#this photo is from last summer btw

[tertiaryapocalypse]

[id: a photo of a wooden fence with moss growing on it. there is wire holding the fence together. the photo is taken at an angle to exaggerate a feeling of distance. the rest of the photo includes clover patches, dirt with a layer of redwood bark and twigs, and a fallen mossy tree limb in the far distance. end id.]

#adventurecore #vagabondcore #rangercore #forestcore #my photography #is this anything? i like it so #pnw #this photo is from last summer btw

[nipuni]

Another outfit showcase! this time for spring-summer 🥰

#nips photos #personal #this set took forever because I'm a summer hater and find it so hard to make outfits I won't boil to death in #you may say Natalia these just look like more autumn outfits and to this I say spring is just allergy autumn and summer is sweaty autumn #and I also happen to dislike pretty much any color on me so bear with me #I have a few more ideas that didn't fit in the post so I may do another later #the pretty curls are removable hair extensions btw and the shops I buy from are the same as my last outfit post!

[pinkmoondoll9shihtzu]

My Old man's tale about benetint (product) & review:

in summer 2008 i was 14 & my best friend's family took me to Vegas w them. she had only just moved to my school for 9th grade & i hadn't met her older sister til this trip. She was 21 & soooo insanely beautiful like if barbie was a hollister model she had the look so refined in every sense, i was dazzled by her.

& she was so sweet to us, my friends parents went & did their own thing so the whole trip we spent with her but she wasn't annoyed about it at all she seemed content to hang w us & protect us from vile men along the strip.

On this trip i went to sephora for the first time. hadn't heard of it before. it had huge windows so everything was glowing from sunlight & it was sooo overwhelming. my friend's sister liked this brand benefit so i picked out a little starter kit that came w bad gal mascara, high beam highlighter, booing concealer, and benetint.. Let me tell you for the next year i cherished this kit like it elevated me a new level towards Prestiged Adult Woman status. but the makeup was noticeably nicer quality for sure! from my memory at least.

the thing i remember most was benetint cus i wore it soooo much for the rest of the summer & beyond, i stretched that tiny bottle as far as it wld go cus i luved it sm.. but after it ran out i never tried to use it again idk just being a teen moving onto the next thing. But lately i jst rly wanted a goood lip tiiiint cus i dont wanna b wearing lipstick or gloss all the time its too much i just want chapstick but i like a little more color too.. usually i wld use lip liner but it always felt like it wld smudge off so quick n its kinda drying.

so i tried benetint again bcus i remember it being so easy to put on n then just forget about, it didnt get on ur clothes or teeth or nothin. after wearing for a couple weeks i can say this is still tru! i rly like it, very convenient, chapstick goes gr8 over top so my lips r never dry from it. its kind of expensive but it lasts a long time , for me i dnt have much makeup rn so felt nice to get st i actually use ^^ the taste & smell of it are mildly rosey, rly brings me back to those times..

being in vegas those 4 days w my friend n her sis are definitely a core memory for me it was totally surreal. i wish i had photos still but no clue where to find them, my friend's fb account got hacked years ago n had to get deleted, so many photos gone </3 we stayed at treasure island & across the street was this huge mall that was repeatedly playing an ipod commercial with the song Shut Up & Let Me Go by the ting-tings, like... ON REPEAT, ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT, so that song gives me the wildest flashbacls like i'm literally There. In the august heat. i can smell it like. its amazing thank you advertising :)

this is not an ad btw i mean obviously LOL i honestly just got thinking so hard about vegas '08 after purchasing The Product. oh yeah there was thunderstorms too... i went to hot topic at the mall which was wild for me since they didnt have one any where near my town.. i got some shorts from hollister i remember, also a rarity. friends sis got me my first ever drink, a peach daquiri...just one <3 it was such a nice break from my woeful home life lol i wanted to live in america so bad after this xD

thats my story...o and benetint is chill i mean i genuinely wanted to recommend it to ppl who want st simple it looks rly pretty cus until this i was struggling to find anything worthwhile. theres other shades too. Yup. Thanksyou for reading my LiveJournal Entry tonight minasan ^_^ Hope you're well x

-PMD9

#frossworld #pochitareviews

[moonchildreads]

small town

Chapter 23 - Cum on Feel the Noize

IN THIS CHAPTER: Yearbook messages, unlikely friendships, and Corroded Coffin puts on a show [13.8k]

WARNINGS: mentions of dead parents (eddie's mom), child neglect (not very graphic, eddie as kid), underaged drinking (no one gets drunk), low self-worth

A/N: i know. i promise you, i know. but i did say i was never gonna abandon this fic, so if you didn't believe me, that's on you, buddy. blame my job for my two month absence - three new people joined my team and one of those left last week, it's been hectic. this is an extra long chapter as a sorry for making you wait for so long. i hope you are all okay and still interested in my dumb little story, we have a lot more to go before we say goodbye. <3 (btw lemme know if you wanna be added to the taglist!)

masterlist - prev - next | playlist

Girls, rock your boys We’ll get wild, wild, wild

Monday, June 9th - 1986

The last Monday before graduation was Kyle Foster’s most anticipated day of the year; not because it meant that school attendance was officially an afterthought for most of the school’s population, but because it was the day the overpriced yearbooks he had been working on all these months were ready to be picked up, their pages waiting to be filled with doodles in colorful pens and silly stickers. He was particularly proud of this year’s edition, with its green leatherette hardback cover and bright photos printed in glossy paper, everything on them carefully arranged by the Yearbook Club with evident care and love for their craft. For a few hours, Kyle got to feel like he was hot shit. Teachers congratulated him and his fellow club members for their wonderful work, people he’d never talked to before in his life asked him to sign their yearbooks, and the basketball team kept patting his back in the hallways in between classes to thank him for the double spread with pictures of them lifting their championship trophy. Life was good, but even though he was enjoying his surely short-lived popularity, there was only one person Kyle was particularly looking forward to seeing. As faith would have it, he found that exact guy leaning against his locker waiting for him between third and fourth period, a yearbook under his arm and a piece of minty gum in his mouth.

“Hey, man,” Eddie greeted, pulling him into a bro-ey side hug that didn’t suit his personality in the slightest. “Nice work.”

“What’s up, Munson? Heard you’re finally leaving this place.”

“Yeah, about damn time,” the tall metalhead laughed, and Kyle thought he’d never seen him carry himself with such levity before. “Wanted to thank you, y’know? I mean, I know I kinda bribed you to do it but you came through for us and went above and beyond with the design and everything, so, thank you.”

“Ah, it was nothing, dude. Couldn’t ruin the yearbook by giving your club a shitty spread,” Kyle downplayed his work, but they both knew he had enjoyed the secret assignment.

“Well, then. Would the artist care to sign his masterpiece?” Eddie joked, extending his yearbook to Kyle with a jet black pen tucked into it.

Kyle nodded, surprised by the request, and went straight to the blank pages at the back. From what he could see, no one had signed it yet. He realized then this was Eddie giving him a definitive olive branch, whatever feud they’d had over his little debt more than ready to be buried in the sand and thoroughly forgotten. He quickly penned a generic “have a good summer!” message at the top corner, slowing down while writing his name when he felt Eddie’s hand slip something into his front jean pocket. Ah, there it is, Kyle thought, smiling to himself as the weight of the small weed baggie Eddie had promised in exchange for his rule breaking could be felt through the rough fabric. He gave the book back to his newest acquaintance before opening his messenger bag and retrieving his own, shocking Eddie with his silent offering. Kyle was not only accepting his olive branch but returning the gesture, and so Eddie signed his name in a little unoccupied corner, adding a smiley face with devil horns under it for good measure.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Foster,” he said genuinely, tucking his trusty pen into his back pocket.

“Likewise, Munson.”

“We look so fucking badass,” Gareth said, eyes stuck to himself holding a knight’s helmet under his arm in the Hellfire section of the yearbook.

“I know, right?” Jeff said, giddy. “Kinda wanna get it framed. You think they’ll give us copies if we ask?”

The Hellfire Club was enjoying a peaceful lunch outside, the day still perfectly warm despite the constant clouds that perpetually obscured the sky over Hawkins, Indiana. The older boys were doodling on each other’s yearbooks, laughing about bad portraits and accidental funny faces belonging to classmates, while Dustin and Mike quietly muttered to one another at the head of the picnic table. They looked like they were arguing about something important but no one else seemed to have noticed - if they did, they were giving them space to resolve it on their own. Pretending like she wasn’t eavesdropping while she wrote a heartfelt message in Donny’s yearbook, Dottie listened carefully, worried about Dustin who seemed to be particularly distraught at Mike’s disinterest in cooperating with him.

“I’m just saying, aren’t you tired of acting like you’re still upset with him?” Dustin asked.

“I’m not acting, I am pissed off,” Mike huffed. “I don’t get why you aren’t. He cut us off and he’s never coming back, get it through your head.”

“Well, maybe he feels like we cut him off. Have you even tried talking to him since Spring break?”

“No, why would I?”

“Mike,” Dustin was nearing his breaking point.

“What? Did you?”

“Yes!” he threw his hands in the air. “I called him the next day because I’m not an asshole!”

“If you talked to him, why isn’t he here then, huh?” Mike asked, icy. “Why is he still hanging out with them?”

“I said I called him, not that I talked to him,” Dustin grumbled. “He wasn’t home, he… he was at a party with the jocks- Look, all I’m saying is that I feel like shit, okay? I think we’re all being idiots right now and we should talk about it. This is just like what happened when we found El and-”

“This is nothing like what happened with El. He was just scared-”

“We were twelve, Mike. We didn’t know what we were doing, maybe- maybe he was right and we should have been scared! And maybe he shouldn’t have to be the one to always apologize first!”

“He ditched us!”

“Oh, grow up,” Dustin said, getting up from the bench with his yearbook in hand and hurrying to catch up with a redheaded girl who looked about his age.

Dottie watched how Mike gathered his things and disappeared into the cafeteria without saying goodbye, giving off moody teenager vibes to anyone who dared to cross his path. Meanwhile, Dustin was now animatedly chatting with his mystery friend near the doors - the girl he was talking to was signing his book and rolling her eyes at something he was saying, a shy but still clearly fond smile on her face. Dottie felt like she’d seen her before somewhere, but never talking to Dustin. She seemed nice, if a little sassy. I guess that’s why she’s friends with Dustin, she thought.

“Really? You got him a sweater? In June?” Jeff’s laughter brought back her attention to the table: she quickly doodled a little daisy next to her name at the bottom of her message and gave the yearbook back to Donny.

“He’s always wearing sweaters at the office, okay? And also, it’s not like he’s gonna grow two sizes before Winter starts,” Gareth defended himself. “It’s still gonna fit him in a couple of months.”

“What are we talking about?” Dottie asked, leaning her head onto Eddie’s shoulder as he stole one of her apple slices.

“Father’s Day. Gareth got his Dad a wool sweater.”

“It was on sale!”

“What did you get for your dad, then?” she asked Jeff.

“New slippers. His old ones were falling apart.”

“Very thoughtful. You?” she turned to Donny.

“Nothing yet. I kinda wanna get my Dad a funny shirt but I haven’t seen any good ones around. D’you think it’s too late to get one printed?” he asked at large.

“Oh, Eddie bought a cute one the other day!” Dottie said conversationally, looking up at the long haired boy from her place on his shoulder. “They had a bunch of graphic shirts at that store near Melvald’s, right?”

“On Mulberry? Sweet, what did you get?” Donny asked, munching on some grapes.

“Found this ugly thing with a brown Care Bear at the front that says World’s Best Grandma,” Eddie said, half a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “Thought it was funny.”

“You’re gonna get your teeth kicked in if you wear a Care Bears shirt in public, dude,” Gareth snickered.

“Well, good thing I’m not gonna be the one wearing it then.”

Father’s Day was historically somewhat of a weird day for Eddie. When he was a little kid and still hadn’t developed a mouth filter, other moms at the park or strangers at a store would sometimes see him wandering around unsupervised, think he was lost, and ask him where his Mom was; he’d always reply with a simple “oh, no, my Mom is dead”, like the answer wasn’t absolutely devastating to hear coming from someone who hadn’t learned how to tie his own shoes yet. Like clockwork, they’d all sputter out an awkward apology, feeling sorry about unknowingly asking a young child about something so painful like losing a parent at such a tender age. A couple of times some of them went so far as to offer to buy him a snack, as if that could distract him from the tragedy of his Mom’s untimely death and, in turn, make themselves feel better about being nosy. Eddie, however, didn’t mind the questions. He liked telling people that Maureen was dead, because he learned very quickly that those were the only times people saw him as someone to take care of; just a little innocent boy having to grow up without the woman who’d loved him most, instead of shunning him as soon they inevitably found out he was Wyatt Munson’s devil spawn.

Another thing Eddie learned very early on, was that his Dad didn’t care about Father’s Day, mainly because most of the time he didn’t even care to acknowledge he had a son unless it was useful to him. And so, after the second year in a row Wyatt threw into the trash can the crafts Eddie had done for him at school without so much as looking at them, the drawings stayed in his backpack and the treats the teachers gave to all their kiddos to gift to the most important men in their lives got hidden in an old shoe box underneath his bed. There they waited until the older man passed out on his couch with a beer in his hand, and the littlest Munson got to eat them in secret without anyone calling him a pig for smearing chocolate all over his face and fingers. No, Father’s Day had always been a weird day for Eddie - at least until he moved in with Wayne.

The first Father’s Day Wayne and Eddie spent together came after almost eight months of living together. There had been a Halloween, a Thanksgiving, a Christmas, Eddie’s 9th birthday, and a Mother’s Day spent along with Grandma before that, but Eddie’s little stomach still churned with the thought of Wayne dismissing him on a special occasion like Father’s Day. He quietly waited in bed after the sun rose, ears perked up for any noise coming from the living room but the minutes ticked by and Wayne didn’t get up, busy catching up on some much needed sleep after a long week at the plant. The youngest Munson impatiently crept along the hallway until he reached his Uncle’s side, kneeling on the carpet next to his fold-out bed and observing his chest go up and down with each breath he took.

“Uncle Wayne,” Eddie whispered, but the older man didn’t so much as flinch. “Uncle Wayne,” he tried a little louder, softly shaking his arm.

“Huh?” Wayne opened his eyes, startled to find his nephew’s tiny fingers wrapped around his forearm. “What’s going on? You okay, Ed?”

“Mhm,” he nodded, wild curls bobbing along with the movement. “I- I made something. At school.”

“Yeah? What d’you got there?”

Eddie lifted a piece of paper, the sun filtering through the moth-eaten curtains helping Wayne read along. Happy Father’s Day, said the handmade card written by a teacher and decorated by his nephew, each letter colored inside with a different crayon. Wayne��s heart sank when he realized he’d forgotten what day it was. He didn’t even know which hole Wyatt was currently being kept in, but he guessed he could call his Ma and ask her about it if Eddie wanted to pay his Dad a visit. Or at the very least, he could take the kid to the post office to mail his shitty excuse of a father a letter he most likely didn’t give a damn about. Wyatt hadn’t called once since he’d gotten himself locked up, and Wayne tried not to think too much about Eddie stiffening up whenever the phone rang when he first moved into the trailer with him. He didn’t want to do it, didn’t want to have jackshit to do with his little brother anymore but he’d do it anyway even if he knew it was a bad idea, because Wayne Munson would have walked barefoot to the end of the world if it made Eddie happy, and God only knew that that boy deserved a small mercy for once.

Wayne peeled the card open curiously and felt his chest tighten up when he saw how wrong he’d been. Inside there was a crude drawing of two figures, one bigger than the other one: it was him and Eddie, standing on bright green grass, a big yellow sun with a smiley face at the upper left corner of the page, and a tree with juicy red apples to the right side. The figures were holding hands and Wayne was wearing a trucker hat - the same blue one that was resting on the kitchen counter next to his keys. At the bottom right of the card, written with the nicest calligraphy Wayne had seen from his nephew yet, was a simple I love you in purple crayon.

“You drew this for me?” Wayne asked, trying to get his emotions together.

“D’you like it? Miss Mullins gave us Hershey’s Kisses too,” he lifted a little paper bag that looked like it had been squished in transit. “I’m sorry I ate one without asking. I wanted to know what they tasted like, but I can buy you more! I have money left over from my birthday-”

“That’s okay, Ed. You can have as many as you want if you brush your teeth after,” the eldest Munson sat up tiredly and pulled his boy from the floor into a hug. “Thank you for the card. You’re very good at drawing, y’know that?”

“Miss Mullins says I’m good at art and music,” Eddie beamed. “And sometimes Math too but I get distracted. She says my reading’s not very good though.”

“You’re a smart boy, just keep practicin’ and you’ll get better,” Wayne said, feeling his nephew’s body sink into his arms the longer he held him. “Hey, how ‘bout you go get ready while I take a shower, huh? We can go get pancakes at Benny’s.”

“Really? Can I get whipped cream on mine? And chocolate chips?”

“You can get whatever you want, boy. Go on, go get dressed,” the older man ushered him down the hallway towards what used to be his bedroom and locked himself in the bathroom for a little privacy.

Wayne cried in the shower that day, much like he’d done after Thanksgiving dinner, when Eddie said he was thankful he got to live with him, even if it was just for a little bit. He got Wyatt to sign away his parental rights before Christmas came around after that. Wayne stuck the card to the fridge door with a carrot shaped magnet and drove himself and his nephew to Benny’s where Eddie ordered chocolate chip banana pancakes that Wayne ended up eating half of after the 9-year-old’s tummy became too full to keep going. Upon returning home, they spent the rest of the day watching cartoons and practicing Eddie’s reading during the commercials. When the littlest Munson fell asleep on the couch after the sun had set, his energy finally depleted, Wayne helped him put on his pajamas and tucked him to bed, stopping to kiss his curly head before he retreated back to the living room for a nightcap.

“Good night, son,” he’d said, turning off the lights, and for once, Eddie didn’t go to sleep wishing he was Wayne’s, because he knew he was and Wayne knew it too.

“You got Wayne a World’s Best Grandma shirt for Father’s Day?” Donny said, amused. “He’s gonna think you knocked someone up.”

“Of course not,” Eddie scoffed at him like he’d just said the stupidest thing ever. “He’d think I knocked someone up if it said World’s Best Grandpa, but it doesn’t say that, does it? Therefore, funny shirt.”

“You were there with him and you let him buy it?” Jeff looked at Dottie, whose cheeks felt like they were burning upon remembering Wayne’s resigned attempt at a Birds and The Bees talk two weekends prior.

“I… I thought it was funny too,” she admitted sheepishly.

“You two are spending way too much time together,” Gareth shook his head. “When did you even go shopping?”

“Last week after band practice,” Dottie said, mischief in her eyes. “Don’t tell my Dad if you see him because I told him I was at yours all afternoon so he wouldn’t snoop around and find his gift.”

“What did you get him?” Donny asked.

“A bunch of candy and a book. The guy at the store recommended it, he said it was pretty new. It’s called Ender’s Game, I think?”

“Oh, I read that one,” Jeff said, frowning.

“What, is it bad?”

“No, I think your Dad might like it," he shrugged. "But you know me, I don't like military shit.”

“How could we forget about you being Mr. Pacifist,” Gareth poked fun at him goodnaturedly and Jeff shoved him gently in return.

“Hey, speaking of band practice,” Eddie said, lips curling upwards as he leaned into Dottie’s personal space. “You think your Dad's gonna let you come to The Hideout tomorrow?”

“On a school night? Keep dreaming.”

“Oh, come on, no one’s even taking attendance anymore,” he pressed on.

“I’m pretty sure Mr. Russell took a nap in class today,” Gareth said, spreading a rumor he’d heard about the old Algebra teacher.

“He did. I was there, I heard him snore,” Donny nodded.

“There you go, darling. Not even the teachers give a shit anymore. So, what do you say?" Eddie batted his eyelashes dramatically.

"You know I wanna go, I just don't think he's gonna let me. Can't you wait one more week? He promised I won’t have a curfew anymore after graduation," she bargained.

"You say that like you don’t already know we’re gonna ask you to come next week too," Gareth said, grinning. “Besides, what kind of manager are you if you don’t come to all our shows?”

“Wasn’t aware I had signed any official contracts. Do I get health insurance?” Dottie joked.

“You get one box of kiddie bandages and we’ll drive you to the hospital if and only if any bones stick out,” Donny said.

“Wow, what a deal. I’m in,” she laughed.

“You’re gonna come then?” they all looked at her expectantly.

“Alright, fine, I’ll ask him. But if he says no you aren’t allowed to be mad at me because it’s definitely not my fault,” she finally relented.

“If he locks you up we’ll help you escape the tower, princess, don’t worry about it,” Eddie said, his breath ghosting the side of her head, and she shivered in anticipation for the new adventure that was to come.

James working past the time Hawkins High School let its students out had proven to be heaven-sent to the new couple looking for places to hang out without any prying eyes around. Eddie and Dottie were lying on her bed, hiding away from the world in her room, the radio on at a low volume playing Top 40 hits. Van Halen’s Why Can’t This Be Love was setting the perfect mood for Eddie to kiss his not-yet-girlfriend stupid - their movements still shy and exploring, neither of them rushing to get ahead of themselves. In recent days, they had progressed from chaste and giggly pecks to something much more slow and romantic, making the most of their moments alone to make each other feel comfortable and loved. Eddie hovered over her, tummy pressed against Dottie’s while supporting most of his weight on his elbows, his hands free to gently caress her cheekbones and jaw between kisses, stopping every so often to look at her dazed smile if only to will himself to believe that the girl he was so in love with was as equally smitten with him as he was with her.

Dottie let her fingers wander up his arms, one of her hands tangling in his unruly hair and occasionally pushing stray curls behind his ears to get a glimpse of those deep chocolate colored eyes she adored so much. Her other arm sneaked into his t-shirt sleeve, nails drawing barely-there patterns on the back of his shoulder, making him hum like the stray cats at the trailer park when they let him pet them after being fed. The delicate white curtains swayed calmly, brushing against the pillows in the windowsill, the gentle breeze outside rustling the leaves in nearby trees. Everything felt so peaceful, warm, and cozy. She felt like she could spend an entire lifetime like this, with the boy that had swept her off her feet so thoroughly that she almost felt like she was floating whenever he was around.

“What are you thinkin’ about?” Eddie asked in a soft voice, index finger brushing down the slope of her nose.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Mhm,” she smiled, fondly. “You’re so pretty.”

“You’re pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous even,” he lifted his eyebrows and pouted, making her giggle at his antics. “I wanted to play a song for you tomorrow but the guys said it didn’t fit with the rest of the setlist.”

“Which song was it?”

“Nope,” he shook his head, curls tickling her. “I’m not telling you. We’ll play it in Indy.”

“I have to wait a whole month? That’s so rude!”

“It’ll be worth it, you’ll see,” he muttered, leaning down to kiss her again, and she accepted his love eagerly.

The low rumble of a car pulling into the driveway burst their cozy bubble, Eddie groaning as his head fell forward onto Dottie’s shoulder, making her snort loudly. He scrambled off her bed and dropped himself on her desk chair, fingers dancing on top of her scented Mr. Sketch markers before settling on the brown one and lifting it up to his nose to smell the cinnamon embedded in the ink. She watched him with an oddly enamored smile on her face, like him sniffing her stationery supplies was the most charming thing she’d seen him do yet. He twirled a marker between his fingers before drumming with it once on her yearbook resting unassumingly on her desk.

“Can I draw something for you in here?” he asked, tapping the hardcover again with the cap of the marker.

“Can I write something sappy in yours in exchange?”

“Knock yourself out, darling,” Eddie smiled, pulling his yearbook out of his ratty backpack and tossing it onto her bed where it made a soft thud upon colliding with her comforter.

When James climbed up the stairs to greet his daughter after a long day at work, he found both teens deeply engrossed in their tasks: Eddie’s long hair was draped like a curtain obscuring his sketch from view as he worked steadily with his chewed up pencil while Dottie was lying on her front decorating a corner of a page with her colorful pens. James leaned onto the door frame when she looked up, gifting him the same smile she used to give him as a toddler when he picked her up from daycare.

“Yearbooks are out?” the eldest Burke asked, nodding towards the book in her hands.

“Yeah! Ed’s drawing in mine but look, we got a full page!” Dottie said, rising onto her knees to show him Hellfire’s spread.

James sat at the foot of her bed, glancing at the glossy pictures in front of him. He couldn’t recall Dottie being so excited about a yearbook before, but he supposed she’d never really been a part of any club at her old school and this was an important first for her. There was Dustin front and center, arms and legs bent like a lifeless puppet being held by strings, Erica’s hand poised in the air as if she was the one controlling him while Mike and Gareth lifted her up in a  princess-like manner, a tiara glinting on her head and a school flag draping down her back. Jeff and Donny scowled at each other dramatically, engaged in a lethal fight that Jeff was clearly winning, his sword pressed to the middle of Donny’s golden scepter. But it was his own daughter and the boy that kept smelling markers before he put them to paper a few feet away from him that really caught his attention.

Eddie lounged on his throne with a fake skull in his hand, rings twinkling in the room’s moody light, and legs spread out like he was a despot king about to order someone’s head to be cut off. Dottie stared at the camera with a mischievous smirk, hands cradled around a crystal orb, looking like she knew something no one else did and was more than ready to drop a cryptic riddle that would ruin your entire life. They were playing characters, just like everyone else in the picture: Mike was the loyal knight, Dustin was the terrifying jester, Erica was the bratty princess. Except Eddie’s arm was curled around Dottie like she was his most prized possession, devotion noticeable in his seemingly innocent posture. He might have been the one sitting on the throne and she on the chair’s arm as his trusty advisor, but it was very much clear to anyone that stopped to truly look at them that even though he was the King, she had him wrapped around her finger. It shouldn’t have been a surprise - after all, since 1953 the song did say God save the Queen, not the King.

“It looks super cool, right?” Dottie asked, eyes shining. “Jeff wants to ask the Yearbook Club if we can get copies, I’d love to put one on my corkboard.”

“That sounds great, honey! It’s very theatrical,” James agreed, scanning down the list of names: Edward Munson - Chapter Leader, Donatello Andrea Vitale - Treasurer, Jeffrey Thomas Patton - Secretary… “Who’s Lucas?”

“Huh?”

“Lucas Charles Sinclair?” he asked. “His name is on the list but I don’t see him in the photo.”

“Oh, that’s Erica’s brother. He was in the club before I joined, right, Ed?”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, lips tight. “He, uh- he quit before Spring break. Conflicting schedules.”

“Ah, that’s a bummer,” James nodded, knowing first hand how scheduling was the greatest enemy of a D&D party. “Why isn’t Erica on the list though?”

“She’s still in middle school so she’s not, like, entirely allowed to be in the club actually?” Dottie grimaced. “But Eddie thought she should at least be in the picture. I mean, I’m there and she’s known these guys for longer than I do.”

“She only joined a couple of weeks before you did,” Eddie shrugged. “But a member is a member, no matter when they joined.”

“Spoken like a true leader,” James smiled, flipping the pages to find the senior portraits.

He reached the B section and immediately found his daughter, her red knitted sweater barely visible, the picture cutting off just below her shoulders. She was smiling in it, yes, but she didn’t really look happy. She seemed nervous, perhaps even a bit apprehensive. Her eyes were dull despite the bright lights behind the camera, and the little dimple below the right corner of her lip that she’d inherited from her Mom was nowhere to be found. In comparison with the wicked witch that had been staring at him in the Hellfire Club’s group photo, this girl looked like a shell of herself. Empty. Lost. Scared. Two months had passed between the two pictures, and one more since the last one had been taken, and James realized he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her glow as much as she did every day now. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he looked at her and wondered why he hadn’t done anything to prevent her light from dimming so much right in front of him. Bitterly, he realized the proper question wasn’t why he hadn’t done anything, but instead why hadn’t he ever noticed it had been dimmed in the first place up until that moment.

“I’m so proud of you, honey,” he muttered, pulling her into a hug and letting out a heavy sigh courtesy of his own inadequacies as a parent.

“You’re not gonna cry, are you? Because you’re gonna make me cry if you cry,” she said in a joking manner, tears already threatening to climb up to the surface.

“You’re just really big now and it sneaks up on me sometimes, that’s all. I’m getting emotional in my old age,” he laughed, turning back the pages to Hellfire Dottie - the happier Dottie. “Your hair looks really pretty like this.”

“Yeah. Feels more me, I think,” Dottie agreed. “I need to get the ends trimmed before graduation, though.”

“If it keeps getting shorter I’m afraid you’re gonna end up bald soon.”

“I’ll go to a salon this time, promise,” she laughed.

“Still can’t believe you just-” James did a cutting gesture with his index and middle fingers. “-went to town on it.”

“Wait, what? You chopped off your own hair? When?” Eddie asked curiously, reminding them both that he was listening to their conversation.

“I thought you knew about this!” Dottie said. “I had really long hair back in New York.”

“It reached the top of her jeans,” James added.

“No way! Why did you cut it?”

“I just needed a fresh start, y’know? New school, new haircut. It wasn’t that big of a deal,” she shrugged.

“Honey, you snipped it all off at the first gas station we stopped at on our way from New York. Almost gave me a heart attack when you came out of that bathroom.”

“You’re kidding,” Eddie stared at her in disbelief.

“Nope,” said James. “Had to take her to a hairdresser to even it out as soon as we got here.”

“In my defense, it didn’t look that bad. It was just… very layered,” Dottie said.

“You’re lucky you chickened out and didn’t cut it shorter or you’d be looking like a boy right now.”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, I’m not a hair stylist. I’ll stay away from scissors and let the pros handle it next time,” she rolled her eyes at her Dad.

“Well, I’m gonna go get a shower,” James announced, returning Eddie’s yearbook to his daughter. “You staying for dinner, Ed?”

“No, thank you, sir, Wayne’s waiting for me. Just gotta finish this drawing and I’ll be out of your hair for the night,” Eddie said, lifting the book in his hands as if to demonstrate he wasn’t just wasting time.

“You’re never a bother, kid. You can stay as long as you’d like.”

“T-thank you, sir,” he said in a small voice when James walked past him and ruffled his hair affectionately as he left.

“Dad? Wait, hold up-”

Dottie launched herself into the hallway and caught up to her Dad when he was halfway through his bedroom door. She nervously looked up at him and James lifted an eyebrow, curious.

“Would it be okay if I went to The Hideout to see the guys play tomorrow?” she asked, chewing on her own lip.

“Honey, it’s a school night-”

“I know but the teachers aren’t even taking attendance anymore. And I swear I’m not gonna skip the next day! Please, I’ll be back before midnight.”

“Dot-”

“You know Jeff’s dad wouldn’t let him do it if he was coming back home at 3 am every week on school nights. Please let me go? I really, really, really wanna see them play.”

“Would you be riding with Eddie?” James sighed.

“Yeah, he’s Gareth’s ride. His drum kit doesn’t fit in Donny’s car.”

“Okay, you can go-”

“Thank you!”

“-but! You gotta be back by midnight, okay?” he said, stern. “I don’t care if the teachers aren’t doing their jobs anymore, school’s not out until Friday. You’re not on holiday yet.”

“I know, I won’t break the curfew, I promise-”

“And you can’t drink any alcohol either. If I have to pick you up from the station for any reason, you’re grounded until September.”

“I won’t drink a drop, Dad, I swear. I just wanna see the guys play,” she pleaded with doe eyes.

“Fine. You can go,” James finally relented.

“Thank you!” Dottie shrieked, hugging her Dad and shaking him in her excitement. “Thank you, thank you, thank you-”

“Alright, alright, calm down. Just be careful, okay? And call-”

“Call you if anything happens. I know. Thank you,” she kissed his cheek and ran back into her bedroom where James heard Eddie scream “fuck yeah!”, followed by a loud thump and bright laughter.

That night after dinner, Dottie sat on her windowsill looking at the inside of her wardrobe, mentally putting together an outfit that wouldn’t make her stand out like a sore thumb in the dingy bar. Jeans and sneakers are fine, Eddie had said when she asked him about it, but she knew the guys dressed up for their gigs, and she wanted to fit in. Maybe she should have asked her soon-to-be-boyfriend to lend her one of his band t-shirts, but then again, Eddie had a tendency to get grabby whenever she wore his clothes lately, even if it was just a borrowed sweatshirt when she got cold during a movie night. It was better to be lowkey about this; they were already pushing it a lot lately with the secret daily hangouts and the doing errands together thing. Borrowing his clothes in such a public event like his own band’s gig was as big a declaration of love as they came.

Yes, it was best to keep this under wraps, for the sake of all their friendships with the rest of the boys. She’d wear her own clothes to her very first Corroded Coffin show, and she’d be extra careful with her yearbook when she gave it to her friends at The Weekly Streak to sign. No one had to know that Eddie had drawn a very realistic looking arrangement of daisies on a corner of a page, along with an incredibly telling message that would be hard to explain if anyone read it. However, nothing was stopping her from letting the words he’d written in his usual chicken scratch form behind her eyelids as she let sleep take her under, a perpetual lovesick smile tattooed on her face.Thank you for believing in me, darling, he’d said. I love you now and always. Your Endearing Eddie.

Tuesday, June 10th - 1986

If there was anyone in Hawkins who had bad timing when it came to scheduling business transactions that happened outdoors, it was Eddie Munson. He was in such a hurry to sell most of his stash before he was due to start his first ever real job at Thatcher Tires the following week that he’d failed to account for the permanent drizzle that haunted Hawkins most of the time, and thus, had to move from his preferred selling spot in the woods to the back of the East classroom wing, his back pressed to the warm brick to shield himself from the droplets falling from the sky.

While he was busy earning much wanted cash so he could take his still-not-official-girlfriend out on a date to celebrate their graduation, Dottie and Gareth were lounging in his van, side door cracked open to let some of the day’s heat out. The almost empty parking lot looked menacing surrounded by a thick haze, a moderate breeze directing the drops of water to hit the van’s windshield in a comforting rhythm. Gareth was, as usual, being a menace. He was going through Eddie’s tapes, exchanging their cases to mess with his friend, and never letting a song reach the end before he was skipping forward to the next one. Dottie would have complained about it if she wasn’t so concentrated on her knitting, the summer baby blanket she was working on spread out over her legs. She was in the middle of calculating if the soft cotton yarn she had left was enough to finish the row she was currently knitting when Gareth turned around in the passenger seat to catch her attention.

“You excited about tonight?” he asked, glancing at the songlist at the back of a mixtape.

“Yeah, it should be fun! Though I’m not sure what I’m gonna wear yet,” she put down her needles and stretched in her seat. “Eddie said sneakers and jeans were fine, but I don’t wanna look lost, y’know.”

“Pick the oldest, shittiest clothes you have and you’ll fit in just fine. Most of the drunks in there go after work, it’s always a lot of plaid, jeans, and dirt.”

“You’re not selling this to me very well.”

“I don’t have to,” he grinned. “Eddie says jump, you jump.”

“No, I don’t-”

“Hey, there you are!”

She was about to tell Gareth off when Chrissy appeared from the mist, shielding herself from the rain by holding her cheer cardigan above her head. Immediately, Dottie slid the van door open a bit more so she could climb in, moving all her knitting supplies to her lap so the strawberry blonde girl could sit next to her. Gareth looked at both girls awkwardly and muttered a quick hello before turning in his seat again and busying himself back with the mixtapes.

“I didn’t know you knitted,” Chrissy said, thumbing the corner of the blanket. “This is so pretty.”

“Thank you,” Dottie smiled. “It’s a gift for my Aunt, she’s having a baby in a couple of months.”

“Aw, that’s sweet! Let me guess, a girl?” she said, pointing at the baby pink yarn.

“How could you tell?” Dottie said with good natured sarcasm. “Her name’s gonna be Rose so… pink for Rosie! It’s not very original but I’m hoping she still likes it even though she’ll be born in the middle of summer.”

“I’m sure she’ll love it. I used mine until I was in preschool, there’s no age limit for a good blankie,” Chrissy said, kindly. “I wish I could do creative stuff like this, it looks fun. I tried to learn to sew when I was younger but my Mom’s so not a good teacher. She made me cry once because I forgot to put the presser foot down.”

“I could teach you a few things if you want,” Dottie offered. “I’m not an expert, but my Aunt is, like, the most perfectionist person on the planet and she taught me everything I know so…”

“You’d do that?”

“Do what, teach you?” the blonde nodded in response. “Of course! We’re friends! And it’s a great skill to have, it comes in handy more than you think.”

“We’re friends?” Chrissy asked, eyes suddenly shiny.

“After everything you’ve done for- Chrissy, of course we’re friends,” Dottie said, grabbing the other girl’s hand.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she breathed out, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. “I feel so much better about asking you to sign my yearbook now, I didn’t know if I was being weird or not.”

“For future reference, we like weird here,” the brunette said in a stage whisper, leaning down to get her own yearbook out of her backpack. “Besides, I kinda wanted to ask you to sign mine too so we’re even.”

The girls exchanged books and quickly got to signing, aware that Gareth was pretending like he wasn’t in the same vehicle as them. He didn’t want to turn up the music and rudely drown their conversation, so he distracted himself by drumming on Eddie’s dashboard with two pens, wondering what on Earth had Chrissy done for Dottie that made her so thankful towards the cheerleader. Dottie grabbed her nicest black pen and found an empty space under Eddie’s message. He’d written Don’t be a stranger, Chrissy the Cheery (and thank you for the advice! See you at the wedding) next to a crude drawing in blue ink of a girl with a ponytail lifting one pompon and doing devil horns with the other hand.

After thinking about what she wanted to say to the cheerful blonde, Dottie settled on a nice simple message that was cryptic enough should anyone else read it, but also something that conveyed just how truly grateful she was for this new found friendship. Have a fantastic summer!, the note opened. Thank you for everything. Call me whenever! At the end, right next to her name and a little daisy, she wrote down her phone number. The word everything was underlined twice. When she gave it back to her rightful owner and saw the message Chrissy had written on pink ink on her yearbook, she let out a girly giggle. It was so lovely to get to know you, have a good summer! Let’s hang out soon, it read. Below, Chrissy had also written down her phone number. Both teens looked at each other with a knowing grin and hugged, not paying any attention to the metalhead who’d put them on each other’s path hopping onto the driver’s seat of his van, hair damp from the rain.

“Aw, aren’t you two cute,” Eddie said, grinning. “Did she sign it?”

“We both did,” Chrissy said, returning the smile. “How were the sales?”

“Great! I’m selling my last bit on Thursday and then I’m keeping the rest for myself. A man’s gotta have his vices.”

“What a shame,” the blonde shook her head. “Hawkins is losing its nicest dealer to the workforce.”

“I’m the only dealer you know, sweetheart.”

“Because you’re the nicest one, keep up! I’m gonna have to buy from sleazy dudes now, ugh,” she said while she gathered her things to leave.

“You should have enough to last you until you leave for your pre-season with what I sold you today,” he frowned, concerned that every time Chrissy bought from him, the amounts she asked for kept increasing.

“Yeah, maybe,” she said and shrugged, sliding the door van open and hopping off. “See you around, guys!”

The three of them watched her jog towards the school with her cardigan draped over her head again, her petite figure losing definition in the haze. Eddie clicked on his seatbelt - a habit he’d picked up since he started driving Dottie around - and pulled out of the school’s parking lot, winking once at the girl on his backseat when he put his hand on Gareth’s headrest to reverse into the open road. Dottie rolled her eyes at him, picking up her knitting needles once again. Gareth stared at the school building until it disappeared from sight before he turned to his friends.

“I still can’t believe Chrissy Cunningham is not only super nice to us freaks, but also smokes weed,” he said, making both of the other teens laugh.

James Burke did not think that moving to the town he had grown up in as a quiet wallflower would result in an exponential growth in his daughter’s social life, but truth be told, he wasn’t exactly upset about it. Before packing up her whole life and facing the Big Drive to Hawkins, Dottie had never once gone out for the night on a weekday, much less during the school year. But James had agreed to it, and Dottie had promised to be home before midnight, which brought them to the living room where the tired father sat in his armchair and amusedly watched his daughter pace the entirety of the room swinging her arms around with each step she took.

“You’re gonna burn a hole in the carpet, honey.”

“Good. This carpet gives me allergies.”

James chuckled, following her with his eyes as she padded her way to the window once more and peered outside yet again despite knowing that she would hear Eddie’s van first before seeing it, as per usual. She sighed dramatically and resumed her pacing, glancing at the clock on the wall anxiously. Mildly embarrassed upon noticing that her friends were still perfectly on schedule, she took a few deep breaths and tried to get her emotions in control before their arrival.

“You know you can call me if you get there and want to leave, right?”

“I know, Dad,” she rolled her eyes at him. “Stop offering to pick me up from places, you know Eddie’s gonna drive me back whenever I ask.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t exactly comfort me as much as you think it does, honey. That van looks like it’s gonna die on him at any second.”

“Oh, come on,” Dottie argued. “He loves that van, he takes good care of it.”

“The fumes that come out of that thing say otherwise, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since he’s gonna be a mechanic and all now.”

And speak of the devil, thought James, as the aforementioned smoky van appeared down the street while playing loud metal music. Dottie hurried to grab her keys and a jacket, ready to bolt out of the door and get to the damn dive bar already, but her Dad insisted on walking with her outside to say hi. Eddie and Gareth waved at them as they approached, lowering the music so they could greet the older man properly.

“Good evening, boys,” James said, hands on his hips in a typical Dad pose but with a friendly smile on his face. “How are we feeling? Excited for the show?”

“Hell yeah!” Gareth said, grinning. “We’re gonna kill it, the setlist is awesome tonight.”

“You let him add an Anthrax song to it, didn’t you?” Dottie laughed knowingly, sliding the side door open and climbing in.

“We’re closing with Metal Thrashing Mad,” Gareth looked at her with an expression of triumph.

“Sounds like it’s gonna be a riot,” James chuckled and turned to his daughter. “Have fun, but don’t get into too much trouble. Midnight, okay?”

“I’ll get back here by 11, sir, I promise,” Eddie said, nodding once.

“Midnight’s okay, Ed,” the eldest Burke said, putting his trust in the young man’s hands; Eddie nodded again in understanding. “Have a good show!”

The man patted the side of the van as a goodbye and headed back inside, privately enjoying how much he could make Eddie squirm with just a few well placed words. He liked Eddie, he really did - he was polite, unapologetically himself, resourceful, kind. He loved his friends and wore his heart on his sleeve. And he loved Dottie, that much was clear to literally everyone that surrounded the teens. James didn’t know what the situation was like between them at the moment, but he could tell something had shifted based on recent interactions he’d witnessed. In his opinion, there seemed to be some sort of deeper connection between them since that fateful party they had gone to just a handful of days earlier, but James had to admit, albeit a little reluctantly, that even though he had been on the lookout for signs of a romantic relationship developing, not a lot had truly changed.

Eddie and Dottie had always been unusually close even upon first meeting, that was an undeniable fact about their friendship. It was hard to pinpoint if anything romantic had blossomed between them when Eddie had been calling her darling since the very first moment he laid eyes on her, or when Dottie gravitated towards him at any given moment, even in rooms filled with other people. Their hugs, while always having lasted longer than a regular friendly hug, were chaste and innocent, their main purpose always to comfort and to reassure. Eddie’s hands always stayed above her waist, not even so much as accidentally dropping to her hips in James’ presence, and any compromising position he’d found them in was at best playful, certainly never inappropriate.

It wasn’t that James was particularly concerned with the nature of the teens’ relationship; after all, he had been a teen himself once, he wasn’t an idiot. If anything was bound to happen, they weren’t going to ask for his permission beforehand. No, his worries were more about the knowledge that Dottie and Eddie dating while having the same group of friends could make a potential fall out incredibly painful for both of them, and the poor man was just desperately trying to protect his daughter as best as he could. He already felt like he had failed her once, he couldn’t let her down again. And yet, despite being cognizant of the dangers ahead, James found himself trusting Eddie because if Dottie trusted him, how could he not trust that his daughter knew better than her own Dad did about the matters of her heart?

“Okay, be honest, guys. How do I look?” Dottie asked, shoving half her body between the front seats so they could look at her better at the first stop sign.

“You look gorgeous, princess,” said Eddie.

“Like a toddler,” said Gareth, at the same time.

“Gareth, what the fuck,” Eddie deadpanned, swatting at his friend’s chest.

“What? She’s lucky they don’t ask for IDs,” he said, doubling down.

“You don’t tell a girl she looks like a toddler when she dresses up, you asshat,” Eddie said. “See, this is why you can’t get a girlfriend, you know nothing about women.”

“How would you know any better, you don’t have a girlfriend either!” Gareth retorted, making Eddie snort. If he only knew…

“You two bicker like an old married couple, did you know that?” Dottie said, settling back on her seat.

“That’s because we are,” Eddie joked, grabbing Gareth’s hand and giving him a kiss on the knuckles, making his friend yank his arm out of his grasp while the older boy laughed loudly.

Everyone was in good spirits as they journeyed to The Hideout, but whether she wanted them to or not, Gareth’s words made Dottie pause. Both boys had told her dark, casual clothes would be okay when she’d asked them for advice, so she’d gone with a striped dark blue and white t-shirt and black jean overalls, her trusty Reeboks matching Eddie’s keeping her feet comfortable. She glanced at both of her friends through the rearview mirror and compared her clothes to theirs, but that would never be a fair fight: they were dressed for the stage, not to be a spectator like she was. Gareth was wearing a loose shirt with the sleeves cut out, leather bracelets with spikes decorating each wrist along with his usual rings perched on his fingers. He had a flannel tied at his hip and his jeans were incredibly distressed, something that his Mom hadn’t been too happy about when she found out he’d ripped them himself on their driveway with a sharp rock. Eddie sat next to him, tapping on the steering wheel lightly as they talked about the setlist, looking like a vision straight out of his wildest rockstar dreams in acid wash denim and chains. Admittedly, his eyeliner did look terribly smudged, but he more than made up for it with enthusiasm and a giddy grin etched permanently into his features.

There was no comparison and there would never be one. Dottie simply didn’t fit in. They were undiscovered rockstars, masters of their craft who had poured blood, sweat and tears into a yet unfulfilled dream, and she was just the high school friend who was lucky enough to meet them before they blew up. She tried to be excited for them, to join in on the fun, but all she could think about was how Eddie was destined for bigger things than to be chained to an elementary school teacher and the white picket fence she had always dreamed of when she was living in a tiny apartment with her Dad back in New York.

Unaware of her inner turmoil, Eddie pulled into The Hideout’s parking lot next to Donny’s car, Gareth excitedly hollering out of the co-pilot’s window to get their friends’ attention. Donny took one last drag of his cigarette before throwing it to the side, and hurried to meet them along with Jeff, hugs and pats on their backs exchanged before immediately busying themselves unloading both vehicles. Dottie was quick to mask her discomfort by helping out; a task that forced her to stay focused was always a welcome distraction for her worried brain. The boys chatted loudly, their tired grunts filling the eerily empty parking lot as they moved heavy amps and Gareth’s drum kit into the bar through a service door to the side of the building, leaving Dottie to trail behind them carrying cables and drumsticks.

“Hey, you okay?” Jeff asked, taking a mic stand from her hands, back pressed to the metal service door to keep it open.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m just nervous,” she lied, her smile failing to reach her eyes. “Never been to a place like this before.”

“No one here bites, I promise,” he nudged her shoulder. “And if they do, we’ll fight them for you. You’re with the band, you’re a VIP now.”

“My heroes,” she said, pretending to swoon.

The small exchange might have gone unnoticed had Eddie not become finely attuned to the girl’s emotions even when she wasn’t sharing them out loud. Something wasn’t right, he was sure of it, and he was determined to find out what it was before their set started. He wanted her to enjoy this, to see him doing one of the things he loved most, to let her into a space that up until now had been sacred for him. The Hideout’s little stage wasn’t the Madison Square Garden, but with her in the crowd, he felt like it was the most important show he’d ever play in his entire life.

“I really like your shirt,” Dottie was telling Donny about his Iron Maiden tee, holding his bass for him as he searched for a pedal that had gotten lost in the back of his car. “The black makes your eyes pop out.”

“But I need my eyes,” he whined jokingly.

“You know what I mean, dumbass,” she laughed, softly hitting his leg with her sneaker.

“I was gonna wear something else actually but I couldn’t find it,” he said, frowning at his car’s messy floor. “I have this Halloween shirt- aha!”

“Did you find it?”

“Yep, it was under the mat,” he climbed out of the car and pulled his pants up higher. “My ass wasn’t showing, was it?”

“I would never let you show your ass in public,” Dottie said, giving him back his bass. “We got everything? What do we do now?”

“Yeah, we just need to set up and-”

“Hey man, can you start without us?” Eddie asked, sitting on the back of his open van and patting his pockets for his cigarettes. “Need her help with something.”

“Uh- yeah, sure,” Donny said, looking at both of them suspiciously and noticing how Dottie appeared to be as equally confused as he was. “Don’t take too long.”

Donny hoisted his bass case over his shoulder and disappeared into the building, throwing one last look at them for good measure. While Eddie busied himself lighting up a cig, Dottie shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously. What on Earth could Eddie want her help with right now? Was he… was he going to tell her to leave? Had he realized this was no place for her and didn’t want anyone to see she was with them? Or with him?

“Come ‘ere,” Eddie said, widening his legs so she could stand between them. “You gonna tell me what’s going on or do I gotta tickle it out of you?”

“You know I don’t like tickles.”

“Then I guess you’re gonna have to spill, don’t you, princess?” he flicked some of his ash to the side and wrapped an arm around her hips to bring her closer. “What is it, huh? My eyeliner’s that bad you can’t even look at me?”

“No,” she muttered, lips curling into a resigned pout. “You look pretty.”

“I look like shit. People might confuse me with a raccoon.”

“A pretty raccoon,” the right corner of her mouth lifted into a tentative smile and he took that as a win.

“If it’s not my eyeliner, what’s bothering you then? You wanna go home? ‘Cause I’ll drive you back right now if you want me to, just say the word.”

“No, no,” she quickly shook her head, curls bouncing around but her eyes were still stuck to his knees. “I wanna see you play.”

“Baby, I know something’s upsetting you. Talk to me, come on. We’ve been good at that lately,” he pleaded, thumb sneaking into the side of her overalls and under her shirt to rub comforting circles on her skin.

“It’s just-,” Dottie huffed, crossing her arms and curling on herself. “I feel weird, okay? I look like an idiot.”

“What are you talking about?” Eddie frowned.

“Ed, I’m wearing overalls.”

“And?”

“What do you mean, and? You look like a fucking rockstar and I’m some random toddler following you around. I don’t fit in, Gareth’s right.”

“Okay, first of all, fuck Gareth,” she opened her mouth to argue but he beat her to it. “No, no, fuck Gareth. He doesn’t know shit about fashion, never trust anything he says, okay? He used to wear polos every day before he met me, you knew that? He can’t judge anyone. And I love your overalls. You look adorable in them.”

“But I don’t want to look adorable!” Dottie stomped on the ground, which only furthered his point. “You look so badass, why couldn’t I look like that?”

“You wanna look badass? I’ll give you any of my shirts next time, I promise,” Eddie pulled her closer until she uncrossed her arms and rested them on his shoulders. “But don’t listen to that dumbass. I love how you dress. I really fuckin’ do, babe.”

“Yeah? The toddler thing gets you going?” she asked, melting under his earnest eyes.

“Nah, that’s all you, darling,” he stretched himself up to kiss her gently. “You get me going. And you always fit in with me, alright?”

“Okay.”

“Nope, come on, you gotta say it.”

“Eddie.”

“I’m waiting,” he sang.

“You’re insufferable sometimes,” she rolled her eyes, but this time her smile was much more genuine. “Fine. I fit in with you.”

“Always.”

“Always.”

“Good,” he took one last drag of his cigarette and threw it away, lifting himself up to close the van doors and direct into the bar. “We’re gonna talk about this later though. I know you’re still thinking about it.”

“It’s scary how much you know me,” she mused, leaning onto his side for courage as they walked to the front door.

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t pay attention to you?” he said, opening the door to let her in.

Boyfriend. He had called himself her boyfriend. They hadn’t discussed what they were yet; Eddie was adamant about asking her out properly on Graduation Day but it felt good to hear that he knew what he meant to her. That he wanted the same thing she did, even if her anxious heart got in the way sometimes. Dottie was so sure he’d get bored of her once he realized how truly boring she was, but failed to consider that in all their months together as friends, Eddie had learned to love their differences and cherished them deeply. Why would he want someone who was just like him? He was an idiot in his opinion, he’d hate it if she was equally impulsive, messy and brash as he was. She was soft where he was rough, logical where he was a dreamer, practical where he was ignorant. And in turn Eddie felt capable where she was inexperienced, bold where she was shy, and calm where she was nervous. Two puzzle pieces that are cut the exact same way never fit, and Eddie was confident in the knowledge that they were alike, yet different where it mattered the most. It was just a matter of time until she got to see things like he did, and he’d be damned if he didn’t help her get there faster.

“Dave! What’s up?” Eddie hollered as he approached the bar, a bald man with a bushy beard greeted him with a big smile.

“Hey, Ed! The guys told me the big news, I’m proud of you, kid,” Dave said, putting down his rag and a glass to pat Eddie’s back over the counter. “You brought a new friend today?”

“Thanks, man. Yeah, this is Dottie,” he introduced them. “Dot, Dave, he’s the owner - Dave, Dot. Treat her right, okay? She’s our manager.”

“No shit,” Dave laughed. “How did that happen?”

“I got them a gig in Indy next month and they offered me the job,” Dottie said, slipping onto a bar stool next to Eddie. “We should talk business sometime.”

“That’s my girl,” Eddie beamed, squeezing her hand before walking backwards to the stage. “Give her anything she wants, I’ll cover her tab!”

“So, you’re Eddie’s girl, huh,” Dave said, eyes glinting.

“I guess I am,” Dottie smiled, before her expression dropped in realization. “Could you- We’re not, like- The guys-”

“Secret’s safe with me, doll,” he winked at her. “I knew something was up when Ed started adding ballads to their setlist. Now, what’s your poison? On the house.”

“Would root beer be an acceptable choice?” she asked, cheeks burning under her skin.

“Depends. You want ice cream with it?” he threw his rag over his shoulder.

“I’ll never say no to a little vanilla.”

“Attagirl. I can see why he likes you,” Dave said, and disappeared down the kitchen door in search of a scoop of ice cream.

Dottie turned around in her stool to look at her friends happily setting up for their show, palpable excitement coursing through their veins. Gareth was hunched over his drum kit, tightening and loosening the skin until it was perfect while he heard the story Donny was retelling, Eddie laughing loudly and Jeff cringing while uncoiling a cable. They looked happy, barely controlled energy bouncing around the room much to everyone’s amusement. Two older men sat in a corner of the bar, mugs filled with frothy beer and a bowl of peanuts shared between them - they lifted up their drinks and smiled at her in acknowledgement when she glanced their way. Dave was funny, charming and a little bit kooky, all the right ingredients for a good bartender. He kept Dottie busy by telling her stories about every regular that was in the bar, and introduced her to the two men as “the boys’ boss, so no funny business with her”. Rudy and B.B. ate it up, calling her bosslady in all further interactions, asking her about their friendship with Corroded Coffin and telling her silly stories they had collected about her friends over their years as The Hideout’s only band with a permanent slot.

It was clear to Dottie that this was a family built on routine and comradery. They had nicknames for each other, knew about beverage preferences and medical conditions, asked about parents, wives and children. B.B. was all too glad to have someone new to show off the pictures he kept in his wallet, his five grandchildren looking up at Dot from the glossy paper as he shared names and little anecdotes about them proudly. When it was time for Corroded Coffin to finally start playing, everyone paid attention and even cheered when the first few notes of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid began. Dottie sang along to every single word that came out of Jeff’s mic, thinking about that very first time she’d seen them play in Gareth’s garage. This felt equally warm, homey, and handcrafted. A labor of love.

Corroded Coffin was a sight that begged to be seen. They were loud and unapologetic; they crooned to the outcasts, the freaks, the weirdos. Lee with his prosthetic leg and handlebar mustache, Rudy with his white hair and beer belly, Shonda with her leather vest and scary-looking motorbike parked outside. These drunkards were their very first fans, and they enjoyed the Tuesday night gig as much as anyone could enjoy first row seats to a Metallica show in a big arena. During a water break between songs, Lee asked for a Judas Priest song and the boys indulged him, Gareth immediately launching into a complex beat that made him break one of his drumsticks in half at the end. He looked the happiest Dottie had ever seen him.

The half hour show came to a close, and Corroded Coffin said their goodbyes with pure elation and sweat dripping down their faces. Dottie wanted to help them load everything back into the cars, but Shonda kept her busy and glued to her stool talking about New York and the best food places she had encountered on her travels. If Dottie recognized some of the mentioned spots as known queer hangouts she’d always wanted to go to but couldn’t because she was underage, she said nothing, but the knowledge only endeared the older lady more to her. When the guys had finished putting everything away, they surrounded Dottie at the bar and Dave presented them with a beer each. Yes, it was illegal to serve alcohol to minors, but no one cared. They’d earned those fair and square, and what was the big issue with a little toast between friends to the Hellfire Class of ‘86 who would be graduating in just a few short days?

“Since when do you go dry after a show, Ed?” Dave said, grabbing the bottle Eddie had pushed back into his hand.

“I’m driving her around tonight,” Eddie said, nodding towards Dottie who was lost in conversation with Jeff. “Her Dad might kill me if we get pulled over and I’m drunk, and I actually like being alive.”

“She’s got you whipped,” B.B. commented, making the rest of the older men laugh while Eddie’s ears burned red at the light teasing.

“Good for her. Someone had to do it at some point,” Rudy said, lifting his frothy beer to his lips, and truth be told, Eddie was more than happy to admit they were right.

Dottie was not expecting Eddie to pull over halfway between her house and Gareth’s after dropping him and his drum kit off, but it soon became clear that he wasn’t about to let her go to bed without talking about what had happened earlier. He was still a little jittery from the show, adrenaline starting to run off now that they were surrounded by the quiet of the night in a deserted street, truly alone for the first time all day. After reaching to click her seatbelt off, he helped her crawl sideways onto his lap, resting her weight half on him and half on the driver’s door, legs draped over the center console and stretching towards the co-pilot’s seat. Despite the fact that he’d just played a 30 minute set and still felt a little bit damp with sweat from his performance, he took the time to bask in the sense of calm that washed over him. This is the best part of my day, he thought, lazily pressing kisses to the side of her head as she played with his rings, a dazed smile on her face.

“I fuckin’ love you,” he whispered, pushing her hair behind her ear and making her squirm in delight when he pressed another kiss to her temple.

“I love you too. You’re my favorite rockstar,” she muttered back, nosing his cheek.

“You had a good time?”

“The best. Everyone was so nice.”

“They better be,” he said dramatically, lifting his hand into a menacing fist. “Or else I’d have to kill them.”

“Stop,” she laughed, arms wrapping around him. “I’m sorry if I worried you earlier. I was being silly and got too into my own head.”

“You gonna tell me what that was about? And don’t say it was about your overalls, because I know it wasn’t,” he lifted her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles gently.

“I don’t know, I guess… I was just thinking about the future, and-”

“Uh-oh. Is this it? Are you breaking up with me? Shit, I knew that old dog Rudy was gonna take you away from me.”

“Shut up,” Dottie slapped his chest lightly as she laughed and he pretended to be in excruciating pain, slumping against his seat. “I… I was just wondering if there’s gonna be a place for me, y’know? In your future? And I got upset thinking that maybe there wouldn’t be.”

“Why would you think that?” Eddie asked, uncharacteristically serious.

“I mean… I dunno,” she admitted. “You’re gonna be a huge rockstar and I’m just, like… your boring high school sweetheart that wants to become a teacher. Is that really what you want for your life?”

“Yes. I want you.”

“Eddie, I’m being serious.”

“Yeah, me too,” his hand came up to hold her face. “I’m not gonna become a rockstar, Dot. That ship sailed a long time ago.”

“You’re only twenty-”

“It’s not about my age. Jeff’s leaving Hawkins and he’s gonna be a fancy businessman with a- a fuckin’ pacifist non-profit org or whatever people do in West Virginia,” she snorted at his words and he continued. “Gareth’s probably gonna become the greatest studio percussionist in the world for all we know, and Donny has his family’s restaurant to take care of. We’re all going separate ways, and I don’t wanna do the rockstar thing without them. Like, that’s my band, y’know? I’m not gonna go solo, it’s all of us or no one.”

“I get that, I do but… I just don’t want to be the reason you give up on your dreams,” she admitted. “You’re gonna resent me if you do, and I don’t want you to wake up one day and realize that you are unhappy and you hate me.”

“I could never hate you and I’m not giving up on anything because of you, darling, I promise. Is it really that hard to believe that I want a normal, peaceful life with you?” he shrugged.

“But you hate normal.”

“No, I don’t. I thought I did but… I can’t be hanging onto a maybe forever, babe. I can’t do that to Wayne. I want to help him out, have a good job so I can pay for things around the house, move out before I turn 30. Give him back his goddamn bedroom, for fuck’s sake,” Eddie scoffed bitterly, thinking about his poor Uncle’s back after years of sleeping on that shitty fold-out bed. “I want to make his life easier. He deserves that much.”

“But you could help him out even more if you became a rockstar. You could- you could buy him a big house, and he wouldn’t have to work anymore, he could just retire,” Dottie pressed on. “Didn’t you want to get out of Hawkins? Travel the world?”

“Yeah, but I think I’d miss you too much if I was away on the road all the time. I’m already suffering about you going to Michigan and that’s only three hours away. I can’t get on a tour bus and not see you for eight months, you know I’ll die if you don’t kiss me regularly,” he joked.

“What makes you think I wouldn’t be right there with you on the tour bus if you asked?” she joked back but her voice was so, so earnest.

“Darling, I could never do that to you. I could never ask you to give up on a full ride scholarship for me, fuck. You earned that shit, you have to go and get your degree so I can brag about how smart you are to everyone I talk to.”

“But who’s gonna keep the groupies away from you if I’m not there?” she whispered dramatically.

“I’ll chase them out, let the guys have all of them. Got the best and only groupie I need right here,” he squeezed her to make the remnants of her insecurities go away before kissing her forehead.

“I’m not a groupie though, I’m your manager,” Dottie reminded him. “I’ll have you know, Dave and I are gonna discuss business soon.”

“Yeah? You gonna look out for us? Read all our contracts before we sign them?” Eddie played along, smirking up at her.

“I’ll get you moved from Tuesdays to Thursdays, you’ll see.”

“God, you’re so hot when you know what you want.”

“Eddie!”

“What, my girl is the smartest manager in the world and I can’t find that hot? Fuckin’ sue me then,” he laughed and leaned in to kiss her, feeling incredibly lucky about the fact that she chased his lips for more when he pulled away. “I’m being serious, though. I know you don’t believe me when I say I don’t want that rockstar shit anymore, and this is way too brave of me considering we haven’t even gone on our first official date yet, but… I dunno. I kinda really like the idea of coming back home after a long day at work and getting to hold you like this. I used to think having a normal life was so lame because I never had it and now it’s all I can think about.”

Eddie had told himself throughout his whole childhood that he didn’t want to live like his classmates. He didn’t want to have family dinners every night like they did, because it meant he would have had to eat vegetables like broccoli and carrots instead of whatever unhealthy snack he could make for himself while his Dad was out of the house for the night. He didn’t want to have perfect attendance at school, because he liked whenever he could sleep in until late before “going on an adventure” on Wyatt’s Good Days. He liked spending his summers with his Grandma, stuffing his face full of ice cream and pie, and he liked when Wayne had a few days off from his job as a trucker and returned to Hawkins bringing dumb trinkets he had probably bought at a gas station on his way home, but felt like treasures to the youngest Munson. Eddie had told himself he didn’t want anything more than what he had throughout his childhood, because Wyatt said whining was for pussies and for girls, and his son wasn’t either of those things, are you?

It wasn’t until Eddie moved in with Wayne that he found out he really liked carrots because they were unexpectedly sweet and that he didn’t like grapefruit because it was bitter. He didn’t skip a single day of school for a month and his teacher put a gold star next to his name on the wall. His clothes were now always clean, and he didn’t have to wash ketchup stains in the school’s bathroom anymore to hide them from his Dad because his shirt would be hanging from the clothesline the next day like the offending red splat had never been there in the first place. Eddie thought that living in a real house was bullshit, because he lived in a trailer now and the trailer park was fun. He could feed and pet the strays and go to the playground whenever he wanted, and the people who lived there said hi to him when they saw him collecting flat rocks to skip at the lake when Wayne took him fishing on weekends, and sometimes the old lady next door would give him a bite of watermelon if he asked nicely.

But now Eddie was 20, and he wasn’t scared of admitting he wanted more. He wanted a water heater that didn’t randomly die on him, and a bedroom without mold stains, and Wayne to have the privacy he so very much deserved after 12 years of sleeping in the living room. He wanted a garage like Gareth’s, a backyard like Jeff’s, and a loud but loving family like Donny’s. And whenever he thought about those things lately, he always ended up dreaming about lying on a big comfy couch after a hot shower with his sleepy girlfriend pressed to his side and the decadent smell of a roast cooking away in the oven. No rush, no worries. Just love.

“I think about it too,” Dottie said quietly, jostling him out of his cozy fantasy.

“You do?” he asked, surprised.

“I never had a house until we moved here, I’ve always lived in small apartments before. And it’s not like that’s a bad thing, because it isn’t! I’m really grateful I always had a roof over my head. But I used to dream a lot about having a house like my grandparents when I was younger, and… I don’t know. When I think about it now you are there too. I know, I know it’s a lot, we haven’t even, like, talked about-”

“No, no, that-,” Eddie said, an unfamiliar warmth spreading in his chest. “That sounds really nice, darling. Tell me more? About our future house?”

“Well… it changes all the time. When I see something I like, I add it so it’s always different,” she said, cheeks warm at his soft gaze. “Like, it didn’t have a front porch until I met you, but now I know I definitely want one.”

“Why did you add a porch when you met me?”

“Because you have one! I love it when we sit outside when it’s rainy, it feels really peaceful. And also I think it’s really cute that Wayne waits for you there sometimes. I… I kinda wanna do that.”

“You wanna wait for me to come home on our front porch?” Eddie asked, grip tightening around her waist.

“Mhm,” she buried her head on his neck, closing her eyes like she could see themselves in the future. “We should get a swing, I can make cushions for it. And plant fruit trees in the backyard.”

“We could set up the basement to host D&D nights,” he continued. “And a dog. We should definitely get a dog.”

“Yes. A big dog.”

“A big black dog, and we can name him Ozzy,” he smiled.

“Aw, I wanted to name him Bilbo,” she pouted.

“You can’t name a black dog Bilbo, that’s a name for a brown dog,” Eddie argued.

“We can have two dogs then, one black and one brown.”

“That’s too much, we need space for the kids.”

“K-kids?” Dottie lifted her head and stared at him like he’d just grown two heads.

“I thought you wanted kids?” he was confused.

“I do, I just… I didn’t think you wanted kids,” she admitted. “And we’re still so young, it feels strange to talk about that.”

“I mean, I definitely don’t want kids right now but maybe in like… five years-”

“Ten,” she said, in a tone that left no room to argue.

“Ten years sounds great. We could have kids in ten years, right? I’m not gonna be a loser by then.”

“Eddie, you’re not a loser,” she frowned.

“Wait until after graduation to make big statements like that, babe.”

“You’re not a loser. You’re the best rockstar mechanic in the world and Ozzy, the kids and I love you.”

“Fuck,” he groaned, wiping his face with his hand. “Princess, you can’t shit like that or I’m gonna ask you to marry me before our first date.”

“Ed?” Dottie said nervously; his hand fell from his face to her thighs and he looked at her. “Are we… are we moving too fast? We haven’t even been on a real date and we’re already talking about, like, marriage and living together-”

“We’re just goofin’ around, babe,” he said, grabbing her hand. “We don’t have to do anything until we’re ready. You gotta go to Michigan first and get your degree, and I have to move out of Wayne’s, we have time. I’m just, uh, putting my cards on the table early so you can yell at me if I start being stupid. That alright with you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s alright with me,” she smiled back at him.

“Besides, everyone at The Hideout knows you’re my girl now. That’s bigger than marriage - if we break up they’ll take your side.”

“Am I?”

“Huh?”

“Am I your girl?” Dottie asked, knowing the answer but still wanting to hear it from his lips.

“You know you are,” he pulled her into a kiss before singing softly. “My girl, talkin’ ‘bout my girl… my girl!”

“You’re so silly,” she giggled, noses bumping in the dark.

“But I’m your silly. You’re mine and I’m yours, okay? So no more getting upset at whatever bullshit Gareth says. I’ll kick his ass.”

“It’s not his fault. My brain just hates me sometimes.”

“I’ll fight your brain,” he said, making her giggle again. “You’re It for me, darling. We fit in together. It’s just that easy.”

“Easy,” she repeated.

Eddie had told himself a lot of lies growing up, but the biggest one was that he didn’t want a normal, quiet life, because that was lame and he wasn’t going to conform to the system like everyone else did. He understood now that maybe, just maybe, having the most regular, happy, love-filled life he could get with his high school sweetheart turned elementary school teacher and a big black dog named Ozzy, in a house with a swing on the front porch, enough rooms for children that didn’t exist yet, and a basement where he could DM as many campaigns as he could think of, would probably be the biggest act of defiance he could do in the eyes of a town who thought he would never be deserving of the common luxuries everyone else got to have without having to fight for them.

taglist: @munsonology @kurdtbean @every1lovesanunderdog @eg-dr3amer3

#bunny writes #small town fic #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female character #eddie munson x ofc #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fic #stranger things 4 #stranger things #hellfire club #corroded coffin #eddie munson #gareth stranger things #jeff stranger things #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #chrissy cunningham #wayne munson #joseph quinn #baby's first fic

[capevans3000]

Break Up - Bonus Chapter

A/N: Ahhhhh, where do I begin? I promised a bonus chapter months ago and I failed to deliver. I had good reasons though. My health took a huge hit over the last few months, where part of the few months I experienced sudden deafness in both of my ears due to a serious case of infection. The worst is over, although I am still trying to build my health back. Anyway, the bonus chapter is finally out! TBH, I am not too happy with the ending. I was stuck and I couldn’t get the ending the way I really wanted it :( I tried my best. But I am still really excited to hear what you think about it. Leave me comments/suggestions, like and reblog if you enjoyed this! :)

Fic may contain grammar errors. Characters are fictional and not based on any real persons.

TW: Mental health issues, medical emergencies, angst, jealousy

*Photo not mine!

Based on the following short series:

Break Up

Break Up - Sequel

Taglist/requests:

@ah-ri-young-deactivated20221202: It was midnight and I could not sleep. I was looking for a fic about breaking up and I found your fic and it was exactly what I wanted. You wrote everything very well. I cried while reading it. I could completely understand reader's feelings. Will you write another part for it? I liked Sam And I hated Chris so I thought how good it would be if reader move on from Chris and fall in love with Sam and Chris saw reader in a wedding dress with Sam and the happines in her eyes and the way she looks at Sam. I really want Chris to suffer because of his betrayal to reader. I hope you get this message because my tumblr doesn't work sometimes🎈

@atoosa22 : The Break up fic that you wrote is amazing. I'm team Sam btw. I almost cried and it means you're so good at writing. Will you write another part? I had a thaught that reader come back to Chris but nothing is in the way that it was. And she is in love with Sam. She left Chris and marry Sam and Chris SUFFERRRR and that makes me SATISFIED

You sat at your bed fidgeting with a rose gold necklace in your hand. Chris had given you the necklace during your first year’s anniversary. You had also given him a matching gold necklace, which he’d been wearing everywhere he went. Since that day, you had never once removed the necklace… not until that night when you left his property and left the relationship behind.

 You thought about returning the necklace to him before you left, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to. Your relationship with Chris may have met an untimely end, but it doesn’t negate the once-existence of the relationship. It was a meaningful take-away from the little time you had with Chris, and you wanted to keep it as much as you wanted to forget about it. Turning the necklace around, you traced the engraving with your fingers wistfully. Chris x Y/N. The same engraving sits on the back of Chris’ necklace. “This is so that you will always feel my heart beating next to yours.” Chris had said to you the day he put the necklace on you.

 The necklace had been sitting inside a box since you moved out. But Chris’ sudden appearance at your new apartment three weeks ago had rocked whatever solid ground you thought you had managed to rebuild since the break up. This was the power he had over you. All it took was seeing and hearing his voice again, and all your past resigns vanished like an ice cube on a hot’s summer’s day. As soon as he left your apartment that night, you crashed onto the floor of your room and sobbed. All of that plasters you had pasted over the wounds peeled off in an instant and they revealed each and every brokenness he left you. It was painful to learn that the wounds were nowhere near healed in the first place as you thought they were.

 While you hadn’t agreed to Chris’ preposition to get back together again, you had agreed to co-exist with him – as friends – and maybe see how things go. Sam was worried you’d get hurt by Chris again but he respected your decision. You felt bad for Sam. You knew Sam was interested in you, and you were starting to feel the same way about him. But with the recent turn of events, you had to put a potential relationship with Sam on hold on account of Chris. You didn’t think it was fair to Sam jumping into a relationship with him when you were not in the right mental state to fully devote and love someone else. Despite the hurt, you realized Chris still held a very special place in your heart.

 Chris had been trying hard to fight for you over the last three weeks. He’d put in effort to make small but familiar gestures – gestures that he used make when he was your boyfriend. Sending you texts throughout the day to let you know he was thinking about you, sending you lunch and dinner deliveries, sending you photos and videos of Dodger… He would appear at your doorstep with your favourite tea, wine and snacks. If not for the obvious hurt hanging thick in the air, you might even think nothing between you and Chris had changed. You enjoyed Chris’ company despite the circumstance, but your heart was guarded against him. There was still that part of you that was afraid to accept Chris again. Sam, and your best friend were there too, working as gatekeepers for your heart.

 It had been three weeks since Chris returned to your life, and his ex-girlfriend was never mentioned once. That was until one night while Chris was at your place with a bottle of wine, and the two of you were having a quiet night in.

“Hey, YN, can I run something by you?” Chris asked between sips from his wine glass.

 For some reason, you felt your heart clenched by his question. He sounded so serious all of a sudden. “Sure.” You tried to hide the fear and uncertainty in your voice.

 “[Ex’s name]… she would like to meet you. You know, to explain things with you.” Chris sounded hesitant.

 You gulped down the wine you had in your glass and set it down on the table, almost too hard. Your fear turned into anger. You couldn’t believe what you just heard. The cheek of that girl. She broke you and Chris, and now she’s trying to explain things to you? You can’t think of any reasons or explanations she could have for you that you could actually accept.

 “She feels bad. She just wants to clear the air and apologise to you.” Chris continued when you said nothing. You almost burst out into an angry laughter.

 “I didn’t know you were still in contact with her. And I can hear how much you’re trying to speak for her.” You replied curtly, while pouring yourself another giant glass of wine.  You were not proud of yourself, and you knew how childish you sounded. Chris could keep his contact with anyone and speak for anyone and it was none of your business.

 “No, that’s not –“ Chris stuttered nervously. “We both just thought we should clear the air between us.”

 “We? You mean you and her.” You said again, anger bubbling underneath your breath. Hearing Chris talk about her and referring to the both of them as “we” was rubbing you the wrong way. It shouldn’t as Chris wasn’t yours anymore, and even you knew it was ridiculous of you to be upset over the word “we”. But you couldn’t help it.

 “I don’t mean it that way.” Chris knew he had just made things worse. “I’m sorry. Can we forget about this conversation?”

 You took a deep breath to calm yourself. You tried to rationalized with yourself and the situation at hand. You had given Chris a second chance, and it was only fair for you to give her a chance to explain herself too. Whatever explanation she was going to give you. That was the mature thing to do. Even if you were not prepared to accept her apologies or explanation, the least you could do was try. You agreed to the meeting.

 Sam had learned about the dinner that you were about to have with Chris and [Ex’s name] and he insisted on coming along too. He didn’t feel comfortable about you being there alone. You were thankful for Sam for looking out for you and gladly accepted his offer to join you. You could do with a friendly face at dinner.

 Chris offered to pick you up for the dinner, but you declined. You went with Sam instead. When the both of you had reached the restaurant, Sam took your hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “I’m here, all right?” Sam gave you a reassuring smile. The two of you were led into a private dining room where Chris and [ex’s name] were already waiting. Your eyes met with Chris, and immediately you could feel his posture tense up. Chris didn’t know Sam was coming for the dinner too. He didn’t like seeing you together with Sam and his jealousy and anger was hard to hide. It didn’t help that Sam was holding your hand.

 “Why are you here?” Chris couldn’t help himself scowling at Sam.

 “What concerns Y/N concerns me too.” Sam responded, confident, cool and matter-of-factly, feeding Chris’ anger even more. Without missing a beat, Sam pulled a chair out for you before Chris could do it for you.

 You glanced at Chris and saw that he was fuming. His fist was clenched around his wine glass, his knuckles white. You looked over at his ex-girlfriend and your eyes met. She was smiling at you, but somehow you could tell her smile wasn’t sincere. She broke the eye contact quickly and knowing you were still watching her, reached out to stroke Chris’ hand gently, to comfort him. You wanted to scoff openly at the nerves of her, but you held yourself back. You were not there to fight. She could do whatever she wants with Chris as Chris wasn’t your boyfriend anymore. Although you had to admit that seeing that made your blood boil. Her touch brought Chris back. He fidgeted in his seat to regain posture.

 Chris looked at you and addressed you for the first time that evening. “Y/N, I’m glad we could have this dinner. Thank you for coming out to meet with us.”

 Again, with the usage of the word “us”. You bit your lip to stop yourself from being too sensitive with these pronouns Chris was using to group himself with her like they were still an item. It was just a word and it didn’t mean anything, you had to tell yourself.

 “Yes, Y/N, thank you for coming out tonight. Chris and I are really thankful for the chance to clear the air with you.” Chris’ ex-girlfriend spoke. You might have applauded her for her effort to sound sincere, if not for the fact that her hand was now stroking Chris’ shoulder as she was speaking to you. If Chris had noticed how disrespectful this was, he said nothing.

 “Sure.” You forced a smile. You could hardly believe what you were seeing. Sam was appalled at the nerves of her and he reached out to you and gave your hand another tight squeeze.

 “We’ve already placed our order for food for the three of us, but we didn’t know you brought a guest, Y/N.” The ex said, looking at Sam. “You must be Y/N’s boyfriend?”

 You looked up at her and swore you could almost hear the satisfaction and hope in her voice. Was she hoping you were already attached so she could stop worrying about Chris getting you back? Were you too sensitive?

 “That’s all right, I can order my own food with no problem.” Sam replied curtly. He completely ignored her second comment, not willing to feed her satisfaction.

 “I ordered you your favourite, Y/N. Mid-rare steak with extra spinach.” Chris smiled at you.

“I’ll have two cod fish, and if it’s not too much trouble, could you cancel the order for mid-rare steak, please? Could you also help to ensure that there are no peanuts in the salad as she’s allergic. Thank you.” Sam said to the waiter, who had come in to take his order.

 “Hey, I ordered the mid-rare steak for Y/N. That’s her favourite! What are you doing?” Chris snapped at Sam.

 “I don’t think I owe you an explanation. But if you would like to know, if you were at all observant and concerned about Y/N, you would have known she was advised by doctors to reduce intake of red meat because of her sensitive gastric. Now that you are aware, do we still have a problem?” Sam addressed Chris calmly.

 Chris’ face was distorted in anger and distaste for Sam. He hated that Sam seemed to know you so well, and maybe even better than him. His fist was clenched around his glass again when he saw the smile you gave Sam. Chris’ fear of losing you to Sam was increasing and he hated that. He looked away from Sam, not saying a word, not trusting the words he would use.

 “Oh, you’re allergic to peanuts, Y/N?” The ex-girlfriend asked you, which you nodded awkwardly. You were uncomfortable with her sudden interest in you.

 “Can we get to the point of the dinner tonight, so that we can end this early?” Sam asked when Chris was silent.

 “Yes. First of all, Y/N, Chris and I, we want to explain things to you.” The ex-girlfriend spoke up. You were confused by her words. Chris and her? Wasn’t this dinner supposed to be about her explanation and apologies? When had this become an explanation from “Chris and her”?

 You said nothing and waited for her to continue.

 “It’s a fact that Chris and I kissed and we are sorry you saw that.” She continued, again, reaching out to touch Chris’ hand when she said the word “kiss”. This time, you saw Chris moved his hand away from her uncomfortably. “It was just a kiss, and it didn’t lead to anything else more. You don’t have to worry.” She continued.

 She stopped when the waiter came back in with the food. By the time the food was set in front of you, you had lost your appetite. If that was an apology from her about exactly what she did, you had failed to hear it. All she did was apologise for the fact you caught them in the act. And all the hand touching was leaving a bad taste in your mouth.

 “I feel bad that you and Chris had broken up over this. I mean, I thought the both of you were pretty tight.” She commented.

 You looked at Chris, waiting for him to say something. Anything at all for this evening to make sense. For this “explanation” or “apology” to make sense. For now, you felt as though you were part of a sick prank show.

 “We’re sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry. I can understand you feel hurt and it’s all my fault. I hate that you feel betrayed by me and I take full responsibility for that.” Chris said to you, his voice breaking. You had already heard Chris’ apologies umpteenth times but you had yet to get one sincere apology from his ex. Not that an apology from her would erase the hurt, but it would at least show that she was aware of the damage she had done. Being here at this “apology”, “clear the air” evening was proving to be a mistake.

 “Thank you for the apology, Chris. If that’s all the both you have to say, I think we are done with the dinner.” You waited a while for Chris and his ex-girlfriend to speak and when they didn’t, you stood up, Sam following suit. Neither of you had even touched your food. He took out a bunch of cash and placed it on the table to cover for dinner. Sam took your hand tightly in his hand and led you out of the restaurant. You heard Chris stand up behind you but he didn’t follow after you. You wondered if his ex-girlfriend had tried to hold him back.

 As Sam walked you home, he allowed you time to process the evening in silence. You always appreciated Sam’s gestures like this. When you were almost home, you finally spoke up. “What… happened there? Did you even hear any explanation or apology from her? Or was I just too out of it to hear it?” You almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the evening. It was almost as if the dinner was her excuse to tell you she was nowhere near over Chris and she wanted Chris back.

 “All I can say is… and pardon my language, what a bitch!” Sam rolled her eyes and you burst out laughing. “So I am not the only one who thinks so?” You asked rhetorically, still laughing. You were feeling angry before, but Sam had helped you feel better, as he always did.

 “Let’s forget about tonight. Let’s go have something to eat, without a certain someone spoiling our appetite.” Sam said before leading you to one of both of your favourite hangs.

 “Sam, thank you. For being here with me tonight. I don’t know if I would have been able to do it by myself.” You told Sam when he walked you to your door.

 “I will always be here for you.” He smiled, leaning down to give you a kiss on your forehead. You felt something flutter inside your stomach and your face burning. As you closed the door behind you, you smiled to yourself. When you were finally settled in, you checked your phone and realized that Chris had left you numerous messages. You decided not to read them or respond until the next morning.

 After a night’s rest, it almost felt as if the dinner with Chris and his ex-girlfriend was a dream. That was until you received an unwanted visitor at your door.

 “Hey, Y/N, can I come in?” Chris’ ex-girlfriend stood at your doorstep. You cursed at her timing. Your roommate/best friend wasn’t home, and you knew Sam was out to run an errand so you couldn’t call him to come over. You were shocked to see her, but not wanting to be rude, you let her in.

 “Why are you here?” You asked, as you closed the door.

 “Well, you left dinner so abruptly last night. I thought I’ll drop by to check if you are okay.”

 “I’m fine, thanks.” You replied, without trying to sound too snappy.

 “That’s great then. Anyway, I made some cookies for you.” She said, fishing out a container of cookies from her bag.

 “Err, okay, thanks, but I am good.” You were slightly taken aback by her gift. Was it a peace offering?

 “Take it. I made it for you.” She insisted and pushed the cookies into your hands. “I’m not bragging but this cookie recipe is really good. Try it.”

 “Thanks, I’ll have it later.” You told her and set the container on your kitchen table.

 “No, please try it. At least let me know if they are nice, and I will get out of your hair, I promise.” She insisted again, harder this time.

 You wanted her to leave you alone so you took a cookie and took a bite. “Yeah, they’re great. Thanks.” You washed down the cookie with a glass of water. You didn’t even pause to taste the cookie. You practically swallowed the bite. “You should leave. Sam’s coming over in a while.” You lied.

 “All right then. I’ll go. Say hi to Sam for me.” You nodded and closed the door behind her. You were so weirded out by her sudden friendliness and visit. You took out your phone to call Sam to tell him all about it. Just as you hear Sam’s voice on the other end, you felt a strange tingling sensation around your mouth and throat. “Hey, Sam…” you pushed out the words from your throat painfully. Within seconds, you felt your throat tightening and your tongue felt as if it was bitten by a bee and swelling to twice its size. Your breathing became more laboured and difficult. You looked down and noticed hives all over your body.

 You hadn’t had an allergic reaction since you were a kid but you recognized the symptoms immediately. “Help… Sam.” You managed to call out before you fell onto the ground trying to breathe. You heard Sam calling out your name repeatedly through the phone but you couldn’t respond. You tried to crawl towards your bedroom to retrieve the epi-pen. You don’t remember how far you managed to crawl before you heard Sam’s voice again, this time a lot louder.

 You opened your eyes and saw Sam hovering over you. Worry written all over his face. “Y/N, are you okay?” You managed a weak nod. “Peanut… allergy…”

 “I know. I’ve called 911 and they are on their way. I’ve just administered your epi-pen. You’re going to be okay. I’m here.” You smiled weakly before exhaustion took over you and you passed out.

 The next time you opened your eyes, you were in an unfamiliar environment. “Hey, you’re awake. How do you feel?” Sam asked, as he poured you a glass of water.

 “Like death.” You groaned. You looked around and quickly registered that you were in the hospital.

 “What happened? Who gave you those cookies?”

 “Cookies?” You asked, trying to remember what happened.

 “In your kitchen. I saw it right as the paramedics were tending to you. It didn’t look store bought so I brought it along for testing. They tested peanut contents in it.”

 “Argh. Chris’ ex-girlfriend. She gave them to me and forced me to eat it. Said she made the cookies herself for me.”

 “That bitch!” Sam exploded. This was the first time you had ever seen Sam angry. “She knew you were allergic to peanuts and she gave you the cookies on purpose! I’m not letting her get away with this. If I hadn’t already reached our apartment building when you called, I don’t know what’s going to happened.”

 You rubbed your head, not believing that Chris’ ex-girlfriend had just tried to kill you on purpose. It was almost inconceivable.

 Before you could respond, you saw Chris approaching your ward, his expression grave with worry.

 “Y/N, oh my god, are you okay?” Chris burst through the doors and headed straight for you.

 “What the hell are you doing here?” Sam pulled Chris back from you angrily.

 “Get off me. The hospital called.” Chris tried to fight Sam off to get to you. You forgot that Chris was still listed as your emergency contact.

 “You don’t deserve to be here. Y/N is lying here because of you. Meeting you and your ex was a mistake. You do what you want with your ex, but leave Y/N the hell alone. You brought your ex back into Y/N’s life and now she’s tried to kill her.” Sam roared as loudly as the hospital would allow.

 Chris looked confused. “Tried to kill her?” He’s stopped fighting Sam by now.

 “She knew Y/N was allergic to peanuts. She asked about it over dinner. And the next morning she comes knocking with cookies she made containing peanuts and made Y/N eat it. What do you call this behaviour?”

 “No… no way.” Chris said in disbelief. “She... wouldn’t do that.”  

 “The hell she wouldn’t. She’s not going to get away with this. Y/N almost died because of her, Chris! Do you even understand what’s happening?” Sam was exasperated.

 “Chris. I think you should leave.” You told Chris. While it wasn’t all Chris’ fault and he had no control over his ex’s action, you were tired of dealing with him. Your heart was hardened and cold.

 “No, please. I want to stay. I want to talk about this.” Chris pleaded. His eyes had welled up in tears. “Please, Y/N.”

 You closed your eyes and swallowed the wave of tears that were threatening to crash through your eyes. “Fine.” You wanted to get this over with. You knew this was a conversation you’d have to have with Chris one day if not today. You just wanted this circus to end. Sam looked at you, concerned, worried. “Are you sure, Y/N?”

 You nodded at Sam. “I’ll be okay. I promise.”

 Chris dashed toward you as soon as Sam left the ward and reached out for your hand. You moved away, not allowing Chris to touch you. You were not ready.

 “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I really am. I had no idea she was capable of doing this.” Chris cried.

 You were so sick of hearing Chris apologise over and over again by now. “Stop, Chris. I don’t want to hear any apologies from you, anymore. Aren’t you tired? I’m so tired of hearing the same old apologies over and over. I don’t need your apologies. I don’t need your explanations. I don’t need anything from you. After what happened last night and this morning, I just want you and her to leave me alone. Please. I am tired.” You looked at Chris dead in the eyes as you said those words. You knew you were probably harsh on Chris, but you couldn’t hold it in.

 “I don’t know what else to say, except that I really am sorry that I brought her back into our lives. I had failed as your protector, your boyfriend.” Chris sobbed.

 “Chris. She… she needs help. And I think the only and the best person who can help her is you. I’m going to give her the benefit of doubt about the peanut cookies, and I won’t press charges. But I am sure she did what she did because she isn’t stable. Despite what she did, I shall choose to believe she is a good person who is in a bad place currently. Help her walk through this.” You were surprised, even by yourself that all the anger you had felt about Chris’ ex-girlfriend a minute ago was gone just like that.

 “I love you, Y/N. I don’t want to be with her to help her. You’re who I want to be with.” Chris implored.

 “Chris, maybe over the last three weeks that you were back in my life again, I did think there was a chance that we could be together again. But it is hard to think so anymore. I still love you, Chris. But I don’t think I can be in love with you. I admit that I had missed you so badly. I loved spending time with you over the last three weeks and I even toyed with the idea of us being back together. But I’m so tired.” You bit your tongue so hard to stop yourself from crying that you almost drew blood. “Call me selfish for pushing you away, but I think she needs you more than I need you. Help her get better, okay?” A tear escaped from the side of your eyes. The finality of the words was hitting you. You had made your decisions that you could never get back together with Chris. The pain of what happened, the sabotage from his ex-girlfriend, the whole circus show with her touching Chris at dinner… You just knew you couldn’t.

 “Y/N, no, please. Don’t push me away. I don’t want to lose you.” Chris whimpered.

 You reached out and gave Chris a hug. “I love you, Chris. You’ll always hold a special place in my heart and I know I do too in yours. This is where our relationship ends but I’ll never forget you, okay?” You felt Chris falter in your arms. “I love you, Y/N.” Chris whispered between sobbing. You hated breaking his heart but in the long run this might be kinder to him and yourself. You had no idea how long you stayed in embrace with Chris until a nurse came in and requested for Chris to leave the room so she could check on you. You looked away, refusing to watch Chris’ back as he walked out of the hospital ward. You hoped you made the right choice closing this door on Chris.

 When the nurse stepped out, Sam back came in. When you saw Sam, you immediately felt a wave of calm and security over the uncertainties. You knew you were going to be all right, with Sam there with you.

#chris evans x reader #chris evans #chris evans x reader angst #chris evans x reader imagines #chris evans angst #chris evans fanfic #chris evans x reader fanfic #chris evans break up

[ahedderick]

Around the Yard

It was a yardwork sort of day. So much so that I may be regretting it tomorrow, actually. I started out by going down to Home Farm and digging up some of the overcrowded snowdrop and daffodil bulbs here and there. My father really did plant daffodils . uh . EVERYWHERE. There are thousands of them. I stored them temporarily in plastic bags, then came home to deal with

the berry area. It needed to have the anti-Nutmeg fence fixed up a bit and lengthened at each end, a few early-rising weeds pulled, and more cardboard put down. I just hope I get another scoop of mulch before we have a high wind. The chickens were watching me, so I went in their run and turned a few shovelfuls of dirt for them; frantic scratching and earthworm for lunch!

The strawberries should NOT be evergreen. However, there was almost no true cold weather this winter, and . . there they are. (the little mushroom is a sculpture, btw)

There are two rhubarb plants in here, and one of them has a first leaf looking hopeful.

Current census is three beds of strawberries, two rhubarb (I hope), two blueberry bushes, and two nanking cherry bushes that came up (very puzzlingly) in the woods. The one I planted last year, which was dug up from very poor soil on the ridge, grew amazingly well last summer for a transplant. Here is a photo from just about a yr ago:

versus today:

That is just crazy new growth for a plant that was pulled out of shaley clay after it had already broken dormancy.

#farmblr #farm #solarpunk #gardenblr #garden #permaculture #berry #strawberry #rhubarb #cherry #spring #springtime

[f0point5]

We need a fc for Freddie ASAP, cause I feel like that will resolve so many questions about him. He for sure knows he is below her standards, so he’s trying to ruin her self esteem to get her to fuck/date him.

My mom’s friend once commented on the couple we saw on the street.

Little back story She was so fucking pretty, really put an effort into her appearance, laughing and joking.. She seemed like a really funny, someone cool you’d want to be around. He looked like he just rolled out of bed, didn’t even bother to brush his hair, clothes rumpled, grumpy, mean to her… She was so out of his league, but he had the audacity to check out other girls, IN FRONT OF HER.

Soo, of course we had to comment on it. And she said it’s probably low self esteem, lack of confidence, and that he made her believe he was better than her, and that she should be gratefull he’s even given her a chance.

I think that’s what Freddie is trying to do.

Can’t wait to learn what really happened in Monaco.

I wish her father makes an appearance, fucking destroys Holly and Lauren. Like bankrupt Holly’s agency, take over, renegotiates deal with Lando’s team. I had high hopes for Lauren, but not anymore. At first she seemed like someone who could be an ally If not a friend, but now she’s just an employee doing her job. So when times come, she’ll be treated as such.

I’m kinda afraid of what’s gonna happen in a meeting with Zak. I don’t really care about him IRL, but it’s seems like he won’t be a positive character in this.

Girlie is getting attacked from all sides, and I don’t like it. Really loved Logan detail. It does seem like people always try to connect WAGs to different drivers. Sometimes it is true, they seem to date from the same pool. LOL. But not this time, baby Logie can be a friend.

Next week, I hope we get at least some resolution, couse there are so many unanswered questions.

Btw, Lando did post much more last year, and in real time. But during summer brake, he and his friends got robbed. His friend talked about it on her tiktok. After that he started protecting his privacy better. Posting photo dumps only after he leaves the place, he even stopped posting on his .jpg account for a while.

Hahaha. Freddie will make an appearance and I don’t think he will what people expect….

Yeah guys do do that, I think nowadays they call it “negging”. It’s actually pathetic behaviour. We will see if you agree that’s what Freddie up to…

Lauren is doing her job, Sophie is doing her job, Zak is doing his job, even Holly is just doing her job. I think the problem when you’ve got so many people whose job it is to manage how another person behaves, you do get in these situations whenever you step out of line. Because at the end of the day these people can’t stop doing their jobs to take care of you. They may like you or even care about you in some abstract way but your well-being isn’t their priority. So it sucks to be in that position but from their side it also sucks, it’s like herding cats.

I do remember Lando’s friend Jennie talking about how they got robbed in Ibiza but somehow I didn’t connect that to why he stopped posting so much.

Also tbf when I compare him to Max I remember how much content I was able to get from Kelly’s insta, whereas Lando doesn’t have a gf. I remember Luisa used to share content of him and Kika has Pierre a lot on her insta. So yeah him being single is really not convenient 😂

But yeah I did not appreciate how between Kelly, his jet tracker, his redline streams, and the fact that he makes documentaries about his life, Max Private Man Verstappen actually has a lot of content out there lol

[aubreysheadspace]

Hi again!! Tysm for doing my last request, it was so good as usual!! I hope you dont mind me asking another one but, it was snowing today!! So could i request a sunny x reader like, warming up after being out in the cold w the others ? Like drinking hot chocolate and cuddling by a fire or something yk. Thank you sm !! Make sure to take breaks too btw, and have a great day <3 !!

-🪐

SUNNY AND READER WARMING UP AFTER PLAYING IN THE SNOW

IT SNOWED?!?! UR SO LUCKY I LIVE IN A DESERT SO THERES NEVER ANY SNOW </33 AND THIS IDEA IS SOOO ADORABLE, hope u enjoy!

SUNNY

SUNNY probably has a naturally cold body, perfect for the hot weather in summer, but worse for the cold weather in winter. that doesn’t stop him from going outside to play in the snow with you and his friends!

he likes the snow, he’s not sure why, but something about it makes him feel.. comfortable. he guesses he just finds comfort in it because of how pretty it is.

SUNNY wouldn’t participate in snowball fights, or at least until you throw a snowball at him. he’d immediately fight back and then a snowball fight happens.. to which he loses in.

he likes to build snowmen, though! he remembers that he, BASIL and MARI made a snowman together and wants to do it with you this year!

he lets you do all the decorating and even naming the snowman, and he loves how it turns out. he knows he’ll remember this memory for as long as he lives and will definitely cherish the snowman.

after playing in the snow for who knows how long, you both decided it was time to go inside and warm up. SUNNY practically liked everything about snow, from the games to even warming up inside after playing in it.

he’s not one for romance, but knows that couples usually warm up each other together… so it’s okay if you both warm up together, right?

making hot chocolate is easy, so SUNNY would make it without an issue. he hands over yours as you both sit in front of the fireplace together with all of his friends watching the fire.. be fire.

he loves the warmth actually, something about being in cold to now being in warmth makes it comforting to him, he isn’t sure why. he does enjoy this special moment with you, even if his friends are also there.

he wouldn’t suggest anything like warming each others hands or cuddling because it either hasn’t crosses his mind yet, or he’s just shy. you would have to suggest the idea instead of make the first move.

after hours of playing outside in the cold yet beautiful snow, you and your boyfriend, along with his friends, have decided to go to his house to get warm. while it was the best time ever playing outside, your bodies couldn’t handle the cold temperature anymore.

now in SUNNY’s house, all of you were huddled in blankets and near the fireplace. you took a quick glance at the big family photo next to the fireplace, and gushed to yourself how cute SUNNY was as a baby. you didn’t notice that he was side eyeing you, feeling his ears go red.

everything felt perfect, the hot cocoa was just the right temperature for you as you took a sip. SUNNY followed right after by pure coincidence. without thinking, you rested his head on his shoulder and yawned, the exhaustion finally comes to you. you were very peacefully right now, cuddling against your boyfriend as the two of you stared at the fire.

although, you haven’t noticed the fact that SUNNY was currently panicking internally. his ears and cheeks were turning red without hesitation, and he wasn’t sure what to do in this situation. should he move? should he say anything? he wasn’t sure, so he stayed really still and stiff. slowly but surely, he’s getting more relaxed.

silently, he rests your head next to yours, officially cuddling against each other. without the two of you realizing it as well, you were warming each others hands. for SUNNY, it felt nice, it felt relaxing, it felt comforting, and it especially felt romantic. with a silent sigh, you heard him whisper, most likely to himself, in a hushed yet gentle voice,

"…this is… nice.. i want to stay like this forever with them.."

#aubreysheadspace!~ #aubreys writing!~ #🪐 anon!~ #omori x reader #omori #omori sunny x reader #omori sunny

[swanimagines]

can you talk about meeting freddy??? so cool that u did omg!!!

Haha of course! I'm still buzzing about it 🥰

Ok so, I'll go day by day. Below read more we go:

After the opening ceremony, there was a meet & greet for Gold ticket holders (including me). At Starfury, meet & greet means we're in these large rooms with round tables, and the guests/cast come to our tables one by one and talk with us for a few minutes.

Well, after the first guest left our table (Amita, who was an angel btw 😭❤️), I changed seats at our table to sit with my friends.

Well then Freddy comes and sits right next to me. And I'm like 😳

Well, he asked how are we. I looked at my feet and noticed I left my bag next to my old chair, so I said I'm gonna get it and Freddy apologised for it for some reason?? I just said "no no it's fine".

I listened to the conversation with my other ear while fetching my bag so I could dive right back into the conversation, but I thought I heard one of my friends saying their name.

So, because Amita began with asking our names, I assumed Freddy does too.

So when I sit back down, I smile at Freddy and say "Jenni".

He leans closer and says "sorry?"

And I thought he doesn't hear me so I lean closer too and SHOUT "MY NAME IS JENNI!!!!!!!!"

He looks at me confused and I'm just thinking "why is he confused, he asked our names?? Oh his eyes are so blue..."

Then he repeated my name after me, he got it right the second time and I'm like "oh you pronounced it pretty good!" (No one who's not Finnish ever gets it, so it was really weird to hear Freddy saying it correctly 😂)

And then

He turns to others and asks for their names.......

So I had just screamed my name at his face unprompted and without anyone asking 😊

I was silent after that and don't remember what he talked about for the rest of the time of him sitting there 😭

Saturday. The day began with Photo OPs and I was nervous af. Which resulted into me looking like a potato in all my pictures and I forgot to smile with my teeth 😭 But the hug was good. He first wrapped only one arm around me and I hugged him from the side but then turned to me fully and wrapped the other arm around me too. I look so dazed in that pic 😂 + He touched my hair.

At the autograph table, I told him about my gift which contained a letter and two Finnish chocolate bars (Fazer) because the other is for Caroline. He told me I'm sweet for thinking about her too 😭

And the last thing happened on Sunday, at the second round of autographs. We got a group photo of them for free and we could get them to sign it again. So this time, I wanted to clarify that the letter may read as trauma-dumpy but I'm not trying to make him feel sad, and told him to just read it. He promised to read it, and I proceeded telling him as a short version of what the letter contains. (Him inspiring me back into photography and it helping me cope when my dad died the following summer)

He said "oh, I'm so sorry" and then asked to see my photos 😭 (I had my camera hanging around my neck) So there we were with out heads nearly pressed together looking through my pics for about 10 seconds 😭❤️ The autograph did a flap flap flap noise in my hand while we did it, and my hand shook for a few minutes after I walked away.

That's it. But I'll meet him one more time, he'll probably bring me his therapy bill for shouting at him so kinda obliged to 🤷🏻‍♀️

(And at the closing ceremony, I got the best seat to take photos and people think I was one of the hired professional photographers there because of those + Sunday panels photos 😂 My photos are constantly shared around the internet now. Which is cool, but the less cool thing is that they go around without credits because people think I was hired there = I don't need credits)

#freddy carter #starfury conventions #into the fold

[sunboki]

✶ seven. — jake and the confrontation is a bitch

PREV · NEXT

pinky promise — 심재휸

SYNOPSIS — the last summer you spent with Jake Sim was the beginning of a disaster and it all began with a pinky promise. You left Australia a few days before high school to become a trainee under BigHit Entertainment, sending you far away from home, from Jake. Well, you didn’t know it back then, but Jake had also come to Korea as a trainee a year later, and fate worked its magic when you’re both selected as KBS MC’s together. The pinky promise in question? A promise to be together till the end.

␥ NOTE — i felt that “hi milfs” .. on another note confrontation is a bitch jake its alright i understand lol btw did you notice the baby photo for y/n? EEEEE SO CUTE!!!!

TAGLIST — @aki1e @pureaaa @ionlyhearnct @dearnjm @viagumi @hanniluvi @invusblog @hafsa-hoofsa-heefs @forever-in-the-sky2 @lylovw @lvrjjun @certainyouthpeanut @woonierkiz @lalalalawon @ahnneyong @sumarchived @astrae4 @lcv3lies @dimplewonie @myjaeyunn @wondering-out-loud @fatoompie @theskzvibe @mesopret @byvrn

* if your url is italicized it means i couldn’t tag you!

all rights reserved by @sunboki. repost and plagiarism will not be tolerated.

#enhypen x reader #enha x reader #enha smau #enhypen smau #enhypen x you #enhypen x female reader #enhypen x y/n #enhypen x idol reader #enhypen jake sim #enhypen jake x you #enhypen jaeyun #enhypen angst #enhypen fluff #sim jake smau #sim jake x y/n #sim jake angst #sim jake #enhypen sim jake #enhypen sim jaeyun #sim jake x reader #sim jake fluff #sim jake x you

[asherlockstudy]

So what are your thoughts on all the backpedaling RandL but mostly Link has done over the last couple of months? It felt like for a while there both of them were making so many sneaky allusions to being queer in someway, but recently (I’d say post-Sextember) it seems like they’ve kind of retracted/avoided some of that. It really felt like Link was on the brink of something before the whole butch/twink situation freaked him out.

I don’t think there’s been a lot of backpedaling per se, given that the last scripted video of the year was also one of the boldest.

The references in their other works have been indeed kind of toned down however, which might not have to do exactly with the process they have undertaken but rather with their current psychological state.

The whole butch / twink situation hit at an odd time when Link had cut on his antidepressant pills and perhaps it hit him twice as hard. Link has been called many things throughout the years (Velma, gay, fruity, Rachel Maddow, the Boy from the Businessman and the Boy scenario etc) and he has always been gracious about it, even though most of these bear some implications about his sexuality. The fact that the butch / twink was what eventually made him lose his cool could have been due to the combination of the following reasons:

He was in a phase of going cold-turkey with his prescription pills, while also supporting Christy through a hard time for her family.

It doesn’t matter that the commentator is open and accepting regarding sexualities, their phrasing about Link was demeaning. “I thought I was seeing a beautiful butch lesbian but it turns out it’s that twink from Good Mythical Morning”. They were clearly making jokes about an unnamed Link’s appearance, commenting on how he looks both like a lesbian and a twink at the same time.

It unfortunately happened based on a photo Link was very proud of. It was taken and thus approved by Rhett, it was published and thus approved by Christy and it was meaningful to him because his tattoo is dedicated to Christy and his family. So to have the comment be about butch and twink, it felt like a trivialisation of this moment for him. Don’t forget that he was also hurt in GME when some ass also said his tattoo was badly made (which is a plain untrue statement btw). This tattoo means a lot to him and he is proud of it and yet it has been the cause of some jabs or jokes at his expense.

Link might not be straight and might indeed plan to come out of the closet one day but we should remember he is a man of a different generation ; the excessive, superficial, almost compulsive use of labels that is trending nowadays might not express him correctly and he might not want it for himself. Even if he is gay or attracted to men anyway, it does not mean he views himself as a twink necessarily - I mean, he is not a twink- he is a mature middle aged man with what seems like clear preference towards establishing very committed relationships founded on very strong bonds, and being “that twink from a show” might not be what ultimately he wants to be linked to once he is out. The ease with which such descriptions are effortlessly used by others does not align to the potential inner hardship, torment and struggles he went through for decades to eventually be who he is, as he himself says. (Still, if you noticed, he reacted more poorly to being called a butch lesbian than a twink.)

I expect them to cut on the references a bit because the unresponsiveness of the audience stopped them right in their tracks. The scripted videos will come back in the likes of a series well into the year and me thinks close to summer, when - coincidentally??? - they have scheduled the live shows. Until then, perhaps there won’t be as many hints or they will once again increase gradually.

#rhink #Rhett and link #randl #anon #ask

[thatbrightblueshine]

7am and my stomach still hurts (food poisoning isn't fun) but i'm off work for a few days now and here's something that's on my mind. nsfw ? rambles under cut.

been a good couple of weeks now since this fella above has overtaken my brain completely (used to not be able to stand him, literally enemies to loves in my head unironically) and now he's all i can think of literally and even when i'm not all in favour of sexualising players (for reasons beyond writing because i see so many kids on here being so cringey about it) michael just has the body type that makes me feel absolutely insane. (tmi but i'm ovulating maybe all that is to blame on this funny fact)

anyway. post covid michael and the way he was BUILD. the way he was SHAPED. his overall built is very similar to pickford actually, mind that i believe pickford has the nicest body in football. but to continue

2019 summer series era michael, what a delight. his hands. arms etc. how can i not think of him tbh.

this man unfortunately happens to be a allergic to going shirtless and by that i mean ever. everton have just so escaped relegation for 3 consecutive seasons now, and he'd never take his shirt off not even on the last day of the season. to celebrate of course.

this! photo. insanely important.

and of course these gems from way back in 2017. will hughes scares me so he kinda ruins it but i'm willing to mentally remove him from the scene. his hair ? the colour he is wearing ? his arms ? hands ? smile ? i'm having thoughts that are not sane.

this image is so important to me because of how he just ... has grey eyes. (his brother has blue eyes btw. genetics man. i might make a post about this at some point) it's the clearest shade of grey etc etc ! i like him and it's embarrassing.

thighs. and such. and so on. have a good day.

#rambles! #i will write about him again. he makes me feel insane.

[onlyhereforangst]

Who fucked the fandom I'm confused? The person who wrote the article?

oh absolutely not, from what i can tell @shelbbswrites is a lovely person & writes about some of my favorite ships & i'd like her to keep writing so i can spiral about jiara in the near future.

as for who fucked the fandom, well. girl. the blog whose gif was linked, @/opponentsheir, is the one who knowingly, willfully fucked the fandom last summer.

it was circa mid-late May 2022 and here was the jiara tumblr fandom, struggling to get through the drought by the scraps of bts we'd scrounge up from filming. blurry ass photos that make you concerned for a tourist's ability to hold their water as they drink, random selfies that tell you next to nothing, and then the occasional "omg this is BIG how does this make sense how does it fit in but omg it's BIG" crumb.

times were rough, bts were tight, and the unsuspecting jiara tumblr fandom was hungry. unbeknownst to us in comes OH who decides. let's have some "fun" let's liven up the jiara fandom because it's clearly dead (false) and idk im bored besties let's play a hehe silly joke! at first, a few handpicked jiara blogs get random anonymous post submissions and each blog has like 2-3 different posts that are all supposed bts leaks. it's never-before-seen photos of what we can only presume are s3 bts. almost all of these blogs were in a jiara discord server together so the photos weren't shared because wtf who is trusting us with these clear leaks we don't want them to stop though. so we sit on these, we get excited, we spiral, all that fandom stuff that we had already. been. doing. but yeah here's a few more bts crumbs to have fun with. then a few weeks later when, to OH's surprise, the fandom hasn't reacted like she wanted, freaked out over her "leaks," hasn't posted them on every platform ever to give her the attention she feels she deserves, she decides oooh let's send more! this isn't sociopathic at all!! and then bam there's a second round of anonymous post submissions followed up by an anon ask sent to one of the blogs saying "you can post them, this is the last you'll get because i've reached my max photoshopping ability do not contact again" (also pardon but how tf are we supposed to contact you if you're anonymous).

ANYWAYS the leaks: we're talking blurry, random characters - sarah, pope, rose, jj and pope, kie, a random dude by a fire, and then jj having his beat-up face held by hands that look just like kie's hands.

and sure enough, we spiral! an actual face hold??? on our screens??? fuck yeah! cannot wait for s3!!! jokes on us we're getting so much more but yeah!!! we're theorizing we're writing whole ass fics we're speculating we've got a discord emoji we've got everything. a few hours later the leaks make it to jiara twt and THEY go wild too. i mean who tf wouldn't? you're starving for content and some mysterious source decides to drop you leaks. like yeah hindsight is 20:20 and who was going to potentially violate an NDA for this, but still.

fastforward several months and now OH is back because i guess she got desperate for attention again and feeling "important" or whatever. she goes on anon and says hey btw those leaks were fake ha ha isn't that funny, here's the photos i used linked here and here and omg isn't this just hilarious bestie such a good time man i love the jiara fandom being active again because god i was so BORED and man i just wanted more fics and edits and omg look it worked i mean i've done it before and i'd do it again (or some shit like that idk i dont have the wherewithal to go look it up and get it 100% correct but yeah, she admitted to doing it for funsies)

rightfully so, the fandom is fucking pissed. it isn't *fun* to get manipulated, it isn't *fun* to get manipulated into making new content???? that we don't get fucking paid to make???????? fuck you?????? you don't manipulate an entire group of people for SHITS AND GIGGLES that's literally sociopathic shit babe, go get help please. so yeah she fucked the entire fandom over Summer 2022 and did it because "i'm bored i want content" like fuck all the way off.

oh and side note: another anonymous poster tried to say oh i know who it is, but also i'm not going to tell you because you guys are clearly mad at her and i don't want you to take it out on her, i know her and it's ok she's ok. like i'm sorry. the fuck? don't insert yourself into this stupid sociopath's deranged manipulative plan. because guess what bitch, we've got detectives in this fandom and while OH never came off anon like the coward she is, the fandom was able to put it together & not only determine her tumblr but also her twt so when she tried a fucking round three several months later with "oh i found these on reddit but the post disappeared hehe" we all saw through that shit a mile away.

in a nutshell, @/opponentsheir fucked the fandom over with her manipulative bullshit & does not deserve a fucking drop of attention from anyone in this fandom.

#thanks for coming to my bitchtalk #like a tedtalk but i cuss a lot and rage #ask #anonymous #go off grace #obx #jiara #outer banks

[dykefever]

hellooo laura. I have just gone through a transformative experience also known as finishing the fleabag au so I infinitely thank you for that. but the little flash forwards (if they can even be called that) led me to wonder what wolfstar in your other stories are doing years down the line. so, if I may, can I know how sawn-off shotgun wolfstar are doing rn? little windows into their lives?

hello!!!!! first of thank you so much xxx and secondly i was having a little think about what these guys are up to so sorry it took me a second to get back to you xxx

here is how a sawn off shotgun r/s n co are doing:

so i think currently they are taking a break from touring and recording after their last album n how insane it was once they were confirmed together. they were soo inappropriate on stage all the time and it made the news a lot they were in a scandal about whether teenagers should be allowed to go to their shows and how they're corrupting the kids etc and well. r and s sloppy made out on stage in response while s wore a harness and collar. peter and james had a little smooch too on stage just for fun <3

r and s immediately moved in together after the tour in a place they bought together in london. they also have a place up in scotland countryside that they often visit and is often where they go for writing retreats when they're getting serious about the next album. currently it's mainly r/s that go up there to have sex all weekend and write sickening songs together + go on cute little hikes. if u think what s was writing before was horny well this is now worse. lily + james are living together also in london while lily is an intern doctor. james is being such a good malewife and sometimes reg visits and he often joins them for a threesome and he's accidentally but not really become a third in their relationship x (sorry everyone this was calling to me i had to.)

peter my beloved has just released a solo project that is doing v well and now everyone is a bit obsessed with him not just his extremely dedicated fanbase of wolf moon peter-truthers. he's also been hanging out with sam smith a lot and they are rumoured to be dating xxx no one in this band is safe from queerness x peter is going on a small tour soon so nothing will happen with wolf moon until he's finished up with that!!

sirius has started getting into a bit of fashion n modelling (slut) which all started because remus had been photographing him for a while after getting into film then digital. remus released a set of photos on instagram of horny pics (after half a year of absolute nothing on ig - last photo was of their final show on tour) of sirius and they went quite viral. set off both their little side projects of photography/modelling. talks of r doing an art show soon. he's not sure whether he'll do it because so many of his best photos are of s :-) sirius has just done his first shoot with comme des garcons as a celebrity ambassador guy idk is that what they're called? he slayed btw.

r and s also have this little game that they mainly played on tour but sometimes do during their break where one of them flirts with a stranger at a club (who are very excited to hook up with the famous cunts from that band even if they have a bf. and then well.) and sees how far it'll get before the other loses their mind with jealousy and they fuck nasty in the private bathrooms. is it healthy? not exactly xx but they're having so much fun xx

there is talks of them convening in berlin for the summer to write their next album although they're thinking of slowing down on the coke and maybe just heading to the tried and true scotland to do mushrooms n acid etc x

that's all i've got for now!! i actually had so much fun thinking about this !!! if anyone wants to ask more questions about this or other fics go for it hehe

#a sawn off shotgun #answered

[3amclothesmonster]

Filler content while I learn how to draw again ajdjsidjsjdjs

Facts about my welcome home oc's

Belle Dear:

#1 Her full name is Lulu-Belle Dear

#2 She supplies Howdy with most of the produce

#3 She bakes with Poppy on the weekends

#4 Her first appearance was in an episode detailing the importance of vegetables and fruits and how they grow, most of the episode taking place at her farm

#5 When she first moved in she didn't know there was a person named Howdy so when people said he wasn't there she was confused (It took her three weeks to figure it out)

#6 She definitely chases people with a broom when she feel threatened (Or they're trying to steal her crops)

#7 She's friendly with a the neighbors but she definitely glares at Wally time to time when nobody is looking

#8 She constantly shows embarrassing photos of Eddie to Frank (Such as his cringe phases)

#9 She knows every ounce of drama there is (Girls nights get quite heated sometimes and also it's just fun)

#10 Her house is a very western movie cottage/ saloon

Axel Moon:

#1 He doesn't know his last name so he just came up with the first thing he ever saw (Which was the moon)

#2 He has a Galaxy blob as a friend

#3 He is the most clumsy out of everyone in the household

#4 Him and Sally are best friends (Due to them both coming from outer space and sharing a love for acting and music)

#5 He definitely plays the guitar

#6 He will set up shop in the middle of town and just stare and the stars through his telescope

#7 He is never allowed back at Wally's (He broke to many paintings and art supplies)

#8 He knows every constellation by heart

#9 He sleeps with a rag cat doll every night (Elliot gave him it)

#10 Worse babysitter ever

Elliot Bright:

#1 His side of his and Axel's room is covered in books and poems

#2 He's written a two books

#3 He joins Belle and Poppy in baking

#4 One of two in the household that can cook

#5 He has had the same glasses since he was 7 (He's 21 for reference)

#6 He is usually at a library

#7 Actually not an idiot

#8 He never goes out in summer (The mosquitos are attracted to him)

#9 He'll accidentally switch from English to French every now and then

#10 Is an decent babysitter

Vinny Vander:

#1 His left eye is a button instead of the normal other eyes

#2 He only comes outside when it's raining or when he needs to buy groceries for them

#3 Mf has 8 siblings

#4 He is constantly injured due to failed experiments with gadgets

#5 He is covered in stitches due to the constant injuries

#6 He is massively touch starved and if you hug or show any touch related affection he will breakdown and hug you (Can go on for hours)

#7 He is the other one he can actually cook (Oldest out of all his siblings so he had to learn)

#8 Constantly wears glasses that have decorated spirals on them (They're more so goggles buy eh)

#9 Has the most weirdest closet out of everyone

#10 Every corner of the house is filled with gadgets (Failed, in progress ,etc)

Cupid Heart:

#1 Has only succeeded in playing match maker two times (Elliot and Axel + Eddie and Frank)

#2 Is a literal butterfly Muppet version of Cupid

#3 Loves spring

#4 She was the reason her, Axel, Elliot and Vinny became a friend group

#5 Her and Julie definitely have sleep overs often

#6 Has multiple bow and arrows (Broken and unbroken)

#7 The most social out of all of them (A social butterfly you could say!)

#8 She definitely has a lot of plants arounher room and the house in general

#9 She loves tulips and sunflowers

#10 She is horrible at actually striking targets (Has missed all besides the one directed at Axel and Elliot and Eddie and Frank)

Btw the house Axel, Elliot, Vinny and Cupid live in kinda looks like a toy box

THAT IS ALL

#Welcome home oc #Welcome home ocs #Character facts #Characters facts #Elliot Bright #Vinny Vander #Belle Dear #Cupid Heart #Axel Moon

[mothersversiononly]

Hey, I seen your blog and I know you guys were asking some questions about Joe and Olivia 

My friend and I were at cake last weekend the night of the bachelor party we seen the guys there are really cool. I think there was like a triple bachelor party I didn’t really understand it. OBJ was really funny and he was really talkative to everyone. Nick Bozza was like completely out of his mind. I’m not sure if he was drunk or what exactly but he was a sweaty mess. Joe was really really nice nicer than I thought he would be I was like, so are you really getting married? He said yeah I’m really getting married Joe talk to me in my friend like we have known them our whole life he’s so easy to get along with most celebrities are not like that I find them very narcissistic some photos of his fiancé and him from last summer I think on their vacation she’s pretty, but like a really ordinary way like I don’t know you wouldn’t think an athlete would be marrying her because most wags you see are like barely dressed lol my friend said to him, so Joe you have every girl in here looking at you right now. Do you like any of them and he goes no no those days are gone lol  he was really cool and very much engaged. lol he was showing us photos of his cars. Amazing car collection my friend said Sam Hubbard was there. I didn’t see him though I was wondering if maybe like he was the other person having the bachelor party although I think we would’ve found out if she was getting married btw if you post this please don’t crop out half it  I sent this to the burgundy on my shirts Tumblr. It’s a Nick Bosa blog and she cropped out half of my story the part of the Joe so I’m sending it to all kinds of other blogs because that was ridiculous. Anyway, sorry I’m on a tangent lol love your blog.



Don’t worry I’ll post the entire thing! Thank you so much for this! Wow I feel so important you guys are sending me actual stories 😂😂😘😘 he also does seem like a really sweet guy.