#gareth answers an ask | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

licensedqueerio · 2 years

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OMG you should do a gareth x reader and like you join the hellfire club and he has crush on you and he ends up telling you and you like him back!

Idk why it took me so long to write this. Characterizing Gareth should not have been as difficult as it was lmao. But y'know what it took to finish this? Sitting upside down. In a chair.

Like, y'know in big hero 6 when Tadashi holds Hiro upside down or whatever to get him to think and it worked? Yeah. That was me.

But I hope you enjoy this, it definitely got away from me lol. It wasn't supposed to be this long and the ending was definitely a little rushed. But whatever.

(Also, somewhere in an alternate universe, Gareth does turn out to be an axe murderer)

---

Word count: 5.8k

Pairing: Gareth Emerson x Reader

Warnings: underage drinking, swearing, mentioned drug use

Request Here

---

Eddie strutted down the hall with you at his side, excitement putting an extra bounce in his steps. He looked like a child, the pins on his jacket rattling.

You smiled faintly. A few weeks ago he asked you to play D&D with him. The two of you had gotten together to get high once or twice, you bought all your shit from him. And you mentioned how you used to play back in middle school.

That spurred the conversation of the Hellfire Club, which you'd heard a lot about. Mostly bad things if you were being honest, but hey. That was highschool.

It took him a while to convince you to join his club, and then bring you up to speed on all the rules and remind you how to play.

But now here you were, joining your first campaign with the Hellfire Club. You were pretty excited, you couldn't lie.

Not like you'd tell Eddie that. He'd be even more bouncy than he was right now.

Eddie kicked the door to their 'club room' with a loud crash, "hey nerds!" He called with an obnoxious grin.

You followed him into the room, which used to be the old theatre, but considering a new and bigger theater had just been built, this one was given to Eddie's club. It was really the only room they could spare.

Plus, it was pretty on brand; playing a fantasy game where drama had taken place.

They were backstage and all the lights seemed to be on. They were very colorful too, lighting the room up beautifully. There was also discarded sets and other junk pushed towards the walls and out of the way.

You went to look at the table where the other members sat, leaving the throne at the head of the table empty. You guessed that was Eddie's seat. His place at the table was already all set up, there were even candles lit on either side.

The rest of the table was occupied by the club members. A handful of them were underclassmen. You could tell by their baby faces. "Henderson! Drumroll!" He pointed to the table as he got closer.

A boy with brown curls obediently began to drum his fingers against the table, muttering, "why doesn't the drummer do the drumroll?"

"Shut it," Eddie said, pointing at him again. He got close enough to step right up onto the table. And then he bowed low, hand extended to where you stood with an amused smile.

"Please welcome the newest member of Hellfire! Y/N L/N!" He cheered as he rose back up, to which received several greetings ranging in enthusiasm.

Eddie grinned and hopped down from the table. He stepped forward and walked behind you, guiding you forward. "Curly is Dustin Henderson," he said, pointing him out once again. "His friends, Michael Wheeler, and Lucas Sinclair," he said, pointing to each of them.

You smiled and waved to the three younger boys. They looked like babies, they were so young. You wanted to squeeze their cheeks.

"That's Jeff. And finally, there's Gareth. He's a pain, ignore him more than you ignore the others," he instructed you very seriously.

Your eyes lingered on Gareth. He had the fluffiest hair you'd ever seen and you could imagine how soft it would feel beneath your fingers. He wore the same shirt as the others, white and black with the Hellfire logo. He also layered on a red and black flannel with the sleeves cut off.

Gareth fixed his annoyed look on Eddie. "And why should they ignore me?" He asked, his voice higher than you thought but beautiful to listen to.

"Because you're a pain," Eddie repeated with a 'duh' tone. But unfortunately for him, the only free spot they had was beside Gareth. He glared at Gareth like it was his fault once he realized.

You clapped Eddie on the shoulder with a laugh,"I deal with you everyday. I'm sure I can handle Gareth," you assured with a grin, going and sitting next to Gareth.

Eddie smiled before he understood, and when he did his expression grew annoyed. "Ha ha, very funny," he droned, sitting on his throne. "Now everybody shut up and let's get started!"

---

As soon as the session was over, Dustin cornered you while you waited for Eddie to pack up. He eagerly chatting your ear off about just about everything. You found it endearing how enthusiastic he was. His friend Mike, looked apologetic though as he awkwardly stood at his side.

"So how do you know Eddie?" Dustin asked, adjusting his cap. "Are you guys friends?"

"Oh, he's my de…uh, detention partner," you quickly altered your sentence. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell the kid Eddie was your dealer. Plus it wasn't like you were lying, Eddie had been your detention partner a couple of times.

"Really?" Dustin asked, ignoring Mike's urging warning that they were going to be late. "How long have you been playing D&D?"

"Since eighth grade," you answered honestly. "Gave me something to do after school."

"Why did you just now join Hellfire?" Mike finally gave in and asked a question. You knew he was curious too, after all you were a new face.

"Because I was too busy before," you shrugged, glancing to see if Eddie had packed up all his things yet. You looked back at the boys. "And I never had a ride."

"Do you need a ride?" Gareth asked, swinging his bag over his shoulder and stopping next to you. The way he looked you up and down wasn't as subtle as he thought it was.

"Nah, Eddie—"

"Gareth, you take 'em home," Eddie cut you off. "I forgot, I have to take Henderson and Wheeler. Their ride is busy so of course, the burden falls to me," he said with a shake of his head.

Dustin swung his head around to stare at Eddie. "What!?" He yelped. "What happened to Steve? Why didn't you say anything sooner!" He shouted, storming over to Eddie.

Gareth tilted his head towards the door and you nodded, walking out of the theater with him. It was silent for a few moments before you broke it.

"So you're a drummer?" You asked.

Gareth looked over at you and nodded, "yeah, for our band. Eddie tell you?"

You shook your head. "You're in a band? Eddie's in a band and he didn't tell me? That ass," you scoffed.

"I'm surprised you've gone this long without knowing," Gareth replied earnestly. "He's your dealer, right? I think he's mentioned you a few times."

"Didn't want to say it in front of the kids," you nodded, "but yeah. That's how I originally met him."

"So you've been 'round his? I know you've seen his guitar," Gareth held the door open for you. "He uses it for gigs only. It's his prized possession."

You suddenly remembered the name of the band. Eddie invited you out one day but you'd been too busy to attend. Now you had a reason to attend one of their shows. "Corroded Coffin, right?" You asked with a proud grin at remembering.

Gareth smiled at you. And wow was his smile beautiful. He nodded. "So ya do know our band," he mused. "Yes, I'm our drummer."

"Well considering that Dustin kid was asked to drumroll and not you, I'm gonna assume you're not—"

"Hey," Gareth said, affronted, turning to point a finger at you, "I'll let you walk home," he threatened.

"I didn't say it," you held your hands up in surrender. "I said nothing. What you use to fill in the blanks is entirely your—"

"Oh shut up," Gareth elbowed you in the side.

You jumped away from him with a scowl on your face, rubbing your injured side. "I'm not feelin' the love here, Gareth," you huffed. "I think I will walk home," you said, making a 90° turn and walking off.

"Hey!" Gareth shouted, grabbing your arm before you could get too far and pulled you back against his side. He casually tossed an arm around your side to prevent a repeat. "Eddie would murder me with my own sticks if I let you walk home."

"Maybe then you’ll learn some manners,” came your snarky reply but you let him guide you. You tried to ignore how his touch made you feel.

“Look who's talking,” Gareth replied, unfortunately releasing you. He walked around to the driver's seat and unlocked the doors.

You grinned and got in the car. “So, besides playing D&D and playing the drums, what do you do?” You asked, a pathetic attempt to keep the conversation going as you clicked your seatbelt on.

Gareth ignored his own seatbelt and put his arm behind your seat as he twisted to look behind him as he reversed out of his parking spot. “Really?” He asked, making eye contact briefly. “Small talk?”

Warmth coursed through your body as you rolled your eyes, trying to pretend like the small action didn't fluster you. You were rapidly developing a crush on him. You were unable to decide if it was surface level attraction or if it'd maybe have a chance to develop into something real. “Are you really judging me, drummer boy?” You mocked.

“Oh wonderful, I haven’t ever been called that before,” he said flatly, turning and removing his hand from behind your seat. “Ask me something worthwhile.”

You took a moment to think about an ‘interesting’ question. “Okay, what’s the weirdest thing you have been called?” You asked.

Gareth paused to actually think about it. "Freak," he answered honestly. "That's what just about most of the school calls me. Us. Hellfire," he clarified.

You had to admit, you felt your heart squeeze at the sympathy you felt for him. You despised the words especially when it was used so maliciously. You pursed your lips, "that was supposed to be a light hearted question, sorry."

Gareth only laughed. "Hey, well, you asked," he replied, tapping the steering wheel. "Better get used to it. I did. Easier that way."

"No thanks," you shook your head for emphasis. "The second anyone calls me that, they're getting my fist."

"That's fair," Gareth conceded. "Hey, where am I going anyways?" He asked with a frown, slowing slightly to give you time to answer..

"Oh you missed the turn about a mile ago," you confessed, looking up at him. "But I figured it was too late to tell you."

Gareth was silent for a few seconds before he exploded. "What!?" He loudly demanded. "I am never driving you anywhere ever again!" He exclaimed. "Why didn't you say anything!"

"Sorry!" You shouted back. "I'm sorry! I just…I don't know, don't yell!"

"You're yelling too!" Gareth screeched, making a wild U-turn. You heard several things rattle and roll in his car.

"Hey—hey! Cool it with the crazy driving!" You continued to shout, holding onto what you dubbed the 'oh shit' handle on the roof. He was worse than Eddie, which was saying a lot.

"Just tell me where I'm going!" Gareth turned to look at you, a crazy grin on his face as he continued to shout.

You realized he wasn't upset, but rather having fun. You grinned. "Just drive!" You managed between laughter. "You don't have anywhere to be, do you?"

Gareth shook his head no and joined in your laughter. "I like you!" He shouted.

"Then why are you yelling!?"

Gareth's smile never died as he repeated, in a much more respectable volume, "I like you."

You grinned, "thank you," you responded. "You're not so bad, for a drummer," you added belatedly.

Gareth's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open in very obvious, and deep offense. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

Gareth scowled, "you got a problem with drummers?"

"Well, the last drummer I dated was crazy. I find the guitarist to be much more sane—"

"Uh, in what world is the guitarist more sane than the drummer!?" Gareth wildly demanded. "No way is Eddie more sane than I am!"

"Hey I'm just telling you my past experiences!" You defended, "I didn't say I like Eddie more than you—well, actually—"

"I'm giving you a ride home." Gareth sounded deeply offended again as he turned to stare at you.

"Eddie gives me drugs."

"That you buy. I'm doing this for free and in my own time."

You paused. You didn't have a response for that because he did have a point. "Fine," you conceded. "Fine, fine. Sorry for insulting you, drummer boy."

Gareth's victorious grin twisted into a scowl. "Can't you come up with a different nickname?"

"No."

Gareth sighed as he took a right turn. "I need a nickname for you now. It's only fair," he stated.

"No," you turned down, you knew this could only end in an embarrassing or terrible nickname. You had a reputation to maintain, you couldn't let him give you a nickname that would likely stick and catch on.

"You're a nerd but that just…doesn't fit," Gareth murmured to himself, staring out at the road.

You were concerned about the spaced out look on his face and thought maybe it wasn't a smart idea to let him drive you around.

"...I'll think of it," he finally shrugged. "But you need a new name other than drummer boy," he said, pointing a finger at you.

"Thumper," you replied.

"Will you be the Bunny to my Thumper?" Gareth wasted no time in asking.

You paused. "You've seen Bambi?" You asked in surprise. He didn't seem the type to sit through that kind of movie.

"I have a younger sister," Gareth offered in explanation, glancing over at you, "we've seen it a million times. Even my older sister's made me watch it."

You wanted to tease him, but you thought it was so sweet he watched it with her so many times. You smiled instead, "that's cute."

"Don't tease me," Gareth warned seriously.

"I'm not," you said quickly, "swear on my life. I'm not teasing you. I think it's cute that you watch movies with them."

Gareth tapped the steering wheel again to an imaginary beat and nodded, accepting that answer. "Do you need to be home soon?"

"I don't have a curfew," you answered, which…wasn't completely honest but he didn't need to know that. You wanted to spend more time with him though, he was interesting. And cute.

"Good. I was gonna take a ride out to the drive-in. I hope you like horror," he looked over at you again.

"The drive-in is in the next city," you stated the obvious.

"Yep," Gareth agreed.

"Okay," you said. This would be fun. You hoped. You had just met him, but he didn't strike you as an axe murderer or something.

---

Gareth was in fact, not an axe murderer. The two of you went to the drive in together and saw a horror movie that you honestly lost the plot of, too distracted by him.

He was very engrossed by the movie. He laughed at parts he definitely shouldn't have, popcorn in hand. He made snide little comments about the actors or the movie in general.

His commentary made you crack up and you couldn't focus with him murmuring some smartass comment in your ear every few minutes.

You wouldn't have changed a thing about the night.

Well. You'd change one thing.

Gareth walked you up to your door with the excuse of, "you never know where a murderer might be lurking."

You doubted they'd lurk in the few feet from the street to your door, but you decided to humor him.

So you walked with him, arms brushing together with every step. Neither of you made an attempt to stop the contact. Neither of you attempted more contact

When you arrived at your door, he stopped you from opening it with a hand on your arm. "Hey," he began, shifting his weight and dropping his hand.

You turned to him, the faint light of your neighbor's porch light illuminated his face enough for you to see his shifting gaze. "Hi," you warmly replied, smiling at him.

"Hi," he laughed, looking away. He cleared his throat and tucked his hands into his jean pockets. He rocked forward on his toes as he spoke. "You should come to our show."

You were nodding before you even comprehended the suggestion. But once you did, you smiled. "You want me to come to your show?"

Gareth looked away again and shrugged, "yeah. Thought you'd like it. I'll prove I am a good drummer despite what some people think," he pointedly said.

Your smile grew. "I'll be there," you promised. You found yourself wishing for a kiss. Hell, even a brush of his lips against your cheek would sate you. But of course, nothing happened.

Gareth took a step back and nodded at you. "Night, bunny," he said, turning around and heading back to his car.

"Night, thumper," you murmured, your voice lost to the night. You stared at his back for a second longer before finally turning and heading inside.

---

You informed Eddie of your plans and Gareth's invitation and he would not leave you alone. You regretted telling him.

"Wait, wait. I explicitly told you to stay away from Gareth and you went on a date with him!?" He screeched, his voice disappearing into the forest surrounding you two. Thankfully, you decided to have this conversation outside of school.

"It wasn't a date," you denied, waving a hand. You sat up on the picnic table and stared down at where he was sitting on the bench. "It was just a movie."

"No, it was a movie at the drive-in," Eddie replied, putting more emphasis on the words like a weirdo. "You know what happens at drive-ins? Sex!" He shouted. Like a weirdo.

You grimaced, "what? No, stop. I didn't sleep with your best friend. Calm down," you huffed. "Jeez, Eddie. It was just a movie."

"Oh really? How do I know you didn't have sex in the backseat?" Eddie pressed.

You rolled your eyes. "You're disgusting," you stated.

"That's hateful," Eddie replied. "How come you never come to my shows when I invite you? Why is Gareth so special?" He complained.

He was right to complain. He invited you to his shows a couple of times, but you'd always declined. Either you were too busy or you weren't particularly interested.

That had been before you met the cute drummer.

"He's not special. I'm just not busy this week," you lied. "If you would have asked me, I would have said yes." You probably wouldn't have. No offense to Eddie.

"Mhm," Eddie hummed, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Fine. I'll believe you," he said. "I'll give you a ride. I guess."

You grinned.

---

Eddie picked you up as promised. Once you were inside, he left you at the bar as he went to go set up.

Fuck did he undersell his band. There were already people gathering and more coming inside as time passed. You were impressed.

And by the time their set started, a crowd had gathered around the stage, dancing to the music and hyping up the band with their support.

You didn't join the crowd and instead stayed at the bar and watched. You had a good view of the whole band from where you were. And by that, you meant you had a good view of Gareth.

And sure, Eddie was absolutely killing it on stage, his voice was perfect for his songs and his playing was unparalleled. But your eyes were glued to Gareth, who was enthusiastically slamming his sticks against the drum kit. Head bopping to his own music with an infectious smile.

You got into the music quickly, but your eyes never strayed from Gareth for too long. He was too captivating to look away from.

But when the show ended and the band packed their things up, you finally turned away from the stage.

"How'd you like the show?"

You looked over and nearly fell out of your chair. "King Steve?" You couldn’t stop the old title from tumbling from your lips, you were that surprised at seeing him. "Holy shit! What are you—this doesn't seem like your type of scene." Granted, you didn’t know much about Steve Harrington nowadays. You hadn't seen him in two years.

Steve awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not," he agreed, "Eddie invited me." He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Ah," you said slowly, nodding in understanding. "Eddie invited you."

Steve rolled his eyes, "it's not like that."

"Sure," you answered. "But it's fine if it is," you offered. "Gareth invited me."

"Steve," Gareth said, startling you as he materialized behind you. "Eddie didn't say he invited you." He gave him little more than a glance though before looking at you. "Hi."

You smiled, "hi," you responded. "You were amazing."

Gareth grinned, obviously pleased by the compliment. He ruffled the hair behind his ears, "thanks," he said. “So? I’m a good drummer, right?”

You playfully tilted your head as if pretending to think about it. He shoved you over and you shook with laughter, “yes, yes. You’re a good drummer. Best I’ve heard, but don’t let it go to your head,” you complimented with sincerity.

Gareth turned away with a bashful smile playing at his lips. “No promises,” he murmured, “I wasn’t uh, I wasn’t sure if you were gonna show,” he continued, drumming his fingers against the bartop.

“Ouch,” you deadpanned, holding your chest, “so little confidence, Emerson.”

“Oh, it’s Emerson now?” Gareth scoffed, arching a brow. “And I was just about to offer you a ride home.”

"Oh no, whatever shall I do?" You dramatically asked, "thank god Eddie is my actual ride."

"Is that a no?" Gareth asked impatiently.

"Let me buy you a drink," you offered instead of answering. "You really were amazing tonight."

"I gotta drive," Gareth pointed out.

"You won't get drunk off one drink, will you?" You asked, before shrugging. "If you want….you could come over. Have a drink or—or something. I dunno," you said, sounding way less confident than you would have preferred.

Gareth was silent, deliberating the idea as his eyes scanned the bar, eventually he nodded. "Okay," he agreed, "are you providing dinner as well or are you just trying to get me drunk?" He asked with a teasing smirk.

"Depends if you get us there in one piece," you replied, tucking your hands into your pockets and following him as he walked outside.

"All this slander on my driving from the person who can't drive," Gareth deadpanned, giving you an amused look. "Would you like to drive?"

"I would, actually," you answered, much to his surprise. "I can drive, y'know. I just don't have a car. Or a license," you shrugged, Eddie let you drive his van once or twice. In addition to stealing your parents cars, that's how you learned.

Gareth tossed his keys at you without saying anything and you barely caught them before they smacked into your face. You had half a mind to chuck them at his face.

You decided against it though, and followed him out to his car. You climbed into the driver's seat with a grin. "If I crash, it's not my fault," you stated, sticking the keys in the ignition.

"What happened to knowing how to drive?" Gareth asked, clicking his seatbelt on with a skeptical look.

"I never said I did it well," you cheekily answered as you pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.

You took a detour and got some food for the two of you (which Gareth was very happy about) before driving home.

You were proud to say you got both of you there in one piece. You didn't run any red lights or stop signs either, which you were very proud of.

Gareth didn't think it was so amusing.

"How is it an accomplishment, Y/N? That's the law," he pointed out, holding the food as he climbed out of his car.

You held the six pack you bought with your trusty fake ID, since you technically had promised him a drink. You tossed his keys over the hood of his car, "this is coming from someone who said, and I quote, speed limits are just suggestions," you snarked.

"Yeah, but I don't make a habit of running red lights," he sniped, catching the keys and pushing them into his pocket.

You pulled your own keys out as you walked up to your front door, correcting over your shoulder, "I don't make a habit of it, it's only happened once or twice. But in my defense, the light turned red right when I got to the intersection so I couldn't stop." You slid your keys in the lock and opened it, stepping to the side to let him in first.

"My parents are out of town, so don't worry," you said when you noticed his hesitation, stepping inside behind him and shutting the door.

"Starting to think you have ulterior motives," he called from where he set the food down on the coffee table. He sat himself down on the floor back against the couch.

"It's nothing like that," you promised. You took two beers out of the black and put the rest in the sink. You joined him on the ground, handing off a beer.

"You sure it's nothing like that?" He asked, eyes searching your face.

You nodded and turned away from his gaze before you could blush or say something stupid. You got up quickly to look for a movie to put on.

And with a smirk, you put Bambi on.

"Seriously?" Gareth deadpanned, staring at the screen as the opening played. "You're so funny, bunny."

"I try," you said with a mocking bow. You straightened up and joined him on the floor once again and began to eat.

Just like at the drive-in, he made snarky, sarcastics comments under his breath and kept a running commentary going. And just like at the drive-in, you didn't mind one bit. You discovered you loved hearing his voice.

"Thumper is so cute," you said with feeling, staring at the screen with a smile. The little bunny just melted your heart, he was adorable. You watched as he tried to get Bambi on the ice.

"Eddie can be Bambi," Gareth said thoughtfully. "He's as clueless as him. Besides Bambi looks almost high in some scenes—"

"Don't say that!" You chided with a laugh, "he doesn't not. He's a baby deer. He's supposed to be clueless. And Eddie isn't as spacey as a baby deer."

"Oh please, I've known him for years," Garqeth dismissed. He pointed at the screen where Bambi was struggling on the ice. "That's exactly what he gets like on skates. Haven't managed to convince him to ice skate though," he said with a dejected sigh.

"I'll skate with you," you volunteered, just to watch him light up. You smiled at how happy it seemed to make him. God he was just precious. Just like Thumper.

Gareth didn't say anything as his eyes returned to the TV screen, but he did settle back into the couch. His arms crossed and he looked pleased.

You took a drink from your half empty bottle. But just as you tipped it back, swallowing a mouthful of the bitter liquid, Gareth decided to speak.

"I like you. A lot. Romantically," he said, turning to look at you.

You choked, immediately setting the glass down on the table, coughing harshly, trying to dispel the liquid you accidentally inhaled. "Jesus Christ," you croaked between coughs.

Gareth reached over to pat and rub your back. "Interesting reaction," he said, his shoulders shaking with ill-concealed amusement.

"Shut up," you scowled, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. "You're an ass, Gareth Emerson. I could have died!"

"And that would've been a shame," Gareth said mournfully. "So?" He asked.

"I'm starting to rethink my feelings about you," you said sourly, rubbing your chest.

Gareth shoved you.

"Wha—Gareth! Not helping your case right now," you exclaimed, sitting up from where you dramatically fell over. "You have a crush on me?"

Gareth nodded.

You grinned. "Okay, well, good. Because I have a massive crush on you too," you said happily. "Probably from when I first saw you. Y'know, I think the hair is what sold me. And then your personality. Is that shallo—"

Gareth leaned over to claim your lips with his. You eagerly pressed forward, kissing him back without hesitation.

You groaned into the kiss as he licked into your mouth, lips parting with no resistance. You reached out to touch him, your hand buried in his hair, tugging gently.

Gareth pulled away soon after that, a lazy smile on his face, his cheeks red. "My new favorite hobby might be kissing you now," he breathlessly confessed.

"Yeah," you agreed, feeling drunk off his kiss alone. "Yeah—we should, uh, we should definitely do that again."

Gareth grinned, "take me out to dinner first."

You gestured to the food between the two of you, "excuse me, what would you call this? Technically, if anything, this is our second date," you pointed out.

Gareth seemed to have no wiseass comment for that and he instead kissed you again.

---

Like all good things, the night eventually came to an end. Gareth drove home (you two decided it was fine since he only had a beer) and that was the end of the night.

You went to bed dreaming about him, because that's how hard you'd fallen for him. And now you had him. You were now dating Gareth Emerson and honestly? You could not have been happier.

The next morning, you were woken up by a blaring horn. You very nearly fell out of bed, half asleep as you got up.

You jumped when the horn honked again and you groaned, muttering swears under your breath at being so rudely awoken.

You got to the door and threw it open, still in your pajamas and glared at the car. You realized it was Gareth's. "What the fuck!?"

"Hey, bunny," he called out of his open window with a delighted cackle. "come on, come on. Let's go," he urged, "we have places to be!"

"Why are you so excited to go to school?" You asked, crossing your arms. "I'm not even dressed!"

"Who said anything about school?" Gareth smirked. "Hurry and get dressed. We have places to be," he repeated, enunciating his words with another obnoxious beep of his horn.

"Fine, fine! Stop honking, my neighbors already hate me!" You exclaimed, whirling around and heading back inside. But before you closed the door, Gareth loudly honked one last time.

You rolled your eyes and went to get dressed. A little embarrassed at being seen in your pajamas, but you got over it quickly.

You headed out of your house dressed for whatever it was Gareth was up to. You got in the car, and were greeted with a sweet kiss. And when he pulled away, he was smiling. "You look good," he said and stepped on the gas.

You lurched forward and scrambled to get your seatbelt on. "Where are we going?" You asked, staring at him expectantly.

"Surprise," he replied. After a few moments, he gave in. "We're going on a date. Double date. I told Eddie, sorry," he said, glancing over at you, tapping the steering wheel again.

"No, don't apologize," you said quickly, "it's fine. But uh, last I checked, Eddie was single. Painfully so," he said.

Gareth began to smile, "well it seems like we're not the only one who got serious last night," he said, "Eddie and Steve are a thing. But it's supposed to be a secret."

"How is it a secret if we're going on a date with them?" You couldn't help but ask.

"It's a secret date," he answered. "Eddie was looking for a new spot to deal after he almost got busted, and found a good place for a picnic," he explained.

You wondered just how long the two of them spent on the phone last night. It was an amusing thought to picture them gossiping over the phone.

"Okay," you said, satisfied with the answers you'd gotten and glad to know he hadn't spontaneously decided to murder you with an axe out in the woods.

The drive was mostly quiet, with metal music playing through the speakers.

Eddie and Steve were already there when the two of you arrived. You had to take a little hike through the woods to get to them though, which didn't really help your axe murderer theory.

But you eventually found Eddie and Steve in a small clearing. They were sitting on opposite tree stumps, a large one between them. That's where they had the food set up.

"You're late," Steve called when he laid eyes on you both.

You smirked when you seen him and sent a knowing look between him and Eddie. "What'd I say?" You asked.

"Y/N wasn't even awake when I went to get them," Gareth threw you under the bus, sitting right on the ground and reaching for the food.

"Traitor," you muttered, sitting opposite of him on the ground, internally grimacing about having to get the dirt out of your clothes later. "He was being obnoxious and kept honking!"

"I told you to stay away from him," Eddie said around a mouthful of food. "But does anyone listen? No," he said.

"Nothing new," Steve replied.

Eddie glared.

You reached for your own food with a smile. You could get used to this. This was so much better than being stuck in class all day.

And hey, you even got a very pretty looking rock from Gareth at the end of the date. He had disappeared for about half an hour and returned soaking wet, but with two rocks in his pockets that he waded through a creek for.

He gave you one, and kept the other.

You never got rid of the rock. It stayed with you always, even when others joined your collection. That first rock held so much more significance to you.

Even years later, that rock remained your most prized possession.

#ransomswriting #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #reader insert #ask box #reader #answered asks #fanfic #writing requests open #gareth emerson x reader #gareth emerson #gareth the great #x reader #gender neutral reader #minor steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #king steve

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fuckyeahisawthat · 1 month

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Hey ho, have you seen The Creator (2023) yet? Unsubtly about US imperialism, but also really moving, aesthetically stunning (Greig Fraser as DP, oh yeah) and John David Washington killing it in the main role. I was surprised by how much there was to love. xoxo

I fucking LOVED The Creator and kept trying to write something about it here but never managed to collect my thoughts. But yeah what a fucking movie, oh my god. I feel like it kind of got buried by lack of publicity but tbh I am not that surprised because it's one of those movies with politics that make you think how the fuck did they get away with making this.

Gareth Edwards, like Villeneuve, is a director I've been paying attention to for a while now, ever since his 2010 movie Monsters, which was a really impressive low-budget sci-fi with effects that just looked seamless and interesting things to say about borders and the human cost of militarized responses to disastrous events.

And then he did Rogue One and pulled off something very impressive, which is to take one of the most famous sci-fi weapons of our era--the Death Star, a metaphor for nuclear weapons so iconic it has become a symbol in itself--and made it actually fucking scary for the first time in the history of the franchise. And he did it by turning the camera around.

Because the thing is that before this point, we had only ever seen the Death Star from the point of view of the people firing it. The idea of a planet-destroying weapon is intellectually horrifying but we didn't really ever feel it. Because for that we need to see the weapon from the point of view of its victims. It's such a simple but radical shift in perspective, and I feel like Gareth Edwards took that idea from Rogue One and then made it into a whole movie with The Creator.

The Creator, for those unfamiliar with the premise, is about a near-future counterinsurgency war in which the US military is hunting down various forms of AI/android/robot beings. It also features a space-based super-weapon that is eerily beautiful but goddamn fucking terrifying. It was mostly shot in southeast Asia and heavily evokes Vietnam War imagery (as the ending of Rogue One did as well); it is probably about as close to "Vietnam War movie but you're rooting for the Vietnamese" as it is possible to make in the American studio system. The protagonist is still an American soldier (who defects and "goes native" fairly early in the movie) but making him a Black disabled veteran was certainly a Choice. And yes it's John David Washington and he's great in it.

It feels facetious to say The Creator is Reverse Terminator, because it's much richer than that, but it's also kind of fucking true. For the entire movie, the characters are just running for their lives from the implacable and overwhelming destructive force of the US military which is just crushing everything in its path.

The movie does a lot of things that you simply do not see in most American war movies, but the one that stands out to me the most is that in every scene of war violence there are civilians, including children, fucking everywhere. It really threw into relief for me how often American war-action movies create these empty video game environments for soldiers to run around in, where any actual people who might live in the place where the war is happening are at best props and at worst completely absent. (Alex Garland's Civil War, in addition to being terrible in every other conceivable way, is a particularly bad offender at this.) The Creator does what really should be the bare minimum of taking time to showing that these are people whose homes and lives are being destroyed and it is shocking how novel it seems. (There's a line that plays in my head all the time where one of the AI characters says something to the effect of, "Do you know what will happen to the humans when we win this war? Nothing. We simply want to live.") I will also say that this made it a very intense watch in late October 2023 in particular, but it is fiction so we get a very satisfying and cathartic ending. And yes it is an absolutely gorgeous movie, the VFX are mind-blowing, and I found it quite moving.

#asks answered #the creator 2023 #gareth edwards

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pullingyourstrings · 1 year

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dominant Gareth x reader😍

Like at a drive in theatre and he’s tryna keep you quiet like oof-

Thanks for requesting! I find it pretty hard to write dom!gareth but I hope you like this ❣️

Pairing: Gareth Emerson x gn!reader

Summary: Dom!Gareth has to keep you quiet at a drive in theatre.

Warnings: smut, rubbing, oral (m receiving), no gender specific things are mentioned for reader.

Word count: 678

You and Gareth have been on a few dates and your relationship was still pretty new, but you were already at the point were you had to be creative, so you suggested a drive in movie. Gareth picked the movie, a random horror one everyone was talking about.

"Gare... I'm scared" you complained after a jumpscare.

"Really? The CGI on that monster is terrible" he tried to reason, watching as you bit the inside of your lips nervously. "C'mere. I'll make you feel safe" he opened his arms and you snuggled close to him. You felt the way he's body was pressed against yours, how good he smelled and only a few minutes went by when you decide to turn your attention to his neck, pressing gentle kisses wherever you could reach.

"Watcha doing there?" he asked laughing a little and placing a gentle kiss to the top of your head. You didn't answer, just kept doing it. He held you close by your hips but still watched the movie, way too focused on it for your liking. You wanted him to focus on you. Your hand traveled to his crotch, just resting there on top of his jeans when he sighed.

"Babe... Y'know there's other people here, right?" his warning nothing but a whisper behind you.

"Don't care" you shrugged, palming him and he inhaled a sharp breath, holding your wrist forcefully to move you away.

"Oh you don't? That's interesting" his other hand moved from your hips to your front and the moan you let out the second he touched you could probably be heard outside the drive in, since it was silent so everyone could hear the movie.

"Shh baby, you gotta be quiet. Think you can do that for me?" he slapped a hand over your mouth and you nodded, knowing full well you absolutely couldn't. But you could try, if that meant he would keep touching you. And so he did, so slow you felt tears forming at the corner of your eyes. It wasn't enough.

"Please..." you moaned against his hand and he somehow understood.

"Please what, sweetheart? I'm already touching you" he cooed, placing his hand on your neck instead to hear your pleads.

"Want your cock" you answered simply.

"Yeah? Aw, it's a shame that we can't. They could see us" still, he moved his hand faster and you let out a sob.

"Please, want you so so bad"

"Alright, since you asked so nicely" he let go of you, opening his jeans and your eyes lit up, thinking it would finally happen.

"My way though." he moved the seat back "Sit down here." he pointed to the space in front of him and helped as you kneeled on the car floor. "Open your mouth and keep your head still, okay?"

you nodded and obeyed again. He placed the tip of his cock on your tongue and gently moved forward, making you swallow him whole.

"Maybe that will keep you quiet" he kept going, in and out of your mouth and you moaned around him as you felt it brush against the back of your throat, eyes rolling back.

"How do you manage to still be loud even with your mouth full of me? God, you're that desperate, huh?" you try to nod but there's no need to, your face says it all. "Yeah? Fuck, you're so good to me baby" he grabs a handful of your hair and presses you down, cursing as he came.

You whipped your mouth, sitting on the passenger seat again.

"C'mon, put your seatbealt on, let's go" he fixed himself, turning the car on and already putting it on reverse.

"T-the movie is not over yet...?" you half asked, voice hoarse after being used.

"You think I care about this movie right now? First, it's bad. And second, I wanna go home and fuck you the way you deserve, that's what I wanna do" he smiled at you and you smiled back, clicking your seatbealt and knowing that when he gets excited like this, it's gonna be a long night for you.

#gareth emerson #gareth stranger things #head empty just gareth #gareth the great #gareth x reader #gareth emerson x reader #gareth emerson x gn!reader #gareth emerson smut #stranger things 4 #thanks for asking!#anon my beloved #answered

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mytheoristavenue · 2 years

Text

Gareth using his Drumsticks on you 🍋🌟

Okay but Can you not see Gareth wanting to fuck y/n with a drum stick? Bc lowkey I absolutely can, he makes a joke about being able to play y/n better then he can play the drums.

Hope it’s okay that I don’t make this into a whole shot!

You were in trouble, you knew that much, and it was entirely your fault that you where in this predicament. Gareth had you positioned in a way that laid you out against his drum set, legs draped carelessly around his waist, and button up t-shirt flowing freely with his movements, entirely open and showcasing your magnificent chest. Your breasts bounce in circles as he worked you, soft strands of (h/c) hair decorating them, a few even falling in the lush valley in between. Your expression was lazy and submissive, with a dash of pitiful desperation, a stark contrast to his focused and hungry eyes as the scanned your every molecule for reaction to his movements. His jaw was locked to the side, hung open slightly, stifled grunts behind his spit shined teeth. All of this combine made you each the most irresistible picture to the other, but your favorite part of him by far where his hands, with worked tirelessly just out of your vision.

His left palm rested against your bottomless abdomen, the pad of his thumb massaging wonderful circles against your clit in perfect rhythm. His right hard mercilessly fucked your hole with one his drumsticks which was quickly shaping up to be your undoing. He smirking down at your pretty face as a whimper escaped your lips. “What’s the matter, princess? Mad that I was right?” he cooed, referring to the joke you’d made that started this whole ordeal. You wanna cum, cutie?“ You desperately nodded, overwhelmed tears pricking your eyes as you began to reach your climax. "You gotta say it, then.” he bargained. “Just say it, and I’ll let you cum all over my sticks like the pretty little whore you are.”

At first, you resisted, the confession in question simply being too embarrassing, but after a bit more teasing, and a lot of edging, you finally came out with it, whining what Gareth wanted to hear into the stale air of his garage. “You play me better than the drums!”

“Atta girl,” he smiled smugly, falling back back into his original rhythm and granting you permission. “Go ahead and cum for me, cutie.” As if on cue, you released, your essence spilling out and onto the sculpted wood inside you as your high began to end with the rising and falling of your chest.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

#submission #ask #answers #stranger things #gareth emerson x y/n #gareth emerson smut #gareth emerson fluff #gareth emerson #stranger things smut

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lavenderstobins · 2 months

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who's who in the dragon age au?????

Bear with, this might get long, so I’ll try and break it down by game.

Dragon Age: Origins

Chrissy is the Warden / the Hero of Ferelden, recruited by senior Grey Warden Ser Robert Buckley. I haven’t yet decided her class. Jason had been one of the recruits too but he either didn’t survive the Joining or was killed when trying to back out of it.

Jeff is the other Grey Warden, essentially filling Alistair’s role. Haven’t yet decided whether to incorporate more of Alistair’s plot for him yet! He’s a warrior.

Eddie and Wayne live in the Wilds. Eddie fills Morrigan’s role initially, with Wayne able to save Chrissy and Jeff at Ostagar—not as Flemeth, but as a passerby. Eddie’s a mage!

Nancy fills Leliana’s role. She’s a former chantry sister and a bard. She and Mike are fleeing from Lothering when they meet the trio. Nancy’s a rogue, Mike is a warrior.

Freak joins them at Redcliffe, where Jeff was raised. I’m thinking Freak is a warrior.

Gareth is a Crow (assassin) sent by Brenner to take out Chrissy. Nancy takes him out with ease and he offers to join them on their journey. He’s a rogue.

Barb also lived in Lothering, but she died in the darkspawn attack. She’d been a chantry sister same as Nancy.

Chrissy makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to end the Blight, leaving Jeff as the only Ferelden Grey Warden. He’s the one who goes to find the cure. The group separate after Chrissy’s death, which brings us to:

Dragon Age 2

Steve and Robin are both simultaneously Varric and Hawke. Steve finds his passion in storytelling and writes about their adventures and Robin ends up with the title Champion of Kirkwall. Steve’s the one with the family estate, Robin’s the one with the blood connection to seal away Henry Creel.

Vickie fills the role of the surviving twin, having escaped Lothering with Robin back when the Blight broke out. She contracts the Taint during the Deep Roads expedition and is saved by Jeff and recruited to be a Grey Warden.

Tommy and Carol fill Bartrand’s role, being behind the Deep Roads expedition. Tommy finds the lyrium idol and it eventually drives him mad, which prompts Carol to seek Steve and Robin out years later (after she and Tommy had abandoned them in the Deep Roads prior).

The Byers run the Darktown clinic. Will’s the apostate healer, with Jonathan and Joyce running the clinic with him and keeping him secret.

Max stole a Qunari relic and is trapped in Kirkwall, just like Isabela.

Lucas and Erica are two rogues who live in Kirkwall, friends with the Byers. Dustin’s also friends with them and has far too much of an interest in runes and magic despite not being a mage.

El’s a former circle mage, now apostate, who escaped the circle with the help of a Templar named Benny. Lucas, Erica, Dustin and El imprint on Steve and Robin like ducklings; I think they’d be getting into trouble in the city and Steve & Robin would intervene once and they’d immediately latch on.

Billy would be Meredith I think, I haven’t thought too much about it. I also don’t have anyone specifically behind the chantry incident at the end of the game yet.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Nancy’s a nightingale now, still filling Leliana’s role.

Eddie’s the Inquisitor rather than Morrigan, having been at the wrong place at the wrong time. He has the rift anchor in his hand.

Steve, Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Max, El, Jonathan and Joyce come to Skyhold once Skyhold is established. Steve claims to have no clue of Robin’s whereabouts, intending to keep her safe.

Hopper I think would have Cullen’s role, being a templar and an advisor. The other advisors are Mr Clarke, Nancy and Murray.

Briefly mentioned prior, I’ve got Henry Creel/Vecna as Corypheus. Robin’s father (Ser Robert Buckley) sealed him away years ago and Steve & Robin accidentally unleashed him while ironically trying to prevent his release.

Argyle is the potions master. I think Jonathan would become the stable master.

Vickie reappears as the Grey Warden contact for Here Lies the Abyss.

They don’t all fit the characters 1:1, more their roles in the plot, and as you can tell there’s a lot of overall changes! It’s SO fun though I’m having a blast

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pearlypairings · 3 months

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🛳️. For the fic recommendation thing!

11. 🛳️ A fic that brought you aboard a new ship

With a Little Help From My Friends by @1lostsoul0fishbowl introduced me to Eleven and Gareth which then led me straight to the GreatMage pipeline of Next Time I Fall and life hasn't been the same since for those two adorable dweebs <3.

Send an ask for a fic rec :)

#fic rec ask game #fic rec #stranger things rarepair #great mage #eleven hopper #gareth #el x gareth #losty converts us all #ask pearly #pearly answers #thanks for the ask!

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twistedtummies2 · 6 months

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Not counting yours, which are the TWST ocs you liked the most to write about? And the ones you would like to write about and didn't have the chance for now?

Well, let's stick with OCs I've either written for already or who belong to fairly close personal friends, since for the majority of the former, that's what they are. If I had to choose the two OCs I've liked writing for most, they'd have to be Tock Crockwork from @norman6321ify and Taoka Latronis from @hooter-n-company. The former is based on Tick Tock the Crocodile from "Peter Pan," while the latter is based on Tamatoa from "Moana." While I have some personal gripes with Tock's background (and I will never NOT have those gripes, Norman, if you're reading this; they really do bother me and always have), the actual character I've warmed up to over time more and more, partially because I've written for him more than any of Norman's other characters, and partially because of kinks, I'll confess. XD In contrast, I think Hoots' Taoka fits pretty perfectly in the universe of TW, at least in the way I personally like to handle it, and I had more freedom with his story than with any other OC (that wasn't my own) I've handled so far, for a few reasons. I also want to throw a bone to a couple of OCs who have been brought up on numerous occasions, but never actually properly "handled" by me: one is Gareth Tytla, belonging to @twisted-brainrot, and the other is Harmonia A'Cappella, belonging to @clouddreamer101. Gareth is based on Gustave the Giant from "The Brave Little Tailor," while Harmonia is based on the Golden Harp from "Fun & Fancy Free." They've appeared in a lot of artwork I've posted here, and been the subject of several Asks, and I've discussed both characters with their respective creators on MANY occasions...but aside from a mini-story or description piece here and there, I've never really given them full spotlight. I love both, though, and they're right up there with Tock and Taoka. In terms of OCs I haven't written for AT ALL yet, and really want to...well, I actually don't want to answer that question, for two reasons. First, because I kind of want those creations to be a surprise for my Tumblr friends. XD Second, because I feel it's hard for me to really judge my interest in an OC till I've written for them or discussed them a LOT of times, simply because exposure breeds fascination, if that makes any sense. BUT...for the sake of throwing you all a bone, I'll tell you about two bunches of OCs that are coming up in the future, both created by associates of mine. One: a few OCs based on Lumpjaw, Lulubelle, and Bongo from "Fun & Fancy Free." Two: another trio, based on Professor Ratigan, Fidget, and Felicia from "The Great Mouse Detective." And yes. Both introductions shall involve "the noms." XD

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antisociallilbrat · 1 year

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(Sorry if this sent twice)

My Greatwise recommendations

You're on The Other Side of The Storm by aaliona

Just A Full Tank Away From Freedom by JohnnysLittleMonster

The Darkness at the Heart of My Love for You by lukesandleias

Well, I Wouldn't Bet On It by Thisusernameisunavailable

Aha! Fic recs! My beloved <3

Okay but seriously thank you for sending these and I will be checking them out 😤 I want to see what this Greatwise is all about

#sam answers asks #fic recs!#greatwise #will byres #gareth stranger things #stranger things

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unfortunate-arrow · 9 months

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Hyacinth Bridgerton & Gareth St Clair

Send me a 💗+ a couple and I’ll make a moodboard for them

#hyareth #hyacinth x gareth #gareth st clair #hyacinth bridgerton #my aesthetic #💗 moodboard ask game: answers #gareth… now there’s a character i’d like to see sooner rather than later b/c him and lady danbury #but enjoy this weird amalgamation of modern and regency hyareth as i don’t have fan casts for older!hyacinth or gareth #and yes that’s daphne’s & simon’s hands but 🤷‍♀️

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windflowerofskellige · 9 months

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And what's the sense of making Emhyr's daughter loved by everyone and being a lover of Morvran Voorhis? I'm surprised that you didn't make her the offspring of Lara Dorren with superpowers defending the Continent with her gene. Lol everyone is tryna make the most unique overbuffed character connected with royals. It makes me laugh af

Hi again anon, you seem to misunderstand Lyonors's story which means you likely haven't read any of my fics, which is totally understandable so I'll help you out! I love talking about my OCs I'm so glad you're interested! 🥰

Lyonors is Emhyr's daughter biologically which means a lot of people want her dead. This includes her own mother, who's pretty abusive! She's Morvran's wife though because when her father got custody of her he gave her the title of Princess making her an heir to the Empire and became the most politically viable marriage candidate for Morvran. THIS set off MORE schisms in the Nilfgaardian nobility. Most nobles think she's weird and odd or that she's stupid and just a helpless child.

She is Morvran's "lover" as you put it, because when she got to nilfgaard she needed someone around her age to talk to and Morvran was there so, in stubborn determination, she taught him sign language so she could communicate with him and they became friends and went to the military academy together! Morvran loves her because she's the first person to treat him as a person and not a title or a political pawn. If you looked through my blog you'd see I do childhood friends to lovers often! Its one of my favourite tropes! 😊 Arabella and Radovid are childhood friends to lovers!

She then got caught in the second war as a child soldier behind enemy lines and was stuck in Meve's retinue after being too close to the explosion in Rosberg and getting severely injured! She has burn scars on her shoulders, back, thighs, and feet because of this. It limits her range of motion with the way burn scars pull at the skin.

Any other questions Mx. Anon? 😊

#meda rambles #lyonors morgause titiana aep gareth #anon answered #anon ask #anon #oc: lyonors morgause titiana aep gareth

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licensedqueerio · 2 years

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can you write a fic where we have literally the biggest crush on Gareth Emerson but like we're a cheerleader and don't want all the backlash so we leave the cutest of cute letters in his locker like romance movie pink and sprayed with perfume letters? tysm <3

I don't usually ever write female readers, but I’ll make an exception bc I wanted to write this, it sounded cute. So the reader is female for this, which isn't explicitly stated, but it's heavily implied

Also! This is the first time I’ve ever written for Chrissy so that’s fun :)

Also also, which isn't relevant, but I'm seventeen finally, happy birthday to me :)

—

Word count: 4.3k

Pairing: Gareth Emerson x Female!Reader

Warnings: swearing, violence, blood, mild angst

Request Here

—

The first time you had laid eyes on Gareth Emerson had been during 4th period physics. You could remember it clear as day, despite it not being a monumental moment. He had been drumming two pencils against his desk, his leg bouncing underneath his desk to a song only he could hear.

You dropped your pencil a few moments prior and it had rolled away out of sight. Just as you had given up on trying to take down notes, Gareth turned around to face you and tossed you one of his pencils. He winked at you before twisting back around and leaving you with warm cheeks and the complete inability to focus for the rest of class.

The second time you laid eyes on him was during a night you weren’t supposed to be out. You knew you were in deep trouble when you got home, so you were staying out for as long as possible. That’s when you discovered The Hideout. It was in a part of town you usually never ventured out to, but you didn’t want to go home, so you just walked wherever your feet took you.

And they took you to The Hideout on a crisp Tuesday night.

When you walked inside, you almost walked right back out at the sudden assault of sound grating against your ears. It was loud and obnoxious music, with screaming vocals and shredding guitar solos.

Just as you were about to turn around and walk back outside, you saw him. His hair was damp with sweat and it covered his face. He was grinning, unapologetically happy, as he slammed his drumsticks against the drum set in front of him. His head banged along to the beat, and he mouthed the vocalists’ words along with him.

And you found yourself frozen in place, unable to tear your eyes away from the sight despite everything screaming in you to turn and run home, run to what was familiar and to get back into your comfort zone. But you couldn’t. Because Gareth from Physics was playing the drums with his band in a sleazy place like The Hideout. And he was beautiful. He fit into this atmosphere perfectly and he looked entirely content in his environment.

But then he flipped his hair out of his eyes and made direct eye contact with you. His eyes went wide before he winked, still grinning at you. He spun one of his sticks and tossed it up. He managed to catch it and continue playing, staring straight at you.

You couldn’t take the attention, so you panicked. You broke eye contact and ducked your head down before turning around and pushing the door open, walking back into the cool autumn air.

The third memorable time you had seen Gareth was when he had just finished getting his face pounded in. You weren’t sure what had started the fight this time, but it wasn’t hard to guess that Gareth started it. You knew all about the rumors surrounding him and his inability to just shut up and avoid a beat down.

He looked pitiable on the ground, blood pouring from his nose, his lip and eyebrow busted and also bleeding. He could scarcely stand up. He kept trying though, leaning against a row of lockers, grunting quietly as he tried to get his feet underneath him.

You bit your lip, looking around the hallway, but everyone who had gathered to see the fight had dispersed and went to lunch. Once you were sure the coast was clear, you walked over to him. You stood in front of him and held your hand out. “I’ll help you,” you said.

Gareth peered up at you and smiled a bloody smile. He said nothing and instead grasped your hand, smearing blood against your sweater sleeve. You helped him up onto his feet and put his arm around your shoulders, holding up his weight. You walked him to the nearest bathroom and after peeking inside to ensure it was empty, you pulled him inside. You closed and locked the door as well. You didn’t need anyone to see you helping him out.

You watched as Gareth limped towards the sinks and began to scrub the blood off his knuckles. You grabbed some paper towels and approached him. “Look at me,” you requested.

Gareth shut the water off and obediently turned around to face you. “Gonna patch me up, sunshine?”

Your cheeks burned and you looked away, running water over the paper towels before pressing it to his face. You started at his eyebrow, gently wiping the blood from his forehead and eye. Then you cleaned his bloodied nose, prodding at it gently to make sure nothing was broken. Satisfied, you moved to wipe the blood from his chin.

When you were satisfied that the blood was cleaned up, you tossed the paper towels in the trash before turning back to Gareth. And you weren’t sure what possessed you to do so, but you caught Gareth’s chin in your hand and brushed your thumb against his bottom lip, mindful of the split in it.

Gareth caught your wrist in his hand, warmth emanating from him. “What’s the verdict, doc?” he murmured, lips brushing against your thumb.

You felt as though your entire body was on fire. You cleared your throat and pulled your wrist free, quickly putting space between you two. “You’re fine,” you said, “put ice on your ribs and face. And please don’t tell anyone about this.”

“You ashamed to help the freak?” Gareth asked, looking down at his busted knuckles.

You hesitated. You were, because you knew what his reputation would do to yours. You knew what would happen if people found out about this. “It wouldn’t be good for either of us if people find out,” you settled for saying. “...I’m sorry,” you said before hurrying out of the bathroom.

You didn’t tell anyone about the incident. Not for a while, anyways. Not until Chrissy.

You were best friends. You met her when you joined the cheer squad and the two of you had quickly become close. That’s how you ended up at your house with Chrissy sitting crossed leg on your bed, rifling through her bag.

“Can I show you something?” She asked you a moment prior. Of course you had said yes, Especially when she added, “you can’t tell anyone or make fun of me.”

Chrissy popped back up, holding a pink slip of paper. She handed it over before covering her face with her hands in a picture of embarrassment.

You looked down at the paper in your hands, brows furrowed in confusion. You carefully unfolded it to reveal Chrissy’s looping handwriting. You read the first line and gasped. “You wrote a letter to Eddie Munson?” You hissed. “Chrissy!”

“It’s worse,” she moaned into her hands. “I wrote a love letter to Eddie Munson,” she said miserably, lowering her hands enough to peer over them at you. “I’ve been carrying it around all week.”

You were silent as you folded the paper again, feeling like it would be an invasion of privacy to keep reading. “You like Eddie Munson?” You asked. “Chrissy—”

“I know,” she said quietly. “Everyone would freak out…that’s why I’ve been carrying it around all week. But I really like him, Y/N,” she dropped her hands into her lap and took the letter back. “He’s not like what everyone says, he’s…really sweet.”

Chrissy was the most popular girl in school, and that wasn’t an over exaggeration. Everyone loved her. But she had just broken up with Jason Carver, who was an asshole. “Jason would kill him,” you mumbled.

“I know,” Chrissy bemoaned. “I know he would, even though it’s none of his business.”

“It’s not,” you agreed. “...can I tell you something too?” You asked carefully.

Chrissy looked up at you and nodded quickly. “Of course.”

“I like Gareth,” you blurted out. “I really really like Gareth. I helped patch him up the other day, when he got beat up. And there was a moment, but I panicked and I ran,” you said in one rushed breath.

Chrissy gasped, sounding delighted, “you like Gareth?” She repeated with a grin. “What do you mean a moment? Did he kiss you?” She pressed.

You quickly shook your head, cheeks on fire. “No, nothing like that!” You exclaimed. “I wanted him to—but no. He didn’t,” you shook your head again. “I don’t know what to do,” you cried, folding forward to press your forehead against the mattress.

“...you could write him a letter,” Chrissy earnestly suggested, patting your back in an attempt at comfort. It wasn’t working. “It helps. It’s like therapy,” she said thoughtfully. “Then all you had to do is put it in his locker.”

“And after?” You asked into the mattress. “Then what do I do?”

Chrissy shrugged like she hadn’t thought about it. “You see what happens,” she said like it was that easy.

You sat up and narrowed your eyes at her, “fine,” you said, holding up a finger. “I’ll write Gareth a letter if you give Eddie yours,” you said.

Chrissy thought about it before frowning. “That’s not fair. If you give Gareth a letter, I’ll give Eddie mine,” she proposed.

You scowled, you hadn’t thought she’d catch onto your wording. “Fine, fine,” you conceded. “You’re a sneaky friend.”

“I’m a cheerleader,” Chrissy beamed. She clapped her hands together before shooing you away, “I’ll get a pen and paper. You go grab your perfume,” she ordered and began to dig through your bag again.

You made a face behind her back before going to grab your favorite bottle of perfume.

—

The next day, you understood why Chrissy had been carrying around her letter for a week. It’s because delivering it was nerve wracking. You had mustered up the courage to approach his locker three times but every time you ended up walking away. Plus, there were too many people at all times, you couldn’t shake the feeling that they were staring at you.

Just as you were about to go find Chrissy and tell her to just forget about the whole thing, Gareth had yanked you into the boys bathroom. He locked the door before turning around to stare at you, a smile playing at his lips.

Your heart was hammering in your chest as you stared at him. His bruises looked to be healing without complication. And somehow the cuts and bruises just added to his attractiveness. You finally found your voice and asked, “what do you want?”

“Hostile,” Gareth noted before holding out a folded sweater. “Here, because I ruined the other one.”

Your brow furrowed as you took a step towards him. You reached out for the sweater and took it, holding it up and getting a good look at it. It was a plain grey sweater that you had a sneaking suspicion belonged to him.

“You don’t have to give this to me. It’s okay,” you said, trying to hand it back.

Gareth stuffed his hands into his pockets to avoid taking it, “it’s fine, keep it,” he said before turning around and walking out of the bathroom, just as you had done a few days ago.

When he was gone, you let yourself smile and held the sweater close to your chest. You slipped it on and waited another minute before hurrying out of the bathroom.

—

Chrissy, of course, noticed the sweater you wore wasn’t your own and spent the first five minutes of practice gushing about how cute it was that Gareth had given you his sweater. She also informed you that she delivered her letter already.

“I asked to go to the bathroom during class, so the halls were empty, and I just put it in his locker,” she retold. “I guess we’ll see what happens now. But now you have to give him your letter.”

“Do not,” you countered as you stretched, “He’ll laugh at me, it’s so ridiculous.”

“He won’t laugh at you, Y/N,” Chrissy said in a gentler tone. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”

—

You decided to trust Chrissy and take a page out of her book. You asked to go to the bathroom during physics, which ensured you wouldn’t run into him, and walked all the way to his locker. You slipped the letter inside without any problems, but when you turned around, you ran into an unforeseen issue.

Eddie Munson.

“Eddie,” you said, startled. You knew you looked guilty, standing in front of his best friend's locker when you were supposed to be in class.

“Y/N, you look lovely,” he said, bowing his head in greeting. “Don’t you have Physics now?” He asked, “why are you skulking about?” His brow arched as he stepped closer.

You nodded, stepping back, “I’m not skulking, I’m going to class,” you lied. “So I’ll be seeing you, Eddie.”

“Hey, do me a favor,” he called before you could run off, “tell Chrissy to meet me after school. She knows where,” he requested.

“No way,” you answered immediately. “She won’t believe me. Tell her yourself,” you said. “I have to go,” you excused and hurried off back to class.

—

“Okay, this is bullshit,” Dustin proclaimed as he glared at the stupid pink letter in Gareth’s hands. “First Eddie now you? What the fuck!”

“First Eddie what?” Eddie asked as he set his lunch tray down and sat in his usual spot.

“Gareth got a stupid letter,” Dustin sulked. “This isn’t fair.”

Eddie perked up considerably as he leaned over to try and see the letter. Gareth swatted him away. The two continued for a few more seconds like that.

“Don’t you and Suzie write?” Mike deadpanned, picking at his lunch. “It’s the same thing.”

“It’s not! I don’t get love letters, I just get normal letters,” Dustin insisted around a mouthful of his apple.

“What’s the difference?” Mike demanded. He got letters from El all the time.

“Eddie, fuck off!” Gareth suddenly shouted, drawing attention to himself as he leaned way back in his seat. Eddie was leaning forward in his own, reaching out for him.

Gareth looked up suddenly when he noticed you and Chrissy conveniently walking by. Eddie instantly straightened up and waggled his fingers at Chrissy, who smiled and paused in front of the table.

That’s when Gareth’s chair tipped backwards and unceremoniously dumped him on the ground. He burned in embarrassment as he sat back up, grimacing as he rubbed the back of his head. He looked up to see you watching with worried eyes. He smiled at you.

Chrissy whispered something to you and you rolled your eyes, muttering, “shut up, let’s go.”

“See you, sunshine,” Gareth bid farewell.

You didn’t look back and instead kept walking.

“That was cold," Mike observed, stealing fries from Dustin’s tray, despite having a tray full of his own.

Gareth stood up and set his chair upright before sitting down again. Then, he looked at Dustin with a smirk and tapped his front pocket, where the folded up letter was peeking out. He said nothing, but perfectly conveyed what he meant.

Dustin's jaw dropped, "no fucking way," he said. "No way do both of you have cheerleaders writing you love letters. That's impossible. You're not cool enough."

"Ouch," Eddie threw a fry at him that missed and hit Mike in the face.

"Hey!" Gareth shouted, affronted. "Don't be jealous, Henderson."

"Y/N didn't even acknowledge you," Dustin countered. "Liar."

"It's different for them," Gareth stated matter of factly.

"Yeah, dude," Eddie agreed. "It's not so simple. You know who we are and who they are. They can't just stroll over here and talk to us. It'd make their lives miserable."

"Hey, our lives aren't miserable!" Dustin objected.

"They're at the top of the hierarchy," Mike caught on faster than Dustin. "If they talk to any of us, they're social life is done for."

"Steve talks to us and he was popular," Dustin sulked.

"Steve's not in highschool. Is he now?" Eddie questioned. "Mind your business, Henderson or Steve's taking you home today."

Dustin quickly zipped it shut, because if Steve picked him up, it meant he'd be waiting around for ages until his shift was over. No thanks.

That didn't mean he stopped noticing the way Gareth and Eddie kept staring at the table you and Chrissy were sitting at.

—

"Did you talk to Eddie?" You prompted during practice that day. It had been bothering you all day; wondering if Eddie had asked her what he asked you to relay.

"How'd you know that?" Chrissy responded as she did her stretches, sitting on the ground beside you. "Yes, I talked to Eddie. He wants to meet me after practice. Did you talk to Gareth?"

You shook your head, "I dropped the letter in his locker during physics and I haven't seen him since lunch," you reported.

Chrissy nodded before her head snapped up, looking at something in the distance. She gave you a side glance before standing up and dusting the grass off her clothes.

You looked up at her, then looked out to see what she was staring at. You blinked at Gareth and Eddie, who were standing on the far edge of the field. "Don't they have dnd today?" You asked. "What are they doing?"

Chrissy didn't comment on how exactly you knew when they had dnd, and shrugged. She looked around at their teammates who were too busy stretching to pay them any mind. "Want to find out?" She asked.

You stared at her for a long moment. "Eddie's a bad influence on you," you lightheartedly informed. "Yeah, let's go," you said, climbing to your feet. You watched as they turned around and disappeared into the line of trees.

Chrissy looked back at her teammates before she broke off at a sprint for the tree line. You ran after her, laughing when you heard shouts behind you, demanding for the both of you to come back.

Chrissy was giggling in front of you as she broke the treeline and slowed down.

“We’re gonna be running laps all next practice,” you breathlessly informed, slowly to a stop beside her. “And probably practice after that.”

Chrissy dismissed that with a cheerful hum and began to walk, “c’mon, I know where they went,” she encouraged.

“And how do you know that?” You questioned as you followed her through the tree’s. “Why are you even coming back here?”

“Because of Eddie,” she easily replied.

You narrowed your eyes at the back of her head in suspicion.

Gareth suddenly stepped out from behind a tree, making the two of you stop. “Hello, Chrissy,” he greeted, “Eddie’s waiting for you.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to show her where.

Chrissy smiled warmly at him, “Goodbye Gareth, bye Y/N,” she said before walking past Gareth to go meet Eddie.

You frowned at her back, mildly offended at being abandoned for a boy. You looked at Gareth, but quickly looked away again. You were too embarrassed to make eye contact.

“Walk with me?” Gareth requested as he headed off to the left, opposite the way Chrissy went.

You walked at his side in silence, trying to come up with something to say that didn’t sound ridiculous or cheesy. He beat you to it.

“I read your letter,” he said casually. “I’ve never gotten a love letter before. It was really sweet.”

Your cheeks grew warm like they always did when he was around. You looked at the ground, scuffing your feet against the ground as you walked, “I’m glad you think so,” you settled on replying. “Eddie, he uh, caught me. When I was putting it in your locker. It was embarrassing,” you confessed.

Gareth laughed, “he caught you?” He repeated, “wait when was this? His locker isn’t near mine.”

“During physics. I have no idea what he was doing,” you said honestly. “I think he was looking for Chrissy’s locker, he asked me to relay a message.”

Gareth nodded, like that was a good explanation. “I have a question for you,” he began, which immediately made your heartbeat hammer in your chest. “Were you at our show? A few weeks ago?”

You exhaled softly when it was nothing bad and nodded. “Only for a minute,” you answered, “it was really loud, but I saw you playing, You looked good.” you paused once you realized what you said.

Gareth began to smirk. “I looked good, sunshine?” He teased while leaning in close.

You avoided eye contact and quickly backpedaled. “No, I-I meant that you played good.”

“So you don’t think I look good?”

“No!”

“No, you don’t?”

“I-I meant that no, that’s not what I meant!” You groaned and rubbed your face. “Yes, you looked good,” you reluctantly settled on, your cheeks burning hot in embarrassment. You should have just stayed quiet.

Gareth smiled, “you look cute when you’re embarrassed,” he said honestly.

If possible, your cheeks grew even hotter.

“I really like you,” he continued, knocking shoulders with you.

You made no attempt to move away from him, but you did sigh softly. “I’m sorry.”

Gareth gave you a weird look as he stopped walking and turned to face you. “You’re sorry?”

“Yeah. We can’t—we couldn’t ever—”

Gareth stopped you by taking your hands between his. They were callused and rough against your smoother ones, and you couldn’t help but take note of how right it felt to hold his hand. “I know,” he hushed. “I know, we run in two different circles. I know.”

“...that doesn’t bother you?” You asked quietly, lifting your gaze from your hands to look at him. “We can’t be…a normal couple. Not in school at least. Or where they could see us. Do you have any idea how bad it would be for you?” You asked.

“You don’t have to worry about me, sunshine,” he said in a more serious tone. “We’ll just have to be sneaky, alright? We’ll figure it out. If that’s what you want,” he added.

“I do,” you said quickly. You just felt guilty that you’d have to hide all because you didn’t want to deal with the backlash that came with going public. “I want that, I want…to be with you.”

Gareth beamed and squeezed your hands gently. “Can I kiss you?”

You nodded and leaned in for a sweet kiss.

—

That had been the start of your relationship. Since then, you and Gareth had been on three dates. Technically four, but you didn’t count the double date with Chrissy and Eddie.

You were happy with him, really happy, but there had been…close calls. Today had been a very close call day, and you were beginning to doubt your relationship. Doubt if it was worth it. Because currently, sitting in an empty parking lot with Gareth, who was nursing his wounds, it didn’t feel worth it.

You chewed nervously on your bottom lip as you glanced up at him. His nose had finally stopped bleeding and nothing looked broken, but he looked like shit. You knew it would only look worse tomorrow when all the bruises had formed.

“I’m sorry,” you quietly began, staring at your hands, unable to look at him with your crushing guilt. It had been your fault, afterall. You were in a mood and had been arguing with him. It was lighthearted because you hadn’t actually been mad, just annoyed. Someone from school had seen him chasing after you and took things the entire wrong way.

He had hit Gareth. So of course Gareth hit him back, which just egged the guy on. A few minutes later, Gareth was lying still on the ground, bleeding. You had to pretend you were grateful to the stupid asshole who had beat your boyfriends face in for no reason.

You helped him mop the blood up from his face and here you were.

You sniffled, tears stinging your eyes that you furiously refused to fall. You had no reason to cry, Gareth was the one who got the beat down, not you. “I’m so sorry, Gareth. I didn’t…I wasn’t thinking of what it looked like. I’m so sorry,” you whispered.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Gareth said, scooting closer to press his shoulder against yours. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, sunshine,” he murmured, putting a hand on your knee.

You shifted away from him, wrapping your arms around himself. “He could have hurt you a lot worse,” you sniffled. “It could have been so much worse, Gareth.”

“But it wasn’t,” he replied. “I’m fine, nothing that hasn’t happened before. Those guys are douchebags. It’s not your fault he happened to be around and got the wrong idea,” he reassured.

“This was a bad idea,” you whispered. “This—us—was a bad idea. You’re only going to get hurt, Gareth. We shouldn’t be doing this,” you said, forcing yourself to look up at him.

Gareth was frowning as he scooted closer again, “c’mhere,” he ushered as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. He pulled you tight against his side, encouraging you to lay your head against his shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head and sighed softly. “We’re going to be okay,” he said, slow and firm.

More tears stung at your eyes and when you blinked, they spilled over your cheeks. “I’m sorry,” you cried.

“Shh,” Gareth soothed. “It’s okay. We’re okay,” he repeated.

You nodded as you tried to wipe your cheeks and stop the tears. “I love you,” you said. “I love you so much, we aren’t a bad idea, I didn’t mean that.”

“I know,” he murmured his reassurances. “I know you didn’t mean it, sunshine. I love you too. More than you can even dream. So don’t cry, okay? It’s okay.” He rubbed your arm in comfort.

You leaned closer into the warmth his body provided and said nothing more as the tears subsided. Once they had stopped, you allowed yourself to enjoy this small moment with him. You truly did love him, and maybe one day you’d have the courage to tell it to the world.

#ransomswriting #reader insert #ask box #reader #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #answered asks #gareth emerson #gareth the great #gareth stranger things #gareth x reader #gareth emerson x reader #female reader #gareth emerson x female reader

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theimpossiblescheme · 2 years

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“ i find myself in this position of finally being able to do things the right way. “ + whatever you'd like!

“Stubborn old thing isn’t going to leave, is she?” Socrates could tell that Bustopher Jones was tracking the same familiar silhouette behind the window, and his voice was as steely as he’d ever heard it. It was almost frightening to hear out of the old tom. “Here now—take the lads and get under the counter.”

Between that and the feeling of Gareth and Carbucketty suddenly squeezing his tail, Socrates felt as if he’d been pulled from a trance. “But what are you going—?”

“Don’t fret over me, just get out of sight!” His tone was sharp and urgent—another jarring novelty—and Socrates had no choice but to obey. He couldn’t risk an open fight, not with two Trainees with him and certainly not in the middle of a crowded club, and there had been too many close calls with Macavity’s goons even closer to the Junkyard. If that wasn’t even safe, and neither was the Stage and Screen of all places, then where was? What was he going to tell Munkustrap when they made it back—if they made it back? There had to be a fire exit somewhere in the room, he just had to find it—

“What’s she gonna do?” He almost didn’t hear Gareth’s question, soft as it was in his tiny crackling voice, as he yanked the three of them behind the bar, and the shape from the window grew and gained flashes of red, green, and white amidst the black of shadow.

“Hopefully nothing,” he whispered back, wrapping both arms around the kittens and drawing them tightly to his sides. “Her bark’s always been worse than her bite.” The one consolation he had was that Zephyra didn’t have the ferocity of someone like Cesare or the stamina of someone like Pallas. None of Macavity’s little passel of showcats did. They were more like sticks of dynamite—a great deal of buildup, but only a quick flash of action to show for it. He just hoped Zephyra hadn’t picked up any new tricks since he’d been gone.

“Think we could take her, then?” Carbucketty tried to sound brave and determined, but he was trembling too much to be convincing.

Zephyra was through the door now, so all Socrates could do was shake his head, close his paws gently over the boys’ mouths, and hold his breath. The henchqueen’s fur stood on end like a Pollicle’s hackles under her shredded silk bow, and he could hear the knife’s-edge click of her unsheathed claws on the tile. A few months ago, she could have fit in here perfectly, but now… she didn’t resemble a former showcat so much as a hyena anymore, and Socrates felt his own blood run cold.

Jones, on the other hand, was all smiles and open paws, any trace of his earlier tension gone as he stepped toward her. “Evening, dear lady!” he boomed cheerfully, stepping closer like he hadn’t a care in the world outside of serving his guests. “You’ve caught us at a bit of an awkward hour, but I’m sure we can still accommodate you!”

Zephyra wasn’t having any of it. “Where is he?”

“Who?” Socrates could practically hear Jones blinking innocently at her, even all the way across the room.

“Don’t play stupid with me,” she sneered. “That big patchy tom that just came in here—where’s he hiding?”

“My dear, there are multiple cats who fit that description here tonight, so you’ll have to be more specific.”

A growl rattled in Zephyra’s throat, and the next thing Socrates heard was a loud thud against the wall as she slammed Jones against it, claws wrenching through the fabric of his suit, his back feet dangling just off the floor. There was a low gasp across the club, a screech of chairs and a clattering of silverware, but all Socrates could do was clutch Carbucketty closer as Gareth stiffened against his shoulder, fighting the instinct to bury his face in his mentor’s fur. “Now you listen to me,” the henchqueen was hissing, teeth bared inches from Jones’s whiskers. “You’re not as smart as you think you are, so I’m gonna be crystal clear. That tall bastard with the patch over his eye—I’ve got a score to settle with him, and I’m not gonna let some old creampuff get in my way. So unless you wanna be a smear on the wall, I suggest you tell me where he is.”

“Whatever score you two have is no affair of mine,” Jones retorted, not a hint of fear in his voice. If anything, he sounded like he was merely scolding one of his nephews for tracking in mud. “What’s more, I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re—”

A paw clamped around his throat stole the end of the sentence. “Think harder,” Zephrya snarled. “Or do I have to go through every tom in here to find him?”

“By y-yourself?” Jones had just enough air to scoff. “Hardly.”

There was a horrible yowl of frustration and disgust, and Jones was thrown bodily to the ground as Zephyra folded over like a jackknife in anticipation, claws scraping even louder. This was the final straw for the clubgoers, and Socrates could see many of them starting to rise from their tables in outrage. Carbucketty tried to crane his neck to see, but Socrates hurriedly nudged him back down. The first to reach Zephyra was an enormous tabby queen who could have easily given Pallas a hard time just from muscle alone. Within moments, she’d swiped out with one massive paw and sent Zephyra skidding across the floor. Howling like a fury now as many onlookers clapped paws over their ears, Zephyra charged again, but her opponent was ready for her. The two queens struggled across the foyer, slashing and throwing and filling what had once been a peaceful space with a hellish din, until finally Zephyra was forced to retreat, holding one front leg to her chest. She tore off into the night with a warbling caterwaul, weakly promising revenge, and Socrates heaved what felt like the biggest sigh of relief of his life when the sound faded. He couldn’t tell how long the fight had lasted, but he could feel himself aging five lives every second… thank Heaviside they were safe now.

A lull of shock lay over the Stage and Screen for a moment. Then a few stray whispers grew into full volume, and everyone went back to their meals and conversations, determined to act like nothing had happened. Jones rose very gingerly from the floor, wringing out his tail like a wet towel and readjusting his monocle. “I do despise making a scene like this,” he muttered before drawing himself up to his full height. “Thank you, Phaedra… oh, dear, your eye,” he exclaimed, reaching up a paw to an ugly-looking scratch under her eye.

Phaedra merely brushed it aside, her touch surprisingly dainty. “It’ll heal. And we won’t be seeing her around again, don’t worry. You all right, Jones?”

“Nary a scratch except for this poor shirtfront,” he replied with a wry chuckle, pulling down the torn garment under his jacket and giving it a swipe as if to clean off some dirt. “Thank goodness I have more than just the one. You boys can come out now,” he added, calling out over his shoulder. “The coast is well clear.”

Socrates had to peel his back from the underside of the counter, but Gareth and Carbucketty wasted no time running over. Gareth got to Jones first and grabbed his paw in both of his as if trying to comfort him, concern radiating through his little frame. “You sure you’re okay, Mister Jones? We could go get Cori and Tanto if you need them.”

“Yeah, she really could have kicked your—” a quick reproachful look from Gareth, and Carbucketty changed tack—“I mean, she really could have hurt you just now!” Both Socrates and Phaedra couldn’t help chuckling, and Phaedra gave the kitten’s shoulder a little scratch before returning to her perch.

“Oh, I’ll be quite all right, lads. You don’t get to be my age—or my size, for that matter—without learning how to take a few knocks, eh?” He patted the front of his still-pristine waistcoat in satisfaction before raising his head to Socrates. “And thank you for the warning, my boy. Not a moment too soon, I should say.”

Socrates shook his head, still feeling both very heavy and very lightheaded as he put a paw on his Trainees’ shoulders. “I just wish we could have gotten here faster. I’m sorry you got mixed up in all this, sir—it wasn’t yours or anyone else’s battle.”

“Just consider it a favor repaid. I, ah…” He suddenly looked a bit bashful, at least as much as his pride would allow. “I suddenly find myself in a position of… being able to do things the right way, after a fashion. Seems only fair, doesn’t it?”

So that’s what this was all about… “We don’t expect favors from family, sir. Old Deuteronomy would tell you that, so I’m telling you that. Just you coming to see us is favor enough.”

“Yes, well… don’t you lot stay away long either. You know these doors are always open. Especially for more pleasant circumstances.” He cleared his throat, visibly regaining some of his composure. “But I suppose you’ll be moving on for the night?”

“We have to, I’m afraid. I have to get these two to bed, but we’ll be back soon.”

“We promise we will, Mister Jones!” Gareth piped up, still holding his paw.

“I’ll be holding you boys to that. And please, just call me Bustopher—family needn’t stand on ceremony, after all.” And with an affectionate pat to both kittens’ heads and a paw reclaimed and laid on Socrates’ shoulder, Bustopher escorted them both out of the club in a much friendlier manner.

#It occurred to me I'd never written this much of Bustopher so I wanted to fix that. :D #Zephyra is another of the henchqueen quartet from the 2019 movie and Gareth is my name for Caramel the swing.#And Socrates is of course your brilliant concept for *that* 2019 character. <3 #cats the musical #socrates #bustopher jones #caramel #carbucketty #asked and answered #ride-a-dromedary

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