I'm about a third of the way thru the Lucas book right now and !!! There's so many things I love about it already, here's some fun and/or things from what I've read so far:

Lucas, just <3 I just love Lucas a lot and it's so nice reading something focused on him it's so hard to find in even fandom sometimes

Steve helped Dustin with his hair for the first day of school

Dustin apparently can't keep his mouth shut and has said multiple times to Lucas what the hair care secrets were woejek

Lucas looovveess martial arts movies, which is so fitting imo

Lucas's Peer mentor telling him that it's okay to be a nerd and a jock the first day he met him, and that high school rules were all made up and stupid

(makes me pissier at eddie NGL but also Dustin and Mike don't help lol)

Robin as Lucas's confidante!

Steve apparently being aggressive on the basketball court

(this book does not paint Steve and Lucas as close at anyway at all which makes me sad but considering the tone of the book and the story the writer is penning... I get why he does not portray that relationship that way)

Lucas finds basketball genuinely fun! He compares the rush of practice to the same feeling he gets while playing DND!

Lucas was concerned about not only betraying his friends, but was hoping if he made varsity and got off the bench his status could help protect them from bullying just like him being friends with the basketball team before actually making it on the team protected him from an early point in the year

They serve food and you can play board games at the family video???? (It seems to be to fill a void that starcourt left but I'm still ??? This is so interesting to me)

omg can you please do another forbidden love one with charles leclerc? maybe like a verstappen!reader or smth? angst to fluff please!

Red and Blue

Charles Leclerx x Verstappen!reader

Genre: angst and fluff

Request: Forbidden love is my secret love language. My requests are open. I'm in the mood for some angsty things. I'm challenging y'all to sent me your angstiest ideas. ;)

Summary: Jos was never the best parent. Often leaving Max in the position of protector over his sisters. He knew men were dangerous and unpredictable. So when he finds out his sister is in love with Charles Leclerc, he's not the happiest.

Warnings: mentions of abuse, Jos Verstappen, trauma, mentions of sexual assult

Notes: written in second person

Masterlist

The Verstappens had always been an interesting family. Your father never taught you about how to love yourself or others. He kept you and your siblings away from anything he deemed a distraction and didn't hesitate to slander and become aggressive if he didn't like something.

Max was often left in the position of making sure his sisters were safe from Jos. The way your father treated your family making him wary of any male who even remotley came close to you.

He'd been happy when Victoria found someone. A male who treats her right. It wasn't something any if them were extremely used to.

His younger sister was a different story. You often found yourself falling for guys who were like your father.

Max had gotten into a few fist fights with your boyfriends. None of them ever treated you right, and he was left to pick up the peices. Jos told you it was your fault.

You'd had a boyfriend for a few months now. Even though he wasn't your first pick, Max wouldn't allow you to date who you wanted to.

Charles Leclerc. His emotional support rival. Max didn't care if he was a good guy or not. He didn't want you anywhere near him.

Thankfully, Max didn't care if you were friends with the grid. This means you could talk to Charles. You two had been friends for years now. He'd even been through a couple of rough breakups with you. You spent your nights crying in at his place instead of going to Max. He hated picking you up from your boyfriends house beaten and bruised.

He ranted to you about his problems at Ferrari. Helped through a few mentally rough patches. He had definitely fallen for you over the course of a few years

But you settled for your current boyfriend. Somone who for once was treating you like a person and not a piece of meat.

Max was skeptical of him. He said it was the way he looked at you. You said he wouldn't like any boyfriends.

Charles was also skeptical of him. You'd had a habit of falling fast and then being gaslit into thinking everything was okay. He was more cautious for your safety.

Everything had been going great. Until you came home from a race weekend. Back to Monaco with Max and everyone else who lives there.

Pictures of you and Charles were circling Twitter. Everyone is saying that you two look good together. Something your boyfriends didn't appreciate.

He did unspeakable things that night. Proudly claimed that he would make you remember that you're his.

Marks litter your body. Your voice is hoarse from screaming at him to stop.

He stormed out of the house when he was done. Leaving you there in a puddle of sobs.

You didn't hesitate to grab a bag and leave the house. Walking to whoever was closest.

You find yourself at Charles' door. Knocking with no hope of him opening it to you. Shocked when he did.

His face immediately fell. "What happened chère?"

Sobs wrack your body as your mind replays the events. Charles went to hug you, but you flinched away instead. That's how he knew it was bad.

He let you in. His mind trying to process all the options. He watched her curl up in bed. Unmoving. Broken.

You ended up staying at his house for days. Even when he was away for races.

You told Max you'd broken up with your boyfriend. Something he was proud of you for. If he knew the reason, he would start a fight. You didn't want to be the reason he lost his seat because he ended up in jail.

It took a couple of months for you to go out and see people again. Still hesitant with your trust and now severe dislike of men.

Charles was good, though. He showed you kindness and patience through the whole thing. He let you talk to him about what happened. Held you through nightmares. It felt unreal in a way.

Six months in, and you two were practically domesticated. Somehow, avoiding max through the whole thing. Though he is getting suspicious that you were hiding something from him.

You and Charles were home. Eating his favorite cheat food, which you made, considering he can't cook.

It was blissful. Soft music is playing in the background. The two of you laughing at at everything and nothing.

Then it slipped. "God, I love you so much." The words fell out of your mouth before you could process them. Shock hits your stomach, and a hand flies over your mouth. "I'm so sorry - i just - I don't know what came over me."

Charles was smiling at you. He was elated. He pulls your hands away from you and holds them gently. "I love you too."

~

You two took things incredibly slow. You didn't want to lose him because of your past experiences. Regardless, it felt right this time. Like somehow, you were made for each other.

You started going to races again. Secretly cheering on Charles from the Redbull garage.

Max was becoming increasingly suspicious. Asking all the time where you were staying now.

You dodged all his questions with ease. The practice you'd had since early in life is coming in handy. You knew Max was just trying to keep you safe. It was ingrained in him.

So when he saw you sneaking out of the garage, he decided to follow you. Tailing far enough behind that you wouldn’t see him.

You stopped at the outer door of Charles’ driver room, waiting patiently for him to let you in. Practically smothering him in love when he opens it.

To say Max was livid was an understatement. He was absolutely furious.

Max was you to your hotel room. Watches you go inside. Then he waits almost an hour outside your door until you leave again.

"Where are you going?"

You jump at the sound of his voice. The air in your lungs is gone. You take heavy breaths before you answer him.

"Just heading down to the bar."

"All alone and dressed up?"

"Who knows, I might meet my one true love."

Rage flashes through Max's eyes, his hand slamming the wall he is leaning on. "Dammit Y/N! I saw you with him. Of all people, why Charles?"

You could tell he was frustrated with you, with himself, and the entire situation.

"He treats me right. He hasn't laid a hand on me without asking first. He hasn't marked my body in unpleasant ways." She was crying now. The events from the night you appeared at Charles' door were slithering their way back into your brain. "He took me in after my previous boyfriend did some awful stuff to me, Max."

Oh. Max was stunned. Why had you not told him? Were you scared of him? The one thing he never wanted to happen was happening. He rubs his face in regret of lashing out at you and confusion of why you didn't want to say anything.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"Can you at least give him a chance. Please?"

Max let out an irritated sigh. At least with Charles, he could keep a close eye on you two. "Fine."

~

When you got back to Monaco, you invited Max and Kelly over for dinner. Max had promised to be civil, and you reassured Charles that he would be alive tomorrow countless times.

The four of you sat at the table. You and Kelly were trying to ease the tension with some small talk. Charles was practically shaking, and Max had yet to move his unrelenting gaze elsewhere.

"Max, I can feel you trying to kill him with your eyes." Kelly playfully hit his shoulder, hoping to divert his attention. Her attempt was unsuccessful.

"How long has this been going on?" Max finally asked. The first thing he'd said all night.

Charles wasn't breathing anymore, so you answered for him. "I've been living here for ten months, but we've only been together for four."

Max looks directly at Charles, who is still doing his best to look anywhere else. His nervous laugh not helping the situation.

"Look, Charles, I'm sorry I haven't been the greatest about this whole thing. I'm sure you've heard stories about why our family dynamic is the way it is." Max's expression softens. Charles is able to finally breathe again and nods his head understandingly.

Max flicks his gaze between the two of you now. Kelly places a reassuring hand on his arm. "That being said, I think you'll take care of her." His relaxed smile finally lightens the mood.

"Thank you, Max." Charles sighs out.

"Now, if you ever hurt her, even a toe out of line, I will not hesitate to crash into you at every race."

Max laughed at himself to impy his joking manner. The rest of you chuckling at the now eased tension.

You can't help but find Charles eyes, staring out you comfortingly. Nothing but love in his gaze. His eyes that told you he would love you in the way you deserved.

An Illicit Affair

Part 36: Reuinion

Pairing: Cillian Murphy (46) x Reader (23)

Warning: Age-Gap, Taboo Relationship, Infidelity

It was around 2 o'clock the following day that you and your mother came home from your session with Dr Harris, a physiotherapist who specialized in working with trauma survivors. You had been avoiding going to your sessions with him as well as those that had been organised with your psychologist for the past week , preferring to remain in bed and wallow in your own misery.

The pain that you had been feeling since the accident had been manageable, but it wasn't only the physical pain that you were plagued with. You could barely sleep anymore, being plagued by nightmares, and the fact that you couldn't walk or look after yourself made you feel helpless and weak.

You had never felt so vulnerable in your whole life and the thought of Cillian seeing you like this made you cringe. You didn't want him to see you as broken or damaged, especially after only having been with him for a few months. You also did not want to be a burden or embarrassment to him. He was an Oscar nominated actor now after all and you were lacking self-esteem. 

That was exactly why you had avoided him, pushing him away without giving him a chance to explain himself. You knew that he deserved better and that is why you kept telling yourself that it was better for both of you if he moved on with his life.

Cillian, on the other hand, had other plans. He didn't want to move on. He wanted to be with you, no matter what. So, after talking to Lucy and your mother, he made the decision to drive up to your house, determined to be there for you in any way he could.

As he drove up the winding roads leading to your family's home, his heartbeat faster with every mile. He knew that seeing you would not be easy, but he was prepared for whatever lay ahead.

When he arrived, your father greeted him while you were still out with your mother, seeing Dr Harris, and just as expected, your father was rather cold towards Cillian.

"Hey," Cillian said. "Thank you for having me," he told your father politely before offering his hand to him.

Your father glanced at it briefly before gesturing towards the living room, ignoring Cillian's attempt at a handshake. "Y/N is at physiotherapy with my wife. You can wait for her in the living room" he said curtly, leading Cillian into the room before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Cillian sighed softly, running a hand through his hair, before taking a seat on the couch, waiting patiently for you to return home.

He watched as the minutes ticked by slowly, glancing anxiously at the clock on the wall every few seconds.

In the kitchen, he could hear your father moving around, busying himself so that he did not have to spend time with Cillian.

It stung, but Cillian understood where your father was coming from. He was protecting you and he had justification to do so. After all, the way you met each other was rather unconventional and Cillian, himself, was around your father's age, making this even more awkward.  Your father, like any other protective parent, had never liked the idea of his daughter dating a man who was twice her age, and he was even more wary of Cillian because of your past relationship with his son Max.

"Fuck," Cillian muttered under his breath, staring at the clock on the wall as the minutes ticked by at a snail's pace. Sitting in the living room like this, on his own, in a stranger's house, was awkward to say the least so he sighed, pushing himself up from the couch before making his way into the kitchen where your father was busying himself with mundane tasks.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Cillian asked politely, trying his best not to let his nerves show through his voice or posture.

Your father cast him a glance before shaking his head. "No, you just sit down and wait for Y/N," he replied gruffly, still avoiding any direct contact with Cillian.

Cillian didn't press the issue though and so he took a seat at the kitchen table, watching as your father continued chopping vegetables for dinner.

The silence between them was thick and uncomfortable, leaving Cillian feeling uneasy.

He knew that this visit wasn't going to be an easy one, but he also knew that it was necessary. You needed him and, regardless of your father's disapproval, he was determined to be there for you in any way that he could.

"My wife made up the guestroom for you ," your father informed Cillian, placing the vegetables into a large pot on the stove.

Cillian nodded, grateful for the gesture. "Thank you," he said politely. "There aren't really any hotels nearby, I've noticed," Cillian acknowledged, although he was prepared to drive into the nearest city if he had to.  

"No there are not. You would have to drive into Liverpool," your father replied, opening the oven and sliding the pot of vegetables inside to roast.

Cillian nodded again, his nerves still getting the better of him. "Well, I appreciate the room," he said, trying to make conversation but your father wouldn't have a bar of it.

"Just to be clear, I expect you to keep your hands of my daughter while you are under my roof," your father then said sternly, his eyes boring into Cillian.

Cillian's heart skipped a beat, but he held your father's gaze. "Of course," he said, trying to keep his voice steady and calm. "I am just hear to help. That's all." 

Your father studied him for a moment, as if trying to gauge the authenticity of Cillian's response. Eventually, he nodded curtly, before turning back to the stove.

The tension between them remained palpable, but Cillian didn't let it get to him. Instead, he took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

He knew that winning your father over wouldn't happen overnight, and he was prepared to be patient and understanding.

As they sat in the kitchen, waiting for you to return, the silence between them was deafening. Every now and then, your father would glance over at Cillian, sizing him up as if trying to determine if he was worthy of being in your life.

Cillian, for his part, remained calm and collected. He knew that your father was only looking out for you and he respected him for that.

Eventually, the front door opened and Cillian heard you arguing with your mother , your voice laced with frustration and anger.

"I am so sick of it, and I am done. I will just have to live with it, quit university and find something else to do," you declared as you wheeled yourself towards the kitchen, your eyes blazing with fury and frustration.

Your mother followed close behind you, looking worried and anxious. "Please, Y/N. It's only temporary," she pleaded softly, trying to soothe your ruffled feathers, which is when you saw Cillian as he stood up and came walking towards you.

"What are you doing here?" you gasped , your eyes widening with surprise. You had not expected to see Cillian here, in your own home, and the sight of him took you off guard. Your heart began to pound in your chest as a thousand memories flooded your mind.

You did not want him to see you like this and , in that moment, you wished that you could disappear into thin air. The sight of him made your heart ache and you couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions wash over you.

Cillian opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out, which is when your mother stepped in.

"I called him Y/N. I was worried about you and -," she began to explain but you cut her off.

"No, you had no right!" you told her, trying to turn around and wheel yourself away but Cillian wouldn't have it and came walking towards you much faster than you could navigate your wheelchair into the opposite direction.

"I did not want to see him! I did not want him to see me like this! Fuck!" you yelped as Cillian's arms caught you just in time, stopping you from crashing into the wall. 

"Y/N, please let me help you," Cillian pleaded, his voice laced with concern and sadness as he kneeled down on his feet, right in front of you.  

Through teary lashes, you looked into his piercing blue eyes, searching for any sign of pity or disgust, but you saw none of that. 

"I don't want you to see me like this," you cried, your voice breaking. "Please go!" you sobbed, turning your head away from Cillian's gaze. But he didn't budge. 

"Y/N, I want to be here for you," Cillian whispered, looking at you with pleading eyes but you kept on crying.

"No, please. Just leave. You need to move on and find someone else. Why didn't you just, -" you tried to say, but your voice was drowned out by Cillian's soft but firm voice.

"No," he said and you looked up at him, your eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"What do you mean 'no'?" you  whispered, trembling with the overwhelming emotions that threatened to consume you at any moment. You did not want Cillian to see you like this, vulnerable and broken, unable to take care of even your most basic needs. And yet, here he was, stubbornly refusing to leave your side.

Cillian saw the uncertainty and fear in your eyes and his heart ached for you. He knew how difficult all of this was for you and how much courage it must have taken for you to push through the pain and discomfort just to make it out of bed and through your therapy sessions.

"I agreed to give you some time when you told me that this is what you needed, and I did," he began. "I gave you three fucking weeks and you ignored my calls and messages.  I didn't force you to accept my help because I knew how fucking strong you are Y/N. But, I am not leaving you now, seeing the state you are in," he said, looking at you with such intensity that it made your heart race. "I am here for you, I will always be here for you. I love you. No matter what. And I most certainly don't want to find someone else. I want you," he whispered, taking your face in his hands and gently kissing your trembling lips.

At first, you resisted, pushing against Cillian's firm chest as sobs wracked through your body. But he didn't falter.

Instead, he held you gently, kissing away the tears that streaked down your cheeks.

In that moment, as you felt Cillian's lips on yours and his hands cupping your face, something shifted inside of you. You couldn't explain it, but it was as if a dam had burst within you, releasing all of the pain and hurt that you had been holding onto for so long.

You sank into Cillian's embrace, allowing him to hold you up as the sobs consumed you.

It was as if a floodgate had opened, releasing all of the pent-up emotions that you had been suppressing for weeks. You didn't care who saw you, or what they thought of you in that moment. All that mattered was the love and comfort that Cillian provided with his presence.

After what felt like an eternity, your sobs began to subside and you pulled back from Cillian's embrace, wiping away the tears that stained your cheeks. You looked up at him, your eyes red and swollen but filled with a newfound determination.

"I'm sorry," you murmured, your voice hoarse from crying. "I am just, I mean," you stammered. "You will probably change your mind when you see me in this state. I am not the same anymore, Cillian," you continued, your voice trembling.

Cillian shook his head, gently cupping your face in his hands. "Try me!"  Cillian whispered, his voice laced with determination.  "Because I am fairly sure that you are still the same person that I fell in love with, Y/N. And I am here to help you in any way that I can," Cillian told you, a smile playing on his lips as he looked down at you, a sense of peace and contentment settling over him.

Despite the situation that you found yourself in, your hearing had not been affected so you heard Cillian's words loud and clear and while you still felt self-conscious about your new limitations and what these may mean for your future together, when you looked into his eyes, all you could see was love and understanding.

Cillian kissed your forehead again before brushing away a stray tear that lingered on your cheek. "Don't push me away again," he whispered, his voice filled with tenderness and affection. 

You nodded your understanding, taking a deep breath as you tried to steady your emotions. "Okay, I won't," you said, your voice barely above a whisper. "If you promise to be honest with me about your feelings for me, because I don't want you to stay or be with me out of pity," you added, looking up at Cillian with vulnerability and trust.

"I promise," Cillian chuckled, softly kissing your lips once more which is when, suddenly, your father intervened. 

"I think that's enough and I thought that I was quite clear about you keeping your hands off of my daughter," he grumbled, his brows furrowing together in annoyance.

"I am sorry," Cillian said as he was caught off guard, taken aback by the bluntness of your father which, in itself, caused you to giggle.  

"Dad, please, I am not a child anymore," you told him, your voice laced with a hint of sarcasm, but he ought to ignore you which is when your mother suggested for Cillian to take you out, for a stroll , or maybe a coffee if you were up for it.

Cillian readily agreed, knowing how important it was for you to get out of the house after being cooped up for so many weeks and as you wheeled yourself towards the entryway of your family home, he helped you slip into your coat before holding open the front door.

"How long are you staying?" you asked Cillian as he wheeled you down the driveway before you took over, wanting to push yourself. 

Cillian chuckled at the fact that you wouldn't allow him to help before glancing down at you with a tender smile. "I am staying for as long as you'll have me," he told you and you couldn't help but laugh.

"You and my father in the same house -," you began, your voice trailing off at the thought of the tension that was bound to consume your family home with Cillian and your father living under the same roof.

"We'll figure it out," Cillian winked, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as you made your way towards the nearest coffee shop.

As you walked together, the tension in your shoulders started to ease and the light banter between you and Cillian helped to clear the air.

The two of you spoke about everything and nothing, relishing in each other's company and savoring the moment.

Cillian carefully watched your every expression, trying to gauge your mood and emotions as you spoke. It was clear to him that this accident had taken a toll on you, both physically and mentally, but he wanted you to know that you were not alone in this.

You smiled and laughed at Cillian's jokes as you spoke, the corners of your eyes crinkling as you tried to focus on the positive aspects of your situation, rather than dwelling on the negative.

Despite your efforts, however, you couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness and frustration that had been building up inside you for the past few weeks. You wanted to be independent and strong, but the reality was that you were still recovering from a major accident, and things would take time.

For a while, Cillian also talked about Max and Danielle and the things that had been happening in his life and you felt terrible for not having been there for him through this.

You had been so consumed by your own pain and misery that you had not even considered how Cillian was dealing with everything. The confrontation with Max and Danielle, the accident, and the fact that press was having a field day with it all. 

You knew that Cillian would always come through for you, even when you pushed him away, and a part of you felt guilty for not having shown the same level of understanding and compassion towards him. But as the hours passed, and the two of you continued to talk and laugh, any remaining tension gradually faded away, leaving only love and warmth behind.

Almost three hours later, you finally made your way back to your family home, with Cillian pushing your wheelchair. The walk had done you good, and the exertion left you feeling tired but also lighter in spirit.

"I am sorry I haven't been there for you the past few weeks," you said, looking up at Cillian as he walked beside you. "I should have called you or messaged you like I promised I would."

Cillian smiled softly, taking your hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry about that now, Y/N," he replied.

"I just want you to focus on getting better."

You nodded, feeling grateful for Cillian's understanding and patience.

"Thank you," you whispered, your heart swelling with love and gratitude.

Cillian smiled warmly at you, his eyes filled with compassion and affection.

As the two of you approached your family home, you couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over you. Being cooped up in the house for weeks on end had taken a toll on your mental health, and the fresh air and sunshine had done wonders for your mood.

"I think my dad cooked, which should be interesting," you chuckled, smelling the food from far away, as Cillian pushed your wheelchair onto the driveway.

"Oh?" Cillian replied, arching an eyebrow. "I take it that your father is not the world's best cook then?"

You laughed, shaking your head. "No, he's definitely not. He tries, but let's just say that we don't usually get seconds."

Cillian laughed with you, pushing open the front door and wheeling you into the house. Your mother was sitting on the couch, knitting a scarf and your father was in the kitchen, attempting to make dinner.

"I might have a shower before dinner is ready, if that's okay?" you asked, addressing your mother who nodded with a warm a smile. 

"Of course sweetie, I will help you," your mother said, standing up from the couch.

"It's alright. Stay. I will do it," Cillian offered, smiling at your mother but you quickly shook your head.

"I am fine. I can do it on my own. I will just have a bath instead. I won't need any help," you told Cillian firmly, not wanting to trouble him anymore than necessary.

"Sweetheart, you struggle getting into the bath by yourself. So just let me help you," your mother offered, her voice full of tenderness and concern but you shook your head with determination.

"No. I want to do it by myself," you said firmly.

And that's when Cillian stepped forward, offering to assist you in the bathroom. "I'll help her. Don't worry about it," he assured your mother, sensing your determination and desire for independence.

Your mother hesitated for a moment before finally nodding her acceptance, recognizing your need for autonomy as she stood up from the couch and went back to knitting her scarf.

As you made your way to the bathroom, Cillian followed close behind you, ready to assist in any way that he could.

"Really, I can do this on my own," you insisted, but Cillian shook his head.

"Let me help you," he said gently, his voice filled with concern. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know."

You sighed, feeling a pang of frustration and annoyance but also understanding where Cillian was coming from.

"I know," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper. "But it's just that I feel so helpless sometimes. Like I am a burden to everyone around me."

Cillian's heart ached at the sadness and vulnerability in your voice.

"Well, you are not," he replied emphatically, placing a hand on your shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Now, do you want coconut or whatever that is?" he said, holding up two bottles of bath-oil.  You chuckled, a soft smile playing on your lips as you looked up at Cillian. "Coconut, please," you replied, feeling grateful for his presence and understanding.

Cillian nodded, pouring the coconut-scented oil into the bath before turning on the faucet and turning back to you again just as you were about to undress.

"Can you turn around?" you asked , blushing slightly at the request.

Cillian raised an eyebrow. "No, I can't ," he said, his voice low and serious.

You looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean you can't?"

Cillian took a deep breath and kneeled down in front of you again. "I have seen you naked before Y/N and the last time I checked you were still my girlfriend, or at least something like that, so I refuse to turn around," he said, his voice gentle yet firm.

You stared at Cillian for a moment, taken aback by his words, but also deeply touched. He was right; you were still in a relationship of sorts, even if it had been complicated since the accident. And Cillian had seen you naked before, many times in fact.

But after the accident, your body had changed so much that it was hard for you to feel comfortable in your own skin again. And the thought of undressing in front of someone else, let alone Cillian, made you feel incredibly vulnerable.

"Come on, I will help you ," Cillian said, sensing your discomfort as he helped you out of your t-shirt and, just after he lifted it over your head, you tried to quickly cover up your scars.

"Don't!" Cillian said, gently pulling your hands away from your body. "You don't have to hide from me," he told you before unbuttoning your jeans and helping you out of them, his eyes soft with understanding.

"Don't look at me," you whispered, feeling self-conscious about your body as a rush of embarrassment washed over you.

But Cillian didn't listen, his gaze never wavering from yours.  "But I want to look at you ," he whispered back, his voice barely above a whisper. "I want to see all of you because, no matter what, you are still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Shut up," you chuckled as he reached behind your back to unclasp your bra, his fingers brushing your skin gently. "There is no way you could possibly be still attracted to me, looking like this," you said, your voice barely above a whisper. You couldn't help but feel self-conscious about your body.

"Oh, trust me Y/N, I very much am still attracted to you," Cillian smirked before standing up almost as if to make a point, which is when you noticed the large bulge that had formed beneath the denim of his jeans. 

"Jesus, Cillian, "you gasped, your eyes widening as you took in his arousal before he turned around to turn off the faucet. 

He chuckled, a hint of amusement in his voice as he added the final touches to filling the bath. "See what I mean?" he said, his tone teasing yet tender.

You couldn't help but laugh, feeling your cheeks grow warm. "You are just weird," you said, shaking your head in amusement as you watched Cillian walk over to the bath and test the temperature of the water with his hand.

"I am not. I just have an incredibly sexy girlfriend,"  Cillian winked, breaking the tension in the room with his charm and humor.

You couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth spread through your chest at his words.

"Now let's get you into the bath, shall we?" he smirked before kneeling down before you again and hooking his fingers into the hem of your panties.

He pulled them down, slowly, his gaze wandering over your bare skin as you blushed and squirmed.

Finally, the material was gone, leaving you exposed in front of him.

But instead of feeling uncomfortable, you felt a jolt of desire shoot straight to your core.

You watched as Cillian's gaze trailed over your bare thighs, his eyes darkening with desire as he leaned in closer.

"No, not here," you breathed, your voice barely above a whisper as you placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Okay," he smiled. "Come on," he then told you before helping you up from the wheelchair and  guiding you to the edge of the bathtub.

You looked at the water, wondering if it was going to be warm enough or not. After your accident, you could barely feel anything in your legs.

But as you got closer to the bath, you could feel the heat radiating from the water, and it brought a smile to your face.

Cillian helped you into the tub, holding onto you as you lowered yourself into the water.

The heat enveloped you, soothing your tense muscles and calming your racing mind. You leaned back against the tub, letting out a sigh of contentment as you closed your eyes.

"Feeling better?" Cillian's voice was gentle, like a warm breeze on a hot day.

You opened your eyes to see him kneeling beside the tub, his gaze fixed on you with an intensity that made your heart race. You nodded, unable to speak as you watched him pick up a washcloth  and begin to wet it with warm water.

"Let me help you," he said softly, his eyes never leaving yours as he gently began to wash your shoulders and arms. You closed your eyes again, surrendering to the feeling of his hands on your skin. It had been so long since anyone had touched you like this, with such tenderness and care.

As he continued to wash you, his touch became more intimate, his fingers tracing patterns on your breasts before, finally, he let go of the washcloth and slowly reached down in between your legs.

He caressed your inner thigh s, the pressure just perfect and you felt a moan escape your lips as you spread them wider, inviting him in.

He didn't hesitate, his fingers finding their way to your slick entrance before plunging inside you with a slow, deliberate rhythm.

"You are so wet inside," he murmured, his voice husky with desire.

You moaned in response, your body arching into his touch as you felt a surge of pleasure course through you.

"Cillian," you gasped, your hands reaching out to grip the sides of the tub as he continued to finger you.

He added another finger, thrusting deeper and harder as you writhed beneath him. You could feel yourself getting closer and closer to the edge, and you knew that it wouldn't be long before you came undone in his arms.

"Fuck, Cillian," you gasped, your voice barely above a whisper as you felt yourself teetering on the brink of orgasm.

He didn't respond, but you could feel his own desire building as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of you.

"Oh my god, Cillian," you groaned as the pleasure became almost unbearable. "I'm going to come."

"Yes, baby, cum for me," he urged, his voice thick with desire.

You couldn't hold back any longer. With a cry of pleasure, you came hard around his fingers, your body trembling and shaking as wave after wave of ecstasy washed over you.

Cillian didn't let up, continuing to finger you through your orgasm until you finally begged him to stop. He pulled out slowly, his fingers glistening with your arousal.

"I missed this," he muttered, almost to himself. He brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked them clean, his eyes never leaving yours. You watched him, your breath hitching in your throat as suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Shit," Cillian muttered, pulling away from you so abruptly it was almost comical.

"Dinner inner is ready!" your father called from the other side of the door. "And he really shouldn't be in there with you , you know. It's not proper."

"I know dad. We will be out in a second!"  you yelled back, pressing a hand to your chest as you tried to calm your racing heart before breaking out in laughter.

"I guess I should get out of the bath before my dad thinks something's up," you said, grinning slyly at Cillian.

"Good idea," Cillian chuckled before he helped you out of the tub, wrapping you up in a soft towel and drying you off gently. "Because, really, I would like to live a little longer to enjoy your company and, preferably, not be murdered by your father in the process," he joked before he helped you get dressed and then assisted you by getting you back into your wheelchair.

"Dad is just protective," you shrugged as you adjusted your robe, feeling a sense of familiarity wash over you. "He has always been like that and now, with everything that's happened, it's only gotten worse.

Cillian nodded understandingly. "I get it. I really do," Cillian said as he stepped behind the wheelchair and pushed it towards the door. 

"I know you would," you replied, leaning your head back on the cushion as you mentally prepared yourself for dinner with your parents. "Now, do you think my dad might let you stay in my room tonight?" you asked Cillian quietly as you moved through the hallway.

He chuckled, giving your shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I don't think so, but, if you wanted to, we could go away for a few days. Just you and me," he replied , his voice low and gentle.

"Go where?" you asked, turning to look at him with curiosity. The thought of getting away from it all with Cillian was incredibly tempting.

"Anywhere you want," he replied, a small smile playing on his lips. "We could go to the countryside, or somewhere by the sea. Just let me know where you would like to go."

You didn't need to think about it for long. The idea of escaping the confines of your family home and being alone with Cillian was too appealing to resist.

"You know that, all of this, would be a real giant pain the arse with this goddamn wheelchair and all, right?" you said, looking up at Cillian who smiled. "And, people would see us together," you pointed out, seeing that the both of you had been hiding your relationship for a while."

"So what?" Cillian replied with a shrug. "We'll figure it out. I don't care what people think, and neither should you."

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Steve Harrington Fluff ABC’s

Short Plus-size Henderson!reader edition A = Admiration (what do they absolutely adore about you?) Steve absolutely loves the care you have for your little brother and his friends. Even though they get on your last nerves, Steve knows that no matter what you will always protect them. He also loves how close you are with Max and El, because he knows that you always wanted a little sister, and you see them as the sisters you never got. You love to watch Steve with your brother, because Dustin always wanted an older brother, and he found one in Steve (and another one in Eddie). You also love their relationship because you know that without it you never would have gotten together with Steve. Dustin is what brought the two of you together. B = Body (what is their favorite part of your body?) Steve loves your hair and your legs. He loves your hair because you rarely get it done professionally, so it is always your natural hair, and he loves how easy it is for you to just throw it up. He also loves it because how you wear it sometimes depicts your mood. Because he loves your hair, but knows how you get about it, he has started keeping a scrunchie either in his pocket or on his wrist, so that if you get hot he can hand you it to throw your hair up. He has an entire collection in his car and at his house that you have just left. He loves your legs because you are very self-conscious about them. He especially loves that your thighs can serve as a pillow, and he tells you that every time he lays his head on your lap. You love his hands. You’ve always been the kind of girl that absolutely loves hands. You love how when you hold hands, his hands swallow yours. C = Cuddling (how do they like to cuddle?) You’re very short, so if you guys are cuddling in a bed, Steve prefers to be the big spoon. He always wants to be near you and have his hands on you, so you guys are constantly cuddling while watching a movie, or even just sitting and listening to Dustin tell you a story. D = Dates (what does their ideal date with you look like?) Steve’s ideal date with you is a night at his house when his parents are gone. The night will start with the two of you cooking dinner together in his kitchen. Then you will change into swimsuits and go swimming in his pool, but because he is wary about swimming at night after what happened with Barb, he makes sure to turn on every outdoor light that he has so that there is no darkness in the entire back yard area. After about an hour of swimming, you go back into the house. Both of you dripping wet in your swimsuits, you throw together a box cookie mix and pop them into the oven, before you go take a shower. You shower using the shower in his room, while he waits downstairs in case the cookies are ready before you are out of the shower. You tag in after throwing on a t-shirt of his over the shorts you wear to bed, and he goes and showers as you finish the cookies. After his shower he grabs the movie he rented from work and pops it in, and you spend the rest of the night watching the movie and cuddling on the couch. You wind up spending the night there. E = Emotions (how do they express emotion around you?) Steve’s parents have never been great at expressing emotions, so for the first few months of your relationship he isn’t either. But you have always been the type of person to show exactly how you feel, and because of that Steve starts to understand why it is so important and why it means so much to you, so he begins to show emotion all of the time. It starts slow at first, and it's not the easiest thing he has ever done, but together you work him through it and before you know it he is always showing emotions. F = Family (do they want one? If they do, when?) Always being around the younger teens has made Steve want a big family, and you do not blame him. It has also made you want a pretty big family, although maybe not as big as he is thinking. He wants six kids, and you would be fine with four or five. G = Gifts (how do they feel about gift giving? What are their habits when it comes to this?) One of Steve's love languages is gift giving, and because he is still supported by his parents(by supported I mean he lives at the house and they have someone buy groceries for the house) he is constantly buying you little gifts with the money he has made from Scoops Ahoy and Family Video. He doesn't buy anything huge, just little things that he sees that he thinks you would enjoy. Your family has never had as much money as his, so, even though you are still living at home as well, and you work a job at one of the small clothing stores in town,  most of the money you make goes to buying gas and snacks for Dustin so that your mom doesn't know how many snacks he eats in a week. However, sometimes you see something that makes you think of Steve and if you have the money on you, you instantly buy it. H = Holding Hands (when/how do they like to hold hands?) Steve is the kind of person who needs to be constantly touching his S/O, especially after everything that they’ve been through in the past four years, so he is constantly trying to hold your hand. Sometimes he grabs your hand and pulls you into him, and you just stand there with your hands clasped between the two of you. I = Injury (how would they act if you got hurt?) You are an extremely clumsy person, so you get injured simply quite often. Due to that fact, Steve is constantly walking right beside you while you walk, because he has seen you trip on nothing and sprain your ankle one too many times. One time last summer you guys went to the pool together and you jumped into the “shallow” end(which was about the same height as you) and somehow landed right on your ankle and sprained it and were on crutches for a week. Since then, he's been extremely wary, and even though your town is pretty small, and the two of you could walk to the movie theater if you wanted, he makes sure to drive each time, because he doesn’t want you to get injured. He wasn’t a fan of you being with him, Robin, and Nancy in the upside down, but if he’s learned anything through dating you, it's that you can handle pretty much any challenge that you are presented with, and you both made it out of there alive, and with no major injuries J = Jokes (do they like to joke around with or prank you? how?) Steve is constantly joking around with you. jumping out at you to scare you(because Dustin told him countless stories of how easily you scare) tickling you because he has learned over your two year relationship that you are extremely ticklish and your skin is sensitive purposefully leaving hickies, albeit usually small if left on purpose, because he knows how easily your skin bruises and that your mother probably wouldn’t notice. However Dustin did notice and he made sure to walk into your bedroom and let you know just how disgusting he thought it was. K = Kisses (how do they like to kiss you?) Steve likes to kiss you all the time. A quick peck on his way out the door A makeout session An intense kiss right before you guys have to go fight something scary Kiss on the cheek when you leave Family Video after stopping in, to see him and Robin(she became your best friend as well) L = Love (how do they show you they love you?) Steve’s love languages are gift giving and physical touch, so you best bet that he spends a lot of money on flowers and other small gifts for you. He is also constantly touching you and wanting to cuddle, because after everything that has happened he just needs to know that you are really there M = Memory (favorite memory together?) How he asked you out at graduation He walked over right as Dustin walked away to look for him, and pulled you in for a huge hug. Then, keeping his arms around you, he leaned back, looked deep into your eyes, and said “i’ve been waiting to ask you this until I had a job lined up, but will you please go on a date with me Y/N Henderson?” and you of course said yes, and he pulled you in for another hug. N = Nightmare (what is their worst fear?) Steve’s worst fear is losing you to something from the upside down. He’s seen some terrifying shit in the last three years, and at least twice a week he wakes up from a nightmare in which you died from one of the monsters they have come across. O = Oddity (what is one quirk they have?) Steve really does spend a lot of time carting around The Party because he cares about them so much, and he really has become a Mom for them. Sometimes you get annoyed though because he’ll come to pick you up for a date, and also pick up Dustin, and then Lucas, and Mike, Will, and so on. P = Pet Names (what do they like to call you?) He has a lot of names that he likes to call you Baby Sweetheart Lovey Darling You like to call him Bubs Babe Stevie Q = Quality Time (how do they like to spend time with you?) He loves turning on a movie and then ignoring it and just staring at you, or just having a conversation with music playing in the background. R = Rhythm (what song reminds you of them?) Paper Rings- Taylor Swift Can’t Help Falling In Love- Elvis S = Secrets (how open are they with you?) He tells you everything. He told you about what went wrong with Nancy, he told you how he felt no longer being King Steve. You now know his entire family history (the good and the bad) He doesn’t want to keep anything from you You’re certain that if you hadn't been with them, he would have spilled the beans about Robin T = Time (how long did it take you to get together?) You grew up with Steve. You were in the same grade as him. You had a crush on him for a long time, but you just pushed it aside. When you got to high school you decided you were going to forget about it. But then in your senior year, the Upside Down became known to you and your brother, and therefore so did Steve. You guys still didn't start dating until the day of graduation. You got closer because your brother liked hanging out with him, and because he knew and could relate to the nightmares that you were having. Then on the day of graduation, Steve came up to you(Dustin had just walked away to look for him) and asked you point blank if you would go on a date with him. From there it was history. U = Upset (how do they act when you’re upset?) When you’re upset he does whatever he can to make you feel better. If it’s because of him he buys you flowers and makes sure to apologize profusely for whatever it is that he did(you don’t get upset with him often) If it is because of a nightmare one of two things happens: If he is already in bed with you, he pulls you close and cuddles with you, placing small kisses all over your face and neck, until your breathing is back to normal and you both fall asleep again If he’s not with you and you call him, he immediately grabs his keys and drives to your house, where you let him in through your window. V = Vaunt (what are they proud of? Do they like to show you off?) He loves showing you off. Any time you walk into Family Video he walks around the counter and pulls you into him and kisses you hard, before pulling you to the back of the counter with him (Keith gave up on fighting him on it) and you hang out with him and Robin for a while When you would walk into Scoops he would do essentially the same thing, but would also fix you a scoop of ice cream before pulling you into the backroom to make out for a bit while Robin manned the counter When in public he always has his hands on you because he wants everyone to know you’re his He took some inspiration from Sixteen Candles when it came out and now he constantly has his hand in your back pocket W = Warrior (how do they feel about you fighting? Would they fight for you, beside you, etc?) He tried to stop you from fighting demodogs, the mindflayer, and then Vecna, but he failed. You told him that if he and your brother were both going to fight then you sure as hell were too. So, when it came down to it, he always made sure you were with/next to him. X = X-Ray (how well are they able to read you?) This man can read you like a book. He knows what you act like leading up to your period, he knows how cranky you get with lack of sleep, he knows absolutely everything there is to know about you. Y = Yes (how would they propose to you?) A few days after Vecna split the town you were over at the Wheeler’s with your brother, Steve, Robin, and Nancy, when the California crew pulled up. You, Steve, Robin, and Dustin said hello to everyone, and then a few minutes later headed over to the highschool with the things you were taking to donate. You and Steve went over to the clothing sorting, and watched Robin and Vickie make small talk. “We should get married,” he said calmly while you folded clothes. You scoffed and said “Yeah, right after we’re done here.” “No, really. When this is all over, and the upside down is completely gone, we should get married,” he said, grabbing your shoulders and turning you to face him. As you look in his eyes you see that he is completely serious, and a huge smile comes over your face, your eyes well up, and your hands start to shake. “Yes,” you say, sort of breathlessly, and he pulls you in for a huge kiss right there in front of everybody, before yelling across the room to Robin and screaming “SHE SAID YES” Z = Zen (what makes them feel calm?) You running your hands through his hair, or rubbing his shoulders. It helps him calm down after a long day at work.

soulmate au part 3!!!!

(read part 1 and part 2 here)

it takes three weeks for anything to happen.

they see each other at school, exchange glances in class, brush past each other in the hallways, fingers grazing as their shoulders bump, incidental touches that wouldn’t draw attention but still leave billy tingling and giddy and embarrassed at himself but…

he’s still getting used to having a soulmate. a real, tangible person he can reach out and touch.

and maybe he’d get used to it faster if he could touch him more, but life keeps conspiring against them. they can’t seem to get a second alone. when it isn’t steve’s kids are crawling all over him 24/7 it’s neil breathing down billy’s neck because he ran out on one fucking class.

well, and then had to lie to neil about why, which was probably what put neil on high alert, but still.

three goddamn weeks.

and neither of them have been patient about it. steve keeps writing billy notes. in the middle of class scrawling things like you have nice eyes and i wanna spend time with you and billy can fucking feel how smug steve gets about making him blush. it’s all he can do not to make a scene in front of half their peers. sometimes he’s not sure if he’d punch steve for being an asshole or kiss him for being sweet.

or both. he can do both.

but mostly he wants time, and somewhere to just...be. with steve.

and he gets that, three weeks after their conversation in the parking lot. steve’s parents will be out of town, and his kids have some stupid game night planned. max keeps asking to go but pretending she isn’t, badly feigning disinterest, and best of all, neil and susan are planning a weekend trip to visit susan’s bedridden aunt a few hours away.

billy is determined to take full advantage of those thirty-six hours. neither of them will acknowledge it directly, but he knows max will tell neil he was home all weekend if she has to. he has no reason to be nervous about being caught, or anything else. it’ll be fine.

it’ll be fine.

he tells himself that over and over but it doesn’t stop him from checking every corner of the house in case neil’s hiding behind a door somewhere before he can even think about getting ready to leave.

he checks again after he’s showered and dressed.

thankfully max is already gone, so she’s not there to see him pacing around like a neurotic rat in a maze.

it almost worse that he isn’t just anxious, he’s excited. and it’s making him twitchy.

there’s no plan. they aren’t going on a date or anything. he’s just...going to steve’s house. steve’s empty house. he’s going to be alone with his soulmate. the list of reasons why that scares him is endless.

and he’s not sure if he’s more terrified of the possibility that steve won’t ask about the makeup thing or the possibility that he will.

knocking on the harringtons’ front door is. an experience. it shouldn’t be. it’s just a fucking door. but billy’s palms are sweating and suddenly he has no idea what he’s even going to say, and he keeps glancing over his shoulder even though he doesn’t really know what he’s looking for, and it feels like he’s been standing on the porch for a fucking eternity but—

his worries don’t exactly melt away when steve opens the door but there is a warm flutter in his chest that’s...new. and distracting.

and steve smiles at him all sunshine and chocolate, and the second the door closes behind them he grabs billy’s hand, wide-eyed, questioning, watching billy’s reaction.

his palm is just as sweaty as billy’s and it’s gross, but also kind of comforting.

“hello to you too,” billy snickers, and steve visibly relaxes, lacing their fingers together properly.

“hi,” he breathes quietly, his gaze soft, but intense, focused. “waiting sucked, okay. i’ve been wanting to do that forever.” he shakes their joined hands for emphasis.

“...that all you were waiting to do?”

steve’s grin turns sly, and his gaze drops a little. “no.”

billy wants to kiss him. he wants to be kissed. he wants steve’s mouth on him, somewhere, anywhere, right now. it’s a nice mouth. he’s spent a lot of time looking at it, and thinking about it, about the way the steam from the showers turned his lips so, so red, wet and slick and both too close and too far away, wondering what he’d taste like—

but steve turns away, taking all the air in billy’s lungs with him. it’s so jarring a shift that billy actually sways a little before he gets ahold of himself and lets steve tug him by hand and lead him upstairs.

the wallpaper in steve’s room has to be some kind of hate crime, but billy doesn’t have time to dwell on it, because there’s a beige bag sitting conspicuously on top of steve’s neatly made bed. the clear plastic top is zipped shut, dusty with age and spilled powders, but billy can still make out tubes of lipstick and eyeliner pencils through the haze.

he stops in the doorway and stares at it, thoughts at a stand-still.

steve’s still clutching his hand, tighter now, and no longer pulling him along. “i—uh. the bag was my mom’s, i think. found it crumpled up under the sink, so, like. she probably doesn’t even remember it exists. and the stuff in it is...new.”

“...new,” billy echoes faintly.

“yeah. yeah, i—i bought it. had no idea what i was looking for though, so i hope i did alright.”

billy blinks at him.

“was—was that okay? i know maybe isn’t exactly a yes, but i kinda hoped it could be, y’know? it’s—it’s totally cool if it isn’t. if you’re—if you’re not up for it. or…” he trails off awkwardly and grimaces.

billy takes a breath. “i’m up for it,” he assures steve with more confidence than he feels.

and steve absolutely beams at him. “yeah?”

“yeah.”

turns out steve not knowing what he was looking for meant he bought...everything.

as billy pokes through the mess he tries not to feel too apprehensive. or at least tries not to let it show. too much. he chews his thumbnail, picking up an eyeliner pencil with the other hand. it’s good shit, all the products are, with fancy names for colours and designer labels. it’s all leagues better than the drugstore clearance shelf crap he lifted as a kid. which doesn’t make this any less nerve-wracking.

“it’s been a while since i did this, so. don’t expect it to be, fucking, art or anything.”

steve shuffles closer from his spot at the foot of the bed and touches billy’s knee. “the eyeliner earlier this year…?” he gestures vaguely at his own face, eyebrows raised.

“friend of mine did that,” billy mutters.

and then his whole goddamn life came crashing down around him because of it.

his anxiety spikes, and he drops the pencil back into the pile, shoving the bag away. “i can’t fucking do this,” he snaps, and he’s halfway standing already when steve reaches for him, alarmed.

“billy, wait—” the hand on his elbow is soft, gentle, but he still flinches away. steve withdraws, fingers curled, lips parted, shock and hurt at war on his face. “i’m sorry. i—shit, i’m sorry—”

“don’t.” billy shakes his head, pulling away further. his lungs hurt. there isn’t enough air in this room. “just—forget it. this was a mistake.”

he’s through the door and heading down the stairs before he can think about it, before steve can respond. he wouldn’t have heard him anyways, not over the echoes of his father’s voice that follow him no matter how fast he flees.

but he stops just short of leaving. stands on the ugly little mat by the front door and stares down at it, his forehead inches away from resting against the wooden doorjamb.

he doesn’t want to leave.

he doesn’t want to go anywhere but back upstairs.

and...he kind of hates it. he has no reason to want that. he barely fucking knows steve, and he certainly doesn’t owe him anything. not a look at his authentic self or even a fucking apology. nothing.

so why does he want to give him all of that and more.

why.

it’s fucking terrifying and ridiculous and confusing and…

“billy?” steve calls out tentatively, far enough away that billy doesn’t startle. he’s making his way down the stairs.

if he’s gonna run, it’s now or never.

now…

or…

he turns around, and leans back, his shoulder thudding heavily as he hits the wall. his eyes itch, and rubbing them doesn’t help.

“billy…” steve’s right in front of him now, hovering just shy of being close, worry etched into every line of his face. “i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have pushed, i’m sorry—”

“not your fault,” billy mumbles, muffled against his palm. “stop apologizing, harrington.”

steve sucks his bottom lip between his teeth. “i...uh.”

“you were gonna do it again weren’t you.”

“...no.”

billy snorts quietly, head falling against the cold wallpaper at his back. “fuck,” he exhales, hand dropping to his shoulder. “look, this is...threatening to be the best fucking thing that ever happened to me, and good things don’t just—it never lasts. it always blows up in my face, and you should know that before you get caught up in it too.”

there’s an awful, drawn-out pause while steve purses his lips and tilts his head and looks billy up and down, his gaze gentle despite the scrutiny.

“i want to touch you,” steve says quietly. he waits for billy’s hesitant nod before he wraps his arms around and tucks his face into the crook of billy’s neck. “i’ve been waiting for you my whole life, hargrove, you’re not scaring me off that easily.”

and...billy always wanted to believe in the romantic notions people wrote about in songs. soulmates being destined for each other. epic, unconditional love. he never had any reason to believe it was real, but he clung to it anyway. despite the part of him that was wary, afraid of putting too much stock in something that might break his heart later on.

so for steve to just outright say it like that…so matter of fact. the reality of the situation smacks him in the face a little.

he puts his hands on steve’s waist, slipping under his shirt to rest against soft bare skin. touching him feels...right. when he lets himself feel, lets himself be here, in the moment. the sweet scent of steve’s hair, the warmth of his breath, the soothing pressure of his fingertips smoothing the wrinkled fabric of billy’s shirt. it all adds up to a feelings that billy can only describe as home.

not home like the place, but home like the warmth of sunlight and sand between his toes, ocean spray on his lips. a feeling he’s always had to chase to capture, but somehow it’s...here. quiet and still, and nothing like he’s used to, but it’s here.

and his touch seems to put steve at ease as well, he practically melts into billy’s embrace, which does strange and addictive things to billy’s heart.

but he can’t just shut his fucking mouth and enjoy the moment.

“bet i could, though. scare you off. i might, some day.”

“billy,” steve sighs, and pulls back enough to look him in the eye. “trust me when i say, you’ll never even make the top ten scariest things i’ve seen.”

and he wants to scoff, or feel insulted, or push the issue, start a fight, but. there’s a hollow look in steve’s eye. it’s not the face of some sheltered rich boy who thinks he’s a big man, no, there’s truth there. billy believes him.

stopping the tide of questions is almost physically painful, but he knows there’s no going down that road today. he’s hiding enough of his own skeletons to be sure they aren’t ready for that yet.

he might just be ready for something else though.

“i wanna try again.”

steve blinks at him, confused for a beat, two, and. “oh!” his lips part around the exclamation, distracting billy for a moment. “the—the makeup? you don’t— you don’t have to.”

“i want to.” he hesitates, and then presses a brief kiss to the tip of steve’s nose, startling a smile out of him. billy grins back. “i want to.”

I love all your headcanons (and all your fics in general 😄💜) and had a thought reading them, so I hope it's okay I ask for a HC 😄

How do you think the Pedro guys would react to finding out their new love interest is a single mother? 😊

Learning You Are a Single Mother:

Javier: He’s not surprised. He’s been with plenty of single mothers over the years. Helena was a single mother as well. He doesn’t have an issue with it honestly. He’s not against kids, even thought he’s never really given much thought to having his own. Right now, he’s wary of getting too close to the kid, not wanting to cause an issue if you don’t work out. 

Ezra: He’s never seen you beyond the shop that you work at. So when he sees you after he comes back to the Pug after the events on the Green, he’s shocked that you are a single mother. Not that it changes his interest in you. In fact, it adds to your appeal, seeing a nurturing side of you that he hadn’t expected before. Ezra wants to spend some time with you and child you have, knowing he can keep them entertained with appropriately edited stories. 

Mando: Thank the Maker! He is bumbling his way through this fatherhood thing, so at least one of you knows what the hell they are doing. That’s his first thought. In reality, Mandalorians have no issue with children of any kind. A child you’ve had from a previous relationship would be love by both him and the covert. 

Catfish: Frankie is a little relieved. While he’s not a single father, he kind of is. When he has his daughter, he is a single dad, and he has fifty/fifty custody with his ex. So for you to be on the same page as he is makes him feel better. He doesn’t mind having to cancelling dates because of sick kids or the date being pizza on the sofa while the kids are napping. He quickly falls in love with the two kids getting together, it makes him feel like you’re a family. 

Tovar: He’s not surprised. Not really. You are a widow after all. He honestly would have been surprised if you hadn’t had a brat pulling on your skirts. He’s man enough to shoulder caring for and raising your kid. Besides, for him if he’s interested in you, the endgame is to have another babe at your breast soon enough. 

Max Phillips: Max actually likes kids. Loves the little demon shits. They can get away with the craziest shit and he is there to pour gasoline on the fire with glee. He’s the type that is going to make sure that he’s the favorite by sneaking your kid candy right before bed. “Awww Mom!!” Comes out of both your kid’s and Max’s mouth. Ganging up on you. Driving you batshit insane until both of them grin at you like the little devils they are. 

Marcus Pike: This man is already halfway in love with you but the kid seals the deal. Especially when he gets to see you being a mom. Don’t worry about this man at all. He loves thinking of your kid, finding out their interests and coming up with ideas of events and outings that the three of you can do together. 

Oberyn: He loves his Sand Snakes. Why wouldn’t he want another child to run the halls of Sunspear and play in the pools at the Water Gardens? This man LOVES children. Misses having babies around to coo and chortle to. To have those serious discussions with at 2AM while he is pacing the floors with a fussy baby. High key starts thinking about getting a 9th Sand Snake off of you and Ellaria is in agreement.

Dave York: He doesn’t mind. After all, he’s the reason that you are a single mother. 

Marcus Moreno: He’s a single father so, birds of a feather. He’s relieved that someone else knows what he’s going through. He knows that you can commiserate on how hard it is to raise a child on your own. 

Max Lord: Another one that really doesn’t mind you being a mother. Finds it appealing due to Alistair’s mother’s lack of interest in spending time with the child she gave birth to. Max is trying to become a more involved parent and watching you with your child helps him more than you realize. Plus, the easy way you connect with his son just make him fall in love with you more. 

Zach Wellison: Zach is surprised, but then again, he’s not. You are so caring and nurturing that he thinks that your child is lucky to have a mother like you. He’s wary of the situation, not because you or your child. More that he’s worried about his own issues being rubbed off on your kid. But he also remembers the kids that he used to play with while he was on deployment. Will end up spending hours talking to your child and hanging out with him. If they are younger, low key makes him want a baby with you.

Masterlist

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Steve Harrington sucks.

Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader

A/N: Yay! My first request done!🎉✨ Please don’t hesitate to request anything, and I hope you enjoy. Sorry it tooks so long, I just started school.

Summary: (Y/n) Henderson has been through some shit in her 17 years. Her father leaving, an overprotective mother, bullies, interdimensional monsters, government conspiracies, etc. Needless to say her life was constantly changing.  There was one thing that will always remain the same though. And that was the hatred she has for the one and only Steve Harrington. 

Request from anon.

Masterlist

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

 You and Steve have never seen eye to eye. You haven’t for a very long time. You two used to be best friends, but that was a long time ago. Before high school and cliques mattered, and before Steve was known as “King Steve.” But once you two entered freshman year, Steves popularity rose and you were left behind. 

Even though you and Steve no longer associated with each other, that didn’t stop you two from fighting any chance you got.

You two argued about everything. If you said the sky is blue, Steve would argue that its actually purple. No kidding, he actually made the argument that the sky was purple. Needless to say, you two hated each other.

“Steve, I swear if you don’t move your feet I’ll--”

“You’ll what Y/n, please tell me what you’ll do?

“ I’ll take your feet and shove it up you---”

“Can you guys not...”

It was always like this. Ever since Steve started dating Nancy it was like he was always there. And because Nancy was your best friend, you got reacquainted with the King of Hawkins High.

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

After everything Will with through with the Upside down and El, you were relieved that it was over. You could go back to your normal life of being a big sister and being top of the class. But then your brother started acting weird. 

It started on Halloween, he came home and was holding his ghost trap thing from Ghostbusters weirdly. You thought it was a rat or something at first but something seemed off.

Then Mews went missing. Mews was given to you on your thirteenth birthday, so loosing her was devastating to you. You still had faith that she just ran out and was lost somewhere in the woods. You spent hours looking for her but no dice so far. You were in your room when your mom called you from the kitchen.

“Yeah?!” you shouted, finishing up some missing flyers for Mews. 

“Can you go find Dusty for me? It’s getting dark outside.” After the incident with Will and Barb, the parents became a lot more wary when it came to being out after dark.

Rolling your eyes, you get up from your small desk and walk out to the kitchen where your mom is. As you get closer, you smell the weird concoction your mother is making on the stove. Your mom wasn’t the best cook.

“Did he mention where he was going?” you ask, scrunching up your face at the sight of the...stew??  

“He mentioned something about Lucas and a code red?? Whatever that means.”

“Code red?” you ask, you weren’t too nervous because code red could mean anything. and Dustin tends to be over dramatic. But still, a small voice in the back of your head is warning you. 

“I’m not too sure dear. Would you like to have a taste before you leave?” aaand that was your cue to leave. You start rushing to the door

“Sorry mom! I better go find Dustin before it gets to late.” 

You start to make your way down the road when a flash of red catches your eye, you walk towards it . You realize its just some pieces of meat. Then you see what looks like a trail. Leading from your basement to the woods. A bad feeling settles in your stomach, and before you go in the woods, you get a hockey stick that you wrapped with barb wire a few months ago just incase. 

Then you follow the trail of meat into the woods.

You follow the trail till it leads you to the junkyard. By the time you got there it was already dark and surprisingly foggy.

“Dustin?!!” You shout, seeing the pile of meat stopping. You step over it as you walk around shouting for your brother.

“Hello!!? Dustin this isn’t funny, moms worried about you.” 

And that's when you heard it. A low growling sound. Right behind you. 

“Y/N!! WATCH OUT”  

You spin around to see what looked like a demogorgon, but on all fours like a dog. And it was slowly walking towards you. Growling as it stepped closer and closer. Your heart was beating out of your chest as you tighten your grip on the hockey stick. Adrenaline rushing through your body. Your senses heightened as you focused on the creature in front of you. You lowered your body into a crouch to prepare for an attack. You slowly backed away slowly as it stalked toward you. You heard what sounded like Lucas or Dustin tell you to run but you knew if you turned around, that thing would pounce on you and you’d be dead. And if you died, what would happen to your brother? To Lucas?  

Then the demodog lunged at you. The muscles in its leg tightened as it jumped toward you. You held your breath as you swung the stick with all your might, hitting the monster in mid air. It yelped as its body was flung sideways. It layed there for a moment them leaped up on all fours again, You backed away but never took your eyes off it. 

“Holy shit what is she doing” a girl?? 

“YEAH THATS MY SISTER!” Dustin

“Y/N THREE O’CLOCK! THREE O’CLOCK!” shit.

You can see another figure moving in your peripheral vison. Another one. You position your body so your able to see both dogs at the same time, but then you hear chirping and growling from all ends. You were being surrounded. 

“STEVE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” 

Then, Steve Harrington runs out of a broke down bus, bat in hand as he settles up behind you. 

“What the hell are you doing here Harrington?”

“Saving your ass Henderson, what does it look like?”

“I had this under control”

“Oh yeah, being surrounded definitely screams under control.” 

You aren’t given a chance to respond as another demodog leaps at you and Steve, forcing you to swing out and hit it again straight in the head. Another dog leaps at Steve, and he manages to hit it with the bat. 

“We’re going to die if we stay here” you say assessing the situation. 

“ No shit sherlock.” 

“Shut up and listen” You shout. “you run back to the bus. You need to protect the kids. I’m going to distract these fuckers. When I say the word, you open the bus door and let me in. These things hunt in packs, so they won’t chase both of us if I run first.”

“Henderson thats--” You don’t hear the rest as you dash from the spot. As predicted the dogs chase you and don’t pay no mind to Steve. You can see Steve reluctantly run back to the bus as you take a lap around the junkyard. You have to hit some more dogs but you manage to get back where you were. 

Then you were tackled. Dropping your stick you scream in pain as the demodog digs it claws in your shoulder. You struggled to get your stick as the other dogs get closer and the one on top of you is lowering its flower mouth to your throat. 

“Y/N” you hear your brother scream desperately. You find the strength to kick the dog off of you and launch yourself off the ground. You scoop up the hockey stick and swat the other dog that was in your way as you sprint towards the bus. 

“NOW STEVE LET ME IN” You screech as you near the bus. The doors slide open as hands wrap around your arms and pull you in. 

You lay there for a few seconds breathless. Muscles burning and ears ringing. You ignore the kids talking over each other and Dutsin fretting over you. You just breath, feeling a bit safer than you did outside. Then something rams into the side of the bus. The kids start screaming and Steve shouts something. You gather your strength once more and stand up, your body screaming at you. You see those demon dogs are trying to get in through the roof. You watch Steve start fighting them as you push the kids behind you. You step forward to help when suddenly they stop. Then they all run away and its quiet. After a few moments you feel weak and slump to the floor.

“Woah woah, Henderson” Steve surges forward and grabs you by the shoulders, you hiss in pain as he grabs the wound, “Shit, this is bad”

“Bad? What do you mean bad? How bad??” Dustin questions, his eyes watering at the thought of loosing his sister.

“I’m fine Dusty.” You say standing up. “ It probably just needs a cleaning and some stitches that all.” 

‘You look like you should be an extra in a WW2 documentary.” Steve deadpans. “You should go home.”

You roll your eyes “ Oh like YOU would know what that would look like, you don’t even show up to history class.” 

“ That's not the point Henderson, your arm is about to fall off.”

“I am not leaving these kids here defenseless.” you say crossing your arms, but wince as you do.

“First of all they have me, and second of all, you can’t even move your arm! You’d be in the way.” 

“ I’m sorry but who was the one that distracted those things? Who came up with that plan to get you back in the bus??” you say, annoyed at the accusation of being useless. 

“she has a point” muttered Lucas, earning him a smack in the arm by Max and a glare from Steve. 

“Listen Harrington” You say poking him in the chest. “ I’m fine, im not going anywhere, and I can kick your ass even with my arm fucked up. Now we’re going to get out of this FUCKING bus and figure out what the fuck is going on. AM I CLEAR?” 

A shocked silence settles in the bus. Lucas and Dustin chuckled and Max smirked in admiration. Steve glared at you, simply saying “Crystal” and turned around marching off the bus. You roll your eyes as Lucas and Max get off as well, leaving only you and your brother.

“That was really badass. The way you fought those demodogs back there.” Dustin said looking up at you. 

You smile and ruffle his hair. 

“ I wasn’t going to let them get my Dusty Bun” You say in a baby tone pulling him in for a hug. He groans at the name but hugs you back. 

“HENDERSONS MOVE YOUR ASSES” Steve shouts. You roll your eyes and nudge Dustin towards the door. 

“Come on, before King Steve blows a gasket” 

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

You find out that Dart killed Mews and are absolutely devastated. Dustin felt guilty as he was basically the reason why your beloved cat died. 

“It’s fine Dustin, now I have even more of a reason to kick their doggy ass.” 

You walk ahead of the group seething in anger and fear. Your arm was still sluggishly bleeding and throbbing in pain. 

“You really should do something about that shoulder” Steve said as he walks up next to you. 

“Sure, let me just stop at the hospital while my brother and his friends chase flesh eating dogs from another dimension.” you reply in an sarcastic tone.

“I’m just trying to help.” Steve says in a soft tione

You roll your eyes and mutter a fine. You then rip a strip of fabric from the bottom of your shirt and wrap it around your shoulder. 

‘There are you happy now?”you ask

Steve is stunned, he never realized how...tough you are.In fact this whole experience has made him realize how smart and resilient you’ve become. Far different from the shy quiet girl you used to be when the two of you were friends. He never wanted to stop being your friend, in fact he even harbored a little crush on you but he just got caught up in the popularity and attention. Then he got with Nancy and started seeing you constantly again, only now you hated him. It hurt him in ways he didn’t understand. And while he’ll always love Nancy, he’s starting to realize that maybe he’s starting to fall in love with you too.

You look at him weird, as he just stared at you with this weird look on his face. You walked past him as the entrance to the lab becomes clear. 

“Hey guys” You shout. “We’re here.”

Then you hear it. Bone chilling roars fill the air. The lights are out inside the lab and you can hear the screams of the people inside. and then rustling comes from the woods. You push the kids behind you and Steve as you tighten the grip on your weapons. 

“Steve?” “Y/n?’

“Nancy?’” “Jonathan?”

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

After finding out El was actually alive and Will’s interrogation, you officially have seen it all. You, Steve, and the rest of the kids stayed in the Byers house while the “A team” went back to the lab. You finally were cleaning your shoulder when you heard the rumble of an engine. 

Great Billy Hargrove.

“It’s my brother! If he catches me here he’ll kill me” Max says, he tone laced in fear. You and Steve look at each other, and then Steve walks out to deal with Billy. 

“Quick hide and don’t let him see you” you say moving toward the door. You open it in time to see Billy knock Steve down and kick him. You flinch and are just glad that it wasn’t you. 

“Oh” Billy coos, “ Are you gonna let me in Princess or am I gonna have to move you?” 

“Moving me sounds fun, how about we try that” you flirt back, hey anything to get him to calm down. 

He chuckles. “Nice try toots but I got a bone to pick with my step sister.” And with that she shoves you out of the way. You realize that you can’t fight Billy off alone, so you run to help Steve. 

“Come on Harrington, up you go” You try and help him up. You hear the kids shouting and some stuff smashing. “Come on Steve, he’s on there with the kids.” You say urgently.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Steve says, finally getting up. You and Steve rush into the house to see Billy holding Lucas up against a shelf. Steve then rushes to the two, as you go to the kids making sure they’re behind you. 

“YOU’RE DEAD SINCLAIR, SO DEAD” 

“No, you are” and with that Steve punches Billy in the face. You pull Lucas away, checking him over to make sure he’s alright. The kids are cheering Steve on as he beats Billy. 

“KICK HIS ASS STEVE” 

Then the tables turn. Billy smashes a plate over Steves head, knocking him down and punching him in the face. They get into the living room and Billy isn’t stopping. He’s punching Steve in the face continuously. 

“STOP YOU’RE GONNA KILL HIM” Dustin screams 

“BILLY NO” 

You rush forward and try to pull him off. “Billy thats enough, he’s already down!” he just pushes you to the ground and resumes his beating. You get up, desperate to help Steve. 

“Y/n!” You hear Max yell.  You look at her and she hands you something. 

Will’s morphine. 

Without a second thought you ripped the cap off the needle and injected the drug in Billy’s neck. He flinched and stood up, giving poor Steve a break from his brutal beating. 

“youbitchwhatdidyoudo” He slurred as he pulled the needle from his neck. He then fell on his back, half unconscious. Max, surprising you all, took Steves bat and yelled.

“From now on you leave me and my friends alone, you understand?!” 

“Screw you.”

She brought down the bat between his legs. Your eyes widened as she slammed the nail covered bat on the floor between them. 

“SAY YOU UNDERSTAND. SAY IT! SAY IT!”

“I understand” Billy finally whispered as the drugs took over. After watching that you ran over to Steve. You checked his pulse just to make sure he was alright.

“Alright Harrington, get up” You said. “Come on Steve.” 

“Y/n, we don’t have time.” Mike said. “We have to help El.” 

“How are you even going to the tunnels Mike? It’s too far to walk.” You say as you put Steve's head on your lap. 

Max then walks up to Billy and pulls his keys out of his jacket. “Y/n can drive us.” she says. Then the whole party laughs. “What? What's so funny?”

“Y/n can’t drive us” Dustin said laughing. You glare at him from your spot.

“Why not?” Max asks.

“Because” Mike replies, “ She failed like three of her drivings tests”

“Yeah, unless you want to hit every mail box on the way and get whiplash, y/n is out” Lucas chimed in. 

“Hey! I was not that bad” you yelled incredulously. “ Besides what would we do with Steve?” 

“Leave him here?” Mike said

“With Billy?” You asked

“Yeah we could just tie Billy up or something” 

“We are not leaving Steve” Dustin said. “He’ll be chill when he wakes up, I promise.” 

“We still can’t go” you say. The group groans

“Why not” Mike says

“Because, I can’t drive you.” You reply. Then Max ‘s face brightens 

“I can drive.” She says 

Suddenly, you’re in the backseat of Billy's stolen car, Steve sprawled across yours, Mikes, and Dustin's lap as Max drives erratically to the field. 

And then Steve wakes up. 

“y/n??” He mutters looking at Mike, Mike gives him the side eye as Dustin starts talking.

“Hey buddy” Dustin says “ He kicked your ass but you put up a good fight”

“Dustin!” you shout

“What?” 

‘Oh god” Steve says realizing what was happening “ Oh my god stop the car!!”

“Steve I promised them you’d be cool if we brought you” 

“oh god 

“Make a left here” “you’re okay” 

“Steve relax she’s driven before”

“yeah in a parking lot””That counts!”

“Stop yelling!”

“Stop the car, stop the car” Max takes a sharp turn 

“WOAHH” “STOPTHE CAR”

“Steve calm down” “I told you we should have left him!’“

“AHH SLOW DOWN” “CALM DOWN”

“EVERYBODY SHUT UP! I’M TRYING TO FOCUS” 

Max hits the breaks as she makes to to the field. You all stumble out of the car and head to the trunk, getting ready to head into the tunnels. As you’re putting on your mask and goggles Steve stumbles to the back of the car yelling, 

“HELLO! Do you guys hear me, we are not going down there!” 

“Y/n how could you let them talk you into his” “ARE YOU DEAF? HELLO?

“WE ARE NOT---” 

“STEVE!” Dustin shouted, “The fact of the matter is that a party member needs our assistance. We can’t just abandon her.” 

“...fine” Steve says, and he puts on the bandana and goggles. You walk up to him and hand him his bat. “ Wow Harrington, you’ve never looked better” 

“Ha ha, get in the hole” 

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

After struggling to get into the hole, you finally made it into the tunnels. It was dark and damp in there. Cold as you and the party walked further and further into what could be your doom. Specks of...something floated in the air and the walls were covered in what looked like vines. Steve was at the from of the line while you were at the end.Making sure both ends were covered and there wasn’t any chance at a sneak attack. 

You stood at the back with Dustin as he kneeled down to tie his shoe and then a flurry of that white shit sprayed in his face. He started freaking out immediatly, screming and spitting

“SHIIT! ITS IN MY MOUTH!”  

Steve ran over to him and started asking whats wrong. Seeing Steve so worried about your brother warmed your heart, especially because it’s been so long that Dustin had a male figure who cared about him in his life. Now that you think about it, Steve has been really protective over Dustin these past few days, in fact he--

“Hey Y/n, are you okay” Steve says, interrupting your thought. 

You look at him and nod, “We should keep going”

He nods and take his place back in the front. The group only had to walk a few more steps till they reached the hub, 

“Let’s torch it” Steve said as he stepped forward. The kids spread out, pouring gasoline on every inch of the  cavern.  After you were done, Steve pulled out his lighter and flicked it on. 

“You ready?” He said. You all nodded and prepared to run for your life. Steve threw the lighter and the whole hub was lit. The everyone ran. Mike got caught as a vine wrapped around his leg. Steve struggled to it get off when you came around.

“Stand back!��� you yelled and swung you hockey stick down on the vine a couple times. This cut it in half as you heard it..squeal?? You then helped Mike up and urged him to start running. You were almost back to the hole when you were stopped. 

A demodog stood in the way of your freedom. Hunched low and growling as it wait for you to make your move. Thats when Dustin spoke up.

“Dart” “Shh Dustin get behind me” You shushed him, trying to pull him away from the creature but with no luck. He slowly walked toward iy.

“Dustin what are you doing?””Get away from it” the rest of the group whispered as he pulled a candy bar from his pocket.

“yumm nougat” He said, breaking the candy bar into pieces and fed them to the demon dog. ‘There you go buddy, eat up” He then waved to you. 

“hurry up go” He said still crouched down. Carefully, each member of the party passed by. Creeping passed the demodog who paid no attention.

“Bye buddy” Dustin whispered as you and Steve pulled him away. 

You finally got to the hole. You and Steve helped each of the kids up the rope. Rushing as you heard the rest of the demodogs running to find you. You finally got Dustin up the rope when you saw them. The pack of demodogs running full speed toward you and Steve. There was no time for either of you to get up the rope. Steve pulled you into his chest as the pack drew nearer. You tensed up, waiting to get torn apart by these creatures.

“Y/N! STEVE” Dustin cried, being held back by Mike and Lucas. 

The closer they got the harder it was for you to breath. You closed your eyes and dug your face into Steves chest.

They ran past you. The demodogs run right passed you and Steve as if you weren’t there. You feel them run past your legs, bumping into you as they are called somewhere else. 

You sigh in relief . You look around the cavern, realizing you’re not dead. Steve laughs a breathless laugh as you smile, the threat of death gone. You realize that you’re still pressed up against him, and look up. Staring into the brown eyes of the one and only Steve Harrington. His goggles pulled up against his forehead and his bandana around his neck. 

You don’t know if the adrenaline or you not giving a fuck, but you fling off your safety glasses, pull down your bandana ans surge up.

Capturing Steve’s lips in a kiss.

He makes a little ‘oomph” sound in surprise as he realizes what's happening. But then he relaxes and kisses you back, wrapping his arms around your waist. Your hands go into his hair as you wrap your arms around his neck, prompting him to  lean closer. His tongue brushes against your bottom lip and you begin to let it in when--

“OH GOD, REALLY?” 

Dustin. “GUYS THEY'RE MAKING OUT’”

“Ewww, come on do you really gotta do that here” Lucas complains.

“Yeah! we don’t wanna see that” Mike says, frowning in disgust. 

“Come on’ Max says, pulling Dustin and Lucas by the collar of their shirts. Mike following behind them.

You pull away from Steve, giggling as you see the awe struck face he's making. 

“Come on King Steve” You say, starting to crawl up the rope. “Before Max starts joy riding and leaves us here. He shakes his head as he watches you get to the top and starts climbing. 

“Hold your horses Henderson, I’m coming.”

Soulmarks, Part 15

First part

Previous

Gotta take a break for exams. I’ll probably still update every once in a while, but I probably won’t be fully back until the 10th. <3

~~~

She fell to her knees, clutching her head.

“Inamovibi-Lady, I am Hawkmoth.”

She needed to shut down. Why couldn’t she? She’d definitely hit her max. Her breath came out in shallow gasps, her eyes stung with tears. Why was she still feeling? Why couldn’t she stop? God, she wanted to stop --!

“The world is a cruel place, but only to people who don’t deserve it. Tragedy only befalls the best of people, and the wicked live without consequences.”

She couldn’t give in. Paris needed her. Any damage she did while she was akumatized would remain. She needed to summon a lucky charm. Her eyes found their way to her yoyo. Should she try and make a lucky charm at risk of being akumatized with it?

No. They would need the yoyo to purify the akuma. 

Hopefully she wouldn’t cause too much damage.

“I am giving you the power to finally make them pay for what they’ve done.”

She needed to say no. No one had ever managed it before, but she had to do it. It was her responsibility. She couldn’t get akumatized. She couldn’t. She couldn’t let Paris down.

“They will finally see justice, all you need to do is give me the ladybug and cat miraculi.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. She could hear Adrien running away and had to hope that Tim was with him.

She couldn’t let them down.

“All you have to do is say yes.”

Her fingers dug into her scalp.

Just.

Say.

No.

“Yes, Hawkmoth.”

~

He cursed as he skid across the grass, tugging at the yoyo string as he attempted to free himself. The last time he’d been tied up like this hadn’t gone well, and he wasn’t eager for a repeat.

Adrien stood next to Marinette for a second, a shocked expression on his face as she fell to the floor.

“HEY! HELP!” Yelled Tim.

He snapped out of it and ran over. He tried to untie him for a second, then seemed to decide that it was a problem for later as Marinette was engulfed in purple and black smoke. He threw Tim over his shoulder and started running.

They had only gotten a block away before she walked out. Was that even her? Sure, she was still in her Ladybug outfit, but…

Her skin was bleached so pale that it shone in the moonlight, and a wide smile made up half of her face. She swung a giant judge’s gavel. He tensed at just how much the akuma reminded him of a mix of Joker and Harley.

Adrien glanced over his shoulder and picked up speed.

And then Tim watched her swing the gavel in a large arc. It morphed into a yoyo. Her smile stretched ever wider.

Her yoyo hooked around a lamppost nearby and she practically flew to them. Her yoyo detached itself midair and she did a flip that would have made Dick proud as she landed in front of them, a microphone now in hand.

Adrien skid to a stop.

“Hello!” She said without moving her mouth. Her voice boomed through Paris’s streets and people began to poke their heads out of windows. She looked around, her black eyes glittering like beetles, and started talking again when she apparently decided there was enough of an audience: “Don’t you know missing a court date is enough to get arrested?”

“I’m not French, so no,” said Tim awkwardly as Adrien set him on his feet to start detangling himself.

“True! I’ll give you a pardon for that, then. The crimes you were originally going to be tried for, though, I’m afraid can’t be ignored.”

Adrien sighed lightly as he pulled out his baton. “I don’t want to fight you, Nette --.”

“My name is Inamovibi-Lady, thank you.” She twirled the microphone in her hand and it stretched back into her original gavel. “Anyways, your crimes were that you never brought yourself to believe me, even when the truth was right in front of you.”

“I know your defenses, so I’ll tell them to everyone for you. Cheval didn’t listen because he thought I was too good to be true and Chat didn’t want to believe ill of his family.” She gave a fake sniffle and rubbed under her eyes like she was wiping away tears. “Enough to bring a tear to my eyes. If I could cry, of course.”

“But your personal issues don’t give you a warrant to push all your problems on me. Trust me, I’m a judge. I know all about warrants.”

Tim finally managed to get himself out and the yoyo hit the floor at his feet. He could breathe properly again, thank god.

But then she stepped closer, her gavel poised for a hit, and he seemed to forget how to breathe.

“So, your sentence is to live your lives through without anyone ever believing anything you say ever again! Good luck, darlings!”

Adrien brought his baton up to keep her from hitting them, but it seemed they weren’t quite her target. She slammed her gavel on the ground at their feet. A red circle stretched around them and they were engulfed in bright red light. He brought his hands to his eyes as the light threatened to blind him, and when he���d finally managed to open them again she was gone.

Fuck.

~

They tore through the streets, looking around for Inamovibi-Lady, but she’d completely disappeared.

“Right, her targets are definitely Hawkmoth and Lila.”

“Says who?” Said Adrien, raising his eyebrows. “She can’t fight Hawkmoth without getting deakumatized and Lila has nothing to do with what we did.”

Tim snorted. Really? Like getting deakumatized would stop Marinette from beating up a terrorist and Lila definitely had something to do with his half of the sentence. “Even if you were right, which you’re not, we’d be stupid not to check up on them.”

Adrien rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’d be wasting our time.”

“This conversation is wasting our time,” hissed Tim, before pressing a hand to his comm. “Hey, we have a problem in France. Ladybug got akumatized.”

“Yeah, now they’re an evil judge,” said Adrien.

Dick had the audacity to laugh. “Marinette? Akumatized? An evil judge? Funny joke, guys.”

“Yeah, she’d never let that happen,” agreed Barbara.

He groaned and let his hand fall back to his side. This was definitely going to be more of a problem than he’d originally thought. No wonder Inamovibi-Lady felt comfortable leaving them to go and enact her revenge. What could they really do? There was no way they could ask for help and even talking to each other was a pain...

They detransformed and they went to Marinette’s parents’ bakery. He needed to get some bread for Kaalki so he could open up a portal. Marinette would probably agree to go through the portal, if only because Joker and Harley were practically inaccessible. The bats might not believe him now, but he had to hope that seeing Inamovibi-Lady would be enough to convince them.

They sat down in a nearby alley to wait for their kwamis to recharge. Adrien didn’t need to do that, but he’d apparently decided that they should stick together.

Their phones buzzed and they frowned at each other as they pulled them out.

Inamovibi-Lady’s face beamed at them from their screens (not that her face seemed to be able to do anything else).

“Hello, Paris! Well, it’s really just my classmates and the police. No matter! Welcome to our second hearing of the night! Our special guest is…” She did a drumroll on her legs before stepping to the side with a wide flourish.

Lila was pressed back against her wall, looking like she’d rather be absolutely anywhere else. 

“I was right,” muttered Tim, sending Adrien a glare.

He only got a shrug.

Both of them considered going to save Lila. There was a pretty high chance Adrien knew where she lived, but…

Nah.

“YOU CANT DO THIS! MY MOTHER WORKS FOR THE EMBASSY!” Screamed Lila, pulling their attention back to their screens.

“Your mother isn’t here, now, is she?” She spun her yoyo at her side lazily. “Right, how about you plead your case? Would you like to defend yourself on the whole ‘lying to everyone in your class’ thing or the ‘working for Hawkmoth’ thing first?”

Lila sputtered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t want to talk, huh? Don’t you know that you get a lighter sentence when you plead guilty?”

Her yoyo wrapped around Lila’s neck. The liar gasped and clawed at her throat. Tears began rolling down her face.

“How about you talk?” Said Inamovibi-Lady. “I won’t be giving you another chance to tell your side if you don’t.”

Lila sobbed and continued trying to pull the string off of her neck.

The akuma gave her a few seconds before giving the camera an overexaggerated shrug. “Right, I tried. Every word that comes out of Lila’s mouth is a lie, anyways. You shouldn’t trust her to tell you the sky is blue without pictures... and, who knows, they’re probably photoshopped.”

“On top of that, she works for Hawkmoth. Isn’t that right?”

Lila hung her head.

“Cool! I actually wasn’t sure on the Hawkmoth thing, but it’s great that she didn’t deny it. Come get her, coppers!”

“Unless, of course, she wants to say something. Don’t really think there’s anything she can say to make this better for herself, can’t claim self-defense when your victims can’t fight back, after all.”

Inamovibi-Lady unhooked her yoyo and it morphed into a microphone. She pressed it to Lila’s mouth.

“I’m innocent! You have to believe me!” Her voice boomed around Paris.

The akuma tapped her hand to her chin as if considering it, then shook her head as she brought the microphone to her own lips. “Anyone who believes a word that comes out of your mouth is stupid, but I’ll make it so they can finally trust you! Your sentencing is that you can never lie again!”

“Wait, what?”

She turned it back into a gavel with a wave of her hand and hit the wall right beside Lila’s head and the girl screamed as she was engulfed in light.

The akuma picked up her camera and started out into the streets. “Right! Now that that’s done…” Her eyes narrowed. “I know you’re watching this, Chat and Cheval. I added you to this for a reason. How about we play a game? Hero to hero… and vigilante.”

Adrien and Tim gave each other wary glances.

“I can’t see you, but I’m assuming you said yes! I have three targets that I’m going after tonight. Well, five, but two of those are a bit harder to get to. I’m going to need a little bit of help, could you give me a hand, darlings?”

“Either way, you probably can guess who the third is. Feel free to go over to his place now if you don’t want to use your brains… but, if you want to help the other two, my first target is actually on this call, too! She and I have the same noble rank, and we used to be friends, but unfortunately we just stopped connecting like we used to.”

She winked and the screen went black.

Tim frowned, resting his head on his hand. “Marinette is nobility?”

Adrien shrugged and shook his head.

Tim nodded slightly and rested his head back against the stone. It was definitely a riddle, then, but what did she --?

Wait a minute. Tim had believed him.

That didn’t make sense. He wasn’t supposed to believe a thing Adrien said.

But he hadn’t technically ‘said’ anything.

Tim snapped his fingers and pulled out his phone, typing a few words and then pressing send.

Timberly: Hey, I kissed Nette earlier

Adrien looked down at his phone and raised his eyebrows slightly. He rolled his eyes and typed his answer.

Adrikins: Cool? Not able to say that out loud?

Tim grinned.

Timberly: I could but I found a loophole

Timberly: As long as we’re not speaking out loud people can believe us

Adrien’s eyes widened.

Timberly: Is there a way to have our phones on us when we’re in our suits

Adrikins: Yeah. We just can’t be holding them when we transform.

And then Adrien facepalmed. Tim raised his eyebrows at him and waited for his text.

Adrikins: LADY WIFI.

Timberly: Who

~~~

Next part

Me, frantically scrolling through a wikipedia article on the French Judiciary system: there has to be a pun here SOMEWHERE

This was the best I could do ;-;

I, too, am disappointed by my inability to make a good pun for Akumanette

Taglist

@pawsitivelymiraculous @golden-promises @salty-fang @kitsunebell @sassakitty @octobitch @glastwime859 @miyla-lokidottir @onlyabatfan @ira-sairain @2confused-2doanything @ultimatetornshipper @ladybug-182 @laurcad123 @we-want-mini-mini @roguishredaxion @just-reblogs-by-h @futursworld @magic-miraculous @nathleigh @smolplantmum @vroomtaka  @emimar7 @toodaloo-kangaroo @charme-de-malchan @spicybelladonna @fusser90 @indecisive-mess-named-me @rosesgonerogue @celestialsiren @bluesimani @loysydark @trippingovermyfeet

A bathroom figures significantly in the origin stories of at least two classic One Direction songs. The first will be familiar to any fan: Songwriter and producer Savan Kotecha was sitting on the toilet in a London hotel room, when he heard his wife say, “I feel so ugly today.” The words that popped into his head would shape the chorus of One Direction’s unforgettable 2011 debut, “What Makes You Beautiful.”

The second takes place a few years later. Another hotel room in England — this one in Manchester — where songwriters and producers Julian Bunetta and John Ryan were throwing back Cucumber Collins cocktails and tinkering with a beat. Liam Payne was there, too. At one point, Liam got up to use the bathroom and when he re-emerged, he was singing a melody. They taped it immediately. Most of it was mumbled — a temporary placeholder — but there was one phrase: “Better than words…” A few hours later, on the bus to another city, another show — Bunetta and Ryan can’t remember where — Payne asked, maybe having a laugh, what if the rest of the song was just lyrics from other songs?

“Songs in general, you’re just sort of waiting for an idea to bonk you on the head,” Ryan says from a Los Angeles studio with Bunetta. “And if you’re sort of winking at it, laughing at it — we were probably joking, what if [the next line was] ‘More than a feeling’? Well, that would actually be tight!”

“Better Than Words,” closed One Direction’s third album, Midnight Memories. It was never a single, but became a fan-favorite live show staple. It’s a mid-tempo headbanger that captures the essence of what One Direction is, and always was: One of the great rock and roll bands of the 21st century.

July 23rd marks One Direction’s 10th anniversary, the day Simon Cowell told Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson that they would progress on The X Factor as a group. Between that date and their last live performance (so far, one can hope) on December 31st, 2015, they released five albums, toured the world four times — twice playing stadiums — and left a trove of Top 10 hits for a devoted global fan base that came to life at the moment social media was re-defining the contours of fandom.

It’d been a decade since the heyday of ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys, and the churn of generations demanded a new boy band. One Direction’s songs were great and their charisma and chemistry undeniable, but what made them stick was a sound unlike anything else in pop — rooted in guitar rock at a time when that couldn’t have been more passé.

Kotecha, who met 1D on The X Factor and shepherded them through their first few years, is a devoted student of boy band history. He first witnessed their power back in the Eighties when New Kids on the Block helped his older sister through her teens. The common thread linking all great boy bands, from New Kids to BSB, he says, is, “When they’d break, they’d come out of nowhere, sounding like nothing that’s on the radio.”

In 2010, Kotecha remembers, “everybody was doing this sort of Rihanna dance pop.” But that just wasn’t a sound One Direction could pull off (the Wanted only did it once); and famously, they didn’t even dance. Instead, the reference points for 1D went all the way back to the source of contemporary boy bands.

“Me and Simon would talk about how [One Direction] was Beatles-esque, Monkees-esque,” Kotecha continues. “They had such big personalities. I felt like a kid again when I was around them. And I felt like the only music you could really do that with is fun, pop-y guitar songs. It would come out of left field and become something owned by the fans.”

“The guitar riff had to be so simple that my friend’s 15-year-old daughter could play it and put a cover to YouTube,” says Carl Falk

To craft that sound on 1D’s first two albums, Up All Night and Take Me Home, Kotecha worked mostly with Swedish songwriters-producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. They’d all studied at the Max Martin/Cheiron Studios school of pop craftsmanship, and Falk says they were confident they could crack the boy band code once more with songs that recalled BSB and ‘N Sync, but replaced the dated synths and pianos with guitars.

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The greatest thing popular music can do is make someone else think, “I can do that,” and One Direction’s music was designed with that intent. “The guitar riff had to be so simple that my friend’s 15-year-old daughter could play it and put a cover to YouTube,” Falk says. “If you listen to ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ or ‘One Thing,’ they have two-finger guitar riffs that everyone who can play a bit of guitar can learn. That was all on purpose.”

One Direction famously finished third on The X Factor, but Cowell immediately signed them to his label, Syco Music. They’d gone through one round of artist development boot camp on the show, and another followed on an X Factor live tour in spring 2011. They’d developed an onstage confidence, but the studio presented a new challenge. “We had to create who should do what in One Direction,” Falk says. To solve the puzzle the band’s five voices presented, they chose the kitchen sink method and everyone tried everything.

“They were searching for themselves,” Falk adds. “It was like, Harry, let’s just record him; he’s not afraid of anything. Liam’s the perfect song starter, and then you put Zayn on top with this high falsetto. Louis found his voice when we did ‘Change Your Mind.’ It was a long trial for everyone to find their strengths and weaknesses, but that was also the fun part.” Falk also gave Niall some of his first real guitar lessons; there’s video of them performing “One Thing” together, still blessedly up on YouTube.

“What Makes You Beautiful” was released September 11th, 2011 in the U.K. and debuted at Number One on the singles chart there — though the video had dropped a month prior. While One Direction’s immediate success in the U.K. and other parts of Europe wasn’t guaranteed, the home field odds were favorable. European markets have historically been kinder to boy bands than the U.S.; ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys found huge success abroad before they conquered home. To that end, neither Kotecha nor Falk were sure 1D would break in the U.S. Falk even says of conceiving the band’s sound, “We didn’t want it to sound too American, because this was not meant — for us, at least — to work in America. This was gonna work in the U.K. and maybe outside the U.K.”

Stoking anticipation for “What Makes You Beautiful” by releasing the video on YouTube before the single dropped, preceded the strategy Columbia Records (the band’s U.S. label) adopted for Up All Night. Between its November 2011 arrival in the U.K. and its U.S. release in March 2012, Columbia eschewed traditional radio strategies and built hype on social media. One Direction had been extremely online since their X Factor days, engaging with fans and spending their downtime making silly videos to share. One goofy tune, made with Kotecha, called “Vas Happenin’ Boys?” was an early viral hit.

“They instinctively had this — and it might just be a generational thing — they just knew how to speak to their fans,” Kotecha says. “And they did that by being themselves. That was a unique thing about these boys: When the cameras turned on, they didn’t change who they were.”

Social media was flooded with One Direction contests and petitions to bring the band to fans’ towns. Radio stations were inundated with calls to play “What Makes You Beautiful” long before it was even available. When it did finally arrive, Kotecha (who was in Sweden at the time) remembers staying up all night to watch it climb the iTunes chart with each refresh.

Take Me Home, was recorded primarily in Stockholm and London during and after their first world tour. The success of Up All Night had attracted an array of top songwriting talent — Ed Sheeran even penned two hopeless romantic sad lad tunes, “Little Things” and “Over Again” — but Kotecha, Falk and Yacoub grabbed the reins, collaborating on six of the album’s 13 tracks. In charting their course, Kotecha returned to his boy band history: “My theory was, you give them a similar sound on album two, and album three is when you start moving on.”

Still, there was the inherent pressure of the second album to contend with. The label wanted a “What Makes You Beautiful, Part 2,” and evidence that the 1D phenomenon wasn’t slowing down appeared outside the window of the Stockholm studio: so many fans, the street had to be shut down. Kotecha even remembers seeing police officers with missing person photos, combing through the girls camped outside, looking for teens to return to their parents.

At this pivotal moment, One Direction made it clear that they wanted a greater say in their artistic future. Kotecha admits he was wary at first, but the band was determined. To help manage the workload, Kotecha had brought in two young songwriters, Kristoffer Fogelmark and Albin Nedler, who’d arrived with a handful of ideas, including a chorus for a booming power ballad called “Last First Kiss.”

“We thought, while we’re busy recording vocals, whoever’s not busy can go write songs with these two guys, and then we’ll help shape them as much as we can,” Kotecha says. “And to our pleasant surprise, the songs were pretty damn good.”

At this pivotal moment, too, songwriters Julian Bunetta and John Ryan also met the band. Friends from the Berklee College of Music, Bunetta and Ryan had moved out to L.A. and cut a few tracks, but still had no hits to their name. They entered the Syco orbit after scoring work on the U.S. version of The X Factor, and were asked if they wanted to try writing a song for Take Me Home. “I was like, yeah definitely,” Bunetta says. “They sold five million albums? Hell yeah, I want to make some money.”

Working with Jamie Scott, who’d written two songs on Up All Night (“More Than This” and “Stole My Heart”), Bunetta and Ryan wrote “C’mon, C’mon” — a blinding hit of young love that rips down a dance pop speedway through a comically oversized wall of Marshall stacks. It earned them a trip to London. Bunetta admits to thinking the whole 1D thing was “a quick little fad” ahead of their first meeting with the band, but their charms were overwhelming. Everyone hit it off immediately.

“Niall showed me his ass,” Bunetta remembers of the day they recorded, “They Don’t Know About Us,” one of five songs they produced for Take Me Home (two are on the deluxe edition). “The first vocal take, he went in to sing, did a take, I was looking down at the computer screen and was like, ‘On this line, can you sing it this way?’ And I looked over and he was mooning me. I was like, ‘I love this guy!’”

Take Me Home dropped November 9th, just nine days short of Up All Night’s first anniversary. With only seven weeks left in 2012, it became the fourth best-selling album of the year globally, moving 4.4 million copies, per the IFPI; it fell short of Adele’s 21, Taylor Swift’s Red and 1D’s own Up All Night, which had several extra months to sell 4.5 million copies.

Kotecha, Falk and Yacoub’s tracks anchored the album. Songs like “Kiss You,” “Heart Attack” and “Live While We’re Young” were pristine pop rock that One Direction delivered with full delirium, vulnerability and possibility — the essence of the teen — in voices increasingly capable of navigating all the little nuances of that spectrum. And the songs 1D helped write (“Last First Kiss,” “Back for You” and “Summer Love”) remain among the LP’s best.

“You saw that they caught the bug and were really good at it,” Kotecha says of their songwriting. “And moving forward, you got the impression that that was the way for them.”

Like clockwork, the wheels began to churn for album three right after Take Me Home dropped. But unlike those first two records, carving out dedicated studio time for LP3 was going to be difficult — on February 23rd, 2013, One Direction would launch a world tour in London, the first of 123 concerts they’d play that year. They’d have to write and record on the road, and for Kotecha and Falk — both of whom had just had kids — that just wasn’t possible.

But it was also time for a creative shift. Even Kotecha knew that from his boy band history: album three is, after all, when you start moving on. One Direction was ready, too. Kotecha credits Louis, the oldest member of the group, for “shepherding them into adulthood, away from the very pop-y stuff of the first two albums. He was leading the charge to make sure that they had a more mature sound. And at the time, being in it, it was a little difficult for me, Rami and Carl to grasp — but hindsight, that was the right thing to do.”

“For three years, this was our schedule,” Bunetta says. “We did X Factor October, November, December. Took off January. February, flew to London. We’d gather ideas with the band, come up with sounds, hang out. Then back to L.A. for March, produce some stuff, then go out on the road with them in April. Get vocals, write a song or two, come back for May, work on the vocals, and produce the songs we wrote on the road. Back to London in June-ish. Back here for July, produce it up. Go back on tour in August, get last bits of vocals, mix in September, back to X Factor in October, album out in November, January off, start it all over again.”

That cycle began in early 2013 when Bunetta and Ryan flew to London for a session that lasted just over a week, but yielded the bulk of Midnight Memories. With songwriters Jamie Scott, Wayne Hector and Ed Drewett they wrote “Best Song Ever” and “You and I,” and, with One Direction, “Diana” and “Midnight Memories.” Bunetta and Ryan’s initial rapport with the band strengthened — they were a few years older, but as Bunetta jokes, “We act like we’re 19 all the time anyway.” Years ago, Bunetta posted an audio clip documenting the creation of “Midnight Memories” — the place-holder chorus was a full-throated, perfectly harmonized, “I love KFC!”

For the most part, Bunetta, Ryan and 1D doubled down on the rock sound their predecessors had forged, but there was one outlier from that week. A stunning bit of post-Mumford festival folk buoyed by a new kind of lyrical and vocal maturity called “Story of My Life.”

“This was a make or break moment for them,” Bunetta says. “They needed to grow up, or they were gonna go away — and they wanted to grow up. To get to the level they got to, you need more than just your fan base. That song extended far beyond their fan base and made people really pay attention.”

Production on Midnight Memories continued on the road, where, like so many bands before them, One Direction unlocked a new dimension to their music. Tour engineer Alex Oriet made it possible, Ryan says, building makeshift vocal booths in hotel rooms by flipping beds up against the walls. Writing and recording was crammed in whenever — 20 minutes before a show, or right after another two-hour performance.

“It preserved the excitement of the moment,” Bunetta says. “We were just there, doing it, marinating in it at all times. You’re capturing moments instead of trying to recreate them. A lot of times we’d write a song, sing it in the hotel, produce it, then fly back out to have them re-sing it — and so many times the demo vocals were better. They hadn’t memorized it yet. They were still in the mood. There was a performance there that you couldn’t recreate.”

Midnight Memories arrived, per usual, in November 2013. And, per usual, it was a smash. The following year, 1D brought their songs to the environment they always deserved — stadiums around the world — and amid the biggest shows of their career, they worked on their aptly-titled fourth album Four. The 123 concerts 1D had played the year before had strengthened their combined vocal prowess in a way that opened up an array of new possibilities.

“We could use their voices on Four to make something sound more exciting and bigger, rather than having to add too many guitars, synths or drums,” Ryan says.

“They were so much more dynamic and subtle, too,” Bunetta adds. “I don’t think they could’ve pulled off a song like ‘Night Changes’ two albums prior; or the nuance to sing soft and emotionally on ‘Fireproof.’ It takes a lot of experience to deliver a restrained vocal that way.”

“A lot of the songs were double,” Bunetta says, “like somebody might be singing about their girlfriend, but there was another meaning that applied to the group as well.”

Musically, Four was 1D’s most expansive album yet — from the sky-high piano rock of “Steal My Girl” to the tender, tasteful groove of “Fireproof” — and it had the emotional range to match. Now in their early twenties, songs like “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” “No Control,” “Fool’s Gold” and “Clouds” redrew the dramas and euphorias of adolescence with the new weight, wit and wanton winks of impending adulthood. One Direction wasn’t growing up normally in any sense of the word, but they were becoming songwriters capable of drawing out the most relatable elements from their extraordinary circumstances — like on “Change Your Ticket,” where the turbulent love affairs of young jet-setters are distilled to the universal pang of a long goodbye. There were real relationships inspiring these stories, but now that One Direction was four years into being the biggest band on the planet, it was natural that the relationships within the band would make it into the music as well.

“I think that on Four,” Bunetta says with a slight pause, “there were some tensions going on. A lot of the songs were double — like somebody might be singing about their girlfriend, but there was another meaning that applied to the group as well.”

He continues: “It’s tough going through that age, having to spread your wings with so many eyeballs on you, so much money and no break. It was tough for them to carve out their individual manhood, space and point of view, while learning how to communicate with each other. Even more than relationship things that were going on, that was the bigger blanket that was in there every day, seeping into the songs.”

Bunetta remembers Zayn playing him “Pillowtalk” and a few other songs for the first time through a three a.m. fog of cigarette smoke in a hotel room in Japan.

“Fucking amazing,” he says. “They were fucking awesome. I know creatively he wasn’t getting what he needed from the way that the albums were being made on the road. He wanted to lock himself in the studio and take his time, be methodical. And that just wasn’t possible.”

A month or so later, and 16 shows into One Direction’s “On the Road Again” tour, Zayn left the band. Bunetta and Ryan agree it wasn’t out of the blue: “He was frustrated and wanted to do things outside of the band,” Bunetta says. “It’s a lot for a young kid, all those shows. We’d been with them for a bunch of years at this point — it was a matter of when. You just hoped that it would wait until the last album.”

Still, Bunetta compares the loss to having a finger lopped off, and he acknowledges that Harry, Niall, Liam and Louis struggled to find their bearings as One Direction continued with their stadium tour and next album, Made in the A.M. Just as band tensions bubbled beneath the songs on Four, Zayn’s departure left an imprint on Made in the A.M. Not with any overt malice, but a song like “Drag Me Down,” Bunetta says, reflects the effort to bounce back. Even Niall pushing his voice to the limits of his range on that song wouldn’t have been necessary if Zayn and his trusty falsetto were available.

But Made in the A.M. wasn’t beholden to this shake-up. Bunetta and Ryan cite “Olivia” as a defining track, one that captures just how far One Direction had come as songwriters: They’d written it in 45 minutes, after wasting a whole day trying to write something far worse.

“When you start as a songwriter, you write a bunch of shitty songs, you get better and you keep getting better,” Ryan says. “But then you can get finicky and you’re like, ‘Maybe I have to get smart with this lyric.’ By Made in the A.M. … they were coming into their own in the sense of picking up a guitar, messing around and feeling something, rather than being like, ‘How do I put this puzzle together?’”

After Zayn’s departure, Bunetta and Ryan said it became clear that Made in the A.M. would be One Direction’s last album before some break of indeterminate length. The album boasts the palpable tug of the end, but to One Direction’s credit, that finality is balanced by a strong sense of forever. It’s literally the last sentiment they leave their fans on album-closer “History,” singing, “Baby don’t you know, baby don’t you know/We can live forever.”

In a way, Made in the A.M. is about One Direction as an entity. Not one that belonged to the group, but to everyone they spent five years making music for. Four years since their hiatus and 10 years since their formation, the fans remain One Direction’s defining legacy. Even as all five members have settled into solo careers, Ryan notes that baseless rumors of any kind of reunion — even a meager Zoom call — can still set the internet on fire. The old songs remain potent, too: Carl Falk says his nine-year-old son has taken to making TikToks to 1D tracks.

“Most of them weren’t necessarily musicians before this happened, but they loved music, and they found a love of creating, writing and playing,” Kotecha says

There are plenty of metrics to quantify One Direction’s reach, success and influence. The hard numbers — album sales and concert stubs — are staggering on their own, but the ineffable is always more fun. One Direction was such a good band that a fan, half-jokingly, but then kinda seriously, started a GoFundMe to buy out their contract and grant them full artistic freedom. One Direction was such a good band that songwriters like Kotecha and Falk — who would go on to make hits with Ariana Grande, the Weeknd and Nicki Minaj — still think about the songs they could’ve made with them. One Direction was such a good band that Mitski covered “Fireproof.”

But maybe it all comes down to the most ineffable thing of all: Chance. Kotecha compares success on talent shows like The X Factor to waking up one morning and being super cut — but now, to keep that figure, you have to work out at a 10, without having done the gradual work to reach that level. That’s the downfall for so many acts, but One Direction was not only able, but willing, to put in the work.

“They’re one of the only acts from those types of shows that managed to do it for such a long time,” Kotecha says. “Five years is a long time for a massive pop star to go nonstop. I know it was tiring, but they were fantastic sports about it. They appreciated and understood the opportunity they had — and, as you can see, they haven’t really stopped since. Most of them weren’t necessarily musicians before this happened, but they loved music, and they found a love of creating, writing and playing. To have these boys — that had been sort of randomly picked — to also have that? It will never be repeated.”

A bathroom figures significantly in the origin stories of at least two classic One Direction songs. The first will be familiar to any fan: Songwriter and producer Savan Kotecha was sitting on the toilet in a London hotel room, when he heard his wife say, “I feel so ugly today.” The words that popped into his head would shape the chorus of One Direction’s unforgettable 2011 debut, “What Makes You Beautiful.”

The second takes place a few years later. Another hotel room in England — this one in Manchester — where songwriters and producers Julian Bunetta and John Ryan were throwing back Cucumber Collins cocktails and tinkering with a beat. Liam Payne was there, too. At one point, Liam got up to use the bathroom and when he re-emerged, he was singing a melody. They taped it immediately. Most of it was mumbled — a temporary placeholder — but there was one phrase: “Better than words…” A few hours later, on the bus to another city, another show — Bunetta and Ryan can’t remember where — Payne asked, maybe having a laugh, what if the rest of the song was just lyrics from other songs?

“Songs in general, you’re just sort of waiting for an idea to bonk you on the head,” Ryan says from a Los Angeles studio with Bunetta. “And if you’re sort of winking at it, laughing at it — we were probably joking, what if [the next line was] ‘More than a feeling’? Well, that would actually be tight!”

“Better Than Words,” closed One Direction’s third album, Midnight Memories. It was never a single, but became a fan-favorite live show staple. It’s a mid-tempo headbanger that captures the essence of what One Direction is, and always was: One of the great rock and roll bands of the 21st century.

July 23rd marks One Direction’s 10th anniversary, the day Simon Cowell told Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson that they would progress on The X Factor as a group. Between that date and their last live performance (so far, one can hope) on December 31st, 2015, they released five albums, toured the world four times — twice playing stadiums — and left a trove of Top 10 hits for a devoted global fan base that came to life at the moment social media was re-defining the contours of fandom.

It’d been a decade since the heyday of ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys, and the churn of generations demanded a new boy band. One Direction’s songs were great and their charisma and chemistry undeniable, but what made them stick was a sound unlike anything else in pop — rooted in guitar rock at a time when that couldn’t have been more passé.

Kotecha, who met 1D on The X Factor and shepherded them through their first few years, is a devoted student of boy band history. He first witnessed their power back in the Eighties when New Kids on the Block helped his older sister through her teens. The common thread linking all great boy bands, from New Kids to BSB, he says, is, “When they’d break, they’d come out of nowhere, sounding like nothing that’s on the radio.”

In 2010, Kotecha remembers, “everybody was doing this sort of Rihanna dance pop.” But that just wasn’t a sound One Direction could pull off (the Wanted only did it once); and famously, they didn’t even dance. Instead, the reference points for 1D went all the way back to the source of contemporary boy bands.

“Me and Simon would talk about how [One Direction] was Beatles-esque, Monkees-esque,” Kotecha continues. “They had such big personalities. I felt like a kid again when I was around them. And I felt like the only music you could really do that with is fun, pop-y guitar songs. It would come out of left field and become something owned by the fans.”

“The guitar riff had to be so simple that my friend’s 15-year-old daughter could play it and put a cover to YouTube,” says Carl Falk

To craft that sound on 1D’s first two albums, Up All Night and Take Me Home, Kotecha worked mostly with Swedish songwriters-producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. They’d all studied at the Max Martin/Cheiron Studios school of pop craftsmanship, and Falk says they were confident they could crack the boy band code once more with songs that recalled BSB and ‘N Sync, but replaced the dated synths and pianos with guitars.

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The greatest thing popular music can do is make someone else think, “I can do that,” and One Direction’s music was designed with that intent. “The guitar riff had to be so simple that my friend’s 15-year-old daughter could play it and put a cover to YouTube,” Falk says. “If you listen to ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ or ‘One Thing,’ they have two-finger guitar riffs that everyone who can play a bit of guitar can learn. That was all on purpose.”

One Direction famously finished third on The X Factor, but Cowell immediately signed them to his label, Syco Music. They’d gone through one round of artist development boot camp on the show, and another followed on an X Factor live tour in spring 2011. They’d developed an onstage confidence, but the studio presented a new challenge. “We had to create who should do what in One Direction,” Falk says. To solve the puzzle the band’s five voices presented, they chose the kitchen sink method and everyone tried everything.

“They were searching for themselves,” Falk adds. “It was like, Harry, let’s just record him; he’s not afraid of anything. Liam’s the perfect song starter, and then you put Zayn on top with this high falsetto. Louis found his voice when we did ‘Change Your Mind.’ It was a long trial for everyone to find their strengths and weaknesses, but that was also the fun part.” Falk also gave Niall some of his first real guitar lessons; there’s video of them performing “One Thing” together, still blessedly up on YouTube.

“What Makes You Beautiful” was released September 11th, 2011 in the U.K. and debuted at Number One on the singles chart there — though the video had dropped a month prior. While One Direction’s immediate success in the U.K. and other parts of Europe wasn’t guaranteed, the home field odds were favorable. European markets have historically been kinder to boy bands than the U.S.; ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys found huge success abroad before they conquered home. To that end, neither Kotecha nor Falk were sure 1D would break in the U.S. Falk even says of conceiving the band’s sound, “We didn’t want it to sound too American, because this was not meant — for us, at least — to work in America. This was gonna work in the U.K. and maybe outside the U.K.”

Stoking anticipation for “What Makes You Beautiful” by releasing the video on YouTube before the single dropped, preceded the strategy Columbia Records (the band’s U.S. label) adopted for Up All Night. Between its November 2011 arrival in the U.K. and its U.S. release in March 2012, Columbia eschewed traditional radio strategies and built hype on social media. One Direction had been extremely online since their X Factor days, engaging with fans and spending their downtime making silly videos to share. One goofy tune, made with Kotecha, called “Vas Happenin’ Boys?” was an early viral hit.

“They instinctively had this — and it might just be a generational thing — they just knew how to speak to their fans,” Kotecha says. “And they did that by being themselves. That was a unique thing about these boys: When the cameras turned on, they didn’t change who they were.”

Social media was flooded with One Direction contests and petitions to bring the band to fans’ towns. Radio stations were inundated with calls to play “What Makes You Beautiful” long before it was even available. When it did finally arrive, Kotecha (who was in Sweden at the time) remembers staying up all night to watch it climb the iTunes chart with each refresh.

Take Me Home, was recorded primarily in Stockholm and London during and after their first world tour. The success of Up All Night had attracted an array of top songwriting talent — Ed Sheeran even penned two hopeless romantic sad lad tunes, “Little Things” and “Over Again” — but Kotecha, Falk and Yacoub grabbed the reins, collaborating on six of the album’s 13 tracks. In charting their course, Kotecha returned to his boy band history: “My theory was, you give them a similar sound on album two, and album three is when you start moving on.”

Still, there was the inherent pressure of the second album to contend with. The label wanted a “What Makes You Beautiful, Part 2,” and evidence that the 1D phenomenon wasn’t slowing down appeared outside the window of the Stockholm studio: so many fans, the street had to be shut down. Kotecha even remembers seeing police officers with missing person photos, combing through the girls camped outside, looking for teens to return to their parents.

At this pivotal moment, One Direction made it clear that they wanted a greater say in their artistic future. Kotecha admits he was wary at first, but the band was determined. To help manage the workload, Kotecha had brought in two young songwriters, Kristoffer Fogelmark and Albin Nedler, who’d arrived with a handful of ideas, including a chorus for a booming power ballad called “Last First Kiss.”

“We thought, while we’re busy recording vocals, whoever’s not busy can go write songs with these two guys, and then we’ll help shape them as much as we can,” Kotecha says. “And to our pleasant surprise, the songs were pretty damn good.”

At this pivotal moment, too, songwriters Julian Bunetta and John Ryan also met the band. Friends from the Berklee College of Music, Bunetta and Ryan had moved out to L.A. and cut a few tracks, but still had no hits to their name. They entered the Syco orbit after scoring work on the U.S. version of The X Factor, and were asked if they wanted to try writing a song for Take Me Home. “I was like, yeah definitely,” Bunetta says. “They sold five million albums? Hell yeah, I want to make some money.”

Working with Jamie Scott, who’d written two songs on Up All Night (“More Than This” and “Stole My Heart”), Bunetta and Ryan wrote “C’mon, C’mon” — a blinding hit of young love that rips down a dance pop speedway through a comically oversized wall of Marshall stacks. It earned them a trip to London. Bunetta admits to thinking the whole 1D thing was “a quick little fad” ahead of their first meeting with the band, but their charms were overwhelming. Everyone hit it off immediately.

“Niall showed me his ass,” Bunetta remembers of the day they recorded, “They Don’t Know About Us,” one of five songs they produced for Take Me Home (two are on the deluxe edition). “The first vocal take, he went in to sing, did a take, I was looking down at the computer screen and was like, ‘On this line, can you sing it this way?’ And I looked over and he was mooning me. I was like, ‘I love this guy!’”

Take Me Home dropped November 9th, just nine days short of Up All Night’s first anniversary. With only seven weeks left in 2012, it became the fourth best-selling album of the year globally, moving 4.4 million copies, per the IFPI; it fell short of Adele’s 21, Taylor Swift’s Red and 1D’s own Up All Night, which had several extra months to sell 4.5 million copies.

Kotecha, Falk and Yacoub’s tracks anchored the album. Songs like “Kiss You,” “Heart Attack” and “Live While We’re Young” were pristine pop rock that One Direction delivered with full delirium, vulnerability and possibility — the essence of the teen — in voices increasingly capable of navigating all the little nuances of that spectrum. And the songs 1D helped write (“Last First Kiss,” “Back for You” and “Summer Love”) remain among the LP’s best.

“You saw that they caught the bug and were really good at it,” Kotecha says of their songwriting. “And moving forward, you got the impression that that was the way for them.”

Like clockwork, the wheels began to churn for album three right after Take Me Home dropped. But unlike those first two records, carving out dedicated studio time for LP3 was going to be difficult — on February 23rd, 2013, One Direction would launch a world tour in London, the first of 123 concerts they’d play that year. They’d have to write and record on the road, and for Kotecha and Falk — both of whom had just had kids — that just wasn’t possible.

But it was also time for a creative shift. Even Kotecha knew that from his boy band history: album three is, after all, when you start moving on. One Direction was ready, too. Kotecha credits Louis, the oldest member of the group, for “shepherding them into adulthood, away from the very pop-y stuff of the first two albums. He was leading the charge to make sure that they had a more mature sound. And at the time, being in it, it was a little difficult for me, Rami and Carl to grasp — but hindsight, that was the right thing to do.”

“For three years, this was our schedule,” Bunetta says. “We did X Factor October, November, December. Took off January. February, flew to London. We’d gather ideas with the band, come up with sounds, hang out. Then back to L.A. for March, produce some stuff, then go out on the road with them in April. Get vocals, write a song or two, come back for May, work on the vocals, and produce the songs we wrote on the road. Back to London in June-ish. Back here for July, produce it up. Go back on tour in August, get last bits of vocals, mix in September, back to X Factor in October, album out in November, January off, start it all over again.”

That cycle began in early 2013 when Bunetta and Ryan flew to London for a session that lasted just over a week, but yielded the bulk of Midnight Memories. With songwriters Jamie Scott, Wayne Hector and Ed Drewett they wrote “Best Song Ever” and “You and I,” and, with One Direction, “Diana” and “Midnight Memories.” Bunetta and Ryan’s initial rapport with the band strengthened — they were a few years older, but as Bunetta jokes, “We act like we’re 19 all the time anyway.” Years ago, Bunetta posted an audio clip documenting the creation of “Midnight Memories” — the place-holder chorus was a full-throated, perfectly harmonized, “I love KFC!”

For the most part, Bunetta, Ryan and 1D doubled down on the rock sound their predecessors had forged, but there was one outlier from that week. A stunning bit of post-Mumford festival folk buoyed by a new kind of lyrical and vocal maturity called “Story of My Life.”

“This was a make or break moment for them,” Bunetta says. “They needed to grow up, or they were gonna go away — and they wanted to grow up. To get to the level they got to, you need more than just your fan base. That song extended far beyond their fan base and made people really pay attention.”

Production on Midnight Memories continued on the road, where, like so many bands before them, One Direction unlocked a new dimension to their music. Tour engineer Alex Oriet made it possible, Ryan says, building makeshift vocal booths in hotel rooms by flipping beds up against the walls. Writing and recording was crammed in whenever — 20 minutes before a show, or right after another two-hour performance.

“It preserved the excitement of the moment,” Bunetta says. “We were just there, doing it, marinating in it at all times. You’re capturing moments instead of trying to recreate them. A lot of times we’d write a song, sing it in the hotel, produce it, then fly back out to have them re-sing it — and so many times the demo vocals were better. They hadn’t memorized it yet. They were still in the mood. There was a performance there that you couldn’t recreate.”

Midnight Memories arrived, per usual, in November 2013. And, per usual, it was a smash. The following year, 1D brought their songs to the environment they always deserved — stadiums around the world — and amid the biggest shows of their career, they worked on their aptly-titled fourth album Four. The 123 concerts 1D had played the year before had strengthened their combined vocal prowess in a way that opened up an array of new possibilities.

“We could use their voices on Four to make something sound more exciting and bigger, rather than having to add too many guitars, synths or drums,” Ryan says.

“They were so much more dynamic and subtle, too,” Bunetta adds. “I don’t think they could’ve pulled off a song like ‘Night Changes’ two albums prior; or the nuance to sing soft and emotionally on ‘Fireproof.’ It takes a lot of experience to deliver a restrained vocal that way.”

“A lot of the songs were double,” Bunetta says, “like somebody might be singing about their girlfriend, but there was another meaning that applied to the group as well.”

Musically, Four was 1D’s most expansive album yet — from the sky-high piano rock of “Steal My Girl” to the tender, tasteful groove of “Fireproof” — and it had the emotional range to match. Now in their early twenties, songs like “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” “No Control,” “Fool’s Gold” and “Clouds” redrew the dramas and euphorias of adolescence with the new weight, wit and wanton winks of impending adulthood. One Direction wasn’t growing up normally in any sense of the word, but they were becoming songwriters capable of drawing out the most relatable elements from their extraordinary circumstances — like on “Change Your Ticket,” where the turbulent love affairs of young jet-setters are distilled to the universal pang of a long goodbye. There were real relationships inspiring these stories, but now that One Direction was four years into being the biggest band on the planet, it was natural that the relationships within the band would make it into the music as well.

“I think that on Four,” Bunetta says with a slight pause, “there were some tensions going on. A lot of the songs were double — like somebody might be singing about their girlfriend, but there was another meaning that applied to the group as well.”

He continues: “It’s tough going through that age, having to spread your wings with so many eyeballs on you, so much money and no break. It was tough for them to carve out their individual manhood, space and point of view, while learning how to communicate with each other. Even more than relationship things that were going on, that was the bigger blanket that was in there every day, seeping into the songs.”

Bunetta remembers Zayn playing him “Pillowtalk” and a few other songs for the first time through a three a.m. fog of cigarette smoke in a hotel room in Japan.

“Fucking amazing,” he says. “They were fucking awesome. I know creatively he wasn’t getting what he needed from the way that the albums were being made on the road. He wanted to lock himself in the studio and take his time, be methodical. And that just wasn’t possible.”

A month or so later, and 16 shows into One Direction’s “On the Road Again” tour, Zayn left the band. Bunetta and Ryan agree it wasn’t out of the blue: “He was frustrated and wanted to do things outside of the band,” Bunetta says. “It’s a lot for a young kid, all those shows. We’d been with them for a bunch of years at this point — it was a matter of when. You just hoped that it would wait until the last album.”

Still, Bunetta compares the loss to having a finger lopped off, and he acknowledges that Harry, Niall, Liam and Louis struggled to find their bearings as One Direction continued with their stadium tour and next album, Made in the A.M. Just as band tensions bubbled beneath the songs on Four, Zayn’s departure left an imprint on Made in the A.M. Not with any overt malice, but a song like “Drag Me Down,” Bunetta says, reflects the effort to bounce back. Even Niall pushing his voice to the limits of his range on that song wouldn’t have been necessary if Zayn and his trusty falsetto were available.

But Made in the A.M. wasn’t beholden to this shake-up. Bunetta and Ryan cite “Olivia” as a defining track, one that captures just how far One Direction had come as songwriters: They’d written it in 45 minutes, after wasting a whole day trying to write something far worse.

“When you start as a songwriter, you write a bunch of shitty songs, you get better and you keep getting better,” Ryan says. “But then you can get finicky and you’re like, ‘Maybe I have to get smart with this lyric.’ By Made in the A.M. … they were coming into their own in the sense of picking up a guitar, messing around and feeling something, rather than being like, ‘How do I put this puzzle together?’”

After Zayn’s departure, Bunetta and Ryan said it became clear that Made in the A.M. would be One Direction’s last album before some break of indeterminate length. The album boasts the palpable tug of the end, but to One Direction’s credit, that finality is balanced by a strong sense of forever. It’s literally the last sentiment they leave their fans on album-closer “History,” singing, “Baby don’t you know, baby don’t you know/We can live forever.”

In a way, Made in the A.M. is about One Direction as an entity. Not one that belonged to the group, but to everyone they spent five years making music for. Four years since their hiatus and 10 years since their formation, the fans remain One Direction’s defining legacy. Even as all five members have settled into solo careers, Ryan notes that baseless rumors of any kind of reunion — even a meager Zoom call — can still set the internet on fire. The old songs remain potent, too: Carl Falk says his nine-year-old son has taken to making TikToks to 1D tracks.

“Most of them weren’t necessarily musicians before this happened, but they loved music, and they found a love of creating, writing and playing,” Kotecha says

There are plenty of metrics to quantify One Direction’s reach, success and influence. The hard numbers — album sales and concert stubs — are staggering on their own, but the ineffable is always more fun. One Direction was such a good band that a fan, half-jokingly, but then kinda seriously, started a GoFundMe to buy out their contract and grant them full artistic freedom. One Direction was such a good band that songwriters like Kotecha and Falk — who would go on to make hits with Ariana Grande, the Weeknd and Nicki Minaj — still think about the songs they could’ve made with them. One Direction was such a good band that Mitski covered “Fireproof.”

But maybe it all comes down to the most ineffable thing of all: Chance. Kotecha compares success on talent shows like The X Factor to waking up one morning and being super cut — but now, to keep that figure, you have to work out at a 10, without having done the gradual work to reach that level. That’s the downfall for so many acts, but One Direction was not only able, but willing, to put in the work.

“They’re one of the only acts from those types of shows that managed to do it for such a long time,” Kotecha says. “Five years is a long time for a massive pop star to go nonstop. I know it was tiring, but they were fantastic sports about it. They appreciated and understood the opportunity they had — and, as you can see, they haven’t really stopped since. Most of them weren’t necessarily musicians before this happened, but they loved music, and they found a love of creating, writing and playing. To have these boys — that had been sort of randomly picked — to also have that? It will never be repeated.”

A bathroom figures significantly in the origin stories of at least two classic One Direction songs. The first will be familiar to any fan: Songwriter and producer Savan Kotecha was sitting on the toilet in a London hotel room, when he heard his wife say, “I feel so ugly today.” The words that popped into his head would shape the chorus of One Direction’s unforgettable 2011 debut, “What Makes You Beautiful.”

The second takes place a few years later: Another hotel room in England — this one in Manchester — where songwriters and producers Julian Bunetta and John Ryan were throwing back Cucumber Collins cocktails and tinkering with a beat. Liam Payne was there, too. At one point, Payne got up to use the bathroom, and when he re-emerged, he was singing a melody. They taped it immediately. Most of it was mumbled — a temporary placeholder — but there was one phrase: “Better than words …” A few hours later, on the bus to another city, another show — Bunetta and Ryan can’t remember where — Payne asked, maybe having a laugh, “What if the rest of the song was just lyrics from other songs?”

“Songs in general, you’re just sort of waiting for an idea to bonk you on the head,” Ryan says from a Los Angeles studio, with Bunetta. “And if you’re sort of winking at it, laughing at it — we were probably joking, ‘What if [the next line was] “More than a feeling”? Well, that would actually be tight!’”

“Better Than Words,” closed One Direction’s third album, Midnight Memories. It was never a single, but became a fan-favorite live-show staple. It’s a midtempo headbanger that captures the essence of what One Direction is, and always was: One of the great rock & roll bands of the 21st century.

July 23rd marks One Direction’s 10th anniversary, the day Simon Cowell told Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson that they would progress on The X Factor as a group. Between that date and their last live performance (so far, one can hope) on December 31st, 2015, they released five albums, toured the world four times — twice playing stadiums — and left a trove of Top 10 hits for a devoted global fan base that came to life at the moment social media was redefining the contours of fandom. 

It’d been a decade since the heyday of ‘NSync and Backstreet Boys, and the churn of generations demanded a new boy band. One Direction’s songs were great and their charisma and chemistry undeniable, but what made them stick was a sound unlike anything else in pop — rooted in guitar rock at a time when that couldn’t have been more passé.

Kotecha, who met 1D on The X Factor and shepherded them through their first few years, is a devoted student of the history of boy bands. He first witnessed their power back in the Eighties, when New Kids on the Block helped his older sister through her teens. The common thread linking all great boy bands, from New Kids to BSB, he says, is, “When they’d break, they’d come out of nowhere, sounding like nothing that’s on the radio.”

In 2010, Kotecha remembers, “everybody was doing this sort of Rihanna dance pop.” But that just wasn’t a sound One Direction could pull off (the Wanted did it only once); and famously, they didn’t even dance. Instead, the reference points for 1D went all the way back to the source of contemporary boy bands.

“Me and Simon would talk about how [One Direction] was Beatlesque, Monkees-esque,” Kotecha continues. “They had such big personalities. I felt like a kid again when I was around them. And I felt like the only music you could really do that with is fun, poppy guitar songs. It would come out of left field and become something owned by the fans.”

To craft that sound on 1D’s first two albums, Up All Night and Take Me Home, Kotecha worked mostly with Swedish songwriters-producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. They’d all studied at the Max Martin/Cheiron Studios school of pop craftsmanship, and Falk says they were confident they could crack the boy-band code once more with songs that recalled BSB and ‘NSync, but replaced the dated synths and pianos with guitars. 

The greatest thing popular music can do is make someone else think, “I can do that,” and One Direction’s music was designed with that intent. “The guitar riff had to be so simple that my friend’s 15-year-old daughter could play it and put a cover to YouTube,” Falk says. “If you listen to ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ or ‘One Thing,’ they have two-finger guitar riffs that everyone who can play a bit of guitar can learn. That was all on purpose.”

One Direction famously finished third on The X Factor, but Cowell immediately signed them to his label, Syco Music. They’d gone through one round of artist development boot camp on the show, and another followed on an X Factor live tour in spring 2011. They’d developed an onstage confidence, but the studio presented a new challenge. “We had to create who should do what in One Direction,” Falk says. To solve the puzzle the band’s five voices presented, they chose the kitchen sink method and everyone tried everything.

“They were searching for themselves,” Falk adds. “It was like, Harry, let’s just record him; he’s not afraid of anything. Liam’s the perfect song starter, and then you put Zayn on top with this high falsetto. Louis found his voice when we did ‘Change Your Mind.’ It was a long trial for everyone to find their strengths and weaknesses, but that was also the fun part.” Falk also gave Niall some of his first real guitar lessons; there’s video of them performing “One Thing” together, still blessedly up on YouTube.

“What Makes You Beautiful” was released September 11th, 2011 in the U.K. and debuted at Number One on the singles chart there — though the video had dropped a month prior. While One Direction’s immediate success in the U.K. and other parts of Europe wasn’t guaranteed, the home field odds were favorable. European markets have historically been kinder to boy bands than the U.S.; ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys found huge success abroad before they conquered home. To that end, neither Kotecha nor Falk were sure 1D would break in the U.S. Falk even says of conceiving the band’s sound, “We didn’t want it to sound too American, because this was not meant — for us, at least — to work in America. This was gonna work in the U.K. and maybe outside the U.K.”

Stoking anticipation for “What Makes You Beautiful” by releasing the video on YouTube before the single dropped, preceded the strategy Columbia Records (the band’s U.S. label) adopted for Up All Night. Between its November 2011 arrival in the U.K. and its U.S. release in March 2012, Columbia eschewed traditional radio strategies and built hype on social media. One Direction had been extremely online since their X Factor days, engaging with fans and spending their downtime making silly videos to share. One goofy tune, made with Kotecha, called “Vas Happenin’ Boys?” was an early viral hit.

“They instinctively had this — and it might just be a generational thing — they just knew how to speak to their fans,” Kotecha says. “And they did that by being themselves. That was a unique thing about these boys: When the cameras turned on, they didn’t change who they were.”

Social media was flooded with One Direction contests and petitions to bring the band to fans’ towns. Radio stations were inundated with calls to play “What Makes You Beautiful” long before it was even available. When it did finally arrive, Kotecha (who was in Sweden at the time) remembers staying up all night to watch it climb the iTunes chart with each refresh.

Take Me Home, was recorded primarily in Stockholm and London during and after their first world tour. The success of Up All Night had attracted an array of top songwriting talent — Ed Sheeran even penned two hopeless romantic sad lad tunes, “Little Things” and “Over Again” — but Kotecha, Falk and Yacoub grabbed the reins, collaborating on six of the album’s 13 tracks. In charting their course, Kotecha returned to his boy band history: “My theory was, you give them a similar sound on album two, and album three is when you start moving on.”

Still, there was the inherent pressure of the second album to contend with. The label wanted a “What Makes You Beautiful, Part 2,” and evidence that the 1D phenomenon wasn’t slowing down appeared outside the window of the Stockholm studio: so many fans, the street had to be shut down. Kotecha even remembers seeing police officers with missing person photos, combing through the girls camped outside, looking for teens to return to their parents.

At this pivotal moment, One Direction made it clear that they wanted a greater say in their artistic future. Kotecha admits he was wary at first, but the band was determined. To help manage the workload, Kotecha had brought in two young songwriters, Kristoffer Fogelmark and Albin Nedler, who’d arrived with a handful of ideas, including a chorus for a booming power ballad called “Last First Kiss.”

“We thought, while we’re busy recording vocals, whoever’s not busy can go write songs with these two guys, and then we’ll help shape them as much as we can,” Kotecha says. “And to our pleasant surprise, the songs were pretty damn good.”

At this pivotal moment, too, songwriters Julian Bunetta and John Ryan also met the band. Friends from the Berklee College of Music, Bunetta and Ryan had moved out to L.A. and cut a few tracks, but still had no hits to their name. They entered the Syco orbit after scoring work on the U.S. version of The X Factor, and were asked if they wanted to try writing a song for Take Me Home. “I was like, yeah definitely,” Bunetta says. “They sold five million albums? Hell yeah, I want to make some money.”

Working with Jamie Scott, who’d written two songs on Up All Night (“More Than This” and “Stole My Heart”), Bunetta and Ryan wrote “C’mon, C’mon” — a blinding hit of young love that rips down a dance pop speedway through a comically oversized wall of Marshall stacks. It earned them a trip to London. Bunetta admits to thinking the whole 1D thing was “a quick little fad” ahead of their first meeting with the band, but their charms were overwhelming. Everyone hit it off immediately.

“Niall showed me his ass,” Bunetta remembers of the day they recorded, “They Don’t Know About Us,” one of five songs they produced for Take Me Home (two are on the deluxe edition). “The first vocal take, he went in to sing, did a take, I was looking down at the computer screen and was like, ‘On this line, can you sing it this way?’ And I looked over and he was mooning me. I was like, ‘I love this guy!’”

Take Me Home dropped November 9th, just nine days short of Up All Night’s first anniversary. With only seven weeks left in 2012, it became the fourth best-selling album of the year globally, moving 4.4 million copies, per the IFPI; it fell short of Adele’s 21, Taylor Swift’s Red and 1D’s own Up All Night, which had several extra months to sell 4.5 million copies.

Kotecha, Falk and Yacoub’s tracks anchored the album. Songs like “Kiss You,” “Heart Attack” and “Live While We’re Young” were pristine pop rock that One Direction delivered with full delirium, vulnerability and possibility — the essence of the teen — in voices increasingly capable of navigating all the little nuances of that spectrum. And the songs 1D helped write (“Last First Kiss,” “Back for You” and “Summer Love”) remain among the LP’s best.

“You saw that they caught the bug and were really good at it,” Kotecha says of their songwriting. “And moving forward, you got the impression that that was the way for them.”

Like clockwork, the wheels began to churn for album three right after Take Me Home dropped. But unlike those first two records, carving out dedicated studio time for LP3 was going to be difficult — on February 23rd, 2013, One Direction would launch a world tour in London, the first of 123 concerts they’d play that year. They’d have to write and record on the road, and for Kotecha and Falk — both of whom had just had kids — that just wasn’t possible. 

But it was also time for a creative shift. Even Kotecha knew that from his boy band history: album three is, after all, when you start moving on. One Direction was ready, too. Kotecha credits Louis, the oldest member of the group, for “shepherding them into adulthood, away from the very pop-y stuff of the first two albums. He was leading the charge to make sure that they had a more mature sound. And at the time, being in it, it was a little difficult for me, Rami and Carl to grasp — but hindsight, that was the right thing to do.” 

“For three years, this was our schedule,” Bunetta says. “We did X Factor October, November, December. Took off January. February, flew to London. We’d gather ideas with the band, come up with sounds, hang out. Then back to L.A. for March, produce some stuff, then go out on the road with them in April. Get vocals, write a song or two, come back for May, work on the vocals, and produce the songs we wrote on the road. Back to London in June-ish. Back here for July, produce it up. Go back on tour in August, get last bits of vocals, mix in September, back to X Factor in October, album out in November, January off, start it all over again.”

That cycle began in early 2013 when Bunetta and Ryan flew to London for a session that lasted just over a week, but yielded the bulk of Midnight Memories. With songwriters Jamie Scott, Wayne Hector and Ed Drewett they wrote “Best Song Ever” and “You and I,” and, with One Direction, “Diana” and “Midnight Memories.” Bunetta and Ryan’s initial rapport with the band strengthened — they were a few years older, but as Bunetta jokes, “We act like we’re 19 all the time anyway.” Years ago, Bunetta posted an audio clip documenting the creation of “Midnight Memories” — the place-holder chorus was a full-throated, perfectly harmonized, “I love KFC!”

For the most part, Bunetta, Ryan and 1D doubled down on the rock sound their predecessors had forged, but there was one outlier from that week. A stunning bit of post-Mumford festival folk buoyed by a new kind of lyrical and vocal maturity called “Story of My Life.”

“This was a make or break moment for them,” Bunetta says. “They needed to grow up, or they were gonna go away — and they wanted to grow up. To get to the level they got to, you need more than just your fan base. That song extended far beyond their fan base and made people really pay attention.”

Production on Midnight Memories continued on the road, where, like so many bands before them, One Direction unlocked a new dimension to their music. Tour engineer Alex Oriet made it possible, Ryan says, building makeshift vocal booths in hotel rooms by flipping beds up against the walls. Writing and recording was crammed in whenever — 20 minutes before a show, or right after another two-hour performance.

“It preserved the excitement of the moment,” Bunetta says. “We were just there, doing it, marinating in it at all times. You’re capturing moments instead of trying to recreate them. A lot of times we’d write a song, sing it in the hotel, produce it, then fly back out to have them re-sing it — and so many times the demo vocals were better. They hadn’t memorized it yet. They were still in the mood. There was a performance there that you couldn’t recreate.” 

Midnight Memories arrived, per usual, in November 2013. And, per usual, it was a smash. The following year, 1D brought their songs to the environment they always deserved — stadiums around the world — and amid the biggest shows of their career, they worked on their aptly-titled fourth album Four. The 123 concerts 1D had played the year before had strengthened their combined vocal prowess in a way that opened up an array of new possibilities.

“We could use their voices on Four to make something sound more exciting and bigger, rather than having to add too many guitars, synths or drums,” Ryan says.

“They were so much more dynamic and subtle, too,” Bunetta adds. “I don’t think they could’ve pulled off a song like ‘Night Changes’ two albums prior; or the nuance to sing soft and emotionally on ‘Fireproof.’ It takes a lot of experience to deliver a restrained vocal that way.”

Musically, Four was 1D’s most expansive album yet — from the sky-high piano rock of “Steal My Girl” to the tender, tasteful groove of “Fireproof” — and it had the emotional range to match. Now in their early twenties, songs like “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” “No Control,” “Fool’s Gold” and “Clouds” redrew the dramas and euphorias of adolescence with the new weight, wit and wanton winks of impending adulthood. One Direction wasn’t growing up normally in any sense of the word, but they were becoming songwriters capable of drawing out the most relatable elements from their extraordinary circumstances — like on “Change Your Ticket,” where the turbulent love affairs of young jet-setters are distilled to the universal pang of a long goodbye. There were real relationships inspiring these stories, but now that One Direction was four years into being the biggest band on the planet, it was natural that the relationships within the band would make it into the music as well.

“I think that on Four,” Bunetta says with a slight pause, “there were some tensions going on. A lot of the songs were double — like somebody might be singing about their girlfriend, but there was another meaning that applied to the group as well.”

He continues: “It’s tough going through that age, having to spread your wings with so many eyeballs on you, so much money and no break. It was tough for them to carve out their individual manhood, space and point of view, while learning how to communicate with each other. Even more than relationship things that were going on, that was the bigger blanket that was in there every day, seeping into the songs.”

Bunetta remembers Zayn playing him “Pillowtalk” and a few other songs for the first time through a three a.m. fog of cigarette smoke in a hotel room in Japan.

“Fucking amazing,” he says. “They were fucking awesome. I know creatively he wasn’t getting what he needed from the way that the albums were being made on the road. He wanted to lock himself in the studio and take his time, be methodical. And that just wasn’t possible.”

A month or so later, and 16 shows into One Direction’s “On the Road Again” tour, Zayn left the band. Bunetta and Ryan agree it wasn’t out of the blue: “He was frustrated and wanted to do things outside of the band,” Bunetta says. “It’s a lot for a young kid, all those shows. We’d been with them for a bunch of years at this point — it was a matter of when. You just hoped that it would wait until the last album.”

Still, Bunetta compares the loss to having a finger lopped off, and he acknowledges that Harry, Niall, Liam and Louis struggled to find their bearings as One Direction continued with their stadium tour and next album, Made in the A.M. Just as band tensions bubbled beneath the songs on Four, Zayn’s departure left an imprint on Made in the A.M. Not with any overt malice, but a song like “Drag Me Down,” Bunetta says, reflects the effort to bounce back. Even Niall pushing his voice to the limits of his range on that song wouldn’t have been necessary if Zayn and his trusty falsetto were available.

But Made in the A.M. wasn’t beholden to this shake-up. Bunetta and Ryan cite “Olivia” as a defining track, one that captures just how far One Direction had come as songwriters: They’d written it in 45 minutes, after wasting a whole day trying to write something far worse.

“When you start as a songwriter, you write a bunch of shitty songs, you get better and you keep getting better,” Ryan says. “But then you can get finicky and you’re like, ‘Maybe I have to get smart with this lyric.’ By Made in the A.M. … they were coming into their own in the sense of picking up a guitar, messing around and feeling something, rather than being like, ‘How do I put this puzzle together?’”

After Zayn’s departure, Bunetta and Ryan said it became clear that Made in the A.M. would be One Direction’s last album before some break of indeterminate length. The album boasts the palpable tug of the end, but to One Direction’s credit, that finality is balanced by a strong sense of forever. It’s literally the last sentiment they leave their fans on album-closer “History,” singing, “Baby don’t you know, baby don’t you know/We can live forever.”

In a way, Made in the A.M. is about One Direction as an entity. Not one that belonged to the group, but to everyone they spent five years making music for. Four years since their hiatus and 10 years since their formation, the fans remain One Direction’s defining legacy. Even as all five members have settled into solo careers, Ryan notes that baseless rumors of any kind of reunion — even a meager Zoom call — can still set the internet on fire. The old songs remain potent, too: Carl Falk says his nine-year-old son has taken to making TikToks to 1D tracks.

There are plenty of metrics to quantify One Direction’s reach, success and influence. The hard numbers — album sales and concert stubs — are staggering on their own, but the ineffable is always more fun. One Direction was such a good band that a fan, half-jokingly, but then kinda seriously, started a GoFundMe to buy out their contract and grant them full artistic freedom. One Direction was such a good band that songwriters like Kotecha and Falk — who would go on to make hits with Ariana Grande, the Weeknd and Nicki Minaj — still think about the songs they could’ve made with them. One Direction was such a good band that Mitski covered “Fireproof.”

But maybe it all comes down to the most ineffable thing of all: Chance. Kotecha compares success on talent shows like The X Factor to waking up one morning and being super cut — but now, to keep that figure, you have to work out at a 10, without having done the gradual work to reach that level. That’s the downfall for so many acts, but One Direction was not only able, but willing, to put in the work.

“They’re one of the only acts from those types of shows that managed to do it for such a long time,” Kotecha says. “Five years is a long time for a massive pop star to go nonstop. I know it was tiring, but they were fantastic sports about it. They appreciated and understood the opportunity they had — and, as you can see, they haven’t really stopped since. Most of them weren’t necessarily musicians before this happened, but they loved music, and they found a love of creating, writing and playing. To have these boys — that had been sort of randomly picked — to also have that? It will never be repeated.”

the arcade

request from anonymous - Could you do a Steve imagine where he introduces you to the party and y’all are dating

warnings - there aren't any :)

word count - 1.2k

a.n. - i had a lil trouble writing this in the beginning, but once i got started, it became hella fun! i still low-key suck at writing concepts when there's more than like- three people involved lmao, but this was fun! i think this is such a sweet lil concept, and i hope you think so as well :)

.`.

It was a beautiful September day in Hawkins, one that had thick white clouds that looked like dollops of whipped cream in front of a wildly blue background.

There the two of you sat, hand in hand, hair being blown around thanks to the windows being down. The earliest fall perfume filled your lungs, still laced with the smell of flowers. It was enough to bring a small curl to your lips.

Today was going to be good, you could just feel it.

Steve had told you today was the day for you to "meet some people"- which you incorrectly assumed meant it was time to meet the parents. Which definitely wouldn't be a bad thing given the two of you have been dating for a few weeks now.

When he pulled up in front of an arcade, you couldn't help but frown as you looked over to him.  "What are we doing here?" You ask with a small, confused smile playing at your lips.

"Well," Swiftly, Steve backed into a parking spot with a small smile of his own "This is where you're gonna meet those people I talked about earlier. Just some friends I want you to know." He said simply

"You're being so cryptic," You say with a light, airy chuckle and the tiniest of smirks playing at your lips. He hadn't answered any of your questions today- but that was alright. You trusted him.

Steve turned the car off, glancing to you with a smile before leaning in to gently peck your lips with his own soft ones.

He'd decided against outright telling you he was friends with a bunch of fourteen-year-olds, and that he'd basically saved the world a cool couple of times with their help. He figured shit like that would take time- and that this was the first step.

There was a small part of him that worried about your reaction. He already cared so incredibly deeply for you that, if you were to negatively react to his friends or his past, it would simply destroy him. He was letting you into a new part of his life, which gave you a specific power, one he worried about.

Soon enough, the two of you were walking from the car. On the small of your back, Steve's hand softly lingered, a gentle reminder that he was with you and that you were with him.

He opened the door for you, allowing for you to walk in before him. The arcade was busier than you'd expected it would be, filled with kids trying to get their last days of summer fun before school resumed.

A shorter kid was the first to walk up to greet you, one that had curly light brown hair and an incredibly wide smile.

"Steve!"

"Dustin!"

You raised an eyebrow with a small smile as the two greeted each other, performing a sort of secret handshake that was probably inspired by Star Wars in one way or another.

Once the two were finished with their energetic greeting, another boy showed up. He looked to be the quiet type, with a small, pleasant smile and a bowl cut.

"Where is everyone? I have someone I want you guys to meet!" Steve said with a glad smile, pulling you close to him

The two boys looked your way, both wearing similarly wary smiles.

"I'm Y/N," you say, "Steve's significant other."

The boy you deemed to be named Dustin lit up, immediately sticking his hand out to shake. "Wow! Wait- Steve, this is Y/N?"

Softly, you chuckle, shaking his hand. You glanced at Steve, who was nodding with a stupidly proud smile on his face. "Yep!"

Soon, you and Dustin stop shaking hands. The boy with the bowl-cut gave you a small, almost shy wave with an again pleasant smile. "I'm Will."

"It's really nice to meet you both." You say with a small chuckle. You were a tiny bit confused, but not all that surprised. You could easily see Steve being these kid's older sibling figure.

"Alright- Where's Robin?" Steve asks, still with a smile.

"She's over there," Will pointed to a game titled Dig-Dug, where a tall girl stood, concentrating hard at the game before her with a few other kids surrounding her, cheering her on.

Steve again returned his hand to the small of your back, beginning to walk with you and the boys to where the girl named Robin stood, accompanied by a few other kids.

"Hey, Robin!" Steve called.

You knew of Robin, mostly considering it was a small town and she went to school with you.

She glanced to Steve, then did a double-take when she saw you at her side. Already, a smile was pulling to her lips. Sadly though, she stared a bit too long, and she died in her game.

That wasn't a problem though, given she was already walking towards the two of you.

"Is /this/ your Y/N?" She asked, a genuinely kind and interested smile on her lips.

"Yes, it is." Steve said, glancing to you.

You smile softly and give her a small wave "Hi, Robin." You greet lightly

Suddenly, a few kids around Dustin & Will's age appeared at Robin's side. You'd seen these kids riding around town before- except for one kid. A girl with doe eyes and brown locks, a timid, small frown forming on her face.

"This is Y/N." Steve explained, noticing the confused glances some of the kids shared with one another.

You smiled softly as the redhead lit up. "We have heard a lot about you." She said with a small chuckle.

"I'm Max. And that's Lucas, that's Mike, and that's El." She pointed to each person as she said their names, each one flashing you a small smile. Except for that El girl. She looked a bit uncomfortable, but still friendly.

"It's really nice to meet you guys," You say with a smile. "This might be a dumb question but.." You paused with a small chuckle. "how do you all know Steve?"

"Babysitting." Explained Dustin, causing the other kids to nod in agreement. It seemed a bit odd to you that this many teens would need babysitting, but you didn't question it.

-

The two of you stayed at the Arcade for an hour or so longer, talking and playing games. Steve absolutely sucked at each game he attempted, almost comically so. He really seemed to be enjoying himself though, smiling the entire time.

It was only when Steve ran out of quarters that you all said your goodbyes, telling that you'll see one another again soon, probably to do more babysitting.

As the two of you walked out, hand in hand, Steve glanced to you. "So, what do ya' think?"

You smiled and shrugged, beginning to swing your hands "I had a good time. Maybe next time you babysit, I'll come with."

Second Chance

Somewhat inspired by @unmaskedagain and her stories. Or well the pairing came from it. 

If you like my stuff, maybe support me on Ko-Fi?

 After it’s all over, after Hawkmoth is dead, Marinette breaks down screaming. She screams and rages. Not just for the fact she finally can- she can finally break without worry- but also for her partner. Chat Noir lays on the ground… Adrien lays on the ground with a sword through his gut and her frantically trying to heal him while Hawkmoth- Gabriel whatever- stares in horror.

 “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Hawkmoth screams as he’s led away by police, as Paramedics try and heal Adrien. “It wasn’t…”

 It was.

 Adrien was pronounced dead five minutes after Hawkmoth was removed from the scene. And Ladybug left the scene. She left the scene and then as Marinette accepted an internship she’d been offered years ago, vanishing to New York while Lila sprouted claims of having helped lead Ladybug and Chat to Hawkmoth, of her fake sobs about being forced to go along with Gabriel’s plots. 

 Who’d believe the terrorist over a pretty Italian girl?

 Marinette vanished into America and never resurfaced. She didn’t care that Lila was lying. She’d gotten over that years ago thanks to Adrien finally realizing how bad her lies were and trying to help. She didn’t care that her class was still following Lila. She didn’t care her parents barely realized she was gone- treating her like an adult for most of her life helped with that. All she cared about was her shattered heart. 

 Luka and Kagami kept in contact. Chloe she saw when the blonde visited her mother. Everything else was gone.

 She was broken. After all, Ladybug and Black Cat holders were two parts of the same whole. They were yin and yang. And she’d lost her Cat. She was broken in a way only another Black Cat could heal. But she couldn’t let herself find one. 

 She was lost. 

 And then she ran into a redhead who was carrying a little girl and talking on the phone.

-0-

 “Yeah, I’ll be there. Just got to figure out who can watch Lian for about a week. Or more depending on how long this… stuff will take.” Roy Harper says into the phone while Lian whines about being bored. Jason snorts over the phone.

 “You have her with you? Trying to keep her vocabulary clean still?” Jason taunts his friend and Roy laughs. 

 “Oh bite me,” Roy tells him just as a young woman nearly runs into him, the woman busy talking into her own phone. “Whoa! Watch it!” The woman jerks.

 “Oh, Kwami- I’m so sorry.” She does look sorry. “I wasn’t- no Luka I’m talking- look can I call you back? Thanks.” She hangs up her phone as Roy hangs up his after a similar conversation with Jason. “Marinette. I’m sorry for nearly running into you.”

 “Roy. And I’m more worried about what would have happened to my kid.” Lian is hiding her face in his shoulder. Good girl for being wary of strangers. Marinette looks even more apologetic.

 “There’s a cafe near here with cute cookies that look like animals if you’ll let me make it up to you?” And well cookies and animals are Liam’s weakness. Or maybe they’re every seven-year-old’s weakness. Lian eagerly accepts the offering and Roy laughs while Marinette leads them to the cafe. 

 It’s fun and light and soon they’re trading numbers to keep in touch. Roy has his mission with the Outlaws but he finds himself texting Marinette often. Lian when he calls her- staying with Tim Drake for a few weeks- wants to see the pretty lady again. And Roy… wouldn’t mind it. 

 They meet up when Roy’s back in New York and Marinette isn’t running around dealing with a fashion show. They meet up at a park to play with Lian and get ice cream, Marinette telling the story of how there is a magic ice-cream seller in Paris who can give you ice cream based on the person you’re in love with and well Roy has heard weirder things. Sounds like this guy isn’t trying to take over the world. Not like that Hawkmoth guy who the Justice League only realized was real when he got arrested. That had Green Lantern looking stupid while Wonder Woman ripped him a new one. 

 Marinette tells stories about Ladybug and her team to Lian who loves them and adores hearing about any hero. Luckily she doesn’t mention Roy and his skills. It’s safe and wonderful and he loves it.

-0-

 Roy and Lian are bright lights in a long sea of pain for Marinette. She loves spending time with them, laughing and playing games together. She loves going to the park with Lian or going to a movie with Roy. 

 Roy winces when she mentions alcohol and so she avoids it- not enjoying drinking anyway- and focuses on other things like movies or museums or even some science expo Roy was thrilled about. 

 Max was there to and he’d seen her. He came up to her to speak and apologize for never believing her as a kid about Lila. Apparently, she was lying about dating him now as she tried to catch some fame Max had concerning his AI and robotics research. They hug and Marinette… she’s better then she was before. She’s still broken and pained but she feels human enough to say it’s okay and she forgives him now. Roy gets a bit of a rundown of how Marinette was treated in college and lycee, and also it brings up her parents and their expectations and treatment of her.

 She keeps in contact with them, but they stopped being parents long ago. They started treating her like an adult at ten and she never really looked back.

 Roy’s quiet for a few minutes after hearing this before he rolls up his sleeves to show track marks and begins his tale of being adopted by a billionaire from a Navajo reserve. He speaks of loving his adoptive father but being thrown out by him upon becoming addicted to drugs and struggling to get clean only to fall into alcoholism. How his friends helped him get clean, but Lian was what had him stay clean. 

 “I know a thing about bad parents.” He finishes and Marinette hugs him tight. It’s not the same but they both carry trauma from their parents. 

 They aren’t dating but something about Roy makes her feel alive again.

-0-

 Roy introduces Marinette to Kori and Jason when they’re in New York for Lian’s birthday. Marinette came to the party with handmade dolls of the Heroes of Paris. Lian adores them and happily plays with them while Marinette gets along famously with Kori and finds that she can tease Jason well enough. 

 She’s sunshine and adorable and Roy can’t remember the last time he laughed so much or smiled so bright. Jason and Kori sure notice and drill him about his relationship with the girl. There isn’t really one outside of friendship but both know they find each other attractive. There’s just something stopping them. For Roy it’s Lian and Jade and Oliver and his addiction. It’s being Arsenal and being part of the Outlaws. 

 For Marinette… well he doesn’t know but she hides her own scars. They’re just not ready yet, and his friends accept it. They still tease though.

-0-

 “He’s the next Black Cat isn’t he?” Marinette asks Tikki late at night. The Kwami nods.

 “He is. You need a Cat Marinette, you couldn’t keep going without one without going insane.” Marinette has come a long way since she was a teenager. She misses Adrien, misses her kitty but she’s no fool. Soulmates are a thing but many people can be soulmates. Souls come in many. 

 She just wishes it didn’t hurt so much knowing this.

 She has no idea how to tell Roy. She has no idea how to explain it all to him. She doesn’t know how to tell him she’s the Guardian for a box that holds what amount to magical nukes. She just doesn’t.

 She thinks she’s lucky when aliens attack and Roy suits up in front of her, apologizing for lying, saying he’s sorry. 

 She kisses him and it’s their first kiss and means so much. She grins at him and transforms.

 “Roy Harper.” She says to him, pulling out a silver ring. “This is the Miraculous of the Black Cat, the Kwami of Destruction inside. Every Ladybug needs a Black Cat with her. I fell for you without knowing you’re a possibility. But you are. Will you take this responsibility… and be with me?”

 “...Hell yeah.”

-0-

 It’s not perfect. Roy and Marinette know they need to speak more, that more stories need to be told, and more pain needs to be uncovered. But as Roy and Marinette power up and fight, all they can think is that they got their second chance.

A Little Birdy Told Me pt. 2

AAAAAAAAA thank you guys so much for all of the support this has gotten! I hope you guys enjoy!

“Batsy, I know you’re mad about the shop window, but my Daffo-Doll and I had to talk to you about somethin’ really concernin’” Harley said as she hid her mallet behind her back, as though the vigilante wouldn’t notice it.

 “I tried to tell her to wait until one of you guys came out but that would have taken too long. Call this a speed dial.” Ivy explained as she played with a blossoming marigold in her hand. She couldn’t help but look at it fondly, it reminded her of Marinette, and since that’s what they wanted to discuss with him, her thoughts kept drifting to the heartbreaking sobs her and Harley had heard on their way home from a date night. Harley had taken her to her favorite Thai restaurant and had actually tried one of the vegetarian dishes with her. The real surprise was that Harley actually like it. It had been such a good night but then they heard the crying and had found that poor girl crying in the alleyway. Ivy had been a bit wary but seeing Marinette and actually talking to her, she couldn’t help but already love the child, and it helped that her plans seemed to like the child too. She had never seen them be protective of anyone besides her, Harley, and Lucy when she would come to visit.

 “And what’s the reason for this…” speed dial” Ivy?” The Bat asked, always to the point.

 “We ran into a tourist today,” Ivy began.

 “Her name is Marinette and she is literal sunshine!” Harley interrupted.

 “And she was left behind at her class twice today. She said they probably forgot her, but Harley thinks they may have done it on purpose.” Ivy explained as she examined Batman, looking for any kind of sign that he would take this seriously, because if not she was not above throwing him over the side of the building.

 It was silent for a couple minutes before Batman nodded and looked at Harley as he crossed his arms. “Why do you think they did it on purpose, Quinn?”

 Harley huffed and walked over to the Bat, her frown deepened as she explained everything that she had told Ivy, her behavior was a clear warning, or so Harley said. Ivy always loved when Harley showed her psychologist side. She listened to her explain more about Marinette’s body language before she finally told him about how they found her near Crime Alley. That’s when his usually stoic face broke out in a frown.

 “How old did you say she was?” He asked.

 “She’s 15, she’s 15 and her teacher didn’t even notice she forgot her and left her behind in one of th most crime filled cities in the world. You can understand why this worries us.” Ivy growled at the thought of them abandoning sweet Marinette again. “We just wanted to let you know in case they happen to “forget” her again.”

 “I’ll look into it.” And with that the Bat was gone. Ivy hoped beyond anything that the next time her and Harley ran into Marinette, it would be under safer and happier circumstances.

 __________________________________________________

A shrill ringing boke the peaceful sleep Marinette had been having but she knew she had to get up earlier than normal if she didn’t want to be “forgotten” again. She quickly took a shower and dressed herself in some pink shorts that were designed to look like her usual capris, white tights, a grey cardigan with a pink and white polka dotted pocket on the right breast, underneath that was a white t-shirt with her usual apple blossom design on it. She slipped on her pink flats before she grabbed her usual purse and a small backpack that had her sketchbook, some pens and pencils, a water bottle, a small first aid kit, and some cookies in it. She would worry about breakfast once she knew she was in no danger of being left behind again, and she would grab some sugar cubes for Kaalki while she was at it.

 Once she was downstairs she made sure to ask the front desk if her class had left yet, she was relieved to hear that they had not yet so she made her way to the restaurant where there was complimentary breakfast, she grabbed a probably stale blueberry muffin, a banana, apple juice and some sugar cubes before she went back to the lobby and sat on one of the couches nearest to the door and munched awat on breakfast. She shared some of the muffin with the kwamis in her small purse as she waited for more people to come down and wait for the bus to arrive. The first of her classmates to come down was Max, she smiled and waved at him and he returned the gesture as he made his way to brab breakfast before joining her on the couch.

 “There’s a 99.3% chance the world is going to end today, you’re early for something.” He joked.

 Marinette laughed and shook her head; she was happy when she had found out that Max was on her side after he did research after the whole napkin incident. He had apologized for days before Marinette had convinced him that she wasn’t mad and forgave him. “Yeah, I didn’t want a repeat of what happened yesterday.”

 Max frowned and shook his head, it was easy to tell he was annoyed, “We tried to tell Madame Bustier that you were on your way down, but Lila managed to convince her to just go. She didn’t even listen to Kim, Alix, and I.”

 “It’s not your guys’ fault.”

 “We know but that doesn’t make what they did any better, Marinette. Markov even tried to talk some sense into Madame Bustier, but she threatened to lock him away in room for the remainder of the trip.”

 Now it was Marinette’s turn to frown, “She shouldn’t have done that, he was just trying to help. Where is he now?”

 “In our room, I asked if he wanted to come today but he said he didn’t have the patience to deal with Madame and Lila, I left him with the video games Kim and I brought though so he should be entertained till we get back for our free time after the tour.” Max explained as Kim jogged over to them.

 “Nettie! Wow the world must be ending.”

 Marinette huffed out a laugh as she threw the wrapper from her muffin at Kim. He easily deflected it and threw it back at her as he sat next to Max on the couch. The three of them continued to talk till they heard wheels on the marble floor and groaning before they saw Alix plop herself on the chair next to them. They all laughed at their friend, who was as much a morning person as Marinette was.

 “When did you get back, Nettie?” Alix asked once she was more awake and drinking a large cup of black coffee.

 “Late. I don’t even know the actual time. My phone died on my way back.”

 “What? Are you okay did anything happen?” Kim fussed over her, the action making her giggle.

 “I’m fine Kim, I got some help back to the hotel.” She carefully left out the fact that it was Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn that had been the ones to help her back. She didn’t want her friends to worry more than they already had, and she really didn’t want to explain how they found her and everything. The group continued talking until everyone arrived. Marinette could see that Adrien was going to approach her, but Lila latched onto his arm like a leash. It was the one time in her life Marinette had ever wanted to thank Lila. Talking with Adrien always meant an argument nowadays. She doesn’t know what started it but if she had to guess it probably happened around the same time, she found out his was Chat Noir. She hadn’t meant to find out, but it was during a particularly difficult akuma. The fight had gone on for over an hour, as soon as they were done, she rushed off home, barely managing to transform back on her balcony, just as she was about to go into her room Chat Noir landed on her balcony after transforming back mid jump. It had to have hurt, and Marinette would have rushed over to make sure he was okay, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she had just watched Chat Noir turn into Adrien.

 His groaning had shaken her out of her shock, and she had quickly ran over to make sure he was okay. The next couple of days had been awkward, they barely talked to each other, and she didn’t even think she could form her usual nonsense sentences. But after a long talk they started to get close, but Marinette hadn’t told him she was Ladybug. It was a good thing she didn’t, she had to hear him talk over and over again about how they were meant to be and that Ladybug was just being stubborn and blind. The more they spoke about it, the more Marinette realized Adrien wouldn’t fall for just her, it was disheartening but she figured she was better as a friend to him.

 But that didn’t last, Ladybug had once again rejected Chat Noir and Adrien had had it or so it seemed, then he had tried to kiss her. She tried to make it clear that it wasn’t okay to do that so soon, plus the fact that she didn’t like him like that. Something must have been lost in translation or something because he started trying to “woo” her. What didn’t help the situation was Alya thinking she was helping Marinette out by announcing to the class that she had had the biggest crush on Adrien. After that, Adrien wouldn’t take no for an answer, no matter how much she explained she didn’t like him.

 It escalated to the fact that she had to get a new phone number and make entirely different social media accounts. It wasn’t just him that led her to those suggestions, but he was a big factor. Then he broke into her room and tried to make her go on a date with him. That was a bad night, she had yelled for him to let her go as he tried to pull her through her skylight door, but thankfully her papa heard her and he came running upstairs and had punched Chat Noir away from her. She could tell that it hadn’t deterred Chat because he just blew her a kiss and said he would return. That night was the first time in a long time that Marinette had slept in her parent’s bed with them. They could hear Chat come back an hour later, he stayed up in her room for about thirty minutes, then they heard the latch door to her room open, all three held their breaths, strained their ears to listen if he was going to come down, but they heard her door close and waited before they even thought about relaxing.

 She was brought out of the thought when she felt herself being dragged onto the bus by Kim, he made sure to take her to the back rows and place her by a window, as a way to protect her, he had explained. When they had first got in to Gotham, Marinette had taken the aisle seat so that Kim could sleep, there was a lot of “dropped” things on her, including drinks. She shot him a grateful smile.

 “You excited to see more of Wayne tower today?” She asked as she leaned her head on the window.

 “You know it! That place was so awesome. I just wish you could have seen it yesterday…”

 “It’s okay, I’m going today, plus Max said that Markov recorded everything for me to see later.”

 “I forgot he did that! I’ll have to ask him to send me some of the footage, I promised Ondine I would send her pictures and such.”

 Mari smiled slyly as she elbowed Kim gently while wiggling her eyebrows, “How’s that going by the way?”

 Kim laughed and shoved her face away playfully before he sighed dreamily. “She’s the best Nettie! Did I tell you what she gave me before we left?”

 “No, what?”

 He held up his wrist and tapped the capsule, “We switched bracelets, inside is little messages to each other. She’s so smart Nettie, I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

 The rest of the ride was spent talking about Ondine, and Max talking about the newest updates to his game and trying to talk Alix out of doing graffiti while they were in Gotham. All in all it was a good start to the day.

  ____________________________________________________

Sam I Am @gothamite4lifebby

A bus just passed by me and I looked inside and made eye contact with this girl who had black hair and blue eyes…did…did I just spot a new Wayne? #onlyingotham #shitimlateforworkagain

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I hope I got everyone, let me know if I missed anyone

The phone rang shrilly, each ring an arrow through Billy’s brain, until he was finally able to move himself off the couch.  He was at Steve’s, as usual now, and was nursing the worst fucking hangover he’d had.  His head hurt, his stomach hurt, his body hurt, and not even in a good way.  Because Steve had refused to even kiss him (You smell like shit, Billy).  He ran a hand over his face and groaned.  He snatched up the receiver angrily.

“What,” he barked into the phone.

“Steve?” It was one of the little shitheads, Billy couldn’t tell which, and he sighed.

“He’s out with his parents for brunch.  Schmoozing or some shit.” He pulled out a mug and some instant coffee, tossing the mug into the microwave to heat the water.  “Who’s this?”

“Fuck.  And it’s me, Dustin, asshole.” Billy snorted.

“He’ll be back,” Billy tried.  He and Steve had talked about manners, about how Billy had to try and be a little nicer, so he was trying.  “I dunno when though.”

“I need a ride to DnD.  My bike chain got all messed up,” Dustin said.  Billy pinched the bridge of his nose and mixed the instant coffee into the water.

“Well, he’s not here--”

“C-Can you give me a ride?” Dustin’s voice shook, like he had to gather the courage to ask, and it made Billy pause.  “Like, my mom is gone, everyone else is already there, I can’t walk that far, and we’re about to fight a boss and--!”

“Whoa whoa,” Billy said, slurping his coffee obnoxiously just to hear the annoyed groan.  “Are you serious?”

“I literally have no other option besides walking and it’s too cold.” Which was true, honestly.  Indiana was fucking unforgiving in the winter.  Billy ran his hand over his face, screamed into his fist, and then inhaled sharply through his nose.

“What’s your fucking address.”

--

Billy anxiously and impatiently tapped on his steering wheel to the beat of Judas Priest.  He’d pulled into the driveway about 2 minutes ago and was beginning to feel more and more out of place.  His fingers twitched, wanting to reach for a cigarette, but Steve had rules about smoking around the shitheads.  The door creaked and slammed as Dustin got in the car.  He was clutching his backpack with white knuckles and Billy grit his teeth.  The kid looked just as uncomfortable as he felt; still, it sucked that the kid was still so scared of him.  Steve had been trying, Billy had been trying, but Dustin was still wary of every move he made.  Which was why him asking Billy for a ride made no sense.

“Whose house are we going to?” Billy tried, keeping his voice as neutral as possible.

“Lucas’s.” Dustin’s fingers gripped his backpack tighter.  Billy’s hands flexed on the wheel.

“Okay,” he replied, keeping his voice the same.  “Directions?” He pulled out of the driveway and followed Dustin’s directions to the Sinclair’s house.  It was quiet except for when Dustin would mutter about turn left, here, and it made Billy anxious.  He fucking hated it.  But he loved Steve, so he’d deal.  “What are y’all even up to?” He knew Dustin had told him, but he was hung over and not really listening.

“Our campaign,” Dustin replied stiffly, ready to be made fun of.

“What, like DnD?” Max had mentioned they liked to play it, and Steve had as well, but it was always in the back of Billy’s head.  He’d always been more focused on his father or getting into Steve’s pants.  He chanced a glance at Dustin and saw he was staring, jaw slightly slack.  “What?” Billy said defensively.

“You know Dungeons and Dragons?”

“Do I look like a heathen?”

“Well, yeah,” Dustin scoffed.  He tensed, knuckles going white again, but Billy just barked out a laugh.  Dustin didn’t relax, but he looked less concerned.  Less worried.

“I may be dating Steve,” Dustin fake gagged and Billy rolled his eyes, “But I’m not some uncultured jock.” He took a turn and clenched the steering wheel.  “I was a pretty chubby kid, if you can believe it.” His eyes darted over again and this time, Dustin looked unimpressed.

“And I’m a popular jock,” he deadpanned.  It made Billy snort and Dustin started to really relax.

“Joke all you want, but until puberty hit I was a chubby nerd with no friends.  My mom always took me with her when she went to the salon and there was a comic shop by it.  They had all this stuff and, well.” He shrugged.  It felt weird, telling the little shitstain, but for once Dustin was looking at him without that searching gaze.  Without looking for an ulterior motive.

“So, you’ve actually played?” Dustin was staring at him in awe, like he was seeing Billy for the first time.  It was incredibly unnerving.

“Yeah,” Billy drawled, shrugging.  “I mean, getting to be a barbarian?  Strong as hell?  Smash shit?  Hell yeah.” He smirked to himself and heard Dustin groan.

“Of course you’d choose barbarian,” he sighed.  “I’m playing a dwarf bard right now.” He seemed nervous saying it, like being such a nerd so close to Billy was asking for a punch.  It probably would have been before.  Billy couldn’t hold back his snort.

“That’s so fucking fitting,” he muttered.  “Lemme guess, Mike is your DM?”

“Yeah,” Dustin said with a tilt of his head and narrowed eyes.  “Why?”

“Seems like a bossy little bitch,” Billy replied, smiling at Dustin’s noise of outrage.

“He’s not!  He’s really good at coming up with stories and quests and he’s always trying to make sure the campaign is--”

“Oh my god, chill!” Billy rolled his eyes.

“Only if you take that back!  No one else wanted to and Mike is really good!”

“Okay, fine,” Billy said, wondering when that stupid fucker’s house was gonna come up because this conversation was getting annoying.  “Wheeler’s not a Bossy Little Bitch.” Dustin nodded, pleased.

“Good.  Oh, that’s his house!” He leaned forward, pointing out the window, and smudging it with his greasy child hands.  Billy exhaled sharply through his nose and pulled into the driveway, ignoring the three shocked faces in the window.  Dustin got out of the car but paused before closing the door.  “Uhm, thanks.  It wasn’t horrible?”

“Yeah,” Billy replied, not sure what to do now.  “Whatever.” Dustin slammed the door and went inside.  Billy didn’t wait and pulled out, ready to nurse his hang over at Steve’s and not think about how unhorrible the whole situation had been.

5, 10, 15, 20 + becks and richie andddd 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18 + max and tommy 💕

5.) Who is most likely to carry the other?

Beck makes a hell of a scene any time Richie picks her up, but he can and has (even after she chomped on his damn arm during the bear trap incident 😒) scooped her tiny ass up.

10.) Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

Richie! Restaurants aren’t a thing anymore, but he’s good at observing and learning the things Beck picks out of her meals vs the things she saves for last because they’re her favorites.

15.) Who wakes up first?

Richie. It’s a slog to get Beck out of bed because she sleeps like the dead, and he’s learned that it’s best to let her sleep in as long as possible. Everyone suffers when she’s sleep deprived. :/

20.) What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

Beck’s mom and dad would have adored Richie. Her mom passed before Beck started to date for real, and her dad was always a bit strict about it. He would have given him the Tough Dad Act, but cracked super quickly.

Beck tries very hard to get Richie’s parents to like her. Her parents hammered respect for her elders into her, so she absolutely tries to keep the swearing and general fuckery to a minimum around them. They’re absolutely a little wary at first, but she grows on them fast, like a mouthy little fungus.

•

2.) Big spoon/Little spoon?

Max is a legally assigned little spoon. She more or less stopped growing when she was twelve so she never had a chance.

4.) Favorite non-sexual activity?

Cuddling. 🙄 They are such a touchy couple, and would spend all day curled around each other if they had the chance.

6.) What is their favorite feature of their partner’s?

Max thinks his smile is cute, and Tommy gets a little flustered whenever Max wears anything sleeveless. :/

8.) Nicknames? & if so, how did they originate?

Tommy is the only one who has ever been able to get away with calling her “Maxie”, and that tradition stands. It didn’t really come from anywhere in particular; just slipped out of his mouth one day and stuck.

10.) Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

Max. Tommy canonically can’t remember his own birthday without his wife telling him.

12.) Who initiates kisses?

Both. They’re insufferable, touch starved human beings that are disgustingly into each other.

14.) Who kisses the hardest?

Max. Tommy is infinitely softer than she is, and doesn’t put nearly as much force behind his affections.

16.) Who wants to stay in bed just a little longer?

Tommy. :/ Trying to get him out of bed in the morning is an Olympic sport that only gets harder when it’s cold outside.

18.) Who leaves little notes in the other’s one lunch? (Bonus: what does it usually say?)

Tommy has tried! He wrote the note out and everything! He just... forgot... to put it... with her lunch...