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blueduplicity · 1 year

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Lily of the valley

I tossed around the idea of posting this here instead of just leaving it on Ao3, but I wanna get used to posting my stuff here too, along with shorter/unedited drabbles.

Bear in mind, I was insanely high when I wrote this and edited it very little as a sort of challenge for myself. I apologize if it's awful, and I think this is the filthiest thing I've ever written so I'm sorry in advance for that as well LOL

CW: Roleplaying consensual non-consent. I know that seems scary, I promise it's not very intense. Dirty talk, light overstim, fem! reader, a second warning for the dirty talk.

Summary:

Really, it's not his fault that you hide your spare key in such an obvious place.

It's not his fault that you have the TV too loud, or that you didn't bother checking to make sure you were alone before stripping down to your pajamas, slinking around the house like you're begging to be toyed with.

So you can't be too mad when he lets himself in, when he loses control because how else is he supposed to handle you wearing nothing but a loose shirt and panties? He's just a man, after all.

It's okay, you're just lucky he got to you first, anyone else wouldn't be as nice.

“You can’t hide forever, baby.” That silken voice croons, far too close for comfort, taunting and even a little playful, like you’re just in the middle of a game of hide and seek.

Kuroo is on the other side of the living room, with you wedged beside an overturned couch, hiding in the shadow of it as he wanders around, searching for you.

Your hands are folded tightly over your mouth and nose, forcing yourself to breathe as slowly as possible. Your eyes are dry, and then blurry as they well up with tears, but you can’t blink, not even once, because you’re sure the moment you do is the moment he’ll see you.

He kicks at an open door, the wood splintering as it tears away from the metal hinge attaching it to the wall. You clench your jaw as if that would keep you from crying out, a numbing fear coursing through your body with every pulse of your rapid heartbeat.

“I just wanna play with you a little, don’t be shy.” He tries again, soft and almost pleading, sticky sweet like taffy pressed against the roof of your mouth. “I miss you, baby, you didn’t let me touch you for very long before running away. Where’s my brave little kitty?”

Now he’s goading you, because even when he’s trying to be persuasive he can’t help but resort to mocking you, doesn’t have it in him to stay sweet for long when he could just try to get under your skin, make you lash out instead.

His slow steps carry him across the room, peering through the curtains of the front window, scanning the yard to make sure nobody can see inside. It’s dark out, and it’s meant to rain, so he’s pleased to see that there’s no people loitering about the neighborhood. He wants to be sure that he doesn't get interrupted.

“Maybe I should have knocked you out first, instead of trying to hug you.” He muses, fingertips tapping against the windowsill. “You’re faster than I thought, with quicker reflexes too. Don’t worry, honey, I won’t underestimate you again.” His smile is razor sharp, wicked in the window reflection.

That smile widens when he catches a flash of your face in the same window, tucked into the corner of the couch he’d thrown aside in his pursuit of you earlier.

“Oh, and you’re so smart, too.” He purrs, endlessly delighted as he’s turning on his heel to look in your direction.

You can’t swallow your sob this time, scrambling away to the other side just as his fingers graze your arm. Kuroo begins climbing over the couch, eyes wild with anticipation, excitement because you’re only barely out of his reach and he’s missed you.

You scream, skidding across lacquered flooring until your knees hit the ground at the base of the stairs to the second floor, half-climbing your way to the top. Once there, you drag the smaller bookshelf pressed into the wall down, letting it fall over to block part of the stairway. It won’t keep him down there for long, but you just need enough time to break line of sight so you can hide. Running isn’t an option, he has too much stamina, your only real chance is to remain hidden until you can call for help.

Your footsteps are as light as you can make them, slinking down the hallway while you listen to the grunts of your pursuer, the sounds of books falling to the floor and tumbling down the stairs helping to disguise any errant steps you make.

You hide in a guestroom, closing the door as quietly and lightly as you can, and then you slip into the attached bathroom. You shut that door as well and fiddle with the lock, your fingers shaking and slightly numb at the tips, before cramming yourself into the space between the sink and the bathtub, drawing your legs tightly up to your chest.

He’s coming down the hallway, rapping his knuckles along the wall with little taps, searching for any glaring signs of your presence.

“That wasn’t very nice, pretty.” He muses loudly, his voice weighed down with frustration, bitterly amused. “Aren’t you putting up too much of a fight? I’ll be real good to you, pinky promise.”

He begins pushing lightly on any doors he walks by, just barely pressing in with his weight before moving on to the next one, still idly thinking aloud. “You were so sweet to me in the office earlier, wearing that pretty smile while you brought me a coffee. Have I told you that I love your lipstick, by the way?” He grins, allowing the husk of his voice to flow through when he drops his tone a little. “I can’t wait to see the color all over my cock, pretty girl.”

Kuroo’s grin grows impossibly wider when, upon pressing onto the surface of one of the last rooms in the hall, the door creaks open, having not latched properly upon closing.

He flicks on the light, catlike eyes gleaming gold as they scan the room quickly. Pillows and sheets on the bed perfectly pristine, unruffled, the closet door pulled completely open and empty, no clothes for you to hide amongst.

The shut bathroom door might as well be blinding with the way he immediately locks onto it like it's a beacon, striding over and leaning his weight into the cold wood. You hear it creak and shut your eyes, knowing that you’ve run out of time.

“Well well, I wonder what could be here?” He murmurs, the tap, tap, tap of his fingers making you flinch in time with each one. “Is that my princess in there? My sweet girl? The love of my life?” His voice grows sickly sweet with each syllable, until he’s practically spitting sugar like venom with the way it morphs into something mocking.

He slams the palm of his hand into the door, his lips stretched thin with the width of his smile when he hears you cry out from inside.

“Let me in, baby, don’t make me fight for it.” He croons, as if the twisted sharpness of his voice moments prior was nothing but an illusion, something you misheard. “Come on, open up, please?”

His fist slams into the door again, rattling it. The taste of copper fills your mouth when you bite into your lip, adrenaline buzzing like cotton in your head, thick as a blanket.

He doesn’t stop. Kicking at and ramming his shoulder into the patterned wood until it cracks, the hinges straining against his strength, all the while he keeps talking to you, just as sweet as honey coating your tongue.

“Can’t wait to be inside you, pretty. You’re gonna be so tight, jus’ wanna watch you stretch around my cock.”

Another rattle, your breath is cement in your lungs.

“Do I fuck your throat before or after cumming inside your cunt? What do you think, baby? Wanna clean me off? Or do you wanna get me ready?”

He grunts then, his voice pitched low and ragged, frustration bleeding through the thinly gilded timbre. “Open the fucking door!”

One, two, three more times he hits it, and then nothing, silence. You can see his shadow stretching across the bathroom floor, but he hasn’t moved, he’s eerily still.

Your whole body goes numb when you see the handle begin to turn, so slowly that you have to blink several times to be sure that’s what you’re seeing.

There’s no room for doubt when it begins to open, a grinning face waiting in the crack. “Fast, smart, but clumsy.” He sighs, clicks his tongue sympathetically, pushing the door completely open and stepping fully into the bathroom, his eyes smiling more than his mouth at the sight of you, cowering on the floor.

“Now, now. That can’t be comfy.” He reaches for you, and you bolt, but his arm snaps around your waist and drags you against his chest, though you kick and scream and try to claw at him until he releases you, he doesn’t. His grip is like iron, hands lifting you by your hips, ignoring the way you thrash in his hold before he plops you onto the counter.

His hips force your thighs apart as he wedges himself between them, ducking down to press his face into the crook of your neck, inhaling slowly. “Got you.” He breathes, sounding almost reverent despite the filthy way he’s been talking to you since he broke into your home.

His hands squeeze your hips, fingers pressing tight into the soft plush he finds there, but then his shoulders begin to shake, his body quivering as it bows over yours until your back is against the mirror.

He’s laughing.

“I can’t believe you forgot to lock the door!” He gasps, biting his lip to try and stifle the bubble of giggles that threaten to break free.

You groan. “You have no self control, do you?”

His hands find their way to the back of your head, cradling you gently as he tips your face up for a kiss, peppering your lips with his own until you’re smiling and easing into him. “Never.” He admits easily, then the kisses slow, each one longer than the last, lingering until your hands are fisted in his shirt and your legs are wrapping around his waist.

“This isn’t part of the game.” You murmur into his mouth, lips parting as he licks into you with a soft, indulgent noise, his hips rolling as heat begins to build once more at the base of his spine.

“Need to check in.” He replies, softer than a whisper. “Color? Tell me you’re okay.”

Your body melts, all soft and silken as you lean into him, molten beneath his touch. “I’m okay, Tetsurou.” You breathe, the tip of your tongue tracing his bottom lip. “Wanna keep going, I’m green, you’ve got me.”

He relaxes, nodding as he steals one more kiss. “I’ve got you.” He agrees, letting his forehead rest against yours for a beat.

You reach up to ghost your fingers along his jaw, swirling down to circle the hollow of his throat. “Are you okay?” You ask, gently. “If you’re uncomfortable with this, it’s alright for us to stop. My comfort isn’t the only comfort that matters.”

Kuroo smiles and tucks his chin down so he can kiss the tip of your index finger. “I’m okay.” He assures you, leaning back and rolling his left shoulder twice, eyes shut in an expression that is far too relaxed for the situation.

A few minutes pass, giving you both time to come out of the sweet, sappy haze that had fallen over you. The energy and momentum die, a little, but you feel better for it, a safe spot in the middle of your first scene.

He lifts your hips up, just a little, rolling them in slow circles so he can grind his cock against your clothed slit, letting out a heavy exhale as if breathing out all of his saccharine feelings, leaving only the lust and the thrill of your chase. When his eyes open, he smiles, but it’s too crooked, twisted at the corners in something almost closer to a snarl.

“I don’t know why you were being so difficult, baby.” He murmurs, bringing you up harder against him, the cold marble countertop digging into your lower back as he pushes you roughly into it, honey calcite eyes brightening with something wild. “Just wanted to fuck you a little, s’what you get for wearing such a cute outfit to my office.”

‘It was just my uniform!” You want to say, but then his hands are sliding beneath the hem of your top, shoving the material up over your breasts.

He brushes his lips along your collar bones, taking his time as he kisses his way down your chest, fingers following the arch of your spine from base to the top, then back down to pluck at the clasp keeping your bra on. “You’re so soft.” He breathes, his kisses growing hotter and messier the more skin he uncovers, pulling your shirt off completely and then letting your bra fall to the ground. You try to close your legs after he pulls away, but he pries them apart with eager hands, slotting himself between them easily once more.

“Ah-ah, bad girl.” He scolds you lightly, pressing the pads of his fingers into your cunt, feeling the way the cloth sticks to your slick folds. “Look at you, so excited. I can’t believe you tried to pretend you didn’t want me.”

You grit your teeth, turning your face away so you won’t have to look at him, the faces he’s making, but that only exposes more of your neck to him, a smooth expanse of skin that he’s just as eager to tend to instead, teeth scraping over your pulse to make you arch into him.

“Atta girl.” His praise is slightly muffled as he kisses and sucks bruises into your throat, one hand splayed wide over your lower back to encourage you to grind against him, the heavy swell of his cock catching on your clit and making you cry out.

He repeats that motion, again and again, rutting his hips into you until his breaths stutter and he has to lean on the sink as well, his weight keeping you pinned beneath him.

“Gotta be inside you.” He rasps, strained, like his voice is too thick for his throat. “What a good girl you are, all dressed up for me.”

He snaps the waistband of your panties against your skin, a telling grin on his face that is too sharp to be genuine. His control is fading rapidly, the remnants of his ego melting as the desire to fuck you grows. He’s not gentle when he yanks them down your legs, grunting about how lucky you are that he’s too considerate to just rip them off before he’s standing back up and gripping your thighs tightly, pressing them over his hips.

“Take my cock out, baby, want you to grind yourself against it until it’s wet enough to fuck you.”

You don’t move, frozen in place while he shamelessly grinds against you, and his sly smile widens. Wordlessly, he takes one of your hands and presses it to the hard outline of his cock, wrapping your fingers around it through the thin material of his slacks and fucking into them, letting his head fall back as his abdomen tightens up.

Even just that feels good, you have him so fucking pent up from having to chase you around just to touch you.

“Take it out.” He repeats, the warning heavy in his words.

You swallow against the sand in your throat, your palm flexing in his grip before he removes it, watching you with slightly narrowed eyes. Your fingers tremble as they undo his pants, pulling the zipper down slowly. Too slowly, he hisses impatiently and bucks into you, you feel the way his boxers stick to his skin, just as sticky as you. There’s a taunt on your tongue, but you swallow it, stretching out his waistband so you can reach in to wrap your fingers around the head.

The noise he lets out is sinful, eager hands cupping the back of your head and bringing you in for a kiss, your teeth clicking together in his rush to be closer to you. You pull him out fully, the ring of your fingers tight as you stroke down the length of him, smearing the pearlescent fluid beading at the tip over as much of him as you can.

He catches your wrist, tsking softly. “Not like that, baby. You know what I said.”

His mouth muffles your answering whine, tongue prying your lips apart while you guide his cock to your dripping cunt, feeling embarrassment bubble between your ribs at how easy the glide of your slick folds makes him. You squeeze the tip of it to hold him in place, feeling his body buck into the tight press of your fist, instinctively trying to fuck into it.

But the molten heat between your thighs is even better, and it quickly becomes more about your pleasure than getting his cock wet. Your brows are furrowed in concentration, lashes fluttering as you struggle to keep your eyes open, to watch as you rub yourself against him, the way he pulses in your hand and glimmers with your slick.

He loves that look on your face, frustrated and yearning all at once, you don’t even realize how hungry you look for more of him.

“That’s enough, sorry baby this is gonna sting, can’t wait anymore.” His voice is gritted, like he’s speaking with gravel in his throat, but despite his words Kuroo is gentle when he presses the head of his cock into you, knocking your hand away so he can take you by the hips and hold you steady.

The first couple of inches already feel like too much. You’re too tight around him, like stretched velvet that threatens to suck him in further with every twitch. He groans, clenches his jaw, tries to hold himself back from slamming into you and fucking you into the counter. Usually he’d prep you, stretch you out, but that chase got to him more than he expected it would and he needs to be inside of you now.

When he finally bottoms out, he feels like he’s going to pass out, his hand hurriedly wrapping around the base of his cock so he doesn’t spill too soon, refusing to let this end before he’s gotten to the best part of the scene.

“Greedy thing, sucking me in like that.” He murmurs, free hand cupping your chin to tip your face up, your eyes dewy and soft when you meet his gaze. “Ran so hard just to take my cock so eagerly, should have just let me bend you over that couch from the start.”

You shiver, pussy tightening at the thought of him ravaging you like that, bent over a fallen cushion while he fucks into you no matter how hard you try to struggle. Your voice thickens in your throat, a heady whine slipping free as you squirm, unable to stay still as your body screams for more, for him to move.

He laughs, a little breathless, finally thrusting slowly into you, barely able to pull out far enough to push back in with how tightly you squeeze him. “You can’t even pretend that you don’t want it, should I fuck you harder so you cry? It’d be more convincing then.”

Your nails dig into his shoulders, raking down until there are vivid streaks of color trailing down his arms, blood dotting along the thin lines. His grin turns a little feral, and his hips buck outside of his control, the steady pace ruined.

He thrusts harder then, relishing in the way you cry out at the unexpected shift in rhythm, the slap of his skin on yours echoing louder than it should in the bathroom. It takes a minute of him carefully moving you around, lifting your hips up and pressing forward until the head of his cock rams into a spongy spot inside your cunt that makes you scream.

You claw at his back helplessly, legs locked like steel around his waist as you arch into him, the curve of your spine calling for his hand to press into it, forcing your back to bow a little more.

“Sl–ow down!” You whimper, a little lightheaded at the abrupt surge of pleasure, far more intense than you had expected.

Kuroo laughs, an ugly sound that’s almost manic, his other hand dipping into the sliver ot space between your bodies, eager fingers finding your clit and rubbing with tight little circles that make you tremble. “Slow down?” He pants, more breathless laughter following shortly after. “No, no baby, you don’t get it slow. You’re gonna take it exactly how I wanna give it, okay?”

You whine, any attempt at a retort dying in your throat when he deviates from his rhythm once more, only pulling out halfway before shoving himself back in so your voice hiccups on whatever words had tried to come out.

“Nod for me, baby, show me that you understand me, tell me that you’re gonna take my cock like a good girl for me.” He grits his teeth, eyes screwed shut as he fights off the creeping, cloying sweetness of his orgasm. “Fuck, say it, now.” It’s a plea disguised as a command, his body trembling as he leans over you, sweat rolling down the sides of his face, a tendon in his jaw popping.

You bite your lip, shaking your head violently until it nearly smacks into the mirror with how hard he fucks into you as a response, an angry growl spilled against your clavicle.

The heel of his palm grinds against your clit, fingers splayed wide over your abdomen to help keep you pressed into the sink, ensuring that you don’t move even an inch while he drills into the messy heat of your cunt, over and over as his voice pitches higher, wanton and wholly uncaring of how loud he’s becoming.

“So fucking good.” He whimpers, a little slurred, drunk off of how good you make him feel. “Cum for me, baby, gonna make you cum whether you want it or not.”

That makes you tighten up, the muscles in your body clenching as a wave of arousal ripples through your lower belly. He grins, stuttering out a laugh as he presses his mouth to the hollow of your throat, his voice vibrating against your skin.

“Want me to? Want me to force an orgasm outta you? Try to stop it, then. Keep yourself from cumming, let me take it from you.”

Your eyes roll back, lips parting on a ragged moan that makes him throb painfully inside the hot clench of your sex, a curse falling from the depths of his voice box that’s too raw to be anything but anguished.

“Fuck, fuck, get so tight when I talk like that, want more?” Kuroo’s barely keeping it together, he’s just seconds from completely coming undone, but he has no intentions of stopping, not until you’re satisfied. Even if it kills him.

You press your lips tight together to stop the needy whine of ‘more!’ from slipping through, your legs twitching against his sides as you try to keep yourself from snapping, trying to keep yourself from falling over the edge. Your teeth are gritted so hard that your jaw aches, muffling the desperate noises that want so badly to crawl up your throat and fill your mouth with sweetness.

There’s no warning when he cums, you were so focused on halting your own orgasm that the telltale twitching of his cock, the bruising way he clutched at your hips, the familiar peaked pitch of his voice was lost on you. He crushes you to his chest, peeling your sticky skin away from the mirror while he lifts you up completely, forcing you off and onto his cock in short, quick thrusts that have him gasping for air and you seconds from falling over the edge yourself.

You expect to have a break when he inevitably slows, when he pulls out of you to avoid overstimulating himself, but he doesn’t stop. He does set you back on the sink, his palms flat on the marble by your hips, but he doesn’t slow even a little.

“Tetsu–rou!” You cry, your chest heaving because it feels like you can’t get enough air. You’re wound up too tightly, and he’s so hot inside of you, his voice is ragged in your ears as he whimpers and whines while fucking you through the sensitivity.

“Cum for me.” He demands, low like gravel, as if he’d gargled a shot of whisky and smoke. “I’m going to make you cum, be good and take it, yeah?”

You don’t have the voice to reply, a silent scream fills your mouth when the building pressure at the base of your spine snaps. He moans with you when you squeeze around him, too hot and slick and it’s agonizing with how good it feels when you flutter around his cock, even though it nearly hurts he can’t help riding it with you, half-hard and raw he fucks his own cum back into you before it can seep out.

When the ringing in your ears stops and the white distortion in your vision fades, you’re slumped forward in Kuroo’s arms, your face tucked against his neck while he carries you out of the bathroom and down the hallway. You whine softly, pressing sleepy kisses along his jawline until the low rumble of his laughter warms you.

“Just a minute, sweetheart.” He murmurs, turning his head to place a chaste kiss to your shoulder. He’s tucked himself away but left you naked in his arms, though you realize once he has you sprawled on the bed that it’s so he can put you in clean, comfy clothes.

“Want one of my shirts?” He asks, rummaging through his side of the dresser.

You hum, rolling over onto your side so you can keep him in your field of vision. “Yes, please.”

He chuckles. “How sweet, you’re so docile now.”

“Don’t jinx it.” You sit back up slowly when he approaches you, loose red shirt in hand. You allow him to help you put it on, along with a clean pair of panties, and then he’s crawling into the bed with you after shedding his work clothes, arms finding home around the curve of your hips.

His forehead touches yours. “I love you.” He whispers.

You tilt your face up, the tip of your nose brushing against his, back and forth. “I love you too.”

His hands rub wide, soothing circles into your lower back, as if already anticipating the soreness that will be present when you wake up tomorrow. “I’ll clean up later, okay?” He kisses you sweetly on the mouth. “Get some rest, you’re gonna be in a lot of pain when you wake up.”

You snuggle closer, rubbing your thighs together to savor the ache lying between them. “Worth it.”

His laughter is soft and adoring, the warmth of him all encompassing as you sink into his embrace. Kuroo tries to coddle you after scenes like this, but he knows as well as you do that you’ll wake up with him to clean up later. The couch has to be righted, you have to pick up all of your books, and the trail of clothes that you left in the bathroom will need to go in the laundry.

But right now, your partner is loving all over you, whispering his adoration and admiration into your skin between kisses, thanking you for playing along with him and praising you for taking him so well. You drift off sore but sated, feeling cherished and secure.

Safe.

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So...yeah. Hope that wasn't too crazy, need some water? Check in, make sure you're good, stuff like this can sometimes be a bit much for people and it's important to make sure you're comfortable.

#kuroo x reader #kuroo testuro x reader #kuroo smut #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu smut #kuroo testuro #i can't even read over this tbh LOL #im pretty bad about not wanting to read over my stuff #i usually have to for editing #but i was so high when i wrote it so im kind of afraid to see what i wrote LMAO

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duelistkingdom · 3 months

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title: vespula main characters: diana kettering, ophelia copperfield genre: southern gothic romance themes: identity, queer politics, inheritance & race, classism, hauntings

content warnings: queerphobia, racism (esp antiblack racism in the south), paternal death, guns & violence, misogyny, bug death (specifically wasps are killed)

plot: twenty-five years ago, peter kettering was believed to have died in a car crash. he left behind a grieving widow and a young daughter - diana kettering. in 1997, diana recieves a letter from ophelia copperfield revealing that her father died last week of a heart attack instead and her entire world is shifted. a house and a sizeable amount of money are being contested, and ophelia begs diana to visit it at least once. now diana has found herself embroiled in a bitter estate battle with her father’s mistress and her grandmother while trying to untangle the one mystery that really brought her here: who the hell was her father?

author's note: this was written for @ockissweek day two. this is considered noncanon & thus isn't a spoiler for anything in the story. this is just a fluffy little exploration piece for diana & ophelia's relationship.

It'd been raining for the past three days. It splattered against the tin roof and windows, making it difficult for Diana to sleep. She wasn't sure she wanted to sleep regardless. The fact that there was a long list of family who wanted her dead and out of the way made it difficult. Even with Jane out of the house and the locks changed, Diana was having plenty of uneasy nights thinking about how she wasn't safe. The gun was in the drawer next to her, ready to be fired if she needed. It still didn't help her feel any safer. She was about to fall asleep when the phone rang, jolting her up out of any sleep she'd have. Diana reached to the phone, answering with a soft, "Hello?"

"I see you got the phone set up in the house," Ophelia said on the other end, and Diana could see the smirk on her face. "I... was wondering if I could come over. I've been at the office all day and... have some stuff to go over with you."

Diana's pulse quickened as she considered all the possiblities if Ophelia came over. She'd been doing her best to pretend that there was nothing there, but every now and then... she thought maybe... she put that thought away. It would be dangerous if she got too far ahead with the belief that Ophelia might possibly play for the other team. Sometimes she considered asking her what she thought of The Color Purple... or perhaps if she was a "friend of Dorothy". She ruminated over the best possible approach. "Uh, yeah," she found herself saying before she went over all the pros and cons - something she wouldn't normally do. "Just... hurry over, okay? I..."

"You don't need to say it," Ophelia said, cutting Diana off. "See you in a few minutes."

The line went dead, and a clap of thunder made Diana jump. She glanced outside the window again, breathing in and out slowly. She'd never liked thunderstorms. Ma would scream in panic the entire time, and nothing could soothe her. In turn, Diana would shake under her sheets when she was younger. Even now, she could still hear the blood curldling shrieks from when she was a small child. She got out of bed, padding towards the closet. If Ophelia was going to be here soon, then she needed to get dressed. What does one wear when their crush is coming over at... she glanced at the clock, and did a double take. It was two in the morning.

Was it normal for other girls to go over to someone's house at two in the morning? She knew that when she was a closeted teenager, she was invited over for sleepovers. Was that what this was comporable to? In that case, any flannel pajama would be acceptable, surely. She was overthinking this. Normal girls didn't overthink what they wore for a silly sleepover. It was just her dad's lawyer, who was helping her to keep the house. There was no reason to worry about dressing up. And yet Diana decided to pull back on her jeans and a crop top, as if she was expecting something more.

The knock at the door felt like it came too soon, and she made her way downstairs. She could feel the stares from her father's side of the family's portraits staring her down as she made her way to the foyer - as if they knew they'd hate her for merely existing. She was the wrong kind of descedent living in this giant mansion: half black, a woman, and a homosexual. She shook that thought off. Diana didn't need to think about any of that when she had arguably a scarier problem at hand: finding out if a girl liked girls. If she got it wrong, she risked so much: losing her job, losing the house, and worst of all, losing Ophelia's friendship. She took a steadying breath before opening the door with a half smirk. "So, what is this stuff you have to go over with me? Don't tell me Jane's filed another injunction or whatever."

"She's attempting to claim your father was incomptent at the time of filing the will," Ophelia replied, shivering. She was soaked to the bone; she seemed to have forgotten to grab her rain coat. Her pale blue shirt clung to her skin, outlining every inch of her body. Her roots were starting to show; how long had it been since Ophelia went in to see a stylist properly? She'd been so busy as of late that she seemed to forgetting more and more about the basics of taking care of herself. "I have enough proof to get that thrown out. Your grandmother, meanwhile, is trying to imply your father was given bad advice for giving you anything - arguing he had no way of knowing you even existed. That's... a little harder, but not impossible for me to fight."

"So I'm going to get to keep my home?" Diana stepped to the side, shaking her head. "You should get inside - you're absolutely soaked. Uh, I think there's a closet full of old clothes. Dunno if it's in your size but..."

"But you want me to try it on and see if it does?" Ophelia had stepped inside, and immediately started shivering. "It's... not a bad idea. Show me where you found it." There was once a point where Ophelia had known this house better than Diana. A beat was skipped, and then Ophelia gasped. "You called this your home! So you've officially decided to stay?"

"Yes."

The simple word stretched out between them; all the possible implications it could possibly have running between them. Neither of them moved at first. Diana was supposed to be leading Ophelia to the room she'd found, and yet neither of them moved. It felt like the thunder outside had moved inside, cackling around them and bringing them closer. If pressed, both of them would say the other moved first when their lips finally connected - like something tying them together. Diana savored the taste of Ophelia's lips, hungerily devouring them. It was like a dream come true; and then she woke up.

"I'm sorry," Diana gasped first, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable... if you want to leave -"

Ophelia cut her off, and this time there was a slower build to the kiss; sweet, tender, gentle. "No it's okay. I feel the same way."

#writblr #southern gothic romance #gothic romance #writers of tumblr #queer writers #writers of color #sapphic romance #lgbt romance #mywriting #oc: diana kettering #oc: ophelia copperfield #ockiss24

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domoron · 1 year

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Elizabeth Bludhart I chapter one

Warning: English is not my first language so there might be grammar and spelling errors

Divider by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Summary: While on a seemingly normal noise complaint check-up Richard Collins meets Elizabeth Bludhart, an intriguing, yet kind woman. While forming an unlikely friendship with her, he has no idea he's getting involved in a tragic love, spanning centuries.

1946

America

A doorbell rings at a beautiful mansion. Most of it was white except for the roof which was a pale blue. Above the door was a triangle-shaped pediment depicting some kind of crest. It was upheld by two columns on either side. The rest of it was very similar to the mansions surrounding it.

The one ringing the doorbell is Richard Collins a young man working his first month as a police officer. He and his partner James Woods wait for a moment until a beautiful woman opens the door. She had straight coal-black hair curled at the ends with bangs that almost reached her eyes. Her eyes. Richard had never seen someone with such pale blue eyes. He was sure that they would almost appear white if the lighting was right. She was also taller than he was used to a woman being. Easily towering over Richard whos 5'8.

She was dressed rather simply to what he was expecting from someone living in such a house. No, it was a mansion, not a house. The woman wore a simple silk button-up blouse with a rose-red ribbon loosely tied around her neck, paired with a flowing black skirt, dark stockings, and black heels.

???: Hello. What business might you gentleman have here?

The woman said with the slightest hint of an accent that Richard couldn't pinpoint. Although he knew it sounded European. Richard was still just a rookie, barely a month on the job, so he figured he'd let James take the lead.

James: May you be Ms. Elizabeth Bludhart?

Elizabeth: Why yes. Can I help you, officers?

James: Yes actually ms. Were Officer James Woods and officer Richard Collins and we have calls of suspicious behavior in your home from your neighbor Mrs. Alice Beretts.

He said pointing to himself and Richard respectfully.

Elizabeth: Oh is that so? Well, why don't we talk about it inside?

James: Of course.

Upon entering the home Richard was quite surprised that the interior was quite dark in contrast to the building outside. The walls were a dark grey marble, while the furniture consisted of ornate victorian motifs. The chairs and tables were dark oak with silver detailing while the cushions were a delicately pattern-stitched purple. In short, the home screamed luxury.

The two men were approached by two maids. One blonde with green eyes and the other a dark brunette with almond-shaped brown eyes. Both of their hair was in buns. The weirdest part was the dead-eyed look they both shared in their eyes. They took the men's coats and hats.

Elizabeth: Amanda, would you make some tea for our guests?

Maid: Yes mistress.

As the maids took their stuff Ms. Bludhart led them to a lounge area with a round glass table that ended up to the mid-thigh when standing up. It had ornate metal detailing in the shape of roses and other flowers along its edge. There were three chairs and a couch around it. It was in an area that had a giant window overlooking a beautiful garden. Richard and James sat down on two of the three chairs while Elizabeth sat on the sofa in front of the window facing them.

As a maid brought them a tray with tea and a couple of pastries they began the discussion.

Richards pov

James: I and my partner are very grateful for your hospitality but we hope this will be a short discussion. I wouldn't want to take up more of your time ma'am.

Elizabeth: Oh don't worry about that. The days have been awfully long and boring as of late. Your visit will likely be a highlight of my day.

James: I'm sure your husband coming home would fill that spot in your day.

Elizabeth: Maybe if I had one.

She took a glance at me and my blood ran cold as ice in that single second.

Elizabeth: Enough of the chit-chat. I'm curious as to what would cause Mrs. Berett to be so concerned as to call the police.

James: She reported a multitude of people entering your estate at, an, unbecoming time" and only a handful of people exiting shortly after.

Elizabeth: I see. I believe a rather misfortunate misunderstanding occurred. You see I was taking interviews from applicants for staff positions in the mansion. I couldn't accept them all and like to test the punctuality of the applicants. That's why the gathering happened at an „unbecoming" time.

James: Just as I suspected. I hate to intrude any further but the caller did ask for a written apology so if you would be as kind. Well grab that and be on our way.

Elizabeth: Of course.

As she went to fetch a piece of paper and a pen I noticed an orange raisin gem in the tray with treats. Ms. Bloodhart set the treats for us to enjoy. It would be unusual for her not to have intended for at least one of us to partake in them. I joyfully picked it up and ate it. Unfortunately, I noticed a strange taste in it. I simply dismissed it, reasoning that they were obviously not fresh and it was probably just the staleness of the muffin.

No one pov

When Elizabeth returned, written apology in hand and the men's belongings, she smiled at the officers and offered to lead them out.

She handed them the note, along with their belongings. Both men tipped their hats and all three said goodbye.

With one last glance at Richard, she closed her door and headed to the basement.

#original story #oc #ocs #Elizabeth Bludhart #my story #original character #original characters #1940s #history #fantasy #historical fiction

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shintin · 2 years

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Her: A Memoir Chapter 4 (Treasure)

↳ Gojo Satoru x Female Reader

— Hey, Hi. How are you doing? I'm not sure who you are or where you live, but I didn't have anyone to tell my story to. You mind if I write it down for you? You have time to hear it?

Everything started from the day he became my best friend. My one and only. We grew up without a mother, father, and family except each other. We ate together, played together, and laughed together. On the cold nights of the orphanage, he was the one who lent me his blanket, and I was the one who kissed his wounds after every fight. His blue eyes smiled at me for 17 years, and my heart carried his love no question asked.

Life was no fairytale, but none of it mattered. I had him, and he had me. But it didn't last forever.

I could never forget that cold autumn afternoon. I stood in the crowded corridor of that hospital and cried over his test results. He had cancer, and my only thought was how to prevent death by doing us part.

You know, I was in love with him, and I was willing to do whatever it takes to keep that damn smile on his lips, even if I wasn't going to be able to see it anymore.

I have no regrets about the unforgiving things I did out of love.

I love him, and I had and held him, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, but … doesn't matter anymore.

Be happy with her, my Satoru.

Genre: heavy angst, cancer, modern au, (+18).

Tags/Warnings: Graphic depiction of rape (spoiler: don't worry), heavy angst.

Author Note: She was only 16 years old when it happened.

Song Recommendation: Sara Bareilles - She Used To Be Mine

Chapter Index -> Next chapter

Year: 2014

The school pool was located across the courtyard in a newly constructed hangar with an elevated roof. The floor was covered with beautiful blue tiles that enhanced the color of the water. Ocean blue, Like his eyes. Something I really liked about the place.

My best days were when I ran across the soccer field and made my way into swimming class. I was a good swimmer with a promising future. It felt good to be good at something, intoxicating. But the bug in the creation system and the idle gods above the skies caught me off guard. They never ask your opinion when they write about your destiny. They say we have "the right" to change our own fate. I say fuck them all. Orphans don't have such luxury. Otherwise, I would never have wanted that doom of deep shit for myself.

"Girls, class is over! Don't leave your stuff in the pool! See you all on Monday and enjoy the weekend!" Throwing her towel over her shoulder, the coach waved to the students and walked to the locker room with a smile. As she left, the students took turns pulling themselves out of the pool, and the water splatters echoed in the ample enclosed space.

Y/N came out of the water in the farthest corner and sat on the poolside. The water slowly flowed out of her hair on her shoulders and found itself between her breasts, now wholly blossomed. Her delicate fingers crawled through her wet hair and pushed it back. Her eyes were closed, and under the sunlight that crept in from the window corner, her rosy lips were more defined on her pale face, granting her more innocence than the angels of the seven heavens.

Hearing loud laughter, she opened her eyes and, without looking at the girls gathered on the other side of the pool, started doing her post-swim practices, stretching her arms to massaging her muscles for good measure of time. Not because she was self-absorbed or a selfish bitch; no, she just didn't like Mean Girls movie's reincarnation company. To be honest, they didn't like her much either. Kind of heart speaks to a heart condition.

After ensuring that her right groin wouldn't hurt at night, Y/N stood up and headed towards the locker room, still ignoring the girls. She opened her locker, and after grabbing the towel, her hands quickly went into her backpack and picked up her phone. A smile set upon her face as soon as her eyes fell on the screen, on her best friend's name, his nickname.

Windex: I'll be about half an hour late. The coach wants to give us a silly pep talk :(

Windex: I hate basketball!!!

Windex: I'd rather take a swim class with you. Peeping girls with you, while they are in their bathing suits could be our special bonding ritual :( :( :(

Windex: I have to go! Make sure you dry your hair. I don't want to catch a cold again.

Windex: I wish you were here, Y/N.

Her eyes read the last message over and over again, until each letter was forever engraved in the hypothalamus of her brain, where no one could reach it, no one could take it from her— her treasures.

I didn't have a boyfriend. I mean, when your parents drop you off at the orphanage door from day one, you grow up with the idea that you're not lovable. Let's not forget the trust issues. (Also, for the record, I was sure I'm not gay somehow. Since I preferred to look at basketball players' legs and buttocks than cheerleaders' asses.)

It seems that in the midst of Big Bang and all the other bullshit, a glitch happened, because Satoru broke my curse and became the first person to gain my trust with his warm friendship. But unfortunately, as someone who had been deprived of love her whole life, I added extra meanings to his actions, to his words… I told myself that if I kept these sweet dreams to myself, they wouldn't hurt anyone. How was a high school girl supposed to know that it would bite her own ass in the end?

Y/N's smile got more prominent, and the butterflies started floating in her stomach as her fingers started typing.

Smiley: You're a walking nut, Satoru!

Smiley: Meet you out front at the basketball court.

Smiley: Please, just take a shower! You stink after matches!

After pushing the send button, she lazily sat on the bench and started scrolling through her social media accounts to kill time.

It is a fact that no matter how much a person tries to be invisible, in the end, their presence will become a thorn in the eye of another. Y/N was no exception when it was a matter of bad luck.

"She is like the gum beneath Satoru's shoe!"

Y/N's eyes widened, but they kept staring at the phone. Were they talking about her?

"I can't even tell what he sees in her! Does he have no eyes? How he can't see a good-looking girl like me!"

She knew the owner of the voice, the president of the Mean Girls community.

"That's got to be an orphan thing. Otherwise, there's no reason for a basketball player like him to be friends with a normal girl like her!"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. All she had to do was count back 10 to 1, and everything would be sorted out. Otherwise, she would count backward from 15, 20, 25, 30, and even 100.

She sighed.

Ten

She had well learned these rituals of suppressing anger by practice and repetition, for this was not the first time she had been exposed to such words.

Nine

Satoru becoming one of the school's popular basketball players was the starting point of the girls' backbites.

Eight

Puberty was kind to him, turning him from a white-haired weirdo into a prince fucking charming who set these hot to trot girls' loins on fire.

Seven

She couldn't care less about them.

Six

Where were they when no one wanted to eat with him at the same table?

Five

Were they around when that little boy jolted awake drenched in sweats?

Four

Did they know how to whisper "I'm here, all is well, Satoru" in his ear to make his nightmares disappear?

Three

No. They didn't, but she did.

Two

Nine years wasn't a short time for her to learn about all his curves and sharp edges, was it?

One

She shook her head, slowly her fist parted, and her fingers released.

You probably feel like you know me now and have a sense of who I am and my background. But you don't know, not exactly.

It's hard to tell. Most days, I don't recognize myself. These shoes, this dress, this house, and the pictures on the walls have taken more than I gave them.

I'm no longer like I used to be. Although, indeed, I was never a sweet attention center. I still remember the girl who was imperfect, but she tried. She was good, but she lied. She was brutal with herself. She got broken and didn't ask for help. She was messy, but she was kind. She was lonely most of the time. She was reckless, just enough for her love. She was hurt, but she learned how to toughen up when she was bruised. She was all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie, but she is gone now.

Life just slipped through a back door, carved out me, and turned me into something I never asked for. Honestly, I would give it all back for a chance to start over and rewrite an ending or two for the girl that I knew.

You look like you're up for a question. Wait a bit more. I'll answer them and bet you're going to hate me.

Y/N got up, picked up her towel, knocked on her locker door, and headed for the shower. She rushed to one of the cabins, quickly switched on the tap, and let the water caress her gently like a soothing cascade. She rested her head on the cold tiles and hugged her bare body under the warm summer rain. Feeling sharp drops of water on her shoulder, she asked herself, was Satoru worth all the trouble? She closed her eyes. The answer was obvious. It had always been obvious.

No matter what, she would choose him. In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, she would find him and choose him. Why? The answer was hidden in an old memory.

It was the memory of a spring day, with mild weather, where we were lying together under the oak tree of the orphanage. No words were spoken besides those from the kids around. I was happy. Content. I felt as though life couldn't possibly get any better than this moment. The leaves of the old tree shifted with the wind, and the sun found its way to my face throughout them, causing me to shut my eyes and turn towards him promptly.

It struck me then how much I loved him by my side. His hands were folded under his head, his blue eyes unwavering under the rays of the morning sun. At that moment, a surety rose in my heart, lodged in my throat.

'I'll never leave him. It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.'

If I had words to say such a thing, I would have. But none seemed big enough for it, to hold that swelling truth.

As if he had heard me, he reached for my hand. I didn't need to look. His fingers were etched into my memory, slender and petal-veined, solid, and never wrong.

"Smiley," he said. He was always better with words than me.

How cruel it was that some things were only wished for, not possessed.

She turned off the water, wrapped her towel around her, and stepped out of the shower, only to find out nobody was in the pool. Better. She wasn't very fond of seeing those assholes again.

She made her way to the dressing room, humming a song under her breath. Untying the towel, she began to put on her underwear and bra, still singing and tapping her foot on the floor with the rhythm. She grabbed a plain white t-shirt from her bag and slipped it over her head. The damp ends of her hair were now wetting the t-shirt's collar. She reached out for her pants, backpack, and jacket when the sound of the closing door startled her.

"Who is there?" She asked, but no answer came from the other side. As her eyes looked for the person who had entered, her trembling fingers unconsciously grasped the locker's edge. She shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. A feeling of dread crept up from the pit of her stomach. She could hear the heavy thud of boots on the concrete floor, but the row of lockers prevented the person from being seen. She tried to convince herself nothing terrible would happen as she felt her heartbeat race.

The steps got closer and closer until she saw the person standing in front of her. The sudden shock made her tense her muscles. Her stomach churned over, and she felt sick for this brief moment.

She had already heard of the rich asshole and his assaults and intimidations, but she had never witnessed them closely. After all, she wasn't one of those chicks who turned heads or got sidewalks glace. It was a relief for her to keep herself to herself. But this moron, with his stupid hairstyle, didn't look like someone who would respect her decisions. Suddenly, she was hit by the fact that no one was around, and with this realization fear seemed to rise behind her eyes, but she pushed it back. At least for the time being. Her hands tried to cover her bare thighs with her jeans, though it seemed impossible. "You're not allowed to be here, Mahito!" Her voice was firm, and she thought she controlled the tremors well.

But the blue-haired boy, with a nauseating grin, didn't seem to mind her words at all. His eyes were fixed upon her limb, and he was getting closer, step by step. Slowly. "Don't be shy, little fish." His tongue dampened his lips. His attitude was strange; he seemed calm and not bothered.

Terror washed over her, raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck. She took two small steps backward, only her back to hit the cold metallic surface behind her. If her heart wouldn't stop raging against her ribcage, she feared it would give her away since it was so loud in her ears. Sweat poured down her body as she stayed still as possible. "Fuck off, idiot," she yelled with a trembling voice. She clenched her fists so hard that her nails cut into her skin. "Get out, now!" She pointed to the door with a frown.

Mahito approached with a snide smile on his lips, as his hand curled around Y/N's forefinger, only to bring it close to his mouth and lick it. The color quickly drained from her face. His touch filled her whole being with nausea. She tried to push him back and shout for help, but he was faster. His hand quickly covered her mouth before a sound could come out and pressed her body to the lockers. Her things fell to the floor, as his hand grabbed her wrist. "Don't be a mood killer; I know you want it!" He brought his face closer to hers. His deep breaths hit her cheek. Fear became a tangible and living force that crept over her like a hungry beast, immobilizing her; her brain, holding her captive. She could no longer control her hands; they trembled in an odd rhythm. She wanted to run, but he didn't allow her to move.

He pressed his body against Y/N's, and she could feel his hard arousal grinding against her groin. Her breath quickened. Her heart was throbbing in her ears, loud and irregular, but she could barely hear it, for her mind was clouded with fear. She fought to free herself, but his grip tightened. The bulge in his pants was growing, and her brain was getting more bewildered. Was she on the verge of a panic attack? No, no, she couldn't allow it. 'Not now. Not yet. Don't cry.' She had to do something before blacking out.

"I always wanted to taste you. You must be good. That's why Satoru still keeps you by his side, isn't it?"

She shook her head, her eyes wide open. If she could, she would have shouted that nothing was as it appeared from the outside, but no sound left her mouth. Her screams were stifled by his hand.

"What a loyal whore! Will he be offended if I play with his doll?" He laughed maniacally as his hand started touching her chest through her t-shirt. He shoved his leg between hers to close the gap between the two bodies. "He needs to learn sharing."

Appalled tears welled up in the corner of her eyes as they pleaded with him to set her free, but this disgusting creature had made his decision long ago. She had to do something. Anything.

There was bitterness in the back of her mouth. His finger was still deep in her throat. The next sound that was heard was Mahito's curses filling the air.

She had bitten his finger, and now she was about to run, to scream for help, but before she could find a chance to breathe, his open palm landed on her cheek, followed by a punch in the stomach.

Her head snapped back and dropped again. There was a warm wet feeling on her face, followed by a copper taste in her mouth. A splitting pain erupted through her head. She wanted to throw up as her arms moved to protect the punched area. She was sure that all the air had left her lungs, so she tried to suck it down like there was no tomorrow. As her vision faded, she caught a glimpse of the bastard standing before her. She collapsed to her knees. She couldn't scream anymore. She could only open her mouth to find that even the words had deserted her.

"You want it rough, bitch?" He grabbed her hair, and pulled her head up to kick her in the gut. Again. Never in her entire life had she ever experienced such intense agony, crushing every nerve in her body. An ache covered her veins as if she was in a surreal hell.

Her face stung, and her head felt like it would split in two. She was aware of what he was trying to do, but she wasn't about to give up. She wouldn't faint. She hoped that someone eventually would come to lock the room, that someone would help her.

Before she could even process anything, his hands were already on her neck, squeezing her throat. Small gasps escaped her mouth. "Now beg like a dog for me to fuck you, or are you enjoying the pain?" Her cold, shivering fingers clawed around his wrist, tapping on it, begging him to let her go.

"That's how I want you, like a good girl!" He loosened his grasp and stepped back to adore the mess he had made of her.

She held her stomach and neck, as she coughed and gasped for air. It was as though the pain had crushed her and claimed her body for its own. Not yet. Not yet. She tried to crawl on the floor to get away from him, only to earn a solid kick on her back. Her leaden lungs suppressed any attempts she made to inhale. A muffled cry came out of her mouth, and she tasted her own blood in her mouth.

Her face hit the floor, and the sight of her in pain with wailing eyes made Mahito smile. He loosened the belt of his pants, hovering over her. The beast holding her captive took control of her entire being. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to flee, but she remained frozen. Fear crippled her.

She knew what he was about to do. Her desperation turned into tears running down her cheeks. As though something had walked through her, she felt numb, dizzy. No hand was covering her mouth now, but efforts to say the words were replaced by a struggle to keep the air in her lungs.

Do you know that feeling where you just want to scream "help me" over and over again? Because you don't know what to do anymore and you feel trapped in this black void of mess you can't seem to get out of no matter how hard you try to run.

Please help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me… No god heard my voice until a fallen angel disobeyed Eden's rules and reached out to me.

Mahito's tapered fingers began to explore her sore body. He hunched over and licked her neck. "No… please…" She used her last energy to beg him. But he didn't care, and his hand slowly slipped into her panties. She felt like her heart had been ripped out. A state of misery that she couldn't see the end of the tunnel. A terrible weight fell on her shoulders as she stood still on the floor. It was as though a giant boulder landed on her, and she couldn't straighten out. She couldn't bear the agony any longer, her grief poured out in a flood of gut-wrenching sobs that tore through her chest. In those moments, her life flashed before her eyes—his smile.

But suddenly, a hand seized Mahito by the collar and threw him to the other side. His body hit the lockers with a loud thud. "YOU PRICK!"

She heard a familiar voice.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TOUCH HER?" A scream came, tearing its way out. And then another, and another. His blue eyes were burning with absolute rage. His nostrils flaring, he stood there, fist clenched on the sides. Anger curled hot and unstoppable in his gut, like a blazing inferno that wanted to burn him from the inside out. What would have happened if he hadn't come after Y/N? He could almost feel his blood boiling in his veins. No one was allowed to touch her. She was his sole family. She was the only one who never left him in all these years. He would break the hands of those who would harm her.

His eyes narrowed, and his teeth clenched together. She hadn't seen him angry. Not once. She was so used to his playfulness and childlike demeanor that this side of him scared her.

Mahito straightened himself a little and grinned as he tried to lean his back to the lockers. "Don't get upset. She can still be your sweet pussy cake. I just want a grab. We may even have it together. I'm sure this slut can take us both," he said, all the while trying to stand.

All of it happened so fast, before Mahito could even stand on his feet, Satoru grabbed him by the face and slammed him against the wall. "YOU FUCKED UP, SON OF A BITH! I'm going to kill you!" He had a sinister look, a vein bulging out of his head. Her eyes couldn't stay open any longer. She was so tired.

After what sounded like hours, she felt death kneeling by her side. She even sensed its hands under her head. She opened her eyes slowly, but instead of death, she met Satoru's wounded forehead and blood-stained shirt. Suddenly, there was an aura of grey around him. It was a fog that wouldn't rise or fade. He felt his throat closing up. His bottom lip quivered, and his shoulders dropped in resignation. A single tear rolled down his cheek, as he sat and watched her bruised body. A giant hole found a permanent home in his heart. His life would never be the same. He resembled a curse and the consequences that came with it.

"I'm sorry, Y/N." In his hoarse voice there was no trace of rage anymore. Instead, a sad expression, drowned in anguish, swept his face as the realization of the moment slowly crept in. He bent over and kissed her forehead. "I'm here, Smiley," he whispered as he wrapped his hoodies around her. He pulled her head towards his chest and didn't let go for a long time, stroking her hair with his bloody fingers. Her breath was taken away, not from the squeeze, but from the realization that his arms were finally around her. Somehow he took away her pain. She leaned in, closed her eyes, and after this endless nightmare, she finally felt safe enough to pass out.

What happened afterward? What the hell do you expect? You think they punished that motherfucker? Do you think they kicked him out of school? Huh, we live in a brutal world. We didn't have a family to fill the school principal's pockets with money. So, I was convicted of staying late in the pool, and Satoru was found guilty of assaulting his classmate and sending him to the hospital. We were both expelled and enrolled in another school after Gakuganji scolded us, humiliated us, and punished us.

I was at my lowest. Others took what I couldn't afford to give. Then my health started to go downhill. They broke me, crushed me, shattered me. They stole so much of me.

In those moments, all I felt was anger. I hated the people. I hated being alive. I didn't want to be near anyone. But he dug through my walls and reached me. He hugged me whenever I cried and held my hands tight, like we were tied.

This is something I think I'll never quite understand. How did he constantly love me and put me first? How did he manage to be so selfless, even though I backed him into a corner? How did he always keep me at the top of his priority list even though I probably drove him insane most of the time? How did he not just give up, and walk away when things got tough, again and again?

It seems like an exhausting job, to say the least. But somehow, some way or another, he kept fighting to stay. I realize now just how much of a handful I really was.

It was him that kept my soul alive in the furnace of grief. He burnt with me to carry me forward to the day I forgot more than I could remember. He saved me from myself, from becoming a monster, a person indifferent to suffering and sorrow.

Do you get it now? We would do anything for one another. I would give up whatever I had for him. There was nothing I wouldn't do to see that boy happy. Even though when he smiles, it's not for me. It's for her.

Tag list: @pyschopotatomeme @fi106 @deniseabad1928 @starlightanyaaa

If you want to be on the tag list, please inform me.

Sorry if I made you all sad with this chapter...

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sunnyie-eve · 1 year

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Redfield (Pt.3)

Series: Never Leave You | OBX

Paring: (JJ Maybank x OFC! Rafe Cameron x OFC!)

Word Count: 2116

Warnings: mention of abuse, small kisses

Last | Next

Callie was laying on her bed, attempting not to drift off to sleep. She was laying on her side scrolling through various apps on her phone, barely aware of what she was looking at every passing second. A soft knock on her window brought her out of her trance. She looked up to see JJ crouched on her roof again. She motions up letting him know it was unlocked so he lets himself in.

"Now, why are you here again?" She sits up in her bed.

"My dad started yelling at me so I left." He closes the window behind him carefully then drops his bag on her floor.

She looks at it but keeps quiet as he sits next to her resting his head on her shoulder, "Well, I'm going to bed so come on." She wraps her arms around him falling back to lie down with him.

Once Callie gets comfortable, JJ put his head on her chest, and rubbed circles on her stomach under her loose t-shirt. The butterflies were going crazy in her stomach from this little interaction. Callie's right hand goes to play with his hair, ready to fall asleep.

"Thank you for this. Letting me come in. I would have gone to John B's but you're closer and understand this way more than him." JJ mumbles.

"You're welcome to sneak in through my window anytime. Especially when it's about home stuff." Callie says truthfully, twirling strands of his hair between her fingers. She hears a slight sniffle from him making her worried, "Talk to me, J."

He looks up at her, resting his chin on her chest, "You being back to help me when shit happens. It's just nice to have this again."

She gives him a small smile before he puts his head back down so she kisses the top of his head, "Let's get some rest." She tells him so this time he falls asleep cuddling her.

This time when Callie woke up the next morning JJ was still sleeping next to her. He was on his side facing her with his arm still laying across her stomach but with a tighter hold like he was scared to lose her.

"You just had to get hotter didn't you." She says in her head huffing while her eyes scan his face. Her hand moves on its own going up to run her fingers through his hair which causes him to smile in his sleep, "JJ, wake up." Callie whispers playing with his hair.

JJ makes a face slightly shaking his head no to her words, "I'm comfy." He pulls her closer to him.

"Well, I want to get up." Callie removes his arm from her before crawling out of bed to find an outfit for the day.

She ends up finding high waisted shorts with a light green kitted top. She sees JJ's back facing her so she gets dressed quickly watching him to make sure he doesn't roll over.

Once she was done she goes back over to her bed to lie down on top of JJ, he just moves his arm to move her to his chest to hold. "Will you wake up, please." She laughs staring at his face.

"Make me." He groans with his eyes still closed.

"I'll kiss you if you don't." She says, thinking it wouldn't be funny but he just puckers his lips? "Eww…JJ! Get up." She smacks his chest.

"If you give me a kiss, I'll get up." He smiles still keeping his eyes closed.

The thought of kissing him made her heart race. Younger her was freaking out from when she had a huge crush on him. Fuck it. She leans forward placing her lips on his. JJ's eyes shoot open since he was losing his mind. He didn't think she would actually do it. Before he could even kiss back she pulls away.

"Now you have to get up." She gives him a smile so he gets out of bed getting dressed as she leaves her room.

"She actually kissed me…" JJ smiles talking to himself out loud.

Downstairs Callie sees it was just her Aunt in the living room with a slightly busted lip. "Where's Joey?" She asks her.

"He left to go talk to a friend so your friend is okay to come down." Tess lets her know, "I heard you talking to someone this morning." She gives her a smile.

"JJ! It's okay to come down!" Callie calls out so he comes running. "Aunt Tess this is JJ." Callie introduces them.

"Hello, JJ." Tess smiles, "What's the plans for the day?"

"Who knows." Callie looks at JJ since he's the unpredictable one.

"At the moment it's just heading to John B's place, Ma'am." JJ tells Tess.

"Well, have a good day, you two." She waves so the two leave the house walking down Callie's path.

As they walk JJ kept glancing over at Callie wanting to ask why did she actually kiss him after saying eww. "Why did you go along with the kiss to get me up?" JJ spits it out to get it over with looking over at her.

She just shrugs her shoulders not knowing how to answer his question, "I wanted you to get out of my bed." He just nods his head as they walk in silence some before speaking again, "But you said eww when I puckered my lips the first time. So?" He stops walking to face her.

"JJ, why do you care so much?" Callie stops to face him as well.

"I was just curious." He starts to walk off so she jogs to catch up with him.

When they get to John B's place they see a notice from DCS so JJ decides to play around hitting the wall, "DCS! I know you're in there!" He shouts making Callie shake her head while he goes to scare John B at the window. "You should have seen your face. Your face was like…" JJ cracks up at his best friend's reaction.

"That's not exactly funny to joke about, JJ." Callie shoves him lightly.

"You both arrived at the same time?" John B sits up.

"Yeah, I slept at her place last night." JJ smiles so Jonah B looks at Callie confused but leaves it alone.

John B tells the two he wanted to go visit Ms. Lana to ask about the compass so they all hop into the van. As they drive there were no conversations happening so JJ decided to speak up.

"I don't understand why you don't at least try with Kiara. She clearly likes you. She's like, Oh, John B."

"Is that what she does?" He looks over at JJ.

"She's sketching about you diving, then she kissed you, bro." JJ says so John B corrects him it was on the cheek.

"Don't pretend that you don't notice." Callie speaks up sitting behind him.

"Now, you're going to hop in? This is only your second day being back." He tells her.

"Forth, and she's right. I see it in your eyes. You're like, I kinda like that, and you start blushing and shit." JJ adds.

"I blush?"

"I saw it…" Callie tells him.

When they get to Ms. Lana house they hear glass smashing then yelling. JJ wanted to leave but John B wanted to see what was happening. As Lana screamed both JJ and Callie wanted to leave.

"Come on." John B tells the two so JJ grabs Callie's hand as they carefully go to the window crouched down under it.

"The compass wasn't in the boat! Where is it Lana!" A man yells at her.

"We should just go. He's got smuggler written all over…" JJ starts but John B tells him to shut up.

As John B looks around the side to see the guys the three then lean up against the side of the house not to be seen.

"Those are the guys that shot at us." Callie peaks to look at the men as well before they have to move some as the men drive off in their boat.

Once they were gone the three go inside to check on Lana and she was telling John B he shouldn't be there. When he shows her the compass she tells him to get out and no one can know about him having it.

Back at the Chateau, with everyone now being together JJ tells them what the three went through. John B ends up heading into his father's office with the gang and they look at the history of the compass, which has been passed down through different people. It turned out the compass has a hidden word inscribed inside, one that reads "Redfield". Believing it may be an anagram or a clue, they try to crack the code but are rudely interrupted by the two men showing up.

"Is that them?" Kiara ends up getting nervous.

"That's them." Callie tries to breathe calmly.

When JJ leaves to go get the gun the guys get closer so he runs back to the room and they try to get the window, that was painted to open. The man starts breaking the door down but the four got out on time running to the coop to hide with the rooster. It wasn't really the best idea because it kept making noise giving away where they were. As one of the men makes their way over JJ grabs the burn killing it with his bare hands.

After the close call, John B gets the gang to go with him to the Redfield Lighthouse since it was his dad's favorite place. John B tells JJ was going to post up to look out for bogeys, but JJ didn't like how he had so John B has Pope and Kiara stand to look out with him.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Callie looks up at the long way up in the lighthouse.

"We'll know it when we see it." He does the same as her.

"That's helpful, John B." She says as they start making their way up the stairs.

Together they speak to the man in charge about the Royal Merchant and its history. He tells them that he believes the ship was on the North end of a previous storm and out at sea, 10 miles in that particular direction. John B believes he can trust the man so he shows him the compass and questions the keeper about what it means. Only, it clearly spooks him, and his demeanor changes immediately. John B pleads with him for help but instead, he calls the police.

"I get you're desperate but come on man." Callie says running down the stairs with him.

"I'm sorry." He follows behind her but when they get outside they see the van driving off.

"Seriously. This way." Callie takes off and John B follows her jumping over a white picket fence.

They end up getting away from the police and John B kept talking about his dad to Callie. "I believe he left you something but this so far seems like a wild-goose chase." Callie walks behind John B.

"Maybe we missed something at the lighthouse. We-we should go back." They stop walking to face each other.

"Maybe it's not the Redfield lighthouse. It could be something else since Redfield is the most common name in the Outer Banks. I believe you but your missing your dad is making you rush through this. You need to slow down some. I'm worried about you." Callie tells him she's on his side about the whole thing before giving him a hug, "Believe me, I do believe you."

As she pulls back she was surprised when John B kisses her. "What was that?" She awkwardly chuckles.

"You." He stares into her eyes. "I'm… shit. I'm sorry." He realizes what he did.

"It's okay." She tries to calm him down.

"God, I'm such an idiot." He says before going on to rant about being stressed about everything.

"I don't mind." Callie makes him stop.

"What?"

"I just thought you liked Kiara because of everything JJ says, and the whole no Pogue-on-Pogue macking." She laughs as he looks at her.

"Things can change." He steps closer to her leaning down to kiss her again but a police siren goes off.

"Routledge. I got you, son." The deputy gets out of his car. "Now, why don't you just be chill and not make me chase you?" Callie walks behind John B and he sneaks the compass to her to take as he gets arrested.

At the station, Callie calls her aunt asking for help to pay for John B to be let loose. "If Joey finds out I did this, we're in trouble." Tess says as the three leave the station.

"Thank you, Ms. Tess." John B tells her.

"Of course, dear." Tess gets in her car.

"This belongs to you." Callie takes John B's hand to place the compass in it, "Remember, don't worry about that kiss, really. It was nice though." Callie smiles getting in her aunt's car before driving off.

#obx #outer banks #obx ff #obx jj #obx john b #obx kiara #obx sarah #obx pope #obx rafe #jj maybank #john b routledge #kiara carrera #pope hayward #rafe cameron #sarah cameron #jj mayback imagine #obx jj maybank #rudy pankow #rafe cameron imagine

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running-in-the-dark · 2 years

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okay, so, I'm seriously considering getting a cat now (or probably two since they'd be indoor only so that seems better), and I need to talk about that to figure out if it's a good idea.

there's a few things that are making me hesitant about doing this.

we live in an attic apartment, and that worries me. half of our windows open onto the roof. we put fly screens on them (they have a zipper so you can open the window), but those are super flimsy and probably wouldn't stop a cat that really wants to get out. the normal windows also have fly screens, but again those are flimsy.

I once had my dog jump out of an attic window, I think that's why this scares me so much. of course a dog and a cat are very different, and if a cat got onto the roof it would likely be fine (but it might run away, which wouldn't be good).

ideally I'd just make sure the windows are never open when the cats are in the room, but that definitely wouldn't work since it gets very, very hot in summer. that also worries me - we have a few fans and it's alright for us, but I don't know how a cat would handle that with nowhere to go to cool down (I've had cats my whole life but that was always in houses where they could go to a cooler area).

I might also be allergic to cats. I've had three allergy tests, one of those said I'm allergic to cats (and a bunch of other animals), the other two didn't. I can't really tell because cats definitely make my skin a little itchy, but all the people I know who have cats have very dusty homes, and I'm very allergic to dust. so it could just be that. and like I said, I lived with (many) cats for the first 25 years of my life, and it was fine. I was sneezing and all of that all the time, but I'm 99% sure that was mainly my dust allergy (which is pretty well managed at this point). and I'd be alright with sneezing a bit more and having my skin be a little itchy, that wouldn't be a problem.

my partner also really loves cats, but he's never had one. he only ever had one pet, a budgie, and he was pretty young so he didn't have to do much to care for it. so he doesn't really know how much work pets can be and I think he might underestimate that. and he'd likely have to clean the litter boxes etc. because I have.. issues with dirt and stuff like that. I don't think he'd mind, but I'd have to explain that it's not something you just do once a week.

weirdly, I'm kind of most worried about the vet. I've never been to a vet, no idea why but I just never went there with either of my parents. so I dont know how that works, and I'm scared of social situations so that's a bit of a problem. though - my mother knows her vet really well, and I'm sure she'd go with me the first few times and I could figure it out from there.

cost is also a bit of a worry. we're doing alright financially, but we don't really have savings. we could definitely pay for vet bills or anything like that, and I think I'd look into getting health insurance for the cats too (I haven't researched if it's worth it, but I think it would make me feel a bit calmer about that aspect).

I also worry our apartment might be too small for a cat (or especially two). it's not tiny, we have a big living room and the bedroom isn't small either, plus the kitchen and bathroom. so they could get away from each other since there's not just one room. but I don't want to get a cat just because I want one and have it be miserable, that's selfish. I don't know how long we'll live here, probably not more than a few years, but I wouldn't want a cat to be unhappy even for a short time.

I've also never had a cat that wasn't allowed to go outside (ours definitely wouldn't ever be allowed to go outside, even when we eventually move). so I have absolutely no idea what that's like. all our cats ran around outside so they mostly slept when they were home. I assume you'd have to have a cat tree and maybe play with them more actively or something, which would be fine if course. as long as there's enough room for them to do that.

I'd also have to convince our landlord, but I think I could do that. she was mostly worried about us having a cat because one of her previous tenants had a cat that was left alone all day and it scratched the walls around the windows and stuff like that. but I'm home all the time anyway, and that definitely won't change in at least the next 12 months, plus.. the walls are already scratched now anyway lol.

mostly, I think it would just be really good for me to not be completely alone so much during the week. maybe having pets that I need to feed and play with would give me some structure and like, a sense of purpose or something.

the dirt and pet hair aspect also worries me a bit. though, I'm much better with that now (I can touch trash cans again, yay...). and I once had a kitten that peed in my bed every single day for a week, and I didn't mind that because I loved her so much. so I think I'd be fine. and I think the cat hair was only a problem because my mother's house was very dirty and smelly in general, so it was too much for me. on its own I think I'd be okay with it.

we don't go on holiday much, and if we did my brother and his family live really close by so they could feed the cats. in the worst case my mother could probably take them for a while at least (like if I have to go to hospital again or something). so I think that would also be fine.

I don't know 😭 I really, realllly miss having cats but I don't want to risk having it not work out and having to give them back or something like that. but I just really want to have a cat 😭😭😭 every day I think at least once 'this moment would be much better if there was a cat here'.

#I don't know if I'm trying to convince myself this is a good or bad idea #lol #anyway I'd appreciate any advice etc.#but mostly I just needed to do this to get it out of my head lol #did it help? I don't know. I still don't know if it's a good idea or not #but maybe waiting for the perfect time when everything is exactly right just means I'll never get a cat.#and that would suck #yes this is just me overthinking things as usual #personal

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candied-cae · 10 months

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And Who Are We At The End Of The World? - Please, Be Gentle with My Breaks - III

Chapter 18/? - - - Read it on AO3

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Word Count: 10,480

Summary: There's a difference between being broken and having a few breaks. But a lot of these kids and been dealt a lot of blows, and not just from physical monsters of the Upside Down. There's still a lot of stuff hidden just under the surface that they haven't been able to show just yet.

TW: Depictions of PTSD - Triggering events and flashbacks

More ST Fics

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Friday morning - the morning Family Video was set to re-open its doors and begin taking business again - had finally come.

It was a sunny morning. The kind that starts with birds chirping from the trees and the smell of coffee drifting from the kitchen. Robin and Steve had made plans to be at the store early, a few hours before opening, to eat breakfast together in the back office and take care of any possible final business that could come up. It was going to be a very good day. They'd decided that much.

Robin was still asleep and a little while away from starting that very good day when a noise that was less pleasant than birdsong rattled through her window.

It had been a week since the morning after the earthquake, and the construction crews had finally made their way to the suburbs near the Buckleys to take care of refortifying, structural concerns, and general repairs. One such house that required their attention, was the neighbor's from right behind them. The one that happened to be closest to the wall of Robin's room.

She was woken up when the racket started.

There was yelling, the workers shouting across distances and making their plans. Her neighbor's house had a lot of worry. She usually wouldn't mind the yelling that much. She could ignore it until Steve arrived to whisk her away. But she had been asleep and would've liked to stay that way. And all the noise outside made it impossible to fall back asleep. So she rolled out of bed and pulled her thin, red curtains closed, trying to block out just a little bit of the early morning sun.

It was about then that the foreman of the crew grunted with displeasure and came to a decision.

“Too much mess here. The whole foundation's got cracks in it, I don't like the way these wooden support beams are splinting, these warps in the flooring don't look good, and that roof damage is only going to get worse with bad weather. Call the homeowners. They can bitch about the facts all they want, but this house is going to be next with the demo team and need a complete reconstruction before anyone moves back in.”

Robin had already finished getting ready. She was washed up and dressed, and finally, the noise softened. Maybe they were done for the day. And she probably had another hour before Steve would be rolling around. So she dove back under her covers and tucked them in around her. Closing her eyes and drifting back off to sleep for just a little bit longer before she'd be taken away from her warm, comfy bed, and would be made to face the daunting trials of customer service.

Maybe forty minutes later, Robin was in that slippery state between sleep and awareness while the heavy machinery of a demolition team rolled down the street. All at once, those titans of force began to unmake the house right behind theirs. So close to where she peacefully slept. And the house did not go down easy.

Robin was startled awake in a red-tinted room, with the impossibly loud sound of destruction erupting from right behind her. The strength of it was rumbling the bed under her body, accompanied by the shriek of over-used and under-cared-for mechanical parts.

And all of it just sent her.

It felt like Thursday night. In the Upside Down. Where the red-tinted sky opened up above her, and the ground shook under her feet so hard she almost fell over. When the groans of an old house moved around her and filled up her ears. Until it all became echoes of screams instead.

Lucas's screams.

“Erica! Call for help!”

She felt it. She felt the fear again. Like it was all occurring to her for the first time.

Max was dead. Lucas was hurt. Eddie was going to die.

Her hands started shaking. She felt the sweat stick to the back of her neck, on her forehead under her bangs. Her arms and legs almost felt numb- or maybe they felt disconnected from her? They didn't feel right. Or useable.

She was frozen. And she tried to reason with herself. Thursday night was Thursday night. It was over a week ago. It all already happened, and she's supposed to be fine. She's in her room.

But as she looked around, none of it seemed familiar. It all looked foreign. Alien. It even started to look like the room was covered in vines, and dust, and cobwebs.

And she was alone. Steve and Nancy weren't there with her. By her side. Helping her run through the terror anyway.

She was alone.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and then one of the neighbor's walls went down. Everything shook even worse. And while she was petrified just a second ago, she was then thrown into urgency. She all but pushed herself out of the bed and backed up under the frame. In the little space between the floorboards and the box spring. She just tried to crawl further and further back, closing herself into something small and hidden.

Nothing bad should be able to find her under there.

She started crying harder.

Somewhere in it, her parents started asking questions. Asking if she wanted any breakfast before she left. Trying to make sure she was still up. Wondering why she wasn't answering. But none of it reached her. She just stared straight forward, trying desperately to cover her ears and make it stop. She just needed it all to stop. But all she felt was the tremble. And all she heard were the screams.

Her dad opened her door. He and her mom poured into her room and kneeled on the floor to find her down there under her bed. They tried talking to her. To figure out what was happening. None of them understood why it was happening.

Max was dead. Lucas was hurt. Erica was in danger. Eddie was going to die. Dustin was limping. Steve was bleeding.

Nothing was okay. And Robin was alone.

Steve's car rolled to a stop in front of the Buckleys. But Robin wasn't sitting, waiting for him on the stoop. She probably just woke up late and needed another minute, or two, to finish getting ready. They were going in early anyway.

Steve wasn't in any rush.

So he just sat in the driveway. Letting the radio play through “You're Much Too Soon” by Hall and Oats. But still, as the song ended and the host announced that The Cars would be playing next, Robin wasn't outside.

Which was starting to seem unusual. He'd never waited very long for her to run out. It's not like she was someone to go to a rager and be hungover the next morning. And there was no way she had something with Vickie that went so late she couldn't wake up. At least no way she wouldn't have mentioned it to him.

He wasn't sure what her deal was, but he still didn't really want to risk getting Mrs. Buckley's stink eye by knocking on the door. A person only makes that mistake once. So he shrugged to himself and honked his horn in two short bursts. To make sure she knew he was there. Not to sound passive-aggressive, but maybe she forgot what time they planned on leaving.

And in that dark space between what was happening and the memory playing over reality, Steve's car broke through.

Robin knew that beep.

From all the times she was already packed into his car after closing, and he was taking too long to lock the door to Family Video, so she'd lean over to the driver's seat and honk at him from his own car. From every time they'd gotten talked into running one or a couple of the kids somewhere, and they were taking their sweet time, so he'd honk at them. From any time someone peeled out past a stop sign in front of them, Steve would curse, ask how much they think his car is worth, and he'd honk at them because he couldn't expect an answer.

Robin knew the sound of Steve's Beemer.

Which meant Steve was there.

That was the only thing she could grasp and hold on to. Steve was there. Somewhere out of sight, but there. Steve was there, so she wasn't alone.

“Steve? STEVE?” she called for him. Past her parents that didn't fit the picture in front of her, she yelled for her best friend to fill in.

Just when Steve was really starting to wonder what was up, he saw Robin's father open the door.

“There's something wrong with her!” he shouted, looking more scared than grown-ups usually let him see.

And Steve didn't even think he'd ever run so fast for anything. Before he could even worry about what specifically could be wrong, before he could worry about the Buckleys not being his biggest fans, before he could worry about not technically having been invited inside their house - he was through the front door and following the sound of Robin's voice down the hallway to her room. Where her mother was crouched on the floor trying to reason with where Robin must've been under her bed.

He just shucked the jacket off his arms and scooted himself under there beside her.

“Hey. Hey, Rob. I'm here. It's me.”

She looked at him. And he made sense. As much as all of it didn't make sense, Steve being there with her while she felt terrified? That made sense.

Robin's fingers released a sweater that had been lost under her bed and instead grabbed onto the short sleeve of Steve's white shirt.

“Steve. Steve, it's- i- it's shaking. Everything is…”

“I know. I know, it is.” He nodded with her,” But, hey, I’m right here with you. Okay?”

There was barely enough room for the width of their bodies under there. But even so, Steve untucked his arm from beside him and pushed it into the space over Robin. He held her tight around her shoulders, her hand still twisted in the fabric of his shirt. She was probably going to stretch it out, but Steve wasn't even a little worried about it then.

“It's so loud…” she whispered, trying to cover up one ear without letting go of Steve.

“That's okay. That's okay, because…” Steve reached over to his discarded jacket. In the pocket was his walkman and one of his mixes he was keeping on him until he made the one specifically for Vecna. He slipped the headphones over her ears with a little difficulty, due to the angle and tight quarters. But after he got it on, he'd quickly sped through the first third of the tape, because ABBA's “Lay All Your Love On Me” should've been the fifth song on it.

He pulled her tighter against him while she listened to the music and spoke right into her hair,“ I’m right here. And I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

She continued to cry.

Robin's parents just looked at the two in shock. They knew that they had gotten close, but they never imagined… Steve was the kid in town with a reputation for getting around. They always assumed there was something there, something he was chasing her for. They weren’t happy about it but figured - maybe just maybe - Steve Harrington got drawn into Robin’s refusal of his advances and it just made a game for him after they worked together at the mall.

But the way he was looking at her, it was love.

And not a romantic or lustful thing. It was just love in its purest form. Like they were two halves of the same person. Destined to link their arms together for the rest of their lives, despite whatever husband and wife they would get tied to down the road. It was something bigger than her parents understood.

But they were starting to.

Robin eventually stopped shaking so badly, and stopped crying so hard. Steve asked them if the construction crew could stop what they were doing. Even for just fifteen minutes. Just long enough to let Robin calm down some and get out from under the mattress and put some distance between them.

And the parents left them to each other. Somehow, they completely trusted that all Steve Harrington wanted to do was help their daughter feel better. When they told the crew that their kid was having something of a nervous breakdown, they were incredibly apologetic and immediately shut off all the equipment. Mrs. Buckley brought out some lemonade for them as a thank-you while they killed a little time.

“You doing better, Rob?” Steve asked when she looked like she was coming back to herself.

The room didn't look so scary anymore. Her mind wasn't covering her floor and walls in leathery tentacles. She couldn't hear kids screaming and crying in her ears. She knew Max was safe in the hospital, and Eddie was right next to her recovering. Lucas, Erica, Dustin, and Steve all made it out with bumps and bruises, but they were fine.

Robin pushed the headphones off of one of her ears and nodded to Steve, wiping off her face,” Yeah. Yeah.”

“Do you wanna get up?” he offered.

She thought about it. But her legs still felt like jello, and she still had an icky feeling making her hair stand up. It didn't look like the Upside Down anymore, but she was still scared it would again as soon as she made it to her feet.

“Not yet? It feels safer down here. Closed in, nothing can surprise me.”

“Okay. We’ll stay down here for a few minutes.”

Robin shook her head. She felt silly. “We’re going to be late to work,” she told him.

“Fuck work.” Steve remarked, and she laughed through a sniffle,” I’m the manager now. I say Family Video can re-open tomorrow.”

But then the worry hit her again,“ But, Steve, if I stay here all day and they start again, I-”

Steve just shrugged against her shoulder,“ We can go wherever. Wherever you want.”

And she relaxed again.

They got her up off the floor, splashed some water on her face, and got packed into the car after Robin hugged her parents. Told them she was going to be fine.

They blared music from his car and stopped back at his house first to grab snacks. She met the Antonovs while Steve stole a boombox and a handful of cassettes from his room. And then they made quick goodbyes and were off again. Steve figured a good place to go, to get away from everything, was that junkyard past the quarry.

They drove up the gravel road, around the big open water, into the break of the trees, and out through the clearing of abandoned cars and scrap.

“So, this is where Dustin took you, huh?”

She'd wondered what kind of place made for a demodog trap and makeshift fortress to hunker down in. Not enough to actually ask for a visit to a place that screamed serial killer central, but she'd wondered about it.

“Yeah. Except we came from the tracks and walked the whole way from town.” Steve told her.

Robin crinkled up her nose at the idea,“ If you're gonna bring me to the edge of the world, I'm not walking there. Only way you're getting me all the way out here is if I'm riding in style.” She leaned back in the seat, popped her feet up on the dash, and closed her eyes. Like she was trying to become the picture of luxury.

Steve just smiled softly and hummed,“ Of course, you are.”

The Beemer was parked and the two climbed out together. Robin's first instinct was to comment on the mess. The broken glass and the dented-up metal. Steve pretended it was all damage from the demodogs. She didn't know any better to push it. But they sat down in an open spot. Dug into the leftovers of Claudia's brownies while they just talked and looked out over the hill.

And then Robin brought the conversation back to something she considered to be of high importance.

“So, what's the plan with Nancy?”

Steve completely turned away from her, echoing her question like that'd make her drop it,“ What's the plan?”

And, as if she didn't even hear the annoyance in his tone, she agreed,“ Yeah. What's the plan? What sort of idea do we have on the docket?”

“Robin. Her boyfriend is sleeping on my couch right now.” Steve reminded her.

“Which is why I want to know the plan. Situation's gotten complicated.” Robin crossed her legs and popped a bit of brownie into her mouth.

But he declared,“ There is no plan.”

And she almost sounded disappointed. "Steve.”

“You guys keep trying to open that door - and maybe you could entertain the idea while Jonathan wasn't around - but it's different now.”

“You guys?” Robin pointed out,” Who else has been talking about you and Nancy?”

Steve muttered,“ Munson might've said something stupid…”

Her eyes widened,“ See! Multiple people-”

“Just the two-”

“Multiple people think there's something there! So why aren't you going for it? We got your confidence back, you're acting like the hot commodity you are again. Don't get why you're wasting time.”

He tried to redirect her,“ Why don't we focus on the Vickie front?”

She argued,“ The Vickie front is fine!”

“Oh? So what are the two of you then?” Steve pressed.

Robin got quiet before eventually saying,” I don't know.”

“That doesn't sound very fine.”

Which thankfully seemed to pull her away from Nancy Wheeler.

“How do I broach that topic then, Steve?” she asked.

“Well, you're gonna wanna get all dressed up, look real nice, lean in close, and then you're going to ask her where this thing is going.”

“And if she doesn't think 'this thing' is going where I want it to go? Then I've just outed myself and started the countdown until I become the town pariah.”

“You just gotta be covert enough it's safe, and direct enough you get a clear answer,” Steve advised. Which sounded like an impossible balance to strike.

And Robin was at least a little bit annoyed he'd even say such a thing. “Oh? Is that all?“

“That's all it takes!”

“Then…” Robin leaned over and got all in Steve's space before she put on a husky voice,“ Where do you think this Nancy thing is going?”

Steve cried out “Shut up!” and shoved her shoulder. They both fell into boisterous laughter while they lay out on the grass. Leaving behind the horrors of that morning and knowing full well that Family Video wasn't opening by 10 am as they planned.

Karen got a phone call that morning from Theresa. Robin's mother mentioned that they'd had a rough morning at their house, and asked if Karen had noticed Nancy going through anything after the earthquake. Seeming like she was reliving it at all, or stuff like night terrors? Karen truthfully told her that she hadn't seen any of that from Nancy, but what she kept to herself was that their kids didn't just face an earthquake. Karen knew they'd seen more than they needed to.

And with her soft heart, knowing that Robin got really shaken up and quickly left with Steve that morning to get away from the ruckus, Karen decided she'd pay the two of them a visit. Offer a little kindness and remind them that - even if they couldn't turn to their own parents for help - she was on their team now. Like what Nancy had said the night she found out what was going on.

So Karen baked a batch of fresh cookies in the oven. Her oldest daughter was pouring over her school work, the new and the old, and paying extra attention to her essays. Karen slid a plate on the dining room table to Nancy as they came out. Still warm and gooey, practically falling apart as Karen warned her to let them cool a minute so she didn't burn herself. And then she headed out the door. Packing herself and her Tupperware container away while she drove over to Steve's place. Where surely the two of them would have gone after Robin's fright.

The oddest thing was, as she came up to the front porch and knocked on the door, it wasn't either of them that answered. Nor was it Hopper or Joyce, or any of the kids. Instead, there was a man she'd never met before. A very attractive man, for the record, wearing a pretty skimpy pair of cut-off jeans that were halfway up his thighs and what probably used to be a tee shirt until the sleeves were snipped off to the shoulder and the bottom cropped until it almost showed skin.

Which was a little out of the usual considering Spring just started and nobody else in Hawkins would be dressing like that for weeks, if not months. Just wasn't warm enough for it yet. But there this mystery man was, looking like he was ready to host a Summer cookout and work on his poolside tan.

He pursed his lips under a crisp mustache and asked, with a strong, deep voice and accent,” Yes?”

“Uh, yes, I- uh- I’m Karen. Wheeler. Mike and Nancy’s mom.” she explained. Remembering herself after a moment and shifting the cookies onto one arm, reaching out with her other hand to shake his. Friendly, polite, and mannerly. Maybe a little more bashful than she should be.

He smiled kindly and shook it with a firm grip,” Dmitri. I am Mikhail’s father.”

“Oh, yes, I’d heard- that, um, that we had someone new coming into town.” she made the connection and thought to herself that she was being silly. Stuttering and sputtering for no reason.

“Ah, yes.” Dmitri nodded,” Once your government sends me some papers, I may move out of this boy’s home. Maybe then we will even be neighbors, yes?”

Karen smiled and agreed,” Yeah, maybe.”

It was quiet for only a moment before he wondered,“ Was there something…?”

“Oh! Yes! Sorry, um, I assumed Steve and Robin would be around. Wanted to drop off a snack for them.” she motioned to the container she held.

“That is very kind of you. They are out, but I can put it in the kitchen.” he offered.

She handed the sweets over with a simple “thank you,” but she didn't exactly want to run back home so quickly. And she thought it was only reasonable to try and get to know him. Being another adult on the end-of-the-world team and all.

“How- how are you and your son adjusting? To Hawkins? I'm sure it must be a big change.”

“It is fine,” he assured her. “Mikhail wishes he were in school. Also wishes he had his own room, but that will change in time. We are fine. Much better away from where we were. And I, myself, am most enjoying all the time free from work and the warm temperature.”

Dmitri remarked on it all with a smile. Pale, blue eyes shining under the midwest sun. Which must've been a stark difference compared to the snow-covered country he'd called home just days before. He really seemed happy to have completely turned his whole life around.

It wasn't like he had much of a choice. By the sound of it from Murray, Hop, and Joyce, he had to leave. There wasn't anything left for him or his son in the Soviet Union after he was imprisoned, escaped, and every person at his workplace - convicts and guards alike - was killed. He was a renegade, no matter what. So he had to pack up his kid and him, board a sketchy helicopter, and come with the people he'd become loose companions with. Chasing “hope of a better life” and “the American dream” as far as it'd take him.

It sounded terrifying for Karen to imagine putting her own family through. But here, the man stood. In the door of a teenage boy's home because it had a spare room to borrow. In a country he didn't know. Without a clue about what exactly was going to happen in the coming days, weeks, months, or years. If they made it that long.

And he smiled under the sunshine. Because he was away from work, and they had nice weather in Hawkins, Indiana. And that was enough to be happy about.

“Really?” she asked him.

“Oh, yes. Certainly. If I could spend the rest of my days like this, though in a home of my own, I would. Waking up early, making food, spending time with Mikhail and sending him off, enjoying this lovely weather… it is all I need.”

Karen had to laugh to herself. It sounded like the life of a housewife this man was wishing for. And she knew it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. It wasn't as easy or as fulfilling as it seemed like it was when a person summed up in one clean sentence.

“Your son must be better behaved than mine.” she joked.

But Dmitri's eyebrow raised, and he leaned in closer to drop his voice,“ You think too highly of Mikhail. He is still a handful.” He sat back and mentioned,” Though, I suspect I am lucky to just have the one. You manage two.”

“Three, actually.” she corrected,” I have my youngest, Holly, too.”

“Three, then. Miss Wheeler, you are a mother of considerable strength, to do so on your own.”

“Oh, I’m not on my own. My husband, Ted, he-” Karen stumbled for a second. Not exactly sure how much she could speak to her husband's adequacy as a father. Not when it came to the softer parts of childcare. “Well, he supports us. Has a good job and brings home the bacon.”

“But you manage the home and children?” the man restated.

“Uh, yes, I guess, he mostly catches the bills, and I manage the house. And the kids. The day-to-day. If you want to look at it like that.”

“Then that makes you strong,” he argued.

Karen just averted her eyes and brushed her hair off her shoulder. “You’d be the first to think so.”

“Americans do not think their mothers are strong?”

“It’s-” She didn't get very far.

“They should. I believe you are very strong woman, Miss Karen Wheeler.” Dmitri said with full sincerity.

She couldn't help but notice he didn't correct to “Mrs.” even though she brought up her marriage. But it was nice to hear the rest of that sentence too. She was a strong woman. Seriously spoken, because it was no laughing matter.

Karen also couldn't help but ask a question she's wondered a few times by herself.

“Was it easy? To work and take care of your son on your own?”

It seemed a little rude to ask. She'd only known the man for a few minutes, and she only knew he was a widower or some kind of divorcee because it was sort of the elephant in the room. You don't think to grab the kid and not the mom if everything is going well. So he was in the parenting game on his own. And maybe sometimes Karen wondered if she could do something like that.

“Absolutely not.” he answered honestly,” My wife passed many years back. And my job it- it kept me away from home a lot. Only way we got through it was our sweet neighbor watching him when I could not. I only hope I may find way to tend to him more now.”

“You’d want to be a house-husband?” she asked, surprised.

“If I could? Absolutely. Just be a little… little trophy for the Missus to show off while I take care of the home and my boy.” he mused. “Sounds like a fine life to me.”

Karen only let out about half a laugh. “You’re a very interesting man, Dmitri.”

“What? You do not agree?”

“I can see the appeal, from the outside view. I’ve been in the housewife spot for a while now. It can be nice at times, but I definitely miss…” her eyes wandered,” the freedom.”

“I take it you have a passion then? One you put away to take care of your family?” Dmitri leaned against the door frame. His exposed bicep squished against woodgrain, though Karen tried not to notice, and he watched her carefully. Listening.

She admitted to him,“ Yeah, I did. Once upon a time. Many, many years ago.”

“Well, I hope you find it again, Miss Karen.” There it was with the “Miss” again- “Maybe your kids straighten up and give you time to chase it? Or your husband takes over some responsibilities of the house?”

“Oh, that’ll be the day.”

“You think Mr. Wheeler is not strong enough for the job?”

“He does his job.” Karen had to defend her husband. She began to count on her fingers,” Provides the roof over our heads, food on the table-”

But this Dmitri wasn't having it. With one hand, he gently closed his grip around hers. Only enough pressure to stop her, so he could say,“ If your husband leaves you so dissatisfied, then I do not believe he does his job very well.”

And Karen could feel the heat in her cheeks go hotter. He was close. And touching her hands. And serious but not afraid to laugh. And sweet in the way he talked about his kid. And attentive to her in a way no one has been since she and Ted first met.

It swelled something in her chest that scared her.

She smiled politely, and pulled her hands back,“ Sorry to have taken up so much of your time. I wasn't planning on more than a quick drop-off. But I’m happy to hear you’re both settling in. Feel free to help yourselves to the cookies as well.”

“Thank you,” he said, smoothly. No hint of dismay as she backed out. And then he added,” But it was no bother to speak with a beautiful woman on a nice day. Especially if she's brought over her own baking.”

In a moment of bravery, Karen agreed.

“It was no bother speaking to you either. I’ll see you again sometime.”

“Until then, Miss Karen. To your free time and the rise of house-husbandry.”

And Mr. Antonov stayed at the door while Karen returned to her car. He popped open the top and swiped himself a cookie in the wait. Watching as she opened the door and slid into the driver's seat. He only closed the front door of Steve's house once he'd seen the engine turn over fine. Making sure she'd have no problem getting home.

A length of care just beyond what was necessary.

It'd been a long, long time since Karen felt like anyone had extended that attention toward her.

Not that it mattered much. She was a married woman. A housewife. A stay-at-home mom. And Dmitri didn't convey much confidence that she was able to be anything else anymore. Not with three children to look out for. Even if Nancy was going to be off to college soon, Mike still had three years left. Hell- Holly was only six.

She needed to get back home.

Get back to what she knew how to do.

Time passed by in the junkyard. The sun rose up and eventually hung high in the sky overhead. Steve and Robin nearly emptied the last of Claudia's brownies. They were probably ready for some real food soon. And to get back to civilization.

But, for the moment, they just lay out on the ground next to each other.

Trying not to think about all the dirt getting into their hair and rubbing into the back of their clothes.

But Robin finally felt like herself again.

“Thank you,” she said to him. Her best friend. Who sat with her through the whole thing. Even though it snuck up on them out of nowhere, and they've never dealt with anything like it themselves.

“For?” he asked her.

She filled in,“ For being there for me.”

“Rob,” Steve rolled over onto his side to look at her,” I always will be. You know that.”

Robin nodded,“ I know. I just…” she started to explain,” didn’t realize it could get that bad. Nothing ever hit me like that after last summer. Nothing was ever similar enough to what happened that I just- I don’t know. But then I was just in my room, and I looked around, and it was just like Thursday night. Like some amalgamation of my bedroom and the Creel house, and the sounds were just- ”

Steve put his hand on hers where she'd started mindlessly ripping grass up by the roots.

“I know. But we’re fine. We’re fine.” he assured her.

“Yeah. We are.”

“So we’re feeling better now?”

“Yeah. We’re feeling better now.” Robin squeezed his hand.

“All the way better, or is there still something you need to be all the way there?”

She chuckled and smiled up at the bright blue sky. A big toothy smile. The kind her mother would've told her to reign in if they were taking family pictures. But the gentle fondness of Steve Harrington could be funny when he overdid it. Like a mother hen checking on his little chickadees over and over again.

And Steve might've been thinking about cruising by a drive-thru to finish off the comfort, but Robin had another solution in mind to settle any lingering anxiety.

“Well, if you’re offering… you know what my favorite thing ever is…”

And that was all the leading she had to do. Steve's eyes narrowed at her. But he didn't resist much.

“… Fine. Since you had a shitty morning.”

And then Steve went to his cassette player and dropped in “Robin’s Mix.” A tape he'd put together some time ago that always got the most runtime when its namesake was with him. It only took seconds for the sounds of ABBA's “Dancing Queen” to come out through the speakers. The first song on it. Robin stood, dusted herself off, and joined Steve by the hood of his Beemer where he'd propped the player. Fully set on turning the patch of seclusion into their own private dance floor.

And as the Swedish singers came in, Steve was quick to mime a microphone of his own. Directing every single word to his very best friend. Just like they had for her birthday.

“You are the dancing Queen, Young and sweet, Only seventeen! You can dance, You can jive, Having the time of your life, Ooooo~ See that girl, Watch that screen, Digging the Dancing Queen!”

They spun around each other. Robin shook out her hair, dropped her shoulders, and grooved side-to-side. Put her hands up in the air and swept them around in smooth motions. Steve was jumping around, posing, and kneeling to bask up at her. Like she was a real celebrity.

They probably put too much energy into it. If anyone serious was looking at them and compared their moves to the music at hand, they'd probably have said they didn't fit together. But to the two of them, it was how the song was meant to be danced to. It's what was right when everything came down to just Steve and Robin. No one else on the planet was invited.

And just being Steve and Robin was the easiest thing most days.

They made it all the way through the song before Robin nearly collapsed against him in giggles. He put away the phony mic, tossing it somewhere behind him to catch her before they both ended up on their asses. “One Way Or Another” began to fire up, but neither was listening too carefully.

“Thank you,” Robin said, almost out of breath.

“You already said that.” Steve pointed out.

“I know. But seriously,” she grabbed his hand and squeezed it like it was the most tangible lifeline she's ever had,” Thank you. For being my favorite person in the whole world.”

He squeezed her hand back, just as much love expressed in the simple act,” Thank you for being mine.”

Eventually, Robin stood back up on her own two feet. And they decided on that drive-thru meal to offset all the sugar and chocolate they'd had in lieu of a balanced breakfast. And interestingly enough, they also decided on going back to Family Video anyway.

They had no plans to open. More so just get out from under the sun before one of them (Robin) got sunburnt. Maybe even avoid the mosquitoes for the rest of the day. And Robin's Mix played through Steve's stereo the whole drive.

It might've only been Friday, and the nurses might've said they wanted to hold on to Eddie through Tuesday, but he was getting stir-crazy.

He hated, hated, hated just sitting there on that bed. He wasn't supposed to get up and move around too much, lest he desire to face Nurse Tracey's wrath. But it was torture. The tv was no adequate entertainment, and it killed him to know that everyone else had something to do. Some way they were healing or fixing things.

Just “getting better” wasn't a good enough assignment.

Not when there was so much at stake. Not when he was laying down right next to Max, who was stuck where he'd gotten out of. They told him it wasn't the same. But it should've been. They both died, and El brought them both back, and they both got to a hospital. But she wasn't awake.

And it pissed him off so much.

She played decoy, and so did he. And they both did their parts a little too well. But she didn’t get up after.

Wayne dropped in and ate breakfast with him on his way to work. Expressed his sorrow about Eddie's ring. Eddie's mom's ring. His fingertips drifted to his right ring finger where he'd always worn it. Not on the left, because that was the spot dedicated to his own engagement one day.

He missed it. The black gem, cut in too many facets that it caught the light too much. It didn't have the same mystique as domed, smooth onyx that seemed more like a void set in silver than a stone. He'd looked at some in pawn shops and understood the appeal.

But as much as his mom's ring didn't exactly fit the idea of what his aesthetic "should" be, it was better.

And it was gone.

He didn't cry when Wayne mentioned it. Didn't cry when Wayne said he was going to ask around, keep an eye out, and look wherever he could think to. Didn't ruin it for him by saying," I know I wore it into battle. I fucking kissed it before climbing up a twisted version of our trailer and starting my set. So if it's gone, it's gone in another dimension. And, honestly, it was probably eaten by a demobat, given how much they bit at me. So it had to be fucked up for good after sitting in dead monster stomach acid all this time."

No. Eddie just smiled at his uncle. Told him thanks for everything. Said he was going to make it up to him with a spaghetti night when they settled in a new place to call their home again. Wayne smiled and told him not to forget the garlic bread.

"You know that's the best part." he laughed.

Wayne's eyes caught on his watch, and it was time to go. He laid a hand on his boy's shoulder, kissed him on his forehead, and told him to just keep getting better. Try not to worry about anything in the meantime.

Eddie didn't promise him anything.

He finished his re-read of The Hobbit. Sniffled at the end like he always did. He looked over old notes and put together new ones for a campaign. The boys, including Josie and Erica, and even Will, all came by. It was nice.

It wasn't a very complex storyline he'd thought up, but for a one-shot, it would do. The gang of nine players packed around his bed was given the task of sneaking into a masquerade party held in a castle. The queen had received word that her daughter was in danger, but she didn't know who it was. It could've even been a member of their own royal guard. So she'd hired the band of adventurers to make sure the princess would be safe. The hard part was, she'd survived an insane labor of nine. Yup, nonuplets. So there were nine identical princesses to keep an eye on and protect while they tried to find the bad guy. And just as fate would have it, one of them died.

It was only thanks to Will's impeccable notetaking that they figured out it was not actually Daphne in the pale green dress, but Rowena who'd swapped their clothes and taken the place of her sister. A scheme worked up with an assassin she'd fallen in love with to steal the title of "eldest daughter" and have the first claim to the throne. She had been the youngest of nine, after all, she was far down the list before she'd see a crown.

But they solvest the mystery. Earned a good chunk of change from an incredibly distraught royal family who not only lost one child, but a second too. Everyone cheered for each other when they got the confession and defeated the enemies in combat. Tucked away the characters with mentions that it might be nice to dust them off and revisit the theme again another time. Make a regular habit of these Sherlock Holmes-like mysteries dipped in a little bit of fantasy flair and ass-kicking to close it all out.

It was fun. Mostly. But holding the session around his bed, where he felt like he was some weak little thing he didn't think he was… it hurt Eddie in a way he wasn't expecting. It itched against all the other feelings he was holding on to. And he didn't like it.

He was feeling cagey.

So, after they all said their goodbyes, he made a break for it.

Or, more exactly, he told Tracey he had to get out of there and begged for any way to make it happen. She was not happy. Looked at him down her hooked nose, through her thick glasses, from under crumbling mascara that rimmed her eyes. A scornful expression like she was trying to intimidate him into pulling up his covers and saying how much he actually liked it there.

But he stood his ground. And she admitted, him being a legal adult and all, that he could fill out an Against Medical Advice form - meaning he couldn't sue if he fucked himself up for leaving early - and he'd be free. So he asked her, very nicely, to fetch such a document for him. And she did. She still pestered him about calling or coming in the minute he felt bad. To watch himself for a high temperature, upset stomach, sweating or chills, bleeding, puss, or extra sensitivity around the injuries. So he swore up and down he would.

And he made it out.

His car was still at Wayne's hotel, wherever that was exactly, so Eddie just hopped the bus and made it downtown. He didn't have an exact plan, but he was not going to go home. That trailer was practically a fallout zone and wouldn't make for much of a shelter at that point. And he also didn't want to even figure out where Wayne was pitched up at. Because he was bound to go stir crazy there just the same as he had in the hospital.

He ended up on the idea to stop by a certain video store to annoy a certain pair of employees and whatever poor souls decided to shop there on the day Eddie Munson became a truly free man.

“What? Am I not pretty enough for you, Robin?” Steve asked.

His voice dripped with offense, like the discussion at hand was the cruelest thing anyone had ever said to him. They'd been making plans for Robin to ask Vickie on something more obviously a date. To help bridge that gap between girl friends and girlfriends. Robin had suggested something more like what she and Steve do anyway, getting together at someone's house when there are no parents home for a movie. But that also painted what they do as being inherently romantic and she gagged. Now, Steve was on some tirade about being a wonderful date and she should be so lucky.

He leaned against the shop counter and struggled to pop his hip out in a way that could even come close to feminine. But none of the shapes were there, and Robin could only look at him with pity. Not an admission of defeat.

“As much as I love you, Steve…” she tried to soften the blow,” You already know the key thing keeping us apart is my particular interest in…”

”Oh, right.” Steve's tone dropped, and he cupped his hands on his chest as if it was the first time the thought had occurred to him,” Boobies. I don’t have those for you.”

The comment caused Robin to crinkle her nose in a sharp cringe,” Stop calling them that!”

“Why?! It’s what they are! Not my fault you can’t handle the proper word for them!” he pushed.

“ANYWAY!” she tried to take control of the conversation,” I like them a lot, so stop pressing it. It's starting to get really sad.”

“Alright, alright, I'm hearing you, but what if I turned like this.” Steve turned around and arched his back as he shyly looked over his shoulder at Robin. Trying to pull off a more pin-up pose. Like, because she couldn't see his front, she could forget he was missing the pair features they both enjoyed so much. Like it made him girly enough at all.

Robin tried to hold back her snickers at his display. Steve closed his eyes and shook out his hair behind him for effect. He put on a pretend sultry voice before asking her,“ Does this do it for you?”

“What did I just walk in on?” Eddie froze in the open doorway.

As Steve's brain registered that the question didn't come from Robin, he snapped open his eyes and jumped out of the pose. Some kind of less-than-manly shriek flew up from his mouth, and all too quickly he practically tumbled over the countertop and crossed his arms over his chest to cover himself behind it. As if he was even topless in the first place. He wasn't, but he still felt pretty exposed.

“Can't you read the sign?!” Steve griped. A pointer finger shot out to where the “closed” side of the board was clearly facing out the door to any foot traffic on the sidewalk.

Robin was less focused on Steve's cause for concern and complaint. Instead, she joyfully exclaimed,“ Eddie! You’re out of the hospital!”

“Yup, doc declared me as less than ‘healthy as a horse’ but not likely to bleed out at any moment, so I've been released on good behavior for bedrest at my own home while the wounds, you know, do their thing and scar over.”

“If it’s bedrest, shouldn’t you be, ya know… in a bed? Resting?” Steve questioned him. Maybe a little pointedly, but hey, he was allowed to feel a little sour over Eddie walking in on his and Robin's nonsense. That stuff's supposed to be private.

“Didn’t really feel like hitching a ride across town for a quiet hotel room packed with Wayne's and I's stuff while he finishes the rest of his shift.” Eddie excused,” Plus I’d miss out on whatever the hell all this is. So I’ll ask again; what did I just walk in on?”

“Steve’s just really sad that he’s not pretty enough for me.” Robin mused teasingly. Figuring that context was innocuous enough for the present company.

“Oh, man. Tough break, Princess Harrington. My condolences.” Eddie said, putting one hand over his heart and the other on Steve's shoulder like he actually meant to console the man's wounded pride.

Steve swatted away the gesture immediately. And then he decided something new about Eddie being a member of the party.

”You two are insufferable!” he said with a pair of aggressive finger-pointing,” I don't like this duo! I don't need the two of you ganging up on me! It's unfair!”

“Wait till we get Dustin in on the action too. Three on Steve seems like fine odds.” Eddie added just to see the way it made Steve twist up his face. He even started getting a little red!

Through it all, Eddie and Robin found some kind of understanding between the two of them. An understanding of how fun it was to push all of Steve's buttons. And somehow, they still secured invites to his place for dinner. Maybe it was their wicked pair of sad eyes, maybe it was more of that “feeling way too bad for everyone” gene he's got, but Steve let them both pile into his car while he made his way home.

Eddie met their European guests, shook more hands, and made more small talk. And by the end of the meal, Steve would say he narrowly survived the onslaught of teasing. Steve ran Robin back to her place and stayed parked right outside until she buzzed him on the walkie and said she wasn't having a panic attack in her room again and he needed to clear out before someone accused him of stalking. Eddie and Steve laughed, and as the driver wondered where he was sending Eddie off, he admitted he didn't know.

Still hadn't even called his uncle to find out which spot across town he was camped up in.

And somehow… that conversation ended with another invitation to Steve's house. That time, one to spend the night. Eddie was eager to accept. A bustling house of kids and the most random assortment of adults sounded like the exact opposite of falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat beeping on a machine next to him, and Max's a few feet away.

And thanks to an already stacked dance card - the Byers and Co. on the couch, Joyce and Hop sharing the master, Murray laid claim to the first guest room, the Antonovs in the other - there was really only one place with any spare room without tossing one the injured men to the floorboards.

And that was to partner up and share Steve's bed with him.

It started with Eddie trying to break the ice. Pointing out the grid pattern painted on Steve's walls and hung up on his curtains. Mentioning that it was nothing like how he imagined the King of Hawkins slept. It looked more like a cage than anything else.

Steve shrugged, agreed with the sentiment, and tried to focus on grabbing his own pajama options and getting the night over with. As awkward as it was shaping up to be. But drawing attention to his closet, drew attention to the desk and chair right in front of it. And the denim vest hanging on the back of that chair, which rightfully belonged to Steve's most recent guest.

“There it is!”

Steve turned around and followed Eddie's eyes to the battle vest he'd accidentally borrowed for too long.

“Oh, right! Sorry.” he picked it up from its perch. “Didn't mean to steal it. Just forgot it was there a little.”

“Wow. I let you dress yourself in my battle vest - watching out for your delicate purity so that it might not be besmirched - and you forget about such a deep moment we shared?” Eddie lamented the tragedy. Wondering to himself if it would be too much to try and force a tear.

“I didn't mean I forgot about it like that. Just- I was trying to figure out what to do with it, and I forgot to give it back.” Steve quickly handed it over,” Here.”

Eddie barely looked at the item before he asked,“ What to do with it? That sounds a little spooky. Did you have some kind of black magic spell in mind that you needed it for? You're not gonna steal a lock of my hair after I fall asleep, right?”

“No. Absolutely not. I, just, I was wearing it while I was all gross and sweaty and bleeding, so I figured the same rules as borrowing gym clothes applied, and I should wash it before I gave it back.” Steve tried to explain,” But you have so much stuff on it I didn't want to get ruined, and I wasn't sure how to go about it, and everything has been so insane all the time-”

“I get it. Worry not, Stevie.” Eddie tried to release him from whatever pressure he put on the idea. “Plus you don't really wash a battle vest. It's kinda supposed to go through hell and come out the other side with some authentic grime.”

“But another guy's blood and sweat? That's pretty extreme.” Steve commented. But his face said he leaned more towards 'nasty' than just 'hardcore.'

“You don't understand the culture. That's okay.”

“Alright. Well, then I guess my dilemma turned out for the best.” Steve ducked back into his closet.

Eddie more carefully examined his vest for all the wear and tear it saw. None of the patches or pins looked like they were in danger, but there were some new loose threads he could think about playing with. As he looked it over, he commented with a chuckle,“ Yeah, if you wanna uselessly panic about other stuff and wind up saving the day through inaction, there's the Vecna guy I don't know if you've heard about. I think those magic powers could really speed things along and get us all to summer break in one piece.”

Steve quickly turned out of the hanging garments and urged Eddie,“ Don't let Murray hear you strategize, or he'll barge in and spend an hour actually trying to make a plan out of it.”

He said it so seriously Eddie couldn't even get a response ready while Steve slinked out of the room to go across the hall. To change into the jammies and take care of his nightly routine in the comfort and privacy of his own bathroom. And before Eddie knew it, he was left alone in Steve Harrington's room. Sitting crisscross on the edge of his bed, a pile of denim in his lap, and far too much awareness of how fresh their friendship really was.

The rest of the house had gotten pretty quiet. They'd all turned in for an earlier evening after a long afternoon of work at Hop's cabin and some folks still adjusting their internal clocks to Hawkins time. A big, big house, packed with people, and yet there wasn't much noise.

Steve came back to his room just after a few minutes. He tossed his clothes from the day in a dirty laundry hamper and sat on the other side of the bed. Pushing down the covers before he swung his legs up under them. Eddie followed suit. Standing up to put his vest back on the desk chair for the time being, and climbed into the bed next to his roomie for the night.

And then Eddie and Steve were left to each other. In Steve's bed. Laying still as statues to get some well-deserved rest.

And it was nerve-racking. All of Eddie Munson's nerves were racked. He couldn't help thinking about how the whole situation was so far off the map for him a few weeks ago. On the 22nd of March, Eddie Munson held a broken glass to his neck, and everything's been so strangely on the up and up since. Minus the whole almost-dying part. They'd been forging a bond, a weird one, given such a distinctly separate history. But there they were. Having a sleepover in the famed King's bedroom.

And it wasn't any easier for Steve to deal with. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. It shouldn’t do or mean anything to him. Steve's done this sort of thing with Robin tons of times. Falling asleep next to someone you’re not attracted to should be easy and simple. But it wasn't.

Like, with Robin, they were both allowed to stretch their limbs out in all directions and hug the night away before they tried to kick one another off the bed. But, with Eddie, they were both practically on the edges of the mattress with their backs to each other so they wouldn't accidentally touch or even look at one another. And Steve wasn’t falling asleep. Instead, he felt like he couldn’t move without bothering Eddie.

What if his stitches were still super sore? What if he was lying about the vest and was actually bothered about the condition it was in? What if he was mad about his mom's ring?

And all of a sudden, Eddie started talking.

“You didn’t, by the way.”

Which didn't exactly make any sense as the first thing either of them had said in almost thirty minutes.

“What?”

“Stomp on me.” he clarified.

And it didn't immediately click. But after a second, Steve remembered what he said while Eddie was still in the coma. The part about “I was a bully,” and “I hope I didn't bully you,” but “I wouldn't really remember,” and “Tommy called it stomping on the ants” like that excused any of it. So that was the stomping Eddie was thinking about.

“Oh… so you…“

“Heard that bit?” Eddie finished for him. “Yeah. When our girlie woke me up in my head, some stuff outside started coming through. When there were a lot of you in the room, I couldn’t really follow any of it or understand what you were saying. But you stopped by on your own. Said that bit. It was easy to hear then.”

“Sorry. I honestly didn’t think you’d catch any of it.” Steve tucked his hands in closer to his face. More thankful than anything else that they couldn't see one another for this conversation.

And yet, Eddie joked,“ You planned to waste such a moving monologue on deaf ears? For shame, Harrington, for shame.”

“I just-” he tried again,” I’m sorry-“

But the other wouldn't hear it. “I just said you didn’t do it. Alright? Nothing to waste ‘sorry’ on.”

“But I must have, at some point.” Steve reasoned.

Unsure why his idea was to argue that, no, no, Eddie, actually he did mistreat you, you must be mistaken, think harder. But Eddie didn't waver. His voice was sure and even. And he simply affirmed the fact.

“You didn’t.”

“But-“

“I’ll admit, I convinced myself once or twice that you orchestrated all of it. Sent out your legions of jocks and goons to carry out your dastardly demands for you while keeping your hands clean. But, I know now that I was wrong about that idea.”

And with a pang of guilt that gnawed at his ribs, Steve spoke quietly,“ But I know I’ve said it.”

Freak. He called him The Freak. He knew he did. Hell, he said it just weeks ago when Dustin invited him to the game. He knew that.

But Eddie didn't dwell on it. Didn't deem it the important part.

“Not to me. Not once did you shove my face in it.”

“I’m still sorr-“ but Steve felt a smack on his shoulder. Carefully, he looked over to see that Eddie was laying face up, no longer with his back to Steve. The wall of air between them was gone, in one way or another. So Steve shifted over, joining him in laying back until he was looking up at his ceiling too.

“And do you always do that?” Eddie asked as he tried to get comfortable.

“Do what? Apologiz-”

“Talk through movies?” Eddie interrupted, steering the conversation way out into the left field,” I mean, I was unconscious, but I still heard your whole commentary on Grease. Very strong opinions you have on that one.”

“Okay, Sandy did nothing wrong and shouldn't have had to 'compromise' with Danny at the end just because he lied about their relationship to his guys for points. Had her story been about actually wanting to be less of a goody-two-shoes for her own reasons-”

Eddie stopped him before he really got going,“ That is what I'm talking about. Seriously, dude? And you had something specific to say every minute of it. Was practically watching it with you even with my eyes closed because you'd remind me what beat we were on without fail.”

He bumped into Steve's shoulder with his own. Small laughs bubbled up. And the whole situation didn't feel so awkward and stilted anymore.

“Yeah, I guess.” Steve agreed with a smile,” Rob and I are usually pretty chatty when we watch ‘em together. I think I picked it up from her.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re a real Chatty Cathy, Steve Harrington.”

“That such a bad thing?”

Eddie paused to think on it. But quickly decided otherwise. “Nah. I wouldn’t say so. Felt way less lonely with someone talking.”

Steve felt some pride settle back into himself,“ Then you’re welcome.”

“Oh, great,” he groaned,” Now I went and gave you a big head about it.”

“I think most people would tell you I already had one.” Steve pointed out.

“A big, stupid head.” Eddie took a finger and poked Steve right on the side of his forehead. But before Steve could really say anything else, he tugged the blanket up and rolled over in the bed. His back was up again, but it didn't feel so insurmountable. It was comfortable.

“Go to sleep,” he commanded. As if he wasn't the one that started their discussion in the first place.

Steve rolled onto his own side,” You go to sleep.”

A comeback fit for a first grader. My, how the mighty have fallen. But sometimes falling could be a good thing. Brings a person back down to Earth. Reminds them of all the other people that didn't climb too tall on their high horse.

And that kind of falling, the kind that Steve Harrington did, didn't make him shatter into broken pieces on the ground.

Some parts of a person need to break. Explicitly so they can put themselves back together. And maybe the breaks were always going to be there. But maybe he'd be the better for it. Maybe they all would.

#Totally didn't forget to post this for a while what are you talking about I've never-#Yeah #I did. Sorry Tumblr I need to get back into the habit of checking in on y'all over here. Working on it.#Anyway #I hope this chapter was everything a person could hope for a more?#I really wanted to develop the trauma they're all kind of going through - Robin has some PTSD - Eddie has some survivors guilt - etc #And more importantly than just the pain they are going through is the reality that none of them are alone #Even if they feel alone for a little while. Someone always shows up. And they don't have to sit in it by themselves anymore.#Also some Karen Wheeler X Dmitri Antanov because when I'm not making her sapphic that's my fave guy for her <3 #And I really really really love the scene in season 3 where Karen tells Nancy not to give up on what she wants from this life #And you can kind of see there's a little bit of longing as she says it to her. Pushing away maybe a little bit of regret what she didn't?#And I never see that stuff addressed - so I'm doing it #These characters are so complex goddamn #Also the lil D&D bit was heavily inspired by Drawfee's Drawtectives on YouTube and everyone should watch it #I dm-ed a similar session and it's so fun highly highly highly recommend #And I finally threw two character into an 'and there was only one bed' situation #After all my years of writing fanfiction I'm finally hitting first base #I have a lot of reasons on why I wrote that Steve didn't really bully Eddie in HS - I might make a whole discussion post about it #I know it's a pretty divisive headcanon - but after all the times I've poured over this show - this feels like the most accurate answer #Steve Harrington #Eddie Munson #Steddie #Steveddie #Steve x Eddie #Nancy Wheeler #Robin Buckney #Ronance #Robin x Nancy #The Fruity Four #Stranger Things

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thewidowsghost · 3 years

Text

Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 1

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

(Y/n) stands in the kitchen of her mother and step-father's apartment, making the bean dip Smelly Gabe liked so much.

(Y/n) fixes her gaze on the counter but then she lets out a yelp as something hits her in between her shoulder blades.

"Hurry it up, girl!" Smelly Gabe snarls.

"Yes sir," (Y/n) murmurs.

A few minutes later, Gabe stalks into the kitchen, takes the dip without so much of a thank you.

(Y/n) fixes her gaze on the shoe on the ground before she moves to her room. She climbs into her bed, getting under her covers. (Y/n) turns, facing the wall.

She closes her eyes, falling to an uneasy sleep.

(Y/n) watches, disconnected from the others in the dream, as one of her brother's teachers turns into something that reminded her of a demon, or something similar that she'd read books about. The woman had bat wings, claws, and a mouth of yellow fangs.

Then (Y/n) looks around, her eyes widening in shock as she sees her brother holding a bronze sword.

Percy swings the sword, the demon exploding into yellow powder, vaporizing on the spot.

A hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder has (Y/n) jolting awake. "Honey? Are you okay?" Sally Jackson asks.

Catching the wide-eyed look of horror on (Y/n)'s face, Sally wraps her daughter in a hug.

(Y/n)'s breathing steadies, and she breathes in her mother's familiar scent - chocolate, licorice, and all the other things she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central Station.

"Did you get all your work done?" Sally asks softly, her thumb brushing over a slightly visible bruise that had appeared at the base of the back of her neck.

(Y/n) hums in reply.

. . .

The next day, (Y/n) is once again lying in her bed, not wanting to have to deal with Gabe throwing more shoes or glass bottles at / near her.

. . .

Percy walks into the apartment, dragging his suitcase behind him, hoping his mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe is in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blares ESPN; chips and beer cans are strewn all over the carpet.

Hardly looking up, he says around his cigar, "So, you're home."

"Where's my mom? (Y/n)?"

"Mom's working," Gabe says. "The girl's in her room. You got any cash?"

"That's it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?

Gabe had put on weight since the last time Percy had seen him. Gabe looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He has about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp.

"I don't have any cash," Percy replies.

Gabe raises a greasy eyebrow. Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which is surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he says. "Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looks at Percy with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he says. The guy just got here."

"Am I right?" Gabe repeats.

Eddie scowls into his bowl of pretzels. The two other guys pass gas in harmony.

"Fine," Percy says. He digs a wad of dollars out of his pocket and throws the money on the table. "I hope you lose."

"Your report card came, brain boy!" He shouts back at Percy. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"

Percy slams the door to his room, which isn't really his room. During school months, it is Gabe's 'study.' He doesn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loves shoving his stuff in Percy's closet, leaving his muddy boots on the windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne, cigars, and stale beer.

Percy drops his suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home he thinks.

Gabe's smell is almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.

Percy sits, lost in his thoughts.

Then he hears his mom's voice, "Percy?" She opens the bedroom door, and his fears melt. "Oh, Percy," she hugs him tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas."

Sally had brought Percy a bag of 'free samples' the way she always did whenever he'd come home.

The two sit together on the bed. While Percy attacks the blueberry sour strings, she runs her hands through his hair, demanding to know everything that he hadn't put in his letters. She doesn't mention his getting expelled. She doesn't seem to care about that.

Percy tells his mother that she is smothering him, but secretly, Percy is really, really glad to see her.

From the other room, Gabe yells, "Hey, Sally - how about some bean dip, huh?"

Percy grits his teeth. My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should be married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.

(Y/n) pads into Percy's room, and the dark haired boy brightens at the sight of his younger twin.

"I've got the dip, Mom," (Y/n) says softly. Sally gazes at her daughter for a moment, her gaze sad.

"Wait, (Y/n)," Sally says, and (Y/n) turns back to face her mother. "I've got a surprise for the two of you," she says. "We're going to the beach."

Percy's eyes widen. "Montauk?"

"Three nights - same cabin," Sally replies.

"When?" (Y/n) asks, looking excited.

She smiles, "As soon as I get changed."

(Y/n) can't believe it. Mom, Percy, and I hadn't been to Montauk in the last two summers because Gabe had said that there wasn't enough money.

Gabe appears in the doorway behind (Y/n) and growls, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

Percy wants to punch him, but he meets his mother's eyes, and understands that she is offering him a deal: Be nice to Gabe for a little while; just until she's ready to leave for Montauk.

"I've got it, Gabe," (Y/n) says.

"Sorry, honey," Sally says, looking at her husband. "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes get small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it," Percy mutters. "He won't let us go."

"Of course he will," Sally says evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money."

(Y/n) turns to face Gabe, smiling as kindly as she could. "What if I make a seven-layer dip that'll last the whole weekend?" she asks. "Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."

Gabe softens a bit, then turns back to face Sally. "So, this money for your trip . . . it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

"Yes, honey," Sally replies.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."

"We'll be very careful."

Gabe scratches his double chin. "Maybe if the girl hurries up with the seven-layer dip . . . and if the boy apologizes for interrupting my poker game."

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, Percy thinks. And make you sing soprano for a week.

"I'm sorry," Percy mutters. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important power game. Please go back to it right now."

Gabe's eyes narrow. His tiny brain is probably trying to detect the sarcasm in my statement, Percy thinks.

"Yeah, whatever," Gabe decides; he goes back to his game.

"Thank you, Percy," Sally says. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about...whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"

For a moment, (Y/n) can see anxiety in her mother's eyes, but then her smile returns, and (Y/n) figures that she must've been mistaken.

. . .

An hour later, the three are ready to leave.

Gabe takes a break from his poker game long enough to watch (Y/n) and Percy lug the bags to his car. He keeps griping and groaning about losing her and (Y/n)'s cooking - and more important, his '78 Camaro - for the whole weekend.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," Gabe warns Percy as he loads the last bag into the car. "Not one little scratch."

Like I'd be the one driving. I'm fourteen, Percy thinks.

Watching Gabe lumbers back towards the apartment building, Percy gets so mad that he does something he can't explain. As Gabe reaches the door, Percy makes the hand gesture he'd seen Grover made on the bus, a soft of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over his heart, then a shoving movement towards Gabe. The screen door slams so hard it whacks him the the butt and sends him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon.

. . .

(Y/n)'s POV

Our rental cabin is on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It is a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There's always sand in the sheets, spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea is too cold to swim in.

I loved the place.

Mom, Percy, and I had been going ever since Percy and I'd been a baby. Mom had been coming even longer. She'd never exactly said, but I know why the beach was special to her.

It's the place where she'd met my Dad.

As we get closer to Montauk, Mom seems to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turn the color of the sea.

We get there around sunset, open all the cabin's windows, and go through the usual cleaning routine.

Mom, Percy, and I walk on the beach, feed blue corn-chips to the seagulls, and munch on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples Mom had brought home from work.

I guess maybe I should explain all the blue food.

Gabe had once told Mom that there was no such thing. They had had this fight, which had seemed like a really small think at the time, but ever since, Mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes, mixed blueberry smoothies, bought blue-corn tortilla chips, and brought home blue candy from the shop. This - along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano - is proof that she isn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, just like Percy.

When it gets dark, we make a fire. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom tells Percy and me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents had died in the plane crash. She tells us about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

Eventually, it seems that Percy gets the nerve to ask about what is always on our minds whenever we come to Montauk - our father. Mom's eyes go all misty. I figure she would tell us the same things she always did, but neither Percy or I ever got tired of hearing them.

"He was kind, Percy," Mom replies. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle too, like you, (Y/n)." Mom says and I soften. "You have his black hair, Percy, and you both share his green eyes.

Mom fishes a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you two. He would be so proud."

I wonder how she could say that when I'm the girl who cowers from her stepfather. The girl who hides in her room to get away from said stepfather.

"How old were we?" Percy asks, pulling me from my thoughts. "I mean . . . when he left?"

Mom watches the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."

"But . . . he knew us as babies."

"No, honey," Mom replies. "He knew I was expecting twins, but he never met you. He had to leave before you were born."

I try to square that with the fact that I seem to remember . . . something about my father. A warm glow, maybe a smile.

Percy and I had always assumed that our father had known us as babies. Mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt that it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen us . . .

I feel angry at my father. Maybe it is stupid, but I resent him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry Mom.

"Are you going to send me away again?" Percy asks. "To another boarding school?"

Mom pulls a marshmallow from the fire.

"I don't know, honey," her voice is heavy. "I think . . . I think we'll have to do something."

"Because you don't want me around?" Percy says and I flinch, avoiding both his and Mom's gazes.

I glance up to see that Mom's eyes had welled up with tears. "Oh, Percy, no. I - I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."

"But you never send her away," Percy says and I look up, eyes wide with surprise.

Mom looks at Percy, eyes wide with shock.

Finally she says, "I have to keep both of you away from each other as much as possible. I thought you'd finally be safe."

"I tried to keep you as close to me as I could," Mom says. "They told me it was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy, (Y/n) - the place your father wanted to send you two. And I just . . . I just can't stand to do it."

"Our father wanted us to go to a special school?" I ask.

"Not a school," Mom replies. "A summer camp."

My head spins. Why would my dad - who hadn't even stayed around to see me and Percy be born - talk to Mom about a summer camp?

"I'm sorry, (Y/n)," Mom says, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I - I couldn't send you two to that place. It might mean saying goodbye to you for good."

"For good?" Percy asks. "But if it's only a summer camp . . ."

Mom turns towards the fire, and I know from her expression, that if we asked any more questions, she would start to cry.

Word Count: 2413 words

#annabeth chase x female reader #annabeth chase x fem reader #annabeth chase x reader #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus

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we-have-bangtan · 3 years

Text

I summoned you

Random one-shot #3

Pairing: demons!OT7 x witch!reader

Genre: fluff, fluff and more fluff, poly au

warning: swearing, its hella longggggg. <33

Part 2

Synopsis: The seven most powerful demons in the world were summoned for the first time in over a hundred years only to find out that their summoner is a little witch who was being hunted by witch hunters. She seeks protection from them but at what cost?

“Who the fuck summoned us?” Hoseok groaned feeling the familiar pain of transformation go through his body, “I don’t know but it better be worth it, I’m getting too old for this shit” Seokjin groaned as pain shot through his veins, black, bat-like wings erupting from his back as he fell to the ground in pain, the scars on his body burning up.

Namjoon wasn’t much better either, biting into a pillow as burning pain took over his head, his horns and fangs coming out for the occasion, it had been over a hundred years since they had last been summoned and they were bearing the pain of not transforming in all there years, Jungkook hissed as he felt his tailbone extend out of his body, piercing through his skin to form a tail.

Jimin and Tae held each other as each of their left eyes glowed bright, screaming as they changed from black to red, “I hope it isn’t an accident again or I’ll eat them alive” Jungkook groaned as he pulled himself off the ground grimacing at the pain that shot through his body.

Yoongi was the only one not in pain because he had been living in his demon form for a few years now, he didn’t have to transform.

“The spell was lost, I don’t know how someone is summoning us” he informed as Seokjin opened the portal to the mortal world, the portal would take them to where ever they were being summoned.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Y/n anxiously stared at the pentagram she had drawn on her cottage floor, she’d be over if this spell didn’t work. She could hear the villagers approaching, could see the glow of their torches from her window. They were climbing up the hill, coming for her life, this spell was her only way of living.

She didn't know why the villagers had turned on her so easily when she had never done anything to them. She had kept her witchcraft confined to her cottage and its surroundings, but they seemed to have found out, she would blame the church people for that, because they were at the beginning of the uprising egging the villagers on.

They had almost caught her an hour ago when she had gone down for supplies, her arms were bruised from their assault but she had managed to escape from them, but she could run anywhere except her cottage.

She couldn't run anymore, there was no where to run now, she either had to stand and fight, which she was too weak for, or she had to perish, which she was too stubborn for so she had taken to the last resort, the demon spell.

Her magic wouldn't be enough to Wipeout all the people who were marching up the hill to her cottage, they'd burn her on the stake if they caught a hold of her, it would be a death with no pride or honor.

She felt the air shift around her, the salt grains blowing here and there and the candles flickering, the wind picked up speed outside as a portal opened directly above the pentagram and a demon fell out, falling to the ground with a thud and a groan. She moved to help him up but quickly stopped as a scream came from inside the portal before six other demons fell on the first one. Chaos ensured as each of them yelled at the other to get off their wings or tails or any other body part, she loudly cleared her throat to grab their attention making seven pairs of eyes snap to her.

_________________________________________

"Did you summon us little girl?" Namjoon asked as he took in her condition, she was awfully malnourished, her arms bruised and frail, she was a timid little thing who he assumed wasn't much younger than Jungkook before he had been changed into a demon. The girl nodded, holding a wand in her hand, a witch, Seokjin realized before he focused on her arms, “How did you summon us little witch” he asked, he was pretty sure the spell to summon them was a 21+ spell and she barely looked 18+ to him.

“with the spell of course although I didn’t know it would summon seven of them, I would have drawn a lager circle had i known” she mumbled making Yoongi gawk at her statement, “HOW THE FUCK DO YOU CAST A SUMMONING SPELL WITHOUT KNOWING HOW MANY DEMONS IT WOULD SUMMON?? WE COULD HAVE RIPPED YOUR THROAT OUT THE MOMENT WE SHOWED UP HERE” Hoseok barked, snapping his fangs at her.

“I know, no need to be an arse about it” she retorted as Hoseok stared at her in disbelief, “well then why did you summon us little witch?” Taehyung intervened, “I need help,” she stated plainly. This piqued Jimin’s interest, they all were clearly thinking the same thigh judging from the look in their eyes, they were mates, he knew how they thought, “Are you sure you can pay the price for our services darling” Seokjin remarked sweeping his eyes over the mostly bare cottage.

This girl was clearly living alone, a cauldron with coals under it sat in one corner of the house and a winding staircase lead up to attic which he assumed was her bedroom. Clothes hung to dry near the fire place in another corner of the house, her cupboards were mostly empty other than a loaf of bread and a tin of something he couldn’t recognize. She clearly didn’t have much to give.

“What is your price?” She asked, Yoongi admired her guts, she was clearly working hard on trying to seem unafraid, although she failed miserably, at least she tried. The seven of them thought for a while when they head a loud bang on the door. The girls eyes widened in fear, “they’re here” she cursed as she cast a colloportus spell on the door, “hurry up please” she pleaded, “what’s going on? what help do you need?” Jungkook asked as Seokjin place a shield over the door blocking the people from coming in for a short while.

“They’re hunting me and i want them gone” she revealed, the boys looked up at her, “how sure are you that we won’t rip your throat once you set us free from this circle” Yoongi asked, “I don’t have anything to lose if you kill me the moment i let you free, I don’t have much to live for anyway” she answered, “we’ll discuss the price once we’re done” Namjoon warned as she cast the aqua eructo spell, a stream of water sprouting from the tip of her wand, wiping the circle of salt away just as a window shattered, glass spilling everywhere.

“Jimin, get her somewhere safe” Namjoon commanded his mate, the younger demon nodded dutifully before stepping forward and wrapping an arm around her waist, positioning his wings, “hold on tight” he warned as he too to the air, going out through the back door of the cottage, taking her to the roof of the cottage, “stay here while we sort that stuff out” he told her, taking off to join the others.

They possessed the humans, making them kill each other or they’d simply burn them to a crisp, she had expected them to be strong and powerful, but not this powerful, powerful to wipe out all the people who had come to attack her. She didn’t pay much heed to the humans who ran into the forests, she didn’t care where they went as long as they didn’t come near her or her cow, Morphus, who was currently in the shed, a little away from the clearing she lived at.

She noticed one of the church men trying to climb the roof to get to her but she quickly jinxed him, making him fall off the roof. Half way through the battle, Yoongi called in quits because the boys could deal with it without him, he joined Y/n on the roof top, folding his wings carefully to not hurt her, “Why don’t you just move from here, go fin some other forest to live in” he asked, leaning back on his hands, looking up at the sky, “there’s no where else to go, I’ve been running for too long” she answered and with that all conversation subsided as they both watched the others fight, Yoongi noticed a few people running for the forests and jerked up to go after them only to be stopped by Y/n, “let them be,” she said and he obey’d.

_____________________________________

It didn’t take the demons long to finish everyone, they all gathered in her kitchen, Jin and Taehyung were hurt, but nothing big, just minor wounds according to the two demons but she insisted on tending to their injuries with a warm cloth and some potions, “this will scar” she told Jin, feeling guilty all of a sudden, “one of a million, don’t worry” he smiled as she wrapped his almost fully healed hand up.

“what is this?” Jungkook asked as he peered down the mug on Y/n’s table, “banana milk” she answered as she turned to Taehyung to wrap his wound up too, Jungkook took a sip of the milk before downing the whole mug, “do you have more?” he asked, looking like a child who wants an extra treat, she nodded, getting up to pull out a jar full of it from her cupboard, handing it to the boy, she didn’t seem the least bothered that a demon boy was drinking up all her banana milk.

“so what is the price I have to pay? if you’ll hurry up, I have cleaning to do” she said looking at the dead bodies scattered all around her house, some even on tree branches. The boys looked at each other, “We’ll need some time to discuss” Namjoon said on behalf of them all, “you do that and I’ll clean that up” she said, grabbing her wand and leaving the house.

“So, what now?” Namjoon asked once he made sure she was far away from them, “I don’t think she can really give much, she barely has anything herself” Hoseok said, scanning the room again, “This place is nice tho, although she could use some more things in it” Seokjin admitted, looking around the peaceful cottage, it was clean, and would look beautiful if it wasn’t so bare, “it is” Namjoon admitted when Jimin’s piped up, “I don’t like the fact that she lives like this, she could die any moment and no one would notice, maybe we can come here more often” he suggested, already planning all the things he’d bring here from the underworld, Namjoon nodded, “it has been way too long since I’ve actually seen the sky, donno why mortals have to have all the good things when they die so easily” he huffed as he looked out of the window, looking down at the valley in which the village nestled.

“I have an idea hyung, why don’t we use her place as a sort of abode, she can offer her house to us when ever we want in exchange for our services” Taehyung offered and Namjoon and Seokjin agreed, it would be nice to come to the mortal world often, “is everyone fine with that?” he asked the others, none of them rejected the idea and soon enough, Y/n was called back in.

They explained what they wanted and she just stared at them, dumbfound, “why would you want to come here when you can live luxuriously in the demon world?” she asked, “the demon world is not all its cooked up to be” Jimin answered.

It took a little convincing (threatening) to get her to agree but she did.

________________________________

The boys were common visitors to her little cottage, each of them would show up on their own accord and timing with their own reasons, often in their human form, she had been surprised to see how much more handsome the seven of them were in their human forms and she had told them so.

They would show up with little things that she would need around the house, sometimes unnoticeable and sometimes ridiculous, they’d bring her small fancy plates and saucers, fabrics and potion ingredients and even a new wand once before they progressed to bringing bigger things like vases and pillows and rugs despite her protesting.

Namjoon was the first to show up at her door with a book in hand to see books about the seven of them scattered on her table. They had stopped popping up directly inside the house after Y/n had yelled at them for freaking her out, “reading up on us I see” he commented as he dragged a chair to sit, “I’ll have to because i literally don’t know anything about the seven of you” she mumbled as she read on. They both read their books in silence before Y/n offered him tea which he accepted gratefully.

Seokjin and Jungkook were the next one’s to show up because they were hungry, she served them with honey bread and maple syrup. Seokjin showed a keen interest in cooking, offering to help her out while she cooked for the three of them, since then, he’d show up during meal times to eat with her and cook with her, it became something the two of them got used to and one of the greatest things Seokjin would miss once she had passed.

Jungkook and her bonded over banana milk, the boy couldn’t get enough of it, even taking some back to the demon realm only to come back for more the next day. They both would wander the forest in search of bananas and maple trees and make the banana milk together, he was the most frequent visitor that even Morphus had started to recognize Jungkook who would sit next to Y/n when she milked the cow every morning.

Tae and Jimin would often come together just to mess with her and to make a fool out of the villagers down in the valley. They went herb searching together in the forests. They’d pick flowers for the house and they even dug up a well for the little cottage to use.

Hoseok would also come by often just to gossip with her, telling her about all the events in the demon world, they both would talk over tea and little cakes about Namjoon’s snoring and Seokjin’s new obsession with bad jokes. On days which were not too hot or too cold they’d set up a table outside and just bask in each others company.

Yoongi was the last to visit her, and even when he did visit, he decided to take a nap only to get back up complaining about how bumpy the mattress was before vanishing off and coming back with a new mattress. They’d nap together on days Y/n didn’t have anything to do, and had been found wrapped up with each other by the other quiet often.

They’d all come together once every few days to have lunch and dinner and to talk and play, enjoying the sun and grass and flowers before they had to go back to the demon world.

It was funny to see the seven strongest demons be so gentle and ind to a little human girl, weaving flower crowns for her and laying their head in her lap, taking cat naps together.

_____________________________

They seven boys got quiet attached to the little witch, trying to meet her as often as possible and be as gentle as possible to her. Imagine their surprise when Namjoon walked in on a sorcerer sitting on one of the chairs as Y/n made him a cup of tea.

“A demon!” the sorcerer shrieked as Namjoon came inside the house, Y/n slowly turned around to see Namjoon standing st the door, greeting him with a smile and a kiss to his cheek, “Namjoon-ah meet my mentor, the great Sorcerer Potter” she introduced as Namjoon felt a green knot form in his chest, he was sure the rest of his mates felt it too because a portal opened not soon after, tossing the 6 other boys into the mortal world, all of them looking eerily calm, “why is he here y/n? he questioned, “he just came to visit” she explained, “then why is his smell all over you?” Jungkook demanded, grabbing her wrist to get a scent of her.

“get lost” Yoongi hissed at the sorcerer, the powerful man shrieked as he apparated to who knows where. “Y/n,” Hoseok said, taking her hands in his, “did he touch you” he asked, his voice low, she shook her head, no, no one had touched her, thank the demons, Jimin thought as he enveloped her in his arms, overpowering the sorcerer’s smell with his own. “good, don’t let anyone touch you except for us little witch” Seokjin mumbled as he placed a kiss on her forehead, she hummed in agreement as they all bundled up in her cozy cottage, now a lot more comfortable and colorful than before.

They loved her but they couldn’t have her because demons didn’t deserve happiness, it was a curse on them, they weren’t meant to love, only hate and kill because even if they loved y/n they’d inevitably end up with a part of their heart hollow because demons couldn’t love little witches because demons were immortal while witches would meet their end soon enough.

None of them laid with their little witch because it was forbidden but they did caress her, they held her close and made her feel warm and loved by each of them, they were tender and careful with her, trying to spend every moment with her and while that might seem like too much for a mortal, it was a mere few moments for immortals and they tried to carve her memory into their hearts and minds so they would never forget her despite how much time passed by.

___________________________________

The eight of them spent 86 years together, Y/n passed due to illness at the ripe age of a hundred and twelve years with a smile and her seven demons surrounding her when she too her last breath.

The demons wished she’d reincarnate bu they didn’t keep much hope in that because demons wishes were never fulfilled. But they lived on with the memory of the little witch who had summoned them and had carved herself into their cold, dark hearts.

__________________________________

Y/n's cottage

___________________________END_________________________________

First try, how was it? let me know!!!!

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lia-bones · 3 years

Text

Stay with me forever

Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: After a full moon night, (Y/N) takes care of her friend and answers important questions.

Warning: fluff💕, Injuries, Self-doubt

(Misspelling, Grammatical errors, translation errors)

{please let me know if I have forgotten something.}

Words: 2305

Author note: Actually, I didn't want to upload anything else this week. But since today is the birthday of a good friend of mine and she wished that I would write this for her, I decided to publish it today. And since it's Valentine's Day today, too, it fits well.

(As always, I apologize for all misspellings, grumbling errors, and translation errors. English is not my main language)

I hope you enjoy it. 🌻

(not my GIF)

* * *

It was a full moon night. The wind drummed on the roof and the bright light of the moon shone into the little hut at the edge of the forest. Just a few more hours and the sun would take the moon out of its service.

It could seem romantic. The bright full moon, the twinkling stars and the calming rain.

But for (Y/N) (L/N) and her boyfriend, Remus Lupin, epidemic nights were far from romantic. Such nights were characterized by fear, worry, pain, injuries and tears.

But even on these nights it wasn't just the shadow side. There were also small sparks of light. Consists of caring, tenderness, encouragement, soothing words, love and hugs.

While (Y/N) stayed at home, cooked, put the first aid kit ready and kept looking out the window at the wods, Remus was out there.

Not quite like himself. In the body of a werewolf, without control, waiting for the morning to break. There are potions that would give him control over his wolf. But they cost a lot of money, money that they didn't have.

So it stayed like that.

(Y/N) would wait and prepare everything for his return.

Remus would go to the forest before sunset and only come back after sunrise. Sometimes more, sometimes less injured. Hardly any memories of what had happened that night.

As soon as he was back, (Y/N) was ready to help. Every time again.

The moon slowly started to sink from the sky so (Y/N) made the final preparations. Hot water in a bowl next to the bed, a cup of tea, a first aid kit and of course chocolate. Everything was ready for the return of her boyfriend. She grabbed the cozy blanket from the armchair and stood by the window next to the door so, that when she saw him coming, she could come towards him.

It didn't take long before she saw the long figure of her boyfriend staggering towards her hut. Dressed in sweatpants and an oversized pollver, hunched forward and one hand on his ribs. (Y/N) moved quickly out the door and down the path towards her him. When she got to ther, she put the blanket over his shoulders and hold him up, on his upper arms. She looked into his scarred face, a few fresh wounds had appeared, and carefully ran a finger over a place of uninjured skin. "Hey love, come on let's go inside. Let me take care of you." she whispered in a soft voice and gave him an encouraging smile. He just nodded slightly, so she put one of his arms over her shoulders to support him. He briefly made a hissing noise, but then clutched her cardigan with his hand.

"You okay, darling? Do I hurt you?" the much smaller woman asked concerned and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"No ... it's okay ... it's just my ribs." he explained through gritted teeth.

She changed the position of her arm around his upper body a little so as not to touch his ribs and with the other hand she grabbed the wrist of his arm over her shoulders so that it would not slip away on the way in.

As soon as they made it to their bedroom, Remus' girlfriend helped him sit down on the bed with his back against the headbord.

"So let's take that sweater off so I can take care of your scratches and ribs." instructed (Y/N) and grabbed the hem of his top.

Remus started laughing slightly, which soon turned into a cough and gave her a tired smile. "Admit it. You just want to see me half naked."

(Y/N) suppressed a laugh and bit her lip. But it didn't quite work out. The corners of her mouth curled up and she giggled muffled.

"I don't have to admit anything. We've been together for ten years. If I want to see you naked, I have plenty of other opportunities. So let's get started. You need to rest."

Her boyfriend gave her one of those gentle smiles that made her heart melt over and over again. He leaned forward, so that she could pull the sweater over his head and then let himself fall back against the headboard with a sigh.

"Well, it doesn't look as bad as last time."

noted (Y/N) with relief and stroked gently under a wound, along his collarbone.

Remus muffled to agree and closed his eyes.

(Y/N) immediately started her work, cleaning the wounds, a little diptam essenz and bandage. Fortunately, that full moon didn't seem too bad. A few small scratches on his face, a couple on his upper body, and one on his forearm. The worst seemed to be his ribs, of which, as (Y/N) found with a quick spell, two were broken.

(Y/N) took the vial of Skele-Grow and held it in front of Remus' face.

"Broken ribs. So, bottoms up."

He screwed up his face and turned his head to one side. "I don't want to drink that stuff. It tastes awful." he protested.

She shook her head in amusement, put a hand on his cheek and turned his face back to her. "You know, sometimes you'r like a little kid. You've taken this stuff so many times. This time you can do it too. Then there is tea and chocolate and you can sleep." he sighed in resignation and then nodded. "Brave wolfi" (Y/N) giggles and pulled the cork out of the vial. Remus rolled his eyes but opened his mouth as she held the glass roll to his lips. She poured the contents into his mouth and he swallowed with narrowed eyes.

"Disgusting." he brought out and ran a hand over his mouth.

"Here, eat your chocolate."

(Y/N) held a piece of dark chocolate in front of him. He willingly opened his mouth again and managed to smile at the same time. His girlfriend giggled and put the piece on his tongue and then kissed the corner of his mouth.

While Remus continued to eat his chocolate, (Y/N) stroke with one hand through his mousey brown hair in which the first gray strands were slowly recognizable.

Not due to his age but to the pain and stress he had to go through every month.

He had been through so much in his life. At school and in the years after that he had his three best friends who had accompanied him during the full moon. From the moment she found out about his lycanthropy , she lay awake those nights and waited for the sun to rise. As soon as the sun rose she was on her way through the castle to the hospital wing, where she would wait for the four Marauders to arrive. She took care of him or just kept him company and stroked his hair. Just like now.

Not quite like now. She reminded herself.

He lost his best friends four years ago. One, James, killed by Voldemort along with his wife, Lilli. Ther son, Harry, with his terrible aunt and uncle. The other, Peter, murdered in cold blood by the third, Sirius,who is now sitting in Azkaban forever, because he had betrayed them all and killed muggles.

Now it was just the two of them.

He alone in the forest on full moon nights.

She l alone in the little cottage , waiting for his return. Always hoping he wouldn't hurt himself too badly. Taking care of him and stroking his hair as soon as he was back.

And she would always wait. Because she loves him.

When his chocolate was empty, she kissed his forehead and smiled against his skin. "You should sleep now." she whispered in a soft voice.

"Lay down with me" he whispered back and stretched out in bed, his head buried in the pillow. "Of course, always." she said in a low voice and circled the bed. On the free side, she lay on her back and turned her head in his direction to look at him.

He, too, had turned his head in her direction and looked at her through tired eyes.

"Can I put my head on your chest, hear your heartbeat." he asked softly in a hoarse voice.

"Sure, you don't have to ask." she answered, moved closer and stretched out her arms to him. He rolled over his shoulder, so that he was now lying on his stomach. One leg and arm crossed her body and his head on her chest, right above the point where he could best hear her heartbeat.

It was quiet in the small bedroom. Only the breathing of the two and the wind in the trees outside could be heard. The sunlight that came through the window enveloped the room in golden light, so that dust particles could be seen dancing through the air.

(Y/N) continued to run one hand through his hair and the other over his forearm. He was breathing steadily with his eyes closed. She thought he had fallen asleep when a quiet whispered question came from him: "Why are you doing this? Why are you staying with me? I'm a god damn monster. You should be scared of me and run away.You deserve something so much better. I have no money. I'll never get a real job. I will never be able to buy you jewelry or go to expensive restaurants with you. You should be with someone who can offer you a better life. Who doesn't turn into a bloodthirsty beast once a month." She could hear the tears in his scratchy voice, noticed how his hand craned into the fabric of her T-shirt and he pressed closer to her. She ran one hand over his wet cheek and took a deep breath.

"Because, I love you, with every fiber of my being. Because, I feel lonely without you. Because, I like to have you around, feel safe and protected with you. Because, you make me infinitely happy and every time I see you I have the feeling that my heart is about to jump out of my chest. I don't care if you have money or not. I don't care if you have lycanthropy or not. I love you because you are you, Remus. I don't want jewelry or expensive food that doesn't even taste good. All I want is you. Just you, Remus Lupin, now and as long as my heart beats. I will always take care of you because you do the same for me. You are not a monster, you are my Remus. My lovable, clever, silly, strong, polite, shy, generous, Remus. I love you for all that you are. Please don't forget that. Always." she explained in a calm, low voice and finally kissed him on the head.

It was quiet for a moment. Her spoken words hung in the room. Time passed and she was starting to get nervous while waiting for his answer.

"Stay with me forever." he whispered, his voice muffled by the fabric of her T-shirt. "Stay with me forever. Marry me and stay forever. I love you more than anything else in the world. You are the only person I have left. You are already my family, my home. I am ready to give you everything I have in the hope that it will be enough for you. So please marry me and stay forever."

(Y/N) was amazed. She had dreamed of marrying him one day. They had already shared ten years of their life together and she was ready to spend all other years with him as well. She smiled from ear to ear and now tears were running down her cheeks too. " YES YES YES. Of course I will." she replied happily her voice mixed with a happy sob. Remus propped himself up and brought his face over hers. "Yes?" he asked again and she nodded vigorously and put her arms around his neck. He too smiles happily and pressed his lips to hers for a kiss full of love.

"Thx" he whispered against her lips, and continued kissing her with all the love he felt for her. After a few seconds, he pulled his head back a few inches to look her in the eye and admitted, "I don't have a ring."

She giggled slightly and put her hands around his face. "I don't need a ring. Just you."

Remus smiled down at her and kissed her whole face, lastly her lips, on which he got stuck.

They just kissed for a while, the taste of tears, chocolate and tea on their lips, surrounded by their love for one another.

After a while they parted the kiss. Remus put his head back on her chest one arm and one leg over her body and pulled her very tightly against him. "My future Mrs Lupin. I love you." he whispered to her with a tired voice. It was time to go to sleep. He still wasn't recovered from the night he'd been through. But that was okay with him. Now he was engaged to the woman who loved. It was worth the loss of some sleep for him.

"I love you too, my future husband." she whispered back and put both arms around him. One of her hands brushed his hair again. Not long afterwards they both fell asleep. Both with a satisfied smile on their lips, snuggled very close to each other.

Both ready for what the future may bring as long as they had each other.

* * *

#remus lupin x y/n #marauders era #remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus x reader #remus x you #young remus imagine #harry potter #remus imagine #reader insert #young remus lupin

109 notes · View notes

chizz · 3 years

Text

Was this requested? Yes:🚫 No:✅ okay, the Arcana, here we come~ I wanted to do this, cause I wasn't feeling to good. And I felt the need to write this cause Asra is my comfort character! No more comments? Okay, let us begin this! This happend to me a couple months ago.

Warning: suicide mentions, self-harm, rooftop "almost" jump. And that would be all.

If you feel like this at all, or if a family member feels like this, don't hesitate to call 800-273-8255 suicide prevention line. Believe me...theres help out there. Maybe you don't want to do it right now, but one day I know you will.

Summary: you've been feeling like you've been keeping everyone back, and you know how to relieve your pain. But its wrong... and Asra wants to fix that.

Today was one of those days where you felt stressed. you felt like you were a block, a useless block, and stopping your pupils from going anywhere, you were keeping them away from what they wanted to do.

you open the now closed shop door, and start going for a walk down the quiet street, you look down at your feet, not wanting to stop anywhere right now, you want to get some "stuff" off your mind. you walk pass a window, but suddenly stop in your tracks. And go back to the mirror, to look yourself.

Disgusting...

Trash...

Keeping your friends and family from doing anything, is selfish of you.

What? Gonna cry about it?

Be the crying b-tch you are, and

SUCK. IT. UP.

You run back to the shop in a hurry, not wanting anyone to see your tears running down your face. you go to you and Asras shared bedroom. flopping onto your shared bed, going under the silk blankets.

Should you end your life now? Maybe now isn't the right time?? What would Asra think? What would your family members think? Would they even care?!

That isn't even important, you know they wouldn't care anyways, cause your away from them, and that's good. You don't want to cause anymore damage than you already have.

You slowly walk outside to the roof: (let's pretend theres a roof, bare with me plz 🤡)

You get you a razor before going to cut your wrist, you look around to make sure no ones watching. And after cutting your wrist and letting the blood flow freely, you walk onto the edge of the roof, not having a care in the world if you misstep, or just unknowingly fall. Its WHAT YOU WANT.

Then you hear someone yelling your name, more like..screaming?

"Y/N! Y/N! Stop, Stop! What Are you doing?!" Two arms take you off the rooftops edge, and inside the house. Then he turns you around to still see freshly blood on your wrist.

"What happened?! Are--Are you okay? I-...Did...Did you do this to yourself...? " He asks with tears in his eyes.

You go to shake your head, side to side, H/C locks going along with you, your shaking badly, while crying. He hugs you so tight, why reassuring you that your not keeping them away from doing anything.

"Darling, what are you talking about? You aren't keeping us from doing anything! W-What made you think this?" You pull away from his hug and sit down on the bed.

"I-...I just don't feel like I'm worth anyone's time. I know I'm being dramatic, but I know what I feel...and I feel emptiness." You put your head in your hands. Scratching at your cuts. And making them bleed more than they already had, he goes to get some stuff to clean your wounds, and theres about to be alot of cuddles.

After cleaning your wounds, he pulls you into the bed with him, And you feel suddenly very sleepy. Asra notices this, and puts the blanket on you.

He has to go out again, but that can wait, right now, he just wants to make sure your okay, and stable. You need him, and he knows that, he will always be with you. Even if you try to tell him everything's okay, he knows that's a lie.

He kisses your temple, and he starts feeling sleepy himself, holding you close...

You both slowly start falling asleep...no worries, cause you have eachother. You aren't useless, you aren't "trash", you aren't keeping anybody from doing anything, you aren't the problem, you are loved, Remember that. I know it may not Be easy to get over, and you can't stop cutting...I know you can do it, and Asra also agrees. We are here for you. Remember that.

The End.

Always in my mind,

Mind you've been making me feel like I'm always in my mind, mind

Always in my mind, mind...

#the Arcana x reader #asra x reader

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quothethemenevermore · 3 years

Text

I'm sorry for being absent for months, but to make it up I got a new hyperfixation and wound up writing a new story:

Warning: contains soft, safe vore and mentions of panicking.

It came to no surprise after everything that happened that Gordon was a little jumpy when it came to certain things. The dark, gunshots, sudden loud noises. Hell, sometimes even the sweet voice made him jump if it was shrill enough. Even as months passed and Benrey wasn't acting as antagonistic as they had before, it still caught him by surprise.

So of course, when a sudden high note rang through the house, he grew wary.

He was folding laundry when it happened, and he jumped, the fabric falling out of his hands. Immediately after he registered what it had been, he swore.

"Dammit, what did I tell you about being so loud with that?"

Sometimes he knew his roommate couldn't help it. The person was an eldritch alien being, after all, and he didn't know everything about them. But there were a lot of times they would do it just to get a kick out of him.

So when he didn't get a response, his worry only grew. "Benrey?" He called, waiting for a moment to see if he would receive some kind of answer. But like before, there was silence.

He picked up the shirt from where it had fallen onto the bed and tossed it back into the basket before turning to go check their room.

It wasn't completely quiet in the house, the music from whatever game they had been playing before the shriek- it sounded similar to minecraft's soundtracks- rang softly through the hall.

It was only interrupted by Gordon knocking on the door. "Benrey?"

Usually, he got a response, whether it was a taunt or even them no clipping through the door to answer them, there was hardly ever a time in which they didn't at least acknowledge that Gordon was looking for them. But this time, the silence only continued. Anxiety welled in his being, making his chest feel heavy.

If Benrey was playing a prank on him with this, he was going to kick their ass.

He opened the door, ready to… Well, he wasn't sure what exactly to expect but he was sure he'd be prepared enough to handle it. As the door swung open, he was met with the music getting louder, being closer to the source, a few fading orbs of teal sweet voice, and a missing alien.

Teal, what did teal mean again?

Tommy thought it would be a good idea for him to make a general list of the sweet voice colors and meanings after agreeing to let Benrey be his roommate. If he remembered correctly, teal had a few meanings, and the only one that made a small amount of sense to their disappearance was surprise.

Benrey could teleport, so maybe they forgot they agreed to do something and got reminded? But why wouldn't they tell him before they left? Did something happen? Gordon's mind was running, throwing together different scenarios, each one worse than the previous.

There was a thud, not exactly loud, but enough to get his attention. That, and a shadow suddenly covering his room through the window. He halfway debated going to find something to defend himself before looking, but if it were just a bird he'd feel silly. It wouldn't explain the shadow, but.. whatever. There was a plate of glass between him and whatever caused the thud, so at least he could run. He quickly walked over and pulled the curtain back, finding… nothing. Well, not nothing, but it certainly wasn't the view of the yard it had once been. Instead, it was a solid sheet of dark blue. Almost like the color of Benrey's hoodie.

And just like that, his mind jumped to the worst.

They grew back to the size they were in Xen, they got bored of being under the radar and they're trying to attack them again-

Okay Gordon, breathe.

Why would they choose now of all times to do it? Especially out in the open like this? There was probably a good explanation for this, if he could even get one from Benrey.

If he could even go talk to Benrey at this height.

The thought of it made him shake, he couldn't deny that. Yea, they changed and weren't as bad to deal with, but they had also tried to kill the whole science team, not to mention the ambush.

Taking a shaky breath, he pulled his phone out. If Benrey was too much at the moment, then maybe their friend could help. Tommy knew more about Benrey than any of them.

G- Hey Tommy, I've got a question.

T- Hi, mister Freeman! What do you need?

G- Okay, so do you know why Benrey would change their size?

T- well, their human form isn't their real form, so sometimes they'll change their form to fit that form better.

Well, that made sense, he guessed. But why the sweet voice?

G- Okay, but they also left a trail of teal when they left. With a really high pitched noise. Does that mean anything different because of their shifting?

Gordon wasn't sure he liked how long the three dots played on the screen, appearing and disappearing as if Tommy was re-writing what he wrote.

Finally, after one last time, the message appeared.

T- It might have come as a surprise? It's instinct for them to be in their real form, and sometimes they might forget to do it before it takes over.

G- I guess. Thanks, Tommy.

T- No problem! Are you going to talk to them?

G- At this height? Probably not.

T- I think you should. I think they'll appreciate it, at least try to! :)

G- I guess.

Well, he knew Tommy probably wouldn't fault him for not going through with it. With a sigh, he shut his phone off and put it back in his pocket.

He guessed it couldn't exactly hurt to try. And maybe have a long talk about what all to expect from his roommate, because they had said nothing about growing since Xen.

He made it to the front door before he hesitated again. He didn't think Benrey would try to attack him again, but what if they did? He was completely defenseless this time, there would be nothing to stop them from actually killing him. He shivered at the thought. But, he told Tommy he'd try, and he was this far already. He could probably stay distanced far enough that he could see if Benrey was going to try anything.

With that in mind, he steeled himself and walked out the door, rounding the corner of the house only to falter in his steps.

They were huge. For just a second, he saw the dark red chamber of Xen, and his breath caught in his throat.

No, this wasn't Xen. This is his backyard, bright and cheery compared to, plus Benrey didn't have a hoodie before Xen. He was fine, they weren't trying to kill him now. He repeated that, and breathed with the numbers, until he finally felt steady again. Within that time, the alien had yet to see him, their head leaning against the roof, faced away from him.

"Hey!"

That got a quick shrill note of teal sweet voice before their head turned to meet his gaze.

Did their eyes always glow that bright? "Oh, hey. Sup."

"Not much, other than you being absolutely fucking humongous. Seriously, man, how many more abilities are you hiding?"

"Wanna find out?"

He was about to open his mouth to decline his offer, on instinct, but he stopped himself. Benrey was really just offering to have this conversation? No fussing?

"Sure, man. Tell me what else you can do so you don't fucking scare me again."

"Wha- you got scared? Lil' chicken hat?" A smirk stretched the corners of their mouth. "Fuck off. You can't just grow big suddenly and not expect people to freak out. Nobody here is that fucking big." "Yea, lameass humans stuck all tiny and shit." There was something else said quietly, but their voice was rumbling as is and it was completely muffled. Not that Gordon really cared at that moment, he just wanted to know what else to expect from the alien before him.

"Whatever. What even caused you to grow? Tommy said it was instincts." They seemed to freeze for a split second, not answering long enough to swallow back the sweet voice trying to escape.

"Yea. Kinda sucks, being trapped in a small bod all the time." That seemed slightly rushed, if Gordon was being honest. "Well, what other instincts do you get? Kinda need to be aware of this stuff if you're living with me, dude."

If they weren't trying to hide anything before, they certainly were now. He watched their shoulders hunch slightly, their eyes leave him and, of course, sweet voice leaking from their mouth. It.. was still teal?

"Come on, you can't be that surprised about me asking that."

That little pinprick of worry made itself right back at home in Gordon when instead of a snarky remark, Benrey sat in silence for a long moment. "S' not that teal."

Okay, maybe Benrey was still trying to fuck with him. His shoulders dropped only by a fraction, though.

"That makes no sense. The only other teal there would be other than with green is hungry. And it's not like you can't go find something to eat at that size."

"S' not that hungry, either. You can go back inside, I'll shrink down later."

Wow, was that not concerning at all.

But Gordon couldn't- no, wouldn't just leave after a remark like that, because honestly? Out of all the weird things he's heard Benrey say, that's one of the things that he can't puzzle out. He'd reason that the giant wasn't hungry at all, but the way they're acting is really throwing him off.

"What do you mean, 'not that hungry'?" He had taken a few steps forward during the course of their conversation, but when Benrey turned to look at him, pupils blown wide and an almost- okay, a hungry look on their face-, he regretted being so close. His heart twisted painfully, and he had to fight with the lump in his throat so he could speak.

"Um.. whatcha planning there, Benrey?" He took a step backwards slowly, hoping that it wouldn't trigger any sort of other instinct into seeing him as prey. Anymore than it already is, apparently.

Benrey blinked, and his pupils shrank. "Whuh? M' not planning anything. You're the one who asked, idiot." Okay, insults definitely not helping. An icy feeling crept down his spine as he took another step back. "Okay, so why won't you explain all.. this?" He waved a hand towards the alien. "What does any of this mean? And why hide it? You didn't really hide any of your other abilities."

He could distinctly remember one of his first conversations with them being that they admitted to not being human. Didn’t really hide the teleporting or respawning either.

"Yea but most of those I can control. Plus, it's private information, why would I share that with someone who doesn't have their passport?" He purposely ignored most of the words that they used.

"Because I'm trying to get past all of the weird shit but if I don't know what the hell I'm dealing with, there's no way to? I'm making an effort to learn about you, man. The least you can do is help." He huffed, standing his ground. At this point, he was more annoyed than scared.

At least he's not moving away anymore.

Out of anything to happen with their instincts, it had to be Gordon to find him. Just their luck. And they could tell he was getting scared of them. They couldn't blame him, but it didn't make them feel any better about the situation.

"It's really not that big a deal, just something common for my species. Doesn't involve you."

"Hate to break it to you, but since you're living with me, it kinda does." "Doesn't mean it won't freak you out." "Fine, does Tommy know, then?" "..No."

His brow quirked, and at his current miniscule height, it was a comedic sight. If it weren't such a serious conversation, they would have laughed. As it was, a thought crossed their mind.

Gordon said he talked to Tommy earlier, didn't he? What all did he spill? It didn't seem like Gordon knew about the storing thing, so maybe Tommy saved them. Or doomed them to have to explain themself. Dammit.

"So if I called him, right now, he wouldn't know what you were talking about?" "Don't do that. Tommy's busy. With, uh.. dog stuff."

"I'm pretty sure he can multitask." With that, his hand moved- at his size, it was hard to see what he was doing, but it didn't have to take Sherlock to deduct what he was planning. Without thinking, their hand moved faster.

"Wh- dude, what the fuck! Put me down!"

Oh, he was in their hand now, curled in a loose fist. Closer than he had been before.

At this height, he was extremely fragile compared to them. A single false move could end horribly. The urge to protect him only grew stronger. Plus, it had been a long time since Gordon had been so small compared to them. They could feel his legs kicking at the bottom of their hand, and something fluttered inside his palm.

He couldn't tell if the rapid pulse was from the humans hands or his heart. That was what cleared their mind enough to think past their instinct. After a moment of thinking, they figured the human was smart enough to not try and jump off their hand, and turned their hand as they unfurled it, causing the man to clumsily fall into his open palm. "Whoops."

It took a moment for him to recover.

He hadn't actually thought that Benrey would make a grab for him, and for a solid minute his brain couldn't think past a single thought.

Panic. Fight or flight finally kicked in, and he squirmed to the best of his ability against the hold on him. He was still frantic to escape, the almost blank stare they gave him making him extremely uneasy, but he couldn't help but note how gentle the hold had been. It didn't hurt, nor did it make it hard to breathe. Even so, it didn't make it okay, especially when the only apology he got was being tossed onto their open hand with a 'whoops.'

"Dont fucking 'whoops' me! You can't just grab people without their permission! What were you thinking?!" A shrug. He didn't fight the yell in frustration that bubbled out of him.

"Well, don't make such a big deal out of things, lil.. fussman." "Big deal out of what? Wanting you to not hide shit from me?" "'M only hiding what you don't wanna find out, man. Protecting you."

"I'm asking to know what you're talking about! If I don't like the answer, then that's on me! This shouldn't have even gotten to this point, dude! Just tell me already!"

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." He wasn't prepared to be lifted higher to Benrey's face, stumbling slightly with a yelp. They waited for him to get adjusted before explaining, now at a close enough point that they could easily see the human's face.

Being so close to them, Gordon could see the hesitation in their eyes before they started.

"The sweet voice means hungry, but not hungry for food. We have a thing where we can hold smaller things we care for in us, like an extreme hug." It seemed they were going to say more, but they ended with a (thankfully soft) trail of sweet voice. This one was a pearl-like color, which he had learned meant worry.

They waited anxiously while Gordon processed what they said.

"Wait, holding people in you.. so.. you eat the people you care about?" Ah, there it was. The panic had resurfaced. "Yea, and?" "And? That kills people!" "What? No, it doesn't."

"What, is your species incapable of digesting things? Because I'm not buying that shit after seeing half the things you eat, man." The human was figiting, and Benrey feared that he might throw rational thought out the window and jump off anyway. Their other hand came up, close enough to help if he tried anything. It didn't help that their mind had other ideas to keep him from running.

"No, they don't go to the same place food goes. They go to a different pouch for holding friends."

Right, Benrey's a shapeshifter. Can't forget that.

"Okay. So you have the ability to safely eat people that are close to you. And that's an instinct thing?" They nodded, and he noticed that their pupils had dilated again.

Wait.. do they want to eat me?

He must have had a hard time hiding the fear, because their eyes softened after a moment. "Won't do it if you don't want to. But you're all tiny and vulnerable, easy to hurt, and I'm not. Can protect you, that's what the instinct's about."

Oh. That would make sense, like taking care of their young. But even then, the idea of being eaten, even if he knew it was safe, was just a little unnerving.

Not to mention the fact that their size was still reminding them of Black Mesa, and everything that had come with it.

Their gaze trailed Gordon's hand as it rubbed against the scar above his prosthetic subconsciously, his eyes starting to glaze as his mind drifted. They didn't need to think hard about where his mind was going.

"Don't have to do it, dude. Here." They started lowering their hand to the ground, slowly to not make him panic. The sudden jolt brought him back, and he looked up at Benrey.

Their eyes were never good at betraying emotion. Usually, it was their sweet voice that told him how the eldritch was feeling. At that moment, though, he could see concern.

Genuine concern. About him.

"I- hang on." The hand stopped abruptly, throwing him off balance again, but he had a bigger topic on his mind than the slight inconvenience.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with doing that, but I'm not… afraid of you because of it. Like I said, I asked to know, so it's on me if I didn't like it.." Oh, he was rambling. He tended to do that when he was worked up, and this was quite a situation to get worked up about. He was only interrupted by a quick note from above, followed by the smell of blue raspberry.

"Need to calm down. Getting all fussy again."

Despite the flood of calm through his body, he couldn't help the huff of annoyance. "I'm tryin' to make you feel better, dick." "And 'm fine, I'm a great cool. I'll shrink down a little later and be back inside. Just gotta wait it out."

"And you're just going to sit out here. Alone."

"Yea?"

With that, Gordon got himself situated on the hand that held him and took a deep breath. "Well, not while I'm here. I'm not gonna just leave you alone to your thoughts."

He got bbb'd in response, before he was lifted back to where he was before.

...their teeth definitely weren't that blunt earlier, he was certain about that. "Thats, uh, on you then. Like you said earlier."

"You said you wouldn't do it without my permission." "You never outright refused, either."

Didn't he?

Now that he thought about it.. he hadn't said no. Just that he didn't know how he would handle it. Their pupils had bloomed to cover most of their eyes, and focused solely on him. It made him feel uneasy, but it's not like they could stop it.

"I guess I didn't…" He swallowed, hard, as Benrey awaited a specific phrase. He could back down. He would probably get set on the ground and see them in a few hours.

Or he could pull himself together and try to help them settle the instinct for a while. It really didn't seem like they wanted to hurt him, otherwise they would have by now.

"Just how much would this help?" "A lot."

As rare as it occurred, he felt like they were telling the truth.

"I… fuck it. Why not? Just.. don't ignore me. If I want out, let me out." "Well, yea." They said it like it was the most obvious thing, and he knew that was the best agreement he'd get. "Okay. Ready as I'll ever be, I guess. Not exactly what I thought I'd do today, but.." He trailed off as he was brought closer to the mouth before him, and God, just how tiny was he compared to Benrey right now? The height comparison had always been off, but in Xen he was kinda focused on not dying. Now, he couldn't help the thought. He was tiny.

Probably big enough to fit in their mouth, though.

He wasn't sure what to expect from this, but he should have seen the tongue coming. As is, it got him from his torso up, warm and large. He hadn't expected it, but it hadn't exactly scared him. When they pulled back, he grumbled as his vision remained blurred.

Fucker licked my glasses. I should have taken them off. His hair was also starting to stick to his forehead, wet with saliva. He removed the offending frames and held them to the side, rubbing his face with his sleeve. "How about a warning, next time? So I can take these off before you fucking ruin them." His answer was a chuckle, and he felt two trunk-like fingers gently close over his hand, taking the glasses out of his grasp. "I'll just take them. Problem solved." "Problem solved except I'm fucking blind." "'S not like you'll need to see where you're going." "Keep fucking around and I'll just go back inside."

"Wha- no, man, come on. Don't leave, please?" He sighed, imagining the puppy eyes they were making through the blurred shapes he could see. "Fine. Let's do this."

"'Kay."

And then his legs were enveloped in warmth. His hands gripped at the palm underneath him, startled at the sudden change. As he tensed, everything stilled around him. He took a minute to gather himself, then gave a nod to continue.

He was pulled in to his waist next, but it didn't startle him as badly this time. In fact, compared to how warm it was in Benrey's mouth, it was kinda chilly out here. His hands had just left their palm to wrap around the part of his torso that remained out, when he felt their tongue curl under him and he was pulled in the rest of the way.

There was a soft click as their teeth closed around him, but it was barely registered compared to everything else that Gordon was bombarded with.

It was hot, almost uncomfortably so, and completely dark, and there was saliva soaking into his clothes. It seemed like the muscle beneath him was restless, shifting around him as he gathered his bearings. Finally, he managed to get himself settled on his knees, hearing a squelching noise as his hands settled into the flesh beneath him. It pulled a grimace from him.

He could hear them breathing, but the loudest sound by far was the rumbling noise he could pinpoint below him.

Was that.. purring? That shouldn't surprise him, honestly. Just another thing to add to the list of things he's finding out about his roommate. Still, it hadn't really clicked until now just how much the alien was enjoying this. Just how badly did they want to do this?

As he collected himself, it seemed that Benrey was getting impatient. He couldn't tell at this point if their instincts were rushing them or if they were purposely fucking with him as he was flipped onto his back with no warning. "Hey!" It hadn't been a yell that needed a retort, but it got a snort out of the alien regardless.

That bitch.

He was pushed and flipped around some more, getting more soaked in saliva as they progressed. He would complain more, his clothes hanging heavy on his frame and his hair plastered to his face and neck, but he knew that for what was coming up it was necessary. Unless they could also handle that via shape-shifting, in which he would be pissed if he found out. Finally, he was gently pressed against their pallet, and a hum echoed around him, rumbling his surroundings and echoing through his body.

He took that as a warning for what was next, and couldn't help the sudden racing of his heart. He couldn't exactly say this was anything like he was expecting, though. If it weren't such a weird concept as a human, he could even see how their species could find this comforting. It was warm, and he couldn’t really deny how nice it would feel being so close to someone he cared about.

…Yea, he accepted at this point that he didn't hate Benrey anymore, or ever really wanted to to begin with. They were good company when they weren't trying to escape and survive.

"I think I'm good, go ahead." He called out, receiving another hum in response, and closed his eyes.

His body started slipping backwards as gravity shifted around him, and he took a deep breath to calm himself right before Benrey swallowed.

His feet were suddenly ensnared, and before he could even register that, another swallow echoed around him and the rest of his body followed suit. He wasn't sure if he could hurt them, so he tried not to move. Still, he couldn't help his figiting as his breath started to run out. Out of anything his thoughts tried to provide for this part, it wasn't nearly as bad. It was kind of a tight fit, and being forced down was a bizarre feeling alone, but it wasn't like he was being crushed. It seemed more like a gentle kneading. He wondered if Benrey was purposely being gentle or if that, too, was a species thing.

All in all, if he could actually breathe, it probably wouldn't be as bad.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as he jolted to a stop. For a split second, he felt nothing but panic, thinking he had gotten stuck, when the muscles beneath where his feet had stopped opened and he was suddenly forced down, landing a little harsher than he wanted to.

The first thing he noticed was that the air was somehow fresh as he quickly refilled his lungs. It had a sharp, fruity smell to it, not unlike their sweet voice. The second thing, also likely related to the sweet voice, was that Benrey had lied about not needing to see where he was going.

The chamber he had landed in was not dark like he expected, but lit up with a faint teal glow.

Actually, if he focused, he could see other colors too, like happy yellow and even a little pink. It probably would have looked prettier if it wasn't so damn blurred.

"Wow…" he couldn't stop the word from escaping, as he continued to look around in awe. This… was definitely not what he was expecting from this.

The chamber itself was still slick, likely had to be, but it was also soft. His hand sunk into the floor beneath him and he was reminded of memory foam as he lifted it and watched the flesh slowly rise back into place. The glow was not so intense it hurt to look at, and it was comfortably warm.

"So…" he jumped when Benrey's voice rumbled from around him. "How are you liking the extreme cuddles?"

"Can you hear me from in here?" Gordon yelled back. "Yea. Hear you loud and clear, little too close to not be able to."

"Yea, okay." "So.. is this okay?" A new color joined the mirage, a lavenderish-white once again. "Dude, this is fine. It's still weird, but… not that bad."

He could hear the grin in their voice. "Yea? Cool." And then they were purring again, and Gordon smiled. "Glad you're feeling better."

The glow seemed to get brighter where he applied pressure, he noticed. He ran his hand against the wall, watching as the trail his hand left got brighter, and feeling as the purring got louder, rumbling the entire chamber. For a moment, he debated finding out how loud he could get them to purr, but decided that would be better for another time. For now, he still wanted to learn about this.

"Hey, I have some questions."

The purring got quieter, but didn't stop fully, distorting their voice slightly. "Shoot." "Is this where your sweet voice is made?"

"Nope. Got another pouch for that. Just connected the two." "Okay. How is the air breathable in here?"

"Friend pouch's connected to airways. Filters the air like lungs do." "Wouldn't it have just been easier to connect it to your lungs instead of having two organs filtering air?"

"Came that way." "So there's some things you can't change by shapeshifting?"

"Nah, I could but it's too much work. Have to figure out how to safely do it and stuff. S' why my human form matches yours. Easier than trying to figure out where I can make things function."

He nodded, taking in the information. "Okay, I think that's all I got. What now?"

"Uh, you could take a nap. I'd be normal when you wake up, let you out before I shrink." "I don't know if I can sleep in here, man." "Wanna try?"

It was pretty comfortable, he wouldn't lie. But there was one more thing he wanted to make certain of, a final fear he wanted to put to rest. "What if I want out?" "Like, now?"

"Yea." There was a huff of disappointment from above, but it was quickly followed with "'Kay, hold on."

So Gordon waited to see how he would be taken out. He figured that Benrey would just spit him back up, and tried to mentally prepare himself for the squeezing again.

He wasn't prepared to see a giant hand clip through the wall, an undignified squeak escaping him as it came towards him.

Like before, it gently took him into a loose fist before pulling out of the wall, without a single indication that the hand had even slipped through the walls of flesh and muscle. Before he could pull his thoughts together about that, he was set on the ground and not a moment after Benrey was back to his normal 5'3.

It was… jarring to see the alien that had just held him and eaten him alive be shorter than him again.

"So…" he started awkwardly, unsure what to even say about the situation, before the air quickly reminded him of how soaked he was. "I need a shower. And I think we're going to order food tonight. I don't feel like cooking." They nodded. "Yea. Okay." As the two started back towards the house, Gordon stopped at the door. "Can you grab me some towels? Don't want to walk in the house sopping wet."

"Yea.. and, um…" they trailed off, looking away with a small hum of pink sweet voice escaping their mouth. "Thanks for doing that. Helped a lot." "Yea, no problem, man. Thanks for letting me out and not just ignoring me." He finished with a snort at the offended look he received. "Told you I would listen." When they only received a laugh in return, they huffed and turned to go get the towels he asked for.

As he waited, he mulled over all the stuff he learned about his roommate today. It was certainly not how he thought today was going to go, but he found that ...he didn't mind too bad.

He wouldn't mind if he found Benrey in need of some "extreme cuddles" again.

#non fatal vore #sfw vore #soft vore #hlvoreai #g/t vore

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dreaminpeaches · 3 years

Text

“Ladies, Gentlemen, Enbies...HER--I mean Him? Or them?-- whatever, anyways here's the first part of my daydream paracosm, Humble Pie. I was really happy I was able to come up with the first part in a somewhat cohort manner. Part 2 is also going to follow this sometime soon, but after that its probably just gonna be short shorts, text exchanges, and or drabbles, but that first part’s finally a thing! And that’s cool”

“Also just reminder that this paracosm is set in a mix timeline, like people have flip phones, cassette tapes, but still also have stuff like gamer chairs, and slang like sus/lit exist, so I hope that doesn’t bother you..oof”

“Also I wrote this from my Remarkable, then convert it to text, and did some proof reading, but my handwriting is still can only be read by chickens and my dyslexia ninja has sneak 100 accuracy so..yeah

Word count: 6,115

TW: mention of Bullying, DeadBeat dad, Smoking, Drinking, Swearing (only for comedy’s sake tho’), Dissociation, Guilt (but don’t worry there’s still A LOT of fluff in this piece, tho)

Link to Alternate version on my off-site daydream blog: Humble pie part 1

=================================================================

"Okay, here we go" Beau said, taking one last drag of his cigarette, and taking in one last look at the panoramic view of the town below, Newbury, his hometown, he was away for a year because of college which he dropped out of. Well, "dropout" made it seemed like he had a choice, more like he flunked out, there were' 'reasons that 'made college impossible for Beau, reasons that he couldn't get into or more like reasons he didn't want to get into, these were the some reasons that turned what was suppose to be a 5 hour drive into an 8 hour one, making him stop ever so often to the nearest park, overlook, or clearing to get out, smoke and or take a short walk. These stops were so frequent by the time he reached his hometown’s overlook he was on his last stick, hard to believe he started the trip w/ a full box.

He dropped the last of the remains of the cig on the ground and stomped out the glow ember with his dark brown rounded toed boot, watching the embers glow go out made him feel similar in a way.

Beau took one more last look at the small town below blanketed by the dark, light sky. He looked around. the overlook, bring back memories of. late night make outs, sneak outs and general teenaged shenanigans.

Beau remembers once on a night he was really buzzed, a rare event for him, drinking with his buddies, rather it was the buzz from the beer, or he was just 'riding the 'high off scoring the winning goal for the team, or general teen hormones. He felt invincible, so invincible he stood up on the ledge and proclaimed himself as king of the world

A moment Beau looks back at and shakes his head as if to try to erase the memory from his mind like an etch n’ sketch, suddenly he got a bad taste in his mouth or maybe that's just the cigarettes "King of world….yeah, right" Beau said pulling up the collar of his jacket and shrugging his hands into his pockets, and headed back into the car.

It was getting late and there was no use in stalling any longer, might as well continue to the inevitable. Stalling may be that’s the feeling that's been following him the whole time, stalling the fact that he would have to return to his hometown a failure after being touted and praised for being a star athlete , and getting into a ivy league school, a feat his mom was really proud since she herself couldn't go to college because of having Beau at such a young age, and having to deal with a bunch of other “BS” as Beau would put it.

Beau really wanted to make her proud by becoming a famous football player and make tons of money so she wouldn't ever have to worry about bills n 'stuff and live in the malibu dream house she dreamed of living in since she was a kid, a dream she would talk about to her children like it was fairytale during when time got real tough.Even though she sounded upbeat over the phone about the news, Beau knew his mom was an expert when it came to masking her disappointment and skill that was pretty integral with dealing Beau's birth father. He just hopes she's not too disappointed

As the twilight sky grew more dark the street lights flickered on. Familiar and nostalgic landmarks and structures rolled by as Beau drove by with one hand gripping the wheel while the other hand hung casually out of the rolled down window. the nighttime breeze gentle, tossing his cart dirty blond hair mullet. The 'murmur of punk music lighty playing from the car's speaker, that was playing louder earlier but the volume's quickly depleted because blasting punk 'music at night in a small town is pretty serious offensive a risk, a younger Beau would play around with, but now being older he knows better.

Driving into his old neighborhood, seemingly not much has changed, but what do you expect from a small town? The old neighborhood consisted of typical signatures of most middle upper class .. neighborhoods, Christmas ' decorations long over due to be taken down, manicured lawns, next to slightly less manicured lawns. Some lawns adored w/ gnomes and flamingos, a step up from the lawns of homes in his childhood neighborhood whose homes had what one could consider a lawn but just barely, Beau and his brother were lucky enough to have a sizable back yard and a tree house.

His family's lawn had a bunch of outdoor toys laid about on their lawn: a nerf gun, a pink tricycle, a tiled dyed color bouncy ball and an empty container of mega bubble wand. Beau drove up in the driveway being careful to not accidentally run over any of the toys in the yard.

He eject the mixtape from the player and put it into his jacket chest pocket. Beau leaned over and rummaged through the glove compartment fishing out a small travel can of axe's body spray and another small spray can of mouthwash, he used both to cover the scent of cigarette smoke, a smell his mother was highly sensitive to. He popped in a stick of spearmint for extra measure before getting out of the car and going to the trunk to retrieve his suitcase. Beau only had one suitcase since all the stuff really needed and cared about conveniently fitted in one suitcase.

Beau propped up his suitcase as he closed the trunk, the car beeped and blinked as he pressed the lock button. He headed up the pathway to the front door, his heart beating louder and louder with each step leading up to the front door.

Beau took a deep breath, Pulling himself together. "Okay" He said under his breath as his hand slowly reach for the knob but before he could even get a good grip, the door swung open, Beau's eyes raced up to see the thinning hair of a middle aged man, Beau eyes lowered a bit more to see the mustached clad face of the man the hair belonged to. "Hey, Big Boss! '' the mustache man said with a grin. The man was Beau's stepfather, David.

"Hello, David, I-I mean Dad." Beau awkwardly greeted his stepdad, trying his best not to show discomfort at his step dad's “nickname" for him.

"Ha, ha that's okay, son!”David laughed, giving Beau a hefty pat on the back.

"Here, let me get your bags." David said, reaching for Beau's suitcase, looking behind Beau expecting more bags

“You only brought one bag?" he questioned, looking curiously.

'--I like to be efficient" Beau muttered with a shrug and a side glance. "HAHA you and me both, Big B" David chuckled playful elbowing Beau, who gave a half-smile and a small chuckle--well, more like a slight nose huff

"Hey, honey Big B is home!" David shouted as Beau closed the front door.

His mother came rushing from the bedroom in her rose pink robe w/a barbie in insignia on the front with matching fuzzy slippers, her sandy blond hair still damp from the shower.

"My little boy, oh!" she said, warping Beau in a tight motherly embrace. "Welcome home!" Beau's mother pulled back for a second, cupping her son's face in her hands “you’re still so handsome"

"Wait..." Beau gently removed his mom's hands from his face "Are you okay, mom?" He asked his considerate brown eyes searching his mother's teal eyes for any sign of distress.

"Of course, sweetie," his mom beamed. "I have all of my loved ones under one roof. What's more to ask?"

it's just that I didn't- Y-you know." Beau said with downcast eyes

"Oh, that" his mom said wide eyes and then shaking her head in dismissed

"Don't worry about not finishing college, I mean just look at me"

“But You just seemed so proud that I got in, I just didn't want to let you down"

“Sweetie, it's fine," his mom said, gently guiding his head up with her hand to look at him "I was not proud that-You were becoming the smart, sweet kind young man, I always knew you were, but now. I'm just happy that you’re here and I get to see you go. on the journey myself!" Beau chuckled tightly and blushed at his mom's admiration.

"Plus, Your mom's not the only one who is happy to have You home!” David said, gesturing towards the hallway. Beau looked to see a small figure peeking from the corner, the figure quickly disappeared followed by an overflow of giggles.

A smile slowly creeped across Beau's face, he slowly kneeled down. " "Gasp * Is that my little care bear?"

From the shadows totted out, a little girl dressed in a blue care bear patterned nightgown, her blonde hair tied up in pigtails, she grasped a love-a-lot bear in one arm while her other arm was open as she raced towards Beau, also with arms wide open for a hug "Bo-Bo"

"Hey, care bear!" Beau cooed as he picked up his little sister "Wow, You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you!

"Carrie's been asking when you were coming since you told us you were coming home "David stated

"Really?"

"Yep!'' Carrie nodded proudly "You still have the love-a lot bear I won at grad night". Beau vividly remembers winning Love A Lot and his friends making fun of him, but Carrie really appreciated it more than he thought.

"Yeah, she takes it with her everywhere!" mom emphasized “Thank god, the kindergarten has a security blanket policy!

"Aww..." Beau said fondly looking at Carrie, who had her head resting on his shoulder, still grasping love a lot.

Beau thought for a moment and looked around "wait, where Dev?"

"Oh" mom said putting her hand on her head with a semi sigh "He's been going through... things"

"Teenager things: David specified "He's the big one three now.. "

“Don't worry, I can talk to him!”Beau said, confidently, slowly nodding his head

. Carrie lets out a small yawn "Aw, you sleepy, care bear?" Beau asked as Carrie rubbed her eyes

"It's past her bedtime, but she really wanted to see you," Mom said, stroking Carrie's hair. "Is someone ready for the sleep shuttle'?" Beau asked Carrie, looking at her in her sleepy hazel eyes, she nodded in response

"Alright, Here we go!" Beau held Carrie in both hands placing his arms out in front of him, he kneeled down and started counting down. "3…..2...1. Blast off!"

Beau shot Carrie in the as he stood back up. As he moved towards Carrie's bedroom, he moved all around side to side, up and down while making spaceship sounds, Carrie was giggling all the way through.

"Incoming! "Beau shouted as he swooshed Carrie round a few more times before landing her swiftly on the bed.

"Huston, the eagle. has landed!." Beau said, holding his ear as if he had an earpiece "Not eagle! Bear!" Carrie stated holding up her care bear "correction, the "BEAR" has landed!" Beau correcting himself, bringing a huge smile to her face as she nuzzled her care bear

"Okay, night, right, care bear" Beau said patting carries head

"Wait!" Carrie said holding on to her brother's arm "Is Bo-Bo still gonna be here in the Morning?""Of course, I'm not going anywhere at least for a while.." "Beau said, kneeling down to Carrie's eye level.

"Okay, I like having Bo-Bo around:'' Carrie said "and I like being around" Beau said, "see you in the morning, care bear" Beau gives Carrie a good night kiss on the forehead.

She settles into bed as Beau closes the door. Beau grinned to himself, feeling lucky to have such a cute sister. He remembers when Devin was that little, speaking of Dev. Beau apphoraced Dev's bedroom door. The door was caution tape, Don't enter signs, with a please knock before entering sign.

At first Beau did think about knocking but then thought "I could be a respectful older brother respect the sign or I could have fun and be a little shit. He pondered about it for a minute then-"yeah, I'm gonna be a little shit.”

Beau took a card out his wallet and wedged it in between the door to jimmied the lock. He peeked through the door to see Dev playing a video game on the tv. "you little..." Beau said under his breath, before bombastically opening the door "Hey there, squirt!" Beau said, shoving the door open

"Didn't you read the sign?!" Dev said as he turned around in his gamer chair in both shock-and annoyance

"Wow, that's a pretty warm welcome to give your older brother you haven't seen in a year!" Beau snarked, pretending to look hurt'' "Nice to see you too!"

"Oh my god!" Dev said, rolling his eyes and turning his chair back to tv, bringing his attention back to the game.

"and here I thought you were working on a project or homework or some school shit!" Beau continued "but no, you're just sitting here playing one of your little nerd games"

"Oh my god, can't you just leave!" Dev groaned as he hunching closer to the tv.

"You couldn't at least say "Hi" " Beau said now standing right behind Dev gamer chair

Dev raised and waved his hand half-heartedly and flatly said "hi"

"Well, damn I feel loved," Beau said sarcastically. "aren't you at least gonna look at me?" shaking the gaming chair a bit to gain an ounce of his little brother’s attention.

“ I saw you "Kool aid man" into my room. Is that enough?" Dev said still focusing on the game Beau sighed, then got an idea "Dev! Dev! I think there's something wrong with my heart I think I gonna-ugh!" He said staggering forward a bit before falling in Dev's lap, knocking out the game controller out of Dev's hands.

"Come on! I was in the middle of battle!" Dev whined looking at his brother playing dead

"Get off of me!" Dev go armed as he tried to push beau off with no luck

"Come on, Beau!" He gored in frustration “I know you're not dead! I can still feel your heartbeat..."

Get up!" Beau remained still, Dev rolled his eyes; he knew the exact words to get his brother off his back or in this case lap.

"Big brother, can you please get off of me n Dev utter begrudgingly "Aw, you haven't call me ‘Big brother’ in years" Beau chimed with a smile, finally getting up "I'm still kind of hurt, that you cared about your gaming progress than the well being for your one and only big brother"

"You were still breathing, I could literally see you inhaling and exhaling." Dev clarified rubbing his forehead

"Touche, I guess" Beau said he then directed Dev's chair in front his bed," now that I have your attention"

"Okay, I guess I should say sorry since you couldn't and say "hi" to me because you were too busy saving some elf princess, or some anime chick with huge melons"

"I-H-Hey I don't even play those types of games!" Dev argued blushing

" .-sure you "don't'." Beau taunted with a wink, Dev goanned "Anyways, Anyways you don't have to say "hi",; but you could at least not talk to me"

Beau suggested, shrugging. "I guess" Dev mumbled kind of sinking into his chair "cool, so how's life?" Beau started, trying to start a diagoul "okay"

"How's school?"

"Okay"

"How’re your friends?"

"Okay"

"Got a girlfriend?"'

"NO”

"Got a boyfriend?"

N-NO"

"Got any crushes"

“….NO…..."

"joined any clubs or any other after school junk?"

" ..... NO..."

"Are you just gonna answer all my questions in one word?"

Dev fell quiet, and shifted his gaze from his brother

“Okay, that's it!" Beau huffed, he picked up Dev and hoasted him over his shoulder "Hey! put me down!" Dev-shouted , beating his fists on Beau's back "Not until you talk to me like an actual person, and one worded answers aren't gonna cut it, squirt!"

"MOM! Dad!"

"Mom and Dav-Dad are fast asleep, and you know they both sleep like rocks!" Beau stated'' the only person you'll wake up is Carrie, and You don't want to wake little care bear, now do YOU?"

Dev fell Quiet again, "You know I can hold you like this for hours, you aren't really that heavy, or you can just end this and talk to me" Beau suggested ending the suggestion with a sigh and started to stomp his foot impatiently..

Dev continued the silent treatment for a bit until letting out a meek "Okay...I'll try" .

Hey, three words, that's a start!" Beau cheekly commented,He sat Dev back down in his green gamer chair.

"Okay, do over!" Beau said casually sitting across from Dev and his bed. "so, how's school going?" "F-fine” Beau gave Dev a intense look, reminding Dev of his word count “N-no, I mean it's just weird" Dev stuttered choosing his words carefully, Dev fiddled with his hoodie sleeves.

"and it's weird because..." Beau initiated, gesturing his hand toward encouraging Dev to continue "It's weird because.... I don't know, Middle school is way different than 'elementary school, I mean I knew that from tv, but middle school isn't like tv."

"It's okay, nothing like tv, that thing lies” Beau softly chuckled to himself and continued “I remember thinking Pogo sticks were the SHIT-cuz 'of people and cartoons on tv made it look so easy"

"I finally got enough money for one-- you were like little you probably don’t remember this-- but I was SO HYPED, I wanted mom to watch me. I took one hop, fell on my ass, and never hopped on that bitch again. I was pissed, I think mom was trying to her best not to laugh but I was so pissed I think I didn’t notice until now. I chucked the pogo stick in the garage, and I never looked at that bitch again”

Dev let out a stiff laugh, the defensive wall Dev put was slowly breaking

"Oh WAIT WAIT!” Beau said taking a moment to correct himself “ That WASN’T the last time the last time I looked that bitch, I fished it out of garage years later, only cuz’ I need some money for Madden. So, I did look at that bitch one more time, but only to sell that bitch.”

Dev let out a more audible laugh, but quickly caught himself and recollected, returned to his disillusioned teenage state.

"Anyway, The teacher's are kind of weird, like a lot of them hate my guts already, except for the coaches who are super nice to me." Dev explained, kind of looking away from his brother

"Weird, why do you think that is?" Beau asked whole hearty

"Because I'm related to you, Numb skull!" Dev blunted , groaning putting his hand on his forehead

"Oh damn, I guess that's my fault." Beau realized, rubbing the back of his neck "My bad. that my awesomeness is just lengardy"

Dev shook his head and rolled his eyes "It's not awesome to live in YOUR shadow!" Dev sulked, sinking back into his chair, his hands covering his face.

"You don't have to follow in my awesomeness, I know I'm a hard act to follow." Beau boasted teastingly so"You just gotta make your own awesomeness."

"What does that even mean?" Dev questioned, moving his hands down, allowing his eyes to peek through his fingers, trying not to given the urge to roll his eyes

"It's like my awesomeness comes from my boyish charm and good looks..." Beau claimed, striking an award winning smile, The urge not to roll his eyes was becoming even hard for Dev, but he still had to try and respect Beau "But your awesomeness could come from being good at games, or computers shit or math or robots or something--I don't know something real nerdy"

"I guess, you're right" Dev mumbled and shrugged,lifting himself up back into a sitting position rather than almost spilling out of his chair.

"Its not a guess, its science!" Beau declared proudly, tapping his temple with his index finger

"No,that's not science!" Dev arguing his brother's stupidity, flatly shaking his head in disagreement

"See, there you go using your nerd awesomeness" Beau pointed out with a wink "Keep that up and you'll go from Beau's lil bro, to just ‘Dev’ in no time." Beau playful tousled Devs mop dirty blonde hair

"I mean.." Dev continued batting his brother's hand away, "I was also thinking of joining the video game club or the robotics club at school."

"There you go another nerdy thing that to add to your own awesomeness" Beau said

"Yeah...." Dev continued ignoring his brother's comment' “Some of my friends are thinking about joining, and it would be a nice place to go away from mom and dad."

"I had sick memories of hanging out with the team, we got into some wild shit." Beau said laughing to himself, fondly reminiscing "But I'm sure you and you geek squad could have "wild" times too, like making an anime robot 'weify." or whatever those called or finding a new math formula or something"

Dev fell quiet for another moment, Beau always seems like he’s in between being supportive and subtly roasting him, Dev then uttered "um... I think I kind of have a crush... on a girl..."

"AYE, let's go! "Beau exclaimed, clapping and shaking Dev's chair for a bit before bouncing back on the bed'' Come on, don't leave me hanging, what's her name? "Have you talked to her vet? Have you asked her out? Have-"

"Calm down!" Dev demanded "I said I had a crush, I didn't say we’re going out.'"

"Oh, so you haven’t talked to her, huh?”

"No, I-I don't even know her name" Dev huffed, he let his arms slip into his oversize sleeves and covered his sleeves with his face in frustration.

"You know you could just ask, not the chick, like just ask around"

"I can't do that because if I do, people will find out I like her and if she finds out, I would just have to stop going to school!”

"Okay, let’s just pretend you DO have the balls to talk to this girl, what's the worst that could happen?" Beau suggested

"She finds out that I like her, thinks I'm weird and never wants to talk to me again or even look at me!” Dev muffled through his sleeved covered face

"You really think she can sus that out all in one go!" Beau said "I mean she is a middle Schooler unless she's like a young nancy drew, she is not going to chew you up and spit out like that." Beau explained "speaking of which''

Beau paused for a moment to spit out his gum into the trash can "Score!"

"Anyways, have you done anything weird to her or around her?"

"No, I mean I look at her in the hallways before and in between class, but I don't like-- stalk her or anything too weird." Dev mumbled, moving his sleeves from his face, but his head was still targeted down at his fingers fiddling with a tag on his black shorts

"So, then what's the fear?" Beau inquired, resting his chin on the heel of his palm

Dev thought for a moment, his eyes shifting looking for an answer." I-I guess I just don't know how to talk to her."

"Well, fuck, that's easy" Beau chuckled “Just talk about school shit, or just say "hi"

"Is it really that easy?"

"Yeah, if you have the balls for it" Beau reiterated "Think about it like this, the dudes you play in your little nerd games have to fight a dragon, a demon or some anime witch with huge melons to talk to the girl they like and they er brave enough to do all of that wacky shit. But you’re lucky, you don't have a dragon for real in your way to keep you talking from your crush. The dragon's just in your head! If those hero dudes can fight dragons they actually can see, doesn't that mean you can fight a dragon you don't even see."

"That was a really lame and kind of confusing metaphor" Dev sassed " But I guess understand what your trying to say"

"Exactly" Beau said nodding confidentiality

"Can we talk about mom and dad?" Dev asked sheepishly, looking up at his brother, (well as much as he could with his shaggy bangs in the way), his fingers now toying with his hoodie strings

"Did something happen?"

"No, I mean yeah, I mean it's just weird" Dev said "Mom and dad are starting to get more annoying but I don't know if they were always like that or they like charged"

"No, parents don't really change-usually” Beau explained “It's just that being a teenager makes you hypersensitive to a bunch of shit and makes you wanna be alone more. Parents, the good ones like spending time with their kids and they actually want quality time n' shit and that's where they start to get annoying".

“"Oh okay,” Dev nodded.'' It's just weird because sometimes I feel like I hate them, but I don't want to. I think I just really want to be alone more like you said but I don't want to shut them out, I just want them to get that." Dev-fiddles with the strings of his green hoodie

"Yeah, I think they do in a weird old people kind of way. Believe it or not they were teenagers to even if that was back in the stone age n' shit" Beau joke"

Dev let out an actual laugh, a sign to Beau that he's little bro was being less of a moody teenager

"Anyway, even with that said mom and david-I mean dad aren't mind readers, it would be cool if you give them a heads up, you don't have to tell them all about what's going on in your little teen nerd brain but at least something simple like something weird or funny that happened at school, or asking for help on homework or a project for class or some shit like that, I'm pretty sure Dav-dad would love that.."

"I guess I could try". Dev said slightly nodding his head "But Carrie is kind of weird too!

"How can Carrie be weird, she's 5.” Beau scoffed "she doesn't do anything weird really"

Dev added" it's just sometimes she's regular cute and other times she's annoyingly cute if that makes sense"

"I mean like kind of get what you're saying but "Beau shrugged gesturing his hand toward prompting Dev to continue

"Like I still look out for her because she little, but because she's little that means I have to do dumb stuff like look for monsters under her bed or do that sleep shuttle thing you do, but I can't really do it because my arms give out halfway through and she's heavier than she looks."

"Well, little brothers and sisters are annoying, it's kind of their job, trust me I know from experience" Beau: put his hand on Dev's knee, Dev tried to Swat at it but Beau quickly put his hand back with a smirk.

"But like with mom and da-David just cuz she's annoying doesn't mean You can’t look out for her n stuff"

"I guess, its because lately, it seems like'' Dev paused 'for a beat, his hands hard gripping the strings of his hoodie, before continuing" I don't know mom and dad have been paying more attention to her than me"

A mischievous smile creeps across his face. "AW does someone miss being the baby?"'

"Oh, fuck! I knew you 'er gonna say that!" Dev blurted out, feeling really exposed, he pulled his hoodie strings allowing his head to be consumed by his hoodie, all but his nose.

"Hey! language,” Beau said, surprised at his little brother's reaction those harsh words coming out of the mouth of small boy sporting a Yoshi hoodie

"You cuss' all the time!" Dev huffed pulling his hoodie back down, then crossing his arm definitely

"Yeah, but I'm older than you, and if mom and David--DAD hear you curse they’er gonna know you got it from me and won't get off my ass about it!"

Dev stared at his brother, simmering in frustration in failing to coming up w/a good come back or a flaw in his brother's logic, He let out a heavy sigh and resumed "Anyways, it's NOT like I miss being the baby, I just miss being able to hold their attention without Carrie coming in and stealing them anyway, I don't know its weird"

"Wait, did you just say that you wanted to be alone and away from mom and David-fuck. I'm not even gonna try more-he's asleep anyways." giving up any attempt to make the word "Dad" same with the name "David"

"Yeah, I know that's what makes it weird!" Dev admitted, he sulked back deeper into his chair and let out a groan.

"You know Carrie's not awake all the time, maybe you can talk to mom and David, when she goes down for her nap, hell, I could just take her to the park for a day." Beau offered

"You'd really do that for me?" Dev peeped, quickly lifting himself up in a sitting position, surprised at his brother kind offer

"Yeah, anything to make you less of a weird angsty shut in, with a bunch of cringy keep out signs and keep out tape!" Beau gestured towards the door

"Actually, I got that caution tape from a real crime scene" Dev clarified, with a smug smile

"Really?" Beau taking a longer closer look at the door

"No, thick head, I found it in a dumpster next to party city!"

"You go dumpster diving?" Beau said, raising an eyebrow

"I have a life outside of YOU!" Dev stated proudly

"Okay, and on that... Weird garbage goblin flex, sibling bonding time is over." Beau said getting up from the bed and heading for the door

"Actually, one more thing..." Beau said quickly, turning around, rushing towards Dev, putting him into a headlock.

"Did ya miss me? Come on, tell me that you missed me!" Beau taunted as he gave his brother a long and through noogie "Ouch, Ow, Ow, Okay, okay, I missed You. Geez:" Dev pleaded trying to struggle out of his brother's grip

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Beau said with a smirk, letting 'Dev go.

"Ugh! my hair" Dev fumed , gawking at his even more messy mop of hair.

"Like you care about appearances" Beau chuckled" mop top nerd!"

"Mullet-hair metal meathead!"

"Ouch, that was pretty good" Beau teased pretending to look hurt "Garbage Goblin"

"You already-"Dev started but was cut off by Beau closing the door

"Too late, the door is closed, I can't hear you, which means I win!" Beau said through the door, laughing at his brother's muffled fury of frustration.

Beau grinned relishing in the absolute confusion of his younger brother, but that good vibe quickly faded once he arrived at the door to his old bedroom. He just stood there and stared at the door for a bit, he could feel the icky stew of the emotions from bubbling back up again.

He flexed his hand a few times as if this was the first time he's ever pored a door, Beau's hand reached for the door handle before retracted as if the knob was red hot.

Beau sheepishly looked around as if somebody was watching him, no one was but it sure did feel like it. He considered sleeping on the couch, but that would be weird, since it seemed like his step dad put his luggage in his room. so, eventually he would have to go into his room anyway.

Beau took a deep breath. "Come on, it's just a door, dude!" He told himself Beau's hand rested on the door knob, he took another deep, his hand gained a stronger grip, and he slowly pushed the door open, Beau carefully entered the room as he closed the door behind him. Looking around the room was plaster with posters of football players and a few pinups of doe-eye, sensual women in swimsuits and other scantily clad outfits.

Athletic medals, trophies and awards displayed proudly on his bookshelf that lacked any actual books, those trophies stood next to pictures of Beau with his teammates, all illuminated by the moon's dull pale blue light. These relics of what felt like a bygone era used to fill Beau with so much pride and joy but looking at them now just leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

He could barely even recognize himself in those photos. This whole room felt like a shrine or more like a tomb to someone who no longer exists.

Looking at all this stuff just made the icky feelings from before rise up to the back of his throat making the bad taste linger even longer.

Beau couldn't really pin what-these feelings were, so he shifted his focus on just getting some sleep

As he thought, Beau's step dad put his luggage on his bed. He opened his bag and quickly changed into a white tank top and some grey sweatpants. He fished out the mix tape from his jean jacket and put into the gray clucky music player on his nightstand. Beau turns the music up loud enough for him to hear but not loud enough for disturb anyone else. Heavy metal music (ironally) helped him sleep on hard nights.

Beau laid in bed focusing on the one spot in his room that wasn't decorated with high school memorabilia. Focusing on that spot was way better than focusing on the icky feelings from earlier. All he needed to was focus on sleep just sleep, Beau closed his eyes and tried to focus on just sleep.

The next time Beau opened his eyes, he was back in the hallway of his highschool. Beau looked around confused why he was back here but before he could really sus out the situation, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud. He followed the sound of the thud that led to a scene of a bespectacled student being shoved up against the lockers. The student's face contorted by fear.

"P-please, d-don't hurt me. "the student uttered, the words quivering as it left his lips.

"Aww, look at him, guys." a familiar voice said, Beau couldn't see whom the voice belonged to. There was a strange mist in the hallway that obscured the person's face.-

"He's scared." the voice said mockly, the person nodded towards a group of people whose faces were also obscured by the mist, they laughed in response

“Don't worry, little buddy, I'm not gonna hurt ya:" the person taunted as he tightened his grip on the student and shoved his body up against the failing student. "As long as you don't squeal" .

"You squeal, and I'll fry you like the pig you are, got it. Swine?"

"I-I p-promise I W-won't. J-just please let me go!" the student begged

Beau was disturbed by scene happening before him, but along with the feel of disgust came a feeling of familiarity, like he's been there before

Just then the fog lift to reveal the face of a younger version of Beau dawned in his red “New Burny High school” letterman jacket. He was smirking relish in the fear he was inflicting on the poor student.

Older Beau slowly back up, almost stumbling as he was coming to the realization of the origin of all those icky feelings from before

"I don't know, do we trust him, guys?" Younger beau asked cocking his head back to his teammates, who shook their head in disagreement "The Boys and I don't seem very sure of that, I think I'm gonna have to test your loyalty !" Younger Beau winded up his arm for a punch, But before his fist could make an impact.

Beau found himself back in his room in a cold sweat, hyperventilating as quickly rose from his bed. His room, still illuminated by the moonlight, with the metal mix tape softly playing in the background. He looked at his hand as if they were lethal weapons. How could I do such a thing?

#daydream blog #daydream blogging #daydream dairy #paraportal #paracosm: humble pie #para: beau #para: devin #para: carrie #immersive daydreaming #paracosm

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