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sp0o0kylights · 4 months

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Steve’s mother was the black sheep of her family.

Stella hated the snow, and the isolation of the small town she grew up in. Hated the bright colors, and sheer friendliness of the neighbors. How everyone was always involved in each other’s business, at all times--and how getting involved meant sharing.

Giving up your time for the greater good.

‘We’re one big family!’ Her father had told her, and hadn’t understood why she found the concept utterly revolting.

Just like she couldn’t understand why they never agreed with her ideas. Things would run so much more smoothly with more rules, better regulations. They didn’t need to rely on magic when they had spreadsheets.

Who cared if some people were upset? If some of the workers where put out of jobs, or “hurt” by her changes?

That was how evolution worked.

The strongest survived, and the business world demanded only the strongest of leaders.

She didn’t regret leaving.

Didn’t look behind her for a second, all too happy to go to college and find herself a rich man to make miserable.

Even had a child, though they were never her favorite things. Her Steven of course, would be so much different from the children she’d grown up among or the ones she helped oversee for her father's work.

He wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t shriek or scream or make demands of busy adults. Steven would know his place, and he would stay in it until he had grown into a reasonable adult.

No unrealistic expectations, not from her son.

And absolutely, 100%, no magic.

(Unfortunately for Stella Harrington and her relationship with her son, magic does not obey the whims of one person.

Particularly not that kind of magic, one far older than Stella could comprehend.)

See: Steve knew where he came from. Would never say it of course, outright refused to put a name to it.

Knew better, even when he was young, than to speak it aloud.

Though his mother had long abandoned any powers given to her, Steve was still born with his. When lonely, he often found he could wander into a different kind of woods.

One absolutely covered in snow.

Steve should have been cold in those woods, but he never was, not even the first time he stumbled into them at the tender age of seven.

These trees never scared him. Not like the ones in his backyard sometimes did.

The whole place felt rather welcoming in a way his own house had never been, and as Steve had stumbled along following the faint glow of lights, he found himself feeling more relaxed.

Happy.

Even at seven, Steve was smart enough to know he needed to turn back, after a while. That his mother would be furious with him if he caused her to miss the meeting she needed to go to.

That he had a responsibility to be where she put him.

He hadn’t crested the hill yet. Hadn’t quite figured out where the glow was coming from, when he realized he needed to go home--but his trip wasn’t wasted.

A baby reindeer distracted him.

It peeked around a tree, and upon seeing him, came dashing his way.

Steve should be scared, would have been scared, but something in him told him this creature was his friend. He held out his hands and greeted it as such.

He was right.

A few more little reindeer came up over the hill, running around him, and together he played what felt like a game as he walked back in the direction he thought his house lay.

Said his goodbyes when the snow started to wane and made promises to return.

Found, sadly, that he wouldn’t get another chance too for almost a full year. He was too busy, signed up for multiple sports, handed over to tutors and taught life skills by a parade of nannies, none of whom ever stayed for long.

He dreamed of the snow.

The gentle way the woods felt.

It was what made him tell the lie that let him go back.

Steve was eight by then, and smart to how his parents and nannies worked. That some of them overlapped their stays when his parents went away.

So it was easy to tell Mary that she could go.

That it was okay, really. Carla had just called, she was on her way.

Just like it was easy to tell Carla that his parents' plans had changed. Let her know she wasn’t needed after all.

What harm would it do if he was alone for a night? His father kept telling him he was a big boy. Soon he’d be on his own anyway.

The snow found him faster this time, when he went for his walk in the woods.

Delighted, Steve kept an eye out for the reindeer, fingers skittering across tree bark as he looked around, once again tracking the soft glow that came up over the hill.

It was a long walk to that light, but Steve didn’t mind.

Not until he heard the crying.

“Hello?” Steve called, voice prim and proper as always. It was a little high--Tommy teased him endlessly about it, but he had been assured it would deepen.

The crying didn’t stop, but things got quiet for a moment, in the way that happens when someone was trying hard not to be found.

(Steve knew exactly how that felt, not wanting to be found. Wanting to cry for a moment, without someone telling you to toughen up, be a man, ‘God Steven you’re too old for all this--’)

“It’s okay!” Steve rushed out, trying to locate where the muffled sounds were coming from before they ran away. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise!”

Which is right about when he almost tripped over the other kid.

He was hunched against a tree, knees drawn into his chest with brown hair hanging into his eyes. His clothes were a odd--a little like how his teacher had made Steve dress when they’d done a play about the middle ages.

“Who’re you?” The boy asked defensively, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

“I’m Steve.” He said, before kneeling down himself. “Did you get hurt?”

“No.” The boy sniffled. After a moment he added; “M’ Eddie.”

His eyes were large, and reminded Steve of a puppy he once saw. All cute and round and shiny.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.” The boy said and it wasn’t an accusation, but it wasn’t friendly.

“I’m not from around here.” Steve told him. “At least, I don’t think I am.”

It was kind of hard to know, given Steve wasn’t sure where here was, exactly--and absolutely knew better than to ask his parents.

“Well then you should go home.” The boy sniffled again.

Steve wasn't put off by it. Tommy had been a lot meaner than this after all, when they'd first met.

Given their parents made them play together anyways, Steve felt he he could get this kid to like him too.

"I'm gonna, later. I'm looking for something right now though--you wanna come?"

Which he felt was a pretty nice offer. Might distract Eddie from whatever was bothering him.

(Steve liked distractions, when he was upset. It made it a lot easier to swallow down the bad feelings.)

“You shouldn’t hang around me.” Eddie said suddenly. His nose was as red as his eyes, and he refused to look Steve in the eye as he hunched further into himself. “I’m bad.”

“You’re not bad.” Steve told him.

He got a glare for it.

“How would you know?”

“I dunno.” Steve stopped, brows furrowing in thought. “I just--kinda do. I always have.”

Which was true. Steve was awfully good at identifying who was good and who was bad, from adults to his fellow classmates. It had gotten him in trouble before his mother had sat him down, and told him he just had a good business sense.

That he needed to keep to himself who was good and who was bad, especially the adults, because it wasn’t his place to say such things.

(‘But it’ll serve you well in the future.’ His mother told him, tucking an errant strand of hair back behind his ear. ‘Particularly for business deals.’)

“Well you’re wrong then, because I was born bad.” Eddie scoffed, arms crossing over his chest. “Everyone says so!”

It was dramatic as hell, and Steve couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him.

“I’m sorry!” He said immediately, when Eddie’s face flushed angrily. “I’m sorry it’s just--you look kinda silly.”

He mimed Eddie’s stance for a moment, including a dramatic little huff of breath. It unbalanced him, and Steve ended up dropping on his butt, which made him to laugh even louder.

“No one who does that can be bad.” He said finally, through the giggles.

“That’s--stupid. You’re stupid.” Eddie said, except he was clearly trying to hide his own laugh at Steve’s antics.

“I’m not stupid--and you’re not bad. I promise.” Steve said, before reaching out a hand, one pinkie extended. “I’ll swear on it.”

“What’re you doing?” Eddie asked him, but he didn’t sound sad now. More curious.

Curious Steve knew, was a lot better than sad.

“You wrap your pinkie finger with mine. Then it’s a pinkie swear, which is like--unbreakable!”

That’s what Carol had told him at least, and so far it had held true. Steve figured it must work doubly so, in a place like this.

Cautiously, Eddie reached out, entwining his pinkie with Steve’s. Like any minute Steve would snatch his hand back, and tell him it was all a joke.

Instead, Steve bobbed their hands up and down once, before letting go and asking; “Do you wanna go find that light with me? I wanna see what it is.”

He pointed up the hill, toward the glow that had haunted his dreams.”

“Oh that’s boring.“ Eddie told him, but he had a grin on his face that felt infectious. “It’s just the town. I’ll show you something way better!”

“Yeah?” Steve asked, and let Eddie snatch his wrist, launching to his feet and bringing Steve with him.

In doing so his hair blew, revealing that he had pointed ears.

Steve stared at them in awe as Eddie tugged him further into the trees, until they burst into a clearing filled with gingerbread houses. They ranged from teeny tiny, to large enough that Steve and Eddie could walk in them, and it wasn’t long before the two started a game of tag, broken only by laughter.

In retrospect, this was his downfall.

Because the little gingerbread houses were really cool, and Eddie was a lot of fun. It was easy to play with him--like the two of them had been made for each other.

Steve had never connected like this with a person before. Never had so much fun with someone before.

Not even with Tommy and Carol, his very best friends.

Eddie seemed to feel the same way, and not even an hour into meeting him, Steve knew he would remember this for the rest of his life.

Remember Eddie.

Steve ended up losing track of time. Stayed so long that his lie was discovered.

The person who came looking for him wasn’t his parents, but looked weirdly like his mom--if his mom were a boy.

He introduced himself as Steve’s Uncle Nick after he called the two boys to him, hands on his hips in a way Steve kind of wanted to mimic.

Steve knew it to be true, in the same way he knew how to find the forest, and if someone was good or bad. A feeling inside him he could tap into, warm and fuzzy in a way that, should he ever be pressed, he might admit to feeling like magic.

“Now how did you get here?” Uncle Nick asked him, like Steve's presence was a surprising little puzzle.

Knowing better than to lie, sensing that his Uncle would be able to tell if he did anyways, Steve told him the truth.

It got him exactly what he expected, which was an upset adult.

Unlike his mom or dad however, his Uncle didn’t yell at him, or grab Steve’s hand in a punishing grip. No nails dug into his skin, no harsh words were hissed. Uncle Nick simply pinched the tip of his nose, before giving a sigh that shook his massive frame.

“Your mom is going to be very upset.” He said finally.

Like Steve didn't know.

“I just wanted to see the lights.”

“The lights--oh.” Uncle Nick glanced over his shoulder. “Could you see them from your house?”

Steve shook his head.

“No but I could feel them.”

Like a pulse in his chest. A compass, or--a guide.

“He says he can tell who's naughty or nice.” Eddie chimed in, oddly quiet for how loud he had been. “He says I’m good.”

This was said as a challenge, and Steve eyed his new friend out of the corner of his eye. He’d never dared speak to an adult like that, and was both a little in awe of Eddie doing it, and afraid for him.

Something his Uncle seemed to sense.

“Edward, go home.” He said, firm but kind. Not like how Steve's mom was when she was mad, or his dad when he had a bad day at work.“I’ll come talk to you later. Come on Steve, let me walk you back. I best explain this in person.”

Then he took Steve’s hand in his, while Steve called out a goodbye to Eddie over his shoulder.

“You’ll come back and visit, right!?” Eddie yelled back.

Steve shouted an affirmative, even knowing it wasn’t likely he’d be allowed.

(Wished with all his heart, that he'd be allowed.)

“Eddie is really good, you know.” Steve said once he no longer could see his new friend, because it felt important to tell his Uncle that. Necessary, for some reason.

“I know.” Uncle Nick replied gently. “But let’s not worry about him right now, okay?”

“Okay.”

Then they were back in Steve’s woods, the ones that were sometimes unfriendly. In his backyard, and up to the door, and even from here Steve could hear his mother and father screaming at each other, in a tone that made his stomach curl.

“Come on kiddo. Time to face the music.” Uncle Nick told him, and Steve found he really didn’t want to let go of his Uncle’s hand.

He did though.

He was a big boy, and well trained. He didn’t flinch from his parents. Didn’t disobey when his mother demanded he tell her exactly how he got to the fun place, with all the snow--and listened further still when she demanded Uncle Nick take it out of him.

Take what Steve didn’t know--not until his Uncle lost the argument.

Reached into Steve’s chest and did something to him, something that killed that warm and fuzzy thing that had always lived inside Steve.

He cried harder than he ever had before that night. Cried and begged for Uncle Nick to put it back, that he was sorry and he wouldn’t ever use it again if they just let him keep it.

(He promised, he promised, he promised-!)

Sank to his knees and told his parents that it hurt.

They didn't listen, and they didn't put it back.

His father told him to get up off the floor, and then pulled him up when Steve found he couldn’t.

Hauled him to his room, even as his Uncle warned his mother that he couldn’t get rid of it. That he could only suppress it, the same way she suppressed hers, but those words didn’t really matter to Steve just then.

Not when he was hurting, and tired, and found himself wishing for his new friend.

(His mother told him he’d feel better in time.

Steve never did.)

xXx

The hole in Steve’s chest had never filled.

It kept him up at night. The yearning for something just out of reach, tormenting him with a feeling of being hollow.

He didn’t know how his mother could stand it.

Steve stopped fussing about it though--or rather, he stopped the first time his father had slapped him over his complaining.

“Enough, Steven! You’re perfectly fine. Now start acting like it, for fucks sake!” He’d roared, and shocked as he was, Steve had still done what he’d been taught to do.

Toughed it out. Sucked it up. Got over it.

Dumped his entire life into basketball and swimming and other parent-approved activities, even if he felt empty.

He was eight, then ten, then fourteen and soon Steve wasn’t healed, but he'd adjusted.

Got aloof to the pain as his popularity skyrocketed, and his parents left him on his own while they chased the almighty dollar.

(Secretly, Steve tried to fill the void in his heart with parties and people, alcohol and even the occasional drug, though most just left him feeling worse than before.

It was perhaps how he ended up acting as he did.

Turning from the sweet boy who was always helping others, to someone who was fast with their insults. Popularity was a sharks game, and though he refused to participate in the bullying his friends enjoyed, he made sure everyone knew who the biggest fish in the pond was.

Because the hole was always there, in the back of his mind. The thing inside him that was missing, that made him crave the snow, and the lights, and the boy with pointy ears.

He might be able to force himself to forget about all of that, if only the hole in his heart would allow him.)

xXx

Five days before his fifteenth birthday, some random guy showed up in Steve’s yard.

This wasn’t unusual--Steve invited a lot of people over.

Tommy and Carol both had a standing invitation to use his pool and Steve often used it to curry favor with the upperclassmen--but even underwater, Steve didn’t recognize the teenager leaning over to watch him swim.

Plus it was a little weird for someone to pop up on a Sunday.

Refusing to be intimidated, Steve surfaced right under the guy, head whipping up to make sure he splashed him in the face.

Laughed as the other guy sputtered.

“Can I help you man?” Steve drawled, hooking his arms on the lip of the pool.

“I’m looking for someone. Steve Harrington?” The guy told him, glaring as he wiped water off his face.

His hair just touched his shoulders, in that awkward stage of growing out that made him look like a pageboy.

Steve tucked that little observation away for later, in case he needed it.

“Congratulations, you found me.” He said, eyeing him over.

Black jeans with holes in the knees, wallet chain and a black shirt with a faded logo of some band Steve had never heard of proudly displayed. A checkered plaid shirt topped the whole outfit, with a red guitar pick dangling around his neck from a chain.

Like the guy thought he was some kind of rockstar, and not in bumfuck Indiana.

Steve raised an eyebrow.

“Though I think you’re in the wrong place. The audition for the new town jester is being held at the high school.”

He got a frown, like the guy knew he was being insulted but didn’t quite want to believe it. “I’m not here for an audition.”

“You sure? Cause you’re definitely dressed the part.”

“Okay, you are definitely not Steve.” He said, arms crossing his chest. He had a ring on each hand, catching the light as he clutched at his arms. “Steve wasn’t this much of a dick.”

Which wasn’t the first time Steve had been called out for his behavior--but it had never been by the people he was supposed to care about.

Those people, the people his parents liked?

They loved it.

“Times change.” Steve told the stranger. Kept his tone light and playful, the way that always made girls giggle at him and guy’s listen.

Well the ones he wasn’t making fun of, anyways.

“People do too.”

He rearranged himself, planting both palms flat against the concrete, bouncing once to build energy before rocketing out of the water.

Stood, and watched with interest as the new guy’s eyes raked over his naked torso, before his whole face flushed red.

How he looked away, like he suddenly couldn’t bare to look at Steve.

“You shouldn't have changed that much.” He muttered, but Steve already had his number.

"Why were you looking for me anyway?” Steve asked as he went and grabbed a towel. Wrapped it around his waist, but kept his upper body shirtless.

Idly scratched at his hip and watched as the guy acted like Steve had practically stripped naked in front of him.

Weirdly enjoyed the little spark it gave him, to watch this guy appear so affected by his bare chest.

Defensive, the stranger bit out; “We were friends. I haven’t seen him in a long time, I was just checking up on him.”

That made Steve pause.

Really look over the guy standing before him.

The fidgeting, the blushing, the way he avoided Steve’s gaze.

He opened his mouth, an odd urge to draw this out guiding him when the hole in his chest pulsed.

Like a convulsion, a miniature seizure that took Steve entirely by surprise.

It had been a long time since it had done that, long enough to throw Steve off his game.

Make him feel unsafe, unmoored.

Abandoned.

“Yeah?” He wheezed, before covering himself and the flood of wrong/want/need with a harsh cough. “Well now I know you’re definitely barking up the wrong tree. I’d never be friends with a fucking queer.”

At that, the guy’s mouth dropped open, head whipping around to stare at Steve in shock.

"Don’t deny it, I can tell. You’re practically drooling over there.” Steve smiled with all his teeth, even as he struggled to keep his breath even. “It’s disgusting.”

“You know what, fuck you. I thought you were different and you’re not.” The stranger spat, with far more venom than Steve was prepared for. “You’re the same as all the rest.”

He scoffed, before whirling on his heel, middle finger high in the air as he stormed off into the woods.

“Have fun with your sad, beige fucking life!” He yelled, voice a little choked up.

“I will!” Steve yelled back at him, oddly heated.

Rubbed his chest when he was gone, before sitting down to try and figure out what the hell just happened--and why the hell his chest hurt so much.

xXx

Steve’s life remained completely and painfully normal--until Nancy Wheeler.

Nancy and her smile, Nancy and her reminder of what it felt like to be loved.

She didn’t fill the void inside him, but what she did came close.

Felt similar.

Steve found he’d do anything for her, looking at life once again through the lens he had back when he was seven.

It was great.

Better than great--it was the best he’d ever been.

Then Barb went missing.

Shit hit the fan so fast that in retrospect, Steve still doesn’t understand it. There was Jonathan and his camera, with the background of his missing little brother. Tommy and his insults, grabbing Steve up by the collar. Nancy being weird, Nancy ducking him to hang out with the guy who took photographs of them having sex.

Steve's brain tracks it all in little snapshots. The way he realized that maybe Nancy was right--he was way more of an asshole than he thought. How he decided to clean the theater, and then apologize to Jonathan.

(Creepy shit or not, Jonathan’s brother was gone. Steve had never had a brother, but he understood how it felt when something important was taken from you.

How it made you act after.)

There was a shift inside him. Not coming from the void, but from how Steve dealt with it.

And then there was a fucking monster coming out of the ceiling.

This is how Steve learns the magic he once had wasn’t special. That it’s not the only supernatural thing that exists in the world.

Only unlike the snow and gingerbread house and boy with pointed ears and an Uncle that looked a hell of a lot like Santa Clause, this version came with evil government laboratories, the Upside Down and his girlfriend holding a gun.

It was kind of a lot, really.

Particularly because his parents weren’t home.

(They still came home of course, but it wasn’t with the same frequency as it used to be.

The business trips went from once a month, to every other week, to long stretches of away periods. Long enough that Steve spoke to them over the phone more than he did in person, and knew more about business mergers than he ever cared too.

Also his fathers love life, courtesy of his drunk mother.)

Steve didn’t exactly handle it well.

Doesn’t think any of them handled it well, really, even if Nancy blamed him for trying to pretend he was okay. But right as their relationship blew up in Steve’s face, shit started happening again.

Flickering lights and freaky monsters. A group of kids Steve found himself in charge of, who were doing their level best to commit suicide.

(“We’re helping El and Will, idiot!” Mike Wheeler protested in the back of Billy Hargrove’s Camaro when Steve brought up that this was not what being benched meant, and Steve let him have that one given the way the world was spinning.

God that asshole hit like a train.)

Another snapshot, full of fear and fury, and things were over once again.

Steve was telling Nancy it was okay. She could go with Jonathan, that he could tell it was what she wanted.

It hurt him to do it, but he wasn’t going to be like his own parents.

Realized with a weird amount of clarity, that he wanted to be the very opposite of his parents.

Late in the night, feeling every ache and pain in his body but knowing everyone was safe, Steve finally started the long trek home.

He didn’t have his car (he hoped that was still at the Byers place) and he didn’t have his keys (no clue where those went but he was praying it wasn’t in the freaky tunnels) and was well into the middle of his walk when his chest started acting weird. Really weird.

Steve ignored it.

He kept ignoring it, focused on getting back to his bed, and his bed alone.

(Maybe he had been thinking more than that. About how the last time he had truly been happy wasn’t with Nancy, but with Eddie. That he’d give anything to go play in the gingerbread houses again.

Maybe he was even thinking of how warm his Uncle had been, the way he was so gentle when he held Steve’s hand.

How he’d argued against Steve’s parents, when no one else ever did.

It was probably just the head injury.)

Unfortunately--or fortunately, depending on who you asked later--the weird feeling didn't stop.

It grew and grew, until it felt like something was breaking out of him.

Like a cough you’d long suppressed that crawled forcefully up and out of your throat, it both hurt and felt amazing, a pang echoing out through his very core--

Then suddenly there was snow on the trees and Steve was stumbling into a teenager with fluffy hair.

“Sorry.” He muttered, right before he went down on his knees.

“What the hell---” Fluffy haired guy said, spinning around and looking at Steve like he was a ghost. “Oh shit, are you okay!?”

“I’m fine.” Steve lied, even as he gave in and laid down.

Man, this snow was nice.

Comfy and soft, and cold on his face.

There was a string of curses coming from above him, and Steve made the effort to twist his head so he could watch fluffy hair kneel frantically next to him.

“ What happened!? How did you get here!?”

“S’long story man.” Steve slurred, feeling bad and looking worse. His head fucking hurt.

“Don’t suppose there’s a guy named Eddie around? He has uh,” Steve fumbled, hands trying to point to his ears. “Pointed. You know.”

He gestured to his own ear again.

(Figured he might as well ask, given all the snow.)

The Fluffy Hair pulled said hair back at that, revealing his very own pointy ear. “Dude you’re in the North Pole, all us elves have pointy ears.”

The North Pole.

The words Steve had only ever dared to think, and never said out loud.

“Cool.” He said instead, not really feeling like he was inside his own body.

“Just--stay there, okay? My name's Gareth I’m gonna go get someone.” Gareth the elf (an elf, wasn’t that a trip. Did that mean Eddie was also an elf?) said, hands hovering awkwardly in the air, before he darted off, out of Steve’s sight.

“Can you get Eddie?” The question came out in a whine, the hurt in Steve’s chest overtaken by the pain in his head.

He didn’t get an answer.

Which was okay, he thought.

He didn’t really need one.

He had the snow, and the woods that weren’t straight out of a fucking nightmare, and, he could just sleep right here…

“Steve!”

He blinked, and found he must have passed out.

“There you are. Stay with me.” A blurry face was saying. A couple more blinks brought it into focus, and Steve knew this person, even if he couldn't put a name to a face.

The hair was longer, and there were more rings on his fingers, ones Steve could both see and feel as a hand ran along the back of his head.

Worried doe eyes met Steve's own, and just through the curtain of curls, he caught the outline of a pointed ear.

“Ed--ie?” He croaked, unsure.

“Yeah Stevie, it's me. You're okay, we brought you back to my place. Gareth is getting help.”

He was trying to sound reassuring but he mostly just sounded worried.

Not that Steve cared, because he finally figured out why older Eddie was familiar.

“Oh.” He managed, the words feeling like he had to push out. “It was you. By the--pool.”

“What?”

It felt like eons ago. The weird guy, asking after him. Back when Steve had been doing anything he could to fill the void his magic had left behind, and turned into a raging shithead as a result.

“M sorry.” Steve slurred, voice cracking in its honesty. “I was--asshole. M'sorry.”

The look Eddie gave him was wild. Like he couldn’t believe Steve was here, and definitely couldn’t believe Steve was apologizing.

Which was fair. Until last year Steve wouldn’t have ever apologized, to anyone, ever.

“Yeah you were, but we can talk about it later. Right now I just need you to stay awake.” Eddie said instead. It was gentle, a lot more gentle than Steve felt he deserved.

It made him want to explain, more than anything, what had happened.

“I was tryin to fix…the hole. Inside.” Steve needed Eddie to understand. Needed it more than breathing, just then.

“I know, big boy.” Eddie soothed, and his hands were back in Steve’s hair.

It felt nice.

“S’not an excuse, promise it's not. I was hurt--hurting, and--I was mean.” Steve continued. It was getting harder to think, the world swimming in and out of focus, but this was important.

Perhaps the most important thing he’d done in a long time, sans saving the kids from the demodogs.

“It’s okay, Stevie. I didn’t get it back then but I understand better now and…”

He might have said something more. Steve thinks he was, but then Eddie was shaking him harshly, and Steve realized he might have tried to pass back out.

“Come on Stevie, sweetheart, you can’t sleep right now. You have to stay awake for me, okay? Steve?”

Steve tried to shake his head and hissed when he found out how much that hurt. Breathed in and out through the pain, before his brain connected back to what he’d been trying to say.

“Not jus’ to you.” He panted. “Wasn’t mean just to you.”

That was important too. That Eddie knew he hadn't been targeted. That Steve was a dick to pretty much anyone he came across.

“I know. I've uh, been watching you, from here."

“Yeah?”

“We have this giant globe. Like a crystal ball, but it’s set deep into the floor so you can only really see half of it. It can also connect to snow globes, and it can let you see places. Watch people.”

Eddie’s voice was soothing, the deep timber of it echoing through Steve’s chest. Belatedly he realized his head was in Eddie’s lap.

That felt nice too.

“I was real mad at you but the Bossman--uh, your Uncle, he kinda showed me you once or twice and then I started watching you myself. Sorry I know that’s weird--”

“Least you didn’t take pictures.” Steve wheezed and then tried to grin because that was very much supposed to be a joke.

(He definitely had felt more put together when he dropped the kids off in Billy's Camaro--so what the hell was happening? Had the shock worn off? Adrenaline?

Fuck maybe he should have just driven Billy’s stupid car back to his house, instead of leaving it at Max's house.

Asshole deserved to not know where his car was anyway.)

Then suddenly there was a lot of noise and light and fuck did that all make his head hurt. Hands went all over him, people barking orders, and a girl Steve was pretty sure was his age was peering at him.

“Steve?” She asked, but it sounded distant. Echoey and unclear.

“I can’t keep him awake!”

That from Eddie, who sounded much clearer, if not utterly panicked.

“It’s okay, I’ve got him.” The girl said, tight but professional in a way that typically belonged to someone used to medical emergencies. “You can let him go now.”

“Are you kidding me, Buckley you’re an apprentice medmage-!”

Steve frowned at that, but found something was drifting over him. A weight, like an invisible blanket pressed down gently, and he had a second to recognize that this too, was some kind of magic before sleep tried to take him.

He fought it for a moment as a thought occurred.

One last thing he needed to say.

“You’re still good. Eddie. You’ve always been--”

The magic took him away.

xXx

It smelled like cinnamon.

Cinnamon and sharp hints of peppermint, the kind that tickled at Steve’s nose as he slowly rose back into consciousness.

Steve winced as he sat up, head itching like ants were crawling all over it. Idly he tried to scratch at his forehead and found himself touching a thick bandage, at about the same time his body seemed to catch on that he was awake.

It reminded him that he had had a hell of a night in the form of an onslaught of aches and pains.

His fingers traced the edge of the bandage as he took in the cheerful red walls surrounding him. The room was the exact kind of kitschy his mom hated, little twirls of white here and there making the place look like the inside of a candy cane.

The center piece was the full size window, taller than Steve was and twice as wide. Fat, fluffy flakes of snow drifted lazily outside it, some sticking to the window panes as they floated on by.

It was a little like being knocked out and waking up in the Wonka factory, but given all the shit that he had been through the past twenty four hours, Steve didn’t mind it.

Snow was infinitely preferable to the weird ash that came out of the Upside Down.

As if sensing he was awake, the door opposite the window swung open. A tray came through, positively stacked with a stupid amount of pancakes and oozing with maple syrup, the type Steve could smell.

“I,” Eddie announced, head just visible above the good, “had a very embarrassing meltdown when they tried to take you away from me. So suck it up Harrington, because you’re stuck with me now.”

Steve stared at him, mildly concerned he was a hallucination.

“I brought you pancakes.” Eddie added, pausing as he approached the bed like he hadn’t actually thought through to this point.

“I see that.” Steve said, just to fill the sudden, awkward silence. “There’s…kinda a lot there, man.”

So much so it was threatening to escape the confines of the tray and drip down onto the carpet.

“You play sports things don’t you?” Eddie defended, making the executive decision to put the tray down on the bed. “Kinda thought you’d need like, a lot, especially if you're healing."

Steve snorted, but didn’t bother to hide the smile that crept onto his face.

Even if it hurt.

Dragged his gaze from the pile of pancakes now laid before him, to the man fidgeting awkwardly by his bedside.

Realized belatedly, that Eddie hadn’t changed much.

Not since Steve had last seen him, though he never in his life would have thought one of Santa’s elves would wear so much black.

(Frankly Eddie looked just like every other teenage metalhead Steve had ever met, sans the pointed ears. One of which was now pierced and had little metal hoops threaded through it.)

Eddie realized Steve was looking, and bashfully twist a strand of his hair in front of his face.

It was cute.

It made him look cute.

“You might as well sit and help me with this, it’s way too much.” Steve told him.

Which was the truth--Eddie had brought him a shit load of pancakes and Steve wasn’t exactly sure he could chew all that well right now, considering his left cheek was so puffed out it felt like a chipmunks.

Didn’t want to turn down a gift though--or rather, turn down a gift from Eddie.

Who he absolutely still needed to apologize properly too.

“I guess I should start off with a thank you.” Steve began, as Eddie dropped onto the bed. “I think you might have saved my life, though I swear I wasn’t doing that bad off before I got here.”

“Robin said the shock wore off.” Eddie told him. He didn’t wait for Steve to dig in, grabbing a pancake and rolling it up like a sausage before stabbing one end in syrup. “She also said you had a hell of a concussion, two cracked ribs and a literal boatload of scratches,”

Which sounded about right, considering.

“Still though.” Steve frowned, looking at his hands. “I mostly just fought off Billy, the demodogs never got me.”

Something he was incredibly thankful for, given the sheer amount of teeth.

“I think you’re downplaying your injuries here, handsome, you gave Robin a hell of a fright. She cursed in four languages." Eddie talked fast, just like the little boy Steve remembered him as.

It made him grin.

“Handsome, huh?” Steve teased, and regretted it the second it slipped out of his mouth.

He hadn’t meant to call attention to it. Not just yet anyway. Wanted to work his way up to his apology and then the things he had kind of realized on his walk home (and possibly before that, though he thinks he might have…repressed it.)

Given the way Eddie froze, Steve figures he’s got about two seconds to talk himself out of it, before Eddie rightfully shut him out.

“I like it. The nicknames.” He said, which is also not what he intended to come out of his mouth and God he was really blowing this, wasn’t he?

“Steve,” Eddie started, sounding a little strangled and nope, no, he was going to fix this dammit!

“I’m sorry.” He said honestly. “I know I was an ass when you came to check up on me, and I know I said some terrible things to you. I regret it. I regret it a lot, and I shouldn’t have treated you like that.”

“You weren't wrong.” Eddie cut in, twirling a ring on his finger, eyes firmly on it. “I am gay. I am flamingly gay. And I understand if after today, you don't want me here.”

Which apparently answered the question about whether or not elves gave a shit about such things.

(Or maybe they did, and it was humans who cared, and Eddie was giving him an out for it.

Steve figured he’d ask later.

After he had finished groveling.)

“I want you here.” He said, as seriously as he’d ever said anything. “I think the real question is why you would want to help me?”

It was the one thing that didn’t add up. Why Eddie had been so nice, when he’d shown up.

Sure it was one thing to be a good citizen or whatever, help out a guy who was passed out on the ground, but Eddie hadn’t just gotten help.

He’d stroked Steve’s hair. He’d kept him awake.

Hell he called Steve sweetheart.

And now he was here again, right by Steve's bedside, checking up on him.

You didn’t do that for the guy who was a downright douchebag too you, even if it had been a few years.

Eddie bit his lip, before he chanced a look back at Steve, up through his bangs. “Because you said I was good Steve. You were the first person who ever said I was good.”

Quieter he added “And because we were friends once.”

“I'd like to still be friends.”

“Even if I'm gay?”

Steve took a deep breath, and let out a truth that he’d maybe been ignoring for almost as long as he’d tried to forget about the hole in his heart.

“Cards on the table Eddie, I’m not sure I’m not gay Or whatever both is."

He'd heard the word once from Chrissy, but hadn't cared to remember it.

(Regretted that a little bit.)

He got a mighty frown in response.

“Don’t do that. Don’t--joke, like that.”

“It’s not a joke.” Steve said slowly, feeling the words as he spoke them. “I think this is part of the stuff I always just--ignored. Didn’t want to deal with it, because my--”

Steve couldn’t bring himself to say magic, and so, aborted the sentence entirely. “I couldn’t deal. So everything connected to this place, to the rest of my family, to you, I just pushed aside. Pretended it didn’t exist.”

Pretended that he was normal.

Just like his parents wanted.

Then he’d met Nancy.

Realized what he felt about her, he’d always felt about Eddie. That the way she looked at Jonathan wasn’t the way she looked at him--and even then, in the love he had for her, Steve hadn’t looked at her like that either.

Steve had been attracted to her for her yes--but initially, maybe, because she’d looked a little like someone else.

Admitted to himself that he the reason he could clock Eddie so fast back when he was fourteen, wasn't because he was that good at reading people, but because he recognized what it looked like to get caught checking out a guy.

“But I could never forget about you.” Steve added because well. “I’ve never been able to forget about you.”

He’d already said cards on the table, hadn’t he?

Might as well reveal his whole hand.

“You were the last thing I thought of, when I was trying to get home. I wasn’t thinking about my house, or my parents. I was thinking about you. I’ve never been able to come back here, not after Uncle Nick,” He cut himself off again, frustrated that he couldn’t just fucking it, but made himself take a breath.

Continue.

“--but I could, last night. I could get to you.”

Technically he’d gotten to Gareth, who Steve probably also owed a thank you too, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

Gareth had found Eddie anyway, in the end.

“I absolutely get if you want nothing to do with that, considering I think I’m just now accepting this about myself but. I wanted you to know. You’re important to me, Eddie. You always have been.”

It was weird--Steve should have felt laid bare. Vulnerable now that he’d laid out all these things he’d suppressed, that he thought taken away alongside his magic.

Instead he felt lighter than air.

Like the weight had finally been lifted and he could breathe deep once again.

For a long moment no one said anything and Steve figured this was it, he’d gone too far, when Eddie darted in, pressing a quick kiss to Steve’s cheek.

He pulled away just as fast. Wide eyes searched Steve’s face, as though expecting Steve to change his mind.

If anything, it just solidified it.

Steve reached out slowly, gently grabbing on of Eddie’s hands. Brought it up to his mouth and kissed the back of it, while maintaining eye contact.

Enjoyed the way Eddie’s face went bright red.

“You’re important to me too.” He managed, voice awed. “You’ve always been important to me. Stevie.”

Finally feeling like he knew where he belonged, Steve grinned back.

xXx

Bonus

“When I said let him sleep Munson, I didn’t mean with you!” Someone screeched a few hours later, jolting Steve awake.

“He was awake when I came in!” Eddie protested, shoving himself up onto his elbows when the women from yesterday--Robin, Steve thought her name was--stormed in. “We fell asleep together after Robbie, I swear!”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Hi.” Steve said with a little wave, before the two of them could screech some more. “I’m Steve.”

“I know, Dingus.” Robin told him, eyes narrowed in fury. “You’re a member of the Clause family, everyone knows who you are.”

“Oh.” Steve said, though it felt less cool and more weird that someone had finally said it out loud.

That he, Steven Harrington, had an Uncle, and that Uncle was Santa Clause.

‘Dustin is gonna freak.’

“I’m sure Mega-Idiotson here hasn’t told you, but I’m the medmage that saw you last night. Or kinda--see I’m an apprentice medmage, but my teacher was kinda out with the Boss seeing someone a town over and time was tight and we couldn’t exactly wait--”

“Breath, Buckley. In,” Eddie teased, before demonstrating a deep breath on himself, hand sweeping into his chest before he loudly exhaled. “and out.”

“Shut up, Eddie, I’m working up to something here!”

“What is it?” Steve said, feeling like if he didn’t interject Robin would take a while to get to the point.

“I might have accidentally undid whatever was on your magic?” Robin rushed out, so fast Steve nearly didn’t catch it. “Like I can tell that’s the Boss’s magic, and that he did--whatever that was, but I couldn't figure out how to heal you with it there and it was kinda already leaking out so I just--took it off?”

Steve gaped at her.

“You fixed me?” He managed after a moment, hand darting out to squeeze at one of Eddie’s.

“Um. Yes?” Robin cautioned, like she wasn’t exactly sure that’s what she did.

“Oh my god. Oh my god!” Steve laughed, then felt absolutely stupid for not checking in with himself.

Because Robin was right.

The hole was gone--and his magic was back.

How had he not noticed that his magic was back!?

“Eddie, Eddie she’s right--I have it back!”

He turned in bed, dropping Eddie’s hand so he could cup his face and kiss him instead.

“Okay, I don’t need to see this--” Robin complained, but Steve didn’t care.

Could only laugh delighted into Eddie’s mouth, before Eddie deepened the kiss.

(“Guys seriously I am still right here! Can’t you at least wait until I’m gone!?”

“No. Now get out Robin, you’re ruining my moment!”

“It’s okay, Eds. I’ll give you as many moments as you want.”

“Ew, ew, ew-!” )

This whole ass thing on A03 if you'd rather read it there!

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lostbetweenvampiresandmusic · 30 days

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Hii could I request Paul and Marko with a reader who is like Lisa Frankenstein? Just some head canons if you don't really know who she is

Okay, listen, I just finished watching the movie, and I can't stop thinking about it - that last scene? Beloved wife? I told you I would hold your hand - iconic. So yeah, eh there are some spoilers here for Lisa Frankenstein.

It has gotten a little bit linger than i thought, and it's a bit more Marko x reader than Paul x reader x Marko, but the pairing is definitely there! 😅 Hope you like this!

--------------------

"Where are you going?" Trent looked at me. His schoolbag was hanging from one shoulder, his sunglasses slowly sliding down his nose. I shrugged. "For a walk."

"Mum said you had to be home by five."

I rolled my eyes, sighing. Ever since my dad had decided to not only date but marry Trents mom, my life changed. Of course, it had already changed before. That kind of tends to happen when your mom decides to leave. And then die.

"Fine." I walked away from Trent, away from the stuffy schoolbuilding filled with people I didn't want to know. I didn't want to move here, I had liked my - miserable - life back in Santa Cruz. But, with dad being married and all, I had little choice. Moving to Santa Carla, it was. Trent was okay, I suppose. He didn't force me to hang out with him, and he'd let me be - mostly. His mother, however, was overbearing, always wanting to know everything and controlling everything. It gave me an odd, almost claustrophobic sense. And dad? Well, he was more focused on keeping his wife happy than he was worried about me. Luckily for me, it wasn't all bad. I had found a small little sanctuary hidden within the woods.

"Hello again," I said softly as I found my way through the woods. Hidden between several thick trees and bushes was a headstone. The stone itself was rather sober, only a name etched into it. On the ground in front of it, however, was a small bust of a devilishly handsome face. I assumed the face and name went together. It was a shame, really, that this guy had been dead. Had he been alive - well, damn... But he wasn't, and besides, there was this guy in my history class - Michael Emerson? - who was actually kind of cute?

I sat down next to the stone, making my homework, reading in some books, and finally feeling a little at peace. I looked up when I felt a raindrop fall on my nose, quickly grabbing my stuff. "I'll see you later, Marko!" I said softly before running off. The rain started to really pour, and I ran as fast as I could to make it back home to my place.

That night, a storm raged over Santa Carla. Rain, winds, and heavy thunder rolled over the small town. Lightning striked multiple times, but there didn't seem to be any fires anywhere. I lay on my bed, ready to go to sleep. I stared at my window. Lightning flashed again. In the bright flash of the light, I saw a shadow appear in my window, a silhouette. I shot up, looking straight straight my window. Red eyes stared back at me.

I screamed. The red eyed silhouette waved at me, motioning for me to be quiet. Who was he to tell me to be quiet? Angrily, I stepped towards the window, ready to give him a piece of my mind, when suddenly my window flew open. The man stepped inside. I froze. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out. I just looked at him. He looked at me, then at my room. The bed that was slept in, the clothes laying on the chair, the walls filled with drawings and sketches...

He slowly but surely moved towards my art wall, tilting his head as he looked at one of the drawings.

"What is it?" I asked, not sure what to do.

He just pointed at it. It was the drawing I made of Marko's headstone and the bust. I frowned. "So? What about it?"

He pointed at it again, then at himself. I frowned. Surely he didn't mean that-

"You're Marko?" I asked in a whisper. With a sly grin, he nodded. I froze, frowning. "How? Why are you here?"

This time, he gave me a genuine smile. He made a C with his hand and then waved. Puzzled, I looked at him. "Because I said see you later?"

The next morning, I was woken up early by dad. "We need your help."

Once again, he nodded. I took a deep breath.

"I- Hiw? I didn't mean for you to come and see me? I mean - you're dead! I meant I'd come back to your grave?"

Marko looked at me, a hurt expression on his face.

"Sorry! I'm sure you're an alright guy if you were actually - you know - alive?"

I could have sworn I saw his expression turn even more sad. I sighed, deciding I could deal with zombie emotions later. Right now, Marko - or whoever he really was - desperately needed a shower and some clean clothes, and I was in desperate need of some sleep.

I sighed - the woman he married had been working in the meat industry, selling blood. I didn't know why, nor did I want to know why. I had tried to tell my dad that I didn't want to help with the work on the farm, what with me not eating meat anymore and all, but apparently that was not a conversation I could have. I had no say in the matter, I had to help.

Thirty minutes later, I showed up in the barn, begrudgingly starting the work of cleaning them, when a loud metallic clang caused me to look up. One of the many pipes through which the bodily fluids moved had made the sound. I looked up, screaming when the pipe snapped and gallons of blood were poured on top of me. I dropped the shovel I'd been holding, running out of the barn, leaving bloody footprints everywhere I went. I quickly went into my shower, cleaning the blood off of myself.

When I got out of the shower, dressed in my bathrobe, I noticed Marko sitting in a dark corner of my closet. He had changed his muddy clothes for some bright coloured pyjama trousers and an old band shirt I'd gotten from Trent. He looked at me, a certain hunger in his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded, then shrugged.

"Oh! You need food!" I was already halfway through my room towards the door when I stopped and turned to look at him. "Eh - what, what do dead guys eat?" I asked.

I froze when Markos hand grabbed my wrist, finding the one spot of blood I'd missed, and slowly licking it up. I pulled my arm away from him, disgust written all over my face. "You can't just lick people!" I hissed before realisation dawned on me. "Wait, you need blood?"

That evening, Marko and I sneaked out of the house towards the barn. I had spent the whole afternoon dragging an old and rusty bathtub into the barn, placing it under the broken pipes. I told Marko to wait by the tub as I opened the faucet. It didn't take long, or blood ran into the tub, filling it quickly.

Marko nodded, grinning. I sighed. "I can get you some blood tonight, alright?"

The more Marko drank, the more handsome he became somehow. I couldn't help but feel a warmth inside me when I saw him drink, heard the moans of delight...

"What the hell are you doing out of bed, young lady? And turn the faucet off! It's bad enough that you made us lose so much product today!"

I jumped, freezed, and looked at my stepmother, not sure what to do.

"And who the hell is that? Is he drinking blood? I told your father that I didn't want you to bring your kind over to this place. He wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I knew that morbid loving people like you would only bring trouble, you freak!" She was about to scream, but before I could do anything, Marko was already upon her. Her neck was ripped open, her blood was drunk, and then her lifeless body fell to the ground. I stared at Marko, not really knowing what to say. 'Thanks' felt wrong in this situation. And yet, it was somewhat right?

"You just killed -" I stopped talking, not sure what I was going to say. "We need to bury the body," I decided, grabbing her feet, smiling shyly as Marko easily lifted the dead weight in his arms. I lead the way to the forest, back to where his grave had been - and I couldn't help but feel rather content when he dropped her body in the grave.

"Is it bad, down there?" I asked. He shrugged and then nodded. I grinned. The woman deserved it. Just a little bit. "Good."

One night, he stopped me when I was about to enter the barn. I stopped, puzzled, before realising what he wanted. "You want human blood?"

In the days that followed, every single night, I sneaked him out of the house unseen, making sure he could drink more blood. The more blood he drank, the more whole he became. The more time I spent with him, the more I realised I liked him beyond his looks. And yet, he was still dead. And yet, I still fancied Michael Emerson.

"You know, at the party two weeks ago, he spent a lot of time talking to me? And you'd think it was great, because at the time it was, but then at school he just ignored me? As if we didn't spend three hours connecting? Like, who does that?"

Marko looked at me, clearly telling me that it was Michael Emerson who did that.

"Maybe it was because I was drunk and ran off to throw up, but still. How hard is it to get a guys attention?"

Marko shrugged. I agreed - it shouldn't have to be so hard. But even with his presence, even with his clothing suggestions - no matter what I did, Michael ignored me. I sighed as I pulled the bathtub into the barn again.

He nodded.

After that meal, Marko finally began to talk. His voice was hoarse, but he could tell me about him. How he enjoyed art, how he had been turned into a vampire in the early 1900s, how his vampire family was probably still alive. In the four hours that followed Michael's death, I couldn't help but realise I had never loved Michael. It was Marko. I wanted to make him happy. It was him I wanted by my side. I took his hand in mine as we walked down the forest towards his old grave.

"Shit. I can't just give you human blood, I mean, I wouldn't even know where to get it and -" he was already gone. Quickly, I ran after him, not wanting to abandon the creature I'd come to see as a close friend. He ran towards the boardwalk, the beach - and he found a lone man. Before I knew it, he had bitten the man, draining the blood out of him. It was over surprisingly quick.

The next evening, we spent some time outside the house, lounging on the roof, when I saw Michael riding up to the house on his bike. "What's he doing here?" I asked out loud, looking to see what was happening. Downstairs, the front door opened, and Trent stood there, grinning. Not only that, but within seconds, he was kissing Michael. I looked at it with wide eyes, before jumping off the roof and screaming.

"You motherfucker!" I launched at Trent. "You knew I liked him you fucking piece of-" I stopped when I heard a pained groan beside me. Marko held on to Michael's body. His teeth latched onto his neck, draining him dry. I looked at Marko, a small smile appearing on my face. I then looked at Trent, who was about to either scream or faint.

"You're going to be fine. Just don't tell anyone about this, alright?"

"We can try and find them?" I offered.

"They'd kill you upon sight."

"But you'd be reunited with them."

He chuckled. "You may not value your life, but I've come to value yours quite a lot."

I froze. "You do?"

"You saved me."

"I didn't mean to," I admitted. "It purely happened by accident."

"Happy accidents do exist."

I smiled, laughing when he pulled me close. "I think they do."

"Are you going with?"

"Sure. Do I need to bring the shovel?" I asked, a bit enthusiastically. Of course, killing was bad, I knew that, but there was something about it that gave me an indescribable thrill.

"Nah, we'll find a bonfire." He grinned as he took my hand, leading me towards the boardwalk and the beach.

I'd started a fire while he fed, enjoying the warmth of the flames when I suddenly felt a strange presence behind me.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing all alone?"

I looked at him. "Waiting for a friend."

"I can keep you company if he's running late."

"Don't worry, he's right on time." I grinned, knowing that Marko wouldn't say no to a second meal.

"Shame he isn't here yet, " the young man chuckled, "he might have enjoyed the sho-"

I screamed as he grabbed me, pulling my head to the side, feeling his teeth grazing my skin. I struggled in his grip, moving as much as I could, trying to hold him off when finally I heard his voice.

"Get the fuck off of her!"

Within seconds, I was freed. Marko was standing protectively in front of me, staring at the other vampire. "Paul?"

"Marko? You - you were dead, man! How did this happen?"

"Lisa did. She's a bloody Saint-" I groaned at his pun. "- If it hadn't been for her, I'd be buried still."

"So you saved my mate?"

"Your mate?" I spat the words out. Marko could have told me something about that before leading me on. For weeks he'd been sharing a bed with me, for weeks I'd helped him kill and cover up, for weeks we'd been circling around each other, and now?

"You didn't tell her?" Paul asked, and then he looked at me again, a look of compassion but also curiosity in his eyes.

"Tell me what?"

"Only a mate can save a vampire from the death." Marko said. His eyes softened as he turned towards me. "I didn't want to overwhelm you more than I already did that first night."

"What does it mean being your mate?"

"So, how is he-" I pointed at Paul, "- connected to us?"

"You're one of the loves of my life."

"Aaawh!" I grinned. "That's why you killed Michael? For us?"

Marko chuckled and nodded.

"He's also my mate. And yours."

I grinned. Sure, him almost eating me was quite bad - but if you looked past that, he seemed to really care about Marko, and maybe he could also do that for me?

"So... we - the three of us? We're a thing?"

"We can be," Paul said with an enthusiastic grin. "If you want that is."

"How about I get to know you first?" I asked, smiling as Marko stood next to me. Paul chuckled. "Want to go out for a kill?"

#the lost boys #marko #david #paul #tlb #dwayne #the lost boys 1987 #tlb 1987 #star #the lost boys x reader #lisa frankenstein #lisa frankenstein spoilers #marko x paul x reader #marko x reader

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weirdly-specific-but-ok · 3 months

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Pt I wash it down but i've never watched it... and neither have you.

Well, hello there, remember when you guys tried to explain Goncharov to me and I said I wanted to create a fake movie/show? Have it, beautiful maggots. Wash It Down the TV show, mostly accurately explained. Kind of. You know me by now.

Everything is a metaphor, except for the things that are subtext.

The rich blonde girl Carla turns into a deranged psychopath, but in a way that is vaguely inspiring. In the year of our lord and damner 2024, any kind of character development is vaguely inspiring. Especially when it's done by Saoirse Ronan.

Purple hearts this RWRB that, you guys are SLEEPING on Nicholas Galitzine's role in Wash It Down. Which is mostly being disappointingly straight, until he isn't, and inspiringly revolutionary, until he isn't. Dan is honestly just a whole neurotic mess, and we at tumblr do love us a good neurotic mess.

It's a tale as old as time, really. Girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, girl meets girl, boy betrays girl, girl falls for girl, boy falls for girl. Just your average love story.

American cops being shits, just another day on planet earth. The DARE program failing miserably, just another day on planet earth.

Yasmin Finney the gorgeous as Talitha, who is very gay, very angry, and disturbingly obsessed with making paper dolls. Which I'm sure will not come into play later in the s--nvm it's another metaphor for the paper-thin veneer of civilised society in a world on fire with rage.

There is a lot of alcohol. Mostly wine. White wine. Which isn't significant, until it is because it is now also a metaphor.

Inappropriately timed renditions of the Mary Poppins 1964 soundtrack, that are guaranteed to slowly ruin your childhood until the word sugar inspires the inner arsonist in all of us.

First-Twilight-movie-levels of intense blue saturation of, well, everything. It's for the metaphor, guys, I'm sure the filmmakers knew what they were doing.

Carla and Dan are absolute OTP, until they aren't, and Carla and Talitha are absolute OTP, until Carla pulls a gun on Talitha and sings a lullaby to her. I am no longer sure the filmmakers knew what they were doing.

The world is Bad Bad Very Bad. Which I'm sure none of us can relate to.

Love is complicated and unstable, but like, in a shippy way. Mostly.

An oddly specific ring of imagery that becomes so convoluted that it starts to parody itself until the show is a metaphor for the show itself and even Christopher Nolan is raising his glass in reluctant admiration.

Senseless cliffhangers that are an interesting directing choice for sure. Bold, but interesting.

More Mary Poppins. Your childhood is entirely ruined. You become an arsonist.

The paper dolls catch fire. You are now part of the metaphor.

Very cute romance with a lot of attempted murder and societal rebellion thrown in. Hallmark is shaking.

Accurate? Who knows. Not you. Not me. Not anyone... yet.

@queermarzipan @madfangirlontheloose tagged for no suspicious reason.

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lilyundertaker · 2 years

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April bullies day 19 - The Blame

Pairing: Yandere! Eren x reader, bully!Eren x reader; Genre: Highscool AU, smut, one-shot, Angst, Darkfic; Warnings: 18+, Non con/Dub con, death, extreme bullying, physical violence, beatings, violent Eren, attemped suicide, vaginal penetration, anal, overstimulation, orgasm denial, oral (both receiving), suicide attempt, humiliation, blowjobs, cunilingus, breeding kink, mentions of murder, orgasm denial; Synopsis: On a rainy day you call Eren's parents to pick you up from school, but unfortunately they get into a car crash, resulting in both of them dieing as well as Mikasa and Armin, who were in the car too. Eren blames you for the tragedy and decides to make your life so miserable that you'll be craving death; Note: this is an extremely dark fic, so pls be warned. I don't support the actions done in this fic and the actions taken in this work are merely that - a fiction. For some time I've been thinking on adding Eren to this event, but I was super surprised, when I finished it and I could never imagine this turn of events. But anyways, hope yall enjoy it!

You and Eren had been childhood sweethearts ever since the two of you were five years old. Back at those times you coaxed him into an imaginary wedding, making a promise of eternal love. Eren was somewhat shy about it, but he acted along (he wouldn’t kiss you though, so you had to have enough by kissing his cheek).

There was barely a time when you weren’t hanging out with Eren, his adoptive sister Mikasa and their friend Armin, who also became your friend. You all would grow up together and attended the very same school even till now. But unlike your friends, you had been an orphan most of your life, and once you learned that you were born out of a single hook up between your father and some prostitute, you didn’t even want to look for them. Luckily you supposed father had learned about your whereabouts and would send you a nice sum of money every month.

The perfect fantasy world for you was broken again when on a rainy day you called Grisha to pick you up from school, since it was pouring a lot outside. That was a huge mistake. Not that you could’ve known that things would turn out this way. You were waiting for a long time, an hour, perhaps even more and tried to call Grisha again, but the line was dead. Only once you got to Eren’s doorstep did you learn that both his father and mother had died in a car crash. And what’s worse – Armin and Mikasa were in that car as well since Carla invited them over so that all of you could have a fun time together.

Eren was beyond devastated and so were Jean and Annie, who were together with Mikasa and Armin respectively. The whole situation was made even worse, when you learned that you had the final exam exactly on the funeral day, and despite the teacher allowing you to retake it in summer, you declined, not wanting to mess up your academic record even more (the tragedy had a harsh impact on both yours and Erens grades). You tried to contact Eren after that, but he wouldn’t answer your calls, nor when you knocked on his door, finding it locked and all the curtains shut.

Around a month later Eren reappeared in school again, only this time he seemed a lot bigger in a way. You took notice of his strong muscular arms, his beautiful jawline, his long hair tied up in a manbun and his wide shoulders. He seemed to have grown immensely during a span of this one month.

On the very first day he ignored you completely and the same went for the most part of the second day. You found it somehow reasonable, thinking that he was mad because you didn’t attend the funeral, so instead of bothering him with your approach, you left him be. You were taken aback when he decided to approach you instead at an empty hallway, but the feeling of excitement disappeared as soon as his fist connected with your cheek and you fell back to the floor, scraping your side in the process.

“Eren, what are-” he kicked you straight in your stomach and landed another kick to your ribs. He slapped you across the face just as you were trying to speak again and split your lip in the process. By the time he was done you had gone unconscious, and he left you on the floor right where you were. That was only the beginning.

Thinking that he was still frustrated about what happened you let this slide and told the nurse that you couldn’t recall who was it that did these things to you. But after that it only got worse.

Seeing how inconvenient it would be to deal with you in school, Eren decided to beat you on your way home, dragging you in empty alleyways and fucking you up real bad, all the while spitting insults at you. “You damn bitch! It should’ve been you who died instead of them”. He openly threatened to kill you off due to his connections with the famed Ackerman family, who bred seasoned assassins. Though you were more afraid when he threatened to kill your friends as well unless you’d cooperate into taking these beatings.

In merely three days you were beaten up so bad that part of your face was swollen, whilst the other one was beaten black. Your body was covered in cuts and awfully painful bruises. It was as if you had been hit by a truck and the first thing you did was call in for being sick, so that you wouldn’t show up to school like this. Partially you hoped that Eren wouldn’t come to your hopes, but you were damn wrong. He practically kicked open the door and found you shivering on the couch. “Fuck. You look so ugly that an old man wouldn’t even fuck your disgusting ass!” he spat grabbing you by the hair. “You better look pretty by the end of the weak or I’ll kick your skull inwards.”

You were relieved that something came up and Eren wouldn’t bother you even during the weekend, or so Jean told you via text message. It was clear to you that Jean wasn’t very fond of you as well since he had deeply loved Mikasa, but in a sense you felt that he saw Eren’s actions as going way too far.

The swell went away, but your other eye still held the disgusting dark purplish color, which you managed to cover up with makeup.

On Monday Eren forced you into a janitor’s closet. “Since another beating would break your bones, how about you give me your mouth instead?” he said, already unzipping his pants and taking out his cock to smack you in the face with it. It was unnecessary to tell you more as you obediently took his cock in your mouth and began sucking him off. “Yeah, that’s right you fucking whore. Take it deep in that bitch throat of yours or I’ll gouge your fucking eyes out with it.”

You felt sick to your stomach and were gagging like crazy, having no previous experience of such things. When he pulled you against his pelvis you were afraid of passing out. You couldn’t breathe as he pinched you nose closed and came straight in your mouth. He was pulling his pants back on whilst you nearly threw up with all the amount of his sperm that was coming out of your mouth and nose.

For the rest of the weak he’d use your mouth in the darkness of the janitor’s closet as according to him you were too ugly to look on. Not that you could complain much as it wasn’t as painful as getting beaten by him. In fact, just as that week passed and he beated you up all over again and you were begging to suck him off, clawing at his trouser and calling yourself a cock-hungry slut, just for the sake of keeping what’s left of your body intact. If trading your dignity for your body was the price the so be it. Your dignity was pretty much nonexistent now anyways.

To make things worse, Eren threw a party at your house, inviting every single person he knew and proclaiming that you were celebrating a breakup with your toxic ex, who had beaten you, but now you were finally free of him. How ironic that the very same night you were giving him head at your study while some of his drunk friends were cheering you up. You hadn’t drunk a single drop of alcohol, so all of this was harder to stomach.

After that he dragged you to your own bedroom and threw you onto the bed before locking the door. “Now, let’s get this shit really started Y/n!” he said drunkenly and stumbled to you. Your clothes were ripped off in a pile of ribbons. You were crying as he took off his own clothes before he pounced on you. There was no preparation, your virgin walls were dry. The only relief might be his leaking pre, but that didn’t make the situation much better, considering that you weren’t using any pills.

Eren thrusted inside of you in one hard go, nearly crushing you under his weight. Your discomfort was shown by the loud screams that came out of your mouth, clawing at him to pry him off, but he didn’t budge, as if he didn’t feel how you tore his skin with your nails. His grunts and your shrieks were unheard by the people downstairs due to the booming music that vibrated against every corner of your house.

“Eren please stop. I’m begging you.” Your pleas landed on deaf ears as the male on top of you increased his speed, fully focusing on his own pleasure. His cock was spearing its way through the tight rings of your hole, making him use more energy to thrust himself in as deep as possible. One of his hands fondled your breast while the other was placed near your head for balance.

“Why Y/n? Why would you do this?” Eren whispered in your ear with a pang of sorrow in his voice. You could not guess your wrongdoing, but you got the feeling that he wasn’t mad because you didn’t come to the funeral or called his dad to pick you up. No. This was something deeper, something you had missed and had no way of guessing.

You were shocked when Eren leaned down to plant a wet kiss on your lips, his tongue invading your mouth and playing with your own tongue. It was hard for you to admit that any part of this felt good, but his kiss made your body shiver with adrenalin. Your cheeks were heated up and you felt wetness slipping out of yourself. Shortly his thrusts made wet sounds that you found more embarrassing than enjoying the tongue play.

Eren released your mouth and held himself tight to your body. He was close and you felt it with all of your being. “Eren!” you said a bit loudly “Eren!” it seemed that no matter how many times you’d call, he wouldn’t snap out of it anyways. “Eren pull out!” you shouted as loud as you could, but this only made him tighten around you more. “Eren I don’t want to get pregnant, please pull out!” you were crying hysterically at this point, not that it would help.

With one final thrust he released his seed inside of your womb, emptying his balls in you and holding his cock in for the following five minutes. Not that he meant to, but he rather seemed to have disconnected from reality as all he could do was pant heavily and kiss your forehead once he was done. As he dressed up and looked back at your crying form, he felt disgusted, not with himself but with you. “I was right, you truly are a whore.” He spat at you and left.

That night you wouldn’t sleep and by early morning everyone had left. You hadn’t moved a muscle, laying down the whole night in a puddle of your and Eren’s mixed juices. It was as if nothing bothered you anymore because you couldn’t fall any lower than this.

Around lunchtime you finally got up and went to look for your phone. You didn’t bother reading any messages or voicemails, but you were fixated on sending a message to the very same person who raped you the previous night – I hope ur satisfied for life now, cause you won’t be seeing me ever again; you sent the message and got straight to the bathroom to pour yourself a hot bath. As the water filled the space you found a razor blade behind your mirror, climbing into the bath as the water continued to pour in it. Even if you would have chosen life, you had been humiliated in front of Eren’s friends, who most likely thought of you as a cock-hungry slut.

For a moment you closed your eyes, gripping the razor blade between two fingers, rethinking how your life had turned out this way. “Fuck it!” you cursed and slashed over your wrists, screaming from the pain, anger, sadness, and sorrows. The water was turning red quickly, so quickly in fact that you couldn’t take notice on how big portion of the bath had colored itself thanks to your blurry vision. The sleepless night forced you to close your eyes and allow yourself to drift away from this nightmare your life had turned into.

Once you opened your eyes again you saw white all over as far as your sight could go. But instead of the white of paradise you were faced with the white of a hospital room. And what’s worse – Eren was sitting besides you on a chair, his head rested against his fist.

This can’t be real, this can’t…you began sobbing, thinking that your hell would continue. Eren seemed to have noticed your quiet sniffles as he woke up and looked at you, his eyes having heavy bags under them. “You’re awake. Good.” He said flatly.

You were ready to rise up from the bed and slap him across the face, but you were too weak to even sit up. And as if mocking you, Eren put a larger pillow behind your back, so you’d be able to sit up properly.

“Why? Why did you intervene? Haven’t you done enough damage already?” That is when Eren finally spilled the beans. About how it was your father who had caused the car crash and him thinking you to be involved in it. He wanted you to feel miserable for what you have done, wanting to humiliate you before other people. But once he received your text whilst walking to your house, he couldn’t help but save you as he realized you were the only family he had left – a fact he wanted to tell you after arriving to your house, but instead he ran there to save you from death. Whilst you were unconscious, he hired Kenny Ackerman to kill off your biological father to get his revenge, as well as kill few of his friends, who called you a whore and a slut for sucking Eren off in front of them.

The flow of information made you speechless. You had no idea of what to say nor how even to respond to all of this. Instead, fresh tears flowed down your face and Eren brushed them away from you. “As your father’s only child, you’ll inherit all of his money, property and assets, which we’ll use…” “We?” you said confused. Eren’s eyes went a bit wide as if remembering something suddenly. “Oh right, I forgot the main part.” Sweet Jesus, if he says more my brain’s gonna go numb.

“As I said – we are the only family left for each other, so…I’ve arranged an engagement for us, since you’re pregnant and I thought you’d want to welcome our child in a family.” You felt a knot forming in your throat and it was unsure whether it would ever be untied.

You ended up leaving school to evade any rumors of suicide or unplanned pregnancy from your toxic ex, or rather Eren made sure to pull you away from school. For the first few months he’d get you a therapist so that you could recuperate your mental health, obviously the therapist was under his control, but it still felt nice to talk with somebody else that wasn’t Eren. He on the other hand found it hard to go on for too long without fucking somebody, so he’d come whining for you to jack him off. At the first time you made sure to make it painful for him, nearly ripping his cock off, but seeing how needy he was you used it to you advantage to tease him every time, going as far as overstimulation before you’d allow a release for him.

It was fascinating to see him beg for your hands to wrap around his shaft, his body heating up and tears welling in his eyes. On few occasions he even begged you for mercy, but you wouldn’t slip the opportunity of putting him through torture. Sometimes you’d even brush your tongue on his tip, but wouldn’t take the whole thing in your mouth, so he’d be forced to take the bits n pieces you were giving him.

Another thing you enjoyed was when Eren buried his face between your thighs and teased your clit with his tongue. He’d ask you to sit on his face, at which you were reluctant, but soon enough it was hard to get yourself off of him.

The sweetest way of release was probably when you sat on his lap, back against his abs and having a hot make-out session. His hands would slowly massage your breasts and slowly go lower until his fingers were entering your soaked pussy.

It was still hard for you to forgive him, but eventually you gave up on the past just so you could have a future, but the scars would never fade, just like the ones on your wrists.

The biggest lifechanger was when you had your first baby – a boy the two of you named Armin Jaeger, for your lost friend, whilst the next one, who was a daughter you named Mikasa.

The nannies would take of your children as Eren would breed you again and again in your shared bedroom. Your legs pressed upwards in a mating press whilst he was ramming his cock inside of you. “That’s it my sweet Y/n. My baby momma. Give me another child.” You both released loud moans when finally cumming together, your right hand tangled in his hair and a gold ring with diamonds shining on your finger.

#aot #attack on titan #eren x you #eren x reader #eren x y/n #reader #y/n #you #eren yaeger smut #eren yeager #eren yaeger aot #april bullies #bully eren #yandere eren

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sawyerconfort · 6 months

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dancing with the devil | verna x reader

I'm back!!!

this one is just a spooky season special, as I've been away for all these days and haven't done one yet, I thought it would be cool to do it now!

this oneshot comes a lot from my obsession with Mike Flanagan's work, which even led me to watch The Fall of the House of Usher recently.

and, of course, it also comes from my obsession with Carla Gugino.

so, I hope you like it!

late requests coming out soon, so stay tuned!

enjoy!

requests open, but please be patient with me.

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PROMPT: It's New Year's Eve, and you find yourself in a bar, completely alone, with no one to give you the good luck's kiss. But a mysterious new barista catches your eye, and she could be your salvation, if only she didn't hide so many secrets.

***

You weren't one to complain, but it had been a pretty horrible year.

People generally await the New Year with a lot of ambition, full of resolutions, glamorous plans and self-centered achievements. But you do not.

You just wanted the next one to be better.

As if the miserable conditions you were experiencing at Fortunato were not enough, not being paid enough for the effort you made, sitting at the reception desk at the behest of the great Rufus Griswold - who did nothing except try to harass you in every way -, in a routine exhausting where you could never sleep properly, you still had your parents, and the terrible relationship you had with them.

So, when you sat at that bar, at the lonely counter, all you thought about was stuffing yourself until you pass out, hoping for a counting miracle. Some people were getting along well when you arrived, and others were giving you side-eye, but with the thought that you were less attractive to them, you decided that the counter would be the best option.

Suddenly, those eyes that looked yellow from afar fell on you, and the figure that carried them turned around, with a subtle smile.

"I see someone needs a drink, hm?"

You looked at her, and shrugged, before answering. "Just today. I can't drink, I still have work tomorrow."

She continued to smile, and you had the slight impression that her eyes had returned to their normal color. Clear, deep and very eye-catching. But it could just be the impression, because you were too exhausted to make sense.

"Ah, I understand. Just a minute, I'll prepare something relaxing for you, miss…"

"(Y\N)."

She nodded, turning away and concentrating on preparing whatever the drink was. Like I said before, you were too tired to care about what drink you were going to drink. If you could just get to New Year with something in your throat, that would be a good idea.

After minutes that felt like seconds of waiting, the barista turned to you, two shiny glass cups in her hands. She was still smiling subtly as she slid your glass and turned hers in her other hand.

She served you with the same smile, and then looked at you. "It's funny, I can see there's something wrong with you... Something that's stopping you from celebrating tonight."

You looked back at her, frowning, and sighing afterwards.

"It's true, it was... It wasn't a very good year", you commented, feeling terrible for venting to a stranger. "But the year ahead will be better, I know that."

"And why is that? Why was it so bad?"

"My boss, my work... everything makes me exhausted... and not having anyone to talk to is really bad at these moments...", You took a sip. "Um, that's great, is it Merlot?"

"It's Merlot, but it's not one of the best...", the barista said, tapping her glass still. "I've seen and experienced better, around the world."

"Have you been around the world?", you asked, unable to resist your curiosity. She smiled and nodded. "Where did you go? On that expedition?"

"I've been there too, but not just on this occasion", she said, and suddenly stopped, as if she were saying too much. "You know, it's interesting, being on the other side. Sometimes it's tiring, it breaks my heart, but... It's good, there are things there that are worth the effort."

You were more intrigued. She didn't look like the type of person who would travel around the world, wearing black clothes and a gothic look, as if she wanted to hide on purpose. Generally, these trips are made for people who want to be seen, above all else in the world.

"What are you talking about, exactly?"

"Have you ever had a dream... a desire... a deep, hidden desire that no one has ever fulfilled, and that you yourself didn't imagine you could achieve?", she looked at you with the same curiosity as you. "I'm like... A dream maker. I go on these trips just for that..."

You frowned, still not understanding, but took another sip to hide it, nodding.

"Are you the personification of the genie in the lamp?"

She laughed. "Ah, I would like to, but no. It would be a lot of ego on my part, but I would say that I'm better than him", she laughed. "Verna is my name, but the name never makes that much of a difference to me."

“Different name, never heard it before,” you said, drinking again. "Are you from here?"

"I'm from nowhere. I'm everywhere, at all times... it's strange, I know, but it makes sense to me."

You nodded, finding it strange. And then, he found it even stranger when she helped herself to the Merlot on the counter and drank some. She smiled at you, still tapping the glass.

"But what about you, (Y/N)? Do you have any desires that you thought would be unrealizable, unattainable? Please be honest with me."

You opened your mouth, and then thought a little. "No. I think I'm happy this way. Except for a few little things that I would change here and there..."

She softened her gaze and took a sip, her clear eyes suddenly yellowed again and wide, fixed on you. "What kind?"

“Like, my boss giving me the justice I deserve, and stop hitting on me,” you laughed, drinking the last sip and pouring yourself again. "Not much."

"Your boss is too terrible for you, (Y/N)," Verna replied, smiling. "Don't ask me how I know this, but I do. One day someone will show him what's really good, don't worry."

You frowned. "You seem so sure, are you some kind of psychic?"

She laughed. "No. I would like to be, but no. I... I see people's possibilities. And that's it. I help them based on the possibilities."

She stared at you again, and looked away at the TV, where the ball was falling on the screen in Times Square.

"Oh, it looks like it's almost time," she whispered, laughing. "Your year is going to be great, (Y/N), I'll make sure of that."

“You…” you started, but she shushed you, smiling.

"You just have to make a deal with me."

"What kind of deal?"

Verna thought for a while, and then smiled. "Wow, you seem so sure..."

She was mocking you, of course, you realized right away, and with a muffled laugh, you glanced back at the TV, hearing people echoing a countdown. The ball finally reached its destination, and you turned around, seeing Verna's yellow eyes glued to yours again. She suddenly leaned over and stole a peck from you, taking a little too long to pull away.

“Was that your deal?”, you whispered, smiling mischievously. Verna took a moment to open her eyes and then tilted her head, as if agreeing.

She thought for a while and then finally said, her voice low, slowly close to your ear, as if she wanted to seduce or bewitch you. She had one of the softest voices you'd ever heard, and apparently she knew how to use it.

"Actually, it was a plan to find out if you were trustworthy, if you were innocent enough to accept my deal…", she whispered. "And because I know, deep down, that what you wanted most was to be kissed on New Year's Eve, my sweet client."

You trailed off, looking at her, getting lost in the soft expression on her pale face. Suddenly, an impulsive idea occurred to you, and you leaned in again, kissing her, this time with more intensity. When you touched her hair, behind the back of her head, you had the impression that it melted at the touch, as if Verna were just an illusion, as if she were the literal cosmic dust from which human beings possibly emerged.

However, the kiss didn't last long. She pushed you away with her feather-light hands, and to the naked eye, it looked like it was just a breeze of wind stopping you both. She touched your face, running her fingers lightly across your cheek as she whispered:

"We can't do that right now, (Y\N). I'm afraid you're not sober enough, and it wouldn't be wise for me to take advantage of this."

You looked at it for a moment and realized it made sense. But she had kissed you first, so it was clearly just an excuse, as always happened. You started to wonder if your kiss was that bad.

"But, Verna…"

"Please, darling. I'm trying to be reasonable. Like I said, I work with possibilities, and the possibility of us working out is less than zero. Don't get me wrong, it's just in case…", she hesitated. "Condemning pure-souled humans to my cruel and inevitable fate wouldn't be extremely political of me."

You sighed, and gave her the space she needed, even though you couldn't take your eyes off her. Verna was the same, and you could feel that, despite what it seemed like, that moment you shared wasn't just fun, much less just a New Year's kiss.

Verna poured you the rest of the Merlot and, with the same soft expression, touched your face again. This time, her voice was clear, and in a moment of vulnerability, she made it more than explicit that she wasn't lying when she said:

"But we'll still meet, (Y\N)," she whispered, her fingers again like soft feathers touching his skin. "Our deal may not have been sealed, but you've proven enough innocence and courage to convince me that you're capable of this. You'll have a great new job, I promise, and your boss will never bother you again."

She nodded, and you allowed yourself to nod too, so confused that you definitely didn't know what to believe anymore. There was a little devil on your shoulder urging you to try again, and there was another devil, right in front of you, who would be harder to convince than you expected.

"And of course, you will have my full protection," Verna whispered, smiling. "I'm not going to promise you eternal life, because that would be impossible even for someone like me. But I promise, and I need you to believe me on this one, I promise that I will move mountains so no one will hurt you again."

You smiled, and drank the last sip. Suddenly, another impulse. This time, a question, instead of an action.

"What are you? An angel? A genie without a lamp? A tempting devil who seeks souls and deals?"

Verna smiled, and simply looked away at her glass again, magically empty. "I already told you. I'm nothing, I don't have a life. I'm just what your mind wants me to be."

You were confused, but suddenly, a memory hit you hard. When you looked at Verna, it was as if she already knew.

"I really need to go. My mom will be furious if I get home late, even on New Year's..."

She nodded. "Please don't take any chances. This part, I won't be able to protect you."

You laughed, stood up and slid out the only dollar bill you had. Verna looked at the ballot, he turned it around and handed it back to you, denying it.

"No need. The bill is already paid."

"What?"

"Please don't insist. I insist."

You looked at her, shrugged, and frowned, suddenly realizing that maybe it was for the best. She kept watching you, until you left, and as soon as you turned outside, on the street, you noticed who had just walked through a solid wall.

The bar was gone.

And she was gone too.

Even more confused - and blaming the drink -, you put your hands in your pockets to protect yourself, and walked back home, into the daylight. As soon as you crossed the street, however, another very curious thing caught your attention.

There was a raven, standing still, resting on a post. It was just any raven, but it was a raven, and it looked down at you. Suddenly, you had the impression that he had winked at you.

"What nonsense. Ravens don't blink," you whispered to yourself, looking at the raven again. He remained there, standing still, as if he hadn't even noticed you. Deciding to ignore that crazy night, you turned around.

As you disappeared down the street, you whispered to yourself once again.

"Ravens don't blink."

Oh, but if you only knew that they do more than blink... If you only knew...

#lgbt #romance #oneshot #imagine #fluff #angst #the fall of the house of usher #tfothou x reader #carla gugino #carla gugino x reader #verna x reader #I love verna I would make deals with her for sure #this year's spooky season is finally out!#yes I'm back who cheered #requests coming soon

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melishade · 4 months

Note

Number 4 please? With Optimus and Levi, please. I was inspired by reading a post about number 43 that did TFP Optimus in Episode 1. I simply can't stand suspenseful cliffhangers like that.

This ask game

I guess we’re continuing this ask. TFP Optimus in Episode 1 continued.

Carla hated the struggle. She tried to reach for the cups in the cabinet drawer above, but she couldn't force herself up due to her situation. Ever since that titan attack, ever since the house, she's been unable to walk. She would have been dead if that metal titan didn't save her. And she is grateful to be alive, but it has been difficult to do things while being disabled. She can't do work in order to support the family. Hannes has been kind to her and her children, using his connections to get them a home in Wall Rose, but there was only so much he could do. When Hannes stops helping, what happens to them after? Grisha was the breadwinner, not her. And what was she supposed to do with the information he left behind?! Humanity not being extinct! What was she supposed to-!

Her train of thought was cut short when she heard a knock at the door. She took a deep breath to calm herself and wheeled herself over to the door in her chair. When she opened the door, she expected to greet her children, but she froze at the sight of two men with them. One of them was wearing strange clothing, and the other was a member of the Survey Corps.

"Hello, ma'am," The other greeted, "My name is Optimus Prime. Your son said that he wanted to inform us of something."

Carla felt her anger and fear flare up before she grabbed Eren by the hand and wheeled herself backwards into the kitchen, with Mikasa quickly following behind.

"I guess we're not welcomed in," Levi shrugged.

"What were you two thinking?" Carla hissed in a low voice in the kitchen, "Bringing the military into our house!"

"Mom, they could help us," Eren pleaded, "That's the titan who stopped the invasion! Who saved your life!"

"I don't care!" Carla warned, "If we get involved, then we won't be safe! Someone could try to kill us for this or send us to a mental institution! We don't know where your father is and-!"

"That's why I want to protect both of you," Eren cut her off, "If we don't tell anyone, then what happens if they break in again? We won't be prepared and the walls will fall. We'll lose everything."

Carla turned her attention to Mikasa, but her daughter looked so ready to agree with Eren and just get the help they so desperately needed.

"Carla...Mom...," Mikasa began, "We need help...without Dr. Jaeger...we could starve..."

Carla just felt so miserable in that moment. They were going to run out of options soon. But could they be relied upon? The two of them outside? One man and the other that's possibly a titan? Eren looked so certain, so hopeful even, he just wanted them to be safe. And calm and quiet Mikasa looked so scared. She didn't want them hurt. She wanted her children safe...she had to make a choice.

"We should just go," Levi advised as he peered inside the house, "Doesn't seem like there's anything wrong. I didn't see a father and the woman looked like she wasn't beaten."

"Perhaps she and her family are runaways from an abusive situation," Optimus suggested, "I will not feel comfortable until I receive an actual confirmation on their well-being. If I am still uncertain, then we can contact the Military Police."

"Speaking from experience, Military Police aren't that reliable," Levi warned.

They watched as the girl slowly walked towards the door. She beckoned the two of them inside, and they followed her instructions. They noticed the girl closing the door behind them as the mother wheeled up in front of them.

"Are you...the one who saved my life?" The woman addressed Optimus.

"Were you a resident of Shinganshina?" Optimus asked her, earning a nod, "Then I probably have."

"I was trapped in the rubble of a house, and then a titan's grasp, but you saved my life," she continued, "And for that I'm grateful. But...I need to know if we show you this, you'll keep my children safe."

"You have my word, ma'am," Optimus said without hesitation, stunning Levi. He barely knew this family, but he was promising protection to them? The boy, Eren, walked into the room, holding a slip of paper in his hand. He walked over to Optimus and slowly extended his hand out to him. Optimus gently takes the paper from him, and he and Levi examine it. Levi was confused to see it, but Optimus was surprised.

"A photograph?" Optimus spoke up. A photograph of a young man and woman. The man was standing and the woman was sitting in a chair, holding a child in her arms.

"You know what this is?" Eren asked.

"It is quite common from my world," Optimus explained, "But this world should not have something as advanced as this."

Optimus flipped the picture over to see if there was anything else, and he and Levi saw the writing. They read the message on the back, and the family could see their expressions turn to shock before they glanced at each other. Optimus' gaze hardened as he turned to the family.

"Does anyone else know this information?" Optimus asked them, but he notices the hesitance to answer, "If someone else knows this information, they could be targeted if we do not get to them in time. Who else knows about this?"

"Hannes. He's in the Garrison," Eren answered immediately, "That's all. We swear."

"Then pack your shit," Levi ordered, "We're taking you to headquarters."

(Optimus then proceeds to carry Carla bridal style to his alt mode while Levi helped Mikasa and Eren pack.)

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imabillyami · 17 days

Note

Hii I I'm back 😂

Okay so I would not have guessed English was not your first language 👀😳 you are doing amazingly well!

21 parts!! *fainting* I'm sooo happy to hear that haha Please please in your words - get over yourself and post that stupid (not stupid) chapter 4 😂 - I say this in the most loving and polite way possible 😁🥰 butttt obviously what I really mean is don't stress about it too much and post only when you're happy and comfortable with it (we'll be patiently waiting 😊). I'm glad to hear you're excited for the rest of it though!! 😁

On another note... My curiosity got the better of me 😆 Gentle Cottagecore Emoji Asks 🌱🥛🍯🐄🌳🐓🐇🌲🥞⛰️ answer as many as you like

(as always no pressure to respond) 😊

🐨

Hi Aussie anon friend 🥰

Took me a while to get to your message (April is this crazy busy month for me every single year, but in a mostly positive way), but here we are.

Yeah, the writing thing is delicate and very fickle. But I've been writing for 15+ years at this point and it rarely stresses me out anymore. I just gotta do things in my own time and remind myself from time to time to trust the process. We'll get there, always do in the end. Patience is key.

Thanks for sending those emoji asks, I'll be answering them under the cut 💕

Hugs to you 💜🌻

🌱 Seedling: What is a scent you find relaxing?

Sandalwood & the scent of the air when you walk through the woods after heavy rain

🥛 Milk: What is a food you find comforting when you are sad?

I dealt with some stuff in the past, so I’m not an "eat my feelings away" person anymore these days, and I’m really trying to prevent finding comfort in food or spending money when I feel sad, so I don’t have a specific food. In fact, I really struggle with eating when I’m sad these days, a complete 180 from when I was younger.

🍯 Honey: What is one thing you like about yourself?

Personality wise - my kindness. A lot of people think I’m faking that or playing it up, but I’m genuinely not. I just don’t see the point in making anyone’s life harder or miserable when I can spend my time putting smiles on people’s faces and leave them with good memories instead. Physically - probably my eyes. I like the dark color of them and the way people tell me I have kind eyes. So that.

🐄 Cow: What is one other tumblr blog you really appreciate?

Picking one is impossible, really, cause we’re all here for different reasons and good at different thing and I’m just glad we get to share this space together and love the thing we love.

I’d like to shout out some of my dear friends though. Tay @taydaq for her incredible art and being an all around lovely person who’s always there for others.

Mahi @mahi-wayy / @bangazaii for being a complete sweetheart and our lovely fic writing sessions and idea spitballing sessions / rarepair shenanigans in our dms.

Shanie @shanie-the-komania-toyaddict for always being there when shit gets rough and calling me out on my bullshit, but never judging (& also writing the most beautiful kayfabe compliant steenerico fic + side stories).

Carla @samijey for providing me/us with the most beautiful gifs and the most gorgeous writing (and giving me a chance when it was easier not to).

And last but not least my dear friend E. @bremmommye who’s been my friend and comfort person in & out of the internet for many years by now and who I miss dearly cause we rarely ever get to see each other in "real life" (that's what living on opposite ends of the same country and being busy does).

I love all my moots and my followers and all the people I follow who don’t follow me back, but these people are the ones that have carved out that extra bit of space in my heart for themselves and made themselves a forever home in some shape or form. Sorry, didn’t mean to get that mushy, but I really love talking about my friends.

🌳 Tree: What is one thing in your future you are looking forward towards?

Honestly, it goes hand in hand with the answer above, I think. Being able to watch the people I adore, family, friends, acquaintances, strangers I have yet to meet, grow and evolve and live authentic lives that they’re feeling happy and fulfilled with. That’s what makes me happy - seeing the people around me happy.

🐓 Chicken: What is a comfort movie/show for you?

Sooo many. But one constant is The Princess Bride. Another one is The Breakfast Club. Grey’s Anatomy (very early seasons), Skam, Legally Blonde and more recently Heartstopper. I could go on and on, there’s a whole lot of them.

🐇 Bunny: What’s a song that you really like?

If you could see my music library - it’s WILD. And I love every single song. I listen to music basically every single minute I’m awake and able to. So picking one song - good god. I’ll give you my 5 most recent played ones.

Thoughts of a child - The Lathums

Dublin in Ecstasy - Inhaler

Dreams - The Snuts

I bet you look good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkey

Poundshop Kardashians - Sam Fender

🌲 Pine: Do you prefer the cold, or the heat?

The heat. Don’t love the heat, but I can stand it a lot better than being cold.

🥞 Pancake: What is your favorite breakfast food?

Not a big breakfast person, don’t have a sweet tooth either (not anymore I should say), so probably something savory. I had this yummy grilled veggie & hummus on rye bread breakfast sandwich when I was traveling the other day, that one came to mind. On a normal day, I’ll just have a cup of tea (no sugar, no milk alternative), a handful of almonds, and a banana or an apple to hold me over till lunch. But yeah, if I’m going for actual breakfast, I prefer savory over sweet.

⛰️ Mountains: Would you rather live in the mountains, city, beach, or the forest?

Grew up living near the forest and spending a lot of time playing in the woods as a kid, lived in a couple a large cities over the years, now living close to the mountains, but still in general vicinity of the city (albeit a smaller one), I’m really enjoying being able to go for a hike in the mountains if I need to catch a break. Reconnecting with nature and the quiet from time to time is real nice.

#lovely anon #anon #asks #m answers #replies #ask game #ask games #tw ed

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liannelara-dracula · 2 years

Note

Heyyy hope your doing alright ^^

May I ask what will the Diabolik lovers do when the person they like is a loner quiet person and is often cold around strangers, is distant always hiding their face and is often invisible in school? But is kind to them all tho still distant from them.

Hi Love,

I figured that I'd put this in a squad reaction because it might make more sense in this case. Thanks for requesting, sorry for the wait.

-Liannelara

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Prompt

Requests are open

Rules

Warning:

*certain words have been censored for Tumblr guidelines.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The "This girl is shy but I like it." Squad: Kou & Laito

The "Being closed up does stop me, my charm will still work." Squad: Shin

at least he thinks.

The "Is trying everything to get your attention and is failing miserably." Squad: Ayato, Kino, Subaru.

The "There's no way she's single but that don't stop me." Squad: Yuma

The "Alright, we can play that game where you say you don't know me." Squad: Ruki & Kanato

The "Sounds like a tea$e" Squad: Shu

The "She sounds . . . so nice." Squad: Azusa

The "The girl they'd turn their head for because she has this special presence." Squad: Reiji & Carla

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

˗ˏˋ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ˎˊ˗ ©𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔~Present

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lover-of-mine · 9 months

Text

No, but I could have so much fun playing with the perception of canon to lean buddie towards romantic, but mostly on Eddie's side because I stand by the fact that Buck doesn't realize what he's feeling. Because in season 3, Eddie basically tells Frank that he boxed his emotions so much he's not feeling anything, positive or not. And that begs the question of when did the box started to crack. We know it explodes in season 5, but that's because he couldn't contain it anymore, so when did it start to break? My bet, the well. What the did the well trigger? Eddie changing his will. And hiding it. The hiding it part is important because why would he hide it until he had an excuse to say it that was about Buck not himself? He almost died and his reaction is to give Buck the single most important thing in his life. And season 4 Eddie, he's more open but the box is still there, until the shooting. Say whatever you want, Eddie reached for Buck. He thought he was going to die and reached for him. That was Eddie oh! moment and I will die on this hill. But terrible moment to have an oh! moment, because he's, yk, dying. Then he used whatever energy he had left to ask Buck if he was hurt. Did he ask because he knows Buck enough to know he would ignore himself if someone he cares about was worse? Did he ask because he needed one of them to make back to Chris? Did he ask because he just realized he loves Buck and needs to make sure he's okay before dying? Who knows, I like the last one tho.

But then he wakes up in the hospital. With Ana, the girlfriend he was really intense for a second there but then we had doubt thrown on it by having Carla imply that the reason he's with her is Christopher. And then Buck tells him it would've been better if he was the one who got shot, and now he can tell Buck about the will while making it about Buck, not him (Edmundo Diaz say I love you like a normal person challenge). Maybe he was working himself up here to say something else, waiting for him to be healthier? I mean, he knows Buck associates pain with love so he wouldn't do a bedside confession. But then Taylor Kelly is in his welcome home party. And that's a reminder that Buck is straight (debatable) so he stays with the girlfriend we now have doubts about and who his doubts about will evolve to full on panic. Per season 6 he doesn't remember details of the shooting, but it would be great for dramatic purpose if he was lying because he can't say whatever he realized when he hit the ground.

But we keep going, he likes Ana, maybe he can love her, but that fails miserably. Isn't interesting that he needed Buck's permission to breakup with Ana? But then he swear off dating again. Which makes sense considering the fact that the box was about to blow and he was minimizing the amount of people that would be around when it did. But the box blowing up made him work on dealing with feelings in a healthier way. The first crack on the box made him sure of Buck, and Buck was with him all throughout him dealing with having no more box. And now there's no more Taylor Kelly. Eddie's single, Buck's single, and he's living in this bubble where he can pretend things are moving to the direction he wants them to, without actually doing something about it. Buck's is cooking dinner for him and Chris, he's asking Buck about things Chris hid from him. But then his bubble got popped. By Buck dying (if we believe Oliver, there was some sort of reaction shot from Eddie that we missed) but even with just what we got, he was acting like a grieving partner.

And after that we actually see Eddie being around Buck more. Does he want to be there if Buck breaks over dying? Is he just convincing himself Buck's still alive? Who knows. But he's also being pressured into dating again (after that poker game, tell me that wasn't a date, I dare you) but he's still ignoring it while hanging on to Buck. Until Buck blindsided him with Natalia. It's interesting that Eddie is hostile to every girl that shows interest in Buck, he looked like he could fight Abby, he looks like he poisoned Taylor. But he's not like that about Natalia, his main worry is actually if it's a good idea to date someone else he met in a call. And it is a choice to have Eddie looking that heartbroken while Buck talks about dating, then deciding he's ready to date (he's accepting the fact that he's gonna be Buck's best man and needs to move on). But he's settling, he's chasing what he knows (what he had with Shannon) to feel something. And to use that perception of the facts could be fun.

Also here I rest my case for Eddie fell first. But mostly because Buck is loud with his emotions and if he realized he's in love with someone that deeply he would start vibrating in such a frequency that there would be no hiding it. Dude is gonna have his oh! moment and have wedding rings later that day.

#anyway i just typed this out twice kspkspskapa #tumblr ate the first one kspakpakaoakoa #just a thought #911 #buddie #thoughts thoughts thoughts #buddie thoughts #otp: you don't need to pretend with me

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dixbolik-lovers · 2 years

Note

I loved the pet au vampire heats ask! Could we get that for the M boys?

I'm adding in the Tsukinami too, and the first post is here~ >;3c

. . .

Ruki

He's the type to try to keep himself together no matter what. Even when it feels like his brain is melting and taking all capabilities for rational thought with it, Ruki is determined not to make himself vulnerable. The further into a heat he gets, the more he hurts. His scars ache horribly, and even though his body burns with the need to be touched, the slightest bit of contact is painful as well. Protective instincts, especially over his brothers, often get the better of him, and he'll struggle to sleep when he's alone.

Kou

His heats terrify him. Because he's weak and needy and miserable during them, Kou's come to dread every time they come around. When he's on the verge of tears, barely able to sit up on his own, and so hard it hurts, the sense of vulnerability is agonizing and leaves him wanting to do nothing more than curl up alone and hide somewhere small and quiet until his body stops torturing him. His body is fragile during these times, as well, so much so that the slightest touch can be either pure pain or utter bliss.

Yuuma

As much as he wishes he'd just end up in pain, Yuuma's heats make him soft. He feels like he's melting all over, gooey-headed, and hardly able to make himself move. His muscles lose all their strength, replaced instead with ultra-sensitive nerves and lowered aggression. All he can think about is being close to something (or someone) warm and soft and comforting and staying there until he feels less weird. He's desperately aroused, but not quite aware of it, and ends up humping pillows and such without noticing it.

Azusa

When he's in heat, his normally spacey behavior gets much, much worse. Azusa hardly even knows what he's feeling. His whole body is oversensitive and achy, instinctively longing for any kind of soft touch it can get, and he winds up twice as clingy as usual in response. He doesn't understand the difference between positive and negative attention, so he'll seek out even abuse if it means getting something. If he's left alone for too long, he's prone to self-harm, and he constantly feels chilled, fatigued, and shaky.

Carla

He's debatably the best at not showing how affected he is... but that doesn't mean he's not affected. Physically, Carla is miserable, with his already weak health making everything worse, and his mental state is no better. He'll force himself to act normal when anyone can see him, then collapse as soon as he's alone. The arousal side of it doesn't affect him too badly, but the pain, sensitivity, and neediness border on unbearable, especially when he has to maintain his dignity and pretend like he's fine.

Shin

He utterly despises it, but his heats make him scared. Everything hurts, and he's reflexively terrified of doing anything to make it worse. No matter how hard Shin tries to keep it together and not look weak, he'll end up cowering from the slightest raised voice or leaning into any gentle touch, no matter how small. He wants to be praised and petted and left to rest, while he's always too out of it to fight the urges, he's seething in shame and self-hatred once the heat is over. He's also insatiably horny and humiliated by it.

#Diabolik Lovers #Dialovers #Mukami Ruki #Mukami Kou #Mukami Yuuma #Mukami Azusa #Tsukinami Carla #Tsukinami Shin #Headcanon #Reader #Pet Au #Lemon

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m3r1m4r5u333 · 11 months

Text

You know what baffles me? The buddie shippers who were disappointed by the coma-buck-storyline because the coma dreams had no Eddie... I really, really don't really get why that disappointed buddie-shippers.

I think the coma dream was actually a freaking cornucopia for buddie shippers. I mean of course, it's always nice to get screentime with the characters you ship... but we did get to see Eddie's panic, his desperate demand that the medical team must do more than just their best, we saw him crying by Buck's bedside, his relieved joy when Buck woke up, we saw Buck and Eddie talk about their near death experiences and the adjustment to life after such an experience.

Also, I think the fact that there was no Eddie in that dream was actually HUGE for the buddie shippers. Because sometimes in storytelling what we don't get to see... tells the audience more than what we get to see.

In the coma dream Buck's subconscious basically deduced that Eddie would be absolutely miserable without Buck.

Because if there was an alternative universe without Buck in it, Eddie would've drowned. Eddie would've had nobody to have his back. If Eddie hadn't met Buck - the guy who takes an interest, the guy who fixes things - Eddie would have never been introduced to Carla. Eddie would have struggled to balance the demands of his job and parenthood. Eddie would have lost the custody of Chris to his parents. That would have destroyed him.

Chris was looking for his dad in the dream because in that universe Chris really had no dad, because in that alternative universe, Eddie couldn't be in Christopher's life. He'd been declared an 'unfit' parent, and the custody battle had turned nasty.

And also, Chris would have lost his dad, because in an universe without Buck, there would really be no Eddie.

Because an Eddie without Buck's support wouldn't be Eddie, the loving, supporting dad, someone who's loved by his family and the people around him.

Hen and Chim called the alternative Eddie the 'angry guy' because without Buck he'd rapidly become someone totally else. He'd lost Chris. He'd become enstranged from his parents, he'd see the custody battle as a betrayal of trust. He'd become so lonely, bitter, angry, heartbroken that his workmates saw him as the 'angry guy' and steered clear of him, didn't make an effort to get to know him. Not an friend, just some angry guy.

So Eddie without Buck wouldn't be Eddie. He'd be miserable. He'd have lost everyone, he'd be too broken to get to know anyone. Eddie would have nothing.

Basically the coma!buck storyline highlighted how much Buck and Eddie have each other's backs:

We see Buck getting struck by lighting, Eddie is there to save him.

In the dream Daniel tells Buck that the next time he goes up a ladder, he should have someone to spot him. Buck is confused because he did have someone.

We see an alternative universe where Eddie doesn't have Buck... And in that world there is no sign of Eddie. He's lost. Christopher can't find him.

The universe without Buck... is also an universe without Eddie.

The episode reminds us of the day when Eddie and Buck met.

Eddie: "You can have my back anyday."

Buck: "Or you know... You can have mine."

And Ravi's comment about the ideal romantic partner.

"...Isn't that what we all want in a partner, knowing that they have our back?"

#911 buddie #buddie #911 fox #tv: 911 #911 on abc #eddie diaz #evan buck buckley #christopher diaz

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thebiggerbear · 7 months

Text

Kiss Me Again - Beau x Cassie - Prompt Response

A/N: Prompt from prompt list by @dumplingsjinson. Beau and Cassie are just too adorbs. I had to write this.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.

“Quick, kiss me again, they’re coming back—”

<-->

Cassie shot Beau a look at yet another dad joke he had just told.

“What?”

“No, just no.” She shook her head, urging him to quit while he was ahead.

He gave her his most charming smile. “Admit it, you love it.”

She tried to keep from smiling, she really did, but failed miserably. So instead, she settled for an eye roll and then turned away so he couldn’t see her face. Because if he saw her grin, it would all be over. The dad jokes would be turned up ten notches and she couldn’t do that to Emily, or herself really.

Beau laughed, knowing full well why she was suddenly so invested in Dewell & Hoyt’s current case board. “Yeah, she does.”

Denise appeared next to Cassie, handing her a packet of papers. “This is that report you asked for from the DMV. Em and I are trying to match the license plate right now.”

Cassie nodded her thanks. “Let me know when you have an address and I’ll take a ride over there.”

Before Denise could say anything, Beau piped up from behind them, “Something I should know?”

Denise glanced back and forth between Cassie and Beau, and then settled on Emily who was typing away on Cassie’s computer as her father sat next to her on the desk. “I’ll let Cassie fill you in on that, Beau-Beau. Me? I need some sustenance. Em, why don’t you come with me to the coffee shop down the street and we’ll pick up some sandwiches to bring back here?”

“Oh.” Emily looked surprised. “But I’m almost—” At Denise’s look, she nodded and slowly got to her feet. “Right. Okay, yeah. I’m starving, anyway.”

Denise gave her an encouraging smile.

Beau reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, slapping some bills into Emily’s hand. “Lunch is on me. Do your old man a favor, though. Can you get me that buffalo chicken sandwich special they have? Oh-ho-ho yes. Thanks, kiddo.”

The older woman turned to Cassie, arching her eyebrows in question. She shrugged and settled on the easiest answer. “Same for me, too, I guess.” Denise smiled and gave Cassie a wink before leading Emily out of the office and down the block.

Cassie turned to see Beau’s gaze trained on her.

“Have I ever told you how good you look in that color?”

She glanced down at her light blue turtleneck before smiling up at him. “Thanks. I think.”

He tossed his wallet onto the desk beside him and turned to fully face her. “C’mere.”

Cassie rolled her eyes again but made her way over to him, not in the least surprised when his hands flashed out, gripped her hips, and pulled her in, his lips intent on hers. When he finally broke away to let them both get some air, she wrapped her arms around his neck, content to stay there with him as long as possible. It was rare that they got moments like this alone these days. Between the Bleeding Heart murders, whatever was going on with Avery, and the rise in cases in Lewis & Clark County requiring the full attention of the Sheriff’s Department, she and Beau didn’t get to see each other too often. And when they did, usually someone else was around like Jenny or Denise or now even Emily. Seeing as neither of them were ready to broadcast their change in relationship status to everyone just yet, this proved to be frustrating and slightly problematic. So any time Cassie could get with the Sheriff she cherished, soaking up every possible second before the bubble would be burst by whatever twist or turn the universe wanted to throw at them that day, she’d take it.

Beau’s arms snuck around Cassie’s waist and he placed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. “Been a while,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” she whispered.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. Between the murder in the park the other day, the whole Carla and Avery thing going on, and making sure Em is okay after what happened, I just haven’t been able to really get time to step away.”

“I get it,” she assured him. “You’ve got a lot going on. Us, too. We’ll get time. After.”

“Yes. We will,” he promised, giving her a soft smile. “Gotta say, I’ve been missing the hell out of you, though.”

“Same here.”

Beau’s smile grew. “You’d think criminals would be more considerate. Realize we have lives.”

“Right? You’d think they’d take a holiday every now and then just to give us a break.”

He snickered and kissed her lips. “So selfish of them.”

“Very selfish,” she agreed. She then snuck a hand up to pat down his hair, her brows furrowing at the stubborn wayward lock that just wouldn’t go back into place. Every once in a while this would happen and Beau hated it. He swore that one of these days he would cut his hair to which Jenny would threaten to use the picture she took of the three of them from the last movie night they had, and have Poppernak upload it to the department website. Jenny would then receive a glare of the likes that Cassie never wanted to be on the receiving end of, though she was secretly amused at the constant bickering between the two. Beau had told her once that Jenny was like the annoying younger sister he never asked for. Cassie knew better, though; for all of his griping, he liked Jenny well enough and he secretly enjoyed their banter. It made things a lot easier on the workfront and Beau had confided to her that he had been initially worried that the two would keep butting heads after their first meeting. But all of that worrying had been for naught; they actually worked quite well together. Denise even kept referring to them as Helena’s own crime solving duo.

Cassie would never admit it but she liked Beau from the outset. His sexist remarks aside, he was friendly, personable, and she could sense there was a lot more to the Everything’s-Bigger-In-Texas-Darlin’ front he put on. It turned out she had been right, and looking at Beau now, she had never been happier to be right about a guy since Andrew.

“Is it sticking up again?”

“No, it’s just…” She made a few more attempts and luckily, it worked. “There.”

“Damn hair. I swear I’m gonna cut it.”

Cassie laughed and cupped his cheeks, leaning in to kiss him. “No, you’re not.”

“I am. I mean it. And I don’t give a crap what Hoyt says. I’ll have a desk jockey strip her access from the website so fast it’ll make her damn head spin.”

She decided to tease him and dug her teeth into her lip, forcing his gaze down to her mouth. “But if you do,” she murmured. “Then I won’t have anything to hold onto.” His eyes flickered back up to hers and she could see the green darken slightly. Mission accomplished.

It wasn’t all that surprising when Beau loosened his grip on her to sneak his hands into the back pockets of her jeans, and squeezed. “Oh, I”ll give you something to hold onto, darlin’, don’t you worry.” He leaned in a little closer and his voice dropped in register, making an all-too familiar fluttery feeling appear in her abdomen. “You know, you really shouldn’t be teasing me like that when my daughter is about to walk through the door.”

She stared into his eyes, not giving an inch. “Is that a punishable offense, Sheriff?”

He tugged her in closer and squeezed her again. “You want to find out?”

Excitement coursed through her. Oh, she very much did, but he had made a good point. Denise and Emily were bound to return any moment now. The coffee shop was most likely not going to be that busy, not at this time of day. Everyone had already gotten their caffeine fixes about two hours earlier.

And as if on cue, Cassie heard the lock on the front door being turned. That surprised her; why would Denise have locked the door? She didn’t have too much time to think on it, though, because right then Beau swooped down to drop a heated kiss on her lips, the promise of later rippling through her. One glance into his eyes before she took a step back confirmed it.

Cassie didn’t get too far when Beau suddenly jumped to his feet and grabbed her again. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her up to meet him more fully. Placing her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, she could hear the door being opened and Denise talking. She was pretty sure this was not how Beau wanted Emily to find out about them. As a matter of fact, she knew it wasn’t. Beau had been pretty insistent that he wanted them to sit down and have a conversation with Emily when the time was right, same as she wanted to do with Kai.

Remembering this, Cassie tried to step away but he held her fast. “Beau,” she warned. “They’re about to walk in.”

“You’re not getting off that easy.” He then murmured to her lips, “Whatever plans you’ve got tonight, cancel ‘em. You’re coming over.”

She went to speak when they both froze, hearing Denise opening up the front door again and saying to Emily that she thought she had dropped something on the sidewalk. They literally had seconds, if that.

Beau turned back to her, smirking. “Quick, kiss me again, they’re coming back—”

“Oh, ew, gross.”

Both Cassie’s and Beau’s heads snapped up, seeing Emily staring at them from the doorway, bags of food in hand. Denise appeared behind her, beaming and looking beyond happy, and then mouthing an apology.

Beau slowly released Cassie when she attempted to move away, chuckling nervously and taking a step back. A faint tinge of pink dusted his cheeks and the bridge of his nose which at any other time would have been adorable, sweet even, but not now. Now, they were both in the hot seat. Cassie wasn’t sure what to say so she stayed quiet, willing to follow his lead on how he wanted to handle this. She had only started to get to know Emily herself once Beau asked her to keep an eye on his teenage daughter who had recently found the dead body of one of her fellow glampers in the woods. She hoped this wouldn’t undo any rapport they had built so far.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Em, listen…I—”

“You’re dating Cassie. Yep, I know. Already got the memo.”

The pink in her dad’s face turned to red and the tension in his body increased. Cassie felt for him; he was embarrassed and he hadn’t wanted her to find out like this. She felt guilty for teasing him; had she not, maybe Emily would have never walked in on them and she wouldn’t be the wiser. “I get that. But the bottom line is—”

“No,” Emily insisted. “Dad, I mean I know . It’s literally old news. I already knew about you guys.”

Beau was shocked and Cassie’s jaw dropped. Even Denise seemed surprised, turning to Emily in amazement. “You knew?”

Emily glanced back at the older woman with disbelief. “And you didn’t?”

“Oh no, I knew,” Denise confirmed.

“Wait,” Cassie interrupted, making them both look back at her. “You both knew?”

“Well, Cass, you two weren’t exactly being subtle.” This time, it was Cassie who was blushing. “The constant calls, Beau-Beau here coming by the office a lot recently and looking much happier than usual I might add, even right down to the way you two look at each other when you think no one else is watching. Of course it was obvious to anyone with eyes.” The older woman then thought for a minute, turning back to Emily. “I didn’t think you knew, though.”

“Oh yeah.” Emily made her way past the two slightly embarrassed but also dumbfounded adults standing in the center of the room, plopping down in Cassie’s chair and opening the bag of food to find her lunch. “They’re actually one of the main couples featured in my podcast.” Both Cassie’s and Beau’s eyes widened. “Originally, I was going to do my mom and dad, and then my mom and Avery, but this is much more interesting.” Emily gave them a devilish smile and proceeded to take a bite of her sandwich.

“Em, what…” Beau was sputtering, trying to process everything he just heard. “Wait, is this the summer project you were talking about?” At Emily’s nod, Beau’s jaw tightened. “Please tell me you haven’t put it out there yet.”

“And are we really being featured in it?” Cassie added.

“Well…”

Cassie’s nerves were skyrocketing. She didn’t want to think about how all of Helena and possibly the rest of the state — the rest of the country — now knew she and Beau Arlen were an item. Not that she cared what anyone thought; her relationship was her own and she cared deeply for Beau, she wasn’t ashamed for anyone to know that. But if this was made public in a very viral way, and if they were as obvious as Denise claimed, then that meant a certain blonde undersheriff must be seething right about now. She turned wide eyes on the sheriff and let out in a breath, “Jenny.”

Beau held out a comforting hand and went to speak when Emily cut him off. “Jenny? She’s the one who gave me the idea to feature you two instead of my parents.”

Just when Cassie thought she couldn’t be caught off guard anymore than she already had been today, she was wrong. “What?” Beau demanded.

Emily’s smirk was now gone, replaced by a sheepish expression when she realized that her father was anything but pleased at this information. “I was talking to her about the podcast and when I told her what it was about and who I planned to feature, she said you two might be a better choice than you and Mom.”

“Wait, what is the podcast about?” Cassie had to know. Why would she and Beau or Beau and Carla or even Carla and Avery for that matter be featured in a podcast of a high schooler? She was determined to ignore the knowledge that Jenny knew about her and Beau for now until she was ready to deal with it.

Emily glanced over at her father who had his hands on his hips and was staring down at her expectantly. “Secrets and lies in relationships,” she mumbled.

“Oh, boy,” Denise whispered before hurrying over to her desk to sit down.

Beau and Cassie exchanged a glance of disbelief and confusion before looking back at Emily. Cassie felt sick to her stomach; Jenny knew she had been quietly seeing Beau and based on this, she was not happy.

“Why are you doing a podcast on secrets and lies in relationships? And more importantly, why would you feature me or your mother?”

“Because,” Emily started, obviously grasping for something to say that would keep her out of trouble. “Yours and Mom’s relationship had a lot of that.” Cassie noticed pain flicker across Beau’s expression before he crossed his arms, studying his daughter as she attempted to explain. Before this, she would have never reached out to him in front of anyone, in case they were watching. But now that Emily, Denise, and apparently the whole world knew, Cassie didn’t give it a second thought as she laid a reassuring hand on his arm, squeezing gently. His hand covered hers, squeezing back, but he never took his eyes off of Emily. Something that wasn’t lost on the young girl either.

“You weren’t the only ones I was going to feature!” Emily rushed out. “I was also going to feature Luke and Paige, and Mom and Avery like I said, and—”

“Luke and Paige? You mean the guy who was accused of killing his girlfriend who is still missing? Yeah, that’s not happening.”

“But, Dad—”

“It’s an open homicide investigation, Em. Not to mention, I’m the sheriff. Did you think about that when planning this project of yours?”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Of course, I did. I wasn’t going to mention names, I’m not stupid.”

Beau let go of Cassie’s hand and paced to the end of the desk, sighing and running a hand down his face. Emily glanced up at Cassie who gave her what she hoped to be a tiny reassuring smile. She was trying not to think about what the implications of Jenny telling Emily about her and Beau dating would mean: for her friendship with Jenny, for her relationship with Beau, for Jenny’s own relationship with Beau — all of it seemed much more complicated now than it was prior to this knowledge.

“You know what would make a great podcast?” Both girls turned to look at Denise. “One about UFO’s.”

Cassie bit her lip to keep from chuckling. Denise and her UFO theory. She had to admit it — it wasn’t a bad idea. One much more preferable than the podcast Emily was currently working on.

Before Emily could say anything, the sheriff spun on his heel, hands on his hips again. “No more podcast,” he decided. Emily’s shoulders slumped and Beau gave her a look. “If you want to do one using Denise’s idea, then fine. But nothing about anything personal. Especially not about me and your mother. And especially not about people involved in an open investigation. Ever. Got it?”

Emily nodded, looking rather forlorn but knowing full well that she wouldn’t be able to win this one.

“Good. And by the way, you’re grounded.”

“What? Dad, come on. I don’t even live with you.”

Cassie didn’t need to glance at Beau to know how much that one hurt.

“That may be so but trust me, it’ll be a hell of a lot better to take your grounding from me than what your mother'll have in store for you once she finds out what you’ve been doing and that you’ve been airing out all of her dirty laundry.” Emily paled at this. Cassie still had yet to officially meet the former Mrs. Arlen, but based on what Beau and Jenny had said about the woman, she didn’t sound like she would be the understanding type if she learned her daughter was broadcasting all of the details of her relationships. Especially given the context of the theme for the podcast itself.

“Okay, hear me out for a second,” Emily tried. “What if instead of grounding me, I spend more weekends with you in the tin can.” At Beau’s glare, she continued. “We can do whatever you want to do, no matter how much I’ve protested it in the past. And not only will I be the coolest kid ever and be good with you and Cassie dating, but I’ll let you tell Mom on your own and I’ll even throw in my vocalized support for free.”

“Did you just counter your grounding with various forms of subtle emotional blackmail of your father and his new girlfriend?” At Emily’s sweet smile, Beau gave a nod and chuckled. “Impressive.” He glanced up to find Cassie giving him a look and he straightened up. “And ballsy. Which does not work in your favor, young lady. You’re grounded for three weeks, all three weekends which you will be spending with me in the Airstream and we will be doing what I want, whether you protest or not. Which means we’re going fishing so yeah, be ready. I will tell your mother about Cassie and me when I feel it’s the right time. Right now, she…has a lot of other things on her mind and that’s the last thing she needs to be worrying about. Especially since you said you already knew we were dating and you didn’t seem to have an issue with it then. And you already are the coolest kid ever,” he finished with an affectionate smile. “But even the best kids get misguided sometimes and it’s my job to steer you back onto the straight and narrow, so… Three weeks.”

Emily didn’t appear pleased but she shrugged her agreement. “Okay.”

Beau shot a satisfied smirk over at Cassie who inclined her head towards the back room. Getting her meaning quickly, he clapped his hands together and glanced between Emily and Denise. “Well, since it is no longer a secret…”

“And apparently never was,” Cassie muttered.

“Cassie and I are going to have a quick chat in the back so talk amongst yourselves… Actually, maybe don’t.”

“Just don’t make out in the storage room again.” Cassie’s eyes widened and turned towards Emily. The tips of Beau’s ears were the ones that turned pink this time. “That was weird and totally uncomfortable. Not to mention, extremely gross.”

Cassie glared over at Beau who laughed nervously. She had warned him it would be too risky a few days ago, with his daughter only twenty feet away, but he had insisted, citing the lack of time they’d had together over the last week, and she’d eventually given in. He was hard to resist, even in the best circumstances.

“Kids. They say the damndest things, don’t they?” He shrugged sheepishly with an anxious smile on display.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie saw Denise biting her lip to keep from laughing herself. Emily, too. She was so glad this was so entertaining for everyone; and to think, here she had been mortified at not only her assistant knowing about their recent rendezvous but also Beau’s teenage daughter along with every busybody in this town. “Beau,” she called before walking into the back.

“Yeah.” Beau hopped to it and followed her inside, shutting the door behind him.

Cassie crossed her arms. “Cute kid.”

He was practically beaming. “The cutest.” When Cassie didn’t crack a smile, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I know this isn’t the way we planned for this to happen and I get how embarrassing all of…that was. I’ll talk to Em and explain to her that—”

She held out a hand to stop him. “Beau, I don’t care about that.” Relief saturated his features. “I’m more concerned about Jenny.”

His face darkened slightly. “Traffic duty. So much traffic duty is in her future.”

She ignored that. “A podcast about secrets and lies in relationships? Her telling Emily to focus on us? Not a coincidence.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing but hey,” He cupped her face. “I don’t want you to worry about this. Okay? I’ll talk to her.”

Cassie shook her head. “I appreciate it but that won’t matter. She’s going to want to hear it from me and based on what Emily told us… Beau, I know her. Better than anyone. She’s not happy.”

“Since when is Hoyt ever happy?” When Cassie didn’t laugh or say a word, only continued to look worried, Beau reassuringly stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “Cass, it’s going to be fine. Look at it this way, it’s less people for us to tell now that—”

“The whole state knows?”

He winced slightly. “Yeah, pretty much.” He then pulled her in for a hug, kissing the side of her head and murmuring into her hair, “It’s all going to work out. Trust me.” She closed her eyes and melted into him. She did trust him but she also knew Jenny. And with their history… She dug her fingers into the back of Beau’s jacket and on cue, he tightened his grip on her just like she wanted. If she wasn’t so worried, she might have smiled at the thought that Beau had indeed given her something else to hold onto.

“You know, one of the perks of everybody knowing,” he breathed into her ear. “Is less sneaking around.” She nearly shivered when his lips brushed her ear lobe. “Which means more time for you and me.”

She gasped when he suddenly picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist on instinct. He grinned up at her as he started walking them further into the room, towards the back corner where a spare desk sat. As a rule, anytime he was in the vicinity, Cassie made sure to avoid that area. He liked it way too much, so much so that he put it to good use one night when she had been working late in the office by herself and he casually stopped by on his way home. “Beau,” she warned. “They’re expecting us back out there.”

“I know,” he chuckled. When they reached the desk, he gently lowered her down onto it. “But I told you I’d give you something else to hold onto, and darlin’...” This time, Cassie did shiver when his voice dropped into that deeper tone that he knew sent electricity up her spine. “Look around you because you’re gonna have a lot to hold onto later tonight,” he promised. His lips enveloped hers and she moaned when his tongue licked its way into her mouth. He kissed her deeply, silently hinting at everything that was to come when they were truly alone.

When he broke away, leaving both of them gasping for air, he put his forehead to hers and stared into her eyes. “Send Denise home early,” he commanded. “I’ll drop Em off at her mom’s. Then I’m coming right back here and you’re closing the office the second I walk through the door.”

Usually, Cassie didn’t care to be told how to run her business, but right then, his ordering her what to do was kind of hot. And from the bastard’s smug smile, he knew it, too. She nodded, panting, “Okay.”

His smile grew and his hands squeezed her hips. ”That’s my girl,” he hummed, dropping another kiss to her lips before starting to retreat.

“Get your ass back here, Sheriff.” Cassie tightened her legs around his waist and pulled him back to her which caused him to throw his hands out on either side of her on the desk to keep himself from falling onto her, making him grunt. The sound caused a fire to start in her lower abdomen and she forcefully pushed the images of all the other times she’d heard that noise from him away. It was that or she’d never let him leave the room, and the latter wasn’t happening under any circumstances. She lifted up, hovering near his mouth, “I wasn’t done.”

He chuckled and it thrilled her when she saw his gaze darken even further. “Oh, you weren’t, were you?”

She threaded her fingers into his hair and whispered, “Nope.” She slotted her lips against his, kissing him as if her life depended on it. Cassie didn’t know what Beau did to her, but ever since they had shared their first kiss months ago, she struggled to keep her hands to herself whenever they had a moment to themselves like this. And apparently, so did Beau, since his hands were roaming everywhere .

The sound of loud laughter in the office broke them apart. They waited a moment, trying to determine if someone was coming in or not as they caught their breath. When no one rushed in, Cassie glanced back up at Beau and nearly laughed. His hair was sticking up in various angles; her hands had done their work well. She felt a lightness inside of her chest when she noticed him staring down at her, his smile warm and his eyes filled with something akin to adoration. She had seen that look often enough before they started dating though she never quite knew what it meant. Now she did, and she smiled back up at him.

He leaned down to place a soft kiss to her lips and then moved back, holding out a hand to help Cassie to her feet. She ran her hands through his hair, attempting to undo some of the damage she had done, and he groaned. “It’s sticking up again?” She snickered at his obvious irritation. “I’m telling you, I’m gonna cut it.”

“No, you’re not,” she laughed.

“Oh, I am. I’m going to the barber two blocks over, watch me.”

She shushed him and finished fixing up his hair as much as she could. His gaze was trained on her and when she stopped, giving him a once over and grinning up at him, his eyes softened and he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips.

More sounds of laughter and the teasing call of “Cassie…” by Denise had him frowning at the door while shaking his head. “We’re never living this down, are we?”

“Probably not,” she chuckled.

He gave her a tender smile and placed his forehead up against hers, staring into her eyes. “Worth it, though.”

Cassie returned the smile and cupped his cheeks, stroking his bearded jawline with her thumbs. He was right; it was definitely worth it, especially when they could get small quiet moments like this. She marveled at the fact that this man could literally go from teasing her like usual to successfully stoking the fire between them and being hot as hell while doing it to being soft and sweet and loving, all in a matter of minutes. But it was Beau after all, and as she had discovered the last few months that he had been here, there were many different sides to the county’s newest (and youngest as he always reminded her which then earned him another round of teasing) sheriff. And she loved every single one, even though she hadn’t quite told him that yet.

She could feel herself getting closer every day to saying those three little words to him; she just wasn’t sure if she wanted to be the first to say it. While she had a pretty good idea of how Beau felt, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to open herself up like that only to be shut down. Not after what happened with Mark, Cody, Andrew, and…her dad. That had been why she and Cormac hadn’t worked; she wouldn’t let him in, not completely. But Beau…Beau she didn’t see coming. And he had been patient and kind and just there for her. He never once demanded anything of her that she hadn’t already been willing to give. Beau also wasn’t the type to play games or hold himself at bay (not with her anyway); he wore his heart on his sleeve, unashamedly letting her see everything laid bare, and she loved him for it. As a matter of fact, their dating one another had only been kept secret due to her request. While he wanted some time to tell Emily himself should they get serious, he had no qualms about anyone else being in the know. But Cassie had wanted to wait since she knew how fast word traveled around Helena. And based on the conversation with Denise and Emily earlier, the news of their relationship was going to spread at the speed of light. She tried not to think about how it already had thanks to the podcast Emily had come up with.

Cassie’s smile grew when Beau groaned at hearing another set of giggles behind the door. “Guess we should get out there.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, kissing her once more.

A sudden loud pounding on the door had them breaking apart. “Let’s go, lovebirds.” Cassie froze at that voice. Jenny.

Beau was already there, a hand on her back rubbing comfortingly, and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Right here,” he murmured into her skin. “I got your back.”

She appreciated the sentiment but still she couldn’t resist teasing him. “Which means you’ll be using me as a human shield.”

“What? Never.” That feigned shock on his face said otherwise.

She shook her head but the humorous moment between them had helped to ease her nerves slightly. “Right. Well, guess we should head out there then.”

Beau gave a nod, let out a heavy breath, and turned to leave. He then stopped for a moment, reaching back to take her hand in his. He grinned when Cassie intertwined their fingers, and opened the door.

They stepped out to find Emily smiling but with her nose scrunched up, a beaming Denise, and most surprisingly of all, a smirking Jenny sitting on Cassie’s desk. Cassie froze; there wasn’t a trace of anger or irritation in the blonde’s expression.

“So, it’s official.” Jenny nodded towards their joined hands.

“Yep, it is,” Beau confirmed, giving Cassie a quick smile. She cradled their hands with her other one, returning the affectionate smile.

“About time.” Jenny held a hand out towards Denise. “Pay up.”

Cassie watched with wide eyes as Denise begrudgingly held out a twenty dollar bill which Jenny snatched up. She glanced towards Beau who looked just as confused as she was. “Wait…you’re not mad?”

“Mad? No, if anything, I’m relieved.”

“But…Em’s podcast…secrets and lies…”

Jenny dug her teeth into her bottom lip, grinning, and turned to give Emily a high five. “Told you it would work.”

Emily nodded. “She did.”

Cassie and Beau exchanged a glance before he got serious. “Alright, you two. Now, Hoyt, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Cassie squeezed Beau’s hand. Here it comes. She knew they weren’t getting away unscathed. “I kept asking both of you about each other and you either dodged the question,” She looked pointedly at Beau. “Or you played it off as no big deal.” She then looked to Cassie. “As if I didn’t know what was really going on.” Jenny then smiled. “You two thought you were being so sneaky.”

“We planned on telling you…,” Cassie tried to explain.

“When the time was right,” Beau added.

Jenny snickered. “Finishing each other’s sentences already?”

Beau rolled his eyes. “Alright, Hoyt, so you knew. Great. Good to know you’ve been putting those investigator skills to use somewhere. So, what? You have a bet going with Denise or something?”

“Yep. Pop, too.” Cassie felt like she wanted to melt into the floor. Did everyone know? She should have known better; Emily might not have used names in the podcast but that didn’t mean Jenny, Poppernak, and those who knew them couldn’t put two and two together.

“Bet on what? Us making it official?” Beau seemed less than entertained at the notion now that Jenny had mentioned Poppernak had been in on it, too.

Jenny shrugged. “If Em mentioning her podcast would get you two to come out of the closet or not.” Cassie tensed. Wait…what? “Or maybe it would be more appropriate to say the storage room,” she teased, making Denise laugh and Emily mutter, “So gross.”

“You told Em to mention the podcast?” Cassie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “To get us to admit we’re together?” Jenny could have some wild ideas from time to time, but this took the cake.

At Jenny’s shrug, Emily jumped in. “Yep. And don’t worry, after talking to Jenny, I decided to do my podcast on something else.”

“So you haven’t put out any episodes yet?” When Emily shook her head, relief flowed throughout Cassie’s body. So not everyone in Helena knew about her personal life or heard details about her relationship with Beau; she was very relieved.

Jenny gave Cassie a look that indicated she was owed a very big thank you. She gave her friend a grateful smile. Perhaps she had been wrong to worry over Jenny’s reaction once she knew Cassie and Beau had been seeing each other.

“So, wait, there’s no podcast?” Beau checked.

“Oh, I’m doing a podcast, it’s just going to be on UFOs like Denise suggested.”

Both Beau and Cassie looked to Denise who held her hands up. “I didn’t know about the Secrets and Lies one and just to clarify, the bet was on who could make you guys admit it first, not anything about mentioning another podcast.” Denise then sidled up to Jenny. “Which now that I think about it, your little ploy didn’t work. They had already admitted it before Em ever mentioned that little nugget.” She stuck her hand back out. “So technically, you don’t win.” Jenny rolled her eyes but gave Denise back her money. “Thank you.”

“Wait, so who forced them to admit it then?” Jenny wanted to know.

“No one. I accidentally walked in on them having a moment .” Emily made a face and sat back down.

Jenny’s smirk was wider than it had been before. “Wow, that must have been scarring.”

“Traumatizing,” Emily agreed.

Beau, having decided he’d had enough, cleared his throat. “Okay so just to confirm, there is no podcast about Cassie and I or your mother and Avery or anything like that, right?”

“Right. So you can unground me now. Since, you know, it’s not real.”

“He grounded you?” Jenny asked in disbelief.

Emily nodded, checking her computer quickly. “Three weeks.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

Beau glanced towards Cassie who gave him a relieved smile, and he nodded before his gaze landed on his daughter again. “Six weeks.”

Emily’s head snapped up. “What? Why? Dad, that’s so—”

“Unfair? Yeah, well so is what you just put us through. Six weeks it is. And your mom is going to back me up on this when I tell her.”

Emily’s shoulders slumped again but she wisely didn’t argue.

Jenny saw it and tried to reason with Beau. “Beau, that seems a bit harsh, don’t you—”

“Not another word, Hoyt. You’re already on traffic duty for the unforeseeable future. Don’t make it worse. Because if you say one more word about this, you’ll be cleaning the toilets at the station,” he warned.

Cassie fully expected Jenny to protest, to get angry and have some choice words for her boss, but instead she just glowered at him while keeping silent.

Beau gave a satisfied nod. “Thought so. Now, if you ladies would be so kind as to excuse my girlfriend and I so she can walk me to the door. Em, get your stuff. Let’s go.”

Emily grabbed her backpack and shut her laptop, making her goodbyes to Denise and Jenny. Cassie gave Jenny an uncertain shrug as she and Beau walked past her, following Emily towards the door. She smirked at Denise’s wink, now realizing why Denise had winked at her earlier and why she had locked the door when she and Em went to the coffee shop. She had been trying to give them a moment alone.

Beau reached into his pocket with his free hand and passed his car keys to his daughter. “Why don’t you go start Pedro up and I’ll be out in a minute?”

Emily nearly rolled her eyes. “Sure. Bye, Cassie. See you tomorrow.”

Cassie gave her a wave. “See you tomorrow.”

“And don’t drive away.”

Emily did end up rolling her eyes. “Sure, Dad.”

Beau waited until the door was closed and he could see Emily get into the car through the glass before he turned, quickly glancing behind them, and then pulled Cassie to him, kissing her.

“You good?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

He nodded. “Remember what I said,” he murmured. “Send Denise home. Get rid of Hoyt.”

Seeing his piercing gaze darken once more, her heart started to beat faster. “Okay,” she whispered. Though she highly doubted it would be so easy to find an excuse to make Jenny leave. Cassie fully expected for the blonde to press her for details once Beau was gone, and she wouldn’t leave until she got them. “Though I seriously doubt I’m going to be able to get Jenny to go anywhere after this.”

Beau thought for a second and then yelled, “Hoyt, if you don’t leave in the next twenty minutes, you’re fired!”

Cassie’s jaw dropped and she hit his shoulder.

“What did you just say?” Jenny snapped back.

“What are you doing?”

The corner of his lips tipped up in a smirk. “Making it easier.” He then yelled again, “You heard me.” They both could hear Jenny making their way towards them and Beau straightened up. “I’m going to…yeah.” Before he could make his escape, Cassie grabbed his jacket to prevent him from leaving.

“And that’s making it easier? Now she’ll dig her heels in and never leave.”

He cupped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, eyes trained on hers. “I love you.”

She froze, not having expected to hear that from him just yet. And then it hit her just why he was saying it. “Wow, those really are the last words of a dying man, aren’t they? You know Jenny is about to kill you.”

He shrugged, his smile growing. Guilty . “That and ,” He tenderly stroked her cheek. “I really do, Cass.”

Before she could respond or react in any way, she heard Jenny snap behind her, “You want to repeat that, Sheriff ?”

Without missing a beat, Beau leveled the blonde with a glare. “I don’t need to. Be gone in the next fifteen or Pop gets your job.”

Jenny started to retort with something but it was lost to Cassie because Beau immediately leaned in to whisper to her ear, “I’ll be back in less than an hour. And then it’s you, me, and that room. So you better be ready, sweetheart, because I certainly will be.” His lips brushed against her ear lobe and she shivered against him, making him chuckle under his breath.

He pulled back, grinning from ear to ear and his eyes glued to hers. “Yeah, yeah, whatever, Hoyt. Just be out of here in the next half hour since Cassie’s closing the office early today. I don’t want to see you when I come back here.”

“Oh, you’re coming back after you drop off Emily at Carla’s, are you?”

Cassie could hear it in Jenny’s tone; she knew why Beau wanted her gone. But right then, Cassie could care less. Especially when Beau’s smile softened and he caressed her cheek. “Damn right I am,” Beau quietly confirmed before leaning down and planting a steamy kiss on her.

When he pulled away, Cassie was left in a sort of daze. She didn’t even have it in her to be embarrassed or act all flustered or annoyed that he had kissed her like that in front of Jenny. Instead, she wanted to yank him back to her, everyone around them be damned. And from the smirk sitting on Beau’s face, the bastard knew it, too.

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised, using that voice. He gave her a wink and made his way out the door, leaving her staring after him and feeling as if she was on fire and going to melt into a puddle on the floor, all at the same time. Swinging from sweet boyfriend to sexy sheriff to her best friend and back…how did he do that?

Jenny appeared next to her, watching with her as Beau drove away from the curb, giving them a wave. “So, you’re closing the office early?”

Cassie knew Jenny was fishing but she didn’t bite. “Yep.”

Jenny then moved into her line of vision, grinning wickedly. “You know I want details, and I’m not leaving until I get them.”

Cassie rolled her eyes and spun on her heel to head back into the office, determined to send Denise home. After that, Cassie was going to empty this office if it was the last thing she did.

#beau x cassie #beau x cassie fanfiction #big sky fanfiction #prompt response #beau arlen #cassie dewell #beau and cassie #cassie and beau #beau arlen and cassie dewell #cassie dewell and beau arlen #beau arlen x cassie dewell #cassie dewell x beau arlen #big sky #big sky fandom

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lilyeon · 10 months

Text

ive been on a light novel kick recently

lemme summarize some thoughts on them:

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! 1-4: i thought it would be a standard "hypercompetent female lead in medieval europe" story and it was for the most part, in terms of convenient contrivances to make whatever whimsical actions that Rishe takes, but i appreciated the set dressing, at least. Rishe is funny and the repeated time loops makes for an entertaining premise.

The 100th Time's The Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock "Super Love" Mode?!: god this sucked. this honestly felt like reading a novel published by an 8 year old. so fuckin juvenile

A Lily Blooms in Another World: sometimes all you need is some simply girls who love each other.

The Apothecary Witch Turned Divorce Agent: interesting world with just enough worldbuilding, i liked that it didn't get explicitly romantic at the end, and I really enjoyed Carla's brazen attitude. Either she fit really well into the world around her, or the world was written to support her character, but either way, she felt like a complete product of her world and upbringing in a way that was really refreshing.

Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as my Gag Character?! 1-2: there sure was a whole lot of talk about how much her character absolutely sucked despite being the most powerful being to the point of absurdity. i know the point is the contrast between game mechanics and expectation vs how she would be as a function of the world, but man that point was harped on a lot. as a protagonist, gotta say, trans as hell, that won a lot of points with me. "oh i'm suddenly my off-main RP character now? guess i'm a girl now, full-on. hell yeah" now that's the true trans rep we need

The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up 1-2: it was alright, i feel like i would've been more invested if everyone wasn't secretly in love with her though i suppose it is an interesting subversion of the usual "plain boring princess" trope that everyone is actually super on-board for her to become queen. she's a deeply tragic heroine, honestly, and i don't think that's the intention at all.

Saint? No! I'm Just a Passing Beast Tamer 1: if this was a oneshot i'd be chill with it but the fact that it carries on somehow makes me feel so tired.

Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord: i read the manga first and this was just more of the same. it's cute, i like Yumiella as a protagonist for the same reasons i like Carla from Apothecary Witch. i wish we had a bit more on Alicia's whole deal because she could've been interesting at the end there but instead she just made the whole thing boring as fuck. probably my favorite moments in the novel were Yumiella grinding the boss for drops and the Patrick confession scene for two different reasons

The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life 1-3: i had access to 6 volumes but i had to stop in the middle of the 3rd one. i was displeased but willing to continue in the first novel when one of Mariela's first actions as a protagonist is to engage with the slavery thing, but willing to put that aside, but then we had several monologues about how much slavery sucks alongside diatribes about how it's Jay's/Sieg's/etc's own fault that they got sold into debt slavery. the chapters in the 2nd and 3rd novels where Jay is there being absolutely fucking miserable and you're expected to nod whenever the book says "Jay didn’t reflect on his own part in this at all, spewing resentment instead." made me fucking incensed. my breaking point was in novel 3 where a minor protagonist just straight fucking rips one of his teeth out after strangling him and replaces it with a Pain Tooth of Make Your Slaves Obey More, and it's immediately followed with that above line. just. jesus fucking christ.

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 1-4: hey speaking of slavery, in this one they spent 2 novels telling the main character she should buy a slave, and then she gets there and is like "man this is kinda fucked actually" and doesn't, so good for her, but i read it immediately after Alchemist Who Survived so i was a little pissed at the fact that slavery was also a thing here because please that's not a system that is necessary to your world stop fucking doing it

ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword 1-4: anyway not to continue talking about slavery but if you're gonna have it, do it like this one did, and make your main protagonist claw her bloody way out of slavery with incredible brutality and swear that she'll kill more slave traders if they lay a hand on her girlfriend. that part was great. shame it gets mega fucking transphobic at the end though, that whole bit about Mother being explicitly textually transgender and then not using the correct pronouns for her, the genitals = sex = gender segments, the gross parts where they discuss how Mother "isn't even a woman, yeah that tripped me up too, how gross is this dude". fuck that. the fight scenes and fucked up body horror parts are great though. and it's got a manga by minakata sunao, which is a shame given [gestures at novel 4]

She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 1-8: honestly i enjoyed it more than i was expecting. mira's cute, this is another one of those trans-as-hell novels where the protag is like "i guess im a girl now! this is great!" but i do find it incredibly unsettling how everyone is commenting on her looks and whatever if she's supposed to be, essentially, a 12 year old girl. deeply gross anime bullshit aside, it's fun. i thought i had more thoughts on this one so i was saving it for later in this list but honestly thats all i got. gross sexualization/infantilization of a young girl, but otherwise just a fun little fantasy jaunt

A Tale of the Secret Saint 1-4: fia's an idiot, i want more of her taking control in battle situations and less waffling about Great Saint abilities and fake-deep "political" """intrigue""". if you say any of these stupid-ass old men are her love interests i will throw a knife at you, and if the book goes in that direction even slightly i will Murder. canopus's devotion in the last novel was borderline for me dropping it. the manic obsession/devotion to fia is supposed to be humorous, i think, but it just comes off as deeply unsettling when the novel reminds you, as it often does, that fia ruud is a 15 year old (reincarnation of an incredibly sheltered woman who died at 18, so honestly even her mental age doesn't add much here). i know this is one of those chill life fantasy novels but i honestly want fia to serve actual consequences for the insane shit she does, not just passing-by mentions of having to do more laps or take training more seriously or being teased by her superiors or whatever. it's fun enough to keep reading though, i guess.

#light novels #im not gonna tag all of these individually #thats too much of a pain in the ass #spoiler warning for any of the novels i mentioned here

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misslavenderlady · 1 year

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A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock ‘N Roll - Chapter 5

Summary: Michael is excited to have his new friends over for dinner. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

Hope you detected the sarcasm in the summary. I ended up writing so much that this will be split into two chapters. I'll try to have the second part up another day!

TW: Mentions of hunting and taxidermy

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Getting from place to place quickly was never an issue for David and the boys. Whether it was by motorcycle or by flying, they could get wherever they wanted in mere minutes. It wasn’t something they really thought about, just a part of their second nature.

Tonight was a little bit different.

Time seemed to slow down as David drove down the roads of Santa Carla. The roar of the engine faded out into nothingness. Cars and other motorcycles he passed were completely blurred. It felt as if hours and hours were going by, and it brought him absolute peace. While the wind ran through his hair David couldn’t help but hum a few notes of the song Michael had sung earlier.

By the time he had gotten home and parked his bike outside of the cave, David was softly singing the tune under his breath. He hadn’t even realized what he was doing until he made his way into the lobby where the others were.

“Whatcha singing, David?” Paul asked. He and Marko were cozied up on the couch with Dwayne, the three of them enjoying a joint together. Their leader gave them a soft smile, stopping the song.

“Oh nothing, just a random thing stuck in my head,” he brushed it off. The others didn’t seem convinced.

“Whatever it is, you sure seem happy from it,” Marko pointed out. “Considering your meetings with Max always leave you totally miserable, that’s pretty weird”

It was only then that David realized he hadn’t told the others where he went after his unpleasant time with Max. He couldn’t even think of a time when he wasn’t moody, angry, or depressed after a talk with their Sire. No wonder they all seemed so surprised.

Best to play it casual, he thought to himself.

“Oh yeah. I didn’t come straight from there. I decided to swing by the Emerson house and scope the place out before tomorrow”

David kept his back to the others, making his way over to the makeshift bar they had on the other side of the room. He poured himself a drink from an old bottle of merlot. One of his favorites. Maybe he could bring a bottle along for dinner.

“What’s it like?” Dwayne asked. Even with his back turned David could hear the three of them move around a bit.

“Total horror movie look. I can’t imagine Max will let it stay that way for long once they’re all a part of the family”

Thinking about it a bit more, David realized that the property also included a lot of farm animals and equipment. Michael mentioned having chores to do and creatures to attend to, meaning the place had even more stuff he hadn’t noticed his first time around. He couldn’t exactly picture Max sweating over a flower pot, let alone a whole farm.

“Didya say hi to Michael, or was he already conked out?” Paul asked

David drank down a hearty gulp of his wine. Something about Michael being in their conversation so much made him feel like his nerves were on edge. Like he had to be more careful with his words.

“Well…he was awake, but I….didn’t bother him…” he started, adding a fresh pour to the glass. “He was playing guitar again….so I just watched him. It was…nice”

He paused. His lips were lifted into a sweet smile again.

“Michael played another love song…”

The vampire turned around, leaning his back to the bar and swirling the deep, red liquid in his glass. He was still reminiscing up until he glanced at his pack mates. Each one wore a smug, devious look on their face.

“What?”

“Yoooooou liiiiiiike him~” Marko sing-songed. Paul and Dwayne joined in on the fun with fits of laughter.

It was only then that David truly realized what they thought he was implying. Frantically, he set down his wine glass and stood up from the bar.

“What the hell, no I don’t!!” he insisted. Though David’s body wasn’t the same as a human’s, he still felt the rush of blood flow through his skin, a sensation he almost forgot about after being a creature of the night for so long. He was certain that he no longer had the ability to blush, but the way his friends were taunting him said otherwise.

“Yes, you do~!” Dwayne insisted. He made his way over to David, taking his hand and dragging him over to where the terror twins were on the couch. David was completely outnumbered and at the mercy of their teasing.

“Michael and David, sittin’ in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Paul teased. That only added a new wave of laughter from the others, much to David’s embarrassment. Sighing in frustration, he buried his face in his hands, not wanting to be seen anymore.

God, I hope the rest of the hotel caves in right now.

The others were lounging over him, absolutely loving how flustered their usually confident leader was getting over their southern gentleman friend.

“Oh my God, that's so cute! So that's why you've been acting different," Marko said. "The smiling, the fidgeting, the singing. You've got it bad for the cowboy~"

"Marko, I am begging you with every fiber of my being, shut the fuck up," David snapped. He had never felt so out of control over his friends before. They were ruthless with their teasing and he wasn't sure how much he could take.

"Hey, ya think it's true what they say about everything being bigger in Texas? I'm sure if you ask him nicely Michael would be happy to show you~" Paul added. He burst into a fit of giggles, unable to contain the amusement in his own suggestive comment.

David slapped his hands on his knees before pulling himself off of the couch.

"Okay, that's it. You guys are insufferable. I'm turning in for the night"

As he turned on his heel to make his way to their sleeping nook in the cave, the others lightened up on their playful behavior.

"Awww c'mon, David, don't be like that!"

"Yeah! Besides, it's hours before sunrise!"

He simply ignored them, adding a middle finger as a final farewell before disappearing into the shadows. The lingering sounds of laughter faded the further he went in. It wasn't until he was up in the rafters hanging upside down that he was finally alone with his thoughts.

Michael was just his friend. He only felt this way because he was looking forward to having a new member of their pack. Nothing more.

Still, he couldn't deny that Michael was so different from the others. He swore he could still hear the human's bold laugh in his head. Even as the hours went by and dawn approached the thought of the sweet-talking cowboy remained.

The boys joined him when the first sliver of daylight came. He accepted their lighthearted apologies and let them all cuddle close as they hung down together. They wouldn't tease him anymore.

For now, at least.

The true test would be dinner with the Emersons. He couldn't let himself be distracted anymore. Max was expecting him to turn the family as soon as possible, and he couldn't afford to disappoint their Sire anymore.

As David drifted off to sleep, he silently hoped for the best.

A new night, a new visit to the Emerson house.

Though he had been able to see the house the previous night, David got quite a better look with all of the lights both inside and out turned on. While the outside was still full of clutter and objects, he could clearly see a lot of impressive craftsmanship in the sculptures and taxidermy around the area.

As he and his pack pulled their motorcycles into the driveway, he felt the curiosity he had the night before about what the inside was like.

Their engines cut off and while the others took in the look of the place too, David’s eyes wandered over to a nearby field. A horse pasture, to be exact. A couple of white horses were casually trotting around the perimeter, a fluffy dog barking and chasing after them, no doubt trying out a bit of herding.

Right at the other end was Michael himself, kneeling in front of a post in the long fence wrapped around the area. The entire look was sturdy-looking and freshly painted, a sign that he had indeed worked hard all day. If that wasn’t proof enough, then the paint marks and sweat stains on Michael’s shirt certainly did.

Best not to stare too long, lest David wanted another round of taunting from his buddies

“Hey, ya’ll! Glad you made it!” Michael cheerfully greeted them all. In one fell swoop, he hoisted himself over the fence and jogged over to their parked bikes. He waved a gloved hand at them while his tool belt clanged loudly with each step.

“Bet he can do other types of hard work with those hands~” Paul lewdly commented through their mental connection. David maintained composure while also throwing back a “shut up” in his head.

“Wouldn’t miss it, Michael,” the blond leader simply stated.

While their friend ushered them toward the front of the house, David did his best to focus on what had been asked of him by their Sire. Or rather, what had been threatened. This was no time to be soft. Max would not tolerate procrastination for much longer.

There are consequences if you do not listen.

“Before I invite ya in I gotta let y’all know a thing or two about our home,” Michael explained.

“Where we’re from, everybody uses good manners. So for my mama, it’s always ‘yes, ma’am’ or ‘no, ma’am’ when you talkin’ to her. Always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and offer to help clean up after we eat. Me and Sammy always do since it’s polite to help out”

Having good manners was certainly not a familiar thing for the Lost Boys. Decades of living wild and free had made them forget any polite behavior they may have once possessed. Star and Laddie would have no issue with being on their best behavior, but the boys might.

The four of them traded looks, a bit amused yet also cautious. They certainly didn’t act right for Max’s sake, but now Michael was requesting a little decency.

And who was David to deny the request of a friend?

“We’ll be perfect gentlemen, Michael. You have my word,” David assured him. He bit back a devious smile, knowing his boys would still be a little rowdy if they got excited. It was the thought that counted.

“Great! Now come on in! My home is your home, fellas!” the human said, gesturing for them to enter while grinning eagerly.

Well, at least we got invited. That’ll help if we ever need to blend in more.

One by one the group entered, the steps of their shoes echoing through the space as they went. David’s assumptions about the place were correct. It was quite massive on the inside as it was on the outside. High ceilings, open rooms, and plenty of space on the walls for decorations. It was impossible not to find a corner not filled with more taxidermy, figurines, or pictures.

Of course, there were also plenty of Texas-themed decors. Iron lone stars, longhorn skulls, cowhide pillows, and the state flag hanging high and proud over the fireplace mantle.

"Grandpa went and bought some purdy little pieces to make us feel more at home when we came on over," Michael explained. He pointed up to a deer head mounted next to the flag. It had quite an impressive display of antlers. "'cept that one. I brought that myself"

“You're into taxidermy too, Michael?" Star asked.

"You gotta be when you go on a huntin' trip! Shot that baby myself last year. Had a good helpin' o' deer sausage for breakfast damn near every day after that!"

The others traded looks with one another, impressed by the multiple skills Michael had. Only Marko seemed off put by it.

"Ewwww! That's so nasty. I think I'm gonna hurl," he spoke to the others, his face looking a little pale.

"Marko, we're vampires. We LITERALLY go hunting every night," Dwayne shot back.

"Yeah, but those are human assholes who deserve it. Poor little deer probably wasn't doing anything wrong!"

Leave it to the animal lover to be a bit more sensitive about all the stuffed critters. God help him if there were any dead pigeons in the house. Paul patted his back in sympathy while helping him into the kitchen. The sooner they got him away from the taxidermy, the better.

"Mama! My pals are here!" Michael greeted the woman standing in the kitchen. She turned around to greet them all, a wooden spoon in hand as she worked over the hot stove.

"Well hi there!" she smiled, voice soft and sweet as she spoke. "My name is Lucy. Welcome to our home"

They were surprised to hear an accent that wasn't nearly as thick as Michael's. Sure it was a noticeable southern drawl, but it was one she had only picked up after moving to a new state, not growing up there. David recalled Michael telling them how she was originally from Santa Carla. Being in an entirely different place must have changed her quite a bit.

Michael introduced each member of the pack by name, eager to show off his friends. Getting to know his mom made David realize where Michael got his bubbly, warm personality from. Lucy was definitely a sweet woman.

It made the concept of Max's mission for them that much more of a struggle. But David didn't say anything. He just smiled and handed her an unopened bottle of wine from their stock back home.

"Awww look at you! Y'all are just skin and bone!" the redhead woman tutted. "Ain't your parents feed ya a proper set of meals every day?"

Boy, if she knew just what their living situation and eating habits were truly like, she'd probably have a heart attack. Thankfully, she moved on, gesturing for them all to follow her as she unwrapped the foil around the top of the wine bottle.

"Well, never you mind about that. I went ahead and doubled my recipes for supper. Tonight y'all are gonna eat til you're full as a tick!"

David didn't even get the chance to ask what she meant by that before stepping into the dining room and seeing what could possibly be the largest spread of food he'd ever seen.

The long stretch of the wooden table was fully covered with dishes of corn, mashed potatoes, green beans, cornbread, and baked mac and cheese. Everything looked so colorful and freshly made. Like Lucy poured her very soul into making this spread.

"Now Michael, you go get cleaned up and changed before letting Sam know supper is ready," Lucy instructed her son. "Why don't you kids help me out with setting the table and getting the drinks?"

After Michael took off it was as if a switch flipped. The boys were always in sync with one another, but something about helping out with an actual, honest-to-God homemade dinner was pure joy. They never thought they'd actually like things like setting silverware or pouring glasses of sweet tea, but the Emersons just had that pull on them.

It certainly helped that Lucy was so kind with her praises of their work. Paul, Marko, and Dwayne in particular seemed extra bouncy and giddy from the excitement. Star was just happy to show Laddie an actual home instead of the cave hang-out.

"David, honey, would you be a lamb and move this chair to the dining room? I'm short one at the table"

Who would have thought that such simple words could turn the hardcore gang leader into a total softie? It was like David was a new man. He slaughtered people left and right every night without a second thought, yet now he was obediently taking orders from a short, soft-spoken lady.

God, was this what he was missing out on for the past several decades? A mother figure who treated him like an actual person and not a monster? Or in Max's case, treat him like an equal and not a servant.

While the others got seated side by side at the table, David silently watched them all act differently too. His boys were all wild, trouble-making vampires. They were the most dangerous people in all of Santa Carla, yet they were acting like kids again.

Human kids, in fact. It was as sweet as it was terrifying to think about.

"Boy howdy, that sure smells amazin'! Hope y'all haven't eaten in a week!"

David turned his head to see Michael in the doorway. He had traded his work clothes for sweatpants and a t-shirt with a high school logo on it. His hair shined with beads of water from his shower. A warm, soothing scent of vanilla and spice clung to his skin.

After all the shit his friends gave him the other day David knew he shouldn't stare too long. Yet he just couldn't help himself. It came back to bite him in the ass when Paul spoke up.

"Hey, Mikey! Why don't you sit next to David? He'd really like that!"

The blond leader snapped his attention at the goofball of their group.

"Paul I'm gonna rip your damn throat out"

The devious grin on his face told David that he regretted absolutely nothing. He kept a good poker face himself, nothing less than casual as Michael pulled up a chair next to him. The scent was even stronger now.

"Mom! Don't start without us!" a voice called from the other room.

The loud stomping of different sets of footsteps could be heard going down the stairs. Everyone watched as three boys came running into the dining room. They were all clearly at the beginning of their teen years, faces still quite boyish. The one leading them was dressed quite colorfully, while the other two looked a bit more scruffy and ragged.

"Sammy, you know damn good and well mama would never start dinner without everyone sittin' down! Will you act like ya got some sense?" Michael playfully scolded his brother. "Y'all, this is my baby brother, Sam"

"I'm not a baby, Mike! I could kick your ass if I wanted to!" the freckled boy insisted.

"You can't even fight your accent, let alone me," Michael pointed out. Sure enough, David didn't hear the same southern tone from Sam as he did with Michael. "Seriously, Sammy, I know you tryin' to be cool with your Cali friends, but ya sound like you're in pain holdin' it back"

David and the others watched in amusement as Michael tried to reach out and tickle his brother. Sam quickly pulled away, darting to the other side of the table with his friends. As they sat down in their chairs, Sam kept a casual expression on his face while his buddies stayed completely serious.

They were practically glaring daggers at the others. It made David wonder just what their problem was. It was only when Michael nudged him that he stopped looking at the kids.

"Sam's been preachin' up and down about 'fittin' in' 'round here. I say all that MTV turned his brains to mush"

"I ain't - er…I'm not gonna be seen as a hick!" Sam insisted. The others snickered at how beet red his face was getting from the slight slip of his accent.

"Sammy, we're so country sticks fall outta our mouths when we talk. Ain't no 'mount of flashy clothes and hair product gonna change that"

While David snickered with his friends over the brotherly quarrel between Michael and Sam, he felt a sense of joy being there at their table. Between the fresh cooking and the homely vibe that the Emersons had, it was strangely comforting.

He wondered if this was the life he once had back when his heart could still beat. If he once had at least one person who he could call family. Someone who made him feel truly welcomed and cared for. He always strived for that when he met each of his friends over the years, and now Michael and his family were doing the same for him.

"Alright, y'all! Settle in your seats!" Lucy said, stepping into the room with a large platter in hand. It was piled high with fresh, cooked meat that smelled nothing short of heavenly.

"Yo!! That looks really good! What is it?" Paul asked, practically salivating.

"Brisket! We may not be in Texas anymore, but we sure can eat like we are!" she smiled, placing it down in the center of the table.

Michael nudged David's arm before leaning over to whisper softly in his ear.

"Listen, we usually say grace over the food, but y'all don't have to if ya ain't comfortable. I'm not really into the religious stuff but it's such a big deal where I'm from that I just go along with it to be polite"

David nodded, silently passing along the message to the others in his head so they wouldn't be caught off guard. Even with the invitation into the house keeping them safe, David still worried about potentially bursting into flames just because of a prayer.

Thankfully, that didn't happen. Once the Emersons had finished, everyone else was given the go-ahead to start filling up their plates. Star helped Laddie out with his, whispering praises about him trying new things. The boys were a little rowdy, nudging each other out of the way to get more servings to try.

But Lucy didn't mind. She was incredibly maternal, even to the friends of her kids. As far as she was concerned, she was helping put a little meat on their bones.

"Oh my God," Marko spoke to the others. "I can't remember the last time I genuinely enjoyed human food this much"

"Me too," Dwayne added. "I actually feel full. Like I do after a hunt"

"Man, fuck hunting! I may never need blood again if Ms. Emerson cooks like this!" Paul said, already deep into a second plate of food.

David chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he took another bite of potatoes. Nothing made him happier than seeing his friends taken care of. This was going so well for all of them.

Though he could do without Sam's friends staring at them.

The Frog brothers, Edgar and Alan, acted so seriously. Like they were soldiers preparing for a battle of some kind. Even with the warmth of Lucy's hospitality and good, they still remained completely stone-faced. David just assumed they had a bit of an attitude problem. That was quickly disproved when Edgar opened his mouth.

"So…what do you all think about vampires?"

The boys barely held themselves together. Marko had nearly choked on the sip of sweet tea he was drinking. Dwayne and Paul each threw a hand over their mouths, biting back laughter. David felt a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

"Uh…pardon?" he asked the two brothers, trying to tone down his amusement with little success.

"Vampires, my friend," Edgar repeated. "We are dedicated to taking down every creep, freak, and monster that roams the streets of Santa Carla"

"We've been showing Sam the ropes on how to prepare for them," Alan added. "But you guys have to be cautious too"

The Lost Boys all traded amused looks. One of two things was happening here. Either they knew exactly what they were and wanted to show how "tough" they could be, or they had no idea and were unknowingly sitting right across from the very thing they wanted to kill.

"You guys are tough looking. It'll come in handy if you ever gotta take down a bloodsucker"

"Oh, I'm definitely gonna mess with them," David thought to the other vamps.

"Well, I for one couldn't agree more," he said, faking enthusiasm. "Why, my boys and I are completely prepared for a vampire attack!"

The Frog brothers seemed surprised. As if they hadn't expected David to believe their warnings so easily.

"Is that right?"

"Absolutely! You see our earrings?" David asked, showing off the jewelry in his ear. "Pure silver in the metal. Dangly so it touches our necks. Keeps them from going at the jugular! Vampires can't stand the stuff"

While the two boys looked at the blond leader in awe, the others were holding back the biggest giggle fits of their lives. That "pure silver" was actually barbed wire. And if anything, they found the earrings to be more attractive to one another.

"Yeah! And you gotta have a healthy amount of garlic in your diet! Messes with your taste so they won't wanna bite," Paul chimed in. Star had a frown on her face as she nudged him as a way to silently scold him.

"Now you boys stop all this vampire nonsense!" Lucy scolded. She wasn't the most intimidating person in the world, but she could still be quite strict when she had to be. "I will not have this satanic talk at my dinner table"

Michael and Sam both looked a bit exasperated as if they had experienced this reaction from their mother plenty of times before. Religious fears were definitely something to expect from the heart of Texas.

"You've got it all wrong, Ms. E! We're against the demonic creatures we speak of. We don't like them any more than you do," Edgar assured her.

"We would destroy every last vampire to keep the people of Santa Carla safe," Alan added, his hands forming into fists like he was eager to fight one right then and there. "Stake them, burn them, shoot them, drown them, beat them, whatever it takes"

Oh yeah, we're sooooo scared, David thought to himself. The last thing he and the others were scared of we're a bunch of twerps acting tough and macho. It felt like they were getting dinner and a show with those two.

"You guys really should stop though," Star finally spoke up. "You're upsetting Ms. Emerson and you're gonna scare Laddie with all this talk"

The excitement from the Lost Boys finally began to settle down. She was definitely right about the latter. They didn't want to get their little half-vampire buddy worried over nothing. Nothing a few encouraging words couldn't fix.

But Laddie wasn't there. When David and the others looked in the direction of his chair, they found nothing but an empty space.

"Where'd he go?" Dwayne asked. He set his fork and napkin down, frantically searching the area. He was certainly the most worried about Laddie, and it was very clear when he didn't see the little guy.

The others did their looking as well. Under the table, behind some shelves, around the corner, but there was no sign of him. A small wave of fear was collectively building up for the gang. They never lost sight of Laddie.

"Oh maybe the little angel wandered off to find the bathroom," Lucy suggested. While her attempts to calm the others were admirable, they were also in vain.

"Uh, I think I know where he went…" Michael said. His eyes were wide and his posture stiffened as he pointed to the doorway connected to the kitchen.

Across the way, everyone could clearly see the back door swinging open. The door that led straight to a part of the horse pasture.

If the look on Michael's face told David anything, it was telling him that was not a good thing.

#the lost boys #tlb #my fic #ao3 fic #michael emerson #david the lost boys #au fic #southern micheal

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