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boldlyvoid · 3 years

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Million Dollar Man | chapter two

18+

summary: Spencer's therapist recommended he branch out and meet new people who don't want to talk about his work... she didn't expect him to sign up for a Sugar Daddy website.

Content warnings: sugar daddy!spencer, age gaps (14 years), daddy kink, blow jobs, kissing, drinking mention, lowkey perv!Spencer, cum play, praise, oral (female receiving), grinding, love confessions, arrangements, Spencers anxiety, (more to add)

word count: 3.4K

a/n: updates on Wednesdays and saturdays at 2 pm est

Chapter Two | Masterlist

She sat on the subway with an anxious pit in her stomach and her purse held close to her chest. Her laptop in her bag, she didn’t want to lose it on her way to the most important meeting of her whole life.

Her story was becoming a book, she was almost done the final draft, they were making touch-ups to the cover and picking the type of paper today.

Her dreams were coming true within the next month, soon she’d have a physical copy of her book, her pre-sales were showing that she’d be on the bestseller list, and her name was finally going to be on the cover of this one.

She sighed and reached for her necklace, holding it between her fingers as she took a few deep breaths. She was doing so much better today than she was last year and it was all because of Spencer, he was the best thing to happen to her. To think she complimented his sweater vest and now he’s the only person in her life she can count on.

All she can think about is him for the rest of her journey, through 4 more stops she keeps her eyes closed as she thinks of all his little facts and his cute laugh. She smiles to herself and the anxiety slips away, she loves him and she knows that for sure, but she just doesn’t know how she loves him.

She’s never had a sibling, her best friends are all women, her previous boyfriends were all shit and her other sugar daddies were never this wonderful, and her parents are lesbians… she doesn’t know what her feelings really are for Spencer, mainly because she’s never known any other men to compare him to.

But she does know the exact moment she realized she fell for him.

He booked a hotel room in DC after a local case, asking her to meet him in there at 10 pm. She was waiting in the bathtub when he arrived, bubbles galore, her hair up and arms open, “welcome home, honey.”

He laughs, “you want me to get in there with you?”

She just nods, “let me take care of you, daddy?”

He takes off his blazer, pulls his tie off and starts to unbutton his shirt. She watches patiently as he gets undressed, and it’s not sexual to her. He’s her person, her best friend, the only human being she would ever share a moment like this with and that’s when it hits her.

She doesn’t accept it just yet.

It’s not until he’s lying on her chest, between her legs, cheek resting on her boobs as she runs a sponge over his back while he gives her a little run down on his terrible week. His co-worker almost died, his mom is stressing him out, the only good thing he has left is her and she knows that.

“And then I get to my moms facility and she’s had a really good day, she knows me and she knows all of my childhood again and she’s all right there in front of me and yet she’s so far away. I’m never going to get all the time I want with her and it’s really hard to accept.”

He shares things with her that he doesn’t even tell his therapist. Because his therapist doesn’t hold him like a child against her chest and tell him he’s okay when he get’s upset.

Y/N loves him, so she kisses his forehead, “I’m so sorry, I have 2 moms if you’d like to have one?”

“It’s okay, I would love to meet them sometime though,” he wraps his arms around her waist a little tighter under the water. “Thank you for tonight.”

“Did I mention my leg is 44 inches from hip to toe?” She asks in the middle of the silence, quoting pretty woman, knowing he hasn’t seen that far into the movie yet. “So basically we’re talking about 88 inches of therapy for the bargain price of $800 dollars a week.”

Her legs wrap around him and their naked bodies are closer than they’ve ever been and yet it’s completely platonic, “I’d spend a million dollars on you if it always meant feeling this good after.”

She runs her cheek along his wet hair as he snuggles into her neck, “mmm, I like the sound of that,” she teased. “My million dollar man.”

Her stop rolls around and she pulls herself out of her day dreams to get off the train and head to her meeting. She smiles as she walks through the station, up the stairs and onto the busy downtown streets when she gets a text with Spencers special chime. She opens it when she gets to where she’s going, safely inside and in the waiting room.

It makes her laugh in the waiting room. People look at her but she doesn’t care, he’s so special to her she feels butterflies in her stomach even when he’s not around.

“Y/N!” She hears her name being called by her editor, he’s over ecstatic as he comes running out to get her. “Come, come we have so many choices to make!” He jumps up and down as he holds her arm, like a child in a candy store.

“Andy, chill man,” she laughs at him and plays it cool, “It’s just the cover being finalized.”

“It’s our baby!” He teases back, pushing his glasses up and tugging her behind the glass doors of the office.

She’s surrounded by people and paper and huge versions of her book cover. She has a sharpie as she fixed mistakes and jots down final ideas. “And I wan’t Phil to look more human and less like data from Star Trek?”

“But Dorothy looks okay?” The artist asks, nervously and Y/N can tell.

“She looks beautiful! You really brought her justice,” she smiles, “really she looks the same in my head! It’s just Phil and I’m sure it’s tough getting a drawing to look like a robotic human, let alone human.”

“I have some ideas?” She opens up more, taking her iPad out and sliding it across the table, “I wanted to give him more of a Sophia feel? His face is silicone but his joints and everything are more like an Elon Musk crash dummy.”

“That’s perfect!” She’s shocked, “why didn’t that go in the first draft?”

“I was worried it was too much,” she’s a little older than Y/N, and yet her anxiety is that of a teenage girl. “I’m going to get working on the final, do you want some emailed versions tonight?”

“Yes please,” she smiles.

“So we’re done?” Andy asks, “we’ve made all our final calls?”

“I believe we have,” Y/N closes her laptop and takes her phone out, taking a photo of the final rough sketch of her book cover on the table to send to Spencer before he comes to pick her up. She can’t wait to see him now.

—

They’re sitting side by side in matching spa robes, he’s getting a pedicure while she gets her nails done. Leaning back in her chair with a face mask and cucumbers on her eyes, she’s never felt more relaxed in her life. And just in time too, her back was killing her from writing, her knuckles hurt and she just needed a break.

Spencer did too, he was genuinely not having a good time at work anymore, every case made him spiral and he always looked to Y/N on days like that. They met more than once a week now, she got $800 every Friday and she didn’t even really need it anymore. He was coving for so much of her bills and lively hood that her savings account was growing and growing because of him.

For the first time in her life she thought she would be okay if a man left her. As terrible as it was, as much as her moms tried to raise her differently, she fell down the daddy issues rabbit hole and she’s never going to find her way out— however, luckily for her, Spencer is down here too, and he brought a flashlight.

He understands her, more than anyone else on earth. He knows all her secrets, every crush and bad grade and snide remark she’s ever kept to herself. He didn’t judge her, he could actually listen to her issues and tell her why she had them. He gave better advice than a therapist and he was able to get information for her if he didn’t know the answer to what she was going through.

He’s absolutely everything to her and yet he’s 14 years older than her, he’s still traumatized beyond belief, he’s sad and ashamed and recovering… but he’s the best man in the whole world and she wishes he could see that. If he just looked at himself from her eyes, if he felt how she did in her soul when they were together, he’d love himself.

They’re too relaxed to drive home, and Spencer knew that would happen beforehand, bringing her a change of clothes (lingerie) and that robe me mentioned. He books a hotel above the spa and takes her to it. Arms linked as they enter the suite, she’s amazed to find more than one gift bag on the bed.

“How many gifts is this now?”

“We’re at 5 out of 24.”

She laughs as she wraps her arms around him in a thank you hug, “this is what you consider 4 gifts? Spencer there are like 8 things on the bed, let alone the massage and manicure?”

“If you think this is too much I guess you’re going to get really mad next week,” he teases as she looks up at him with a surprised look on her face.

“Spencer, I am so busy next week, I cannot be galavanting around with my sugar daddy,” she tries to act like she doesn’t want to go on an adventure with him again.

The last trip they took was the best week of her life. They went to all the historical sites in the UK that she and Spencer had talked about. Mainly old churches and castles, strange poets graves, random art and most importantly; stone henge. It was a trip of a lifetime and he took it with her.

“I watched the rest of Pretty Woman the other day,” he smiles, “and I thought I’d pull an Edward Lewis and really surprise you because you deserve it.”

“You know how the movie ends, right?” Her heart beats really fast in her chest and she wants him to love her so bad but it’s also terrifying now that she’s this close.

“He lets her choose,” he whispers.

“He rescues her,” she corrects him.

“And she rescues him right back,” he really did watch the end of the movie.

It makes her heart skip a beat as she swallows sharply, “what does this mean for us?”

“I have a whole plan, a whole sequence of events I want to stick to. I wanted to make you fall in love with me this week and ask you on your birthday, can we still do that?” He pleads with her, he’s so serious. He’s clearly put a lot of effort into this.

“Absolutely,” she smiles, “but if you’re going to make me wait that long for you to ask, you still can’t kiss me till then. No matter how much I already love you.”

“Really?” He’s so soft with her, she knows he’s not reacting to the teasing. He’s never had someone tell him they love him and then stay after.

“I would never lie to you about that, spence. I know what love means to you, I know how scared you are and I’m scared too. But I know there is no one else in the whole world I’d rather be scared with than you,” she holds him tighter and rubs her nose against his, “so what’s in the bags, daddy? Finish your surprise.”

She plays along perfectly, stepping back and hauling him towards the bed. “I got you some outfits and things for the next 2 weeks, we have a few things planned. We’re going on a flight soon, I have new luggage being delivered to your apartment this week and we’re going to see your moms for 3 days.”

“No,” she shakes her head, “there’s no way, Spencer, I haven’t seen them in 5 years, I’m going to cry.”

“I know,” he cups her jaw with his hand. “They’re really excited to see you.”

She hugs him tight, kissing his neck as she holds him. “Thank you, daddy, do you want me to put something on for you now?”

“I’m just going to take it off you, plus, what your wearing is sexy enough, he whispers back. “You’re always so beautiful, baby.”

“I thought you were saving the best for last?” She asks as she pulls back, overly eager and he can tell.

“I want to repay the favour from the other night.”

She doesn’t mean to gasp and yet she does, “please?”

He pulls on the tie of her robe, opening it enough to snake a hand behind her back and draw her in with a hand on her bare back. “Please what?”

“Please, daddy?” She looks up with her best begging eyes, perfect pout and all. “I want you to touch me, I promise I’ll be a good girl.”

He steps away from her to swipe all the bags off the bed before picking her up and laying her back against the pillows. He kisses down her body, hand on her lover back as she arches, he drags his bottom lip from her belly button to her cleavage. Nipping and sucking at the exposed skin on her chest, pulling her breasts out of the bra to suck on her nipples, she moans and it’s louder than she expected.

As she plays with his hair, he marks her, bruising small little love bites all the way down as he makes his way between her legs, “take me, please?”

He’s been dreaming of this for so long, he can’t even give you an accurate number of times his mind has drifted to the thought of how wonderful she would taste, how beautiful she’d sound��

“Tell me how badly you want me?” He asks as he spreads her legs and kisses her left thigh.

“I haven’t had sex in 10 months while waiting for you. Daddy, please you’ve owned me for so long, just take what’s yours already for gods sa- OH!”

With a broad lick, his tongue flattens against her core and it shuts her up. She gets what she wants, holding into his hair as she tosses her head back, taking it all in and enjoying it. He’s been on her mind for months, every time her vibrator was where he is now, she thought of him. he’s been the man of her dreams longer than she’s known him, and he was proving it.

“Right there, daddy,” she speaks through shallow breaths, “do you know how much I’ve thought of this?”

“You know I don’t,” the vibrations of his voice against her skin are glorious, he looks up at her through his lashes as his tongue flicks over her clit and she shakes a bit.

“Fuck,” she gasps, gripping his hair tighter, “better than I thought you’d be, fuck, too bad you— Jesus, don’t have the stash anymore…”

He stops and looks up at her, the smirk on his face glistening with her juices, “the stash?”

She nods, “I’ve thought about calling it the pussy tickler,” she teases, running her hand down his cheek and swiping her thumb across his bottom lip before bringing it up to her mouth to taste, “I want more of you.”

He kisses back up her body and she reaches for his robe the second he’s close enough. “Just grind against me? I know you’re waiting but we can still feel good together?”

He kisses the side of her mouth and she takes that as a yes, wrapping her legs around him so his hard cock is pressed right against her core as they move their hips in synchronicity with each other. His breathing is heavy as he kisses her cheek and jaw, her nails scratch down his back, he feels absolutely amazing against her.

She feels so empty, she wants him so bad she’s clenching around nothing as she squirms against his cock and wishes she was full.

“I wish I could move time,” she whispers. “Fuck, why can’t it be my birthday?”

He laughs against her, grazing his teeth over her neck and drawing another moan from her but then he stops moving his hips, “why are you so impatient?”

“Remember I said I stopped enjoying everything? Well, taking a 10 month break from sex and thinking about you every time I got off has made me desperate,” her hand cups his cheek, “I’d wait forever for you, but a girl needs to be fucked hard every once in a while.”

Only she could find a way to make something both profoundly beautiful and whorish at the same time, he loved her for it and she knew that now. He smiles and leaned in to rub his nose against hers and it takes everything in her not to kiss him. The same way it was taking everything in him not to slip into her as he began to grind against her once more.

She’s so close, the accidental edging has added a whole new level of desperation she’s never felt before. She wants to cum for him so bad, but more importantly she wants him to cum for her.

“Take my bra off,” she whispers, Spencer’s hands travel behind her back to unclasp it and he helps her out of it before tossing it to the floor.

“Cum for me daddy,” she whispers in his head with a hand in his hair, gripping him tightly as he bites at her neck, “cover me with your cum like you’re marking your territory.”

“Shit,” his hips sputter against hers.

“Say it, I know you want to,” she teases, so close to the edge but it’s too good of an opportunity. She loves seeing him fall apart like this and she can’t wait to see it again. “Who’s am I?”

“Daddy’s girl.”

He grinds down on her harder and faster and she’s so close, the bubble in her gut is reaching a fever pitch and with a gasp, she’s cumming and then she feels it. His load covers her stomach as he pants against her neck and grips her hips tighter as he comes down.

She wraps her arms around him and holds him as close as humanly possible, her breathing still heavy as he rises and falls on her chest. He’s heavy but she doesn’t care, she just kisses the top of his head and thanks him.

He brushes his nose against her neck, nuzzling her like a cat, “do you really mean it?”

“What, honey?” He remembers so much, this could be a question about something she said 2 months or 2 minutes ago and she has no clue.

“You’re not just playing along with my kinks right, you genuinely want to be mine?”

For being her million dollar man, his heart sure was broke. This is why he wasn’t ready, he still didn’t understand why she would want to stay without anything in return, he’s gotten so used to paying her for her time now that his anxiety has managed to convince him that she’ll leave when he stops being worth it to her.

“What does my necklace say?” She asks, knowing how close he was to it. “Read it to me, I forget.”

“Daddy’s girl,” he smiles again.

She soothes her hands over his back, “I would do anything with you because I love and trust you, but also because everything you do is sexy… you could read me the dictionary and I’d still want you to pump me full of cum after.”

“It sounds so crude after,” he laughs, “speaking of, we really need to have a shower.”

“I’ll wash your back if you wash mine?” She teases as he gets up.

“Only if you let me wash the front too?”

She smacks his bare ass and races him into the bathroom, turning on the water and getting in with him while still laughing and carrying on. He’s her best friend in the whole world, there’s no one else she would rather do this with… there was no one she has done this with. No one has made her feel this good, before during and after sex.

Spencer Reid was an anomaly, but he was hers.

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lilmissbacon · 2 years

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Rise of the Guardians' Burgess kids as Adults

Yo, these pieces took be FOUR DAYS to finish 😭 I'm running so low on juice right now. It's wasn't even the coloring, the coloring was easy. The line work was a pain in the ass.

I thought I'd also talk about who each are and what I think about these characters as people and to why I designed them the way I did.

Note; They are all around 23 years old while Sophie is about 16.

Jamie

He was the one I felt would change the least as he got older. I imagine who grew up to be a theorist on real-world and film/movie subjects.

I also like to think that he'd be chosen to became a spirit at some point. His center would be belief and he'd have the ability to shape shift. He is able to actually be seen despite being a spirit, but only when he shape shifts. That way, he turns into someone else (like Tooth or Bunny) so humans will see him, think he is that person, and the belief in that spirit's existence will continue on.

Jamie would be kinda like a guarantee in the Guardians' belief. To keep it high and growing.

Also, you know those highschoolers/college kids that go into the army after graduation? Well, Jamie would really want to become a Guardian, which is kinda like the spirit equivalent. So, Jamie's vest is a navy green in reference to that.

Sophie

I made her top a lighter shade of green to signify her being Jamie's little sister. Also to the fact that she'd want to make a world a better place like the Guardians. She doesn't necessarily want to become a spirit/Guardian to do so but if she's chosen, she's chosen. She doesn't really care too much.

I like to think that Bunny would go to visit her often when he's not busy. To the point where she kinda becomes his protegé. So she knows many forms of art but prefers to paint and sew. Hence the little flower and patterning stitched into her sweater.

Cupcake

She's still pretty similar to her child self, only instead of her appearance scaring off people, it's welcoming. She's cute and can be super gentle. Many people assume so at first glance but she's still also very hardy and strong.

She's also much more smiley and lucky going than when she was younger.

Monty

I love the trope that started with Neville Longbottom, of the dorky looking kid growing up to be hot 😂

I like to think that the night the Guardians fought Pitch and how the kids helped basically save the world, probably gave Monty a big confident boost. He doesn't become a jerk or anything, he's just become more comfortable in speaking his mind and being more extroverted.

He's still a nerd and I see him working with computers from home for a semi-big company.

Claude

He's a sports guy and mostly plays soccer. With Jack visiting and playing with the kids so often over the years, I think he probably adopted the most of Jack's parkour skills. So it makes him a very maneuverable player on the team.

When he's not working out or playing sports, he's playing video games of all kinds with his friends and twin.

Caleb

Goes by He/They pronouns. They're a dancer who makes tutorials on YouTube and choreography for the local choirs and plays/musicals.

Side note; he wears their hair down just as often as in a messy bun. It's was just easier on me to draw the bun. For my sanity 😅

Pippa

The tallest of the group, I see her as kinda like the disorganized pansexual of the group. She's like Honeylemon from Big Hero 6 but more tomboyish and jokey.

I think she'd be into pottery as a profession and she'll sculpt to music ranging from classical, to pop, to hard metal.

All

I'm really soft for the idea that they all managed to stick around the small town of Burgess. It's their home, they like living in a town where everyone knows everyone and they're all just really close childhood friends.

They're the group that everyone around town knows. Probably even have a group name like the Spirit Squad or Frost Fleet (since they're Jack's first believers).

I also gave them all something that was blue in reference to being Jack's first believers. Jamie and Cupcake's jeans, Pippa's general outfit, Monty's eyes and his shoes are super dark blue, Claude's shorts and watch, Caleb's Jacket and even Sophie's hair clip. The amount of blue they have on doesn't amount to how much they still believe or anything, it's just a little thing I wanted to add.

I really hope you enjoyed this little art post.

#rise of the guardians #rotg #dreamworks #jamie bennett #burgess kids #art #my designs

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melonsharks · 2 years

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you said you would be okay with showing us the thought process behind your homestuck au designs is it ok to still ask about that /gen

oh my god YES i love infodumping OK i made quick like notes over the designs but ill write them down too in case they’re hard to read. This is gonna be a lil long so, it’ll be under this read more.

OK fire things first, Gordon and Benrey were the easiest, so. When I start the trollization (lol) process for certain characters, the first step is always a symbol. (If its a fantroll the first step is theme, but characters Im turning into trolls already have their own things going on, so its all about finding a good symbol.)

For Gordon, it was insanely straightforward use of the lambda symbol, I integrated it in a few parts of the outfit, it was easy. Not a lot to say there.

For BENREY, I only used the INSIDE of the BM logo because I thought it looked like a helmet and I thought it fit them more personally that way. Using the whole BM logo would have just made it. Black Mesa. Not Benrey. SO! Little helmet looking thing. I thought it fit!

NOW TOMMIE was so fun. I decided to use the alchemical symbol for Pyrite, or Fools Gold. This fit for many reasons.

The name Fool’s Gold was interesting cuz Tommy is considered something like that i guESS by the people around him, and he is associated with yellow (so like gold + i made him a goldblood SO.)

BUT pyrite was used in the 16th and 17th centuries to ignite the sparks needed to use guns! People thought it was gold, because it looks remarkably like it, so. To me that is like. An underestimated metal that actually packs a punch. Just like Tommy :)

The fact that it was used for guns also helps, since Tommy is the best with guns in the team! It all worked out.

Dr. Coomer was also fun. He has my favorite design, I think. He was the hardest to pin down, but it all worked out when I found the alchemical symbol for Hour (as in time.)

Its a cute symbol and my first thought was that Dr. Coomer would,,,love it JDBDMFH but my second thought was the fact that Gordon relied (maybe incorrectly) on Dr. Coomer to tell the team how many hours they had left to reach the lambda lab! Dr. Coomer’s classpect was one of the first chosen so this actually also just happened to work out with that… Its pretty straightforward too.

I included the symbol in the little heart shapes of his horns (i love them so much), his belt, and a little bit of his coat with the rounder collar! The symbol also kinda looking the way I draw his hair is just a fun plus. So much fun to design. I really think it suits him!

And then there’s Bubbie, who is probably second most straightforward next to Gordon. The alchemical symbol chosen for Bubby was the one for Hot Fire. Gestures vaguely. Yeah, that’s Bubbie.

Its all sharp triangles, so of course I included the symbol in their horns, but also in their vest. Its ALL triangles. subtle enough to just be a sweater though HDNDHD but. The symbol is there. It was perfect fit.

So there is everyone. When I finish designing G-man, Forzen, and Darnold Ill write down notes for them too in case anyone is interested in those. For now this is all I have. Thanks so much for asking!! I love rambling about this junk. I put a lot of thought into everything I do SO JDKDJDM anyways yeah thanks!

#asks #anonymous #hlvrai #half life vr but the ai is self aware #gordon freeman hlvrai #benrey #homestuck #hs au #THANKS FOR ASKING AAAAAA im so happy #i hope this is interestING

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chiafett-moved · 3 years

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Using all the clones from ur high school au, what kind of civ clothing do you think they'd wear?

Okay okay okay I took some time and went to TOWN on this one so clone clothes below the cut

Fox:

First and foremost, Fox has his own pinterest board. There’s not much in the way of clothes there, but yeah.

Lots of red and black

Hoodies and jeans. Jeans and hoodies. Hoodies and Jeans

If you saw the shape of my body No You Didn’t 😁

Someone help him

Always dressed as though it’s approximately 20C. Sort of like a comic character who wears variations of the same outfit.

For someone who hates being perceived, he does wear some tight clothes

Overall, sort of unintentionally punk/emo and tired

Lip, tongue, and ear piercings

Hunter:

Also has two pinterest boards (butch AU and normal)

Cottagecore farmer. Lots of neutral tones and loose, soft fabrics

Loves knit things

Very picky about texture and fit. If it’s tight, it gets donated

Wears things until they fall apart. This does not take long

Soft, waterproof, ankle-high hiking boots that he wears everywhere

L a y e r s

Constantly putting his hair up or taking it down

Very concerned with taking care of his curls (and for good reason; they’re gorgeous)

Farmer’s tan n freckles

Tech:

Business casual some days, absolute trash others. There is no rhyme or reason.

If Hunter’s all about consistency, Tech is the opposite (autism vs ADHD in a nutshell lmfao)

Pockets are a must

He has a messenger bag a la Spencer Reid

Big ol’ glasses with a thick enough lens that you can see behind him if you look at the right angle

Converse

Has these awful graphic tees from the time he went to Goodwill with Hunter

Wrecker:

Big comfy sweaters like those ones they sell at Old Navy

Walking hug with steel-toed boots

He has trouble finding XXL Tall clothes that aren’t Barbecue Dad™ so he takes what he can get

Rips the knees of pants first

Rips the tags out of everything

Cannot match colors to save his life and hasn’t yet figured out the Hunter tactic of just owning neutral things

He has a lot of fun hats

Carhartt short sleeve shirts and jeans with sharpie and paint on them

If he can’t move in it, he doesn’t want it

Big fan of open short-sleeve button downs over tees

Constantly asking Tech to hold things for him (they get lost in the Bottomless Messenger Bag)

Crosshair:

Typical teenage boy with a side of edgy

You know those joggers with the puffy knees or the cargo pockets? Big wearer of those

Sneaker Snob

Once he dressed up for a school event and he looked so good but pretended not to notice

Big City Gay energy

Constantly has a pack of cigarettes on him, so he’s got to have a pocket for them. He’s got to have a pocket, right? I just can’t see it from here. There must be a pocket because otherwise where is he getting those he’s pulling them out of nowhere send reinforcements—

Steals Hunter’s worn-out, oversized flannels but he’s a tall bitch so they’re pretty normal on him. How is he making them look so edgy?

Dogma:

Wears the same outfit a concerning amount. Like, you don’t notice anything and then all the sudden he’s been wearing the same thing for two weeks. Doesn’t smell bad or anything, though, so ?????

Always put together, but in that way that’s kind of fraying around the edges

I don’t really know how to describe his clothes beyond a sort of vibe? Idk

He’s a really skinny guy and he loves clothes with angular shapes and hard edges, so he kind of looks like a stick figure with really cool geometric designs

He tries to look sort of formal and aloof, but it doesn’t work

His Manic Art Kid vibe is visible from space, though

He looks cute but in a freshman kind of way. Like, “aww, look at him!”

But also radiates the kind of energy that makes people highly concerned

Many ear piercings and one eyebrow piercing

Tall gangly and intimidating

Always carrying his backpack

Tup:

Basically Dogma but with softer edges and rounder shapes

The Ridiculously Well-Adjusted Art Kid

Always has paint somewhere

Looks like a mess but makes it work

Messy buns

Big fan of overalls and colorful shirts

Likes long sleeves

Converse out the ass, but in a ton of different colors

Big sweaters

People forget he’s tall and Stronk because the way he dresses makes him look small (oversized things do that)

Got his ears pierced when Dogma got his third helix, but let them close

Stacked bracelets

Echo:

Somehow soft punk meets varsity kid? He makes it work

Khaki pants but cool

Open zip-up hoodies and comfy, well-fitting tee shirts

Sneakers only, unless he has to be fancy

Sometimes wears fingerless gloves and refuses to explain why

Undercut

No I lied sometimes he wears stompy boots just because they’re at odds with the rest of his aesthetic

Basically big calm comfy vibes without looking sloppy or informal

Will wear button downs as normal shirts with jeans

Likes to do the graphic tee over thermal shirt thing

Joggers

SKATER BOY. That’s the word I was thinking of. Soft skater boy (he and Fives both skate)

Fives:

Band tees and jeans

Not a fan of shorts. Has anyone ever seen his legs?

Constantly has this big-ass set of headphones around his neck

Beanies

Also a graphic tee and thermal shirt layerer

Rarely not wearing jeans

Sometimes wears pajamas to school specifically to piss off teachers

Snapbacks

Paints his nails a variety of colors, but mostly black. Somehow the polish is always chipped

Big wearer of Vans, actually is a skater

Tears through the elbows of his jeans jackets falling

Cody:

Gay smart kid. Debate team captain. Soccer captain. Looks better than you. Looks better than the teachers. Could kill you.

He wears a lot of half-zips and khakis, but makes it look less nerdy than usual

Sports paraphernalia helps. Hard to look nerdy when the zip-up you’re wearing is from wrestling Nationals

When he wears tee-shirts, they’re always tight? Does he buy them a size small on purpose? (yes, yes he does)

Collector of those really nice zip-up hoodies with the geometric designs that make them look really nice and neat

Actually wears sunglasses when it’s sunny

Has never been seen in a hat

Neyo:

Oh god oh fuck DIY punk? He’s oh god he’s

Neyo my dear that sweatshirt is falling apart

Neyo is. Troubled and in a Bad home. His clothing choices reflect this.

He does not want to touch or be touched and he wants to look cool doing it

Stoner kid but Spiky

And also he doesn’t actually smoke

Wears combat boots that look like they’ve seen blood

Skinny jeans bc he’s edgy and cool

Patch pants/vest

Also has a pinterest board

Bacara:

Bland depressed kid. Jeans and dark hoodies

Seriously he’s just trying to vibe. He wants to be comfy and he doesn’t want to draw a ton of attention

Black converse

Constantly has a farmer’s tan

Not a fan of short sleeves

Thinks Neyo looks ridiculous

Has never been dress coded in his life

Seriously Bacara’s idea of spicing up an outfit is wearing like. A polo.

#anon #ask tag #bacara #neyo #tech #wrecker #echo #fives #hunter #crosshair #cody #dogma #tup #fox #star wars #my headcanons #mikey's headcanons #high school au

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toukenramblings · 3 years

Note

Can i request Hasebe, Tomoe and Kashuu reacting to child!Saniwa asking if they can go to their PTA meeting or watch them during a sports festival at their school pls ?

Oh my god.

Babeh.

Sports festival saniwa...oh my god. @rexcaliburechoes REXY HI PLS TAKE DIS FOOD

Heshikiri Hasebe

Hasebe isn’t...all that good with kids? He can tolerate them and as he gets closer to the master, he’ll begin to cherish them. They are still his master, no matter how small they are! Sure it’ll take some getting used to but like...he can handle it....he thinks?

One day they shyly ask him to attend a festival at their school a handwritten invitation given out to him. “I-I trust you...” the little one would say, small little hands gripping the paper to the point it may rip - head bowed as they hold it out to him. Hasebe can’t say no! They are so brave to ask him and he’s flattered really.

When the day of the festival comes, Hasebe had researched what they are like beforehand. He is prepared for the hot sun with copious amounts of water, a hat, bento boxes, so on and so forth! He’s uber prepared! No way is anything bad going to happen!

He cheers the loudest whenever the kid is competing in an event or performing a show like in a cultural festival. He’s taking pictures of how cute they are. He’s going to show EVERYONE back at the citadel how fucking pROUD HE IS OF THEM.

If the kid is doing something like cross country, I think Hasebe would be at least a coach for them. He’s pretty damn fast too, and honestly he’ll be rather damn proud if the kid says that Hasebe’s speed inspired them to start running track. Will he cry??? pROBABLY

If there’s a PTA meeting to attend, Hasebe will honestly dress rather formally. He wants to make a good impression! A sweater vest? A suit? Who knows?! Maybe he’ll slap some glasses on there? Lord knows Hasebe will look good as hell with square frames.

Catch people swooning because gOD DAMN IS HE HANDSOME IN CASUALLY FORMAL CLOTHES

He probably has evidence that the saniwa is a good little kid. He has fucking receipts. Don’t even think about talking bad about this kid in front of him. He’ll counter every point. “They are small and young and yes mistakes do happen, but they will come back from it in the end.” and if the kid has any problems at school, Hasebe will do his best to help them!

Okay but this is a personal headcanon that makes me cry, if the fact that this lil Saniwa is bringing Hasebe along to these events means that they care about him a lot and trust him even more than the rest of the TouDan makes him cry a lil? They are so young after all, gods know that they should not be in a war like this. They need to have a better life and HAsebe knows this. So when the meeting or festival is over, I think the lil one will dedicate a trophy or a drawing towards Hasebe. It’s not much, but this little one cares about him oh so much.

Hasebe found crying when they get home to the citadel.

Tomoegata Naginata

Tomoe is even harder to crack than Hasebe. Yes he’s a faithful attendant but children? What is that????? He has to ask for help and freezes whenever this little one asks him for something like affection. He isn’t all that good with it. But as he starts becoming closer to the kid, his affection is a little more known. He won’t hug them suddenly like Kashuu would but like Hasebe, he’ll give them a head pat in public.

It’s a cultural festival that Tomoe is invited to, a colorful invitation in the hand of the little Saniwa who hesitates. But they want him to come. It’s with their best handwriting, practiced over and over again to get it right. Tomoe remembers seeing evidence of that - the spare sheets of paper and how the little one didn’t want to let him see what in the world they were writing. He accepts of course, he cannot disappoint the Saniwa!

Like Hasebe, he researches what culture or sports festivals are, coming to the event oh so prepared! Water, hats, lunches, money, so on and so forth! Damn fUCKING RIGHT HE’S GOING TO MAKE SURE THIS LIL KID IS SAFE DURING THIS EVENT.

Tomoe has a fine appreciation for the arts, and if the saniwa is an artist or is in a play, damn right he’s going to applaud them. Yes maybe they had budding talent, or maybe they have not talent at all - but he is happy if the little one is happy.

He’s supportive in whatever they do after all! Damn right he’ll stick by their side through thick and thin.

If they play games at the festival, Tomoe is found carrying all of their prizes or just winning them for the little one!

At a PTA meeting, Tomoe is wearing a suit. He has brought a stack of files and is more than ready to listen to whatever this teach has to say about the little one. They labeled him as their guardian after all! Tomoe has to keep up appearances.

Like Hasebe, the naginata could go on and on about how great the little one is. Yes he will say that the little one has some faults but like, listen...he cares for this kid. For every fault the little one has, they make up for it with something they do - a smile or a hug for someone!

If they are struggling, Tomoe will do everything to help them. Math, literature, you name it! He’ll be right there by their side, hovering over their shoulder as they work. He will scold them yes but it’s gentle and reward them with a soft smile whenever they do well.

When did Tomoe catch these emotions? Who tHE FUCK KNOWS?

Kashuu Kiyomitsu

If Kashuu is the saniwa’s starter sword, he’ll be close with the little one for sure. He’ll keep them company through thick and thin and he always does the little one’s nails and keeps them all pretty and happy. Hell they’ll have matching clothes! Damn right they will! Kashuu is not about to let this little one be alone. He knows what it’s like in a way, to be discarded and lonely - so he’s determined and driven to not let the little one feel the same!!

Kashuu-niisan is a bit of a gossip so when he finds out that the little one wants to take him to their festival, of course he’ll be the first to know! He wil happily say yes! He will be raring to go! He will do research on what they are first and of course he’s going to bring a SHIT TON of sunscreen. No way are either of them going to suffer skIN DAMAGE T O D A Y. of course it’s important to keep hydrated too and he asks horikawa to teach him how to cook so he can make lil snackies for the saniwa.

Honestly he hates going outside and being under the sun. He is under this parasol as he watches the little one run about. Of course, Kashuu will always hold their hand as they walk about. He’s not letting this little one out of his fUCKING SIGHT.

Honestly the fact that the little one has labeled Kashuu as their legal guardian makes hm want to sob? Yes Kashuu is a bit...high maintenance and loves being pampered but the love and adoration of a little one - who is growing up all too fast mind you - is something....new to him? It’s comforting in a way, and it gives him another reason to always come home to them. It’s a little selfish, ti know that this child still needs him compared to Okita who threw him away when he was useless. Thus, Kashuu has a habit of trying to almost...take Hasebe’s spot as the attendant at times?

Anyway back to happiness: Kashuu watches the little one like a hawk but knows when to have fun. Half of the time he does get a weee bit distracted here and there - looking at cute clothes or spotting something that the little one likes! Maybe he’ll drag them around to a little festival stall or something to get food or buy things for peeps back at the citadel? Who knows?!

gOD DAMN RIGHT KASHUU IS GOING TO SCREAM THAT THIS KID IS DOING AMAZING THINGS.HE’S GOING TO RECORD ALL OF THIS TOO. HE WANTS THIS KID TO KNOW THAT HE’S SO FUCKING PROUD OF THEM AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO, HE’LL FIGHT A HO FOR THEM TF ARE YOU LOOKING AT???

At a PTA meeting, of course Kashuu is going to dress to the nines! A lil flashy but it’s most likely some kinda suit. Maybe a floral suit? Fuck yeah. Who the hell knows. Like black suits are fine and dandy but like...where’s the variety???He’s going to look like a DAMN MODEL

Whatever the kid needs, Kashuu will be there. He isn’t as perfect as Hasebe or Tomoe at like the normal school stuff but that doesn’t mean he can’t try! He does and can and will try to help damn it! He’ll ask for Hakata to teach him math if he gotta.

No matter what, Kashuu is going to want to be there. If the kid is suffering in school, he’ll hold their hands and walk them to school or do whatever he needs to for them. He’ll hold their hand during the meeting and he may not have receipts like HAsebe or Tomoe to show proof that the kid is going great but but Kashuu knows the lil one is doing amazing.

To Kashuu, it’s the little things that make the little one adorable and his desire to protect them just...grows stronger and stronger. They smile at him and work so damn hard that it reminds him much of Okita - how he kept on going despite his illness. He would be damned if this little one falls. He’s going to do everything to prevent it.

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rollingaroundin-bread · 3 years

Photo

Hello and welcome to I redid my age up designs because I wanted to and so I did!!!!!!!!!! :D

uhhhhhhhhh explanations under the cut as per usual!!! :D

Officially speaking: shoot I figured out what I forgot

Okay so whenever I’m drawing I always forget SOMETHING right? That’s just a thing people deal with??

Anyways I forgot the FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS (except for Huey)

It’s very important that they all have friendship bracelets but I drew this over such a long period of time that I completely forgot to give it to people where it would be visible (i.e. Dewey, Boyd, kinda Lena)

It was almost important enough for me to go back but oh my gosh these pictures literally took an hour and I'm not doing that again very sorry

just: they’re there!!!!!! I promise!!!! Its just.... invisible.....

skdhjfgk okay sorry onto the actual thing

In order of left to right also known as height order!

Huey

I didn't change much from my first time doing this!

Basically I gave him a dress shirt and a sweater vest :D

The key difference this time is that last time I made the undershirt red and the sweater vest burgundy!

This time I made the undershirt pink!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Y’all that pink Huey trend from a little while ago was my life force

I hecking love the color pink so much

Anyways!! Moving on: he’s the shortest lol

As I have said before “Older Sibling Culture is being shorter than your younger siblings (I would know)”

But!!! I do love the concept fo Tall and Stronk Huey so he is actually very strong!!!

Instead he’s Short and Stronk!!!!!

Webby and Boyd are the only one’s physically stronger than him but that’s because of spy training and literally being a robot (respectively)

But yes!!! Huey in a sweater vest and also very strong are important concepts so I did that here!!!!!

(hmmn.... sweater vest,, nerd,,, weirdly strong,,,,,,, oh no I turned Huey into Chidi Anagonye klsdfjhgkakjahs)

Webby

y’all I messed up so much on this one

literally so many times

since you’re reading this I'll let you in on a secret

that may not be that secret ksdjfhlkds

Anyways if you look closely at Webby you’ll probably see some weirdly placed lines

specifically around her face, shirt, hand, etc.

basically I messed up enough that I thinned the paper significantly from erasing (multiple, separate times)

so I had so go in and paste another layer of paper over the thinned layer kjjdkahfgs

But enough about me messing up!! what’s with this outfit?

This one’s mostly about Vibes

I wanted to give off a femme lesbian vibe but still keep that formality we see in Webby’s regular outfit!

Hopefully I achieved that!!!

This is one of the outfits I resigned completely from last time btw

The old one was fine but looks kinda weird to me now so this!!!

Oh yeah and I love long hair Webby a lot!!! So I included that!!!!

Louie

Louie is probably the one I changed the most about that still resembles the original design

Both times I gave him a button up for an undershirt

this is ‘cause I see y’all giving him suit jackets for when he’s an adult and he needs a middle stage before that

skdfjs- a middle evolution if you will jkadfhgkjhsfdka

But instead of a slip on hoodie over that I went with a zip up jacket because that’s just more practical y’know?

Also cheek tufts!!!!!

I had them last time too but I love seeing adult louie with full cheek tufts so middle evolution effect comes into play again!!!

He and Webby are pretty much the same height right now btw

If you want to get technical about it Louie’s about a millimeter taller though!

I think that’s all I have for him though!

Gosalyn

Okay so I barely changed anything from last time for Gosalyn

Mr reasoning behind her outfit is mostly that I wanted a flannel gay and Gos was the obvious choice for that

and I liked that decision so I kept with it!!!

Main differences this time include: hair and shoes

So for the original hair I wanted to give her the “bisexual haircut” and I do like Gos with short hair so I kept that!

But I was having a hard time figuring out how to draw her regular bang situation so I went with a totally different style instead!

But I have sense learned how to draw her hair from the show so I incorporated that instead!

In the original I also had her wearing shoes! I changed that this time because I forgot to give her shoes until it was too late! jksdafhg

Yeah this happens often kdsjhvfkajl (mostly with Lena)

Lena

Oh boy where to begin!

In the original my one and only goal was to make Lena look like as much of a Lesbian as possible

And I achieved that much!!!!!!

But in doing so I neglected to make it look like Lena

I mean well it looked like her but it didn’t give off her complete vibe y’know?

So instead of a Hawaiian shirt gay I made her a leather jacket gay!!! Much more Lena in my opinion! :D

I based her hair off of my interpretation of her Phantom and the Sorceress hair! (I know it looks nothing like it but thats how I draw it so???)

In the original I made her hair fade from pink to blue as well and I liked that so I kept it!!

Then I kept the blue button up undershirt!!

I thought about giving it pinstripes but I don't have a thin enough pen or pencil to pull that off so I didn't :P

Hint of her old green shoes coming from the sock color!

And then finally: stompy boots

Just to tie it all together! :D

Dewey

This man is LANKY!!!!!!!!!!

sorry I don't make the rules

Well technically I do sense I drew the thing- but thats unimportant!!!!

Dewey gets to be tall to annoy his brothers but in return he is LANKY tall

Otherwise I largely followed my original design!!

All my reasons for the original were solely based off of ��Vibes✨

I did change a few things though!

For example: last time I gave him a 3/4 sleeve short and this time I just made them regular short sleeves

Last time I meant to give him shoes but I forgot so this time I didn't forget!! :D

Also cool socks!!

Oh and I added fingerless gloves!!!!!!!!

This is once again based solely on ✨Vibes✨

I can’t put a lot of my reasons into words but I personally think I captured the theater kid meets aspiring pilot meets best friend to super hero’s sidekicks meets adventurer vibe pretty well!!

Boyd

!! Okay I’m excited to get into this one!

In my original Boyd was the shortest because technically he can pick his own height being a robot and all

BUT for that same reason I made him tall because: he wants to be tall like Gyro

The idea that Boyd wants to be tall like Gyro is literally so cute yall

I also based his outfit largely off of Gyros!!!

That is: dress shirt, vest, bowtie, pants

But in Boyd’s color scheme! :D

I’m still working out how to Not to make Boyd look like a popcorn bucket but that’s a problem for another day!

Violet

To start off: literally nothing was changed from the original

akjfdsghkskhal I’m serious no color changes, no outfit elements, nothing

I liked the original one a lot so I just kept it and redid it for this!!

My inspiration for the original was as follows: ✨Librarian Vibes✨

And I think I achieved that with the original so I hope I achieved it here as well!!

Also Violet is TALL

She’s the tallest now and will continue to be the tallest!!!

I mean just LOOK at her dads!!!! They’re SUPER tall!!

So therefore she gets to be tall too!!!!!!!!!

And I think that’s it!! Thank you so much for reading if you got this far!!!!!!!!! :D

Have a nice day folks! :D

#huey duck #webby vanderquack #louie duck #gosalyn mallard #lena sabrewing #dewey duck #boyd gearloose #violet sabrewing #my art stuff #age up designs #uhhhhh idk what to say down here I kinda covered it all in the keep reading section #hope everyones having a nice day btw! :)

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melioramercy · 4 years

Text

i didn’t mean to, but i know it still hurts

spencer reid x nonbinary partner (afab) (they/them/theirs)

in which spencer accidentally misgenders his partner

this is my first fic ! how groovy is that ?

note: misgendering is defined as the following: [to] refer to (someone, especially a transgender person) using a word, especially a pronoun or form of address, that does not correctly reflect the gender with which they identify.

if you’d like to chat about gender (respectfully) my asks are open xx ruby

dating spencer reid was wonderful. truly, you had no idea how you’d gotten so lucky. he was kind without trying, attentive to your needs, and would never do anything to hurt your feelings. not on purpose, anyway. but when he did, he was quick to apologise, curling up on the couch with you and kissing your head. he knew you typically brooded in silence, choosing to let what was bothering you wash over you in full before attempting to sort anything out. this way, you didn’t say anything you didn’t mean. you two always sorted out conflicts peacefully, and only ended up crying because you loved each other so much and you never wanted to be mad at the other. because of this, he was more than happy to sit with you in silence, weathering your storm together.

spencer didn’t know you were nonbinary when you first met. that was ten months ago, back when you only knew him as the cute, clumsy guy who frequented the same park as you. he liked to play chess, you learned, while he noticed you practicing complex yoga poses just a stone’s throw past him. the two of you maintained a respectful distance from one another, though you snuck glances at him, admiring the way his tongue poked out between his lips, and how quickly his hands darted around the board. he never noticed you staring, the same way you didn’t notice his eyes bashfully skating over your figure, sucking in a breath as your shirt rode up, revealing your colourful sports bra and soft tummy.

you’d existed in the same space, bearing witness to one another’s leisure activities for nearly four months before you interacted beyond a slight smile or shy wave. some days, he sat propped against a tree, reading a thick book or sketching. you were physically closer than ever when he sat under the tree, but you couldn’t have felt further apart. on the days he had a notebook in front of him, pencil sliding across the paper, his gaze never wavered, and you couldn't help but secretly hope he was drawing a portrait of you. spurred on by your daydream, you decided to try out more skillful poses, subconsciously trying to break his concentration, but no dice.

it wasn’t until you fell out of a handstand and face-planted that the force field between you two broke. he jumped up from his spot under the tree and ran over to you, wiping dirt off your forehead and holding your face as he checked for any scrapes or bruises. you hoped his warm hands couldn’t feel the way your cheeks burned as he scrutinized you. you let out a breathy laugh mixed with a gasp as you realized how close he was. from here, you could see the green around his pupils, blooming into a gorgeous hazel. the wind teased the curls you’d longed to run your hands through. as if jolted by an unseen presence, he realized how close he was to you, quickly dropping his hands from your face and pulling away.

“uh, sorry,” he said, brushing off his pants as he stood.

“no, no, really, it’s okay. thank you. i usually practice my handstands at home, with lots of cushions around.” damn, he was so cute. you tugged your shirt down, suddenly feeling self-conscious in your tight, printed leggings, toes wriggling into the grass.

you stared at each other, unsure of what to say. was it wrong to want his hands back on your face, kissing you like his life depended on it?

“i’m y/n,” you offered.

“spencer.”

“well, it’s lovely to meet you, spencer. thank you again.” shit, was this really going to end here?

“yeah, uhm, you too. y/n.” the words brought a smile to your face, and you loved the way your name fit in his mouth.

he rocked on his feet, as if he were working up the courage to say something.

“okay... bye.” and just like that, he turned to leave. no, no no no no. fuck, think, y/n, think!

“hey!” you shouted, loud enough to startle him. as soon as he turned around, you were blurting out, “do you wanna go out sometime?”

***

you told spencer about your pronouns, along with your gender identity, on the date you’d scheduled for the following weekend, pending his schedule didn’t change. he didn’t offer up any information about his job, or what made his schedule so wonky, and you didn’t ask. you wanted to know anything you could about the man you’d seen at the park so many times, but you didn't want to push him.

you’d agreed to take a walk in the park before heading to a nearby restaurant for dinner. you wanted to give him an easy out, in case he changed his mind about you. you wore a simple top with linen pants and sandals, while he wore a more casual version of what you’d seen him wearing before. slacks, a button-down sans sweater vest, and converse. you met up at the tree you’d seen him reading under before, savouring the way he complimented you. beginning to walk the path, you worked up the nerve to confess your truth.

“so,” you began. “i’ve gotta get something out of the way.” you saw a flash of panic in his eyes, opting to continue before he could ask any questions.

“i’m nonbinary.”

he stopped walking, letting out a breath before turning to you. fuck, you thought. this is it. he’s gonna be scared off just like everyone else before him. considering how long you'd hoped for this moment, this would be the hardest loss of them all. but you couldn't compromise yourself, in the same way you wouldn't be able to change his mind if he thought your gender identity was too much baggage.

you were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn’t see the smile on his face. you also realized neither of you had said anything since your initial admission.

“spencer?” his name sounded like a plea, with a tinge of hope lining your voice.

“okay.”

“okay?” that’s it?

“what pronouns would you like me to refer to you with?”

the question was one you’d heard before, but it sounded so much... better coming from him. you felt a flutter in your heart, a smile budding on your face as he slipped his hand into yours.

“y/n," you reintroduced yourself. "they/them/theirs.”

he nodded at that, beginning to walk again. you didn’t expect him to speak again, and you definitely weren't expecting what he said next.

“spencer,” he said. “he/him/his.”

you squeezed his hand, the flutter in your heart replaced with something different, something... warm. you really hoped this would last.

***

ten months later, you were sat at the kitchen table, having breakfast for dinner, with your boyfriend recalling some conversation he’d had with the team.

“and i told morgan, y/n always stays up waiting for me on the couch, but sometimes she falls asleep and-”

he immediately froze, not missing the way you flinched behind your coffee mug. for a second, he thought he should’ve just kept talking, quickly correcting himself and continuing with the story. he knew you disliked when people made a big deal out of messing up your pronouns, but he couldn’t help himself.

“y/n, i-”

you were quick to cut him off.

“spence, it’s okay. it was an accident.” your voice didn’t reveal your hurt, but spencer didn't miss the look in your eyes, the way your brow furrowed as you tried to keep his slip up from getting to you. it wasn't personal. it was an accident. but it still hurt.

“y/n, i’m sorry. i’m so sorry.” he started rambling, leaving you no room to interrupt. “i’m sorry, i know your pronouns. i would never misgender you on purpose or do anything to hurt you.” he reached across the table, grabbing your hands and squeezing them tightly. “you’re my y/n/n, my beanie. i love you so much. i’m sorry.”

he'd started weeping at the initial mess up, but now he was fully crying, harder than you'd ever seen. it scared you more than it confused you. why was he so upset?

“spence, baby, it’s okay,” you begged him to believe you, but he only dropped his head against your hands, his tears wetting your skin. “spencer,” you said, more insistently.

you sighed, realizing he wasn’t letting up. you pulled your hands out from under his head, hoping he’d look up at you, but he dropped his head onto the table instead. what was up with him? seriously, people called you “she” all the time, and it was rarely malicious. you were used to it, but he was always bothered, correcting people so you didn’t have to. he really was the perfect boyfriend.

abruptly, you stood up, grabbing his arm and pulling with all your weight. he gave in, letting you drag him to the couch. you sat down, the worn leather squeaking as you tucked your feet under yourself. you tugged him down to sit next to you, cradling his head against your chest like he'd done with you so many times before when you were upset. you kissed his forehead and stroked his hair until his breathing slowed down.

“you okay, baby?” your words were met with a murmur, but it was better than nothing. “spence?”

you tilted his head so you could look each other in the eye.

“what’s going on, lovey?”

it was his turn to sigh, his nostrils flaring as his big ole brain searched for the right words.

“i’m sorry.”

you didn’t say anything, waiting for him to continue.

“i’m sorry. i didn’t mean it, but i know it still hurts. your pronouns are part of you, and i’ve seen first-hand how much it bugs you when someone refers to you as ‘she’ or ‘her.’ i know you take it personally, and i don't blame you. i know i'll never understand how much it affects you, or why, and i never, ever, want to be the person who makes you feel that way.”

“i know, spence, it’s okay.”

“but it’s not, y/n!” his words were frantic, but he took a deep breath to try and calm himself. “i’m sorry. i just, i’ve never messed up before.”

so that’s what is was. god, on the one hand, you were grateful he took it so... personally? no. you couldn’t put your finger on it, but the fact that he cared so much made you feel loved, and seen. he knew how much it hurt you, and it hurt him just as much.

“baby, thank you.”

he looked you right in the eye, confused as to why you were thanking him.

“thank you, for loving me. for being you. spence, i... i’ve never had anyone who’s cared so much. you’re right, it does hurt, but i love you. i know you didn’t mean any harm, and i know you would never do it on purpose. you don’t have to beat yourself up, okay?”

he still seemed upset, so you reached around, hooking your pinky with his. his lip quirked up at that, and he adjusted so he could press his palm to yours, entwining your fingers.

“i love you, beanie.”

“i love you, too, baby. so so much.”

#spencer reid #spencer reid fic #spencer reid x nonbinary!reader #spencer reid x yn #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds #ruby writes #nonbinary writer

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startwithbrooklyn · 3 years

Text

THE GREAT ND REWATCH OF 2021 / SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 // the kidnapping

okay yall heres this! see you in two weeks! 🥳

-ik george called everyone to help but i get such a thrill from people asking nancy for help bc they know she can do it. (its a real contest sometimes between nancy over-inserting herself into peoples business bc she thinks she knows better vs her actually being the one to call)

-maybe an interesting facet to nancys tendency to lack emotion comes from mystery solving- being able to stay calm and objective when people like george are frantic and anxious. think rationally. search for clues. follow logical footsteps. this is where her predicting human behavior scientifically and not socially prevails. you might think youre behaving rationally but it takes a cold clocked brain to really do it (the 'wall' that carson mentioned)**

-owen is so cute lmfaoooo

-once again bess's particular attention to detail wins the day

-they totally stole this sharpie + back of menu thing from victoria

-wonder what gomber asked for from simon

-chief has absolutely zero hesitation to sharing things with nancy now lmfaoooo

-"just dont slow me down" all im picturing is nancys face when carson says how bout a father juxtaposed with s2 ryan and carson stalking her and pretending to hide in their car when they got caught

-"commentary rescinded" lmfaoooo we all judge him for the weekend sweater vests but he is undoubtedly the most capable character on this show for taking care of a kid

-"your memory is relentlessly specific" would honestly hate to be raising that kid lmfaoooo no winning arguments here. thats probably why carson is the way he is though, soft, small, open and unguarded - no reason to start arguments. perfect calm happy family

-okay lbh. was karen a dick for snooping in nancys room y/n?

-nancys face when carson offers advice on the phone call lmaoooo

-**so now wonder if that "calm" carson mentions as a survival mechanism is manufactured. that would be an intereting parallel to s2 premiere when nancy confesses to the wraith that shes afraid. then with nancys constant conflict of wheter to engage with mysteries or not when they are such a part of her is brought to scintillating focus if we consider this cold clocked calm during panic is actually based in something painful and tragic, and the real truth is that nancy is too afraid to even solve mysteries anymore (afraid of what tho? herself? hurting others? her own mystery-solving ability?)

-carson still has his supernatural nope hat on

-her frustration with her "memory in pieces" become so much more interesting considering it as a control mechanism- nancy is obsessively in control of what shes thinking and feeling and executes that control firmly in pretext of solving mysteries - she controls and solves them, they dont control her. like cancer was "the mystery she couldnt solve" and she just spiraled from there. like in the first ep she says "it was more than just a hobby, it was part of who i was" past tense. shes trying to reclaim parts of her identity that she thought were unshakeable, like mysteries and who her parents are, yet these parts of her identity that she still picks up and engages with turn out to be destructive both to herself and those around her. does her ability to draw the line differ? like the mysteries are a comfort/lacking stillness to avoid dealing with emptiness: did mysteries always hurt her parents/friends/others when she was younger, and she just never noticed because their lives werent permanently damaged like nancys picking apart these secrets did?

-"superstitions and rituals are all part of human behavior, its not proof of something inhuman" -discuss 🧐

-this ep and that hug made me ship george/nick

-love this bess/owen bonding time 💙

-love the contrast between nancy rejecting nicks help to george with "my trucks outside" (THE TRUCK omg foreshdowinggggg)

-damn casting did a good job finding a creepy bitch to play moira (shes sooooo weak tho lmfaooo)

-wonder if mcginnis can sense anything when gombers arm starts to bleed

-"TED!" "...yeah?" 😰😴🤦🏼‍♀️😂

-wonder what a relief nicks help is to george when even her own mother cant help her

-love this branch swinging bit for nancy. one hit for every memory taken! reminds me of our good ole tazer ep. and loving these physical outbursts from nancy.

-carson saying "i'm here" just like he did on the bluffs 😭

-UNPOPULAR OPINION: "just out of curiosity..." and gomber indulges her! what an interesting weirdcreep nancy/gomber (+simon as an extension) for a what if scenario. "i can still smell him on you" 👀...something about the children who were chosen first as little girls that come back as grown women (like an addiction/cant stay away/been marked/curiosity)

-owen holding bess's coat for her 🥺

-"we can enter our homes justified tonight" nancy would love that.

-irony: asking where kate will be in heaven bc lucy never made it to heaven/stuck as a ghost in purgatory (and why nancy always feels so lost bc she cant find kate bc kate's not hers)

-nancys old notebook is the same blue just like her blue car 💙😚

-mcginnis reaches out to nancy physically during/after carsons handcuffing by karen but just barely makes contact- so physical after meeting with mcginnis/him saying "work together" and seance/ceremony - now that opposing forces of mcginnis' law and nancys ability to get results have mixed and "been resolved" - emotional conflict nullified which allows for more genuine emotion/"paternal" instinct of older man-younger woman dynamic to come through (ironic since her actual parent is getting carted away)

and lastly

-"tell them you didnt kill her!" karens look at carson when he doesnt/cant say anything speaks volumes.

#brooklyn's ND primer #nancy drew cw #the Great Rewatch of 2021 #you best start believing in ghost stories miss drew - you're in one

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sparkles-and-trash · 4 years

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My fav 3 versions/interpretations of South Park characters thing!

I’m so sorry this took much longer than anticipated, I was gonna do it Friday but then I had a panic attack for the first time in forever because my CFS have been real bad lately and I was in such bad shape my BFF had to come and smack me back to life, and Sunday was suddenly full on breakdown day, a bad BPD episode and yeah, it was rough, but today I’m doing better and I realize nobody really cares about my personal issues lol but I just have a need to excuse myself here and I realize that’s kinda dumb but here we are ANYWAYS I hope these are okay, and that these are in no way the RIGHT interpretations, just my personal favorites!

Kyle:

suggested by the wonderful @otherluces <3

I’m not gonna lie, I love nerdy, preppy Kyle. Sweater-vests, collard shirts, doesn’t realize how attractive he is Kyle, oblivious to people having crushes on him Kyle, set on Harvard to become a lawyer and fight for justice and argue for a living, yanno?

I also really like the more dorky and nerdy Kyle, where he has really niché interests that he gets totally invested in and talks about 24/7, loves reading and studying, but not just to get good results, but because he genuinly enjoys it.

The last version I can think of with him, is the tall, lanky and kinda hard to read Kyle. He keeps a lot of his feelings to himself, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. He plays basketball, he’s good at it too, and while he does well in school and everyone expects him to go into law, he has some totally different dream he keeps to himself for now. He kinda perks up a bit when in smaller crowds, esp with his cloest friends, but he still carries a lot of secrets that some time needs to come out.

Tweek:

suggested by my new fren @soft-craig-and-tweek ^^

I like Tweek in so many ways these were hard to pick, but I’mma try to narrow it down a bit and not go totally off haha

I actually quite enjoy the jagged, tired Tweek, the one who with help from friends and family manage to get off the meth his parents feed him secretly, but who still struggle with withdrawal, dark bags under his eyes, kinda pale and with sharp features, but he’s still a sweet and kind boy, a boy who wants to make the right choices and change the world to a better place, but who still has a darkness he carries, and the fact that he never gives up that fight is what makes him so special

and okay I have to be honest, I do love myself some sunshine boy Tweek. This Tweek still has issues, he is maybe even more anxious than the last one, but he’s also just as vibrant and energetic as he is anxious! He is an artist, he paints with bright colors, he composes beautiful, hopeful melodies, he feels everything so much, and he is a contagious and exciting person to be around. Cannot dress for the life of him. So much mis-match and odd outfits, but it kinda works?

The last one I’m gonna mention for this wonderful boy, is the more alternative Tweek. He writes obscure poetry, he watches too many conspiracy theory videos on youtube, he draws the monsters in his mind, and he writes the scariest, most hauntingly beautiful stories on the internet, and people online love him. He has no idea how to deal with being popular in that sense, because irl he is the type to not belong to a certain friend group, but he does go along well with most people on a surface level. Dark circles, shaky hands, crooked and cute smiles, baggy t-shirts and ripped jeans. When he first opens up to someone, he really, really does, and he will always support and be there for you. If you deserve it, that is.

Nichole:

also suggested by @soft-craig-and-tweek <3

I love nerdy Nichole who isn’t afraid to show it! Maybe she’s a streamer or youtube gamer even, I can def see her writing fanfiction, and being hella good at it too! Makes quite a name for herself online, and hangs out with the boys a lot irl, has game nights with the boys from Board Girls (even Cartman sometimes), is funny in a sarcastic way, but never mean.

Popular girl Nichole is also a favorite for me, but not in the “classical” sense. I imagine her to be a sporty, maybe on both the basket and volleyball team, captain for the basket one, she’s a born leader, she’s kind and fair, but can also be strict, and people always trust her to be honest and true.

Artsy Nichole!! I imagine her in bright yellow dresses and with her hair flowing and free, with flowers in her hair, freckles on her face, a big, genuine smile, a loud laughter that is so contagious, she loves spending time with Jimmy because they have a very similar humor, and she’s a theater kid, she sings like an angel and can act, oh boy can she act, she can make anyone laugh or cry in just a blink of an eye, she’s just a human sun-ray and I love her a lot

Butters:

suggested by @kinguidamundo, thank you so much!!

I love edgy Butters soooo much??? Like, he’s still a kind and bright boy, but he can also stand up for himself a lot more, he likes fashion a lot, he gets tattoos and piercings, he explores tons of ways to express himself, he’s a yes-dude, he goes out on dates a lot, but isn’t ready for a “real” relationship yet, but he enjoys meeting people and testing out himself around different types of people! Also he is a bi icon change my mind jk u can’t

I have a weak spot for the kind of soft and timid looking Butters too, who wears pastel colors and have big, innocent eyes, he is genuine and kind, but he carries something darker inside, something he isn’t sure how to deal with, something that scares him, but in reality it’s just normal feelings, anger, resentment and fear, but he’s lived his life ignoring them so much they catch him off guard at times. He learns to live with them slowly, and he does so with lots of help and patience from friends and loved ones.

Okay, last one, totally self-indulging here, but yeah, happy sunflower boy is also a big favorite. He is more confident than the previous version, but in a gullible way if that makes any sense? He believes the best in people, and if he is proven wrong, he’s willing to try to help them become better people, if they want to or not! This is honestly the version I love most with Stan, Butters being the ray of sunshine in Stan’s life and Stan being the realism to keep Butters grounded and them both supporting each other so much? Fuck yeah that’s the good stuff.

Clyde:

suggested by @horrorpumpkin, ty sm friend! <3

Himbo Clyde!!! Jock dude who genuinely loves sports, he’s a team player, and while he might not be super intellectual, he is very socially smart, he is kind and empathic, he is funny and likable, he always tries his best to make everyone feel included, and while he loves chicks a lot, and is a sexual dude, he does it with nothing but respect and admiration for the ladies!

Bisexual disaster Clydeeee <3 obv being bi isn’t a personality trait, but he is very open about it, he wants to be confident and good at flirting, but goddamn is he a MESS! He’s also a huge supporter of every single relationship his friends is in, he loves love, in all shapes and forms, he is emotional and kind and awkward in an endearing way.

Can’t leave out crybaby Clyde, can we now? He’s a bit of an awkward bean as well, but he owns it a bit more. He is kinda like a puppy, a cute, excitable and emotional puppy who loves his friends, video games and lazy movie nights, kinda chubby, he loves baking and does it a lot with Tweek, he is also a huge nerd for Harry Potter and totally geek out over it with Kyle and Nichole sdhlksgdhl

Kenny:

suggested by anon!

First up I guess I should put my high school AU Kenny. I know it’s controversial, but I imagine this Kenny to be more on the quiet side, but not really in a shy way. He’s just a bit of an observer who doesn’t speak unless he really sees fit, and while he still has his crude humor and is kinda rumored to be sleeping around a lot, he actually struggle with intimacy issues. He never imagined them to include sexual stuff, but turns out they do, and balancing being sexually open and curious and having these issues ain’t easy on the boy, let me tell you that.

This one is kinda heavily inspired by Luces, but I love him as kind and loyal, but also a bit more chatty and charming, but not for his own gain. He wants others to feel good about themselves, in social settings, his friends, during sexy times, he is selfless and good, but he is also living for the moment, he is a likable and wonderful guy, but he does still only REALLY open up emotionally to people he really trusts. Not traditionally attractive, but interesting looking in a way. Lots of freckles, bit of buck teeth with a big gap between his front teeth, messy kinda curly hair, long straight nose. Always wears baggy hoodies and worn out jeans, shrugs and gives that lopsided smile when people ask him about anything personal.

Mysterious Kennyyyy. You think you know him, everyone does, but in reality, very few have seen the real him. He likes people, and he likes to help them, he’s always down to listen to people’s problems and help them, he wants to inspire kids like himself to never give up and think there’s only one path for them, because he knows there is not. Volunteers at the animal shelter with Stan, works part time at Tweek Bro’s and is good buddies with Tweek. Had a early sexual debut, slept around a bit and got his heart broken unexpectedly when he was a Freshman, so there are some walls there now, but he ain’t usually one to turn down someone who’s up for it and whom with he has good chemistry either.

#kyle broflovski #tweek tweak #nichole daniels #leopold butters stotch #butters stotch #clyde donovan #kenny mccormick #south park #south park headcanon #south park headcanons #sp #South Park tag #sp kenny #sp butters #sp clyde #sp nichole #sp tweek #sp kyle

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chickensarentcheap · 3 years

Text

Never Gonna Be Alone: Chapter Six

Title: Subway trolls and pancakes

Warnings: none

Tagging: @c-a-v-a-l-r-y , @innerpaperexpertcloud , @alievans007 , @tragiclyhip

They stop at the closest bodega for a cup of take out coffee and a carton of chocolate milk, then hand in hand navigate the snowy sidewalks on their brief jaunt to the subway. Tanner is excited about their morning out. Words rapidly leaving his lips as all his pent up thoughts come spilling out; sentences running together and often making little to no sense as several different topics messily mix together. But Tyler lets him get it out. Tanner often very quiet and shy and finding himself lost in the chaos of their home; unable to get a word in edgewise at times and then finding himself growing more and more frustrated. It always leads to a meltdown; tears and screaming hyperventilating and sometimes even the odd destructive episode. The latter hasn’t happened in a long time; both his parents and Tanner himself recognizing the triggers and the warning signs and able to calm him down before things escalate that far. It’s been a journey to say the least; learning how to both handle and help a kid like Tanner. Specialists and fellow parents of children with Autism and autistic adults themselves have been extremely helpful; they’ve found the strategies that aid him the best and in turn, help him thrive. Music therapy and appointments disguised as play, sensory items that provide him with the ‘break’ that he needs when overwhelmed, deep pressure applied with hugs and weighted blankets and vests. It’s a whole new world that has been both overwhelming and rewarding. Tanner isn’t the only one that’s being helped. It’s an adjustment for the entire family and everyone has had to make changes and sacrifices. But it’s also been a positive thing. What could have broken a marriage has actually made it stronger; working as a team and discovering just how strong and determined the other is and witnessing what lengths they’ll go to help their family thrive under even the most difficult of circumstances.

Tanner is a gift. An extra special one. In a way that his siblings aren’t. He’s opened their eyes to an entirely different existence, bringing out the depths of their patience and compassion. He’s beautiful and intelligent; the depths of his knowledge and information stored away inside that little brain simply profound. And talented; cooking and baking, drawing, playing the guitar and singing. But he DOES struggle. Anything social is a challenge for him; extreme difficulty in making friends, becoming extremely shy and withdrawn and even scared if a stranger approaches him for even the smallest of chit chat. And his fears and triggers are numerous; thunderstorms, needles, too much noise and conversation going on around him at once, the sudden and sharp clattering of dishes, the seams inside clothes. Things that most people would never even notice, are extremely heightened for him. And while most are easily recognized and identifiable and the entire family goes out of their way to accommodate him when possible, new issues seem to arise every day.

But the subway is one of his favourite places. The dark tunnels don’t faze him, nor does the crowd of people during the more busy times. And when the noises become too much he knows to simply put on a pair of sounds cancelling headphones and then concentrate on something else; whether it be a book he’s brought along of a sketch pad or even games and videos on one of his parents’ phones.

This morning he’s in his glory; kneeling on the seat beside Tyler, nose pressed against the window as he stares out into the darkness. The subway is quiet; people choosing to stay in after the snowstorm or already flooding earlier trains in hopes of beating the masses that will flock to malls and boutiques to complete their Christmas shopping. While extremely advanced intellectually speaking, he’s a lot younger in other ways; social skills and emotional maturity putting him around the level of a five or six year old. The difference is most apparent when he’s with his twin; TJ becoming older and wiser with each passing day while Tanner struggles to get to the level at Declan -or even Brooklyn and Takota- functions at. And he’s much smaller than his older brother as well; gifted with his mother’s height and slender body and some of her petite features. But there’s never any problem recognizing the Rake in him. The facial expressions and mannerisms and that Australian accent that he’s developed; much thicker and stronger than any of his siblings.

“Dad?” Tanner pipes up from beside him, one hand tightly gripping the top of the seat while the other keeps a firm hold on his chocolate milk; stomach pressed against the back of the seat, his father’s arm wrapped tightly around his middle.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think the subway trolls are real? Do you think they exist?”

“Subway trolls??”

“Remember the subway trolls? TJ talked about them during the summer. When we came here to visit Ovi. About how there’s trolls living down here. Do you think it’s true? Do you think there’s really trolls down here?”

“Something tells me that’s something your brother made up: to freak Takota out. He had nightmares for three weeks after that.”

“Everytime we come on the subway, I try looking for trolls. But it’s dark and the train is fast and I can’t really see ANYTHING. But it could be true, yeah? There really could be trolls. They could exist.”

“Trolls aren’t real. It’s just something that people made up. A long time ago. They just exist in movies and books. Like in The Lord of The Rings.”

A look of visible disgust appears on Tanner’s face. “Those are Orcs. NOT trolls.”

“Same thing.”

“No, dad. They’re not. You need to read the books again. Orcs and trolls are NOT the same. I mean, they’ve evil, but orcs aren’t much stronger than humans. Trolls have superhuman strength. Plus, they’re HUGE. Orcs are just the size of normal people. Even mummy knows this stuff.”

“That’s because mummy is a nerd.”

“She’s not a nerd! She’s very smart. In a lot of different things. She even speaks three languages. You only speak one.”

“I speak two. English and profanity.”

“Swearing is NOT a language.”

“You’re right, it’s not. It’s an art form.”

“You do have A LOT of swears in your vocabulary. It’s pretty impressive; that you know that many bad words. You know twenty different ways to say the F word. That’s cool. You’re smart in your way and mumma is smart in hers. Is that why you fell in love with her? ‘Cause of how smart she is?”

“It was one of the reasons.”

“I wanna meet a girl one day. Like mum. Mum is super cute and tiny and really funny. She makes me laugh a lot. And she’s got a really nice, kind smile and pretty eyes.”

“Yeah, she does. She’s pretty special, huh?”

“She is,” Tanner smiles.. “You’re a lucky guy, daddy. She loves you a whole bunch. I see it in her eyes, you know. They get all sparkly and shiny when she sees you. Like yesterday when you got home. As soon as you got out of the cab, her entire face changed. Her cheeks got rosy and she had a huge smile and her eyes were shiny. Like she was going to cry but not crying eyes at the same time. I want to meet a girl like mummy. Then I’d be lucky too.”

“You would,” Tyler agrees. “You’d be the luckiest guy on the face of the earth.”

“I’ll ask mummy about the trolls. When we get home. She might know. She lived here before. Maybe she’s seen one. That would be so freaking awesome.”

“Something tells me that mummy hasn’t seen a subway troll. Something also tells me they don’t exist.”

“Why you say that?”

“Have you ever seen one? I’ve never seen one.”

“Just because we don’t see things, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I haven’t seen a lot of things, but I know they’re real.”

“That’s a very good point, actually.”

A sudden pout appears on Tanner’s face; entire body stiffening. “I don’t like this part of the ride. It gets really noisy and extra dark here. Can I sit on your lap now? You make me feel safe.”

Nodding, he places the backpack sitting on his lap between his feet. It contains everything the ten year old could need during the time out; headphones, weighted lap pad, various fidget items, an extra sweater that’s a size too small but Tanner enjoys wearing because it’s ‘tight and feels like a hug’. Scooping his son off the seat next to him and settles him on his thighs; Tanner wrapping both arms around his neck and sliding his body forward in order to have that comfort of body against body. And he slips his hand up the back of the little one’s jacket, hoodie, and t-shirt; giving him that press of a warm, soothing palm against his bare skin.

“I don’t like this part, daddy,” Tanner whimpers, and tightens the hold on his dad’s neck. “It’s scary.”

“It’s okay, mate. I got you. You’re fine. Close your eyes; I’ll tell you when it’s over.”

“Alright,” he squeezes his eyes shut as tight as he can. “I trust you.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you. Ever.”

“I know you won’t. But it’s still scary.”

“Nothing to be scared of,” Tyler assures him, and presses his lips to his temple; the end of his nose resting against the side of Tanner’s head as he speaks to him in a low, quiet voice. “Nothing can hurt you. Ever.”

“Not when you’re here. You won’t let anything hurt me.”

“Anything or anyone. You’re alright, mate. Just breathe. It’s almost over. Just a couple more minutes. Why don’t you tell me about some of your dreams? The ones you were writing about? Tell me some of them and I’ll read the rest. I want to hear about them.”

“Okay,” Tanner takes a deep, shaky breath, but keeps his eyes screwed shut as he launches into a recap of one of his many dreams.

Tyler’s not sure how many of these dreams are actually real; they’re vivid and often far beyond Tanner’s level of maturity. And he often wonders if it’s just tales the ten year old has conjured up in his own mind; a very detailed and colourful imagination that is often underused AND under appreciated. But he never questions their validity or ‘tunes out’ when his son is sharing his stories; letting him indulge in that little fantasy world of his where things probably seem a lot easier to handle and cope with. And it gives Tanner a sense of confidence and pride in himself; knowing how well he can both tell a tale and how well received it is by the one person he’s always so eager to please and make proud of him.

Today the dreams are about dragons and sea life. Two very distinct ‘dreams’; the first consisting of Tanner being the brave and noble knight that saves the princess and an entire kingdom from an untimely demise. The second he’s an underwater explorer; making friends with all the marine creatures and building a completely self-sustaining and livable underwater habitat for both humans and sea life. And he sees the way people around them react to both Tanner’s story telling and the gentle and calm way Tyler deals with him; the smiles and the comments about how ‘cute it is’ and even the praises of ‘it’s nice to see a daddy out with the little ones’.

“Is it done yet?” Tanner inquires, as the last of his final tale leaves his lips. “Are we past the scary part?”

“Yup. All done.”

“Good,” he heaves a sigh of relief. “But can I still stay here? Can I still stay on your lap?”

“You can stay there as long as you want, Nug.”

“I love you daddy. Thank you.”

“No worries, mate. I love you too.” He removes the hand from underneath Tanner’s clothing and briefly lays it on the back of his head; placing a kiss to his cheek before wrapping his arm around his waist. Even THAT’s been a learning process; expressing emotion and talking about feelings and showing affection. He’d grown up not being allowed to do any of those things; his father only beating him more savagely if he cried or begged for him to stop or if he cried over the loss of his mother. Meeting and marrying someone that craves both giving and receiving affection had been a real eye opener; showing him just how badly the old man had screwed him up both physically and mentally.

“Nug?”

“Yeah?”

“I gotta ask you something.”

“About what?”

“Mummy.”

“I don’t know what she wants for Christmas. She says ‘nothing’ EVERY year.”

“I already got that all figured out. This is about something else.”

“Okay. What is the something else?”

“When I was gone, did mummy seem sad?”

“Mummy is always sad when you go away. She misses you.”

“But did she seem extra sad, maybe? Did it seem like she was having a hard time with me being gone? A harder time than usual?”

“Maybe a little. I mean, she was really sad. She did cry a few times. And locked herself in the pantry once. But that’s ‘cause Millie was being mean and driving her nuts. I pushed tissues under the door; so mummy could wipe her face and blow her nose. We all get snotty when we cry.”

“I’m glad you help mommy out. Especially when she’s sad. You’ve always been good at that; helping take care of her. What about at night? Anything go on at night? Maybe you were supposed to be sleeping and you heard some things? Maybe mummy really upset and crying hard extra hard or…?”

“I snuggled with her a couple nights. On the couch. Because she said she said she couldn’t sleep and that she was feeling lonely. I went down to get a snack. I know I shouldn’t have; that I’m not allowed downstairs by myself in the middle of the night. I’m sorry, daddy. I was hungry though and mummy wasn’t in your room and I went looking for her. She was eating ice cream out of the container and watching Sex and the City. Are you mad? That I went downstairs by myself?”

“No, mate. I’m not. You went looking for mum, right?”

“Yeah, because I was hungry and I knew she would make me a snack. She always makes me an English muffin. Toasted. With a piece of cheese and two slices of tomato on it. With pepper sprinkled on top. And when I couldn’t find her upstairs, I got worried. So I went looking for her. We had snacks and she let me have some ice cream and then we snuggled on the couch watching Sponge Bob. I stayed up until she fell asleep, and then I went and got the big blanket of your bed and your pillow and took them downstairs and tucked mommy in. Then I went back to bed. Once I knew she was really fast asleep and comfortable. I gave her a goodnight kiss. Three, actually. Two on the lips, one of the forehead. Like you do. You always kiss her on the forehead.”

“You are a good son, Nug. A great son. That loves his mumma very much.”

“She’s the best mummy in the whole world. If I could pick mummies, I’d pick her above everyone else. Because she loves me no matter what. She doesn’t care that I’m different. That my brain doesn’t work like everyone else’s. She just loves me. No questions asked. Just like I love her no matter what. Even when she gets mad and yells. But I don’t like when she cries. It makes my heart hurt.”

“Was she crying a lot? While I was gone? More than she’s ever cried before?”

“I guess. TJ and I could hear her the first couple of nights. Crying in the bedroom. We were going to see if she was okay, but we didn’t want to get in trouble. Takota and Brookie went in though and slept with her. She seemed okay in the morning. She likes when we come in to cuddle. She doesn’t like the big bed all to herself.”

“Did she say anything to you? About me being gone?”

“Not to me. But I heard her talking to Desi. He came over every night to check on her and make sure she didn’t need anything. I heard her saying how worried she was about you. That she was scared something would happen and she’d never see you again. That she’d already almost lost you twice before and that she couldn’t take it a third time. Desi tried to talk her down; told her everything would be okay and that you’d be home before she knew it.”

“That was it? The whole thing you heard?”

“Most of it. She also said that she’s never loved anyone the way that she loves you. That you couldn’t ever possibly understand how much she does. That you saved her. In every way someone can be saved.”

“She said that?”

Tanner nods, then reaches inside Tyler’s jacket and pulls out the wool beanie he’d put in one of the pockets for safe keeping. “Will you help me when my glasses fog up?” he asks, and he yanks the hat down onto his head. “They always fog up when we go out in the cold.”

“I will help you.”

“And over the really high snowbanks?”

“I’m going to toss you in those. Have to call someone to dig you out.”

“Daddy…” he crosses his arms over his chest and stares at him pointedly. “...that’s not very nice.”

“I would never do that to you. TJ, yeah. You? Never.”

“You know…” Tanner scrambles off his lap as the train begins its final approach to their station, then curls all of his fingers around three of his father’s “...if I got to pick daddies, I’d pick you.”

Tyler smiles down at his son. “You would, would you?”

Tanner nods. “In a heartbeat.”

*****

Breakfast is a success. A small diner in Battery Park that Tanner had found online three years ago; spending hours online searching for the best pancake spots in New York City and reading all of the reviews and browsing all the menus. He’s very detail oriented. Choosing places to eat and shop on not just popularity and the items being offered, but on the way the food appears in pictures; a keen eye for attractive colour palettes and neat and tidy -and appealing- presentation. He’d put so much research and time into it that Tyler hadn’t had the heart to tell him that maybe somewhere closer to home would be a better fit; no ‘scary’ trips on the subway meant less crowds and noise and almost assured no sensory meltdowns which in turn, would mean an extremely hard day for Tanner. Once something is ‘set off’, he remains on edge and anxious for hours; the mere stress of his brain going into overload causing him to be destructive and aggressive. The latter is always directed at himself; yanking his hair out, banging his head off walls, scratching himself until he bleeds. And while it’s always a worry that something will spark the behaviour, they’ve become better at recognizing the warning signs; identifying triggers and able to remove him from a situation before it becomes too much for him to bear.

The morning had gone well. Tanner had been talkative and cheerful; uncharacteristically engaging with the waitress and carrying on conversations -albeit brief, as too much chatter and eye contact make him extremely uncomfortable- with fellow diners. He’d only had difficulties twice. Needing his weighted lap pad and some fidget toys when the wait for food was longer than expected, and a flight to his father’s lap when a larger group of diners came in and their voices were needlessly loud and obnoxious. A tight as possible embrace and encouraging and comforting words whispered had quickly soothed him, but he’d still insisted on staying perched on his dad’s thighs while he finished the remains of his breakfast.

After a quick trip to the Cartier store -a little something for mummy as a form of both apology and an excuse to spoil her- and to pick up some novels to read at Tanner’s favourite used book store, they returned home and onto the final ‘event’ of the morning; time spent at the private park. It’s cold and the wind brutal, but Tanner is in his element; loving the way he can ‘crash’ into the snowbank at the bottom of the slide, tend to building his own snowman without interference from his well meaning but way too hyper younger siblings, and time on the swings. And while he has two of his own hanging from the ceiling in his bedroom, he prefers being outside; leaning as far back as he can and staring up at the sky. It’s gray and dreary today, but he’s in his glory; catching snowflakes on his tongue and giggling the entire time.

That laugh -one he’d inherited from his mother- is more than enough to tolerate the frigid temperatures; a hot cup of coffee and the hat and gloves Esme had both nagged him about taking along -and had resorted to shoving into the pockets of his coat before he stepped out the door- enough to stave off the chill. And he’s leaning back against the wrought iron fence and sipping the strong brew -two shots of espresso helping to fight off the lingering exhaustion from jet lag- when the gate to the park swings open. It’s a highly controlled and private area. Only those who live in Gramercy Park have access; given keys when they take up residence. And while he isn’t necessarily worried about the stranger joining them, that old inkling of hyper-vigilance never fails to make an appearance when he spots an unfamiliar face. It’s the years spent on the job; burning bridges and stepping on toes and making a lot of enemies along the way. Revenge is par for the course; dirtbags sticking up for other dirtbags and seeking vengeance for fellow drug lords, rapists, murders, child predators. The list is vast and seemingly endless; he’s gone up against the lowest of the low and somehow lived to tell about.

The worry is always there; that someone will come looking for him and then use his greatest weaknesses to destroy him. It’s why he’s extra careful now; willing to do anything in his power to keep his family safe. Five years ago had been bad enough; if word got back to the wrong people that it was his business employing the mercenaries sent to clean up messes, the result wouldn’t be pretty. Far more devastating and widespread than what happened at the hands of Mahajan and Asif’s remaining people. And while he highly doubts that the woman and child stepping through the gate pose a threat, his brain immediately tends to think of the worst. Especially when one of his children -arguably the most vulnerable of them all- is with him. But he manages a polite smile in the woman’s direction, then shuffles his weight from foot to foot when she approaches; an attempt to keep warm and his discomfort at the idea of having to be social. It was one of the things that sold on him buying the brownstone; no one bothered with him and likewise didn’t seem to give a shit that he mostly stuck to himself.

“It’s amazing how they can stand being out like this,” she comments, as she sidles up next to him.

It’s way too close his own comfort; the sleeve of her fur lined coat brushing against him. He sidesteps; putting just enough space between them to let her know she’s invading his space, yet enough to come across a complete asshole. She’s new to the area; a face he hadn’t seen last Christmas or during the month they’d spent in the Big Apple over the past summer. Tall and slender; shoulder length blond hair sticking the bottom of the black and gray knit beanie and too much make up on her face.

“My daughter LOVES the snow,” she continues, nodding in the direction of the little girl attempting to make conversation with Tanner. It can go either of three ways; Tanner acknowledging her presence and actually speaking in return, completely ignoring her and acting as if she doesn’t even exist, or he’ll be so anxious that he’ll flee to his father’s side for comfort. “It’s why she took moving here so well; used to the weather in Utah I guess. I’m Natalie,” she offered a slender hand encased in a lambskin glove.

“Tyler. You just moved here?”

“Couple weeks ago. Took a job with Goldman Sachs. I’ve always wanted to live here, mind you. A dream going back to my childhood; Central Park, Broadway shoes, shopping at Bergdorfs. A lot of stuff on my to do list. Your accent; you’re a long way from home.”

“Our second place is here. Kids love coming to stay. Especially during the winter. They love having a white Christmas.”

“Must be a change. Going from somewhere hot and sunny to this. Why go from the ocean and the sand to snow and slush? And most of all, why New York City?”

“My wife spent some time here. Fell in love with it. Always wanted to get back. And our oldest lives here. In Queens. He’s in his first year of med school.”

“You have a kid old enough to have done four years of undergrad and is now in med school?”

Tyler nods. There’s no need for specifics. No reason to tell a complete stranger about Ovi and his background and how he’d wound up going from Mumbai to Colorado and then onto Australia. That part of their lives is firmly rooted in the past; Dhaka, Asif, Mahajan Senior. And it’s not something either of them enjoy revisiting. The years have gone by excruciatingly slow; leaving mountains of mental and physical issues behind. “I’ve got grandkids too.”

“Seriously?”

“Two of them. Boy and a girl. Three and eight months.”

“You’re a grandpa?”

“As much as I hate being called that, yeah. I am.”

“Makes you feel old? Being called that?”

“Just thinking about it makes me feel old.” He takes a swig of coffee; watching as Tanner abandons his snowman and his new playmate in favour of returning to the swings. The ten year old is doing better than expected; not growing agitated or anxious when the little girl immediately follows him and once more attempts to make conversation.

“How old is he?”

“Ten. Eleven next month.”

“He’s shy. Or he’s already playing hard to get when it comes to girls.”

“He has Autism. Aspergers. It’s one of the things he struggles with; making friends.”

“I’m sorry, it must be hard. It must be…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. I mean, look at him. He’s healthy. He’s happy for the most part. He’s beautiful. He’s a good kid. A REALLY good kid. We’re lucky to have him.”

“And are those your only two? The med student and him? Quite the age gap.”

“Actually, I have six more at home.”

Natalie’s eyes widen. “You have eight kids?”

“I do. Well, technically the oldest one isn’t mine. Not by blood. We took him in when he was fifteen. But I do have six more at home.”

“All biological?”

Tyler nods.

“All with the same mother?”

“Every last one of them.”

“I don’t know whether you’re crazy or brave. Or a mix of both.”

“Guess that’s up for debate. It’s a pretty full house.”

“God help the woman who got pregnant SEVEN times.”

“It was actually only five times. We have two sets of twins. Ten and five.”

“Wow,” Natalie laughs. “That’s quite the brood. You don’t see that very often these days; big families like that.”

“Once we started, we couldn’t stop I guess. We were supposed to be done at four, but…”

“Things happened.”

“That’s one way of putting it. You said you just moved here?”

“Number thirty-three. You?”

“Eleven.”

“The one right on the corner? With the two dogs? A shepherd and a…”

“Australian shepherd. Mac and Saju. Two major pains in the ass.”

“They love to stand on the couch. Look out the front window. My daughter always waves to them. She keeps hoping one day they’ll be outside. So she can meet them.”

“They’re standing on the couch because they like to spy on the neighbours. And growl and bark at the squirrels. They’re used to koalas and kangaroos. Not squirrels. They’re not the brightest, but they’re loyal.”

“I walked by the other day and when I saw all the kids out front, I thought it might be a daycare. That was a nanny with them? Cute little thing with dark hair. Didn’t look old enough to be their mom.”

“That IS their mom,” he confirms. “My wife is very tiny and cute. And I agree; she does NOT look old enough to have that many kids.”

“It would be nice to meet some of the other families around here. There aren't many with young kids, so it was a relief to see people at the park. My daughter’s always looking for new friends.”

“Well, she’s got a lot to choose from at our house, that’s for sure. I don’t think the wife would mind if you popped by. She’s the social butterfly. Complete opposite of me.”

“I don’t know, you seem to be holding your own in this conversation. A little gruff at times and straight to the point, but…”

“This is me on my best behaviour. It doesn’t get any better.”

A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. “I think it’s perfectly fine how it is.”

Smirking, he downs the remains of his coffee and tosses it in the nearby trash. It’s a line that’s been crossed. Not appreciating little smiles and flirtatious comments and the insistent way she keeps stepping even closer to him; not realizing that he grows more agitated and uncomfortable each time he moves away. It’s annoying; unwanted attention even AFTER you’ve told someone that you’re married. Most women -and some men- seem to take it as a challenge; an extra thrilling chase to land someone that’s declared themselves unavailable. And maybe it’s worked for them before; landing a guy that claims to be happily married and getting him to abandon all his morals and betray the one person he’s supposed to love more than life itself. But that sure as hell ISN’T him. He doesn’t need or want anyone else. Perfectly content to spend the rest of his existence with just one person; happy to wake up to the same face every day, kiss the same lips and make love to the same body , and hear the same voice and laugh.

“Daddy!” Tanner calls as he bounds through the snow; wrapping both arms around one of Tyler’s thighs. “Can we go now? I’m getting cold. And I miss mum.”

“Yeah, we can go. I bet she misses you too.”

“Hey there, cutie.” Natalie smiles, and crouches down to the little boy’s level.

“No,” Tanner shakes his head and slides behind Tyler, hiding himself behind his father’s legs. “Please don’t.”

“He doesn’t like eye contact. Not with people he doesn’t know. Scares him. It’s okay, Nug.” Reaching behind his body, he lays a hand on the back of Tanner’s head and gently pushes; encouraging him to come out of hiding. “Don’t be nervous. I’m right here. Nothing’s going to happen. Just people trying to meet you. Wanting to be friends.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all. Just someone being nice. Can you come on out? At least say hi? There’s nothing to be scared of.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. Come on…” he lifts one leg, allowing Tanner to slip between them. “...can you just say hi? I won’t ask for more than that.”

Tanner nods, both arms once more wrapping around his father’s thigh; body leaning into him, needing that comfort and support. “Hi.”

"I’m not trying to scare you, I promise,” Natalie says. “Just trying to make friends. What’s your name?”

Tanner glances up at his dad. Looking for reassurance. And permission.

“It’s okay. You can tell her.”

He looks back at the woman in front of him. “Tanner.”

“How old are you?”

“Ten. Almost eleven.”

“I hear you have a lot of brothers and sisters.”

He nods. “I have a twin. He’s older than I am. His name’s Tyler. Like daddy.”

“And is he as handsome? As you and daddy?”

“I don’t know. I guess. He’s really tall. And strong. Like daddy. He’s almost taller than mummy already!”

“Well your mum’s pretty tiny,” Tyler reasons, and straightens out Tanner’s scarf and hat; pulling the beanie down over the tops of his ears. “Speaking of mum, want to go see her?”

“Yeah,” Tanner nods enthusiastically. “I wanna see her. I miss her. I want to give her a hug. And her goodies. We got mum her favourites,” he addresses Natalie. “Mummy loves croissants. From a certain place. So daddy and I took the subway to get them. And he got her something really nice. From a really expensive jewellery store. There was lots of sparkly stuff in there. Mummy likes sparkly stuff but never lets daddy buy her any. She says he spoils her too much.”

Natalie smiles. I’m sure your mom deserves to be spoiled.”

“Oh, she definitely does. She’s the best mummy. And the prettiest. She puts up with a lot. Especially from Millie. That’s my oldest sister. She’s a bitch.”

Tyler frowns. “Tanner….”

“I’m just sayin’. Millie is really mean. She’s almost a teenager. That’s why. They get mean at that age. Girls. That’s what daddy says.”

“And on that note,” Tyler chuckles. “I think we should go home. You’re gonna wanna pee soon, aren’t ya.”

“Yeah. And you can’t drop your pants and go in the bushes here. Wayyyy too cold. I got snow in my boot. My sock is wet. I can’t walk in wet socks.”

“You could if you wanted to. It’s like a hundred feet away.”

“Naw. I don’t like it. The feeling. My foot is cold. And wet. My sock is too squishy.”

“You’re demanding.” Scooping Tanner up with one hand, he settles him on his hip, then reaches for the bags he’d hung earlier on the rungs of the fence. “Ready to go? Go and see and mummy?”

“Ready, Freddy. I’m hungry.”

“Me too.”

“You’re ALWAYS hungry. Giants eat a lot. Bye” ! Tanner waves a mitten in farewell in Natalie’s direction. “I like your hat, by the way. I like the panda bear pin on it. It’s sparkly. And I like panda bears.”

“Well, I like your glasses. You’re awful cute, you know that.”

“Cute like daddy, smart like mummy,” Tanner declares, as he curls an arm around his dad’s neck. “Bye new friend!”

“Bye, kiddo. You be good. Although something tells me you always are.”

Tanner giggles. “You’ll change your mind once you get to know me. I can be really annoying.”

“Something tells me you’re more cute than annoying.”

“Just you wait,” he singsongs, and then gives one final wave before being carried out the gate.

#Tyler Rake #Tyler Rake fan fiction #Extraction fan fiction

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yurtletheturtlehenderson · 4 years

Text

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E9; Chapter Nine, The Gate - [Pt. 6 - FINAL PART]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

The survivors turn up the heat on the monstrous force that's holding Will hostage, and Y/n's powers are put to the ultimate test in the process. Eleven makes plans to finish what she started.

A/n: your snowball outfit is completely up to you since everyone is different. IF you need ideas, I have a pinterest board you can look at if you want. My username is the same as my Tumblr, which is in my description. Also, I was wrong again, THIS is the longest chapter. Happy reading!

We’re finally here!!

Ps: you think this chapter is cute jUST WAIT FOR COSMIC 3 🤭😉☺

||3rd Person POV||

"Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock,"

The light and blithe tune of Bobby Helms' classic, 'Jingle Bell Rock' fills the Hawkins Middle School gym as everyone prepares for the annual Snow Ball. A mix of faculty and volunteers are spread across the gym hanging decorations, including Mr. Clarke who finishes hanging the large banner reading; Hawkins Middle Snow Ball '84.

"Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time,"

The Byers house is once more filled with soft music and laughter, smiles are worn by all. In the time of Will's recovery, everyone had been ecstatic to find his memories promptly returned to him. The dark fog over his brain had been cast away, returning to him all his forgotten memories.

Many new drawings hung on the fridge mixed in with older ones, one, in particular, sat front and center for all to see. None more proud to see it than Joyce who had wrapped her son in a tearful hug upon seeing it. It was a bright and smiling picture of Bob in the classic Superman pose, a bright red cape flying behind him and written boldly beneath were three words; Bob Newby Superhero.

"Yeah, you got it. See?" Joyce says, a big smile evident in her voice.

"Mom!" Will pleas, thoroughly embarrassed.

There's another beat of silence as Joyce dances around the living room with her son, a smirking Jonathan off to the side filming.

"Jingle bell, jingle bell Jingle bell rock,"

The two bounce across the floor as he gets used to the rhythm, short bursts of frustrated muttering under his breath do not go unnoticed by his mother.

"Will, honey," she smirks knowingly when he worriedly meets her eyes. "You're doing fine."

He tries to shake the nerves away, and the rising blush attempting to make an appearance. He tries to take his mind off his anxieties and redirects his attention to his older brother. Jonathan seemed intent on getting every angle, and it only put Will on edge further despite the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. After all, it wouldn't be Jonathan if he wasn't trying to document everything.

Still, Will quirks a brow, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"Do you always have to be filming everything?" He asks.

"No, no," Jonathan chuckles, peeking out from behind the camera's scope to smirk at his brother. "Just the good stuff."

Will's eyes flicker from their bouncing feet and his hand on his mother's arm, the other in her hers, unsure. All week he had been racked with nerves as the Snow Ball got closer, not to mention how uptight he had felt all of that day.

Will wanted his dance with Y/n to be perfect.

He had decided early on he would ask her to dance, no matter how nervous he got. After she had saved him, things had been... different between them. They were both a bit of a blushy mess, but never said or did anything about it given Will's recovery. Something had already changed between them when he was rescued from the Upside Down. Since she kissed him on the cheek. But again, both of them had been too scared to do anything, or Dustin, Mike, or Lucas would interrupt before something could happen.

But now? The Snow Ball? Everyone had decided to go as a group, so they would meet up there anyway. But Will decided he couldn't hide it much longer, and he had hopeful suspicion she felt a similar way. So he planned on changing everything tonight.

But none of that put any of his nerves at ease.

What if she said no? Or worse, what is she said yes? And then he would be dancing like this with her and no one else would be, and she'd laugh.

"Are you sure people still dance like this?" Will asks finally.

"Yeah," Joyce shrugs, still bouncing them around the room. "It's what's happenin'."

He looks to her expectantly, only to see her smirking at him. Confused, but allowing himself to feel a bit hopeful, he looks to Jonathan past the camera. Unknowingly, his mother keeps her smirk screwed on her face as her eyes follow Will's.

"Is it what's happenin'?"

Jonathan shrugs, going along with the charade. "Yeah, yeah, it's what's happenin'."

Will lets out his arm, allowing his mother to duck and twirl. She unravels in step, spreading out her arms in a big show and a proud smile before returning to her son's arms.

"That was good," she cheers. "That was good, very good."

Will relaxes, nodding to himself and returning his attention to where he steps.

"Hey," she says softly, bringing his head up to look at her. She grins sweetly, her eyebrows shooting up. "You two are gonna have fun, I know it,"

Jonathan can't stop the chuckle before it breaks loose, and hides behind the JVC as Will turns pink.

"Mom!"

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The shutter of Karen Wheeler's polaroid camera hooks sharply into Mike's ears as does the blinding white light of the camera's flash that blinds him. The freshly printed polaroid falls to the ground and she quickly grabs it.

"Oh, wait!" She orders to a stiff and uncomfortable Mike who stands at the end of the stairs in a tie and sweater vest.

"Alright, that's enough," he huffs, hand still on the banister.

"One more, okay?" She pleas. "Just one more."

"Why?"

She grins proudly behind her camera and coos. "You look so handsome."

"Mom!"

"Mike." She retaliates, cheerfully.

The shutter clicks, grabbing another picture of Mike. This time, a pouty and exhausted expression on his face instead of a flat and embarrassed one.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Hey... wanna dance?"

Lucas shakes his head, hands on his hips as he tries to clear his head. He stands before his mirror, working through his nerves as he practices asking Max to dance. He felt a little silly doing it, but he deemed it necessary it if meant he was more prepared to dance with the girl who made his heart skip a beat.

"We should, you know, get out there, like, do our thing... Stop," he tells himself suddenly.

Even he felt himself growing uncomfortable at that request. But he tried again.

He looks at himself in the mirror, raising a finger and gesturing to his reflection. His mouth opens to say something clever, anything, but nothing comes out.

Okay, he needed to shake this. He was better than this! He smacks his face lightly, rubbing his puffed-out cheeks around trying to wake himself up a little more if possible.

"I love this song," he beams into the mirror with a charming smile. "You?"

Okay, that wasn't bad. That could work! He could feel the confidence swelling up in his chest like a balloon.

And then it popped.

"Yeah, I love it." Came an exaggerated, sickly sweet voice from his doorway. "But not as much as I love you, Lukey."

His face drops when he sees Erica in the mirror behind him, a mischievous grin stretching wide across her face. He whirls around to face her and stomps towards her as she bats her eyelashes, feigning innocence.

"Get out of my room!"

The door slams shut, leaving a giggling and rather pleased Erica out in the hallway.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Ow, ow. That hurts." Max protests.

Max sits in front of the mirror, her mother behind her as she pins back her long bangs in one thin braid. She smiles at her daughter through the mirror.

"It's gonna be worth it. Promise."

Max catches movement out of the corner of her eye, and she turns her head to see Billy who had come to a stop outside her door when she caught his eye. He looks at her blankly, testing the waters but she has none of it.

"Jingle bell time is a swell time,"

The radio continues it's Christmas melody, like Susan Hargrove, blissfully unaware of the hostile glare Max holds her stepbrother in. The threat of that night still burns behind her eyes, sending him walking.

She returns her attention to the mirror, where her mother finishes fluffing her long red curls and beams down at her.

"See? Pretty."

The word sends Max into a sigh, and she throws her head back with a groan.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!"

Dustin marches out of his room in a cornflower blue button-up, black suspenders, bowtie, and a frown. He passes his mother who sits in her usual armchair, she is cuddling the family's newest edition; a young kitten she had dubbed Tews. Y/n took quite a disliking to the name, wishing her mother had been less obvious she was trying to replace Mews. Especially since she knew what had really happened to their "missing" cat.

The kitten purrs in delight as Claudia Henderson strokes Tews behind his small ear. She looks over at her son who angrily enters the kitchen, his head of damp curls bouncing near his shoulders.

"Where did you see it last?"

"Right here," he argues, gesturing to the counter. "Where I put it."

"What's in there that's so important anyway?" She asks gently. "You look fabulous, baby."

Dustin's hardened exterior melts, his worry dissolving completely into relief when he spots the brown paper bag hiding away behind a box of 'MeowMix'. He picks it up, testing its weight and he smirks back at his mother.

"Got it,"

Dustin dashes across the living room and back into his bedroom, just missing the sharp and quick ring of the doorbell.

"That's your ride." She perks, eyes darting to the door. "Dusty!"

Dustin unravels the bag on his bed, pulling out the cold tin can of Farrah Fawcett Hairspray, and uncaps it. He glides towards the mirror, taking a deep breath, and starts the first coat.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Soft moonlight spills over the faces of Jim Hopper, El Hopper, and Y/n Henderson as the truck they sit in navigates through the trees and into town. In the time since their defeat of the Mind Flayer, and especially since the latest news of El's adoption, Y/n had been over a handful of times. The only other person having been allowed to the cabin being Mike, each visit carefully planned and spaced out so as to not draw any suspicion.

When the news had been broken to El, she hadn't stopped smiling for weeks. Not only was she finally allowed a normal life, but she was also finally surrounded by people who would love her and nurture her, always. No more uncertainty of where she would end up, or if she were ever allowed to leave. She knew now her freedom was certain.

When she had first broken the news to Y/n, her smile was still screwed to her face as she repeated the word with great excitement.

"Adopted!"

Y/n had erupted into giddy laughter, more than thrilled for her friend. "El, that's fantastic!"

And when Hopper brought home the dress he had picked out - with the welcomed help of Joyce - and told her about the Snow Ball? She was elated. It wasn't long before plans were made with Y/n. And even though Y/n was there to offer her help with getting ready, Hopper couldn't quite pull himself away from offering his own assistance with whatever the girls needed. Whether it be hair, make-up, or simple advice.

He was just happy to have a daughter to worry about again, and she didn't seem to mind.

They now traveled in comfortable silence, the Christmas music on the radio blended with the steady white noise of the engine, and the tires traveling on the road blanketed the silence. El and Y/n sat together in the back seat that had recently been installed, Hopper turning his attention into the radio to give them as much privacy as possible.

El kept her eyes glued on the passing scenery outside her window as she took several deep breaths, her right hand absent-mindedly twirling the braided blue hair tie Hopper had gifted to her around her wrist.

Y/n, recognizing the behavior all too well, smiled timidly at her friend.

"You excited?"

El turned to her friend, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach at the question. Her smile quickly matched Y/n's.

"Yes,"

She takes another deep breath, forcing her shoulders to relax and slowly they sink back down. El is quick to catch the quirked brow sent her way.

"It's okay to be nervous," Y/n says, drawing El's attention back to her.

El looks at her best friend, studying her. She feels herself relax a bit when she senses Y/n's words are completely genuine. Y/n offers El a soft smile that eases away any remaining tension. As the truck passes a clearing in the trees another ray of moonlight glides across Y/n's face, making El smile to herself.

'Pretty,' she thinks.

"It's completely normal to be nervous for a dance," she continues. "I'm nervous about it, too,"

El nods, thinking about this.

"I think it'll be different once you get there," her next words bring a small blush to El's cheeks. "Once you see Mike, I think it'll all get a bit easier,"

There's another beat of silence as El contemplates her words. Finally, she turns to Y/n, this time being the one to pull her attention away from the window to look at her. Her eyebrows raise in question, a small grin tugging at her lips.

"Same with you?"

Y/n's head tilts subconsciously to the side in question.

"What do you mean?"

"With Will? It'll be better when you see him?"

El grinned when Y/n broke away her gaze in a nervous laugh, her ears, and neck beginning to burn.

The two fell into shushed fits of laughter that would sneak back up on them for the rest of the ride. And as the two sat together, continuously feeding into one another's laughter, a warm thought crossed El's mind.

El wasn't quite used to this mood she was in. The mood Y/n had been bringing out in her lately since things had quieted down. It was a giddy and mischievous, light-hearted banter that always cropped up when she felt most relaxed. But she quite enjoyed it, and the feeling it brought to her chest.

El supposed this was what it felt like to have a sister, that this was what it meant. And she enjoyed it immensely.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Steve's car comes to a gradual halt in front of Hawkins middle, a less than eager Dustin in the passenger seat. He had to say he was quite impressed with the kid's technique, he did okay on the hair in his opinion.

"All right, buddy, here we are."

Dustin's eyes are fixed on the propped open entrance to the school where they were taking tickets and his stomach flutters. He takes a long and shaky deep breath.

"So, remember, once you get in there..."

Dustin looks to his friend and nods, affirmatively. "Pretend like I don't care."

"You don't care,"

"I don't care,"

"There you go," Steve chirps. "You're learning, my friend. You're learning."

Dustin nods as if psyching himself up and he eagerly reaches for the review mirror to check his reflection. Wounded at Dustin's self-doubt, Steve frowns, pulling the boy's hand away from the mirror with a gentle voice.

"Hey,"

"What?"

"Come on. You look great, okay? You look," He says, readjusting the mirror and turning to Dustin, giving him an okay sign. "You look great,"

"Okay? Now you're gonna go in there..."

"Yeah,"

"Look like a million bucks," he continues, matter of factly.

"Yeah!"

"And you're gonna slay 'em dead."

Dustin nods, feeling his excitement - and confidence - build at Steve's reassuring words.

"Like a lion." He adds.

He draws back his lips and rolls his tongue in his signature purr. Steve bites back a wince and says as gently as possible. "Yeah, don't do that, okay?"

"Okay," he nods.

Steve sticks out his left palm in gesture, and Dustin takes it happily giving it a firm shake.

"Good luck."

Dustin nods in thanks and exits the car with a blooming sense of pride. Unknowingly, Steve lingers behind assuring he gets in safely, a proud smile tugging at his lips.

When Dustin enters, he takes one swift deep breath expelling the creeping anxieties. He makes his way to the ticket table that Mr. Clarke manages. The teacher in question looks up from his clipboard and smirks.

"Looking very snazzy tonight, sir."

Dustin nods proudly. "Thank you, m'lord."

Dustin drops his ticket into the bowl as Mr. Clarke jots down his name. Steve watches happily from the car, and without his permission, his eyes drift past the young Henderson boy and through the gym doors windows. He can make out Nancy at the punch bowl near the entrance. Her hair is up in curls and on her face is her usual warm smile as she passes out punch to kids.

He feels a tug at his heart at the sight, wishing more than anything things had gone differently between them. But the words exchanged between that one night, ring in his ears. And yet he does not regret them.

Steve knew as he looked at her now, things had worked out for the best. She seemed truly happy, and in the end, that's all he ever wanted for her. A bittersweet look crosses his features as he silently says goodbye to his first love, and quietly he takes off into the night.

Dustin enters the gym, a new rush of excitement overpowering him as he sees the gym transformed. Curtains of silver, and flowing streamers hung in the center stretching out over the center of the gym in a beautiful canopy. The entrance he walked through was lined with three large balloon archways and several soft twinkle lights dangled from the ceiling and walls like stars. And at the very edge of the canopy, was the large glittery letters that hung before it; 'Snow Ball'.

It was surprisingly breathtaking for a small, middle school dance but it was still appreciated. Another deep breath leaves his chest before he stalks forward to tackle the task at hand; finding the rest of the party amongst the crowd. As he passes the punch table, he sends a smirk and a quick salute to the young woman behind it.

"Hey, Nance,"

"Hey," she smiles back.

As the ladle sinks once more into the punch bowl, collecting the contents for the next cup, a young boy approaches the table.

"What's in this?" He asks curiously.

A wistful smirk flickers across her face as she hands him the filled cup. "Pure fuel."

He stalks off with a curious look into his cup, and Nancy takes a moment to rest her arms against the table. Her eyes travel across the gym at the younger kids having fun, and it reminds her of simpler times. She stops when she sees a group of kids at the photo arch, smiling wide as they pose for a photo. The camera flashes and they wander off as Jonathan prepares the next shot. He feels a pair of eyes on him, and he glances over his shoulder to find Nancy.

The two smile warmly at one another, a small but noticeable spark deep in their chests.

Dustin approaches his friends with a grin and enters with a showy twirl, excited to show off his new do. His heart sinks when he's met with several chuckles. Mike even jumped up from his seat, wide-eyed.

"Holy shit, what happened to you?"

His friends circle around him, each of them failing to fight back a smirk.

"What do you mean, what happened?"

"What?" Mike asks bewildered.

"Dude--" Lucas begins, only to be cut off by Max.

"-Your hair!"

Lucas steps forward with a mischievous smirk, his hand reaching up to prod at his friend's styled hair. "Is there a bird nesting in there?"

Dustin pulls away, throwing Lucas's hand away from his head. His eyes dart back and forth between his four giggling friends and whines.

"No, what do you mean, 'what's wrong'?" He glares at Lucas. "There's no bird nesting in here, asshole. Okay?"

Dustin subconsciously pats his work, assuring not a single hair had gone astray. "I worked hard."

Everyone's attention is pulled to the dance floor at the newest song change. Quickly recognizable as Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time blasts through the gym's speakers, they all watch as kids all across the gym pair up for the first slow dance of the night.

Lucas takes a deep breath and turns excitedly to Max.

"Max..." she turns to see him grinning nervously at her. "Um, it's nice, right?"

He looks around at the room, gesturing to the song. A wide and bemused smile breaks out on her face as he continues to stumble. All the while, a deflated Dustin watches the exchange.

"Um, you wanna like, you know...?" Lucas gestures between himself and Max, a hopeful look on his face. "Like, just... you and me?"

"Are you trying to ask me to dance, stalker?"

His face falls as he begins to panic. "Um, no...? Of course not."

The expression breaks when he notices the great look of amusement on her face, and he perks a bit.

"Unless you want to?"

Max sighs despite her grin, interlocking her hand with his own and she shakes her head.

"So~ smooth," she chides lightly, pulling him onto the dance floor. "Come on,"

The three remaining boys stand awkwardly watching off to the side, a bit unsure of what to do. This feeling only worsens for Will when he hears the dreaded nickname he had been itching to escape since the moment he was tagged.

"Hey, Zombie Boy,"

His eyes are pulled to a girl he recognized from class approaching him. She offers a small smile.

"Wanna dance?"

A pit forms in his stomach at the unexpected obstacle. He was nervous enough building himself up to ask Y/n. Just thinking about seeing her soon sent his heart aflutter in the best way possible, but this was not something he could have possibly anticipated. Or asked for.

He gulps, unexpectedly swallowing a large ball of saliva as he begins to panic. His words come out in a panicked stutter.

"I- Well, I, uh... I'm-"

His eyes dart quickly between Dustin and Mike, silently asking for help but he only finds expectant - and a slightly threatening on Dustin's part - expressions. Dustin elbows him lightly and Will clears his throat, collecting his breath.

"Thanks," he mutters with a polite smile, slowly gathering courage. "But, I'm waiting for someone. Sorry..."

She smiles, nodding. "No worries,"

Her eyes catch a familiar face across the room. She sends one more polite smile at Will and the others before departing towards her friend. The three friends stand rooted to the floor as an awkward silence hangs in the air. Mike looks down at Will, his eyebrows shooting up weakly in a surprised manner.

Upon seeing this, Will scoffs nervously, both of their eyes returning to the entrance as they wait. Unbeknownst to them, Dustin's eyes sweep across the gym at all the new couples, starting with Max and Lucas. He can't deny the pang he felt in his chest, but he also wasn't surprised at the turn of events. It was something he had seen coming for a while.

Instead, he scans the gym and he smiles to himself when he sees his classmate Stacy across the room. She was laughing amongst a group of her friends.

Dustin tugs at his blazer readjusting it and lets out a puff of air grabbing Will and Mike's attention. He turns to them.

"Wish me luck, gentlemen." He nods in the girl's direction with a confident simper. "I'm going in."

Dustin sends his friends a wink and a click of his tongue before marching onto the battlefield. Will and Mike watch taken aback, turning to one another as they share a bemused look.

The closer Dustin grows the more intense his heart beats, but he embraces it, Steve's words still ringing clearly in his ears. When he apparatuses the group and she doesn't seem to notice, he brushes it off at first. She was deep in conversation.

"Stacy?"

Her conversation continues without skipping a beat.

"He just broke up with Jennifer."

Her eyes bug out slightly as she continues, shaking her head a bit in disgust.

"Plus he's, like, not my type." She laughs.

Dustin clears his throat as politely as he can, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

"Stacy?"

Finally, she breaks away from her conversation, clearly filled with great agitation. Her eyes widen when she spots his hair, not bothering to hide her distaste.

"Yeah?" She spits.

Dustin brushes it off in the moment, clears his throat, and bows his head as he gently extends his right hand out to her. He sends her a warm and charming smile.

"Shall we?"

Her eyes bug out once more, a chuckle leaving her lips.

"Um, no, thanks," she scoffs, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The girls around her burst into fits of laughter, and she joins them. Together, the pack of girls stride off, still overwhelmed with laughter as they begin talking about Dustin. None of them bothered to wait until he was out of earshot.

He watches sullenly as they disappear through the crowd, and he tries his best to stamp down the aching in his chest. He allows himself to perk a bit when he spots two other girls chatting quietly off to the side looking rather bored.

Dustin begins making his way towards them, but it isn't long before he halts in his path. Upon seeing him, they quickly whispered back and forth between one another before promptly scurrying.

He blinks several times, trying to keep the tears that threaten to spill at bay. He looks around the gym, heart sinking completely when he finds everyone in pairs. Everyone except himself.

He was completely alone.

Gifted with a small lull in which there was no punch to serve, Nancy's gaze sweeps the dancefloor. Her jovial composure fades almost instantly when she spots a lost and wounded Dustin planted on the sidelines. His shoulders sag and his lip begins to quiver as he searches the crowd sadly. Not a moment later does he slink off, disappearing behind the curtain of streamers.

The sight is enough to send a crack through her heart.

Dustin sits on the bleachers, his hands tucked into his lap as he invests all his energy into suppressing his sobs. His bottom lip quivered with intensity and a rather large tear he had been holding back finally broke free, gliding down his cheek.

It takes far too long in his taste for him to register the figure approaching is heading for him. Nancy pulls back the streamer curtain and offers him a gentle smile.

"Hey,"

He straightened immediately, swiping furiously at his cheeks as he tries to get rid of the evidence.

"Hey," he sniffles.

"Wanna dance?" She asks, offering her right hand.

He looks up at her in shock, his wide eyes still glassy. "What?"

"Come on," she grabs his hand, pulling him up to his feet and through the veil of streamers. "Let's go,"

He looks around bewildered as he finds himself pulled to the dancefloor. But already he can feel himself perking, and he smiles weakly at Nancy, not exactly knowing what to do now.

As if reading his mind, she smiles, grabbing his hands and gently placing them in her waist. "Here,"

He freezes, still not quite believing what is unfolding. She places her palms on his shoulders and he smiles wistfully. A wide smile plasters Nancy's face when she notes his distance, and she tries to reassure him.

"Closer,"

He stumbles forward a few inches, his eyes on her still wide and moonstruck.

"A little closer," she assures, smirking fully now. "Okay,"

Dustin's chest swells at her kind smile, and already he can feel his confidence returning. Both of them have yet to notice the spiteful glares being sent their way from Stacy and her friends.

"Now feel the music," he head sways gently with the beat. "The rhythm. Start to move to it."

Dustin's feet finally receive his brain's commands, and they begin to shuffle slowly as the dance begins. Nancy nods, eagerly.

"Yeah," she chirps, brightening his grin. "There."

"Good?" He asks hopefully.

She nods.

"That's good. Yeah."

"Okay,"

"You know," she begins. "Out of all my brother's friends, you're my favorite."

His grin stretches from ear to ear, his chest swelling once more in pride.

"You've always been my favorite."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she nods, her own heart-swelling seeing him happy again.

The distant sound of murmuring brings Nancy's attention across the room, where she spots a pack of perturbed girls. One brunette in particular, who stood at the center with a flustered glare fixed on Nancy. Upon being caught, she blinks rapidly trying to brush it off and looks away.

Dustin's eyes follow Nancy's, and that's when she returns her attention back to Dustin.

"Girls this age are," she rolls her eyes quickly. "dumb. But give them a few years, and they'll wise up. And, uh,"

Nancy softens when she notes Dustin is still beaming at her, hanging on her every word.

"you're gonna drive 'em nuts."

"You think so?" He asks hopefully.

She nods, a series expression befell her briefly. "Oh, I know so."

The two fall into a comfortable silence as they enjoy one another's company, and the music that fills their ears and sways their bodies.

Just across the room, still sat glumly at their table as they wait - and hope - are Will and Mike. They look around the room at all the dancing couples, and all they wish for is the sight of the two party members who have yet to show. Other than the occasional word, they sit in silence.

Will is the first to break it with a sigh, and he sits forward in his chair before rising. Mike looks up at him, his attention snapping towards Will as his mind jumps to the worst possible conclusion.

"Everything okay?"

Will nods, forcing a smile through his nerves.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I think I'm gonna freshen up a bit though. Use the bathroom while I can."

Mike nods, less than convinced though he shoves down the thought. He merely watches with a worried frown as Will stalks off towards the back of the gym. He relaxes a bit when he sees how many times Will's eyes fly to the entrance on his way back, and he supposed the jitters were all it really was after all.

Mike sighs, slumping back into his chair and he counts the minutes as they march on.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Joyce watches as her wind carries anther fallen leaf across the pavement, and checks her watch for the thousandth time. Logically she knows the dance is far from over, but she can't bring herself to leave. A familiar gruff, but soft voice pulls her attention up.

"Hey,"

Hopper approached her with a weak smile, hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Thought I might find you here," he says.

Joyce lets out a defeated breath meant to be a laugh, her body leaning against her green Ford Pinto.

"Will wanted me to give him some space, so..." she shrugs, and a small chuckle breaks loose from her chest. "I'm giving him a few feet."

Hopper pulls a pack of cigarettes that had been hiding in his pocket, gives it a small tap and he smirks at the woman.

"What d'ya say?" He opens up the lid, pulling out one of the remaining cigarettes. "I'm pretty sure that Mr. Cooper retired in the seventies, so..."

He stepped forward to join her against the hood of the car, speaking through a smirk as he lit the cigarette that dangled from his lips. "we might be okay."

He takes one long puff of the cigarette, letting the smoke sting his lungs and he passes the stick onto her. She gladly accepts, taking the next puff only to be sent into a coughing fit. They both laugh lightly, and she passes the cigarette back to Hopper with a wince. It really was like old times.

He always picked the worse brands.

His next question does not exactly surprise her, but it definitely catches her emotions off guard. Immediately she feels a large lump growing in her throat.

"How are you holding up?"

She shakes her head, eyes falling back to the concrete as she nibbles at her nail.

"Ya know," She mumbles.

"Yeah, I mean," he nods, tsking another drag of the cigarette. "that feeling never goes away. But it is true what they say, you know..."

Joyce looks up at the man that towers over her, he holds the bud in his hands with a frown before handing it back to her.

"Every day does get a little easier."

Joyce takes the cigarette in her shaky hand, taking one long puff hoping it will replace the sadness that sits on her heart. But when the smoke leaves her lips the weight remains, and she finds it growing even heavier as the memory engulfs her once more. Her head grows heavy and dangles off her shoulders and into Hopper's side.

He can feel his heart lurch at her sadness, wanting nothing more than to take it all away. But he knows more than anything that healing took time. Instead, the two remained locked in one another's embrace. They feel the breeze carry the snippy winter air over their bodies unaffected in each other's warmth.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Y/n Henderson! I thought that was you,"

"Hey, Mr. Clarke,"

El timidly follows Y/n to the table with the familiar man who she almost immediately recognized. El watched silently from Y/n's side as she placed the bright red ticket in a glass bowl on the table. El froze suddenly when Mr. Clarke suddenly addressed her.

"Well, hello there, Miss," his eyes tightened into a friendly squint, and he gestured towards her. "Have we met? You look awfully familiar."

El's eyebrows twitched upwards, her mouth parting as she looked to Y/n not quite sure what to do. Y/n quickly jumped in with a rigid smile.

"She gets that a lot, but no," she explained quickly. "This is an old friend of mine, El,"

Y/n meets eyes briefly with her friend and they share a quick smile before returning nonchalantly to Mr. Clarke, hooking their arms together.

"She's my guest for the night,"

The man nodded in understanding, clicking his tongue as Y/n handed him El's ticket along with the special form.

"Ah, well," smiling up at the pair, unknowingly giving El a strikingly similar welcome as he had the year before. "Welcome to Hawkins Middle, El. We're happy to have you."

The two look at one another before departing, the largest of grins breaking out on their face. They burst into another fit of giggles as they head for the door, leaving Mr. Clarke to shake his head and smile as he welcomes the last of the guests.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Every breath you take,"

Mike sits alone, twiddling his thumbs. A small sigh builds up in his chest as he realizes yet another song change has been made, and still no El. He wasn't mad, just worried. All he wanted was to see her. To dance with her. To hold her.

"Every move you make,"

The usual creak of the gym's wooden door rings in his ears once more, and lazily he turns to see who else had risen his spirits. But his heart stops when he sees two figures entering the gym. One of them, his long time friend who glances excitedly behind her as she beckons the other shy figure behind her.

When he realized it was really El, he jumped to his feet, unable to blink. Too afraid she would vanish in thin air. She was gorgeous. Her hair was slicked back in adorable dark curls, and the dress she wore complimented her perfectly. But none of that mattered to Mike, just her being there was enough to take his breath away.

"Every bond you break Every step you take"

The girls crept forward under the archway of balloons, their eyes sweeping across the crowd. El breathing stopped momentarily just as Mike had. Y/n noticed this and smiled. The two were locked in a wide-eyed stare across the gym, and she laughed silently to herself.

"I'll be watching you,"

Mike watched as Y/n gave her a playful nudge, urging her forward. She watched warmly as the two glid across the sidelines, coming to a gradual stop when they came face to face.

Mike shook his head, unable to rid himself of the beaming smile even if he wanted to.

"You look beautiful," he blurts.

Her gaze drops to the floor in a wild blush, a bright smile on her face to rival his. He casts one glance at the dancing pairs around them and looks back at her.

"Do you wanna dance?"

She looks around the room nervously for a moment. Her eyes wander back to Mike's, and she looks up at him shyly.

"I... don't know how." She admits.

He shrugs, much to her relief.

"I don't either. Do you want to figure it out?"

El quickly nods, feeling her heart burst when he takes her hand in his. They wander onto the dance floor together, both a nervous - but happy - blushing mess.

Y/n smiles to herself once more from the edge of the gym when she sees them disappear into the crowd. Her eyes continue to venture around the room, her heart sinking when she finds no sign of Will.

"How my poor heart aches,"

Together, El and Mike blend in with the crowd of kids when they found a spot to dance. Gently, he takes her hands and places them over his shoulders.

"Like this,"

She smiles, her hands creeping up further to rest comfortably around his neck and he nods.

"Yeah, like that,"

They chuckle lightly as they softly begin to sway, loving nothing more than being in each other's company.

"Every vow you break,"

Nancy and Dustin begin twirling further, a joyous laugh bouncing between them.

When Y/n spots them, among Lucas and Max, the smile grows smaller. Both were pleasant sights, as each pair seemed to be having endless amounts of fun. But like her brother minutes ago, she began to feel lost.

"Every smile you fake, Every claim you stake,"

Finally, she spots Jonathan off by himself, taking advantage of the lack of kids waiting to get their pictures taken to clean his camera lens. Quietly she slips over to his side.

"Jonathan?"

His head picks up, and he smiles when he sees her.

"Hey, Y/n,"

His happy composure quickly falls when he sees her worried expression.

"What's wrong?"

In the back of the gym, the door to the locker room opens and Will enters boredly. He wipes off beads of water he had missed when drying his hands. He trudges back to his spot where he left Mike, his eyes glued to the floor. His head picks up when he sees Mike is no longer there, and he scans the crowd. His eyes widen when he sees him dancing with someone, El he realized it was. His heart began beating sporadically when he realizes what this meant.

"Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace,"

Quickly, Will shuffles forward, even rising himself up onto his tiptoes as to see over the sea of heads to find her.

"I dream at night I can only see your face. I look around and it's you I can't replace,"

"Hey Will the Wise,"

There it was, the voice he had simultaneously been waiting for, and afraid of all night, rang in his ears. Her voice was gentle and equally as nervous.

He blushes at the name, until he sees her. At that moment he swears he forgot how to breathe. When she caught his gaze - and the blush that raged like wildfire on his cheeks - a small laugh escaped. Her hands were shaking but in the best way possible. Like Will, she was just happy to have found him. To be here with him finally.

"You, uh, you're,"

Her eyebrows rose as did the heat in her cheeks at his sudden stutter. And though he seemed to be at an unending loop, he couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. It spread from ear to ear as he looked at her. Finally, he cleared his throat when he decided this was not how he wanted to remember this moment. The thought alone seemed to do the trick and he shook out his nerves as best as he could and exhaled.

"You look..." he shakes his head, unable to find the proper word, but none seemed to do her justice. "amazing."

He winced a little on the inside, finding the word ill-suited for how he usually saw her. He tries once more to shake it off, and just as Lucas had, the millions of scenarios run through his on how to ask her. But before his mouth could even part to speak, she extended her hand.

A playful smile paints her lips at the cheesy words that form on her tongue, but she leans into it, happy to see the delighted and bright warm smile that breaks out on Will's face as he chuckles.

"Care to dance?"

Will feels as if his chest just might burst with the rapid speed of his heart, but he couldn't be happier. His mind jumps back to the bit of advice Jonathan had given him when helping him get ready. At the time he had thought it had been too much, but now as he looked at Y/n, the two of them wearing big goofy grins, he quickly finds himself extending his right arm for her to take.

Gladly, her arm snakes under his arm, trying her best to suppress the violent storm of butterflies raging in her stomach, not realizing Will is doing the same. The pair find themselves in the center of the gym, and shyly their hands come to wrap around one another. Gradually, they begin to sway with the music. They share the occasional giggle as their gaze falls to the floor so as to not step on one another's toes in their nervous state.

In near percent sync, the gym full of students sway with the beat of The Police's Every Breath You Take. Everyone in question can feel themselves getting lost in the beautiful, fleeting moment.

The giddy, and frivolous pair of Lucas and Max twirl with the music. Max's eyes fall briefly to Lucas's lips as he smiles down at her. She can't help but blush back up at the boy who had managed to worm his way past her walls and made her feel welcome. Finally, she pulls him forward, bringing him into a soft and sweet kiss.

"I feel so cold and I long for your embrace,"

She pulls back, smirking up at his awestruck face. He blinks slowly, trying to process what had just happened and he can no longer contain the excited grin breaking out on his face. Softly Max giggles at his reaction, and brings her head to rest on his shoulder.

"I keep crying baby, baby, please,"

El and Mike remain with eyes locked on one another, their hearts beating at dangerous speeds as they sway with one another. The first and only time their eye contact is broken is when simultaneously, their heads inch closer together until their lips meet in a fiery explosion that melts their hearts.

Even when they pull apart, they can longer stand the small distance between them. In a happy, content lull, their foreheads meet, eyes fluttering closed as they lose themselves in the music.

"How my poor heart aches, with every step you take,"

At the very heart of the Snow Ball, Y/n's gaze mingles properly with Will's for the first time since they started dancing, and immediately her skin flushes. Heat resides the most in her cheeks and the tips of her ears and even the back of her neck. Will was her best friend in the whole world, the one she could always confide in and felt most comfortable around. But now she could hardly look at him without melting into a puddle. The way he treated her, just the way he looked at her now set her heart aflutter.

"Every move you make and every vow you break,"

They had been turning numbly in circles, and all she could do to take her mind off of her nerves was to put all her attention into commanding her feet. And yet, anytime she dares steal a glance at him, and feared he'd grow annoyed, he would just be smiling at her. It was a smile of genuine admiration, and it was as if he was silently telling her, 'it's okay. I'm nervous, too,'.

"Every smile you fake, every claim you stake, I'll be watching you,"

Her anxieties began to tell her to look away again, but now as she found herself looking into his kind hazel eyes, she couldn't bear to pull herself away. Y/n is quickly reminded of the dark times just one month ago. How awful it had been to look into these eyes and see nothing but hatred and darkness. But strangely, it assured only further now. These were the kind eyes that had always admired her from afar. These were the kind eyes she had missed so much.

"Every smile you fake, every claim you stake,"

The way he had always felt about her was undeniable, and as she felt the warmth brewing in her chest, spreading to her stomach and even dizzying her head, she knew she felt it too. She wondered why it had taken so long to get there, but more than anything she knew she wanted to hold onto it. What he had felt all these years.

Simultaneously, their smiles melted away, the blood pumping fast through their veins. Will and Y/n both felt it, the unbreakable magnetic pull that drew them towards one another. The closer they grew the quicker their racing hearts blended closer into one sporadic heartbeat. Finally, their lips met in a tender kiss as the music swelled around them. Will tried desperately not let his knees buckle, his stomach doing flips. It felt as if a firecracker had went off inside of Y/n's stomach, the warmth in her chest exploded and spread all the way to her fingertips, unknowingly her hands and arms warming his shoulders.

The kiss had lasted seconds but felt like a lifetime in the best way possible. It was a kiss that still lingered on their lips when they broke apart, a feeling they never wanted to let go of. The pair broke out into matching grins that neither one of them could contain. Finally, they were together.

"I'll be watching you,"

Finally, they were happy. And they would be, in the many months to follow.

"I'll be watching you,"

The four young pairs - even Dustin and Nancy who happily bounced their heads along to the rhythm of the beat - danced long into the night. The music from the speakers blasting through the gym, and echoing out into the cold December night.

"Every breath you take and every move you make Every bond you break, every step you take"

Each and every one of them blissfully unaware of the greatest threat Hawkins had ever known, towering above their heads in the Upside Down.

Watching.

I'll be watching you.

Waiting.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

More helpful links for the Black Lives Matter movement. Please don't ever stop fighting!!

Justice For Breonna!

I'm sure I must have shared this so many times but seriously, her killers are STILL free. This particular petition is SO close to meeting it's newest goal of 10,500,000. Just shy a couple hundred thousand. End this now, call, email, sign petitions to get her killers arrested. Sign this petition and share it,, HOWEVER YOU WANT. To a friend with a simple link, your insta, wattpad, idc just please share! Their names are BRETT HANKISON, JONATHAN MATTINGLY & MILES COSGROVE

Petitions That Still Haven't Met Their Goals

"Here’s a doc with petitions to sign that’s being updated regularly"

[Link]

If you are on tumblr, and have some money you want to donate to blm but also love BTS, I found this cool masterlist of accounts that take commissions for BTS work and all money goes to BLM!

[Link]

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