a few jerks while your hips rolled on their own.

After having the man you always dreamt of right beneath you moaning your name, and a courtesy of him rubbing your clit to make you come for a second time, you both panted and slumped against one another, breathing in each others necks while Joel peppered kisses down your neck and up to your cheek, shocked at how much more amazing this was than the sex itself. He rubbed your slightly damp hair lovingly, “Am I still an old man after this?” he asked, smirking coyly while you hit his chest playfully, him faking hurt but let out a relaxed hum when your lips found one of the scars on his collarbone. His eyes got glossy at the many emotions passing through him with your lips and fingers caressing every part of his chest so smoothly.

Never in his life did someone touch him so lovingly, so delicately. Even when everything was okay, even when he had a normal life. He sacrificed everything for his girl and he couldn’t help but curse the world for not having you at that time...

Sarah would have definetly loved the shit out of you.

Unknown to his turmoil, you let a finger linger on there, the scar on his collarbone, rubbing the puckered skin and peppering a kiss there lovingly. Joel pretended like it didn’t faze him, as if his heart didn’t press painfully hard to his chest.

“I don’t know... Maybe you can show me that by carrying me upstairs to have a shower?” he chuckled and sweeped you off of your feet, happy and content after a long time and feeling alive with you giggling between his arms like highschoolers and looking deep in your eyes, he took you to the shower to spend more time, your moans and his grunts reverberating deep into the night with the bedroom door closing behind you two...

And you didn’t have to know, but both Ellie and Addy reached out to Tommy to tell them that the ship was sailing, and they were close to vomitting because of sea sickness.

When the first lights of the morning reached behind the chest of the man you were holding, somewhere in the middle of the dark ending up spooning him, you groaned slightly at the intruding burn to your eyes and raised your hand to fix the messy hair you both had when Joel shuffled to lay on his back with a groan, his chest shining with pecks of silver thanks to the light coming in.

And upon realizinghis open arms greeting you, you happily snuggled into his chest, happy to be like this with him. Joel, after years of having nightmares, had the best dream he had ever seen. He didn’t wake up in the middle of the night, he was happy, he was loved and in love...

There was nothing that could stop him from smiling down at you, taking your sleepy state in and letting his knuckles run through your cheeks softly. You weren’t stupid, and he definetly wasn’t too, he could very well see that you were indeed awake and was just trying to enjoy the warm bed more. “Stop looking at me like that, Joel...”

“Lika what?”

“Like you want to kiss me, I just woke up and my mouth probably smells-“ you were cut in the middle by his lips and when you opened your eyes with shock, him smiling cheekily at you. “Too bad, I already kissed you...”

It was a waking moment for you, with the sun shining over both of your naked bodies, the domestic vibe, the way his chest flexed under your hand and his heart beated...

That moment was the moment of realization that you were trully, madly in love with this man.

And that was fine, maybe one day... You would tell him what you kept hidden, and even if he would hate you for it.

You at least had him for this time.

“Y/N, do you copy? We need to go outside, we are waiting.”

“May both sides of your pillow always be warm, dick.”

Joel let out a laugh at the way you didn’t miss to insult whoever was the one at the other side of the radio, calling to you and let you stand up to get your clothes on while he himself leaned on the back of the headboard with the blanket covering his lower region, watching you mesmerized.

“You’re so beautiful...” you blushed at his breathless whisper but still went up to him and kissed him both from the cheek and lips. “You can’t get away from what you did to me with being cute, mister. I’ll teach you a leasson when I come back.”

“Then, I’ll be waiting for you... Be careful out there.” Kissing his lips one more time, you nodded and got out with a skip over your steps while Joel let out a disbelieving chuckle and plopped back on the soft bed with a lovesick smile, a head sporting his head.

But before you got out, a paper and pen caught your attention. You knew the “mission” Joel had and you knew what Fireflies would do to Ellie, causing her to die for vain when you knew there was no way you would let them kill an innocent girl...

Do the thing they weren’t able to do to you.

He would most likely want you to explain how you onew all of this, and you would tell him at one point. But your first mission was to make him change his mind.

And not knowing when you would be back, you quickly grabbed the pen and scribbled what you hoped was enough to let him know that it was a bad idea, putting it on the table in his working shop before jogging up to where your squad waited with teasing remark.

Joel, I know that you intend to continue your mission but we both know that you had started to care for the girl... Fireflies will not be the answer human kind is looking for, and the only thing you will end up with will be regret.

Regret of letting them kill her.

Please, just wait until I came back so that... So that I can explain everything. For once, don’t be stupid. For me, okay?

#joel miller #joel miller imagine #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #joel the last of us #the last of us x reader #the last of us imagine #the last of us #tlou imagine #tlou x you #tlou x reader #joel miller fluff #light smut

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farfromstrange · 1 year

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hi can i request for angst w no comfort, matt murdock fic wherein the reader died i like angst 🥲, specially your work "angel on the roof" thank you !!!

Thank you so much for your request, lovely! I was so excited (that sounds horrible in this context) when I saw it and I was even more excited when I read what you requested (Yeah, it still sounds horrible). Angst is my forte, and I've really been in an angsty mood lately. So, I wrote this in two hours and I cried while writing it. I hope you like it! (And I also hope you're doing okay, sweetheart.) This is not about suicide like the other hurt/no comfort fic, but it still hurts the same. I hope I could live up to your expectations!

Back To December | Matt Murdock x Reader

Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Gender Neutral Reader

Summary: He fell for you hard and fast, but all good things eventually slip through Matt Murdock's fingers, and he is left alone all over again.

Warnings: ANGST, hurt/no comfort, Character death, mentions of blood, there's a really creepy guy at the beginning (but no sexual assault!), yeah this is just angsty as fuck

Word Count: 3.2k (I got carried away)

It’s a cold December afternoon. The remains of this week’s snowfall are covering the ground and it’s cold, so cold, but he can barely feel it. Something else, something colder, something far more painful is creeping up his spine. It’s not because his clothes are soaked or the snowflakes that have latched onto his hair. He feels as if the floor has been ripped out under his feet, and it has been a long time since he last felt this way. Loneliness has become his closest companion over time and he got used to always losing and hardly ever winning. Over time, he got used to grieving, he got used to being left, and he got used to a painful hollowness in his chest that eventually started to occur more often. The hole in his chest has always been there, but merely a few days ago it had been somewhat filled.

Matt Murdock has never experienced much happiness in his life. He tried to fight the demons in his head, but eventually, he succumbed to them. He succumbed to the claws that tore at his chest and dragged him down into an endless abyss. He used to associate the color gray with his life because when he thought about it, there has never been much color. He got used to existing rather than living until someone stepped into his life that was anything but dreary.

It was in summer, he remembers, the third of July when he was walking the streets of Hell’s Kitchen on his way home from work. The noise of the city moved into the back of his mind as he tried to focus on anything but the deafening sound of injustice and everyday life. They often blurred together and mixed when he wasn’t focusing, and sometimes that was worse than when he purposely focused on his surroundings.

He was just casually walking when he heard the distinctive fast sound of footsteps straight ahead. He tilted his head curiously, not sure if it was just another teenager playing tag with their friends in the middle of the night or someone walking fast, or perhaps someone who needed his help. It was then he stretched his senses out to judge the situation, but by the time he focused on the erratic heartbeat coming his way, the person who it belonged to already stood in front of him.

It was the third of July, he knows, when you came into his life.

You were just walking home from work when a man emerged from behind one of the cars parked along the street of the shop you were working at. You had closed early, which was rare but not impossible, especially not with the heat so heavy that no one wanted to set foot outside. Even with air conditioning, you felt like dying every time you went to work.

You tried not to think too much about the stranger, your keys already clutched tightly in your hand, but when you sped up, the man sped up too. It was then your fight-or-flight response kicked in. You were a terrible fighter and would have broken your thumb before you could have caused any serious damage, so instead, you ran. You ran until the streets got lighter and finally, God finally, someone else walked the street you were on.

Not paying much mind to who the stranger was, you stopped right in front of him. Your hand caught his sleeve - you felt guilty because well, if the glasses hadn’t been an indicator, his cane surely was, and using a blind guy to get out of being mugged or God forbid, possibly even raped, felt wrong but he seemed like the kind of guy that wouldn’t mind helping. It was something about him that made you feel safe, almost.

“I need you to pretend we know each other,” you said entirely out of breath, one of your sweaty strands of hair caught on your dry lips.

He frowned, tilting his head in the direction of the other man’s steps and he realized just what you were running from.

“Please,” you begged, and he could only imagine the panic in your eyes.

He licked his lips. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know, just- oh, for fuck’s sake! Kiss me.”

“Sorry, what?” Matt stammered. He thought of many things, one of them being completely screwing his disguise and beating whoever was following you into a puddle until he couldn’t walk anymore, but your request was… odd and a complete surprise, at that.

The more he thought about it though, it made sense. The man would only ease up if he saw Matt as your boyfriend and not a strange blind guy.

You looked at him expectantly and the closer the man behind you came, the faster your heart beat. If he wasn’t willing to help you, you would have to run again.

Fortunately, he caught himself fast enough to pull you in by the waist - his strength surprised you - and pressed his lips to yours. That he would do it, you never expected. It had been a weird request, of course, but the only thing you thought of that would make a possible rapist turn the other way.

You caught yourself on his arms, leaning into the kiss as if it were real, and partly it felt like it. He was an amazing kisser, you noticed, and if this had been a date you would have thoroughly enjoyed it, but the only thought in your mind was getting rid of the man that was following you. Or had been following you, anyway, because upon seeing the kiss that looked more realistic than it was, he stopped and turned back around.

When the stranger pulled away, you forgot how to breathe for a second. Your cheeks flushed, the blood rushing to your head immediately, and you pressed a hand in front of your mouth. Matt thought it was cute, although he had to contain himself from hunting down the man that even led you to make such a rash decision in the first place. Perhaps it was the fact that he was blind that made you believe he was on the good side, and the kiss seemed to have saved your ass, which he was glad about because fighting someone right in front of the eyes of an unknown stranger was not on his to-do list. The kiss hadn’t been either, but it had already happened and the awkward silence made matters worse.

Your breath hitched in your throat again. “I’m so sorry,” you said, muffled through your hand.

“Um,” Matt forgot how to speak.

“I just wasn’t sure what to do and you know, most men don’t take no for an answer and I thought- God, I am so sorry. You probably think I’m a psycho now.”

He quickly caught himself again. “Oh, no. No, I absolutely don’t think that,” he said. “I was just… surprised?”

“Okay, I’m sorry, I promise I’m not usually like this.”

“You were scared, I understand.”

“I really didn’t know what else to do.”

It was the truth, and the more he spoke to you, the more he realized your heartrate was going down. You were safe.

“Okay,” you bit your lip, “Okay, I should probably go. Nice meeting you. I’m just gonna-” as you distanced yourself, you pointed behind yourself in the direction you were originally headed, “Yeah, I’m just gonna go.”

“Wait,” Matt heard himself object to your attempt to leave.

You halted, surprised he would even want to talk to you after what happened. A small smile rested on his lips. The same lips you had just kissed.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

The first time he heard your name was on July third, the night dark and hot, and it was the same night you kissed him for the first time. It was a kiss out of desperation, a way to save yourself from the grabby hands of a stranger, and yet, when he asked for your name, he received an answer.

“I’m Matt,” he introduced himself.

July third was the day you came into his life and from then on, you refused to leave. His senses got used to your scent, your taste, and the feel of your skin under his fingers when he had first kissed you. His ears got used to the sound of your voice, and the feeling of your name on his tongue became natural.

One meeting turned into two and eventually, only a month after, in fact, he realized he had done the one thing he never expected himself to do ever again: he fell for you. He fell fast and hard, the first tint of color in his dull life, and the pain in his chest got a little more bearable with you by his side. You became the light in the darkness, the one person he could always turn to, and when you found out who he was - who the man behind the black mask was, you didn’t run.

You found out one night when you used your key to get into his apartment. He hadn’t answered any of your calls and he felt guilty, but then you stood in his apartment just as he walked through the door. He had a huge gash on his side and he was sure he wouldn’t make it to the couch in time. When he heard your heartbeat and the way it jumped when you saw him, he was sure death would be kinder than having to listen to you leaving, but the anticipated moment of rejection never came.

The light of his life stayed. You had dropped everything to hold him up. You patched him up and you held him as he writhed in pain, and when he was finally patched up and safe, he caught your wrist.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” you asked him.

He hissed, not sure if it was because of emotional or physical pain, but perhaps both. You sounded small, worried almost, but the sound of your heartbeat was the most familiar to him and so he knew that you weren’t scared, you were merely curious.

And that was when he knew that he had fallen head over heels in love with you.

“I wanted to protect you,” he said.

The thought of losing you had been his greatest fear. You were the color he desperately needed, the reason for him to keep going. He thought that, with your help, he could make it. He thought his life could finally be normal.

But even the most beautiful of flowers die eventually. It’s a slow death, usually, a constant process of withering. With you though, it was fast and it was the hardest thing he ever had to do. You weren’t a flower, you were human and he realized that too late one night.

On July third, he swore to protect you, always. He swore to save you, to hold you and take care of you until his dying breath. On the third of December though, his worst fear became reality, and suddenly, the tint of color in his life was flickering like the billboard outside of his apartment that you had often complimented. The tint of color in his life, the beautiful flower, the light that kept him going, stood right in front of him and he barely had the time to open his mouth when the shot rang out.

Why did you have to follow him, anyway? You were foolish but you had been so worried, you stormed out of your apartment, determined to find him. The rooftop you finally found him on was dark just like his life had been before you.

You were so relieved to see him alive, you didn’t notice the dark shadow on the floor or the clinging of metal that filled the air. “Matt!” you called out, but his mouth opened and instead of words, you could hear the faint blow of a gun.

The shot rang out and for a moment you thought it hit him. For a moment, you were worried, and then the sharp pain tore through your abdomen and you knew, the shot wasn’t meant for him.

His arms caught you as you fell. Matt wasn’t sure what was worse, the feeling of your blood running through his fingers as he pushed on the gaping wound on your abdomen or the erratic sound of your fading heartbeat as it tried its best to beat for you, to supply your body with blood, but it couldn’t pump so fast as to catch up with the speed you were losing it again.

“Matt-” you smiled when you saw his face. “You’re safe,” you said. “I thought you weren’t safe.”

“Shh, sweetheart,” he told you, and he tried hard not to sob - your heart had become his favorite song, a symphony that was unique in itself, but now it was running out like a broken record. The sand in the hourglass ran faster than he could catch you.

You choked. The missing fear in your voice told him that you knew. Oh, you knew you weren’t going to make it.

“You foolish, foolish- Jesus,” he bent over you, his hand still tightly pressed against your abdomen, but the sharp pain you had felt was gone. You just felt numb now. “I told you to stay home,” he said. His voice cracked at the end because now even he knew, deep down, that you weren’t going to make it out of this.

And he had just found you. It didn’t seem fair.

You sucked in a sharp breath. “I was just-” you coughed again, and he could taste the copper in the air from where it ran down the corner of your mouth. “I was worried,” you breathed.

He shushed you again. “It’s okay,” the first tear descended his cheek and met with yours, “You’re gonna be fine. We’re gonna get you out of here and fixed up, okay? Hey-” Your eyes drooped, but he held your face with such force, you felt compelled to open them again, but you were tired. Oh, you were so tired.

It was your time to tell him, “It’s okay.”

Your body was wracked with a terrible wave of shivers and even though he was holding you tightly to his chest, his body was just cold air to you. Everything was cold.

“No, don’t close your eyes! You have to stay with me, sweetie, okay? Just a little longer.”

“I can’t.” And he knew you couldn’t.

“You don’t get to do that, not yet. It’s not time yet. We have so much-” he grunted in the back of his throat. “Remember you told me about the pyramids in Egypt? You wanted to go there,” he said, and at this point, he was crying more than he was smiling. “So you have to stay awake, okay? Stay awake for me, baby.”

You reached out your weak hand, touching his cheek. There was blood on your fingers and it smeared on his cheekbone. Your touch was cold. You used to be so warm and now you were simply cold, and your heartbeat turned into tiny beats after another.

“We both know I’m not gonna make it,” you said with all the strength you had left.

“No,” he was determined, “Don’t say that. You’re gonna be fine.”

“Matthew-” the call of his full name was almost unfamiliar. “Matthew, listen. Listen to my heart.”

“I am, baby, and it is still beating, that means there is still time. I can save you. I can-”

“No, you don’t understand,” you said. Your hand moved from his cheek to the left side of his chest. “I’m always going to be here.”

“Stop,” he sobbed. “God, don’t do this to me. You can’t do this. You have to hold on.”

“It’s time,” you said.

“No, baby, please-”

“It’s time for me to go, Matthew.”

“No.”

Your hand dropped, your muscles too weak to hold your body up anymore. Thud, thud, thud. He focused on your heartbeat, but he soon realized that it wasn’t yours, it was his. His own heartbeat was louder than yours, but it had the same beat, it played to the same rhythm as yours. Your bodies aligned, but the blood, oh the blood. Your scent was overshadowed by the smell and the taste of pure blood and it made him sick.

“I-” you choked again, but the sentence you wanted to say needed to be said, no matter how strong those claws were that were just waiting to pull you underwater. “I love you,” your voice broke like fragile glass upon impact, “and I always will.”

His forehead fell against yours. You were so cold. Matt held you, he held you to keep you warm, but you were getting colder by the minute and your blood seeped through his fingers, through his shirt, and that was when he realized.

“No,” he desperately felt for your heart, but the familiar melody was gone. He couldn’t feel you, he couldn’t touch you, he couldn’t smell you. He could only hold your limp body as the life left your body and your soul with you.

On December third, you died in his arms. On December third, he had to deliver your body to the hospital, but you were long gone when they found you. He knew you were gone, but he had held you for a while longer, trying to find the life inside of you, trying to keep his hope alive, but on December third, you died, and with you, all the color in his life faded into the darkest of blacks.

Matt Murdock remembers the day he met you and he remembers the day you died. As he is standing over your grave now, the snow feels numb on his soaked clothes. What is creeping up his spine is worse than the cold of December. The pain of losing you is colder than snow, it’s colder than anything he has ever felt before. The cold has crept into his heart and frozen whatever life had been left inside of him. You died and he couldn’t save you. He had to bury you because he just couldn’t save you.

You were the light of his life and Matt lost that, too, like he has lost everything in his life. It's then he truly starts to believe that everything he touches is supposed to rot and die. Everything he has ever touched, no matter how beautiful, has turned ugly, dark, and gray, and then eventually, dead. Cold, dark, and dead.

You were an explosion of wonderful colors but now you were gray, just like his life. A gray stone on the cemetery behind Clinton Church, your body cold, your blood branded into his skin and he cries. He stands at your grave and cries because you’re still in his head, you’re still in his heart, and it kills him that a memory is all he has left of you. He longs to touch you, to kiss you, to hold you like he had many times before, but you’re gone.

His sweater smells of your perfume, his sheets smell of your bodywash and your essence still lingers in the air of his apartment, no matter how many times he opens a window, and then there is your name that suddenly everyone seems to have. He searches for you when it rings out, but you’re not there.

On December third, you died, and with your memory lingering everywhere, he would go back to December all the time. And it breaks him to know you’re not there.

#tw: death #matt murdock x reader #daredevil x reader #matt murdock x gender neutral reader #matt murdock #daredevil #matt murdock fic #daredevil fic #hurt/no comfort #matt murdock angst #this is pure pain #request <3

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reallyromealone · 2 years

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Hi Hi! How is my favorite author? Well know that I was very happy that you responded to my request, I really liked what you wrote! Well, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to place another order from Tokyo Revengers, but this time from Bonten's men! Something like Mikey's adopted son who is part of a volleyball team (and is friends with the Haikyuu boys) or basketball team (and is a friend of the Generation of Miracles). I really like sports anime, and your Son Bonten one-shots are really good and make me come up with a million ideas. Hope you are well, so eat well and drink plenty of water! ;)

I-Im your favorite 🥺👉👈

Damn y'all gonna give me a big ass head god damn

Also as a sports anime fan myself i love this but how dare you make me choose between GOM or our volleybros

I am going volleyball though because I actually know a lot about volleyball because I used to play believe it or not.

(name) was excited as hell.

(Name)s first official match against another team was coming up! And against another team!

(Name) was so excited to tell his dad's about the match, he hoped at least one of them could come to see it, he understood if they couldn't.

They were really busy after all.

(Name) was technically Mikey's adopted son, but was mutually seen as Bontens collective son since infancy as they all mutually took care of the boy--now teenager, it was just easier to say (name) Sano instead of (name) haitani/kakucho/Kokonoi/Akashi/mochizuki/Sano.

Anyways.

Walking into the mansion, a purchase they made when they realized how much energy the child had (also it was easier to just install what the kid wanted instead of taking him to where he wanted to go) and made a beeline to his dad's office area, where their collective home offices sat.

His dad's sat in the lounge area, talking about something business related and turned when they saw their son return from club activities "ah, it's six already?" Ran said absentmindedly while checking his watch and the men noticed the kid practically vibrating "what's up half pint?" Mochi asked slightly amused at his kids excited nature. "It's my first official match! Like with another school!" (Name) said showing the permission slip so he could go to the other school for the match "can I please go?" He knew his dad's were fiercely protective of his whereabouts, they had to be because after all he was the only child of Bonten.

This wasn't (name)s first official match but it was his first high school match and the fact that he made it into a powerhouse school as Libero was nothing to scoff at and the bonten men were quite proud of their kid, even if his goals weren't what they expected.

"It's at (high school).." Mikey mumbled while looking at the permission slip, the man mulling it over before signing it "I was also wondering if you guys could come? You don't have to if you're busy" (name) said awkwardly and his dad's felt their heart hurt a bit at his words " 'course we will come bud" Kaku said with a soft smile and the shift in mood was astounding as (name) practically radiated with joy "yeah?!"

"Now to take a shower you stink!"

#tokyo revengers x male reader #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers fluff #bonten x reader #mikey x reader #mikey tokyo revengers #haruchiyo sanzu x reader #sanzu x male reader #haitani rindou

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bibs-world · 2 years

Text

Promises | 2

Max Verstappen x fem!reader

Words: it's worth many tears, so yeah

Summary: Max finds out what's going on and all hell breaks loose...

Warnings: Ansgt (from me definitely), sadness, heartbreak, tears and mention of a heart disease

Notes: i'm sorry again, i wrote this very late like it's 4 a.m rn and i hope it breaks ur heart in a good way and raises your standards past the roof

Part 1

"Hey, Checo!" Max ran after his teammate, catching up with him as Sergio slowed down, waiting for the Dutch man. "Something's been up with Y/N, don't you think?" He asked him, removing his cap and adjusting it before putting it on again.

The Mexican's eyes widened at the man before him. He shrugged, smiling at him. "She's your girlfriend, mate. I don't know." He chuckled, continuing on his walk towards his car.

"But, you definitely know something. I know you know something, Checo. Give me anything, please." Max begged him. He's been trying to extract whatever it is from you but you'd simply shake your head at him and go on about your things, completely ignoring him.

He had a feeling that there was something with you physically. You're almost always cold now, puking has become your best companion in the morning and you get dizzy and lose your footing a lot, thankfully Max is always there now to catch you.

These were all symptoms for one thing, it made him giddy in his stomach for the mere idea in it, but he didn't wanna make up imaginary things, so the only thing to do is try to get it out of the one person who apparently knows; Sergio.

"I cant-"

"Is she pregnant?"

Sergio frowned at the man, stopping in his tracks as his face scrunche up. "What?"

Max shrugged nervously. "Jesus, Checo. She has morning sickness, gets dizzy a lot and she's cold all the time now. It's almost as if she's pregnant, mate. If she is just tell me and I'll act surprised when she tells me, I swear." He rambled, the excitement flashing in his eyes making Sergio's heart ache for the two.

"You love her a lot, no?" He placed his hand on Max's shoulder who looked bewildered at his teammate.

"A lot, man. What are you-"

"Look for her latest health check, Max. I don't know what it is, exactly, but...she's definitely not pregnant. It's something bad. I'm sorry, mate." He patted his shoulder before dropping his hand to his side.

"No, no, it's alright." The disappointment was very evident in Max's voice as he nodded at the Mexican before he turned around to gather his things so he'd leave and try to figure this whole thing out.

***

He'd won in Monza and now you were back in Monaco. Your condition seemed to worsen, but you were still alive, so it wasn't that bad. You were laying on the couch, too tired to even fetch yourself a bottle of water, but the doctor said you'd get better, so you still had hope.

Max, on the other hand, had seemingly lost his mind. He called the doctors that you'd known and went to before, and they said they hadn't seen you since the last check, which the both of you were at. All that's left to do was maybe look for some papers around the apartment that could have the solution for his torment, and that's what he'd been doing all morning.

And he found them.

He immediately sent pictures of the papers to a close friend who was a doctor and all he had to do now was wait till they replied. And what could he do while waiting?

"Schat!" He called out for you, coming out into the living room of your shared apartment and immediately finding you on the couch.

You smiled up at him as he approached you, crouching down before you. "Do you need anything?" He asked you sweetly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

You nodded, shutting your eyes in bliss at the warmth of his hand on your skin. "Water." You rasped out as he caressed your skin gently

You couldn't see it, but his heart was cracking slowly at how you looked and felt. You were so cold, it made him sick, sick from worry. He wiped the corner of his eyes, holding back a sniffle before leaning forward and pecking your lips gently.

"Een hele fles water voor mijn lief." A whole bottle of water for my love. He stood up on his feet, going to your room first to grab your favourite blanket then grabbing the water for you.

But, the ding of his phone stopped him middway to you.

"Y/N." He spoke, voice so vulnerable and scared as he walked towards you again, eyes trained on his phone while he read the words his friends sent him that made him wish he didn't.

You hummed, almost half asleep and not paying much attention to the way he sounded or the way his heart completely shattered in his chest.

- I'm sorry, Max, but I believe your friend has a condition called coronary artery disease.

- It's very dangerous and deadly, so I suggest you spend more time with whoever they are.

He stood in front of you, slowly lowering his phone onto the coffee table and crouching down in front of you.

"I got you your water." His voice cracked, uncapping the bottle with your blanket thrown over his shoulder.

Your eyes opened slowly, confusion visble all over your face as you sat up slowly. "Are you crying?" You asked him, grabbing the bottle from his hand and bringing it to your lips.

He stared at you. Yes, he was obviously crying. Why would there be salty water running down his face?

"When were you going to tell me?" He asked, so soft and quiet you actually did not catch it through your still sleepy mind.

"What?" You questioned, handing him back the bottle as he capped it.

"When were you going to tell me, Y/N?" His voice raised slightly. He was more angry than upset now. How could you not tell him earlier? Were you even ever planning on telling him? Or were you just gonna keep lying till you were in your grave?

His raised tone was your wake up call, back straightening and eyes opening wide, flickering between his baby blue orbs you were so hopelessly drowning in, surrounded by the red that came with his tears.

"Tell you what?" You asked. You had your suspisions, but you still had to make sure or you'd accidentally tell him.

"Fuck!" He shouted, standing to his feet and pacing away from you, his finger pulling at his hair angrily. "You!" He pointed an accusing finger at you, the tears beyond stoppable, now.

"I trusted you! I trusted you to tell me everything and you told me everything! You did, Y/N! But-But you hid the most important fucking thing from me!" He was enraged, and you were afraid. Of what? You were yet to know.

"Max, calm down, please." Your blurry eyes followed his blurry form, hugging your knees closer to your chest, unable to grab the blanket from off the floor.

"Don't fucking tell me to calm down! This!" He walked towards the kitchen and walked back almost the same immediate second, throwing down papers on the coffee table before you. "How can I calm down after this?! Tell me!" He leaned down closer to you, finger still pointed accusingly at you. You couldn't help but shut your eyes and lean back, away from him, but there's only so much you could go.

"Open your eyes. Look at me." He demanded, finally calming down, but he was so close to you. "Fucking look at me, Y/N!" He yelled as you opened your eyes immediately, the tears flowing down freely out of both your eyes now. "You..." He trailed off, eyes looking across your face before all his anger perished, sadness and loneliness settling in again.

"Why?" He whispered, dropping to his knees in front of you, still keeping his eyes trained on yours. Neither of you could look away, now. You were both trapped.

You straightened your legs, Max holding onto them as you lowered your feet to the carpeted floor. "Why wouldn't you tell me?" He re-phrased his question, praying to the Lord that he'd get an answer this time that would burn out the fire igniting inside of him.

"I couldn't" You sobbed, shaking your head at him. "I couldn't ruin your happiness, Maxie. That'd be cruel-"

"But, what you did was still cruel, Y/N!" He protested, a raspiness in his voice that proved how desperate and hopeless he was.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I just-I couldn't." You placed a hand over your mouth, clenching your eyes shut before you opened them again to meet his broken ones.

"Tell me there's a cure to it, at least." He begged you, his hands gripping your thighs and his head dropping onto your lap.

The sadness could almost be felt throughout the whole city, as if the whole world felt it. The two young hearts slowly tearing away from the cruelty of life and what it'd done to them. It was unsalvageable, one's hope and muse was slipping away from their hand while the other's life was being stolen away from them.

"Please, schatje. Please." He cried in your arms while you sat, unable to give him the answer that he wanted. There wasn't a cure, but you could stall the inevitable end, that was it.

"I can't lose you, not now-not at all. I need you, Y/N, you can't leave me. You promised me you'd never leave, you'd never even think about it! You're breaking your promise, baby, please." Your heart broke away by every word that slipped out of his mouth, your finger slipping into his hair and gently caressing his scalp. That was all you could do, it was pathetic, but he appreciated it, he appreciated every little thing even more now than before. He could lose you at any unpredictable moment and there was so much he wanted to do with you, to you, for you.

"Marry me. Please. Anything." It was an impulsive thing, not the right timing at all, yet he meant it. He'd always dreamed of the perfect woman for him and she was right in front of him and he won't let her go before he'd achieved his goals of making her the happiest, most precious woman that would ever walk the earth.

"Max, no." You shook your head, grabbing his face and making him look at you. "You're not thinking straight."

You were silently begging him to not do this. He'd be wasting himself away for nothing, you were useless now. He deserved better.

He shook his own head as well, fumbling into the pockets of his trousers before he got it out. "I carry it with me everywhere now, but I was too much of a pussy to ask you and I'm not wasting any more time with you, I'll make every second count. Marry me, Y/N. Please. I love you so much." He held out the silver ring for her, his other hand grabbing hers and holding it in his.

"You shouldn't do this, Max. Don't do it. I'm not worth it, I swear."

"I want this, I want you, I need you. It's only you and it will always be you. No matter what happens, it's you. All this-All this championship thing? For you. The trophies? Yours. My worth, my house, my money, my heart, mind and soul? All yours. This ring, this marriage, it'd be the least thing I could offer you. Please, accept it. If you don't want me, tell me. I'll move, give you half my money-fuck, if I could give you my heart to live I will do it without thinking, Y/N. Marry me, please."

You knew deep down you wanted this, but you still didn't want him to waste his life, however you just realized how selfish you are.

"I'll marry you, Maxie. I'll fucking marry you." You leaned down and roughly placed your lips against his. Amidst the messy, sloppy and wet kiss, he slipped the ring onto your finger before grabbing your face and hoisting himself up beside you on the couch, bringing you onto his lap and holding you impossibly close to him, never wanting to ever let you go after this moment.

#max verstappen #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen imagine #f1 #formula 1 #f1 imagine

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the-travelling-witch · 2 years

Note

Hey Holly!

So, I've been thinking deep, long and hard about this (tehehe that sounded dirty :3) and I've finally found a nice prompt I wish to make a request on...so get your pot brewing cause its angst time.

How about some Childe x harbinger! fem! reader where they both have been in a relationship for a while now…and have grown extremely close since then doing missions and assassinations together etc. And everyone knows them as a power couple/force to be reconned with. However, as you know Childe/Ajax is a family man and after a little night of unsafe 'dirties' reader becomes pregnant and they are both super excited (if you feel uncomfortable with pregnancy you can just change it to them planning to getting married or something its fine) butttt...then they get sent off on a mission together to fight a powerful enemy that is giving big trouble...but unfortunately it was too much for even them and though they win the battle they lose the war (they basically got the badguys but got fatally wounded throughout this)

And its in their last moments together that they reminisce about the good times, remind each other of their love and think about what could've been... I mean if you wanna let them survive too that's cool..but just make sad regardless okay🙂

Thanks Holly❤

*skips out the cafe*

Cookie Customer🍪

What could´ve been

summary: you and childe are living the harbinger life, secretly dating behind the scenes; when a new member joins your little family, how will your life change?

pairing: childe x fem!harbinger!reader

warnings: fluff to angst, major character death, child death, pregnancy, allusion to doing the dirty but noting explicit (therefore suggestive), (mentions of) murder, mentions of maiming/ losing limbs, cursing, long fic (~11.6k)

a/n: cookie, i don´t think you know how much brain rot you gave me with this but you can guess with how much i drifted off; i changed the ending a little bit, i hope you don´t mind; i understand there´s been a lot of focus on the fatui recently bc of the new trailer but i wrote this before we got the news, if you wanna learn more about my progress, you can find a post here; thank you to my best friend and @mari-on-dragonspine for reading this and enduring my breakdowns <3 lastly, i don´t normally ask for this but i invested a lot of time into this, so if you like the fic, please consider reblogging, commenting, leaving an ask or sharing this with others, it would mean the world to me ♡

genshin impact masterlist

“I think I fell madly in love with you the first time we met.”

“The first time we met, I tried to kill you.”

“I know and it was attractive as hell.”

“I worry about you sometimes, Childe.” The smell of fresh coffee wafted through the kitchen and into the rest of the house as the first rays of the sun filtered through the curtains.

“Aww, what's with the name, babe? We're not at work yet,” he whined groggily. Joining you at the kitchen counter, he pressed his chest against your back and buried his nose in your hair. His hands seemed to have found a life of their own as they stroked and squeezed along every part of you they could get a hold of, here and there dipping under the shirt that was actually his. His voice came out muffled as his lips attached themselves to your neck, making it even harder to understand him. “So, don't call me that, yeah? I'm just Ajax while we're at home.”

“Right now, you're just a big baby,” you teased as your hand came up to run through his messy ginger strands before pressing a steaming mug into his hands. “Come on, you'll have to get going or you'll be late.”

“Do I have to?” At the affectionately stern call of his name, Childe slowly detached himself from you. “Fine. But it's really not fair that you get to go later than me.”

“Bring back a gnosis and you might be able to sleep in as well.” You chuckled at the imprecations the ginger directed towards your fellow harbinger under his breath while he pulled out a pan, two plates and some ingredients for breakfast. Now it was your turn to hug your pouty lover around the waist while nuzzling your cheek into the defined muscles of his back. “Don't be like that, honey. I also wish we could have more time together but for now, I'm just happy we even get to spend the morning with each other. Being away from you for so long was really the worst.”

“How can I not agree with you when you're so cute first thing in the morning, hmm?” You felt his laughter just as much as you heard it, the movement of his arms over the pan adding to the sensation. “What do we say to eggs and bacon to start the day? I think we still have some vatrushka buns as a little treat as well.”

“Sounds amazing,” you yawned into his back.

“Hey now, no going back to sleep,” he teased. “If you helped, we'd be done faster, you know.”

“But this is nice, I think I'll stay like this a little longer,” you said, digging your fingers into his ribs, causing Childe to jolt up slightly.

“This is not helping!”

Eventually, you decided to lend a hand and soon after you two got to enjoy a scrumptious breakfast as you soaked up each other's presence, hands intertwined and feet tangled underneath the table. In the early morning light, his ocean eyes sparkled the way they usually only did during an intense battle. And just like always, it was way too easy for you to lose yourself in their depths but reality pulled you to the surface again.

“Thank you for cooking, darling, it was delicious.” As you stood up and gathered the dishes, you pressed a lingering kiss to his temple. Before he could even make a move to help you, you shushed him. “I've got this. Go and get ready. You really shouldn't keep Her Majesty waiting.”

When Childe reappeared in the kitchen door, he was dressed in his trademark grey outfit, harbinger mask settled at the side of his head as he wrapped the striking red scarf around his neck. Stepping close to him, you let him pull you in by the waist as you worked on the buttons of the thick fur coat he threw on.

“What's your schedule for today? I'll be working with some new recruits and they'd better do well. For their own sake.” His thumb traced along the features of your face as if he wanted to commit every last detail to memory.

“I'm sure they'll do fine,” you hummed as you leaned into his touch. “I'll be out collecting some debts. If everyone behaves, I might make it back to Zapolyarny Palace for lunch.”

“I'm looking forward to that,” he hummed before cupping your face and leaning down to meet you halfway. Neither of you wanted to pull away, your hands snaking around his neck keeping him in place as you tilted your head to gain better access to his lips. A groan escaped him as Childe tugged you impossibly closer, your chest flush against the soft material of his clothes. You knew he might not ever leave the house if you didn't stop him, so you pulled back only for his lips to chase yours.

“Ajax, you really should go now,” you giggled. “I'll come meet you once I'm done, I promise.”

There was a smug grin on his face at your statement. “Well, you promised it, can't go back on your word now. Be safe, yeah?”

“Will be. Same goes for you, too.”

He hummed affirmatively before swooping down to place another quick peck on the crown of your head. A cold breeze swept through the entryway of your house as the front door opened and Childe stepped into the snowy landscapes of Snezhnaya. After the door shut, you stood and watched his silhouette grow smaller in the distance before making your way to the bathroom.

Going through your morning routine, you washed up and then moved into your dressing room where your work clothes were already waiting for you. The material was familiar against your skin as you pulled piece after piece on, giving you a sense of comfort and normality. You added a multitude of different accessories to complete the harbinger look and scrutinised your appearance again in the mirror. If there was something you had learned from your time working under the Tsaritsa, then it was the importance of appearances. A harbinger who didn't look the part was much less likely to be taken seriously, by both enemies and allies alike.

When everything sat as it should, you opened the topmost drawer of your vanity and carefully lifted the elegant mask out of its designated case. During a confrontation, it would cover the upper half of your face, leaving your mouth and cheeks bare, but for now, it only served as a special accessory.

Last but not least, you attached the teal vision that almost felt as if it was floating before grabbing your Tsaritsa-given delusion. In contrast to the power bestowed upon you by the gods, it felt cold against your skin but didn't chill you to the bone like it used to.

After pulling on your boots and grey coat, you braced yourself for the frosty temperatures you had learned to endure and started trekking through the snow-covered paths. It was hard to discern anything due to the thick white blanket covering everything the eye could see and you'd no doubt go blind if the sun broke through the dark grey sky. Perfect for an ambush on the unassuming.

“My Lady!” The voice of one of your subordinates rang through the silence of the morning as they appeared before you, their black uniforms standing out against the background as they knelt before you. “All targets have been sighted. We can proceed with the mission as planned.”

“Good. Let's get going then.”

Most of the people owing money to the Fatui complied rather easily with your demands or jumped at the deals you offered them to clear themselves of their debt. Having a Harbinger personally show up on your doorstep was a well-known sign the time for fun and games was over and that resistance would cost you more than any kind of deal ever could. But, as always, there had to be an exception.

You came to a halt on a hilltop outside of a run-down town, the black fur of your coat’s neckline tickling your nose when a gust of wind swept over the ice as you scanned over the info on the last debtor for this day. He had loaned a hefty sum from the Fatui but also from other organisations, all of which he had yet to repay.

“This is going to be fun,” you mumbled under your breath as you handed the files back to an agent. “We'll proceed as usual. Stay back until the target shows signs of resistance.”

“Yes, my lady!”

The snow-mudded streets were empty and if it weren't for the shadows moving behind the windows of the crooked houses, one could've mistaken it for an abandoned ghost town. Whenever you caught the eye of someone through the dirty glass, they averted them with ill-disguised fear.

With confident strides and your head held high, you pushed open the door to a shabby bar while your subordinates melted into the surroundings outside. The falling snowflakes from outside were replaced by dust swirling through the dimly lit room. The floorboards groaned under your heels. Drawn by the noise, a sleazy and haggard man appeared behind the bar.

“Yeah, yeah what do you want-!” His tone and facial expression immediately changed as he took in your appearance but not in the regretful way people normally look at the Harbingers. A disgusting grin spread over his face as he rubbed his hands together. “Oh, my apologies, young lady. What can I get you, dear?”

“I'd like a drink, please.” You put on your most honeyed voice and an easy smile as you slowly approached the counter. Oh, you were going to have fun with him. “A drink worth 800 000 Mora, to be exact.”

“800 000 Mora?!” The guy spluttered. “You must be joking! A- a drink worth this much-“

“I don't jest about matters of this magnitude. Well, if you can't make me a drink, there's something else you could do for me. Certainly, this figure rings a bell.” Your smile grew just a little too friendly as you cocked your head to the side as the fool blankly stared at you. “No? What a shame. But since I'm not interested in wasting my valuable time any longer, let's cut to the chase: I'm here to collect a debt.”

“Collect a debt?” His eyebrows knitted together before he slammed his hands down on the countertop. “Did that bastard Igor send you? Thought a little eye candy would loosen my pockets, huh? Well, you can tell him—”

“Unfortunately for you, I wasn't sent here by Igor. Oh well, since you clearly have no idea who I am, I'll be so generous as to enlighten you.” As the cold from outside seeped into your voice, the shadows on the wall started to move, your subordinates manifesting behind you. “I'm Columbina, Second of the Fatui Harbingers. I'm here on behalf of Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, to settle a debt amounting to 800 000 Mora. Without calculating interest.”

His face fell as those words left your lips and he rounded the bar faster than you could say Mora. Throwing himself at your feet, he grabbed at the hem of your coat as he finally showed some remorse. “Please, Lady Harbinger! I didn't know! Please forgive this fool for speaking out of term!”

“Is that all you're apologising for?” Looking down on him from above you studied his already tear-swollen eyes as you ripped the cloth out of his grasp. “Besides, it'll take more than a pitiful apology to absolve you of your misconduct against Her Majesty. After all, going against the Fatui means going against the will of the Tsaritsa herself, you understand that right?”

At his shaky nod, you continued.

“Good. Now that we've established that,” you said, drawing an elegant sword and pressing the dangerously gleaming edge against the side of his neck, “I wonder how our Archon would proceed with someone who dared disrespect an agreement with her?”

“Please, gracious Lady Harbinger, spare my life!” His trembling caused his skin to slide against the steady hold of your blade causing the first crimson drops to run down the polished surface.

“And why would I do that? Give me a convincing reason.”

“I'll pay back the whole debt!” This was the loudest his voice had been since the reveal of your identity, yet, you could see the panic in his eyes as his gaze caught yours, one eyebrow raised as you scrutinised him. “W-With interest of course!”

“Hmm, you sound confident, so I'll believe you for now.” Sheathing your blade again, you motioned for your subordinates to leave. As you reached the door, you looked back over your shoulder at the fool's ashy-grey face again. “Well, then, I'll be back for a drink soon.”

And with that, the door shut with a bang. You exhaled deeply as you pinched the bridge of your nose. Debt collecting was usually not something you enjoyed as most people who loaned money from the Fatui were desperate enough to grasp at the last straws. But sometimes… sometimes seeing a douche like him on his knees in front of you gave you a certain kind of kick.

“Hihihi, Lady Columbina~” Two of your highest right-hand mages, Elaira and Alina, approached you, the blue and violet ears on their hoods bobbing with their giggles. “It's not often you're so cold with your targets. What prompted this?”

“People need to be reminded once in a while who they're dealing with. Besides, don't you think he deserved it more than any of the others we visited today?”

“Oh, we absolutely agree, Lady Columbina,” the electro mage said in a sing-song voice. “It's always fun to see you so commanding, it really gets me going. You should do it more, it suits you.”

“It's always the same with you two,” you sighed as they erupted in another fit of giggles. “Come on, let's report back to Zapolyarny Palace. I'd rather not waste any more time in this run-down town.”

“You got it, my Lady!”

Stepping into Zapolyarny Palace was like taking a bath in a Snezhnayan lake, the sub-zero temperatures from outside seemed to plummet even further as you crossed into Her Majesty's sovereign territory. The guards at the enormous entry gate saluted as you and your entourage passed before the heavy doors shut again with a deep thud. As the clacking of your heels echoed off the icy walls, every agent you came across halted in their way and stood at attention, even if you didn't spare them so much as a glance.

Signalling for the guards to grant you entry, you held your head high and looked straight ahead, all emotion drained from your features as the high-arching doors slowly swung open. There, on a throne in front of a stained-glass window, sat one of the most beautiful women you had ever seen, the slit in her shiny blue dress revealing the marble-smooth skin of her crossed legs. The crystals in her crown reflected the light like polished icicles and her long snow-white hair moved barely at all as she tilted her head resting on a perfectly manicured hand. Yet, as you levelled your gaze with hers, there was nothing but frost and coldness between you, the mere metres to the base of the throne felt like a tundra worth of distance.

“Your Majesty, we come bearing the reports of this morning's debt collecting,” one of the Cicin mages said as they stepped out in front of you before kneeling like your other subordinates. “We think your Majesty will be very pleased.”

One of the soldiers next to the throne took the papers, then resumed his position and stood still as a statue. With a lift of your fingers, you motion for your leave, never once breaking eye contact with your Archon. The heavy drape of your cloak swept over the threshold of the courtroom and with that the doors shut.

“Ugh! How do you do it, my Lady? What is your secret?” The Elaira lamented as you reached your wing within the palace. Everyone within these corridors was one of your subordinates or one of a fellow Harbinger whose business collided with yours. “I really don't understand how you can look her in the eyes for so long! I'd freeze on the spot!”

“Hmm, I suppose you get used to the cold eventually”, you answered nonchalantly. “Now, to more important matters: lunch?”

As she opened her mouth to speak an agent called for your attention. “My Lady, Lord Tartaglia has requested an audience. He is waiting in your study.”

“Very well.” You turned to the two women. “You go on without me. I will meet you at the training grounds as scheduled.”

“Of course, my lady. Enjoy your lunch~”, the two giggled as they vanished with a wink.

“They'll be the death of me,” you sighed as you crossed the room, shrugging off your coat before slumping into your cushioned chair, your fingers finding their way to the familiar spot on the bridge of your nose.

“You've always been exceptionally fond of them though.” The ginger across from you remarked as he linked his arms behind his head and stretched out his long legs.

“Unfortunately for my nerves, you're right.” With a softer tone, you added “They're a lively bunch; reminds me that not everything in this place is emotionally dead.”

“What about me then?” Childe smirked as he leaned his elbows on your desk. “Am I emotionally dead too?”

“Nah, you're alright.” Your eyes twinkled as they locked with his as your boyfriend placed two containers of homemade lunch on the table. Much better than the cafeteria food especially considering who prepared it. “So, how're the recruits?”

“They're not half-bad,” Childe said between bites. “Well, if you compare them to freshly born bunnies at least. How's Her Majesty?”

“Peachy. What's on the agenda for this afternoon?”

“Just running some errands. I saw you're in for a bit of fun with some newbies too.”

“Don't remind me. As if dealing with them wasn't enough already.” Pointing your fork at him, you swallowed. “Forget the rookies, they're adorably fresh-faced compared to those nuisances. They've been here for a while, they've gone through frigid training. They're not new but they're also not experienced enough. They're itching for a chance to prove themselves without ever having had to face any real consequences. They fancy themselves capable agents already, they have a grandiose sense of self and worst of all, they're the most likely to act out against authority. It's always the same.”

“Every kid needs to eat their vegetables some day and who better to teach them a lesson than dear old mom?” Childe smugly said, leaning back in his chair again. The way you saw it, he was enjoying himself a little too much on your behalf.

“Is it too late to give them up for adoption? I'm sure Dottore or Pantalone would love to ingrain some manners into them.”

“But then we'd also be a couple of soldiers short of what we started with.”

“That's true,” you conceded. “Let's pray they'll choose a Harbinger other than me to bother.”

The remaining lunch break was spent not talking about work. Instead, you started daydreaming about possible home renovations, what to make for dinner or where to go on your day off. When the clock chimed to get back to work, you almost didn't want to leave the comfortable couch or the warm embrace you found yourself in. But alas, you had a job to do.

“I'll see you this evening then. Stay safe, yeah?” You leant up for a kiss as you straightened his uniform. His palms were pleasantly warm as they cupped your cheeks and he pulled you oh so close to him. As your lips connected, all coldness left your bones and made room for the feeling of home, so familiar and safe, it had you immediately smiling into the kiss. Never in your life had you wanted to be anywhere so badly as with him, so you only parted from him reluctantly when there were three mismatched knocks on your door. Childe fastened the cloak around your neck before booping your nose with a playful wink.

“My Lady, we know this meeting must be of utmost importance but there are recruits to be taught,” Alina's sing-song voice called out to you.

Walking side by side with your subordinates trailing behind you, you made for the main hall of the palace where you stopped in front of one another, all previous warmth erased from either expression.

“Tartaglia.” You offered a court nod which the man in question promptly returned.

“Columbina. I thank you for the most insightful meeting.” And with that, both of you turned on your heels and marched off in opposing directions.

You could feel your retainers' gazes bore into you as they practically skipped behind you but you shushed them before they could open their mouths which only earned you a giggle in return. Even though you didn't explicitly tell them about your relationship with your fellow Harbinger, they had picked up on the shift in atmosphere rather quickly. Despite their somewhat ditsy appearance both of them were a lot sharper than people gave them credit for, which really shouldn't come as a surprise considering you chose them as your closest associates. Around the last corner to the training grounds, you signalled for them to stop.

“Out of all the Harbingers, did we really have to get Columbina?” It was the voice of a young man, decent with a sword, terrible with a bow and even worse with a polearm.

“Shush! Do you have a death wish?!” A female recruit, all-rounder, humble, not a troublemaker. “Besides, she is the second of the Harbingers, I'd be honoured to serve under her later. Unlike others, she actually treats us like people.”

“Oh, come on. I'm sure she's the weakest one of the bunch.” Next to you, the sound of electricity crackling could be heard while the temperature was rapidly falling, yet, you held up your hand to hold your retainers back. “Like, that vision has to be a fake, I've never seen her use it even once. She's probably just a fraud or something. What could we learn from someone like that?”

“Stop it! I won't let you talk ill-“

“No, no. Let him finish, it's an interesting take.” Your voice rang out as your eyes flicked over the man rooted in his spot. “Go on, you were so confident about it just a moment ago. Or better yet, want to put your theory to the test?”

“N-No, my Lady, I-“

“Don't be shy now. We're all here to learn after all.” You strode past him to the centre of the open-air arena, your tone leaving no room for argument. “Pick a weapon of your choice.”

When he went to grab a wooden practice sword, you clicked your tongue and motioned to the sharpened weapons. The sword's rack clattered from the tremble in his hands as he lifted a blade from its holder, then turned his head toward you.

“I won't be needing one. We want to keep this nice and fair, yes?” Cocking your head to the side, your smile was a bit too thinly stretched to be comforting as you patiently waited for him to come closer. “This is your chance to show everyone how weak I am. I'll be generous and say that you'll win if you last 20 seconds after initiating the battle. If you manage to land a blow on me, I'll step down from my position as Harbinger. If you lose, however, you'll face the consequences of disrespecting one of the Tsaritsa's hand-picked elite. Sound fair?”

Among the other recruits watching with curious interest, a chorus of shocked whispers filled the afternoon air. Meanwhile, the two mages looking on inspected their nails or stifled a yawn.

“You'll really step down from being a Harbinger if I hit you?” Placing your hand over your heart, you nodded. “With all due respect, my Lady, aren't you being a bit too cocky right now? There's no way…”

“Why don't you cut the chit-chat and find out?” You crooked your fingers with a smirk. “You won't win by just standing there.”

With that, he charged at you like a bull chasing a red cloth, completely blinded by the prospect of winning. You really had to applaud his optimism, though it did nothing to save him from your foot hitting his fist the second he came within reach and sending the sword high up in the air. Delivering a forceful kick to his stomach, you send him staggering backwards before knocking him on the ground by hitting him over the head with the sword handle you just closed your fingers around.

As the blood running from his temple started soaking the floor, you accidentally stepped onto his hand which gave a sickening crunch in return, then you pressed the sword into his neck. Now, where had you seen this before?

“I believe I have won. Or should I grant you a revanche?” At the frantic shaking of his head, you hummed. “You're right, it's not what we agreed upon. Rules are rules after all. As for the stakes we established…I'm a firm believer that you should learn from every lesson, so today I'll teach you how to properly address a Harbinger. All of you should pay special attention now.”

“First of all, kneel unless I tell you otherwise.” You watched as he heaved himself onto one knee, swaying side to side due to the impact of the metal. “And be quick about it. Other Harbingers aren't as lenient as I am. Keep your head down and only speak when you're spoken to, it might save your life or at least a limb. Next up, with all due respect, which is none, do you really think your tone of voice was appropriate when directed towards me?”

“N-No, my Lady.” His voice was shaking as badly as his legs, tears and snot were already covering the part of his face you could see.

“We agree on something then, which means we can move on to the final question for today.” You pressed the sword against his pulse again. “Do you still think my vision is a bluff? If so, I'd be delighted to prove you wrong.”

The air around the training ground crackled with pure power as the winds around the arena picked up speed, harshly tugging at the recruits' clothes and causing them to stagger. Murmurs and shocked gasps could be heard as the others shifted uncomfortably on their feet. Perhaps there really was something akin to comradery amongst them. As the one to your feet opened his mouth, his answer was drowned out by the howling squalls which shook the landscape.

“Do you want to know why I never use my vision?” Without waiting for an answer this time, you leant down close to his ear. “It's because I don't need to.”

You tilted your head and pressed the sharp edge deeper into his skin as you took in his panic-stricken face. Then you lifted the sword above your head and swiftly brought it down. Turning towards the others you made brief eye contact before coming to stand next to your retainers.

“For today's training session, we'll practise disarming your opponent. Everyone pair up in teams of two, one will attack while the other tries to knock their sword right out of their hands.” For a couple of seconds, nobody moved before they bustled about. “Oh yes, someone please pull the sword from the ground and bring your comrade to see a healer. Today, if it's possible.”

An appreciative whistle came from the shadows next to you. “Quite the show, Columbina. A rare treat indeed.”

“Capitano, to what do I owe the pleasure of you following my lessons? Hoping to learn a thing or two?” Your voice was devoid of the boiling heat in your blood upon the arrival of your fellow Harbinger, resembling much more the ice that surrounded you all.

“I like this side of you, it's very entertaining.” He laughed as he patted a heavy hand on your shoulder and you fought hard not to slice it clean off right then and there. “Still, I can't believe you let him walk away with his head on his shoulders. How fortunate for him.”

“I've found people learn more from their mistakes with their heads still attached. Besides, he wasn't doing a lot of walking. Weak knees that one.” The mages barely concealed their interest in your conversation as you side-eyed the man. “Will that be all then? The show is over for today.”

“Oh yes, that will be all. But please inform me next time you put it back on, yeah?” You didn't acknowledge his leave as you closely watched the movement of the men and women in front of you.

The rest of the day went by without any further occurrences and soon enough you rolled your shoulders after bidding Elaira and Alina goodbye. Your thoughts were invaded by the images of a warm bath and cosy snuggles with your boyfriend, making your desire to go home even stronger.

So, you were surprised and somewhat disappointed when you came home to an empty house, the lights shut off and the rooms awfully quiet as you kicked off your shoes and hung your coat. Normally “running errands” shouldn't take Childe that long. Seems like this day was troublesome not only for you. You might as well get started on dinner then.

Yet, you only managed to chop half of the vegetables before the silence was broken by a key turning in the lock as a deep groan, heavy footsteps and the distinctive thud of a body hitting the couch followed.

“Welcome home, honey. How was work?“ The answer came in form of a muffled groan. “Shoes off.” Two smaller thuds.

With a warm smile, you followed him into the living room, placing the knife on the couch table. You squeezed next to him, sitting at the edge, running your hand through his ginger strands, carefully detangling the red mask and discarding it next to the knife. As your fingers ran over his scalp, Childe let out a blissed sigh, shifting to get more comfortable.

Moving your hands further down, you peeled off his grey uniform jacket, revealing the crimson red shirt underneath. Trailing your touch over the planes of defined muscle, you pressed down where most of his stiffened areas sat. This time he audibly moaned.

“Feel good, hm?”, you teased.

“Yeah, you're so good to me, baby,” Childe sighed. “Keep going, please.”

“Later. I'll make dinner and then we'll take a nice long bath together, sound good?” You planted a soft peck against the side of his head. “Just be a little more patient for me.”

As you stood against the counter again, you grabbed for the knife only to find it still laying on the coffee table. “Ajax, dear, could you hand me the knife please?” Your hand shot up to catch the handle right before the blade could pierce your skin. “Thank you.”

“Would you please start catching them a few seconds earlier? One of these days it's actually going to hit you, you know.” His voice sounded closer now, his spot on the couch abandoned in favour of leaning in the doorway.

“As if,” you snorted. “You can't even get a hit in when you're actually trying, so I'll be fine.”

“That's just because you're such a small target,” he whined.

“Maybe you should use those long arms of yours, then, to land a blow,” you mused, winking at him over his shoulder before returning your attention to the poor cucumber on your cutting board.

“You mean like this?” The knife clattered onto the counter as Childe wrapped his arms around you from behind and spun you around, merrily laughing at your surprised squeal. “Caught you, I'm not gonna let you go again now.”

“Ajax! Let me down, I still need to prepare dinner!” Your sentence came out stuttered between your laughter as you half-heartedly thrashed in his hold. His only response was to hoist you up into carrying bridal style.

“I'll help you later. For now, I want all your attention to myself.” There was no hint of exhaustion as he marched straight towards the bath and set you down on the sink, coming to stand between your legs. “I know we don't talk about work at home but I heard about what you did today and I gotta say, that was attractive as hell.”

He didn't even give you the chance to respond, before his mouth was on yours, his hands greedily pulling you closer. The kisses you shared throughout the day had been sweet and playful but there was nothing of that innocence to be found now. Instead, his tongue swiped over your bottom lip with fervent hunger before tangling with yours. Gripping the countertop with one hand as your other arm lazily draped over his shoulder, you felt him cup the back of your head in his palm, the material of the gloves he hadn't bothered to take off massaging against your scalp.

“Ajax,” you breathed out as his lips started mapping out the expanse of your jaw, down your neck and to your collarbones, using the hand in your hair to angle your head to give him better access. “Don't leave any marks on my neck, I can't cover them up well enough.”

“So, everywhere else is fair game?” You didn't miss the hint of mischief in his voice right before his teeth nipped at your shoulder before soothing the spot with a tender kiss. It earned him a light tap on his biceps but when he straightened back up again to level his gaze with yours, he found nothing but mirth, warmth and love swirling in your eyes. Smoothing his hands up your thighs, he wrapped one of your legs around his waist and pressed you tightly against him when you crossed your ankles behind his back, his long fingers covering most of the small of your back. “A bath sounds really good now, don't you think? It's a good thing, too, that you can sleep in longer in the morning. You might be a little tired after such a long day.”

And Childe was right. You were so sore the next morning the smug idiot carried you to the kitchen to “make up for being the one responsible”. Over the next weeks, going to work later turned from blessing to necessity as you were more often than not hit with nausea after waking up. This was enough to tip you off but the final nail in the coffin was your period. Or, more accurately, the lack thereof.

You knew you needed to tell Childe but something made you hesitate. It wasn't that you were scared of his reaction, everybody knew he was a family man and he often flooded your mind with the thoughts of starting your own family. It was the situation you were in that made your jaw clench. And telling Childe would make all of it become a reality.

Keeping the baby would mean you'd have to desert the Fatui and secretly at that. A Harbinger couldn't have any major responsibilities towards anything but the job and a child would be an unacceptable burden you'd need to get rid of if others were to find out. You were weapons, chess pieces in someone else's game, bound by an oath. In that way, Archons and Harbingers weren't so different.

But betraying the Fatui would mean running for the rest of your life, never being able to properly settle and always casting a glance over your shoulder. How could you possibly raise a child in the knowledge of dooming them to such a fate? If they'd live long enough to grow up that is.

Reality, however, wouldn't change if you kept quiet about it and Childe and you had sworn an oath to carry whatever struggle may befall you together. Besides, he had a right to know, it was his child after all too. So, one evening after dinner, as you were cuddling on the couch, you gathered all your courage. Sitting up so you were straddling his waist, one hand came up to rest against his cheek as the other intertwined with one of his.

“Ajax, there's something I need to tell you.”

At the worry in your tone, his brows creased and his hand squeezed yours reassuringly. “What is it, darling? You know I'll always be here for you. It's a promise I intend to keep, so please tell me what's troubling you.”

“There's no point in prolonging this, then. It concerns you as much as me, you see.“ A timid smile found its way onto your face at the softness in his voice and the way his eyes stayed trained on yours. “Ajax, I'm pregnant.”

You watched him process this newfound information before you were engulfed in a tight embrace and you wondered why you ever hesitated in the first place. Pulling back, Childe framed your face with both his hands, a vivid spark in his eyes as he searched for the indicators of a joke. “Please tell me you're serious.”

“I'm serious, dear. You're going to be a father.”

At that, something in him seemed to snap and he pulled you forward as if he couldn’t bear the thought of separating from you ever again. The kiss was deep, sensual and oh so full of love. As his searing lips slowly danced with yours, his hands slid down your body to settle at your waist as his thumbs circled over your stomach, leaving a trail of molten affection in their wake. Waves of bliss were tugging you deeper into the ocean that was the man before you but you couldn't say you minded; you'd let them swallow you whole if he so desired. You could feel the excited fluttering of his heart matching yours against the palm of your hand. The sensation was only heightened by the vibrations of Childe's deep laughter which had both of you coming up for air.

“I still can't believe it. I'm going to be a dad,” he breathlessly whispered. Carefully he placed one hand fully on your stomach, gently moving his fingers over the place where a new life was beginning to blossom, mesmerised by the thought of his own little family. Pressing another sweet kiss to your lips to confirm this was indeed happening, he leaned his forehead against yours, the tips of your noses almost touching. “I must be the luckiest man alive; how did I deserve you?”

“By the same means through which I deserved you.” You placed your hand on Childe's and he swore he could see the stars twinkle in your eyes. But yours were so much brighter and more captivating than the ones in the night sky; he never wanted to look anywhere else ever again. “I couldn't be happier right now, which is exactly why it pains me to ruin this moment but… what do we do now? We've already been playing a dangerous game just being together but we can't hide a child, let alone a pregnancy, forever. They're bound to find out and they won't be lining up for the title of godparent, that's for sure.”

Childe's grip on you tightened as a shadow fell over his blue irises. “I'd tear Celestia apart with my bare hands brick by brick for this family. If I have to betray the Tsaritsa, so be it. This is worth it; you are worth it.”

“I'm sorry your Majesty,” you thought. Your fingers reached up to touch the icy delusion you had received ‘to freeze this heart of yours’. “But this heart of mine is still very much alive.”

With a reassuring grip on his hand and a daring smirk, you met Childe's determined eyes. “Glad we're on the same page then.”

“There's one more thing to do, though, and I think now's the perfect time,” Childe announced. You shot him a curious glance as he carefully lifted you out of his lap and came to stand before you before pulling you to your feet as well. His eyes shone with delight as he chuckled at your confused expression. “With our little family growing, this is the only right conclusion, is it?”

Not letting go of your hands, he slowly got down on one knee and a fond smile graced his features when he saw your expression catching up with his actions.

“Truth is, there's something I wanted to tell you as well. I guess it's more of a question really but it's been on my mind for a long while now and I'm dying to hear your answer.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a beautiful ring and held it up between you. “Will you marry me?”

You had thrown yourself on him before he could even register the excited string of “Yes!”s leaving your mouth, tears now flowing freely as he cushioned your fall. Both of you were radiating like the sun when he carefully slipped the wedding band onto your left ring finger before pulling out one for you to give him. When you calmed down, you rested your head on his chest, hands intertwined as he absentmindedly traced circles onto your waist.

“I, (Y/n), take you, Ajax, to be my husband, to cherish and to hold from this day forward. Not even death shall do us part,” you whispered into the calm of your living room.

“I, Ajax, take you, (Y/n), to be my wife, to dote on and to protect from this day forward. Not even death shall do us part.” You smiled into the sweet kiss as you wondered how you got so fortunate to call this man yours.

You spent the next couple of weeks planning your escape from the Fatui, double and triple checking every little detail and every possible outcome. It was clear as ice that a single mistake would probably cost you your lives but you had both endured your god-given fate only to end up in the arms of the Fatui, where you clawed your way to the top. If anyone was tough, daring and skilled enough to pull this off, it would be you two. And at first, your plan seemed possible. That was until everything started going south.

“What do you mean Rosalyne is dead?” Pierro's voice echoed through the frosty chambers. “And on top of that, the Balladeer betrayed her Majesty and vanished with the Gnosis. Preposterous!”

The messenger bowed his head even lower as he repeated the dreadful news. When the voices of the other Harbingers were raised as well, he took it as his cue and quickly took leave. You let the others squabble amongst themselves for a while as you looked onto the scene. It was hard to tell whether they were angrier about the passing of one of our own or about the disappearance of the God of Eternity's Gnosis. Either way, it seemed wise to interrupt their petty disputes before tensions could rise even higher.

“Please, calm down, everyone”, you said and despite not raising your voice, the chatter stopped almost immediately. “This is not something to get so excited about.”

“Rosalyne died! How should we not be upset?”

“Do you not care about our duty to the Tsaritsa?”

“Naturally, I am just as appalled by these turns of events as you are and I'm not saying we should go about our days as if nothing happened,” you explained. “I'm merely asking you not to lose your heads over this. Antagonising one another won't bring any progress at all.”

“I must say I agree with Columbina.” It was Pulcinella who spoke up first and broke the silence that had befallen the room. “We will mourn the death of our fellow Harbinger appropriately, then we will strategise on how best to track down the Balladeer and recover the Gnosis.”

That was what you agreed on, at least. But feelings are not so easily repressed just because one wants them to be. The one unifying trait among the Harbingers had been their loyalty to the Tsaritsa and the cause. If they couldn't agree on anything else, they were brought together by the oath they swore. Now, however, even this flimsy string had snapped and they drifted further apart still.

Who would betray them next? Could you trust in anyone else besides yourself even with the most trivial matters? Shouldn't possible threats be disposed of? These were the doubts lingering inside the Harbingers' eyes whenever their gazes would cross. Lies, manipulation and intrigues had been part of everyone's lives for long enough to become second nature, so it was no surprise their suspicions turned against each other.

For Childe and you, however, this was like balancing on a tightrope without a safety net. The starting line for your escape had just been reset to an unbridgeable distance. With everyone's guards raised impossibly higher than before, one wrong glance could send you hurdling down towards your demise. But with your family's lives on the line, you couldn't backtrack now. It might have become harder but not unthinkable.

“Lady Columbina, Her Majesty has requested an audience.”

It wasn't the cold which sent shivers down your spine as you saw Childe already standing before the frosty throne but an urgent sense of dread which filled your gut and made it hard to breathe. You came to a halt next to him as you swallowed the lump of premonition lodged in your throat. The fact that there was nobody else even in the throne room didn't help to soothe your nerves, if only it served to worsen your fears.

“You summoned us, Your Majesty?” Despite your doubts, your voice came out evenly and you were tempted to thank the gods. “May I ask what this is about? If it pertains to the Balladeer and the missing Gnosis, please rest assured, the situation will be dealt with swiftly.”

“I have no doubts regarding the matter of which you speak.” It wasn't often the Tsaritsa spoke to her subjects but her voice was unlike anything you ever heard. It was clear and pure like an ice crystal but just as cold and dangerous as the frost creeping over the ground and encasing all life within it. “In fact, I am leaving this case in your capable hands. You shall venture throughout Teyvat and bring home your fellow Harbinger as well as the piece missing in our collection. I believe by entrusting you two with this task, I'm eliminating all possible threats to our cause, wouldn't you agree?”

The front door fell shut behind both of you as you already shrugged off your coats and discarded your boots.

“I've never heard a more thinly veiled threat,” Childe groaned.

“I agree,” you hummed. “I think we might have waited too long.”

“So, you really think she knows?” The ginger sank into the couch cushions and pulled you in closer by the waist as you took a seat next to him. “There's no chance that this is a coincidence, is there?”

“Hardly. The Tsaritsa might've abandoned her Heavenly Principle a long time ago but I don't think that made her blind to it,” you mused as you placed your head on his shoulder. Your gaze fell onto the stationary set still lying on the coffee table from when Childe excitedly informed his family of the good news. “On the contrary, it probably made her even more conscious of it. After all, love might be one of the few things that could endanger her cause. Case and point, us.”

“But there's not much we can do about it. We'll have to follow her orders until we make it out of Snezhnaya, then we follow through with the rest of our plan and go into hiding; can't exactly disappear from the Palace when everyone's sniffing the air for betrayal like bloodhounds.”

“I hate it when you're right,” you sighed which earned you a flick to the forehead and an offended “Hey!” as you sank deeper into Childe's warmth. “But leaving the Tsaritsa's domain won't exactly be a leisurely walk in the park if she threatened us so openly.”

“So, what I'm hearing is, we'll get a little bit of a warm-up exercise before leaving the country. How thoughtful of Her Majesty.” The challenging tone that would normally have you rolling your eyes at your dork of a husband couldn't quite mask the edge in his voice or the way his arms tightened around you. Had you already lost your footing or would you be able to hang on to that tiny sliver of hope?

“Hey now,” his voice was gentle as he pulled you into his lap and rested his head on top of your shoulder, arms wrapping around you protectively as his warm hands rested on your belly, “it'll be alright, yeah? We'll be together, all three of us. There's nothing more I could wish for.”

“Maybe I don't always hate it when you're right,” you cheekily replied, a teasing grin on your lips as you turned your head towards him. Placing a soft peck on his cheek, you basked in the comfort of the moment which you wished would never end as Childe guided your chin, so he could give you “a proper kiss”.

But nothing lasted forever and all too soon you found yourself walking the cold halls of Zapolyarny Palace again, only now, the corridors seemed much narrower than before, the walls seemingly moving in, leaving you with nowhere to go. The arrangement of the floor tiles reminded you less of diamonds and more of a hunter's trap waiting for its prey to make one thoughtless move.

Pantalone's scrutinising gaze, Dottore's mocking questions about whether you were feeling nauseous and Capitano's blade missing your belly by a hair width during sparring were not exactly comforting either. You were certain Childe and you weren't the only ones who were given a mission that day.

Therefore, it was almost a relief when the date of your departure finally came. What was about to come would probably be hell on earth but at least it was something. The calm before the storm was always the most unnerving, spending it in anxious anticipation for what was to come, yet, as you triple-checked your weapons, you felt a strange sense of ease, the inevitability of disaster grounding you in the moment.

Pulling on your coats for what would probably be the last time one way or another, a sinking feeling settled deep in your gut as you reached for the doorknob. It was as if you stood at the edge of a cliff, the ground behind you slowly breaking away. There was no way to go but forwards but did that make taking the leap easier?

“Ajax, whatever happens today, I-“ As you turned your head, you were caught off guard by him standing directly behind you, his thumb tracing over your lips.

“Don't.” Childe smiled softly as he feathered a sweet kiss against your temple. “Whatever happens today won't change my promise to you. I'll always be here for you, for both of you. Nothing could ever change that. Let me protect my family, okay? Ready?”

You cradled his hand on your cheek in your own before turning your head and pressing a peck against his palm while catching his loving gaze with your own. “Whenever you are.”

At first, your trip to the harbour resembled more of a relaxed afternoon walk rather than the beginning of a no-return mission. Yet, instead of thanking your lucky stars, the hairs on your neck stood on edge as the unnerving lack of threats made your skin prickle.

When you arrived at a narrow canyon framed by high mountain cliffs, however, your little stroll turned into a walk to the gallows. As you took in the differently heightened plateaus surrounding you, you understood why nobody had attempted to stop you on your way there. And by the way Childe's shoulders tensed as he itched for his bow, you knew you needn't convey your own suspicions.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? A little birdie told me two traitors would be coming through here today.” A gleeful voice echoed from the boulders, “Looks like it was right.”

“Pantalone. I'd say it's nice to see you but I was told lying is a sin, so let me ask you what you're doing here instead?”

“Ah, my dear Columbina, I told you already, haven't I? I'm here to catch some filthy rats, as our late comrade would've phrased it.” The smile on his face was too wide to be considered friendly but didn't reach his eyes. “I have to hand it to you, you are right on time.”

“Traitors?” You feigned shock and indignance as you stalled for more time to assess the situation at hand. “We're on our way to Inazuma on Her Majesty's behest, I see nothing treacherous about that.”

“You don't have to play dumb with me, Columbina. Both of you are well aware why we are here and we are well aware you wouldn't be off to Inazuma for the Tsaritsa's request.” At your inquisitive raise of an eyebrow at the plural form, both of you dropped your venomous smiles to reveal your pure loathing for one another. “Naturally, Her Majesty has known about your little… situation all this time and, when faced with the possibility of another deserter, requested the full support of her Harbingers to deal with this threat.”

“But not all of us are battle-hungry fools,” Pantalone threw Childe a nasty side-glance to which the ginger merely scoffed, “so, let us be civil about this. Get rid off the baby and this foolish dream of a family and return to your rightful place at Her Majesty's side. I'm sure she will be considerate of your situation and only minorly reprimand you.”

“I cannot do that.”

“Pardon?”

“You heard me. If you make me abandon my child, I will never be able to swear my loyalty to the Tsaritsa again.” With an unforced smile dripping malice, you took a step forward. “Besides, I've been looking for a reason to actually hurt you without pulling any punches for a long time now. I can't just pass this opportunity up. Let us be battle-hungry fools, comrade.”

“So be it then,” he scowled. Raising his hand in an all too familiar gesture, he signalled for his subordinates to take up position and mere seconds later, you found yourself surrounded on all sides.

“Not to be that guy but,” Childe's voice sounded from behind you as he had moved to cover your back, “I am quite honoured at the warm welcome.”

“I know right?” You chuckled as you eyed the eight Harbingers who had appeared next to their troops with varying degrees of enthusiasm. “Pulling out all the stops just for us, that's so thoughtful of them.”

“You know the Tsaritsa always gets what she wants, right?”

“Yes. But we are Harbingers, my dear. We defy the gods.”

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” The excited laughter spilling from his lips made you think you really had married a maniac but judging by the grin on your face, you weren't fairing much better in the sanity category. “Let's enjoy ourselves to the fullest then.”

The first onslaught of arrows raining down from the cliffs didn't even reach your near vicinity before being caught in the wind torrents surrounding you. Instead, they were flung outwards toward the soldiers charging at you. The characteristic swoosh of Childe unleashing his hydro blades graced your ears as you unsheathed your own sword to parry an agent's dagger aimed straight at your head.

As you slashed through wave after wave of agents, mages and skirmishers, Childe's presence never left you. He was always there to cover your back, not giving anyone the chance to even get close to you. In the corner of your eye, you saw the red flash of a pyro gunner reloading but you couldn't even ready something to take him out with prior to a blue charged arrow tearing through him. It didn't take long for the perimeter around you two to be covered in bodies, some still groaning or trying to crawl away, others completely motionless in the snow.

“This was to be expected, of course, but impressive nonetheless.” The slow clapping sounded nothing but mocking as Pantalone's condescending voice reappeared. “Now then, I hope you're warmed up for the actual fun to begin. We even brought you a gift to show there's no ill will between us. After all, you should be able to say goodbye to your closest associates.”

Among the faces of your former colleagues, you spotted two familiar pairs of ears bobbing reluctantly, trying to keep in the background. They were pushed to the front, however, and barely met your eyes, hoods drawn deep into their masked faces.

“Elaira? Alina?”

They hesitantly raised their catalysts “We're sorry, Lady Columbina, but they threatened to-“

“No, I understand. And I'm sorry, too.” Concentrating all your anemo power into the palm of your hand, you drew them in with a cyclone before abruptly pushing all force away from you, sending them flying straight into the side of the mountain. Hopefully, it would only render them unconscious for the time being.

A gentle touch on your shoulder took your mind off murder for a second. “Are you okay?” Your husband's soothing voice hummed. You merely nodded as you eyed the man in front of you like a hawk.

“Ouch. Cold-hearted, that one. There's really no comradery left in you, is there?” His chuckle brought you back into the present as you gripped the handle of your sword tighter. “I wonder what you would've done if we had brought those little brats instead.”

An image flashed through your mind. The stationary on the coffee table. A small house in a fisher's village. Three ginger haired children smiling up at you. How far would the Fatui go to get back at you both?

The hand on your shoulder tightened its grip, Childe's brain most likely conjuring similar thoughts as yours. If you wanted to hurt Pantalone prior to this, you wanted to see his head roll now. The air crackled with electricity and sheer cold as two delusions were unleashed, the power flowing through your body giving you a rush unlike any other.

“Let's kill them all.” All playfulness was gone from Childe's voice as he unblinkingly stared down the man who had just threatened his family. He needn't wait for confirmation as he charged at the Harbingers with lightning speed, backed by you following close behind him.

The previously light snowfall started to thicken as a white blanket started to cover the landscape but your steps were as light as ever, feet barely leaving prints on the ground as you dodged various elemental attacks directed at you. The ice spear you had conjured after you leapt high into the air missed its target barely as a mechanical arm shielded the person behind it.

“Don't take this the wrong way, Columbina,” the dreamy voice behind the puppet said, “Not all of us are here because of personal reasons.”

“That's true.” The voice of Arlecchino sounded, weapon raised and eyes fierce. “I've actually always liked and respected you a great deal but I can't have you turn your back on Her Majesty and the Fatui.”

“Likewise. I never wished to face you in battle either.” The temperature around you fell several more degrees as you raised your hand over your head towards the heavens. “But it seems some things just cannot be avoided.”

Dove's Lament froze the falling snowflakes above you into sharp icicles before you let them plummet to the ground like falling tears. While your opponents were busy shielding their heads or destroying the projectiles, you took the chance to sweep in but were promptly pushed away by a geo construct rising from the ground. Using the upwards momentum, you catapulted yourself high into the air and landed gracefully next to Childe, who had dodged a couple of metres away from the group. There was an awful screeching noise as a horde of humanoid creatures emerged from within the stone, hunched over, dragging their feet, stumbling, arms hanging limply at their sides. Their expressions were so vacant you couldn't tell if they used to be human or if they never were, to begin with. To be honest, you didn't really want to know.

“What in the abyss is THAT?” you exclaimed, the sight somehow more disturbing than most of what you had seen before.

“I don't know. But seeing how our beloved Doctor is here, I'm sure we all know who we can thank for it.” The arrow Childe fired dug deep into the chest of its target but the creature didn't seem fazed by it at all, merely approaching further as if nothing happened. “You know, I'm starting to starting to realise all our comrades were really mental.”

“You're only realising that now?” You incredulously stared at the man next to you before shaking your head. There was a problem to be taken care of. “Anyway, do the thing.”

The shadow of a gigantic narwhal spanned almost the entire width of the canyon as it emerged from the tip of Childe's arrow. As it descended from its arch, you aimed two fingers with the palm turned outside at it while pulling your other hand back like you were drawing a bow. The burst of ice flash-froze the whale in an instant as it crushed everything beneath a ton of falling ice.

While most of Dottore's experiments were squashed, the other Harbingers had managed to evade the worst part of the damage. With most delusions unleashed now, you didn't want to give them much more time to recover. Frost crept over the ground and up their legs, freezing them in place to give Childe the opportunity to cause chaos.

It wasn't enough though and as they freed themselves from their icy prisons, your element of surprise was mostly gone. And when faced with the wrath of eight Harbingers, even you two found yourself with your backs to the wall.

“Guess there's only one thing left to do.”

“To the bitter end it is then.”

“Foul Legacy, the devouring deep!”

“May you all find Eternal Peace!”

Unlike unleashing a delusion, taking this form didn't feel like a high. No, it was like the flesh was pulled from your bones, every muscle straining and tearing to accommodate the newfound power overtaking your body. Whether you'd obliterate your enemies or would crumble under the pressure, either way, this battle would soon find its end.

Rising above the ground on wings of pure white, you assessed the situation from above and then plunged towards the ground, knocking over opponents with your feathered appendages. You switched your weapons up to two short swords as you took advantage of your heightened mobility. Under normal circumstances, your enemies wouldn't have lived long enough to even properly take in what was happening to them. But the people you were up against were hardly normal.

You could already feel your every muscle beginning to burn as you willed for your legs to move even faster but you were caught off guard by a loud and terrifyingly familiar voice groaning in pain. As you turned towards the source to see Childe hunched over in pain, you registered the shadow coming up next to you a fraction too late and searing pain exploded in your abdomen. As you fell to your knees you clutched the handle of the dagger lodged to the hilt in your flesh.

“Favoured by both the gods and Her Majesty. I've always despised you. See reason, Columbina,” Pantalone said as he returned your furious gaze with cold apathy, “you won't make it out of this alive.”

“Yeah,” you panted. “But neither will you.”

His eyes went wide as saucers as he reached for his weapon in a futile attempt to reach you again but a strong gust of wind pushed him away from you. A rage you'd never felt before coursed through you and exploded outwards into a freezing blizzard, shards of ice and snow pricking the skin of those caught in it. The canyon turned into a massive cyclone with you and Childe at the centre of it, its force keeping the other Harbingers pinned without a means to escape.

“Ajax!”

The man in question lifted his electric-charged spear high into the air and plunged it deep into the frozen ground which cracked from the force of the impact. A blinding light illuminated the sky as jagged lightning flashed across the dark grey clouds making your skin tingle and your hair raise. The following thunder was so deafening it made your ears ring. But it led to the desired outcome.

The bang shook the piles of snow which had accumulated on the top of the cliffs and it came crashing down over you. As the avalanche loomed over you, threatening to bury everyone and everything in its wake alive, you reached for your delusion.

“Frozen heart,” you muttered.

Frost blue light shone down on you both as the dome of ice encased the eye of the storm, cutting you off from the outside world, the quietness almost startling in contrast to the chaos before. The calmness was cut short, however, when a deep groan and a heavy thud cut through the fragile peace of the moment.

“Ajax!” There was more desperation in your voice this time as you rushed to his side, ignoring the pain in your knees as you threw yourself next to him. “Hey, it's okay. It'll be alright, look at me, love.”

You gingerly reached up to peel off the mask exposing one of his eyes from where it had cracked. After you slowly pulled it off, your ringed hand rested on his cheek as you committed all his features to memory, as if you hadn't done so a million times before.

“Let me see you, too.” Even in the quiet, it was hard to make out his low words as his shaky hand reached up to free you from the mask covering your eyes. “I knew it… you're actually an angel…in the form of a human…Too bad I won't be going to heaven.”

“Bold of you to assume I'll be going anywhere you're not. After all, I fell madly in love with you the first time we met. So passionate and determined, can you blame me?” You reciprocated the love-filled gaze he gifted you with as you thumbed away the blood seeping from a cut under his eye. “Besides, I don't think they'd want me back anyway.”

His weak chuckle morphed into a sickly cough and your heart clenched at the sound. You fought hard to keep the serene smile on your face but you were powerless against the tears rolling down your chin and dripping onto his skin.

His ocean eyes drifted down towards your stomach where the silver of the dagger gleamed mockingly against the crimson underneath. You took his hand in yours and wrapped it around the handle, slowly pulling the blood-stained blade out of your body. With the last strength left in you, you tried your hardest not to wince at the stinging pain which fogged up your brain. After throwing the offending weapon as far away from you as possible, you pressed your linked hands to your sticky belly as you lowered your head.

“I'm sorry you couldn't experience all the wonders this world has to offer. Please don't hold it against us, my dear. Mommy and Daddy love you so, so much.”

“I'm sorry, darling,” he whispered. “I promised to protect this family and yet I—You—”

“Don't apologise, my love. If I could go back and do it all over again, I'd choose this family over everything, again and again. I have no regrets.” You leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple. “You've worked so hard and I'm so proud of you. It's time to rest now. I'll be here when you wake up.”

“No matter what's to come, I'll find you both and we can be a family…the three of us,” he coughed.

“I'll be waiting for you, then.” All energy drained from your body as you laid with your head on his chest, listening to the faintest heartbeat dwindle like a candle in a storm, images of what could've been clouding your mind.

“I love you, Ajax.”

But as you closed your eyes, you could only hear the hollow howling of the wind.

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