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secret-engima · 1 year

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*slaps table* hi. This is the post where I talk about, yet again, why Kishi is an idiot when it comes to the implications of his own worldbuilding. Point 1. being that Kishi’s insistence that peacetime is bad for shinobi business is hot garbage and point 2. being the implications of ANBU being Scary even to other shinobi. Because the show makes it clear that ANBU are supposed to be the Scary Ones, the Dark Ones who do messed up stuff. Many fics have already talked about this, but not *too* many I've seen actually explore the implications of what that actually MEANS when put in the context of a society who thinks it's A-okay to give a knives and bombs to literal kids and shoo them off to fight things. Buckle up I’m going to flex my logic center and start talking economics even tho I never studied economics outside casual worldbuilding interest.

Okay to start off with, I’m need to talk about Not Anbu for a hot minute and describe some of the few things we *do* know about Kishi’s “worldbuilding” of the shinobi villages and their history.

1. Literally everyone but Madara the Madman agrees that the villages are a Good Thing that happened, even the missing ninja never breathe a word about wanting to go back to the Warring States Era where everyone was in clans. The implications of this could honestly be it’s own entire rant but I will restrain myself and focus on the topic at hand for now.

2. Konoha and every village barring the trash fire that is pre-Boruto Kiri have a thriving enough economy to be literal *cities* of very decent size and decent quality of life, which the civilians have a major hand in I’m sure, but tellingly the shinobi *make enough income to get by* and seem to do so very easily. I will probably come back to this as I go on.

3. Ninja villages not only have a wide array of mission ranks (which I will also come back to) but they are the ones who set the prices for individual missions, not the employers. This is seen in the infamous Wave mission when the bridge builder fellow lied about the danger of the mission because he *could not afford to pay for a mission above a C-rank*, which I remind you is the second lowest mission ranking in the system.

Alright with those in mind I’m gonna talk about the “peacetime is bad for shinobi” garbage because that does actually relate directly to the worldbuilding implications of ANBU. Just. Just bear with me here and forgive me if this kinda rambles in multiple directions, talking about anything with Kishi makes my braincells run for the hills on a good day.

JUMPING IN WITH THE PEACETIME THING. This is stupid. This is one of the stupidest things to come out of Kishi’s mouth in my opinion barring the existence of the cannibal space aliens. Why? Because despite Kishi’s love of explosions and giant flashy fights shinobi are supposed. To be. STEALTHY. And the vast majority of them now live in villages, which means they need steady income.

Post the unification of the clans into villages, wars actually became too big and messy to be profitable because it’s during peacetime that people have money to spend on hiring ninja. And we see them spend it on incredibly frivolous things when it comes to shinobi. Just look at all the D-ranks we see or are referenced in the shows. Babysitting, pet retrieval, fence painting, carrying shopping bags for civilian ladies, house cleaning, the list goes on. And these pay well enough, are priced high enough by the village, that Might Dai, a single parent, was able to feed, shelter, and clothe both himself and an extremely energetic child while also having time to train himself and his son and walk Gai to and from school. And the price tag for missions only goes up from there. Higher ranked missions pay more according to risk, but peacetime is when people will be able to afford those kinds of missions. *Wartime*, as war is defined in the show post-village creation, are giant, messy affairs where a lot of manpower goes to maintaining front lines and countering enemy action, leaving far *less* manpower and time to take on these kinds of missions, and with the mass destruction of land and resources that these wars cause, people will have less money to throw at having the magic ninja men do things like escort caravans, deal with petty crime, retrieve stolen items, etc. And those examples are just C-rank/B-rank examples. Most wartime missions that we see in the show are actually missions assigned by the village itself, not from an outside client, which means the pay is coming from the Village coffers and not an external source, which can get messy very quickly if they do not have the manpower to take enough missions from outside clients to refill those coffers. Remember that I’m coming back to it later.

Wartime, for village ninja, is loud and messy and ugly. *Peacetime* on the other hand, is the playground of the rich, the powerful, and the *subtle*. Peacetime is when nobles pay top dollar to *flaunt* that they can afford to hire a ninja or three to escort them around in broad daylight regardless of any enemies they’ve made. Peacetime is when nobles have the money to pay for ninja to go in and spy on rivals or steal secrets. Peacetime is when the Daimyo and other elites hire shinobi to escort luxury goods at high risk of theft, to deal with underground human or drug trafficking that is inconveniencing them, or to spy on their neighboring lands for information that will become useful next time they meet up to flex on each other in a “you don’t want to make trouble with me I have and know X”.

More importantly, peacetime is when the *lower* classes can afford to pay for the magic ninja as well. If D-ranks are enough to support a single parent and his child, then C and B ranks are actually going to be the *backbone* of a ninja village’s economy, not the A or S ranks. C and B ranks are going to be the highest pay for the lowest risk, and those will predominantly come from the merchant and working class who have enough spare cash to have someone deal with the wild animals harming their livestock, take out budding trafficking rings and bandit gangs or escort people and goods.

I don’t think I’m emphasizing this one enough. Look at a map of the Elemental Nations, look at the size of those countries. Now we don’t get a lot of info on cities in those countries (because KISHI) but there are bound to be plenty of villages, towns, and cities dotting those countries, and all of them are going to be connected in some way to each other via trade routes and highways. You’re going to have Konoha’s own supply lines and the trade deals they have with their own merchant families bargaining for preferential treatment in exchange for setting up shop in a ninja village on top of all the other merchants from all over the Land of Fire who, during peacetime, have both money and incentive to hire the fire-chucking magic people to ensure *all* of their goods arrive *on time, every time*.

You’re going to have merchants who have supply lines through multiple countries. Glass products from the Land of Wind. Inks, fine paper, and flavored teas from Land of Fire. Fish, oyster, and pearl products from the coast (which is especially high risk in areas near the disaster fire that is Kiri). Each and every country is going to have luxury products or famous higher-quality raw materials (*points at Iwa and their rock obsession, points at every product made out of high quality stone, silver, gold, or iron ore*) that the other countries are all going to want, and consequently you will have merchants that are going to be willing to pay top dollar to ensure those products get where they are meant to go and do so undamaged and in a timely fashion despite bad roads/bad weather/bandits/rogue shinobi hired by a competitor/wild animals/freak acts of the local kami because you forgot to pay tribute to their shrine last week.

The technology of pre-Boruto era is also still stuck in the *horse and wagon* stage, meaning you have caravans of this stuff moving on very strict, long term schedules, which means these are jobs that the village can charge per day or week on the road on top of the base price estimated from the level of risk to the shinobi. You have merchants who are going to give preferential treatment to the village of their home nation if they can, both because you Don’t Insult The Local Fire Breathers/Rock Gougers/Storm Summoners/Etc but also because the villages themselves likely offer discounts for natives of their country, or even contracts that are essentially subscription deals for those who have multiple caravans going out at the same time, multiple times in a year. A “pay this much up front and we will ensure that several shinobi are always on standby to guard one of your caravans” kinda deal. It’s been implied multiple times in the shows that the majority of any shinobi village’s workforce are chuunin and that jounin’s are elite, and C/B-ranks are literally stated in the wiki to be usually given to teams of Chuunin or sometimes two genin teams and their jounin pairing up for a joint operation. Chuunin are going to make their careers on guarding caravans, dealing with bandits, clearing road hazards, etc. If Chuunin are the majority of your workforce, then missions that chuunin can take are going to be, by necessity, the largest cashflow coming into your village.

If a war between two or more countries is happening, all of that gets heavily restricted because of the risk of infiltration, heavily impeded from road destruction and wartime front lines, or straight up *shut down* from lack of money and manpower to take those missions.

Can you see what I’m getting at now when I say Kishi’s peacetime line is stupid.

And here comes another fun aspect of this. Because where the money flows, so does the cultural norms. Now a lot of fics I’ve seen emphasize the child soldier thing and also how D-ranks are very likely a way to acclimate the genin to mission work while also training civilians to see ninja as Friendly Safe Workers who happen to have magic powers and knives. But the thing is, all of that work on acclimating the civilians to view their local shinobi as Safe To Hire is going to go out the window if you remind them too often that these people are literal killers for hire. Merchants are not going to want to hire Infamous Killers because that says to their customers and their potential business partners that they themselves are shady and possibly approve of murder to get their way. Poking at D-ranks briefly, farmers aren’t going to want to hire potentially unhinged murderers to till their fields, and nobody is going to want to hire even the genin to *babysit their kids*.

So.

In order to attract reliable patronage from these low risk, well paying areas, the ninja villages had to *alter their public perception*. Assassination missions, kidnapping missions, extortion missions, all of those over time became short-term gain/long-term loss for the village. So they took them on less and less, and those kinds of missions became increasingly *socially unacceptable* even to the shinobi, because if the village doesn’t approve of it, it’s not a good thing. What assassination/sabotage missions we do see or hear referenced in canon are always, iirc, targeting someone that can the ninja can safely point at and say “this is a bad guy”. High ranking rogue shinobi from other villages or crime lords or despotic warlords being I think the majority (if not the entirety) of the few examples canon gives us. Those are people that, when civilians hear about them being assassinated, the civilians are going to say “good riddance” rather than “oh no!”. And if those missions are the only ones that the common shinobi hear about themselves or take on, then that’s what they are going to associate with those types of missions. A high risk job that is nonetheless seen as Morally Right, even if their moral compass hinges mostly on who is the friend or enemy of their home village.

I could also get into how this has really interesting implications for what the Warring State Era shinobi economics were like and how Hashirama and Madara making Konoha was basically inventing the concept of unionizing but I’m not going to side track to that because finally, FINALLY, we get to the ANBU Are Scary Thing.

Because this. This whole thing about how peacetime is actually where ninja villages make their bread and butter and how the push-pull of being Socially Acceptable for Money turning into Actual Moral Perception is where ANBU’s identity as the Scary Guys comes into play.

Now we don’t know when ANBU was actually founded in Konoha or any other village, but I’m going to ballpark and say it was *after* the First War because of a few key things we know about ANBU.

1. ANBU are Scary.

2. ANBU are known to specifically hunt other ninja (specifically Kiri has a Hunter-nin branch of ANBU but logically every village would have this).

3. ANBU work is extremely psychologically and physically grueling to their members and has a high fatality rate.

4. Whatever ANBU does is considered messed up even by ninja standards. An example that comes to mind is a filler flashback where Gai ends up running into Kakashi on an ANBU mission where Kakashi is basically putting down enemy ninja that are defeated and attempting to surrender and Gai is visibly distressed by this.

The First Shinobi World War likely rocked the Elemental Nations as badly or *worse* than WWI did for the real world, because this was the first time “war” was not defined as two or three noble lords throwing peasants with spears or the occasional ninja at each other or two or three shinobi clans having a protracted blood feud that they could only initiate when they weren’t busy trying to feed their own families. Assuming Konoha has the average number of shinobi clans that can be found in a shinobi village, that means we had somewhere upward of 55 clans from various countries throwing everything they had at each other on open battlefields, destroying large amounts of landscape, and causing shinobi and civilian casualties on a mass scale that even the most fire happy Uchiha could not have achieved on their worst day. This was also after Jinchuuriki became a thing, so this war was the first demonstration of what it’s like to essentially duct tape a nuke to an emotionally volatile child soldier and see what happens when you throw two or more of them into a battlefield.

The economy of the villages and their respective nations would have been in chaos after the war. Entire towns, roads, and bridges are straight up gone, chunks of landscape for miles around have been drastically rewritten, the death toll is high and the missing persons list is even higher and in the wake of this you’re going to have *every* would-be warlord and their grandfather getting uppity and trying to stake a claim on what they can of the wreckage. This includes Rogue Shinobi, likely the first real appearance of Rogue Shinobi in ninja history, at least on this scale. Lots of shinobi are going to be disillusioned from the war, exhausted, more than a few are mentally broken from the traumas, and all the ninja who have no moral compasses and dreams of power are looking at this and deciding “hey, now is a great time to become a warlord”. On top of all this, since most of the wartime missions were assigned by the villages themselves and not an outside client (with *very minimal* cash flow coming from the Daimyo himself since presumably the war was partially his idea, but even the royal coffers are not enough to run a military city the size of Konoha kthanks), the village coffers are likely hanging out somewhere between “Naruto’s childhood allowance” and “I can offer you lint”.

Obviously, these things need to be taken care of pronto, and with the villages scrambling to have the money to rebuild, the Kage in charge are going to be much more willing to take on dirty missions like assassinations, extortion, blackmail, *whatever* just to refill the village coffers. But. The ninja villages still need to keep their social acceptability in order to start getting their C and B ranks back, especially after the war opened everyone’s eyes to how destructive shinobi can really be in large numbers. They cannot afford to be seen killing left and right and the Rogue ninja are a huge stain on their village’s reputation, but openly advertising that “hey, if anyone leaves the village we’ll behead them” really isn’t going to do any favors for keeping the shinobi who are in the same mental space Tsunade was when she got fed up and left Konoha altogether.

And this, I think, is what gave rise to the existence of ANBU. The Kages picking their remaining highly skilled and most loyal followers, putting them in masks so that they cannot be easily identified by civilians, and sent out to quietly complete these high level, socially unacceptable missions. They were sent out to deal with Rogue shinobi and make them disappear without advertising to all the other traumatized village shinobi that their village is “serve or die” rather than the more patriotic “we fight for our home” that they were raised with. They were sent out to perform civilian assassinations, extortion, whatever they were offered in order to shore up the village’s shaky economy of the time and enable the Kage to pay their soldiers.

Then, after the economy stabilized, the ANBU just kinda … never left. Because by then the respective Kage had realized that being able to take on these kinds of missions with high pay and no loss of social acceptability was useful, and in the wake of the First War with everyone being simultaneously paranoid of their neighboring country but also on eggshells to not start another war, the anonymity of ANBU became a convenient way to keep an eye on each other and subtly attempt to sabotage the other when it looked like they were getting too powerful. The next two Great Shinobi Wars only solidified ANBU’s role in the hidden villages for those very same reasons, even though I would argue that they were ultimately a Bad Idea because they put too much power in the hands of the Kage without their village clans being able to hold them responsible, and that’s how we get stuff like Danzo™ and the crimes committed by Danzo™ and the Sandaime against the Uchiha. The existence of ANBU and the ability to “anonymously” jab at each other also just encouraged the animosity between the Great Shinobi Villages, and allowed warmongers (Danzo™) to ensure that an actual peace never fully settled in until the 4th Shinobi War happened.

And the peace post the 4th war, by the way, SHOULD have been a huge boom in the popularity and use of shinobi rather than the detriment that the Boruto manga/anime insists on for like- all the reasons stated in the economics part of this rant as well as the rise of CORPORATIONS that would happily pay a lot for shinobi in a host of different capacities and also people paying for shinobi to pretty please come help rebuild our destroyed homes and farmland with your fancy ninja powers.

It’s also canon that several shinobi retired and went into other professions in the wake of this peace and alliance, such as *acting*, which opens up an entire potential slew of missions geared specifically toward movie producers using their new technologies and their bigger budgets to hire shinobi as stuff like stunt doubles, live special effects artists (need to rehearse but the set isn’t done yet? No problem!! Just hire someone with *genjutsu* to make your actors the ultimate set/stage), *makeup artists* (hey those infiltration skills come in handy in a lot of ways), and more. And that’s just one “modern” profession off the top of my head that would adore having Magic Ninja People available for hire.

I’m sure I’m missing a ton of potential peace time jobs and economic implications because again, I only research this stuff in relation to worldbuilding fictional places. But there we go, I have just gone a 3k rant about ninja economics in order to explain why ANBU are Scary. I hope ya’ll enjoyed.

A side note I couldn’t find a good spot for in the actual rant but another factor in the shinobi villages having to change their behavior and seem Socially Acceptable is because of the rise of civilian-born shinobi in their genin/chuunin ranks. Because there’s no way a civilian family is going to *want* their child to become a murderous psychopath. A competent, magic wielding defender of your merchant uncle’s caravans on the other hand…

Other rants I need to do at some point when my braincells aren’t mush are:

1. My personal HCs on Konoha’s orphanage/foster system (aka Hi, Let Me Give You More Reasons To Hate Sarutobi Hiruzen)

2. Ninja Economics Two: Warring States Boogaloo (Edit: now available here!)

3. Why Cannibal Space Ninjas Are The Stupidest Idea of Multiple Stupid Options

4. Boruto Ninja Cults: What Kishi Could’ve Done Instead of the Garbage We Got

5. Genin Corps (Aka Reasons Kishi Could’ve Given for Why No One Thought Kabuto Was Suspicious But Didn’t. Aka Ninja Economics 3 Babyyyyyy)

#Secret Engima Rambles #SE rants #naruto worldbuilding #ninja economics #boruto #taking red string and thumbnails of logic to Kishi's hot nonsense

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thatlonelymushroom · 5 months

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~o. Athena Cabin 6 - Headcanons .o~

Credit to Viktoria Ridzel :)

World Count : 519

A/N: Okay, so I feel like the Athena cabin doesn't get as much love as the others, it's rarely mentioned in the books. So I decided I wanted to make some fun headcanons for it! As always requests are open! (The main two fandoms I write for is Bnha, and Percy Jackson) If you would like to request any other cabins lemme know! I do minor gods as well :) Alright enjoy!

Two Words. Game. Nights.

Alright, so just like how the Apollo cabin has karaoke every Friday, I’m thinking the Athena cabin has GAME NIGHTS.

And ooh geez. It’s competitive.

Some campers have nicknamed it “War night” because whenever they play, you can hear them arguing all over camp

Like full on “NO ANNABETH. YOU HAVE TO PAY UP. I OWN THAT SQUARE”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN UNO, I SAW YOU DROP THOSE CARDS ON THE FLOOR”

It’s almost scary how competitive they can get.

They’ll have this huge scoreboard for every camper, that’s really complex, and a whole system to decide who plays who, and which game.

And gods forbid you interrupt them.

You will face the wrath of the entire Athena cabin.

not fun.

Additionally, I think they would also have study nights, where they bring all sorts of snacks and blankets

Just a bunch of Athena campers in a cozy little blanket fort- all studying XD

They would also definitely help each other with homework assignments and other stuff like that.

In the winter, since some campers stay full time, they probably don’t really have a school to go to-

So I think in the summer, the Athena campers would have a program to teach other demi-gods school subjects, and the core curriculum so that they could catch up

(Because there were definitely some campers who did not know what algebra was.)

On top of that, I feel like there are two types of Athena campers

The chaotic neat

Or the Neat Chaotic.

The Chaotic neat, will literally go around, and pick up ALL THE TRASH.

They are the most organized campers you will ever meet

Every item has a specific place and reason why it’s in that place

Also- they will full on Lecture and Scold whoever gets in their way

The neat Chaotic, has projects everywhere- ish

It’s borderline messy, but I refuse to believe that an Athena camper can actually be full on messy.

They’re the type to constantly lose their pencils, where Chaotic neat Athena campers are the type to always have a pencil tucked into their hair.

I have a feeling the Athena campers are very diverse- looks wise

But they all have gray eyes. ALL OF THEM

Sometimes it can be scary

If they’re all together, for games of like capture the flag- when they stand together gray eyes just staring

It’s So. Intimidating.

I think the cabin would request have laptops available

Like at any time-

Because Athena campers need to write down their ideas!

And it’s just so much quicker when typing.

They would full on go up to Chiron, with a petition to get demi-god safe laptops solely for that purpose.

(Yeah Annabeth has her Daedalus Laptop- but her siblings would get jealous duh.)

+Random fun idea

Since Athena is god of crafts

I think some Athena campers would be extremely good at DIY stuff, and like crafting

So some of them would have like mini crochet + knitting clubs that they’d organize

Maybe sell some stuffed animals to the younger campers

Omg it’d be so cute.

#athena #athena cabin #greek gods #headcanons #hcs #annabeth pjo #cabin 6 #pjo hoo toa

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nametakensff · 7 months

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I'll show you disease (B/illy, S/tranger T/hings)

Here's a 3.8k nasty fic no-one asked for of E/ddie selling B/illy weed at a house party when B/illy is sick with some evil cold or flu bug. AU of some kind in which they are both alive and nothing exceptional ever happened to them so they're just getting on with life 🤷‍♀️

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Content:

M/M but not really (they hate each other), Cold/flu sneezes, voyeurism, E/ddie has the fetish, E/ddie is germaphobic but conflicted over it, some mentions of mess, contagion, sneezing in someone's face, mentions of masturbation

CW: Non-consensual contagion, very brief mention of someone throwing up, some suppressed shame over the fetish, homophobic and ableist slurs, physical violence, young men being fucking stupid and aggressive

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I really should emphasise this is a pretty seedy fic. No nice feelings to be had, just pure nasty fetish content I had to get out of my system 😅

NSFW, minors please DNI!

Eddie leaned up against the back wall of the fancy house he was currently lurking behind, black metal lunch box in hand. He hadn’t wanted to show up to this fucking shitshow of a house party. It had quite literally been the last thing he had wanted to do. This was his third time taking calculus and he had a stack of equations to get through before the homework was due on Friday. He hated that shit, hated it with a passion, and yet – he would rather be crouched over his desk, chewing the end of his pencil to wood chips and dying of boredom, than be at this party. But his amp had finally given out on him and he’d burned through any and all drug money this month already. He knew selling weed and ket to teenagers wasn’t exactly a respectable occupation, but nobody would hire him in this fucking town, even to flip burgers, and he sure as fuck wasn’t going to bug Wayne for cash. So he was here, trying to tune out the blare of some trash Oingo Boingo song and working his way through a crumpled pack of cigarettes.

There was a sudden commotion to his left. A jock pushed his way through a gaggle of students and made it halfway down the (extensive, perfectly mown) lawn before emptying his guts noisily. Eddie wrinkled his nose at the sight before tossing his cigarette to ground and grinding it out on the (obviously pricey and incredibly tasteful) flagstones. Why him, why him.

It was nearing the end of November, and Hawkins was fucking cold. He snuggled into his leather jacket, for all the good it did him. The other partygoers didn’t seem to notice the freezing temperature at all – but then again, they had enough cheap alcohol in their system to anesthetise a family of elephants, so it made sense. He’d have to break out his trench coat soon, and after that, his woefully ratty puffer jacket. He hated that shit, a total style-cramper of a coat, but vanity be damned. It was the only thing that successfully kept out the cold.

He sniffled, nose starting to run a little. He swiped across his philtrum, grimacing at the dampness pooling there and how freezing the tip of his nose was. He really, really didn’t want to get sick, not with whatever plague was going round Hawkins High this year. He’d had a close call with Gareth last week, had disbanded Hellfire mid-session in a desperate attempt to separate himself and everyone else from what had to be the fastest and messiest progression of an upper-respiratory infection he had ever seen. It seemed like half his classes were empty, not that he particularly gave a fuck about that. He would rather the sick students actually stay at home than brave coming to school and give their germs to him.

It was strange, to be so disgusted by the thought of himself being sick but find the contagion aspect of it so incredibly erotic. The other day he’d been making his way to his locker between classes when he’d seen and heard one of the senior cheerleaders – he forgot her name – erupt into a dramatic fit of seven girly sneezes that sent her pitching forward into steepled hands, before using said germy hands to open the door of a classroom. He took a detour to the bathroom to calm himself – from both the creeping anxiety and sudden rush of blood to his groin.

The sound of something shattering inside the house followed by drunken whooping and cheering pulled him out of his thoughts. He rolled his eyes and lit his third – or was it his fourth? – cigarette of the evening. He really should lay off the things, especially if he wanted to strengthen his immune system, but right now he needed something to occupy his mind. Business was slow-going, partially due to the fact that half the student body was sick, and partially due to the fact that he was in no mood to actively socialise and be surrounded by wasted teenagers while George Michael was blaring loudly enough to give him a tension headache. Funny that Iron Maiden never did that to him, even at the maximum volume of his car speakers.

A couple more sales should get him what he wanted. He could probably make more if he put in the effort, but it was just not one of those days. The thought that he would probably make easier sales going door to door selling Robitussin this week passed through his mind, and he chuckled at the absurdity of it.

“Hh’RRrSSHhh’uhh!!”

Nearly dropping his cigarette, Eddie’s body perked up immediately at the sound of what was, at least to his ears, an incredibly sexy sneeze. Gruff, irritated and masculine, it echoed a little in the garden and at least three girls called out blessings in response. He listened for a beat as the culprit offered no thank you’s, trying not to hold his breath in anticipation for what he hoped was a second sneeze.

“Hh-!! HAHhh’TSCcchhh’uh!!”

Ooh, that sounded desperate. And so wet. He took a drag on his cigarette and let himself luxuriate on the exhale and the sound of the sneeze looping in his mind. It was a welcome respite from the boredom and shitty pop music. Eddie scanned what he could of the garden from his vantage point but couldn’t see anyone that looked like they were recovering from a fierce double of sneezes. Maybe they’d made their way outside to sneeze before heading back in? Either way, it seemed like that was it. He was a little disappointed he wouldn’t get to hear any more. Those sneezes had been hot, plain and simple, admittedly leaving his jeans a little tighter than before. He was grateful that he was partial to black jeans and had found a particularly shadowy corner to skulk in. It wasn’t as if anyone was coming over anyway.

It was as he was sighing in frustration and taking a final drag on the stump of his cig that he heard honest-to-god footsteps approaching him from the left. He straightened up, ready to turn on as much charm as he could to secure the last 20 to 30 dollars he needed.

His smile dropped the second he took in the sight of the man approaching him, and it took him almost all of his energy to stop himself from groaning out loud. He kept his cool, flicking the cigarette butt to the ground and standing up straight.

“Hargrove! Fancy meeting you here.”

As he had expected he would, Billy downright snarled at him.

“Cut the shit, Munson. I’m not here to fucking chit-chat.”

Eddie smirked.

“Oh, believe me, honey, I know. You want a half-ounce of reefer?”

Billy bristled at the pet name, also just as Eddie had expected. He loved messing with the guy, even if it earned him a couple of punches here and there. Billy would never rough him up totally – the dude was insane, most likely a certifiable sociopath, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew that Eddie was both the fastest and cheapest way to get a fix, and it would do no good to brain his dealer over some light teasing.

“Yeah. Hurry up, freak.”

Eddie made a point of opening his lunch box as slowly as possible, delighting in the way the vein on Billy’s forehead was starting to bulge. He had no idea why the girls flocked to such a douchebag. Hargrove was good looking, he knew that – he had eyes. But there was this aura around the guy – something just not right about him. Girls didn’t even give him a chance, though he knew that was partially due to his own doing. Anyway. Weed. He could only joke around so much before Billy reached the end of his tether.

He held the plastic bag up to Billy, jumping back and out of reach when Billy made a grab for it.

��Munson, I swear to god –“

“Cash first, doll-face. Twenty dollars.” Eddie smirked at him.

“Fucking fag.” Billy grumbled but reached into his pocket and rummaged around anyway. He pulled out two crumpled tens and was half-started proffering them to Eddie when he suddenly froze. Eddie frowned and tilted his head, wondering what the fuck was happening until a sudden flicker of movement at the centre of Billy’s face – his nostrils giving a violent twitch – had him zoning in like a hawk.

An intense look of irritation was taking over Billy’s features in a distinctively pre-sneeze fashion. Despite himself, Eddie felt a tingle of anticipation race down his spine. Hargrove was a psycho, but he was a hot psycho, and it would be a lie if he said he wasn’t at least a little curious to hear him sneeze. The metalhead continued to feign confusion so that he could carry on watching Billy’s expression crumple, and, to his utter delight, listen as the younger man issued a couple of soft gasps, the tickle teasing him mercilessly.

Eddie licked his lips, a nervous habit and nothing more, but was nonetheless relieved that Billy was far too distracted to notice. And man, was he distracted. He didn’t mask the desperation on his face at all – if anything, he seemed to lean into it, nostrils twitching and flaring as his tongue pressed against his bottom lip. He looked ridiculous, which was to say painfully erotic, at least to Eddie. Stupid, sexy psychopath.

Finally, the tickle seemed to crest, and with a final gasp, Billy was pitching forward with a wrenching sneeze.

“HuHh’RRrrrschh!!”

Eddie jumped out of the way just in time, clumsily stepping back from the glittering cloud of spray that the younger man let out unhindered. He paused for a moment, in which Eddie watched the aerosol of the sneeze dissipate gently in the cold night air, before his head tipped forward with another harsh expulsion.

“HH’TTSCHhhGH!!”

The spray was even denser this time as Billy sneezed forcefully through clenched teeth. Eddie licked his lips again, couldn’t help himself. No question about it, Hargrove was definitely the source of those earlier, cock-throbbingly sexy sneezes, and he had a front-row seat to the absolute spectacle of it all. The lack of manners and etiquette, the way the younger man just let loose with no regard for the fact that Eddie had been standing well within the splash zone was an unfortunate and very potent turn-on. The metalhead shifted from one foot to the other, reaching a hand into his pocket and squeezing his cock through his jeans in a weak attempt to wrangle it into submission.

Billy righted himself, blinking through bleary, wet eyelashes for a moment and shaking his head, looking for all the world like the sneezes had temporarily sent him on a trip to another dimension. He snuffled and Eddie winced. That did not sound healthy. He watched as the younger man wiped his damp lips and nostrils on the back of his free hand before thrusting the bills out toward him, as if nothing at all had occurred.

“Uhh, bless you.” Eddie offered, hearing the thinly veiled disgust (and something else) in his own voice. He could have sworn he actually felt the germs being transferred from paper to skin as he slid the tainted money into his pocket, making sure not to graze his erection as he went.

Billy said nothing, didn’t even so much as grunt, just stared Eddie down with those cold blue eyes and held out his empty hand for the drugs. Eddie pressed the bag into his palm, trying not to stare but failing as Billy used the thumb and forefinger of his other hand to swipe at his nostrils – pinching them shut before pulling down towards his septum, transferring the dampness to his fingertips.

“Always a pleasure, Hargrove.” Eddie muttered under his breath, snapping his lunch box closed and turning to make his way the fuck off the property and back to the safe, germless confines of his van. He flinched at the sudden sensation of Billy gripping his shoulder tight. A confusing wave of disgust and arousal flowed through him as he realised it was the hand he had just been using to tend to his nose.

“Wait. Do you have any joints, pre-rolled?”

Eddie did, but they were his.

“I do, but they’re mine. Let go.”

He attempted to free himself from the grip, but Billy squeezed tighter. Accepting a quick defeat, he rolled his eyes and reached into the interior pocket of his jacket. With crazies like Hargrove, when they were on one like this, it was better to give them what they wanted. For a price, of course. He held it up so that Billy could see but not reach.

“I want another ten for this.”

He was absolutely pushing his luck, and he knew it. If Billy got violent, he’d cut his losses and fork it over, but he may as well try and milk the situation just a little. To his surprise, Billy just nodded, letting go of his shoulder and rooting around in his pocket for another bill. When he handed it over with no fanfare, Eddie handed him the joint and eagerly snatched at the money.

He was about to leave again when he noticed Billy, joint perched in his mouth, patting his own leather jacket up and down and cussing under his breath. He should have just turned and gone, would have under any other circumstances. If Billy the bigot couldn’t find his lighter, it was no skin off his teeth. It’s just, he had absolutely ripped the guy off, and he was clearly sick…

“Need a light?” He offered, flipping his own lighter open.

Billy regarded him for a moment before grunting, securing the joint between two fingers and allowing Eddie to lean forward and light the tip for him. He took a long drag before exhaling the smoke out of his nostrils – something Eddie had seen him do a number of times before, but never with such a miserably stuffy nose. Billy was coughing almost instantly before a shaky inhale tipped his blonde head backwards in preparation for another bout of sneezing.

His nostrils looked great when they flared like that, Eddie thought to himself, no longer giving a fuck about his lingering gaze now that it was evident Billy was entirely incapacitated by the tickle in his nose. He watched through unblinking eyes as those pinkening nostrils flared to capacity, stomach fluttering a little as Billy took in that final, heaving breath before he was pushed over the edge.

“Hh’RRISCHHhh’uh!! HaHH’TSCCHhhh!! ‘TTtSCHHhhttt!!”

A triple this time. Eddie watched as Billy sprayed the air thrice, each sneeze increasing in sloppy intensity and sending shivers of pleasure down his spine. The thought of catching those sneezes with his palm, feeling the force and drenching wetness of them first-hand sent such a sudden rush of blood to his stiffening cock that he almost swooned with it.

Billy appeared just as winded post-sneeze as Eddie felt. He hated that he felt pity for the guy, knew he didn’t deserve it, but it was there all the same, tugging at his goddamn heartstrings. He should just go. Instead, he opened his big, dumb mouth.

“You shouldn’t be smoking that shit when you’re sick, man.”

“Fuck off. I’m not sick.” Billy sniffled thickly, glaring at him as he took another drag from the joint and exhaling through his mouth this time.

“Right, sure. And I’m the pope. You clearly have the fucking disease that’s left Hawkins High on its knees this past couple of weeks.”

Billy pointedly ignored him. Eddie carried on anyway.

“You graduated, man. What the fuck are you doing at a high school party, other than swapping spit with some poor teenage girls who don’t know any better – who totally, by the way, gave you a fucking radio-active strain of influenza.”

Billy stared at him, that icy-cold gaze that normally looked so composed and lifeless seeming just a little more heated than usual.

“Do you ever shut the fuck up, freak?”

“No, not really.”

“Maybe you fucking should. Burnout retard, still in High School at twenty and selling drugs to those ‘poor teenage girls’. Nobody cares what you think.”

He heard this shit on the daily from various douchebag jocks. It was nothing new. His normal response would have been to laugh, make some kind of overly theatrical gesture and walk away. For whatever reason – the fact that he had been concerned for this scumbag, the fact that he was freezing cold, the fact that he hated this party with a passion, who knew – he opened his mouth again.

“Yeah? At least I don’t look and sound like a fucking human petri dish of disease, sniffles.”

Billy came at him so fast he didn’t even have time to blink before he was slammed up against the wall, head smacking painfully back onto the brick.

“Mother fucker!” He hissed in pain, reaching up to grab at Billy’s wrists as he gripped him by his jacket. “Get the fuck off me, psycho!”

Billy smirked at him, leaned up close enough that for one terrifying, exhilarating second, Eddie thought he was going to kiss him.

“I’ll show you disease, you piece of shit.” Billy muttered, so close Eddie could feel the warmth of his breath as his lips all but grazed his own.

“What are you…” Eddie started before realisation spread through his veins like icy water. That familiar snarl of irritation was back, Billy’s nostrils twitching wide, jaw yawning open as the tickle overpowered him again. The metalhead was entranced for a beat, felt his traitorous cock throbbing in his jeans. This was like one of the private fantasies he would stroke himself off to, as whatever flavour of the month he fixated on would sneeze for him over and over in his mind, except this was actually happening. He could actually feel the puffs of Billy’s choppy inhales and exhales, watch the stretch and flare of his pretty, round nostrils as he built-up to what was sure to be another drenching explosion.

It was as he heard Billy take in that final, cinching breath that he snapped out of his lust-filled haze and started to push the younger man backwards, his grip having been temporarily weakened by the all-encompassing hold of the culminating tickle. He wasn’t fast enough though - the first wet sneeze hit him squarely in the face, spray bursting over him and forcing his eyes to reflexively squeeze shut.

“HAAHh’TSSCHHTtt!!!”

Eddie continued to push him, utilising Billy’s total surrender to his illness to unbalance him. He opened his eyes to watch the younger man stagger backwards, a second sneeze barrelling out of him and gracing the frigid air (and Eddie’s chin and neck) with a wide arc of germ-filled spray.

“HH’RRRSSCHhh’ww!!”

He stumbled forward onto one knee, inhaling again and tipping his head back for the most violent, definitive sneeze of the fit.

“HhHH’RISSSCHHH!!! Ough…”

This last sneeze sprayed juicy droplets of mess across the grass in front of him, so powerful that a couple of drops splattered the toes of Eddie’s sneakers. Billy looked up at him with a sick look of smugness and pleasure.

Eddie stared down at him in disbelief. When Billy started to chuckle like a fucking maniac, snot dripping from his nose all while he looked up at Eddie with those empty eyes, something snapped. He kicked Billy right in the sternum, forcing a winded groan out of him and sending him sprawling backwards onto the grass. Eddie lunged at him, straddling his torso before landing a series of punches all over his pretty-boy face. He had the sense to swing with his right arm only, sparing Billy the impact of the three heavy rings on his left hand, if only to avoid damage enough that he wouldn’t be spending a regrettable night at Hawkins police station.

Five punches in, Eddie realised Billy wasn’t fighting back. His stomach dropped, and for a brief moment of panic he thought he’d knocked him out or worse, but those fears were assuaged as Billy righted himself, head lolling back to rest on the grass as he stared back up at Eddie. The grin plastered to his face was deeply unnerving. He was also boiling hot; Eddie could feel the heat emanating off the torso between his thighs even through his jeans. Feeling the anger dissipate and wanting only to be as far away from the guy as possible, he scrambled to his feet. Billy continued to smirk up at him, even as his left cheek was starting to swell.

Eddie scrubbed at his face with his sleeve, a delayed reaction that would serve very little purpose at this point but gave him something to do to break eye contact.

“I’m charging you double from now on, you dumb motherfucker.” He spat, knowing even as he said it that it was a bluff.

Billy continued to lie back on the grass and started laughing like a total fucking maniac. Eddie had had enough – he was an expert at throwing people off their game but Hargrove was on a completely different level. He was genuinely batshit insane. He snatched his lunch box off the ground and stomped his way down the expansive garden towards the street. He heard Billy’s laughter trail off, grateful for the temporary reprieve until he heard a telltale gasp.

“HuHH’TSSSCHHH’uu!! Hah-!! TSCCCHHHSsstt!!”

Even through the anger, the discomfort, the disgust, his stomach still fluttered at the sound of them. Several minutes later he was back in his van, debating whether or not to claw his own facial skin off, cursing under his breath as he fumbled to start his sputtering engine. He wasn’t escaping this fucking sickness, no way in hell. Not after Billy had…He shook his head, still in genuine shock and some degree of self-recrimination for simply not walking away the second he saw that psycho approaching him. The fever must have fried the guy’s fucking brain, because what the fuck. What the fuck.

His engine finally roared to life and he was peeling down the road far faster than was both advisable and legal. He wanted nothing more than to strip naked and scrub himself germ-free before collapsing into his bed and pretending this entire evening had never happened. Never mind that he was hard as a rock. He definitely didn’t need to address the fact that the second he was in the shower his hand would be creeping down his stomach before wrapping his erection in a firm grip. No need to dwell on how he would probably be coming against the tiled wall until his legs were shaking, conjuring both the image of Billy’s pink nostrils flared to perfect circles, and the sound of his cold-induced sneezes as they burst across his skin.

He stomped on the gas, letting the thrill of his reckless driving drown out the uncomfortable thoughts, at least until he made it back to the trailer.

#no romance and no s/teve in this one at all #and i didn't make e/ddie sneeze even once?? insanity #s/tranger t/hings #nametakenfic #snzfucker #sneeze fic #sneeze kink #snz kink #snz fet #snzblr #sneeze fucker

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orbital-inclination · 9 months

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Me: I do not need another thing to think about I’m in the middle of drafting a comic and some 4-5k ish words into two chapter drafts I do not need—

My brain: ok but what if in an inverse twist of the undertale multiverse, all au monsters are sentient/robotic androids, sort of like how bitties are in Bitty AUs. With different “brands” representing different AUs. Thus allowing things like “coding” to have a very literal meaning. Underfell bots are constructed for gladiator cage match’s for the entertainment of betters (and probably 100% illegal), Swapfell Gold and AU off shots are military androids sent off to fight wars for their human owners and governments so human soldiers never have to be faced with the brutality of their nation’s international policies. Meanwhile, Class, Swap, and Outer are all domestic brands with varying emphasis on subgenres; pop stars, fashion icons, artificial internet celebrities designed to market certain company’s as “approachable” to the masses, or even legal unpaid domestic servants or nannies.

(Info dump continues below)

Outcodes are fun because they are individuals who were corrupted in some way, and therefore considered disposable by the company who made them. Realizing this individually or because another outcode contacted them, most who are still online out in the world are in hiding. A caught outcode is sent back to the factory to be destroyed and recycled. It’s a death sentence.

On The Star Sans: Dream, Blue, and Ink are outcodes who independently escaped captivity, met each other through happenstance and have since established not just a team but a found family in the process. They live double lives, by daylight they pose as functional domestic bots, and by night they are the Star Sanses, heroes of Ebott City! Motivated by the altruistic desire to help others in need (humans included) but especially other monsters/bots who need help.

Legally, a domestic bot must be registered to a human owner. Normally the bot has no control over this. Dream, Blue and Ink have found a way to bypass this system. Independently they’ve picked out decent people to live with. The humans are unaware they’ve been setup. Dream picked a kind but lonely elder woman, who without family nearby, needed someone to help her live safely and independently. She sees Dream as the grandson she never had. To the surprise of no one, Ink chose an artist; an eccentric magician who moved to Ebott from France, intending to settle down after trotting across the globe for a good couple decades. Ink has accepted him as a father figure. Blue is happily rooming with a professional athlete who volunteers to coach at the local high school, the women has a busy professional life and when she’s gone, he has run of the house and equipment.

Error specifically is one example of a horrible tragic case of a classic sans being tossed into gladiator rings, miraculously survives his first match and than every single one after that but at a steep cost. The brutality of the ring gradually corrupts his code because he is being forced into a function that conflicts with the programming he was “born” with, (the birth of Geno), and later, utterly desperate, Geno hacks into his own systems. Though surviving the attempt is not intentional, he does. His owner, believing him to be defunct throws him out. Error awakens in a trash heap, finally free; and vows untold destruction on the men who made him. (And naturally all of Ebott city too)

And also later: Y/N finds and mends Error’s battered body (after a vicious fight with another outcode) and this starts a very tentative relationship or something idk this is as far as I got.

#orbital chatter #long post #I need to get this out of my head so I can actually focus on what I want to focus on!!#robot!au #automon!tale

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yunjardi · 2 years

Text

my heart bel♡ngs to daddy [series]

[young sugar daddy jake x fem.reader au]

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[click here for this series's masterlist, general warnings, and playlist]

[‼️chapter warnings‼️: smut [mdni], daddy kink, usage of the nickname whore & slut, reader goes to a sex club, sex with a stranger, unprotected sex, protected sex, lovemaking, oral, fingering, handjob, angst, alcohol (getting drunk), low self-esteem, light mentions of an emotionally abusive family, lots of plot]

previous chapters:

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

chapter 4

*i apologize for any grammar errors

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-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-

chapter 5: distraction from the distraction

you were flopped down on your couch with the feeling of utter defeat when you heard a certain knock at your door; that knock being you and yeji's code-knock that you two made a long time ago for shits and giggles. you roll off the couch and go answer the door and yeji immediately butts into your house and puts the bags of snacks and alcohol on the counter next to perry's fishbowl.

"okay, now spill how your little date with jake went," yeji said, leaning against the counter and narrowing her eyes at you dramatically as you shoved snacks into your mouth, chewing and swallowing before you began to talk. "okay, i'll tell you... once i get a little bit of alcohol in my system," you sighed as you grabbed various cups and shot glasses out of your cupboard to fill with drinks that'll hopefully make you forget about how much of an idiot you are. you and yeji poured out a few drinks and you downed a few shots before talking.

"for the past however long jake has been in my life, time has flown by so fast to the point where i don't even feel like life is real. it's not that i don't like it, it's just that i've been prioritizing him over everything subconsciously. it's dumb and i shouldn't do it, but i feel like i can't stop myself. i'm always thinking of what i'm gonna do next time i see him instead of thinking about my priorities. shit, i almost completely forgot about that huge assignment that's worth 45% of our final semester grade, and you know i never forget about important stuff like that. i don't work long shifts at the bar as often anymore because i can't seem to stay there long enough without ditching to hang out with jake. i barely focus at school anymore and if i don't graduate because of this shit, you know what'll happen if my family finds out; you know that they'll trash me as if they paid for me to go to school. all the money i've saved up from working at the bar is wearing thin because i'm not there enough to keep earning my own money. i don't want to be 'reliant' on jake because if anyone in my family hears about it, they'll call me a gold digger and a whore; you and i both know that they'll do and/or say anything to put me down. i need to get my shit together, i need to stop this shit, i need to go back to my normal life," you said between tears and swigs of alcohol as yeji rubbed your back and tried her best to dry your river of tears that made your eye makeup run down your face, but you weren't done just yet.

"a-and it looks so fucking wrong from an outside perspective; a low class girl walking around with a rich guy, but it feels so blissful. he makes me feel so good, so why i feel so... guilty? he deserves so much better than a girl like me, but he treats me as if i'm everything to him. i want to leave him because i know that he's probably just lonely and doesn't truly want me, but i can't bring myself to ditch him like that; he makes me feel like i'm worth something after almost a whole life of feeling useless and worthless to myself and my family. am i using him? using him to make myself feel good, or do i actually- no- there's no way. i'm not even gonna say that word," you kept spilling your emotions to yeji even though you were already beginning to slur your words.

"i literally fucked him three times today alone-" "three?!" yeji cut you off in disbelief after staying silent the whole conversation. "yes, three whole times, and it felt so fucking good and intimate every time as if we have some kind of connection. fuck, i fucking hate this. i need to focus on something that isn't him; i need a distraction from my distraction," you rambled on and on while taking even more sips of alcohol, "yeji, i don't want to care about him the way that do. i don't want to be crushed and destroyed when he inevitably leaves me for someone better."

"y/n, don't say stuff like that. i know that you think that you aren't worthy enough, but i'm here to tell you that you're completely wrong; you're more than worthy of a fulfilling life whether it's with jake or without him. don't listen to those fuckwads of parents and siblings because they're fucking wrong. i know you, and i know that you're going to push through this situation, again, with jake or without him," yeji said reassuringly after taking a small sip of her less strong drink, "and for the record, i think that he feels the same way." she let out a small chuckle at her last statement.

just hearing yeji's reassuring words made you feel ten times better. "i'm sorry for just dumping all of this on you. you're the most amazing best friend a bitch like me could've ever asked for," you laughed through slurred words as you squeezed her tightly in your arms. "eww, don't be cheesy," yeji teased as she squeezed you back, "now, let's think of some distractions since that's what you want to do."

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not long after yeji's proposal to think of distractions you two, ironically, got distracted and started watching a movie which resulted in yeji falling asleep on the couch.

after the movie ended, you stumbled into your room and onto your bed only to hear your phone buzz which was odd considering how late it was. you reached over to grab your phone, and to your surprise, it was jake. speak of the devil. without a second thought, you opened up his messages.

'how counterproductive of you, y/n,' you thought to yourself with a sigh as you buried your face into your pillow that still had the lingering scent of jake's cologne. he was irresistible even when he wasn't around.

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you woke up with a pounding headache to the feeling of yeji gently shaking your shoulder as light beamed through the parts of the window that weren't draped in your blackout curtains.

"y/n," yeji said, dragging out the last syllable of your name, "you gotta wake up before your hangover gets worse. i'll make you tea and something to eat, and good god you need to go grocery shopping because your pantry and fridge are almost empty." you groaned and tossed in your bed, your body sore most likely from the three rounds of sex and your hangover on top of that. "give me a few minutes," you groaned, "ugh, i feel like puking my guts out." yeji chuckled and nudged your shoulder again. "that's because you got shitfaced last night. now, get out of bed and at least lay on the couch," she said as she tugged on your arm to sit you up even though you wanted to just flop back onto the mattress.

after yeji walked back into the kitchen area, you pushed yourself out of your bed and stumbled into the bathroom, your headache pounding to a point where you had to hold onto the counter for support while you brushed your teeth and washed your face. a sudden wave of nausea hit you, so you decided to sit on the bathroom floor with your head resting against the wall.

"yeji," you called out from the bathroom, "i feel disgusting." you heard her let out a snicker from the kitchen. "that's because you drank yourself stupid last night, y/n," yeji said sarcastically, "here, i'll come help you get up." once again, another moment where you realized that you have the most amazing best friend as she practically dragged you onto one of your dining chairs.

"here, eat. i gotta go soon, and i wanna make sure that you at least eat something before i go," she said as she pushed a bowl of ramyeon in your direction. you slowly began eating as yeji collected her things to get ready to head home.

"i'm gonna lay down," you said weakly as you left the bowl, still more than halfway full of ramyeon, on the table, "i'll be on the couch if you need me." yeji laughed as she picked up her backpack and swung it over her shoulder, looking back at you slumped over on the couch.

"hey," she said in a more serious tone, "sober up quickly. we have class and work tomorrow, so you gotta be able to focus." you were startled when she followed her sentence with a surprised yelp as she opened the front door to see someone with their hand out, about to knock on the now opened door. you let out a tired "huh?" as you felt the cold air coming into the house.

"hi... jake," yeji said awkwardly as the two stood on opposite sides of the doorway, "what brings you here so early?" she asked with genuine curiosity, your ears perking up immediately upon hearing his name.

"o-oh, i just wanted to come check on her because i hadn't heard from her since last night. i also have an odd suspicion that something's... wrong." he was right, there was something wrong. yeji sucked in a breath as she twisted her head slightly in your direction. "well..." she said with a light chuckled as she fully turned her head, jake peering into the house to see you flopped on the couch with a blanket barely covering your dead-looking body. once she noticed how alarmed he was, yeji opened the door wider to let him in.

"hey, baby, what's wrong? are you okay? are you sick?" jake asked in a concerned tone, letting more questions roll out of his mouth as he felt your forehead to check for a fever as if you were actually sick.

'baby,' you repeated in your head. your heart heated up at hearing his voice say that word to you. that wasn't the point, but you still managed to feel all warm and fuzzy at the nickname.

"she's fine, don't worry," yeji assured him, "she just has a bit of a hangover." she chucked nervously as jake rested his chin on the part of the sofa where your head was, observing your face as he sat on the cold floor. you wanted so badly to kiss him because of how close in proximity your face was to his, but you had to tell yourself no for the sake of trying to quit being emotionally attached to him.

"do you mind watching over her for a little while? i hate to ask such a favor from you but-"

"i'll do it. i'll stay by her side all day if i have to."

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you woke up on the couch to the sound of dishes clanking around in the sink, your body sore from the weird position you were pretzeled in while you were asleep. you sat up, rubbing your eyes to see jake standing in front of your sink washing all the cups and shot glasses you and yeji had used the night before. embarrassed, you called out to him softly.

"jaeyun-ah, what are you doing?" you asked quietly, sleep still plaguing your voice. you could practically feel him perk up at your voice and from you saying his real name, which you'd never done before. "just cleaning up some dishes that you had in the sink," jake said sweetly and nonchalantly as he turned his head to look at your embarrassed expression, chuckling at how cute you looked when you were half asleep, "relax, princess. i don't mind doing this stuff. go ahead and lay down." reluctantly, you followed his instructions and put your head back down on a decorative throw pillow that was on your couch, which you learned would be convenient for hangover driven couch naps.

soon, jake finished washing dishes in the kitchen and crouched down by the couch, his eyes glimmering as they looked into yours. "why are you looking at me like that?" you giggled as you covered your face with the blanket shyly. "because you're cute," he responded with a sweet smile, placing a gentle kiss on your head.

'shut up, shut up, shut up,' you thought to yourself as you tried to push away your romantic thoughts regarding jake. you wanted so badly to not be fazed by his words and actions, but it's as if he had you under some kind of spell.

"i wanna lay on my bed," you groaned quietly, your hangover making it hard to talk. "here," jake said, positioning his arms to carry you bridal style, "i don't want you to have to walk, so you get a free ride." he joked as you cozied yourself into his arms, jake lifting you effortlessly into your room and onto your bed which relieved the stiffness that your body felt from being on the couch for so long.

"now, as per protocol, i must lay next to you," jake said in a goofy manner as he slid underneath the covers to cozy himself into bed with you. "whose protocol?" you teased as you rolled you eyes playfully at his dumb joke. "dr. jake sim's protocol; he's a very esteemed doctor that you should trust," jake said between a few giggles as he playfully yet gently wrapped his arms around your waist, making you shift as you leaned toward him from the ticklish feeling.

it felt like the more you wanted to distance yourself from him, the closer you two got. every touch felt so loving and intimate, and it pained you to know that you had to let him go though he brought you so much joy. he deserves more than a lower-class girl, and you vowed not to get too comfortable but you feel like you're already are.

the feeling of his warm chest against your back brought you another level of safety and comfort. jake proceeded to snake his hands all over your body in a surprisingly nonsexual manner as you began to feel yourself drifting off to sleep again. in the midst of your body falling into a sleepy state, jake pressed kisses along your jawline and shoulder. "comfortable?" was the last thing you heard him say before you fully let sleep take over your body to which you think you responded verbally, but if you didn't, the fact that you'd fallen asleep was enough of an answer.

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you woke up with your head resting on jake's chest and the feeling of him running his fingers through your hair. "feeling better?" he asked once you opened your eyes. you let out a quiet hum in response as you rolled off of him to stretch your body out. "i think i'll feel even better after a shower," you said sleepily as you put your head down on a pillow.

"wanna save water?" jake asked with a smirk. "what are you suggesting, hm?" you said teasingly as you ran a finger down his jawline. "i'll show you if you let me," he said, looking into your eyes with lust.

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in what felt like milliseconds, your back was against the bathroom door as you and jake made out, the steam of the shower fogging up the bathroom mirror. between kisses, you two began to strip each other down, eventually making your way into the warm shower as jake adored your beautiful curves. to him, your body looked like a perfectly sculpted work of art.

the warm water ran down your bodies as jake began to trail his hands from your chest down to your ass, his breath hitching once you began to reciprocate; running your hands down his abs and down to his throbbing hard member, wrapping your hand around it and slowly beginning to stroke him.

"such a good girl for me. now let me show you what good girls get," jake breathed out, making you let go of his cock so he could put you in a position that gave him easy access to your wet pussy. he bent you over and you held onto the built-in towel rack that was on the wall of the shower. you arched your back, inviting him to please you as he teasingly slid his fingers up and down your slick entrance, wanting you to get needier for him.

"please?" you whined quietly as you turned to look at him with your sweet, innocent eyes, "i need to feel you." jake chuckled cockily as he put a finger into you, a wave of pleasure shooting through your body which prompted you to let out a moan. "such a sweet princess. you're so cute when you're needy," he teased as he slipped another finger in, pumping and curling them in and out of your sensitive entrance as you moaned out for him.

"n-need your cock so bad," you whimpered as he fingered you roughly, your wetness dripping down his fingers and your thighs. jake pulled his fingers out of you and planted a sensual kiss on your shoulder as he teased your entrance with his tip, making your legs lightly tremble in anticipation until he finally pushed himself inside you. he offered you his hand to hold, which you accepted, as he continued to inch himself into you, squeezing it while you adjusted to his size.

"my princess," jake whispered as he bottomed out, "so beautiful." he sensually kissed down your shoulders as he gently thrusted in and out of you, making you moan for him.

the lovemaking that you and jake did hit you in the heart in indescribable ways. yeah, the rough sex was incredibly hot, but there was something about the intimacy of lovemaking that made you think that you lov-

your thoughts were interrupted by a huge and intense wave of pleasure that hit your body which caused you to let out a loud moan as jake softly kneaded your ass. "god, jake," you gasped as you gently began to push your ass back at him, jake groaning at the sight and feeling of your ass bouncing against his hips, "feels s-so good."

"i know, princess, i know," jake whispered in your ear, strands of his wet blonde hair falling onto his forehead, "fuck, i'm not gonna last long. you feel so fucking good." the two of you were both in a state of euphoria as you felt the pleasure take over your bodies, jake cumming inside you not long after. you didn't know an action as simple as shower sex would be so erotically intimate.

after you two calmed down from your highs, you began to clean up, jake helping you wash your body and condition your hair. you did the same for him: reaching up to wash his shoulders as he jokingly lowered his head so you could reach it better when you began to shampoo his hair. you and jake shared laughs as you two helped each other clean up.

when things calmed down from being playful and silly, jake gently moved behind you, your back against his toned abs as he held you. the feeling of warm water running down both your bodies as you subconsciously began to shift side to side in unison was one of the most comforting feelings that you'd ever felt. jake rested his chin on your shoulder and gave you a gentle peck on the cheek, making your stomach flood with butterflies.

you wished that it was easier to run away from your feelings for jake, but no matter how much you wanted to deny it, he made you feel so special. the way he always looked out for you no matter the circumstance, the way he held you at night while you two drifted off to sleep, the way he cares about you; those were things that could never seem to make their way out of your mind.

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after getting dried off and settled down, you and jake decided to lay back down on your bed again the way you were before taking a shower.

"today's been so relaxing," jake hummed against your shoulder as he held you from behind. you nodded in response, lifting your head from your pillow to cozy yourself against his chest in a way that you could hear his heartbeat. you figured you'd enjoy the moment to its fullest since your plan to create distance between the two of you was delayed by his sudden arrival. it could be fate bringing the two of you closer, but you decided to brush off that cliché thought and do what you thought would be best for him. because after all, you were doing this for his sake, right? so he could have someone better.

"you know," jake started, "it's been awhile since i've been this carefree." your eyes widened in response. "really?" you asked with genuine curiosity. "mhm," jake nodded, "i don't know, there's just something about being with you that puts me at ease." you blushed because you knew you felt the same way, you just didn't want to admit that to him in fear that things might escalate and you'd get hurt when he inevitably left you for someone that's actually in his league.

"you're such a sweetheart, jake, you know that, right?" you smiled as you reached your hand up to cup his cheek, physically feeling his smile which drove you crazy. "don't make me shy," he whined playfully as his face turned warm to the touch, "that's my job." your eyes widened at his statement, now knowing that he's fully aware of his affect on you. though oddly enough, your new knowledge of him knowing how he makes you feel gives you a bit of hope knowing that he's probably just trying to make you feel good and doesn't actually feel anything romantic between the two of you. sort of a win-lose situation for you though considering that you kinda have a thing for him.

"shush!" you said playfully, followed by a kiss on the lips from jake. "the only way i'll shut up is if i'm kissing you, so..." he said teasingly before littering your face and lips with kisses. your heart was racing miles as you began to reciprocate; giving him kisses as well until you found yourself straddling him, gently pinning him down by his shoulders in a playful manner and continuing your little 'kissing battle' with him.

though the situation began as wholesome and lovey, things took a 180 when you jake began to snake his hands all over your body, slowly riling you up until you were undeniably horny for him for the second time in the same day. you two just couldn't seem to take your hands off of each other sexually and non-sexually. his hands finally found their way into your panties once you two got lost in a make out session, his fingers alternating between toying with the waistband and rubbing your pussy through the wet fabric.

"daddy, please?" you looked up at him in a begging manner, desperate for him to please you again. he placed another kiss on your lips before hooking his fingers onto the waistband of your panties and slowly pulling them down. "i could never say no to you, my princess," he said seductively as he placed gentle pecks on your neck while massaging your clit, waves of pleasure forming in your stomach as you let out quiet moans.

jake wasted no time pushing two fingers inside you, still giving you a little bit of time to adjust before pumping them in and out of you. your eyes rolled back as you moaned out for him, inflating jake's ego which made him work harder to please you. "f-feels good," you whimpered, you and jake maintaining eye contact as he picked up his pace. you pushed your hips against his fingers, wanting more, which gave jake the green light to go faster.

you bit your lip and whined, feeling your walls pulse as you listened to the sound of your wetness against jake's long fingers. "gonna cum, princess?" jake taunted teasingly as he began to rub your clit with his thumb, "be a good girl and cum for me." you nodded your head and let out loud moans as jake curled his fingers against your sweet spot, "i-i wanna be a good girl for daddy." jake smirked then gave you a kiss as you let yourself unravel, moaning against his beautiful plump lips.

"fuck, i'm not done with you," jake mumbled against your neck as he pulled his fingers out of you and lowered himself down to your now sore entrance, latching his lips onto your warmth, cleaning your up. you moaned at the overstimulation as you tangled your fingers in his hair, slightly pulling it. you let him take control of your body while you laid back and enjoyed the pleasure, letting jake play with you however he wanted.

when he finished, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, which was sexy for some reason, then casually went back to cuddling you. "can i sleep over?" jake asked cutely as he put his face in the crook of your neck. you sighed internally knowing that you had to tell him no.

"i have a super busy today tomorrow, jake, and i don't wanna trouble you with that since i'll be waking up early for school. plus, i have a long shift at work after school," you sighed as you looked into his puppy-dog eyes. a big part of you really wanted to let him stay, but you knew that you had to stand your ground. jake fake pouted as he put his face back in the crook of your neck, clinging onto you like a koala and not wanting to separate himself from you.

"i don't wanna go," jake whined, "i'm gonna miss you again tonight." you sighed internally as you played with his hair. "i know, jakey, i'm gonna miss you too," you responded honestly, jake still not letting go of you, "i'll go see you whenever i can, just not tomorrow because of how busy i'll be although i wish i could." he gave you a kiss in understanding but was visibly gloomy about not being able to see you.

it only gets harder to distance yourself from him because he doesn't seem to want to be separated from you either. you let out the nth internal sigh of the day as you let jake hold you close to his chest, gaining comfort from the feeling though it was wrong. so, so wrong.

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waking up for the second morning in a row without jake by your side made you feel a bit empty, but you were adamant in telling yourself to get used to living without him. it's not like he's been around you your whole life, so all you had to do was live the way you did before you met him, though that was easier said than done.

even getting dressed to go to university without him felt weird for some reason; maybe it was because all the new clothes that you got lately were all bought by jake, but still, it felt odd regardless.

walking out your door and into the cold autumn air only made you wish that jake was there even more. walking with you with his hand in yours, making you feel warm as you walked to the underground train station.

as soon as you took your seat on the train, you put your earphones in to listen to music, hoping to make yourself feel calm before class.

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"y/n! i feel like i haven't seen you in forever!" jeongin said with a huge smile plastered on his face as you two hugged each other. you giggled at his cute smile after you two separated from each other's embrace. "yeah i know, right?" you agreed as you took a seat next to him, "we should hang out again." you suggested. after all, you enjoyed it last time, and plus, it would help you get away from jake. "i'd love that," jeongin smiled, "just give me a time and place and i'll be there." you nodded in response as you spotted yeji coming into the lecture hall. you motioned for her to come sit by you and jeongin, and she happily trotted over to the two of you.

"sorry i'm later than usual today," yeji chuckled as she placed her backpack down by her seat, "i slept in longer than i thought i would. but anyway, i'm glad to see that you sobered up well, y/n." yeji joked as you widened your eyes in embarrassment. "hangover?" jeongin asked with a giggle as you nodded mildly shamefully in response, "aww, well, i'm glad you're okay now."

jeongin was such a sweet guy, and you were genuinely looking forward to hanging out with him, but you couldn't help but feel a pinch of guilt because you didn't want it to seem like you were just using him as some sort of distraction from jake. though hanging out with him would certainly help with that, it wasn't your motive.

within a few minutes, the lecture began and you, yeji, and jeongin began to take notes between the professor's blabbering about whatever he felt like talking about that didn't relate to the lesson at all. 'just two more months,' you kept repeating to yourself in order to keep your sanity as you tried desperately not to lose interest in what your professor was going on a tangent about. you knew it was bad when even jeongin, an extremely dedicated student, was dozing off during the lecture. yeji, on the other hand, was shamelessly slouching in her seat with her chin in the palm of her hand and her eyes closed, leaving her pink pen uncapped and notes half written.

though you were upset to admit it, you zoned out during the lecture and only gained your focus back when the class ended. you shook yeji roughly by her shoulder to wake her but gently rubbed jeongin's shoulder to make sure he was awake. to be fair, yeji was a heavy sleeper and your best friend which meant you naturally loved messing with her.

"c'mon guy, the lecture is over now, you can go home and sleep," you chuckled as they both groaned and lifted their heads off the table. yeji was lucky she had the night shift at work because that meant she could at least get some rest before going into work, but you on the other hand had work almost immediately after class, so after waving goodbye to yeji and jeongin, you dashed out of the lecture hall to get ready for work.

upon arriving outside the bar, you took a deep breath before walking in and proceeded to open the doors with confidence. it feels like forever since you've worn your work outfit, and you forgot how much confidence it gave you; it made you feel kinda... sexy? then, after waving at your coworkers and saying your hellos, you headed to your side of the bar to begin working your 8 hour shift.

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work started off the same as usual: mixing cocktails, serving rounds of shots, chatting with customers, but then you noticed a group of 4 girls that were congregating around your side of the bar and making a bit of a ruckus and looking all around the area, so naturally you went over to them to ask if anything was wrong.

"hey, is there anything i can get for you guys? any drinks, snacks?" you asked politely to hide your annoyance. "oh, we're just waiting here to see if someone comes in," one of the girls said nonchalantly. "oh, well, do you mind taking a seat while you do so? we don't want the other guests to think there's something going on," you said in a stern yet still hospitable tone.

"oh yeah, sorry about that," the girl spoke again as she and her friends took seats at your bar, "...so, do you happen to know a sim jaeyun, or sorry, some people just know him as jake?" she asked somewhat mockingly when she referred to him as just 'jake.' you decided to play around with this unexpected question.

"why do you ask?" you said with fake curiosity sprinkled in your voice, "i'm not really fond of guest's names." she perked up and looked at her friends before starting. "he's the hottest chaebol around right now, like, it's crazy that he's super hot and super rich. he's been spotted around here a few times, but there's also been rumors of him being spotted with an unrecognizable girl who is definitely not part of the business world. people who've spotted him around with this poor chick haven't been able to get a clear shot of them, so we could never see her face or anything. he should be with someone who's in the upper class like he is, so whoever that girl is should back off before she embarrasses herself, right?"

saying that your heart dropped would be the biggest understatement in the world. is that really what other rich people thought of you? a 'poor chick' that's an embarrassment to jake's existence? you wanted to run away and bawl your eyes out, but you stomached all of this information and responded.

"o-oh wow, i never knew about all that. maybe i should keep up with stuff like that, huh?" you replied as you pretended to dry off wine glasses, trying to sound as nonchalant and unfazed as possible even though you wanted to roll yourself into a ball and never be seen again.

"it's dumb that whoever that girl is thinks that jake "loves her" or something. she looks like a charity case!" she laughed along with her friends. "w-wow, is it really that bad?" you asked, trying with all your might not to let tears stream down your face, "is that really what she seems like?" one of the other girls nodded. "yeah, it's kinda depressing to look at." all of the girls chimed in with various 'yeahs' and other agreements.

'depressing, huh?' you thought to yourself as you played with one of the heart-shaped diamonds on your bracelet. it was getting increasingly difficult to not bawl your eyes out in embarrassment the longer you were standing in front of these girls who basically thought you were a joke.

"well, i hope he shows up," you fake smiled, "my shift is about to end, so would you guys like anything before i head out?" you asked although you didn't want to serve these girls who all agreed that you were a charity case that jake didn't give a shit about. "hmmm... we'll buy have some strawberry soju," she said as she looked behind you and at the alcohol bottles that were on display. you nodded and turned around to pour a round of shots for them, leaving soon after serving them.

you left out the back door and into the cool autumn air, finally letting your tears pour down your face as you walked down the dark streets that were only lit up by streetlights. you thought about just going home to hide from the world, but then you had an idea; a cheap and mildly pathetic way to forget this shit temporarily.

a sex club

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you stared at the entrance of this random sex club before just saying 'fuck it' and going in.

you were greeted by some surprisingly attractive people who were all there for one thing: sex. you must've come on a good day because there were a lot of amazingly handsome men that you wouldn't mind getting with, but there was one guy in particular that you were making eye contact with. he was tall, had sexy, toned biceps, and beautiful hands that you thought would look delightful all over your body. his sharp eyes seemed to pierce through you as he looked you up and down before finally approaching the red couch you were seated on.

"we're both here for the same reason, so do we even need an introduction?" he smirked, radiating the sexiest confidence that you'd ever seen. "sexy and confident? i like you already," you flirted back, standing up and running your hands seductively down his chest and scanning his face. you looked at the beauty mark on the side of his nose, not being able to take your eyes off of his pretty face. "let's not waste anymore time. rent a room and i'll show you a good time." and at that, he went over to the front desk to request a private room for the two of you.

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"shit," he hissed at the feeling of your tongue against his member, "beautiful and skilled with her tongue. i hit the jackpot with you." he kept running his fingers through your hair as you sat between his legs, sucking his cock as he praised you for being talented with your tongue.

eventually, you ended up sitting on his lap, straddling him as you let him leave kisses on your neck and the exposed skin of your chest. "fuck," you muttered as he rubbed your clit with his pretty fingers, "put your cock in me." you begged quietly which boosted his ego. smirking, he rolled a condom onto his length and positioned himself right outside your entrance, slowly pushing himself in which only made you needier as he bottomed out.

he roughly thrusted in and out of you, making your back arch off the bed that you two were fucking on. "you feel so fucking good," he groaned out as you moaned out for him with teary eyes from the pleasure, "now put your ass up and face down." he commanded as he pulled out of you, your arousal covering the condom. you positioned yourself exactly how he asked you to and he soon put his cock back inside you, beginning to fuck you like there's no tomorrow as you gripped the sheets of the rental room's bed and rubbed your clit for more stimulation.

"so needy, aren't you?" he said as he landed a harsh slap on your thigh, "you wanna cum so bad, don't you?" you slowly nodded your head up and down, "p-please?" you whimpered, practically begging him to fuck you until you cry "i wanna cum s-so bad." he let out a light and sexy chuckle as he kneaded your ass. "what a whore," he said sternly followed by a spank, "get on top and ride me. show me how much you really want it."

you happily obliged and straddled him, sinking down on his hard on and moaning at the feeling of him touching your sweet spot once he was completely inside you. you began to rock your hips against his, using one arm to hold onto his shoulder for support and the other to play with your clit as you rode him. he threw his head back in pleasure as you scanned his handsome face again; that beautiful mole on the side of his nose bridge was oddly charming to look at while you were fucking him.

you were surprised how easily he made you cum, and you were starting to think half of the reason you came so fast was being extremely attracted to looking at his face while bouncing on his cock. "work for another one, slut," he commanded as you began to slow down. you whined at his request but still obliged for the sake of your pleasure. the room was filled with moans once more as you chased another orgasm, again finishing faster than you thought as you felt him release into the condom with a low groan escaping his lips.

the two of you laid down on your backs on the bed for a bit to catch your breath before you began gathering your clothes and putting them on, feeling mildly ashamed for what you just did. "already in a rush?" he joked with a chuckle to which you just laughed in response while putting on your clothes, not wanting to look back at him due to the tears that were threatening to escape your eyes.

sex with this guy was fun but at the same time, it wasn't. it felt amazing, yes, but it didn't feel the same way as when you and jake did it; there was just something missing. the sex felt good, so why did you feel so guilty? guilty as if you betrayed jake or something. he isn't even your boyfriend, so why were you so worried about it?

"i just have homework to do tonight," you said with a light chuckle, still not looking back at him because your eyes were beginning to become teary, "thanks for the fun." you joked in attempt to hide your cracking voice. "wait, i didn't get your name. mine is-"

you cut him off by gently shutting the door and speed-walking out of the sex club in tears. you phoned a taxi to pick you up at the end of the street because you didn't want to have to explain why you were at a sex club in the first place. you tried to calm down in the meantime before your ride showed up, the cold air helping dry your tears as you patted your eyes with your sleeve as well. not long after, the taxi driver pulled up to the street sign and let you inside.

"so, where to?"

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"here? a-are you sure?" the taxi driver questioned as she pulled up outside your destination, looking around the area. "yeah, this is it," you said sheepishly, still holding in a waterfall of tears, "thank you so much." you bowed upon exiting her passenger's seat after paying.

then came the walk up the long entrance and driveway, though you managed to make it to the front door without crying. it was when you rang the doorbell that the tears began to leak out of the corners of your eyes. the house was dark and after awhile, you began to think he wasn't home. but suddenly, the light outside the door flicked on and you heard the door unlock.

tears. so many tears streamed down from your eyes. you just couldn't stop, not even when you looked up to see him.

"hey now, don't cry. what's wrong, baby? did anyone hurt you?" jake asked with shock and surprise upon just waking up, feeling your body for any injuries after letting go from your embrace. you couldn't even form a sentence from how much you were bawling your eyes out; you just kept crying as if you were alone in your room. jake gently brought you inside to sit you down on the couch and warm up as he held you close, your tears wetting his shirt.

all the tears you'd been holding in the entire day uncontrollably poured out as jake held onto you, intertwining his fingers with yours and gently kissing the top of your head while you cried, silently letting you know that he wasn't going to leave you in a state of distress.

"shhh, it's gonna be okay, princess," jake reassured you as cupped your face he wiped your tears with his thumbs, "do you want to talk about it? it's completely okay if you don't want to." you sniffled and looked into his eyes. "i just can't stop crying and

n-need you to hold me," you said shyly with a hint of defeat between sniffles as jake rested his chin on your shoulder. "always, princess. here, let's go to my room and get some rest, you can wear my clothes to sleep, yeah?" you nodded as you hopped off of jake's lap, taking his hand as he walked you to his bedroom.

he carefully helped you change into one of his shirts as if you were as physically fragile as your emotional state, but it was genuinely sweet nonetheless. jake even went to the kitchen to get you a glass of water to put on your bedside table just the way you liked it. he knew you better than you wanted him to.

your plan was to get away from jake, but here you were, letting jake give you butterfly kisses on you face, neck, and shoulders until you fell asleep in his arms.

your heart just had to accept that you can't resist jake sim no matter how hard you tried.

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a/n: hi gang, sorry this chapter took longer than i thought it would, i fr thought i could get this one out super quick but my smooth brain disagreed with that. anyway i hope you guys picked up on who y/n fucked bc i tried to make it super obvious 👀👀

also pls lmk what you guys think of the incorporation of the little texts in between some of the story! should i keep doing it or do you guys think it's distracting?

taglist: @sjakewrld @markleeisdabestdrug @futuremodeldiary @jeondolly @lil-iva @lalalalawon @noirgray @jckeplanet @teddy-lhj @meinapricity @jjkshies @bubbleseo @cherryunie @mqndnolia @axartia @jjhmk @valiantwastelanddelusion @jayroseyy @ayohahaha @asaheyow @lhsng @i-dalso @bunhoons @red-xherry @duolingofanaccount @lix-freckle3 @l0st-h0p3s @leeis @muffinminnie @green-orangeade @imbaeksbae

*bolded accs could not be tagged

©yunjardi on tumblr

#enhypen #enhypen smut #enhypen hard hours #enhypen imagines #enhypen x reader #enhypen jake #jake smut #jake sim #enhypen jake smut #jake enhypen smut #enha jake smut #enhypen ff #jardi's mhbtd #enhypen x reader smut #jake sim smut

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bordysbae · 11 months

Note

I love your stories for Turcotte. could you please do 12. “why do you hate me?” “you think i hate you?” with him? <3

“frat party”

alex turcotte x f!reader

“you expect me to go to a party at his frat? that’s funny,” you scoff and continue looking back down at your phone. your roommate, abigail, comes over to your side of the dorm and sits on the bed.

“cmon please? i know things ended shitty with alex, but this is gonna be so fun! they have a dj and everything. please y/n? you probably won’t even see him, wisco is a big school!” abigail pleads, and you give into her puppy dog eyes.

“oh fine. and yeah wisco is a big school, but it’s not that big. i guarantee i’ll see him, but it’s been a couple months i need to get out, right?” you ponder. immediately abby jumps up and a smile fills her face. “yes yes yes! now let’s pick out an outfit for you!” she beams while taking your hands and dragging you towards the closet. after slipping on ripped jeans and a tight, low cut, white tank you and abby head out. the walk to the frat is only about fifteen minutes, and you’re used to it by now. alex used to always walk you home from every frat party, and if he was too drunk to walk you home, he’d make sure someone got you back to your dorm safely.

as you enter the brick building, the trashed floors and smell of alcohol fills your senses. you’re taken back by the pungent smell, but soon you get used to it. as abby drags you with her towards her boyfriend, you watch the familiar dark haired boy glow in his limelight. alex is practically the life of every party, which was one of the problems in your guys’ situationship. you wanted to get to know him, yet he was always busy with games and parties.

as his head rotates towards the left, his eyes meet with yours before you’re dragged into the kitchen. your view of alex is interrupted by a borg being shoved in your face, “want some?” your friend asks you. you shake your head and continue looking around for any sign of alex. “y/n cmon let’s have fun, drink a little!” abby chuckles, and you roll your eyes before taking a sip of the red colored vodka in the plastic gallon carton. the sharpie on the outside of the carton says: “borgicious.” the burning sensation from the liquor flowing down your throat shocks your system and makes you more alert.

suddenly you notice your friends giving glances, before tapping your shoulder to turn around. you furrow your brows as they step away from you, but when you rotate around you know exactly why. “hey, y/n,” alex states awkwardly. your breathe hitches. the boy who broke your heart nearly two months ago is standing in front of you.

“alex? why are you talking to me, don’t you like hate me or something?”

“you think i hate you?”

“um yeah? you literally ghosted me out of nowhere and then avoided me like the plague!”

“i don’t hate you, it’s quite the opposite actually,” he says meanwhile scratching the back of his neck nervously. you furrow your brows once again before letting out a heavy sigh. you work up the guts to ask the brave question, “why’d you do it alex? i thought we were getting somewhere, but you just ended things so suddenly?”

“can we talk about this outside? it’s a bit loud,” he suggests, and you nod. you both head to the back porch where a few other strangers are standing. they don’t pay any attention to you and alex, so you two just mind your business.

“i did it because i’m scared. i’m afraid to commit to things because i know myself, and i know you. god i wish i could be a better person for you, but i just don’t trust myself. i know my tendencies and i don’t want to hurt you even more in the long run, so i ended things. i’d rather hurt myself more and see you shine, instead of hurting you even more than i already did. i wanted you to move on so you can be happy,” alex bashfully admits.

your hands suddenly find their way to alex’s cheeks, as your turn his head towards you. “i trust you alex. i know you can change, and i know you have a good soul. during those long nights on facetime and the walks to my dorm after parties, i learned so much about you. i know you can change, and i can help you get rid of the stupid “fuck boy” persona. i promise im not gonna judge you, and it’s okay to open up sometimes alex. theres a reason i chose you out of everyone, i know you alex. i don’t want anyone else, i want you.”

suddenly a soft smile appears on his face, and he rests his forehead on yours, “i knew i chose the right girl, i’ve missed you. can we start over? but this time as boyfriend and girlfriend?” you nod your head, and your lips slowly connect to his. his familiar scent brings joy to your body, and same with him. everyone always knew you guys would end up dating, it was only a matter of time.

#alex turcotte imagine #alex turcotte x reader #alex turcotte #alex turcotte blurb #hockey blurb #hockey imagine #wisconsin #wisconsin badgers

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leastdatablebracket · 6 months

Text

SEMI-FINALS, MATCH 2

Propaganda under the cut!

Peter King

Propaganda

Oh I could go ON AND ON but here’s a list: He’s a stalker, he showed up late to a date HE REQUESTED, he killed either your landlord, roommate, or coworker (depending on route) and stuck them in a freezer, lied to the police about it, followed by a car ride either consisting of traumadumping about his family (valid tbh) or him talking about how much he wants to fuck your brains out, then you finding a bloody knife in his glove compartment, asking about it, and him smashing your head into the window to shut you up while he takes you to his house. He is The Worse Datable, as well as The Only Datable because well…he killed the others…and kidnapped you….

FUCK THIS DUDE!!! Country Human looking-ass bitch, I want him dead and obliterated

Many violence, Yandere behavior, cut your leg off in a semi-canon series of illustrations, smashed your head into the passenger side window of his creepy van, chloroformed you in your own house, brought you flowers that were probably tainted with his own blood, given context from another route. Generally a terrible person. Also just very strange to look at :/

He knows what he did….😒

He broke into Y/N’s house and chloroformed them. Generally a really creepy and perverted guy. TK is better :/

Send that man to Worst Datable Hell! Put him in the trash file (he’s a pseudo-sentient AI, similar to Monika, so this threat is valid)! He sometimes looks like a kicked puppy when talking to you, but with your small contributions, we can make him look even more like a kicked puppy! Vote Peter King for Worst Datable Datable Character today! Bonus: Funny canon facts about him! - He can’t swim - He’s allergic to peanuts - He has to wear glasses, but usually wears contacts - He had an emo/goth phase in high school - He’s a YouTuber; he does product reviews - He has very strong mother issues (understandably) - He will respond to and greatly enjoy the nickname “Cockbite” (there are many other names he enjoys, but this one’s the funniest to me)

Cullen Rutherford

Propaganda

stupid racist cop creep whose fans cry about how hes "changed" and "you can't judge him he was addicted to magic drugs" nah he still chose to be a racist cop and abuse his power over innocent people and i hate him. the writers making him romanceable in da:i after how blatantly horrible he was in da:o and da:2 is baffling but i guess they had to appeal to the part of their audience who watch those "mafia boyfriend" videos on tiktok or whatever

He's creepy in origins, though still 100% willing to kill the female mage pc he's crushing on, as well as all the other mages trapped in the circle with him. He's the second-in-command in an even worse circle in 2, listening to and defending the increasingly obviously insane meredith until literally the end. He's one of the people still pushing for the circle system by inquisition, and yes he's going through withdrawals and working through the traumas of previous games. And to be brutally honest his was the first romance i took and while i don't remember much from it, its not worth all the girls going absolutely nuts over knockoff terrible alistair.

He's basically a cop who thinks being born a certain way can revoke personhood and by Inquisition still thinks mages are monsters to be controlled, not people. He gets a fairy tale cutesy romance that focuses on his personal struggles with addiction while showing absolutely no regard to the atrocities he committed and still thinks were justified. He can be romanced BY A MAGE and his actions and beliefs are just glossed over. He believes mages are 'not people like you (Hawke) and me', but if the Warden was a female mage he canonically had a crush on her and would deliberately hang around her despite the fact that he was her *jailer*. If that Warden romanced Leliana, there is war table dialogue in which he pesters Leliana for news of his 'former' crush despite her repeated statement that she doesn't want to talk to him about her. All this shitty behavior and lack of introspection gets swept under the rug by the game, not even giving the PC the chance to really challenge his beliefs. Like damn even Fenris could apologize when he lashed out due to past trauma with mages, and if anyone has a reason to hate mages it's Fenris. If you want an ex Templar hottie Alistair is RIGHT THERE. Tbh I know Cullen is a popular romance and I'm not here to tell anyone what they can or can't do or like in a video game, I'm just saying I think he is deeply undateable

Spends the first two games as an antagonist, fervently devoted to the cause of subjugating mages, then a bunch of "character development" happens off screen and the games treat him like he's completely reformed. However he's actions make it clear he still sees mages as dangerous and lesser. Not to mention if you romance him with an elf he doesn't pay your culture more than lip service respect like most of the devout characters

He was a total villain in the first two games who was violently prejudiced against mages and uses one single bad experience as an excuse for it (a bad experience that is pretty much exactly what he in his job subjected graduating apprentices to, mind you, but this is never brought up). Now he says he's changed, but his words and actions say otherwise. He still distrusts mages, sympathises with the rebel Templars trying to kill them, and he never owns up to the terrible stuff he did and helped others do in the past two games. He totally knew what Meredith was doing and says he doesn't, and he still tries to defend her intentions. And you have no option to call him out on it. If you romance him as a mage, he angsts about how he might have seen you as subhuman in the past but NOW you're one of the good ones, and when you ask him if he'll kill you if you get possessed, he dodges the question. And the PC is written as being almost sad that she's a mage? Like 'can you love me despite what I am??' Also if Leliana romanced a female mage PC in the first game who is still alive, he asks her creepy questions about their relationship. Fitting considering his original purpose was to be creepy to the female mage Warden.

I hate him and want to cause chaos. Plus his VA is an asshole.

Cop

I think you covered almost everything but don't forget that beautiful moment in DA2 - Act 2 where you find out some templars had a petition to lobotomize all mages and Meredith, THE HARDCORE TEMPLAR LEADER, rejects it, but Cullen says they got a point. Despite the fact that we just found out that those templars were using lobotomy (or the threat of) to rape people and get away with it. And then Cullen in DA:I is whining that anything that happened it's not his fault because Meredith kept the worse away form him so he didn't know, but also that anyway Meredith had a point and did what she had to do. Meredith does not go mad until Act 3, before she was of sound mind and Culllen was her second in command BECAUSE he hated mages as much as (or even more) than her. What the FUCK did she even hide from you, Cullen. Oh, but he changed! Because the writers make A VICTIM OF THE TEMPLARS say so. And anyway he only says so BECAUSE HE READS MINDS not because Cullen did anything to show it. Also the narrative wants to sympathise with Cullen for his drug problems while Cullen is openly attacking the only other character with the same problem for...having the same problem. And he's the antagonist, so there were OTHER things Cullen could be mad about. But he is mad about the drug problem. Also I'm not an expert on writing characters with addictions but he is an addict only when it's time to have a cut scene where you pity him. Otherwise it has zero impacts on everything else.

#semi finals

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good-beans · 7 months

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HAI!! haii so so . Listen i was having milgram thoughts as one does and decided to bother you talk to you . Also because i want to lowkey hear your thoughts about this

So i was thinking maybe milgram has a cleaning system thing done by the prisoners?? Like cleaning duties and stuff and obviously i had some silly thoughts like fuuta getting paired with someone taller and not being able to reach a spot that's just bugging him, and they just tower over him and clean it. Also mahiru being extremely good at cleaning because she's always wanted to be the perfect shoujo heroine. And Kazui being good at it to try to make up to his wife for not being able to love her. Muu being a rich girl™ probably wouldn't be all that good at it and I'm not entirely sure about Haruka or Yuno. Shidou probably did help around the house when his family was still around, and being a doctor, probably wants the place to be sanitary, so he'd be good at it too. Anyways, then I thought about Amane.

Like obviously she values cleanliness or purity, but her house isn't exactly the best maintained right? Would that result in her being relatively lax about the cleaning? Or maybe since her guardian was someone who "strayed from the path" (i didn't really know how to put it) she wouldn't want to follow in their example? Making her want to keep the prisoner more clean? I didn't have enough time in school to think about it (sad) but even rn i cant really come to a proper conclusion. Keeping things sanitary was definitely not what she was raised with and if the cult was fine with her running around with her bruises unbandaged and living in her definitely not properly maintained house. But also not wanting to follow something that her guardian did would also definitely be something I'd expect from her…

AHH thank you sm for telling me!! >:3 It’s literally never a bother, I always want to talk Milgram adfsdfsdf I love this 👀 I expand a bit with my thoughts below but all of that is so perfect YES

Omg I love all those -- Mahiru, Shidou, and Kazui definitely seem like the very best cleaners! Mahiru genuinely enjoys it but also holds herself to high societal standards. Kazui probably doesn’t actively enjoy it, but he’d like the clean household and being a good spouse. Shidou seems like he’s just a very meticulously clean person in general -- he also wants to be a good husband but he’d be exactly the same even if he never married lol.

I think Haruka and Muu would be pretty bad at it, just because they’re not used to the responsibilities. (Muu gives me very genuinely spoken “you missed a spot” vibes lmao. She’s trying to be helpful, but depending on who she says it to, it goes pretty poorly…)

Fuuta, Yuno, Mikoto, and Kotoko strike me as the type to be varying levels of messy on their own but when they’re forced to clean they do a good job. Fuuta’s bad with leaving gross food/trash/laundry around. Yuno is sanitary, but her possessions get painfully cluttered. Mikoto and Kotoko fall in the middle of this spectrum. Kotoko seems like she’d honestly just forget about taking care of her living space, while the others make the conscious choice to let it go for a while.

I’m dying over Fuuta not being tall enough to reach a certain spot ASFSDF that’s exactly what would happen 😂 Also I know none of his clothes are his prisoner color, but I’m picturing that classic laundry mishap where he ends up dying his uniform pink by washing it alongside something red…

And Amane. Hm. I’m intrigued by her case, because I would have said without a doubt that she would be super clean and organized due to her teachings -- but then that mv shot (combined with the injury treatment you mentioned) clearly shows her mother doesn’t live that way. It’s definitely an option that she’s a hypocrite in many areas: punishing Amane for things when she herself has done worse, demanding Amane be perfectly clean when her house is a mess, etc. It could also be that she never asked for that, but the rest of the cult drilled the importance of purity into Amane -- and this contributes to the ways in which Amane notices her mother’s straying).

Whether cleanliness was expected of her at that time or not, though, I think you’re right: she’d be disgusted with her mother’s lack of it, and this would fuel her to keep everything in Milgram in perfect order. Es may have been the one to originally set up the cleaning/chore rotation in t1, but once she starts speaking for the cult in t2, Amane is the one really enforcing everything. At first, this probably annoys the others (they don’t want to be bossed around by a scary 12yo). But the way she talks about perfection and punishments would likely cue them in on her past, making them act a bit gentler about the whole situation. Some of them try to get her to relax and not fear undue punishments if things aren’t clean, but she’d likely take it as an insult to her code rather than an offer of reassurance :( Still, I think given her physical/mental strain, some of the others would successfully convince her to let them help, and take a few of the tougher/grosser cleaning jobs off her hands.

#milgram #haruka sakurai #yuno kashiki #fuuta kajiyama #muu kusunoki #shidou kirisaki #mahiru shiina #kazui mukuhara #amane momose #mikoto kayano #kotoko yuzuriha #tw cults #tw child abuse #thank you ahhh this made me so happy!!#i was struggling through schoolwork and rapid fire work projects so it was real nice to think about all the while hehe :3 #i think mahiru would genuinely like Love cleaning and keeping house lmao #and i love fuuta with all my heart but deep down i know hes nasty -_- *shudders*#and harrow makes it seem like kotoko can ignore her own health for the sake of her jobs so i think despite her orderly attitude she would #let things get real messy around her if she was too deep in focus #im sooo curious about amanes home life #i know purge march revealed a lot but it also raised so many more questions!!!#i really love the way they framed that shot of her house -- it drives home how suffocating and dark her home life was...#it just feels claustrophobic and pressing #so she might actually feel freer and cleaner at milgram :(#but yeah i wonder if her mother really did buy into all the cults teachings or just the ones that let her punish amane when she felt like i #like she didnt really believe as much as the others so she was lax on some things #but idk with the reveal her dad is a high ranked member and everything #ANYWAY #enough rambling. it is midnight. i must sleep. thank you.#ask

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kaleidescopic · 10 months

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oddly specific rtc headcannons >:) (part one bc i have too many of these)

Ocean: asexual sex-repulsed lesbian (she/her), swiftie and marina fan, always has to be 10 minutes early to everything, ADHD, constantly corrects everyones posture, allergic to literally everything (cats, seafood, ect), has asthma (which noel bullies her for), sunburns really easily (like 10 minutes outside without sunscreen is enough to basically give her skin cancer), texts with perfect punctuation and grammar, played the oboe for two years before quitting, has crippling anxiety, absolutely hates nicknames (but noel and mischa use them on her out of spite), taught herself social cues through watching reality tv, doesnt sleep like ever (no one knows how shes still alive), takes ap music theory, has almost failed PE multiple times, favorite movie is the little mermaid ('part of your world' is her go to audition song), cant swim, lefthanded, plays with her hair/chews on her nails when shes stressed, painted her room teal in 5th grade and hasnt changed it since, matching friendship bracelets with constance, matilda and asuka kin, dresses really modestly even outside of school, buys all her clothes secondhand, short, her face and arms are covered in freckles, forgets to do the basic things necessary for life most of the time, ceo of passive aggressive emojis, has to change her toothbrush like every week because she destroys the bristles from pushing down too hard/biting them (anxiety moment)

Noel: gay (he/she), usually alone at home bc his mom works night shifts at the hospital, wears skinny jeans so tight he can barely move, paints mischas nails when they hang out, great at calming down people having panic attacks, literal trash self esteem, love language is words of affirmation, half Filipino (mother) half german (father), hates kids, touch starved, abandonment issues, has the immune system of a sickly victorian child, hates christmas because he always gets made fun of his name during it, sensory issues, religious trauma for days, chicago the musical fan, digs his nails into his hands when hes stressed, tries on his moms skirts when hes home alone

Mischa: bi and trans ftm (he/him), very physically affectionate, taught jane how to swear, constantly making ur mom/deez nuts/thats what she said jokes, very good with languages, ungodly sleep schedule but somehow never tired, oldest, really good with kids, is the reason ocean got a swear jar for the choir room, listens to imagine dragons unironically, plays the guitar, uses wikihow for literally everything, ezras favorite (they bond over eminem), carries a pocketknife with him at all times, goes to tacobell sometimes specifically during noels shifts just to annoy him, tallest one in the choir, got his ears pierced with constance, super serious about car safety (refuses to start the car until he knows everyone buckled their seatbelts, will under no condition drive drunk, ect)

#rtc #ride the cyclone #rtc headcanons #ocean rtc #noel gruber #noel rtc #mischa rtc #ocean o'connell rosenberg #ocean rosenberg #mischa bachinski #kal rambles!!

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ymaohoh · 2 months

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'Rule 63' - Hellcheer Fic - Oneshot

Superstar athlete Chris Cunningham is struggling with nightmares and visions and goes to freaky Ellie Munson for relief. Rule 63' - Gender Swap - Hellcheer AU Basically a gender swap version of 'Chrissy Lives' Characters are kind of OC but not really. I've tried to keep them as character-based as possible but there had to be minor tweaks to make it realistic in the 80's. POV switches between characters.

Ellie is 19. Chris is 18. Really enjoyed writing this one. Let me know what you think and if I should do another chapter. Also on Archive. Word count: 9,322 Rated: No ratings, some swearing.

Setting: Hawkins High School

Date: 1986, baby

Introducing:

Ellie Munson, lead guitarist in amateur rock band Corroded Coffin, repeating her senior year again because she has crap grades and a rebellious streak. Her interests? Dungeons and Dragons (she runs the Hellfire Club as D&M and rules with an iron fist), listening to heavy metal at full volume with the car windows rolled down, and reading (and getting high to) The Hobbit, Dune, and other fantasy books which let her drift away. She was the school pariah because she didn’t play by the same rules - ‘a freak’ - and people just didn’t like her very much. The other students (and most of Hawkins) hissed she was a ‘bad influence’ - a junkie slut, trailer trash, juvenile delinquent - who would no doubt end up just like her shitty mom. Oh they were just waiting for the day she stumbled and proved them right.

Ellie wasn’t so sure - she was mean and scary, yes, and she played up the freak role at school because it made certain dickheads keep their distance - but she knew she wanted more out of life. This year she was getting her diploma and getting the fuck out of Hawkins and away from these small-minded hicks. They could literally kiss her ass.

Introducing:

Chris Cunningam, captain of the basketball team and hot-shot athlete with college scholarships coming out of his ears. His interests? Sports, tutoring (his grades were outstanding), and being a perfect all-round good guy who everybody simply fawned over. Guys were lining up to be his buddy and girls wanted to date him. You’d think he’d be this obnoxious douchebag but Chris stood out from his peers - he was kind, patient, always looking out for the little guy. Everyone knew Chris had the perfect future lined up for the taking (a stable high-earning job within his dad’s law firm, a big house with the white picket fence, a beautiful wife and children).

Chris wasn’t so sure - people didn’t want to see the real him - the guy who hated parties and crowds, who couldn’t do anything without his dad breathing down his fucking neck, who was so petrified of letting people down and not being perfect that it gave him panic attacks. Nobody asked him what he wanted to do after school and sometimes (just sometimes) he would let himself imagine a future away from Hawkins and all the stress.

Enter stage left:

Ellie was known to be the school dealer. She even had a system; people would drop a note in her locker with a time and place and she would meet them, easy peasy. Her rules? Cash only, not on a night when she had Hellfire, and absolutely no questions. She didn’t give a shit about why they wanted the weed or who they wanted to impress, she just wanted to get in and out with zero complications. Selling weed was not something she wanted to do forever but it meant she could save up for if - no, when - she graduated.

She couldn’t exactly get a normal job packing groceries because the whole town thought she was a good-for-nothing junkie who would steal from the tills rather than do an honest day’s labour, and she was too young to work in the factory with her aunt.

Some of the money went towards helping her aunt with the bills. Wendy took her in when she was still a kid and her parents split in the middle of the night without even a goodbye or see you later. Wendy was a confirmed spinster and worked a lot so Ellie often had the trailer to herself, but they made it work. She was nice, sturdy, calm; a good balance to Ellie’s puzzling inner chaos.

(she tried explaining to Mr Kelley about her crazy brain and how sometimes it wouldn’t let her focus but he just told her to lay off the pot, which to be fair wasn’t terrible advice overall).

So when Ellie arrived at school (late as usual) and found a neatly folded note in her locker she didn’t really give it much thought until she saw the initials at the bottom - C.C.

No fucking way…

But it had to be him because who else would write please and thank you in a drug note then the resident goody-two-shoes Chris Cunningham?

She only had one class with Chris - English (her worst and seemingly his best) - and he was different from the other douchebag jocks. He never once picked on her or called her a freak and even told the cheerleader Patty to lay off when she tried stealing her notes. He’d smiled and given her a little nod as to say ‘it’s cool’ and for a second he made her believe it. That was the thing about Chris: he was nice, he was kind, and he never told a lie.

(it was no wonder she struggled in that class, but she would rather die than tell judgy ol’ Mr O'Donnell about it).

Chris had a killer smile too - though his front tooth was slightly crooked (which somehow made it even better?) - and the bluest eyes she ever saw. He was also ripped. He must work out a lot because his arms looked like they could easily toss you over his strong shoulder or rip a phonebook in half. Not that she’d noticed, obviously, but the scribbles in the bathroom stalls went on and on about his muscles, his shoe size, his (perfect) butt. To her absolutely shame (and she would never ever admit it even under torture) she once imagined in class how nice it might be to be held by those arms. Ugh.

Sure she was an outcast and liked traditionally unfeminine pursuits, but she was still a girl. She had hormones and feelings and all the crazy stuff that made teenage years super fun.

(and yeah Chris had once cheered for her during a stupid talent contest in middle school but that was years ago and he was only being nice).

It would never happen, this wasn’t The Breakfast Club (Wendy loved these kinds of films - she would drag Ellie to the video rental place every weekend for a new one. Ellie liked Robin who worked there (he was pretty outlandish too) but former ‘It Girl’ Stacey was intimidating as fuck. She had no idea how the two were friends).

Chris was a solid 9 whereas she was a 3 on a good day if she stopped doing weird shit to her hair. He might be Emilio Estevez but she was no Ally Sheedy.

Even if she wanted to suddenly change her clothes and slap on some make up (seriously, what was that ending?), those big strong arms were busy hugging his actual girlfriend Jackie Carver (and carrying her books, opening doors for her, probably opening goddamn jars too). Jackie Carver was head cheerleader and the darling of the school. She was the perfect match for Chris in every conceivable way; church going, wholesome, sickeningly rich. Apart from the occasional teasing, the jocks tended to leave Ellie alone for the most part but the cheerleaders were another matter entirely. They loathed her - and to be fair, she hated them right back. Jackie was the ringleader and Ellie simply loved getting a rise out of her.

(this wasn’t hard to do; she only had to mention how she was joining a Satan-worshipping cult and little Miss Carver would hiss like an alley cat).

So yeah, in conclusion Chris was a good guy and the last person she would ever expect to ask for drugs. It almost made her want to break rule number three.

His note asked to meet at the abandoned picnic bench during lunch period which meant she had to wolf down her sandwich and get a move on. She told her little sheepies with a wink she had private business to attend to and left before they could give her any sass (Dusty was seriously showing too much attitude for her own good). Her bandmates only nodded, well used to her side-hustle.

As she walked through the trees she had a fleeting thought that this could be a prank or a set up. Were the cheerleaders waiting to jump her and steal her stash or tip another slushie down the front of her shirt? (that was a seriously shit day). Would Queen Bee Jackie be waiting instead of her prized King?

Ellie was too scrawny to be a fighter, but her dad had done at least one useful thing in teaching her how to throw a punch (when he still gave a shit) and she was scrappy. She could also read people and situations well. She kinda’ had to. As a girl dealer in 80’s Indiana it was crucial she could make speedy decisions on whether best to fight or fly.

She decided to run at the first sight of a green and orange pom pom.

And maybe a tiny part of her was quite interested to meet Cunningham alone in the woods.

Chris was going insane…or maybe not insane exactly, but he was definitely on the edge of some kind of nervous breakdown. His head was pounding and he was so damn tired from all the restless nights. He hadn’t felt this bad since freshman year when he was trying to beef up enough to make the team (months of eating nothing but carbs and protein shakes/constant calorie counting/early morning runs that made him want to puke his guts out).

He needed some kind of relief.

Painkillers did nothing and he wouldn’t go near his mom’s valium in case she noticed (though the odds of that were…yeah). He saw Mr Kelley at their weekly therapy sessions but it would sound so dumb if he started bringing up the strange ticking noises and dreams that seemed more like hallucinations. It was too dangerous anyway; he'd probably tell his coach who would then blab to his parents. Then he’d really get it in the neck. His parents hated anything out of the ordinary. He could already hear his dad calling him a punk, a loser, and an embarrassment.

“Chrissss,” he’d say, dragging it out like he always did when he was mad. “I’ve worked hard to give you and your sister everything. Now you want to wreck it all by crying about feelings like some girl? Get a grip, son. A real man knows who he is and what he wants out of life. Don’t let me down.”

In the end it was a teammate who suggested Ellie Munson. He told him about the note system too. He warned Chris that Ellie was creepy and to be careful, even if she did sell decent pot. She wasn’t the kind of girl you wanted to know.

He was anxious as hell as he walked to the meeting spot, and more so when he got there and saw…no one.

Damn. Had she not seen the note? Or maybe she just didn’t want to sell to him? He didn’t really know Ellie personally but being a high-school athlete came hand in hand with a certain…reputation. Perhaps she thought he was just another cliche dumb jock looking to make trouble?

(he knew the guys gave her a hard time and tried to intervene when he saw it. He hated bullies - they reminded him of his crappy dad - but yeah, he could probably do more if he was honest with himself. It was hard when Ellie basically gave the finger to anyone who even approached her though).

With a sigh, he decided to head back. This was all probably a bad idea anyway; he’d never even touched a joint before and if his parents or coach or Jackie found out they’d seriously kill him. His perfectly curated image would be in shatters.

And Jackie could be really cold when she wanted to be. It always made him feel like he was walking on eggshells.

But then Chris heard that creepy ticking noise again and he flinched back.

Then a snap.

He whirled around and came face to face with Ellie Munson, who held her hands up. “Woah…hey…sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. You okay?”

Chris nodded but he kept back. The ticking had stopped but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t start back up again. God, he really was going insane. He’d end up like Jack Nicholson in that creepy film with the white straight jackets at this rate.

Ellie sat down at the table and placed a black lunchbox next to her. “There's, uh... There's nothing to worry about. Okay? No one ever comes out here. We're safe. I promise.”

Chris looked at her properly. Ellie Munson was known about school to be wild and weird and most people avoided her. She looked weird in her black ripped jeans, leather jacket, and faded denim vest covered with band patches and pins. Even her leather boots were scuffed and way too big to belong to her. Her hair was wild too; an explosion of messy brown curls that fell to her waist with a knotted bandana (failing) to keep it away from her face. She didn’t wear makeup like Jackie but he noticed three heavy silver rings on her fingers (again, way too big for her). Her ears were heavily pierced and…yeah…one even had a safety pin through it.

He knew she liked to kick up a fuss in the cafeteria and make loud bizarre speeches about inequality and feminist rights, she never ever attended class (when she did she preferred to sleep in the back row), and could swear like a biker. She also protected a flock of freshmen like a mother hen. So yeah weird but she wore it well. She wore it in a way that proclaimed proudly she didn’t give a shit what other people thought about her, which was…actually pretty cool.

Ellie’s boldness and shere cheek should by all rights freak him out, but it didn’t. Instead he felt a strange twist of jealousy in his chest; he’d love to borrow that nerve and tell the people around him to leave him the hell alone.

So when she told him they were safe, he found himself believing her (even though she was like half his height and he definitely bench pressed heavier weights than her). Strange.

“So, how does this work exactly?” he asked, sitting down too.

“Oh, just like any other old sale, except, uh, cash only, and, uh, for obvious reasons, no receipts. I'll do you a half ounce for, uh... 20. What do you say? Plenty of bang for your buck. Should last a while.”

Another snap. He shuddered and rubbed his temples.

“Hey, uh, we don't need to do this. Just give me the word and I'll walk away. Okay?”

She was looking at him with something like real concern flashing in her brown eyes. He felt oddly touched. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone looked at him like that.

“It's not that. I don't want you to go. It's just…” he took a deep breath to steady himself. “Do you ever feel like you're losing your mind?”

He half expected her to leg it but to his surprise Ellie just grinned. Up close, he noticed a dimple in her left cheek which was pretty cute.

“Um, you know, just... on a daily basis. I feel like I'm losing my mind right now doing a drսg deal with Chris Cunningham, the King of Hawkins High.”

Chris could feel his cheeks burning - he hated being called that. That was all Jackie’s doing. She had big plans that they were going to be crowned at prom and then probably marry right out of school and…ugh. He was about to say so when Ellie went on…

“You know, this isn't the first time that we've, um... hung out.”

“I'm sorry. I…”

“That's okay.”

Before he could say another word, Ellie launched herself back off the table and he sprang to his feet to…help? Catch her? Check she was ok? But Ellie was grinning again and he found it so infectious that he smiled right back.

“I wouldn't remember me either, Chris. Honestly, do I have stuff in my hair?” she laughed. There were brown and gold leaves in her hair but instead of fixing it (like Jackie might’ve) she shook it out and seemed totally unfazed. “You don't remember me?”

“I’m sorry!” Chris laughed.

“Middle school, talent show? You were doing the basketball thing. You know, the... dribbling… thing you do. It was pretty cool, actually. And I... I was with my band.”

Then it hit him. “Corroded Coffin! Yes, of course. With a name like that, how could I forget?”

“I dunno. You're a freak.”

Ellie was beaming and Chris sat back down on the edge of the table to watch her. If anyone else called him a freak he might’ve been offended but Ellie said it like it was a badge of honour. Her dimple was back.

A vague memory of a tiny girl with patched dungarees holding a guitar suddenly came back to him. She’d been waiting to go out on stage with her friends, terrified and clearly falling to bits with nerves. Chris had smiled and wished her luck, and afterwards whooped and clapped so hard he thought his hands might fall off. His dad had ripped him to shreds for his own performance - but her little crooked smile and twinkling eyes stayed with him. “No, you just... You looked so... Different?”

“Yeah. Well, uh, my hair was shorter and I had braces, and I didn't have these sweet old tatties yet.”

She tugged at the neck of her shirt (with Hellfire written across the front) and he spotted a line of black ink just underneath her collarbone. He knew some girls got tattoos - not any of the girls he knew, of course - and Ellie implied she had more than one. He felt himself blush again when he realised he wanted to see more. Which would obviously be really inappropriate and creepy.

He was very aware of the fact they were all alone and he was significantly bigger than her, even if Ellie didn’t seem to notice. He dragged his gaze back to the safety of her face.

Thankfully his voice didn’t betray any of what he was feeling. “You played guitar, right?”

“Uh-huh. Still do. Still do. You should come see us. Uh, we play at The Hideout on Tuesdays. It's pretty cool. We... We actually get a crowd of about five drunks. It's not exactly the Garden, but you gotta start somewhere, right?”

He was surprised she was allowed to go to The Hideout at all with drunk guys - let alone to play in a band. Maybe her boyfriend went along to keep her safe? Chris didn’t even know her that well and he wanted to. “You know, you're not what I thought you'd be like.”

“Mean and scary?”

That’s what Jackie or his friends would say. “Yeah.”

“Yeah, well, I actually kinda thought you'd be kinda mean and scary too.”

He actually snorted at that. “Me?”

Ellie laughed and when she laughed she did it properly - lips wide, eyes bright, her head tossed back. It was so incredibly animated and warm and real that it made Chris want to huddle closer to her flame. She perched on the seat beside him and opened up the lunchbox.

“Terrifying. Uh, so, in other good news, flattery works with me, so... Twenty-five percent discount for the half. Fifteen bucks. You're robbing me blind here, you know.”

Oh right. Drugs. He’d almost forgotten. He’d enjoyed speaking to her so much (and watching her - she was more interesting to look at than anyone else he knew) that for a brief wonderful moment the ticking and spiders and nightmares vanished.

But they came back back now and he felt himself physically recoil.

“Do you have anything maybe stronger?”

He didn’t think anything shocked Ellie Munson, but that sure did.

Right. So perfect wholesome Chris Cunningham was sitting in her crappy van and they were driving back to her trailer.

He said he wanted something harder than weed and Ellie said yes but obviously didn’t keep that kind of thing at school. She offered to meet him the following day (same time, same place, even though it was a Saturday) but Chris had looked so serious when he asked if he could please possibly get it tonight after the game and her club meeting. She’d been too taken back by the intensity in his eyes to say anything other than yes, honestly. So they met later that evening by her van and he actually opened the door for her. Ellie couldn’t remember anyone ever doing that kind of thing for her before.

(she’d had a short-lived daliance with a boy from her art class and he’d brought her roses and candy, but the next day he was sucking face with a girl from their photography class who put out, so it wasn’t really what you’d call meaningful).

She thanked him and hopped up into the driver’s seat (damn it, she was too short for anything elegant) and Chris slid in beside her. He was polite enough not to mention the many takeout coffee cups, the spare and broken tapes cluttering the floor, or the very used mattress in the back (used for when she needed to transport band equipment). He said his own car was in the shop right now and he’d caught a lift this morning.

“Seriously, I’m not trying to make a move or anything…I just need something to help, you know?”

It hadn’t even crossed her simple puny mind that Chris might have any ulterior motive to coming back to her trailer. Maybe some guys might but that didn’t seem to be his style.

“Am I your piece of rough, Cunningham? Not worried one of your team mates might see you slumming it with me?” Ellie said, only part joking.

Chris blushed and rolled his eyes. “You make me sound like a total prude. Aren’t you worried about your badass image being tanked by me?”

She liked it when he blushed. Luckily with his pale skin and colouring, he had no chance at masking it.

“Glad you brought it up actually, can you duck down ‘til we get out the gates? One look at that letterman jacket and my scary reputation is kaput,” she smirked. She turned on the radio and heavy metal music blasted out from the speakers. She thought he might ask to turn it down and was pleasantly surprised when he said he didn’t mind it. “Sorry, I don’t have any Cyndi Lauper or Billy Joel…”

“Get lost,” he laughed. “Do not start quoting Uptown Girl (Boy) at me, Munson.”

It was almost too easy to make Chris laugh. She’d enjoyed messing with him back in the woods and wondered what other buttons she could press. What got under his skin?

There must be something, obviously, if he was asking her for ketamine.

You’ve gotta’ cool it, she told herself. Yeah he’s super cute and remembered the band but you weren’t really joking…he would absolutely be slumming it with you. He’s not even the same species AND he has a girlfriend who looks like she could be a runner up for Miss America.

Inwardly sighing at her lot in life, she bravely asked, “So how was the game? Did you - uh - throw some balls into laundry baskets?”

Chris looked sideways at her, obviously surprised that she cared so little for something the entire school (including the faculty) seemed crazy about, but then started chuckling again. “Yeah, we…we won actually. It was a championship game.”

“Oh…good. Glad it went well for you.” Ellie wound down the window and lit a cigarette as they neared a stop sign. She offered him one and he took it after only a split-second hesitation.

“Thanks. We practised really hard and I’m proud of how well we all came together. It’s one of the things I like most about playing sports, you know? The team work,” he added. “Ever been to a rally?”

She’d never thought about sports like that before, it always just seemed like one big popularity contest. His enthusiasm kind of humbled her a bit. “Uh - no, not high on my ‘to do’ list, I’m afraid. I’d be too worried about one of the cheerleaders drop-kicking me honestly.”

“Oh really? Are they…what? They mean to you?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, Cunningham?”

He didn’t look like he was bullshitting her. He looked genuinely confused…“Sorry, I don’t really know…”

She thought about all the times the cheerleaders stole her clothes (and dumped them in the toilets) after gym class, how they tried to trip her up in the halls, how they filled her locker with shaving foam so all her notes were useless, how they stuck gum in her hair and Wendy had no choice but to cut it out leaving her with a tuft that stuck out for ages.

Yeah, she could see how Miss Carver would want to keep that all hush hush from her lovely boyfriend.

“Yeah, I mean it’s not your problem so you don’t need to apologise, but yeah they make my life pretty miserable on a daily basis. They pick on the freshmen too and that really gets under my skin,” she added. “Your buddies on the team can be real jerks too. It’s why I stopped dealing at those jock parties. Those meatheads can call you a freak and ignore you at school, but after a couple of beers they get pretty shitty if you catch my drift.”

“They’ve messed with you?”

“Tried to. I just avoid it all now.”

Chris seemed honestly shocked at that and his hand twitched like he wanted to…what? Comfort her? She felt a bit bad - he obviously had no idea about what kind of people he chose to hang around. “That’s seriously not on. Not to you or the kids,” he muttered. “Does…Jackie…?”

Ellie actually snorted. “No way, Chris. She’s your girlfriend and there’s no way I’m airing out her dirty laundry. These lips will remain sealed.”

“But…I could try talking to her?”

Maybe Chris speaking to Jackie on her behalf might help for a week or two (Jackie would be sure to cry a little and pout and say no honey, she’s really stupid, she must be mistaken) but then Jackie would be livid. She’d think she was deliberately trying to split them up or something.

The little chaos demon in her brain thought fuck it, ask him anyway.

“Nah, it would only make it worse. Just…drop it, okay? Thanks but I can look after myself for a few more months. After that? I’m getting out of this craphole and I’ll never see those shitheads again.”

She could tell he didn’t want to drop it but also didn’t want to push her either. She appreciated that - she hated it when people tried shoving in and telling her what to do. Was it the same for Chris?

So instead Chris sighed and ran a hand through his short hair as he finished up his cigarette. She glanced at his blond hair - it had hints of red if you looked closely, so it was more of a strawberry blonde. It was buzzed short at the back and sides, but the longer hair on top looked thick and soft. He was still wearing his game clothes and they did little to hide the thick muscular expanse of his chest and arms. As Dio played on the radio, she wondered what Chris might look like in rockstar jeans and a leather jacket like the guys at The Hideout wore.

Probably just as great as he did in his usual preppy acid-wash jeans and sneakers.

She tried to imagine herself in the kind of clothes Jackie typically wore (very Molly Ringwald) with her hair brushed and professionally styled, bright eyeshadow smudged around her eyes, eating fucking sushi and cheerleading. Shit, it would be like watching a toad kiss a prince but without the Disney ending. It just wasn’t her.

Ellie kept her eyes forward on the road like a very very good driver.

Chris nobley changed the subject. “So what’s this Hellfire about? It’s not actually a satanic cult, right?”

Ellie huffed out a laugh. “I wish. It’s just a club where we play Dungeons and Dragons. It’s like a board game but we use our imaginations. The others built their own characters but I’m Dungeon Master - D&M - so I kind of plan it all out. There’s about seven of us right now, and we just finished a pretty sick campaign called the Curse of Vecna…” she trailed off. “Whoops, sorry. I can kind of get carried away with this stuff.”

“No way, it sounds interesting!” She glanced at him to make sure (again) he wasn’t making fun of her, but yeah, he did look interested. “I’ve heard about it - it’s got elves and goblins and stuff, right? Like Tolkien?”

“Holy crap. You’ve read Tolkien? Don’t tease me now - the Chris Cunningham has a secret nerdy side?”

Chris grinned. “My uncle lent me the books when I was still a kid. Totally loved them. I always wanted to be like Aragorn with a sword and armour…well, right up until my dad saw and tossed them out in the trash. Didn’t line up with his grand plan for me.”

“Plan?”

“Yeah…my parents are pretty strict. They - uh - have my whole life planned out for me, you know?”

Ellie didn’t know. Her parents didn’t even have plans for their own lives, let alone a kid they never wanted. She knew she wanted to leave Hawkins but after that? Life was fuzzy.

“Well...if you ever want to sit in on a game and watch, I can probably convince the girls you aren’t a spy. You’d be more than welcome. It’s usually on the night you have practice though.”

“Well… maybe one day I can flake? I’d like to watch you. Play, I mean. I’d like to watch you play,” he coughed. “It’s really cool how you look after those freshmen - they seem to really look up to you - makes me think you might be a softie underneath, Ellie.”

Ellie fucking cackled. “No no no. That’s too much now. First you want to buy drugs, then you offer to ditch sports to watch my nerdy game, and now telling me I’m a softie when you’re basically a walking teddy bear? Are you even a jock? I thought all you meatheads lived and breathed school spirit, right? My dumb perception of high school is being massacred.”

But actually there did seem to be a hell of a lot more to Chris then she could’ve ever guessed. Hidden layers, and all that.

“Maybe I’m more than a cliche. Right, Munson?”

And he gave her such a deliberate look that she sniggered and shook her head. Point very well made. She noticed a faint scattering of freckles on his nose and cheeks that really suited him.

“Well… you got me there.”

She turned off the main road towards Forest Hills and now Metallica blasted out of the speakers. They were quiet for a little bit but it wasn’t awkward.

“Seriously, thank you for this,” Chris suddenly said. “I feel…more normal…more awake…than I have for weeks.”

Ellie smiled, and this time it was friendly and yeah soft. Damn it.

“This is such a weird fucking day.”

Ellie pulled up outside her trailer and Chris slid out somewhat nervously. He’d never been to Forest Hills trailer park before and wasn’t sure what to expect. His parents and Jackie made it out to be some cesspit of evil - “a place filled with drunks, degenerates, single parents” - but all he saw was the soft glow of lights as families ate their dinners and settled down for the evening. Little Ellie Munson switched off the ignition, shouldered her backpack (heavy with D&D journals), and waved for him to follow as she found her door key. She told him this was her castle and he found himself smiling, once again at ease.

(he almost offered to carry her bag but her lunchtime rants indicated she might see this as patronising. He’d felt like a total idiot earlier when he held the door open and she’d carefully arched an eyebrow.)

Jackie always expected these things of him and got royally pissed if he forgot. It would be nice to offer for once without it being demanded.

Ellie told him her aunt Wendy was working a night shift so they’d have some privacy.

He blushed, eyeing the neighbouring trailer quickly to see if anyone was spying through the curtains (his mom would be). “What about your folks?” he found himself asking, following her inside.

“Oh they split ages ago. Pops found himself a new shiny family, and I think mom’s still in jail? She could be dead in a ditch somewhere, for all I know. They don’t exactly keep in touch,” she said, shrugging. “Want something to drink? Beer, coffee, water?”

She spoke like none of it mattered but her shrug was a little too casual.

“Uh…water would be great.”

Inside the trailer wasn’t what he’d expected at all. It was small, sure, but clean and neat. It was also really homely looking. Plenty of bright pictures on the walls, dollar store knick knacks decorating the sides, squashy cushions on the couch. Her aunt must really like teapots because there was a whole wall dedicated to her collection. He compared it to his own sterile home which looked more like a showroom.

Ellie dropped her bag on the couch and toed off her big boots in the middle of the room. Chris did the same only he lined his sneakers up neatly by the door (a habit). She passed him a bottle of water from the fridge.

“You never worry about being home alone so much? Is it…safe?”

“Yeah, it’s alright here and I can always run over to Mr Mayfield’s if there’s an emergency. He’s over in the trailer opposite,” she added, fiddling with the radio so music started playing. “Besides, when I’m on my lonesome I can play whatever music I want. Helps me relax, you know? And concentrate.”

“Seriously? That blows my brain. I need, like, total silence to read or study. I’d love some time on my own but my schedule’s real tight. There’s always something to do, or someone wanting something.” He caught her looking at him. “Yeah I know, poor little rich boy. I sound like an asshole.”

“Everyone’s got issues,” she shrugged. She gestured for him to take a seat and tucked some of her wild hair back behind her ear. He wondered if it felt as springy as it looked. “Make yourself at home, okay? I’ll go get the Special K.”

She went back to what was presumably her bedroom and Chris took a sip of the water. The music coming out of the radio wasn’t Ellie’s usual madness, maybe it was a station her aunt liked?

Tick.

Christ, really? His head had been blissfully quiet ever since meeting with Ellie. Her noise and bustle, her liveliness, had been like a balm to his nerves.

He found himself bouncing his leg. He tried to take a deep breath.

Tick.

“How long will it take to work?” he called, trying to distract himself.

“Depends on if you…snort it or not. If you snort it…then yeah, it’ll work pretty quick,” she said when she came back. She was biting her bottom lip and holding a bag of something that looked like powder. “Look, I’m going to break one of my infamous rules right now, but I have to ask…have you ever done anything like this before? Kind of worried you’re going to spiral and get into some serious trouble. You can do it here if you want? Then at least I’ll be around to keep an eye out. My aunt won’t be back until tomorrow morning.”

Again it kind of sounded like Ellie actually cared (or at least she didn’t want him to die in a K-Hole). Her offer relieved some of the tension in his shoulders and he nodded gratefully.

“She won’t mind you having a boy here?”

Ellie actually laughed out loud at that and even snorted. His mouth twitched into a grin. She joined him on the couch - though left a deliberate space in between.

She’d shrugged off her jacket by now and wore only the black and white Hellfire shirt and jeans. He could see another tattoo winding along her elbow that looked like bats. He wondered if she did them herself or went to the one parlour in town (run by an ex-biker who looked gruff and shady). Didn’t her aunt mind?

But then Ellie was nineteen, a year older than him. She was legally allowed to lift her shirt and have whoever she wanted ink her skin.

“She’d never believe me,” Ellie chuckled, dragging his thoughts back into the room. “I don’t have guys ‘round here ever.”

“No way…really?” Chris raised his eyebrows. “No boyfriend or anything?”

He pictured some tall shaggy haired guy with biker boots and tattoos. He’d have to be in a band (maybe they practised together?) and wear the same style of silver jewellery she did (now he thought about it - those big rings probably were his). He’d smoke pot and read Dune and tell people loudly to fuck off if they bothered him. A guy who could go to The Hideout every week and watch her play, and cheer and hangbang like her own weird cheerleader. The kind of guy, in short, that Chris definitely was not.

He suddenly thought about himself standing beside Ellie with his arm tight around her shoulders. She was so small that he could easily tuck her against his side, and then he would run his fingers through that wild mane of hair. Jackie rarely smiled when they were together (or at all unless there was an audience) but he could easily imagine kissing Ellie’s grin.

Not that she would ever let him. She seemed to like him okay, but he would never be the guy in biker boots. She probably had posters pinned up in her bedroom of rockstars and ‘bad boy’ movie stars. Girls like her went for the Judd Nelson’s - not the Emilio Estevez’.

“Boyfriend? Me? Yeah right, Cunningham. I’m the last girl at school any guy would willingly hang out with, except maybe as a bet.”

“That’s crazy.” The words left his mouth before he realised it and he blushed, but didn’t want to take them back either. “I mean…yeah, you’re a little different, but you’re cute as hell. Your hair is incredible and that smile? Hell, it’s beautiful.”

Her eyes widened and he noticed how warm and brown they were. She was blushing too and it somehow suited her. He felt a little twitch of - what, pride? - that he could make Ellie react like that.

(this was the girl who flipped off (judgy) Mr O'Donnell when he tried making her read her essay out loud, tied her own bra to the flagpole during morning assembly, who got cool tattoos from scary bikers, and stood on lunchroom tables to declare loudly liberal feminism was the only way to go and Reagan could suck it.)

“You’re crazy. I’m the freak, remember? I know people don’t like me, they don’t ever pick me, but it’s okay. I’m used to it.”

She was so brutally honest that it nearly knocked the air from his lungs, but then honesty seemed to be what you got with Ellie Munson. She might keep some things close to her chest, but there was no bullshit, no lying, no flattery. It was so fucking refreshing.

“I don’t think you’re a freak, Ellie, but even if you were…that wouldn’t be so bad, right? You make it look good.”

She tucked a little smile into her shoulder. “Thanks, Cunningham…you’re one of the nice ones.”

“It’s Chris, and you’re welcome.”

Another song came on the radio - some kind of old country song that reinforced this was definitely something her aunt listened to. It reminded him of the stuff his grandad used to put on.

“And you’re in a band, right? That’s awesome.”

“Don’t tell me you're a secret fan of Joan Jett,” she laughed, somewhat shakily. “Jess from the band keeps suggesting we buzz our hair.”

“Debbie Harry actually. Had a poster up on my wall before my mom ripped it down and called me a pervert.”

“That is perverted behaviour,” Ellie joked. “Glad she did. Rock music is a gateway to drugs and sex and all kinds of debauchery. Look what happened to me. Can’t have you succumbing to the dark side now.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s pretty scary. I take back all my earlier words. You keep all that Sith crap away from me. I’m all Jedi.”

He saw her silently mouth the word ‘Jedi’.

“...after Aragorn I kind of loved playing as Luke Skywalker in the backyard with a rolled up newspaper as my lightsaber,” he winced. “Please keep that tidbit extremely super secret, Munson, and yes, I was a kid.”

He never spoke to Jackie like this, but with Ellie it was too effortlessly easy to slip into this playful persona. She was so honest that it kind of dragged it out of him too.

“God, think I’m in love,” Ellie said after a few seconds and threw her head back against the couch cushion. She placed a hand above her heart dramatically. “My whole life has led to this pivotal moment.”

Tick.

Chris couldn’t help but flinch again when he heard the ticking noise and this time Ellie stared at him, sitting up.

“Okay…so I’m definitely breaking rule three again…what’s going on with you, Chris? Why do you need drugs this bad? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“Honestly?” Ellie nodded. “I think I’m going crazy. Been having these nightmares and seeing stuff for weeks now and I’m losing it. It started as just weird noises and ticking and nightmares, then I saw spiders crawling over Mr Kelley’s face in his office. I freaked out, Ellie. I ran away because I thought I’d be safer with people around, you know? But then that happened…and I still keep seeing them. Doesn’t matter if I’m alone or in the middle of class or sitting right here with you. I keep hearing the ticking noise - it’s like it's chasing me.”

Chris sat forwards and ran his hands through his hair, willing himself to get a grip.

“And the nightmares?” Ellie asked quietly. “What happens in those?”

“It’s usually my parents. Mom and dad. Mom will be strung out on Valium in bed with her mouth stitched up, or laying in a puddle of her own sick by the sink. Sometimes it’s my little sister lying there instead. It happens every time and I can’t do anything to help her. My dad…he fucking stalks me like a ghoul. He used to treat me bad, Ellie, punishing me with food when he thought I was looking too thin or too fat. He used to smack me about until I got taller than him, so then he started picking on me…which goddamn hurt more. My dad - the ghoul in the nightmares - is always telling me I’m useless, I’m an embarrassment, saying I’m letting everyone down. It’s like…all the stuff I’m already feeling, you know? But having it thrown in my face every night…it’s exhausting.”

His words came out in a rush. Ellie had drawn closer and placed a small tentative hand on his knee. Instead of feeling embarrassed by the action - or pitied - it made him feel safe and seen.

“How can you possibly let anyone down? You’re, like, the most perfect guy ever,” she murmured. “Can’t you talk to anyone about this? You know, Jackie or a friend?”

“They aren’t interested in crazy, Ellie. If something doesn’t fit right in their perfect little world then they don’t wanna know. Trust me. Jackie doesn’t do…feelings...unless they’re her own. I can’t talk to her about any of this real stuff. And my friends? They’d just tell me to man up, buy some weed, and get over it before the next big game.”

Ellie looked like she wanted to say some very choice words but was trying hard to put a leash on it.

“What about a teacher or your coach? Mr Kelley? I know I’m the last person to willingly talk to authority figures and as a rule they all suck, but this sounds serious, it’s really hurting you. And your parents…they…well sorry, but they sound like total assholes. Especially your dad.”

Chris found himself laughing at that. His dad was one of those untouchable pricks who used money and bullying to gain respect and unfortunately it worked every time. No one ever challenged him or called him an asshole like that. “He is an asshole.” God, even saying it was awesome, even if a little scary.

“You could…” Ellie was biting her lip again. “I don’t know…leave? You’re eighteen, right? Do you have any family you could stay with?”

“If I left I’d be saying goodbye to scholarships, college, there’s no way I’d graduate. My father would do his best to wreck my whole life if I don’t fall in line,” he responded bitterly. “And besides…I can’t leave my sister alone with them. As long as he’s using me as his punching bag, he can’t turn his attention to her. Can you imagine the kind of crap they’d say to her?”

Chris sighed. He placed his hand on top of Ellie’s on his knee and the coolness of her fingers (and rings) helped pull him back down to the world.

“I’m sorry to just lay this on you, Ellie. Seriously. You’ve been amazing helping me out tonight, and I’m just messing everything up like usual. You don’t need to hear about all this crazy shit and my nightmares. You’re a good listener, you know that?”

“It’s been said,” she smiled weakly.

“Do you think I'm losing it?”

Anyone else might’ve said, yeah you sound crazy Chris, but Ellie simply shrugged. She squeezed his hand. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’re going through it right now and bottling it up, but you aren’t insane. You’ve got a right to feel your feelings. And I…I don’t mind listening. If it helps. You’ve made my night a little less lonely.”

Chris looked over at her and felt like he could drown in the warmth and kindness in her eyes. It wasn’t something he ever expected to find there, but he found himself drinking it in. Ellie too seemed to be searching for something in his expression, her eyes flickering over his eyes, his nose, his mouth.

It would be all too easy to tug her hand and close the distance. To nestle his face in the crook of her neck and inhale the strawberry shampoo she used.

But Ellie suddenly stood up and she clapped her hands. “Okay, you know what? No Ket. That’s now removed from the table. I’m going to roll us a joint using the good stuff I save for myself - and we’re going to get high and talk about it all, okay? Really lay it on me, Chriss, no bullshit or pretending. Then I’ll make some grilled cheese sandwiches and we’ll feast and come up with a plan of defence, right?”

Chris looked surprised but as she spoke a grin settled back across his lips. He really did have one killer smile.

“You’re on, weird girl.”

Before she went back to her room for the weed, she found herself hesitating for a moment. She tapped her fingers against the doorway. “Sorry for calling you a meathead earlier and being a dick about the game. You said about it meaning more to you than just scoring goals - and how you enjoy the feeling of working together to achieve something. Way you describe it, it kind of reminded me of Hellfire a little bit and why I like it so much. Guess we both like being part of something…”

See? Genuine nice comment. Chris seemed to think so because he flushed bright pink. Obviously her sneaky brain had to ruin it by adding, “...we’re big damn losers, am I right?”

She hurried back to her bedroom and stashed the ket securely beneath her bed. Instead she scooped out a tin from the desk drawer where she kept the high quality stuff she bought directly from Reefer Rita. There’d be enough here for maybe three joints and she was betting Chris would only need one to feel buzzed (even though he was big, it was obviously still his first time - she’d have to walk him through it so he didn’t hack his lungs out).

She glanced at her mirror on the way out and adjusted her shirt. She thought about dragging a brush through her hair but weirdly Chris actually seemed to like it wild?

She had to pinch her arm. The Chris Cunningham was in her lounge and they were going to get high together. Chris Cunningham (who it turns out is a secret nerd and thinks she’s cute) actually/incredibly/unbelievably seemed to like her enough to confess about his messed up family and nightmares.

(Nobody had ever called her beautiful before. Not even her dad or mom or aunt).

She should probably go and buy a lottery ticket, all things considered.

She steadied herself before she went back through. She felt like a Mage on a quest to solve the riddle of the Cunningham Curse. Sure, she didn’t know how to solve spooky haunting nightmares and banish abusive parents (she assumed kidnapping was out of the question) but she could listen and offer what little support she could muster.

And Chris was dealing with this every single day because of bullshit toxic masculinity and societal pressure which forced the poor guy to feel he had to shoulder it alone.

Well that could get fucked.

“Here we go…As promised, first class pot…Chris?”

Chris was standing very still in the middle of the lounge and as she stepped closer she could see his face had turned a ghostly white. She peered up and saw that his eyes were twitching.

“Hey Chris?” Ellie gently tugged on the green sleeve of his letterman jacket. “Come on, you’re scaring me.”

But he wasn’t listening. God, was he having a seizure? A stroke? She needed to call an ambulance. The lights in the trailer began to flash and she felt the uneasy uncurling of terror in her stomach.

“Chris, please wake up! I don’t like this, please! Say something!”

When he began to rise up in the air, Ellie screamed and fell back on the floor. “Fucking hell!”

This was no seizure or fucking stroke. Something really bad was happening.

Chris began floating higher and higher. His whole face was blank - completely void of anything. Then he shot up and his whole body slammed against the trailer ceiling.

“CHRIS!”

Ellie scrambled back and as she did so, she knocked the radio off the side and the volume rose. Some stupid country song began blaring out at full volume.

Ellie was crying, screaming, gasping for breath. This was like something out of a horror film, only much much worse. She couldn’t just switch this off or hide under a blanket.

She nearly threw up when Chris’ left arm suddenly snapped like it was no more than a twig.

“No!” she sobbed. “Chris! Stop this please. I’m scared, please! WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!”

(remember that well-honed ability to pick her fights? To choose to fight or fly?)

She clambered to her feet somehow and stepped up onto the coffee table, reaching up as high as she could to grab at him. She managed to wrap her hands around the lining of his jacket and she pulled with all her might, but he didn’t shift an inch. It was like playing tug-of-war against a mountain.

“Chris!” she screamed. “Please! Stop this!”

And then - miraculously - the lights stopped flashing.

And Chris awoke with a shuddering gasp, and fell right on top of her.

Ellie’s legs buckled beneath her as they tumbled down onto the table with a loud crash. She landed right under him, catching the full brunt of his weight, and tried to ignore the searing pain that came from her ankle as she heaved herself up into a sitting position.

She groaned as she managed to roll Chris over onto his back. His head was cradled in her lap.

She pressed her fingers to his neck to feel for a pulse, but her hands were shaking too badly to feel anything.

“Chris,” she whispered. “Please say something. Please don’t be dead. Can you hear me?”

She was crying in earnest now and the tears disappeared into his hair. What the fuck was going to happen if he was…Oh my god.

Chris then suddenly sat up with a cry of terror of his own, making her scream all over again.

He looked fucking insane, rabid, horrified. His chest was heaving like he’d completed a mile long sprint and every line of his body was tense. His big blue eyes were wide and terrified as he looked around them, surveying the broken table and the radio which was still blaring out music. He seemed to need a moment to remember where he was. Then his eyes came to rest on her and he let out the biggest shuddering breath. He took in the tears racing down her cheeks, the flinch of pain when her ankle throbbed, the mix of raw fear and sweet relief that was written across her features like a goddamn neon sign.

He was so close that she could feel his entire body shaking.

And then he was holding her in a hug that was so tight she felt she might explode, but still she twisted her arms up around his shoulders and hung on just as tightly. She could feel him trembling as he cried and tried to convey (in stutteringly split phrases) what the hell just happened, but she couldn’t hear above the ringing in her ears.

Eventually his grip loosened and she gasped for air.

This couldn’t be brushed aside as a dream, a nightmare - he was clutching his broken arm to his chest.

“Chris…you’re really alright?” she mumbled. She was still hanging onto his jacket in case he tried floating away again. “Help me up, need to ring an ambulance…or police…it’s not safe. Hold your arm steady, it’ll need looking at...I think my fucking ankle’s broken.”

She could hear the faint noise of banging coming from nearby (was it the door?) but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Chris.

Chris put a trembling hand to her cheek and wiped away some of the fresh tears with his thumb.

“Ellie…” he croaked. His voice sounded rough like he’d been screaming too. “Ellie…this is going to sound mad…but something just tried to kill me, and I think you saved me.”

A/N: Psss it's definitely The Party at the door, ready to spice it all up.

Quick notes:

Yeah Ellie is soft for Chris and he feels safe with her.

Had to tone back some of Ellie's habits because it wouldn't be realistic or safe for her to do some of the things guy-Eddie gets up to (though really it's not safe for him either).

I changed it so the cheerleaders are the worst. That's not a commentary on 'girls being bitchy' honestly, it's just the guy jocks wouldn't physically act on their resentment with a girl but the cheerleaders can and would.

Chrissy has shown she's a nice person and would feel protective of Eddie in danger - same thing for Chris only as a beefcake guy he's able to express this more literally (as in Ellie going to the Hideout).

Yeah the prototype for Ellie's fictional boyfriend is basically Eddie and vice versa.

Did I want them to kiss? Fuck yes, but maybe if I ever do a part 2. Didn't seem to flow here and really Chris wouldn't make that move. He'd be worried about taking advantage and is keenly aware how it looks that he's alone with Ellie in the trailer. It's about the implication, guys.

Girl Eddie would be scrawny and small, I think. Chrissy is super fit and strong because of her cheerleading so it makes sense Chris would be the same.

Do I like the Breakfast Club? Yeah, a bit, but that ending was crap.

I will not do a 'She's all That' with Ellie. Fuck no.

If I do a part 2 then forgive me for the shit switching of names. Honestly - what would Nancy even be?

#chrissy x eddie #edssy #hellcheer #eddissy #eddie munson #eddie x chrissy #hellcheer headcanons #hellcheer fanfic #ymaohoh #chrissy cunningham x eddie munson #chrissy cunningham #eddissy fanfiction

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