Steve felt bad for missing the chaos that came with the Upside Down. He was ashamed to admit that he missed fighting for his life with his friends at his side all against a common enemy. For now he was alone fighting only himself. His friends didn’t need him anymore, Nancy was off to Emerson like she always wanted to be, Robin was working her ass off to raise enough money for college, and Eddie was trying to stay under the radar to avoid the ire of the rest of Hawkins.
None of them had enough time to worry about Steve. And he got it, he understood why. He was an adult, he should have his shit together and be able to function without a support system in the way he always had. But he just couldn’t. Maybe before he knew what it was like to have friends or a family that loved him, he could coast by on little love and negligence. But now, he knew what it was like to be a part of something bigger.
Now, every time he took a swig of lukewarm beer or saw a Polaroid of himself in Eddie’s arms, he’d imagined what he’d had. He’s imagine the fluttered kisses on his cheeks and the warm hand around his. He’s imagine planning dates with Robin that he’d use to woo Eddie and the flirty comebacks that would make the kids gag in disgust. Then he’d go back to a cold bed in a lonely home and wonder what he wouldn’t do to go back to that one Spring Break when he had everything.
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THE MIKOTO FALLING DOWN THE STAIRS FIC WAS SO SILLY thats literally how i discovered you, never seen a better fic on my dash..... is there any way you could write something similar where fuuta gets water poured on him like a wet cat. now that i know the prisoners will go to ungoldy lengths to cure their boredome i need more content
LMAO thank you so much!! I so glad you liked it -- and I can assure you I would love nothing more than to pour a bucket of water on everyone's saddest wettest cat -- thank you for the request! 😂
“Everyone knows the greatest way to combat boredom is psychological warfare.”
Yuno said it very matter-of-fact. Fuuta nodded in agreement.
Es was left to stare blankly at the two prisoners summed before them. “Is that supposed to explain why my panopticon floor is soaked, or why Fuuta is dripping water all over my office…?”
“It started a few weeks ago,” Yuno added, as if that would help.
“What started a few weeks ago?”
Fuuta shrugged. “Like she said. We got bored.”
“You got… bored.”
At last, Yuno explained. It didn’t take long, she told them, for the usual methods of entertainment to lose their charm. Conversations and games could only hold them over for so long. As soon as they lost interest in those things, she knew it was time to give the mental torture route a try.
“Of course,” Es deadpanned.
“Of course!”
She was an expert at pranks, and from very early on she was able to see that Fuuta would be the perfect nemesis.
You see, everyone else took some time to figure out. She realized Mikoto took the fastest showers and used the most products, so it was easy to swap out one of his bottles just before a rapid wash. His hair was pink for two glorious weeks. She saw that Shidou was as organized as he was independent, so once she started moving and hiding his possessions, it took a long time of searching around in silent, stubborn confusion before he finally caught on. She noticed Muu was particular enough about the way she took her coffee that it only took one tiny tampering and a huge sip was spit directly into Haruka’s face.
But Fuuta? Oh, Fuuta. There wasn't anything to figure out. He was like Mahiru in that way – what you see is what you get. He was unlike Mahiru in other ways – no one would ever dream of pranking her so often. But Fuuta could walk into a joke like no other. His reactions were just as big and outrageous every time. He was practically asking Yuno to prank him. And when had she ever refused a man?
“Hey!” Fuuta’s ears had gone bright red. “It’s not like I’m some pathetic loser!” He stuck his chin up. “I fought back just fine, don’t you worry.”
(That was, in fact, exactly what Es had been worried about.)
Both he and Yuno found themselves on the receiving end of some scares and fake bugs. They both had to struggle through a mouthful of something disgusting at one time or another. Important possessions went missing right at the very worst time. It was awful, they said. It was infuriating. Unbearable. So, naturally, they kept going.
Which brought them to today’s stunt. With a little boost from Mikoto to get everything in place, and a captive audience gathered in the panopticon, Yuno pulled it off easily.
They all peered around the corner at cell 003. Loud snoring echoed from inside, despite the late hour of the morning; Fuuta was the heaviest sleeper of the bunch. Yuno checked that everyone was in place. Then she cupped her hands around her mouth.
“Fuuta!” She called urgently. “Come quick! Get dressed, it's Es!” There was clattering around within the cell. It took everything in her to hold in a giggle as she added, “hurry!!”
The bars swung open, tipping the carefully placed bucket of water above.
Yuno bid Es to picture the beauty of the moment: the ice-cold water falling in a perfect, glimmering arc as it hit its target with a wonderful splat.
Fuuta froze in the entryway. He was missing a shoe. The half of his uniform he’d managed to get on wasn’t even fastened correctly. It, and the pajamas underneath, were entirely soaked through. His hair clung to his face, darkened and dripping. He swept it aside to reveal, in place of his characteristic fierce gaze, the saddest, most bleary eyes the prisoners had ever seen. His mouth gaped open in confusion. He shivered, flinging little droplets into the massive puddle below.
“I should have requested a camera…” she mused. His grogginess had worn off quickly, but there still existed a single moment where she could have snapped the funniest photo in existence.
“Fuck off, it wasn’t that funny,” Fuuta clarified.
“Oh, it really was,” Yuno assured them.
Es delivered their scolding. They said this behavior was immature. They would not stand for nonsense like this in their prison. All further pranks and practical jokes were strictly banned. After dismissing the pair, they crossed their arms.
Damn, they wish they could’ve been there…
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