#joshua bassett angst | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kaisacobra · 3 months

Text

Let You Go - Tara Carpenter

Summary: It's been a while since Tara has seen you. She misses you, but maybe she's broken your relationship to a point beyond repair.

Warnings: Violence, blood, mentions of death, angst

Word Count: 7.9k

a/n: thank you so much for the ride guys! Here we have part 3 of second best, which (kind of) ends this trilogy. Of course, I'm still writing the alternate ending so stay tuned if you're interested!

third part of Second Best

It was two in the afternoon when Tara began rummaging through that box she kept at the back of her closet, sorting the contents into "burn" and "don't burn," all in line with what her therapist had advised. She needed to overcome the past, even if in small steps, and what better way to start than by burning traces of when everything started going wrong?

She looked into the box, examining the contents that would survive the purge. To no one's surprise, most of the photos contained you.

Tara reached for a specific photo among the others. A polaroid depicting a hug between the two of you, both with radiant smiles and faces so close that your cheeks touched. Mindy had taken this photo just before you both visited an amusement park that had been in town for a while. Tara's heart throbbed painfully. She missed you. A lot.

The girl sat on the bed with slumped shoulders, clutching the polaroid as if it were a precious possession. She couldn't take her eyes off the image of the two of you, with a happiness and innocence that would soon be ruined by her own actions. With a tired sigh, Tara closed her eyes, remembering her therapist's words.

The initial sessions were slow and unproductive, mainly because Tara kept her guard up and refused to talk much about her life to a stranger. Over time, the man became a pleasant presence, and Tara began to see him as some sort of a grandfather figure trying to advise his granddaughter. That's when she started sharing her problems and actively sought solutions.

"Do you think she'll forgive me?" she remembered asking, looking at her hands with shame. The bright white light in the room made the sweat on her palms stand out on her tan skin.

"Tara..." The man sighed, taking off his glasses as if he was preparing for a battle. "Don't you think you should worry about forgiving yourself first?"

The girl frowned and looked at him as if he were crazy. If anything, she was guilty of not only ruining her own life but also becoming a problem in everyone else's. She had no right to see herself as a victim. "What do you mean?"

"From what you've told me, I've realized you harbor a lot of resentment towards yourself on the inside." He pointed to Tara's chest, and she noticed no hint of judgment in his expression. Still, she felt strangely exposed. "Have you ever really reflected on this internal conflict you feel? About feeling guilty for things beyond your control?"

Tara scoffed and leaned back until her shoulders rested against the chair again, crossing her arms and staring at the walls like a stubborn child avoiding conflicts. "Beyond my control? I was awful to the best person in my life! I let a murderer into our life for-"

"See? You're doing it again." He smiled with a patience that bordered on irritating for the girl, crossing his hands on the glass table that separated them. "I'm not saying you're not at fault for being rude to your friend, but I'd like to focus on your past. That girl's attacks, parental abandonment... You're not to blame for that, Tara, but it doesn't stop you from carrying the pain anyways. Don't you think it affects you?"

She remained silent, but now her head was bowed in embarrassment. Her arms, once crossed, now enveloped her elbows in a half-hug, as if that would protect her from something. Without more exchanging words, the therapist followed the cue and continued speaking in a gentle tone, as if trying to educate a wounded animal.

"Tara, have you ever talked about your concerns with anyone, or have you just kept all these grievances inside until they exploded? Have you ever had any healthy coping mechanism?"

I don't deserve one. That's what she wanted to say, but didn't, because she knew it would make the situation even worse.

"Do you think I don't recognize the signs? Troubled young adult refuses help out of fear of abandonment and ends up driving everyone away, taking the opportunity to take out your emotional wounds on others? You won't be the first or the last person I've seen with this pattern." He spoke as if he could read her thoughts, leaving the girl a little scared.

Sitting up straighter in the chair, Tara turned her gaze back to the therapist, momentarily becoming interested in the conversation again. "Okay, what do I do to end this? What do I do to not be like this anymore?"

Broken, she wanted to say.

The man smiled gently and pulled open a drawer in the wooden cabinet to his left. Tara watched impatiently as he took out a black notebook and placed it on the table between them, looking between her and the object with a certain expectation. "I thought you could start documenting your feelings on paper, instead of keeping them locked within you. I think it can help you in the long run."

"Do you think writing in a journal will make me less of an ass and make y/n forgive me?" Tara replied with a sarcastic tone.

"I think it can influence a change in behavior, yes." The therapist reaffirmed, deliberately ignoring the girl's foul language. "And this exercise is not about y/n; it's about you. How do you expect her to forgive you if you can't do it for yourself?"

As stubborn as Tara was, the words had truly left an impression on her. That's why, on top of her messy desk, was the damn black notebook. The calluses on her hand throbbed with the memory of the force with which she wrote each new entry, trying to release her negative feelings onto paper.

She knew that your name was probably the most repeated word on all the pages, like a sacred mantra that she had to honor. Tara couldn't escape the fact that many of her emotions were so directly intertwined with the idea of you, and honestly, she accepted having to carry that burden as her own Sisyphean stone. She deserved it, after all.

Looking again at the polaroid, she sighed and slowly ran her thumb over the smiling image of your face, almost wishing she could offer you the same affection in person.

She was going to change. She had to change. For you.

"That was pretty good!"

The floodlights on the university’s sports field lit up as it began to get dark, allowing the young athletes to continue their training even at night. There weren't many people around, but you could see that the track team seemed to be gearing up to practice for the 100 meters a little to your left.

"Kate, I hit the white part." You grumbled in response to your friend's encouraging words. Kate Bishop had convinced you to attend one of her archery practices to "see her talents firsthand," and at some point, she thought just watching wouldn't be enough, and that you had to experience the sport for yourself.

That's why you were now on the archery training field with her, holding a semi-professional bow that was much heavier than you expected, proving over and over again that you were definitely not a natural at this.

It didn't seem to discourage Kate, however, as the girl still smiled with enthusiasm while looking at your target with a single arrow stuck in it. "At least you hit the target! You're improving; it could be worse."

"True! You could have hit someone's foot, like Miss Bishop did once." One of Kate's teammates, Yelena, commented with a laugh. The two, along with Maya Lopez, made up the Blackmore University women's archery team and were surprisingly good at it, having won all the recent competitions.

You laughed along with the other two while Kate gradually turned redder and assumed a betrayed expression. "Hey!" She protested.

It was amazing how people you had known for such a short time could make you feel so good. You couldn't even remember the last time you had laughed so freely since the incident with Tara happened, and that was already a significant victory for you. It's not like being with Mindy, Chad, Anika, and the others didn't make you happy, but it was hard to enjoy the moments with them when you remembered that, in any other situation, Tara would be there with you too.

Your phone vibrated in your pocket, and you leaned the tip of the bow on your foot, letting its weight rest on your shoulder so you could reach the device with your hands. Through the lockscreen, you could see a message notification from Mindy, as if she had read your thoughts.

Best Twin: Movie night at the Carpenters' house, are you coming?

Best Twin: Sam misses you

Best Twin: We all do

You sighed deeply and looked at the notification with a grimace, not sure exactly what to do. Of course, you would love to spend time with your friends, and you definitely felt guilty for avoiding Sam by extension, even though she understood the reason. But your palms started to sweat just at the thought of sharing a small space with Tara again.

Mindy had already told you that Tara had started therapy after the encounter you had in some of the university’s corridors some time ago, but she had also said that it was entirely valid if you still didn't feel ready to see Tara after everything.

It was a strange feeling, as if two forces were fighting for dominance within you when it came to Tara. On one hand, just thinking about her made your chest ache. A wave of anger, sadness, and pure humiliation invaded you, and your eyes threatened to well up. What she did to you, what she said to you, marked you like a painful burn that might never stop pulsating.

But on the other hand, you wondered if there were still traces of that other Tara who loved and treated you well. The Tara who made you soup when you were sick and promised never to leave you. Maybe it was your foolishness, but you didn't want to believe that that part of her had simply gone away forever.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice reached your ears and quickly snapped you out of your thoughts, causing you to loosen the tight grip with which you had involuntarily held the phone. Looking up, you came face to face with Kate's kind blue eyes, patiently waiting for your response.

Kate Bishop had been an angel in your life, fitting in perfectly at the moment you needed her most. You had met her in the waiting room of the counseling center after spending a week living like a zombie following everything that happened with Tara, and you could barely comprehend that you were sharing the same space with someone like her.

At first glance, Kate Bishop didn't seem like someone who needed to be in a counseling center. She carried herself with confidence, always with impeccable posture and a calm expression on a model-like face. Always dressed in neat clothes that you were sure were designer and carrying a sports bag indicating her athletic background.

But when she approached you and started a conversation, saying she needed to talk to someone or she'd explode with anxiety before her first appointment, you began to realize that Kate might not be what you expected. She was, in fact, much kinder and more attentive than you could have predicted.

You talked a lot that day, and the next day, and the day after, until there came a point where you got along well enough to consider her a friend. Kate listened to everything about your issues with Tara and provided advice and emotional support. In return, you listened to her vent about her problems with a father who died in childhood, a mother imprisoned for fraud, and an inherited company she didn't want to have to run at that age.

They were quite different dilemmas, just as you were quite different people, but still, you felt at ease in her presence, and it was good to have someone who truly noticed you for once in your life.

"Hm? Okay. It's fine, yes, I just..." You searched for words but gave up, opting to speak the truth about what was bothering you. "Mindy invited me to watch movies with the others, and it's at Tara's house, and I didn't want to have to refuse, but I don't know if I'm ready for-"

Kate widened her eyes and raised her hands as if asking for a pause, interrupting your rapid and anxious flow of words. "Woah, hold on, champ. You don't have to go if you don't feel okay. They'll understand."

"Yeah, I know, it's just that..." You sighed, looking down at your feet planted in the field's grass. "I miss them, but... I can't."

As much as it hurt and was embarrassing to admit, you knew it still wasn't the right time. Not when you sometimes still woke up crying in the middle of the night with nightmares involving her.

"Then how about this?" Kate began to suggest, getting closer to you and gently shaking your shoulders. Physical touches had always been her way of offering comfort. "There's a party at my place tonight with some of my childhood friends, and I'm officially inviting you. You can tell your friend that you'll be busy spending time with a very beautiful, charming, and talented company."

You smiled as you let yourself be shaken by the cheerful girl in front of you. "A very humble company, apparently." You teased, poking her ribs playfully. "I don't want to disturb you, but thanks for the invite."

"Disturb? I'd be the one disturbing your illustrious evening by forcing you to hang out with my friends! Believe me, it's torture listening to Peter for 2 hours when he gets excited about his nerd stuff." Kate tried again, and by the way she looked at you with the expression of a begging puppy, you knew there would be no escape. "Please? It'll be nice to have you there."

There were two available possibilities. In the first, you could go back to your dorm, watch a bad movie alone, and spend the rest of the night thinking about how your friends would be having fun, specifically wondering if she would be having fun. In the second, you could take another step in getting rid of your codependent friendship (if it still existed) and enjoy the night with new people and a person who was becoming more and more important to you every day.

If Tara didn't want to be stuck in the past, you also had the right to do that. You deserved it too.

So, you accepted and only remembered to inform Mindy when you were already in the passenger seat of Kate's black Audi RS7.

Tara was distraught. Actually, saying that she was distraught was an understatement.

Last night had already started off as garbage from the moment Mindy announced that you wouldn't be coming to see them at the apartment. Sure, she should have expected it, but that didn't mean she didn't have any hope. She couldn't stop thinking about what you might be doing, the reasons why you hadn't come, how everything would have been better if you had.

But mostly, she felt relieved that you hadn't been there, because that meant she hadn't put you in danger again with another ghostface attack. It was a selfish thought. Quinn, her roommate, had died in front of her, Anika had her belly almost cut from end to end and was now in surgery, and all Tara could think about was finding you to see with her own eyes that you were okay.

She urgently searched for your face in the midst of the crowd of students walking through the Blackmore University campus, seeking the slightest fragment of your presence anywhere. She cursed herself again for not being able to just call you like she would if she hadn't messed up and made you block her in practically every possible place.

Finding you and making sure you were okay, in addition to delivering the terrible news, was her obligation. Mindy and Sam were with Anika at the hospital, and Chad had gone to check Ethan's alibi in the damn economics class. She needed to find you.

Fortunately, her prayers seemed to be answered by whatever entity it was. She saw you in the distance, radiant as she hadn't seen you in a long time. Tara's heart skipped a beat, and she opened her own smile after yours. It was bittersweet, the feeling of seeing you so happy but knowing that this happiness would be ruined the moment you laid eyes on her.

In a moment of distraction, a new wave of people passed in front of her, blocking her view of you. Fucking height. She thought with some annoyance as she tried to make her way through the students, trying to get closer to where you were.

When Tara finally managed to locate you again, the scene was quite different from before. Instead of laughing, looking forward, you had your back turned, seemingly struggling while a girl wrapped her arms around your neck. Tara felt a wave of anger rise through her veins and marched in your direction, ready to free you from whoever that crazy bitch was.

The younger Carpenter approached you with a speed she couldn't quite explain, and her motivation only seemed to grow when she noticed that the mysterious girl looked a lot like that senior she had seen with you in the hallway some time ago. Choosing to embrace her negative feelings, she used her strength in a way that would make her sister proud and aggressively pushed the girl away. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Tara?!" You exclaimed in shock, your voice carrying surprise, and your expression wavering between anger, astonishment, and anguish. "What do you think you're doing, are you crazy?!"

Tara saw you getting closer to the girl (Karen, Kendra, she couldn't remember.) and gently placing your hand on her shoulder, as if checking her condition. That small gesture made more anger bubble in her stomach. She wanted to scream, throw a fit, damn, she wanted to destroy something just to get rid of that rotten feeling corroding her from the inside.

But she looked into your eyes and could see a glimpse of the sadness she had caused in the past by this same line of thinking. She couldn't do this to you again, especially because that wasn't even why she had come looking for you. Tara swallowed hard and clenched her fists, deciding to save her frustration to take it out on calluses on her own fingers later.

"She was attacking you," Tara mumbled reluctantly, knowing that the explanation sounded stupid but that she also owed some reasoning for her actions.

You clearly didn't seem satisfied with her motivation, as you only stared at her with a frown and crossed arms. "Kate is a martial arts expert, Tara. She was just showing me how to escape from an arm lock."

Well, how was I supposed to know that? Tara thought, but she decided it was better not to worsen the situation. Before you could ask why she had been clearly looking at you for some time, she decided to explain.

"Look, I'm sorry. There was a ghostface attack in the apartment yesterday, and I just needed to know if you were safe."

"What?! An attack?! How- Are you guys okay?!" You asked exasperated, and Tara saw it. She saw the exact moment when you had to restrain your arms by your sides before doing something you would regret.

Tara remembered that being the first thing you did when you could see her after the surgeries last year. You ran to her on the gurney and held her face with both hands, as if she were fragile. You ran your thumbs over her cheeks, right above the freckles, wanting to make sure nothing was injured. She remembered feeling well cared for and loved.

But that was before she messed everything up. Now, all that was left was that. You restraining yourself from offering your heart to Tara, and she wanting to die realizing the damage she had done between you two.

"Sort of. Anika is in critical condition in the hospital, and... Quinn died." Tara delivered the news with a solemn voice, trying to control her own tears as she remembered what happened. She saw when Kate raised her arm to offer a comforting stroke on your back, and, for the first time, all Tara felt was emptiness knowing she couldn't comfort you in that way.

You let out a few sobs before trying to compose yourself. It was clear that you had been affected by the events, and Tara knew you well enough to know that you would want to go after the others to comfort them. "Which hospital is Anika in? And where are Sam, Mindy, and Chad, I... I need to talk to them."

Tara felt a bit of pride in realizing that she still knew your way of dealing with things, even though she was worried that your priority was always to take care of others' pains. Of course, much of that was her fault, and a knot closed in her throat every time she remembered that fact. "Sam and Mindy are at the hospital waiting for Anika to be discharged. Chad went with Ethan to handle something about an alibi."

"I can take you if you want," Kate offered you in a chivalry that almost made Tara vomit. "It will be faster if we go by car."

"Or maybe it would be faster for her to take the subway with someone who knows the address, like me." Tara retorted sarcastically, crossing her arms to try to cause, at least, the minimal intimidation to her rival. It didn't seem to be working, which made her even more irritated. "Speaking of addresses, where were you last night, Kate?"

Feeling that the conversation would only escalate, you quickly shook your head. "Stop it, Tara. There's no way Kate could be the ghostface."

"And why not?" The girl asked defensively, with an offended tone almost similar to one she would have if you had accused her. It was frustrating for Tara that you seemed willing to vouch for a person you had barely known. "She suddenly appeared in your life, got so close to you in such a short time, don't you find that a bit suspicious?"

"This might sound a bit surprising to you, Tara, but some people actually like having me around." You retorted with irritation, throwing daggers at the girl with a look so intense that she almost stumbled backward. "Kate can't be ghostface because I spent the whole night with her, okay?"

Suddenly, Tara felt dizzy, with a buzzing in her ears. Apparently, you hadn't had the best problem in overcoming your feelings for her. She felt weird inside, as if something were stuck in her throat. "Oh, I didn't know you guys..."

"No! Not like that, I just..." You widened your eyes and hurried to correct the double meaning of the sentence, waving your hands frantically in a way that made Kate open a smile in amusement beside you. "...I slept at her apartment, but not with her. Not that I owe you an explanation anyway."

Your phone vibrated with a notification, and all three pairs of eyes turned to the device. You quickly checked the message and let out a sigh of relief. "It's Sam. She sent me the address of the hospital; I'm going there now. Without any of you, please."

"Okay. Just be careful, alright? And call me if you need anything." Tara watched reluctantly as Kate pulled you closer by the shoulders and planted a small kiss on your forehead. She swallowed the envy and looked away, trying to think of the last time she had offered you any kind of affection.

You said goodbye to Kate with a warm smile and a hug. For Tara, your lips pressed into a line, and you nodded briefly, almost as if you were greeting a stranger.

She wondered if that's what you two were now.

The Carpenter girl prepared to leave, maybe to find Chad and help him or just take a walk to ease the tornado swirling in her chest. However, she was interrupted by a hand on her arm. Kate Bishop tried to get her attention, wearing a conflicted expression on her face.

"What is it?" Tara grumbled, shaking her arm to free herself from the other girl's touch. She was used to being shorter than most people, but with Kate, it became even more annoying, especially when she had to look down at her.

"Look, I know you don't like me, and, to be honest, I don't like you one bit, but I need you to do something for me," Kate said seriously, putting a hand in her pocket and retrieving an object that Tara could only identify as a car key.

The shorter one scoffed. "Listen, I know Y/N and I are on bad terms, but I don't need you to ask me to take care of her. I'm going to do that anyway because I care about her, believe it or not."

Kate rolled her eyes impatiently. "I know. I can see that in you the same way you can see it in me."

It was true, as much as it bothered Tara to admit. She wasn't blind, and she had enough experience in reading people to know that the way Kate looked at you was sincere, and the girl genuinely cared about you. Putting aside her own jealousy and envy, Tara was relieved to know that there was someone good enough to show these feelings for you. You deserved it, after all.

The girl continued, "This device here is a prototype from my mom’s—my company. It's for security." She raised the object and placed it in Tara's hand, who could now see the details of what she had previously thought was a car key. It was a black oval keychain with a single button in the middle, also black. "I pulled some strings and turned it into an emergency button. As soon as you press it, a signal will be sent to police cars and ambulances, and it will be their priority to get to you. That's one of the advantages of being rich and having contacts, I guess."

Tara turned the button in her hands, feeling the object weigh more now that she knew its function. "And why are you giving this to me and not Y/N?"

"Because I know she would use it on anyone but herself." Kate sighed in frustration. Tara knew it was implied in the sentence that you would use the button for her. "I'm giving it to you because... despite the fighting and you being a jerk..."

"Wow. Thanks for the honesty."

"... I can still see that you care." The taller one finished her sentence without caring about the interruption. She looked between Tara and the button with a bit of uncertainty. "When you press it, a signal will also be sent to my phone, and I'll come running wherever it is."

There were more implicit intentions in that sentence that Tara could pick up. I'll come running to help Y/N. I'll take her away from you. I can protect her better than you can.

Tara just offered a short nod and turned to leave, with the emergency button weighing as much in her pocket as her heart weighed in her chest. Thousands of thoughts filled her head, and all of them were about you and your safety. It was Tara's duty to keep you safe, first because it was her fault that you were even in that situation, and second because she had already hurt you enough.

It was her mission to protect you. To prove to herself that she could still be good for you. To prove to you how much she still cared.

And if she couldn't, if she had to press that button... well...

Maybe it would be the sign she needed to understand that Kate Bishop deserved more of a place in your life than she did.

The lobby of the abandoned cinema ironically looked like something straight out of a horror movie that Tara would hate. Dust had piled up in heaps on all surfaces, and the orange lights were so dim that they threatened to go out at any moment.

The others were in the center of the other room, where Richie Kirsch, being the maniac he was, left his extensive collection of items from stab movies and real life ghostfaces. Tara, however, thought it would be a better idea to follow you wherever your feet and lost expression took you, just so she wouldn't have to leave you alone, of course.

You had your back turned to her while leaning on the filthy counter with your elbows. Tara couldn't tell what you were thinking, but obviously, you were not okay, just like everyone else in that situation.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a box of Milk Duds on the other side of the counter that seemed untouched, just a few inches to your left. She approached with light steps, not wanting to make any sudden movements as if that would scare you away, and reached out to bring the box closer. "You like these, right? You can have them if you want."

You didn't respond to the joke, and you didn't even turn around to look at Tara. She felt your indifference like a stab to the chest, but she continued nonetheless. "Or not. This must be like a thousand years old anywa-"

"Tara, shut up." You finally responded sharply, making the younger girl look down in shame. She really needed to get used to your new treatment of her. You ran your hands over your face, covering it as if you were tired.

"Sorry." Tara whispered back weakly. She deserved it, but more than anything, she wanted to be able to offer you some kind of support in that difficult moment, just as you had given her all the support she needed in the past.

You scoffed, in a gesture so hostile that the younger Carpenter almost couldn't believe it came from you. You were still facing away from her, but now slowly taking steps away with tense shoulders. "Did you learn a new word? Didn't know it was in your vocabulary."

Tara felt the anger in your voice, and it made her hands begin to tremble with anxiety. You were right, and it was long overdue for you to know that. "I’m sorry, Y/N. I know it's too late for this, but I'm sorry for everything I did."

"Do you even care? Seriously, Tara, do you really feel sorry, or do you just miss having some idiot around who would do anything for you?" You retorted, your voice rising even as your vocal cords trembled. A dam had just burst open between you two, and now it was time to deal with the flood.

"Of course, I care, I love you!"

"SHUT UP!" You shouted in response. Tara recoiled from you with a start, startled as she had never seen you raise your voice at anyone. You were still facing away, but Tara could see that, even though you had wrapped yourself in a hug to control your reactions, it wasn't working. Your entire body was tense, as if your brain was struggling to choose between fight or flight, and the result was the tremors that seemed to spread through your system. "You have no right to do this to me! To play with me like this!"

"I'm not lying!" The shorter one retorted, and in an impulsive move, she grabbed you by the shoulder and forced you to turn until your gazes met. Tears were already streaming down your eyes like waterfalls, and your entire face seemed contorted in excruciating pain. Tara wished she could absorb all your hurt for herself. "I know I messed up, but I really love you!"

"You're toxic, Tara! That's what you are!" You shouted back with strength, holding the girl's gaze as if it were a challenge you needed to win. "You hurt me! And I was getting better, damn it, I was getting better away from you!"

"I know you were! I know! That's why I'm apologizing, okay? Because you're the best person I've ever met, and I ruined you like I ruin everyone! Because the best moments I've ever had were with you, and I feel like tearing my eyes out when I remember that I hurt you by being this way!"

"Tara..."

"No! Please let me finish." She rejected your interruption, taking the opportunity to relieve all the pain and guilt she felt inside her. "I'm getting treatment, okay? And I know you're not obligated to forgive me for anything, but I want you to know that I'm trying to be better for you! I'm trying to fix my shit to be someone you and Sam and the others can be proud of!"

"Tara..."

"And I know I hurt you a lot, but please don't doubt the love I feel for you because it's the only good thing left in me. I won't blame you if you never want to see me again, but..."

"TARA, GET DOWN!" You shouted, and before Tara could react, you were already pushing her toward the dusty wooden floor.

Everything was happening too fast for the Carpenter's mind to process. She hit the ground with a grunt of pain and a potential bruise on her arm, but she could see the exact moment when an arm covered in a black cloak descended toward your leg, making a deep cut in your thigh.

You screamed in pain, and Tara screamed next, watching your blood soak through the fabric of your pants and start dripping onto the floor. In a surge of adrenaline, the small girl ran to your side and almost reached for your arm when she was suddenly engulfed in a tight grip, with her two arms pinned to her back and a hand holding a knife to her neck.

She struggled against the masked person holding her, futilely trying to break free to get to you. Tears streamed so quickly down her face that she could taste the saltiness invading her senses. "Let me go! Y/N, run! Please, run!"

A sinister laugh reached her ears like the hiss of a snake. "Oh, Tara. Did you think it would be that easy?"

She recognized that distorted voice with effects all too well. She still heard it in her nightmares, calling her name in the dark. Ghostface was back. "I'm going to kill you, you motherfucker!"

"Oh, but I don't think so." The voice spoke in an amused tone as another killer, wearing the same mask and black cloak, approached your figure on the ground. Tara wailed like a banshee when the other pulled your hair forcefully, forcing you to stand up as he placed a knife on your neck.

She struggled a little more. "Leave her alone!"

"And where's the fun in that?" The ghostface holding her responded, almost as if they were laughing. "Come on, Tara. Weren't you the one who liked to release your anger by hurting Y/N? Why should only you have that privilege? Let's see, where was it that you got stabbed again?"

At the same time, as if reacting to a code, the ghostface holding you advanced in quick and precise movements, gripping you by the waist with one arm while thrusting the knife into you with the other, just above your kidney.

You let out another gasping scream as the blade pierced your skin, and Tara felt your body sagging as if you were about to collapse. She herself wanted to fall to her knees and plead for you to be released, but she couldn't. Whoever was holding her had great strength.

"Don’t you want her to feel the same pain you felt, huh, Tara? Don't want her to suffer what you suffered?" The voice continued to growl in her ear, sounding increasingly excited by the escalating violence. The knife on Tara's neck kept her head in place, so she couldn't look at anything other than your agony.

"No, I don't. Please, PLEASE." Tara pleaded with a tearful voice as another stab was delivered to you, this time in the center of your abdomen. Your shirt gradually turned into a pool of blood, and Tara feared you would faint at any moment.

"Tara..." You could barely pronounce her name, your voice choked and your own blood streaming down your lips. Tara's gaze met yours, and she shivered when you shook your head. She knew what that meant.

You looked feverish. Sweat and blood mingled on your skin, creating the most disturbing of the paintings. Your eyes were vacant, and Tara was so afraid they would close at any moment, never to open again.

And yet, with that nod of your head, Tara understood that your top priority at the moment was to make her understand that it wasn't her fault.

The girl's knees threatened to give up as the knife entered you one, two, three times. She shook her head but couldn't close her eyes because she needed to see you, needed to see that your eyes were still open, that you were still alive.

You couldn't die. You promised not to leave, even if everyone else did. You couldn't die. You couldn't die. You. Couldn't. Die.

"I love you. I'm sorry for loving you, I'm sorry," Tara whispered because she had no strength to speak louder. She felt on the verge of giving up and letting those maniacs do whatever they wanted with her. Nothing mattered anymore if you weren't here, and it was all her fault.

The ghostface holding her laughed with a deep voice. "You know, I could turn this into a Romeo and Juliet scene, but I think it would be more fun to kill you while Sam is watching."

With that, Tara felt her body being thrown backward, and she hit the dirty wooden floor again, this time landing with her head in a wound that would undoubtedly become a concussion.

She got up in a frenzied pace, in an adrenaline rush, thinking she could try to save you now that she was free. But, looking ahead, she realized she was outside the lobby’s door, and the maniac murderer already held the handles. Despite Tara's attempt to advance, the ghostface had already sarcastically waved and locked the doors, creating a deadly separation between you and herself.

Tara pounded on the hard wooden door, ignoring the pain in her knuckles. She hit and hit and hit, feeling cuts open on her skin and burn from the repetitive contact. She was crying, screaming, punching, cursing, doing things she couldn't even rationalize because it didn't matter anymore.

Nothing mattered anymore. Not without you.

She collapsed on the floor, tired, injured, and desperate for you. Her sobs echoed in the seemingly empty hallway, and she was too afraid to put her ear to the door and hear screams of pain like your last breath. Tara felt lost until she remembered that she was no longer trapped.

Rushing to reach the device in her pocket, she sighed in relief to find it unbroken. She pressed the button multiple times without a second thought. If she had a chance to maybe save your life, she would grab it without a doubt.

Tara remembered what she had thought before, how pressing that button might symbolize that she shouldn't be in your life. She stood up and leaned against the wall, trying to rid herself of the wave of nausea, and left the button hidden near the door. If help came following the signal, the first place they would look would be where you were.

If help came and you made it out alive, that was a promise. Tara would finally leave you alone. That's what you deserved.

---

Tara was almost sure she had developed a hospital phobia since the events of last year.

There was no other explanation for why she felt uneasy in that environment, even after they had taken all precautions for her. She still hated the white walls and the smell of chemicals and couldn't wait to get out of there.

For now, she decided to ignore this feeling and continued following Sam through the corridors of fluorescent lighting. It was important for her to stay inside until they finally found the doctor who could tell them what they wanted to know.

She checked her hands again, finding the tanned skin covered in some bandages but free from the mixture of her blood and Ethan's after she... lost control.

After she was separated from you, everything happened so fast that Tara could almost think it was all a delusion. All the revelations, the attacks, her adding another victim to her count, the police arriving... All of that had taken a back seat because nothing was more important than you.

It was as if her life had turned into a black and white movie in the moments she was without you. Everything felt colorless, purposeless. Fortunately, she was pulled out of her own spiral of melancholy when she saw you being taken out of the old movie theater on a stretcher by paramedics. She tried to get closer, but it was needed to give you space so that nothing touched your wounds and caused an infection.

Tara tried to go in the ambulance with you, but she and Sam were pulled for another checkup, and you needed to be rushed to a surgery room urgently if you wanted to have the slightest chance of survival. So, Tara let you go, but there was not a moment when you weren't on her mind.

That's why now, she desperately searched for your surgeon with Sam. No one seemed to know about your condition, and she already felt like tearing her hair out from anxiety. Tara just needed to know if you were at least breathing.

"Dr. Isley?" Sam called the attention of a red-haired doctor who was passing by them in a hurry. Tara sighed in relief that her sister was paying attention to her surroundings because her mind was in a completely different place. "We were informed that you performed emergency surgery on a family member. Her name is Y/n Y/L, admitted with multiple stab wounds."

"Oh, yes. Miss Y/L." The doctor replied in a professional tone, but there was impatiency all over her body language. "It was a difficult surgery, and she lost a lot of blood, but fortunately, no vital organs were hit. I won't lie, the recovery will be painful, but at least she survived the operation without any apparent severe collateral effects."

This was the best news Tara had heard in days. She opened a smile and didn't even try to hide her own happiness as she prolonged the conversation. "Is she in any room? Can we see her?"

"Miss Y/L is in room 604, but I'm afraid only one person is allowed in at a time to avoid any disturbance."

"No problem, we can take turns." Sam pointed between her and her sister. Despite seeming much calmer than the younger one, Tara knew Sam was just as relieved as she was to know that you were still alive.

"No, you didn't understand. There's already someone in Miss Y/L's room." Dr. Isley warned and, seemingly losing the rest of her patience, she began to walk away. "Sorry, but I have other patients to attend to."

The two Carpenter sisters looked at each other alarmed. Who could be in your room? Chad was still in his own surgery, Anika had gone to stay with Mindy while she received some stitches, and frankly, your parents had never been present enough to travel between states so quickly for your sake.

They walked down the corridor, moving as fast as possible without disturbing the other people being treated or working in the area. Tara's heart threatened to jump out of her mouth as she looked from door to door, searching for the numbering of your room. 601. 602. 603.

Tara stopped so abruptly at the door that she and Sam bumped into each other, their sneakers making noise against the shiny white floor. The simple door had a small window through which it was possible to see the inside of the room without necessarily entering. Tara looked inside, ready to break the handle and force her way in if necessary.

But it wasn't, because Tara Carpenter recognized exactly the girl sitting next to your bed, holding your hand gently and stroking your hair, even though you were sleeping. She remembered, with a tightness in her chest, that Kate Bishop would be notified the moment she pressed the button.

And, in her own words, she would come running to take care of you.

"Tara, who-"

"I have to go." Tara interrupted her sister's words, looking at the scene in front of her without blinking. She knew what she had to do; there was no reason to fight the facts.

"What? What do you mean? You just got here." Sam asked, partially annoyed and partially confused by the younger one's actions.

"You heard the doctor. Her recovery will be painful, and if I stay around, all I'll cause is more pain." Tara opened a small smile just to try to pretend that she wasn’t dying inside. She knew Sam could see the truth, that she could see her broken heart and internal conflict, but she also knew that was the only possible solution.

"Tara..."

"Sam, you know I'm right. You told me that yourself a few days ago, remember? I hurt her." The girl shook her head in surrender and took a few steps away from the door. Away from you. "She needs peace, Sam. And the only way she can get that now is if I'm not around."

Tara took one last look inside the room, seeing how peaceful you looked. Sleeping, without any worries, and with an incredible and caring person by your side, ready to help you in whatever you needed.

Someone much better than her.

Perhaps that was the first time Tara had made a selfless decision in a long time, but she didn't feel deserving of any credit for it. What she had to do now was get better. Maybe more entries in her journal and more visits to her therapist would eventually fill the void she felt within her.

For now, she just turned around and started walking away from room 604. Each step hurt, like a razor cutting her skin, but it was the right thing to do. Tara had hurt you for far too long, and now...

Now it was time to let you go.

#scream #scream vi #scream 2022 #scream x reader #tara carpenter x reader #jenna ortega #jenna ortega imagine #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x you #scream imagine #tara carpenter x you #tara carpenter imagine #tara carpenter #Spotify

719 notes · View notes

justabigassnerd · 11 months

Text

Finally Free

Pairing - Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x daughter!reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

Word count - 4,085

Warnings - Jake reminisces on his shitty childhood, allusions to abuse, Jake briefly mentions death, angst and fluff

Summary - Jake surprises you with tickets to see one of your favourite singers in concert and finds a few of the songs more relatable than he anticipated

A/N - hey y'all it's ya girl coming at you with yet another part of the Hangman junior universe! this is a part I came up with and got way too in my own head and excited about so I just ran with it (sorry not sorry). most of the songs I mention in this fic can be found on this post here so please check them out if you have the chance! anyway, as per y'all please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

You had been a fan of Joshua Bassett since you first discovered him in the High School Musical series on Disney Plus. Jake had gotten used to hearing the occasional song of his on your playlist as you got ready for your day. So, when Jake found out that Joshua Bassett was going on a tour and would be making a stop in San Diego, he got online as soon as he could and bought tickets to the concert. He was only able to get two tickets to the concert, but Bradley reassured Jake that he’d find something to do with his day and it would do the two of you good to have a father-daughter day out.

When Jake told you he managed to bag tickets to the concert, he was fully convinced he had never been trapped in a tighter hug than he had at that moment. You thanked him over and over again excitedly as Jake hugged you tight. You were so grateful for your dad taking time out of his day to buy you tickets to see your favourite singer live.

When the day of the concert came around, you were bouncing off the walls. You had played Joshua Bassett’s music as you got ready for the day. Jake made breakfast downstairs as you got ready, and he couldn’t help but grin as he heard you singing along.

“Sounds like I’m not missing out on this concert. I’m getting my own private performance.” Bradley says with a smile as he presses a kiss to Jake’s cheek before squeezing past to make himself and Jake a coffee. Jake chuckles as Bradley pours out the coffee and Jake begins plating up breakfast just as you come downstairs.

“Excited by any chance, kiddo?” Jake teases as you enter the kitchen, immediately grinning awkwardly at his words.

“Maybe a little.” You say sheepishly, taking the plate Jake holds out towards you and thanking him with a smile before heading to the kitchen table to sit down and eat your breakfast as the two men sit down and join you.

“I’m thinking we go to town for lunch and then head to the venue. I know that people like to line up and wait before the show starts. You probably want a good spot, especially because you’re standing.” Jake says to you after a mouthful of food, making you look up at him in shock.

“Dad, you really don’t have to stand in line for hours just because you’re taking me to see one of my favourite singers.” You start, not wanting to make your dad do anything for your sake.

“y/n, I don’t mind. This concert is a big thing for you, so I want you to have the best possible time and if that means I have to stand in line for a few hours, so you have a good view then so be it. I can always go for a little walk or something if I need to.” Jake says with a smile, wanting you to know that you’re not forcing him to do anything.

“If you’re sure.” You mumble, picking up your glass of water and taking a sip.

“Oh, I’m sure kid.” Jake says, reaching out to ruffle your hair despite your protests. When you all finish breakfast, you gather up all the plates and put them in the dishwasher before heading into the living room to chill out before you leave the house. You chat with Bradley and your dad in the living room until it nears lunch time and Jake checks his watch, causing him to stand up.

“Come on y/n/n, let’s go.” Jake says, making both you and Bradley stand.

“Are you going to be okay, Bradley?” You ask, a small guilt creeping in at leaving Bradley alone for half the day.

“I’ll be fine, kid. Mav said he needed some help with some repairs and then after me and the other Daggers are heading to the Hard Deck.” Bradley says, bringing you into a quick hug before releasing you and letting you grab your bag and go with Jake. You climb into the passenger seat of your dad’s truck as he gets behind the wheel.

“Where do you want to go for lunch? Your pick.” Jake says as he starts up the engine and pulls out of the drive. You told your dad where you wanted to go for lunch as he nods with a smile, glancing at you briefly before returning his attention to the road. Jake drives until he finds a car park close to the venue and parks, turning off the engine before both of you climb out of the truck.

“Let’s get something to eat, kiddo.” Jake says with a grin, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as both of you begin the walk to the place you wanted to get food. When you arrive, you find somewhere to sit and look over the menus. Jake lets you order whatever you want, insisting you’ll need the energy for the concert. When you finish your food and drinks, Jake pays for the meal and then the two of you leave the restaurant and make your way to the venue. You find the end of the line and join it, being soon approached by someone with a sharpie who writes your number in line on the back of your and Jake’s hands. As they move away, you glance down at your hand, seeing a bold ‘89’ staring back at you while your dad had ‘88’ on the back of his hand.

“We made it in the top one hundred, I consider that a win in my book.” You say with a grin, looking up from your hand to where your dad was standing alongside you.

“It is impressive, isn’t it?” Jake chuckles as you nod. You find yourself talking to other people in the line while Jake texts Bradley and Coyote. As you wait in line, both you and Jake get given little hearts to hold up during one of the songs and you gush about the creativity as you admire the little heart in your hand.

The hours you are lined up outside fly by and before you know it, you were waiting the last few minutes for the doors to open. Jake pulls up the tickets on his phone while you prepare yourself to be inside.

“Okay, some quick stuff before we go in. I’ll hang back and you can go in the standing area, I’ll stand somewhere where you’d be able to find me easily. And if you’re in the standing area and people start to push and you feel unsafe, you get out of there immediately. I know you want to see this guy, but your safety is more important, okay? You get out and you find me.” Jake says, looking down at you, gauging your reaction.

“I will, dad.” You say, looking up at him before the line begins to move and the two of you are ushered into the venue where your tickets are scanned, and your bag is checked. As soon as you both make it through the security, you head into the venue, immediately locating the merchandise stand and treating yourself to a t-shirt and a hoodie that are put into your bag before you turn to your dad.

“Go on y/n/n, find yourself a spot. I’ll see you after the concert.” Jake says with a soft smile, giving you a hug and pressing a kiss to the top of your head before releasing you and letting you head into the standing area. Jake headed to the railing just in front of the bar and before the main standing area. He could see you excitedly taking in the stage and lights as he watched with a smile. Jake never got to go to concerts when he was younger, his parents thought they were a waste of time and money and even when he started to sneak around a lot more during his high school days, he never got to go to a concert and then almost the second he graduated, he became a father, so he never got the chance to attend a concert. In fact, this concert would be the first concert he ever attended in his life.

“Your kid drag you here too?” Jake is shaken out of his thoughts by a middle-aged man joining him at the railing, leaning against it.

“I wouldn’t say she dragged me. I got her the tickets as a surprise.” Jake says, glancing over at the man.

“Ah. My daughter was begging me for ages for these tickets. She’s been helping her mother and me a lot with the new baby, so I figured she earnt this.” The man says with a slight shrug before introducing himself as Mark and Jake introduces himself in return.

“y/n mentioned the concert once and I figured with everything that’s been going on recently, she earnt a fun night out.” Jake replies, thinking of everything that’s happened in recent months.

“What kind of stuff happened?” Mark asks, looking at Jake curiously.

“Just deployment stuff, the Navy’s been keeping me busy recently and I felt bad.” Jake was lying through his teeth. He hadn’t been deployed in ages, but he wasn’t about to spill all of his life drama to someone he had only just met.

“Ah, a Navy man. Thank you for your service. I wanted to join the Army when I was younger, but some football injuries meant I never passed my medical.” Mark chuckles, leaning against the railing and surveying the crowd in front of him.

“Sorry to hear that, man. But at least that injury saved you from working in the Army, now that’s a fate worse than death.” Jake chuckles, making Mark laugh and shake his head jokingly. The two men continue to chat as the auditorium fills up until the lights dim for the open act to come on stage. Jake didn’t know who the opening act was, but he thought her songs were good and she had a beautiful singing voice. He and Mark applauded her and exchanged an impressed look with each other as she walked off stage as the lights came up and music began playing over the speakers. Jake had completely lost sight of you in the crowd as it had filled up and he couldn’t help the nervousness that rose within him at the number of people that were surrounding you. He knew you were more than likely okay, and that you’d get out of the crowd if it was too much, but he couldn’t stop his dad mode from going crazy knowing you were in the crowd somewhere. Jake dug his phone out of his pocket and took a picture of the large crowd and sent it to Bradley, typing out a message to go along with it.

‘Our kid is in there somewhere.’

He hits send on the message and shoves his phone back into his pocket, focusing his attention on the crowd as they chatted amongst each other and sang along to the songs that played on the speakers.

When ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ by One Direction came on, you and everyone who filled the venue started to sing along loudly to the whole song, dancing around as you sang along. When the song ended, the house lights dimmed once more and the auditorium erupted into cheers as the band began to step onto the stage, situating themselves in position with their instruments as the audience cheered. Soon, they began playing and Joshua Bassett came running onstage, singing the first song of many as you and the audience sang along loudly, a large smile covering your face as you watch one of your favourite singers sing his heart out to the audience, a smile on his face as he does so.

As Jake watches from the back, he couldn’t help but bob his head to the music, a small smile slipping onto his face as he watches Joshua Bassett hold the hands of some fans in the front rows, singing and smiling as he takes in the view of the packed auditorium. Jake enjoyed the first few songs, finding them upbeat and well-written. But when he watches the young singer cross to the piano for the second time, the song he plays evokes a different reaction than he was expecting. He listened carefully to every word that left the singer's mouth, realising more and more just how much he could relate to the song. When Joshua Bassett sang about being told by his father not to cry in front of his mother, Jake couldn’t help but think about how a similar situation had happened in his youth.

Jake was no older than five years old, he had made his way into his house with a large grin on his face and a paper in hand. He approached his parents and held the paper up for them proud to show off the drawing he had done of his family.

“What the fuck is this, Jacob?” His father had spat harshly as he held the paper in his hand, eyes squinted in disgust as he stared down at the picture.

“You should be focusing on your studies, not on silly things like drawing.” His mother scolded, both parents staring down at Jake disapprovingly before his dad ripped the paper in two, making tears well in the five-year-old’s eyes.

“Stop crying, boy. It’s time you grew up. But if you keep acting like this, I will give you something to cry about.” His father threatened, making Jake dart off upstairs into his bedroom to curl up under his duvet and hope his father didn’t come in search of him.

Jake shakes himself out of his thoughts so he could focus back on the concert, but it was like every lyric of this song was written about Jake’s life. He found it almost eerie that almost every word was written just for Jake. As he listened to the song, hearing lyrics about wanting to escape LA, Jake couldn’t help but think about how he longed to escape his hometown when he was younger. He put his whole heart and soul into his studies so he could ensure he got a spot in the Navy so he could get away from his family. When he found out Lauren had gotten pregnant, he immediately worried about being stuck in his hometown until he found a chance to move. He had figured Lauren wanted to stay put while he trained in the Naval Academy before she followed him around anywhere but since she left mere months before he was due to leave for the academy, Jake had to take you with him. But he didn’t regret it. He never would regret taking you and getting the hell out of Texas. When the song ended, Jake applauded as he blinked back the potential tears that could well in his eyes. The next songs that played Jake was able to enjoy more but when he listened to the lyrics of one of the songs, he realised that he could relate to and enjoy the song. He had been able to break away from the bad stuff from his childhood and be free at last. He didn’t need to worry about his past anymore because he had escaped it and was in a much better place than he was before.

The next few songs that played were mostly cutesy love songs, they had never been Jake’s scene, but he still appreciated the effort that went into making the music in the first place. After playing a song in amongst the audience, Joshua Bassett made his way back to the stage and sat himself on a stool as he told everyone a story about how he had almost died and how his mother had gotten to his side as quickly as she could. He talked about how in that whole situation, his mother had acted as his lifeline and how he wrote the song because of her. Jake noticed that as the song started, everyone in the audience was holding up the little hearts they had been given in the line and so dug his one out of his pocket and held it up. He continued to listen to the music until one lyric hit him like a ton of bricks.

“We hardly say I love you, ‘cause your parent’s parents never did.”

Jake could’ve sworn he stopped functioning entirely upon hearing that lyric. He started to think about you, somewhere out in that crowd. Did you relate to that lyric? Did you think Jake didn’t tell you he loved you enough? Jake knew his parents never told him they loved him, probably because their parents never did the same for them. But Jake had sworn that he would never let you feel unloved or unwanted at any point in your life and hearing this song made him second guess everything he ever did as your father. This time, when the tears came, Jake could do very little to prevent them and so let them roll down his cheeks freely until the song ended. He lowered the hand that held the heart up proudly and wiped his face with the other, blinking rapidly.

“You okay?” Mark asks, leaning close so Jake could hear him over the cheers of the crowd.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Jake reassured, continuing to wipe at his face until he was sure his face was clear of any tears. As he wiped the last of the tears away, he promised himself that he’d tell you he loved you more often. He never wanted you to feel like he didn’t love you. Jake had managed to compose himself enough as it was announced that Joshua Bassett would be singing a cover and he encouraged his audience to sing along, assuring them that they’d definitely know the words. As he begins to sing ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Elvis Presley, Jake felt a smile creep onto his face at the familiar song. He knew Bradley grew up loving Elvis songs, always telling Jake how the songs reminded him of his beloved parents. Jake pulled his phone out of his pocket and filmed the chorus, making sure to send the recording to Bradley for him to enjoy. Jake allowed himself to sing under his breath as this song played. Remembering how he and Bradley had danced to this song late at night in the kitchen.

The rest of the concert flew by, the audience getting treated to not one, but two covers and an unreleased song before the encore happened. When the concert had finished for real, and the audience began to file out of the venue, Jake straightened up, eyes immediately scouring the auditorium to find you. When he spotted you, he threw a hurried goodbye over his shoulder to Mark and rushed over to you.

“Hey, y/n/n.” Jake greets as he wraps his arm around your shoulders securely to protect you from the jostling and shoving of other audience members. It was taking Jake everything within him to not swear at people who shoved at both you and him in your attempt to leave the venue.

“You okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Jake asks once you reach his truck in the car park, holding you by the shoulders and checking you over carefully as if an injury would leap out of nowhere if he looked hard enough.

“Dad, I’m okay. No injuries here. Well apart from a sore throat.” You say with a laugh as you reassure your dad that you didn’t sustain any injuries during your time at the concert.

“Alright, hop in and let’s head home.” Jake says with a soft smile as he unlocks the truck, rounding the truck to get behind the wheel as you climb in the passenger seat and plug your seatbelt in.

“Did you have a good night?” Jake asks over the gentle rumbling of the engine, seeing you practically curled up in the seat beside him, exhaustion clearly setting in fast.

“The best night. Thank you, dad.” You mumble, looking over at your dad with a tired grin as you attempted to curl up further in the seat. The rest of the drive back was silent, only filled with the rumbling of the engine and the radio playing quietly in the background. Jake soon pulled into the driveway and both you and him got out of the truck and headed up to the house. Bradley had left the outside light on as well as the upstairs and downstairs hall lights on. You and Jake ease your shoes off and make your way upstairs after turning off the outside light and the downstairs hall light. You make your way into your room while Jake heads into his and Bradley’s room. Bradley had left the small lamp on Jake’s bedside table on to save Jake from fumbling around in the dark and Jake took a moment to drink in the sight of his husband sleeping peacefully. He admired the way he was curled up underneath the duvet and how soft puffs of air escaped his lips every so often. Jake got changed into a pair of sweatpants and shed his top before heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth. As Jake re-entered the hallway, he made his way to your bedroom door, knocking quietly and asking if he could come in, only entering when he got permission. He heard the faint sounds of the concert coming from your phone as you smiled at him from where you were lying in your bed.

“Watching videos back already? It’s not even been an hour.” Jake chuckles as he makes his way over to you, perching on the edge of your bed.

“Just missing it already.” You shrug unapologetically, shuffling towards your dad as he opens an arm for you to cuddle into him. You spend a moment in your dad’s embrace, savouring the silence before he speaks up.

“You know how much I love you, right? Because if I don’t say it enough, I’m certainly going to make an effort now. I love you so much y/n. You’ve been one of the best things in my life. Don’t ever forget how much I love you, okay?” Jake says, looking down at you as your face softens, making you curl into him further.

“I love you too dad. So, so much. I don’t say it enough either, but I really do love you.” You say, your smile growing as Jake presses a kiss to the top of your head. The comforting silence returns once more as you lie in his embrace. But the moment Jake hears you yawn, he detangles you from his arms and settles you back down on your bed.

“I’ll let you get some sleep. I love you, sweetheart.” Jake says, pressing one last kiss to your forehead as he crosses to your bedroom door, opening it.

“I love you too, dad.” You say sleepily as Jake smiles back at you before leaving your room to let you switch your lamp off and go to bed. Jake returns to his bedroom, climbing into bed alongside Bradley and switching the lamp off before hugging Bradley from behind.

“Did you have a good night?” Bradley’s tired mumble cuts through the silence as Jake presses a kiss to Bradley’s shoulder.

“A great night. Sorry for waking you, go back to sleep.” Jake whispers as Bradley rolls over so the two men are facing each other.

“I’m going to have a much easier time going to sleep now than I did an hour ago.” Bradley chuckles quietly as he tugs Jake into his side, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before allowing his eyes to slip shut. Jake waits patiently until he hears Bradley’s deep and even breaths before he allows his own tired eyes to close.

“Sleep well, Bradley. I love you.” He whispers against his husband’s chest as sleep begins to take him in its hold. Jake hadn’t anticipated the concert to bring as many revelations to him as it did, but he did now know that he had one of the best lives out there. And it was all because of his loving family. Because of them, he was finally free from his past.

taglist (comment or ask to be added):

@zbeez-outlet @kaceywithak @tsnelf7 @starkleila @cassadilasworld @shanimallina87 @madstxo @chaoticassidy @padsdarlg

180 notes · View notes

callsign-dexter · 9 months

Text

Doppelgänger

Summary: Bradley and Jake were in a relationship for 5 months after the Uranium Mission after a big fight over something petty, Bradley stormed out and went to The Hard Deck found a hookup went home, and accidentally knocked her up. Now Bradley sees Jake everywhere and works up the courage to call him. Can everything go back to normal?

Pairings: Jake Bradshaw x Bradley Bradshaw, Bradley Bradshaw x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: angst, swearing, fluff?

Masterlist

A/N: fic was inspired by the song Doppelgänger by Joshua Bassett. I also have to thank @justabigassnerd for pitching the idea and saying I can go with it, and also for getting me obsessed with Joshua Bassett.

A/N 2: If your name is Allie you can change this name

2 years ago

Bradley and Jake just had arrived home not speaking to each other after work stressed out to the max. Jake had done a particularly stupid dangerous move when they were teaching some new students at Top Gun.

Jake's engines had gone out after he hit his brakes to invade a student and was going down when he got them up and going again at the last possible second. Bradley was listening to the whole thing and saw the whole thing since he too were up in the air. The class finished after that and everyone was dismissed for the day. Jake and Bradley packed their stuff up and headed home. Jake tried to speak to Bradley but got nothing. They arrived at their apartment and Bradley shut off the Bronco's engine still not saying anything, they got their stuff and headed inside.

Once inside it was silent Jake unlaced his boots and took them off but Bradley did not. He was fuming and it only got worse when Jake spoke.

"Ok. What is up with you? You haven't said a word since before we went up in the air." Jake asked Bradley. Bradley stood there before answering.

"What you did was reckless and you could've ended up hurt." Bradley said not moving. Jake scoffed which made Bradley frown.

"I saved it at the end. Everything worked out." Jake replied moving around the kitchen but yet Bradley stayed unmoving.

"Jake you're not getting it. I could've lost you today." Bradley said moving his arms to cross over his chest.

"But you didn't and I'm fine nothing happened." Jake said giving off his famous smirk but it fell when he saw Bradley's face.

"You're still not getting it. I've may have signed up for your cockiness but I did not sign up for recklessness. I've lost my dad and almost lost Maverick, I couldn't bare to lose you. I love you Jake I really do but I can't be with you if you're like this." Bradley said breaking his own heart.

"Fine if you don't want to be with me then leave. I don't give a fuck. We're done." Jake said breaking his own heart. Bradley turned and walked to the door opened it and stormed out and got in his Bronco and drove The Hard Deck. Bradley was heartbroken and angry, he needed a drink or two or three or five.

Bradley had his fifth glass of beer in front of him and he was feeling tipsy. He wasn't paying attention to anyone until a pretty 20 something year old walked up to him, she too were tipsy. They talked and they flirted and then Bradley was taking her back to his apartment. Things got heated quickly.

The next morning he woke up with a splitting headache. He sat up and noticed a girl in his bed immediately everything came back to him. He got up and put as much distance as he could away from her. He loved Jake. He went to the kitchen and started coffee. The woman walked out of the bedroom fully clothed. They talked and decided to keep in touch, she really wasn't a bad person. They exchanged names and it turns out hee name is Allie.

The next week Allie texted Bradley saying that she was pregnant. She told him that she wasn't going to terminate the pregnancy but once the baby was born she was giving it to him. Bradley was shocked but understandable. He still absolutely loved Jake tho and nothing has changed that and nothing will change that.

9 months flew by, Allie had been staying with Bradley during that time, and now Bradley was a father to a healthy beautiful baby girl named Y/N Y/M/N Bradshaw, that looked identically to him. Allie gave up parental rights at the hospital.

Bradley took Y/N home and everything was great. He still thought about calling Jake but decided against it each time. Y/N was the perfect little angel for Bradley never giving him trouble. He didn't get in touch with Jake until Y/N was 2 years old. He hadn't talked with Jake or seen him for 2 years, he may have seen him in passing but never stopped to talk to him. It was killing him and what he didn't know was that is was killing Jake too.

Present Day

Bradley had Y/N with him at a coffee shop/bakery/ice cream parlor spending the day with his little girl, that just so happened to the same and favorite place of Jake and Bradley. He had Y/N's back facing the door so he saw everyone that came in. Jake was on his mind almost everyday, he guessed he wasn't over him as he thought.

There was a man that walked in he wore a khaki uniform and had the same build as Jake and from behind he could've been. Feelings for Jake came back full force. He wanted him back but knew that Jake would probably never talk to him. He practiced for hours what he was going to say to him but each time he went and dialed his number his fight or flight kicked in and the flight won. His mind was telling him not to call and to move on but his heart wanted something completely different.

Jake wasn't taking it much better he wanted Bradley. He missed him so much. It hurt when he sees him at work but they never talk and it kills him to hear his voice. It really was a stupid fight and a stupid move. If he could take it all back he would. Jake thought about calling Bradley but backed out each time too, when Bradley left it shattered him. He cried for hours and drank until he passed out and had the worst headache in the morning and now he limits the drinks he has. He wanted Bradley back.

Everyone could see that both men were miserable. But they kept insisting they were ok but weren't fooling people. It sometimes impacted their flying and even started to worry Maverick.

Bradley kept seeing him around and wanted to so badly walk up to him, say sorry and kiss the hell out of him, but refrained from doing so. He and Y/N visit that shop every Saturday it was a tradition of theirs and each time he saw someone that looked liked Jake. He couldn't stand it anymore so that night when Y/N was in bed he decided to call Jake and prayed that he would answer and by some miracle he did.

"Bradley." Jake said and his voice was music to Bradley's ears.

"Jake." Bradley said full of emotion. He wanted him back badly.

"It's late Bradley. What do you want?" Jake asked and Bradley could tell that he was holding emotions back and it was true. Jake hearing his voice melted his heart and made it state racing he truly loved that man.

"I know baby. I just have to get some stuff off my chest." Bradley said letting the nickname slip but neither corrected it.

"I think this should be done in person Bradley." Jake said and Bradley knew he was right.

"You're right." Bradley said and Jake was right. "Tomorrow at our place near the lake in the park?" He asked hesitated but answered.

"That would be perfect." Jake said

"Oh and Jake?" Bradley asked

"Yea?" He answered

"I have someone you should meet. Does 2 PM work?" Bradley asked and Jake could've sworn his heart dropped and a million thoughts running through his head. Did Bradley move on? Why does he want him to meet the person he moved onto? Was he engaged?

"Yes that works. Goodnight Bradley." Jake said and about said 'I love you' but stopped himself.

"I'm looking forward to it. Goodnight Jake." Bradley said and ended the phone call.

The next morning at 1:30 PM Bradley called Amelia, his babysitter, to meet him at the park. He explained to her what was happening. Amelia nodded and took Y/N to the playground while Bradley went and sat on the bench, his and Jake's bench, in front of the water and waited. Exactly at 2 PM Jake showed like he said he would. He went to where Bradley was and sat down. Bradley turned to look at him, he was in tight fitting jeans and a hoodie and his hair was messy, just like Bradley liked, and he was still handsome as ever.

"I'm here. What do you want to talk about and who do you want me to meet?" Jake said getting right to the point and turning to look at Bradley.

"I just want to say I'm sorry for storming out. I planned out what I was going to say. I'm just going to get the point. These past 2 years have killed me. I miss being with you. I miss hearing your voice. I miss waking up in your arms. I miss your lips. I miss you in general. It was a petty fight, I'm sorry. I know you may never forgive me but I can at least try to apologize and hope you'll forgive me. I want you back Jake. Baby I love you so much. I went to out coffee shop and I could've sworn I saw you but it was just someone that looked like you." Bradley said pouring his heart out into the speech and Jake could see tears forming he knew that he was being sincere. Jake stayed silent and Bradley knew this was a mistake he should've never contacted him. He was getting ready to get up when Jake stopped him with a hand on his thigh and that made Bradley stop.

"Bradley, babe." Jake began "You really did hurt me that night. I drank until I passed out and woke up with a massive hangover that morning. I forgive you but it's going to take time for us to be whole again. I miss you dearly. These past two years have been miserable. I want you back in my life. I hope that can happen. I love you Bradley." Jake finished "Can I kiss you?" He asked Bradley.

"Absolutely." Bradley said and they smashed their lips together. They only pulled apart when air was needed "I missed your lips." Bradley said.

"Now who is this person you want me to meet?" Jake said in return. Bradley smiled.

"I'll go and get her." Bradley said. Jake watched him walk to the playground and had a conversation with Amelia and he smiled when he saw her jump in glee and hug Bradley. He was glad they worked this out. He watched Bradley bid Amelia a goodbye and bent down to a child's height and spoke to a little girl and saw the little girl nod. Bradley picked her up and walked over to Jake. "Jake meet Y/N. Y/N meet Jake." He introduced them sitting her down in front of Jake. "She was part of a one night stand 2 years ago when I stormed out. I got tipsy and took a girl home and accidentally kncoked her up. She stayed with me until Y/N/N was born and gave up parental rights that day." Jake listened and nodded looking at Bradley. He smiled at her once Bradley was done talking, she was the exact copy and Bradley.

"Hi Y/N. I'm Jake." He introduced himself and the little girl grew shy.

"Hi." She said shyly and after a beat of silence "Are you going to be my daddy?" She asked and Jake and Bradley could've sworn their hearts melted. Jake smiled and looked at Bradley who was smiling.

"If you and your daddy will allow that." Jake said in a sweet tone. Y/N smiled and hugged him. He took that as a yes. He picked her up and hugged Bradley which turned into a kiss and only broke apart again when Y/N made a high pitched squeal.

"Eww!!" She screeched out and they looked at her and laughed.

"What little miss?" Bradley asked his daughter.

"Gross daddy, you have cooties now!" She said with disgusted look but they just laughed.

"Well I guess we'll just have to give you some." Jake said they started to tickle her throwing her into a fit of giggles and she squirmed to get down and took off running. They took off running after laughing and telling her that they were going to get her. Jake was the one to grab her and swing her up in the air kissing her. Bradley stood back and watched the scene. He was glad they were back together and that both of his loves liked each other.

Everything was going to be ok. Jake and Bradley were happy again. Now they can raise their daughter. They were going to be one happy family.

#jake seresin x bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x daughter!reader #top gun fanfiction #daughter reader top gun #daughter!reader top gun #top gun imagine #top gun x reader #jake seresin angst #bradley bradshaw angst

101 notes · View notes

mbbsgf · 2 months

Text

ABOUT MARIE

my name's marie , i'm 19 years old, i'm bisexual and i was born on february 13th

my favorite artists are taylor swift, ariana grande, olivia rodrigo, lexi jayde, sabrina carpenter, gracie abrams, paramore, harry styles, selena gomez, justin bieber, madison beer, joshua bassett and more probably

my favorite youtubers are nick, matt and chris sturniolo, sam golbach and colby brock, johnnie guilbert, tara yummy, jake webber, larri, nailea devora and kennedy walsh.

my favorite actresses are millie bobby brown and megan fox

my favorite thing to do when i'm bored is probably singing hysterically taylor's most gut wrenching songs (i'm insane)

what i do write: angst<333, fluff, maybe headcannons and blurbs and smut (MAYBE)

some fun facts about me:

- i sometimes happen to eat plain ketchup with a spoon

- i sleep with stuffed animals

- i like to have deep conversations with my closest friends

- i've been a swiftie since the og speak now era

- liz gillies in victorious and megan fox in jennifer's body turned me gay🏳️‍🌈

i love cooking/baking or at least trying to. it's actually super fun

i'm always down to make friends tbh so just text me for that or even just to talk i don't mind at all i love listening to people

I👏AM👏A👏YAPPER. i will never stop talking once i started, it's kinda funny

my favorite people on here are my sweet babies @mattsneezing , @slut4mattsturn and @worldlxvlys

face reveal:

and i guess that's it BYE I LOVE YOU🫶🏻🫶🏻

28 notes · View notes

mediocre-writerr · 1 year

Note

congrats on 2k! if you can, i'd love a wanda maximoff x romanoff!reader! based on the prompt "all that we are is all that we'll ever be because he's the one waiting at home." - smoke slow, joshua bassett

maybe reader and wanda had a secret relationship going on, but wanda is dating natasha right now. just super angsty, maybe with a happy ending or not, it's up to you!

thank you! and congrats again!

smoke slow [wanda maximoff]

summary: a college au; you and wanda started breaking away from the crowd and it started innocently, until it wasn't. the biggest problem, she's dating your older sister.

warnings: a few curse words, mentions of smut, angst, smoking, mentions of death, mentions of addictions

pairings: wanda maximoff x fem!reader, natasha romanoff x sister!reader, yelena belova x sister!reader

*not my gif*

The night was alive. The air was so thick and smokey. The music thrummed straight through the bodies surrounding you and into your eardrums. It mixed with a variety of conversations, half of them were high-induced philosophies and theories, while the other half were drunken confessions. Sweat flicked through the air with the start of every dance move. Tony Stark’s parties, always a rager, no matter what the occasion.

You shimmied off the dance floor, avoiding the hormone monsters that are college students grinding on one another. You were desperate for some sort of fresh air, away from the stuffiness of the dance floor. The kitchen was somewhat empty, more sober people maintaining intelligent conversations. Grabbing a red solo cup, you filled your cup with beer, as you people watched. Thor was trying his hardest to be Valkyrie in beer pong, but by the looks of the cups, he was failing. Steve, Bucky, and Sam had their arms wrapped around one on another as they sang along to some tune. But your eyes were torn from the scene when shouts of her name rang throughout your ear.

“Wanda!!” Clint yelled the loudest.

Her emerald eyes found yours, like it was the most natural thing in the world, her lips quirked upwards slightly. As quick as it appeared, it faded away, like reality finally caught up to her. You let out a deep breath as you maintained eye contact, trying to slow your racing heartbeat, “Y/N! Dude!” Scott yelled and you looked down at your cup to see it spilling over the edge like Niagra Falls.

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath, turning off the tap, and wiping off your beer soaked hands. Your eyes filtered back up to Wanda, as the redheaded Russian appeared behind her, intertwining their fingers together. You reach for the paper towel roll, ripping off a few pieces to clean up the mess you made.

“Wow sestra, the party started an hour ago and you’re already making a mess,” Natasha’s voice made you freeze in your spot. You turn to face your older sister wearing her infamous shit-eating smirk.

Your eyes drifted down to their intertwined hands as you gave them your best smile, “Ouch Nat, no, how’s my favorite sister doing? Or I’m so happy to see you!” You tease and she playfully rolls her eyes.

“Yelena would kick my ass if she heard me say that you’re my favorite sister,” Nat said, her eyes scanning the crowd. “Where is she anyway?”

You shrug, “Last time I checked she was about to play a game with Kate. Something about shooting arrows at beer bottles that rested on top of Peter’s head,” Natasha’s eyes widen at your nonchalant tone. Her eyes once more scanning the crowd for your younger sister. “Anyway, back to the whole favorite thing. She can’t kick your ass if it’s the truth. I mean I’m your favorite sister, right?” Your sister rolls her eyes, as she starts weaving her way through the crowd in search of Yelena, “Wait! Nat! I’m your favorite, right?!” you yell over the loud music and the indistinct chatter.

Wanda chuckles, “Are they really shooting beer bottles off of Peter’s head?” She asks with a knowing look in her eyes.

Your eyes shined back with mischief, shaking your head, “Nope! Kate and Yelena suggested the idea, but Peter quickly shot it down, despite them trying to blackmail him.” The two of you share a giggle at the thought of the best friends.

“They’re gonna kill that poor boy one day,” she says and you nod your head in agreement. The two of you stand there in a comfortable silence, people watching.

Wanda’s hand drifts closer to yours, desperate for some sort of contact with you. Before she intertwines your fingers together, you pull away quickly, “Shit. I promised Steve I would bring him this beer. He’s probably looking for where I am, I’ll catch you later,” you smile at her before taking the red solo cup and whisking yourself away. You left so fast, you didn’t get a chance to see Wanda’s disappointed look on her face.

The stuffy room suddenly felt suffocating, slipping out to the backyard, it was a lot less crowded. You slipped your shoes off, rolling up the cuffs of your jeans, as you dipped your legs into the pool. The cool summer night breeze brushed through your hair, drying the sweat that lingered from the dance floor. You grabbed your pack of cigarettes from your back pocket, flickering your lighter to slowly kill yourself by inhaling the small cancerous stick.

Your mind drifted back to the brunette inside, you could marry her. You really wanted to fucking marry her. You had never felt this way about anyone before. Even though you shouldn’t, you know damn well that you shouldn’t. But that night over winter break changed everything for you.

The winter breeze shook through your body, as your legs dipped into the freezing water. You hugged your jacket tighter against your body, pulling out the pack of cigarettes from your jacket pocket. You felt someone’s presence next to you, as they sat down, dipping their own feet into the pool. You slowly inhaled from the nicotine lit stick, as you turned your head to face the unknown presence. Wanda had a sheepish smile on her face, her brunette hair tucked back behind her ears, “Can I have a light?” she asks.

You chuckle softly, flicking the ash onto the concrete next to you, “Wanda Maximoff, having a smoke? Since when?”

“Since right now. I want to try one,” she said, sitting up straight, her voice sounding confident, like she knew what she was doing.

“No, I’m not gonna give you one,” you laugh at her shocked face.

“But why not? You do it all the time!” she questioned with her eyebrows furrowed and matching pout on her face.

God she looked so adorable, but you quickly shook that intrusive thought off, “Exactly I do it all the time, which doesn’t make it a good thing. These little guys are terrible for you, especially when you get addicted. They slowly kill you from the inside out. I mean I have one every day and you know what? It’ll probably kill me one day. At the time, I didn’t have anyone care enough about me to tell me to stop. So no you absolutely can not have one because if I give you one my sister would probably kill me before the smoking does."

She looks at you with her eyes widened and a small smile, "Are you sure this is about Nat kicking your ass or do you not want to give me one because you care about me?" She teased in a sing songy voice as a light pink coats your cheeks.

“Definitely more about my sister kicking my ass. Speaking of my sister, I’m honestly surprised you came to this party. My sister is off on a work trip in Boston and you’re usually attached at the hip.”

She rolls her eyes, “Well, someone was a little convincing today with the whole ‘Wanda please! We haven’t hung out together since you started dating my sister!’ begging act that you pulled today.”

“Excuse me! I was not begging!” you bring your voice down to a whisper, leaning towards her ear, “Trust me Maximoff, when I’m begging there'll be much less clothes on,” you wink at her, causing her eyes to widen and a soft blush to dust over her cheeks. She slaps your shoulder, throwing her face in her hands before letting out a groan, “C’mon, pretty girl, let’s get you a drink!”

You get thrown back into reality, when Thor drunkenly jumps into the pool and the cool water sprays across your face, “Sorry Y/N! Thor lost at beer pong and this was the punishment!” Valkyrie explained and you gave her a tight lipped smile before getting up and going back inside.

You were just going to sit by the window sill away from the rest of the party, but your eyes found Natasha and Wanda’s figures on the dance floor. The two of them moved sensually to the beat and you couldn’t help, but feel the ache in your heart. You couldn’t seem to tear your eyes away until those god damn green eyes found yours and you quickly looked away, sneaking off towards the balcony. No one else really knew about it. But you knew it, all too well.

Wanda’s breath was close to your ear, as she tried to get you to hear her over the pounding music, “Do you want to break away from all of this? I think I need a little breather.”

You nod, “C’mon, I know the perfect place,” you extend her hand out to her and she intertwines your fingers together, not wanting to get separated in the crowd.

Leading her through the house and to the balcony on the top floor, you opened the door for her. The rest of the party seemed to have faded away from your secluded spot. The only real noise was the muffled music coming from downstairs, but even that seemed like it was miles away. The drinks were taking effect, not too bad enough to have you spinning, but a nice little buzz in your head.

The two of you take a seat on the little patio chairs, looking up at the bright city skyline. People like to think of the New York City skyline as one of the most beautiful views in the world, but as Wanda sits next to you with the bright city lights illuminating her face, it definitely tops the city. Once more, you fetch out your pack of cigarettes, lighting another one as it rested in between your fingers.

“You said that when you first started smoking it felt like you had no one who cared about you, why is that?” the brunette asks, staring at you intently as you exhale a puff of smoke.

You shrug, flicking the ash onto the ground, “I started back when we were seniors in high school, after my mom died and my dad left. Nat turned 18 not too long before my mom died and she was forced into the role of being an actual adult because when you turn 18, you’re not really an adult even though you’re labeled as one. Some 18 year olds just finished high school, and are still living with their parents, but Nat had to take care of two younger sisters. She had to put her life on hold for me and Lena. Instead of helping her and supporting her, when our mom died I kind of blew off all responsibilities. I turned rebellious, stopped playing volleyball, hung out with the wrong crowd. Nat always had the disappointed mom look and she was always angry at me, which made Yelena angry with me all the time. So, when I started smoking our relationship was so bad, that it felt like neither of them would have cared.”

“I didn’t know that,” she whispered. It was eye opening to her, you were her best friend. Of course, she knew that your mom died and that your dad left as soon as she died. But it seemed like a new side of you was shining through.

“Not a lot of people do. It’s one of the things I regret the most, you know? I was so selfish back then. I mean even Yelena acted like more of an adult than I did. Now every time I light one of these guys, it’s a constant reminder of what I did…or well I guess what I didn’t do. My punishment for how I acted back then,” you chuckle lightly, “I’ve never said that before, so I better not regret telling you Maximoff.” A lighthearted tone in your voice, as you try to hide the self depreciation in it.

Her head tilts to the side and her eyes are lit up, like you just showed her the most amazing thing in the world, “You won’t.”

A shiver ripples through her body and you quickly shrug off your jacket, placing them over her body. Your scent of smoke and subtle hints of vanilla invaded her senses, quickly becoming addicted to it. “Why didn’t you bring a jacket, Wands? My sister’s not here, so who are you trying to impress,” you quip and she smiles, shaking her head.

“No one,” she mutters, but she desperately wishes she could say, ‘you’.

“What’s got you so angry?” Yelena asks, plopping down next to you with her own red solo cup in her hand. The soft memory fading away from your mind as you shrug. The itch to reach for another cig was becoming too strong.

“Nothing. How’d you even know I was up here?”

“I saw you pouting like Peter Parker when Kate and I make fun of him, so I followed you up here,” she shrugs, “So do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really," you say pulling at the loose thread from the rips in your jeans.

She scoffs, “Let me rephrase that question, do you not want to talk to me about it because it’s about Wanda?”

“Yelena don’t-“

“No Y/N. Look, whatever you and Wanda had going on, it needs to stop,” your younger sister scolds.

You stand up abruptly, rubbing your face with your hands, “Don’t you think I know that? You’ve already lectured me once and I’ve kept my distance from her since then. I am trying my best! Now please, just leave me here to sulk, I’ll be fine just like I always am.”

She throws the pack of cigarettes that you didn’t even know fell out of your pocket. Some of them rolling onto the ground, “You told me you quit these too! You don’t think I could smell the smoke off of you right now? I may be your little sister, but I am not stupid. So if you were lying about these, how do I know you’re really lying about stopping things with Wanda?”

She opens the balcony door about to walk in, but she stops just as she enters the frame, “You’re supposed to be the older sister, right?” She looks at you intently like she’s waiting for an answer and you just nod. “So fucking act like it.”

Yelena slams the door shut. You collapse onto the patio chair, dropping your face into your hands as you let out a shaky breath. Your shaky hands reached for the pack of cigarettes on the floor, neatly placing it in a box, but keeping one of them out, lighting it as it rests in between your lips.

How did everything get so fucked up?

“I’m not this type of girl,” Wanda whispers in the middle of the night. You and your sisters had your closest friends over for a small party. Everyone else seemed to have passed out from Yelena’s drinking games. But both you and Wanda were fighting dreamland and instead giving into your fantasies.

The spring breeze rippled through the two of you as you stood out on your apartment balcony. “What do you mean?”

She shrugs, leaning in a bit closer, “I don’t sneak around in the middle of the night and secretly hope that my girlfriend's sister is awake. I don’t hug someone for longer than what is deemed friendly in a stranger’s eyes. I don’t immediately look at someone who’s not my girlfriend after anyone tells a joke just to see their smile,” she says, as the two of you just continue to get lost into each other’s eyes.

You start shrinking under her gaze, reaching for the pack of cigarettes in your hoodie pocket. You were about to light it when Wanda grabbed the lighter and the rest of the pack that you held in your hand. Your eyebrows furrowed as you stared into her beautiful green eyes, “You once told me a month ago that you felt like you had no one who cared enough to tell you to stop smoking when you first started. So, I’m telling you right now that I care about you and I don’t want you to kill yourself with these stupid sticks.”

A shy smile curled onto your face, as you let her throw your pack into the trash can. “I’m not that kind of girl either, but as I’m staring into those goddamn eyes of yours all I can think about is how much I want to kiss you.” You quip back, ignoring the guilt induced thoughts that are trying to betray what your heart is screaming at.

She snorted at your response, a mischievous smile on her face. The pad of Wanda’s thumb gently traces over your lips and your body freezes. Her hands hesitantly move from your lips to your cheeks, as she stares into your eyes begging for approval. Without thinking, you leaned in and kissed her lips, and the brunette immediately returned the kiss gently.

You place your hands on her chest, pressing harder against her lips. She smiles to herself as she places her hand on your waist. Your kisses become more passionate as your tongue battles for dominance. Her hands on your hips pulled you closer and your cold hands quickly slid under your shirt.

As she ran out of breath, she decided to slide down to her neck, leaving sloppy kisses. You let out a small moan in pleasure, “Wanda?” She hums in response, slightly nipping your neck, “Do you want to take this to my room?”

“Please,” she mumbled against your neck.

When it was over, the two of you lay next to each other. The pants of your breathing filled your bedroom. Your bare chests moving in perfect rhythm to your shared heartbeat. The beautiful brunette shifts her body towards you, looking at you with droopy eyes and tired smile.

“Hi,” Wanda whispered shyly.

“Hi,” you said, charmed.

She grabs your fingers and plays with them, weaving her own fingers between them, bringing your hand up to your lips, pressing a soft kiss against it. Your hands trace figures along your hip. Her gentle hand brushes away a stray piece of hair that fell across your face, as she tucked it into place.

“I have always wanted you,” she whispers, “It’s always been you.”

What should’ve been the last time turned into a past time. Two best friends breaking away from a party started innocently. Gossiping in the bathrooms quickly turned into heated makeout sessions. A breather on the balcony away from your drunken peers turned into deep conversations with her head tucked into the crook of your neck as you hold onto each other.

That one tiny spark that the two of you wouldn’t put out was slowly coming to the end of the cigarette. The cigarette stick was nothing, but a nub as it was about to disintegrate into thin air.

At first it was fun, making a million excuses just to have a simple moment alone. Until, the need for something more came to be and the realization of what the two of you had done seeped into your bloodstream like some sort of drug. A drug that you couldn’t kick. You had stopped smoking for her, but she was this new drug that you were terribly addicted to.

Wanda’s head rested on the top of your chest, as your arms wrapped securely around her. From the curtains of your window, you could see the sun start to slowly rise, and the soft snores from her mouth filled the room.

You kiss the top of her head gently, “Wands,” you whispered in her ear, scratching her back. A soft hum escaped her lips as she stirred in your arms, “The sun’s coming up, you should sneak out before Yelena wakes up.”

“Just a few more minutes,” she whispers, nuzzling deeper into your neck.

“We don’t have a few more minutes, darling,” you respond with a soft smile on your face. She lets out a soft groan before lifting herself off of you. Wanda sat up, pulling your oversized t-shirt over her, and a pair of shorts. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her tired eyes were one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen. “You’re a work of art, Wanda Maximoff.”

She snorted, “That was lame,” she mumbled, leaning down to kiss you. Her lips slightly chapped, but you didn’t care, you just loved the feeling of her lips on yours. “I’ll see you at the party tomorrow night, where we are going to go through with our plan and tell Natasha together, right?”

Even though her eyes were still droopy, she looked at you intently, “Right,” you mumbled against her lips, pressing another kiss to them.

“Y/N, I need you to promise me this time. Every time we’ve made a plan to tell her the truth, you’ve backed out. We can’t keep lying to her like this. I want to be with you the right way. So, please…for me?” she whispered to you.

You let out a sigh, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before touching them together, “I promise.”

“I love you,” she whispered into the thin air.

“I love you. I have loved you, well…definitely longer than I should have. We’ll tell her tonight and we’ll face the consequences together. I promise,” A wide smile crosses her face and how you so desperately wish you could hold onto that smile forever. She wraps her arms around your neck, pulling herself closer to you as she kisses you with so much love, you don’t know how your heart hasn’t exploded. “Now, you should probably get going before Lena wakes up. C’mon pretty girl, I’ll walk you out,” you whisper to her, kissing her quickly.

The two of you reach your apartment door, kissing her once more before asking her to text you when she gets home. You were about to stumble back to bed, desperate for some shut eye, when you bumped into a figure. Your eyes flickered onto your little sister.

“What are you doing up so early?” She questions.

“I needed some water, so I just chugged a glass,” you lied. “Why are you up so early?”

“I promised Kate that I would go on a morning run with her, Peter, and Lucky this morning,” she answered, staring at you intently.

You give her a tight lipped smile, “Well, I uh hope you have fun. I’ll see you when you get-“

“Are you sure you were just grabbing some water? Because from what I saw from here, you were just walking Wanda out of the apartment. She was wearing one of your shirts, which I thought was fishy. But I just thought that maybe she just spent the night. I don’t know why you wouldn’t tell me, but that’s cool. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, I didn't want to jump to conclusions. But all of that benefit of the doubt bullshit I told myself flew out my head when I saw you kiss her goodbye. What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Lena, look-“

“How long?” She interrogated you and your eyes drift down to your hands as you fiddled with them. Your little sister looked down to meet your gaze, forcing you to look her in the eyes, “How long, Y/N?”

“For the last three months, but we’re planning to tell her the truth tomorrow night at Stark’s party.”

“I need you to listen to me very carefully, Y/N. Nat has sacrificed everything for us! Everything! She declined her top college on the west coast to stay home and take care of us. She took crappy jobs that she didn’t want just to make ends meet when she was just 18 years old! She wasn’t like you. She didn’t throw away her volleyball scholarships. She gave them up. She sacrificed and lost everything! For me,” she took a dangerous step closer to you, pushing her finger into your chest. “And you! Natasha wanted us to have the best life that mom had always promised us, even if that meant putting her life on hold. And this is how you’re going to repay her for that? You're going to repay her by sneaking around with her girlfriend?!”

“That is not fair, Lena!” you scold her.

She scoffs, “Not fair? Do you know what’s not fair, Y/N? The money she saved in her savings account all throughout high school quickly drained, because she had to bail you out of jail more than once. You were lucky that Steve’s dad was the sheriff so it never touched a sliver of your record, but Nat still had to pay the fines. It’s not fair that when I was a sophomore in high school, I couldn’t go to any football games or dances because I had to grow up and cover all of your shifts while you were off getting shit faced somewhere else!”

“My mom died-“ you were about to argue.

“So did ours, Y/N!” she screamed at you. “Yet, Natasha and I were picking up the pieces and you kept destroying everything in sight. So, I want you to think about this when you and Wanda tell Natasha all about your relationship tomorrow night, she has given everything she loves up for you and me. Wanda is just going to be one more thing she loses because of you.”

The two of you stayed there in a tense silence, just staring at one another with tear filled eyes. Until the front door swung open. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched as your older sister wheeled in her suitcase from her latest business trip.

A low whistle left her lips as she saw the standoff between the two of you, “Is everything okay?”

Yelena was first to break her gaze, forcing a smile on her face, something she has gotten far too good at. “Yeah, welcome home, sestra. I’m about to head out to go on a morning run with Kate and Peter, I'll see you guys later.”

“What was that about?” Nat asked as your younger sister left.

You shrug, “No idea,” you clear your throat, subtly wiping away at your eyes while she starts brewing some coffee. “How was the trip?”

The balcony door creaked open as you lit another cigarette. “Detka? What are you doing?” Wanda’s voice filled the thick air, grabbing the cigarette from your lips and throwing it out. “You haven’t smoked for the last three months, when’d you even get a pack? What happened?”

Your eyes were bloodshot from holding back the tears that you were so desperately trying to keep in. You know what has to happen.

The drug that is Wanda Maximoff gave you such a high. You were so addicted to the illusions of the love between you and her. A love that never was and never will be. The worst part about any addiction is that it’s so intimate. You become so close with your addictions that leaving them behind is like killing a part of you that taught you how to survive. And all that’s left of you is pain and misery.

“Y/N, why have you been avoiding me?” Wanda questions, her voice shaking just a little bit.

You shrug, “You seem a little preoccupied. I didn’t want to intrude,” you look out at the skyline, desperately avoiding her gaze.

“Oh okay. So this has nothing to do with what we’re going to tell Nat tonight?”

You shook your head, “There’s nothing to tell. There’s nothing going on between us, Wanda. There can’t be anything going on,” you look at her, the tears that you were trying to hold back were falling like droplets of rain against your car window. “You’re my best friend and you’re my sister’s girlfriend. That’s all.”

“You’re not just my best friend, Y/N, and you know it. You can’t pretend like we never happened because it did, it happened. And I don’t regret it, not one bit. I am in love with you, Y/N, and I know what we did wasn’t right, but I can’t help but love you,” she explains to you, trying to wrap her arms around you, but you shake your head once more as you step away from her.

“This can’t happen. We need to pretend like none of this happened-“ you begged her. You didn’t want to make this harder than it needed to be.

“We have been sneaking around for months! Even if she doesn’t know it, we have already hurt her! If we tell her together, we are doing right by Natasha. She’s going to be heartbroken and angry, but she’s going to realize one day that this was the right thing to do. She deserves better than someone who’s in love with her sister.”

There was a silence that followed, as you just continued to stare at her speechless, “I can’t-“ your voice breaks, as you look down at your hands.

Wanda’s arms wrapped around your waist and you weren’t fighting it anymore. She placed her forehead against yours, her voice pleading, “I’ll fix it please, I’ll do anything. We don’t have to tell Nat until you’re ready, just please don’t do this.”

“You can’t fix this, Wands. The only person who can fix this is me. You’re right, Nat deserves better, and after all the shit I put her through the last five years, I'm going to give that to her. I’m going to be the sister she should’ve had by her side when our mom died. So that means letting you go,” you whispered, biting your lip to stop the sobs that are trying to escape. “You deserve better than me anyway, Wands. Someone like my sister,”

You kiss her forehead, before pulling away from her embrace, “I’m sorry,” you whisper to her.

You avoided her tear stained cheeks and glossy eyes, as you continued to sit out and stare at the city before you. You destroyed everything in sight, but this time you were going to be the one to pick up all the pieces. Suddenly, her gaze wasn’t on you anymore and the balcony door was being slammed shut.

Your eyes drift to the voices at the front of the house, “Wanda, what happened?” Nat’s voice rings in your ear and you can see them from where you’re sitting.

“Nothing, it was just too crowded and everything was too overwhelming. I think I just need to go home,” she says and you hate how her tears are because of you. Your older sister wrapped her strong arms around the distressed girl, holding her tighter.

Fishing out your pack, you lit the small cigarette, enjoying the way it made your head feel. Wanda’s eyes flickered up towards the balcony, noticing the smoke emitting off of it. You let out a sigh, staring at the girl in front of you. All that the two of you were was all you were ever going to be because she always had someone waiting at home.

“C’mon, let’s go home,” Nat whispered to her, intertwining their fingers together, and leading her to the car.

Nicotine doesn't taste the same as Wanda did, but it’ll have to do.

#wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #a mediocre 2k party

301 notes · View notes

moonlitluka · 1 year

Text

DOPPELGÄNGER

When the group goes off to college Randy becomes Mr. Popular leaving Y/N in the dust | Randy Meeks x Reader | Angst

“Randy! Hey.” I called out as I jogged up to him. He turned around and gave me a soft smile. “Y/N hey”

I hadn’t seen him in what felt like forever. I mean sure I’d seen him but it was different ever since we got to college. We used to be attached at the hip and now we just passed each other on the way to class or sat together at lunch.

We barely spoke anymore. Not about anything below surface level at least. Just about school or Sid. I missed him.

“I uh wanted to know…” I stuttered. “If you wanted to hang out tonight. Just the two of us, like old times?” I finished. I saw his smile widen as he thought about it.

“Oh I uh I would love to,” he said “great!” I laughed. His smile fell. That was weird. “But I can’t. I have plans with some friends from film studies. I would cancel if I could but we’ve been planning this for a week-“ he ranted.

What friends? I’ve never heard about such friends. “Oh…” was all I said. My smile now gone as well. There was clear tension in the air.

I heard his shoes stumble against the gravel under us as he took a step toward me. “Y/N I’m sorry. We can totally hang out this weekend.” He offered.

I knew it was unfair of me to want him to cancel and spend time with me. He had plans before I get it. I just wished I didn’t always feel like I was pushed to the side by him.

“No yeah it’s fine. We don’t have to hang out I get it you have new friends.” I whispered. Maybe it was petty but it just slipped out.

“What? No that’s not it-“ I turned my back on him mid sentence and just left. I didn’t want to risk crying in front of him. It was stupid it was one night but it felt like the last few months it’s been time after time. Being told he’s busy or has to study. If he’s not studying he’s at a party.

I don’t know. I just feel like I don’t know him anymore. What happened to the dork who didn’t even know how to talk to girls. Let alone flirt with sorority girls at parties.

I decided to walk to the local coffee shop to cheer myself up. Randy, Sid, and I had came here our first day on campus and it became a favorite place of mine.

As I walked in, I saw a glance of a guy in a light green t-shirt. His back was turned as he looked at the book in front of him. He had brown fluffy hair and was wearing khakis.

I smiled remembering the day you met Randy. That same stupid outfit. “Y/N?” The barista called out. I went and grabbed my drink. “Thanks.” I said looking back at the boy.

‘Maybe I’ll talk to him.’ I thought. Talk to him and say what? ‘Oh hey you look just like the guy I’m hopelessly in love with even though he’s currently ignoring me and practically kicked me to the curb? Wanna hang?’

Wait a second. Did I just say I love Randy..? Like Randy Meeks? Geeky video store Randy? Oh god am I sick? Why did I say that?

With the newfound panic I had caused myself I decided to run out of that coffee shop and run home.

Time skip

I was laying in my bed writing in my diary trying to figure out somehow what I was feeling. Was I really in love with Randy? Was that why his rejection hurt so bad?

A knock on my dorm room door interrupted my thoughts. That’s weird, Sid had a key. Who else would be at our dorm. Maybe Derek looking for Sidney?

I walked over to the door and opened it. “Y/N…hi.” Randy stood in the fluorescent hallway. He awkwardly reached his hand up behind his neck.

“What do you want?” I asked. He pushes past me into my room uninvited. “Sure come in” I sighed rolling my eyes shutting the door behind him.

“Look, I’m sorry if I’ve given you the impression that I’m too busy for you. You’re my friend more than any of these film people I’ve met here. I don’t have ‘new friends’ it’s not like that. I swear.” He ranted. I just listened.

“I feel horrible.” He finished. I sheepishly nodded. He sat on my bed patting the spot next to him for me. I sat next to him as he not so subtly looked me up and down.

I felt butterflies in my stomach but tried to ignore it. “I’m sorry if I was being petty.” I said scoffing at myself. I felt stupid.

He put his hand on my knee and smiled at me. “It wasn’t petty. You were just upset, rightfully so. I haven’t been fair to you. I’ve ditched on our movie nights so many times I can’t excuse it. All I can do is say I’m sorry. And please forgive me.” He squeezed my knee as if to give me some extra reassurance.

I giggle but it was almost sad. “You wanna know something stupid?” I laughed out. “Sure.”

“I was at the coffee shop earlier, and this boy was there and he looked just like you.” I started and he just chuckled waiting for me to continue.

“He wore your green shirt from the day we met. I swear it was a spitting image. It’s stupid, part of me hoped we’d get the chance to talk.” He just looked at me confused.

“I wanted it to be you. Like somehow you teleported there or something.” I laughed. Why was I telling him this..?

“I guess I’m not as over you as I thought that I was. And I thought I was.” I sighed. I guess this was it. I spit it out it’s too late now.

“What..? Over me?” He gasped. I saw the gears moving in his brain. “Truth is no ones like you. A lookalike could never take your place. I just thought that I would get over this stupid crush with time. But then it never left.” I finished.

“I’m sorry…” I whispered. I knew he probably didn’t expect this to be the conversation we would have. “Wow…you like me..?” He said shyly.

At this point I felt like I couldn’t even look at him. I just let my head hang and nodded. “Oh my god..” was all he said. This was a mistake.

“I shouldn’t have told you-“ “No! I’m glad you did.” He interrupted. With this I had enough courage to lock eyes with him. I saw his eyes flicker between my eyes to my lips.

“Can I kiss you?” He blurted out. “Yeah.” I whispered. With that, his hands came up to my face softly cupping my cheeks. He smiled at me before leaning in and letting his lips softly linger over mine. I leaned in too letting us finally connect.

He controlled the kiss as he moved his hand to the back of my neck pulling me in more. I swear I heard a whimper escape him.

He pulled away hesitantly with a smile on his face. I couldn’t hold back my shy smile from him. “Thank you for telling me even if it was hard. I feel the same way Y/N, I always have. The only reason I pushed you away was because I figured you didn’t like me. I was trying to get over you. I’m sorry about all of that.” He said letting his fingers brush the hair behind my ear.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is this.” I said leaning in to kiss him again.

#Spotify #scream #scream fluff #scream six #scream spoilers #scream vi #randy meeks #randy meeks x reader #scream 2

115 notes · View notes

headkiss · 2 years

Text

eddie masterlist

༄ fics

smoke slow (3.4k)

inspired by the song by joshua bassett. eddie gives you a cigarette and maybe some hope, too. fluff, first meeting.

stay a while (11k)

wanted for murders he didn’t commit, eddie needs a place to stay, and you’re able to help. fluff, smut, forced proximity.

pretty (4.5k)

three times eddie almost asked you out, and the one time he did. fluff, smitten at first sight?!

give you the moon (17.8k)

had you known getting your first tattoo would end up with you being in love with eddie munson, you might have gotten it a lot sooner. fluff, smut, strangers to friends to lovers.

you’ll always know me (8.6k) , part 2 (12.2k)

even as the crowds at his shows get bigger and bigger, eddie munson still has you, his very best friend. or, (for my swifties) eddie munson is your dorothea. fluff, light angst, childhood best friends to lovers, first kiss.

༄

blurbs

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson oneshot

385 notes · View notes

detectiveruebennett · 3 months

Text

set me free | sam wilson

summary: it is said that your skin will regenerate itself approximately every 27 days. although, that may be true... it's been two years. why doesn't it feel like it?

pairing(s): sam wilson x teen!black!reader [ minor natasha romanoff x teen!black!reader as well ]

warning(s): talks of sexual assault, panic attack

genre: angst, hurt/comfort words: 2,278

authors note: IF THE TOPIC OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IS TRIGGERING PLEASE DO NOT READ!!! the parts that are in italics are flashbacks to reader's nightmare. the flashback doesn't go into detail of the reader's SA, only Sam comforting them about the nightmare. this is a vent fic is based on my experience as a SA survivor. i use writing as a way of coping and stuff. it's free therapy. i've been sitting on this fic for over a year debating on if i wanted to post it and finally finished it. the ending is kinda rushed tho.

Two years ago, you died. Well, not physically. You were still breathing and everything. But that was when your innocence had retired. You never told anyone when it first happened. You were too scared of the consequences. And, by the time you hadn't, it seemed too late to speak up, in your opinion. There was nothing anyone could do now. He already ruined you. So, you just let it be.

Eventually, you learned from Sam and Natasha that your uncle was arrested for multiple charges of sexual assault. You were immediately overwhelmed with tears at the announcement, for you finally felt free. You began to laugh as well. The pair were quite confused as they watched you laugh and cry. A weight lifted off your shoulders that day as you finally could admit what he did to you. Sam suggested speaking up, but you were still very fearful of even being in the same room as him. It didn't matter that you'd be protected during the trials; the thought of it made you sick.

You still get nightmares from time to time. Sometimes, they were manageable. Other times, they were not. Last night, it seemed like luck was not on your side. You didn't get much sleep due to how bad this one was.

It felt too real as if he was watching in the shadows of your room. FRIDAY alerted Sam due to the spike in your vitals. You'd awakened in a state of panic. You sat in a pool of sweat as your heart pounded in your head.

Sam busted through the door in a frenzy. He hadn't noticed his mistake until you frantically hurried out of bed toward the widow bites on the desk. You trembled in the corner of the room as you pointed the weapon toward him. Sam lifted his hands as he attempted to persuade you to put the weapon down. "It's okay. You aren't there anymore. You're safe," he assured. "You can drop it. It's okay." He stayed in that spot, repeating those phrases until you lowered the weapon.

Finally, the widow bites hit the ground. You drop down along with it. Slowly, Sam takes a couple of steps toward you. Knowing you were still startled, he squatted down to your level to make himself less of a threat. He kept some distance between you, instructing FRIDAY to turn on the lights. "You're safe. I'm here. It's okay." You quivered in fear. Although you saw Sam before you, you only heard your uncle's voice -- the monster who took advantage of you. Your mind was playing tricks on you. "Breathe with me, yeah? Ready? One, two, three, four…." You obeyed his instructions.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Soon enough, your breathing went back to normal. Your sobs shift to hiccups and periodic sniffling. Sam waited for you to settle more before questioning, "Is it okay if I move closer?" He didn't want to set you off again.

You nod.

"Are you sure?"

You swallowed. "Yes," you whispered with a croaky voice.

Carefully, Sam scoots to sit beside you. He makes a point of keeping some space between you. You sit in silence for a while. He wants you to take control of the situation. He doesn't want you to feel pressured to talk. You recognized the silent act and appreciated him dearly.

"I… I thought I saw him." You glanced up at Sam; your voice was low, shaky. You pointed to the corner adjacent to you. "H-He was right there." Sam doesn't speak. He held out his hand as a silent invitation of reassurance. His eyes and the expression on his face held sympathy. You clutch his hand like your lifeline.

"He can't reach you anymore." Those five words caused a loud sob to escape. Sam pulled you onto his lap and nestled you as you let it all out. He couldn't prevent the tears from falling. Sam hated that this happened to you. No one deserves to feel manipulated and violated.

"God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

You sat there for who knows how long. Waves of grief and pain danced throughout the room as both of you cried. Sam grieved with you as you wept over the loss of who you once were. Truthfully, he felt responsible for what happened to you. The man wished that he was there to protect you that night.

He hadn't noticed that you'd fallen asleep until he heard the sound of soft snores. Guessing that you wouldn't want to sleep in your bedroom for the rest of the night, Sam slowly maneuvered himself to carry you to his room instead. Sam spotted your teddy bear in his peripheral vision as he approached the door and grabbed it before walking down the corridors. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about waking anyone else in the Compound because only You, Sam, and Natasha lived on this floor. As far as Sam knew, Natasha was still visiting her sister, Yelena, in Ohio.

Once he settled you in his bed, Sam made himself a makeshift bed on the floor at the end of the bed. Sam knew you'd end up scolding him in the morning for doing so, but he didn't care. He checked his phone for the time and noticed a message.

Message from Nat:

Hey. Friday alerted me that [Name] had a nightmare again. My flight isn't for another hour, but I'll be there before she wakes up. I know you've got them, so I'm not too worried. Update me tomorrow :)

Delivered at 2:35 a.m.

I finally got her back to bed. This one seemed much worse. I'll tell you more in the morning. Have a safe flight, Nat

Delivered at 3:56 a.m.

Sam checked up on you again before allowing himself to fall back asleep. "Sweet dreams, [Name]."

As you wake up, the scent of lavender and pine trees greets you. From beneath you, you can hear Sam snoring. Usually, you'd scold him for the potential back pain he'd experience later. But you were too exhausted today to do so. Despite your body's protests, your brain determines you are better off continuing your education. Some of you believe that connecting with friends will lift your mood. So you try not to wake up Sam and sneak back to your room to prepare for the day.

You were better off staying at home.

The school hours are a blur. You lack self-control. You are not present mentally. You've detached yourself from everything. You were tired of your peers and those who didn't know you well. You wrote your exhaustion off as pulling an all nighter, which wasn’t too much of a lie in your eyes. That was your explanation when confronted with your unusual behavior. Most people bought it. It took more sway from Peter, Ned, and Michelle. They stopped bothering you after you assured them you were okay, though you still occasionally felt some concern. When the day is done, you are overwhelmed by the amount of skin you would brush up against while walking through the hallways to your next destination. You're quick to pack your belongings and rush out of the building. You don't bother to say goodbye to your friends.

A black Corvette Stingray awaits you just outside the school's main entrance. "Hey, Solnishko," Natasha says as you enter the car. When you questioned Natasha one day during your training session, she explained that it meant "little sun." She described you as having a bright and fiery essence, similar to the sun. And you became her little sun from then on. However, her little sun isn't shining as bright as usual today.

The term endearment makes you smile but doesn't reach your eyes. Natasha doesn't comment on your gloomy disposition.

"Hi," you reply. "How was your trip?" The upbeat tone you desire does not come through. As Natasha drives away, you concentrate on the blurry scenery outside the window. You cringe internally at your lack of enthusiasm. Even though small talk is the last thing you want to do right now, you last saw Natasha a while ago. You were missing her presence.

"It was great. Later, I'll fill you in on everything." Only a murmur is returned, so the redhead ends the conversation there. The only sound on the return trip home is the radio playing at a low volume.

Natasha knows that you're not yourself. Your body language reeks of detachment. She doesn't take offense to the lack of expression you offer her. Sam gave her the run-down of last night's events once you left for school. She sees herself in you, and it pains her. The same drained look in her eyes after the memory of the past that Natasha pleaded to any god who would listen to escape. She knows how it feels to have her body controlled in such a terrible way - Innocence that was snatched away without any consent. It upset her terribly, but the most she can do is comfort you in any way she can.

Once you enter the Compound, she guides you to her room, knowing that you usually find solace in her bed compared to your own. "Do you want to talk about it?" You still stand at the edge of her bed, arms crossed against your chest as comfort. She sits with her back against the headboard, waiting for you to make a move yourself. She waits patiently for you as you ponder whether you want to relive the nightmare again. You crawl over to the opposite side of the bed and lie so your head rests in her lap. "You know, I was talking with Bruce the other day, and he told me our skin regenerates itself every 27 days," you say as she caresses your cheek. "It's been two years, Tasha; why can I still feel him?" Your voice cracks as the tears you've been fighting away resurface.

Natasha's throat runs dry at your words. She wants nothing more than to harm the man that hurt you. Of course, there isn't a time limit when it comes to healing from trauma, but she hates that this still affects you so profoundly to this day. "I don't know, Solnishko," she whispers. She's at a loss for words. She knows nothing she says will immediately take away the pain you experience. "I'm sorry I can't take the grief away, sweetheart. If I could, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"I know. But your presence is enough for me." You bask in each other's comfort for a while. "Is Sam still home?"

"Yeah, did you want to see him?" she asks, and you nod in response.

"Okay. Hey Friday?" she calls to the Artificial Intelligence. "Can you tell Sam to come to my room, please?"

"Of course, Ms. Romanoff," the AI replies after a beat.

After a few minutes, a knock sounds at her door. Granting the man entrance, Natasha gestures to the teen in her lap, who has their eyes closed. "Hi, honey," Sam greets them as he nears the edge of the bed. Slightly opening your eyes at the sound of his voice, you grin. "Hi, Sammy," you whisper.

"How are you feeling now?" He asks you. Observing your face, he can see signs of exhaustion in your eyes.

"Very drained," you admit. "But a little better now that both of you are here." As much as you love everyone on the team and have a strong connection with them, you've always been more connected to Sam and Natasha for some reason. And the two of them love you like their own. They both smile softly at that.

"How about we all take a nap, yeah? And then we can go out for dinner later?" Natasha suggests, looking at Sam for his thoughts on the suggestion.

He nods. "Sounds good to me. Is that okay with you?" He asks you for confirmation.

You nod in agreement. With a yawn from you, you all situate yourselves on Natasha's bed. Sam and Natasha lay on opposite ends, with you in the middle. They wait until your breath evens out before speaking quietly. "I might call the school tomorrow to excuse her. She needs a day for herself." Sam tells the redhead.

"Yeah, she needs it. Maybe we could plan an outing with the team for her." She kisses your forehead, brushing your braids out of your face. "Or just with us, depending on how she's feeling in the morning."

Sam nods at the idea and closes his eyes; Natasha follows suit. And for a while, it's quiet until he says, "You know, you'd make an incredible mother, Nat." The statement causes Natasha to open her eyes again and look at Sam. He knows the subject of motherhood is a touchy one, given her background, but he can't help but admit it. He honestly does believe his friend would be the best parent. "Thank you. You know, you wouldn't make too bad of a father yourself, Wilson. You already have the terrible dad jokes downpacked," she says with a light chuckle.

He sucks his teeth. "They not that bad."

She smirked lazily as the jet lag from the mission caught up to her. "Everyone else begs to differ."

"You think they'll be okay?" Sam asks as he stares at the sleeping teen between them.

"They always do. They have us in their corner to guide them," she reminds him, and he nods in agreement. If you were anything like either of them, you wouldn't let this throw you off track forever. You always bounce back from whatever obstacles life throws at you. With that, they fall asleep with a heaviness in their hearts for you, but they know you'll be alright.

#sa trigger warning #sam wilson #sam wilson x you #sam wilson x black!reader #black reader #spotfiy #ofblckwriters #marvel mcu #avengers #mcu #marvel imagine #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x black!reader #Spotify

17 notes · View notes

hansolsaries · 2 years

Text

would you love me now?

pairing: idol!joshua hong x exbestfriend!reader

genre: slight angst, fluff, sO much pining, mainly just joshua in his silly thoughts

summary: when joshua is back in his hometown for tour, he reminisces on what used to be, what he used to have, and if it was too late to bring back what used to be.

a/n: this is heavily based off joshua bassett’s new song ‘would you love me now?’ and it got me inspired to write about sir joshua hong himself. i hope you enjoy my very first fic :”) here’s to many more!

The moment Joshua landed back in his hometown, the only thing he felt was joy. Joy because being back in LA meant seeing his family, and because this time his second family would be with him as well. He was confused to say the least because the second Joshua stepped through his childhood bedroom door, all he could feel was sadness. Happiness is what he felt merely a couple minutes ago when he hugged his mom and dad after not seeing them in so long, but as soon as he opened his door, it all shifted. He looked around at what used to be his home, and what used to bring him so much comfort yet something was still missing. After putting his stuff down, he took a look around the room, noticing nothing much has changed since his departure to Korea. Walking towards his closet door, he couldn’t help but notice a pair of his old beat up Converse shoes. He chuckled at the sight before he picked them up.

It was Joshua’s first day at his new school, he was nervous to say the least. He swears he double-tied his shoes at least twice before he even stepped foot outside of his mom’s car. There would be no tripping and falling anywhere at his new high school, plus Converse have such long laces that he never understood the reasoning for.

He walked into the school office to pick up his schedule before someone came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, you’re the new kid right? Joshua?” a voice behind him asked

Joshua turned around and nodded to confirm, “Yeah I am, but wouldn’t it be funny if I wasn’t and you just tapped a random kid’s shoulder who happened to be in the office.” He replied to the person in front of him

“Oh god if you weren’t that whole exchange would have gone terrible, but for your information, I’m Y/N your assigned tour guide for the week,” You responded

He smiled before putting his hand out for you to shake, “Well it’s nice to meet you Y/N. I’m looking forward to you being my tour guide for the week, and hopefully be my friend for the weeks after that?” Joshua spoke

You took his hand and shook it before you looked down and noticed his shoes, “Since you have such good taste in shoes and decided to match with me, I might have to consider that last offer Joshua,” You replied as you looked back at him and smiled back

–

Thinking back on that memory, Joshua realized how much he missed you, after all it had been years since he’s seen you let alone spoken to you. You used to be his best friend and someone he could depend on for anything and the fact you slipped away from him was something that broke his heart. Though as sad as he can be about your guys’ situation, losing contact was something that was both your faults. Before he left, you two promised each other you would keep in touch. As the years flew by, the contact between the two of you had slimmed. It went from texting daily, sending letters every month to a yearly happy birthday greeting and then suddenly it all went away. You both couldn’t blame each other, you were both on different tracks of life and it gets a hold of you. It was a part of growing up and it was the risk that you and Joshua took and were both expected to understand. Joshua looked around his room one more time before deciding he can’t keep dwelling on the past when he should be focused on where he was right now. He was back home with his family, it’s not something he’s able to say everyday so he should be grateful right?

It was Joshua and the team’s free day before the concert so they decided to let him be their tour guide. There were so many random requests from his fellow members from going to In n Out as requested by Soonyoung, the infamous Melrose Trading Post from a handful of members to find clothes and trinkets, and some sort of museum per request of Minghao. Joshua’s itinerary was set on going to the museum first, having recommended the museum he went to as a kid for many field trips called the Getty. Being the LA native and trusted tour guide of the day, Joshua couldn’t help but smile thinking of his old friend who was his tour guide at one point as well.

“Hyung! It’s so pretty here in LA! I can’t believe you grew up here,” Chan spoke as he looked around the garden at the Getty

Joshua couldn’t help but chuckle, “Yeah but only some parts of it are pretty to be honest,” he responded as he looked around also. He couldn’t help but think about how the only pretty thing he wanted to see in LA was you.

After their museum and garden escapades, the group headed to the Melrose Trading Post. As they sat in the car, Joshua couldn’t help but think about you again. They were passing by Pasadena, which made him wonder if you were still nearby, or if you were even still in LA. The hour-long car ride (thanks to LA traffic) consisted of Joshua getting into his head even with the loud background noise that were his friends. He thought about you and wondered if you would even want to see him now that he was back for a while. If he did show up to see you again, would you let him in? All he wanted to do was see you and pick off where you guys left off. You guys were best friends, but Joshua would be lying to himself if he didn’t wish you guys had been more than just that. He took out his wallet and pulled out a folded piece of paper it seemed. It was from you, the last letter he had ever received from you before all communication between the two of you had been cut off. Maybe it had been his fault though, he responded to your letter but he feels like he had said something wrong.

–

You were conflicted. It was the time of the month where you were supposed to send Joshua a letter and you knew it had to be sent today so it would be there in time for when you got yours also. The main problem was you had two different letters and you didn’t know which one to give him. One of them was just the same old routine letter where you talked about each other's months and gave updates on each other's lives. The other one meanwhile, it was about you and how you felt about him. Pining over a guy who was thousands of miles away wasn’t ideal, but falling in love with your best friend might have been worse. You sealed both letters and let fate decide, after all it wasn’t like you were gonna see him anytime soon. Whatever happens will happen. You mixed up the letters and picked one at random to send out, only time will tell now.

–

Joshua wished he was younger again, after their day out in LA, he couldn’t help but reminisce about the days he would spend exploring with you. Why was it so difficult to get you off his mind when he was in LA? When he was in Korea he used to be able to go days without thinking of you. He’s convinced it’s because this city was full of memories with you. All he can think about is you and how maybe, things would’ve played out differently if he had changed the things he did. Suddenly his phone buzzed and when he looked at it, he swore his heart was going to jump out of his chest

Y/N <3

hey stranger

your mom told me you were back in town

If you could count how many times Joshua reread that message and pinched himself, you would probably be here for a while. You could say he was very much in disbelief. He asked himself so many questions, he genuinely thinks he manifested you back. Realistically speaking though, his mom treated you like her child also, so of course she told you that he was in town.

Y/N <3

shua?

i know you read my message

you literally have your read receipts on LOL

Seeing that made his cheeks turn red, he was so glad the other members couldn’t see him right now because he knew they would not hesitate on clowning on him. He quickly shook himself out of it before he decided to reply back.

shushua :3

HI sorry i swear i wasn’t trying to ghost you on purpose

i was just in disbelief you texted me thats all

Y/N <3

woooow just cause you think you’re a hotshot celeb now :0

of course i texted you, i haven’t seen my best friend in years

i’m not gonna skip out on meeting up with you again

He smiled after seeing your response, you were still the same teasing Y/N he knew before he left for Korea. He had never felt a bigger weight fall off his shoulders once he started talking to you again.

You guys texted each other throughout that whole day, cracking jokes and catching up, even though Joshua was out and about in town with his fellow members. Though it wasn’t until you texted him that he found out his mom invited you to the dinner at his house tonight with the members as well. Upon knowing what was going on tonight, he couldn’t help but feel the butterflies he used to feel when he was younger again. You truly brought him to a different light and whenever you were around he always felt lighter. So yes, he was so incredibly nervous to see you again but there was no way he could prepare to see you. All he could do now was hope everything goes well, and also watch Soonyoung and Seungkwan terrorize the other members at In n Out with the kid’s meal stickers.

The moon was out and dinner was in full swing. Joshua’s parents had decided on grilling meat for the night and considering they were feeding over a dozen boys, it was the most efficient way to feed them. Y/N had been running late from what Joshua knew, at least from their texts that what he assumed. The night had fully started and the 12 boys were causing a ruckus in the Hong household, mainly taking pictures of all of Joshua’s childhood photos. Usually this would be when Joshua would shoo them away and stop them, but he was too nervous and he was obviously thinking about you. You would be here soon and he didn’t know what to think, he couldn’t think actually.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and Joshua had to snap himself back into reality. He walked towards the door and opened it. There you were in all your glory. Joshua thought you had gotten prettier, if that was even possible. Before he could say anything, you looked behind him, which made him look behind himself also and there stood his 12 nosy friends.

“Hey Josh, isn't that the girl you’ve been simping about like all day to-” Seungkwan spoke before Vernon covered his mouth and smiled at the almost couple in front of them.

“Sorry about him, he tends to talk when he isn’t supposed to,” Seungcheol spoke before shooing the members away off to the backyard, “We’ll give you guys some space and introduce ourselves later,” He added before they all disappeared into the backyard.

Joshua looked back at you and awkwardly smiled, “Uhh, sorry about them. They’re always like this, don’t worry I’ll tell them off later,”

You chuckled, “It’s all good Shua, I’m just glad to see you again,” you replied as you looked at him, “Also did you get even taller? This is actually not fair at all,” you added, pouting a bit

The taller boy smiled at you, “Don’t worry I’ll let you catch up one day,” he replied before hearing a loud crash coming from behind him. He assumed it was definitely one of the boys doing something, “It’s kinda loud around here, do you wanna catch up outside?” he asked

You nodded and agreed with him, the 12 boys were a bit loud, but a part of you was incredibly nervous to be alone with Joshua again after years of not talking. The two of you were walking the same path you would walk all the time when you were younger, the only difference is that you two weren’t talking like how you used to. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, the thing with Joshua and you was that nothing would ever be uncomfortable or awkward. You always brought the aura of calm and comfortableness to each other.

It was you who decided to break the silence, “I missed you a lot you know,” you said as you looked at him. You wondered what was going on in his mind, did he miss you too or what if it was all one sided?

“I missed you more Y/N, you don’t even know,” He replied looking back at you before he looked back down, “I was literally thinking about you ever since I landed back. What happened to us? Why did we stop talking?” He asked

You took his hand to stop him from walking, “You know what happened Shua, life happened. You grew up and I grew up too. It happens and it’s okay, all that matters now is that we’re here again,” You replied as you rubbed his hand in reassurance, something you always did for each other when you knew times were getting tough

Joshua smiled at you, seeing you never forgot about the small things you guys would do for each other, “I would’ve stayed for you, y’know that right?” he spoke softly

“I know Shua, if I asked you to fly away with me you would. That’s exactly why I pushed you to go. We wouldn’t be where we are now if it wasn’t for you going. We grew together and we’re able to grow on our own also,” you replied, “Also, I told you, if it was meant to be it would work out in the end. Look where we are now,” you spoke

“When I was in Korea, I would always wonder if I showed up at your door, would you have loved me then? But since I never did that, I want to ask now,” Joshua said before fully turning to you and intertwining his hand with yours, “Would you love me now?”

You chuckled at his question, “Are you serious right now Shua? If I didn’t, why would I be here right now?,” you replied before letting go of his hand and putting your hand on his cheek, “Plus you can’t ask me would I love you, because I’ve always loved you,” you spoke before giving him a kiss on the cheek

Joshua frowned, “I wait years for you to kiss me and you miss?” he said

“Yeah yeah whatever Hong, I don’t kiss people on the first date, or whatever you call this,” you replied jokingly, “Now hurry up I’m trying to see your family, and also meet your friends,” you added as you intertwine your hands with his again before beginning to walk back into the direction you came from

“Whatever you say Y/N,” he replied with a smile on his face. Maybe he had been overthinking the whole day, and maybe he did manifest you. But if there was one constant in his life, it would always be you.

—

bonus! y/n’s letter that got sent/the one he keeps in his wallet!

Dear Shua,

This letter is gonna be a little bit different from previous letters. I’m just gonna say it honestly because there’s no point in stopping myself in a letter.

I like you Joshua, like a lot. Maybe I should’ve said something before you left, but I’m sure if I did you would’ve never left.

If you don’t feel the same way I totally understand, and I hope everything I said doesn’t affect our friendship because truly it is something I treasure dear to my heart. If I miraculously do have a chance with you, I’ll explain my logic of confessing to you through a letter. There is no logic, you know how chaotic I am. The thought of knowing how I feel for you and the distance between us is something I know that made me want to tell you.

Just know that whatever distance there is between us, my heart belongs to you. From the second I made a comment about your stupid Converse the day we met, to the day you left, I knew you were someone special to me. I hope the time we’re spending apart helps us grow into the people we want to be, and prepare us for whatever journey we’re headed towards.

Yours always,

Y/N <3

p.s. you only had a 50% of getting this letter. i let fate decide.

p.p.s. i really hope you like me back or else this letter is gonna be so silly

#joshua hong #joshua hong x reader #hong jisoo #hong jisoo x reader #seventeen #svt #seventeen x reader

201 notes · View notes

userchappell · 2 years

Text

so take your time while you're mine and smoke slow

steve harrington x reader (no specific gender use of pronouns), and platonic!eddie munson x reader

requested: nope, not at all

warnings: spoilers for stranger things 4 (both volumes), smoking (does it even need a warning, smoke is literally in the goddamn title), st*ncy (it deserves its own warning), also if you can't tell already, I am apart of the nancy protection squad and i will defend her in anyway possible so if you hate her: please leave, a helluva lot of mutual pining that's confused for unrequited love, eddie playing matchmaker, a huge bowl of angst with an eventual and fluffy happy ending

a/n: after reading like a bajillion fics of steve, I wanted to make one for myself out of boredom, and I tend to make people cry. and in honor of joshua bassett's new song, "smoke slow" that's officially out, I decided to do a fic of said song because the snippet that has been out since may has been stuck in my head on a loop so I wanted to do something with it. but go check out the song please, I am begging you. it is so good. also, the pronouns in the original song are gonna be switched in the story, but the original lyrics are there. so in the story it's from she to he (he as in steve) and he to she (she as in nancy) as the fic goes on so you'll understand. I don't think I need to explain myself further anyways so...

*not my gif btw*

she asks for a light

as our secrets spill on the window sill

we're buyin' more time

while we kill ourselves as we both inhale

you didn't exactly hate steve harrington, you could tolerate him to a certain extent. the boy wasn't entirely unbearable and was sometimes entertainment at points. you were dragged into the whole upside down stuff since 1983. and you weren't usually around steve very often when the world goes to shit to care about him.

the only time you formed some type of connection with him was at tina's halloween party you saw him while walking home, sulking on the sidewalk. and as someone who wasn't entirely heartless, especially after seeing the look in his eye that just made him look like he's on the verge of sobbing. you didn't need that tonight, cause you just wanted to have fun and act normal for once. sitting down beside him as the two of you talked it out, about how nancy wheeler called him bullshit and that their entire relationship is bullshit and then he just left.

"so you just left her at the party... drunk?" you looked shocked, still trying to process it, "dude, what she said wasn't cool but come on!"

he didn't say anything else on the matter, just wanted to forget everything, "do you have a light?" you nodded and went into your pocket, bringing out cigarettes and a lighter. the two of you just sat there, getting high off your asses and watch as the night went on. both of you had opened up about your own personal lives and finding some kind of understanding.

after that, it was now four in the morning and you took him home. after what had happened at the party, he needed to rest before being hit in the face with reality before school. then heading home and heading to bed yourself, then just wondering maybe there is a good side to steve harrington that you just haven't seen yet, and even some part of you wished to see more of a vulnerable side to steve.

makin' believe there's a future

is it naive to think we could work?

the night el had closed the gate back in eighty four, you and steve didn't talk at all after that just between the both of you, after that for at least a year. the only somewhat time you saw one another was at the snowball when he dropped of dustin. he saw you, who was currently chaperoning the dance with nancy and jonathan, but you were currently smoking a cigarette. you had noticed him staring at you and all you did was wave before he drove off.

during the summer, you didn't exactly had a proper conversation with him. he was with robin, dustin and erica at the mall where there was a secret russian base underneath. meanwhile, you were with mike, el, will, max, lucas, jonathan and nancy, trying to find out how to stop billy and the mind flayer.

he hadn't noticed the tiny little glances you gave him once you saw him again. you honestly had no idea why you couldn't stop staring at him, there was just something that just made you infatuated that you were not self aware of your current actions. even in jonathan's car as he drove you, steve, robin, nancy, will and lucas away from the mind flayer and as they all had overheard dustin and his girlfriend, suzie singing "neverending story" over the walkie talkie, your eyes were on him, at least 90% of the time. there were times that you couldn't while the rest of you were in peril that very same night.

then after the events of starcourt, you were imagining these dreams of your future. like, wanting to be successful and rich, wanting to be loved, maybe have a couple of kids or two. but in those dreams about that potential future, steve was there. what part did he play in it, who knows honestly? being your boyfriend, or a friend, or something, he was there but for what purpose? you two weren't that close, yet again, not even aware of the fact of how much you stared at him.

but honestly, he couldn't even be the only there (with 'there' being the future, your future). you both are apart of the same friend group, even though said friend group consists of mainly middle schoolers. you obviously didn't mind hanging around them of course, more fun to be around then most people your age.

the second it's out, then i lose her

we're already here, so one more won't hurt

it won't hurt

it's now the spring of 1986, and this was the year where you and steve had to be in close proximity of one another. and ever since spring break started, you saw more of that same steve from that halloween night, vulnerable and kind and sweet and caring. that even something in the air had developed some type of non-platonic feeling. but with this itching feeling that steve is still in love with nancy, you refused to say anything. in order to cope and try to forget for a few minutes via smoking as your mind had went away, it wouldn't hurt, would it?

but obviously that didn't last, because you were forcibly pulled back to reality. you guys did anything to stop vecna and clear eddie's name. eddie has been your friend since the start of your senior year, he taught you how to play guitar. it felt nice to be around a guy without it being awkward. you and eddie were strictly platonic, like what steve and robin are. so, of course you would do anything to make sure he's able to walk in broad daylight without people calling him a murderer and with the cops on his trail. you and dustin were the ones that were the most passionate on clearing eddie's name.

then, in the last couple of days, max got cursed by vecna and almost died, but another victim was added which was lucas' basketball teammate was the next one. and then here you currently are, in the upside down with steve, nancy, robin and eddie, after a bunch of vines had dragged you down the lake and into the upside down because you refused steve to put himself in danger (again). where steve, by no hesitation had jumped in after you first before the others.

you could not handle the steve and nancy flirting going on, so you needed some type of excuse to be away from that. and that you'd rather have someone shoot you in the head with a nail gun, repeatedly than having to watch the two of them give each other heart eyes the entire time. and even eddie looked like he was over it and he's new to the group. the sight of steve looking at her made you wanna vomit, but the munson had noticed your reaction to the other two and knew what to do.

the five of you were walking over to the wheeler residence so nancy can grab the guns she has in her bedroom. eddie walked right next to you and immediately started the conversation with, "you know, i'm not particularly an expert when it comes to romance cause i have never been in a relationship. but, i've seen the way you act around harrington."

you risen your eyebrow at the munson in confusion, "i have no idea what you're talking about..."

"come on, y/n!" he pats your shoulder, "whenever he says one word, your eyes are immediately on him and solely focus on whatever he says."

"that's because he's talking..." you looked even more confused at what eddie is trying to tell you. the munson rolled his eyes, "you practically looked in awe of him. whenever i talk, you don't look at me like that." he then snaps his fingers and points our, "oh, and another thing, the look of disgust on your face whenever him and nancy flirted."

"and that's also because one: she has a boyfriend, and honestly she honestly did not look comfortable at his advances and I do not blame her. and two--" you held up two fingers as you proceeded, "we're practically in hell. so maybe flirting while we have a high possibility of dying isn't exactly the best time."

"fair points." eddie agreed, "then, let's talk about how harrington feels about you."

"and what about it?"

"personally, i would have never jumped in, not under any normal circumstances. outside of d&d, i am no hero. i see danger and i just turn heel and run. or at least that's what i've learned about myself this week. give yourself a break, y/n. see? the only reason i came in here was 'cause harrington and the two ladies over there chit chatting came in straight after you. now, i was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind." he explained, "i just played follow the leader."

you had a fake smile on your face, "so what is your point? you're wondering why other people care about me?"

"if you let me get to the point--" eddie says, "but harrington right there, he didn't waste a second. not one second. he just dove right in. now, i don't know what you guys had before i came in, but if I were you, i'd confess my love while i still can. cause that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen."

"that is..." you had paused for a second, taking in a deep sigh, "the most cheeziest shit i have ever heard. and it's pretty damn stupid. steve is selfless and such, he would've dove in after anyone... like nancy."

"maybe..." the munson shrugs at you, "but it's just the worry and the concern on his face while you were dragged down the lake. honestly the look on his face didn't look like he'd have that reaction for anyone. not even nancy wheeler."

"so you're basically just finding this--" you proceeded to had put in quotes, "'love story' between steve and i, your entertainment?"

"yeah..." eddie had let out a chuckle, "watching you silently pin over him with those sad lost puppy dog eyes was tugging the heartstrings."

"glad you find my pain entertaining." you sarcastically responded, "but even if i had these 'feelings' for steve. what makes you one hundred percent sure he feels the same?"

"it's in the eyes." he points out, "sometimes the voice, but mainly the eyes. look, if you don't want him, you can let wheeler have a second shot with him." and that made you gag a little and eddie couldn't help but laugh, "i knew it, you are jealous of her."

"no, i'm not."

"i'll let you be in denial."

"i just don't wanna ruin everything." you had blurted out, and then further explained, "i confess how i feel, then he doesn't feel the same and our friendship is ruined. i would rather have him as a friend than not have him at all."

but all that we are is all that we'll ever be

'cause he's the one waitin' at home

finding out the upside down has been stuck in the day will went missing for over two years, the five of you had went over to eddie's trailer. since dustin had explained that there must be a gate at every murder sight. him, lucas, max and erica had found a way to get you and the others back to your world safely. and then a pit of rage and jealousy had pondered when you made it through and looked up to see only steve and nancy left. and with nancy now being possessed by vecna which left everyone in a fit of panic.

but suddenly, she was out of the trance and you saw steve cradling her face. and that made you wanna grab eddie's guitar and shove it down your throat. both of them made it back through as they all snuck over to max's trailer as nancy explained to what vecna saw her see. after that, and a lot of convincing to go back into the upside down but with protection and weapons. as well as max using herself as bait to make vecna's physical body defenseless so he can be killed with breaking a sweat. and then they had stolen an rv from one of the trailer park residents with steve driving and nancy in the passenger seat.

you couldn't help but roll your eyes but also stare at them with your head lying down on the small table with robin and eddie on both of your sides. god, why would you be jealous of nancy? she has boyfriend for crying out loud and you know how much she loves jonathan. you honestly didn't know if they were still going strong, but that wasn't any of your business. after hearing steve talk about wanting six kids and seeing the two looking at each other that made you want to die. but also another part of you thinks, god, poor nancy, hasn't she had been through enough? for a split second, you could tell that she didn't look exactly comfortable, especially that you can tell by that fake smile on her face cause that smile did not seem anywhere near genuine. personally, who could be comfortable in that situation? if steve is really hinting at her being in that dream (especially the way he was looking at her), then you felt more bad for nancy constantly being flirted by her ex boyfriend while he knows she's in a relationship and saying all of this to her, specifically out of anyone.

your mind just wondered off, after that. still really having the urge to open the door to the rv and jumping out while you still can, and hopefully get run over by a nearby car, but that's definitely not gonna happen.

it's just all that you and steve is, is probably what you were ever gonna be. best friends and completely platonic. even though what you felt for him, was not platonic at all, and everyone else knew it but steve and sometimes even yourself.

she holds my guitar as i pluck out a melody

there's only so far we can go

and then after dropping off max, lucas and erica at the creel house, you and the others were in the upside down. you went with steve, nancy and robin to go to the upside down version of the creel house to take out vecna, while dustin and eddie were being the distraction against the demobats.

and the walk, felt like it had been forever, your feet were hurting, robin ran off with nancy chasing after her. and now it was just you and steve alone. and god, did that terrify the fuck out of you. for a split second the thought of you being alone with steve with all of these confused feelings going on scared you more than vecna himself. but, you try and stay calm and started talking about robin being a super clutz and how it took her longer to walk then most babies. that had made steve brought up how when he was a baby, he used to crawl backwards.

"what? how, exactly?" you had looked entirely confused, but couldn't help but laugh. he laughed along with you, as he explained, "come on, it makes sense. you push to move, right?"

"no, no, it doesn't make sense whatsoever."

"well, it did to my tiny little harrington brain. that is, until i reversed my baby butt down a flight of stairs and thumped my head really good."

"that explains a lot." you snorted.

"yeah." he chuckles, "i think it kinda does. i think, like, right out of the gate, like, i'm super confident. but i'm also, like, an idiot. which is just... i mean, it's a brutal combination. but, i mean, the good news is, i get a big enough thump on my head, i can change, you know? i can learn. i can crawl forward." he had finished explaining, "honestly, thanks to nancy for giving my head the biggest thump of it's life two years ago, it's changed my life. i really needed it, and now i'm crawling forward. slowly."

you then had brought up to remind him, "also jonathan too, since he did beat the ever living shit out of you. it was satisfying to watch."

"that too." he then went on further, "for so long i was dwindling in the past over a girl who couldn't love me back. which is not her fault, people just can't control how they feel. i thought these things i've been feeling this past week have been about old flames that should've never died out. but honestly, realizing these past twenty four hours, there's a new flame in my life that i just never realized til now."

you had looked a tad bit confused, both of you stopping while you looked directly at him, "what are you saying exactly?"

"you heard the talk i had with nancy, right?" you shrugged and nodded, "all of it is true. every last word. for so long, i saw nancy in that dream with me, but i just don't see it anymore."

"you don't?"

"no, actually and surprisingly, i don't." he replied, "there was just this one important part that i had left out." you noticed him giving you this look as he said those two words that had rocked your world and that it changed your guys' friendship so much from that point on, "you're there."

oh.

you didn't know what to say. how can you respond to something like that? like you felt this relief on your shoulders that he wasn't talking about wanting a family with nancy straight to your face. he saw you. it was still something difficult to process it all. this was as hard as trying to teach steve how to play the guitar a few weeks ago cause he noticed it in your room and asked for you to teach him for fun. but instead of him plucking the strings of your guitar, it is the strings of your heart. with said heart on the verge of beating out of your chest and exploding everywhere.

literally, what can you say to that? like having a life long commitment with someone who imagines and wants six kids with you? you'd die on the spot.

but, just in time before you had the chance to pass out or something, robin and nancy had found you both. interrupted this moment you and steve have, and it just felt like another relief lifted from your shoulders. you were put on a pedestal and expected to have a response of some kind, at least one word. but said words were just too hard to form.

i'm next to you but i'll never be close

so take your time while you're mine and smoke slow

two days after everything that happened. eddie is dead, max is in a coma and you were still processing everything that had happened. like holy fucking shit, what just happened? and now, it's been two days, you're helping nancy clear out some of her old things to donate it to people that are in need of stuff ever since vecna's gates had opened. then, you all suddenly heard honking from a small distance with a pizza van showing up out of no where. and conveniently said pizza can had mike, will, jonathan, el, and some other guy coming out of it. you immediately had embraced el and will with dustin, "i've missed you kiddos so much! how are you, are you okay?"

you also had noticed el's hair is gone, and you just couldn't say anything cause you were in shock. all you did was just give her a meaningful kiss on the forehead. you then had walked over to mike and gave him a quick hug, "god, you leave for one week and everything goes to hell."

"same thing happened on our end too."

"well i'm glad you're okay." and then you walked in between jonathan and nancy's little reunion, "so glad so see you two back together. a major relief for me, actually." and then you gave jonathan a big hug, "you've grown out your hair, byers. i'm so close to grabbing some scissors and getting your old hair back."

"i'll think about it." he says, he let's go and the other dude who you didn't know walked over as jonathan introduced him, "this is my friend, argyle. he was honestly a big help on our end."

"sup." argyle says. you just nodded and shook his hand, "pleasure to meet you."

after the reunions and such, you, steve, robin and dustin went to the school and volunteered to help out the people that are in need. you were helping steve fold clothes as the both of you had noticed robin talking and smiling with her crush, vickie. and then you had broken this two day silence with steve after what he said, "about that night--"

"no, no, it's fine." he cuts you off, "i shouldn't have dropped that on you while we were on the possibility of not making it. it's not fair to you, and i was crossing a million boundaries. and i--" you stopped steve from rambling further by kissing him to shut up. you pulled away with a smile on your face, "i understand, really. because, i had imagined my own future for you apart of it for a while. in like, any possible way, you were there. maybe not the six kids in an rv, traveling across the country type suburban dream. but just, a nice one where we don't have to worry about demogorgan's, and the mind flayer, and vecna, and just the upside down in general." you stopped yourself for a second to catch your breath before proceeding, "i just personally didn't wanna say anything because i didn't wanna ruin this friendship we had built if you didn't feel the same. but hey, you do, and that's great! but, maybe we just take our time slow. cause i'm definitely not ready for six kids."

"i can see that." he smiled, "we don't have to have six kids if you're not comfortable with it. that's totally fine."

you returned a smile at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek and went back to folding clothes, "thank you." then you had also adding, "i'm glad i was there whole you were sulking on halloween night two years ago."

"i'm glad too."

a/n: hope you guys enjoyed! honestly, I wouldn't mind getting some stranger things requests for steve and other characters like nancy, jonathan, robin, max, lucas (I may need to make a new post on who you guys can requests from which fandoms again and a new masterlist but not at the moment)

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington angst #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #joe keery #joe keery x reader #jaiden writes things #x reader oneshot

173 notes · View notes