#and then i saw the totem poles and went 'uh oh'
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i've been playing through the leaked N64 prototype build of Dinosaur Planet (that rareware game that got turned into Starfox Adventures on the gamecube later) over the past couple nights and i gotta say... i think people gave the gibberish alien voice acting in Adventure a bit more hate than it deserved? like don't get me wrong, it WAS hilariously awkward and impossible to take seriously, but i'd take that shit ANY day over having to listen to... a handful of british people doing the most inscrutable attempts at racist accents i've maybe EVER heard in a video game???
like holy FUCK it's bad y'all. in fact the entire chunk of the game in Swapstone Circle is pretty much fully unsalvageable. the music, the iconography, the way the NPCs talk and are dressed, the literal most basic tropes of the storyline itself in that area... good grief, it's no wonder that entire chunk of the game was cut from the final product. absolutely wild that anyone at Rare thought that shit was okay to include, even 20+ years ago
#buny text#dinosaur planet#the game itself IS like. incredibly impressive for an N64 title#even in its incomplete and janky state#and i AM having fun for the most part (when it's not crashing/softlocking/etc)#but i am also very glad to be done with that area#i was like 'oh boy i get to play as krystal again yay'#and then i saw the totem poles and went 'uh oh'#and then i got close to one and the dynamic music changed to a shitty sampled chant and i was like 'OH NO'#and THEN i came back from cape claw and met the lightfoots and it was like i was being hit with a sledgehammer repeatedly for 20 minutes#turns out some things left on the cutting room floor are there for a reason#rare made some of the best games of that entire decade but it sadly still couldn't save them from being painfully british game devs#with everything that entailed in the late 90s (random bursts of casual bigotry inserted for humor)#sorry these tags got away from me. hello. i hope your day is going well
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Garden of Tulips (Levi/Reader) Chapter 6
~Click me for more chapters~
“What did it look like?”
“Hmm?” Levi looked up from his place next to your sleeping form.
“The titan that tried to snack on my darling granddaughter.”
“Ugly as fuck.”
“Aren’t they all?”
Levi recounts memories of the reader and their shared life together while she recovers from a serious injury.
!!WARNINGS!! - Violence, gore, smut, wholesome content ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tulipa clusiana ~ A delicate tulip that resembles a pale star, shining in the indigo expanse of the night.
↞↠↞↠↞↠
You coughed.
Actually... coughed.
A sound had been pressed from your slightly agape mouth. While Levi would have preferred it to be words or an utterance of consciousness, he would take what he could get. He didn’t know if it was pathetic that his heart swelled with happiness at the occurrence.
“That’s it, my Y/N.” He praised and stroked your cheek affectionately.
“Oma-” Levi yelled, his call rising in strength as the newfound name left his lips. A harsh clanking followed by rapid footfalls against the stairs brought your grandmother into the room with Felicia hot on her heels. Her chest fell with heavy breaths and her housekeeper looked as if she was prepping herself to slay a dragon.
“She coughed.” Levi stated. He allowed a rare unfiltered grin to spread across his features. Oma looked from him to you and soon her alarm blended into a smile of her own.
“Maria, Rose, and Shina boy you almost gave me heart palpitations.” Oma grumbled but the warm look never left her face as she padded over to you. She held her hand above your mouth and felt the steady breaths on her skin.
“That’s such good news!” Felicia said with clasped hands.
“Indeed. Her body is slowly regaining some normality.”
Oma lovingly gave your hair a few strokes before turning to Levi. She gave him an unusually sweet grin and he grimaced at the strangeness of it.
“You should smile more. It suits you.” She mused smugly. The upturned corners of Levi’s mouth comically went slack at her comment.
“Come have some tea with me. Felicia won’t let me in that damned kitchen without pecking at my ear. So we’ve been banished to the living room.” She added with a flick of her wrist. Levi gave you one final glance and followed her down the stairs. When the two of them had reached the main hallway, a rapid thudding from the front yard stopped them in their tracks.
“Oh, it better not be that goddamned wolf again.” Oma hissed and reached for her shotgun. With disregard for her slipper clad feet she stormed out onto the porch. Levi jogged out behind her, almost bumping into her as she undid the safety on her gun.
“Wait!” Levi shouted and preemptively put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from cocking her weapon. She halted with his grip but raised the barrel of her shotgun to her eye.
“Damn, It’s that cursed horse.” She sighed and put the safety back on her weapon, propping it up along the siding of the house with a frustrated movement.
Your horse was absolutely deflowering whatever poor tulip that fell under his hooves. He would gallop in one direction, head swinging and tail cutting through the wind, only to playfully buck up and then zoom away in the opposite direction. His obsidian coat absolutely contrasted with the flourish of bright colors that nipped at his hooves. It was the most Levi had seen him run freely in his life, and to be honest it was kinda beautiful. He had no fences to confine him or HQ pastures to deprive him of this endless botanical ocean. The creature that he saw before him now was a world away from the sad one he took care of yesterday. And Levi was at least glad for that.
“Well how the fuck did he get out? Did you forget to lock the stall door?” Oma seethed, waving her hands in frustration and hobbling down the porch steps. She looped around to the side of the house, where tethering poles were located and grabbed halter and lead rope to catch him with.
“I did lock it but that never stops him.” Levi exhaled, absorbing her well-earned anger as he followed closely behind her. She mumbled sweet nothings about humane euthanasia and turning him loose to be a wild horse until she stopped at the edge of her field.
Noticing he had company, your horse slowed his aggressive drifting to a halt and watched the two attentively. His nostrils flared with his excited breathing and the three beings held a staring contest within the gentle chroma of petals. Taking his stillness as an invitation to come get him, Oma carefully trudged between the rows of flowers. However, she did not get far, for when she got within a reasonable distance he suddenly snorted and skittered to the side, destroying even more of the crop.
Oma snarled and began stomping over more aggressively while being mindful to step around her moneymakers. For every one step she took in his direction, your horse trotted about four feet away and stopped, as if taunting her to come in further and destroy even more plants.
Levi watched nervously from the main path. He decided it was time to jump into action when Oma managed to get within range of looping the lead rope and halter around his neck. Your horse suddenly delivered a powerful kick that if she hadn’t deftly dodged would have clocked her right in the ribs. Oma cursed in simmering frustration.
“Stop, you’ll get hurt!” Levi called, mindfully stepping through the field and grabbing one of her arms to stop her from advancing. “Let me try.”
He gave Oma a determined look to which she grumbled and surrendered him the halter. Levi approached the animal calmly to only be met with the same snotty behavior. He closed his eyes in annoyance and heard your giggle ring through his mind.
He loves it when you talk to him, see?
“You don’t have to freak out stupid.” Levi told your horse, noting the nervous giddy in his eyes.
“I’m sorry I called you a little shit yesterday, Puddle.” Levi continued through monotone gentleness and advanced slowly. Oma shook her head in disbelief.
“Am I watching a play about a princess right now? Are you going to start talking to the flowers next?” She huffed. Levi shot her an icy glare over his shoulder. Puddle snorted and eyed Oma as if in response.
“Apologize.” Levi turned to her with his default blandness. It was time Levi got back at her for all her incessant teasing.
“...Pardon?” She spat. “You think that bastard will comprehend?”
“Y/N says he understands what she is saying so; apologize. He won’t let me catch him until you say you’re sorry.” Levi was trying to hold back a smile and Oma’s perturbed features.
“Believe me, no one thinks it's more ridiculous than me.” Levi added.
“Maria, Rose, and Sina fuck me.” She mumbled before standing her ground, unamused.
“I’m sorry I was rude to you..uh-what did you just call him?” Oma started.
“Puddle.” Levi stated.
“Why does that name sound so familiar?” Oma furrowed her brow in thought.
“She named him after her pet frog.”
Oma exhaled and shook her head once more.
“Puddle.”
His ears perked up at the mention of his name. Levi eased himself closer and there were no more protests from Puddle besides a few anxious paws at the dirt.
“I hope he didn’t cause too much damage.” Levi sighed as he reached up to buckle the halter around Puddle’s head.
“Not significantly, just more weeding for me now.” Oma chuckled dryly. She fell into step with Levi when he exited the field.
“Of all things why did she choose such a cutesy name for a warhorse?” Oma wondered aloud. Levi almost laughed at the memory her question drudged up.
“She received him when she graduated from the cadets. It was rainy that day. When he was brought out to her, he immediately laid down and rolled in a muddy puddle. The brat got all dirty and she laughed when he shook mud on everyone.”
The smile that graced Oma’s lips held as much vibrancy as her flower crop. That kind of look seemed to take over her features every time you were mentioned.
“Put him in the pasture instead of the stall, he can tear up my grass to his heart’s content.” Oma instructed when they got to the front yard. Levi nodded in confirmation.
“And meet me inside after, Felicia should be done with dinner by now.”
Levi let out an exhale that puffed his cheeks as he stood in the yard for a moment, gathering his bearings. He looked over to Puddle who was munching away on the grass, acting as if he hadn't a care in his life.
"You're always going to be a pain in my ass huh?" Levi mused aloud as he jerked on the lead rope.
↞♞♘↠
Another droplet of sweat slinked its way down the side of your face as you heaved yourself up from the dirt.
“Good job Armin!” You praised the boy who gasped for air. “Your technique is improving.”
“It doesn’t feel like it. I still lost.” He laughed nervously as he graciously took your hand and let you pull him up from where he laid on the ground. You clicked your tongue in disapproval.
“In sparring matches it doesn’t matter who ‘wins’, it just matters if you improve your skills. The true winner is the one who comes out of whatever situation you are faced with alive.” You assured, boosting his confidence with an encouraging smile.
“Thanks, Y/N.” He replied with a more confident grin.
“You’ve gotten so philosophical since you became a squad leader.” Jean commented with a hint of snark.
“Someone needs to be the brains of this operation. I’m definitely second to Armin.” You lauded at the shorter boy and he blushed.
“Even I'll admit we’re at the bottom of that totem pole Jean.” Connie snickered and Jean scowled.
“That makes me the brawns then?” Jean questioned rhetorically. You rolled your eyes at his cockiness and Mikasa snorted from her place on the fence.
“You also didn’t beat me in our sparring match.” You countered playfully.
“You just said that winning doesn’t matter.” He quipped back.
“That doesn’t apply to you.” You teased and stuck out your tongue.
Jean was about to counter attack when Sasha butted in.
“Yo, Y/N. Captain Levi and Eren are back.” She said between bites of her fries she had stolen from the leftovers of today’s lunch. She nodded behind you and you turned to see them walking towards your group. Since the incident with Annie and the devastation that befell the special operations squad, Erwin decided to combine the talent of your squad with that of the remaining members of Levi’s squad. Thus you became joint squad leaders. You usually trained all together as one unit but when Levi worked with Eren one on one, you were left with Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Connie, and Sasha. You looked down at your watch.
“It is about time we’re scheduled to be done anyway, see you guys later!” You grinned with another successful sparring session coming to a close. The mob of scouts moved out after they had said their goodbyes, absorbing Eren on their way back to HQ. Levi nodded at the group in a silent address when they passed them.
“Hi.” He greeted when you came to stand in front of him.
“Hey, enjoy the show?” You teased and casually fixed where his collar had blown up haphazardly.
“Mhm. I love watching you kick other people’s asses.” He replied with a hum as he craned his neck to give you better access.
“Someday if you’re lucky, I may even kick yours.” You winked and he huffed.
“You don’t have any plans tonight, right?” He asked, confirming you had the evening open for him. You shook your head.
“Nope, you told me to free up my schedule.” You beamed. Levi smiled softly.
“Good. I have a surprise.” He stated simply. The way your eyes bugged out of your head caused him to chuckle fondly.
Surprise? Levi? This was something rare.
“Follow me.” He instructed with a smug half grin. He led you to the stable where his horse was already tacked. Dandelion, as you had named her after her flaxen coat, had a flannel blanket secured to the back of her saddle framed by saddle bags filled to the brim.
“I couldn’t get him, as usual.” Levi sighed and you giggled in understanding.
“Be right back.” You said with a gentle hand on his arm as you passed. You re-emerged from the pasture a few minutes later with Puddle in tow.
The ride through the forest was blissful. Levi led the way through the lush grove of trees, the warm chroma of the fading sun’s tendrils breaking through the canopy and nuzzling into his dark locks. Your ride took you not too far from headquarters and soon you found yourself face to face with a lovely sight. Before you lay a pond; ducks flapped about in the cattails, crickets harmonized along its edges, and the water sparkled in the waning daylight. You dismounted Puddle with your mouth hung open in awe.
“How did you find this place?” You almost whispered, too enamored with the little cove framed by towering pines. It felt like a secret spot. Your secret spot.
“I was on my way back from one of the outposts and came across it. It’s...nice isn’t it?” Levi explained as he dismounted and began unraveling the blanket. He snuck a peek at your amazed expression and felt himself swell with warmth.
“Yeah, it’s wonderful.”
Levi walked over to the large grassy area and flicked the blanket open and let it fall flat onto the earth.
“How can I help?” You asked, still oblivious to the purpose of this excursion. Not that you were complaining. The inner romantic in you was squealing in delight.
“I’ll do it, go check out the pond for a bit.” He smiled with a nod in the direction of the water. Leaving the horses to graze near the entrance to the clearing you trotted down to the water’s edge. It had been so long since you had been in such a natural space. It reminded you of the big lake in your village where Oma would take you and Jean fishing as kids. You were being lulled into a state of relaxation by the gentle ripples of the water when Levi’s call brought you back to reality.
“Ready.”
When you regrouped with him, the fruit of his actions manifested a grin that was so wide it hurt your cheeks. The blanket was adorned with two plates and a basket full of delicious smelling food. You couldn’t contain your excited grin as Levi patted the spot next to him.
“Did you make this?” You asked in shock as Levi served you grilled salmon and a warm roll.
“Yes.” Levi chuckled at your continued amazement. You took the plate gratefully and smiled when he reached for a thermos you knew had to contain tea.
“By yourself?” You pressed. He side eyed you as he poured you a cup. He blew on it once and passed it over to you.
“I...had some help.” He confessed.
“One of the cooks?” You guessed as you grabbed a fork and napkin from the basket.
“No, surprisingly. Erwin.” Levi stated as he took a sip of the tea. Your eyebrows furrowed in astonishment.
“No fucking way, Erwin cooks?” You chortled. You pictured Levi struggling with the stove and being corrected by Erwin who stood watch over his shoulder. Your happiness was contagious and Levi began laughing too.
“I was shocked too.” He smiled genuinely and hoped you could see how warm you made him feel in moments like these. In all moments, really.
Your meal was enjoyed with your usual playful banter and discussions of your days.
“So what’s the occasion for all of this?” You finally asked when you had both finished eating and tidying up. It wasn’t your anniversary, it wasn’t either of your birthdays. It wasn’t Puddle’s birthday either. (Yes, you indeed celebrated that.) Levi cleared his throat in response. His cheeks were dusted with the faintest of roses. His uncharacteristic bashfulness had you practically vibrating with anticipation.
“It’s uh, the day that you first told me you loved me.” Levi declared with a tenderness to his tone that he rarely expressed. Your heart threatened to burst from your chest as it filled past its brim with pure affection.
“You remembered the date?” You asked, tears welling at your eyes at the touching confession. You remembered the time as vividly as if it had happened yesterday but not the numerics of the day.
Levi nodded and brought his hands up to cup your cheeks. The devotion that burned from every essence of his being radiated onto you with such a heat you would have surely melted into pure love without his hands holding you.
“Y/N, I know I’m the king of shit when it comes to expressing my emotions. But if there is one thing I want to be good at expressing, it's my love for you.” He professed with a passionate kiss to just under your jaw.
“I want to make sure you know how enough you make me feel, how much life you have breathed into me.” He continued, his voice straight out of a confectionary. He reached up to kiss your forehead.
“I can’t think of myself without thinking about you. I’ll save the self depreciation because I don’t want you to hit me.” He smirked and you huffed happily through your incoming tears. His kisses trailed to your cheeks, effectively curbing the salty stream.
“I’m working on saying it more. You make me feel loved every moment of my life and I need you to feel that way too.” He stated with velvety purpose. This time his lips touched upon yours and you molded into his embrace as if you were two droplets of water from the nearby pond.
“Levi…” You exhaled between kisses, too overcome with emotion to say anything other than his name. For his name was the source of your greatest happiness and you cradled it close to you always. He took the opportunity of your speech to slip his tongue between your parted lips. You moaned at the closeness as Levi gently pushed you back onto the blanket.
“I love you, Y/N. Infinitely.” He whispered to affirm all he had confessed previously. His eyes held yours with such a desperate desire that you equally matched.
“And I love you, Levi. Always.” You returned. Your wandering touch down his torso transferred thousands of unspoken professions of love into his being. When he pressed his body down to yours, you swam in his palpable admiration.
Soon your pleasurable shrieks were spilling from your throat with the sporadic intensity of firecrackers. With every deep thrust, the fuse lit, exploded, and relit again, sending you into an endless loop of ecstasy. Levi’s next thrust hit you in just the right spot to spark electricity and you let out a passionate moan that echoed off the trees. You yelped and moved to cover your mouth, only Levi was quicker. Walls forbid a patrol heard you.
He pinned your hands over your head as he continued to move against you. Removing his mouth from your neck, he regarded you with lustful intensity. His pupils were dilated and locked onto your blissfully contorted features with eyelids heavy with raw pleasure. His lips were swollen from endowing you with praise and it was enough to send a jolt of arousal coursing through your figure.
“Don’t. I want to hear you. We’re far enough away that only I’ll hear your sounds.” He cooed just before a husky moan parted his lips as the roll of his hips grew more fluid. You obeyed his wish and blessed his ears with another erotic cry as his hands smoothly traced down your neck, over your breasts, down your sides, and came to squeeze at your hips. The grasp gave him more leverage and you felt yourself seeing stars when you bucked your hips to match his movements.
“Levi I’m close-”
“Fuck, Y/N. Me too-” Levi groaned, the pleading tone you used to speak his name sending him over the edge. As the wave of his orgasm crashed into him, he was so mesmerized in the way your back arched into his hips, the way your hands feverishly grasped at the fabric of the blanket, and the way your supple breasts bounced with every pump, that he almost forgot to pull out.
What happened in the next moment, though, made that choice for him. A resounding thud at his side ceased his movements and he pulled out of you in alarm. You both whipped your head in the direction of the intrusion. Before you could even register what was going on, Puddle rammed Levi in the torso with his head and sent him stumbling backwards.
“Levi!” You squeaked and scrambled to get between him and your raging horse. Holding your hands out in front of Puddle, you stood protectively over Levi who was still recovering from the sudden flight.
“Hey, hey! I’m fine. See?” You gently called to him. He stamped his hooves a few times anxiously before falling under your calming aura.
“I’m fine sweet boy.” You assured and reached out to take his head in your hands and stroke his nose. Hearing Levi curse under his breath behind you, you tried to contain your laughter at the absurdity of the situation.
“Are you alright, Levi?” You asked with a guilty bite of your lip. He glared up at you and your puffed cheeks from stifling your amusement. He was only annoyed for a moment before the two of you cracked up in unison. He shook his head and got up.
“Yeah. He just knocked me over.” Levi replied, his irritation washing away the moment he regarded your curves accentuated by the caress of the moon’s rays. Levi rose and moved to your side. When he got within proximity of his hand ghosting the curve of your lower back, Puddle pinned his ears and snorted. Levi jerked his hand back.
“Oh fuck you, horse.” He spat and glared at the animal. You giggled once more and tethered Puddle to a tree next to Dandelion. A shiver raked your body at the loss of Levi’s vigorous body heat as you padded back over to your love nest.
“You better be fucking me, captain.” You ordered with a viscous sweetness that slid right down Levi’s throat. You lied down on the blanket with your legs pressed together. You shimmied your hips in a sinful rotation that had Levi twitching with arousal at your forefront request.
“It’s unfair you got to cum and I didn’t.” You pouted suggestively.
“It is poor manners to leave anything unfinished. But I have another idea.” He purred. The ethereal view you had of your lover from this angle made you gasp. The puff of air that left your lips released all the boldness you had mere seconds ago into the atmosphere. Heat bloomed on your cheeks at the view that convinced you for a split second you had to have been in a painting. The indigo twilight bathed him in a pale argent aura that only elevated the silver shine of his eyes as they regarded you as if you were the only living being within these walls, within the world itself. He wore the light of the moon as a cloak that kissed his muscles and ivory skin. He was like a fallen star that had just tumbled into your lap.
From your lap, Levi gingerly spread your legs. He spared one more cautious glance towards your horse before nipping at your plush thighs. Where he bit, he followed with an open mouthed kiss that felt like you were being touched by the wing of a butterfly. While his kisses were extraordinarily soft, his hands were not so. They pawed at the flesh of your upper thighs and journeyed to your ass to squeeze. The combination of pressures was driving you insane .
“Levi-” You whined when his hot breath tickled the top of your core. He flicked his eyes up to meet your wonton expression. His charged gaze stayed cemented to you as he dipped down to languidly lick your wetness. When he tasted your sweetness, Levi let out a syrupy moan that vibrated against your clit and reignited the fireworks. Your thighs squeezed together in euphoria, locking his head in place. Your excited spasm delved his tongue into your slick opening and stole any coherent thought from you. He momentarily broke from his ministrations, rising from you with lips glossy with your juices. He licked them tantalizingly slow and you whimpered at the loss of contact.
“Don’t worry, princess, because of our interruption we are just getting started.” He hummed in satisfaction before diving right back into your intoxicating taste.
#levi#levi x reader#LEVI ACKERMAN#AoT#aot x reader#attack on titan#attack on titan fanfiction#snk#snk x reader#shingeki no kyojin#hange zoe#jean kirschstein#bisexual jean#levi/reader
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Can’t Help Falling in Love
Don’t touch anything in here. That’s directed at you, Yong. And you too, Hugo.
Those are the words that Varian said right before they entered a strange man’s workshop. They were there in hopes of finding their way to the next trial. When they caught sight of a kindly inventor who had a lot of knowledge about the “theoretical” totems, they figured they’d hit a jackpot.
Unfortunately, the inventor was unable to answer any of their questions because he was “busy”, so the gang was told that they could have a look around for any information. Then he promptly bolted.
Varian gave his speech about not touching anything and then there they were. Snooping around in a workshop that wasn’t owned by anyone they knew.
Hugo was looking around halfheartedly. He didn’t trust that this stranger conveniently had information about exactly what they needed. So as Nuru, Yong and Varian searched through chests and in desk drawers, Hugo examined the shelves that held potions and other trinkets. He picked up one that was a swirling shade of dark pink.
As he looked at it, he watched as it changed to a red color. Then light pink. Purple. Then dark pink again. “Fascinating,” he muttered. While he wasn’t as openly nerdy as Varian, he did find himself geeking out over little things like this. A potion shifting color wasn’t news but this was the first time he’d seen it with his own eyes. He took a quick glance around before he opened his bag and-
A gloved hand stopped him. “Hugo! You are not stealing his potions!” Varian. Kind, loyal, honest, law abiding Varian. Hugo made an offended noise.
“I am not stealing the potion. I am borrowing it. And look at all of the potions he has. He won’t miss it.”
Varian’s look was icy. “Hugo. Put it back.”
“Okay okay!” Hugo stuck it back on the shelf. Varian was watching him. “You know, if I took a small sample-”
Varian cut him off. “You don’t even know what this potion does. Look, I know you're curious and I totally get it. This potion, i-it’s fascinating. But it could also be really dangerous. And I know from experience the damage a potion can do. So just leave it be. Okay?”
Hugo was about to protest again but the look on Varian’s face changed his mind. It was so honest and genuine. Something happened with a potion that stuck with him, presumably for a while. “Alright, Hairstripe. I’ll leave it be.”
Varian smiled gratefully. “Thank you Hugo.” He went back to where Nuru and Yong were. Yong had gotten his hands on something that looked dangerous and Nuru was trying to tug it away. Hugo watched as the three squabbled, slightly amused at them.
A soft voice tickled his ear. Hugo.
He turned abruptly. “Who’s that?”
Hugo. You know you want me.
It sounded familiar. Just vaguely, like something he heard from a dream. He glanced around again.
Come on, Hugo. No harm will come out of this, trust me.
His eyes landed on the potion that he had just set down. It seemed to glitter despite there not being any light reflecting onto it. Against his better judgement, he picked it up again. “Voice? Hello?”
A startled scream had him turned around. Yong had dropped the machine onto a board that had evidently triggered some kind of chain reaction. In any case, it released a machine with a long pole sticking out of it that whipped around rapidly and slammed into Varian. Varian flew forward, knocking into Hugo, simultaneously knocking the potion out of Hugo’s hands.
Hugo and the others watched as it shattered and splashed onto Varian. “Varian!” Yong cried, rushing forward. “Are you okay?”
Varian shook his head as the potion seeped into his clothes. He turned to face Hugo, expression cross. “Hugo, I told you not to… to…” He stopped speaking and a dreamy expression spread over and relaxed his features. Hugo watched in horror as a Varian suddenly put on a face reminiscent of the one he wore whenever he flirted with someone. “Have your eyes always been as bright as Flynnolium?”
“What.” There was no other response to this.
“I wish you would’ve warned me because damn, they’re explosive.” And then Varian winked. Hugo’s heart began to rapidly beat in his chest as he heard Nuru snort in the background.
“No way. No way! Hugo, I think that was a love potion!” She was full on snickering now. “So… so that means…”
Hugo’s heart sank. “He loves me now.”
“Well I wouldn’t say love,” Nuru said, wiping her eyes. “But he’s certainly now attracted to you.”
Yong was gaping at the two boys. “Varian, do you feel okay?” he asked. An appropriate response.
Varian leveled Hugo with another flirtatious look. Hugo swallowed. “Oh I sure do since my little dose of medicine is here.”
Nuru gagged as Hugo felt his face significantly redden. “Uh that’s uh, nice, Hairstripe.” Why was he stuttering? Stuttering was a Varian thing.
Varian batted his eyes at him. “Call me Varian.” Were his eyes always this blue? Or big? Hugo swallowed again.
“Princess? Firecracker? A little help here?” He glanced over his shoulder at the others. Nuru crossed her arms.
“Sorry, Hugo, but you’re on your own here,” Nuru said.
“Princess!” he protested.
“This is karma for all the flirting you did to Varian. You know what they say: karma’s like a boomerang. It will always come back to give you a nasty concussion.”
Yong frowned. “Do people actually say that?”
“I mean, I said it, so yes, people do say that.”
Hugo put his head in his hands. “Guys, please focus! We need to find a way to reverse it.” I don’t think my heart can take this, he thought but refused to say.
He felt something wrap around his upper arm. He startled and saw that it was Varian, clinging to him like a koala. “You’re smart, aren’t you? I mean, I always knew you had it all. Brains and looks, right?” Hugo was very, very red and very, very warm. “So you’ve got this all figured out.”
For some reason, Varian saying this actually filled Hugo with slightly more confidence. “You’re right, Hairstripe. Now is not the time to panic.” Despite his heart’s protests, he eased his arm out of Varian’s grip and knelt down next to the broken glass. “As I expected. There are remnants of the potion on the glass.” He opened his bag and pulled out a test tube. “If I collect it and then analyze it, I may find out what it’s made of and how to reverse it.”
“And there’s our nerdy Hugo,” Nuru commented. Hugo glared at her.
“Be quiet, Princess. I don’t see you offering any suggestions.”
She shrugged. “Maybe we can look around his workshop? He must have some notes here.”
“Good idea!” Yong piped up. “But, uh, we might want to get going.”
“Why?” Nuru and Hugo asked. Varian was too busy ogling Hugo to say anything.
“Someone’s coming and it’s not the inventor guy.”
Hugo and Nuru peered out the window and saw someone in a cloak approaching the workshop. Hugo turned to Nuru and Yong. “Take some of those journals. I’ll take the analyzer.” He looked over to see Varian once again wrapped around his arm, grinning up at him with those blue, blue eyes. “And Hairstripe.”
“Varian,” Varian insisted. Hugo made a noise.
“Varian,” he amended and the smile he received made him want to say it a million times again. Anything to win a smile like that.
Then the realization hit him: this was fake. Varian’s feelings for him were fake. Once they found a cure, they’d be back to that thin line between friends and something else they’ve been treading on for a bit now.
Despite the times they’ve worked together as a seamless machine, despite the laughs they’ve shared, the times they just sat and talked, all of it still seemed to add up to comfortable yet aggravating friendship.
Even though he tried to deny it to himself, Hugo had a crush on Varian. A staggering crush on Varian. It had happened suddenly, a rush of feelings that destroyed the wall he spent so long building up. Everything he tried to hide after he agreed to be a spy for Donella, everything he tried to destroy was rebuilt, bright and new again.
Hugo had feelings for Varian. Feelings he knew couldn’t be reciprocated. Varian was good. Unabashedly, unashamedly good. Every little thing he did was for others and not for himself. In the water kingdom, while he and Yong saw themselves succeeding or gaining riches in his case, Varian simply saw his father being proud of him and earning a strong bond between them. Varian was selfless. Hugo was selfish.
It wasn’t Varian’s fault. None of this was. It was kind of like how it wasn’t Hugo’s fault for falling for Varian. Nor was it Varian’s fault.
Although it might be now that Varian was batting his eyes at Hugo, smiling at him like Hugo was the greatest thing he’s seen, clinging to his arm, resting his head on Hugo’s shoulder. Every movement woke something in Hugo, which filled him with guilt. He shouldn't have feelings for him and they shouldn’t be cropping up now that he was under a love potion.
Hugo snapped himself out of his reverie and took the analyzer off the table after gently shoving a pouting Varian off of him. He shoved this in his bag as well. “Come on guys. Through the window.”
Nuru stared at him in disbelief. “That window? That tiny thing? It won’t get us through.”
“Well not if we go through it all at once.”
“Hugo, it doesn’t even look like it opens.”
“Nuru,” Varian broke in. “Come on. Just trust him.”
Hugo looked at him appreciatively as he picked up a stool and hurled it at the window, smashing it open. Nuru and Yong gasped as Varian sighed in admiration. “Such strength, Hugo. And guts! You’re so clever.”
Hugo turned so his red face wouldn’t show. “You first, Firecracker.”
Nuru helped Yong out the window after giving him some of the journals the two of them had gathered. He struggled and nearly got cut by a shard of glass but he managed to wiggle through. Nuru was next. Hugo boosted her up and over quickly as the door began to open. “Hurry you two,” she said before vanishing out of sight.
Varian turned to Hugo, something gleaming in his eye. “Carry me?” he asked innocently. Hugo felt a brow raise. “Lift me out of the window, strong man, and I’ll help pull you out.” He fluttered his lashes. “Come on, Hugo. It won’t hurt you.”
Yes. It will. Just not physically. Hugo picked Varian up, bridal style, and stood on a box. He peered out the window at Nuru and Yong. “Make sure he gets down safe!” he instructed them as the door opened.
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
Hugo quickly lowered Varian out of the window and then dropped him onto Nuru, who collapsed to the ground with an “umphf!”
“Hugo!”
“Hey! I asked you a question buddy!”
There was no time. Hugo pushed off the sill and leaped out of the window in one swoop. He was so used to quick exits that he didn’t even flinch as he dropped to the ground and landed awkwardly on his foot. “Let’s go. Now.”
Varian grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together, and pulled him along as they followed Nuru and Yong. They heard a door open behind them. “You rotten kids!”
Nuru laughed. “I never thought I was ever going to run from the law ever in my life but here I am!” She sounded overly cheerful about this. Hugo suddenly liked her slightly better.
They managed to get back to their camp without getting caught and Yong instantly collapsed in front of the firepit, the journals tumbling out of his arms. “Whew. Let’s agree never to do that again, okay?”
Hugo huffed, wincing as his ankle screamed at him. “No promises, Firecracker.” He stifled a groan as he tried to put his weight on his ankle. Varian noticed and immediately sat him down.
“Why didn’t you tell us you’d gotten hurt?” he asked. More so demanded.
“We were kind of running from a stranger. I had other priorities, Hairstripe.”
“Varian,” Varian corrected gently.
Hugo looked into his eyes, so blue yet so strange. “Varian,” he said.
Nuru cleared her throat and sat next to Hugo. “Alright. Let’s have a look at your leg, Hugo.”
After some cursing, the group got Hugo’s leg wrapped up and resting. As he reclined on the ground, he pulled out the analyzer and the test tube with the love potion. “Okay. Princess, Firecracker, take a look at those notes while Varian and I examine the potion. There must be a cure somewhere.”
Nuru and Yong gathered the journals as Varian parked himself right next to Hugo. He was so close that Hugo could smell a soft hint of apples on him. Absently, Varian reaches over and played with Hugo’s hand. Hugo could feel his cheeks warm.
He shouldn’t be enjoying this. This wasn’t what Varian wanted. He wanted the two to be friends. And that’s what they were.
Friends.
Hugo pulled his hand away gently and used it to open the test tube. “Hair-Varian.” He tried not to dwell on how nice his name sounded when he said it. “Help me with this.”
Together, they set up the analyzer and Hugo dropped the small bit of love potion onto the tray. They watched as the analyzer scanned it, Varian resting his head on Hugo’s shoulder again. His hair tickled Hugo’s chin. His heart screamed at him but he managed to pull away. He couldn’t bear to look at Varian’s pouting face so he instead stared down the analyzer.
Soon, it produced a piece of paper which Hugo promptly swiped and read. “Alright, let’s see here.” At the top was the word “love serum” which, duh, they knew. Underneath was the ingredients yet no instructions on how to make it. That was fine. He could work with that. He scanned the rest of the paper. No antidote in sight. He cursed.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
Hugo promptly choked on air. “Honey?” he demanded.
“It’s a pet name.” Varian blinked up at him, gaze hardly innocent. “What, you prefer babe? Sweetie? Hugh? Darling?”
Hugo choked again. “Maybe just Hugo?”
Varian pouted. “But that’s so boring. And you’re certainly anything but.” He winked. Hugo looked away promptly.
He felt Varian staring at him. “What is it, Hairstripe? See something you like?” The instinct to flirt was so prominent that he didn’t think twice about it.
“Oh I sure do,” Varian replied. “I’ve got an amazing view.”
This was very new to Hugo. He never had someone flirt back with him. Well, minus that one guy that he didn’t even like that much anyway.
Varian put one hand around Hugo’s arm. “So tell me, Hugo.” Oh no. Another line was coming. “Are your favorite elements gallium and yttrium?”
“No, I prefer bismuth. And you?”
“I feel the same way. Especially after I met you.” He looked up at Hugo with an expression so genuine that it broke Hugo’s heart.
He didn’t have a crush on Varian. He loved him.
That’s why this hurt so much. Every touch, every glance, every line was just a product of a potion. Hugo pulled way, heart in pieces. “Why don’t we check in on Princess and Firecracker?” He stood and turned shortly, limping away with Varian scrambling after him.
Nuru and Yong were bent over one journal, Nuru’s face stopped in a laugh, Yong’s expression wide and open. They looked up as Hugo and Varian approached. “Did you find anything or was all of this worthless?” Hugo asked.
The two of them exchanged a look. “You might not like this,” Nuru said slowly.
Hugo crossed his arms. “Try me, Princess Starmap.”
Nuru made a face at him as Yong said, “You guys have to kiss to break the spell.”
Hugo and his heart startled at the same time. “We have to what?”
Yong picked up the journal and held it up for Hugo to take. He skimmed the page quickly and his heart sunk. Yong wasn’t lying. According to the inventor guy, the only way to break the spell was through a kiss. No. No no no no.
He expected Nuru to be grinning but her face was solemn. “Would you two like some privacy?” She didn’t sound like she was kidding.
Hugo looked over at Varian who wore a dopey grin. “That sounds nice, yes,” Hugo said. Nuru and Yong gathered the other journals and quickly vanished. He stared at Varian the second they were alone. Varian still wore his grin. “Varian.”
“Hugo.” He already sounded breathless. He took a step forward. Hugo stepped back.
This wasn’t how he wanted it. He didn’t want a forced kiss between them. He wanted it to be something they both wanted. He would never want this. “Varian,” he repeats. “We don’t have to do this.” But they did. If he wanted the normal Varian back. “If you don’t want to.”
“But I do want to,” Varian said, his eyes certain.
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do,” he insisted stubbornly.
“No you don’t, Varian. You don’t want any of this. You’re under a love potion. All of this that you’re feeling isn’t real. After we kiss, you’re going to push me away and say, ‘thanks, can we forget this ever happened?’ And then I’ll agree, despite everything in me not wanting to and then we’ll move on as my heart breaks more and more each day and…” He was rambling. He stopped himself short as he caught sight of Varian’s glare.
“I would appreciate it if you stopped putting words into my mouth. And if you’d stop assuming that you know everything about me.”
Hugo sighed. “Varian, you’re under a love potion. I can kind of guess that this isn’t real.”
“Emotions can’t come out of nowhere,” Varian said knowledgeably. “So that means that I felt something for you before. Which I do.”
Hugo shook his head. “I can’t trust a word you say right now, Hairstripe. Honestly.”
Instead of being cowed, Varian gently took Hugo’s hand and pressed a kiss to it. “Varian,” he corrected.
Hugo stared at him, trying to read his expression. “Varian.”
Varian smiled meekly. “Why don’t you kiss me and we’ll find out how I feel afterwards?” Hugo made a face. He didn’t take relationships like this lightly. Especially with someone like Varian. “It can be innocent. A total innocent peck.”
Hugo was still skeptical. “Are you sure?”
“Is bismuth the best element on the entire periodic table?”
Hugo laughed. “Okay, okay!” He pulled Varian in slightly by his hand. They were close, face to face. Hugo could make out all the specks in Varian’s eyes. He could tell Varian was examining him too. “Are you ready?” he whispered.
Varian leaned in so their foreheads were touching. “As I’ll ever be,” he whispered back.
There was no taking this kiss back. No second chances. Hugo took a deep breath in and then kissed Varian. Softly. So soft that it was really just lips touching lips. And then Varian leaned into it and Hugo had his hands on Varian’s hips and Varian’s arms were around his neck and their chests were pressed together. And then it was over. Hugo pulled away to see Varian blinking. “You alright, Hairstripe?”
Varian blinked again, hands still around Hugo’s neck. “I’m fine.” He looked back up. “And, uh, I thought we agreed to call me Varian.” He grinned and Hugo felt himself grin back.
“So, about what we talked about…”
He didn’t get the rest out as Varian kissed him again. “How do you think I feel, Hugo?” he asked.
“You like me?” Hugo asked, his voice slightly hushed. He didn’t know why.
Varian nodded. “I really, really like you Hugo. You big dork.”
Hugo laughed. “Oh I’m the dork.”
“You are.”
They both laughed as they kissed again. Hugo could feel them both smiling into it. Soon, they heard Yong and Nuru behind them and they seperated. Nuru looked smug, Yong excited. “Finally,” Nuru said. “I thought you’d be oblivious forever.”
Yong nodded rapidly. Hugo felt himself blush. He still had his arms around Varian’s waist.
They stood there in blissful silence until Yong said, “So, uh, how are we supposed to explain this to the inventor?”
#varigo#alchemy boyfriends#hugovarian#varian and hugo#varian/hugo#varian and the seven kingdoms#varian#hugo#tts varian
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iKonic Fairy Tales: Aladdin - Part 3
A modern fairy tale series in collaboration with @cramelot - stay tuned next week for the next story featuring a new member! ✨
Genre: Office!AU
Pairing: Hanbin x You
By Admin B
🧞 Part 1, 2, 3, 4
“Sorry,” you whispered, your lips still brushing over Hanbin’s after you stopped kissing him.
“Sorry?” he replied. “Don’t be sorry, I --”
“No, I’m sorry for my shrimp breath.”
Hanbin laughed out loud, actually throwing his head back because he was so amused by your apology.
“I honestly hadn’t planned on kissing anyone tonight,” you chuckled. “So I ate as much shrimp as I wanted.”
“Hey, shrimp is delicious. I don’t blame you one bit.”
“And... you don’t blame me for kissing you, right?” you asked softly, tempted to go back in for another one.
“Of course, not. I swear I didn’t bring you here with that intention, but... I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. Or wanted it,” he admitted, reaching up to tuck some hair behind your ear.
You studied him, your brow furrowing as you shifted your body to face him as best you could.
“...What?” he asked awkwardly, his cheeks flushing under your curious gaze.
“There’s something different about you,” you mused. “I mean, something different from everyone else I’ve ever met. From every other guy. I just... can’t quite place what it is.”
Panic flashed across his face, very briefly, but you figured he was just nervous or something. You were kind of nervous, too, to be honest.
“I...” He cleared his throat, somewhat avoiding your gaze. “I don’t know what could be different about me. I’m just... a regular guy.”
You let out a soft chuckle, one corner of your lips pulling into a half-smile. And then you leaned in and kissed him again. Just because you felt like it.
He did return your kiss, but he pulled away far too soon, letting out a little hum as he did.
“Listen, I -- I’m not really the type of guy to just --”
“I’m not either,” you interrupted. You honestly had never kissed a guy on the night you’d met him before. “So... take me out tomorrow night.”
His furrowed brow smoothed, and his worried frown morphed into a shy grin.
“Tomorrow? How about --”
He stopped suddenly, so you finished for him. “Dinner? Maybe?”
Hanbin laughed a bit nervously before licking his lips. “Y--yeah. Dinner.”
“Okay, it’s a date,” you murmured, already leaning in toward him. “So now we have that established... can we kiss some more?”
Because kissing him felt better than anything you’d felt in a long time.
Maybe... even better than working.
Before Hanbin dropped you off for the night, he made sure to exchange phone numbers with you. You requested he text you when he got home, and while you assured him it wasn’t just a ploy to get a conversation started, you said it while holding back a very sly smirk.
The two of you shared a very slow, tender goodnight kiss before Hanbin got back behind the wheel of the Leaf and drove home.
Well... to One’s home.
Because, in case you’d forgotten, Hanbin owned absolutely nothing he was touching at the moment.
Except his underwear. But I don’t need your mind going in that direction because I have a story to tell, okay?
When he stepped through the door of One’s townhouse, his friend was sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for Hanbin’s arrival.
“So?” One asked, turning off the television and standing to greet him. “How’d it go?”
Hanbin shook his head, unable to keep from grinning like an absolute idiot. “I honestly don’t think you’ll even believe me.”
“What? You kissed her or something?” His tone was one of sarcasm, so Hanbin simply looked at him as if to say ‘Bingo.;
“YOU KISSED HER?!”
Hanbin nodded, trying to keep up the smug expression he’d managed, but... he felt his cheeks warming, so he knew he was also blushing. “And I’m taking her out tomorrow night.”
“DUDE. Wait, so what’s she like? Tell me everything!” One sat back down on the couch, pulling Hanbin down next to him and eagerly awaiting his friend’s account of the evening.
“She’s... She’s incredible. She honestly just came right up to me and introduced herself, and then we spent the rest of the night together. We talked, we went for a drive, I took her to my spot up on the mountain, and she just... kissed me. A lot, actually.”
“And she bought the whole CEO thing?”
“Yep.”
“But you’re going to tell her tomorrow, right?”
“...Tell her what?”
“That you’re not actually the CEO.”
“...What? Why would I do that?”
“Because she’s going to find out anyway! You need to tell her before she discovers it on her own. That would be way worse.”
“How would she figure it out?” Hanbin scoffed.
“Uh... from looking up the app?”
“She’s too busy for that! She’s really focused on her career.”
“Okay... whatever you say,” One shrugged. “And before you ask, yes, I will loan you another outfit and my car for tomorrow night. Just promise you’ll tell her before the second date.”
Hanbin sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he contemplated what, exactly, he should do.
“If there’s a second date... I’ll tell her.”
“Good man.” One clapped Hanbin on the shoulder before requesting he go change and head on home. It was getting a bit late, and Hanbin had a big day tomorrow.
Your first date with Hanbin was... Well, it was just about perfect.
He took you to a delicious farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of the city. Afterward, you strolled along the greenway, holding hands and sharing a lot more kisses.
You didn’t bring up the app, and you didn’t even hint at the fact you’d found out he wasn’t actually the CEO.
So... Hanbin didn’t say anything either.
And he didn’t say anything on the second date... or the third... or even the fourth.
One kept pressuring him to, assuring him this would come back to bite him in the ass. “You need to tell her before she finds out on her own,” he kept saying.
And while Hanbin knew he was right... he was just too ashamed to show you who he truly was: a poor, lowly employee at the bottom of the totem pole. And it’s not like One could promote him because... there was nothing else to do. He had no development or design experience; he belonged in a tiny cubicle answering phones and instructing people how to force close the app and re-open it.
“You’re telling her tonight, right?” One asked as he helped Hanbin into a snazzy trench coat. “Because I really don’t think I can keep lending you my clothes after this. My conscience is starting to guilt trip me.”
“Yes, I’ll tell her tonight,” Hanbin said for at least the tenth time.
And he would tell you.
...If he got an opportunity.
He whistled softly to himself as he headed down the walkway of your house, jingling the car keys in time with his footsteps.
He was honestly feeling pretty good about himself because he’d decided tonight was the night he would ask you to officially become his girlfriend. He was going to take you to your favorite restaurant before driving up to that spot on the mountain - a place he had now deemed “your spot” since it was where you first kissed.
He rang your doorbell, shoving his hands in his pockets and waiting patiently for you to answer.
And... when you did, you flung the door open.
Your brow was furrowed deeply, your mouth set into a thin, straight line. It was very obvious you were angry about something, and Hanbin was extremely hesitant to ask what that something was.
“Hey...” he greeted cautiously. “Is... everything okay?”
“I don’t know,” you answered in short tones. “You tell me, Hanbin.”
“...What are you talking about? Tell you what?”
Oh please no please no please no.
“Really? You’re going to act like you have no idea what I’m talking about?”
Hanbin could feel a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, but for some reason, his brain compelled him to continue to play it cool. “What are you talking about? I can’t know what you’re mad about if you don’t tell me.”
“Okay, fine,” you chuckled bitterly. “I decided to finally do some research on your little app.”
“...Ah.”
“Yeah, that interview you did for Business Weekly magazine. You thought I wouldn’t see that? Gee, you sure look different in pictures. And since when did you change your name to One?”
“Listen, Y/N, I can explain --”
“What is there to explain, Hanbin?! You lied to me! Plain and simple! You’re not the founder of that app. You’re not the CEO of anything. Trust me, I looked. I mean, you do at least work for the app, but you’re --”
“A tech support rep, I know,” he muttered shamefully.
You stared at him, mouth agape. “That’s what you’re ashamed of?! You’re ashamed of working a desk job? Not about the fact you lied to me?! When I told you first thing I value honesty above all else?!”
“Y/N, of course, I’m ashamed of that! But it’s complicated --”
“What’s complicated about telling the truth?!” you spat.
“The truth is I’m poor!” Hanbin cried, finally managing to get out a full sentence. “I’m poor, and I knew you probably wouldn’t ever give me the time of day because I live in a shithole apartment and eat ramen and wear jeans with holes in them - holes that weren’t put there on purpose.”
You blinked a few times, standing stock-still in your doorway and breathing heavily from your rage.
“...Wow,” you finally uttered. “That’s what you think of me, then. You think I care about stuff like that.”
“Y/N, wait, I --��
“Well, I’m glad I found out now before we became official. Have a nice life, Hanbin. I hope you can find enough confidence and security in yourself to realize money doesn’t really matter.”
“You say that because you have it,” he countered as you were in the middle of closing the door on him. You paused, so he kept on going. “It’s easy for you to think money doesn’t really matter because... it doesn’t matter for you. You don’t have to worry about paying your rent on time. You don’t have to worry about whether or not you can afford to get pizza delivered because what if your car breaks down on the way to work? You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay for your doctor’s visit or your dentist’s visit, so you end up just not going.”
You stood there, barely blinking as you met his gaze. He could’ve sworn he saw some sympathy in your eyes, but you shook your head.
“That doesn’t excuse lying, Hanbin. Nothing does.”
So, obviously, he couldn’t say anything to placate you. At least, not right now. Maybe after a while, once you’d cooled down, but... would it even be worth it by then?
Hanbin nodded at you before taking a few steps back then turning to head back to the car.
When he heard your front door close, it was like... okay, this is seriously cheesy, but it was like the door was closing on his heart, too.
Part 4
iKONic Fairy Tale Series: Aladdin | The Little Mermaid | Sleeping Beauty | Cinderella | Snow White | Rapunzel | Beauty & the Beast
Tagging @sun-shinee-world @leilaammartin @daelicious-jongbulge @sweg-imsorrywhatwasthat @baekinmylife @xiusmybeautifulnightmare @lost-girl-inc @brie02 @peach-sm @jong-yixing @haveanotherkpopblog @sundropsoo @constellxtion @akutagawahakuryuunosuke @lazypostfandomer @cupcakemintylash @smut-wars @mistressoflight22 @veryhotkpop @chanyeolol @shawoltzen @garlandcrowns @lostintheendlessvoidthatislife @nicht-so-schnell @jinhuwuan @dark-changbin for updates! Readers, let me know if you would like to be added to this list!
-Admin B
Master list // RULES // Submit a Request! // Read About the Admins
#ikon#ikon scenarios#ikon imagines#ikon au#ikon fluff#ikon angst#b.i#hanbin#kim hanbin#b.i scenarios#b.i imagines#b.i au#b.i fluff#b.i angst#hanbin scenarios#hanbin imagines#hanbin au#hanbin fluff#hanbin angst#kpop#kpop scenarios#kpop imagines#kpop au#kpop fluff#kpop angst#admin b#collaboration series
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Wendip Week Prompt 2
Just My Luck
By William Easley
(Not part of my normal continuity and written for the Wendip Week 2018 prompt 2, "Typical Pines Luck")
Before the Mystery Twins had been in Gravity Falls for more than the first three days of June 2015, Mabel had found a new boyfriend.
"A fawn?" Dipper asked. "Seriously? You're going with a baby deer?"
"No, silly!" Mabel, who was preening at the mirror, said. "F-a-U-n! As in part hunky boy, part goat!" She narrowed her eyes and whispered confidentially, "He doesn't wear pants!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dipper said. "T.M.I! And also, no. No, you cannot date this guy, thing, whatever it is—"
"He's a faun," Mabel insisted. "And his name is Raymond."
"I don't care if he's a—Raymond? Raymond is a faun's name?"
"Yup," Mabel said, changing her earrings. "He's got the cutest little hoofs, and a twitchy little tail, and these two little curly horns."
"Yeah," Dipper said grimly. "I've read in mythology that fauns were always horny! Look, you know this guy's just gonna dump you for another girl. Or maybe another goat. Take my advice and give Raymond a wide berth!"
"You're not gonna spoil this for me, Dipper!" she said. She'd settled on earrings in the shape of little gold pine trees. "Anyway, we're just going to frisk in the meadow for a while. You can come along if you want. Hey, you could do the—"
"Don't even say it! I am not doing the 'Lamby Lamby' dance. Especially for a guy whose mom may have been one!"
Dipper told Wendy, whose response was, "Mabes can take care of herself, Dip. Besides, I give the relationship two days, tops. Just wait until they have a meal together!"
He had to chuckle. "Yeah, heh. I guess a faun would be pretty disgusting to watch eat."
"Um, right," Wendy said. "The faun . . . ri-i-ight."
Next he told Ford, who said, "That's interesting. The fauns rarely come down from the tablelands below the western cliffs. I'll have to ask her to collect a hair sample for DNA analysis."
And the last resort was Grunkle Stan, who shrugged. "Meh, she'll find out soon enough the guy don't have any money, and that'll be the end of that."
When Dipper collapsed groaning into a chair, his Grunkle gave him a sharp look. "What's the matter, kid? Scared a goat-guy's gonna elope with your sis?"
"Noooo," Dipper moaned, drawing it out. "It's just that—we've been here practically no time, and she's got a date already! I asked Wendy if she might want to go see a movie with me, and she told me, 'Wait until you're old enough to drive, and then we'll talk.'"
"So, ask somebody else," Stan suggested. "Plenty of seafood in the ocean, kid!"
"Wouldn't do any good," Dipper said. "I have terrible luck with girls."
"Give me a fr'instance," Stan said. "Maybe I can help."
"Aw," Dipper said, "there was this girl, Francine, at one of the school dances, and she wasn't dancing with anybody, so I walked over, got my nerve up, and asked if she wanted to dance. She said yes."
"See, you were in luck!"
"No, because when we walked out onto the floor, she stepped into a little pool of spilled punch and her heel skidded and she sprained her ankle! Just my luck!"
"Don't sound like hers was any too good, either," Stan said. "Come on, Dipper, that was one time!"
"Another time," Dipper said, "Mabel talked this girl, Ellen, into being open if I asked her on a date. I asked her to a movie for that coming weekend, and she said yes."
"Luck turned around, see?"
"No, it did not," Dipper said. "Because the movie was on Saturday, and on Friday her dad moved the whole family away. Turns out he was in witness protection, and somebody in the family let their real last name slip."
Stan's eyes narrowed. "Realllllly? Uh, what was the name?"
"Farghandahler," Dipper said.
"Never heard of 'em. Well, it was worth a shot," Stan said. "Kid, it sounds to me that you need a good-luck charm."
"Oh, come on," Dipper said. "I don't believe in horseshoes and rabbits' feet and all!"
"Got a point there," Stan conceded. "Horseshoes were invented so hicks could beat city folks at a stupid tossing game. And if a rabbit's foot brought luck, you wouldn't be able to buy any, 'cause every rabbit's got four of 'em! Nah, I'm thinkin' along the lines of an amulet. They really work. Sometimes."
Dipper remembered Gideon's amulet of telekinesis, which did seem to work. "Worth a shot," he mumbled.
"Come with me."
Grunkle Stan led him to the stock room. Though Soos was Mr. Mystery these days, and Melody was engaged to become Mrs. Mystery soon, Stan still kept a close eye on what the Shack offered. He fiddled around in a box and then came up with something shiny. "Aha! Knew we had half a dozen of these. OK, kid, I'm gonna make you a gift of the world's most powerful good-luck charm. It comes all the way from Niue!"
"Where . . . is that?" Dipper asked. He'd never heard of it.
"Ah, somewheres near Metuchen, I think. Anywhoo, this here is a five-dollar silver piece. No kiddin', real silver, so take care of it! Look at it. See these little insets? This here is a genuine four-leaf clover from County Cork, Ireland, blessed by a priest who's also a part-time leprechaun! And this is a miniature horseshoe, actually manufactured from a real shoe once worn by Man O'War, the luckiest horse that ever ran in the Derby! This is, uh, a preserved ladybug. Not killed, it died of old age, ya understand. Ladybugs are notoriously lucky!"
"What?" Dipper asked.
"C'mon, Dip, ya never heard of one's house actually burnin' down! And last this is a little figure of a lucky elephant. With all them on your side, your luck will turn right around! You'll see! If it don't work, double your money back."
"How . . . much are you charging me?" Dipper asked.
"Nothin'! It's a free gift! Take it before I change my mind. I could sell this dealy to a sucker for fifty bucks!"
Oh, well. The silver disk had been pierced for a thong, and Stan threw a rawhide one in for free. "Word of caution," he said. "The gals go nuts for a guy who wears a thong! Don't get yourself in trouble, kid—or them, either."
Dipper put the rawhide cord around his neck. What the heck, it would either work or it wouldn't.
And Gideon really had almost cut out his tongue with lamb shears that one time.
Strangely, that night Dipper had a vivid dream of a tourist couple parking in the Mystery Shack lot. They had a cute daughter about fourteen and a little baby not more than a year old. The weird thing was that they pulled their Grand Rover van into a slot, the dad and mom and daughter got out, and they turned to take a photo of the Shack and the totem pole—and the van rolled away backwards, because the dad had evidently not put it in Park. The mom screamed as the van rolled over the edge of the hill and then fell and rolled over and over down to the forest edge, where it collided hard with a tree.
And the baby was inside.
The next morning, while chatting with Wendy at the sales desk, Dipper glanced out the window and saw a maroon Grand Rover van—exactly like the one he'd dreamed of—just pulling into the lot. "Be right back," he said to Wendy and dashed outside.
He felt creeps all over his skin—the van was parking in the exact spot that he'd dreamed of. He sprinted across the lawn and leaped over the low fence just as the mom, dad, and teen daughter got out and the dad hefted a camera. The van started to roll. Dipper leaped into the driver's seat—the dad hadn't closed the door—and jammed on the brakes, while pulling on the emergency brake handle. The mom screamed.
The dad came running up, white-faced. "What happened?"
Dipper said, "It's OK, sir. I saw the van start rolling. I think you didn't put it in Park."
The mom opened the rear door and took the baby—a cheerful little one-year-old boy who had no idea he'd been in any peril—out of his baby seat. "He's OK," she said. "Bless you!"
The father was reaching for his wallet. "How much can it—"
"No, sir," Dipper said. "Just—I don't know, pay it forward. Help out somebody who's in trouble. And enjoy the Mystery Shack!"
The dad got behind the wheel, started the engine, and pulled the car back into the parking slot. He very carefully put it in Park and set the emergency brake.
Someone tapped on Dipper's shoulder. "You can take this, anyway," the teen girl—braids, freckles, really cute—said. And she hugged him and kissed him on the mouth. "Thanks for saving my baby brother!"
Dipper realized he had an audience. Wendy and Stan had come out on the porch. "Uh, you're welcome," Dipper said.
The girl took his hand and wrote something on his palm. "My email," she said. "Get in touch with me. My name's Laramie."
"O-OK," Dipper said.
He walked back to the Shack, where Grunkle Stan clapped him on the shoulder. "Lucky you spotted that!" he said. "Saved us from losin' some customers!"
Wendy, settling back behind the counter, asked, "You know that girl, Dipper?"
"Uh, no," he said. "Just saw their van start to roll and she was, I guess grateful or some deal."
"You mean this isn't gonna be a regular thing?"
"Gosh, no! They're probably from Canada or someplace. I'll never see her again."
Wendy grinned. "Just teasing, man. Good going."
Later that afternoon, because he really couldn't think of an excuse, he went with Mabel to meet Raymond. Raymond waited for Mabel in the bonfire clearing. He seemed skittish when he saw she was not alone, but then she introduced Dipper as her twin. "I'm Alpha, though," she confided.
Well, Raymond wasn't quite what Dipper had expected. True, he had curly little horns and a crown of curly black hair. True, his ears were pointed, and his eyes had strangely slit-like pupils. And he definitely had hoofs and a strange ankle joint. However, the fur on his legs and waist and, um, that general area, was six inches long, very fluffy and shaggy, and he might as well have been wearing pants.
And he talked normal. No baaas or godawful puns, no "I'm Mr. Satyr day night" or anything like that. He seemed interested that Mabel had a brother. He wanted to know where they were from, what Dipper liked to do, why they had come to the Falls, did they like the forest, would he like to see some secluded beautiful areas, and so on.
Mabel looked increasingly uncomfortable and finally reminded Raymond, "You were gonna show me that beautiful forest pool with a cascading creek leading into it. Dipper doesn't have time, sorry." And she led him off.
In about an hour she was back, looking mad. "You win," she said. "I broke up with Raymond. I hope you're happy!"
"Hey, I didn't do anything!" Dipper said.
"Yes, you did! Raymond asked me if you were attached. He wants to date you! Lucky!"
"Tell him I'm not into guys or goats. And especially not into guy-goat combos!" Dipper said. He was beginning to think that luck had its downside.
But he tested it. The next day he asked Wendy if she'd like to go see that movie on Friday night. "I'm still not old enough to drive," he said. "But I don't mind being driven."
She grinned. "OK, Dip, just this movie. But it's no big deal, understand? Just two friends going to see a three-D earthquake movie!"
"I understand," he said. "Just friends."
And then the next day Candy came over to visit Mabel and wound up telling Dipper he was really growing up to be a handsome guy, and she sat uncomfortably close to him. And a little later he went outside just to get away from her and found a wallet on the ground.
He opened it and saw a drivers' license, the picture looking familiar—oh, yeah, a guy who'd gone out on the tour with a bunch of others. And speak of the devil, Soos came driving the tram back just then, and the very guy jumped off, looking anxious, and headed for his car, which he opened and checked—
"Excuse me, sir," Dipper said. "I just found this wallet. Is it yours?"
"Yes!" the guy said, looking relieved. "I must have dropped it while going out to the tram."
Dipper handed it over. "You might want to check to make sure everything's there."
The man did. "Yep, all the cards, all the money. Here you go, son." He held out a twenty.
Dipper shook his head. "I didn't want a reward, sir. My great-uncle co-owns this place, and he'd never want to make money from someone's misfortune." That was true, sort of. Of course, Stan didn't mind a bit if he made money from them any other way.
But the guy asked his name, went inside, and evidently praised him to Soos and Wendy, because they both gave him thumbs-up when he came back in. And Candy hugged him. "My Dipper is an honest and truthful man!" she announced.
Wendy raised an eyebrow at "my Dipper."
Still later, downtown at a convenience store, Dipper fed a dollar into a vending machine and bought the first and only scratch-off lottery ticket in his life so far. Back in the Shack, he scratched it off.
Yeah, it figured. He'd won $1,000.00. There was, of course, a catch. He gave the card to Stan. "I can't use it," he told his Grunkle. "You have to be eighteen or over."
"I'm eighteen or over," Stan pointed out. "I'll do somethin' nice for ya, kid." And he did. He went into town to cash in the ticket and brought Dipper back a candy bar.
That night, Dipper complained to Mabel about the amulet. "It's making me lucky," he said, "but not in any way that helps me out. And it's got you mad at me."
"I'm not mad," Mabel said. "Just disappointed that Raymond prefers you to me. That's not your fault. My irresistibility must've rubbed off on you a little." She picked up the candy bar. "You gonna eat this?"
"Don't like coconut. You can have it."
"Thanks, Brobro!"
Mabel bit into the candy bar and chipped a tooth. Fragment of coconut husk. Stan had to rush her to a dentist he knew who owed him a favor. She came back with a repaired tooth and a rueful, "You're lucky you didn't want the candy, Dipper!"
But the amulet didn't work with Wendy. The next morning, she said, "I gotta break our date, Dip. Sorry, man. My dad wants me to go with him and my brothers to visit my aunt this evening."
And without Wendy—meh. The kind of luck he was having just wasn't worth it. After some soul-searching, Dipper walked out to the Bottomless Pit and walked back a little lighter and amulet-free.
Just before quitting time, Wendy apologized again—but then the phone rang, and she answered it. "What? Oh, OK. No, tomorrow's even better. Sure. OK if I see a movie, then? Thanks, Dad!"
She hung up the phone. "Huh. My aunt called Dad and asked him to put off the visit, so our date's back on, unless you got someone else to see it with."
"No!" Dipper said. "Uh, no. No, I don't. Uh. If you want to go."
"Yeah, I guess so," Wendy said. "Guess you're in luck, Dipper."
Yeah, for a change, he guessed he really was in the best kind of luck. Seeing a three-D movie about an earthquake sitting next to a gorgeous redhead who made a practice of not dating anybody under the age of sixteen? But she would make one exception?
Hmm, maybe he shouldn't have tossed that amulet away so quickly . . . .
Nah. Typical Pines luck was better than anything it could dish up!
The End
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How Hopper Adopts Mike Wheeler: Part Three
Hey guys! This is 3/? The “How Hopper Adopts Mike Wheeler” Series written with my love @lgbtchee
Warnings: homophobia, mentions of depression and self-harm, assault, hospital visit, blood, use of slurs, extremely mild sexual content
With that out of the way, enjoy! This was our favorite one to write so far!
Also, there will be an announcement at the end so make sure to stick around!
After Hopper found out about Mike hurting himself, he realises that the boy was depressed. After the talk they had about it, Hopper was sure about it.
He was going to try to get Mike to a therapist or something, because he very obviously needed it. Hopper made it a point to check on Mike’s arms every once in awhile. Just making sure that he was okay. Hopper sat at work everyday worrying that Mike would do something and he wouldn’t be there to help.
Mike fought with him the first few time, he didn’t want Hopper to look all the time. But he eventually got the idea that Hopper actually cared and just wanted him to be okay. That Hopper wouldn’t be angry or yell, he just wanted to help. Mike stopped fighting him.
The first back at school after it happened, it was a struggle to get Mike to go. He begged Hopper to let him stay, just wanting to lay in bed all day. But Hopper had to make him get to school. Mike didn’t exactly want to go. He knew that the party would notice, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t afraid that Eleven would tell them.
“El, you-you can’t tell anyone okay? Promise you won’t tell?” Mike said on the way to the school
“You have to promise.” El nodded, looking at him as they walked.
“I promise, Mike.”
Mike breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders sagging in relief. A small smile made its way onto his face and he looked El in the eyes from the side.
“Thanks, El. Love you.” Mike says, and El flashes him a knowing smile.
“Aw! Look, here comes our two favorite love birds!” Lucas yells from his spot by the bike rack, where the party meets everyday before first period.
“Shut up, Lucas!” Mike snaps in response, a grimace on his face once again.
El frowns, upset that the first smile Mike’s had in a while is gone so soon.
“C’mon, leave them alone.” Will says, throwing a sheepish smile at the pair.
“You’re just jealous you’re only romance lasted about five seconds. No offense, Max.” Dustin says with a smirk.
Lucas punches Dustin’s shoulder, but there’s a small blush on his face.
“Trust me, none taken. We’re way better friends than a couple. Weirdest month of my life.” Max says, throwing her arm over Lucas’ shoulders.
Mike and El simply lock eyes, seeming to have a conversation with no words as the party makes there way inside. Sometimes, when El and Mike aren’t paying attention, the party debates if Mike and El are just really good at reading each other, or if they can actually talk to each other in their minds. Jury’s still out on that one.
“Guys, come on! We’re gonna be late if you guys don’t hurry up.”
The party made their way to the freshman locker hallway, rushing to dump half their books into their lockers to lighten their backpacks and go over last night's homework. They were all walking while discussing that day’s quiz in geometry, when suddenly, they all stopped.
Standing at Mike’s locker like nothing was different, was Matt Jackson. The Matthew Freaking Jackson. Matt Jackson was a junior at Hawkins High. He was the captain of their swim team and lead in all the school’s drama productions. All the guys wanted to be his friend and all the girls wanted to be his girlfriend. To say he was popular was an understatement. And there he was, leaning against Mike’s locker, in his letterman jacket, looking like the coolest guy in Hawkins.
“Guys, what the hell? Why did you just stop short?” Mike asks, clearly annoyed.
“Mike, why in the world is Matt Jackson standing at your locker?” Lucas asks in awe.
Mike looks away from his friends to what they were staring at. As soon as he saw Matt, a huge smile broke out on his face. Without so much as a second glance, Mike threw a quick “see you later” to his friends and ran over to his locker.
“Matt!” Mike exclaimed, a huge smile on his face.
“Hey, Mike! What’s up, man. How was your weekend? Go to any crazy bangers?” Matt asks, knowing full well that Mike spent his weekend holed up in Hoppers cabin, listening to mixtapes and writing D&D campaigns.
“Oh yeah, a huge rager. Some sophomore fell through the roof and the cops had to break up a fight between three guys and a hitchhiker. Shoulda been there, Matt!” Mike responds back with a smile.
They did that. They make up these elebort stories of each other’s weekends that they both know aren’t true. It was there thing and Mike wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“You’ll have to invite me next time! You know I’d never get in without you!” Matt responds, his eyes sparkling.
“You know, I really need help with my health project. I can’t figure out this unit at all. Do you think you can help me? I have fifth period free…” Mike says, him and Matt lock eyes.
“I think I can help you with that. Anatomy can be really confusing. Speaking of health, we should head over there now. Don’t want to miss my favorite class of the day.” Matt says, throwing a wink at Mike that thankfully, no one else sees.
Matt’s good like that, he knows how to make people see what he wants them to, and not see what he wants to keep hidden. Mike wishes he could do that.
Behind them, Max, Lucas, Will, and Dustin all stand stunned. El simply opened her locker and placed her books neatly inside.
“Am I the only one seeing this?” Dustin asks.
“Matt Jackson. Is talking to our Mike Wheeler. In the middle of the hallway. Like it’s completely normal.” Lucas responds.
“I am so lost.” Max adds.
“Since when did they even know each other, nevermind talk?” Will asks.
“They’ve been friends since the beginning of the year. Didn’t you know?” El asks, nonchalantly.
“Uh, No! We didn’t know that! Six months! They’ve been friends for six damn months and neither of you decided to say anything?” Lucas responds, exasperated.
“They had to do a project together for Health class in September. Now they do all their projects together. Sometimes he comes to the cabin and they work on homework before Hopper gets home.” El says.
The Party is shocked. Matt Jackson is actually friends with not just a freshman, but one of the biggest losers in the freshman year? Sure, they love Mike, he’s their paladin for christ’s sake. But in regards to the social food chain at Hawkins High, the party was as low as it gets. Sure, El was a bit higher up then them with her being one of the best flyers on the varsity cheerleading squad, but her refusing to leave the party behind meant that even she was low on the totem pole.
“I just can’t believe that neither of you told us! This is such a conspiracy!” Dustin yelled, eliciting groans from all Party members.
“Dude, enough with the damn conspiracies already!” Lucas yelled.
“Just because you refuse to see the truth-”
“Not everything is the damn Kennedy Assassination!” Max added.
“Oh, come on Sheepeople! Open your eyes!” Dustin yelled back, causing everyone to groan again.
“That’s it. I’m going to class before I seriously have a brain aneurysm.” Lucas says, throwing his hands up and walking away.
“Whatever!” Dustin called after Lucas.
Max then turned to El, a curious look on her face.
“Is it just me or were they flirting?” Max asked.
“What?” Dustin asked, completely lost.
“Mike’s your boyfriend isn’t he?” she asked El.
“Yeah! They’re just friends, Max.”
Just then the bell rang, cutting the conversation off.
“See you guys later.” El said, making her way to her class, Max walking with her.
“You and Mike aren’t together anymore, are you?” Max asked, looking over at El.
El bit her lip, looking over and nodding a little.
“How did you know?” she asked, confused.
“I could tell. You two don’t act the same around each other. It’s definitely more platonic than anything. Plus Matt? There’s something between the two of them, that’s obvious.”
“Is it that obvious?” el said.
“Well, to me it is, I don’t think so to the boys. They can be a bit dense sometimes for nerds. But matt? I think there’s something weird going on with that situation.” max said, smiling
“Let’s just hurry and get to class so we aren’t late” El says, not wanting to continue the conversation.
By the time they got to class, Mike and Matt had already been sitting in theirs. Throughout the class, Mike would glance over at Matt and smile. Matt caught him a few times, smiling back as they worked on their project.
Mike had to admit, he really liked matt, they’d had a thing for about a month. Just before Mike came out to his parents. Matt had no idea about him hurting himself, sure the two of them had kissed before, but it never got further-mike was fifteen for fucks sakes. It wasn’t like he even wanted to do anything like that. But Mike couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. Matt was a junior, Mike only a freshman. Everyone knew his reputation with the girls at Hawkins, he had experience. But he hasn’t even mentioned that kind of thing to Mike.
Mike must’ve spaced out, getting too far in his head, pressing his fingernails into his palms. Just as class was nearing its end, Matt turned to mike, snapping him out of his head.
“Hey, Mike? How about you meet me behind the arcade today after school, if that’s alright?” Matt asks, smiling.
Today was the day that they would rat out mike to the whole school, which would end up being the whole town. He tried not to show his nerves to the younger boy.
Mike, oblivious to what was planned, smiled and nodded
“Yeah! Yeah definitely” He said as the bell rang
“See ya later, Mikey.” Matt said, standing up and leaving the classroom.
Mike stood there with the biggest smile on his face that he’s had in forever, completely oblivious.
--------------------------
Mike thought he was going to go crazy watching the clock. It would feel like ten minutes and went by. But when he would look at the clock, less than three had actually had passed. But, after what felt like an eternity, the bell rang and Mike could finally leave.
Mike sprang out of his seat in his freshman english class and sprinted to his locker, not caring about knocking into other students. He dumped all his books into his backpack, not bothering to organize them. He shut his locker while simultaneously jamming his arm into the sleeve of Hopper’s old jean jacket from when he was in high school. He didn’t realize the rest of the party made there way to their lockers until they called out to him.
“Jesus, Mike, what’s with the rush?” Max asks, exchanging her books.
“What, you got a date?” Lucas asks in a joking tone.
“No, I don’t think so.” El responds calmly.
“Gotta work on a project with Matt! See you guys later!” Mike yelled as he ran past the party.
“Sometimes he can be so weird…” Lucas says, shaking his head.
Dustin and Max nod their heads, but El and Will watch Mike run through the hall. Both thinking similar things, but keeping them to themselves.
Mike didn’t have his bike anymore, being left at his house a month ago. So, he had to walk to the arcade from the high school. It wasn’t that bad a walk, only a mile and a half. The walk to the cabin was even worse, but usually Steve gave everyone a ride during his break. Best part was that it was in his new police cruiser (even though it was technically shared).
Mike busied himself on the walk over by thinking about Matt. He smiled at the memory of the first time they talked.
Mike had been the only freshman in his health class, since it was open to kids from all grades. He hadn’t talk to anybody, and when the teacher told them to find partners, he’d been totally lost. But then, Matt pulled his desk over and offered to be his partner. Matt had been so nice and funny and actually talked to Mike. Matt asked about his classes and his friends and how was his freshman year.
Over the next five months, Mike developed a huge crush on Matt. He didn’t treat Mike like some annoying freshman or little kid. He was kind and helpful. They’d been studying for a test the first time they kissed. Mike remembered being so excited as the kiss was happening. But as soon as Matt pulled away, a lazy smile plastered on his face, Mike cried. When Mike was kicked out, Matt had held him. When Mike got so stressed out he felt like he couldn’t breathe, Matt rubbed his back and told him stupid jokes.
Sure, they’d only been a “thing” for a month now, but Mike was starting to think he might just love Matt. He was thinking maybe he should tell Matt that. Matt was always the one to make the first move, to push them a little farther. Maybe, it should be Mike’s turn. Valentine’s Day was only a week away and he was planning to get him something nice. He couldn’t really afford much, but he had some birthday and christmas money saved up and thought he could get Matt something to show him how much he appreciated him.
When he entered the alley, Mike didn’t see Matt, which was odd. Matt had a car, so he should’ve gotten there first. Mike walked a bit deeper into the alley, before he realized it was too dark back there for him to see, even though they still had a couple hours of daylight left.
“Matt? Matt, are you there?” Mike calls, trying not to be too loud that someone walking down the street could here. It wasn’t a popular block, but they could never be too careful.
“Matt?” Mike called again, and spun around quickly when he heard a metal can knock over.
There at the opening to the alley, was Matt. Next to him, a trash can filled with half-eaten, greasy arcade food was spilled over on its side.
“Geez, Matty, you scared the crap out of me.” Mike said, bending over and clutching his chest in an attempt to even his breathing.
“Sorry, Mikey, I just wanted to surprise you.” Matt said with a sheepish look on his face.
“It’s alright, I’m just glad you’re here.” Mike says with a smile, leaning against the cold brick wall of the Palisades Arcade.
The signature lazy smile that Matt constantly wore around Mike was back. Matt walts over to where Mike was, holding Mike’s cheek in one hand, the other leaning against the wall. Instead of kissing Mike right away, he just looked at him. He stared at Mike’s cold cheeks as if any second, Mike would fade away. Mike’s face screwed up in confusion.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?” Mike asked, but before he could pull away, Mat kissed him softly.
“Nothing’s wrong. Can’t I just look at you?” Matt responded, but his face still held this weird emotion that Mike couldn’t quite decipher.
“Why would you want to?” Mike asks.
“Because, you’re cute.” Matt responds, but his voice is off. Mike writes it off as nerves due to being in public.
“I think I might love you.” Mike says and Matt looks like a fish out of water.
“Mike, I-I…” Matt starts, but instead cuts himself off and simply kisses Mike.
Matt kisses Mike with heat and passion and fury and Mike can just feel all the words that Mike can’t say. The kiss, it’s obvious that Matt is saying “I love you too”, even if he can’t with his words.
They keep kissing each other, the kiss full of heat and passion. Matt kisses Mike hard, and in the back of Mike’s mind, he’s sure that his lips will bruise. Matt’s hand travels from Mike’s cheek to his hair, burying his fingers in Mike’s curls. Matt pulls on his hair, causing Mike to moan. Matt uses this as an opportunity to push his tongue in and lick into Mike’s mouth. Mike’s own arms are wound around Matt’s neck, pulling him impossibly closer. Matt’s other hand travels down Mike’s waist, and Matt pulls them roughly towards him. But Mike doesn’t think much of it, they’d made out before and Mike trusts him. Mike does, however, reacts much differently when Matt shoves his hands under Mike’s jeans.
Mike pulls away, trying to pull Matt’s hang away.
“Matt! What are yo-” Mike starts, but Matt’s lips are on his in a second.
“Sh, baby, you like it right?” Matt asks and Mike flushes a dark red.
Mike didn’t know how to respond. Sure, it felt good, but they’d never done anything like that before and he didn’t really think he was ready for that just yet. He was only fifteen and they’d only been together a short amount of time, and they were in public for god’s sake.
Mike tries to pull away again.
“Matt, I don’t th-” Mike tries to say but Matt silences him with a kiss again, squeezing him harder.
“Sh, baby.” Matt says and kisses Mike again.
Mike starts to panic. He doesn’t really know what to do. He doesn’t know how to tell Matt he’s not ready and to stop. He’s embarrassed and just realizing how alone he is in the darkening alley, and he doesn’t know what to do.
Before Mike could even think of what to do, a bright flash went off to his right. Mike pulls away again and whips his head around. It’s dark and he can’t see well all the way to the from of the alley. Suddenly, Matt drops him like he was scalding hot and backs up. It’s then that Mike hears the laughter. Loud, angry laughter assaults his ears. Not just the laughter of one person, but a whole group of people.
Suddenly ten people step towards them and Mike can feel his heart stop. There in front of him, were six boys from the Boy’s Varsity Swim Team and four of their girlfriends. They were all standing there, laughing viciously at him as if he were an attraction at a roadside freak show.
“It’s-It’s not what it looks like!” Mike exclaims, causing them all to laugh harder, like he’d told the best joke they’d ever heard.
“Sure, Wheeler. Try to deny it!” One of the boys, Mike thinks he’s a senior named Chris, mocks.
“Really, we were-”
“Face it, Freak, we saw everything! You can’t hide that you were getting hard to making out with a guy like some fag!” A blonde girl named Amanda, who used to be friends with Nancy in middle school, spat.
“No! You do-”
“No, you don’t know! You think this was all some freak accident? You think you actually managed to grab the most popular guy in Hawkins? That he’d go homo for you? Are you that stupid?” Another junior named Danny, who was also in his health class, yelled.
Mike could feel the tears welling in his eyes, but he refused to cry. This was his worst nightmare come true. Not only did someone catch them, but the entire thing is blowing up in his face.
“I don’t understand!” Mike pleaded, voice tight from unshed tears.
“Try to get it through you’re sick little brain. We saw how in love you were with Matt. We knew you were a fag. We just had to prove it. So Matt got all close to you and you fell for it like a complete idiot. We dared him to make you show yourself, and now we get to show everyone what a sick freak you are! This picture is getting copied and posted all over the school tomorrow, fag.” Amanda yelled, a sick smile on her features.
“M-Matt?” Mike pleaded, hoping the group was lying.
Mike turned away from the group to look at Matt. The boy he loves; thought he loved. Matt wasn’t looking at Mike, but at the group slowly surrounding Mike. He had a sickening smirk on his face. Mike felt all the air get knocked out of his lungs. His heart shattered on the spot. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.
“Little fairy practically threw himself at me!” Matt exclaimed, earning another round of cackles.
“Please, you-you can’t show anyone that picture!” Mike begged frantically.
He can’t even imagine the other kids at school seeing a picture of himself with another boy, lips locking and a hand shoved down his pants. His life will be over. Everyone in Hawkins will know his secret, know who he is. Oh god, his friends! Max, Will, Lucas, El, and Dustin will all know. Even Steve will know! All his teachers, all the adults of Hawkins will know. Everyone will know.
“Oh no, hundreds of copies of this bad boy will make their way to every kid at Hawkins High. We have to warn them that a sick fag is walking around, spreading his AIDs everywhere.” Another boy Mike doesn’t know the name of says.
Mike knows that he’s crying now. He didn’t have the energy to try and stop the tears. He was terrified. He didn’t know what to do or how to fix this. He didn’t know if he could.
“Before we go, fag, I think we should teach you a lesson. Show you what happens to homos in Hawkins.” One of the boys say, but Mike can’t see who.
“What?” Mike scrambles up off the group.
“Guys, you do-“ Matt starts but is cut off by Chris.
“What, he infect you too, Matt?” Chris asks and Matt freezes.
“No way, man, I’m not a fag!” Matt yells
“Prove it! Let’s give him a lesson he’ll never forget.” Chris screams at Matt, who still looks conflicted.
Mike feels a drop of hope light up inside his chest. Maybe Matt felt it to. Maybe all those times they’d been together, they’d just been Matt-and-Mike.
“Please, Matt.” Mike pleads, tears dripping off his chin.
“Shut up!” Matt yells, finally snapping.
Matt stalks over to Mike, and he can feel the last bit of hope in his chest fizzle out as Matt’s fist winds back and harshly meets the same cheek he’d been holding moments ago. To Mike, it seemed like a lifetime ago.
Before Mike could recover, Matt is gripping him by the collar of Hopper’s jacket, and punching him again. This time, Mike can feel his nose crack and blood start to gush down his face.
As if they had been shocked back to life, the six other boys decided to join in on the fun. Mike can’t see where the four girls went, but he think he hears one of them say they can’t stand blood.
Two of the boys disappear with the girls, claiming they were gonna keep watch for any nosey arcade workers or annoying kids. The other four boys and Matt then jump on Mike.
He can’t keep track of who was doing what. He tried to fight back, he did. But his dad had never been in a fight in his life, and never taught him how to even throw a punch. He managed to land a punch or kick here or there but it was no match for five older guys with experience.
Mike was getting punched in the face by one guy, kicked in the stomach by two others, kicked in the head by another guy, and being stomped on by the last. The entire time, the group was screaming insults and slurs at him.
Mike just took it and cried. His body hurt so badly, he could barely keep his eyes open. His vision was spotted by black and he knew he was going to pass out. But he fought to stay awake, knowing that if he fell asleep he might not wake up. The ground beneath was wet and sticky, but he can’t remember how it got that.
Mike’s body is in so much pain, he can’t actually differentiate it all. All his mind can think is “pain pain pain pain” and he can’t tell if his hand is broken or if his face is bleeding. He has no idea what his injuries are like. He cries out in pain with each hit, his body reacts, but he can’t actually figure out what’s happening. It’s like the connection between his mind and his body was severed and now he’s just floating on a cloud of hurt.
After what feels like more than a lifetime, but the actual time Mike can’t figure out, the flurry of hits and kicks and stomps slowed to a stopped. Mike hadn’t noticed he’d closed his eyes. He didn’t try to open them, everything hurt too damn much for him to even think about moving. Mike hears footsteps running away, but it’s a voice that shocks him the most.
“Sorry it had to be this way, Mikey.” Matt says, and Mike just wails harder.
He doesn’t remember much after that point because he finally lost consciousness due to the pain.
---------------------
“Guys he has to be around here somewhere, he can’t have just disappeared.” Will said.
“There’s something up with whatever that was with Matt. I don’t trust it.” He continued.
“You don’t trust anything when it comes to people being nice to us. But you’re right, it seems...weird” Lucas added
“He could be dead in an alley somewhere...” He mumbles, Max smacks his arm.
“Alley! Maybe he’s in the alley behind the arcade? We saw a few people over that way earlier” Dustin said apprehensively.
“What if something bad happened?” El added, looking at the others. Everyone went quiet then, until they got to the alley way.
“I think i see someone down there!” Will said, running down the alley, the others tentatively following him.
“Mike?” will said, his voice borderline hysterical.
He rushed closer to him, almost immediately pulling Mike to him. He was covered in blood, he wasn’t moving and he was so much paler than he normally was. If will didn’t see and feel the very slight rise and fall of his chest he would think he was dead.
“Mike? Mike, oh my god, what happened? Wake up!” Will yelled, El dropping down in front of them as well, both of them holding on to him trying to get him to wake up.
Max, Dustin and Lucas were off to the side, frozen, they didn’t know what the fuck to do.
“I-I’m going to go get Hopper, he’ll know how to help.” El said, standing up and taking off towards the police station.
Will was still trying to get Mike to open his eyes, trying to stop wherever the bleeding was coming from in the process.
“What the fuck could’ve happened?” Dustin said, the rest of them dropping down next to Will, finally snapping out of it.
None of them had any idea what to do, they’d never had to deal with anything this bad before.
“I think-I think I have an idea.” Max said, even she herself was hysterical at this point.
“Mike and Matt, they had a thing, I knew something was going to happen with this.” She said
“Wait, what?” Lucas said
“I thought him and El were together?” Max shook her head.
“Not for awhile, I asked El about it. Mike and Matt have had a thing since before Mike’s parents kicked him out because he’s Bi.”
“Well we knew that part, but holy shit.” Dustin said.
“They’re good at faking it then-”
“Stop! We have something more important than who he’s with going out with!” Will said, and everyone stopped
All of them were crying by this point, trying to get Mike to wake up. Give them any sign he was alive. Just when they were losing hope, Mike started moving, slowly opening his eyes.
“W-What?” Mike mumbled.
He had no idea what was happening, or who was holding him.
“N-No! No! Get away from me! Don’t touch me!” He started screaming.
Will tried to calm him down, holding him tight to his chest, brushing his curly hair back
“Mike, Mike, it’s okay, it’s me, it’s Will! We aren’t gonna hurt you, calm down!” Will said, over and over, trying to calm him down.
Mike finally calmed down, but he was sobbing and clinging onto Will, breathing heavily. Will held him as close as possible. Lucas, Dustin and Max surrounding them, all trying to help in someway.
-----------------------------
El was running as fast as she possibly could, straight into the station. She went right past everyone. Past Flo yelling a “you can’t go back there!”, straight into Hopper’s office. Hopper looked up as soon as the door opened to El screaming. She was covered in blood that wasn’t her own, leading hopper to think that someone was dead.
“El, what the hell happened” He asked, standing up
“I-It’s Mike! He’s hurt, r-real real bad!” She managed out through her crying.
Hopper’s eyes widened.
“Did someone else hurt him? Or-Or did he do it himself?” Hopper asked, adding the last part quietly.
El shook her head, “Someone else. His h-head and he’s just hurt we have to go.” el said, pulling on Hopper’s hand.
“Where are we even going?” Hopper asked, getting in the car and swiftly pulling out of the lot. He was panicking himself
“A-Alley. Behind the arcade.” El said
“Hurry, he’s really really hurt.” She said, trying to get Hopper to go faster.
“I’m going as fast as I can!” He shouted, he didn’t mean to shout, but he was just trying to get to mike as fast as he could
“Is anyone there with him?”
“Lucas, Max, Dustin, and Will stayed there with him.” El said, she still hadn’t managed to stop crying.
When they got there, El was out of the car before it was even stopped. Hopper followed soon after, not even shutting the door.
“Mike!” Hopper said, going down the alley to where they were.
Mike was still clinging to Will, still sobbing into his neck.
“What happened?” Hopper barked, kneeling next to Mike.
“W-We don’t know! We just found him like this back here! We knew something was wrong. We knew it! But we didn’t know it was like this!” Lucas yells, trying to hide the tears falling down his face.
“Where is he bleeding?” Hopper asks, pulling off his uniform jacket and balling it up.
“I-I think it’s from his head! It’s all over the place!” Will yells and Hopper can see the blood staining his front.
“Okay, Dustin and Lucas, go to the station and go right to Steve tell him to call an ambulance to the arcade. Then tell him the send all the officers here!”
“B-But M-“ Dustin starts, both clearly not wanting to leave their friends side.
“Go! I’ve got him!” Hopper yells.
“Mike, kid, talk to me!” Hopper yells to the sobbing but dozing kid.
Mike was exhausted and scared and hurt. All he wants to do is go to sleep. He clutches onto Will, letting his eyes slip shit until a familiar booming voice makes him open them again.
“Mike! Kid, you can’t go to sleep! Talk. To. Me.” Hopper barks, and Mike slowly opens his eyes.
“Hopper?” Mike asks, unsure if he’s dreaming.
“Yeah, it’s me kid. You’re okay now. I got you.” Hopper says, and Mike starts sobbing again.
“I didn’t see them! They weren’t supposed to be there. I didn’t see them!” Mike sobs out, making Hopper furrow his brows.
“Who, Mike? Who didn’t you see?” Hopper asked.
“I didn’t see them! I didn’t see them. I didn’t see them!” Mike was hysterical.
“Who is he talking about?” Hopper asks Will but Will just shakes his head.
“I don’t know! He just keeps saying that he didn’t see them. I don’t know!” Will was getting frantic, Hopper took a deep breath.
These kids may have gone through some heavy shit he would have never even thought of at there age, but they were still kids. He was the only adult in the situation.
“Okay, that’s okay, Will. Take a deep breath.” Hopper said firmly and Will followed suit.
“Mike, it’s okay. We’re gonna find who did this. Now keep your eyes open, okay. Help is coming soon.” Hopper said, quickly glancing to the alley opening in search of officers or paramedics or something.
“I’m so tired, Hop. It hurts.” Mike can barely keep his swollen eyes open.
Hopper could hardly stand the sight of Mike. His injuries were so graphic and looked so out of place on someone so young. Most of his face was swollen and purple and bloody. But he couldn’t think about that. Because if he thought about that, than he’d get angry. An Angry Hopper would be of no use right now. That’s for later.
“No! Mike stay awake! You’re so close.” Hopper begged as Mike’s eyes slipped closed again.
Mike didn't open his eyes, and Hopper felt something ugly swell in his chest. Before he could think of what to do, Will reacted.
“Mike, wake up!” Will screamed before slapping Mike across the face, hard.
It worked and Mike’s eyes opened again.
“Will?”
“I’m right here, Mike. I’m right here.” Will responded, trying to keep himself from getting hysterical.
“Where the hell are they?” Hopper growled.
“Max, you need to go to the opening of the alley so they can find us. Flag them down if you have to.” Hopper orders but Max looks conflicted.
“I-I-“ But Hopper stops her.
“Max, he needs help. This is how you help him. Go!” Hopper orders and this time she sprints to the street.
“Is he gonna die?” El asks quietly, and Hopper and Will’s heads snap to her.
They almost forgot she was standing there. She had fat tears rolling down her face, mixing with the blood. She looked terrified. She’d never seen something like this. Never seen someone she loved hurt so badly.
“No! You hear me? He’s not going to die!” Hopper yelled but El kept crying.
“I taste… I taste metal.” Mike says in a dazed expression.
“There’s blood in your mouth.” El responds.
“I love roses. They’re so pretty. Do you smell them too?” Mike asks, looking out of focus at the dark sky ahead of him.
“What is he talking about? Will asks, confused.
“I don’t know…” Hopper responds, just as confused.
“I feel fuzzy…” Mike says slowly before his eyes roll back into his head.
“Shit!” Hopper yells, just realizing what this was.
Hopper pulls Mike out of Will’s grip and onto his side just as his muscles start to jerk and tense.
“What is happening?” Will screams.
“He’s having a seizure. Back up or you can hurt him!” Hopper yells.
Will, Hopper, and El all held their breath, waiting for the seizure to end. After a few minutes it did, his breathing slowly evened out.
“Is it over…?” Will asked after a few minutes, his voice quiet.
“Yeah, yeah I think so.” Hopper mumbled, moving towards him carefully. It took a few minutes but Mike came to eventually, still struggling to keep his eyes open.
“Hey, hey, Mike you have to keep your eyes open okay?” Hopper said.
“The ambulance will be here soon.”
“I’m sleepy though, Hop” Mike said, his voice heavy, his eyes drooping, almost completely closing
“I know kid, but you have to keep them open, okay?” Mike just hummed in response.
Just then the ambulance pulled up, 4 different EMTs coming down the alleyway, taking Mike to be loaded into the ambulance.
Steve wasn’t far behind, rushing down the alley as well.
“What the hell happened?” he said, obviously out of breath.
“I have no idea, but we’re going to figure it out. But you stay with the kids, I’m going in the ambulance with Mike.”
“But hop-” Steve started, only to be cut off by Hopper.
“No buts, stay here and make sure the kid are okay, take them back to my cabin. I’ll call there in case anything happens.” Hopper said, Steve sighed but nodded
“Yeah, alright, should I tell Nancy?”
Hopper thought about that one for a second before nodding, “Yes. Now get the kids, i’ll go with Mike.”
With that, he was off and in the ambulance, speeding off to the hospital.
“Is Mike going to be okay?” Will asked.
“He was having a seizure! What if he’s not okay?! Steve what do we do?” Will said, hysterical, and steve could tell by looking at the others they thought the same thing.
“Will calm down. Mike’s a tough kid, he’ll be alright. Now do you have any idea who could’ve done this?” Steve asked.
All 5 of the kids looked at each other before nodding, “Matt Jackson, we knew something was up with them, it seemed wrong. That’s the only thing that we can think of its-” Steve cut Dustin off.
“Okay, we’ll deal with him too. For now we’re going to head back to Hopper’s cabin and wait for anything from Hopper alright?”
“But Steve-” Lucas started.
“No, we aren’t going after him right now. If we do it won’t help any, we have to be more worried about Mike right now.” steve said “Now, go get in the car so we can get to the cabin.”
The ride back was silent, none of them saying a word. What would they say? What could they say? They’ve never been in this situation. Mike was their paladin, the dungeon master, their leader. Now he was in an ambulance fighting for his life.
Lucas didn’t know what to do. This was Mike, one of his best friends. The first kid to ever stick up for him when Troy called him “midnight”. The first kid to really be his friend. Mike was always the one he could complain about his annoying sister. He was the one who Lucas could ask any question, no matter how embarrassing or shameful or stupid. What would he do?
Dustin couldn’t even think of what to think. His mind was blank. All he could see was that sick image of Mike out cold in a puddle of his own blood. His face all splotchy with purple and swollen. The fingers of his left hand was twisted at odd angles and bloody. His breathing was short and raspy. When they found Mike, Dustin really thought that he was dead. It was like when Will’s “body” was pulled out of the Quarry, except this time it wasn’t a secret government cover-up. It was real. When Lucas and himself ran to the station to get Steve, it felt like he was running in slow-mo. He’d run up to Steve frantic, screaming about the alley behind the arcade.
Will was just stuck. Mike was one of his best friends, his first friend. From the day Mike asked Will to be his friend, they were so close. Seeing Mike like that, so pale, more so than he usually is, terrified Will. Mike was barely breathing properly, his head busted, his blood pooling underneath him. He had to see Mike have a seizure. The boy he’s had a crush on since he knew what the word meant. He prayed to every god, or whatever higher power, that Mike would be okay. That he would live. He didn’t know what he would do without him.
Max wasn’t quite sure what to think. She’d only known Mike about 2 years. She wasn’t as close to him as Will, Dustin and Lucas were. But hell, she was still terrified, Mike had become a good friend to her. Sure, he had been rude in the beginning, but he’d apologized. Him, and the rest of the party, were there for her with her asshole, abusive brother. It seemed like he was always there for all of them, he kept everyone on track, made sure everyone was okay. But it had her thinking that maybe they didn’t do the same thing.
Blood. So much blood. He was covered in blood. El had seen blood before. She’s seen her own blood before. She’s seen the blood of the bad men. But seeing Mike’s blood, all over him, all over Will, all over the alley floor, all over her. Sure, she’d seen him bleed when he fell off his bike last month after he hit a pothole and scraped his knee. She’d seen him bleed when he fell down the stairs to the basement of his house and his elbow was bleeding. She’d seen him bleed when Troy threw a volleyball at his head in gym class and broke his nose. But that. All that blood. He was shaking. He looked like Will did when he was possessed. Hopper called it a seizure. She’s never seen someone she loved so hurt, not even Mama. It was terrifying.
Steve could feel the tension, like a dark cloud hanging over all of them. He had only seen the kid for a second, but it was still so hard for him. Nevermind the kids. He sighed, he still had to tell Nancy. As soon as they got in the cabin, Steve was on the phone calling Nancy. It rang and rang until it went to voicemail.
“C’mon Nance, answer the fucking phone...” he mumbled, dialing again.
She answered on the second try. Steve sighed with relief.
“Hello, this is Nancy.”
“Thank god!” Steve responded, thanking God that he didn’t have to leave this to an answering machine.
“Steve? What’s up? Shouldn’t you be at work?” Nancy asks, confused.
“I was, but this isn’t really a leisure call.” Steve starts but Nancy cuts him off.
“Is everything okay? Did something happen at work?” Nancy asks, voice flooded with worry and Steve almosts smiles.
“Well, yes. But not to me, Nancy.” Steve says, and there’s a pause.
“Did something happen to Mike? Is he okay?” She asks; Steve can hear the panic in her voice.
“Yeah, we’re not quite sure what happened yet. But, he’s been hurt, Nancy. Something to do with Matt Jackson, you know him?” Steve responds, wishing he could be saying anything else.
“Jesus, how bad is it? Is he there? Where’s Hopper?” She asked all at once, scared to hear the answer.
“Uh, no, he’s not here. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. We don’t really know how bad it is yet. Hopper is gonna call when he knows more.” Steve explained, barely able to get the words out.
“What,” Nancy whispered. “Please tell me this is some sick joke. Please tell me he’s okay.” Her voice was heavy, like she was holding back tears.
“I-I’m so sorry, Nance, I wish I knew more. I wish I could do more.” Steve says,
“The kids and I are down at Hopper’s cabin, do you want me to come get you when Hopper calls?”
Nancy didn’t say anything for a minute. Steve would have thought she’d hung up if it wasn’t for her shaky breathing.
“Yes, please. Joyce and Jonathan are still at work.”
“I’ll head over to the Byers’ as soon as Hopper calls.”
“Thanks, Steve.” With that, she hung up.
“Steve, can I call my mom?” Will asks quietly, startling Steve.
The kids have never been this quiet. They were always laughing and bickering and just loud. Now the only sounds they were making were sniffles and sobs. It was extremely unsettling and Steve wished he could make them smile or laugh at at least send them into some nerd lecture about how “Leia totally could have replaced Luke as the new hope for the resistance, Steve! How did my sister even date you!”. Steve winces at the memory. Too soon.
Behind him, Will dials the number for Melville's Store, where his mom was working till closing. It rang twice before his mom answers.
“Melville’s, Joyce speaking, how can I help you?” Joyce responds in a fake cheery voice she only uses in the store.
“M-Mom?” Will responds, his terrified tone breaking Joyce’s heart.
“Will? Baby, is that you?” Joyce says, and she’s reminded so much of two years ago.
“Mom, something bad happened.” Will starts sobbing into the phone, startling Joyce.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Joyce is trying to stay calm, but ever instinct in her is telling her to run to Will.
“No. No, I’m not hurt. It’s Mike, Mom.” Will responds in between sobs.
“Okay baby, take some deep breaths. Tell me what happened.”
“W-We went looking for Mike. He was working on a project with some older kid, but it was arcade night. He never misses arcade night,”
“We went looking for him. W-We found him behind the arcade. Mom, there was so much blood! He was bleeding and crying and he-he had a seizure! Now he’s in the hospital and I don’t know what to do!” Will is sobbing again, clutching the phone like a lifeline.
Joyce lets out a shocked gasp. She doesn’t understand how this could happen. She didn’t even fully understand what happened.
“Baby, I’m coming to get you right now. Where ar-” Joyce started, already putting on her coat but Will stops her.
“No, it’s okay. We’re with Steve at the cabin. Can-Can you just meet us at the hospital when you can?” Will asks, watching Lucas start to examine the cabin.
“Okay. I can do that. As soon as I can lock up, I’ll be there. You hold in tight, Will.” Joyce says, reluctant to leave him alone.
“Okay, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too. I’ll see you so soon.” Joyce says and Will hangs up.
“El, what the hell is this?” Lucas says, face darkening with anger, holding up Mike’s partially filled duffle bag.
El looks up, widening her eyes, Will, Dustin and Max turning to see what was happening.
“Isn’t that Mike duffle bag?” Will asked, confused.
“El what the fuck?” Dustin asked.
“I um, well about that, its a long, complicated story.” she said, biting at her lip nervously.
“Mike has been living here! What else could there be! Does Hopper even know?” Lucas said, raising his voice.
“Whoa Lucas, chill out! It’s something Mike or Hopper will have to tell you. It has nothing to do with El.” Steve said
“You know too?! Why are we the only ones who don’t know!” Lucas said, right as the phone started ringing. Steve picked it up immediately.
“Hopper?”
“Yeah, yeah it’s me kid. Is everyone okay over there?” He asked
“Yeah, we’re fine, Lucas is flipping out because he found Mike’s duffle, and he doesn’t know why. He thought El had something to do with it.” Steve explained. Hopper let out a sigh
“Alright, put the kid on the phone.”
Steve handed Lucas the phone, the latter hesitantly holding it up to his ear.
“H-Hello?” he said, nervous.
“Look, kid, El had nothing to do with Mike staying there. He’s been staying about a month.” Lucas cut him off
“A month? What the f-”
“Let me finish. Anyway, he’s been staying there a month. He came out as Bi to his parents and they kicked him out. I’m guessing that’s also why this happened… the kid’s depressed Lucas. That’s probably why he didn’t tell you anything about it. While we’re here I’m going to try if i can get him help or something.” Lucas was at a loss, one of his best friends was kicked out of his house for something so stupid.
“You can go ahead and tell the others, give Steve the phone back so I can tell him what’s going on with Mike.” Hopper said, without saying another word, Lucas handed Steve back the phone.
“What happened Lucas?” will asked frowning
“Mike uh, Mike got kicked out of his house. He’s been staying here for a month. He told his parents he’s bi and they kicked him out. Hopper said that’s probably why this happened too. That he probably didn’t tell us because he’s, uh, Mike’s depressed is what Hopper said.” Lucas said, rushing everything out.
“He said that he’s gonna try and get him to get help.”
“That-that explains a lot” will said, biting his lip
“What do you mean?” Lucas asked
“Well, the way he acts, kinda uninterested a lot of the time? How we haven’t been to Mikes, well I guess it’s not his house anymore, for a month? It makes more sense now” Will says, a look of guilt all over his face.
“Depressed… He’s really… He’s really depressed?” Lucas asks, but his tone tells them he already knows the answer. No one responds.
“I mean, he’s always been sensitive and emotional, but depressed. That’s just so big…” Lucas continues, cracking his knuckles.
“He’s like a... ghost?” El adds, trying to find the right word.
“What do you mean?” Max asks, confused.
“He’s not the same. He’s been a sad for a long time. But, it’s been different. He sleeps a lot. He’ll come home and just sleep till the next day. He won’t even eat most days. He walks around silent, like he’s somewhere else up here.” El taps her temple.
“Jesus, he should have told us.” Dustin says, visibly hurt.
“He doesn’t want to bother us. He hates not being in control, he’s too stubborn. He’s the leader, if he can’t take care of himself, he think he can’t lead us.” Will replies.
“This isn’t the presidency, we’re his friends. He can always come to us!” Dustin barks back.
“That’s enough!” Steve yells, startling the kids.
“Get your things, we’re going to the hospital. We need to get Nancy so hurry your asses up!” Steve orders and the kids spring into action rather than continue this discussion.
Steve let out a long sigh, pinching his nose. He’d just finished talking to Hopper and got most of the story on how Mike was. It was worse than it seemed at the scene. The scene, Jesus, that was a term he used for random crimes that they investigated, not for his friends. But this was a crime. Mike didn’t get beaten to a bloody pulp by the trash cans in the alley. Someone did this to him.
The ride to the Byers’ house was quiet. None of the kids knew what to say. None of them had a way with words, to make the hopeless seem full of hope. That was always Mike’s thing. So they all just sat in silence, stewing in their own thoughts and memories.
When they pulled up to the Byers’ house, Steve just honked and waited for Nancy to come out. He’d go out to get her, but he didn’t think leaving the kids in the running car by themselves was a good idea. Last time they had access and a party member was in trouble, they had a fourteen year old drive at eighty miles per hour.
Nancy ran out from the house and jumped into the passenger seat. Her normally perfectly set curly hair was disheveled on her left side, most likely from pulling it. Her face was red and splotchy around her eyes, but her face was set into a harsh glare. If you didn’t see the red around her eyes, you’d just think she was pissed off. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, her knuckles were white.
Sometimes, it was easy for the party to forget that Mike and Nancy were siblings. Yeah, they sure as hell bickered like siblings, but they had completely different personalities. Mike was open with his emotions, if he was angry or sad or hurt, it was written all over him the second he felt it. He was a lot like his mom like that. Nancy, on the other hand, was much more like their father. She was closed off with her emotions, didn’t let anyone see them unless she didn’t have a choice. If something was said that really hurt them, Mike wouldn’t hesitate to cry right then and there. Nancy would wear a nasty glare until she could be alone to cry.
But, they were also the same. They were both stubborn to the point where you thought your head was going to explode. They both would do literally anything for who they loved, even if it meant risking their lives. They won’t stop until they know the truth. They love so fiercely and so genuinely that it was practically blind. They both were lefties. They both tug on their hair when they’re stressed. They both crinkle their noses when they smiled, like really smiled. They both snorted when they laughed. They both picked at their cuticles. They can both wiggle their ears. They both know every word to Blackbird by The Beatles because it was their mom’s favorite. Sometimes it was easy for the party to see that Nancy and Mike were siblings.
No one said anything the entire twenty minute ride to the hospital. Not even a hello to Nancy, nothing. But, as soon as they stepped foot into the ER waiting room and saw Hopper sitting in one of the cheap plastic chairs, they all erupted into conversation and questions.
“He’s going to be okay right? He’s not, he’s not gonna..you know, right?”
“When can we go in and see him?”
“What room is he in?”
“Why the fuck didn't you tell us he was depressed before?”
Hopper sighed, “Alright! that’s enough!” he said, everyone shut up immediately.
“Now, they said we can’t go in just yet. But, you all need to calm the hell down, for his sake.” He continued
“He doesn’t need you all bickering, he just needs you to be there for him. All of you.”
No one knew what to say at first, until El spoke up, “but is he gonna be okay?” She asked softly.
“Yeah, and are they really gonna help him?”
“Yeah, he’s going to be okay, just sore for a while, his hands broken too. They said they would send someone up to talk to him before he leaves,”
“The doctors are going to give him a more in-depth examination and update us with his condition. They said he should be fine though. It could have been way worse.” Hopper says, his voice softer than ever.
No one needed to say what was left out. “It could have been worse was a nicer way” of saying he could have died.
“How long until we can see him?” Nancy asks.
“The doctors will let us know… whenever they finish. Steve we need to talk.” Hopper says, motioning for the two to walk over to the nurse’s station.
The party doesn’t really know what to do, so they sit in the uncomfortable chairs in silence. Dustin’s leg was shaking up and down. Lucas was opening and closing his left fist, Max clutching his right hand tightly. Will lightly scratched his fingernail on the chair’s arm over and over. El twirled one of her wild curls with her index finger. Nancy wrung her hands tightly, her knuckles white and fingers red from the force. They all watched as Hopper and Steve talked in hush voice a few feet away. They were trying to be subtle, but they all knew that the pair was talking about the investigation. The still couldn’t wrap their minds around that. They’ve never faced something like this. This wasn’t a demogorgon or bad men. This was caused by someone they’ve grown up with, someone they’ve known their entire lives.
“Will?” A voice yells from the door and the they all jump.
“Nancy!” Another voice yells.
Joyce and Jonathan Byers come running through the doors to the waiting room. They had their jackets half on and looked as if they ran all the way from Melville’s.
“Mom!” Will yelled jumping up and into the arms of his mom.
“Jonathan.” Nancy breathes out like a sign of relief and practically falls into his arms.
“What happened?” Joyce asks, looking at Hopper who made his way over.
“He was jumped by someone. We’re looking into it.” Hopper answers, giving Joyce a look screaming we’ll talk about it later.
“Family of Michael Wheeler?” A doctor with long blonde hair calls, the entire party jumps.
“Us! We’re with Mike!” Lucas yells, and everyone scrambles over towards the doctor.
The doctor was obviously thrown off guard, but kept a calm face. She looked back to Mike’s chart clutched in her hands and turned towards Hopper.
“Hello, everyone, my name is Dr. Anne Carter. I’m the head doctor for Michael’s case. Chief Hopper, you brought Michael in via ambulance, correct?” The doctor asks and Hopper nods.
“Very good, you brought him just in time. His injuries aren’t too serious. He mainly has a multitude of contusions and abrasions covering his face and body.” The Dr. Carter starts but is cut off.
“What are those?” El asks, lost.
“They’re just big words that mean cuts and bruises, sweetie.” The Dr. Carter smiles before continuing.
“But, he did have some serious injuries. His right hand, four fingers, and wrist were fractured. We had to give him x-rays and set his arm for a cast. We’re going to have to keep a close eye on it; if it doesn’t set properly, we’ll have to set it surgically with pins. But we hope to avoid it.” The doctor continues.
“Surgery?” Joyce asks.
“It’s a possibility, but we’re hoping that a normal cast will do the trick. Broken bones, especially small ones, are tricky. But, we don’t feel that the strain of surgery is necessary right now.” She responds, Joyce nods.
“Now, after examining his chest, we realized that he has three broken ribs on his left side. We wrapped his ribs, so those will heal as long as Michael rests for a while.”
“What about the seizure? What was that? Will it happen again?” Hopper asks.
“Yes, the seizure was more scary than serious. Patients who lose an certain amount of blood can start to seize, but we have started a series of blood transfusions that have stopped the seizures. The seizures didn’t cause any permanent damage to his brain because of their length.” Hopper nods, he doesn’t fully understand but if she says it’s fine than he trusts her.
“Most of the bleeding, as I’m sure you were aware of, came from the head lac, aka the cut on his head. After a CAT scan, we were sure that he did not have a brain bleed, which is very good news. Typically, head trauma like that from a beating of this magnitude can cause a bleed, but Michael is extremely lucky. However, he did suffer a minor skull fracture.” Dr. Carter is cut off again, this time by Nancy.
“A skull fracture? Is he okay? Is there any brain damage?” Nancy shot the questions at Dr. Carter, but she handled them calmly.
“Yes, he did suffer a small, very minor skull fracture on the right side of his two inches behind the temple. No, there was no brain damage on the CAT scan and his flexes and vital are all normal. You’d be surprised how many skull fractures aren’t serious. Again, we’ve wrapped Michael’s head to compress the fractures and stop the bleeding. The best treatment is for Michael to rest. At the most, he’ll have a minor concussion from the force of the blows to his head.” Nancy gulps but stays quiet.
“We also had to give him a few stitches on his right cheek and left temple, as well as set his broken nose. All in all, his injuries are minor compared to what could have been. We had to place him under sedation for the pain and to help with the healing process. It’s called a medically induced coma, but after a few hours we will ween him off of the medicine and replace it with only morphine. He’ll be awake in a few hours,”
“I am very sorry that this has happened. You all seem to care very much about him. He’ll need all your support during his recovery.” The doctor finishes; everyone in the party was holding back tears.
“When can we see him?” Nancy asks, her normally strong voice feble.
“We’re going to let him rest for a few hours. But as soon as we start to pull him out of the coma, you can start to see him. Talking to him will actually help him wake up faster. Normally we have strict visiting hours and number of people allowed in the room at a time, but since the is a police investigation, the rules can be bent.” The doctor says, giving Hopper a look.
“Thank you so much, Dr. Carter.” Joyce responds.
“Only for the investigation of course.” She replies with a wink.
“We also noticed the cuts on his forearms, they look to be self inflicted. Do any of you know about that?”
Everyone froze, until hopper broke the silence “i know about it yes. I’ve been the one that wrapped his arms since it happened” Hopper said, the doctor nodded
“From that we’ve had to call in a psychiatrist. Which hopper already suggested at first. We will probably end up having him on an medication, depending on what the psychiatrist says” The doctor said.
When the doctor leaves, everyone sits back in their seats. All emotionally drained from talking with the doctor. Mike was hurt. Really hurt. They’d seen it with their own eyes, but to hear it listed off like that made it seem so much worse. Sure, the doctor said they looked worse than they were, but that didn’t make them feel any better. Once again, they sat in utter silence, waiting for the doctor to come back and let them see Mike, none of them brought up the part about the self-inflicted cuts on his arms, saving that conversation for later.
“Mike hates hospitals.” Nancy breaks the silence, startling everyone.
“Why?” El asks, and Nancy chuckles.
“Has Mike ever told you how he broke his leg when he was seven?” Nancy asks, a small smile gracing her face.
“He told us he fell walking down the stairs.” Dustin answers, making Nancy laugh more.
“Oh no, he didn’t just fall down the stairs, he jumped down the stairs.” Nancy said in between giggles. The others started laughing too.
“Why did he jump?” El asks, still confused.
“Okay, so when Mike was seven, he was really into Superman. Like, he had posters and a cape and an action figure and everything. All he talked about was Superman. Well, me being the nine year old sister that I was, decided it would be funny to convince him that mom and dad found him in a corn field in a spaceship. I thought it would be so funny if he thought he was actually Superman.” Nancy was laughing hard now at the memory.
“How did he believe that!” Lucas exclaims.
“It took two weeks of convincing and Ted’s absent parenting to get him to believe me. Then, one day, he decides to test if he has powers. Since Superman can fly, he decided it would be a great idea to spring down the entire hallway and jump from the top step to ‘force his powers to awaken’ as he put it. Instead, he fell down the stairs and broke his leg.” Everyone was laughing at that point.
“What a nerd!” Max says in between giggles.
“Mom was so mad when she found out why. She made me stay home with him after school every day to keep him company since he couldn’t leave the house. We spent most of the time pushing her buttons.” Nancy take a deep breath, her stomach hurt from laughing.
“Oh, I have a good one!” Dustin exclaims.
“We did this science experiment in 5th grade for the science fair, we made one of those big paper mache volcanoes. Mike had no idea how much baking soda to put into it to make it so it didn’t get everywhere.” Dustin started
“I told him to add way too much when it came to our turn to show the judges. It got everywhere, all over us and the judges and pretty much everyone in a 7 foot radius. Mike was so scared at first, he thought we would get in trouble so he just kept apologizing over and over. In the end we actually ended up with 1st place. His face was the best part though, he was so shocked he thought it was actually not explode,” Dustin said “it was hilarious.”
“I remember that one! When he came home and had it all over him Mom freaked, she thought it was blood!” Nancy said, laughing so hard she starts to snort.
“Okay, but I definitely have the best one!” Max says, already laughing.
“I doubt that!” Lucas says, teasing her.
“Okay, so once Mike, El, and I stopped having this weird frenemy thing and started to be friends, El got into the skateboarding. She thought it was so cool. So I was teaching her and she took to it so quickly. She was a natural! Well, Mike wanted to try it to so they could do it together!” Max says before she has to stop because she’s laughing too hard.
“Oh my god, I remember that! Best week of my life!” Lucas yells, howling with laughter.
“No he didn’t! Mike is the most uncoordinated and unathletic kid in Hawkins!” Nancy yells, wiping tears from her eyes.
“I know! He did so badly. He couldn’t get a single foot on the board without falling. But he was so damn stubborn and get insisting that ‘any day now, I’ll get it’ and finally, after a week, he was able to roll down the sidewalk. Just as he feels like he knows what he’s doing, the board shoots out from under him and pulls a full Charlie Brown!”
“Oh my god, he was so pissed for like, a week after that!” Will says, smiling at the memory.
“Do you remember when he tried to plan Will’s surprise fifteenth birthday party?” Lucas says and everyone bursts into laughter.
“Oh my god, he thought it was the best idea ever, until he accidentally got 5000 cupcakes! How did he even do that!” Dustin laughed
“But you have to admit! At least he tried, I thought it was cute.” will said
“Oh hush, you think everything he does is cute!” Max said, winking at him.
“And when he tried to do the magic tricks? He tried doing card tricks and got it wrong every time!”
Everyone laughed, even as the doctor told them they could finally see him, right up until they got to the door and saw mike.
His entire face was black and blue, he had stitches everywhere, his head wrapped in one bandage, they could see the bandages wrapped around his ribs as well. He was hooked up to so many machines, if he wasn’t so beat up, they would have thought he was just sleeping peacefully.
It was Hopper who sat next to the bed first, all of them tried to be quiet, so they didn’t disturb him. But it seemed Mike felt the presence in the room, his eyes slowly started to open.
“Hey kid… don’t move around too much alright? Three of your ribs are broken.” Hopper started, not sure what to say. Mike just mumbled out a response.
After a few minutes he was finally fully awake, no one said anything until.
“How do you feel?” Nancy asked quietly, Mike just shrugged a little.
“I don’t really know.” Before anyone can say anything else, there’s a knock on the door.
The doctor opened the door, another doctor looking person standing with her as well.
“I hate to say this but everyone needs to leave the room so Michael can talk to the psychiatrist.” the doctor said, mike immediately got nervous, not exactly wanting to be alone.
But everyone left the room anyways, standing just outside the room.
“What do you think they’re gonna say?” Jonathan said, asking Hopper
“They’re probably going to put him on an medication. I told them what happened with the cuts on his arms and with how Mike is right now, I don’t think he’s going to lie about anything.” He said
“What exactly did happen?” nancy asked, probably not wanting to know the answer.
“I didn't find out until a few weeks after he started staying with me. He's been doing it for awhile, a few weeks before Ted kicked him out.”
“I should have been there for him…” Nancy says, sniffling but no tears falling.
“Nance…” Steve starts but she cuts him off.
“No, ever since this all started… mom and dad haven’t been the same. Two years of shit from them. Ted’s completely checked out, unless something threatens the Wheeler family ‘image’ of the perfect suburban red blooded republican family. Mom’s got her face too deep in a bottle of chardonnay and buried in cheesy romance novels to see that everything’s all fucked up. And I did the same damn thing. I hated it there so I checked out and left him to find for himself. I never should of left.” Nancy says, wringing her hands so tightly, Will was scared she’d break a fingernail.
“Your parents shit marriage and crappy home aren’t your fault. You’re still a kid too, Nancy. That doesn’t fall on you.” Hopper says, firmly.
“Mike’s always had problems… Even before all this started. Something happened when we first met El. I still can’t go back to the Quarry.” Dustin replies solemnly.
El wipes tears away, remembering exactly what Dustin was talking about.
“The Quarry?” Max asks, Lucas gives her a sharp nod.
“He said he just panicked, that he didn't want me to get hurt. But his face…” Dustin says, looking off in the distance, in the memory.
“What happened?” Steve asks, gripping Dustin’s shoulder.
“Mike and I went looking for El. She and Lucas got into a fight and she ran off after Mike yelled at her. Instead of finding El, Troy and James found us. We tried to run, but I’m an even worse runner than Mike. Troy had a knife, said he’s cut out all my teeth.” Everyone except Lucas and El gasp.
“That little shit.” Steve says and Dustin continues.
“He said the only way he’d leave my teeth alone was if… was if Mike jumped. From the top of the Quarry.” Dustin gulped.
“But if you jump, it’ll-” Jonathan starts but Dustin cuts him off.
“I know, Mike knew that. But he just walked to the edge. He said he just panicked. But he looked so calm. He didn’t even hesitate, he stood at the edge for a second before he just dropped. I thought he died!” Dustin exclaimed, frantic.
“Dustin, he’s okay.” Will says but Dustin keeps going.
“He looked back at me before he jumped! I could see it on his face! He was just fine with dying! He looked at me like it was goodbye! I thought he died until I went to the edge and saw that El caught him just in time!” Dustin says, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Dustin!” Steve yells, grabbing both of Dustin’s shoulders.
Dustin’s eyes snap from a far-off look to Steve. Steve almost feels relieved but knows it’s not done yet.
“Mike lived okay? He was okay then, he’s okay now, and he’s getting help. That won’t happen again. Okay, bud.” Steve says calmly, and Dustin nods before grabbing Steve by the waist and burying his face in Steve’s jacket.
“Okay, bud. It’s okay.” Steve rubs his back, and the group falls into silence.
The psychiatrist stays in Mike’s room for almost an hour. As the minutes stretched on, the group got more and more restless. But they kept quiet, knowing that Mike needed this. It didn’t make it any easier. They just wanted to see him, see that he was okay. Just when they felt like they were going to explode, the door opened and the psychiatrist stepped out. Hopper and Nancy were up in seconds. The rest kept their distance to respect Mike’s privacy. He’d come to them with whatever happens.
“How’d it go?” Hopper asks, not entirely sure how to go about this.
“Well, he was hesitant to talk at first. That’s always expected for a first time assessment. After a few minutes of prodding, he seemed to open up a bit. That’s a good sign. It means he’s open to really getting help.” The psychiatrist answered.
“What’s the next step? What’s the plan?” Nancy asks.
“Well, while talking to him, I’ve determined he fits all the criteria in the DSM-III for Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” The psychiatrist answers slowly.
To Nancy and Hopper, it feels like a punch in the gut.
“What does that mean? What can we do?” Hopper asks
“Well with the depression part, it’s a little obvious in the way of how he acts and from what he told me.” The psychiatrist said
“What exactly did he tell you?” Nancy asked
“I’m afraid i can’t disclose that unless anything he say threatens the life of himself or anyone else. With the anxiety it’s likely to get worse after this, with the way his injuries are, he probably will be very jumpy and might have flashbacks at times. It's called PTSD, you just have to be careful not to trigger it. Knowing how to do that is something you’ll have to learn.” The psychiatrist says
“The most you can do is just be there for him and help him through it. Check on his arms and any other places he could harm himself occasionally.”
“Will he be on any medication? And does he have to go to therapy?” Hopper asked
“It would be a smart decision, this is a prescription for 50 milligrams of prozac, the dosage should help with both the anxiety and depression.” The psychiatrist said, handing Hopper the piece of paper.
“Therapy would also do him well, for now I’d just say once every two weeks, so two weeks from now would be the next time.”
“That’s all? Isn’t there more we can do?” Nancy asks, clearly not satisfied with that answer.
“I’m afraid mental health care isn’t as simple as physical health. When you break a bone, you set it and after 6 weeks of wearing a cast, you’re as good as new. When you have depression, you can take medication and go to therapy. It can work great. It can work one week and not work the next. It can take a while to figure out the right method of treatment for every case. No two cases are the same so no two kinds of treatment are the same. The medication and the therapy are long term treatments, they don’t work right away but in time, the result will be positive. For now, all you can do is support him.” The psychiatrists replies.
Hopper and Nancy sighed; Nancy wishes depression was like the flu. You can treat the flu and in a few days, it’s all gone. You can’t take some tylenol and cure depression.
“Now, he was asking for Hop? He’s a little hesitant to take medication and wants to talk it over with Hop? I’m not too sure who that is. He’s on some heavy painkillers so not everything he says will make sense. I really urge you to try and get him started on medication as soon as possible, even better if he can start tomorrow morning. It takes two weeks for the medication to build up in your system and start to work.”
“I’m Hop, give me a minute to talk to him?” Hopper asks and walks into the room.
Mike was quiet, sitting fairly still in bed, his head turned towards the window. He jumped when Hopper opened the door, but once he saw who it was, he faced the window again.
“I just talked to the psychiatrist.” Hopper says but Mike still doesn’t look up.
“I know, he told me he’d talk to you. He wants me to take meds.” Mike says quietly.
“He told me that. He also told me that you were nervous about them.” Hopper responds.
“Will they really help? I mean, I know he said they will, but I don’t want to end up like some zombie…” Mike says.
“Mike, these meds, they will help you. They won’t make you a zombie. It’s your choice, but I think it’s worth a shot. And listen, if they don’t make you feel good or you want to stop, then we’ll talk to the doctors and stop. You just have to talk to me.” Hopper says, sitting in the seat next to Mike’s bed.
“Okay... Okay, if you promise.”
“Promise what, kid?” Hopper asks, knowing full well the weight of the word promise in this group.
“Promise that if I want to stop, I can. Promise that I won’t be a zombie. Just promise.” Mike asks, looking at Hopper.
“Hey, kid, I promise.” Hopper replies firmly and Mike seems satisfied with that answer.
Mike turns back to the window, staring at the passing clouds. Hopper guesses the conversation is over.
“I’m gonna go talk to the psychiatrist. Nancy really wants to talk to you, it alright that I send her in?” Hopper asks and Mike only replies with a quiet sure.
After Hopper leaves, the room is quiet again. The only thing he can hear is the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the dripping of the I.V. Mike was always a fan of quiet. He didn’t think people appreciated it enough. Dustin and Lucas and Max, they were always filling the silences. They’d play music or talk or bicker just to fill silences, not because they actually cared if Luke Skywalker or Superman would win in a fight. Mike doesn’t jump when Nancy opens the door, just continues to stare out the window.
“Mike, I’m so sorry.” Nancy says, sitting in the plastic seat.
Mike didn’t expect that. A lecture on his stupidity, maybe even a screaming match. He wasn’t expecting her to sound so sad. His head turned to look at her.
“Why are you sorry? Nancy, you didn’t do anything.” Mike responded, confused.
“You’re right! I didn’t do anything. I’m your big sister. I’m supposed to protect you. And what did I do? I ran away. I left you in that house while I went to play house with my boyfriend.” Nancy says, a sob escaping her lips and startling Mike.
Mike has never really seen Nancy cry. Sure, when they were smaller and she scraped her knee and once when she was 12 and the boy she liked called her a toad. But he’s never really seen her cry. It was heart wrenching.
“Nancy, don’t punish yourself for leaving. I’m not there anymore. It’s okay. I’m glad you’re out and happy, Nancy, you deserve it. Besides, it’s not like you left the state. You’re still in Hawkins.” Mike says with a small smile.
“I know. But, I haven’t been there for you. You’ve gone through so much and I wasn’t there. That’s on me. I’m so sorry, Mike. I’m so, so sorry.” Nancy says, unable to hold back from crying.
Mike feels tears forming in his own eyes, but he doesn’t want to cry. He is tired of crying.
“Nancy…” Mike says, holding out his good hand for her to grab.
She clutches onto it tightly, as if he would slip away at any second. It kind of hurts his hand, but he squeezes back just as hard. God, he missed his sister.
“I missed you.” Mike says quietly.
“I missed you too. When you get out, we’ll go get some ice cream, maybe see a movie? You can even pick which one. Just the two of us.” Nancy says, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.
“That sounds like fun, Nancy.” Mike smiles.
He really loves his sister.
They sit in silence for a few minutes. Just absorbing each other’s presence and the heavy calm that fills the air. But, Nancy isn’t the only one who wants to see Mike. It isn’t fair for her to hog him.
“Hey, I’m gonna step out for a while. Let your friends get to see you. But I’ll be just outside.” Nancy says, gripping his hand a little harder like she doesn’t want to go.
Mike just nodded, making himself let go of her hand.
“Okay,” He said quietly. “I love you Nance.” He added, just before she walked out the door.
“I love you too Mike,” she said, smiling back at him before walking out.
Dustin came right in after Nancy left, sitting in the chair next to the bed. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, until Dustin spoke up.
“You should’ve told us Mike.” He said, finally looking up.
“You don’t have to just, hide everything like that… I should’ve known something was going on when-”
“When what?” Mike asked, suddenly panicked, trying to figure out if he had slipped up at some point.
“When we were looking for El, and we were at the Quarry and Troy and James found us.” Dustin started.
“When I just jumped off the cliff?” Mike said softly.
“Yeah, I thought you really died Mike, before El got you back up.” Dustin said.
“You just, you looked like you didnt care if you died.” Dustin said, looking at him.
“Dustin I told you I just-”
“You didn’t just panic Mike. When you looked back at me right before you did it, you looked like you didn’t value your life in the slightest. It was like you were saying goodbye.” Dustin said quietly.
“Is that how long this has been going on? Since then? With you being depressed and stuff?”
Mike didn’t know how to answer that.
“I-I mean, a while before that. Even before Will disappeared. I wasn’t ever, fully okay, ya know? I only felt okay really around you guys, other than that, i was really numb and things like that by myself.” Mike said.
“Well, you need to come to us okay? You can’t just keep that shit in, or something-something worse might happen.” He said, looking up at Mike.
“Promise you’ll tell us things? When you feel like that? Please?” Mike nodded slowly.
“I promise Dustin.” Mike said quietly.
The two of them talked a little more before Dustin left the room, Mike knew he had to keep his promise, he never broke a promise. Next to walk in the room was Lucas.
Lucas sat down quietly in the chair next to Mike. Neither boy said anything, neither really knew what to say. Lucas sat staring at his hands. Mike stared at the sky out the window. Lucas was the one to break the silence with by clearing his throat.
“I’ll kill him. If you want me to.” Lucas says with so much strength you wouldn’t have guessed he was so silent moments before.
“Lucas, you just can’t go and kill him.” Mike responds, confused.
“Yes, I can! You know that Hopper, El, and your sister would help me! I could use the wrist rocket or Steve’s bat!” Lucas responds, Mike furrows his brows.
“Lucas…”
“No, Mike, look at what he did! He thinks this is okay! What, cause your different? How is that fair? Eye for an eye. He tries to kill you so I’ll kill him.” Lucas yells, startling Mike.
“Lucas, please.” Mike pleads, obviously upset for making his friend so upset.
“No, he’s not getting away with this! He didn’t see you like that, covered in your blood while trying to rack my brain on what to do. You can’t do that. You can’t disappear on us because no one’s as good as you at leading a bunch of weirdos.” Lucas says, and Mike laughs a little.
“I don’t plan on going anywhere.” Mike ignores how that settles in his stomach weird.
“I was really scared, Mike. You’re one of my best friends. I’d go crazy without you. How else will I handle Dustin? Will’s too nice to tell us to shut up, Max eggs us on, and El finds is amusing. The party needs you.” Lucas confesses, and once it’s all out there, he deflates.
“I’m sorry, Lucas. But I;m okay. I’ll always be around to break you and Dustin up.” Mike responds and Lucas chickles while wiping at his eyes.
If Mike notices the tears falling out of Lucas’ eyes, well he doesn’t say anything. After a few minutes of enjoying each other’s company and promises to visit later, Lucas leaves the room.
Mike took a moment to just rub his eyes a little, just before Max came in the room. It felt a little weird, her seeing him that way. Even after they’d been friends for a couple years now. It felt surreal to Mike, everything that happened started just 3 years ago, but it felt like yesterday. Neither of the kids talked for a second, and maybe Mike kinda hated that everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around him.
“Are you okay?” Max asked finally, looking up at Mike.
“I mean, considering all this, are you okay?” Mike thought about it for a second.
“Uh, yeah, yeah I think so...” He said, biting at his lip.
“You know, you and Will would be a cute couple.” She said, smiling.
“What? I-uh I have no idea what you mean!” He said, trying to hide that he was blushing.
“Oh please, Mike, since I’ve met you I can tell you have feelings for him. No normal person who’s just friends with someone would do all you have for him. He’ll you’ve risked your life.” She said.
“Yeah well, that kinda comes with going in and out of just, not wanting to be anymore...” Mike said, Max looked up at him.
“Can you elaborate on that a little? Also, I want to tell you, the thing you’ve been doing? Hurting yourself? It doesn’t help anything, yeah maybe it makes you feel anything but numb for a few seconds but in the long run, it just leaves scars and bad memories. Trust me”
Mike frowned and looked at her, “What do you mean?” He asked, going into his normal mode, worried about everyone else first.
“Like I said, just trust me on this, okay?” Mike just nodded slowly.
“Uh, yeah, okay.”
“If you need anything Mike, and you don’t want to talk to any of them, you can talk to me, alright?” Max says, Mike just nods.
“You know, the way everyone’s telling me that, it’s like, I tried to kill myself or something, ya know? Like I didn’t get my ass kicked with three broken ribs, a broken hand, a fucking fractured skull. It just feels weird.” Mike said, laughing a little.
“I think it mostly started that way when Lucas found your duffle at Hopper’s, that’s how it got here I think...” Max said.
Mike nodded, “Yeah, probably...”
The two fell into a silence after that. Max got up to leave, with one last reminder that she was here if he needed anything, she left the room.
The next person to talk in the room surprised him. A few minutes after Max left, Joyce walked in. Mike tried to sit up straighter.
“Hi, Mike, how are you feeling, honey?” Joyce asks, gingerly sitting in the chair next to him.
“I’m doing alright, Ms. Byers. Thank you.” Mike answers politely.
“Mike, we've talked about this. We’ve been through too much to go through formalities, just call me Joyce.” She replies with a smile, Mike blushes.
“Oh sorry, uh, Joyce.”
“Are you sure you’re feeling alright? I know they gave you medicine, but are you sure it’s enough? Are you comfortable? I can ask for more pillows or blankets if you need.” She fretted, chewing on her fingernail to keep from fiddling with the bedding.
It made Mike’s heart both swell and ache. Joyce had been so kind to him these past few years. She had gone way beyond the role of just his friend's mom and treated him like her own. But her fretting was exactly like his mom had done anytime he had been sick or injured. As much as he pushed it away, he missed his mom.
“No, I’m alright, the medicine they said the medicine they have me should kick in soon. I don’t really feel the pain, just a little fuzzy.” Mike said, not meaning to go into detail.
“That’s good, I’m glad you’re feeling better. Have you talked to Hopper… about what happened?” Joyce asks slowly.
“A little… I didn’t really get a lot of time to…” Mike said, attempting to shift in bed but wincing in pain.
“I know it’s hard, to talk about what someone’s done to you. But, after awhile, it’s helpful.” Joyce says, sparking Mike’s interest.
“Yeah?” Mike asks, the unasked “how do you know?” understood.
“I’m sure Will’s talked about it before, but my husband, Lonnie, he wasn’t a good guy. But I had my own issues with anxiety, so I stayed with him anyway. It took a lot to kick him out and talk to Hopper.” Joyce replies, smoothing out Mike’s blanket.
“How’d you do it?”
“Will and Jonathan, I did it for them. They didn’t deserve that. But, I did it for myself, too. I started seeing a therapist and with the help of meds, it got better. You learn you deserve good things.” Joyce says, a small smile on her face.
“Is it… is it scary?” Mike asks hesitantly.
“At first, yeah it is. You talk about things you don’t want to think about and it’s a big change. But, eventually the things get easier to talk to and you get used to the change. You have everyone to support you, that helps.” Joyce’s smile is warm and genuine, entirely different than the forced smiles his Mom usually wears.
“Thanks, Joyce. For everything.” Mike says with a small smile of his own.
“Oh nonsense, at this point you’re practically my own.” Joyce says, pushing a tuft of hair over the bandage, away from his forehead.
Mike smiled a little at that, after Joyce walked out, Jonathan walked in next, surprising Mike again.
“Hey, are you doing okay?” Jonathan asked, sitting in the same seat everyone else had, Mike just nodded.
“Yeah, I can’t really feel anything so yeah I’m alright.” He said, Jonathan nodded.
“You know, Will really cares about you, he was terrified that you might die. We all care about you really. Me and mom left work to come make sure you were okay.”
Mike frowned at that, “You didn’t need to do that, it’s not really a big deal.” he said quietly.
“It is a big deal. You could’ve easily died, if the ambulance didn’t come when it did. You had a seizure, they had to give you blood transfusions and all that. It is a big deal.” Jonathan said, looking at him.
“Quit saying that things that happen aren’t a big deal Mike. Everyone here, all of us, care about you. My mom practically thinks of you as her son at this point, and I think of you as my little brother. All of us care, and we’re going to be here for you, alright?”
Mike bit his lip and nodded slowly, he’d never seen Jonathan act caring towards him, but he knew he meant it. So Mike nodded.
“Okay.” He said quietly.
Soon after, Jonathan left the room, El coming in right at that moment.
“El.” Mike breathes out, already fighting back tears.
El rushes into the seat and grips Mike’s hand for dear life. Tears falling down her chin.
“Mike.” El responds, her tone making Mike’s heartbreak.
“Mouthbreather. Where is he?” El asks, a look in her eyes Mike’s only seen a handful of times.
“El, no, it’s not worth exposing yourself.” Mike pleads but that only makes El’s jaw set.
“No. He is a bad man, he’s your bad man. It’s not fair he can hurt you and I can’t protect you.” El responds, tear betraying her angry glare.
“El, I’m okay. You don’t need to do that.”
“I’m supposed to protect you! You’re my forever person! What are they called? In the books and on the tv?” El asks.
“Soulmate?”
“Yes! Soulmate! You’re my soulmate! So I have to protect you.” El states, wiping away at tears.
“But El, you’re supposed to be soulmates with someone you’re in a relationship with…”
“Why? We love each other. You know me better than anyone. We have the connection! That’s what makes a soulmate, right?” El reasons.
“Okay, then we’re soulmates. But you can’t always protect me, El. It’s not your fault.”
“I’m the only one who knew. I should have said something. I failed.” El says, all the fire leaving her eyes.
“El, that wasn’t your job. I should have protected myself. That’s on me, El. I shouldn’t have forced you in that position, put that pressure on you. I’m sorry.” Mike says, he goes to chew on his lip but winces when he feels the cuts and decides against it.
“Promise you’ll be careful. Promise you’ll protect yourself.”
Mike hesitates.
“I promise, El.” El smiles, her eyes finally dry.
“Love you, Mike.” El says, softly.
“Love you too, El.” Mike says, smiling back.
El left the room a little while after that, Will coming into the room after. He carefully walked over to the bed, sitting up on the bed in front of Mike.
“Hey Mikey” He said softly.
“Are you okay?” Mike nodded slowly, biting down on his lip.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.”
“You don’t need to lie to me Mike, just tell me the truth?” Will said, reaching out to grab his hand.
Mike took a deep breath, “I’m just, I’m scared. I thought… I thought I could trust him, but i g-guess not.” Mike said softly.
“I only dated him to try and get over someone else I like. He was sweet and kind and just… nice. I even grew to really like him. But, still, it didn’t work...” Mike said softly, looking up at Will.
Will felt his heart speed up, “Who’s the other person?” Will asked, squeezing Mike’s hand.
Mike hesitated, looking away from Will’s eyes. His gut was tight with a knot. He hadn’t really meant to say that. But he did, and he can’t take it back. Sure, Will is too nice and would drop it if he asked. But, Mike thought he was going to die. He’d kept too many things unsaid to die in an Alley like that.
Mike took a deep breath before looking right into Will’s eyes “It’s... It’s you.” He said
“You’re the other person i like”
Will didn’t say anything for awhile, just stared at Mike, and Mike started to panic.
“Fuck I’m sorry. I know I probably made this awkward and you probably dont like me and you probably don’t want to-” Mike was cut off by Will pressing his lips to his.
Will’s hands came up to cup Mike’s face. When he Will pulled away, a few seconds later, he leaned his forehead against Mike’s.
“Is that answer enough for you?” Will said softly, Mike nodded.
“That’s good.” Will said, leaning forward to kiss Mike’s nose.
“But we should take this slow okay? You shouldn’t just, jump right into a relationship right after this happens. Okay?” Will said, he loved the hell out of Mike, but he didn’t want to make anything worse for him.
Mike frowned a little but he nodded in response.
“Hey, don’t do that. It won’t be good to jump into the relationship right after something this traumatic happens. Okay? It doesn’t mean we’ll forget this happened. We’re just not jumping into something so soon. I promise.” Will said.
Mike nodded, as much as he wanted to be with Will. He agreed that it wouldn’t be good for him to jump into the relationship yet.
Two weeks later, Mike could finally leave the Hospital. Neither Will nor Hopper left the hospital once. Joyce tried to get Will to leave the first night, but Will didn’t want Mike to be alone, Joyce understood what he was saying, and let him stay there.
Mike was mostly healed by the time he could leave, he still had the cast and had to keep his ribs wrapped, but overall was looking and feeling a million times better. Will and Mike were waiting in Mike’s room while Hopper talked to the doctor’s and got his prescription from the pharmacy.
The pair hadn’t talked about what they were, and they hadn’t kissed since. But, you could feel it, a shift in their relationship. Mike thought it would scare him, but it felt natural. Like it had been happening all along and he’s only noticing now.
Mike was so grateful for Will, when he wasn’t in school, he was with Mike. Will had stayed home from school a few day, but the school was asking questions that Joyce couldn’t answer, so he went back. But he stayed the night, every night. Mike got anxious staying there at night. Hopper and El came after work and practice, but Will had a way of Mike feeling completely at ease, even when they were younger.
“What are you thinking about?” Will asks softly.
They were sitting next to each other on the edge of the hospital bed. They were just almost touching shoulders. Their hands were just brushing fingers. Mike thought about grabbing Will’s hand, but choose to answer him instead.
“You.” Mike answers, looking at Will.
A light pink paints Will’s cheekbones and Will smiles. Mike smiles back, and Will intertwines their hands.
“You’re so cheesy sometimes.” Will teases but the smile never leaves his face.
Mike feels heat rise on his cheeks, which only makes Will smile more.
“Is that such a bad thing?” Mike asks, looking away from Will’s face.
Will laughs quietly, lifting his hand to cup Mike’s right cheek softly. His thumb rubs Mike’s cheekbones slowly. Mike melts, leaning his face into Will’s hand.
“No, not at all. I love it.” Will says, and leans in.
The kiss is soft, and slow, and lasts less than a minute. But Mike thinks it’s the best kiss he’s ever had.
Mike realises then, that this is what love is. It’s not all heavy make out session, its not having to hide, it’s definitely not getting hurt. It was this. It was soft kisses, holding hands, sitting so close to each other your shoulder brush just slightly.
Mike then grabbed Will’s other hand, the one that wasn’t cupping his face. Their foreheads leaned against the other. Mike realised he hasn’t smiled this much. Will was so happy that Mike was smiling, he loved it, Mike looked younger somehow when he did. He looked softer, especially when he slept.
Neither of them needed to talk about what they were now, they already knew. Sure, people would question it, but they way they acted around each other now, the way Will was so careful with Mike, anyone could tell they were more than friends at this moment.
Then Mike thought about how he had to go back to school tomorrow, he would have to see Matt, he would have to be surrounded by so many people. Everyone knew now. Will noticed how Mike got anxious at that moment.
“What’s wrong, Mikey?” Will said softly, squeezing his hand.
“I’m anxious, about tomorrow...” Mike said softly.
“I have to go back to school tomorrow. Will, everyone knows. What’s gonna happen? What if-” Will cut mike off, kissing his nose softly.
“Hey, calm down. I’ll be there, the whole time okay? I’ll be there holding your hand the whole time. Nothing will happen. I’ll protect you. I swear to it. I promise.” will said.
Mike nodded, letting himself calm down. “Thank you” he said softly, and god did will want to hug him in that moment, but he couldn’t, he didn’t want to hurt Mike’s ribs.
“We’re gonna get through this Mike. You know I’ve always got your back.” Will says, caressing Mike’s cheek again.
Will think he could do that for the rest of his life and be perfectly content.
“Okay, I can handle that.” Mike smiles again, and Will can’t help but smile back.
Just then, the door opens suddenly. Mike jumps back and away from Will, facing paling. Hopper looks in, catches the look on Mike’s face, and a look of guilt flashes across his face. He forgot to knock on the door, again. But Mike just swallowed amd took a deep breath.
“Ready guys?” Hopper asks and Mike nods eagerly.
He was so over being in the hospital. He mostly slept the first week, but it got real boring real fast, except for one hour walking the floor when Will got there, he spent all day im bed.
The walk to the car was quiet. Hopper was on Mike’s right side, a hand grasping his shoulder. Will was on Mike’s left, fingers intertwined with his good hand. The pair sat in the back of the cruiser. The radio was playing some song that Mike didn’t know, but Will was nodding along so it couldn’t be bad. Mike yawned, his eyes already growing heavy. After two weeks of almost never leaving bed, the walk through the hospital and to the car was exhausting.
Will felt Mike leaning his head onto his shoulder and smiled. Purple Rain was playing on the radio so Will nodded along. He looked down at Mike and felt his heart ache. Mike was already asleep, His long eyelashes brushed the top of his cheekbones, his mouth was open slightly, a small amount of drool pooled on his shoulder. He looked absolutely beautiful to Will.
Will didn’t really know what tomorrow would be like. Hell, he didn’t really know what the future would be like. But if they were together, Will didn’t think it could be so bad.
There we go! I know that was an emotional rollar coaster, me and @lgbtchee literally cried writing this!
Time for the big announcement! The next few updates will not really be angsty! We will be giving Mike a break for once and have lots of fluffy byeler and that growing relationship for the next parts!
We really hope you enjoyed reading this!
Taglist: @theliteraltrash @shqipshqip @kanewsies @birdy-boy-uris @lvsrs @thescaryflower @neiboltupsidedown @lo5ver @missingstanleyuris @kaspbrakseggo @gnope
(if it has a line, the url wasn;t working, sorry!)
#how hopper adopted mike wheeler series#mike wheeler#jim hopper#eleven#Jane ives#Jane hopper#will byers#max mayfield#madmax#Lucas Sinclair#dustin henderson#Joyce Byers#steve harrington#jonathan byers#Nancy Wheeler#byeler#byler#stranger things#st
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A Dangerous Game (Suho Mafia!au fic) Chapter 18 - Don’t Look
Warnings: Violence
Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8, Ch. 9, Ch. 10, Ch. 11, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 14, Ch. 15(M), Ch. 16, Ch. 17(M), Ch. 18, Ch. 19, Ch. 20, Ch. 21, Ch. 22, Bonus Chapter
After that day things slowly went back to normal; Junmyeon and I mostly saw each other in passing, but he was normally running in and out of the house for whatever reason, the guys weren’t giving me those judging looks anymore but they were keeping there distance.
“Why are you sitting all the way over there Baek?”
“Because Junmyeon might kill me if I get any closer...”
“What?”
“Your his girl, Y/N...like not just-.”
“We had sex, we didn’t discuss that...now scoot over, Gears of War is waiting for us to kick ass and take names.”
You would think the way everyone was acting and talking, that Junmyeon had marked his territory...
“Are you men or animals? I’m trying to figure this out?” I questioned walking into Junmyeon’s office without knocking.
“I’m not the one who forgot the basic concept of knocking...so you tell me?” he remarked.
“Oh I’m sorry your majesty,” I snarked, walking out of the room, knocking and then walking back in, “Are you men or animals? Still trying to figure this out.”
“Depends of the situation,” Minseok smirked.
“This question doesn’t apply to you, Minseok...I already know you’re a ass,” I stated.
“Don’t you two start, I seriously don’t want to hear it today,” Junmyeon said, rubbing his temples, “What seems to be the issue, Y/N?”
“Why does everyone keep walking on eggshells around me and acting like you marked your territory?” I questioned.
“Can I say something?” Minseok questioned.
“I really wish you wouldn’t,” he replied, “The guys just have a healthy respect for the fact that you are my girl and-”
I held up my hand to stop him. “I love that you talked to me about this ‘my girl’ stuff.” He looked at me like it should be obvious after what went down that I should be good with what was going on, but all I could do was scoff and shake my head. “Unbelievable...I’m your fiance by a piece of paper, there are trust issues between us, and trust is earned...not fucked out of someone. I don’t care how mind-blowing it was. I’ll be your girl...when you earn that. I told you, I’m not going to be your emotional play toy.”
Before either of them could say anything I turned and left the room, slamming the door behind me.
~Junmyeon~
“Did she basically tell you that you had to earn her?” Minseok questioned.
Junmyeon ran his hands over his face. “I’ll deal with her later...what did you find out?”
“The detective involved is actually working with one of t Lee Changsun’s middlemen...seems not everyone is exactly thrilled with the dealings that are taking place,” Minseok replied.
“Really? Never would’ve guess...” Junmyeon stated, “How closely does he work with Mr. Lee?”
“Surveillance from the past couple of weeks says that if he went missing the detective would probably thing he backed out or was killed and vice versa with the Lee Mafia...” Minseok replied, “Do you know what you want to do?”
“We’ll grab him...tonight...” Junmyeon replied.
~Y/N~
“And in conclusion, I am not his girl and unless anything is stated as to the opposite I do not want to hear the words ‘his girl’ come out of your mouths....I will kick you so hard in the balls your grandkids will feel it...any questions?” I said looking at the seven men that I was staring down on the couch.
Sehun cautiously raised his hand and I smiled at him. “Yes Sehunnie?”
“What does boss have to say about this?” he questioned.
“I-”
“He says if you put your thoughts in the gutter when your around her you’ll lose your most important body part,” Junmyeon said walking into the living room, “Now everyone out, we need to go to the warehouse.”
“Yes, boss...”
Everyone except Yixing darted for the elevator and they packed on as many as they could at a time. Sipping his tea, Yixing looked amused at the six younger men who were trying to escape the penthouse.
“We’re going on a job...keep your phone on just in case,” Junmyeon said to Yixing.
Yixing gave a slight not and Junmyeon and Minseok headed to the elevator. Looking at Yixing I crossed my arms. “I am not his girl....”
“I completely understand,” he said looking over his cup, “However...”
“Don’t do the ‘however’ thing...it’s never good coming from you,” I stated.
He chuckled. “However...you do remember who he is...right?”
“Unfortunately...”
“He finally just gave in and he’s not going to let you go...he’s not going to let anyone or anything take you away from him. And remember...I heard just about everything that day...are you really that disappointed and angry that he’s claiming you after that?”
“It was just sex...it was mind-blowing but it was just sex...why do you all keep using that against me?” I questioned.
He looked up at me. “Tell me...has Kwon tried to contact you since you slept with him?”
“Yes...why does that matter?”
“Between the time you and Junmyeon ‘just had sex’ and now have you made any attempt to contact Kwon or even think about replying to him?”
“Well...no I haven’t really even thought about it, I guess...”
“Mmhmm...and since you had sex with Junmyeon have you thought about wanting to sleep with Kwon again?”
“.....no.....”
“But you’ve thought about Junmyeon, right?”
“So?” I questioned, “That. Doesn’t. Mean. I’m. His. Girl. That means the sex was amazing? You done?”
“Yeah...I guess, I should stop messing with you,” he said, “Don’t want you getting upset with me.” As I turned to leave I heard him chuckle. “And I wouldn’t want you going and telling your daddy on me...”
“I’m going to pretend that you of all people didn’t bring that up...”
~Junmyeon~
As night fell we sat outside a house that only had a couple of lights on. It wasn’t a huge house; if Junmyeon had to guess there were at least 2-3 bedrooms. Didn’t really surprise him though, this man wasn’t very far up on the totem pole. He would have money, but not anything to boast about.
“Just about time,” Minseok said, pulling out his gun. It was Junmyeon, Minseok, Chanyeol, and Kai that would be going in. The others were close by in case anything were to go down, but four would be enough for this.
When their chosen time came, they exited the car and headed up to the house and to the side door. Chanyeol kicked it open surprising the man that they were looking for and another.
They drew their guns and they stood there as Junmyeon walked into the room.
“Suho...what brings you here?” the man questioned before looking at the other guy, “This here’s the guy who I’m told might be my new boss.”
“The only thing you’re useful for at this point is information and shark bait,” Junmyeon stated.
“I don’t got any information that I can give you...Mr. Lee, maybe...but none to spare to you...” he stated.
“Uh huh...I-”
“Dear, have you seen my-what in the name of god is going on here?!” a woman yelled, started as she walked into the kitchen to see what was happening.
“Just some associates...” the man said, “Go back in the other room.”
“None of your other associates have ever done this!” the woman said.
“None of them have ever been shot three times because someone was giving information to the cops,” Junmyeon stated.
It got deathly quiet in the room and then the man laughed. “Is that what this is about? The information was basically useless and the detective did nothing more than run with it...all I did was give him a little push in the right direction.”
“And this detective...since you seem to care less...does he happen to have a name?”
“Not one that you’re getting out of me,” the man said with a smirk.
“Is that so?” Junmyeon questioned, “Tell your wife to go back into the other room...”
“I am going no where! I want all of you out of my house!” she yelled.
“Go in the other room!” the man said.
Junmyeon walked over and held his gun up so that the man was looking straight at it. “Tell me what I want to know and your wife won’t have to mop your brains up off the floor.”
“You’ll never get the Lee Empire...” the man said, “Even if I told you there will always be one more obstacle in your way....Cops, VIXX, BIGBANG...it will keep slowing you down.”
His grip on the trigger tightened as Junmyeon scowled. “You’re right...I’m never going to get anything out of you...” The man momentarily thought he had won until he saw the smirk on Junmyeon’s face. “I have no use for you.”
As he pulled the trigger there was a scream from the woman and she ran over and pushed her husband out of the way. Junmyeon was momentarily stunned but snapped out of it as bullets began to fly between EXO and the two men.
Finally after both the men were dead, Junmyeon walked over and checked on the woman. “Damn it...”
“She jumped in front of you boss...” Chanyeol said.
“I know it’s just-”
“Mommy?”
All four men froze when they heard a tiny voice. Looking over Junmyeon saw a small boy, probably only three years old, standing in the doorway to the kitchen rubbing his eyes and clutching his blanket.
Before the boy could get a good look of the chaos in the room Junmyeon went over and picked him up. “Don’t look, buddy...don’t look...”
To be continued....
#kpop fanfiction#exo#exo fanfiction#mafia!au#xiumin#kim minseok#suho#kim junmyeon#lay#zhang yixing#byun baekhyun#baekhyun#chen#kim jongdae#chanyeol#park chanyeol#d.o.#do kyungsoo#kai#kim jongin#oh sehun#sehun
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Black Coffee & Pumpkin Pie Ch. 2
Aiden Gold let out a sigh as he sipped at the tea in front of him. He normally hated coming to Granny's, but Gideon had insisted on it upon bringing home the confirmation of his acceptance into Storybrooke's accelerated science program, which was led by Dr. Hyde… which frankly worried Aiden more than the freshness of Granny's lasagna, but if it made Gideon happy, well, he couldn't resist.
"So Gideon, are you excited to start your science program?" he asked weakly as the boy practically inhaled his dinner.
The boy nodded eagerly, licking a bit of beef from his lip. "Yeah, sure am! It'll be great. And I'm really glad Roderick got accepted too!"
"That worries me," Belle said with an amused shake of her head. "You'll actually pay attention to what Dr. Hyde is saying, right?"
Gideon's eyes nearly rolled, but stopped as Aiden shot him a look. "Yeah, I will," the boy grumbled, poking at his chili with a spoon.
Aiden smiled as he watched his wife and son, but there was still pain behind his smile. His elder son, Neal, should have been here with them, celebrating, but that horrible woman he'd first been married to had spirited his son out of Storybrooke in the dead of night with her bastard of a new husband, and Aiden hadn't seen him since, despite Aiden's exhaustive efforts. His fingers gripped the tea cup just a bit harder as he glanced up at an unfamiliar face who had just entered the diner.
"Who is that?" he asked with a small frown.
"Oh, that's the new firefighter. I overheard him talking to Emma last week when mom and I were here," Gideon explained with a shrug. "Don't know what his name is though."
Aiden frowned slightly, looking over at the firefighter, feeling some sort of odd connection to him. But why? He'd never seen the man before in his life.
"Aiden? Are you okay?" Belle asked with a tilt of her head.
He blinked, turning to his wife and smiling. "Yes darling, I'm just fine. Sorry. My head was in the clouds for a moment."
Belle smiled and turned back to her sandwich. Aiden returned the smile, but he still felt a strange pull toward the stranger that was dashing out the door with greasy bags in his hand… and whenever Aiden Gold set his mind on something, he always got his answers.
When he parted ways with his wife and son after lunch, Aiden made his way back to the pawn shop, flipping the sign back to open and making his way into the back room as he pulled out his cell phone, dialing the familiar number.
"Hello, Zelena? It's Aiden. I would like you to start looking into some files for me again," he said when the woman picked up on the other line.
"The ones about your son?" Zelena replied with a sigh. "Aiden, we've been over this with so many people. Lawyers, private investigators… you even harassed Mother Superior about it!"
"Because that blue-dressed woman knows more than what she's admitting to," Aiden thought bitterly, before speaking into the phone. "Zelena, please. I need you to look into the files again It's my son's disappearance. I just want an answer."
Zelena exhaled on the other end, and Aiden could see her leaning back against her high-back leather chair, pinching her forehead in annoyance. "Okay. Fine. I'll have the investigators open the case again. I'll call you if anything new comes up."
"That's all I ask, dearie. That's all I ask…" he said, ending the call and smirking, sitting back in his chair. Whoever that man was, Aiden Gold would get his answers.
-----
Though the only photograph Neal had seen of his father had been from a decade ago, he recognized the man anywhere, even without the help of seeing his step-mother and half-brother. He'd felt a cold chill go down his spine at the quick look he'd gotten of the man, even though he knew this was exactly why he had wanted to come to Storybrooke. So many things had whirled through his mind: did his father recognize him? What would the man's reaction even be to seeing his long-missing son again? Hell, even how he would react to seeing his father again wasn't something Neal was sure of.
He forced himself not to shiver as he made his way back to the firehouse, clutching the bags of takeout in his hands. Being the delivery boy for lunch wasn't something he'd thought he'd be doing as a firefighter, but he supposed that, being the low man on the totem pole meant running around doing these errands when there was downtime.
"Cassidy! Well done! And you got back in the time allotted," Chief Hood said with a wide smile as he took the bags out of Neal's hands.
"Thank you sir," Neal replied with a smile.
Being hired in as a firefighter had been one thing, but it was another thing entirely once he'd actually gotten started at work. Then the real test began – impressing the boss in person, and quite frankly, that was more terrifying than finding out information he didn't want to know about his father, because Chief Hood could fire him if he wasn't careful.
"Now go on and enjoy the rest of your lunch," Robin told him with a squeeze of his shoulder.
Neal nodded and made his way over to one of the free seats in the dining room, taking a bite of the club sandwich he'd ordered.
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
He almost choked, looking at the source of the voice. "Did you just quote Alice in Wonderland to me?"
"On the contrary, I quoted The Mad Hatter to you," the man replied with a smug look on his face. "So, rookie, do you have any guesses as to why a raven is like a writing desk?"
Neal blinked in disbelief. Was this guy serious?
"Jefferson, are you torturing the new guy with your stupid riddles again?" another voice cut in, the man taking a seat next to Neal. "You don't have to answer him. He just does this to try to freak out the rookies."
The first man – Jefferson – rolled his eyes. "Do you have to ruin my fun every time there's a new person? It's not like we get them very often! So what do you think, new guy?"
"Uh… I don't know. Raven wings could be used to make a quill that someone uses to write with at their desk?" he suggested weakly.
Jefferson's eyes widened, seemingly impressed. "Wow. That's actually a good one. The going theory has something to do with Edgar Alan Poe, but I like your guess better. I'm Jefferson. Welcome to the department."
"Ali," the second man said, holding out his hand. "We heard about you. You're Neal, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I just started today."
"It's nice to have a new face around here. Just stick by us and you'll be perfectly fine," Ali said with a grin that suggested Neal was instead in for a wild ride with those two. "So if there's anything you wanna know about our charming little town, just let us know."
He had no idea what he got himself into, but he smiled anyway. He should probably make friends in this town, right? He was far from New Orleans and the friends he had there after all… and he was here for answers. Maybe these guys could help him out with those answers.
"Hey, do you guys know anything about Mr. Gold?"
The two men's faces changed in an instant, dropping in surprise and… was that a bit of fear Neal noted on Jefferson's?
"Why do you want to know about Mr. Gold?" Jefferson asked.
Neal paused, taking the time to chew and swallow a bite of his sandwich before answering. "I saw him staring at me when I was picking up the lunch orders today. Does he… do that a lot to people?"
Jefferson and Ali exchanged another look, but it was Ali who finally spoke up. "Well… he is a bit of a suspicious guy. He always has been as far as I know. Apparently his kid went missing years ago, so every time someone comes to town he's immediately on alert. At least, that's what they say around town. I was only a baby when it happened. But there's probably some information on it in the library."
"Which just so happens to be run by his wife," Jefferson added. "But Mr. Gold's been suspicious way before his kid was taken. It's just sort of his thing, you know? Gold is the big bad brooding shopkeeper, Mrs. Nolan is the principal who can go from either giving you a unicorn sticker to kicking your ass in the parking lot after school. You know, normal small town things, right?"
"Uh… I guess? I came from New Orleans though so I'm not sure. This is the smallest town I've ever been in. But from what I've seen in movies I guess that sounds right?" He'd never heard of the ass-kicking principal before, but he knew he should probably try to avoid her if he could.
"The Big Easy? And you came to a little dump town like this?" Ali asked, staring at Neal as if he'd grown a second head.
He shrugged. "Peace and quiet. And after a while the humidity in New Orleans got to be a bit much."
"You went from one extreme to the other. The winters here are awful," Ali said, shivering a little at the thought. "And it's already late summer. Ugh, I can feel the cold already!"
Jefferson rolled his eyes. "And I'm the dramatic one? God Ali. Ignore him, Neal. He just wasn't made for the cold. It can get bad here, but you'll grow to love it."
Ali let out a snort before the alarm began to screech over their heads, causing them to jump from their seats and run for the truck as they pulled on their equipment. Neal had to admit, he didn't think that his first fire in a small town like Storybrooke would happen on his first day on the job.
"There's been a cave-in at the old mines. Some teenagers were down there and the roof caved in around them," the dispatcher said over the radio as Jefferson and Ali both swore loudly as Jefferson silently climbed in the back. Whatever this was, it was obvious that it had happened before and seemed to be a major thorn in the sides of his superiors.
The bright red truck streaked down the road, causing the few pedestrians to turn their heads in alarm. A few of them had their eyes widening when they realized what direction the truck was heading in.
"Alright men, you know what we have to do," Chief Hood said with a small sigh as they stood in front of the mine, the sheriff and a few other officers already trying to block people from getting too close.
"Who goes down this time, Chief?" Jefferson asked. "I went last time."
Chief Hood looked conflicted as he glanced at the men surrounding him, before finally sighing. "Ali. This time it's on you."
Neal noted irritation on the man's face as he silently nodded as walked off to get ready. Biting his lip, Neal carefully made his way over to the chief, who was already looking as done with the day as someone could possibly be.
"Is this common? Teenagers going into those mines?" he asked.
The older man pressed his lips together, thinking. "It happens more often than I'd like it to, I'll say that. But I wouldn't say it's extraordinarily common. But every time we go down to rescue them, I think this will be the last time and it never is. Teenagers never learn."
He nodded slowly. "Well, I just hope that with this cave-in, it won't be possible for them to get down there anymore," Neal said.
"Start hoping that everyone down there is alive instead," the older man snapped before walking off to Neal's confusion.
"Don't worry. That wasn't personal. Last time we were called to go into the mines, his son, Roland, was part of the group we pulled out of there. He's worried that Roland will be down there again," Jefferson said from behind him.
Neal winced. "I'm sorry I asked about people going down there then."
The other man waved him off, leading him in the direction of the opening of the mine. "Don't apologize. It's not like you know this town like the rest of us do. I bet Chief Hood's already forgotten about it. Besides, all that we need to focus on is saving the kids and not dropping Ali down there with them and running the other way. Now come on. Let's go see if we can make contact with them."
Neal and Jefferson managed to clear a free spot to lower Ali down, Neal shining a light down to one of the frantic teens below. They seemed to be standing on some sort of elevator. How did they even get down there?
"Oi! How many of you are down there?" he yelled to a blonde boy who was shielding his eyes from the light from the sun and the camera Neal was slowly lowering down into the dungeon.
"T-there's only two of us! Please hurry!" the boy replied, coughing as dust rose into the air from some unstable rocks around them.
Two was way too many in Neal's opinion, but he nodded. "Okay, just hold on. We're going to get you guys out of there!" he called down to them before looking at Chief Hood. "There's two of them sir!"
Chief Hood approached them. "Sir, we're all ready," Ali said, tugging anxiously at the harness around his waist and looking uneasily at the hole.
"Good. Let's start then."
Neal watched on a video screen as Ali was lowered down into the mines, repressing a shiver. How could people be so stupid to go down into an abandoned mine? And not just once, but repeatedly? He had a feeling that this was going to be what the majority of his calls were going to be for.
"Okay Ali, we're right on target. You're about ten feet out," he said into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. He could hear the anxious whispers of the gathered public, chancing a glance at them and spotting his father almost instantly. He tore his eyes away, looking at the camera screen again.
"I've got one of the kids, pull us up!" Ali's voice said. "And make sure there's a paramedic nearby. He's going to need some help."
He stood, waving over the paramedics as a woman dressed in a black business suit walked up to the sheriff, her lips pulled down into a frown.
Ali emerged with one of the teenagers a few moments later and the paramedics wasted no time in lifting the boy onto the stretcher and running back to the ambulance, hiding themselves from the prying eyes of the crowd as Ali went back down into the mine to get the other teenager, Neal continuing to monitor the cameras.
Something inside the mine suddenly creaked, the sound of the metal groaning sending a collective chill down everyone's spines. Neal saw Chief Hood's eyes widen as his hand reached for the walkie-talkie on his shoulder.
"Ali, get the kid as quick as you can. That elevator is going to go at any minute!" Chief Hood shouted.
"Chief, you're not going to like this. It's Bobby," Ali said on the other end of the line. "And he doesn't look like he's doing so good. I've got him hooked up, so bring us up."
Neal knew that the kid being named by Ali wasn't a good thing, and he was worried as the rest of the squad seemed to freeze for a moment before working frantically to get the duo up and out of the mine.
There was another crash, this one much louder, and caused the ground to rumble beneath their feet before Ali and Bobby were pulled up, and Neal's eyes widened in fear, but the machine kept pulling. Something was coming up, but what?
"Someone grab him, now!" Ali's voice shouted from the cavern before his black hair and the blonde hair of the teenager peeked through the smaller opening of the mine. The paramedics wasted no time in snatching the teenager up and running to the second ambulance they had on the scene. The first ambulance's doors opened and the teenager stepped out, having gotten a clearance from the paramedics inside, while the second ambulance sped away.
"Who was the other kid we rescued?" Neal asked Ali as he watched Chief Hood's somber form go over to the sheriff and the woman in the black pantsuit.
"Robert Nolan," Ali explained as the sheriff's car went speeding down the street, "he's the sheriff's son."
#swanfire#neal cassidy#rumplestiltskin#belle french#gideon gold#jefferson#aladdin#robin hood#black coffee and pumpkin pie#fanfiction
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Everybody Wants Her
Plot: She’s the low man on the totem pole at her radio job. He wanted to offer a hand to the nice young lady who was struggling to balance too many things at once. Once his dark eyes met hers, he was hooked.
Rating: PG (Minor language, flirting, low-key noona interest)
Characters: Chen (EXO) x Angie OC, feat. Suho, Sehun, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol (EXO), Theo OC, and Janelle OC
Notes: This was slightly inspired by my real life friend who used to work at a radio station that hosted a lot of big names for talks and interviews. I always imagined what it would be like if our favorite noona-lovers met a pretty, older girl with stunning blue eyes who was doting and motherly to everyone. Janelle is inspired by the radio personality who interviewed EXO for iHeartRadio. Angie is inspired by my friend who isn’t into K-Pop but I sense she’d still turn some of the members’ heads in real life. ;)
Happy Birthday Kim Jongdae!
Brother
Are u still breathing?
Sent 10:47 AM
Most would tell her it was a bad sign if she was communicating strictly via text with her family, despite living under the same roof as them. But she would argue otherwise – after all, this was her dream job and it was paid, unlike her previous gig at the local radio station. Her mother wasn’t a fan of her daughter working odd and long hours, often coming home to sleep as her brother was going into work. Hell, when was the last time she actually saw him face-to-face?
“Angie!”
She snapped her head up at her name and quickly pushed her chair back, looking around for the person who called her. She whipped her head around and saw it was Janelle, one of the hosts who conducted a majority of in person or on air interviews with music talent. Angie shoved her phone into her back pocket and plastered her trademark bubbly smile across her face.
“How can I help?” Angie asked as she approached the shorter girl.
Janelle waved a two page document at her and nodded over at an unoccupied interview room. “I’ve got this Korean boy band coming in 15 and I wanna make sure my questions are coherent – can you do a quick check?” Suddenly the two pager was pushed into Angie’s hands and Janelle’s became preoccupied with her large iPhone, fingers flying across the screen. “Also gonna need 9 bottles of water – scratch that, maybe grab a total of 18, half still half fizzy in case. Can you bring those to the interview room and leave them by the chairs? Oh and if everything looks okay question-wise, just leave them face down on my seat, okay? Thanks girlie!”
Angie blinked as Janelle trotted off, distracted by her phone and nodded faintly after her, trudging over to the break room to grab the waters. She greeted her co-worker Theo, who was heating up his lunch in the microwave. Her eyes closed as she caught a whiff of Italian spices and tomatoes and her mouth watered.
“Have you eaten Miss Model?” he teased her, “or are you still running on coffee and mints?”
Angie snorted as she walked to the fridge, rolling up the interview questions to stick in her back pocket before she retrieved the waters. Theo treated her like a sister but he always wondered why Angie wanted to do radio when she had such stunning features – trim hourglass physique, full caramel curls, and a startling pair of crystal blue eyes.
“You’re funny Theo,” she replied with a shake of her head. “I’m not tall or waif-like enough to model! Well, actually I did model for my friend’s fashion show, but that’s ‘cause she made her stuff to fit her body! We were similar but I’m just taller than her. Besides, being a model is overrated.”
Theo nodded as he pulled his container from the microwave, yelping as fingers touched the edge of the scalding lid. He retracted his fingers and shook his hand to cool off.
“Who’s doing the interview?”
“Janelle.”
“They seriously need to give you a shot,” Theo said with a frown. “I heard a few of your university podcasts and a past segment from your internship and you’ve got the voice for radio! Besides, I know that Janelle probably lobbied for this celebrity because she wants to check the band out! Who is it again?”
Angie bit her lip as she juggled the waters in her arms. “Um…good question! Check the questions page, left back pocket. I need to proof those too but after I set these down. I know it’s a Korean boy band but that’s all she said?”
Theo gingerly plucked the two pager from her pocket with the tips of his fingers and unrolled it, skimming the front page. “It says ‘EXO’ and there’s a note saying they’re celebrating 5 years of being together? You know what, you handle the waters, I’ll proof these – my lunch is too hot to try eating right now.”
“It’s okay,” Angie replied as she nodded at the door.
“Nah really, Ang I majored in English with Broadcast Journalism – this is my forte,” Theo insisted as he held onto the questions. “I’ll review really quick then give ‘em back to you. Interview room?”
Angie nodded and silently thanked him as she made her way over to the interview room. She tried to hide her grimace when she saw the room was dark and the door was closed. Time to do an impossible juggling act. She attempted to shift the bottles to one arm, but one, then two more slipped to the floor, one beginning to roll away.
“Please I’ll get it,” a male voice spoke up, followed by a hand that was now resting on the doorknob.
Angie looked from the fallen bottles to see the hand belonged to a young man with slightly longish brown hair, purposely tousled. Clad in an all-black ensemble with a button-down shirt and fitted slacks, he offered a sweet gummy smile as he twisted the knob and pushed the door open.
“Oh thank you,” Angie replied as she started to kneel down.
The young man beat her to it by reaching to grab the three fallen bottles before taking a few more from her arms to lighten her load.
“Aw thank you honey, but I’m okay – I’ve got this,” she protested.
He shook his head and gestured to the room with his free hand. “Ladies first.”
Angie smiled as she stepped into the room, flicking the lights on and waiting for them to kick on. Once the room was fully lit, she began heading over to the chairs and arranged a still and sparkling bottle of water by every chair. The young man entered behind her and mimicked her pattern with the bottles he was carrying.
“Thank you so much, you didn’t have to help,” Angie said once they were done. She tilted her head to get a better look at him and realized that he didn’t seem familiar to her. “Are you new here?”
The young man blinked and shook his head no, replying in broken English that he was visiting. “Here for an interview,” he said. He studied her face thoughtfully and zeroed in on her eyes.
“Are you…wearing contacts?” he asked.
Angie shook her head and offered him a small smile. She got this all the time – people were stunned to discover that her brilliant lighter colored eyes were real. She stuck out in her family, all of whom had darker hair and dark eyes.
“Nope they’re real sweetie,” she replied with a grin. “Don’t worry about it – I get that a lot. I mean, if you saw me with my brother, you’d be shocked.” She pulled out her phone and typed in the passcode before pulling up a picture of her goofing around with her older brother. She held the phone out to the young man and he did a double take.
“Wae?! Your brother?” he asked with wide eyes.
“Uh huh! Biggest dork you’ll ever meet – such a movie nerd too. Guess that’s why he’s at Universal though,” she replied with a shrug. She replaced her phone and froze when she remembered the questions. Shoot – Theo!
“OH! I need to get the interview questions for that Korean band – sorry to leave you sweetie! I hope the interview goes well!” Angie blurted out as she made a mad dash for the door, craning her neck for her co-worker.
“Seriously hyung? Blue eyes? Like Miranda Kerr’s?” Sehun asked him as they filed into their seats. “You sure it wasn’t Miranda?”
Chen shook his head and explained that the girl he saw was prettier than Miranda. It didn’t hurt that she called him ‘sweetie’ and ‘honey’ in a doting way. But it seemed like she really didn’t know who he was or who EXO was. Rare but not uncommon for where they were currently interviewing – the US had a decent fan base but not everyone recognized who they were. Both a curse and a blessing all at once.
“Older or younger?” Baekhyun asked him, intrigued by the mystery girl they were discussing.
Chen bit his lip as he recalled her features. He wasn’t 100% sure, but he had a gut feeling that she was older than him. Not too much older – a few years give or take. Secretly, he hoped she would be back to interview them. At the sound of the door opening, he turned his head with the rest of the band and tried to hide his disappointment at seeing the shorter, warmer skinned girl entering with an oversized bomber jacket and black skinny jeans.
“Hey you guys!” Janelle exclaimed as she made her way over to them. She glanced over at the camera guy to make sure everything was all set on his end, receiving a thumbs up from the other side. She walked over to her seat and began the interview.
Suho took over most of the interview, answering as best as he could in English. The rest glanced over at their translator standing off to the side and watched Janelle talk, arms waving around enthusiastically. Chen fought the urge to laugh at Baek and Chanyeol, who were starting to mimic her movements in a joking manner. Deep down, he was impatient – when was this going to be over? He wanted to find the sweet blue-eyed girl and ask her if she was okay. She seemed stressed when he encountered her – maybe it was because of his band’s interview?
The interview breezed by and Janelle closed out the segment before signaling to the camera guy to cut. She went around and shook hands with all of the members. Crew members entered and began breaking down the lights and camera and the band began to step off to the side. Chen watched as Janelle flagged down one of the individuals folding the chairs and pointed to the questions.
“Is this your handwriting Theo?” she asked him.
“Yeah, I caught Angie in the break room trying to do a juggling act with waters and the questions – I offered to proof them while she set up refreshments,” Theo admitted with a shrug. “I wanted to – my English major sense was tingling to do revisions!”
Sehun snickered as he watched Theo’s exaggerated explanation and Chen watched as the pair talked. The maknae nudged the translator and asked him to tell him what they were saying.
“Sehunnie!” Suho scolded him.
“I want to know hyung! He said something funny and I want to laugh at whatever it was!” Sehun whined.
The translator explained what was discussed between Theo and Janelle and Chen perked up when he heard that this guy was helping out a girl named Angie. Angie. Was that the same girl he met?”
Chen walked over to the pair and allowed a polite smile to cross his lips. The pair stopped talking and flashed him smiles in return.
“You have a question?” Janelle asked slowly.
“Who is Angie?” Chen asked.
Janelle blinked at his question and at first Chen worried that maybe his pronunciation was poor. Aish, maybe he should have practiced more like Suho did on the flight over. Theo stepped closer and pointed in the direction of the office cubicles.
“That cube in the far right – light brown curly hair, model physique, and bright blue eyes. Can’t miss her – she’s really nice,” Theo replied with a knowing grin.
“Aish, why are all of you coming with me?” Chen whined as he wove his way through the rows of cubicles. He brought the translator along but he didn’t account for Sehun, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun to accompany him while trying to find Angie.
“You said she’s prettier than Miranda Kerr – I want to see for myself!” Sehun argued with a smug smile.
“Yah and that guy said she’s like a model so I wanna see the pretty model working in radio!” Baekhyun added.
Chen slumped his shoulders as he neared her office, peeking his head to see if she was there.
“May I – OH! Hi honey, how’d the interview go?” Angie asked as she whirled around in her chair. She rose from it and walked closer to him, a hopeful look on her face.
Sehun walked around Chen and blinked, eyes wide when he saw Angie. He nudged Chen in the arm persistently as he looked from her to Chen. “Hyung, you said ‘pretty’ not beautiful! She’s beautiful!”
Baekhyun and Chanyeol walked around the pair and reacted similarly, playfully nudging one another and voicing their reactions to each other in Korean. “Whoaaaaa!! Ahh those eyes are amazing!” the former cried out as he leaned closer to get a better look.
Chanyeol blushed and covered his face with his hands, mumbling that he was too shy to look at her.
Meanwhile, Angie looked at the quartet blocking her office entrance with confusion and amusement. The translator introduced himself once he wedged himself between the four young men and explained that Chen was looking for her and the others tagged along to meet her.
“Oh I’m not that special, just the newbie working here,” Angie replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders. She frowned as she stared at the four. “Hang on, are you from the band that Janelle was supposed to interview? She never told me the name, only that it was a boy band from Korea.”
“Wae?! You don’t know EXO?” Baekhyun asked.
“Um no, sorry,” Angie replied. “But you must be super talented to be around for 5 years! It seems like you’re all pretty nice too – well I know this guy’s a sweetheart ‘cause he helped my dumb clumsy ass with setup and he didn’t have to.” She gestured to Chen when she spoke and he couldn’t help but smile widely.
“Noona?” Baekhyun asked with a curious look.
“I’m sorry? What’s that mean?” Angie asked.
“He wants to know if you’re older than him,” the translator explained. “What year were you born?”
“Oh! Um, 1990,” Angie replied. “Oh but you don’t need to call me anything special, just Angie or ‘hey you!’ works.”
The translator relayed this back to the quartet and Baek’s smile widened. “NOONA!” he blurted out with a huge smile. Sehun smiled cutely when he heard she was older and Chen allowed a faint smile to cross his lips, eyes meeting Angie’s.
“They’re insisting on calling you noona,” the translator said, “it’s a polite term for a younger male to address a female in Korea. It’s a good thing.”
“Oh I see,” Angie replied, nodding.
“There you are! We should get going – they have work to do and we don’t want to disturb them,” Suho spoke up as he approached the group. He stuck his head around the corner of Angie’s cubicle and shot her a sheepish smile before apologizing and shepherding the others away, save for Chen.
“Waeeee? But we haven’t gotten to know the pretty noona!” Baekhyun whined with a pout.
“Hyung please a few more minutes?” Sehun begged, attempting to use aegyo on the leader.
“I don’t wanna keep you if you’ve gotta be somewhere else,” Angie said as she shifted her weight to her other foot.
“Guys, we should go – besides Suho-hyung will need help with directions to our hotel, unless you want to get lost!” Chanyeol teased as he nodded at the leader.
“Ah Chanyeol-ah, why…?” Suho wailed, a horrified look on his face.
“Ah hyung is right – Suho-hyung will probably be lost if we don’t check directions,” Sehun sighed as he began unlocking his phone. He nudged Baekhyun to follow the older member and Chanyeol exchanged a look with Chen before following.
Suho glanced back at Chen with a quick wink before he followed the group, complaining quietly about Chanyeol’s accusation regarding his poor sense of direction. Chen turned back to Angie and shyly stared at her.
“I thought…you’d be interviewing us,” he said in English. “I was sad because I wanted to see you again.”
Angie stared back with an endearing expression on her face before stepping closer and giving him a hug. He was caught off guard by the gesture but quickly slipped his arms around her to reciprocate the hug.
“Aww honey no need to be sad! Janelle took good care of you guys, I’m sure,” she said. “It’s gonna be a while before they let me do what she does. But I’m glad we met today.”
“Sa-same here,” Chen replied. “Hey can I, can I grab a cup of coffee with you?”
Angie stared back as she pulled away from him and looked around for a few moments. “Who me? Um yes! Well, only if you’re not busy! ‘Cause I don’t wanna keep you, like I said!”
Chen waved away her concerned comment and crossed his arms over his chest. “Chanyeol wasn’t kidding when he said Suho has a terrible sense of direction. It might be a while before he figures out the directions to our hotel. Think that’s plenty of time to get a cup of coffee.” He waited for the translator to share this in English and Angie shot him a sympathetic look.
“It’s a confusing town – take a wrong turn and you’re lost or trapped in traffic,” she admitted. “I know a place that we can walk to – less than a minute away. They make a mean unicorn hot chocolate drink if that’s your thing.”
“Unicorn…what?”
“Ooh! They don’t have that in Korea? Oh well then I have to take you to get one then!” Angie bubbled with a goofy grin on her face. She dug around in her cabinet for her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go…ah I’m an idiot, I never asked for your name! I’m so sorry! What is it sweetie?”
“Chen,” he said, “but ‘sweetie’ or ‘honey’ is okay too. Can I call you Angie-noona?”
“I mean, if you want but just Angie works for me,” she said as she stepped out of her cubicle.
“Then I’ll call you Angie-noona.”
#EXO Chen#EXO Chen imagine#Chen imagine#Kim Jongdae#Kim Jongdae imagine#KJD#Happy Birthday Kim Jongdae!#yourkeeperoftherunners original#number 2130
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Totem
July 2nd
Prompt: Totem
Summary: Nokia needs help with her homework.
~~Story Begins~~
Arata walked into K-Cafe, a scowl on his face, that slowly disappeared upon seeing his cyber sleuth friend sitting at one of the tables working on her homework.
“The others haven’t arrived yet?” Arata asked sitting down at the table with Ami.
Ami shook her head, “No and for once, I’m not late but super early. I thought for sure Nokia would have been here by now. She actually took it up as a case along with sending me a SOS message. I never did take the case, just doing it because she is a friend.”
“Yeah, I received that SOS message,” Arata said. “Right when I was about to accept another comic contest. So, any idea over what Nokia’s emergency is?”
“No, there was nothing on the case file report when I looked at it out of curiosity and I have tried calling her, but I never received an answer.”
“I swear, if it is over what accessory -”
Ami shook her head, “No, if it was something like that than she wouldn’t have the money to file a case and it wouldn’t be having us meet at a cafe,” Ami twirled the pencil in her hand. “You wouldn’t know what system is used underground to help conserve and reuse energy?”
“What?”
“Produced by the internal heat of the earth is known as blank,” Ami read from her worksheet.
“Geothermal.”
“Thanks,” Ami said writing it down.
“You rarely ask for homework help,” Arata said.
“I stayed up almost all night for a case,” Ami explained. “My mind is tired.”
“So to stay awake, you are doing homework.”
The bell to the cafe dinged.
“I’m ahead of my homework. With my school allowing most of their students to work, they give us month’s work of homework at a time for each class.”
“Nokia isn’t here?” Yuugo asked as his sister helped him sit down. He was getting better with his physical body, but he still had a long way to go.
“No,” Arata said as Ami packed up her homework.
“She needs to arrive soon,” Ami added in. “Kyoko is going to call and would want an update.”
“She put in a case for this?” Yuuko said as she sat down. “It must be important.”
Arata took out his digivice and tried calling Nokia only to receive no answer. “Same as Ami, no answer.”
“Hmm, strange. She always has her Digivice,” Yuuko commented.
The bell dinged and some regulars came in and ordered their drinks.
“I can’t wait anymore,” Ami said surprising everyone. “I’m heading back to the office, try and get more cases done. If you wish to stay and she arrives, call me, please.”
Ami grabbed her bag and talked to the owner of K-Cafe before she left.
“She usually waits the longest,” Yuugo stated.
“She was here before me,” Arata stated. “I don’t know for how long.”
“Oh?” Sacchan said. “Are you talking about Ami? She’s been sitting in here since 2.”
“It’s almost 5,” Yuuko said. “She’s been waiting three hours.”
“2 is when Nokia sent out her message,” Arata said checking his messages. “Three hours of not working on a case. No wonder she left all mad.”
Two hours later, Arata walked into Kuremi Detective Agency after receiving a call from Kyoko to come over. “The others are on their way,” Kyoko said after Arata shut the door. “I’m surprised you got here so fast.”
“I was in the area,” Arata said. He sat down next to the unusual quiet Ami who had her shoes off with her legs curled up under her. “Is she okay?”
“Ami’s finally getting some sleep,” Kyoko spoke. “Her alarm will wake her in thirty minutes before she goes to Ueno Park and stay awake all night again.”
Arata sighed, “They are such flakes.”
“Not very nice,” Ami said with a voice laced heavily with sleep and knowing that he was referring to her and Nokia. She lifted her head up from her arms and stared sleepily at the two.
“Go back to bed,” Kyoko ordered. Ami shook her head as she uncurled her legs. “Oh? How do you plan on staying awake the whole entire night and day with thirty-five minutes of sleep?”
“It’s almost like jet lag,” Ami shrugged putting her shoes on.
The door bursted open and Nokia came in, “I’m totes sorry! The teachers took my digivice and wouldn’t return it or listen to me. Than they gave me detention, plus after school clean duty by myself, and my tutor lessons!”
“Than you shouldn’t have sent out a SOS message,” Arata commented dryly.
“Teachers wouldn’t let me finish it,” Nokia argued.
Ami just shook her head as Yuugo and Yuuko appeared, “I seriously don’t have the patience for this.”
“Did you wake up on the wrong side of bed?” Nokia asked.
Arata covered Ami’s mouth as Kyoko laughed, “Nokia, she hasn’t laid down in a bed for forty-eight hours.”
Arata glared at Ami as Yuuko sat down with Nokia and Yuugo on the other couch. “Did you just lick my hand?” Arata questioned Ami who was glaring back at him. “Stop licking me!” He removed his hand and wiped it off.
“So, Nokia, what is the Emergency?” Ami asked.
“I need to make a totem pole of four of my friends that changed my life and well, it was you four. I have to include myself in this totem pole as well.”
“This was the emergency?” Yuuko spoke. “You could’ve just asked us to meet up in a group chat in EDEN!”
“Instead of getting caught using Digi-line in class again,” Ami said.
“Yeah, well, let’s just start doing the assignment,” Nokia said taking a piece of paper. “So...uh… who should be the bottom of this totem pole?”
“Well, what does your totem pole look like without their opinions?” Kyoko asked.
“The bottom would be Arata, than Yuugo, than Yuuko, and finally me!” Nokia said.
“Oh? Why?” Nokia asked.
“I’m out,” Ami said getting up and proceeded to leave.
“What? Wait, why?” Nokia asked. “I’m a client! A client!”
“No, you are not. You are a friend. I never took your case file. I waited for you for three hours and I have a case to go too. I’m forgotten within your totem pole.”
“What? No, I didn’t!” Nokia said offended.
“I was going to ask about why Ami wasn’t included,” Kyoko said as Ami left. “But please excuse her behavior. She’s running on little to no sleep the last two soon to be three days and she’s under a lot of stress. Mostly self-induced stress.”
“What type of stress?” Yuugo questioned.
“I believe that’s Ami’s choice to tell,” Kyoko said. “Now about your homework.”
The next morning, Ami was typing up an apology to Nokia. It was a honest Nokia mistake, no need to snap at her about it. Just because she has a lot on her mind now, doesn’t mean her friends deserve that type of behavior.
She walked into Broadway and shook her head, try to get the sleepiness out of her mind and to stay awake, at least until she turned this case in. The client had good intentions for looking after his little sister, but the ‘bad friends’ was two stray dogs who his little sister named New-New and Lekkle.
Ami chuckled to herself, almost everyone forgot about Digimon being tools for hackers but the traces were still there.
“You are giggling at nothing,” Arata said in front of her, crossing his arms. “You are going delusional.”
“I’m fine,” Ami said shaking her head. “Just thinking about Digimon and how traces of them are still noticeable. What are you doing here?”
“Am I not allowed to visit you?”
“You are, but you usually ask in advance,” Ami said. “Are you going to let me in the office?”
“Naw,” Arata said with his arms crossed. “Not allowing you to work until you get some sleep.”
Ami’s eyes flashed with anger before she took a deep breath, “I’ll get sleep later.”
Arata rolled his eyes, “Ami.”
“What?”
“It was a group decision to force you to go to sleep,” Arata said placing his hands in his pockets. “I happen to be the one who drew the figurative short stick. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“Kyoko knows?”
“Yep, she knows you completed your case as well. You don’t ever leave things half-finished.”
“You do realize I can escape from you, right?” Ami asked causing Arata to arch his eyebrow. “But, I won’t. My apartment than?”
“Mhmm, all day,” Arata agreed as they went to the elevator. “Kyoko already let me in to drop off the things I brought over.” The elevator started going up with them in it. “You know, any of us would be willingly to listen if you needed someone to talk too.”
“Huh?”
“Kyoko said you was under a lot of self-induced stress.”
The elevator stopped and they got off.
“I’m not working so much to get my mind off of problems if that’s what you are thinking I am doing,” Ami said as they walked towards her apartment door.
“I never said it was,” Arata said as they entered her apartment. “Your digivice, please. So you won’t wake up when it goes off.”
Ami unwrapped her Digivice and gave it to him, “Do you want my code for it?”
“Yeah, why not.”
“1048,” Ami said. “I’ll change it later after you get done babysitting me. You’ve been here before, right?”
Arata rolled his eyes, “Yeah, go to bed now. I’ll be fine.”
“It feels weird though,” Ami whined as the taller teen started to push her towards her bedroom. “Fine, fine!”
Thirty minutes later, Arata was doing his own version of Nokia’s totem pole assignment when Ami’s digivice started to ring. He answered it not paying attention to who was calling when -
“October, how many times do I have to tell you, if it is stage no matter how real it looks, it does not feel genuine! Miwako, the sound was great!” Arata looked up at the screen and saw a woman with black hair done in a bun with glasses on top of it. “Kyoko called me Ami, what do you think you are doing getting so little sleep?” She never looked at the screen. “Mathies, what is it, what do you mean again?”
“Uhh…” Arata said stunned trying to figure out what was going on.
The lady looked at the screen. “You aren’t my daughter.”
“No, I’m not. A friend of Ami’s and she is *should* be sleeping right now,” Arata spoke. “Can I give her a message for you?”
“Yes, tell her - Lucas, can’t you put them on hold? I’m busy!” Ami’s mom said to someone off screen. “No! You do not ever, EVER put them through to my personal digivice unless it’s Kuremi Kyoko and my daughter! Yes I have a daughter!” The call got disconnected.
“Don’t bother calling back,” Ami spoke from her doorway, stifling her yawn. She walked to the couch and sat on it wearing blue shorts a blue tank, an uncommon color on her. “She won’t answer.”
“What are you doing up?” Arata asked as she looked at what he was working on.
“It’s rare for Mom to find the time to call,” Ami explained. “I’ve trained myself to wake up, no matter what, when I hear that ringtone.”
“I wouldn’t consider that a call.”
“Oh no, that’s a call. You experience the type of conversation I have 90% of the time with my mother.” Ami said. “So, Nokia is on top of your totem pole?”
“The top ones aren’t as masterfully created like the bottom ones are, a hidden fact about totem poles.”
“So from bottom to top you have; Yuugo, me, Yuuko, yourself, than Nokia?”
“Yes, essentially, you and Yuugo changed our lives,” Arata commented. “Now, you should go back to bed. Especially since you should be asleep right now.”
“Yes, boss,” Ami said jokingly as she got back up and headed towards her bedroom.
“Why are you working so hard, if you don’t mind me asking?” Arata questioned before Ami entered her bedroom.
“So I can surprise visit Mom for her birthday, since she won’t be home again for her birthday like originally planned” Ami responded looking at Arata. “She may not act like it, but she hates being so far away from me for so long. So a visit from me for her birthday will boost her morale and spirits.”
~~The End~~
#Digimon#digimon story#digimon story cyber sleuth#Ami Aiba#Arata Sanada#arata x ami#Yuuko Kamishiro#yuugo kamishiro#Kyoko Kuremi#bladeblazeknight
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Behind the Scenes: A Southside Story Episode Seven
Sage’s deal with FP was simple and fair.
She must attend school every day and graduate. She was also required to help out the club with any outstanding tasks. Most of the time, it was simple runs and drops, but there was also sometimes the grunt work, sweeping, cleaning, stocking the Whyte Worm and so on. On rare occasions, there were special little projects. Like, for example, delivering the surprise in the box for the waitress at Pop’s. It always made her feel important when FP trusted her with tasks like that.
As long as Sage kept up her end of the bargain, FP gave Sage a place to live and allowed her to be in the Serpents. Those were the conditions. Before that, she had tried her best to make it work with no experience in the real world, no job, no money, no family, all while staying under the radar from social services. Eventually, she stumbled across the Serpents, who became home base and her family.
Unbeknownst to most, the Whyte Worm had nine rooms in various sizes upstairs above the bar. Some members crashed there temporarily between housing, some borrowed the space for a drunken one night stand after one too many bourbon shots. FP kept a room for himself, which he used as an office a place to meet with other members privately.
But FP had reserved the smallest room at the end of the hall for her to stay in. He furnished the room with a small twin bed with a lumpy mattress, an old desk, and a wicker dresser. There was one tiny window placed in the center of the wall, her bed to the left of it, the dresser to the right. She tacked a blanket up to keep the early morning light out. Other than that, it had been up to her to find an old microwave which she kept on top of her dresser for her daily dinners of ramen soup and green tea.
Simple but home.
Simplicity was her style.
Perhaps the biggest drawback was the lack of shower and the bathroom was down the hall. But as usual, she found a way to make it work, using the bathroom sink to freshen up daily, or in dire situations, braving the gym locker room at school for a real shower. Another negative was the constant noise and smelled of cheap tequila and cigarettes. But so came the price of living above a bar.
A perk of becoming a Serpent also allowed Sage to earn a little money. Aside from a roof over her head, she was able to earn extra from some of the jobs she did. Essentially it was pennies since she was on the bottom of the totem pole, but she was disciplined and she managed to save most of what she earned only spending what she absolutely needed to. She hoped by the time she graduated, she would have enough saved to rent or even own a trailer in Sunnyside and have a real place of her own someday.
Sage’s anxiety was spiraling out of control, her head reeling from accidentally hearing the two men outside her room the night prior. For the first time in months, she genuinely felt unsafe, an uneasiness stirring in the pit of her stomach. The threat of the outside world was an everyday occurrence, but threats within the family concerned her. They swore an oath and to go against that was mutiny. They weren’t just waiting for FP to fail, they were counting on it.
She knew she needed to find Toni immediately to help her unravel her concerns.
“We’ve got to talk!” Sage exclaimed, grabbing Toni’s arm, pulling her against the row of lockers out of the bustle of bodies slumping through the hallway.
Toni stared at her wordlessly, drinking in her wild eyes and tight jawline. “Wha—”
“I heard something last night, I definitely should not have heard,” she interrupted.
“What the hell happened?” Toni’s own eyes widened wearily.
“I was upstairs in my room and I heard two men talking outside in the hall about FP. Toni, they want him out.”
“Whoa, whoa, what? Out of what?” She kicked her foot up and back against the locker, hugging her books tight into her chest.
“The Serpents, Toni! They said about how he’s dropped the ball and put us all at risk. And something about FP torching the car that Jason Blossom took to get rid of the evidence.”
“Oh my god, what?! You need to slow down and explain everything. I need details.” Toni said, holding her hand up.
“Mornin’ ladies,” Sweet Pea sauntered over. He immediately picked up on their protective stance and hushed voices. “Uh, am I interrupting something?” He looked between them
“Always, Sweet Pea,” Toni teased, patting him on his broad chest.
Sage rubbed the back of her neck, nervously. “We’ll finish talking about this tonight. I’ll explain everything and we can try to piece it together. But, I think I was right.”
“Piece what together?” Sweet Pea asked. “Right about what?”
Sage looked at Toni wearily. Should they fill him in?
Toni gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment, making the decision for both of them. “We’ll tell you tonight, but we need to go somewhere private.”
“My place is out,” Sage stated plainly.
Sweet Pea thought for a moment. “Let’s go to my trailer.”
***
Toni and Sweet Pea sat side by side on a raggedy plaid couch in his living room, while Sage sat on the carpeted floor across from them, cross legged.
Sage had never been to his place before prior to this. It appeared smaller than she thought with two small bedrooms, one bathroom. The kitchen and living room were only separated by a counter that served as a breakfast nook. Sweet Pea rarely spoke of his folks, so Sage wasn’t sure if he lived with them or not. The bedroom doors were closed and gave nothing away. Although it wasn’t exactly clean, it wasn’t dirty either. It was just very lived in. A pile of dirty clothes in the middle of the living room and towels draped over a temporary and makeshift clothesline in the kitchen.
“Alright,” Sweet Pea said, rubbing his face before tucking his dog tags back under his shirt. “Start from the beginning.”
“First,” Sage began, “you need to promise me this stays here… in this dingy, dimly lit trailer.”
“Hey, don’t hate. And yes, I promise.”
Sage smiled as Toni positioned herself to get more comfortable on the couch, tucking her legs under her slim frame. “I told Toni this, but a few weeks ago, I went to FP’s trailer after a drop and I saw Jason Blossoms jacket hanging in his closet. I asked him about it but he shrugged it off and called it ‘insurance’. FP also met some woman at the drive-in. My theory is maybe she paid FP to have Blossom killed.”
“No, no,” Sweet Pea shook his head. “You’ve got it all wrong. She was the buyer for the Twilight Drive-In. Well-- her husband was. Word is, he’s in jail but he used her to secure the deal. He paid FP to have the Serpents trash the drive-in so he could buy the land for at a lower price.”
Toni and Sage looked at each other and then back at him. “How do you know that?” asked Toni.
“Joaquin told me. FP and Joaquin have been real tight since the summer.”
A light bulb went off. The takeout bag she retrieved from the waitress and given to Mustang, had been filled with stacks of bills.
“So… the reason why he had me drop off the snake for her was because she didn’t pay him enough. It was just a warning,” she said thoughtfully. “But it had nothing to do with Blossom like I thought. It was all orchestrated around the drive-in, which worked.”
Toni nodded. “Yes, okay, that makes sense. But something else happened. What had you pawing at me this morning?”
Sage twirled the pendant on her necklace, rolling it between her fingers. “Two guys were outside my room talking last night. The first thing that took me by surprise was about how FP took a job with Andrew’s Construction.”
“Why the hell would he do that?” questioned Sweet Pea, sitting up a little straighter, eyes narrowing. He too hadn’t heard this piece of information yet.
“I think he really wants to clean it up for Jughead. You know, try and make things right finally,” Sage trailed off.
“Yea, that’s bull,” retorted Sweet Pea. “He was so out of his mind drunk at the bar last night, Mustang had to drag him away from Hog Eye to get him home in one piece.”
“I don’t know, maybe he needed the money?” Sage suggested half-heartedly.
“We all need money.” scoffed Toni. She softened after a moment. “But maybe he really is trying to keep tabs on things on the Northside, especially the Cooper girl throwing out that Blossom worked for the Serpents. Or maybe he really is trying to get his family back. Both are viable hypotheses, really.”
Sweet Pea shrugged, tossing a side glance at her. “Okay, nerd.”
Toni leaned over and punched him in the arm.
“There’s more,” Sage continued before Sweet Pea retaliated. “They mentioned something about FP torching evidence. Jughead and some other girl found it and went to the police.”
“Snitch!” Sweet Pea exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the couch arm. Toni jumped.
“Sweet Pea…” Sage chided gently.
“What car?” Toni asked.
“If it had evidence, I’m sure it had to do with Blossom again.” Sweet Pea said, still frowning deep.
“Which still makes me think that maybe FP actually did kill Blossom.” Sage pointed out.
“So… what if he did?” contemplated Sweet Pea.
The group was quiet for a moment, pondering over what that meant to each of them.
“What about the two guys?” Toni wondered redirecting her attention to Sage.
“All I know is that they are counting on FP failing and I think they are planning on trying to throw FP under the bus out so they can take over the club.”
Silence came over them again.
“That’s a pretty bold accusation.” Toni swallowed.
“I’m telling you, they want FP to take the fall for something. They are waiting for an opportunity and they are actively plotting against him.
“Goes against our code.” Sweet Pea growled. “Who was it?”
“I couldn’t see one of them,” she admitted truthfully, “but I saw the other guy. It was Mustang.”
Toni exhaled a swoosh of air from her lungs. “Crap.”
“Watch your back, guys. I think shit’s gonna hit the fan soon.” Sage warned.
Sweet Pea rubbed his hands on his thighs anxiously. “Well… that didn’t answer anything. I just have more questions now.”
Sage smiled, tiredly. “Welcome to my life.”
They all were startled again when the door flew open, slamming into the wall. Joaquin stumbled in, looking around at the three of them. “Guys…” he said breathlessly. “You won’t believe what just happened.”
“What is it?” Toni stood up immediately, sensing his urgency.
“Jughead was just taken into custody by the police. He’s a suspect in the Blossom murder.”
Entire Work: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19441756/chapters/47562346
#sweet pea#riverdale#fanfiction#jughead#jughead jones#southside serpents#toni topez#serpents#the southside
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