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clarks-letterman · 1 year

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guilty by association | jacob custos x male!reader

a/n — i was overtaken by the hag's spirit and wrote this in a day. . . I've never done that before- meant to be posted before new year's but now it's like 1 am, so happy new year!

words — 1.8k

summary — Jacob can't sleep thanks to his situation with Emma and gets some help with it.

warnings — oral sex (jacob receiving), face-fucking, unrequited feelings, himbo says dumb things alert, plus cheesy dialogue

~~~

“Silas. . .”

A haunting old woman’s voice crept into your ear and urged you to wake. You flinched away from the direction the voice slinked from, careful not to jolt too far up and accidentally hit your head on the rickety wooden planks above. They weren't easy to see in the dark, but every time it happened, never missing a single night, you were able to suppress the reaction a little more.

It was something about this place—the name had never come to you before until you entered the campgrounds, and they likely would continue until you left. Mr.Hackett would never believe your stories about the voice, or he might send you home early with a case of heat exhaustion. You couldn’t tell your bunk-mate either as he would laugh at you and insist that even he’s not that stupid. But, maybe that was one of the good things about him underneath the very, very dense pile of stupidity behind that pretty face; reassuring your total insanity made you feel a little less hysterical.

As for your bunk-make, Hackett's Quarry brought him nothing but positivity. He succeeded in getting a summer hookup, maintained the body of his dreams, and persuaded everyone—but mostly you—with his charm to do most of his responsibilities to sneak away with Emma. It was a hard pill to swallow, but Jacob's cluelessness to any hint you dropped his way, whether that was the eagerness to do his after-hour cleanup chores or asking him on more than one occasion to take a late-night swim, only made him more attractive. It was hard to tell if he was stunned at the thought of someone else liking him or if he was just that big of an asshole.

You assumed it was the latter after the first day of camp with him. Jacob was pretty unabashed about the fact that he snored, flatly stating that you would have to put up with it for the summer with a stupid smirk. You hoped a bear would wipe it off within the first week, but Emma kept it alive and well for him. He had to have known it was simply a thing for the summer, right?

It was almost every night, just like the whispers in your ear, that he would come back before you woke up and be passed out until dawn. With a leg dangling off the side of the bed, he would lazily stretch himself over the small twin bunk, snores filling the cabin. This time, he wasn’t snoring.

You hesitated for a moment in realization. The worst thing to happen was that he wouldn't answer or was still out on a thrill ride with Emma. “Jacob?”

A silence-impacted moment passed, then his voice came from above you. "Yeah?"

"You're awake?"

"Tell me something I don't know," Jacob pouted. He sounded defeated, but you weren't about to point that out. His voice came down muffled as if he buried his face in a mound of squishy pillow.

You held your breath for a moment before blurting out the first thought that came to mind. "Abby likes Nick?"

"Wow, I did not know that," Jacob's voice became notably more clear.

"Is everything good?"

"Me and Emma. . . broke up," he reluctantly admitted.

"She said you guys weren't ever dating," you reminded him, much to your own annoyance. Her persistence about the two of them not being an item while keeping him mentally tunneled to her, and only her, was tiring.

"I know," he sighed, "but she was, like, baseballs to a pitcher. I was the pitcher, and I don't have balls anymore."

His allegory barely made any sense, but you knew the last part was the perfect opportunity to lighten the mood. "You don't have what?"

"Shut up! What are you doing up?"

"Can't sleep." A simple lie was better than the complicated truth, you figured.

“Me too.” Jacob fully twisted around, though you weren't sure in which direction. The planks above you creaked, and his movements making the sheets whir together were enough of a clue.

“Why not?” It was redundant to ask, but what else could you say at the moment?

"I’m kinda pent up here, dude. You know, no Emma,” he stated.

“Use a sock,” you casually suggested, even if there was something that you were willing to give him. Your only reasoning as to why you didn't immediately jump on the opportunity when it reared its ugly head was that it was late, and old women waking you up in the middle of the night wasn't exactly nubile.

“Nah, I learned my lesson the last time. Jakey’s hurricane has a splash zone,” he somehow more offhandedly replied, veering into the territory of boastful about his previous climaxes.

"Gross!" You blurted out with a chime of laughs after.

"I'm just being honest. But, fuck, dude. This sucks." Just like that, he was back to sounding defeated, finding no resolution to his self-proclaimed problem.

It was hard to resist offering to help him, but it was also hard to discern if he would go for it. Jacob seemed like the kind of guy to take any hole he could get because that's all it is: a hole. So, you took the risk. You piped up to ask, "I'll help you out?"

"Wait, really? Dude, that would be amazing. Uh—how?"

"Like, how—," you paused, "—how Emma would do it."

“So, like, a bro-job?” Fuck. He was never going to get it. You might as well take what you can get.

“Yeah,” you sighed. Jacob hopped down from his level, and you got a good look at him in the faint light of the cabin. He wore a cropped shirt, and you could make out the numbers of a jersey being part of the design, barely visible. His dark happy trail led to a loose pair of plaid boxers handing on his hips, the fly of which bulged out from his eagerness. His hair was spiky and tousled, which was odd since he lacked his signature backward-facing baseball cap that usually the mess atop his head.

“Cool. Where do I stick my dick in?” An eager angel’s smile spread over his face. Whatever blessed him with his confidence was sorely mistaken to give it to someone like him.

You sat up, turning and swinging your legs over the bed. “Tell me you're joking?”

He didn't have anything witty to defend his ego with, opting instead to skip the path of foreplay and run right along to letting his dick bob freely. The trunk's waistband was pushed past his lightly hairy thighs and down to his knees. You got a moment to look at him underneath everything, the importance of it flying over your head. It was hard to care that this was your first impression of him underneath his controlled appearance. Not that Jacob was one to hide his defined physique, but this was more than a shirtless dive in the lake. You were seeing without barriers, both emotionally and physically.

As for his package—the thing that must have kept Emma around for longer than she would have been—he fulfilled every thought you had about it. The length was a little shorter than you expected, but the girth felt like something you could get drunk off, the true root of a brewing addiction. You wanted to feel it stretch your throat and test your limits when it came to him, and unlike what you teased him for earlier, he did, in fact, have a hefty and hairy pair of balls that looked to be a mouthful.

"Are you just going to look? Open wide, dude."

The tip brushed your lips and slipped past quickly with Jacob's guide. He wanted this bad, and you could have sworn that there was a twinge of blue coming from his balls. Weirder shit had already happened this summer, so it wouldn't surprise you if that became literal. Just a few inches deep and Jacob was already causing your jaw to feel stretched to its limit with his girth. That didn't stop him from continuing.

Seconds later, the tip swept the back of your throat, provoking an appropriately-timed gag. Jacob didn't stop for that either, pulling his lips apart to unleash a moan when you finally let him invade your throat. The moment to adjust passed quickly, and he had total control over your throat with his pulsing heat. Like a hot blade effortlessly cutting its way through foam, Jacob made himself fit with ease.

"Holy fucking shit, you're way better than Emma," he remarked with praise and astonishment. The walls were fully down.

By the time his pubic bone pressed against your nose, giving it a slight scrunch back as all you could smell was him, Jacob was getting needy. You felt the warmth of him and the presence of his trimmed hair slip away from your face, your throat growing empty for a few seconds until he crammed it all back in. Your throat wanted to convulse, to swallow the hunk of musky meat partway down it, but that was the hard part. You tried to apply pressure with your lips to make up for the lack of it, wrapping them around him and greedily sucking him down.

Sure enough, Jacob couldn't tell much of what he was shorted on at the moment, consistently uttering soft fucks and that's its as he fell into a rhythm of movement. Some more stuff about how you were "better than Emma" escaped his thoughts and formed into half-coherent sentences that you barely processed, too hung up on him to give your attention to that.

He kept at it until he couldn't. His weight shifted, and his pace slowed, and it a few ah—ahs, Jacob spilled himself into your mouth without even asking. He didn't even pull out. Jacob just let himself sit there and pump ropes into your mouth as it drizzled from the corners of your lips, expecting you to swallow what you could. He was right, after all. He was nothing if not a hydrant for release.

Jacob settled himself over you, leaning forward as the last few sloppy thrusts drug himself over your tongue and smeared the mess in your mouth.

Jacob reeled himself out of you and took a step back, shucking off his boxers and using them to wipe his dick clean of his release. He threw them somewhere into the dark of the room and turned to admire you. "Damn, wish I could take a picture. This is something that needs to last forever."

You were still grappling from swallowing his come, just muttering a quick and quiet, "No problem."

He patted your shoulder, "Thanks, bro. Making a fucking s'more out of your mouth was insane."

#not requested im just obsessed #jacob custos #jacob custos x reader #jacob custos x male reader #jacob custos x you #jacob custos x male!reader #jacob custos x m!reader #the quarry #the quarry x reader #the quarry x you #zach tinker #gaymer #lgbt #gay #mlm fanfic #mlm ns/fw #mlm #not multi level marketing

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blookitty · 29 days

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Ted Raimi Tattoo

Well, I gave Ted Raimi the opportunity to see this for himself before I shared it with the world, but his manager wouldn't let him. So with that swing and a miss, I'll now show it to everyone.

I had this done during a rough time last year, and needed something positive to focus on. Since August 2022, Ted has been the sole inspiration for my newfound muse of writing. It's also thanks to him that I found a community of amazing people who also think he's amazing. Many of these people are now good friends who I've gone on to meet in-person. Not only that, but Ted is one of the sweetest, goofiest, and most genuine people that you'll ever meet. He's done so much for me and others, and he doesn't get enough praise.

To commemorate not only this man, but also how monumental of an event playing The Quarry has been for my life, I had this tattoo done. The raven represents many things, but one of the main things is Travis Hackett. The key is both because Travis kept Laura and Max under lock and key, but also unlocked my muse. Then the titles on the books are works that Ted has been in. I chose these specific ones, starting with The Quarry, for their first initials.

That's right. T-E-D.

To drive it home, there's a pair of round glasses like he used to wear in the 90s when he was in SeaQuest, Skinner, and Lunatics A Love Story.

I hope Ted will get to see and tell me his thoughts on my tattoo one day, but I guess last weekend just wasn't meant to be. So thank you for all you've done for me and others, Ted, and never stop being you.

#ted raimi #travis hackett #the quarry #writing #tattoos #personal

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anxiouswritingbitch · 2 years

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a few x reader headcanons for the camp counselors for what kind dates they'd do with their s/o during summer camp? which ones would try to sneak out later at night, what places would they make use of?

Here you go ! Hope you’ll enjoy !

Requests still open in my inbox hehe

ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜɴꜱᴇʟᴏʀꜱ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ - ᴀ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴄᴋᴇᴛᴛ'ꜱ Qᴜᴀʀʀʏ

Jacob Custos

He may look like a jock (and act a bit like it sometimes), he has a HUGE heart. A true hopeless romantic in his core.

And right now, the boy's heart is taken by none other than you. Jacob is not the kind of guy to be oblivious to his own feelings. He likes you and he knows it, so he plans to act on it. Besides, you look like you might like him too.

So of course, he asks you on a date. When you accept, he's all giddy with happiness. But then comes a problem. He's a Hackett's Quarry. Normally, he'd take his date to the cinema or to eat somewhere. The camp's not exactly the best place to sweep someone off their feet.

There is one place though. The lake ! Which even leaves the possibility of skinny dipping open. Even better, it's far from the lodge and the cabins, so no possibility of getting caught by kids or Mr. H.

Implying, you two go there at night. With the days being so full of looking after the kids, Jacob wants privacy. He's got a lot of jokes and charming methods that can't be overheard by kids.

He obviously want to kiss you. If he feels a right moment he will go for it. Will stay light on the first date though.

Emma Mountebank

Oh, Emma. This girl lives for the thrill of adrenaline. And hanging out with you is like a shot of it. You have this addictive nature that she can't explain, but just loves.

Has no shame in being interested in you. Will flirt with you at any time. But wait, she doesn't do the obvious flirt Jacob might do. I'm talking seduction. Will brush your hand then stare at you and wink. Will give you that smirk.

One day, out of the blue, she leans into you at dinner and whispers to come to the lodge that night. Obviously you do.

The lodge at night just has another vibe, when it's dark. It's just the two of you there. Maybe doing some exploring of the rooms you don't usually go into.

If you're not an adventurous one, she'll try to stay put.

If you're not, she will want to go around Mr. H's rooms, just because she can. Explore the area.

If she feels you're up for it, she will make out with you on the spot. She loves the fun and the risk of getting caught. It just adds some spice.

Ryan Erzahler

When you look at Ryan, you see a blasé guy, brooding and mysterious. He has his own bubble, and you respect that. It's kinda hard to tell what he's feeling, or if he's feeling anything at all.

Boy if you knew. He's just bad at expressing himself, but he feels so much. Especially towards you. The boy's smitten, no matter how hard it is to tell.

He'll take his time before asking you on a date. To be sure. To get the courage and all. We're definitely into august by now. But time's getting short, and Ryan doesn't want to miss another opportunity.

You guys spend lots of time together during the day because of the timetables of your cabins. That's how you got to know each other. He'll casually ask you if you want to hang out later tonight. You block out a bit, asking to be sure if he means the night, or a date at all.

He wants to make it special. He doesn't look that way, but he's a romantic deep down. He panics a bit, not knowing what to do for the date. It's not his area of expertise. He gives it a lot of thought, and figures that what he does best is sailing.

So ! You meet at the lake, at the boat house. He got everything prepared, the rows and the boat.

At first, you hadn't expected Ryan to even break a single rule. But here you were, sneaking out a night for a boat ride ! And heck, he doesn't look very strong, but damn this boy has arms of steel.

Sadly he's probably too awkward to kiss you himself. It depends on if you take initiative or not for this one !

Nick Furcillo

Now, this boy's just shy. Has had this huge crush on you since the beginning of camp. Of course he wants to have more time alone with you, he's been dreaming of asking you on a date every night.

You'll have Jacob to thank for when Nick finally asks you out, because the big guy's been pestering him to do it for days and days.

It's a bit awkward when he asks. He may be hot af, but hasn't got no ladies yet. He's a bit clueless on how to do this, and Jacob's advice is... yeah. Eventually he gets more confident, especially when you say yes.

He tells you to meet him outside the cabins at night. But from here ? He has no idea what to do. When the time has come, he thought that he could take you on a walk to the forest, that's romantic right ?

But then. You casually mentioned that you're hungry. His mind did a full 360 and came with a new idea. You guys are now headed to the lodge ! You can barely keep up with Nick, he's so excited about his plan.

He takes you to the lodge's kitchen. You said you're hungry ? Name what you want. He'll cook it for you. You were not that hungry, a snack would have done the trick. But just to mess with him, you tell him that you want a full chocolate cake.

Oh, the mistake. Now he's getting all the supplies and measuring flour and sugar. Of course.

You decide to help him. Depending on how good you are at baking, this can be more or less chaotic. Either way, a food fight will ensue. You're covered in flour. You're both shushing each other because the laughs are so loud, you're scared to wake Mr. H up.

Once again, whether there's a kiss or not, it's up to you !

Kaitlyn Ka

Kaitlyn is a chill girl. Easy going and all. If she’s got the hots for you, she’s gonna understand it pretty soon. However, asking you on a date is another story. She may look all that confident, and she truly is, but on every angle.

You guys start off as good to really good friends, and she really doesn’t want to mess that up. She’s seen how friendships got ruined because of feelings.

So yeah, not straight out asking. It’ll take the help of the others to push her to finally get the courage to ask you on a date.

Once again, it’s during camp. Not your usual stuff to do. Once you said yes though, she just opts for the chill option. Sneaking out at night at the fire pit.

She’s a bit like Emma in the sense that she enjoys the danger of getting caught. Not as much though. So, when at the fire pit, she definitely lights up a fire. A small one though, not the usual huge bonfire.

You guys spend the date coddled up around the small fire, looking at the stars. If it went well and if the moment is right, Kaitlyn will try for a kiss. Short and brief, leaving the door open for you to do something more if you’re up to it.

She won’t push, but she’ll be head over heels if you do.

Dylan Lenivy

As we’ve seen with Dylan, this boy isn’t into hookups. You don’t have to be the love of his life for him to ask you on a date, but he won’t do it at first glance either.

He gets quick crushes easily, though. When you two met on orientation day at camp, his first thought was “god damn it they’re beautiful”. But hey, it’s Dylan we’re talking about. He didn’t even think that he had a chance with you.

You two start up as friends. Jesus, that guy makes you laugh sooo much. You pretty much hang out whenever you can. As time goes on, he realizes that maybe his crush isn’t as insignificant as he thought. In fact, it’s growing day by day.

Because he has no idea how to deal with emotions, he hides behind humor. It’s the only way for him to express with flirting, indulge him. At first you thought it was only just jokes and laughed it out. But as august rolled on, you noticed that half of his jokes were about getting a date with you.

Let’s be real, you would want a date with the boy. So one day as he was randomly saying “C’mon, a night out in the radioshack with this-” pointing at himself, “you’d definitely love it !”; you just answer “sure. yeah. How about tonight ?”. He straight up blanks out. Never ever before has an answer be so efficient to shut him up. All he can get out is a “yeah” stuttered.

He spent the whole day panicking. Did he actually had a date with you ? Was it even a date ? He’s 100% overthinking. As he sneaks up to the radioshack at night, sweating buckets, he half expected you not to come. When he does see you though, his heart starts doing somersaults.

It may be awkward a bit at first, but you guys are quickly laughing your asses off. It’s so fun to be there at night !

Dylan shows you around the hut. He explains how he basically repaired it, how he loves that place. You sit next to him as he shows you how all the sound system works, being all nerdy about it. You get to see a bit of his true persona, hidden behind the jokester, and it only makes you fall more.

Sneak in a peck on his lips at some point and he would be in heaven. I don’t see him being bold enough to do it at this point though.

Abigail Blyg

She is a very shy girl. Not only in relationships, in general. Her friends pushed her to be a counselor at Hackett’s Quarry. However, she doesn’t regret it all, especially since she got to meet you.

She’s discreet. There won’t be obvious signs that she’s into you. Buuut if you’re careful enough, you’ll notice that she’s staring at you when she thinks you aren’t looking. He gaze lingering just a moment too long.

After almost all summer being into you, the others finally pushed her enough for her to want to ask you out. She won’t admit it out loud though, she hates breaking the rules.

Except when it involves you, it seems...

She won’t call it a date, she’s not bold enough sadly. But, she will succeed in asking you on a walk. Curse the heavens, you were actually busy with the children when she asked you. You’re the one suggesting a rain check after curfew.

She seems to hesitate a bit, but when your eyes lock, she agrees.

Spends the day biting her nails, worrying about tonight. She’s an anxious cookie. It’s fun when the children in her art class notice and ask her if she has a secret. She blushes as red as the apple she’s trying to paint.

You meet at the tree in the middle of the cabins. You’re a bit surprised because Abi still wants to go take a walk into the forest. But fear not ! She actually knows a certain spot, she can go there even at night. She found it by randomly wandering during the day.

You guys sit on a log, illuminated by the NOT FULL moon. Her artists instinct kick in and she has the sudden urge to draw you. And it’s so beautiful, getting to see yourself the way she sees you.

If you’re being smooth enough in what you’re saying, you may very well get Abi to kiss you !

#the quarry #the quarry headcanons #the quarry x reader #dylan lenivy x reader #abigail blyg x reader #nick furcillo x reader #jacob custos x reader #ryan erzahler x reader #emma mountebank x reader #kaitlyn ka x reader

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freesia-writes · 8 months

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Tech + Vel Chapter 28: Resonance

I have to post the fanart by @nika6q instead of the header for the story this time, cause it's SO DARN PERFECT! I love seeing how everyone envisions her. I could cry. <3 You'll see the context of the scene down below. :)

During the Clone Wars, the Bad Batch is tasked with a variety of missions across the galaxy. An unexpected addition to their team throws a wrench in the mix, particularly for Tech, who finds a particular connection with this disillusioned Padawan-turned-mechanic named Vel throughout the events in this action-adventure romance. COVER ART BY @zaana!!

Master List of Chapters

The feeling of his lips on hers and the intoxicating delight of his affection was all Vel could think about for the next number of days. She'd been yearning to revisit it at any chance they could get, but they'd been sent on another mission, and Tech was right back into "work mode", executing his duties with flawless precision and efficiency. She had plenty to do as well, even being coerced into joining them in the reconnaissance stage. After days of lurking about the Coruscant underworld, Hunter had cornered their target, calling the rest of the team to close in.

Then the weasel escaped.

How, Vel couldn't figure out, and Crosshair made sure to interrogate Hunter about it later, but for now, the Rhodian was scuttling down an alley toward a parking lot of speeder bikes. Tech and Vel were closing in quickly on either side, narrowly missing him as he shot off into the Coruscant traffic lanes. They each grabbed a bike as well, Vel whispering a silent apology to whoever the unfortunate owners were, and darted after him.

Careening around corners and weaving between other ships, Vel shortened the distance between them, navigating expertly amid the cacophony of the night sky. If she was being honest, she was slightly smug about the opportunity to show off her skill on a speeder bike. It hadn't come up in their conversations or missions, but she had significant experience from a somewhat adventurous adolescence. Tech was an admirably adept pilot, but speeders were different than full-sized ships, and she yearned to outperform him in something other than the occasional mechanical fluke.

Tech was close behind, scanning possibilities from behind his visor and simultaneously paying attention to the erratic twists and turns of his quarry. Angry honks and yells followed the racers as they narrowly missed a crash every few seconds, each taking increasingly dangerous risks to try to outwit the others. A quick review of the layout of the sector they were currently in gave Tech an idea, and he peeled off and disappeared from view.

Hair whipping behind her, Vel leaned further down, coaxing the little bike faster and faster. Her jaw was set in determination, the wide galaxy-colored eyes of the Rhodian fueling her need to capture him... to prove herself... She wobbled for a moment as she fetched her blaster from her thigh holster, cursing as a hovertrain temporarily blocked him from view. Twisting the accelerator even harder, she shot past the train, seeing her chance to corner him in a convergence up ahead.

But at the last minute, Tech came out of nowhere, dropping in front of the Rhodian with perfectly-executed timing that caused the alien to jam on the brakes, skidding sideways and smacking into the building before falling onto the ground in a dazed stupor. He was struggling to pick himself up from his splayed position when Vel landed close behind, running to ensure he didn't get away this time. But Tech was on him in an instant, having leapt from his own speeder in an impossibly lithe movement, broken with a smooth roll that brought him to the Rhodian's side before he could reach his feet.

The squawks of complaint were useless as Hunter caught up, taking the target by the electrocuffs and steering him firmly away, leaving Tech and Vel in the dark alleyway. Pulling off his helmet, Tech leaned against the parked speeder bike, pulling out his datapad and immersing himself in it immediately. The glow from the screen illuminated the light sheen of sweat on his forehead, and the accentuated rise and fall of his chest told of his exertion.

Vel thought she had put on a good show, but Tech's unmatched skill and agility, prowess and power, grace and calculation... It all rushed through her mind, casting a wave of tingles through her. He seemed so business as usual, as if he didn't just perform some kind of superhero move while making it look as simple as if he were brushing his teeth. Whether it was the adrenaline still coursing through her veins or the long-simmering attraction she held for him, she bit her lip as she gazed at him with an undeniable desire.

Tech was oblivious, fingers tapping deftly on the screen as he re-crossed his legs in front of him, butt resting on the speeder seat. Vel's approach would have startled him if he weren't always aware of his surroundings, although his awareness didn't always extend to the nuances of the emotional climate. She walked to him slowly, eyes roving from his angular features to the gaps between his armor plates, thrilled and terrified by the growing heat in her core. He looked up finally as she stood beside him, emanating an inexplicable hunger and intensity that caught his attention. He furrowed his brow, shifting to his feet and facing her fully.

"Is everything alright?" he asked pertly, tilting his head and sending another spark of affection through her.

"Yeah..." she said breathily, swallowing hard at the perceived risk of putting herself out there. "It's just that... you were... are... really amazing."

He rested a hand on his hip, jutting it out to the side as he appeared deep in thought, as though her words were puzzling to him. He searched the ground for answers, brown eyes roving here and there as he pondered what could possibly be so impressive. Vel took a step closer, bringing herself into his personal space, and placed a tentative hand on his chest plate.

"It's... really hot," she continued, eyes shifting sheepishly off to the side. Her gaze was averted, but her body ached for his, leaning forward imperceptibly to almost rest against him. When she finally turned her face back to him, she lifted a hand to his cheek, relishing the sharp inhale of surprise from his beautiful mouth. "You're really hot," she said with a smile, lips slightly parted as she memorized every detail of his irresistible face.

"What are you doing?" Tech said suddenly, causing Vel to pull back in shock and, though she hated to admit it, a good amount of hurt. She stared at him, eyebrows drawing together as she clasped her hands anxiously.

"I... uh... Geez, Tech. I was trying to kiss you... Didn't you like it the last time?" her words came in a flood of embarrassment at his interruption. "I mean... I'm sorry, not to be accusing or anything... I'm just... I'm just confused."

"Ah," he said, realization dawning upon him, although there were still some mysteries to it. "But... It does not seem like a fitting time for physical affection... We are on a mission, and the setting is neither leisurely nor romantic."

An exasperated sigh cushioned her words as Vel shook her head with a smile. She could be quite compartmental in her own thinking, although not to the extent that he was capable. "I'm sorry," she repeated, stepping closer one more time. "If it's jarring or unwelcome, I totally get it. I just.. um..." She fidgeted with her fingers, looking down at them, "I just find it really attractive. Your strength and capability. I know you think it's no big deal, but... it makes me feel things." She laughed at the last phrase, agonizing in the awkwardness of having to explain it but wanting to make sure her motivation was understood.

Razor-sharp comprehension glimmered in Tech's amber eyes, accentuated by the magnifying effect of his goggles. He cleared his throat, a tiny smirk touching the corner of his lips. For someone who was so quick to share calculations and expertise, receiving a genuine compliment was still a bit of a novel experience for him. His strength and capability were... expected, baseline. His only value in a galaxy at war. But perhaps that was not entirely true.

"I am sorry for... surprising you," he took a stab in the dark. "I did not perceive any of my actions to be particularly noteworthy. But... I appreciate your... admiration." His voice had a husky tone to it now, catching Vel's attention, and she studied him intently, hoping it meant what she thought it did.

"It's okay," she said softly, in a simple vulnerability that Tech somehow found magnetizing. Something shifted in his brain, and he took a look around the alley they'd been left in, assessing a great many factors before determining his course of action. He lowered his chin slightly, moving forward purposefully and placing his hands on Vel's waist, and pushed her backward, up against the dark wall of a building.

Fireworks were exploding in her heart, her mouth going dry with shocked delight. The look on his face was... inexplicable. It was a flickering flame finding dry kindling to feed its appetite, alight with a warm glow and radiant heat. She opened her mouth to speak, not really having any idea what she was going to say, but the press of his lips on hers took away the need to decide.

His kiss was harder than before, his body heavy against her with his legs staggered between her own. It felt possessive... commanding... overwhelming in the best way. He turned his head, meeting her mouth again and again, lingering more and more each time until he finally opened his lips a bit, gently sucking her lower lip in one smooth movement. Her body was on fire, mind swirling in utter bliss, and Vel wrapped her arms around him, pulling his plastoid frame as close as she could.

Tech kept going. Kissing, turning, cupping her face, kissing her again. He tried his open-mouthed technique again, sending a shiver down her spine. His breathing was growing heavy again, as was hers, in the few gasps of air she was able to suck in through her nose. His passion was like ocean waves on the shore, rolling in steadily and gracefully, crashing into her with waves of bliss before receding. Again and again. She never wanted it to end, completely losing herself in the taste of his mouth, the scent of his sweat and armor. A tiny noise escaped her lips, a soft moan of euphoria, and her hands splayed across the hard plates on his back.

He pulled away, assessing her face immediately, alerted by her noise. The sudden departure of his intense presence opened Vel's eyes in surprise, and she looked at him quizzically. And sheepishly. Was that a turnoff for him? Had she done something wrong?

"Do you want to stop?" Tech asked, as frank as if he were asking if she wanted a glass of water.

"Never," she sighed, smiling stupidly at his flushed face. "That was a happy sound. You're incredible."

"You appear to think a great number of ordinary things are incredible," he murmured, and she truly couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Either way, it was ridiculous and endearing, and she laughed freely, turning to bury her forehead against his shoulder. His following words were even more heartwarming.

"It bodes well for me that you are so easily impressed."

artwork by @vimse! <;3

Tag List: @merkitty49 @vimse @arctrooper69 @dystopicjumpsuit @starrylothcat @ghostperson69 @dreamie411 @savebytheodoresnonjosestuff @523rdrebel @clonemedickix @sinfulsalutations @ughhhhfoff @coraex @amorfista @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @followthepurrgil @littlefeatherr @sunshinesdaydream @thew0nderer2342 @dangraccoon @iceskategirl18 @chickentenderx @skellymom @girl_scout_reject @mooncommlink

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#the bad batch #tech fanfiction #tech x oc #tech romance #star wars fanfiction #tbb #bad batch #star wars the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction

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cloudycaffeinatedcryptid · 2 months

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If each of the counselors got into a one on one fight with a bear, who would win? Assume it's at camp and they only have access to what's present in Hackett's Quarry

oh lets get INTO it. thank you! i love this (disclaimer: i do not condone violence against animals, unless they are a slimy boy named nicholas furcillo. thank you)

Abi is out of the game immediately. i love her, but she has less than zero logic when it comes to local wildlife. she's mauled. instantly. Nick,,,, Nick's a runner. i feel like he would try to run away & also incites such a Violent Rage in anything nearby that the bear needs to eat him. this isn't personal, i just know SMG wolfed Nick early in the game bc he stands no chance against any opponent otherwise. so the lovebirds are out

Dylan,,,, look, i love Dylan & he is Tall but i just do not trust him not to scream & cower. HOWEVER if he got his twinky little hand(s) on the blowtorch from the scrapyard, i trust his speed enough to think he stands an okay chance there. set that mf bear on fire. that's my boy

Emma? Emma??? this is the same 5-ft-fuck-around-&-find-out girl who has the opportunities to taser, bear spray, & sparta kick a werewolf (& an old man!) so honestly, i'm not worried about her. she has the taser, she prolly has a gun, i kind of feel bad for the bear :/

sweet Jacob has one of the guns & absolutely misses his shot, even tho the bear is right there, so he screams, tries to make himself bigger, & hits the bear with the gun. i can't say this would work out well for him in the long one, i do unfortunately think this round goes to the bear, but it's a good effort 👍good work king

Laura bodies the bear, no question. she's the terminator

Ryan can be a bit jumpy with the gun, but he has decent aim, so i suppose this fully defends on who can aim a kill shot first. if Ryan hesitates, he's done for, but if he gets a good shot in, i think our man has a fighting chance. for the most part.

the love of my life, Kaitlyn, is having no issues here either. wild animal? check. gun? check. permission to kill? she's good. unless she has one of her helpless moments that don't make a ton of sense in game but do happen, & drops her gun or something. but she's small & quick, so i feel like she has good chance to stay out of range & just keep hammering the bear with shots until it's enough to drop it. persistence, baby!!

*sweating* so,,,, Max. um. listen. lis- hey, i know. i know, i love him too. i love him, but we've all met the guy, yeah? he's not,,, he doesn't really,,,, *sweats harder* Laura how did you get in my- *gunshot*

Max is fine. Max does fine. He does absolutely fantastic against the bear and we're all so impressed and proud of him. Thank you.

#this one made me think but i Like It :)#psa: don't fight bears #fight nick furcillo #not that i have a problem with him or anything #he prolly just deserves it #the quarry #ask moth

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id-rather-be-home · 15 days

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Do you think maybe Vecna might target Mike?

It might be overplayed by the community but there's no way Vecna is above attacking Mike and using his internalized homophobia against him.

if vecna doesn't target mike next season i'm honestly going to be disappointed

mike has single-handedly been detrimental to vecna's plans over and over again! in s2 ESPECIALLY. mike is the one who gets through to will enough for him to use morse code and is the one who thought to distract the demodogs to ensure el would be able to close the gate

he is so important both to will and el (aka vecna's biggest targets) and vecna knows that. even if vecna doesn't target mike to torment him, he'd go after mike to get a rise out of both will and el

on top of all this, it would also be an awesome way to communicate to the general audience that mike has been struggling with internalized homophobia and other traumas (that are consistently overlooked with mike) for years

i always imagine a scene where vecna chases mike down to the quarry where he essentially forces him to jump (a call-back to mike's near SUICIDE ATTEMPT from s1) and mike lands on the ground instead of the water. and with the wind knocked out of him, mike sees the flashing ambulance and police lights surrounding the quarry as will's 'body' is pulled from the water

there are a number of reasons why vecna would target mike and there are so many ways the duffers could go about it so i think it'd be a missed opportunity almost if they don't

#byler #answered 💌#mike wheeler

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grievedeeply · 2 years

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Hi!!! I love your works<33!!! I was wondering if u could do The Quarry counselors spending time with the reader while its snowing??

Thank you!!!

i just hit 1,000 followers!! thank you all so very much. knew i had to write this asap <3 this is a super cute request and it's hot as fuck where i live so i'm gonna take this opportunity to say i miss winter. hope you enjoy!! all of the counselors are included in this, so they're a bit short

gn!reader | no tws

tags: @alisblackgf @seasidesamir @sera-wonderland @sl0thsblog @pra-xiis @willowroom @wolfsquad @evaavaughn @blackhoodlea @hardcore0simp @tywrites @yawagucci @ziplokz @homebyeleven @bloodverz @radio-heads @nesai @rainbows-dreams @jamiieebee @cherrypop-xoxo @aspendvd @jjkk1m @aaetherr69 @boggoswife @raeluvserzahler @moosesclues @atlases-atrium @writingsforfandoms @raggedyzoey @emilykolchivans

spending time with the counselors while it's snowing

ryan erzahler

ryan's favorite season is winter in my mind. he loves being indoors and drinking warm beverages and enjoying the weather. usually from inside

if you really want to go outside and play in the snow— even as fully grown adults— he will. he'll give in if you beg and look at him with puppy eyes. it's a major weakness of his

he's freezing cold, but he's throwing snowballs at you and making snow angels. he's making snowmen with you and gathering sticks to use as arms. anything to make you smile, he'll do

by the time the two of you come back inside, your jackets are soaked with melted snow and your fingertips are freezing even through the gloves you're wearing. he wouldn't change that, though

he'll make you some hot chocolate, cover the both of you up in a warm blanket and you'll sit on the couch watching the snow fall together for awhile

ryan is really big on quality time, so he really enjoys lounging around with you on snowy days <3

dylan lenivy

dylan is up and at em! he's practically running outside into the snow with no warm clothes on at all as soon as he sees the weather

you'll have to remind him to put on a winter coat, gloves, a hat, everything. he's so eager to go outside and play and let out his inner child for a little while

he'll throw a snowball at you and it quickly becomes a huge fight between the two of you in your front lawn. neither of you care if you look weird, though

he wants to stay outside for as long as possible. he comes up with a ton of things to do in the snow with you so he doesn't have to go inside

he'll want to make snowmen and he falls over multiple times rolling the snow into perfect balls to use for the body

kaitlyn ka

i don't see kaitlyn as a person who really cares about what it's like outside. she'll see that it's snowing and shrug. it's not her first priority

if you want to go outside, she will. she thinks it's hilarious that you're wanting to play in the snow and she'll end up joining you after awhile

but for the most part, she'd prefer to stay inside. she'll make you a warm drink and put on your favorite movie or show to watch while snuggled up with her on the couch

she'll get the warmest and biggest blanket she could find and cover the two of you up in it, and she loves the time that she gets to spend with you

the cold weather is an excuse to cuddle with you. she's not the best at asking for it, but she's happy it's freezing outside so you're wanting extra warmth

nick furcillo

as an australian, nick is absolutely fascinated with snow. he never saw it growing up so in america he loves going outside and just staring at it for awhile

you'll come up with a few things to do with him while it's snowing, like snowball fights and making snow angels. he's got a smile on his face the entire time

he has the time of his life!! it's such a new experience for him and he has so much fun with you. he never wants to go back inside

after the snow calms down a little, the two of you head inside and curl up to watch some of your favorite christmas/holiday movies to celebrate the winter weather

nick hasn't had many cold winters, and he's glad he gets to spend this one with you

abi blyg

i feel like abi is definitely an outdoorsy person in general. winter probably isn't her favorite of the seasons, but the weather and atmosphere give her something new to draw

she'll sit next to you on a bench in the wintertime, drawing on her notepad. she loves having you around even if your presence makes her heart race

when she isn't drawing, she's happy to go outside and mess around with you in the snow. she's making snowmen and snow angels so quickly

she'll start a snowball fight and spend the entire duration of it not really paying attention to the snow flying at her face. her eyes are just on you

she also enjoys being inside with you after a long day playing in the snow like children. she'll make sure you're all warmed up, and play her favorite holiday movie for you

emma mountebank

as soon as emma sees that it's snowing, she's grabbing onto your hand and pulling you outside even if you're half asleep

i can just imagine her urging you to get up and get dressed. she's just so excited for the snow, even though she's seen it plenty

she loves spending the day with you, too. she loves the weather but she loves your company even more. she comes up with a TON of ideas to do on a snowy day

skiing, snowboarding, sledding. the whole nine years. she calls beforehand and makes sure everything is in place. she takes winter and her activities very seriously

she has such a great time with you, and her cheeks hurt from smiling so much by the end of the day. she loves you, and she's glad she got to share all of those experiences with you

jacob custos

jacob is also really into wintertime. he's 100% going to run outside and just jump into the snow. he'll be freezing cold and instantly regret it afterwards, but he sees you laughing and he suddenly doesn't care

he'll build a snow fort. he doesn't know what he's doing, but he's preparing for a snowball fight. he can just sense it coming

he makes a really awful snowman, but he's super proud of it. he found sticks for arms and ran inside for a carrot. he loves it

he has so much fun with the snow, he doesn't ever want to come inside. he does, eventually. he just hopes for more of the same weather so he could have fun with you again

he tries to warm you up, but he's just as cold— if not colder— than you are, so it fails miserably. it's the thought that counts, though

laura kearney

i feel like laura will spend a few hours outside playing in the snow with you if that's something you want to do. she'll build snowmen with you, make snow angels, whatever you want

she loves seeing you smile so it doesn't really matter what you're doing as long as you're enjoying it, honestly

she does enjoy being inside when it's cold, though. she's great at making hot chocolate and other various foods to eat for the weather

she picks the best movies to watch and she's gonna cuddle you the entire time. she kisses your forehead and holds you close

you'll watch the snow fall from the warmth of your house, and she feels grateful that she has you in her life at all

max brinly

he's outside super quickly. he loves the snow and he loves coming up with things to do during it. he has a lot of fun just thinking about it

max loves sledding. he's got a ton of boards and he knows exactly where to go to have the most fun with it, too

he'll definitely ride down the hill with you, his arms wrapped around your waist. he's laughing the entire time, his stomach filled with butterflies

he's super down to do anything you'd want to do, too. he probably isn't the best at snowball fights, but he does his best. he'll feel a little bad if he hits you, but it goes away as you're laughing about it

after a long day, he's ready to curl up on the couch with you under a ton of blankets and just enjoy your company away from the cold. he wouldn't have it any other way <3

#the quarry #the quarry x reader #ryan erzahler x reader #dylan lenivy x reader #kaitlyn ka x reader #emma mountebank x reader #jacob custos x reader #max brinly x reader #laura kearney x reader #nick furcillo x reader #abigail blyg x reader

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aloneinthehellfire · 2 years

Text

Chapter 4: Maybe We're Not So Crazy

Raining Hellfire Series | Season One

Word Count: 7,926 words. (I swear this is short for me)

Warnings: swearing, flashbacks to past trauma, mentions of stalking, Barb missing

[A/N: yet again, this is me attempting to add both reader and eddie to the storyline. This one is rushed so I'm sure I've made many mistakes oops. also justice for karen wheeler in this story she's adorable]

Maybe We're Not So Crazy

“Miss, do you know why we have brought you here?”

“...Yes.”

“So you remember what happened?”

“Yes.”

“So you know who died?”

“…”

“Y/n? Do you remember who died?”

You woke up with a silent scream.

You didn’t even realise you had fallen asleep. You sat up from your mess of blankets on the floor, looking to your bed. El was still asleep. Peaceful.

After regaining your focus, you made your way to the living room to find a much different sight. Dustin and Lucas had, at some point, created forts for themselves out of the blankets and various chairs in the space. And they were now throwing pillows at eachother.

“Hey!” You raised your voice and they jumped, throwing both their pillows at you instead. You caught them easily.

“Woah. Killer reflexes.” Dustin gawked.

“This isn’t… what it looks like?” Lucas shrugged awkwardly. There was no hiding this mess.

“What is going on? Why are you doing this?” Their friend had just been found dead in a quarry and they were acting like it was just another normal thing.

Both of them brought their gaze to the floor, clearly hearing the disappointment in your words.

“We just needed a distraction.” Dustin finally spoke, his words barely a whisper and you knew you messed up.

“Hey, hey, come here.” You said as they both walked into your embrace. You held them tightly.

“I get it, I was just… worried you might wake up El. That’s all.”

“Right. El.” Lucas mumbled, but the grip of his hug didn’t loosen.

“Okay, we need to get you ready to get home to your parents.” You pulled away from them with a small smile. “How about you clean this up, I’ll make waffles and we'll just deal with the day one step at a time?”

“Okay.” They both said, cheering up slightly at the mention of food.

To experience the death of someone close to you, especially at their age, had to be confusing and infuriating. They were old enough to understand and grieve. However, losing someone when you’re still so young… it was something you knew all too well.

You left them to clear up their pillow monstrosity and made the waffles. Once they were done, you saw Lucas and Dustin still clearing and conversing. You took the opportunity to fill a plate and walk to your bedroom, greeting the young girl with much needed food.

“Thank you.” She said, a small smile on her face when she realised the plate held waffles.

“Hey, El?”

“Hm.” She was eating as if it had been days. In all fairness, you had no idea if Mike had actually managed to give her proper meals.

“Last night… did something happen? When we were here?” Your mind led you back to the faceless monster scratching at your door. Was that all just a dream?

She just stared at you blankly.

“Right, no, of course not. It’s just been a scary few days.” Imagining monsters. That wasn’t concerning at all.

After sitting with the girl for a while, you made sure the boys ate and then took them all to the house next door. Before you even knocked on the door, Dustin and Lucas were headed to their bikes. Clearly, they had other plans.

“Hey! Where are you guys going?”

“Home.” Lucas said, a note of anger in his voice. He then rode off, without a second glance.

“He just needs some time.” Dustin paused for a moment, looking at your uncle's house, envisaging the girl that sat patiently in your room. “We all do.”

And with that, he mounted his bike and took off after his friend.

“We’re so sorry. Yes. Yes, we handled it. I promise. Yes. Yes, we will. I promise you, you won’t.” Your mother was stood in the hall, clinging into the phone as if it might slip out of her hands. You knew exactly who she was talking to.

You just sat on the floor of your living room, the cream-coloured rug providing little comfort. Your sister was sat beside you, head on your shoulder. She was too young to understand what was going on. At least that’s what your mother told you. You on the other hand, chose not to underestimate your sister. She was much smarter than anyone gave her credit for.

“Thank you. Good bye.” She hung up the phone, sighing. Disappointment. She made her way to the living room and stood in front of you both.

“Come with me, sweetheart.” She said, reaching out a hand to your sister.

“I want to stay with Y/n.” The girl was clinging onto your arm now. She absolutely knew what was happening.

“Just come with me.” Your mother kept pleading. She didn’t want to tear her away.

“No!” Your sister screamed. You looked into her big blue eyes, silently begging her to go. You couldn’t bare having to say goodbye.

“NOW!” The booming voice of your father practically bounced off the walls. Everyone froze. Whatever he says, goes.

You risked a glance to him, seeing him hold a suitcase in his right hand. It definitely wasn’t yours.

The blue eyed girl began crying, hugging you tightly. Your mother stepped back. Your father stepped forward.

“Let go of your sister, she has somewhere to be. Let’s just try our best to move on from this.” He sighed. He whispered something to your mother now stood just by the door. She nodded and he left. You heard the front door slam and you knew. You might be the one leaving, but he was the one that wasn’t going to come back.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” You looked back at your sister, her teary eyes closed.

“It’s my fault. I should have told you to stay with me instead of going to that stupid party.” She sobbed, remembering your last conversation you had before the incident.

“Hey, look at me.” You cupped her chin, bringing her doe eyes to meet yours. “None, and I mean none, of this is your fault. Don’t you ever think that. It was all me. Just me.”

She just continued to cry, your words barely making an affect.

“I might be leaving, but I’d never leave you. You understand? I’ll find a way. When I’m old enough, I’ll come back for you.”

“Promise?” She choked down her sobs, holding your hands.

“I promise.” You said, a tear forming a path down your left cheek. “You are so, so strong. And smart. Smarter than me. Smarter than mom and dad. Smarter than anyone I know. No matter what happens, you can do this on your own. Promise me you won’t ever give up. Promise me.”

“I promise.” She whispered. You kissed her forehead, holding onto her one last time. You were going to find your way back. In 4 years, you’ll be 18. In 4 years, you were going to find her and take her away from this hell.

There was a loud knock at the door. Your sister looked at you. She leaned in and whispered 3 words. But not the ones you’d expect.

Reluctantly, you let go of the only person in this world that you ever truly loved, and walked to the door. Your mother avoided you in every possible way, not even bringing herself to look at you. You resisted the urge to look back at the house that was never your home. You took each step forward with your heart slowly aching. This was just the beginning.

You were escorted to Hawkins, away from the city that hated you. All that replayed were the 3 words your sister had whispered.

“Give. Them. Hell.”

El wasn't there when you went back into the house.

You had searched everywhere, even visiting the Wheeler house to have a sneak at the basement but only came across Mike, who confirmed your suspicions that she hadn't come back. You didn't know where she was, but you hoped she was safe and smart enough to find you later.

Karen had offered to give you a lift into school and whilst you had politely declined, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Not since they found Will’s body.

So, you took the backseat and were sat next to the youngest Wheeler, Holly. She rarely spoke to you, mostly never even realised you existed. You didn’t really care though, you weren’t sure you could even have a liberating conversation with a 3 year old.

Nancy was sat in the front with her mother. Neither of you had spoken a word to eachother in a while. You didn’t have anything to say, you knew that the bond between you two was breaking. It hurt, knowing you were going to lose a friend. But rather than reconcile your friendship, your plan was unchangeable today; find Barb. Since Will was found, your mind has locked onto Barb, praying she was okay. You didn’t want another body found in that quarry.

Karen pulled up to the school, telling you both to have a good day. As you stepped out onto the pavement, you doubted that it would even be an adequate day.

And you were absolutely right.

After your first lesson, you needed a break. Your breathing was becoming questionable and you knew you’d be having a panic attack sooner or later. You walked to the football field, leaning on a wall and focused on the practice that was currently in place. Each breath finally slowed and you felt better. You were glad that you didn’t have to focus on that boring display of testosterone anymore.

Instead, you took in your surroundings, eyes landing on something that made you smile without thinking.

“I think you two would be great together.” Nancy said, leaning towards you with a small smile. You weren’t sure how long she’d been there for.

“Really?” You replied quietly, your eyes still fixated on the boy who was telling a captivating story to group of friends.

“Yeah, why not? You clearly like eachother.” She smiled, nudging your shoulder.

“I’m not so sure about that.” You wanted to believe he liked you, truly. But you weren’t someone that boys liked. You were just… Y/n. Nothing special, definitely not girlfriend material.

“Don’t doubt yourself, Y/n.”

You turned to Nancy, giving her a shy smile. There was something about talking to her again that made you feel… relaxed?

“Hey, um, I know we haven’t really talked since the party.” She began, lowering her eyes to the floor, “I’m really sorry that I left you and Barb alone. I know I said I was going to stay with you guys and I really was planning to but-”

“It’s fine, Nance.” You put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at you, smiling at her nickname.

“Speaking of Barb, have you seen her?” She asked quietly, her head turning to the spot where you would usually meet before school.

“I called but her mom said she hadn’t been home since the party. I know she wouldn’t run away, that’s not Barb, but I haven’t seen her car so-”

“It’s still where she left it at the party.” Nancy interrupted. She saw your confused expression and continued. “I… I was worried. So I went back there and it’s just sat there. My sweatshirt is still on the seat where I left it. It hasn’t been touched.”

“Wait, so she’s… missing?” The last word cracked your voice slightly. You took her to the side

“I can’t find her.” Nancy walked near the wall, hugging herself.

“Can’t find who?” Steve walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. He looked at you with a grin and when he saw that you didn’t do your usual eye roll, his eyebrows furrowed. “Okay something’s wrong.”

“We can’t find Barb. She isn’t at home and her car is basically deserted.” You finally spoke when Nancy didn’t.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Steve looked as if he didn’t even believe himself.

“No. She’s not. Something is definitely wrong. I went to look for her, at your house, and nothing. Nothing! She’s just disappeared and now they’ve found Will’s body so now I’m panicking. I think… I saw someone out there, in those woods. They- they didn’t even have… a face.” Nancy said. Your breath hitched and she turned to you, raising a brow. Before she could ask, Steve was already talking.

“So, wait a sec. I don’t understand. You went to my house?” He let go of her so he could move around to face her. His shoulder brushed yours slightly but he didn’t seem to notice.

“To look for Barb.”

“Yeah, okay, but why didn’t you just talk to me? That’s crazy.”

“I don’t know, I… I was scared.”

“You seriously think you saw a guy in a mask just hanging out in my yard?”

“I don’t think it was a mask.”

“But he had no face?”

“I don’t know!” Nancy began shaking her head, “I don’t know, I just… I have a terrible feeling about this.”

You slumped against the wall. Was the faceless creature real? It can’t be a coincidence that you both imagined the same thing.

“Me too.” You finally spoke, sending Nancy a nod while Steve looked at you. His expression changed when he saw how serious you were.

“Oh, this is bad. This is really bad.” Steve paced before walking to the wall and leaning just a few inches next to you.

“What?” You asked and Nancy took a step closer to you both. “Do you know something?”

“The cops…” He said. Nancy looked at you with a similar expression.

“What about them?” You asked, your little patience slowly beginning to show. It was only a matter of time since you were in proximity of Steve Harrington.

“They’re gonna want to talk to all of us now. Tommy, Carol, everybody who was at the party?”

“So?” You and Nancy both asked. Her voice was a little softer than yours since yours was laced with irritation now.

“My parents are gonna murder me!” He said, looking at you. It meant that you could see the hint of fear in his eyes. You’ve met Steve’s parents. He had every right to be terrified of those child neglecters.

“Are you serious right now?” Nancy didn’t know Steve’s parents well.

“You don’t understand. My dad’s a grade-A asshole.” He said, stuffing his hands back in his pockets.

“Barb is missing! And you’re worried about your dad?” She raised her voice, startling you and Steve.

“Okay, let’s calm down. Nance, we’ll talk to the cops, try and find Barb. Steve, we’ll figure out a way to stop your dad from murdering you. Cool?” You attempted to diffuse the situation. Nancy looked somewhat calmer and you thought it worked until Steve had to open his mouth again.

“Okay, just… when you talk to the cops, just…” He moved closer to Nancy, “don’t mention the beers.”

Nancy raised her head, her eyebrows scrunching together. Oh, you knew that face. It wasn’t a nice face.

“Yep, you’ve done it now, Hairy.” You mumbled over his shoulder as you retreated back to the wall and grabbed your bag. You were going to need to move quickly.

“What?” Steve asked, confused by your statement. “It’s just gonna get us three in trouble, and Barbara’s got nothing to do with it, okay?”

“I can’t believe you right now.” Nancy scoffed, her voice a little too calm.

“Cool. Time to go.” You muttered, adjusting the strap on your bag and looking at Nancy. She chose to avoid Steve’s eyes. He was going to regret that later.

“I can’t believe you.” She repeated, marching past Steve and waving him away with her hand. She was definitely mad.

“Nancy.” He tried to grab her but she moved quicker than he expected. “Nancy, wait.”

She just continued to walk away, her feet treading through the pebbled floor.

“Nancy!” He called out again but it was no use. She was already rounding the corner and gone.

“That went well.” You said, starting your voyage away from Steve.

“What did I say?” He asked, exasperated.

“Okay, listen up because I’m only saying this once and I’m sure you’re gonna make some lame joke about me not being equipped to give relationship advice.” You turned to him, looking up at him through hooded eyes.

“I-”

“Nope. Shut up. Shh.” You waved a hand in his face, miming at him to be quiet as you brought your hand to your lips.

When he finally sighed, you took it as a chance to speak.

“I know you think you’re great with the ladies. Sure, you’ve had practice. But Nancy isn’t like those other girls.”

“I know-”

“Hey! What did I say about talking?”

“Sorry.” He muttered, raising his hands in defeat.

“Nancy doesn’t need a boyfriend. She can easily take care of herself. She’s smart. You, less so.” You pushed out your hand again when he tried to protest. “She needs someone that can understand what she’s talking about, what she’s thinking about. Not someone who can only think of themselves in times when she needs them. I understand how much of an asshole your dad is, remember? But Nancy needs you right now. She’s scared, she’s panicking. She doesn’t care about the consequences of underage drinking, she cares about Barb, her best friend who is now missing. Just like how Will was missing.

So get your ego in check, because she needs someone who can calm her down and actually help her when she needs it. I genuinely believe that you can do that for her if you just tried to see this situation from her perspective. Understand?”

“… Yeah. Yeah.” He cleared his throat, nodding frantically. He was giving you a weird look. Not a bad one but it was weird enough for you to be done with the conversation.

“Good. Now be better.” You finalised, turning back around and following Nancy’s path.

I can’t believe I just tried to fix Nancy and Steve’s relationship you thought, shuddering, won’t be doing that again.

After catching up with Nancy, you consoled her, letting her know where you’d be if you needed to talk.

“You think the police will look into Barb’s disappearance?” She looked at you. Her eyes glinted with tears.

“Yes. And we’ll wait for them to speak with us. We’ll tell them the truth, Nance. The whole truth.”

You both parted ways and went to your respective lessons. You were a few minutes late but your teacher didn’t seem to care as he went back to pointing out places on the world map. You had already learnt this module so you took your seat in the back and tried to relax yourself. You wondered how long the police would take to start investigating.

“Queen of the demogorgons. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

You quickly straightened in your seat, turning your head to the right to see Eddie sat at the desk next to yours. Since when did you have classes together?

“I could say the same.” You said, smiling at him. "Wait, have we been in the same class this whole time and never spoken to eachother?”

“Probably.” He shrugged, casting a glance at your teacher before moving closer to you. “I’m usually sat in the back wall corner but someone beat me to my seat today.” He rolled his eyes and tilted his head in the direction of the desk.

You peered over and saw the one and only Harrington. You knew you had this class with him but this is the first time he’s actually shown up to it in about a year.

“I’m not complaining.” He whispered and you flashed him a genuine smile.

“I should hope not. Unless you want to exchange hair products with him.” You chuckled and he clutched both hands to his heart, mocking offence.

“I have never been more offended in my life.”

“Shh!” The girl in front of you spun around, finger to her lips. You mimed zipping your mouth shut which earned you a glare before she focused back on the teacher.

“Always a troublemaker.” Eddie said, shaking his head as if he was disappointed in you.

“You still free after school?” You blurted. After the way things were going lately, you didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see him more.

“Yeah! I mean, uh, yes. Yes, I am.” He cleared his throat, resting his chin of his hand as he tried to appear relaxed.

“Good. I’ll meet you at the benches.” You smiled to yourself and opened up your textbook as you also tried to fake being calm about the situation. As you began writing down a few notes, you caught Eddie smiling into his hand as he scribbled down whatever your teacher was droning on about.

The door to the classroom swung open and someone stood just outside, peering in with her hand still on the handle. She swept the room with her eyes until they landed on the corner by the window. You.

“Sorry to disturb your lesson but I need Y/n to come with me.” She said authoritatively. And just like that, all eyes were on you.

You glanced around the room and your teacher started to stutter some sort of acceptance (not that his permission was needed) and you locked eyes with Steve. You both knew why you were wanted. Then you looked at Eddie.

He stared at you with his big brown eyes. It wasn’t quite confusion that he was sending your way, more like curiosity. He was trying to figure you out. Before you got yourself too nervous in front of him, you walked over to your principal and let her guide you down the hall.

So now, you were sat next to Nancy and Karen. Talking to the police.

“This argument you and Barbara had? What exactly was it about?” Officer Powell directed his question to Nancy. She had just explained the last time she saw Barb.

“It wasn’t really an argument. Barb just wanted to leave. I didn’t, so, I… I told her to just go home.”

“Then what?”

“Then I went upstairs to put on some dry clothes.” Nancy looked nervous. Not in a guilty way, more like in an ‘if my mom finds out Steve and I did, she might kill me’ kind of way.

“And the next day, you went back and… saw a bear, you’re thinking?”

A bear. Right.

“I don’t know what it was, but… I think… I think maybe it took Barb.” Nancy’s voice cracked a bit. You were certain she was imagining the faceless creature, the same way you were. It made you want to shiver.

“You need to check behind Steve’s house-”

“We did. There’s nothing there.” Officer Callahan interrupted, shaking his head.

“What?” Your head whipped up in surprise.

“There’s no sign of a bear.”

“And no car.”

“What?” Nancy repeated you. You both gave eachother a quick look before turning back to the officers.

“Look. We figure that Barbara came back last night and then she took off, went somewhere else.”

“Has she ever talked to either of you about running off? Leaving town, maybe?” Officer Powell looked at you both, setting his sight on you for a moment longer than you would have liked. He was clearly suspicious of you.

“No.” You replied anyway, “Barb loves Hawkins.”

“No. No, Barb wouldn’t do that, ever.” Nancy confirmed.

“She wasn’t maybe upset about the fact that you were spending time with this boy? Uh,” He looked down at his notes, “Steve Harrington?”

You saw Karen take a deep breath at the mention of Steve.

“What? No!” Nancy protested. You knew the truth, Barb was pretty upset that Nancy was neglecting you both that night. But you kept your mouth shut.

“Maybe she was jealous because she saw you go up to Steve’s room?”

Karen turned her full attention to Nancy. Well, shit, you thought, very happy to not be Nancy Wheeler right now.

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Like what?” Callahan provoked, leaning in slightly.

“Steve and me, we’re… we’re just friends. We… we just talked.” Nancy Wheeler was exceptional at most things. Except lying. You lowered your head as your friend dug herself a deeper hole.

“Now was this before or after you changed out of your clothes?”

The room fell silent. Karen was practically staring daggers into Nancy. Your friend leant back into her chair with a sigh. She had given up.

“I don’t see how this has anything to do with Barb.” You spoke up, everyone now focused on you. Nancy thanked you with her eyes and Officer Callahan, who you were slowly growing to dislike, leant towards you.

“Where were you? When all of this happened?” He asked.

“I had already left.” You said. You knew that you would tell them as much of the truth as you could, but you would definitely leave out Jonathan. He was already dealing with enough.

“Why?” He questioned.

“Because… I just-” You looked at Nancy before tearing your eyes away and looking at the desk. “I just couldn’t be there anymore.”

“Did something happen?” Powell asked you. He had a gentler touch to speaking to people than his partner did.

You took a deep breath, mentally apologising to Nancy for what you were about to say.

“I didn’t want to go in the first place. I wasn’t in a party mood, for my own... personal reasons. And the people there, they’re not exactly people I hang around with, or, even want to be around. I was only there because Nancy wanted me to be. But, if Barb wasn’t there… I wouldn’t have shown up.” You admitted. A terrible thought crossed your mind as you spoke; if you had refused to go, like you wanted to in the first place, then maybe Barb would be okay. She only went because of you.

“So you left before the argument?”

“Yes. Last thing I saw was everyone in the pool. Barb… I left her a note, saying I was leaving.”

“And the reason why you left? The… personal reason.” Callahan glanced down at some notes he had brought with him and you gulped. “Did it have anything to do with what happened 3 years ago?”

You could have sworn your heart stopped for a minute. You didn’t breathe, your mind clouded with trauma.

“3 years ago?” Nancy asked, searching your face for some kind of answer.

“I don’t want to talk about that, but yes. And what does any of that have to do with Barb?” You raised your voice, panicking.

“Calm down, I was just wondering. But considering past events…” He looked at Powell who gave him a slight nod, “We will need to talk to you a little more about this party.”

They thought you did something. It was written on their faces. They thought that you were capable of hurting Barb. And it hurt.

“If she says she doesn’t want to talk about it, then she will not talk about it. Not today.” Karen’s voice suddenly sounded, “Do you have the information you need? These girls have been through a lot this week.”

“Uh, yes. I suppose so.” Powell nodded at Mrs Wheeler, his partner looking at him in protest. “But we will need to continue our investigation.”

They both stood, collecting their notes before Officer Powell turned to you.

“I understand that this must be difficult for you to talk about. But we will need to see you soon for further questioning.”

He waited until you gave an understanding nod before they thanked you for your time and left the room, leaving you and the Wheelers to sit in silence.

“I think that’s been enough for one day. I’ll drive you girls home.” Karen finally broke the silence, standing and walking out of the door without a second glance at either of you. Wordlessly, you both followed. You both still had a few more classes until the end of the day but you didn’t want to argue.

You didn’t have it in you anymore.

“I think it would be best if you moved her out of town for a while.” The officer was speaking to your mother in the kitchen. She was gripping onto her cup like it would jump out of her hands and make a run for it.

“I… I don’t know where-”

“Do you have family nearby? Someone she could stay with? Just until we can safely manage the riots.”

You looked to the closed window of your living room. The curtains were drawn but you didn’t need to see outside to know that there was a crowd of angry people outside. And they all blamed you.

“The only family I have is my brother.” Your mother spoke quietly, you weren’t sure if it was because she didn’t want you to overhear or because she could barely get the words out, “But he lives in Indiana.”

“Well it is your choice. You can let her stay here but I can’t promise that those people outside won’t try anything.”

You heard your mother take a deep breath. Before she could speak, the loud thud of the front door hitting the wall shook the house. Your father was home.

He walked into the living room to see you sat on the floor just outside of the kitchen. When he looked through the slightly open door, his face moulded into a stern expression. Without so much as looking your way, he stepped past the kitchen door and slammed it shut. All you could hear now was muffled voices. It was no longer clear enough to make out. But you didn’t need to hear them to know what was happening.

They were sending you away to Indiana. And you knew that they weren’t going to take you back.

“You lied to the police!”

“I didn’t lie!”

Karen and Nancy were currently shouting at eachother, the mother slamming the door shut as you all entered the building. You weren’t a part of the argument, not really. But Karen refused to let you go. Mostly because she didn’t want you to be alone after what happened. You didn’t want to lie to her about why the police wanted to question you more than anyone else. But you were terrified of her knowing. It would change the way she viewed you. And you couldn’t lose another mother.

“How naive do you think I am?” Karen marched towards Nancy who was currently trying to escape to her room. “You and Steve were just talking?”

Nancy spun around, fury in her eyes. This was going well. You stopped just a few centimetres from them, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

“We slept together! Is that what you want to know? It doesn’t matter!”

“It does matter!”

“No! It is all bullshit! It has nothing to do with Barb and she’s missing. And something terrible happened to her. I know it. I know it!” Tears were beginning to fall from Nancy’s eyes, her hand shaking. Her mother kept quiet. You couldn’t see her expression from where you were stood but her posture was telling you she was caught by surprise.

“And no one is listening to me!” Nancy screamed, quickly turning away.

“Sweetie, sweetie, I’m listening.” Karen soothed, attempting to hold her daughter.

“No! You’re not!” She pushed her away and ran up the stairs as Karen called after her. She didn’t try to follow.

“Just leave me alone!” That was the last you heard before Nancy slammed her door shut. Karen just stood motionless for a second, a deep sigh leaving her body. She looked exhausted.

“She’s just scared.” You said, looking at her with a sympathetic smile.

“I know. I just… I don’t know why she doesn’t talk to me anymore.” She responded quietly, biting her lip as she looked up the stairs longingly, as if Nancy might reappear.

“She’s a teenage girl.”

That earned you a soft chuckle and she turned her full attention to you.

“Y/n.”

“Yes?”

“What was happening back there? Do the police know something that we don’t?” She asked. The ‘we’ in question was directed toward herself and Nancy.

“It, uh…” Your mind was blank, no lies came to save you. So you looked down and let out a shaky sigh. Before you knew it, tears started to fall. Karen immediately rushed over, throwing her arms around you. It only made you cry more.

“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s okay.”

She took you to the living room, sitting you down before running out to grab you something hot to drink to calm your nerves. You managed to steady yourself a bit, holding onto the mug she gave you like it was your only source of comfort.

“Mrs Wheeler…” You were staring at the floor, unable to meet her eyes.

“Karen, sweetheart. You can always call me Karen.” She smiled at you. Her kindness only made you want to cry more.

“Something happened. A long time ago. And… and it was bad. Really bad. It’s why my parents sent me here.” Saying even that much out loud caused your heart to jack-hammer in your chest.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to say anything.”

You looked up at her through your teary, blurred vision.

“I don’t? But I thought-”

“Y/n. Your past doesn’t define you. It doesn’t change the fact that the girl I know, the girl that is sitting right in front of me, is the sweetest girl I know. Whatever you may have done, it doesn’t matter. Because I know you, Y/n. This is the real you. And I’m proud to say that she is a part of my family.”

And suddenly, you were crying for a whole new reason.

“You can’t avoid talking to the police but I will be there if you need me. Or I’ll be just outside if you need that. I don’t think you need to be alone during this. And neither does Nancy. I just hope you both know that.” She sighed after you had slowed your tears.

“She knows it. She may not appreciate you like she should, but she loves you. She needs time.” You give her a small smile and she hugs you. And you had to admit, it felt nice to be loved.

Your moment was interrupted by Nancy’s shoes rapidly storming down the stairs. She had a determined look on her face as she strode toward the door, ignoring her mother’s protests. The door slam shut before you could even react.

“I’ll go after her.” You assured Karen, grabbing your bag and rushing to follow Nancy.

“You don’t have to-”

“I’m okay.” You smiled as she let out a satisfied sigh. She still sported a worried look but let you go regardless.

Nancy was already half way down the street when you caught up to her.

“Nance-” You were breathing heavily. You desperately needed to exercise more.

“I need to talk to Jonathan.” She threw a glance your way before picking up her stride.

“Okay, wait. Slow down!” You grabbed onto her shoulder and she slowed her movements. “Do you even know where he is?”

“Uh… no.” She stopped walking and you silently thanked the lord. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I need to talk to him?”

“Nance. It’s you. I don’t need to question your every move. This is to do with Barb, right?”

“Here.” She rummaged through her bag before pulling out two pieces of a familiar photo.

“Jonathan’s photo?” You shook your head, trying to make sense of what she was implying.

“Look closer.” She held up a specific piece. The image was dark, you could barely make out that it was the pool.

“Oh shit.” You breathed as you saw the figure that currently haunted your dreams, just lurking in the corner. “Is that…”

“The faceless man.” Nancy was quiet. She shoved the images back into her bag. “I’m going to head to his house, see if he’s there. Are you coming?”

“Ye- Wait no. I can’t.” You saw the time on her watch and remembered the plans you had made earlier. You really needed to get your watch back from El. Oh the kids! You thought. The amount of things you were forgetting was concerning.

“Why?”

“I have plans.”

“With who?” “Look it’s not important. How about you find Jonathan and see if you can get him to come to the school. I’ll be there and we can see if he has any other photos of that… thing.”

“Okay.” She nodded, in too much of a hurry to argue. She headed towards the Byers’ house and you set off toward the school.

You didn’t want to stand up the only other person at Hawkins High who actually liked you.

You headed to the back of the building, making your way through a few of the surrounding trees until you had a clear view of the benches. Turning right, you headed to your favourite ones and there was Eddie, led on the bench, staring at the sky.

“I heard clouds really put on a show sometimes.” You laughed, his head turning to you before he slowly sat up.

“And she arrives! I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me.” He hides his face behind his hands and pretends to cry, making you swat his hand away and reveal his grin.

“Yeah, sorry about that, it’s been a really weird day.” Weird, awful, terrifying.

“Did old Princi try to lock you up?” He laughed but you could tell he was concerned.

“Actually the police did.” You said with such seriousness that his face dropped and you swear he stopped breathing. “I’m kidding.”

“Damn, you’re really good at that.” He laughed nervously, shaking his head. “So no cops?”

“Oh, no, there were cops. They were asking Nancy and I about Barb…” Your voice trailed off. Saying her name out loud made your stomach twist, like deep down you knew you’d never see your friend again.

“I heard about that.” He gave you a sympathetic nod, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay but I’m okay. I think. I don’t know, can we talk about something else?” You rushed your sentences before sighing.

“Yeah, yeah. Uh…” He stood up quickly, looking around as if a new topic would appear. “So… the weather, huh? Crazy stuff.”

You burst out into laughter. Eddie’s amused and confused face only making you laugh harder until he joined in.

“What?” He was sat on the grass now, holding his stomach.

“The weather?” You could barely get the words out.

“Well, I don’t know! You put me on the spot.” He laughed, laying down and looking at the sky, “I’m not wrong, just look at it! I swear those clouds are looking at me, it’s crazy stuff!”

When you finally came to the end of your laughing fit, you clutched your stomach that hurt from the joy. It had been a while since you laughed like that.

“Okay, I have a good topic change.” You chuckled.

“I don’t know how you can beat clouds but go ahead.”

You unzipped your bag, reaching down for the small cases you had made sure to pick up earlier in the day. You grabbed them, placed your bag back on the bench and walked to sit next to Eddie, crossing your legs and holding out your gifts.

“Cassette tapes?” He observed, reaching out for them. When he took the tapes, your hands brushed against eachother. And neither of you tried to avoid it.

“Yeah, uh… I remember that you said I should recommend you some tapes and I think you’d love them. I mean, obviously you know Metallica but Iron Maiden has some pretty great stuff. Like ‘Number of The Beast’ has their popular stuff on that they play like all the time but ‘Piece of Mind’ has some of the best songs. I can’t really listen to them at my house since my uncle claims ‘it’s not music’ but it’s so good.”

When you finished your little rant and looked at him you saw him admiring you. The way you spoke about metal clearly interested him. But, being the self-sabotage type of girl, you assumed he thought you were crazy.

“But you don’t have to listen to them, it’s stupid.” You went to collect the tapes back until he trapped them in his hands and held it to his chest.

“Woah, no way! They sound awesome.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! If you’re not careful I’ll end up stealing them from you.”

“I’d like to see you try.” You laughed, leaning back on your elbows.

“I’ll listen to them as soon as I... fix my tape player.” He looked down at the tapes as if you might snatch them away.

“You don’t have anything to listen to them on?”

“No. My tape player’s been broken for a while. Slowly building up the money for a new one, though.” His gaze still on the tapes you gave him.

“Well that won’t do.” You stand suddenly, jogging to your bag before bringing it back to Eddie. You pulled out your Walkman, carefully wrapping the headphones around the base.

“Here.” You placed the Walkman on his lap and he replied with a surprised look.

“I can’t-”

“Yes. You can. Until you can afford a new player. I have an old one at home anyway so I can just use that.” You shrugged, trying to play it off like you didn’t care about the Walkman.

Truthfully, you loved it. It was in a box of your aunt’s old stuff when you moved into your uncle’s spare room. He told you to take whatever you wanted. You were rifling through a box of jumpers when you found it wrapped in an old red sweater. Since then, you’ve always had it on you.

And now you were giving it away for a few days. Maybe weeks or months. But it didn’t upset you knowing that Eddie would be the one to take care of it.

“Thanks.” He smiled, tilting his head, scanning you slightly.

“What?” You giggled anxiously.

“I’m… I’m just very glad we met Y/n no last name.”

Your face dropped and it scared him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean-” “No! No! It’s not you! It’s just… it’s hard to explain.” You looked at him with a smile, shaking off one of the last things Barb had said to you. “I’m very glad we met too.”

“You know,” Eddie said after a while of silence, “these benches are great and all but I know a better place.”

“Oh, really?” You challenged.

“You’ll be kicking yourself for not finding it sooner.” He leaned in and your heart skipped a beat.

You were both holding your breath, anticipating. You ignored your nerves and leant further in, ready to make the first move.

“Y/n! There you are!”

Damn. You were so close.

You and Eddie moved away from eachother as Nancy and Jonathan rounded the corner. Both of their eyes widened as they realised what they had interrupted.

“Oh. Um, hi.” She said as Jonathan gave an awkward wave from behind her.

“Hi.” Eddie said back, an amused grin on his face.

“We’ll… wait over… here.” Nancy pointed vaguely in a direction and shoved Jonathan along with her. You amended her for trying but the moment was ruined.

“I assume you know Nancy.” You laughed back the nerves.

“Yeah, she’s dating Harrington, right?”

“Don’t let that define her character. I genuinely have no idea why those two are dating.”

“Well I wouldn’t want to keep Wheeler waiting much longer so I should go.” He stood up, holding onto your Walkman and tapes. “Thank you for these.”

“Just make sure to take care of my Walkman. She’s basically my baby.” You laughed, swinging your bag onto your shoulder.

“I shall protect her with my life.” He crossed his heart and saluted. Which resulted in him almost dropping everything and you both burst out in laughter.

“I’ll see you soon.” You said, turning away.

“Oh yeah?” You could hear the smile in his voice.

“Duh. I’m dying to know what bench could possibly be better than mine.” You looked back at his signature grin and walked away, smiling to yourself.

There wasn’t much time to be happy though. You saw Nancy and Jonathan talking to eachother in hushed whispers. Nancy looked worried. And everything suddenly became very real.

“And you’re…”

“Brightening. Enlarging.”

“Hmm.”

Nancy looked down in boredom. She never really latched onto photography like you and Jonathan did. She thought the whole process of developing photos was dull but you always found it quite therapeutic. Being isolated in the dark room while creating little pieces of art was something that calmed you.

“Did your mom say anything else? Like, um, where it might have gone to, or…” Nancy straightened herself, turning her head to Jonathan. You were sure that she was talking about a conversation they had earlier.

“No, just that it came out of the wall.” He responded. You immediately pushed off of the wall you were using as support.

“Something came out of a wall?” You asked, wanting to know if it was the same creature you and Nancy had seen.

“That’s what my mom claims.” He sighs as the machine dings, and he moved onto the next phase of development, “She’s just… stressed.”

You say nothing. You believed Joyce. Jonathan had told you that she was trying to convince everyone that Will was still alive, and you believed her. There was an undeniable feeling that you just couldn’t shake. You couldn’t explain it… but Joyce was right.

“How long does this take?” Nancy changed the topic after Jonathan put the image into the tray. There was something about the way she was looking at him.

“Not long.” You and Jonathan both spoke, causing you to turn to eachother and smile. You noticed Nancy shift uncomfortably but chose to ignore it.

“Have you been… doing this a while?” Her attention was fully on Jonathan. You leant against a desk, feeling like you weren’t wanted. She has never asked you about photography.

“What?” Jonathan’s attention, however, was focused onto the image. You could tell he was a little nervous. And you knew it wasn’t about the photo.

“Photography?”

“Yeah. I guess I’d rather observe people than, you know…”

“Talk to them.” Nancy smiled.

“I know. It’s weird.”

“No-”

“No, it is.” He stammered. It was becoming more and more of a private conversation and you wished you could just leave. But opening the door would let in light and ruin your chances of finding out what took Barb. You couldn’t risk it.

“It’s just, sometimes… people don’t really say what they’re really thinking. But you capture the right moment… it says more.” He admitted. You nodded to yourself, silently agreeing with his words.

“What was I saying?”

“What?”

“When you took my picture.”

You gulped. You were wondering when that topic would make an appearance.

“I shouldn’t have taken that. I should have listened to Y/n.”

Nancy glances over to you, confused. She doesn’t know about the night in the forest.

“I’m uh…” Jonathan continued, making eye contact with her, “I’m sorry. It’s just-”

“That’s it.” Nancy interrupted, staring at the photo. “That’s what I saw. Y/n?”

You looked over Jonathan’s shoulder and your breathing stopped. It was real.

“I thought I… imagined it.” You breathed, you and Jonathan exchanging glances. He saw the look on your face as you thought that, even in the red light, you could see the colour drain from his face.

“My mom…” Jonathan moved away from the photo slightly. “I thought she was crazy ‘cause she said… that’s not Will’s body. That he’s alive.”

“And if he’s alive-” Nancy looked at you.

“Barbara.” You gasped.

Maybe, just maybe, there was hope.

Chapter 5: Part 1: The Vale Of Shadows ->

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