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elizabethwritesmen · 7 months

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i don’t want you like a best friend

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Pairing: College!Steve Harrington x Reader ALSO Ghostface!Steve x Witch!Reader (costumes)

Summary: You’re in Indiana for college. You just happen to be roommates with Steve Harrington’s best friend, Robin. This is a list of the times you bumped into him, starting with July move in day and ending with a friend’s Halloween party.

Warnings/Notes (PLEASE READ) : SMUT 18+, pining, friends to lovers, Robin being intrusive, Robin’s parents also being intrusive, angst, Halloween if ur into that, ghostface!Steve x Witch!reader (costumes obv), also if ur name is Grace this isn’t the fic for you just trust me on this, this is semi-modern I don’t mention time periods at all but I also made no attempt at historical accuracy so do with that what u will. it’s all make believe it doesn’t rlly matter imo. also this is a college au so I made up college friends for them! ALSO i have plans for another halloween fic, a super spooky super sexy one, but it will go up late prob sometime in late. november because i’ve put all my energy into this one and staying alive lol. enjoy! <3

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•Move In Day

I stared blankly at the boxes in front of me. The U-Haul I’d rented was jam packed with furniture and all of my belongings, leaving barely enough room to breathe.

For some reason, I thought it would be easy. I thought I could girl-boss it, get it done, all in a few hours’ work. Clearly I was temporarily insane when I came to that conclusion. Oh, well. Now I didn’t have a choice.

I sucked in a deep breath before resigning myself to my fate and starting.

I carried in the lightest stuff first, wanting to get it out of the way. I figured once I got through all the heavy stuff, I wouldn’t have any energy left for it, so might as well do it first. I got about four boxes upstairs, and I was bringing up a fifth and sixth, when I noticed the door already opened. I was sure I had shut it.

I walked in to see a girl and a guy, both around my age. She was dancing around, placing boxes of her own on the other side of the room. I cleared my throat gently, placing my boxes on the rest of my things.

She snapped out of her trance and her eyes landed on me. As did those of the guy she was with.

“Oh, hi!” She smiled brightly, “You just be my roommate!”

“Must be,” I sent her a polite smile in return, but mine was a lot more shy and reserved, “I’m Y/N.”

“I’m Robin, and this is my best friend Steve,” she introduced, “He’s helping me get all my things up here.”

“Oh, nice to meet you both. Let me know if I can help with anything!” I offered.

“Oh no, that’s fine, I’m sure you have your hands full! Are your parents here helping you?”

“No, just me. I’m new here, so… I don’t really have anyone,” I shrugged, preparing to head back downstairs when she stopped me.

“Hey, wait!”

I turned around, staring at her expectantly, eager to get back to carrying my boxes upstairs. I didn’t want to be rude, but.. there were so many.

“My parents will be here soon to help me, so why don’t you steal Steve?”

“Oh,” I stuttered, looking to Steve, “I couldn’t ask you to help me. Really, it’s fine, I can get it.”

“It’s no trouble,” he shrugged, “I’d like to. I’d hate for you to have to carry everything up by yourself. Besides, any roommate of Robin’s is a friend of mine.”

I breathed out a little chuckle and nodded, “If you insist.”

He followed me to the elevator, pressing the button for me and walking on after me. I expected awkward silence but there was none, he didn’t allow a single lull between his questions. He wanted to know everything, where I was from, what made me choose the school, what kinds of things I was into.

“Do you go here, too?” I asked him as we approached the U-Haul.

“Yes, I moved in yesterday. Robin helped me get everything to my dorm, but I’m on the first floor, so it was super easy. I figured I should help her anyway, though, even though she doesn’t need it.”

“She might not need it, but extra help is always appreciated. Or any help.”

“Is that your way of thanking me for helping you?”

“Well, it was either that or bake you a cake and there isn’t an oven in the dorm.”

“Raincheck on the cake, then,” he chuckled.

We talked the entire way back up, and I was shocked at how easy it came. I didn’t expect to click so well with him, and I silently prayed it’d be the same with Robin.

“There you two are,” she smiled as we walked back in, “Did he talk your ear off?”

“No,” I shrugged, “He talked the normal amount.”

“Yeah, the normal amount for a 6 year old on a road trip.”

Their dynamic was nice. They picked on each other, sure, but it was all friendly.

On the second trip down, Steve told me about his life. His high school experience, his hobbies, his hair. His friendship with Robin. I couldn’t tell whether or not there was something more than friendship there. I couldn’t help the small part of me that hoped not, Steve was really handsome and the nicest person I’d met in a while. But I definitely didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, and I was much too shy to ask. Besides, a guy like him probably wouldn’t want anything to do with me anyway.

By the time we got back up to the dorm, Robin’s parents were there.

“Oh hello,” her mom smiled, “You must be the roommate! Y/N, right?”

“Yes ma’am,” I responded.

“Well I’m Robin’s mom, Melissa, and this is her Dad, Richard. It’s so nice to meet you! Oh, you’re just so pretty!”

“Thank you,” I grinned, a little overwhelmed with how nice the woman was being. She was pretty, much like Robin, and she’d aged well. But she also had a warmth about her that was comforting, welcoming even.

An hour later, they had all of Robin’s things up and unpacked. They didn’t even ask if I wanted help finishing up, they just got to work, carrying the last of my things up with Steve and beginning to open boxes.

“You guys really don’t have to do all this,” I mumbled, sheepishly. I always felt awful accepting help, overwhelmed with gratefulness to the point of guilt.

“Oh, hush!” her mom laughed, “We want to!”

It only took another hour to have everything in its place, and we all stared proudly at our handiwork.

“Thank you all so much for your help,” I smiled at the group.

“Of course!” Mr. Buckley patted me on the back, his grin charming, “And if you ever need anything else, you call us! Now, how about we all go get something to eat? I think we’ve worked up enough of an appetite!”

I at first assumed I wasn’t invited because, well, it’s Robin’s family and Steve has apparently been her best friend for years so he’s basically family too. I was new in all this and definitely didn’t expect to be having dinner with all of them. But when they all walked towards the door and I hung back, everyone turned to me, matching confusion on their faces.

“Come on,” Robin chuckled, “You think we’re gonna let you starve after all the work we just did?”

And just like that, we all piled into Mrs. Buckley’s car. I was squished in the middle between Robin and Steve. I wanted to give her the middle because she was so small, but she told me she would feel carsick from Steve’s cologne and she’d rather have the window seat.

“What’re you kids in the mood for?” Mrs Buckley asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Steve responded, and Robin and I agreed.

“I think there’s a barbecue joint a few miles down the road, let’s stop there,” Mr Buckley decided, turning to the back seat, “I know Robin and Steve like that, but is it okay with you, Y/N?”

“Of course,” I nodded, still shocked to be included in the dynamic.

Mrs Buckley almost missed the driveway to the restaurant and she slammed on her brakes and turned in at the last second, throwing me gracelessly into Steve, my seatbelt the only thing keeping me off his lap. He caught me swiftly as he himself hit the door, making sure I didn’t hurt myself in the commotion.

I risked a glance at him to see his eyes peering into mine, concerned and a bit discombobulated from the startle of it all.

“You okay?” he asked, and I nodded, staring down at his arm that was still around me. He cleared his throat, setting me upright in my seat as we pulled into a parking spot.

I turned to Robin, taking note of the huge smirk on her face. She was looking past me, eyes on Steve. Must’ve been some kind of inside joke I wasn’t part of yet.

We all walked inside together, and the hostess sat us at a booth, pulling an extra chair up to the end of it. I went to sit in it when Robin stopped me.

“Remember what I said about Steve’s cologne? And I get claustrophobic. You’d better sit by him, I’ll take the extra chair.”

I nodded slightly, sliding into the booth and letting Steve slide in beside me. I didn’t understand what the big deal was about his cologne, it wasn’t that strong. It was subtle but sweet, cinnamon overwhelming my senses and filling me with a warmth and comfort I craved. The kind of cologne that, when someone passes you wearing it, you stop and take a deep breath in, soak it up for all it’s worth.

Robin’s mom and dad, and Robin herself, were all giving Steve that strange smirk now, and I suddenly felt left out. I guess they were all in on the joke. Unlucky me.

We made small talk while we looked over the menus, picking what we wanted to eat.

“What’re you gonna get?” Steve asked, and I had to look up to realize his question was just for me. Robin and her parents were talking amongst themselves, completely ignoring us.

“I don’t know, probably just chicken fingers. I’m picky when I try new places.”

“Lame,” he tapped me in the ribs and joked, and I squirmed against his touch.

“It’s not lame! It’s a classic!”

“Let me guess, macaroni on the side?” he raised a brow, and I stared sheepishly at my lap, causing him to chuckle, “You’re pretty predictable, Grace.”

“That’s not my name,” I furrowed my brows at him.

“It’s a nickname. You know, Grace. ‘Cause you fell on me in the car. It’s irony.”

“Giving me nicknames already? My, how our friendship is growing,” I rolled my eyes, “If only it wasn’t such a rude one.”

“You can give me a rude one, too,” he offered, and I thought it over for a moment.

“Okay,” I nodded, “Box Boy.”

“Box Boy?”

“Yeah, cause you brought in all my boxes.”

“That’s the best you got?”

“It probably won’t stick, but I like it for now.”

“What’re you two whispering about?” Robin cut into our conversation, wiggling her eyebrows at us.

“It’s a secret, that’s why we’re whispering,” Steve deadpanned, and she snorted.

“Well, you two keep your secrets, and we’ll keep ours.”

“Fine by me, I have a feeling your secrets are pretty dark.”

I stifled a laugh, taking a long sip of my soda.

The rest of the dinner was full of happy chatting and getting to know each other. It turns out I got along really well with all of them, and I integrated well into the little group.

“You know, Y/N, I’m really happy you agreed to come eat with us,” Mrs Buckley told me as her husband handled the check.

“I’m just thankful you invited me! And paid for my food. Really, you didn’t have to!”

“Now stop with the bashfulness, you’re basically family now!”

With that, everyone stood. Steve helped me out of the booth and held the door open for me on the way out. It was sweet, in an old time kind of way. I fought off butterflies, and a crush that I felt coming a mile away.

Robin’s family dropped us off, and we stood outside talking for a few minutes.

“I’m gonna go inside and crash, but you two kids say your goodbyes,” she waved her hands at us and walked away, leaving us in silence.

“So…” I started.

“So…” he repeated.

“It was nice to meet you,” I offered.

“You, too.”

“Maybe I’ll see you again.”

“Hopefully.”

“Soon.”

“Yeah.”

I paused, not knowing what else to say. He was making no move to ask for my number, of course he probably wasn’t even interested like that anyway.

“Goodnight,” I smiled.

“Goodnight,” he repeated.

He stood for a moment and I stayed there, waiting for him to leave.

“I’m not going anywhere until I see you get inside safe.”

I giggled, “Yes sir.” And with that, I walked in.

The elevator ride to the fifth floor was long, but finally I was approaching my door, and I walked through it sleepily. I collapsed onto my bed, trying to ignore Robin’s staring.

“So…” she sighed, “You and Steve, huh?”

“Me and Steve what?”

“You guys have got it going on!”

“Have what going on?”

“Oh my God, Y/N, seriously, the sparks could’ve lit a cigarette. Did you give him your number?”

“He didn’t ask,” I shrugged, “Besides. I thought you guys were a thing.”

“I’m into chicks,” she rolled her eyes, “And even if I wasn’t, I still don’t know why you’d think that. I forced you to sit beside him the entire day. You think his cologne really bothers me that much? NO. I wanted you guys to… you know…. hit it off!!”

“Well, I think he’s a little out of my league,” I shrugged, sinking further into my sheets sadly.

“He absolutely is not. And I promise he’s into you. He’s just not the best with girls is all. He’ll have your number soon enough.”

“You’re not planning on giving it to him, right?”

“What? No! I’m gonna make the little shit ask you himself!”

“If he ever does.”

“He will.”

•First Day of Class

I walked into the lecture hall, brows furrowed, trying to make sure I was where I was supposed to be. Yes, room 208, I concluded.

It was a large room, but it wasn’t completely full. There were only about 20-30 people there total. I, of course, didn’t recognize any of them, so I took a seat away from everyone else. Nobody even spared me a glance, and I felt comfortable in my solitude, until the heavy door opened and shut behind me and a figure looked over me.

I looked up to see Steve, just as handsome as the first time I saw him. He was wearing a pair of joggers and a yellow sweatshirt, and he pulled off the comfy look well.

“Why are you sitting over here all alone?” he asked, one perfect eyebrow raised.

“I don’t know anyone,” I shrugged, and he scoffed.

“Well come sit by me and the guys from my dorm. I’ll introduce you.”

“I think I’d rather stay here.”

“Really?” I nodded slowly, “Then you leave me no choice.” He plopped down in the chair beside me, setting his things down and getting comfortable.

“What’re you doing?” I asked him.

“Well I’m not just gonna let you sit all alone.”

“But I like being alone,” I huffed, “Plus your friends miss you!” I gestured to the three guys staring holes through us.

He glanced in their direction and nodded, and that’s all it took for them to pile over to us.

“Stevie! My man! You gonna introduce us to your lovely friend?” One of them asked as he took the seat in front of us. He held his hand out for me to shake and I took it carefully, sighing.

“This is Grace.“

“That’s not my name!” I groaned.

“Then what is your name?” the tallest of the guys asked.

“Y/N.”

“Cute,” he winked at me, and Steve rolled his eyes sharply. “Y/N, this is Tate, Drew and Johnny.”

They all greeted me kindly and I responded in turn, but there wasn’t much time to talk before an older man walked in, an air of authority in his step.

“Hello, all. I’m Professor Chomsky, I’ll be teaching this course,” he began. What followed was a list of rules, regulations, class schedules, and lesson plans dull enough to make my forehead hit the desk in front of me.

“This is awful,” Steve whispered beside me, and the other guys nodded, “Another hour of his voice might kill me.”

“Shh!” I hissed at him, trying my best to focus on what the man at the front of the room was saying.

“Oh, get off it,” Steve smirked, “You’re just as bored as we are.”

“I’ll have you know I’m absolutely riveted!”

“Lying isn’t a good look, Grace.”

Just then, Tate chimed in, “Why do you call her Grace anyway if her name is Y/N?”

“It’s an inside thing,” Steve waved him off, “You wouldn’t get it.”

“Yeah, because calling me ‘Grace’ to make fun of me for being clumsy is such a hard joke to understand.”

“I don’t like your attitude today, Grace,” he furrowed his brows dramatically, and I couldn’t help giggling.

We were all interrupted by the sound of Professor Chomsky’s voice, booming at us to be quiet. We obeyed, whispering quietly every now and then but mostly hanging on by a thread to his monotonous words.

The class ended about a half hour later and Steve and I went our separate ways. We ended up having one more class together, and the guys were all in there, too, plus Drew’s girlfriend Natalie and Johnny’s sister Elaine. Robin as well. It was the most fun of all of them. It also happened to be my last class of the day. As it wrapped up and we all packed up our things, Steve stopped in front of my chair.

“Can I walk you back to your dorm?” he asked me.

“Sure,” I nodded with a smile, throwing my bag over my shoulder and following him out.

We chatted on the five minute walk. I found that I didn’t want it to end, but I hoped when it did, he would ask for my number. Or something, at least, to make me think he was interested. Part of me knew he wasn’t, though. Not as more than a friend.

“Here we are,” I sighed as we approached the doors.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “So… umm.. I’m happy we have those classes together. It’ll be nice to hangout every week.”

“Yeah, and we seem to have a good little group going. I like everyone a lot.”

“Everyone likes you a lot, too.”

I swayed on my toes, staring at him, waiting patiently. For what, I wasn’t sure.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow?” he proclaimed, his voice chipper. I nodded slowly. “You know the drill, I can’t leave until you’re inside safe.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him a dopey grin, walking in just as I had the last time.

• Hangout at Elaine’s Apartment

Days of hanging out with Steve in class passed slowly, and I soaked in every moment. I was trying desperately to keep what I felt at bay, but it proved difficult when he wanted to walk me home every day.

A month went by and it was Saturday. I woke up around noon, the week had been especially exhausting, and immediately started studying. Robin did the same, sitting at her desk beside me and rifling through her flash cards.

“How is it that he’s walked you home every single day and still not asked for your number?” she asked out of nowhere.

“Robin, we’re talking about biochem. Not Steve.”

“Believe me, Steve is a scientific anomaly, so it’s close enough.”

I rolled my eyes, “I don’t know, okay? It’s like I wait for him to make a move or something every day, but he never does.”

“Well isn’t there anything between you both? All the rest of us can see it!”

“There’s chemistry, or at least I thought there was, but now I’m sure it was just one sided. He’s just not into me like that.”

“Then why does he walk you home every single day and not me?”

“Well… you have another class after that so you couldn’t walk with us, and he probably just doesn’t want to walk that far twice a day.”

“You’re grasping at straws. The boy wants you.”

“Why are you so invested, anyway? It’s not that serious, Rob. We’re just friends, that’s fine with me.”

“I just…” she started, trying to form her words correctly, “Steve has never been good with girls. He had one girlfriend, in high school. She wasn’t the best. I mean, she was fine, and he was happy, but she hurt him and he.. well, the details don’t matter but anyway. He never really had luck with any other girls. He was always too caught up in something else. But now we’re out of that town and you can’t convince me that your coming into our lives was a coincidence. Steve deserves this, and I want him to have it. If he can just get out of his own way.”

“And if he can’t?”

“He will. Believe me. It’s just gonna take a big push.”

“I’d rather just be his friend than stress myself over it,” I shrugged, going back to my studying.

A couple hours later, Robin got a text from Steve telling her that everyone was hanging out at Elaine’s apartment and we should come.

“Wanna go?” she asked me.

“I don’t know, I have a lot of studying left to do,” I hesitated.

“I was only asking to be polite. We’re going,” she stated, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my closet. “And you’re not wearing those wrinkly old jeans and a baggy t shirt. Pick something cute.”

“I’m not really a ‘cute clothes’ girl.”

“Well, tonight, you are.” She looked through my closet, pulling out a yellow sundress I stole from my mom’s closet at some point in time. I had to admit, it was a beautiful dress.

“You’ll wear this with your white sneakers,” she instructed, leaving no room for argument so I just nodded. “Steve won’t know what hit him!”

“Honestly, he’s probably into Elaine.”

“Why do you think that?”

“She’s… well, she’s older. She’s smart, and beautiful, and she always dresses to impress. She’s just.. she’s got everything.”

“Yeah, that’s why I have a crush on her. But I promise Steve doesn’t.”

“Whatever you say.”

Before long, it was time to get ready. I put on a little makeup, just some mascara, blush, and lip gloss, and paired gold hoops and a gold charm bracelet with the dress, slipping on my sneakers and following Robin out the door.

We were supposed to meet Steve outside of his dorm. The plan was for him to drive us to Elaine’s. As we approached the parking lot, we saw him leaning against the driver’s door of his car. Elaine was right in front of him, and they were locked in what seemed like a deep conversation.

“What’s that all about?” Robin asked as we took a step or two closer. I stopped in my tracks, though, when Elaine leaned up and kissed him square on his lips.

My heart shattered into about a million pieces. It’s crazy how you never know how intense your feelings for someone are until they blow up in your face. Sure, it hadn’t been long since I met him, but everyone has had a crush that spiraled out of control way too quickly.

“Hey, love birds?” Robin called out, her voice accusing.

They broke apart, startled, and stared at us dumbly. No doubt Steve saw the hurt on my face, but I tried so hard to keep it at bay.

“Grace,” he started, making a move to walk over to me, but the scene was interrupted by the other 3 guys joining us.

“Okay, so how’s this gonna work?” Tate blurted as they approached, “I know Y/N and Steve always have to sit by each other, And Natalie will be on Drew’s lap in the back, so I’m assuming Robin is gonna squeeze in the back with us?”

“I’d rather ride on the hood,” she croaked.

“It’s fine,” I sighed, “I’ll ride in the back with you guys, Robin can sit up front.”

“Well, someone can ride with me,” Elaine offered, “And you’ll just have to ride uncomfortably on the way back instead of both ways?”

“I will,” Natalie offered, “Wanna join me, Drew? That way there’s room in Steve’s car for everyone?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, following her to Elaine’s vehicle.

“I still wanna sit in the back,” I shrugged, climbing into the middle and letting both boys climb on either side of me.

Steve stared into the car at me for a moment, fists clenched, before climbing in behind the wheel and pulling off.

The ride had the potential to be awkward, and if it wasn’t for Johnny and Tate, it would’ve been. They lightened the mood a lot. Between their jokes and banter, I felt comfortable a couple minutes in. It was only a ten minute drive, and it went by extra quick with them.

As Steve pulled in, the car lurched to the side and threw me onto Tate.

“Woah there, I see why Steve calls you Grace now,” he laughed as he helped me up. The spark I felt when it happened with Steve wasn’t there, but Steve didn’t know that, and he sent us a death glare through the rear view mirror.

Elaine pulled in right after us and lead us up a flight of stairs to an isolate apartment, quite large. It was a one bedroom two bathroom, but every room was huge.

“Mi casa es su casa,” she sighed as we walked in. “I’ve got drinks, card games, books to study, and lots of movies. Whatever you guys are into!”

“Let’s starts out with the drinks,” Johnny suggested, and everyone nodded.

Moments later, we all had a beer in our hands. Elaine suggested we save the liquor for after, and we agreed. We also all collectively decided we would play Cards Against Humanity until we were tipsy, and then we would watch a horrible movie together.

Music played from the radio in the background as we all settled into our spots for the night. Drew and Natalie on the bean bag chair, Johnny Tate and Robin piled onto the couch, and Elaine cozy in her recliner. That left only the loveseat for Steve and I, and I fought a scowl.

“Scoot over, Rob,” I gestured, but she refused.

“I wanna stretch out and be comfy! There’s plenty of room on the love seat!”

I rolled my eyes and flipped her off, walking begrudgingly to Steve and plopping down beside him.

“Is sitting by me really that bad of a thing?” he asked, and everyone stared at me, waiting for an answer.

“No, it’s fine. It’s just.. Robin was right. Your cologne is a lot.”

He almost looked hurt, but he shook it off as we started the game.

A few rounds in, Steve leaned back in his seat, accidentally shifting himself closer to me. I stared down at his leg, almost touching mine.

“You look nice tonight,” he mumbled so nobody but me could hear, “I’ve never seen you in something so… delicate before.”

“If you’re gonna compliment someone, it should be your girlfriend,” I shrugged off what he’d said and took a long swig of my beer.

“Girlfriend?” he furrowed his brows.

“You know. The girl you kissed.”

“Oh.” He stared at his lap. “Listen, Grace, that wasn’t -“

“I don’t want to hear it,” I shrugged, “Doesn’t matter to me. You guys are super cute together, I’m real happy for you.”

He looked taken aback but my tone told him he should let it go, and he did, taking a swig of his own beer and leaving me alone for the moment. The moment didn’t last long, though, because before long everyone was a little intoxicated from all the alcohol and his arm was resting on my shoulders. I couldn’t fight the way I fell into him, I could barely even fight the sleep.

“Movie time!” Elaine exclaimed, jumping up to find her favorite DVD. She picked a cheesy old scary movie that barely made sense, and we were all more than happy with it. Nobody wants to watch a good movie while they’re drunk. She settled back in as it began, munching on the snacks she’d brought out for everyone.

“Please talk to me,” Steve mumbled into my hair.

“Don’t want to,” I slurred out, closing my eyes and breathing him in. My actions didn’t match up with my words and I knew that, but I couldn’t help myself.

“Well then come here,” he sighed, grabbing me under my knees and pulling me into his lap. He rested me against his chest, holding me snugly, letting me get as cozy in him as I wanted. “Talk to me when you’re ready.”

If I’d been sober, I would’ve worried about cuddling with Elaine’s boyfriend right in front of her, but I wasn’t. I did spare her a glance, though, and she smiled at me. Strange. She didn’t seem to care at all.

“Shouldn’t you be snuggling with Elaine over there?” I whispered to him, my face nestled in the crook of his neck.

He pulled a blanket from beside the armrest and tucked it over me as he responded, “Let’s talk when we’re sober.”

“Wan’ talk now,” I hummed.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Grace. The closest thing I have to a girlfriend is you.”

“But y’kissed her and you never kissed me,” I pouted. I don’t know whether my attitude came from sleepy delirium or intoxication.

“You’re right,” he nodded, leaving it at that.

“Y’could if you wanted to,” I breathed out as I drifted off into sleep.

I woke up in the passenger seat of the car. Robin was driving, and I looked around frantically for Steve before realizing I was in his lap.

“Oh, hi,” I mumbled.

“Morning, sunshine,” he smiled, “Go back to sleep. I’ll make sure you get in bed safe.”

“I don’t wanna go back to sleep,” I whined, leaning up.

I glanced in the back seat. Johnny was on one side, half asleep leaning on the window. Tate was in the middle, texting someone, and Drew was on the other side with Natalie passed out on his lap.

“Why’s Robin driving?” I asked curiously.

“He didn’t want you sleeping on anyone else,” she smirked at us.

“Oh,” I didn’t know what else to say to that.

He ran his hand through my hair, playing with the strands, twisting them between his fingers.

“That feels good,” I hummed, leaning into his touch.

“Yeah?” he asked as he kept going, tugging the strands a little harder.

“Mmhmm.”

“Get a room,” Tate coughed from his spot in the back, and we all giggled.

Finally, Robin pulled into the parking lot of our dorms.

“Come on,” Steve sighed, opening the car door and helping me out. His hand stayed at the small of my back as he walked me to the door, steadying me when I swayed slightly.

“I’m gonna have the worst headache tomorrow,” I whined.

“Probably,” he laughed, helping me up the stairs.

Robin cleared her throat, “I’m gonna go upstairs and let you guys… talk.” We nodded and watched her go, then turned back to each other.

“I should probably go up, too,” I mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Okay,” he nodded, but he didn’t let go of me. “I want to talk to you about -“

“I don’t want to talk about Elaine, Steve. Just go.”

“But-“

“No. I’m still drunk and I’m tired and my heart can’t take much more tonight so please just go and we’ll talk about it another time.”

“Grace,” he started, and I could tell he was frustrated, but I was too. It sucked walking up on him lip locking someone else. I didn’t want to listen or get over it yet. Any explanation he had wouldn’t be good enough for me, after all, what excuse is there to kiss another girl if he liked me? The only explanation was that he wasn’t into me, and he was trying to let me down easy. Or trying to have both.

“Stop,” I put my hand on his chest and pushed him away slightly, “I said another time. Please go.”

He watched me for a few seconds, waiting for me to change my mind, but I didn’t. I wanted him to go. For the first time, I wasn’t lingering or giving him that look like he could kiss me if he wanted to.

“Okay. Just take my number in case you need anything tonight.”

I nodded slowly, handing him my phone. He inputted the digits and handed it back, then let me walk inside in peace. I made it all the way upstairs before finally freeing my emotions, and the alcohol in my system caused them to spill out of my eyes.

“Oh, Y/N,” Robin sighed, walking over to sit by me.

“I am so over Steve Harrington,” I huffed.

“You didn’t even hear him out?”

“It doesn’t matter what he says, it’s not gonna wipe the image of them kissing out of my head.”

She nodded, staying up with me a little longer before we both nodded off.

The next morning, I woke up to a message from Steve. Apparently he’d called himself from my phone so he’d have my number too.

Good morning. Just checking on you. You feel okay?

I read it over and over before turning the phone off, deciding not to respond. I could feel my head pounding and I couldn’t take extra stress.

I got up, preparing to go get some water from the vending machine, but when I opened the door I saw a convenience store bag on the outside handle. I opened it to see advil, water, and powerade, along with a note scribbled on the receipt.

“Figured you might need this.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Steve.”

My heart grew as I paced back in the room, sitting on my bed. I texted him to thank him, then fell back to sleep with medicine and hydration in my system.

• The Next Class

I ignored Steve for the rest of that day. I suppose seeing him kiss someone else made the walls build up around my heart, but all I knew for sure was that he couldn’t get through anymore. Of course, I was still a bit sad. I liked Steve a lot, but we were better off as friends.

I walked to class the next morning, running a minute or two late but I knew Professor Chomsky wouldn’t care much. When I walked in, Steve and the guys were in their usual seats, and I took mine right in the center of them.

“Morning, Grace,” Steve absolutely beamed at me. I grinned tightly and politely in return, and pulled out my books, not bothering to respond. It probably seemed a little rude, but to me, it was what I had to do. “You gonna keep ignoring me? I screwed up that bad?”

I glanced over at him, “You didn’t screw up at all. We’re friends, Steve. I’m happy when you’re happy and if you’re happy with Elaine then I hope you guys work out.”

“Saturday night you were practically crying, and now you’re giving me your blessing and saying you want me to date her?”

“I was drunk. I’m not anymore, and yes, I want you to be with her. I’m sure she’s a great girlfriend. Just what you deserve.”

“Unbelievable,” he scoffed, “You really just want to be friends?”

“Yes,” I nodded curtly, turning to my books.

The other guys were looking at us curiously, like we were a soap opera playing right in front of them. They looked even more astounded when I walked out at the end of class without waiting for Steve. I felt horrible. He was the sweetest guy in the world. But clearly he liked Elaine more, seeing as she’s the one he made a move on, and I wasn’t going to stand in their way. I was sure it would get easier with time.

The next class I had with him went similarly. He tried to talk to me, and I brushed him off. I didn’t ignore him, I just didn’t entertain him, and I could tell it drove him nuts.

I could feel Elaine watching us, watching him. She must’ve been wondering why he was so wrapped up in me instead of talking to her. I was wondering that myself, but I let it go.

“Are you ever going to forgive him?” Robin asked as we walked out.

“I already did. It’s just not the same. I dunno,” I shrugged.

“I think you should hear him out. He’s bound to have an explanation for that kiss.”

“Even if he does, I don’t want to hear it, Rob. It happened and even if I decided to go back to how it used to be, I’d still see him kissing her in my brain every time he got close to me.”

“I understand,” she nodded, and we parted ways as she headed off to her next class. I, however, set off for my dorm.

“Grace!” I heard from behind me, and I sighed, knowing only one person called me that.

I turned around to see him sprinting to me, “I’m not letting you walk home alone.”

“Steve,” I sighed.

“No.” He seemed genuine, serious. “I care about you. Even if we’re just friends, I care about you. You don’t get to become one of my favorite people and then just cut me off. I’m walking you home. Like a friend would do.”

I stared at him for a moment, then nodded. Truthfully, I was delighted that he’d asked. I figured, with the way I’d treated him that day, he wouldn’t bother.

“So you and Elaine…” I started as we walked, genuine curiosity gnawing at me.

“Can we not talk about it?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Shouldn’t you be walking with her, though? How does she feel about our friendship?“

“Grace,” he warned, and I heeded, shutting up.

We made small talk the entire way, the awkward kind we weren’t used to. I hoped the “friendship” would come more naturally with time. After all, we’d been the best of friends for the entire two months since we met. And we’d never really been more than friends, so I wasn’t sure why this was throwing us off so much.

“Thank you for walking with me, Steve,” I said, preparing to walk away when he grabbed my hand.

“I really want us to go back to how things were before… what you saw.”

“I want that too, Steve. I just… can we forget everything and just be friends like we were?”

“Please,” he sighed, relief washing over him.

“But it can’t be quite the same. I don’t know if you realize how.. touchy, and close we are. Do you think maybe we could take a step back from that for a while?”

“If that’s what it takes to fix this, but I don’t want to. I hope you know that.”

“Steve, you have a girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, she’s- well, she’s-“

“She’s what?”

“I can’t talk about it,” he ran his hand through his hair like he did when he was stressed.

“Of course. Well, when you’re ready to, we can go back to how it was. But for now, we’re just friends who don’t constantly sit by each other and hold hands and hug and walk together.”

“That’s fair,” he agreed, resigning himself to his fate.

With that, I left and we didn’t talk much for the rest of the day. He texted me, but I didn’t respond. I wanted him to get the picture.

• The Halloween Party

Another month passed slowly. Distancing myself from Steve was horrible. Every time the group hung out, he was agonizingly close, but I kept away and he respected my wishes and kept away from me, too. It almost itched, how badly I wanted to reach out and grab his hand. I thought it would become easier, but it didn’t. And the worst part was that the group wasn’t adjusting well to the new dynamic, constantly making jokes and comments about “me putting Steve in the dog house.”

Whatever had been going on with Steve and Elaine seemed to be over, they would chat but I never saw any PDA or even chemistry between them. In fact, she’d grown closer to Robin than anything, and when we would hang out, they would stick together. Natalie and Drew were a pair, and Steve would pack in with Tate and Johnny. I was sort of lonesome, but it was okay. Part of me wanted to just forget the kiss and go fully back to how it was, touching flirting and all. But as I told Robin, it was engrained in my memory and I didn’t really want him if he chose her first.

“Y/N,” Elaine snapped me out of my trance as we waited for class to start, all huddled up in our little group.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I was telling everyone about my Halloween party. It’s gonna be you guys, and a few older friends I have in my other classes. Not, like, a banger, but definitely a crowd and a good time. Interested?”

“Of course, do I have to dress up?”

“Well it is a Halloween Party,” she rolled her eyes at me, laughing.

And that was that. We all planned to go. She was having it at her parents’ cabin, about 45 minutes away from the campus. Obviously, she couldn’t do it at her apartment.

The days leading up to it, Robin and I looked for costumes. She decided to go as Velma, and she tried to convince me to dress as Daphne but I suggested that Elaine be Daphne instead, and they both loved the idea. I had a costume of my own in mind.

I dug in the back of my closet until I found a black peasant dress that I’d had for forever. It was long sleeve, and the sleeves were lace and flared at the bottom. The cut was low and accentuated the way the corseted middle pushed up my chest, and the skirt flared out but still highlighted all my curves in all the right places. I paired it with some ripped up fishnets, black boots, and a funky witch’s hat I found at the Halloween store that also had lace lining it. It was perfect, maybe even good enough to get the kind of attention that would help me forget Steve once and for all.

When the day came for the party, Robin went to Elaine’s to get ready and I got ready alone. I curled my hair, did my makeup perfectly for the first time in forever, and finished the look off with red lipstick. Then I got dressed, and I was ready to head out the door when I got a phone call from Steve, whom I was supposed to meet outside of his dorm so he could drive me, Natalie, and the other guys there.

“Hey,” I answered, “What’s up?”

“Hey, just letting you know, don’t walk over. I’m coming to get you. Natalie is gonna take her car, and the guys are going with her, so it’ll just be me and you.”

“Okay, you headed here now?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in like two minutes.”

“I’ll be outside waiting,” I told him and we hung up.

When he pulled up, I was standing on the curb, all dressed up. My nerves were bundled up in my stomach, and I felt like I needed to throw up. What if he didn’t like my outfit? He’d never seen me so dressed up before.

He got out of the car and ran over to the passenger side, opening the door for me. I couldn’t miss the way his eyes scanned me, hungry and searching for every exposed patch of skin he could see.

He cleared his throat as he sat in his own seat, “You look….”

“Different?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Good.”

I smiled, sitting back. My nerves were still there, but they were eased by the way he couldn’t stop staring at me, glances out of the corner of his eye giving him away as he began the drive.

“What’re you supposed to be?” I asked, raising my eyebrow at his black t shirt and black jeans.

“I didn’t want to dress up, but Robin said I had to so I just picked up a ghost face mask.”

“Ghost face, huh? Chicks dig that.”

“That’s exactly what Robin said,” he laughed, “Billy Loomis does it for girls, huh?”

“I’m not telling you what does it for me, but nice try.”

“I see the new look comes with a new attitude.”

I blushed, covering it up by staring out the window. We were doing so well, just being friendly. Why was he suddenly flirting now? And why was I flirting back? I told myself to get a grip, and stayed silent for a moment, so he turned up the radio, taking my hint.

The rest of the ride was filled with silence, heavy with tension. I felt like a rubber band about to snap, the glances he was giving me sending me into overdrive but I pretended I was fine, crossing my legs and staring out the window.

I opened my door before he had the chance when we pulled into the parking lot. There were a good bit of cars, and it seemed like a little more than a crowd. I suppose Elaine’s intimate hangout had accidentally turned into a party. Steve noticed this as well, placing his hand on the small of my back as we walked in together possessively but I brushed him off, walking over to where Robin and Elaine were sitting on the couch.

Robin must’ve been over the moon with all the attention she’d been getting from the older girl. Just by the way they were sitting, I could imagine her pulse racing. Elaine’s legs were thrown over Rob’s lap, her arms wrapped tightly around her neck. If I didn’t know them well, I’d assume they were a couple.

“Welcome to my party!” Elaine grinned.

“It did turn into quite the event, huh?” I chuckled, glancing around.

“One person told another person who told everybody, I guess,” she shrugged.

“Where’s the alcohol?” I asked her.

“Through that door,” she pointed to what I assumed was the kitchen. I walked that way, running into Tate and Johnny on the way, so they walked with me.

“You look hot, Y/N!” Johnny grinned wide as he told me so. He wasn’t being weird or anything, he was genuinely just giving me a compliment, so I grinned in return.

“Really, who knew you had this badass in you? Red lipstick and everything? Poor Steve must be having palpitations,” Tate laughed, and the other nodded.

“Steve and I are just friends.”

“That’s what you want, not what he wants. He loooooooves you, he wants to smooooooooch you,” Johnny sang, tapping his fingers together in a kissing motion.

“I think you’ve had too much too drink,” I scoffed, pouring myself a cup full of whatever looked good and leaving them to go back to the couch. The only open spot was beside Steve, so I took it, sipping on my drink.

“You’re not gonna make yourself a drink?” I asked him, and he shook his head.

“Put on your mask, dingus. It’s a costume party,” Robin reached over and poked him, and he rolled his eyes as he did as she asked.

He looked good. I could feel my heart begin to race as he turned to me, and usually it would’ve made me nervous, but I just felt powerful in that moment. I knew he thought I looked good. I wanted to use it. I wanted to make him burn like I had.

I leaned in close to him, “Wanna play psycho killer?”

“Grace-“ he started, but I cut him off.

“Can I be the helpless victim?” I placed my hand on his chest, my fingers brushing over where hair peeled through the top of his v neck. I almost felt him shiver. “Please don’t kill me, Mr Ghost Face. I wanna be in the sequel!” I trailed my hand down his chest, scratching him lightly with my nails. As I approached his waist line, he grabbed my wrist sharply, halting my movements.

“You think you’re cute?” he huffed.

“You think I’m cute,” I smirked. I pulled my hand away from him and got up, leaving him there basically panting as I walked away.

I found Johnny and Tate chatting with a couple of other guys, and approached.

“Oh, hey! Y/N! I was wondering where you ran off to!” Tate smiled, welcoming me in.

“Just went to mess with Steve,” I shrugged, glancing at the other guys. One of them had his eyes on me, and I took the opportunity.

“Are you friends with these guys?” I asked him, leaning in a little closer.

“Yeah, I stay in the same dorm as them,” the guy nodded.

“Oh, neat! I can’t believe I’ve never seen you before!”

“Yeah, but it’s okay. Plenty of time to make up for it,” he winked at me.

“What are you doing?” Johnny whisper yelled into my ear, “Steve is watching you!”

“Steve and I are just friends. He likes kissing other girls so I’m gonna go talk to another guy.”

With that, I stepped closer to the mystery man. “Wanna dance?”

He nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the center of the floor where people were dancing. He turned me around and I began swaying with him, daring to glance over at Steve. He looked furious, absolutely fuming at the sight of me with someone else. I was thriving off of it.

All of a sudden, Elaine pulled me away from him, pulling me closer to the couches. The guy protested for a second but Elaine sent him a death glare and he backed off.

“Why are you doing this?” she sighed.

“Doing what?”

“Dancing with him. Steve is right there. You’re breaking his heart.”

“Steve kissed you, Elaine. Even if you guys aren’t a thing, even if it didn’t work out or whatever and he likes me now, it happened and I can’t just forget that. He liked you more than me or he wouldn’t have kissed you instead of me and I don’t want to be second choice.”

“But that’s not what happened! Steve and I were never a thing!”

“Well he must’ve felt something, because he sure did swap spit with you.”

“It was a peck,” she rolled her eyes and huffed, throwing her hands up dramatically, “And I’m gay.”

My mouth fell agape, “What?”

“I never knew. I mean, I always thought girls were cute or whatever but I never had romantic feelings for them. Then I met Robin and couldn’t think about anything else. Excuse my bluntness, but I’ve never wanted to scissor anyone so badly. Steve is so easy to talk to, I completely opened up that night. I asked him if I could kiss him to see if I felt anything. To see if it felt right, and he said yes and believe me, neither of us felt anything. It was just weird.”

“So you and Robin are together now?”

“Well… I’m hoping we’ll get together tonight, if you catch my drift.”

“And Steve never liked you?”

“Of course not. Y/N, he’s been head over heels for you since he met you. He doesn’t talk about anyone else, he doesn’t think about anyone else.”

“Oh God, why didn’t I just hear him out sooner when he tried to talk to me about this? I’ve screwed everything up!”

“Look at him. He loves you, it’s all over his face. You haven’t screwed anything up.”

I stared at him for a moment before thanking her and heading his way.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, standing directly in front of where he sat so my knees bumped into his bent ones.

“Why didn’t I tell you what?”

“About Elaine. If I’d just known-“

“I promised her I wouldn’t say anything to anyone until she was sure.”

“Still, you could’ve-“

“You were so upset about me kissing another girl, nothing but the truth would’ve worked.”

“Steve,” I sighed, “If I had known-“

“What would you have done?”

“I would’ve- Well, I would’ve-“

I couldn’t even complete my sentence, he cut me off at the jump, leaning in and slotting his lips onto mine. I was startled for a moment but he didn’t stop, and eventually I kissed back, savoring every second like it was the last. He pulled away as if he wanted to say something but I didn’t let him, pulling him right back in by his shirt and wrapping my arms around his neck. His hands found my back, pulling me closer into an arch and wandering, ghosting over my waist line.

We were cut short by cheers coming from beside us, and we backed away from each other just enough to look.

“It’s about damn time, dingus!” Robin huffed, wrapped tightly in Elaine’s arms. I blushed, hiding my face in Steve’s chest, and he leaned down to my ear.

“Come with me,” he whispered, and I nodded.

He lead me to the backyard, where a lake was glistening in the moonlight. There was a lake house beside it, cute and cottagey, like something out of a story book.

“Elaine is letting all of us stay here tonight,” he explained, “There’s only three bedrooms, though. So she told me we could stay out here.”

“She just assumed I’d be staying wherever you stay?”

“I mean, be honest with yourself, Grace. Even if we were still just friends, you’d rather bunk with me than anyone else here.”

“I suppose that’s true,” I shrugged, following him through the door to see that it was immaculately decorated. It didn’t have a real fireplace like the house did but it did have one of those huge automatic ones, so he turned it on, warming the place up. It was one room, there was a bed in the corner, not huge but big enough for the two of us, a TV above the fireplace and a couch in front of it with some other furniture scattered about. There was a closet and a bathroom, as well.

“We left the party awfully early,” I observed, turning to him.

“I have a night in a lake house with you, and you think I wanna waste it partying?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” I smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer.

“I’m in love with you, Grace. I haven’t loved anyone in a really long time, and maybe never like this. And I know it’s quick, but I don’t care. I love you.”

“I love you too, stupid,” I rolled my eyes, pulling him closer until his lips met mine again and we fell into a dance of teeth and tongue.

He grabbed the fat of my hip, squeezing, the dress bunching up in his fingers.

“Fuck, Y/N, do you even know what this dress does to me?” he groaned, “Never seen you like this before.”

“I only bought it so you could take it off,” I rasped as his lips found my neck. At my words, he started sucking, leaving a mark I was sure would stay for days, and I moaned. Something about him wanting to claim me made me shiver, goosebumps littering my skin, my need multiplying.

“I can do that, baby,” he nodded, reaching behind me and pulling the zipper down slowly. He eased it down my shoulders, his fingertips brushing my skin and his eyes following their path. His irises got a little darker at the sight of the black lace covering my most sacred places, and he went ahead and undid the clasp of my bra, letting it fall with the dress.

“You look so pretty like this,” he sighed, staring at me for a moment, his gaze loving.

“Your turn,” I smirked, slipping my hands under his shirt and pulling it over his head. My fingertips clumsily attempted to undo his belt, and he stopped me, doing it himself one handed and throwing it on the ground. It was one of the hottest things I’ve seen him do. I let out a light moan, and he chuckled.

“Feel like a helpless victim yet?” he asked.

“You’re not wearing the mask, so no,” I shrugged jokingly, and he frowned.

“I can fix that,” he stated, walking to the table by the door where he’d set said mask. He pulled it on his head and my mouth fell slightly agape. He looked so perfect. So pretty.

“Want me to fuck you just like this?” he asked, and I nodded frantically. “Come here,” he grabbed my hips lightly, leading me to the end of the bed. He spun me slowly, “Bend over for me, baby,” he coaxed as he pressed on my back. I did as he asked and all I heard was a rip as he tore off the stockings, not worrying about my shoes.

I looked back to see him falling to his knees, then I felt his fingertips where I needed him most and I gasped. It was slow at first, just light touching, but I was absolutely dripping, desperately waiting for what I wanted.

“Steve, baby, please,” I whimpered, and he chuckled again.

“Anything for you, Grace,” he cooed, pushing one finger in. I let out a sigh and a moan, begging for more, and he obliged, pushing in another and eventually a third. Before long, he had a steady rhythm, pushing in and out of me in a way that had me ready to come apart.

“Please Steve, need it, need more, need you,” I panted, pushing back on him, reaching behind me to touch whatever part of him I could reach.

I heard a sharp zip as he undid his pants, kicking them off. His tip rubbed against my slit teasingly at first, then pushed in slowly, and I let out a shaky breath. He was huge, bigger than I’d probably ever had, and my walls were stretched deliciously. It didn’t help that I hadn’t done anything with anyone in a while. I’d been waiting for Steve since before I even met him.

“Please,” I whined, my voice a broken shell of what it was before he kissed me. He’d wrecked me already and hadn’t even fucked me yet.

“Here you go, baby. I’ve got you,” he sighed, setting a steady pattern of thrusts, hard and quick and perfect, everything I needed from him, His hands found my hips, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises, and I met him thrust for thrust pushing into him like a woman starved.

That lasted for a little longer before he pulled out abruptly. I whined, achingly empty, but he stopped me short by grabbing my hips and turning me over. “Scoot back,” he instructed, “I wanna see your pretty face.”

“I wanna see yours too,” I hummed as I did as he asked, scooting all the way to the top of the bed and laying my head down like a true pillow princess. He nodded, ripping the mask off and tossing it aside, and I gasped at him in all his glory. He was so handsome, hair a mess on his head, a slight sheen of sweat making him glisten.

He climbed up on top of me, grabbing my leg and putting it over his shoulder. He leaned down and captured my lips as he pushed in, and I groaned, the new angle putting him in just the right spot.

“I’m gonna cum if you keep doing that,” I whimpered.

“That’s the point,” he smirked, reaching down to rub circles on my clit as he fucked me harder. “Such a good girl, gonna cum all over me?”

I nodded frantically, wrapping my free leg around his back and pulling him in farther, earning a deep groan.

“You’re so perfect like this, taking it so good. Who woulda known my quiet girl could take it like this?” his words spurred me on, making me see stars as the coil in my tummy got ready to snap.

“Steve baby need to cum, please cum with me,” I gasped, clenching around him as I finally snapped, and he groaned. He wasn’t very far behind me, and we rode out our highs together, staring at each other when we were done like a couple of lovestruck kids.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here,” he whispered for only me, and I giggled.

“It’s okay, Steve. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t spent so long being jealous, this would’ve already happened.”

“I think it happened right when it was supposed to,” he smirked, kissing me on the forehead and walking to the bathroom. He wet a towel and brought it back, cleaning me up and then himself, then joined me in bed.

“Would you wanna, like, go on a date with me?” he asked, nerves clouding his voice.

I thought it over for a moment, leaving him in suspense.

“Of course. How about tomorrow?”

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve smut #steve stranger things #stranger things #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #steve x reader #steve x you #stranger things smut #ghostface!steve harrington #ghostface

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yougavemeyourheartyouknow · 9 months

Text

On thin ice (Hockey player! Miguel O’Hara x Figure skater! Fem! Reader)

A/N: Hiii Im back from my mini break :) I wanted to write more, but I wanted the next chapter to begin a certain way so I’m making this one short hehe. Excuse any typos and grammatical errors. Miguel probs being ooc

(Y/N)- Your Name

Cursing, funny little hehe drama, Miguel being Jealous, ansty (?) (Like, If you squint)

Word count: 1k

Series Masterlist

Chapter 9: Until I fall asleep, spilling drinks on my settee.

—

It’s been 3 weeks.

It’s been 3 weeks since you were in that practice room with Miguel O’Hara.

It’s been 3 weeks since you kissed Miguel O’Hara.

It’s been 3 weeks since you started to avoid Miguel O’Hara.

You didn’t do it on purpose, at least not at first. The day after the very overdue make out session, you told yourself that you would wait a day or two before you talked to him about it, in an attempt to get all your thought in order. Then, that day or two turned into three… then four, then a week, then 3… and at this point, it would be too awkward if you finally decided to face him. What were you even supposed to say after ignoring him for 3 weeks? “Hey Miguel, sorry I basically ghosted you after we made out, even though I said I’ll talk to you afterwards.” You’d rather die of embarrassment. So now you found yourself purposely avoiding him, and although your boy problems should be the last of your problems, they wouldn’t leave your mind.

As you came out of the bathroom, tossing your hairbrush onto your semi-messy bed, you let out a heavy sigh as you saw Kate finish fixing the whiteboard calendar that hung in your dorm room for the new month of October, on the third Friday, she had wrote “MIDTERMS,” in big red Expo marker, and on the following Friday she had written “REGIONALS” in the same way. The two words made your stomach twisted, and for once in the past three weeks, your mind was finally off the topic of the hockey player you had kissed.

“You know staring at the board won’t make those words go away.” Kate said, snapping you out of your thoughts as she capped the Expo marker, you let out lips curl down into a frown and your thumb’s fingernail started to tap repeatly on the surface on your ringer finger’s nail, a habit you've developed when you're nervous, because you knew she was right.

“Can’t you let me pretend at least?” You were joking of course, before making your way over to where you had your gym back half-hazardly thrown at the foot of your bed, zipping it open and checking of all your skating gear was in the bag.

“You’re overly stressed, what is it? Midterms, Regionals, or Miguel?” She asked with a head tilt, hey eyebrow going up with the question.

“All the above…” you mumbled under your breath as you finish rummaging through your bag before zipping it close and throwing it over you shoulder.

“You’ve got this.” Kate sent you a sympathetic smile, which you returned before leaving your shared dorm.

—

You told yourself no skating on the weekends as an attempt to keep yourself from over stressing yourself, but here you were, in the middle of the rink on the first of October, on a Sunday. To be fair, you weren’t practicing, you were just going to practice some jumps and spins, holding to get your mind off everything that’s been transpiring in your messy life. It was honestly a miracle that when you arrived that the rink was empty. You were in the middle of going over your triple lutz, each time you came back down on the ice your landing was wobbly, that is if you landed it. Most of the time you couldn't land it at all, it’s a move you’ve been trying to perfect for months now. Hoping to have it down before coach Kavinsky could have choreographed the long program in hopes to get more points from the judges, but unfortunately you still had too much trouble with it. It would have been a risky move to put it in the program.

“You should probably take a break from that move before you end up black and blue.” The voice rang out through the empty rink, causing you to lose concentration and fumbling the move again.

“Fucking hell, Logan. You should know you can’t do that shit…” you groaned as you slowly gathered yourself to get your body off the ice after falling. Logan chuckled and shook his head, his hands going into his pockets as he walked towards the entrance of the rink, taking the guards off his skates.

“Sorry, sorry, you’re right…” He mumbled with a small smile as he helped you up, “I just wanted to check on you. I know you like to come here when you’re stressed.” He added in a more serious tone.

“Yeah I’m…” your words trail off, a heavy sigh leaving through your nose instead. Logan, already knowing your answer just gave you a sympathetic frown, rubbing your shoulder before pulling you into a hug.

—

“She’s already told you that she’s not dating Logan-“

“I don’t care Peter.” Miguel growled, leaving the stadium, shoving past the front doors and angry stomped to his car in the parking lot. Peter followed behind him. While you and Logan were in the middle of your beautiful friendship moment of reassurance, neither of you noticed Miguel nor Peter making their way to the ice with their gear on and hockey sticks in hand. But upon seeing you embracing your skating partner, he quickly turned back around and made his way back into the locker room, changed back into his regular clothes, then (quietly) storming off and out of the building. “You expect me to believe that bullshit!? She’s all over him, like she wasn’t all over me 3 weeks ago!” He yelled as he throws open his back car door and angrily throws his bag and hockey stick into the back seat, Peter also putting his stuff in the back, but in a more calm manner.

“Miguel, that’s her skating partner. Not to mention her best friend.” Peter tries to reason with his friend as they both go into the car. “Obviously they’re gonna be close. If she was dating Logan, do you really think she would have let you kiss her? Let alone return the kiss?”

Miguel didn’t respond to Peter’s question, instead just letting out a small huff of air and a grunt. His hands gripping onto the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles began to turn white.

If you wanted to play that kind of game, then fine. He’ll play. He’s the best player on the team after all, this little cat and mouse will be easy for him.

—

Taglist: @tayleighuh @cowboylikeevie @coralineyouareinterribledanger @jukioku @loser-alert @migueloharaspookiebear @serpentstarr @littlexscarletxwitch @darksidescorner @sukioyakio

#miguel o hara fanfic #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara #on thin ice fanfic #spiderman 2099 x reader #astv miguel #astv spiderman 2099 #miguel o’hara au #figure skating au #hockey au #miguel spiderverse #spiderman 2099 #spiderman 2099 fanfic

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theidiotwhowritesthings · 1 year

Text

A Fresh Start [8]

Din Djarin x F!Reader

Warnings: pining, it’s mutual, they’re both just oblivious to the other, mention of fake name use, also I didn’t proofread this as much as I should’ve probs (that’s a warning right?)

Word Count: 3,494

Summary: When you made plans for your future they never involved being hired by a Mandalorian to baby-sit his adorable, green gremlin of a child. However, after your life fell apart in the span of one disastrous night, you found it to be the only feasible option you had left. Nevarro was a far cry from Coruscant, but the thriving community turned out to be exactly what you needed. Every day you spend in Nevarro you fall more and more in love with your new life, but when your past rears its ugly head you find that perhaps peace wasn’t meant for everyone.

Ch. #08: YOU’RE HIS HOME

Chapter Summary: First day of school, first day of school!

"I feel this gravitational pull towards you. Like the universe & all the galaxies had a talk and said, 'yeah, it's time'." -Gawn Birdie (On How We Find The One)

You had a weird mix of excitement, anxiety, and trepidation swirling in your gut. It was Grogu’s first day of school. You were excited at the prospect of him having fun, learning, and making new friends, but it didn’t dull the anxiety you felt. What if the other kids were mean to him? What if he hated it? You wondered if this was how your mother felt on your first day of school. Not that you were his mother, you reminded yourself. As you cooked breakfast, you scoffed and shook your head. You were the nanny. You couldn't let that line in the sand blur.

“Nanny.” You mumbled to yourself plating Grogu’s favorites. An omelet and fruit. You called out for the kid. “Grogu! Breakfast!”

You set his food onto his high chair’s tray and began to move around the kitchen packing his favorite snacks to take with him. Grogu’s happy babbling made you glance over your shoulder. He bounded into the room and you picked him up to place him in his seat.

“Are you excited for school today, Grogu?” You asked while packing.

“ ‘lek!” He replied, voice muffled from a mouthful of food.

You paused in your work to reach out and rub his head. “Can you say that in Basic? Can you ‘yes’?” He repeated the word though it came out sounding more like ‘ye’ then ‘yes’. You understood him though which meant his teacher would too if it came up. You lightly bopped his nose with your finger. “Good job, baby. So smart.”

Grogu preened at your praise. You wondered if he would speak up at school. Maybe not initially, but how long would it take for him to grow comfortable enough to do so? Even if he didn’t speak, he had never had a problem conveying to others what it was he wanted, but you wanted him to practice more.

“Morning.” Mando greeted.

He stepped out from the back hall into the kitchen wearing his full suit of armor. You returned his greeting with a smile. “Good morning.” Mando walked around the kitchen island to sit at the bar stool next to Grogu’s high chair. Your eyebrows raised in surprise. “Shouldn’t you be heading out?”

“I’m going in late. Wanted to be there for his first day drop off.”

A slow smile grew on your features. You already knew Mando was an above average father, but it was little moments like this that were a reminder. It was one of the many things you found you liked about the man. You motioned to the stove. “You want me to make you breakfast?”

“No.” Mando raised a hand to shake it. “Don’t worry about me.”

With a nod, you set the dishes you used to make breakfast into the sink and ran some water into each item briefly. “Hey,” You turned back to Mando as you dried your hands on a dish towel, “I’m gonna run and change then grab his book bag to pack up real quick. Is that alright?”

Mando chuckled. “I think we can survive, but I’ll call out if breakfast takes a bad turn.”

You rolled your eyes in amusement and left the kitchen. It wouldn’t take you long to change out of your pajamas into simple day clothes. Just something that would keep you from looking like a bag lady on the streets. Once ready, you swung by Mando’s room to snag the small book bag he had bought for Grogu over the weekend. While in the room you found Grogu’s drawer and packed an extra change of clothes for the boy just in case.

“Grogu, you’re making a mess.” Mando’s voice drifted toward you as you walked down the hall back into the kitchen. You spotted him standing in front of the high chair trying to keep Grogu from trying to swallow half his omelet whole. The innards were beginning to fall out. “Ad’ika, nayc.”

“Did breakfast take a bad turn?” You called out.

Mando glanced over his shoulder with a sigh. “Apparently. I spoke too soon.”

He wrestled the omelet out of Grogu’s hands and you didn’t step in to help. Instead, you packed the snacks you made into the bag alongside the extra set of clothes. Bag ready to go, you turned and leaned on the kitchen counter to just watch Mando try and clean Grogu while he continued to stuff more omelet into his mouth. These were the kind of mornings you could get used to way too easily.

Grogu disappeared into the building with the other students, and though he could no longer be seen, you and Mando stood there staring for a second longer. The walk to school had been a cheerful event of letting Grogu walk on his own and following behind him. The morning was calm and anyone you passed greeted the three of you happily. As you had neared the city's center, you noted parents walking their own children to the school. When Mando shifted in place, you turned your attention to him.

“Off to the station?”

“Yeah.” Mando nodded. “I’m going to try and get off in time to be here with you for pick up.”

“Alright.” You motioned down the street. “Can I, uh, walk you to work?”

Mando stayed stock still. You had gotten good at reading his body language, understanding the tilts and nods of his head, catching onto the emotions that wafted off of him, but this still left you clueless. When he stood frozen it gave you nothing to work with. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Sure.”

The two of you walked side by side in the direction of the station. You let Mando set the pace, and he chose a slow stroll. For the first minute or so, the two of you were in a comfortable silence. You were mentally trying to puzzle out a way to ask Mando the questions bouncing around in your head. You wanted to know more about Mandalorians, but you didn’t want to overstep.

Mando spoke before you found your words. “How have you been sleeping?”

“Oh.” You hadn’t expected him to ask about that. “Pretty good. Dreamless sleep. The best kind.”

Apparently all it had taken to cure you from that repetitive memory was sleeping a few hours in Mando’s bed with Mando and his son. Not the solution you thought you’d find, but you were hardly complaining. In fact, all it took was one night of passing out with Mando and Grogu within reach to make sleeping in your own bed feel lonely. You were even tempted to ask to sleep in the bed again. Tempted, but not stupid enough to actually go through with it.

“I wanted to, um, ask you about something, Mando.” You started and were caught off guard when he stopped walking to look at you. You offered him a nervous smile. “If that’s okay?”

“I thought we were past you being timid.” He said. “I don’t want you to be scared to ask me anything, cyar’ika.”

His words settled your nerves. You chuckled. “I know. I’m not scared, but this…” You shrugged. “I wanted to ask you about your culture and Mandalorians in general. I just didn’t want to blind side you with it.”

Mando nodded. “I appreciate that.” He began to walk once more and you followed. “Ask.”

Alright. Now you had to figure out what to ask and what order would be best. You paused to think it over and Mando gave you the time without pressing further. You twisted your lips before just picking one. “You can’t take your helmet off, right? Not in front of anyone but Grogu?” Mando nodded in confirmation. “Why? Is it because he’s your son? Can Mandalorians only show their face to their family?”

“Yes. There was a period of time where… Grogu was separated from me.” Mando said. You frowned at this. “It wasn’t sudden. I knew it would come. My entire goal was to one day return him to his own kind, but…” He tilted his head. “It was still difficult. He came back though⏤ to stay. Once I knew I wouldn’t have to lose him, we went through gai bal manda.”

“What’s that?”

“An adoption ceremony. At that point, he officially became my foundling.” Mando finished. There was a beat before he added a clarification. “That’s why I can show him my face. If I married, I could show my riddur my face as well.”

You connected the dots. “Riddur.” Whenever you spoke Mando’a it sounded so awkward, but you loved when Mando spoke it. The way the words rolled off his tongue in that hoarse voice. “Wife?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” You hummed. “Is it safe to assume you don’t have a riddur?”

Mando let out a breathy laugh. “It’s safe to assume that, yes.”

“Does that mean only Grogu has ever seen your face?”

This time Mando didn’t reply immediately. But, in the same way that he gave you the time to think through a question, you gave him time to think about his answer. After a minute passed, you were worried you had insulted him in some way. You didn’t think that question was so bad.

“I was a foundling.” Mando said. “A Mandalorian saved me and took me in. As a child, I took the Creed. That’s when I was given my first helmet. No living creature saw my face until recently.” You listened intently as his spoke. His voice stayed firm and strong, but there was an underlying tone that conveyed his hesitance. “I showed my face to save Grogu then again to say good-bye. I never should’ve put the helmet on again.”

Your eyes widened and you nearly tripped over your feet. “What do you mean?”

“In showing my face, regardless of the reason, I broke my Creed.” Mando admitted. “I…” His feet slowed to a stop again and when you paused beside him he shifted to face you a bit. “I am not Mandalorian any longer. I am an Apostate.” You weren’t sure how to respond to that. It seemed silly to you that a man so dedicated to his creed and people could be exiled simply for showing his face⏤ especially since he did so to save Grogu. However, this was not your religion. It wasn’t your place to input your opinion into the conversation. The creed, no matter how ridiculous it seemed to you, was extremely important to him. You respected that. You respected him. Mando sighed, “I have to travel to Mandalore. Bathe in the Living Waters found there in order to redeem myself.”

“I thought…” You narrowed your eyes, “Wasn’t Mandalore glassed? I heard stories that⏤ that the world was destroyed.”

“It was.” Mando nodded. “There are rumors that the planet has recovered enough to be visited. It’s no longer poisoned.” There was so much hope in his voice that it brought a small smile to your face. “I planned to go, but Karga offered me the role of Marshal here. As much as I wanted to go…” Mando didn’t speak for a moment, his hands drifted to his hips as he shrugged. “Grogu deserves a home. A safe place to grow.”

You tilted your head a bit, trying to gauge how to word this, “Right, and I think it was very… honorable of you to make that decision, but you should know, Mando.” You lifted a hand to set on his arm, the beskar cool to the touch. “You’re his home.” Mando stared down at you silently. It was scary how powerful Mando’s gaze could be considering his face was hidden. Maybe that was for the sake of the universe. You weren’t sure you could withstand looking directly into his eyes. “That kid adores you. Wherever you go in the universe, home is when he’s with you.”

Mando gave you a slight nod, appreciative, and he cleared his throat. “Thank you. For saying that. You didn’t have to.”

“I’m just stating the obvious, silly.” You laughed. The two of you began to walk again in peace. There was a small pit in your stomach as you realized you’d never see his face. You’d never know what Mando looked like. It didn’t matter, not really, but you were much too curious to not mourn that realization. He was still Mando. The man who hired you to care for his son, your friend the Marshal and Mandalorian. Regardless of the technical definition, he’d be Mandalorian in your eyes. You had never met a man as strong, admirable, loyal, or honorable as him. So, nothing would change, but you’d always wonder.

‘Brown’, you thought, ‘He has to have brown eyes’. Maybe a soft brown like sunlight passing through a glass of amber whiskey. It had to be warm though. That’s what being around him felt like, that’s what you imagined his gaze to radiate. Lying in the grass letting the sun pour over your skin. A thick blanket being wrapped around you on a cold, winter night. A mug of caf held between your hands. It didn't matter that he was covered head to toe in the silver, cool to touch beskar. Mando was just warm.

“What are you thinking about?” Mando questioned.

Your eyes widened at being caught. You couldn’t exactly tell him you were daydreaming about the color of his eyes. Instead, you held up two fingers. “Two more questions.” He nodded. “First, that thing you do with Grogu, where you set your forehead against his, is that a Mandalorian thing or just a you thing?”

“Mandalorian.” He answered. “Kov’nyn.” You repeated the word and Mando chuckled at the sound. “It’s…technically it means head butt. It’s a way of showing affection.”

“Mandalorians would use a type of attack to show love.” You snickered. Mando surprised you by stepping close enough to lightly bump his shoulder into yours as you walked. Up ahead, you could see the station coming into view. “Is it just a family thing?”

“No. Any kind of affection. Friends, family, lovers. It just depends on the context of the action.”

“Alright,” You nodded and came to a stop outside the station’s front doors. Mando stayed beside you giving no intention of running in. “Can I ask you my second or am I out of time?”

“Ask, cyar’ika.” Mando chuckled.

You pointed at him. “That. What does that word mean? You never told me.” You watched his shoulders stiffen. The movement so minute you nearly missed it. You crossed your arms with a playful smirk. “Come on. It can’t be that bad. You’re not walking around calling me an idiot or something are you?”

Mando scoffed. “Never.” You raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed. “It just means… The best translation is…” He shrugged. “Sweetheart. I suppose.” The smirk fell off your face and a warm sensation ran through your veins. This entire time, he had been calling you sweetheart? You knew that technically didn’t mean anything romantic, but the term of endearment made you soft regardless. Mando held his hands out toward you as if you were a startled animal about to run. “I can stop. I didn’t mean⏤”

“No.” You shook your head, pasting a smile on your face. “Don’t.” He tilted his head and you cleared your throat feeling embarrassed yourself at how that sounded. “I, um, it doesn’t bother me. I like it.” To be honest, coming from Mando, you would rather him call you that than the fake name you had given. It felt right. You reached out to lightly knock your knuckles against his chest. “I guess this just means I need to find a nickname for you, huh?”

“I guess so.” Mando chuckled. “What’re you going to do today?”

“Huh.” Your eyebrows raised at the question. You honestly hadn’t thought about what you were going to do with all the free time you had while Grogu was at school. “I don’t know. Maybe clean up the house some. Go shopping? We need groceries. Uh…”

Mando set a hand on your shoulder. “Do something for yourself today. Relax.”

“I don’t know if my boss would be happy with me lounging on the job.” You joked.

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t lose any sleep worrying about that, cyar’ika.” You bit down on your lower lip hearing his term of endearment for you come from him. Mando’s hand trailed down your arm to lightly squeeze your hand. “There isn’t much your boss wouldn’t let you get away with.”

Mando’s hand fell away from yours and you watched him trail into the station. As you stared at the door where he disappeared you repeated the mantra in your head repeatedly. He’s your boss. Mando was off limit. He was just your boss.

The day was non-eventful and dragged on slowly. Din had a feeling it had something to do with Grogu’s first day of school. It felt odd to send him into the building without someone by his side⏤ someone he trusted explicitly. He knew how important it was though, and Din didn’t want Grogu to feel any of the hesitation he felt. Din didn’t want it to ruin Grogu’s day.

Though he had been so worried to drop Grogu off, he was excited to see how his son’s first day in school went. His feet carried him down the path back towards the school. Walking down the street of Nevarro, the same one he did this morning, his thoughts drifted to you. Din didn’t think he was going to end up talking to you about his Creed or his postponed future plans to travel to Mandalore to redeem himself. He surprisingly felt good about the conversation though. He liked that you knew that about him⏤ he wanted you to know that about him. It was an important part of his life, and you were slowly becoming important to him as well.

The smile you wore when he told you what ‘cyar’ika’ meant was going to haunt his every dream for the foreseeable future.

In the distance, he saw a small crowd standing outside the school. Parents waiting for the class to end. Din scanned the mass of people quickly and found you standing off to the side waiting patiently as the others did. Maker, you were pretty. Every single day it seemed like he noticed something new to admire. You were a kriffing work of art. Din could bask in your glow all day and never tire. As if you could feel his gaze, you turned and noticed him. Your face brightened with a grin, your hand lifting to greet him, and Din swore he felt his heart stutter. Dank farrik, you had him feeling like a teen with his first crush.

“Hey, Mando!” You said as he grew closer. “How was work?”

“It was fine. Non eventful. Did you spend some time relaxing today?”

You chuckled. “I did. Spent the afternoon reading, and I got lunch with Nima.” You elbowed him in the side, a little nudge. “Plus, I even had time leftover to buy groceries.”

The sound of laughing children had you both turning to face the school’s doors. A teacher stepped out and said good-bye as a group of older children rushed out. When they had passed, a different teacher led a line of young children out the door and toward the crowd. The kids began to disperse, eager to see their parents, and the teacher confirmed the sighting of each parent before letting them run away. Din saw Grogu bouncing in place, tugging on the edge of the teacher’s skirt, and when she glanced down at him Grogu pointed across the crowd. She nodded happily and Grogu took off away from her. Din laughed and opened his arms in time for Grogu to leap into his chest.

“Did you have fun, ad’ika?” Din chuckled again. It was moments like this that reassured Din of the choices he made. Grogu was happy. That was all he could ever really ask for.

“ ‘lek! Buir,” Grogu continued to ramble on. After a few more lines of nonsensical babbling, Grogu abruptly stopped and turned his head to look around. His eyes landed on you, just a few steps away with a warm look drawn on your features, then reached a hand out to call you closer. “K’olar! K’olar!”

Grogu was begging for you to come near, and you didn’t need to know Mando’a to understand what his son wanted from you. Din took a step closer, to meet you halfway, and he tried to hand Grogu over to you. Rather than leaping into your arms, Grogu grasped onto one of your outreached hands and just held on while staying in Din’s arms. The action made it so Grogu was nestled between the both of you. You showed no sign of discomfort from being so close. Instead, you held Grogu’s hand, resting your wrist against his arm, and used your other hand to lovingly rub his head. Content with his position, Grogu went back to babbling about his day.

You listened intently. Nodding along and interjecting with vague questions to encourage Grogu to continue. Meanwhile, Din could only revel in the bubble of bliss that surrounded all of you. Din wanted to wrap one of his arms around your shoulder, pulling you in even closer, and that thought was dangerously tempting. You were Grogu’s nanny. You were off limits.You were not his to hold.

mando’a translations

Ad’ika: son nayc: no Gai bal Manda: adoption ceremony Riddur: spouse Kov’nyn: Headbutt Cyar’ika: Darling, sweetheart Buir: Father Ko’lar: Come

#the mandalorian #din djarin x you #din djarin x reader #protective din djarin #good dad din djarin #din djarin #mando x reader #mando x you #Female reader #reader insert #nanny AU #nanny!reader #star wars #the mandalorian/reader #the mandalorian x you #the mandalorian x reader #slow burn

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carniferous · 2 months

Note

okay hello i’ve come to offer a vague concept ❤️🤲 the first thing that came into my mind is like being in a car. and something being wrong w the car. which sounds so stupid but is hopefully vague enough?? also idk if i’m meant to specify a ship but (and you probs already know what i’m gonna say) ur bartylus genuinely changed my life and it’s always on my mind and im obsessed w it forever and ever and would die if you ever wrote them again (but also like. no pressure. i don’t wanna try and tie you down to one specific pathway) ANYWAY i hope this is vague enough but also not too vague that you’re just staring at me blankly rn… icl babe u really didn’t set any parameters so i’m kinda trying to spear fish in the dark here but im gonna stop talking now…. eagerly (but patiently!!) awaiting ur response <33

LMAO NOOO thank you so much this is exactly the level of vagueness i wanted!!! i simply need to let things cook in my beautiful mind palace before i can write + vague concepts work best for that

anyway i tried to do it justice for u. it's more barty character study than bartylus sorry but. also it's compeltely unedited!! do with that what you will xoxo

“I knew it,” Regulus murmured, a hand coming up to cover his eyes. He was slumped down in his seat, the lines of his face stark in the pale moonlight. The motorway stretched out empty and endless before them.

Barty clenched his jaw and turned the key in the ignition once more. The engine sputtered loudly, just enough to give him some small shred of hope, before it promptly died for the fifth time.

“Dammit,” he hissed, thumping his hand against the steering wheel. He turned to Regulus, “What?”

Regulus lowered his hand and glared fiercely. “I knew I was going to die in this metal box the moment you persuaded me to get in.”

“And yet, you still let me persuade you.”

“Barty.”

“What?” Barty grinned. “You’re not going to die, Regulus. Cars are only dangerous when they’re moving.”

Regulus scoffed. He looked about five minutes away from having a conniption—which meant that Barty had about three minutes of continuing to fuck with him before he got properly angry. His hands were clenched in the fabric of his trousers, and when he turned his face towards the window, Barty could glimpse the deep shadows under his eyes as they appeared under the light.

He felt his heart soften, just a tad.

“I have a plan,” Barty said.

Regulus rolled his eyes so far back that they disappeared into his skull: “Oh, joy. Another plan.”

“They’ve gotten us this far, haven’t they?”

“Yes, stranded on the side of the road with you,” muttered Regulus. “Exactly where I want all my plans to lead me.”

At that, Barty felt a strange, wild sort of affection swell up within him. He wanted to lean over and bite the nape of Regulus’s neck hard enough to draw blood, wanted to crowd him against the door until all that bluster and exasperation fell away. But there would be time for that.

“Don’t you want to hear my plan?”

“No,” Regulus said sullenly. “I want—”

He stopped. Barty’s grin abruptly fell away. He reached over and cradled the back of Regulus’s head, firmly enough that he had no choice but to face him. Regulus kept his eyes downcast, an unhappy twist to his mouth, a sickly tinge to his face that the low light couldn’t hide.

“Hey,” Barty said, and he curled his hand into a fist in Regulus’s hair. “Look at me.”

Regulus’s gaze flickered up.

He was a living bruise, a walking heartache. Two weeks ago, Barty had looked at him as they packed their things for the end of term, and he’d known that Regulus wouldn’t survive another summer in that house—not as himself, anyway. He knew it the way Sirius must have, before he left, and he understood. Better than he’d like to admit. Sometimes it was easier to pack your bags than to watch someone like Regulus tread water and insist that they weren’t moments away from sinking.

In that respect, though, Barty was different. He didn’t care what Regulus wanted. He wasn’t going to leave him to drown.

Besides. Barty was fed up, himself.

When he spoke, his voice was low and steady, and Regulus listened with wide, unblinking eyes: “We’re not going home. Do you understand? There’s nothing back there. Nothing. Forget it, Regulus.”

A beat of silence. Barty’s grip loosened, he made to pull back, and then—

“What about your mother?” Regulus asked with a horrible little glint in his gaze.

“What about her?” Barty replied without missing a beat.

Regulus blinked. Barty almost laughed at him. Could have, at the idea that Regulus thought he’d trapped him with that. His mother, who’d wanted Berty out of that house perhaps even more than he himself did. Regulus could never understand that.

What he could understand, though, was the terrifying, exhilarating sensation of freedom. Of the surprising vastness of your own mind when it was vacant of everyone but yourself. Of sitting in a car stranded on the side of the road and becoming aware of your own mortality. Death was suddenly an end to something real and full of potential.

After what felt like an eternity, Regulus asked, “What’s your plan?”

“I turn seventeen in five hours,” Barty said. “Once midnight hits, the Trace will disappear. I’ll fix the car then.”

“You don’t know how to fix it.”

“At least I know it’s called a car and not a ‘metal box.’”

“You want us to spend five hours in this thing?” Regulus said, as though catching up with his own disbelief.

“Technically, seven hours,” said Barty. “We still have to make it to Bath. And then, once we pick up the twins…”

“What?”

“I don’t know,” Barty shrugged—a loose, slouching thing. He noticed Regulus’s eyes track the motion with nothing short of predatory glee. “Orgy in the metal box?”

“I hate you.”

“You love me,” Barry cajoled, grinning from ear to ear. “Why else would you run away with me?”

There was a long moment of silence, in which Regulus gazed, baleful and petulant, out at the road in front of them and Barty gazed at him. Already, he was more animated, more tetchy, more acerbic than he’d been just days ago. The cobwebs slowly clearing from his eyes.

Sometimes, Barty recognized Regulus like the slant of himself in a shard of glass. But other times, Regulus was just very beautiful. Barty wondered if there an element of vanity in wanting him, to the prideful joy he got out of fucking him out of his own head. The idea that he could press Regulus down hard enough to mold him back into himself.

On very rare occasions, he wondered if he was like his father. If the only love he knew was what he learned from the voice in his head as it puppeted his limbs about. If that presence was more himself than he was. A normal person would look at it with revulsion, would see complete and total control as a firsthand abomination.

But it was because Barty knew the abomination firsthand that he knew also the complete, total, clean satisfaction of such control.

“You were hardly the first to ask,” Regulus said mildly.

Even in the darkness, Barty could see the flush travel down his neck. He grinned and, without another word, reached over and unhooked Regulus’s seatbelt.

“I didn’t ask,” he replied, just as mild.

#my writing #bartylus #ask #thank youuu i had so much fun writing this! bartylus is such a fun challenge for me #regulus black #barty crouch jr

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caramelstarlight · 11 months

Note

So like this isn't specific but what about certain stoic genshin men with a reader whoa incredibly bubbly and happy all the time.

"Someone is going to die."

"Of fun!"

Yk?

sorry for not doing anything the past week and two (haha two.)

(FUTURE ME BY LIKE 2 MINS I FORGOT THE ✅/⭐️ Your prayer is accepted friendo) (other two in progresss.)

I was going to animate the “Hey Two!” Video bc I am a fan of bfdi. (Have been ever since I was little!)

But don’t worry everything will be out today and tomorrow! (Most likely.)

if you follow me on wattpad you would’ve saw the post I put 3 days ago most likely. There’s also 6 options for me to animate on there! Feel free to look at my acc and vote. (You can also vote for one by sending a message.)

Also holy so many frames 😭

I forgot Diluc existed sorry :d

cough cough Two worlds one heart next part tomorrow cough cough (aka part 4)

*cough cough ignore that it’s coming Friday bc I forgot about picture taking cough cough*

Stoic x Bubbly

(Alhaitham, Xiao, Wanderer, Cyno (in work mode) Tighnari (He’s stoic when he’s working like Cyno) I forgot Diluc existed mb.

And my limit for requests is 4 and I decided to add Tighnari bc I realized it. (No more than 4) (No part two. Sorry for those who thought Diluc would be here :d)

under cut r the stories. : D

Alhaitham

“Alhaitham” you said as he read his book forgetting about the noise canceling stuff he had. You continued to call out his name as kaveh watched. Softly laughing at you.

Alhaitham sent a glare towards kaveh and his gaze went back towards his book. “Alhaitham isn’t fun.” He pouted as you nodded. Eventually leaving his side to go outside with kaveh. Trying to bait him into becoming more fun.

“Kaveh I don’t think this will work.” “It might but prob not.” He replied as you both waited. He didn’t come out soon and you both came up with another idea. “We should make him mad about something…”

“Like Tighnari at cynos jokes?” “Exactly. I know you make him mad but maybe it should be something about knowledge?” “Wh-hey!” He bonked you on the head as you hit him lightly. “You do have a point though.” Kaveh said afterwards.

“Where would we find a dummy in all of sumeru?” You asked knowing majority of sumeru are smart fellows.

“We just need to get lucky.” “Maybe you should try make him mad again.” “Whyyy?!” “Because you make him mad numbskull!” Hitting him again lightly as he thought about it.

“I heard you two were trying to make me mad?” You both jumped slightly as both of you turned your head to see Alhaitham. Both of you becoming nervous by the second.

“I uhhmm.” You said trying to come up with an answer that wouldn’t sound stupid to him. His gaze turned to kaveh shortly after.

“Well I accept your challenge.” “Wait what?!”

“Someone is going to die.” Both of you panicked becoming more confused.

“Of fun?” You thought out loud as he nodded. Both of you partying slightly. Finally doing something other than work and reading.

Xiao (During lantern rite)

“Xiao!” You called as he appeared by your side. Sitting at a table with Zhongli and a few adepti. His eyes widened in surprise as he quickly composed himself and sat next to Zhongli.

Playing a few games to pass the time after having lunch with everyone. Xiao managed to smile and become more happier.

When it was time to play tag (yes tag.) he was not like his usual self but still tried. “Someone is going to die.” He said as a joke. Watching people be tagged from a distance. He though someone might fall and trip.

“Of fun!” You said afterwards. Tagging yaoyao as you ran away. Watching her touch xiao as she ran. He was caught off guard and teleported to someone randomly touching cloud retainer.

“Why must one be touched for a silly game?” She said as she used her beak to touch mountain shaper. He stayed silent and ran after Moon carver.

Xiao returned to yours and Zhongli s side as you started to lose the adrenaline in your heart. Drinking water as you watched them all finish.

Wanderer

(HAHHAHAHAHHAHA MY SISTER LOST HER 50/50 TO MONAAA) (I have won none of my 50/50s *crying* (I’m serious all 5 that I had I LOST, 3 to qiqi once to Mona and once to jean. Keqing was on standard)

He watched you come inside not expecting you to be crying. He rushed to your side and asked why and who (or what) caused it.

“Someone almost poisoned me…” You told him. “And do you know who? I’ll gladly make them cry louder than you and regret their life.” (Get it?????? I’m not funny :D) “what-?” “Nothing.”

“Someone is going to die today Y/N. Just tell me their name.” “Of fun right wanderer…?” It stayed silent for a few moments as you became more nervous then sad.

“Of fun right?” You asked again clasping your hands together worrying for the person who did it to you. “Let’s put it that way…” he said as he asked you. Looking for that individual after he spent some time with you.

He was always so interested in how you were always trying to see positive sides of anything. He has witnessed cruel and unjust acts and behavior.

Cyno

“Do you wanna pull a prank on them?” Someone asked gesturing to you. “Dude are you crazy?? Almost anyone and you choose them??!” They said calming down as they drank their water after the spat it out.

“What’s wrong with them?” They asked kind of nervous of them freaking out. “That’s the General Mahamatras Partner! AKA Cyno.” Cyno listened closely as he strained his ears. Behind a wall as you talked to a friend. Unknowingly cyno was going to pull a prank on them in return.

“Pssht! He’s prob on a mission it’s not like he’s hearing us right now.” “I guess you’re right but be careful.” They replied as they began to talk. Cynos prank wasn’t going to be good but it would jump them. That’s how pranks are.

They pulled the prank and scare you from behind. Telling how they got you good. Before you smirked and stocked your tongue out. Cyno was right behind them with his usual cold gaze and activated spirit. (Basically his idol animation, the one with the polearm)

“Someone will perish for their actions against Y/N.” They both froze up and turned slightly scared and worried. “Of fun!” You perked in. They both got caught off guard as cyno laughed off the joke before giving both of them a slight cut on their bodies.

“Run.” You suggested as cyno chased them away. Coming back toward you after he had his fun. “That’s fun to you? Chasing innocent beings cyno?” You asked jokingly. “Yes. Think of it as tag but it doesn’t end as quickly as tag does.”

“Fair enough.”

Tighnari

“I swear I am going insane if one more person consumes a fungi that’s poisonous or has dangerous side effects.” Tighnari stated as you tried to calm the agitated fennec down.

“Nari it will be okay. On the bright side it teaches not too and can help you improve on your methods of healing them.” You watched as his ears and tail perked up slightly motivated him. His tail wagged slowly as he stopped his rant.

“Someone will die.” He said and caught you off guard. “What-?! Of fun I hope!” You said as he nodded. “I’m going insane I need some days offff.” He told you as he buried his face into the pillow on the couch.

“Don’t worry the others can take at least 2 or 3 days off I’m sure of it!” You played with his ears as he felt calmer. “Thank you…” He got up and sat next to you. Waiting for your hand. You placed it on his head as he melted into your touch. His tail swishing ecstatically. Finally getting a well deserved break.

You scratched behind his ears as he spoke. “I really needed this.” Beginning to become sleepy due to the amount of comfort. Soon after you heard light snores.

Laughing to yourself as you got up and gave him a blanket. Going to go help the others with their tasks and to tell them what would be planned.

(I need a two plush. Omg it looks amazing. My birthday is in November tho 😭)

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helpallthenamesaretakenblog · 5 months

Text

EP 4 was just mostly talking and conversations, but there was so much depth THAT I MUST TALK ABOUT IT.

I could literally feel the anguish exuding out of Sally trying to teach Percy to swim

Ngl i was a lil skeptical about azrien’s acting but hearing that scream changed everything

“Hey, you still sleeping?” “Yes” she’s so relatable i love it

i thought we were going to wait until the zebra truck scene for the trauma bonding but we got some of it now which is cool and also makes me wonder whether they’re going to take it to a whole level in the zebra truck scene

I kinda like how annabeth knows so much about grover their dynamic in the show is just so chef’s kiss

I dont know if the whole “thalia made me earn it” thing is canon but its an interesting spin on their dynamic

Grover is such a mood pls shoutout to grover (this episode focused a lil more on percy and annabeth’s dynamic)

Its interesting how they changed frederick chase in the show. In the book frederick never wanted annabeth but in the show frederick loved annabeth. It makes more sense now that percy asks her to go back especially in the books, that was very controversial to have annabeth seem like she was overexaggerating about what she went through with them

i was waiting for them to introduce the searcher pan stuff i almost thought they’d erased it, thankfully they brought it up

ANNABETH’S FACE WHEN THE COP CALLED HER A “LITTLE GIRL” LEAH YOU’RE A ROCKSTAR

Medusa>>>>echidna in the show IM SORRY ECHIDNA WOULDN’T STOP TALKING

The architect in annabeth is coming out i hope she explicitly talks about it later on

I don’t think the writers knew what to do with grover when percy and annabeth were talking so they just made annabeth a little unnecessarily rude for some reason?? At least its better than the movies, where annabeth and grover just WALK AWAY from hermes and percy

i didnt expect the random posh voice it threw me off but it was so funny

OK but can someone help me with this? Percy in this scene says “i have a gift” to annabeth? Could someone pls explain? What gift?

Last episode i was cringing at the screen at percy for the “can’t we just call your mom?” This episode i was cringing at the screen for annabeth’s “you wanna say hi to your dad :))))” these kids have no sense of touchy subjects do they

you’ve done so much more to me in the past few days than poseidon has done in my whole life. If i have to stick with somebody, i—“ “be careful, you were about to call me a friend” THIS DIALOGUE IS SO PRECIOUS ITS WORTH A BILLION DOLLARS

Im suspicious about the percabething this series is doing so far, i feel like its too early, its giving me a feeling that there’s going to be some big angst thats going to happen later on to break the world

When Percy fell, i was genuinely thinking he was going to give annabeth a hug lol (“wow annabeth no you are my friend!!” Something like that)

alexa play jump and fall by ts

I love that they’re expanding the consequences that came with sending medusa’s head to olympus, and how it negatively impacted annabeth, which will probably turn angsty later on

Also, percy looks half dead

The plan to push annabeth into the stairs was executed so smoothly wow

i like they are exploring the very concerning side of percy too, the part of him thats like “im the useless one im ready to die no probs” ALSO THALIA PARALLELS THEY’RE DEF GONNA TOUCH ON THAT NEXT EPISODE

i like how the water grabbed percy like a little tunnel

Its so funny how the nereid says poseidon’s name and percy just starts struggling more like “HELL NO”

THE PARALLELS OF THE START OF THE EPISODE OF PERCY TELLING SALLY TO BREATHE AND THE END OF THE EPISODE OF NEREID TELLING PERCY TO BREATHE

What the heck is that throne thing? Why is percy turning golden? What is happening? HUGGGGGG!! (Too early, as i said), oh look ares—OMG ITS ARES!!

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bucknastysbabe · 1 year

Text

Mwahahahahaha I had so much fun with this thanks for the request, xoxoxoxo I hope you love it as much as I did! Also I know some of my followers are prob not American so I did The Most Basic lingo because we are the idiots who don’t name stuff normally like the rest of planet Earth

Kink Bingo - Topping from the Bottom

Rating: Explicit

Tags: Chubby!Beefy!Subby!Bucky, Dom nerdy afab!reader, Bucky is a sweet lil bear who wouldn’t hurt a fly but sends men into the ground on a daily basis, Frank Castle is a tired roommate, pnv!sex, overstim, pet names, teasing, creampie, disaster Bucky barnes, college!au, football player!buck, fluffy as HELL

You weren’t sure where, how, or when you ended up in this situation.

To quote the Talking Heads, “Well. How did I get here?”

Except there was no fun song about water flowing underground. There was a very sexy man staring at you in the library who had just said something. You blinked again, fiddling with your pencil. The library was dead quiet per usual.

Bucky Barnes, resident slut, face morphed into confusion, blue eyes piercing. He asked, “Uh, you okay? Did you hear me?”

You cleared your throat and spoke, “Yes, problem 15. The key to research statistics is all in the equa-“

A huge hand slid across the table to close your book. The thud made you jump. Bucky apologized, flush high on his pretty cheeks. He laughed, “No, I don’t think you caught that there, teach.” You blanched, gaping like a fish out of water.

His huge, yet soft frame leaned over the stiff stable, belly indenting against the wood. Bucky popped his dimples with a charming smile. He reiterated, “I think you’re cool— smart and witty. Even though you’re a hermit. I wanted to see if you would come to my place with the boys for some drinks this weekend.”

Your face drained of color, utterly mortified. The memories of freshman year came flooding back. You began to pack your stuff, slamming and shoving away materials. Bucky looked up at you like a kicked puppy. He grabbed your wrist, god he was a gentle giant, “Hey? What’s wrong? No pressure at all!”

You glared up at the stupidly beautiful man and tried to sound strong, but your voice cracked as you informed the ass, “You were there freshman year. Watched me puke until someone took pity. Is that what you want? Bring the lightweight loser for a punchline? Not for me, bye!”

He was there then, same house too. The O-line always passed the same ratty place down. His hair was shorter, body less beefy, less weight but Bucky watched with a sheepish look, elbowing his blonde friend. You yanked out of his grip, Barnes frantically calling after you. Dumb brute was so big it didn’t take much for him to catch up. He looked down, hand rubbing his neck. “Look. I’m not like those dick heads. I should’ve done something. I’m sorry I ever hurt you in the past.”

You stopped, giving him a look, eyes full of tears.

He made a soft noise, pulling you into a warm hug. He reaped, “Oh don’t cry, please?” You didn’t want to admit but it felt like heaven with his soft stomach and huge arms. You warbled, “I don’t know if I can trust anyone, I- I just can’t do that again.”

Bucky rubbed your back and sighed, “I’m an idiot, I offered you out the only way I know how with girls. I don’t have the best reputation.” He took a stern pause. “But I really like you. So we can do whatever you want to and I’ll be down for it.”

You looked up at him in shock, croaking, “Really?”

Bucky grinned, “Yes really.”

A year later the Talking Heads sang in your head again.

Well, how did I get here?

Your very big, so wonderfully big, boyfriend was between your thighs. His own thighs, thickened with heavy muscle and that cute little layer of fluff quivered themselves. His cock was so hard it was purple, the leaking tip smacking his tummy. Your baby had a dick that would put porn stars to shame. Took about two weeks for you to get used to it. Beside the point, tears pricked at his wide eyes. Bucky’s hands kept their gentle grip but they shook.

He panted like a racehorse, even though you hadn’t let him fuck you yet. You got the poor thing riled up all in the library. Rubbing against him, promising pretty boys like him get to hump and fuck. You had to shove fingers down his throat to get the beefy man to hush.

Somewhere since your bittersweet beginnings, it was discovered James Buchanan Barnes was the biggest submissive, masochistic, certified freak seven-days-a-week slut. He’d made a reputation for making girls limp but the macho athlete truly loved getting ordered around.

He put the fanfiction you’d read to shame. It made everything ten times sweeter knowing your college football playing, big offensive lineman whined like a bitch when you played with his ass. All by his petite nerdy girlfriend.

You say ‘jump’, Buck is asking ‘how high’?

But currently you did want him to fuck you. You cooed, pinching at a soft love handle, “You need me now sweet baby? Can you handle it?”

He nodded in jerky motions, pleading, “Yes baby, I’ll hold it.” His pink lips trembled.

You softly held his gaze as you continued, “If you cum early that’s okay, you’ve been waiting so long. I know a slut like you can’t help it.”

Bucky barked, “No! I mean no- I’ll do it good.”

You leaned back, placing your arms on his built shoulders, pulling the brunette closer. You sighed, “You always do it good Buck.” It came across meaner than intended, your boyfriend’s jaw setting mulishly.

“Come on, come on now bear,” you urged, squeezing his traps. Bucky whined through his nose, huge hand slicking his cock with lube. You were wet enough but usually added extra lube to make everything more comfortable. Bucky let out a pained moan as he entered you. You wrapped your legs around his wide waist to usher the brunette on.

You panted as the blunt tip split your pussy open. Bucky mewled, “Mmm- you’re s-so tight.” You nodded and pressed kisses to the veins pulsing on his neck, the larger man gently lowering himself on top. He’d still get scared of ‘smushing’ you. The thick length of him speared your cunt, and then he was all the way in.

You panted and whined, gasping, “Big boyyy, oh fuck.” Bucky let out a string of unintelligible high noises, whole body shaking at the squeeze. Circling your thumbs at the sweaty base of his head you cooed, “Love that huge slutty cock of yours, mmm, can you feel how tight I am for you?”

He nodded, so overcome he’d lost control over his pitch. Castle would slam the wall from next door.

“Fuck! Babybabyohgod, can I fuck you now?”

You snickered, “I never said you couldn’t.”

He frowned at that, blues looking down in embarrassment. Baby couldn’t help but get a little stupid when his cock was involved. Bucky braced one hand next to your head, the other on your hip and drew back a bit. He watched the slide, scrunching his face in ecstasy.

Slap.

Bucky fucked back in, stuffing you tight with a lurid squelch. You moaned at the feeling of his heavy balls hitting your ass. You goaded him on further, moaning in delight at the friction. Bucky hoarsely groaned, giving you all he was good for. Which, granted, being a division one athlete can allow for a lot to give. If Buck wasn’t so sensitive.

You clawed at his brawny shoulders, crying his name, biting at lips and jaw. That cute little pouch under his chin was especially bitable. Bucky was drooling onto your tits, single-mindedly focused on fucking you. You met him thrust for thrust, rasping dirty nonsense, degrading nasty things.

Bucky whined, “Mm! Baby, oh- hah! You gotta stop, hngh, m’gonna blow.”

You rocked up into his stilled dick, shaking your head with a open-mouthed smile. You breathlessly laughed, “No way bubba, you said you’re gonna do it good. But I got it pretty boy.” You patted his stubbled cheek and writhed on his cock, rubbing your sensitive tits against his built chest.

Bucky whimpered and tucked his teary eyes into your neck, your hand curling around to scratch his scalp. He was barely moving, little thrusts as you worked yourself up and down at a brisk pace. This was your exact reason why you denied Buck’s requests to go to the gym with him.

You whined, “Fuck bear, love you, puppy packing like a stud. Stuffing my pussy so well. Shame I gotta do the work.” You got another agonized moan at that, Bucky attempting to find a rhythm. You squeezed him in warning, digging the blunt tip into your good spot. A big finger came down to swirl at your clit.

You smacked his ass, howling, “Good fucking boy!”

Tears wet your shoulder, sniveling and whining filling your left ear. You drew tighter and more frantic, screwing your eyes shut as pleasure mounted across your body. You slapped a meaty side again and hoarsely yelled Buck’s name, pussy clamping down on his throbbing cock.

He came with a warbling wail, you crying out at the same time. Bucky began to fuck again, you taking it as he pumped through the aftershocks, mewling, “Hngghhh- baaaaby- oh gooood!” You threw your head back and let him pound you, little ‘uh uh uh’ grunts forced out.

The noises were pornographic, bed creaking, Buck’s sobbing, hips slapping, and the slick sounds from your releases mixing. Bucky gasped again, the last of him cum spurting out and he collapsed half on-top of you, whimpering softly.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!,” came the inevitable angry yell of Frank, busily pounding the thin walls.

You smiled at the worn Bucky, cooing, “Did it good once again bear.” He managed to pull you two onto the side, him still sensitive and shivering from the shifting. He kissed you sweetly, blue eyes all gooey and soft. He rasped, “What have you done to me babe?”

You nuzzled his nose, pecking those pink lips. With a smirk you mused, “I don’t know, what do you think big guy?” His brows furrowed as the inevitable post-coital philosophy discussion began.

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, David Byrne sang in your head.

#bucky barnes x reader #kink bingo #asks answered #chubby!bucky #sub!bucky #college!au #bucky barnes smut #bottom Bucky #dom!afab!reader

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spaceagebachelormann · 6 months

Note

Platonic hcs for Adam Frankenstein and a gender neutral reader that befriends him? hope you’re having a great day btw!

platonic adam frankenstein hcs !

✧ warnings: some swearing

✧ additional info: oh my god i got so excited when i saw this request by all means pls send more for my classic monsters m.list and/or phantom of the opera (if you’ve seen it ofc) this made me so happy ur an angel. also can be read as either the book or movie versions <3

✧ m.list — nav.

so like

he’d probably be intimidated when u first come across him

like he doesn’t trust you but he isn’t going to hurt you because he doesn’t have a reason

you probably need to show him ur not gonna do anything before he stops trying to get away from u

and when that happens he’ll still be a bit suspicious

just start by introducing urself and explaining ur intentions and he’ll calm down

he finally introduces himself to u as gently as he can cause he doesn’t wanna like. scare u away ofc

once he gets comfortable he’s such a good friend

one of the first things he does is ask u abt ur life cause he feels like it’s important to know what ur friends lives are like (he’s right go check up on ur friends rn if ur reading this 😒)

he knows he can’t like stay with u (probably) and u can’t stay with him so he gets kinda sad when u leave

goodbye hugs absolutely happen!!

and he’s super gentle cause he’s really strong and could easily crush u

also def gives head pats

erm anyway

typa guy to walk into ur house like he lives there (if u live alone)

but if he doesn’t i feel like you would be going to wherever tf he is more than him coming to u

and he gets so happy if u just show up unexpectedly

like that shit makes him more happy than showing up on scheduled time

and if ur ever late cause u had a problem for someone else oh my god

a) u came to the right person because he’s very sweet and understanding and will listen to u and give input if u ask

b) he’ll stomp that mf like a bug if u want him too

c) his hugs are fucking amazing

he’s so good at comforting <3

other than that he’d probably know how to cook from living alone so he’d like making u food

even if u don’t ask he has something ready for u

and you WILL eat it or i’m gonna come after u 😒

would also randomly bring u gifts as a thank you for befriending him because now he isn’t as lonely and has someone to talk to! <3

the thought of him like getting all happy when u come through the door to see him is making me so happy and sad at the same time he’s such a cutie patootie

this one might take some time. but once he’s rlly rlly comfortable he’ll prob tell u abt what happened with victor

was mainly afraid of telling u cause he wasn’t sure how u would react

has so much more respect for u when u aren’t rude to him abt it <3

if u have any random drama bro is invested

“SHE DID WHAT” core

will think ur in the right literally no matter what

u could’ve done some shit scandalous and he’s defending u

u could probably help him come outside more cause he’d always be inside

just say to him “hey we should go for a walk!!” and with a bit of convincing ur suddenly outside in the woods on a walk

THE ANIMALS LOVE HIM SO MUCH

like it’s so cute he’s sitting on the ground trying to pay attention to 15 animals at once

even if he’s deformed they know hes rlly sweet and wouldn’t do anything to them

also he’d fucking love picnics

like just sitting there and listening to u talk abt whatever

he loves it <3

#mars writing 🧈#frankenstein (marlees version 🫀)#adam frankenstein #frankenstein #victor frankenstein #frankenstein x reader #adam frankenstein x reader

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hockeyshmockey · 2 years

Text

Lewis Hamilton- She’s Safe With Me

summary: request that went a lot sadder than anticipated!! prompt idea: lewis in a relationship with someone who has a good relationship with their dad. the ending would prob be like “don’t worry, i’ll keep her safe & happy just like you did, she’s in safe hands.” PLS

warnings: angst. parental loss, losing a parent (if this will be a trigger for you please do not read!)

wc: 1030

No one ever talked about how hard this was going to be. There was a time when you thought you had years to prepare for losing your father. That had all changed when he had been diagnosed with a progressive case of Lung Cancer a year and a half ago.

Now, you were 32, expecting your first child, and your dad wouldn’t even be able to meet them.

“Hey darling,” your dad croaked from his recliner in your parents living room.

“Hi dad,” you smiled weakly, heading over to give him a hug and kiss. Your mom had called you the day before, explaining that your dad had ben having a pretty bad week. The two of you thought it would be a good idea for you to see him as soon as possible, so you and your husband had loaded up the car that morning and made the 2 hour drive north.

“How you feeling today?” you stood back up straight, unable to stay hunched over for long due to the little soccer player in your tummy.

“Just tired,” he smiled up at you, reaching out his hand. Knowing what he wanted, you stepped forward and moved his hand on your rounded tummy to where your baby was kicking a bit. “Look at that, think we got a footballer in there?”

“You don’t want him to be a driver?” a voice called from behind you, two tattooed hands landing on your shoulders, giving you a quick squeeze.

“Do you want that?” Your dad chuckled hoarsely as Lewis moved around you to bend over and press a kiss to your dads forehead.

“You’re looking good today! New haircut?” Lewis asked with a smile, drawing another laugh out of your father that turned into some heavy coughs.

“Let me go get you some water,” you murmured out, shuffling to the kitchen to also greet your mom.

“How are you really feeling,” Lewis sat down next to your dad, who was looking pale.

“It’s coming,” the older man sighed. “I can feel it.”

“Oh, don’t say that,” Lewis frowned, grabbing the older mans hand.

“Someone has to be realistic here,” the man smiled weakly. “As much as I want to be around forever, or even just to meet my grandson, I just know it’s not happening that way.”

Lewis stared at your father sadly for a moment, squeezing the mans hand. He met your father’s stare as the man squeezed back. “I need you to promise me, that you’ll take care of her,” your dad murmured, Lewis nodding. “She’s so strong, for all of us, but she’s going to need you when I’m gone.”

“You raised a good girl,” Lewis said thickly. “You can trust me with her. And with her mother. I’ll take care of them, I promise.”

The two men split up when you and your mother came back into the room, neither of you noticing Lewis wiping his eyes.

Only a few days later, you received the call you had been dreading. Your mum spoke through a wobbly voice, saying it was time to say goodbye. Lewis was at the factory, and you had been prepared to pack up the car and go on your own. But 20 minutes after your short phone call, the man had showed up at your shared home, not even changing out of his team gear before he bundled you into the car and began the drive.

You had seen your father in hospital beds many times over the past few months. But this time, you could tell it would be the last. He smiled with half closed eyes when the two of you entered his room, your mother’s face wet at his side.

Almost immediately your throat closed up and your eyes welled. “C’mere,” he grumbled, gesturing you over to the bed. You took a seat by his side, grabbing his hand in your own and crying as you held it by your face.

“I’m not ready,” you whimpered, Lewis’ hand sitting on your shoulder comfortingly.

“I know,” he smiled sadly. “Neither am I, but neither of us have a choice in this one bug.”

You cried harder as he called you the nickname from your childhood years. One you had begged him to stop using. Now you wanted to hear more of it.

“You are going to be such an amazing mum,” your dad cupped your cheek. “I want you to tell all the good stories about me ok? None of the boring ones.”

At that point, your mom excused herself, the atmosphere getting to her. “I’m going to go check on her,” you murmured, smiling sadly to your father as you followed her into the hall. Lewis took your seat, grabbing his father-in-law’s hand with a somber smile.

“Don’t worry,” Lewis leaned forward to cup your father’s shoulder. “I will keep her safe and happy, just like you did. She’s in safe hands.”

When you came back in the room with your mom, it was to silent tears on both of the men’s face, and their hands linked. A few hours later, the three of you sat with him as he took his last breath, going with a smile.

A few months later, the pain was just as raw as ever. Some days were better than others. Today, even though you were back in the hospital, was a good one.

“Look who’s here,” Lewis said quietly as he came into the hospital room with your mum.

“Oh darling,” the woman came over to give you a gentle hug, kissing your forehead. “You’ve done so well.”

You beamed up at your mother, exhaustion fading for a moment. “Do you want to meet him?” At your mother’s enthusiastic nod, Lewis went to the bassinet and picked up the blue blanket covered newborn, transferring him to your arms smoothly so your mom could look down at him.

“Meet Alexander Jaques Hamilton,” you smiled softly up at your mother, her eyes welling immediately.

“After your dad?” She asked the two of you with a shaky smile.

“After one of the greatest fathers any of us have known,” Lewis wrapped an arm around your mum’s shoulder.

#lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton imagines #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton x you #F1 #F1 drivers #F1 driver #f1 imagines #f1 imagine #Formula 1 #Formula One #formula1 #formula 1 imagine #formula one imagine #imagine #driver imagine #Formula 1 driver

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waywardrose · 6 months

Text

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY 26

stranger things

eddie munson x reader

rated e

8.3k

spotify playlist

for @punk-in-docs

fem/witch/goth!reader, sweetheart!eddie, magic, slow burn (for me), friends to lovers, angst with a happy ending, no y/n only pet names, series-typical horror, period-typical sexism and homophobia, historical inaccuracies and anachronisms, drug dealing and use, smoking, alcohol use, masturbation, mutual masturbation, fantasizing, one-bed trope, making out, fingering, dirty talk, chasing, oral sex, handjobs, condoms, piv sex, reader’s father is a dirtbag, mild spanking, magical violation, mental torture, body horror, blood, aftercare, nightmares, strict parenting, panic attack, past child abuse and abandonment, semi-public sex, break-ups, running away, guns, fist fighting, everyone survives, suicide ideation, tags will be updated as needed

Eddie would have to wait until his lunch break to see this new, hot, weird chick. He wondered which flavor of weird she was. Art weird? Theater weird? Band weird? Weird weird? He shrugged. He liked weird. In other words, you’re the new girl in town, and Eddie is intrigued.

note: Heed the tags ⬆️ and message me if you need spoilers. I don't want anyone being hurt or triggered from a fic.

His eyes opened to a tasteful, if dull, room. The full-length beige curtains were half-opened. Gray light dithered through the white sheers. Rain tapped on the window beyond.

The pile of pillows he reclined on smelled of detergent and his dirty hair. He suspected all the linens would have to be washed once he gathered enough strength to shower. Same with the borrowed briefs and undershirt.

Who would’ve thought he’d be wearing King Steve’s precious underwear?

He knew that was an ungenerous thought. King Steve was just Steve now. Steve had pulled him out of the Upside Down. Steve was a big damn hero.

That applied to you as well. You’d saved him twice yesterday. Most people would’ve given up after all the shit he’d put you through. They would’ve run away, and not curl on the bed next to him. With their pretty face smushed into a pillow. And they certainly wouldn’t have worn cozy pajamas and a hoodie and socks with little flowers on them.

He remembered the taste of your skin and sweat, your heady blood just below the surface. Your gasps and twists had reminded him of other, sweeter times when he had your taste on his tongue. It would’ve been so easy to feast and keep a little part of you with him forever.

Paper fluttered in the corner. He jerked his head up, regretting it right away. Muscles along his upper back strained. The top of his head tightened. He blinked a few times until the corner came into focus.

Speak — or this case, think — of the Devil… Steve sat in an armchair, a nearby lamp’s golden light accenting his perfect face. He’d propped a magazine across his crossed leg. His right arm was braced in a sling. A purple bruise haloed one of his eyes. Despite that, he had an air of strength.

Steve glanced at him, looked down, then looked up with wide eyes. He tossed the magazine on the side-table and stood.

In a hushed tone, Steve said, “Hey, man.”

“He—ey.” He cleared his throat as quietly as possible. “When you get here?”

Steve went to the nightstand, saying, “To the house? Last night.” He offered a refillable Santa Claus Land drink container. “In here? I don’t know. Maybe an hour.”

He pulled his arms from under the bedspread to take the container from Steve. The candy-cane striped crazy-straw swayed while the water inside sloshed. Steve put a hand under the container to steady it.

“Shit, thanks, man.”

“No prob.”

He swallowed a few mouthfuls of cool water before nodding that was enough. It wasn’t, but he didn’t think he could hold the container for much longer.

“How are you?” he asked before nodding at Steve’s sling. “What happened?”

“Demogorgon.”

“Jesus Christ.” He watched Steve arrange the nightstand to make it easier for him to pick up the container later. “You gonna be okay?”

“It’s just a sprain and some stitches.”

He didn’t point out Steve’s bat bites from their tour of the Upside Down. They probably matched his own.

“I guess we’ll have to give up on our dream of being bathing-suit models, huh?”

Steve chuckled and straightened to his full height.

“I’m sure tens of people will mourn the loss.”

Smirking, he said, “Don’t be so sure, big boy. You have quite the fan club.”

Steve rolled his eyes with a self-deprecating smile. It projected that good-boy ‘oh, golly gee’ quality that was the antithesis of the person he saw bite the head off a demobat and spit the blood. However, he wasn’t interested in giving Steve a pep talk right now. Steve wouldn’t want to hear it from him, anyway.

As if anyone should come to him for pep talks.

“So, uh, did you— uh…” he oh-so eloquently began. “Did you talk to her?”

Steve glanced at you sleeping on the other side of the bed — something about his eyes softened — before shaking his head.

“No, man, she’s been conked out the whole time.”

He let his head fall against the pillows. If that was the case, you hadn’t told Steve what he’d done to you. How he’d chased you and knocked you around. He’d threatened you and said all this heinous shit. God, he’d killed someone in front of you — with his teeth.

“How’s everyone else?” he asked.

Steve made a so-so face.

“Nancy and Robin are banged up, but they’ll be okay. Dustin hurt his sprained ankle some more, so he’s stuck at home.” He scratched at his jaw, humming. “Max had to have her arm reset. Lucas and Erica are the least injured, unsurprising, but the rest of the party’s in rough shape.”

“They’ll pull through?”

“Oh, yeah—”

The doorbell cut off Steve’s sentence. You jerked onto an elbow. He attempted to sit, but everything protested. He flopped back with a wince.

“Who the hell’s that?” he asked.

Steve said, “That’s probably Nance.”

“Oh, shit!” You sat and wiped the sleep from your eyes. “What time is it?”

Steve checked his wristwatch.

“4:34.”

“Shit.”

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“They’re negotiating terms, or whatever, with the government.”

“Like a ceasefire or something?”

“Something like that.”

You gave Steve an incredulous look while saying, “Yeah, something like that.” The fabric creases on your cheek from the pillowcase undermined your snark. You stood and hurried to the bedroom door. “Don’t just stand there being pretty. Answer the door. Offer drinks. Stall for time.”

Steve’s shoulders pulled back without an ounce of irony.

“Yes, ma’am.”

You left the door open and disappeared into the hallway. The thick carpet muted your retreating steps.

Eddie grinned and dragged the bedspread up his chest.

“Whipped already, Harrington?”

“Eat me, Munson.”

“You wish.” He waved his hand towards the door. “Better hop to it. You don’t want her mad.”

Steve gave him the finger as he headed for the door, but it was halfhearted.

After Steve closed the door, Eddie slumped and stared at the ceiling. There was no way anyone could hold you or the rest of the party responsible for the gates opening. That was all on Vecna, who was dead. Or at least scattered to the wind.

As he well knew, though, people needed to pin the blame on someone. It eased mass hysteria. And Hawkins did love to work itself into a tizzy. According to Erica, they’d eaten up Jason Carver’s bullshit at that town-hall meeting. The next night, the gates opened.

He asked himself who they’d blame for that.

Yeah, he thought with a snort. Him.

He wasn’t dead, but he was dead. He was screwed. He was fucked.

The police wouldn’t need to issue a man-hunt, either. It took all his energy to get up to take a piss. He was a sitting duck. A chew-toy duck. A— an… other metaphor he couldn’t think of at the moment.

Through the thin undershirt, he rubbed at a puckered scar on his side. His naked fingers felt too light. His isolated mind felt too small. There was space to think, to remember, yet too much seclusion. He shouldn’t miss the extra presence or the silent communication or the truest sense of purpose.

He thought of a cored apple. Yes, all the consumable flesh was there, but the fundamental reason for existing had been removed.

He looked at the window again, wondering if he could escape the oncoming tribunal — or reach terminal velocity before hitting the ground.

You spit mouthwash into the sink and splashed cold water on your face. Following that, you managed your hair and excavated the tube of concealer from your makeup bag. Beyond covering the dark circles under your eyes, it seemed pointless to gussy up.

The doorbell rang again.

You hesitated when you caught sight of the mascara. With a disgusted sound, because you didn’t have time to hem and haw, you coated your lashes.

Multiple voices resounded from the foyer below.

You tiptoed from the bathroom, yanking off your sleep clothes as you went. You threw them on the bed to redress in fresh jeans and a long-sleeved top to hide the chemical burn on your forearm.

The doorbell rang a third time.

With no time to lose, you tightened the laces of your boots and left the bedroom. From the open-gallery hallway, stilted conversation became louder. Lit lamps warmed the gray light coming through the windows. Unfortunately, it did nothing to make the atmosphere more pleasant.

A man wearing a grandpa sweater and khakis — Dr. Owens, you presumed — and a dark-haired woman in a business suit sat on one of the sofas. A high-ranking Army officer leaned on a cane by the fireplace, his right arm in a cast and sling.

Nancy sat opposite Dr. Owens, a blue binder on her lap. Steve came into the living room with two glasses of ice water and handed one to each woman. He turned to head for the kitchen and noticed you looking down.

If he noticed, the others would soon enough.

Your overworked thighs quivered as you descended the stairs. You had to maintain a grip on the handrail to keep from toppling into the foyer. Conversation ceased when you’d made it halfway.

You inhaled as you rounded the end of the stairs. You could do this. Nancy had a game plan. You would follow her lead. Her injuries took you aback, though. Her left eye was bloodshot, cheekbone bruised and swollen. A long scab ran diagonally across the side of her mouth. A choker of bruises ringed her neck. There was more damage below the collar, no doubt, but her long-sleeved blouse and slacks concealed them.

She’d sounded fine on the phone this morning. When you’d asked after her, she replied she’d heal. While that was true, you couldn’t let her leave today without doing something.

She introduced you to Dr. Owens, who stood to shake your hand. His discolored cheekbone sported a short row of stitches. He presented Agent Stinson and Lieutenant Colonel Jack Sullivan. You shook their hands before taking a seat beside Nancy.

Steve walked in then with two more glasses of ice water for Owens and Sullivan. He looked at you, raising his eyebrows in offer. You nodded with a brief grin.

As Steve headed to the kitchen once more, Owens said, “Well, I don’t know about you, but that was one of the worst Saturdays I’ve ever had.”

“That’s an understatement,” you said.

Sullivan’s sharp eyes focused on you.

“Where did you go after breaking into the Roane County coroner’s office?”

Owens aborted his reach for his glass and angled to look at Sullivan.

“Jack, I don’t think we need to start this with an interrogation.”

Sullivan regarded Owens for a moment, his expression unreadable.

Steve entered the room, disrupting the growing tension, with an ice water for you. He placed the glass on a nearby coaster on the coffee table. You murmured your thanks as he perched on the sofa’s high arm.

Nancy cleared her throat.

“This morning, you—” She looked at Owens. “—said the government owed us a debt.”

“I did.”

“We have a few objectives we think are reasonable.”

Sullivan leaned on his cane as he took a step away from the fireplace.

“Without disclosure of Eleven’s location or the return of Edward Munson’s body, I will not indulge the demands of teenagers.”

“We don’t know Eleven’s location,” said Nancy.

“She’s a weapon, trained by a rogue faction—”

Owens said, “Of this government. She’s not a threat to national security.”

“Yet she turned her powers on my men.”

“When they threatened her and her friends.” He held up his hand in concession. “Which was an unnecessary show of force on your people’s part.”

Sullivan’s lips thinned, but it barely hid his sneer.

“They’re not the enemy,” Owens said, gesturing towards your side of the living room. “They’ve agreed to meet with us. They’ve invited us into one of their homes.”

Nancy said, “El doesn’t want to hurt anyone. She never has. She’s only ever defended us.”

With a nod, you said, “She’s an American hero.”

Nancy gave you a double-take before a spirited look spread across her features.

“Yes, exactly. She was kidnapped by a rogue government agent, yes, but an American government agent, nonetheless. She operated with American interest in mind. When she escaped—”

Sullivan huffed in disbelief.

“When she escaped,” Nancy said with more force. “That government agency hunted her down, but Eleven stood up to them. She knew they were wrong. She agreed with you, Colonel Sullivan.”

He didn’t appear mollified.

Owens said, “When your forces seized the Nina headquarters, she didn’t know who you were. All she knew was that soldiers were shooting people who had helped her.”

“Who’d come together to do what, Sam? Start a new group of long-distance assassins?” Sullivan asked.

Owens sighed.

“It’s all in the logs — that you and your people have access to. Eleven is the last viable subject in Martin’s experiment.”

“Why should I believe you after you lied repeatedly?”

Stinson said, “That was at the behest of Dr. Brenner, sir.”

“Read the logs and transcripts. Watch the tapes. It’s all there,” Owens said.

“What about One, Brenner’s initial test subject, who you claim is responsible for this entire disaster? Where is he?”

You intuited from the question One meant Vecna.

It might be a mistake, but you said, “He’s dead.”

“You know this for a fact?” asked Sullivan.

“I don’t have proof, if that’s what you mean.”

“Why’s that?”

“One existed in another dimension, parallel to this one.”

Owens added, “And with all the links between the dimensions now closed, it’s impossible to confirm his death.”

“But he is dead,” you said.

Sullivan sighed, then shifted his weight. The muscles in his jaw flexed. That wasn’t only from frustration, you thought. That was from pain. You wanted to suggest he sit, but you knew he wouldn’t consider it.

“So, let’s sum up,” said Sullivan, voice tight. “Eleven remains unaccounted for and One is presumed dead. That’s all the intel you have.”

Nancy said, “Yes, sir.”

“What about Edward Munson?”

“Sir?”

“He’d been dead for almost 36 hours. Then yesterday he destroyed the coroner’s cold storage, brought down a reinforced door, killed a soldier—” He looked at you. “—and threatened her.”

You met Nancy’s eyes and gave her a minute nod before addressing Sullivan.

“He was under One’s influence the whole time. All that had been One.”

“How’s that?”

“I don’t know, sir. I’m not like One.”

His eyes narrowed.

“How are you like, then?”

Something about his phrasing had you tense and shaky. You held your body still and forced yourself to meet his gaze.

“I don’t understand.”

Maybe there was footage of you taking apart the deadbolt at the coroner’s. You hadn’t seen a camera anywhere, though.

“How did you know Munson was in the building?”

“As I said to the guards, I’d been separated from my parents. The ER told me to check at the coroner’s.”

Owens said, “Jack, she didn’t—”

Sullivan ignored him to say, “Your parents are in Cincinnati, Ohio as we speak, but I think you knew that even then.”

Your mind blanked. Joining this negotiation had been a huge mistake. You should’ve stayed upstairs with Eddie.

“This is beside the point,” Owens said, scooting to the end of the sofa. “She was there. She was trying to help.” His voice rose as he continued. “Are you going to haul her in? Because what? Because she put herself at risk? Because she’s a brave girl who wanted to find her friend?”

You swallowed around the sudden thickness in your throat and adjusted the neck of your shirt with trembling fingers.

“We owe these people our lives,” Owens said to Sullivan. “The least—” He shook his head. “The least we can do is compensate them for their sacrifice and courage.”

Sullivan and Owens stared at each other for a fraught, silent moment.

You gripped the cushion on either side of your thighs. There had to be something you could do, cast a memory spell on Sullivan or sweeten your words with magic to get him to back off — or rewind the past few minutes and, this time, keep your mouth shut.

“Debrief is tomorrow, 0800,” Sullivan said.

“We will be there,” Owens said, indicating himself and Stinson.

Sullivan scanned the room. His stony gaze lingered on you. The look said this wouldn’t be the last time you saw him. However, you wouldn’t have to be so civilized next time. Eddie would be healed — everyone would be healed — and you’d be at full power.

He drew himself up and strode from the room, his cane beating a steady rhythm.

When the front door closed behind Sullivan, you slouched into the sofa. Your shoulder bumped into Steve’s thigh. Instead of pulling away, he let you use him for support.

Nancy, Owens, and Stinson became less stiff.

Collectively, everyone sighed.

You muttered, “Jesus Christ, I need a cigarette.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Owens said, reaching for his water. “So, how about we take ten and regroup?”

You nodded and stood while Nancy agreed. Steve offered Owens and Stinson more water or a snack. Without lingering to hear their answer, you left the living room. You hauled yourself to the second floor, surprised that going up the stairs wasn’t as difficult as descending them.

Now doubly thankful you’d retrieved your car from the hospital’s parking lot last night, you fetched the pack of Djarums from your purse. Your hands quivered with the last dregs of adrenaline. You stretched your neck and shoulders to dispel the tension.

Eddie must’ve heard Owens raise his voice. You needed to check on Eddie and assure him. You hurried to Eddie’s room without trying to appear you were hurrying. Owens and Stinson sat on the sofa below, conversing in low tones. In the meantime, Nancy had disappeared. You assumed she’d gone to the kitchen with Steve.

You tapped on Eddie’s door and entered. He lay on the wedge of pillows, comforter halfway up his chest. His gaze never strayed from the window.

Closing the door, you asked, “Would you like me to open the curtains?”

“Nothing out there I need to see.”

That sounded un-Eddie-like. Not in a Vecna way, but not like the Eddie you knew.

You approached the bed.

“Are you hungry? Can I refill your drink?”

“No, thanks.”

You glanced around, trying to come up with something. Then you remembered you wanted to assure him.

“Everything’s okay down there, alright? They know everything that happened wasn’t you.”

He nodded without turning his head.

Maybe movement hurt too much.

“Would you like something for the pain?” You stepped closer. “I can get—”

“No. Thank you.”

“I have lotion we can put on the scars. If you don’t want that, I can run to the drugstore and pick up ointment or…”

He gave you the quickest of glances.

“I’m fine. I just want to sleep.”

“Right, of course.” You drew your bottom lip between your teeth. “This shouldn’t take long. Then we’ll have dinner.”

He nodded again.

“Sounds good.”

You backed away before heading to the door, because you didn’t want to bug him. He was tired and uncomfortable and had been through hell. You couldn’t expect him to return to his normal self in a matter of hours. That wasn’t fair. You weren’t your normal self right now, either.

With your hand on the doorknob, you said, “Everything’s going to be okay, I promise. We’ll fix this.”

“I know you will, sweetheart. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.”

Abrupt, hot tears stole any reply. Your throat clicked as you swallowed. You ducked your head and left the bedroom — even though it was the last thing you wanted to do. You couldn’t demand his attention, though. There was no time, and he needed to rest. Besides, you weren’t the one who’d been chewed on by demobats, died alone in the hospital, been taken over by a multi-dimensional psycho, and had their heart stop after pushing said psycho from their mind.

A heavy tear rolled down the outside of your cheek. You brushed it away, taking a deep breath and making your way to the stairs. Your chest felt lighter than it had in days, like that tear had unburdened you of the weight of uncertainty.

Everything was going to be fine. Sullivan had made his veiled accusations and left. Owens and Stinson seemed more accommodating. The worst part of the day was over.

Descending the stairs was still a bitch, though.

Since you doubted Steve would appreciate you smoking in his parents’ house, you’d find a dry place outside. You confirmed the plastic lighter was nestled in the pack. You probably should’ve done that before coming downstairs, but you weren’t accustomed to your legs being made of jelly.

You opened the front door, happy to see no trace of Sullivan outside. Footsteps thudded into the foyer.

As you turned, Steve asked, “Hey, mind if I join you?” holding his own pack of cigarettes.

“Of course not,” you said, wiggling your pack. “Join me in shortening our lives.”

He snorted and trotted through the doorway into the drizzle. You closed the door behind you, following him to his car parked in the enclosed carport. He half-sat on the front of the car, the toes of his sneakers a millimeter from the boundary of dry concrete. You half-sat next to him, stuck a Djarum between your lips, and lit it.

Steve shook a cigarette from the dented pack — Camels — one-handed and brought the pack to his lips. Before he could struggle with lighting the cigarette, you sparked a flame with your lighter and brought it to the tip.

Out of the corner of his mouth, he said, “Thanks.”

You shrugged in acknowledgement, inhaling spicy-sweet smoke, and stowed the lighter.

“How’s Eddie?” he asked.

“Tired. A little down, I think.”

Steve nodded.

“These are his, you know.” He showed the pack. “Don’t tell him I stole them from his vest.”

You chuckled and shook your head.

He asked, “What?”

“I see his taste has improved.”

“What do you mean?”

“He used to smoke these godawful donkey-shit cigarettes.”

Steve laughed.

“I introduced him to these,” you said, holding up the burning Djarum, “and, uh, he really liked them. I guess these spoiled the cheap ones.”

“Guess so.”

The rain pattered on the carport roof, made the tree leaves shimmy. Colors appeared richer. Shadows deepened. A gentle, low mist cocooned the house. The government-issued sedan parked nearby was glossy black, its foggy glass streaked with water.

Steve’s voice was soft when he said, “You know, I don’t usually smoke.”

You hummed for him to keep talking, then took a drag from the Djarum.

“I used to smoke more, but Nancy didn’t like it.”

You noted the past tense as you exhaled.

“You were together?”

“Yeah, before the shit hit the fan. Well, and after it — for a while. But it didn’t work out. Obviously.”

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Smoke trailed from between his lips as he said, “A veritus wino.”

You grinned at him before ashing the Djarum away from either of your shoes.

“You mean, in vino veritas?”

He blushed.

“Uh, yeah, that.” He smoothed a thumb over the front of his eyebrow. “We were at a party and had a fight.”

“That kinda stuff happens.”

“I was a shitty boyfriend.”

“Are you still?”

“A shitty boyfriend?” He shrugged and tapped his cigarette ash towards the house. “I don’t know.”

“How about that date you had? The one Dustin mentioned. How’d that go?”

“Brenda, yeah. Eh. I don’t think that’s going to turn into anything.” “Not what you’re looking for, huh?”

You read his crooked frown easily enough. Brenda was pretty and sweet, but she couldn’t live up to some imaginary standard he’d set.

You said, “Being in a relationship’s not easy. I mean, me and Eddie aren’t perfect or anything.”

An element of irony laced his words. “Of course not.”

“We were ‘paused’ when Vecna killed Chrissy.” You finished your Djarum and stubbed it out on the sole of your boot. “Actually, we’d been paused since Christmas.”

“What? Why?”

“Stuff with his music writing and the band and some competition that doesn’t matter anymore. Because who knows if there’s a band at all after all this.”

You didn’t know if any of Eddie’s guitars — or amps or written songs — had survived the fissure opening, either. No wonder he was so dispirited. You would be, too. He loved that red guitar. If none of them had made it, he couldn’t be the lead guitarist for Corroded Coffin — or any other band.

Steve said, “But you came for him.”

“Of course I did.”

The front door jerked open.

You startled to the side, breath catching and making you cough. Steve’s shoulders tensed as he straightened.

Nancy stuck her head out.

“Hey, it’s been more than ten minutes.”

Patting your chest and swallowing, you said, “We’re coming.”

Steve took a last puff on his cigarette and ground it out on the concrete. Nancy ducked inside, leaving the door ajar. You left the Djarums on the foyer table and detoured to the first-floor powder room to throw the cigarette butt in the toilet. Steve followed and handed over his cigarette butt when you held out your palm. You flushed the toilet and went to the living room where Nancy, Owens, and Stinson waited.

You returned to your spot on the sofa and drank from your untouched glass. Steve sat on Nancy’s other side as she opened her binder. She’d listed the objectives you two had discussed on the phone this morning in neat bullet points.

She cleared her throat and looked to Owens, who gave her an encouraging nod.

“We’re all ears,” he said.

With a deep breath, she began listing the objectives:

“Party members’ healthcare costs, including delayed and/or ongoing care, are paid in full until each respective member is fully recovered according to them and their doctor of choice.

“Repair to damaged property by the craftsmen of the member’s choosing is paid in full by May 30, 1986.

“Property that is damaged beyond repair, according to craftsmen of the member’s choosing, is to be replaced, with member approval, and paid in full by May 30, 1986.

“All hotel or motel bookings, along with food and meals for members and their families while repairs or replacements of property are taking place, will be paid in full.

“Any official documents pertaining to Edward Munson’s death will be expunged from public record by March 31, 1986.

“Any official documents pertaining to James Hopper Jr.’s death will be expunged from public record by March 31, 1986.

“Edward Munson’s name will be cleared of any wrong-doing by April 6, 1986.

“Edward Munson’s innocence, with accusations retracted, will be made public in the newspapers and broadcasts that previously named him as a suspect by April 6, 1986.”

She turned the page and continued reading.

“All surviving seniors at Hawkins High School, regardless of standing or further attendance, are to officially graduate with creditable transcripts and receive official diplomas before May 22, 1986.

“Jonathan Byers and Argyle Franco are to officially graduate with creditable transcripts and receive official diplomas from Lenora Hills High School before May 22, 1986.

“All adult party members will be given a yearly net stipend of $30,000 for four years, starting April 30, 1986.

“All underage party members upon high-school graduation will be granted funds to obtain a degree from an accredited post-secondary institution of higher learning, both being of the respective member’s choosing, until said degree is earned — with option for post-graduate education.

“Upon request and with no time limit, all adult party members will be granted funds to obtain a degree from an accredited post-secondary institution of higher learning, both being of the respective member’s choosing, until said degree is earned — with option for post-graduate education.

“Jane Hopper is not to be contacted, approached, or tracked by any country’s government agency, or persons or organizations working on any government’s behalf.

“All other party members are not to be approached or tracked by any country’s government agency, or persons or organizations working on any government’s behalf.”

Owens’s face went through understanding, even nodding along, to surprise, then wide-eyed disbelief. You understood his shock. However, Nancy and you agreed if the party didn’t ask, the party would never receive.

After a pregnant pause, Owens said, “That’s a long list there.” He held out his hand. “May I see?”

Nancy opened the binder rings, freed the pages, and handed them to Owens. Steve met your eyes over her back. His astonished expression had you raising your eyebrows at him. He covered it by going to the fireplace to retrieve Sullivan’s undrunk water.

“Alrighty, let’s see…” Owens bobbed his head in thought. “Most of these things I can have happen. The timeframe you ladies have given is going to be a challenge.”

Luckily, she’d written a second copy. Scanning it, you checked the dates. They didn’t seem unreasonable to you.

Nancy asked, “What can’t you have happen, Dr. Owens?”

“That stipend, for one.” He frowned. “The college education for the adults will be a hard sell.”

You asked, “No disrespect here, Doctor, but how much are our lives worth? All of us?”

Nancy nodded, and said, “Yours? Agent Stinson’s? Colonel Sullivan and his men? All our families? Hawkins?”

Stinson glanced at Owens, her stoic face tempered into a question.

He met her gaze with a sigh.

“Tuition can be funneled through the Pell Grant program. We can flag their Social Security numbers for full funding.”

“All they’d have to do is apply for the next school year,” Stinson said.

Owens grunted in agreement before saying, “That stipend, though…”

Steve said, “We deserve that, because some of us lost everything.”

Nancy bent her head, knuckles turning white as they held the edges of the binder.

You glanced at her, then at Steve, who said:

“A government agency destroyed our town and killed our friends.”

“We wouldn’t have gone through any of this,” Nancy said and lifted her head, eyes red-rimmed. “If it hadn’t been for Hawkins National Laboratory.”

Steve added, “And the Russians.”

Owens tilted his head in silent concession.

“The higher-ups will want signed NDAs from each of you regardless if they agree to these terms.”

“I won’t sign an NDA unless these terms are met — in full,” you said.

“That’s a dangerous game to play,” Stinson said, not unkindly.

“What can they do to me that Henry Creel hasn’t already done?”

That fuckface. He’d tortured you, stolen a vital part of you, and murdered you. He’d tried to turn Eddie against you. He’d tried to invade this dimension and exterminate human life.

Perhaps you hadn’t stopped Vecna alone. Actually, you were certain you hadn’t. Yet you’d survived him, and you’d survive whatever mundane crap the government could throw at you.

Owens frowned and waved a placating hand.

“There’ll be no need for that.” To Stinson, he asked, “Money channeled through SSA?”

She shrugged a shoulder with a considering look.

“FEMA?”

He grunted at the possibility.

To you, Nancy, and Steve, he said, “You’ve given me quite the to-do list,” and stood.

Stinson rose to her feet and stepped out of the way for Owens to pass.

“We’ll be in touch,” he said with a wry look and a flourish of papers. Nancy snapped the binder’s rings closed as Owens and Stinson left the house. Exhaling, she placed the binder on the coffee table.

“You didn’t need to stick your neck out like that,” she said to you.

“Maybe. Maybe not. But I did.” You studied the side of her bruised face. “Someone had to force their hand.”

“When do you think we’ll hear from them?” Steve asked.

Nancy said, “Hopefully, tomorrow.”

Steve nodded.

“Well… I’m gonna start on dinner.” To Nancy, he asked, “You want to stay?”

Her knitted brow, paired with the slight tilt of her head, said she wanted to refuse, but didn’t know a polite way of doing so.

Before she replied, you said, “Stay. I can heal you after.”

“Like cast a spell?”

“Yup, I did it for Lucas before Vecna tried to invade.” You pointed at your unblemished jaw. “Jason Carver punched me here.”

Her eyes widened.

“Yeah, sure, okay.” She turned to Steve. “Can you make dinner one-handed?”

“I can make a better one with more hands.”

Now you felt like an asshole for not offering to heal Steve earlier.

“Wait,” you said to Steve. “I can heal you, but I…” You looked away as you gauged your strength. “I don’t know if I can heal you both.”

You concluded you weren’t quite rested enough to do that. Especially considering Nancy’s numerous bruises, and Steve’s arm was sprained and cut to ribbons.

Steve dismissed the offer with a raspberry. “Do me tomorrow.”

As if that wasn’t a loaded statement. You grinned at him, eyebrow quirked.

His cheeks flared red.

“I’m going to the kitchen now.”

He marched from the living room, half-full glass in hand.

Nancy cleared her throat and took a sip of water, though neither disguised her amusement. She shared an entertained look with you before standing.

“I’m going to check on Eddie,” you said. “Then I’ll be down to help.”

She said, “Okay,” before heading to the kitchen.

You grabbed your Djarums on the way upstairs and tucked them in your purse when in your room. While there, you swiped your lotion from the bathroom counter. Eddie hadn’t said he didn’t want it. He’d said he wanted to rest. Also, he needed to keep those scars moisturized while his skin acclimated to them.

You went to his room and knocked on the door. Once again, he didn’t answer. You didn’t want to disturb him, but dinner was soon.

You cracked open the door to peek inside. His bed was empty, the comforter pushed down the mattress. He couldn’t have left. Everyone would’ve noticed him leaving his room. The only way he could’ve snuck out was by the window. You rushed to it and threw back the sheers. It was locked.

The en-suite bathroom door clicked open. You spun on your heel. Steam billowed from the doorway.

Eddie stood in the bright bathroom, a towel cuffed around his hips. Of course, he hadn’t left.

His wet curls had been pushed away from his face. Steam covered his flushed chest to highlight the soft cut of his muscles and new scars. The damp towel clung to his thighs.

Your face heated and mouth watered. You couldn’t recall why you’d come to his room.

“Hi,” you breathed. “Sorry for barging in.”

He turned his back to you and asked, “What is it?”

You admired his tapering torso. A bead of water rolled down the valley of his spine. You wanted to lick it up and press yourself against his back. You wanted to wrap your arms around his waist and kiss his shoulder.

“I—uh… I—” You swallowed and looked down, gaze catching on the bottle of lotion. “Lotion!”

He flapped a fresh t-shirt open and tugged it over his head.

You said, “I brought you lotion. I thought it would help. It’s really gentle…” You trailed off as he shoved his arms through the arm-holes and left the bathroom. “…stuff.”

You presented the bottle to him.

He grimaced, fighting with the clinging t-shirt.

“Thanks,” he said without looking at the bottle.

You stepped around the bed.

“Want some help?”

“No, thank you.”

You nodded to yourself. It had been wrong to intrude. Not as though you hadn’t seen him like this before, but he’d been through so much. He must still need time to adjust — or, you know, have his privacy.

“Steve and Nancy are making dinner.” You set the bottle on the side-table next to the armchair. “Should be ready soon.”

He sat on the end of the bed, t-shirt covering his upper body. The towel’s overlap split up his thigh. You forced your eyes to look anywhere but there, like an old-timey gentleman seeing a lady’s well-turned ankle for the first time.

“Cool, I’ll be down in a bit,” he said.

You gave yourself a mental shake.

“Yeah, of course.” You pasted on a grin, though he didn’t reciprocate. “What would you like to drink?”

“Beer, please.”

“I’ll see if there’s any.”

“Thanks.”

You retreated from the room, closing the door after yourself.

Yeah, you thought sarcastically, that had gone well.

Yeah, he thought sarcastically, that had been a normal interaction for two people in love.

Jesus Christ, what the hell was wrong with him?

He glanced under his t-shirt. That was what was wrong with him. He was scarred to shit. He could say with confidence he’d never been an Adonis. He’d been okay. Attractive enough. All his features were in the right places. Now, though. Shit, now big patches of his skin looked like pink melted wax. He even had a bite scar under his jaw. His tattoos were half-eaten or distorted. Part of his left nipple was gone.

It was a freak show below the neck. Actually, no, that wasn’t true. He had a scar on his neck, too.

He touched its faint ripples.

He’d never been vain. Or he’d never considered himself vain. He liked his long hair and his tats. He was thankful he’d never had bad acne. His dick worked. His teeth were good. However, he never realized how much he relied on those things for confidence.

With one thing taken away — skin ruined and too-tight from sudden scarring — he’d been thrown out of whack. He didn’t blame you, of course. He had scars instead of bleeding out in the middle of the goddamn woods because of you. He’d gotten himself chewed on because he wanted to be a hero, as if he were a paladin in one of his campaigns.

Now he knew taking a critical hit in real life sucked.

With a sigh, he peeled off the damp shirt and tossed it on the bed. He should take your advice about the lotion. If nothing else, it would make his skin feel less stretched.

He took the lotion to the bathroom, stripped, and squeezed a huge dollop in his palm. It smelled nice, smelled like you. He smeared it across each patch on his torso, his legs, his arms, his neck, his jaw. While the lotion didn’t sting, the scars didn’t like the rubbing. He took to patting the lotion in, like handling a healing tattoo.

Once finished, he rinsed his hands. His skin did feel better. The scars appeared less pink and lumpy, but maybe that was his imagination.

He eased his clothes — Steve’s clothes — around the tacky patches of lotioned scars. The cotton sleep-pants and thin t-shirt grazed his tender skin in cool caresses. Compared to before the shower, when every irritated inch of him was raw, this feeling was a small delight.

After turning off the lights, he left his room. Multiple voices in good spirits grew louder as he approached the kitchen. The deep scent of cooking meat made his mouth water for the first time since becoming something like himself again.

He stopped in the kitchen doorway, his feet feeling bound to the floor. You stood at the island, cutting washed potatoes into bite-sized chunks and dropping them into a bowl with herbs and oil. The domestic tableau warmed him, yet left him separate. Beside the sink, Steve dusted seasoning into a bowl of trimmed green beans while Nancy stirred. Eddie remained out of frame — an observing audience.

“—shoulda seen that gorgeous car,” Steve said wistfully.

“It was not gorgeous after you were done with it,” said Nancy.

“Yeah, well, Billy deserved it.”

With a grin, you said, “Wrecking a Cadillac and a Camaro in one night hurts my heart.”

Eddie didn’t know how to join. He’d gotten in the way when his parents had been together. Dad had never bothered with complicated meals after Momma left. He’d prepared meals — even for the holidays — with Wayne. Though typically, it had been Wayne managing the big stuff with him following directions. However, this scene was so far out of his wheelhouse it was laughable.

You looked from your task, knife resting on the cutting board, to discover him lingering in the doorway. You smiled at him, bright as the sun.

“Hey!”

He couldn’t stare too long for fear of going blind.

Nancy and Steve turned to him. Her injured face hurled him from his own thoughts, got him out of his head. He was healed. Nancy and Steve weren’t. He was mildly uncomfortable. They were most likely aching and sore.

“Hey, didn’t mean to intrude.”

“No, man,” said Steve, waving a tin of black pepper. “Come on in.”

You wiped your hands on a kitchen towel as he approached the island. You pulled a bottle of Miller from the fridge, placed the underside of the cap on the counter, and knocked it off.

“Learned how to do that a couple months ago,” you said while handing him the bottle.

“Nice technique.”

“Thanks.”

“So, what’s for dinner?” he asked the room before taking a long pull from the bottle.

Steve said, “Meatloaf, potatoes, and green beans.”

He muffled a burp.

“Smells good.”

“I’m almost done with the potatoes.” To him, you asked, “Would you stir for me?”

“Sure! Yeah.”

He scuttled to your side, placing the beer out of harm’s way, and stirred to coat the potatoes as you cut the last one. When they were coated to your satisfaction, you tipped the bowl onto a baking sheet and spread the potato chunks. You then slid the baking sheet into the top oven below a loaf pan.

Nancy said, “Okay, thirty minutes on the clock,” and set a kitchen timer.

“Longest thirty minutes of my life,” he said and took another drink of beer.

Steve scoffed. “You say that now, but I’ve only tried this recipe, like, once before. And I didn’t do much this time.” He waggled his slinged arm.

In a tease, Nancy said, “Aw, you got out the ingredients and held the recipe card for me.”

“Ha ha, you’re welcome.”

Steve’s dark eyes twinkled like a fucking Disney princess’s.

You met his gaze with a pleased, conspiratorial look. Maybe Steve could win Nancy back after all and fulfill that dream of six nuggets in a Winnebago. Eddie guessed it all depended on Byers’s next move. Of course, there was the whole “noble hero injured for family” card that either guy could play.

The front door banged open. You grabbed the knife from the island. Steve took a step around Nancy, who found the used kitchen shears lying near the sink.

A distressed female voice called, “Steve?”

Steve’s shoulders dropped before he jogged out of the kitchen.

“Robin?”

Nancy relaxed and slid the shears back to the sink.

Sneakers squeaked. The front door shut.

“Steve, oh my God!”

With a long exhale, you eased the knife onto the cutting board.

The thought of you willing to slice and dice anyone who invaded the house was hot. He drank more beer as the image of your pretty face splattered with blood flashed across the movie screen of his mind. He’d lick it off and french you so hard.

Certain the thought telegraphed over his face, he hid it with a frown aimed at the front door.

Nancy left the kitchen. You followed a step behind. Not wanting to miss out, he left his beer to bring up the rear.

Steve’s soft ‘whoa’ drifted from the foyer.

Robin, soaked from the steady rain, had wrapped her arms behind Steve’s neck. Steve had hooked his good arm around her back. With her face hidden between her arm and his throat, it was impossible to tell if she was heaving for breath or crying.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked.

She mumbled something too low for anyone besides Steve to hear.

“It’s okay.”

Robin lifted her head, rain and tears spilling down her face. Scratches marred her cheek, along with a violet bruise on her chin.

“They’re leaving, and they want me to go, but I don’t want to, and I didn’t know where else to go, so I came here, and I don’t know what to do.” She sniveled. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, slow down.” Steve tightened his hold. “It’s your parents?”

She nodded and tucked her chin.

He said, “It’s okay, you don’t have to go.”

“But they’ll make me leave with them.”

“Not if they don’t know you’re here,” you said.

“How did you get here?” asked Eddie, thinking maybe she’d left her car in the driveway where anyone could see.

“On my bike.” She said to Steve, “I put it in the carport. I don’t think I scratched your car. I tried to be careful.”

He shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter.”

Nancy said, “You don’t have to go back. You can call them tomorrow and borrow some of my clothes in the meantime.”

Robin looked at her for a second before giggling. Her face scrunched. Her giggles muted. A blush crept up her throat and cheeks. She held onto Steve's shoulders, continuing to giggle and drip rain on the floor.

“Fine, but I’m not wearing your bra again!”

Nancy laughed with her, paused with a pained ‘oh’ and held her cheek, but still smiled.

Once Robin was calm, in dry clothes, and her hair wrapped in a towel, she settled in the dimming sunroom and shared the tale of visiting Victor Creel. Nancy filled in the gaps while Steve liberated a few bottles of wine from the collection in the basement. You barely glanced away from Robin or Nancy, even when Steve handed you a glass of wine.

Eddie watched from the doorway, nursing his beer and forcing himself not to stare at you. He wanted to join you where you sat in an armless chair. Better yet, have you sit on his lap. Then he thought about you feeling his scars or nudging a tender one by accident. It would become this brouhaha, where you’d feel guilty and he’d be more self-conscious.

God, what a mess.

He hadn’t been that close to you since before… everything. Could he handle the delicious scent of you and not want to bite? His grip tightened around the bottle. He didn’t know if he actually craved that or if it was a lingering urge from during… his time being undead. He swallowed. Did something get fucked up in his head so the carnal was tied to the need to devour? Was consuming the same as consummation? Were you in danger every second you were alone with him?

He realized these were very normal questions that very normal people asked themselves on very normal Sunday evenings.

The oven timer buzzed. He backed away to pull pans from the oven for Steve, who assessed the meatloaf was done, but the potatoes needed more time. Eddie set the timer as Steve drizzled a few tablespoons of water in a preheated skillet for the green beans.

“Where’d you learn to do this?” he asked.

Steve poured the green beans into the skillet. The aroma of onion and pepper bloomed with the distinct green scent of vegetables.

“Cooking shows, mostly. My mother is a decent cook, but she doesn’t like anyone in the kitchen with her.”

He hummed as he poked at the steaming meatloaf with a serving fork. If he wouldn’t burn the shit out of himself, he’d grab handfuls and shove them in his mouth.

Steve elbowed him away with a smug grin.

“Dude, it’s gotta rest for a few before it can come out of the pan.”

He groaned, then finished his beer. It was flat, but whatever.

As he stirred the green beans, Steve said, “Hey, you can tell me to fuck off or whatever—”

“Oh, this sounds serious.”

“Shut up. If you two are together—” He nodded towards the sunroom to indicate he meant you. “—and you’re serious and shit, why aren’t you staying in her room?”

“It was her idea,” he lied.

Steve leveled a look at him.

Though Steve hadn’t been home at the time, he must’ve figured out you’d offered to share your bed — and you had. Eddie made a case for him stinking and being exhausted and not wanting to pollute your bed. You’d given him a commiserative look and set him up in the bedroom down the hall. Shit, you were way too good for him. Later, you’d brought him fresh clothes and spare toiletries.

Low enough his voice wouldn’t carry into the sunroom, Steve said, “You keep this crap up, man, you’re going to lose her.”

He pulled another beer from the fridge to buy himself time to think. It would be ridiculous to discuss his love life with fucking Steve Harrington. Steve was one to talk, anyway. The entire school had known Steve’s longest relationship was with Nancy Wheeler, and that remained true to this day.

He found the bottle-opener in the silverware drawer, popped the cap off the bottle, and leaned a hip on the counter near Steve.

Putting a lazy nonchalance in his movements, he took a swig of beer and half-asked, “Oh, Harrington, you tryin’ to steal my lady?”

“No, but someone will if you’re not careful,” Steve said without sparing him a glance.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson #stranger things #em tagd #waywardrose writes

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myeyesarebrighter · 1 year

Text

My big kiddo is going through it. It’s the end of the school year, which is always rough, but she’s having some friend drama. It’s long and doesn’t matter so prob just skip it.

Her dearest bestie has started to be a bit of a … I dunno, just a bit of a meany kid. She teases and laughs and jokes in a way that hurts M. It’s nothing malicious - a cackle and “you’re SO BAD” when m flops some sporting thing - it’s just that M really is hurt because she trusted this friend.

So tonight, when kiddo melted down at bedtime, I pressed a bit. The crying was so out of proportion and when I ask what’s up, she gets quiet and says nothing. Opening up isn’t always easy for her. So tonight I just reminded her that when she asks me hard questions, I always do my very best to tell her the truth and not hide thing. This is something she realllllly gets and needs from me… so she finally let on that her friend was saying how BORING she is at sleepovers because she doesn’t want to stay up all night.

So my kiddo was explaining how she defended herself and explained that YES she does hate staying up all night because she feels like shit the next day and is grumpy! And no she can’t nap! And actually, no she didn’t think staying up all night was even fun because it didn’t make her feel good and she didn’t like it.

I was so proud of her. She’s right. She’s a fucking disaster when she doesn’t get ample rest. She runs at 150% all the time, so her tank is empty at the end of the day. She knows this about herself.

This all eventually led to a convo about dna and traits and family patterns. Which brought us back through a repeat of the sex /egg/sperm conversation. And finally back around to her asking why her friend had curly and messy hair when he parents didn’t. And I got to say - hey listen. Messy hair in this case is Bc your friend doesn’t like to brush it. But just like she shouldn’t have said you were boring, you wouldn’t tell her that she needs to brush her hair so it’s not messy. And her face was so special - it just clicked for her. And she was like NO I would never say that to her. That’s how she likes her hair and I do not care! But, I like to sleep at a sleepover even if she doesn’t. She shouldn’t be mean about that!

Anyway this was a long post about nothing. I just had a nice parenting moment where my kid opened up, I was able to talk it through in a way that helped while validating her, and it all came full circle back to the point so naturally. It was beautiful. And we ended the night in fits of laughter (after a sex talk which honestly has gotten easier as we’ve both gotten more comfortable). Yay us.

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lawva-girl · 2 days

Text

A Taste of Her

Nami x fem!Reader

Happy pride month :D

Warnings: cunnilingus, fingering

WOMEN omfg women! Also Nami?!??? I just know you two would have nightly catch ups, the two of you just sitting with eachother talking about nonsense, staring into each others eyes in a straight way.

WC: 2764 (I went crazy i fear)

Nami looked like an angel. She was sat in the bathtub, bubbles surrounding her. It looked like she had just finished her shower in the Sunny’s large bathroom. It has been a hot and miserable day. There were two storms Nami had to navigate the crew through, and zoro was sick on top of that. The whole crew was tired and scared for him.

You decided to care for Nami instead.

“Hey, do you want me to braid your hair?” You asked her, through the slightly cracked door.

“Uh okay… you aren’t charging me right?” Nami asked back.

You opened the door, closed it, then made your way to the shower. Before stepping in to rinse off you shed your towel and call out to her, “I wouldn’t dream of it!”

The shower water was cool, something you needed. Nami (and you for that matter) usually took incredibly hot showers and baths. After a day like today? It was nice to have the cold wake you up before you relaxed in the bath.

You rubbed soap onto your body with a portion of netting, making sure to scrub and lather. Once you finished you turned the water off, and took a deep breath.

You liked Nami, a little too much. Ever since you had joined the crew you felt like you two were magnets. Always sitting together during meals, often going the same places once on an island. You liked to say it was to protect her. You almost always had two guns on you, and you could use them incredibly well.

If anyone would protect her it would be you. It just felt like you two were very fast friends. But there were moments. Undeniable and quick, Nami would say something and you suddenly forgot how to breathe.

If it was a quick “your eyes are beautiful” or if it was her running her hand up your inner thigh, it didn’t matter. You were sure they meant something to her, like what they meant to you.

“Hey! Are you doing it or not!?” Nami yanked you from your thoughts.

Finally leaving the shower you strolled over to her, grateful she wasn’t glancing behind her to see your fully exposed form.

“Sorry sorry, here move forward so I can braid it.”

Nami slid forward smoothly, and you slipped into the water directly behind her. Thankfully you had a hair tie left on from your own ponytail. Looking at it you wondered if it would have Nami’s red hair left on it when she was done with it. You wondered if your own hair would tangle with hers, on the hair tie.

“Okay I’m gonna do one, look up.” You spoke while running your fingers through her hair.

“Okay… random question, when was the last time you got fucked?” Nami looked up and you saw the top of her eyebrows, they were lifted with curiosity.

“Uhhh probably a while before I joined. How about you?”

“No way! You don’t get any?”

“No not really… it’s hard to find my type.”

Nami paused, letting you braid a bit more.

“Wait what is your type?” She essentially threw the question and ran, she spoke it so fast.

“I’d say women who… well I guess just women honestly.” You said, mainly focused on making sure the braid came out well, “like there’s not a woman I wouldn’t love to be with? They are all just so, lovable.”

Nami grimaced, most likely due to the braid.

"how is that hard to find?" Nami asked, using a tone between disbelief and anger. you knew the anger wasnt directed toward you, more towards the world, on your behalf

"well most women are into men, nami." Your tone matched hers, and the two of you laughed. You figured she realized once you said it, and got less angry.

The silence washed over the two of you, Nami was relaxing onto your hands and under the water, onto your thighs. You felt her soft skin brush against you, and the water move around the two of you.

Her hair slightly curled around your fingers, you would probably make a journal entry about it later. But in that moment? You were happy.

Just braiding her hair made you happy, feeling her slowly rest more of her weight onto you. Seeing her slightly fall asleep, due to you braiding her hair.

You tied the hair tie around the end of the braid, her orange hairs curling around it. It was like they knew the tie belonged to you.

“Okay, now you tell me why you asked” you spoke with a playful tone, trying to cover up the fact that you were dying to know.

“Well it’s just that today made me so stressed and I swear I’m gonna kill sanji, I just need like some type of physical contact you know?” She laughed then sighed, you couldn’t look away, “like I just need something to tide me over till the next island. I’ll probably use my hairbrush or something.”

You were blushing, embarrassed at the thought that instantly flooded your head.

“Yeahh.” You looked awkwardly to the side.

“What? You seem like you want to say something.” Nami moved a little closer to you, the bubbles were clinging to her thankfully.

“Nothing. It’s embarrassing!” You turned to look her in the eyes and she was much closer than you thought.

Startled, you lowered yourself into the water more, now covered up to your lips.

“Tell me!! You can trust me!” Nami copied you, using the water to level the ground between you.

“Okay, okay! I basically thought that if you really wanted I could help you.” You raised just to speak, then immediately hid under the water again.

Nami did not seem like she wanted to joke anymore. “Oh yeah? How exactly would you help me?” She stood up and was almost entirely exposed to you, her tone was deeper and unmistakably flirty.

“Oh uhm like I could do things, physical things," pause... "to help you relax! Like a massage, or maybe I could force franky into building a massage chair! Or like I could find you a guy to fuck! Haha so many things!”

This was pathetic.

Sure you realized she was being flirty, but she did that with guys she had no intention of sleeping with too.

"How on earth would you get me a guy to fuck when we're in the middle of the sea?" Nami moved one step closer.

"I want to relax y/n... you told me you would help." Nami's voice came out as pure honey to you, and she made the whole situation worse by leaning towards your ear to say so.

Your head was the only thing above water, your eyes wide staring up at Nami. You were processing just what her intentions were, and your mouth was slightly open in shock.

You blinked once or twice then nodded yes to her.

She laughed, then got out of the water and grabbed a towel. She layed it out next to the edge of the bath, and sat on it. "Are you good?"

You stood a bit more, your chest being completely exposed now. (You were desperately trying not to think too much about it.) Taking a second too long to answer her question, since you were trying to comprehend it.

"I'm uhh... well why don't you decide?" You were desperately grabbing at any confidence you could find, but your voice betrayed you by going shyer and more quiet.

"What? you're mumbling."

"You should find out.. or whatever" Thankfully you were louder, and felt some rush to be more confident. You had looked to the side, but you'd take it.

Nami chuckled, and you looked back to her. She had a blush on her face and you decided you wanted to see it forever.

Feeling the previous rush of confidence, you put your hands on her legs. The area just above her knees was so soft and plush that you could see her skin dimple under your hands. Glad you chose that spot, you pushed her legs gently open.

She was beautiful all over apparently. Her pussy had a small bush around it, her lips pressing out just a bit. They looked like they wanted a kiss. You didn't want to stare too long so you pushed yourself up, placing your lips just above her knee, directly above where your hand was still placed.

You started kissing her leg, running your hands up and down her thighs as you did. Feeling her skin was unbelievable since she was still so soft from her shower and bath. You had closed your eyes, to focus on how her thighs felt on your lips, but you realized she might be blushing so you kissed and looked up towards her.

"hey don't... y/n..." not only did she have a blush still plastered on her face, she was also smiling and looking down at you before you even truly met her eyes.

You didn't listen, and kept staring while moving your way up her thighs.

Nami showed her embarrassment and frustration in one move of her hand. She put a hand in your hair and pushed gently, forcing your head back down. You laughed into her thigh before continuing your kissing tour.

Finally, you reached her hip, finding her bikini line and sucking. Nami let out a small laugh, that slowly morphed into a heavy breathing the longer you sucked. Feeling her pull your hair a bit, you took the hint that she was ready to move on. You brushed your hand up to her hips, giving them a small squeeze before pulling her thighs a bit more apart.

You looked up at her and situated yourself more directly in front of her. "You're so beautiful Nami..." your voice was deep and you were shocked at just how horny you sounded.

You kissed just above her pussy, feeling her hairs tickle your nose. then you moved down and placed one long and slow lick. If there was anything you were doing it was definitely savoring this experience.

She gasped when you started the lick, and you would've too, had your mouth not been occupied. She didn't taste like flowers or candy, she tasted just ever so slightly tangy. In another world it was definitely a flavor you would beg to taste nightly.

You finished with flicking your tongue on her clit, and she gasped again. "hah two gasps on one lick? so sensitive, aren't you nami?"

You looked up at her, surprised to see her smile gone and her breath heavy with pleasure. Despite you barely even beginning.

"Shut up its been a second, and you got me all riled on purpose."

You chuckled back, before going back towards where her hole was. You looked up at her and placed your tongue on her. Waiting a second before moving your tongue just barely inside her, then dragging up to just below her clit. You closed your eyes and kissed, before sticking your tongue out again and licking her. You were pretty sloppy here, but it was almost more for you than her. You took a second to lick her different folds, then found her bundle with your tongue, eyes still closed. You pressed flat against it before going a bit more pointy with the tip of your tongue and flicking.

You increased the speed a bit, and switched to sucking every once in a while. You brushed your teeth against her, then sucked a bit with them and your lips. She moaned, and the grip she had. in your hair tightened. You kept sucking there, drinking in her sounds.

Wanting to enjoy yourself too, you moved back down, taking another long and slow lick. Getting the chance to taste all the hard work you were putting in. She moaned again, this time a little more like a whimper. Like she was begging for more.

You used this opportunity to lift her leg on to your shoulder, using one hand to keep it there and the other taking advantage of the new open space. Sliding in one finger, your palm facing up.

"fuck Nami, you feel good." You didn't look up at her to tell her, instead saying it into her pussy so that she could feel the vibrations directly from your vocal cords.

"Y/n..." she said your name like a cry for help, and you knew what she was asking for.

You slid your finger out, putting it in your mouth. You looked up at her as you licked it clean, "You taste so amazing, I feel like I could eat you till I die." The hand she had rested on your head pushed you back down, a bit more forceful. "You are so embarrassing".

You laughed into her and slid your two middle fingers into her, "Tell me about it baby". You once again let her feel the vibrations, hearing your reward immediately after. Her moans sounded so sweet, they sounded even sweeter once you started fingering her and sucking on her clit at the same time.

You were pressing up onto her g-spot, moving your fingers on and off it in a 'come here' motion. She started humping your face a bit, so you figured she was getting closer. You started alternating between sucking, pressing your lips onto her, and licking fast. You felt her hump at a specific rhythm and tried to match it with your fingers.

She moved her other hand to your head and you felt her clench around your fingers.

"Y/n just like that... fuck please... don't stop" Her voice came off as needy and whining and you couldn't be happier.

Then it all aligned, you pressed into her with your fingers, sucked on her clit, and grunted into her. She gasped and let out a louder moan and jutted her hips into your face.

You felt her wetness spill onto your chin and your hand, giving her clit kisses while she came down and had some residual twitches onto your face.

Feeling her lay back and breath heavy, you slowly put her leg down to let her relax fully. You kept your hands on her thighs, tracing shapes into them while you watched her. Her chest was moving up and down, all you could do was sit and watch her.

You were frozen, not knowing what friends do after one of them get eaten out.

"Uh.. id say you are good... uhm... hmmm" Nami's voice was deep and she was still breathing pretty heavy. you were kinda amazed that you were the only reason for her state of being.

"Want me to lay next to you? Or we could get you to bed?" You asked, poking her thigh to make sure she wouldn't fall asleep right then and there.

"What? I don't get both?"

You liked Nami, a little too much. If she asked for all the money you had in that moment you would hand it over, "Yeah you can get both.."

You got out of the water, and grabbed two towels, first making sure yours is secured, then wrapping Nami in one as well. You bent over to her ear, "im gonna pick you up..."

Nami didn't even open her eyes, and you lifted her, bridal style.

Once the two of you were back in the girl's quarters you layed Nami into her bed, "Do you still want me to join you?"

"OF course! come here.." Her tone was more demanding than before, and she forced a hand onto your arm. while she was pulling you, you glanced over to robin. She had the widest smirk on, giving you a knowing glance as you fell onto the bed.

You figured it was obvious, the two of you in towels and Nami being carried, but seeing robin's face made it clear that soon everyone on the ship would know.

But that didn't matter. You could smell namis hair, the braid you did for her still holding up beautifully. Her wavy orange hair was curling around the hair tie still, so you figured you would give it something better. You held the braid in your hand, and the curl wrapped around your finger.

You put your other hand around Nami, it falling somewhere on her waist. Nami did you two the favor of pulling the covers up over your bodies. Once they were covered, the two of you twisted together like threads in a blanket.

This is how you were meant to be.

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