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yehet-me-up · 2 years

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Silver Screen Bandits

Pairing: Baekhyun x reader (female, nickname: Hitchcock)

Word Count: 11,090 words

Rating: PG13 - swearing and brief discussions of sex

Summary: You and your best friend Baekhyun have worked at the movie theater for years. Starting in high school, all the way through college, and now on nights and weekends while you work your “real jobs” during the day. The energy, the free movies, and Baek’s entertaining personality make it the perfect escape from the stress of the corporate world.

All of your friends marvel at the fact that you two seem to have dispelled the myth that a man and woman can’t be just friends. But Halloween night at the mall turns everything on its head, in more ways than one.

Part ten of the Exodus Mall series (Can be read independently, but you’ll get some extra backstory if you read the other parts first!)

A/N: It’s here 😭 The official Last Post for the EXO Mall series. Thank you so much to everyone who has joined me on this journey for the past four and a half years, it means more to me than I can put into words 💕 This one’s for y’all.

Halloween is always a noteworthy weekend at the Exodus Mall.

Children come to the mall with their families and enjoy trick or treating at all the stores, walking around with the Monster Mash and other spooky songs playing over the loudspeakers. Bosses and managers delight in record sales and happy employees, inspired by the festive mood. And for your group of friends - it’s the annual all-night party at the movie theater.

It started, as most wild ideas do, with Baekhyun.

The Halloween of 1990 when you were both eighteen was a Halloween in which everything possible went wrong.

The popcorn machine blew up, yet again. The film canister delivery company went on strike and your manager had to drive down to the FedEx depot to retrieve the reels so you and Baek could make the films in time for the preview showings. And, most disastrously, you had to watch Baek kiss Molly Simmons next to theater three as the late night turned into an impromptu party at work.

Each year since that night the party has grown to include friends and fellow mall employees from most stores. Drinks usually emerge at some point after the mall closes down. A ruckus and highly competitive game of hide and seek in the theater begins after the last of the customers leave. And inevitably, by the break of dawn, some couple or another has broken up or gotten together.

Halloween is always a noteworthy weekend at the Exodus Mall, and the Halloween of 1997 is no exception.

Thursday October 30th, 1997

Your inbox at Microsoft is normally a chaotic mess, even more so during the month of October, in the lead-up to the annual product release for the holiday shopping season. As the sun rises, spilling light into the cramped office you share with two other project managers, you are ignoring all messages in your work email for a single one in your personal inbox.

The subject line reads “Congratulations!” and in your gut you know you got the job you applied for on a whim weeks ago. The one at the movie theater chain’s headquarters in New York City on the marketing team, the one you never in a million years thought you’d get. Holy shit holy shit holy shit.

Torn between delight and dread, all you want to do is tell Baekhyun. Your best friend… that you’ve been inconveniently in love with for the better part of a decade. And a solid fifty percent of the reason you applied to the job in the first place.

Half because you’re tired of the endless grind at Microsoft and burning the candle at both ends working part time at the theater. Half because you’re dying to jump into a more creative role with opportunities for growth. And half because the ache of being near Baekhyun, but not in the way you want, is too great to bear.

Yes, you’re aware that’s a hundred and fifty percent, but you can be forgiven in the moment as your mind struggles to process the enormity of this acceptance.

With a shaking hand you open the email and read through the details. The paperwork you’ll need to print, sign, and fax back. The details of the relocation package they are offering. And at the bottom, in bold font, the start date. A mere two weeks from Monday. You knew they were eager to get started before the holiday push, but the urgency of it all makes your gut do somersaults.

Leaning back in your chair, you lift a hand to cover your mouth, looking out at the Seattle skyline from the twentieth floor. Sunlight bouncing off the surface of Lake Washington and the early morning ships sailing to and from the port and the harbor. People down below, no bigger than ants, going about their own commute.

And somewhere close, just a few blocks away, the Exodus Mall waits for you.

How will Baekhyun take this? you wonder, dropping your hand and staring blankly at the computer screen. Will he be sad you’re gone? Will anyone else at the Mall? Or will the hole in his life be filled up just as quickly as your spot on the staffing schedule? Before you can shake your head and dismiss the worry as ridiculous, the man in question pops his head into your office.

“Ready for tonight?” He waggles his eyebrows.

Sliding his hands into the pockets of his gray trousers, he leans against your door frame. It shouldn’t be charming - the way his grin and messy hair are so starkly contrasted by the white button down, black tie, and tailored gray suit jacket (yes, you were the one who forced him to get it tailored, naturally) - but of course it is. Everything about him is charming, attractive, maddening. As it always has been

You fumble for the mouse, clicking out of your personal email. “Hey, you’re in early.”

Willing your heart to stop racing at the sight of him, you force yourself to take a deep breath and shove down the guilt of hiding this from him. He can read you so easily, you’re certain that the job offer is somehow broadcast across your face.

“And yes, I’m so ready. Absolutely. The dev team is killing me with these delays. My boss is breathing down my neck non-stop. I’m so incredibly over it.”

Baekhun shakes his head. “I keep telling you, you need to take it easy like I do.” He yawns, the dark circles under his eyes becoming more pronounced when he meets your gaze. “You set the bar too high, now they’ll expect too much of you.”

With a scoff, you stand up. “That’s because your heart is in the theater and you could not care less about Microsoft.”

He shrugs. He says he took the job because ‘he thought he should,’ after graduation, not from any sense of purpose or enjoyment. It’s been an endless source of confusion for you and your friends why he did it in the first place, given the complete lack of corporate-ness about him.

“Did you hear about the new job opening?” He keeps his voice casual, but there’s something intent in his expression.

You swallow, finding a random stack of already organized folders to tidy, avoiding his eyes. “Uh. No - sorry, what job?” How on earth would he have known about the New York offer? It literally just came through.

But you needn’t have worried. “Yeah, Tony’s finally leaving.” Baekhyun bites his bottom lip, staring out the window. “Retiring after forty years, can you believe it?”

Oh, thank goodness. “Wow. No shit?” Your manager at the cinema always jokes that he came original with the building. None of you thought he’d ever leave. “I thought he’d die and be absorbed into the foundation,” you joke.

“I know, right?” Despite the cubicles in the open center of the office filling up, Baekhyun still stays.

When he looks up to you once more, you know exactly what he’s planning. Either from being far too observant of him or from best friend telepathy. “Wait, are you going to apply?”

He gives you a sheepish grin, lifting a hand to run along his neck. “I was thinking about it. Jamie said she’d put in a good word for me with the corporate stiffs.”

Would you be a corporate stiff if you took this job? You huff out a nervous laugh, hoping you don’t sound too hysterical. “I think the job is yours, if you want it.” Stepping closer, you rest your hands on his shoulders. “Everyone loves you. Literally, everyone.”

“Really?” The playful edge to his smile fades as his eyes scan your face. “Everyone?”

Oh, touching him was a mistake. But lately it seems like you can’t help it.

The easy intimacy of your friendship has taken on a new charge since Dolores issued her challenge at New Year’s. Where once you’d throw your legs in his lap at video game nights or tickle him whenever you pass him at work (the theater, Microsoft would frown on such fraternization), now you keep your hands to yourself.

You drop them from his shoulders quickly, as though burned.

Baekhyun’s stare drifts from your mouth to your palms at your sides. He doesn’t say anything. Neither of you have said anything about it for ten months. In the days after that morning in the diner, you’d thought he might say something, anything. But aside from a few teasing jabs here and there, you’d both returned to ignoring the situation.

“Yes,” you say, swallowing as your throat runs dry when he meets your eyes again, more serious than you’ve ever seen him. “You know that. Half the crew would take a bullet for you if they had to.” Your laugh is hollow even to your own ears.

Coward. The word echoes in your mind as you turn back to your desk, heart racing. It would be so easy to say something. To finally ask him if he feels the same way about you, to know once and for all if he feels just friendship for you or something more. The vision of how crushing it would be to hear him say the former to you turns your stomach.

It’s kept you up at night since high school. Wondering ‘what if.’ What if he was more than just your best friend? What if it was you he kissed next to theater three tonight? But - what if you ruined everything and lost everything you already have? What a clusterfuck.

The email with Congratulations! peeks out from the side of your computer screen. You turn to Baekhyun to tell him - about the job or god, even your feelings - propelled by the excitement of the offer. But when you turn around he’s no longer in your doorway. A member of his team has pulled him away, gesturing to the launch timeline whiteboard behind the cubicles.

The man’s words about deadlines and quotas goes quiet, fading as Baekhyun turns to give you an apologetic sigh. He rolls his eyes at his co-worker’s stress and gives you a small smile. You take it like a life preserver and laugh, returning his expression with a shrug before taking a seat at your desk.

You can practically hear Dolores yelling the word coward from the diner blocks away. With a groan you drop your head on top of your hands where they rest on your desk. A muffled ‘fuck’ is all you allow yourself before sitting up and starting work officially.

It’s going to be a long night, and the sooner you finish, the sooner you can leave.

Baekhyun jabs a finger into the knot of his tie with glee, loosening it until the tie comes undone.

For the year and a half he’s worked at Microsoft it’s felt like a noose. Sliding into his car, he hangs it over the rearview mirror and sighs, relaxing back into the seat. He knows he should be grateful for the job. It pays well, allowing him to afford his car, his apartment, and everything he could ever need.

But it’s just not him. And the manager opportunity at the theater makes that fact even more clear in comparison.

He fades away at talks of reports and powerpoints and spreadsheets. He thrives assisting customers, talking movies with the staff, and even scraping dried butter off the inside of the poppers. Working at the theater is worth it for him, even when he has to get on his hands and knees and grab empty cups and wrappers from under the seats when he cleans theaters, dancing to the terrible muzak that plays in-between showings.

He bites his lip, tapping a pattern on his steering wheel and staring at the pictures taped to his glove box. It’s the best part of his old, beat-up Camry - the collage of memories from the last several years.

A faded polaroid of him, Kyungsoo, Chanyeol, and you at graduation. Caps askew and illicit champagne spewing from the bottle in his hands. Your eyes closed in laughter as your hand lifts his graduation robe up to protect you from the spray. Chanyeol grinning ear to ear with an arm around Kyungsoo, rubbing his knuckles into the shorter man’s hair.

A photo of the original crew from the theater when he was sixteen, overly bright from the flash, as a full two rows of you sprawled out in the seats before the memorable Waterworld screening. Popcorn thrown by a co-worker frozen in midair. People’s legs propped up on the backs of seats and arms wrapped around each other. He can feel the camaraderie through the photo but what draws him, as always, is the two of you next to each other. And the way your head is on his shoulder.

Another from the day you both started at Microsoft. You in the hideous brown shoes your mom gave you and him in the most ill-fitting suit he’d ever worn. It was his mom’s idea - to take a photo of the two of you on his front porch. Just like she’d do every year on the first day of school.

So many photos and you were in all of them. Beside him, where you belong.

The one from junior prom when your dates both got food poisoning from an undercooked crab bake and you ended up going together. Your cute pink dress and his corsage matching the boutonnière you’d gotten him. The love written across his face as you look at the camera and he looks at you like you’re the goddamn sun itself.

The two of you in Chanyeol’s car in the Dick’s parking lot after a long night, passed out against each other in the back seat. Bijoux and Kyungsoo making silly faces and throwing fries at each other while Chanyeol’s hand half covers the frame.

The one you sent him of you making an inappropriate gesture at the leaning tower of Pisa, the awful summer in college where your family went to Europe for a few weeks.

He sighs, dropping his elbows to the steering wheel and running both hands through his hair. It’s all you. It’s always been you.

He’s almost made a move so many times over the years. During senior year after Molly Simmons broke up with him, when she told him flat out she knew he was in love with you. Sophomore year in college, during Christmas break, when you ended up under the mistletoe at his family’s Christmas party. New Year’s Day after Dolores placed her bet and threw his world for a loop.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to be with you. He does, more than he wants this manager job. More than he wanted Nirvana tickets or to beat Minseok at beer pong or anything else he’s ever wanted in his life. Lately it’s been an almost unbearable unspoken truce with you. So many times over the past few months he’s felt like you were about to say something. Or things got quiet and you looked at him and he almost blurted out everything.

But he’s never managed to find the words. Or the nerve. And so he’s stayed in this strange detente with you, all the while hopelessly in love with his best friend.

If he wasn’t so torn up about it he’d find the humor in being trapped in a classic friends to lovers romance movie like the ones he’s seen a hundred times over the years at the theater. But the movies never manage to capture the way fear and doubt over ruining a great friendship will choke you when you try to confess.

As incredible as the countless fantasies are - the ones he’s had about kissing you or calling you his girlfriend in public or other more indecent ones that make his palms sweat - even more prominent in his mind is what happened with Chanyeol and Bijoux. Granted, they were actually dating when they broke up. But the sheer devastation that haunted Chanyeol for months, years even, until they got back together stays present in his mind.

How could he live with himself if he made a move and you left? Would life even be bearable without you in it? And if he devastated you by asking and ruining things? Impossible.

A knocking on his window has him jerking back, blinking. You tap on his window once more and he sighs in relief. Tossing your suit jacket over your shoulder, you walk backwards to your own car with a grin playing at your lips.

“Better get a move on!” you yell so he can hear you through the glass. “Loser has to be the seeker tonight!”

He laughs and rolls his eyes, waving you off with an amused swipe of his hand. “You’re on!”

He should get his shit together and head to his apartment to clean up before his shift at the theater. But instead he watches you slide into your car and make that face you make when you undo your hairstyle. A relieved expression and a nose scrunch that makes him swoon.

It should be illegal, he thinks, to know someone so deeply, to know their every gesture and expression and thought, and to not get to kiss them.

As you drive off with a honk and a wave all Baekhyun can do is sit in his car, realizing for the thousandth time that he could change that if he was brave enough to risk it all.

But, like always, he kisses you only in his imagination and starts his car.

When you walk into the lobby at seven, the first thing that happens is the exact thing you didn’t want to happen. Jamie, the assistant manager and your longtime friend, gives an excited squeal and bustles around the concessions counter to hug you.

“Congratulations!” she practically yells, the sound bouncing around the nearly-empty lobby. “Tony told me they let you know you got the job today. I’ll miss you like hell, but I’m proud of you. How do you feel?” She leans back, the joy on her face, the genuine celebration and pride, makes you soft.

“Just about every emotion under the sun.” You reach for her sleeve and drag her over near the arcade, hastily looking around to make sure Baekhyun hasn’t arrived yet. “But you have to keep it a secret, okay? Nobody but you and Tony know, right?”

She pulls up, her expression morphing to confusion. “Uhh. Just Emile. Only the leadership team gets notified. But -” she purses her lips and folds her arms. “You still haven’t told anyone, have you?”

You give her a pained smile and shrug. “No.” Her sass levels are rising and you hold out your hands in surrender. “But hear me out -”

“Not even Baekhyun?” She fixes you with a stare that would strip paint off the walls. “Hitch, you have to be kidding me. This is huge, you can’t keep it from him.”

With a groan, you hang your head. “God, I know. I know. You’re right. Just -” You back up and sag when you hit the outside of the James Bond pinball machine. “How do I tell him?”

The sass fades and is replaced by her usual kindness. “You suck it up and tell him you’re leaving.” Okay, so it’s kindness mixed with tough love. But still, it’s what you need to hear. “Or you could get off your ass and tell that boy you’ve been in love with him since the day you met him.”

You don’t bother denying it. She’s seen everything and she knows.

She found you crying in the locker room in the employee lounge after he kissed Molly Simmons. She bought you Starbucks for a week after he started dating Kelly Cho junior year of college. And she’s been the big sister you’ve always needed. Not that your younger sister wouldn’t understand, but she’s so soft and romantic she wouldn’t get why you didn’t just confess ages ago.

“I can’t, Jamesey, you know that.”

“For the millionth time I ask you, the ladies and gentleman of the jury, why the fuck not?” Some customers come through the front doors and she rests a hand on your shoulder. “You’re moving across the country in two weeks, babe. You can’t wait much longer.”

She starts walking back to concessions, waving to the customers. But not before turning back and fixing you with that intense stare again. “It’s now or never. You both deserve to know. Tonight.”

With a whine you sling your purse over your shoulder and head up the stairs to get changed into your uniform, her words burning a hole in your mind. You know that you have to tell him about the job. Tonight. Word will get out in no time and you can’t even imagine how sad he’d be if he didn’t find out about the job from you personally.

But confessing how you feel? Maybe after a few drinks. Halloween, after all, is a time to be someone different than you normally are. Maybe tonight you’ll finally find your courage.

The projection booth is as familiar to Baekhyun as his own reflection in the mirror.

The slippery feel of the film between his gloved fingers. The creak and whine of the old feeder as it spins from one reel to the next. The distinct smell of the old carpet and the grease that keeps the projectors flowing. The stains and initials and doodles on the wood of the table from years of previous employees.

He pauses building the films for tomorrow’s new releases and goes to start the seven o’clock set of movies.

Baekhyun loves watching the movie start, every single time, even after hundreds and hundreds of showings.

Winding the film around the platters and through the projector with speed and accuracy (decidedly not thinking about how you made a joke about his ‘quick fingers’ when he won the employee threading race a few years ago). Hitting the button to turn down the lights. Opening the ancient glass windows to listen and confirm the audio track started.

Hanging there with the click and whir of the movie playing beside him, watching the credits he spliced together himself play before a mostly-full audience, he’s never felt more at home. That alone should reassure him that staying here and taking the manager job is meant for him.

Not many people would believe him if he said he preferred to be behind the scenes. With how outgoing and playful and yes, loud, he is - he knows that everyone would assume he loves being the center of attention. But watching and enjoying and working in the background suits him just as well as laughing and partying with his friends.

And as he walks in the darkened hallway down to the next projector, tucking his printed off start times schedule back into his work pants, his thoughts turn to you once more.

How many people have hooked up in the various turns and corners of the projection booth? He himself has kissed a person or two up here during work - especially in high school when the theater functioned as a dating rotation for all the young employees.

Halloween always makes him think of the one and only time he’s kissed you. And he still feels the pressure of your lips on his like a phantom, up here in the dark. Even years later, his body refuses to forget you.

It was a party where many firsts happened. When Chanyeol and Bijoux first got together. When Kyungsoo got wasted for the first (and last) time in history. And when the two of you ended up playing a game of seven minutes in heaven, landing yourselves in his laundry room alone.

The two of you had spent the first two minutes laughing at the situation. Giddy from far too many jello shots, ears ringing from the overly loud music. He wanted to kill his friends and thank them in equal measure for putting the two of you together.

To hide the frantic beating of his heart at the thought of kissing you, he’d hastily shoved his clean clothes into his hamper.

But then you jumped up onto Baekhyun’s mother’s dryer. And after a very long, tipsy minute, he followed his desire and his hands landed on your knees, a touch that felt both achingly familiar and excitingly new.

‘Well. Why don’t we? Just to see?’ he’d said, lifting an eyebrow in jest, never imagining you’d take him up on it.

In the intervening years he’d tried to block out way you grinned - half from competitive spirit and half from something far deeper - hands gently lifting to cup his face as you answered, “just to see.”

The electricity that passed as his thumbs rubbed small circles on your knees and your fingers felt the racing of his pulse. How the first tentative kiss turned heated in the blink of an eye and to this day he doesn’t know who it was that pushed things further.

Your lips that tasted like Dr. Pepper lip balm and the soft sound you made when he boldly moved his hands upward to your thighs and the delicious sting at the nape of his neck as your hands grew needy and - aaaand now he’s hard at work. Fantastic.

Baekhyun sighs, resuming his station to continue splicing the next reel, ignoring pointedly his arousal. Standing in the booth, he can still feel the heat in your eyes when he pulled back to look at you. Both breathing heavy and clinging to each other. The confusion and desire that warred in your irises before Chanyeol had banged on the door and made some loud comment, startling you two apart.

He had no idea how you felt the next morning, waking up hungover the day after the party. Or today, all these years later, for that matter, but he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’d been just as attracted to him as he was to you in that moment.

No matter what either of you claimed in the years since, for seven minutes in that closet the two of you were on the precipice of becoming more than just friends.

The reel ends, slipping through his fingers and spinning wildly around the platter. ‘Fuck!’

He flips off the switch to stop it, laughing and running his hands through his hair. All these years later and I’m still not over it. With a sigh he brings the end of the film back to the splicer and opens the metal container to lift out the next reel, slotting it onto the machine.

I wonder if I ever will be. But of course, he already knows the answer.

“Oh my gosh, you’re serious?”

It wasn’t Baekhyun you told first about the job tonight, it was your sister. After a busy evening rush, you snuck away to Starbucks on break in a desperate bid for caffeination. And emotional support. As someone who recently had their world turned upside down by love, you knew she’d understand.

Her eyes go wide and she reaches a hand for your knee. “This is huge! Congratulations.”

You sink lower into the cozy armchair in the main lobby of the mall, clutching your coffee for support. “I haven’t told Baekhyun.” Tired after a long and confusing day, you don’t even bother to bury the lead. “About any of it.”

She nearly chokes on her tea. “Wait, you mean you haven’t told him that you got the job? I’m shocked - don’t you two practically share a brain?”

You wince and take a huge sip. “That I applied,” you mutter.

Her jaw drops. “But - he’s - you -” She waves her hand in the air, neatly summing up the decade you’ve been best friends and hopelessly in love.

“I know.” The surprise and confusion on her face confirms that yes, it is exactly as bad a situation as you worried it would be.

She opens her mouth again but closes it, her expression settling. “But why?”

You stare at the parquet flooring. The muzak for the day is already Halloween-themed, even though the official mall celebration isn’t until tomorrow on the thirty-first. In all the excitement you hadn’t given too much thought to how it would feel to not work here anymore, after so long.

The stores that were once just shopfronts are now businesses run by friends.

KMS Music is packed after a recent re-release of Thriller. Greyhame Books is decorated to the nines, complete with fake spiderwebs and jack-o-lanterns that you know Bookworm loves and Minseok tolerates. Sehun and Starlight walk by with Jongin and his girlfriend and you all wave to each other as they talk excitedly about Soo’s Halloween special pizza.

If you leave, you’ll miss seeing Junmyeon’s son all dressed up in his costumes each year. You won’t get half off chocolates at Sinful or free breadsticks for girls night with Bijoux and Sunshine. You’d have to back out of that lecture on the Dutch masterpieces at UW in December with Jongdae’s girlfriend.

Your heart speeds up and your breathing grows shallow. “Oh, God. I haven’t thought this through at all,” you laugh nervously. “It was impulsive, I just - I couldn’t take being around Baekhyun anymore. It hurts too much.”

She sets her tea on the table and grabs your drink to do the same. Resting her other hand on your knee, she tells you to breathe. It occurs to you that if you move you won’t get to see her every day, either. In your haste to avoid how much your heart is hurting, you hadn’t thought about the larger implications of this one-in-a-million job actually accepting you.

Could you even survive away from your family - both blood and chosen?

“Is it cause of that bet from Dolores? Did Baek finally tell you he doesn’t see you like that?” At your grimace she gasps, dropping her head with a groan. “You haven’t even asked him, have you? Did we not literally just talk about this on Labor Day?”

There’s no use lying. “No, I haven’t.”

Her head whips up and she looks flabbergasted. “I can’t believe you! My whole life you’ve been so brave. So driven and outgoing and badass. How is this one man the thing that has thrown a wrench into everything?” She’s not angry or disappointed, but her regard for you is a knife to the gut.

“You’re right.” Everything you’ve ever wanted, you went for. The internships and advanced classes in college and the promotions at the theater and the social events you planned to build camaraderie. “I don’t know what it is about him that makes me such a chickenshit. I feel everything I’ve ever wanted to feel around him, but for some reason I can’t ever fucking say it.”

“A particularly tall, charming man in a leather jacket once told me that one night can change everything,” she says softly, waiting for you to look at her. “If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. And you and Baekhyun, more than anyone I’ve ever met, deserve to know.”

You sigh, pressing your hands on top of hers. “When did you get so wise, double shot?”

She sighs at the childhood nickname and you are startled all over again to realize she’s twenty-two now. “Well, a few months ago someone made a bet and I fell in love, if you’ll remember.” Baekhyun’s prompting to Tao is something he delightfully brings up every time your sister mentions her boyfriend. “It’s taught me a lot.”

“How is Tao doing? He’s coming to town for the weekend, right? For that show Chan’s doing at Moe’s for Halloween.” You finish your coffee and set the mug on the table.

“Nope, we are not talking about me right now,” she says with a firm stare. With a sass you’ve very rarely seen her exhibit, she pulls on your hands until you stand up. Turning you around she gently shoves you towards the theater.

“You have a certain someone to talk to. And much that I love that pain in the ass, his name does appropriately rhymes with ache. Go fix your heart already and tell me how it goes later at the party. If you still haven’t by the time I’m off, I’m telling him for you.”

You stumble slightly as you look at her over her shoulder. She crosses her arms and raises a brow expectantly, resembling your mother with striking clarity. “Fine, fine. I’m going!”

“Good!” She yells as you bustle back towards work. “Consider it a bet!”

Baekhyun finishes queueing up the two films for screening that night, starts the rest of the nine to ten o’clock set of movies, and heads downstairs to grab some snacks.

As always, some of his friends have shown up for the screenings (and what would be a pregame for the Halloween party tonight). Chanyeol and Kyungsoo carry a few pizzas into the movie Baekhyun will be watching tonight while Sunshine, Lavender, and Bijoux head into theater two with armfuls of sweets from Sinful, where Hitch has volunteered to screen the awful serial killer romcom that’s coming out tomorrow.

He doesn’t see you yet, but his palms grow hot thinking about his tentative plan to, uhm, possibly ask you out tonight. Or something. Baekhyun is at a loss how to jump over the canyon between being friends and being more. Lovers or partners or something, anything other than this odd truce you’ve had since New Year’s.

Just as his stomach fills with butterflies at the thought of getting to kiss you again, he spots you zipping up your hoodie, heading for theater two. Weaving around the last stragglers from the set of films that just started, he catches up to you and grabs your sleeve.

Your eyes go wide. “Baek. Hey. I was looking for you, actually.” Stepping back, you lose your footing.

He reaches for your other elbow to steady you. “Hey, I was looking for you. Too, I mean.” Lord, could he sound more nervous?

“Well, you found me,” you tease, huffing out a laugh, the warm air cascading over his cheeks.

For a long moment, you simply watch each other. He could look at you forever and not get tired.

It’s closer than he’s been to you in weeks, standing with his hands holding your elbows. Looking at your face for the millionth time as the lobby empties around you, wondering how he didn’t grab you and kiss you again after seven minutes in heaven. Why hasn't he begged you to be his in the many years in between?

The intelligence and humor and warmth in your expression has been his anchor for so long he can’t imagine a day where he isn’t the first one you look for in a crowd. Where you’d rest your head on someone else’s shoulder or fight someone else for the good paddle at air hockey or steal someone else’s french fries.

He sways closer, drawn to you like the magnets everyone jokes the two of you are. Always together. Hitch and Baek. Baek and Hitch. A matched pair. Oh, how they all poke and prod him when he shrugs off yet another question about if the two of you are really just friends.

Your brows pull together as you hold his focus, mouth opening slightly as your own hands rest on his forearms. So many emotions cross your face he can’t single one out. Trepidation and curiosity and need and sadness and hope. He almost bends, then, skipping over the words and pressing his lips to yours, hoping that his kiss will say far more than he ever could articulate out loud.

Baekhyun doesn’t know how long the two of you stand there, but eventually Sunshine pokes her head out of theater two looking for Hitch. The two of you jump apart like you’ve been caught doing something illegal.

“Don’t let me interrupt!” she calls, giggling and ducking back into the theater.

And at the same moment the door to upstairs opens to your left and Tony waves a hand. “Baekhyun, just the man I wanted to see!” The older man gives him a broad smile and points up to the office. “Come talk to me after you start the screenings. I’ve got something to discuss with you.”

With a sigh, Baekhyun nods to you and heads for the door. You take a few steps backwards towards the theater, looking uncertain.

“We’ll talk after, at the party?” he asks, hating the idea of trying to get you alone while the Halloween celebration is in full swing.

You nod, uncharacteristically quiet. Reaching for his hand, you give it a quick squeeze before disappearing into the theater.

He groans as the door silently closes. Running his hands through his hair he turns to look at the lobby, catching Jamie’s eye as she wipes down the concession counter. She pauses and rests her forearms on the counter, giving him a knowing look. Baekhyun flips the hood up on his hoodie and escapes up the stairs to the office.

Tony is leaning back in his plush leather desk chair in the manager’s office when Baekhyun opens the door a few minutes later.

“So, I hear you’re finally going out to pasture?” he teases with a grin, slipping into the chair opposite Tony.

The boss chuckles and closes up the folders in front of him, pushing them to the side. “That’s right. You’ve finally given me one too many heart attacks and I’m retiring for my health.” He slaps his hand to his knee and sighs. “I’m just kidding. The wife just retired from Boeing and it feels like time to go out while I’m on top.”

Baekhyun messes with the fraying fabric of the chair, avoiding his eyes. He’s suddenly far too emotional to speak. Since his parents got divorced, Tony’s almost been a second father to him. The thought of not seeing him constantly at work hurts. Even if it means potentially getting his dream job after all these years. A chance to make enough at the theater to allow him to stay forever.

“Hey, what’s with the long face? You know I’ll miss you, kid. We’ve had a good run together, haven’t we?”

“Yeah, we have.” Baekhyun looks up to see Tony watching him with that trademark wisdom behind his genial nature. “I’ll miss you too, big man.”

Tony shakes his head. “I’ll still stop by all the time. Don’t worry, you’re not getting rid of me that easy. Especially as the new manager. I’ll be training you for a few weeks. I figure January is a nice time to hang up my hat. Think that’s enough time for you to get ready?”

Baekhyun nods for a moment before finally processing what he said, jerking upright in his seat. “Wait, what? I - you haven’t even posted the job yet, how -”

Tony holds up a hand. “We’ve all talked about it. Corporate agrees with my decision, so does the rest of the leadership team. Jamie’s happy to continue as assistant manager - she’s too busy with grad school to take the helm anyways.” He waits a moment to make sure Baekhyun is truly listening. “And besides, we all know the job is yours if you want it, kid.”

His jaw drops. “I could be the manager - just like that?” It’s everything he’s ever wanted. He loves the team and the job and the city. And the higher salary will finally allow him to quit Microsoft and give up the pretense that he works there for any reason other than seeing you more often.

“I don’t know what to say. Wow, I - I’ve thought about this for ages. I can’t believe it’s real.” His smile pulls at his cheeks, disbelief making him giddy.

“Well, you’ve earned it. Nobody knows this theater like you do, Baekhyun. I wouldn’t feel good about leaving it in anyone else’s hands. You understand this old girl and what she’s all about,” he says, reaching out a hand to run down the chipping paint of the office wall.

For a long minute they sit in silence, both absorbing the gravity of the occasion before Tony stands. “I know tonight’s a big deal, so let’s save all the paperwork and logistics until Monday. There’s plenty of time to get everything sorted out.”

Baekhyun stands as well, smiling and reaching out a hand to shake Tony’s. “That sounds great. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Tony says, waving him off. “Now get out of here and have fun.”

He practically bounds down the stairs, head swimming with joy. Baekhyun wants to carry on straight to where you are and tell you the good news. But as he peeks in and sees you laughing with your friends, he once again hesitates. Tony’s right. There’s plenty of time to talk later or this weekend or next week.

What’s the rush, right?

He loses track of you in the mess of shutting down the booth, setting up for the party, and welcoming well over fifty people into the Halloween shenanigans as stores close and the clock passes midnight.

By one in the morning, he’s desperate.

Baekhyun has checked the group of folks in the arcade and found Minseok and Bookworm battling it out over skeeball. But no you. He’s found Chanyeol and Jongdae DJ-ing together in the big theater, hosting an epic dance party. But no you. He’s even found Sunshine and Bijoux dishing out the special punch, next to Yixing and Lav spreading out some desserts.

But still, no you.

“I have a feeling I know who you’re looking for,” Jamie says, making him jump as he’s checking the store room between the concessions stand and the box office.

He presses a hand to his chest. “Are you trying to kill your new manager?”

She groans and mimes attacking him with her clipboard. “Yes, absolutely. I’m staging a coup.”

“Hmmm, I thought so, I always knew you had a mutinous look about you,” he says. Relaxing and catching his breath, he leans against the door of the store room. “So, have you seen Hitch?”

Jamie hangs up the clipboard on its spot behind the door and turns out the light, gently pushing him out into the lobby. “Okay, now that I’m off duty I can say this as your friend, not your boss.”

The corner behind the concessions stand is quiet, muffling the ruckus of the party around the corner. “Say what?”

She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Something I’ve wanted to say since before you hit puberty.”

He clicks his tongue, pretending to be offended. “Excuse me, I hit puberty well before I started here. Thank you very much.”

The gaze she fixes him with is so serious he holds his hands up in surrender. “I know you’re in love with Hitch,” she continues, as though this statement isn’t broaching a territory they’ve never discussed in the decade they’ve worked together. “But now there’s things happening. Big changes coming.”

“Like me becoming manager, you mean?” His brow furrows in confusion.

She hums, tilting her head. “Kind of. Other things it’s not my place to tell you. It’s hers. But as your friend, and someone who loves the heck out of the two of you, I have to say something.”

“I’m not following.” Baekhyun snaps his fingers. “Wait, did Hitch want the manager’s job? Maybe that’s why she was so weird this mo-”

Jamie waves her hands dramatically and blurts out, “She’s in love with you, too. You big idiot.”

He nearly falls over nothing, reaching a hand out to brace himself on the wall. “I’m sorry, could you say that again? I think I just had an aneurysm.”

Now that her declaration is out, Jamie seems remarkable more calm. She heaves out a big sigh. “Jesus Christ, I’ve been wanting to say that since 1988. Fucking hell.” With a hand on his shoulder she leans over and locks eyes with him. “That girl has been in love with you since the dawn of time.”

He opens his mouth, but she carries on. “And not just as a friend, Baekhyun. Love. Capital L O V E, hearts and flowers and candy and Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Julia Roberts rom com love. John Hughes, Princess Bride, Dirty Dancing - help, it will kill us both if we’re not together, kind of love.”

“What - uhm - why do you say that - like, what has she said?” Baekhyun wonders if he’s somehow already drunk or perhaps he fell down the stairs and he’s having a hallucination from a head injury. “Hitch. Like, my Hitch. You’re sure?”

She practically breathes flames. “Could I be any more serious?”

He doesn’t comment on the Friends reference and instead lets her words settle into his brain. Like some kind of montage, he comes to accept the truth. Everyone - from Chanyeol to Junmyeon to Sehun to Sunshine and even Kyungsoo at times - has told him to just go for it. Telling him that you obviously feel the same way.

“I thought everyone was just messing with me,” he says quietly. “All these years, I thought it was just - you know. ‘Ah, Baekhyun and Hitchcock, ha ha you should totally date.’ ‘Wow, you’re the same person, how long have you been dating?’ Et cetera.”

He moves to the wall and slides down, unable to stand as the weight of the past decade sinks onto his shoulders. It’s been a long day and a long week and a long century fighting his feelings for you and abruptly his eyes grow damp.

Jamie squats down next to him. “Hey. Hey, look at me.” Once he does, she drops the sass and instead gives him an encouraging smile. “Don’t do this. Don’t think about what might have been or beat yourself up for not going for it. She’s got a fifty-fifty share on this, too, and hasn’t made a move, even after seeing you with other girls nearly killed her.”

“Oh, God. I have so royally messed this up. I could have been -” he nearly chokes on the familiar refrain of images of the two of you together. Waving his hands into the air in front of him, sighing as he comes up empty.

“I don’t care what movies say, this isn’t all on you.” Jamie sits down next to him. “My knees are not built for squatting, wow. Now, listen to me. I am not telling you this so you can mope about it. I’m telling you so you can get your shit together and go for it. Make this official already so the entire Universe can be as it should be.”

He rolls his head to the side against the wall and pouts at her. “But what if she says no? Just because she loves me doesn’t mean she wants to be with me. I could ruin this. She could have not said anything all these years because she thinks we’d be bad together, in reality. Life isn’t a rom com, Jamie. This is real life.”

“Okay, that’s it.” She nudges his shoulder with hers. “Get up right now.” Once he fumbles to his feet, she continues. “Why. Do. You. Think. She. Hasn’t. Said. Anything.”

A lightbulb finally clicks on in his brain. “Because she worries about the exact same things as I do?”

Jamie gestures wildly and he laughs. Out loud and from his gut, until his abs hurt. The tears that had formed in his eyes at what he might have missed out on the past decade run down his cheeks. As he wipes them off with his sleeve, his thoughts turn to the future. And what might be.

“I love her,” he says quietly and Jamie claps, standing up. “Holy Batman. I love her so much. And she loves me, too?”

“Yes, God have you always been this thick?” She blows out a breath, lifting her bangs off her forehead. “If you don’t move your ass and go find her I’ll tell Tony you’re too much of a dunce to take this job.”

That makes his feet move. “Yep. On it!” When he rounds the corner to the main lobby he looks back, skidding to a stop. “And Jamie? Thank you.”

She waves him off, fighting a grin. “You’re welcome, Baekhyun. Just be sure to name your first born child after me.”

He shakes his head, stopping when he smacks into Chanyeol. He wants more than anything to call your name over the loudspeaker, but it’s apparently time for hide and seek. In the crowd he can’t place you, even when he stands on his tip toes. He’ll have to find you first it looks like. But after pining for you for over a decade, one game should be no match for him.

As soon as Baekhyun starts counting, face resting on his hands on the back of the Donkey Kong game, you bob and weave around everyone discussing places to hide.

There’s only one place you ever go. And Baekhyun knows it. Normally when the two of you play the game, you’re hiding together. You always win, given how few people would ever think to look behind the curtain.

It’s as clear of a signal to him as you can give, and you can only hope he finds you alone.

Ducking into theater eight, you dart down the aisle to the stairs on the side of the big screen. With the way the exit stairs pass by on either side, there’s a large empty space behind the screen, unlike all the other theaters. It’s the perfect place to hide. No one knows about it unless they’ve worked here for ages, back when they used to store the Christmas decorations here.

Crouching under the wooden support boards for the screen, you crawl into the hiding space. The ambient light from the theater leaking through the screen makes it not completely dark, but still quiet enough that you can catch your breath. Nerves make you wrap your hands in the sleeves of your hoodie.

It’s not just the ridiculous movie you screened tonight or the chaotic party tonight or the potential of the New York job or even your feelings for Baekhyun that make your heart race. It’s the realization that this weekend will be a dividing line in the course of your life. You can no longer sit by and let life choose for you. It’s time to decide what you really want for your future.

Immediately, your brain conjures images of Baekhyun.

Laughing when he scores in Super Mario. Sliding you the pickle from his dinner because he knows you like them. Cheering you on at varsity soccer games and comforting you when you didn’t get into Brown and waiting outside your window when you’d sneak out to go skinny dipping in the summer with the gang and endlessly onward.

Your entire life is colored by him and your throat gets tight. Of course you have dreams for your life - places you want to travel and creative projects you want to be a part of and so many more things you want to do - but he’s the only constant. Your rock. Your anchor in the storm.

Something pushes you to crawl back the way you came, suddenly unable to breathe until you find Baekhyun and tell him how you feel. A hysterical laugh makes its way from your lungs. The impending relief from finally asking. Finally knowing. Once and for all. The future will continue on regardless, but you decide to take the biggest risk of your life.

As you reach the bottom of the stairs and brush aside the curtain, you stop dead. Baekhyun is at the top of the aisle, coming to a halt in his own rushing. Did he come straight here once the countdown ended?

You huff out a laugh, shrugging, trying to be casual. “Whoops. Guess I lost the game, huh?”

“Hitch, I don’t care about the game tonight.” He takes a step closer, his uncharacteristically serious face shining out in the low light of the theater. “Jamie told me something and I couldn’t wait any longer.”

In all the busyness of the day, you’d forgotten that you hadn’t told him about the New York job. “Shit, Baekhyun. I’m sorry, I meant to tell you but today was so nuts. I promise I haven’t accepted it yet.” You take a step, reaching out a hand to him in the air. “New York is a long way away and I don’t -”

His brow tugs together in that way that makes your heart do gymnastics. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

“The - the marketing job at corporate? Didn’t Jamie tell you I was offered the job this morning?” When his expression turns to confusion, your heart leaps. “Hold on - what are you talking about?”

Suddenly he looks bashful, lifting a hand to the back of his hair as he takes another step down the aisle. “She - well, it’s not her fault. It’s mine, honestly. She just gave me the push I need.”

Realization dawns and you almost faint. “Oh my god,” is all you can whisper, lifting your sleeve-covered hands to your mouth. “And you came here to - shit.”

At that Baekhyun laughs, a warm and joyful sound that wraps around you like a hug. “Yes. I came to talk about it. Us. Finally.” He slips his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, strolling closer. “It’s about time, don’t you think?”

You smile, encouraged by his expression even as your mouth grows dry with nerves. “I was actually just coming to say the same to you. We’ve put it off for long enough.” You shrug, fighting a smile as you move closer to him.

“It’s only been a decade,” he teases. This close you can see the way his eyes crinkle in the corners when he smiles. “We could always wait til the Millennium.”

With a hum and a shake of your head you come to a stop just a few paces from him. “I think we can hold out at least until Leo finally wins an Oscar.”

He clicks his tongue. “We might be waiting a while, Hitch. And I really don’t think I can wait any longer, to be honest.” The playfulness and joking on his face is replaced by quiet contemplation.

His eyes don’t leave yours and for once in his life he you almost don’t recognize him. It’s thrilling and terrifying to realize that you might be taking a step together into something entirely new tonight. A road that you’ve both only gone down once together, a big almost in a laundry room what feels like a century ago.

“I can’t either. Baekhyun, I -” you start, emotion rising in you suddenly. That part of you that is madly in love with him, normally kept locked so tightly, bursts open and floods out, unlocked by the longing in his voice and his eyes. Was it really possible he could feel the same way about you? “How do we do this?”

You didn’t mean for the words to sound like pleading, hands lifting in the air of their own accord, but you can’t help it. If you were in this situation with anyone else, Baekhyun is who you’d turn to for advice. To support you and help you through this. But when it’s your best friend you’re in love with, you have no choice but to be honest. To be brave enough to take that step alone.

But something in his face tells you that you’re not alone. That he isn’t here tonight, looking at you like that, because he doesn’t feel the same way. He responds to your whispered question by closing the distance. When his hands close over yours, palm to palm, fingers closing tight to hold you steady, the knot of fear in your chest loosens.

“I think we just tell each other how we feel,” he says softly, scanning your face.

You nod. At the end of the day he’s always been yours, and you’ve always been his. The situation isn’t even complicated. It’s the easiest thing in the world.

“Hitch, I’m so tired of not going after the things I want.” His eyes are dark and intense, even as joy tugs at his mouth.

You remember the conversation from this morning. “Excellent. So you’re quitting Microsoft and taking the manager job, right?”

He huffs out a laugh, thumbs brushing the skin of your wrists. “Yes, I am. Besides, I only took the Microsoft job so I could see you every day.” When your jaw drops, he barrels on, as though now that he’s started talking he can’t stop. “But that’s not what I meant. Not what I want most.”

“No?” You step closer, feeling reckless and hopeful as you’re near enough to kiss him, if you just leaned in a bit more. “And what would that be?”

“You.” The word falls from his lips, confident and loud, echoing in the empty theater. “It’s always been you.”

And then he says your real name. Not Hitchcock or Hitch or loser or any of the other dozens of nicknames he’s given you over the course of your friendships.

Your name on his lips is the sweetest sound you’ve ever heard. A prayer and a promise and suddenly you want to scream and cry at the same time from the sheer amount of emotion coursing through you right now.

“Baekhyun, I -”

“I don’t want to have only kissed you once, because of a game,” he says in a rush, tugging you close enough to press his forehead to yours. “I want to kiss you on purpose. All the time.”

You let out a noise that’s half a sob and half moan. Releasing his hands from yours, you lift them until they frame his face. Gently gripping his neck, fingers tangling in the back of his hair and thumbs brushing over his jaw like they did so long ago.

His hands find your waist, tightly wrapping around to pull you flush against him. “I want to be the only one who gets to kiss you for the rest of our lives,” he says, lips brushing yours.

Not willing to let him be the only one spilling his guts, you speak up. “I always think about wanting to brush my teeth next to you. To go to sleep beside you, and not just after parties and certainly not just as your friend. Is it cheesy to say I want to be the only one you wake up next to?”

He laughs, happiness vibrating off him in waves. “Only if it’s not ridiculous for me to say that you’re my best friend in the entire world, but I still want more. I want everything with you.” He presses a kiss to your forehead that warms you all the way down to your toes.

You groan, dragging his face down to yours to finally kiss him. Full on the mouth, with no seven minute timer counting down. He meets you, just like he did last time. A moan catches in his throat and he grips you tighter, hands moving to your hips to hold you steady as you tilt your head to capture his lips more completely.

For long moments you cling to him, tasting his mouth and reveling in the feeling of his soft hair and his warm body lining up with yours. You’d have assumed this was a fever dream if not for the way his belt buckle presses against your stomach and the taste of Sprite on his tongue and dozens of other idiosyncrasies that you remind you of just how well and how deep and how long you’ve known him.

He pulls back for a moment, catching his breath and grinning at you. “I’m serious, though. About us. If New York is what you want, I could transfer to one of the theaters there.” With another lingering kiss, he promises you the world. “I love this job and these people and this city, but I don’t love anything more than I love you.”

You brush the hair off his forehead so you can look him dead in the eyes. “You’re not joking, are you? You’d move for me?” The thought makes your throat close with emotion.

Baekhyun nods. “Where you go, I go. Just say the word. You’re not getting rid of me that easy. Or if you want to quit Microsoft and the theater and take some time to figure out what’s next, that’s great too. I can support us easily with the manager's salary. Just tell me what you want, because all I want is you.”

And now you’re absolutely, definitely crying. And laughing, walking him backwards to the back wall of the theater until he’s pressed against it. “Byun Baekhyun, did you just ask me to move in with you?”

He grins, lifting his hands to hold your face. “I’m asking you to everything with me. We’ve waited long enough, I figure we’re overdue for some grand gestures. But I can wait until you're ready. I love you. As long as you’re mine, I’m in no hurry.”

Giddy, you throw your arms around him, hugging him close. “I love you, too. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I don’t care where we go or what I do, either. As long as we’re together.”

“I think we can manage that - uhh, baby.” He pulls back, mouth twisting in thought. “Sweetheart? Darling? I have to find a new nickname for you now that you’re mine.”

You snort, rolling your eyes. “Hitch is fine, Baek. Besides, no one says it like you do. I’ll always know what it means.”

Baekhyun grins, tugging you closer to kiss you once more. And at that moment the door jerks open, Jamie and Sunshine and Chanyeol stopping short when they realize what they’re seeing.

“It’s okay everyone, we found them!” Chanyeol calls out to the crowd behind him. “They were just making out. They’re fine.” His face splits into a broad grin, holding the door open further.

The rest of your friends and co-workers peek their heads around them, whooping and cheering. You bury your face in Baekhyun’s neck and laugh, vexed and delighted as always by the people you hold nearest and dearest. More than one person yells “FINALLY!” and many more say ‘about time’ and ‘oh my god.’

“Get out of here!” Baekhyun says with a laugh, motioning them out the door. “You’re interrupting a very important moment.”

They all trail out with calls of congratulations and alcohol-induced delight. Once the door finally closes with a muffled click, Baekhyun turns his face back to yours. “Now, where were we?”

You fist your hand in his hoodie and pull his lips back to yours, hovering a breath away. “Right about here.”

And in the early hours of Halloween morning, you and Baekhyun kiss until your lips are red and your hearts are full.

May 16th, 1998

“I told you, didn’t I?” Dolores looks particularly smug today as she pours coffee for you and Baekhyun.

The two of you volunteered to pick up the pastries and drinks for the baby shower brunch at the mall. But of course you had to have a quick drink and entertain more of Dolores’ bragging first. She had been particularly sassy and full of herself since you two admitted that she won the bet. When the two of you walked into Lost Lake diner the Saturday after Halloween holding hands, she knew.

“Yes, you did.” Baekhyun smiles over the rim of his coffee cup, hand squeezing your knee beneath the table. “As always Dolores, you are the picture of humbleness and modesty.”

“I also bet that Junmyeon’s fiance would be pregnant by the end of the year. I should really buy a lottery ticket for my incredible foresight.” She snorts, bustling off to gather the boxes of to-go waffles and scones and pancakes. “Just call me Dolorestradamus! God, I love being right.”

You shake your head in amusement. “She’ll never let up, will she?”

“Absolutely not,” Baekhyun agrees. He leans against the side of the booth, expression turning contemplative. “I can’t believe it’s the first mall baby. Aside from Sungmin, but he’s grandfathered in, practically part of the staff.”

“I know, right?” You mentally flip through your catalog of friends. “So many engagements this year, too.”

“So many!” Baekhyun grins. “My bet is that Jongin proposes by the end of the summer.”

“Oh, absolutely. At the very latest.” At the talk of proposals, you smile, tracing a finger over the surface of the table.

In the time you’ve been with Baekhyun since Halloween, you’ve moved in together. The new space, even closer to the mall for Baekhyun’s promotion, is perfect. It was so incredibly easy to say ‘thanks, but no thanks’ to the New York job.

You couldn’t imagine leaving home (both the city and the person) and you’ve been enjoying splitting your time between the theater and freelance marketing work that’s been taking off faster than you’d planned.

“Jongin might not be the only one,” he whispers. Baekhyun’s hand moves to rest over yours, thumb brushing your ring finger gently.

Dolores of course chooses that moment to walk by, her hearing sharper than a bat’s. “You know, I’d bet the two of you get en -”

You and Baekhyun both groan, waving her off. “No more meddling!”

She sighs, shaking her head. “Fine, fine. Ruin my fun.”

With the promise of commitment and a future full of even more depth with Baekhyun in the air, you lean forward to kiss his cheek. “Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready.”

“With you I’m always ready,” he says with a smirk. “Want to bet if Dolores faints or not?”

And then he pulls out a ring to propose to you, at the table everyone knows is yours for the last decade and for forever.

Dolores doesn’t faint. But she does yell loud enough to startle the entire diner. And that is satisfaction enough for the both of you.

#baekhyun #exo #exo fanfic #baekhyun fanfic #exo au #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun angst #exo fluff #exo angst

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rabbitcruiser · 1 year

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Movie Theatre Day

Movie Theatre Day is celebrated on April 23 each year. This holiday celebrates movie theaters and the thrills they bring into our lives. Today, movie theaters are more than relaxation centers, they also offer a great avenue to have romantic dates, meet new faces, and hang out with friends or family members after a hard day’s work. Much more, some movies now premiere first at the theaters before they are released to other channels for sales and streaming. This underlines the influence and importance of movie theaters today. Sadly, with the advent of the internet and the proliferation of streaming networks, movie theaters now face extinction and low patronage.

History of Movie Theatre Day

A movie theater (also sometimes called a cinema) describes a place where people go to see movies on a big screen. For over a century, movie theaters have served as a favorite spot to unwind, meet new people, and enjoy quality entertainment. On June 19, 1905, the first common type of public motion picture theater in the U.S. opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Harry Davis and John Harris — owners of the movie theater — named their cinema Nickelodeon. The name was derived from the words ‘nickel,’ the price of admission into the movie theater, and ‘θέατρο’ or ‘odeon,’ the Greek word for ‘theater.’ Previously, there had been several attempts by different individuals, groups, and companies to bring relaxing entertainment to people in the form of motion pictures in a film theater. Due to the limited technology available in those days, Nickelodeon’s first films were short films (only about 15 to 20 minutes long) shown as flickering shadows displayed on white sheets. While they may appear ridiculous today, they were a scientific breakthrough back then, and the films were largely successful. As they grew in popularity, more theaters multiplied across the country, heralding what became the cinematic industry.

Subsequently, color and sound films arrived in the 1920s. As the technologies improved, so did the size, architecture, clientele, location, ownership, and the types of amenities movie patrons enjoyed. Such were picture palaces, drive-in theaters, optimized movie formats, and large multiplexes and megaplexes (theaters with more than 10 screens). With these innovations came popcorn — a favorite cinema snack — and other concessions like candy and soft drinks. Today, cinemas have facilities like air conditioning, comfy cinema chairs, restaurants, arcades, and exquisitely decorated interiors to attract customers and enhance the viewing experience.

Movie Theatre Day timeline

1905 The Birth of Nickelodeon

Harry Davis and John Harris establish the Nickelodeon theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1925 Popcorn Arrives in Theaters

Movie theater owners introduce the electric popcorn machine to cinema patrons.

1937 Adding Colors to Films

Walt Disney produces the first animated full-length color film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

1950s The Era of the C.G.I. and V.F.X.

Producers employ computer-generated imagery (C.G.I.) techniques and visual effects (V.F.X.) to create fantastical settings, impossible creatures, and jaw-dropping effects in movies.

Movie Theatre Day FAQs

What is World Theatre Day?

World Theatre Day is sponsored by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) each year. The day is celebrated by ITI Centers, ITI Cooperating Members, theater professionals, theater organizations, theater schools, and theater lovers across the world on March 27 every year.

What is the oldest movie theater?

The oldest continuously operating cinema theater is the Washington Iowa State Theatre in Washington, Iowa which opened on May 14, 1897, and has been in continuous operation for over 125 years!

What was the first movie in a theater?

As of 1905, the Nickelodeon theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was the first to show short films like “Poor but Honest” and “The Baffled Burglar” all day long.

Movie Theatre Day Activities

Visit a movie theater

Go on a movie date

Involve your family

Celebrate this day by visiting a cinema closest to you to see a movie or two. This is a great way to support local movie theaters and keep them in business.

If you’re not the outdoorsy type, you could go out with a friend or romantic interest. Buy some snacks and drinks along for a better movie date experience!

Find out if your local cinema is showing a family movie. Go out with your family and have a fun night out at the cinema!

5 Interesting Facts About Movie Theaters

Americans’ daily spending at the movies

Half a dollar for a movie ticket

No smelly feet in the theater, please

A movie theater in the White House

The world's first drive-in movie theater

Americans spend about $26.6million a day at movie theaters and they spend even more before and after a movie.

A movie theater ticket cost 50 cents in 1956.

It was once illegal to remove your shoes if you had smelly feet while in a theater in Winnetka, Illinois.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the President who got permission to build a movie theater and swimming pool in the White House.

The world’s first drive-in movie theater was built on June 6, 1933, near Camden, New Jersey.

Why We Love Movie Theatre Day

Celebrating history

A day to relax

Supporting local businesses

The movie theater industry has come a long way, evolving and adjusting to meet the needs and demands of its customers. This day is an amazing opportunity to celebrate the cinema industry and its historic innovations.

Cinemas offer a relaxing and thrilling experience like no other. On this day, we can kick our feet up and enjoy a true cinema experience, guilt-free!

Today, the cinema industry is under threat by streaming services. Movie Theatre Day offers a great opportunity to support the threatened industry and its dedicated employees.

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fun-food-machines · 1 year

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Get Your Popcorn Fix with Fun Food ' Popcorn Machine for Sale

Fun Food ' Popcorn Machine for Sale is the perfect choice. Our high-quality machines are easy to use, durable, and produce delicious popcorn that will keep your guests coming back for more. Browse our selection of popcorn machines and accessories to find the perfect fit for your needs, and enjoy the unbeatable taste and aroma of freshly popped popcorn. Bookmark this page to stay updated on our latest deals and promotions.

Buy Popcorn Online Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Austr https://www.funfoodmachines.com.au

#popcorn machine for sale

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daiquirihiremelbourne · 7 months

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Party Like a Pro with Party Machine Hire

Looking for an unforgettable party experience? Look no further than Daiquiri Hire Melbourne's extensive range of party machine hire options. From slushie machines to karaoke machines, our state-of-the-art equipment will have your guests talking about your party for years to come. With affordable prices and top-notch customer service, we are your go-to for party machine hire in Melbourne. For more information, please visit our website: https://daiquirihiremelbourne.com.au/

#party machine hire melbourne #Party Machine Hire #popcorn machine with cart #soft serve machine rental #chocolate fountain machine for sale #hot chocolate fountain machine #popcorn machine #karaoke jukebox machine #slushy machine australia #candy floss machine #soft serve machine melbourne

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doctortwhohiddles · 1 year

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BBC News: Canadian discount store Zellers hopes to lure shoppers with nostalgia

BBC News - Canadian discount store Zellers hopes to lure shoppers with nostalgia

For my fellow Canucks. I bought my popcorn machine at the clearance sale.

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throwawaywhumper · 2 years

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Whumpersona: The Inventing Whumper

Curb your lab whump into left field, Inventing Whumper is all about the creation process. It's their passion, it what they do best, and pain is quite a profitable market to exploit

Some inventing whumpers may believe themselves to be morally grey, maybe some of them are. Some do it for the joy of the pain, others do it for the joy of the craft

Whumpees are often lab rats or assistants, helping to produce inventions or test out items to make sure they meet their intended purpose. It could be everything from making sure a shock collars highest setting won't kill the wearer, or making sure your hydrophobic knife doesn't become coated in blood after a stabbing.

Bonus:

- "You should be grateful, you're part of history in the making. This is going to change so many lives...all for the price of one."

- Whumper who sells their inventions on the dark web to others, others who offer to send inventor test subjects regularly

- Assistant whumpee who messes something up when tinkering on an important machine. Whumper decides to test some sort of volatile device on them as punishment to see if they'll survive

- Obsessed whumper who has a vision, but can't seem to make it happen. They go through whumpees like popcorn because they just keep dying from his failures.

- Disgraced whumper who's ideas were rejected by the wider scientific community, so they resort to independent and in depth research.

- Whumper throws a big party to demonstrate their new inventions for sale with whumpees on display to show that they all truly work.

- Lab rat whumpee kept in a literal cage until needed

- Whumper with no scientific background who found joy in creating new gadgets to torture their whumpees with. Is often picking up books on the library to learn more and whumpee gets to be an unfortunate part of the learning process

- Whumpee forced to build the tools of their own torment

- Caretaker could also be lab assitant if lab rat is Whumpee

Featured writing:

Air is a Privilege by Whumpshaped

Other Whumpersonas

#whumpersona #whump #whump prompts #kinda #anyways take this #also ive added a new section to add a few writing pieces that feature something similar to what i mean #theres only one here for now #but im hoping future ones will have at least three featured writers and pieces :)

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ilikebigbellydotnom · 1 year

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BioNom Infinite : Bookers Dimensional Hunger Relapse

I always pondered and noticed while playing the bioshock games that each of the protags would quickly and easily just shovel what ever healing item or bottle down their gullet and applied that thought to one my favourte gunslingers having a vore/feeding twist! (This fanfic takes place on one of the many alternative failed timelines that booker went through before you the player sees the events of the actual game)

mostly sfw and its kinda short but its not a preplanned AU or anything but if people want more bioshock vore AU from me I can continue this story and it's events or come up with twist and alts for the other bioshock games & their scenes!

As the 6 ’1 foreign man walks with strife and precautious composure through the heavenly sky city . He takes a pause to think and look in awe at the handyman display in the Columbia fair.

This version of Booker Dewitt has been so usually hungry & depended on food and booze that the murderous gluten has sported himself a ballooning yet slightly bumpy surfaced tummy . The gurgling gut is loaded with hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, mostly digested whole apples, whole homemade cake, and a couple wheels of cheese but not h ing is sedating the gut of the gunslinger . As Booker looks around for more food to consume he f inds a booth filled with a couple of neat bottle s of liquid that might just help fill him up!

“ Well it s time to tak e back control from the man of metal! With possession YOU are the master you will be able to bend ANY machine to your will . ”

The sales lady pitch crept its way into Booker's ears as he was drawn over to the golden gates and vibrant booth. The bloated man stops in front of the lady as his stomach makes a loud groan signaling B ooker to eat again , with a cheeky tone and grin he begins to ask the lady for a bottle.

“Hey uh miss I'd like to * Botal aurp * mmmm sorry about that, may I have a bottle?? I can pay . ”

The woman was taken aback at the tall rugged stranger, yet she became oddly charmed by the swollen man .

“Well a cutie like you can just have a bottle on the house, I hope you en-“

The woman’s extended hand was covered in heat and saliva as the hungry man engulfed the entire bottle of possession I n to his mouth and down his throat from her out wards reaching hand. The gunman’s tongue massaging the back of her hand while she quickly loses her grip to allow him to swallow the bottle.

“’Gulk’ ahhh that helps a little bit . ”

“uh sir…. You’re supposed to DRINK it not swallow it…”

The bottle could be loosely seen through the thick hairy skin peaking out underneath the strained Pinkerton ’s , outfit. What little remains in the powerful acids of when it came to food was starting to quickly smooth over on the exterior surface . Thus proving & making the gunman’s acids processes of break ing down his meals at a faster the n any normal human could .

“May I have several more? I won a lot of games and I might as well settle this guy down before something really drastic happens!” The sinister smirk made the vender girl feel a sense of unease as she hands t he pot bellied man more vigor s while he hand s h er more and more cash . After a whole minute of swallowing down her surplus of bottles , with one more gloating gulp he relocated them to a slimy new home inside B ooker.

“Uh… I’m getting kinda full… but it ’ s digesting pretty… fast…”

The gunman couldn’t finish his thoughts verbally as his jutted belly began to shrink as its already done processing half of its contents . A mysterious green hue emits from below the gunman’s eye si ght forcing him to look downwards while a wispy light comes from his mid-centre traveling up his throat is a series of magical green heart clouded belches. All the while sweet nothings whisper into his ears , the gunman perceives from his pov ; mean while everyone around him watched the spectacle as his belly shrank to nearly normal size , all the while from the bloated man ’ s throat he hears sweet harmonious pitches and singing with every belch the man releases .

As the man finishes rubbing his gut down to his “toned abdomen”, although zero trace of abs now, He opens his eyes and realizes he stole the show from the handyman display. A couple dozen on lookers jutted their eyes to the man… ha ngry and impatient the man belches a green cloud at the ticket keeping vender bot. When the mist lands the bot permits booker to traverse to the next area closing the gate and embar rassment behind him … but an inescapable moment in time and space occurs , that event halts one Booker Dewitt upon entry past the gate.

“Heads!?”

“or Tails?!”

A red head duo appear in front of the ravenous man, h earing a groan from his midsection, the confused m an is shocked that the people from the viewing scope that teleported away are now here again in front of him.

“ Uhhh what’s uh… with you two *groan* uh why am I so hungry today ! Sorry wh-what did you two say again??”

“Hmm dear sister this appears to be new… ”

“Well brother, maybe… just maybe we should to our keep routine then hmm … maybe the results will be different this time but who knows by how much?? ”

The madam red head hands out a silver eagle int o Booker's face giving him what he needs to make a game of chance occur . As he flips the coin and it lands in his p alm, the coin fumbles and in lands in the middle of the trio as the they look down to see the coin has appeared to land on its side , meaning both or neither as the result.

“ oh boy looks like its my choice then…”

Booker said in response , causing th e male twin to state

“I don’t understand what you mean?? Your choice in what… ”

The gunslinger brought his hands up as he start s to physically loosen and unhinge his jaw a s it droops down a about a foot w ith globs of saliva thickly trickling down his slightly scruffy chin . W ith an audile splat affects being heard on the pavement below the 3 of them, with some splashing onto the silver eagle , catching the attention of the twins . Rosalind looks upward towards the new unexpected event with awe.

“Well you asked me… heads or tails… and I'm going to devour you by your ‘ tails ’ and the misses here by her ‘heads’ ”

“Grommmpft”

Booker lunged at the smaller Lutece in one fierce gulp he was able to slide her up to her rip cage before taking a breather for a second to savour and smell her perfume before he takes more of her . Now lifting her upwards while another large swallow brought the woman down to her ankles where a satisfied yet lustful Dewitt eyes hunt down Robert’s while he finishes off his doppelganger with a forceful gulp followed by a slow released exhale when he scans his hands over his squirming gut . With a groan and a clearing of his moistened and slightly sore throat trying to get himself used to the size and movement of his latest gut filler.

“Ro-Rosalind! How did you do that? You aren’t the usual Booker Dewitt that typically comes through this time line of events are you?”

A confused and somewhat hungry pred thought about what the taller red head has just stated to him, ’ timeline… he knows my full name … and we just met!? Who the hell are these freaks!? Heh maybe I’m not one to call them freaks in this moment , but still there is something they both aren’t telling ’

“ Okay buddy, I was debating on maybe taking you out on a light hearted date stroll… go see the fair and maybe even go get some fair food you know the works… then gulp ya down to join your sis… but now you have to answer some questions for me!”

From below Booker and over a few larger groans and churns Rosalind could be heard from inside .

“ Perhaps I can be of assistance to any of your questions?”

“ Quiet in there , food doesn’t talk . ”

Just then the gunman gave a half assed wallop to his midsection, this in turn made the gunman audibly groan with regret as he realized he also punched himself in the process.

“ouuuf I’m …. Uh not doing that again … anyways , sir how the hell do you know my name and how did you two manage to teleport earlier?”

Robert Lutece didn’t know how to handle this scenario, as he ponders on his thoughts. this sequence of events has never occurred in any other timeline, meaning either something universally has been misplaced … or maybe even this could be cause to proof of chaos theory … but either way Robert is now stuck with half his dimensional team inside some washed up gambler .

Rosalind meanwhile has been churning and getting coated in stomached slime and food while contemplating her current situation. His mind starts to ponder on what it could mean . ‘now I don’t got mass nor am I alive so acids can ’ t digest me . Yet I can take up space inside this man's abdomen… hmmm maybe I can try to relocate myself out of here and somewhere else? ’ Rosalind tried as sh e might but a strong universal force and Constant movement mixed with her full body massage from in side booker started to distract her even more… ‘ Drat! I can ’ t relocate myself while in the direct sight and presence of the anomaly .’

Robert shook his head to signal him back int o reality after an impatient Booker starts pressing him some more.

“Look man I came here today to do a job… I'm supposed to find some girl on M onument I sland and bring her to a client… Do you have any ide…. Wait a moment were you two …were you the ones that sent me a weird telegram warning me about some raffle along with the initial AD on my hand ? It was signed L?”

“Yes”

Replied Robert while a slightly muffled Rosalind reply’s from below the two .

“ Why of course we did we’re the Luteces’ we kind of reshaped the whole parallel universe shtick”

Booker and Robert look downward at Rosalind through the gut as she added an extra detail that she maybe shouldn’t have.

“ Parallel universes!? Lutece?? So… what you both are saying to me is that you guys know what I’m going to do before I’m going to do it?”

Robert clears his throat to answer.

“ In most instances we know what you’re going to do and how you’ re going to react to it… but in this instance you’ve reached this point on your journey with something notably different occurring to you this time around… you seem to gave entered a rather ravenous mindset with the uh…”

Robert then with both curiosity and a slight tease rubs his open palmed hand over the malleable pot belly of the gunman briefly while a slight smiles forms on his face as he makes eye contact with the gunman and continu es his statement.

“ Methods to relieve them , this abnormality with my sister in there could easily be explained as a freak mutation with your vigor cons umption… making your flesh malleable and requiring more substance to repair and manage the mutation . ”

From below the two Rosalind adds on.

“I would also add that his digestive acids have effectively broken down the glass and food with rapid ease and record time… I don’t think any vigor’s this man has consumed would or even could increase his acids to such a deadly degree brother.”

“hmmm then this really is an odd instance … ”

Robert continues his train of thoughts while he ponders .

“uh… I … I have ate a couple of people whole before…. But that was in war and for survival… maybe I've always been able to do it ?”

Admitted Booker .

“ What do you mean ? Like you had your doubts if you swallowed someone?? ”

Robert exclaims .

“I know I'd certainly remember if I had someone in… my position . how come you have your doubts about this Mr. Dewitt ?? ”

Chimes in Rosalind .

“Well uh the details are foggy only because in both instances I awoke with a black out of th e events … and with both instances I woke up about a whole d ay later with a pot belly … and the second time it happened was my ex-combat buddy … he uh ‘disappeared’ in the middle of the night … we were both doing scouting and resource report but the weather turned horrendous for several days… all awhile we were tucked away in tent in enemy territory … after a few hungry days I awoke about a day later … almost a whole ass day of my life gone… just to find my swollen belly between my legs . when I po ked i t I belched up his tags and a drooly wallet… I took out his cut out picture of him and some gal of his from back home, I placed it in my chest pocket and apologized and informed her of her partners passing and returned the picture to his beloved when the war was won after the fact … but after I took out what was salvageable I threw the wallet into t he surrounding area and told my leading general that my friend had gone mi ssing in the middle of the night after stating he’s going for a leak… and that I found his tags near a clearing in the woods… a part of me denied what I did… drank it away even … you can't exactly talk to most people about swallowing a couple people whole… so I told myself I couldn’t and that what transpired was just false memories…. Apparently those times that I’ve blacked out must have probably been a food comma if I had to take a guess.”

Booker started to get impatient after explaining a bit of his life story but no informat ion in return was given out of the odd looking man.

“Ok buddy now I’m still VERY hungry and I still got a girl to find so we’re gonna take this conversation on the move…. It's not personal I’m still starving and c ant stand holding back any longer !”

And with a swift under kick the gunman knocked down the tall scientist . Wasting no time the moment Robert Lutece upper body slammed on the ground his lower half however never managed to make contact with the ground as a forceful grip of his calf’s and loud gulp was heard startling most if not all the onlookers in front of the spectacle . Robert's legs were captured up to his kneecaps as t hey get tucked away within the moistened throat of the of the ex-pinkerton. With a large amount going down his gullet , Booker couldn’t handle the pressures of forcing so much into such a small space that he rips open the midsection of his attire revealing a pair of soften pecs covered with a small forest of hair as it trails downwards and thinning over the stretched out skin aka Rosalind Lutece .

With another forceful gulp the gunman takes up to his waistline, stopping for a moment while he maneuvers a struggling Robert above him . The large r man makes a few comments while being devoured.

“Uh is.. Is this what you meant by tails you… you… wacko!?”

Shouted Robert while Rosalind joins in.

“well just remember brother… he’s got to be full at some point , that I’m sure of! Surely those laws of physic s apply here right?? ”

As Robert started to enter the inter chamber he could feel himself settling in the chamber0 and kicking Rosalind by accident .

“Ouch you mind!?”

“yes I do mind I’m getting ate here you know…”

A s the rest of the immortal went into the poor pred ’ s stomach it balloons out a good yard in diameter from his midsection .

T he larger then before man shuttered as the cooler sky air touches his hot gurgling gut while it struggles to breakdown that which does not technically exist. The two twins meet up in their moisten captor while the last of Robert settles in and Booker belches out some of his gaseous discomforts .

“ugggggh Rosalind this is putrid how ever did you keep so calm in here?”

Robert scrounges his nose as his sister answers .

“ Quite frankly I could have complained and yelled but doing so would have been futile considering I was both witnessing and experiencing a new timeline of events within the subject himself . ”

Mr. Dewitt looks down at his ground resting gut knowing he wasn’t going anywhere so full and bloated, he still could feel a faint hunger within . But the twins themselves have oddly curved the ravenous urge . The strain of feeding himself silly has been surprising pleasurable with how oddly it turned out . Although still peckish and wanting to wash the taste of glass , leather , and Lutece out of his mouth he decided to visit the now unoccupied hotdog stand a few feet away . The large man tightened his abs underneath his belly causing him to clench and lift up his now ankle level belly as he walks while flexing his large midsection to grab his lunch . The gunman drowns out the conversation in his belly at as he grabs several dogs from the stand in his arms and made his way to the gazebo near by resting down to both eat and rest his swollen and overworked belly.

Meanwhile while Mr. Dewitt was doing all this, a slimy and scientific discussion was occurring within him.

“ well Ros , what do you suppose on all this?”

“well the fool here is going to either have to realize we aren’t going to start digesting anytime soon or he’s about have the worse case of quantum indigestion ”

Robert closes his eyes while he and Rosalind try to quantum warp away out of the belly, but unfortunately the twins were stick in their predicament , the two sloshed and swayed while their captor squeezes the walls around them. He moves around and shuffles about forcing the two to grind and clash about with one another while the digested food and slime moved about. It was exceptionally bad for the duo because they were in an interlocking fetal position due to one twin entering via their head and the other via feet.

“ Hey uh food, why are you two still like alive in there?”

Booker's belly responded back.

“ That’s because we aren’t food, we aren’t even ALIVE you cannot kill or even digest that whi ch does not exist ”

Robert adds in to Rosalind’s reply.

“ I ts not like we haven’t said anything to you about it . Y ou seemed to not care in the slightest about what we were saying to you . ”

“ Well that’s because I don’t talk with my mouth full nor do I play with my food man . The Main reason you didn’t join her right away was because you had info I need . Speaking of which , get to talking grub.”

Booker states as he forcefully rubs the assumed location and head of Robert while taking in and savouring a whole hotdog , left hand fully engulfed within his mouth for a moment , drawing out a saliva coated hand and a slow gulp while he savoured all the fixin's. The moistened food travels down to the Lutece where they start to take notice.

“What has happened to you Mr. Dewitt ? A-are you still eating?”

“ompft *gulk* yeah… I just swallowed like a dozen large vigor bottles and two annoying scientist… no offense but those bottles tasted a bit better then you guys . Which is why I’m still eating . I’m full , like so full to the point that I’m physically in need to rest while this thing works its magic . But that doesn’t mean I can't cram my limits worth of food into there. ”

Booker was about half way done with his hot dogs as a couple of fair on lookers in a Columbian style hats and dresses walk up to the gazebo to talk to the tall dark and bloated stranger sitting in the structure talking to his belly.

“ My my my Agatha . That’s a sight!”

“ouuub Prudence you naughty hound!! But you’re so right they don’t usually make men like that… confident, tall, and he can eat too! God knows I couldn’t get my husband to eat my cooking like that”

“ I myself especially enjoy a man with such a large ‘endowment down below ... ’”

The two friends cheerfully express their conversation a few feet from the bloated ex-Pinkerton. Booker is almost completely unware of this conversation directed towards him at the moment , as he is preoccupied arguing and even sometimes ( literally ) pressing his unwavering tummy occupants for more information.

“So what you’re saying is I can never digest you both no matter how hard I kneed my gut or crunch my core muscles?? ”

“Yes it appears so , and we are stuck in here unable to phase away because we are engulfed by you .”

“ That or because you’ve broken up the timeline so much we might be out of sorts with where our knowledge and short cuts can get us in these new events .”

Either way the Lutece couldn’t fully win and nor does Booker, for Booker finally since entering the city in the sky was sated and of clear mind. Free from the constant discomforts and demands of hunger he now feels a sense of fullness that very few things he could ever swallow , drink , or chew could satisfy him for as long as these two where in there. But the Lutece also win in the sense that they have managed to break the circle . They just didn’t expect to be forming a new on the gunman’s midsection. With no way out other then whenever bookers gut gets too overworked and the man decides to inevitably let them go.

“well uh hell*urrrraaaap* ladies?! ”

Booker says as he realized his two fans were ogling him , the man feels a little more comfortable now to chat with other now ever since he swallowed the duo, because he’s less hangry he opens up a conversation with them, cutting off his conversation with the Lutece within.

“ Is he ignoring us?”

“Hmm. I do believe so… perhaps he got hungry again?”

“ By the sounds of things in here no. He seems pretty filled up to me.”

Booker jesters a nod signaling them to come towards him as he pats down at the bench with his hands beside him, they proceed to advance to the strange man cheerfully giggling as they sit down on each side.

“ Now which one of you would like to feed poor o*urraaaaap! * ol’ me?”

Prudence on the left stirs in her seat while phrasing her response.

“Well I know I'm a prophet honoring woman … but maybe I can perhaps assist with your indigestion ? ”

Although knowing it to be completely futile he understands the woman’s blatant concern an d not wanting to miss out on a feminine touch the man gives a gleeful response back.

“Well of course you may they are a REAL doozy to break down so please don’t be afraid to reach every spot you feel you need to reach, sweetie. ”

Agatha stands up and offers to help .

“ I'll feed you dear, but uh... I don’t want to join them however .”

“oh.. I’m very stuffed ma’am … I only gloated that I was a hungry a bit before , those dogs really *urpp* are my dessert , there is no way I can fit even half of you in me ”

“Well that’s a relief then, now down the hatch!”

The remaining four hot dogs weren’t an issue going down the slimy man's gullet, but the 4th and final dog Booker snagged more then he should with his last gulp as the married woman’s wedding band gets slurped up with the final hotdog.

“ M-my ring!!! You give me back my ring right now!”

The ring slide past Roberts face taking note to grab it with his teeth. The woman rubbing and kneading his gut continues what she’s doing without remorse for her friends slight misfortune .

“Well I’m sorry ma’am I don’t know how to get … uh…. To get it out…. You could try reaching for it… but I’d do that fast… my acids are very fast and potent .”

The woman without hesitation reaches within the pred’s throat going just past her elbow . As she reaches around the wet hot chamber , she manages to graze Roberts arm the man clings onto the woman’s forearm while she jolts upwards in reaction.

“What let go of me!? Help me out here Prudence!? That oaf Doesn’t need help digesting my ring”

With swift movement P rudence stops what she’s doing and gets up to assist Agatha with pul ling her arm out of the man. The two woman now tug at the arm forcing them to bring out Robert in the process. Rosalind notices quickly enough and grabs his ankles on the way up. The two twins were quickly pulled out of Booker as the now dazed , sore, and winded pred could do nothing while his comfort meal was ripped away from him .

“Guuuuuah ahhhh *schorlp* *plat* fresh Columbian air… I never thought I'd miss it…”

“ Tell me about it… if I wasn’t a multidimensional being I would be picking out food from my hair for weeks”

Robert checked his cheeks for the ring that he snagged while inside the man, he reaches into his mouth and spits out the undigested metal ring I to his palm to present to its owner,

“Is this one of yours ladies? ”

The slimy man states as he raises the ring in their direction while Agatha takes it from him.

“gasp my ring thank you good sir, may the prophet bless you and your kin!”

Just then Robert notices how Rosalind hair has become undone and frayed from the humid stomach and its food.

“ Rosalind … if we weren’t interdimensional beings we’d just mush and slime by now . Al so I must add despite that fact and where we just were you still look great… even if there is some onions in you’re hair, its been so long since I’ve seen with your hair let down . ”

“ You won't be seeing it for long . I can't do or ponder about anything at all while my air is down and in my face . ”

Robert while still on the slimy ground rubs off a pieces of bun on Rosalind cheek as he comforts her and attempts to restyle her hair back up.

“ There, it's not like before but it will do for now sorry hun . ”

The four people stop as the phased out man came to with a auditable grunt while he opens his eyes to look at the four in front of him, this is then followed along with an extremely loud gurgle from his unsatisfied sore and empty stomach .

“well now I’m pissed off… one of you is going in my belly . ”

The woman known as P rudence succumb s to a tragic fate. For when she backed away from the ravenous man she stumbles upon the back side of Robert Lutece . He sprung his back up forcing the woman into the arms of Booker . The pred welcomes the surprise and happily starts working his head over the woman’s head and shoulders. Agatha runs with a shriek as she goes to alert the cops for assistance with Booker preoccupied the Lutece analyse their situation.

“ a wise move brother… I say we make our way out.”

“It seems he really can't help himself ! ”

“ Perhaps it was those few run troughs where he refused to eat to heal via food and booze?”

The duo assisted each other to stand while they started to dash away following behind a dashing Agatha .

“ Hmm perhaps you’re correct . Either way we would need to run more test to be certain, now lets run and think on it later shall we?”

The twins got up and ran just far enough to slip out of existence and back to spectating on the edge of time & space .

As the gunman savours the squirming meal as his tongue finishes gliding over her remaining feet with a final swallow. He realizes the Lutece were amiss and his meal ’ s friend just alerted the cops around the corner causing a new chain of events for Booker Dewitt .

“ Son of a bitch I have to dine and dash this huh ?”

The wobbling yet agile gunman runs to a near by garbage can to chug a bottle of wine while proceeding to smash the bottle on atop the enemy cop as he charges through knocking down his other cop friend with his thrashing gut! all the while a crowd of parade onlookers react absolutely shocked near by .

The end?

#fanfiction #swallowing #swallow whole #object vore #same size vore #male pred #multiple prey #booker chewitt #bionom #hunger fic #hunger kink #lute/cestimplied since its cannon #nonfatal vore #vore AU #vore writing #“sfw” vore

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desert-bluffs-and-me · 11 months

Text

WTNV quick rundown - The Novel -

This is the post talking about randon Night Vale/King City and Man in the Tan Jacket facts!

Basic Plot of the Novel is here. Diane, Josh and Jackie random facts here. NV citizens random facts here.

The history of the town of Night Vale is long and complicated, reaching back thousands of years to the earliest indigenous people in the desert. We will cover none of this here. […] It is a friendly desert community, where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful and mysterious lights past overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale.

In NV, pharmacists wear gas masks and hip waders.

Hearts in NV are made of straw and clay and grow at age 9 or at least that's what they're taught.

Manual transmission works like this: 1 - whisper a secret into the cup holder, 2 - grab the clutch (a splintered wooden stake driven into the dashboard), 3 - shake it till something happens whilst taping a series of code numbers into a keyboard on the steering wheel.

Not yielding to a hooded figure will cause a mandatory city-wide ennui.

Encrypted radio pulses announce the opening of 'Lenny's Bargain House of Garden Wares'. As well as the titular function the government will also be unloading failed machines, tests and dangerous substances. The shop is being built on the site where the government was previously doing said tests. If you go to the grand opening sale and find 8 government secrets you get an 'free' government kidnapping and personality reassignment.

To protect against identity theft, Cecil recommends changing your passwords often, wearing a mask in public, blacking out your door number with black spraypaint and 'never ending up on a database'.

The 'Absurd Bowl' and 'Knife Ball' are events that happen in NV.

The NV job market is apparently very scarce as the hooded figures do most of the jobs in NV.

Here is what else we know about the MITTJ. He has a belt which is a darker brown than his shoes. His hair is recently cut. His face is clean and smooth. His teeth are almost white and his left upper bicuspid is a little further forward than the others.

The Moonlite diner has mugs from different sources, some of which leave strange sounds or hum. It has cracked red stools which smell of rubber and sawdust. It's pies are described as 'ok' and some are invisible. Food is served by a grey hand which extends from under the table and should not be acknowledged.

Most people in NV have no idea what doctors do only that it's rumoured to be beneficial. The hospital in NV is built next to the abandoned mine. Hospital rooms are full of cameras and speakers asking you to ask your doctor invasive questions. It was closed years ago and is no longer run by any recognised medical professionals or beings that are or were ever alive.

There are several spy satellites scanning citizens brains and revealing their thoughts. For some reason, Cecil has access to some of these.

'No country for old men' is a kids film in NV. They also have a 'popular animated franchise' about trees with human organs inside who are being cut down until vengeful arboreal spirits eviscerate the loggers. Lee Marvin is in it.

NV is confirmed to be somewhere in SW california.

Childrens friends are assigned by City Council decree based on the numerology of each child's name.

Hot milk drawers are a thing, also all avocados in NV are fake.

Metallic trees that change size each day are considered the plants most suited for a desert climate.

The NV cinema has nightly screenings of John Frankenheimes 1973 'the Iceman Cometh'. Popcorn prices are linked to the coal market.

There is a 'Top Secret Censorship Board' run by a guy called Luis who judges each film based on the risk of being shown a forbidden idea or gesture.

Having a regular police was see as too dangerous as knowledge of them could somehow be used against NV. The previous police were renamed the 'Secret Police', driving dark red sedans with gold racing stripes, black 7-pointed stars with the words 'Secret Police' on the cars side. They also wear capes and have a blowgun belt.

When writing tickets, these officers are required to describe the nature of the sunlight at the time of the infraction in verse.

You can only petition a speeding ticket if you go to city hall, so most people just pay the ticket, even if they're given one when they're not in a car.

Some magazine articles in NV; "10 ways to redecorate your bloodstone circle", "How to lose weight without losing sight of your own mortality" and "A cake recipe that only people who hate our government will want to try so mail us your best pictures of making it and we will take you away."

Some doors in NV require you to bleed on them to open.

There is an annual Imaginary Corn Festival and Fun Fair. There is a costume contest sponsored by the NV daily journal (dress as the decline of the printed word) where winners will not be forced to sign up for a several subscriptions to the journal.

The NV version of a Greek Salad is fruit and pumice stones.

The NV tourism board has a brochure with the tagline 'A town full of hidden evils and the secretly malevolent' featuring a picture of a diverse group of townfolk smiling and looking at the camera in the windowless prison they will be kept in until enough tourists visit NV to buy their release.

Aside from known eateries, there's also apparently places called 'Shame' and 'Pieces O' Grass' and 'Missing Frog Salad Bar' (which serves orangemilk and salad' in NV.

NV knowledges says the only known book on European history was a pamphlet on Svitz which was burnt by the 'Book Cleansers' because they mistook the giraffe on the front for a handgun.

It is illegal in NV to not have some kind of tracking device on you at all times. Most people choose a mobile phone but some still wear bulky tracking collars.

Most planes in NV are private, propeller, secret military drones and government planes used to make chemtrails.

The world government all wear blue headphones and horn-rimmed glasses.

Flamingos in NV are creatures that have six legs and double beaks.

Most bath gel or greeting card stores in NV have a full staff of bleeding saleclerks.

NV city hall is topped with ancient volcanic stone towers.

There is a service called 'Lifelock' in NV where they just lock you up and destroy all records of you existing to 'protect you from identity theft, impersonation, assassination, assignations and memory removal'.

Larry Leroy finds these things out in the desert: a metallic sphere that fell from the sky and whistles softly as if bored, his double, the body of the main in the pinstripe suit and a new way of breathing. The main in the pinstripe suit btw, goes through an existential crisis during the novel, cumulating in him trying to touch the planet of awesome size and then, death.

KC is a small town of little over 10,000 people in Monterey County. It's newspaper is called the KC rustler. Citizens include Wanda Nieves and Ynez.

The post office in KC is a one-storey stucco building with no front door, a splintered parapet walls with missing letters on it's marquee and a tree that has grown through the broken sidewalk and into one of the many shattered windows.

There's a 'video store' which only contains tall shelves full of loose tapes, some labelled and some not. Some shelves are densely packed, others nearly empty. The labels are handwritten and some simply have rows of x's, j's, p's etc. The walls at the back are made of mud and are easily pulled away to reveal a different room behind it. There's a music store containing a woman on a chair who pulls a face at Jackie/Diane. A bait shop where the empty jars keep exploding and cutting the man working there. A phone shop where the salesclerk doesn't remember ever having a customer before.

The flies that the MITTJ sells form a protective cloud in front of him whenever he is threatened.

The copier in the KC city hall is endlessly printing, so that there's stacks of paper everywhere. The receptionist is typing on a computer which is actually just a carved block of wood painted to look like a computer.

KC has a Taco Bell which people would stop off at on their way to either a town called Greenfield of a state wildlife area.

Stay tuned next for the sound of a creaking spine and the soft collapse of paper onto itself.

#wtnv #wtnv quick rundown #wtnv the novel #wtnv the novel rundown

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cruorlupus · 1 year

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I need to work in more decorations somehow but it feels like I have most of the essentials. Have to buy the popcorn machine the next time it’s on sale.

#mine #fo76 #fallout 76

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badmoonbasketcase · 1 year

Text

THE NIGHT WE MET

StevexOC hurt-comfort fluff / 5.9k words / part 1 of 3

Steve rubbed the sleep from his eyes and cut the engine on the bronco. The massive hunk of metal sputtered to a dull hum as he climbed from the driver's seat and grabbed his dark green bomber jacket from the back.

It was cold in Hawkin's even for December, the chill had set in early this year and they had barely seen the fall leaves before the snow had hit the ground. Steve hated these fucking jackets just as much as he hated driving Hopper's old piece of shit around town. He dragged the soles of police-issued boots across the cement towards the small cafe on the corner of Main Street.

He brushed the snow out of his long brown hair and opened the door. The chime above him ran out into the small shop and Bower appeared from the back in his black apron. His blonde hair was tucked under one of those wide-brim hats he loved so much and he was carrying a tray of muffins.

"Morning Sheriff," he tossed a warm muffin at him before setting the rest on the counter.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Steve curled the wrapper away from the warm carrot cake and bit into it without hesitation as he aimlessly looked around the small shop.

"Coffee?" He asked walking toward the large machines behind the counter.

Steve nodded, Bower never missed, the muffins were always warm and always delicious. He had opened the shop two years prior, filling it with thrifted cozy furniture and lining the walls with books for sale. The two large couches in the front of the shop were piled with boxes of Christmas decorations that spilled over the tops in bundles of lights and colourful tinsel.

"I'll get Henderson and Mayfield over here to help you string those up," Steve pointed to the boxes as Bower slid a brown cup across the counter toward him.

He went to dig change out of his tan trousers but Bower shook his head, "on the house. I hate starting so late but the storm last week pushed back the tourist rush and with it the delivery of the new lights."

Every year Bower turned the cafe into a wonderland for tourists. Stringing as many lights, tinsel, ornaments, and strings of popcorn as he could from the roof of the cafe. It was cluttered and messy and Steve didn't understand the idea behind it but the tourists seemed to love it.

"There's another front rolling in tonight, it's supposed to make the highways bad. I got the guys at the station doing all they can to slow traffic on the highways but people refuse to miss Christmas in Hawkins." Steve rubbed the back of his neck nervously, it was his first official Christmas as Sheriff.

This meant he was no longer just following Hopper around learning the ropes, he was completely and solely responsible for the townspeople of Hawkin's. It terrified him. Hop had assured him that he wouldn't retire until Steve was ready but... he didn't feel ready.

"You'll be fine kid, you know this town and the town knows you." Hop had hollered as he piled luggage into Joyce's car.

Steve swallowed his pride and asked following the giant man around the car nervously, "what if it's not fine?"

"I'm just going on vacation," Hopper slammed the trunk and walked around to Steve, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "There's no one I trust with Hawkins more than you."

The bell rang above the door, making both men turn to see an unfamiliar face standing in the entryway. Dark hair tumbled from beneath a grey beanie and brushed against her plump rosy cheeks. Her soft lips were painted red and pressed together in a polite smile as Bower greeted her into the shop. She tugged her wool coat closer to her neck and shook off the snow as she stepped further into the cafe.

"I heard you had coffee," her voice was warm against the chill she had let into the tiny cafe and Steve could feel himself leaning toward her.

"The best in town," Bower smiled.

"The only one in town," Steve muttered.

"Would you like a muffin, the Sheriff is paying," Bower shot him a dirty look and waited for Steve to fish the coins out of his pocket.

He let them clink to the counter and watched in silence as Bower served her, she set her old camera on the counter next to her cup.

"I've seen one like that before, you use those uh," Steve fumbled his words and ran his hand through his hair to shake out the flustered feeling. "Dark rooms," he finally found the word, his tongue twisted around the pretty girl.

"Well I came to do a piece on the Starstorm cafe but," she looked up at the ceiling, "it doesn't look like it's ready."

Bower sighed, "Edith Ford, I totally forgot. I'm so sorry you drove all the way out here. The storm set back our schedule, the cafe won't be ready for a week at the earliest."

"Even with help?" Steve asked, he had promised two extra sets of hands but he was sure the Sinclairs were home for break and Robin could gather a few of the boys from the station.

"Maybe with a few extra bodies we can scrape it together quicker but it's," Bower frowned, his ice-blue eyes so sad and defeated.

"Let me see who's around," Steve slid his hand around his coffee and backed away from the counter.

"I can come back next week, I don't mind the drive." Edith offered.

"That would be amazing," Bower smiled.

"Get out of town ahead of the storm," Steve warned. "The highways are gonna get bad real fast."

"Yeah, I'll take a few photos of the town and head out before lunch. Thanks."

"Before lunch, the snow is coming! It was nice to meet you, Edith," he held out his other for her to shake it.

She did, her fingers covered in antique rings and her nails painted the same bright red as her lips, "It was nice to meet you too," she stopped and he realized he hadn't introduced himself.

"Steve," he said, finding himself smiling bigger than he ever had. Bower chuckled at the sight of him fumbling over the new girl. "Harrington," he added gripping her soft, cold hand in his own longer than he should have. "Sorry, you can," he pulled away and backed toward the door, "have your hand back."

His fingers tingled in the pocket of his jacket as he pressed the door open and walked out into the snow. "You're a goddamn idiot Steve Harrington," he whispered to himself as he climbed into the hunk of frozen metal.

He let the truck warm up beneath him as he finished his coffee and watched the shop. Edith exited the shop, tucked into her warm coat with her fingers wrapped around her coffee, and made her way down Main Street. Steve watched her fumble with the keys of her car before finally popping the lock on her light blue Camry.

She set her belongings inside, along with the bag Bower had given her, most likely filled with sweets as an apology before she straightened up and looped her camera back around her neck. The snow fell softly around her, without the wind everything was peaceful. Steve smiled to himself as she stuck her tongue out, tilting her chin to the sky and catching a few clean, chilly flakes in her mouth.

He leaned against the steering wheel, pressing a thumb to his bottom lip as he kept his eyes on her, following her as she lifted her camera and took a photo of the outside of Starmstorm. A smirk formed on his face as she turned, her dark brown eyes catching his.

He waved a gentle three fingers at her as she raised the camera again and took a snap of him.

Edith intrigued him, with her soft waves of chestnut brown hair that fell around her slim oval face and plump red lips. She dropped the camera, the corner of her mouth upturned as she smiled at him.

It was only his luck that he found a pretty girl on the day of the biggest snowstorm in Hawkin's history and she wasn't even a local. Steve sighed and sat back, wrapping his hands around the steering wheel as he pulled out of his parking spot. He had teenagers to wrangle.

He found them at the Will's after checking the mall, the arcade, and the school. They were pissed when he interrupted the game they were playing but Steve knew how to bribe them into helping.

"Just give him the help he needs to get this done and next week I'll drive all of you up the hill to go skiing," Steve herded them from the Beyer's and into the back of the bronco as the sun started to get hazy in the sky.

"I'm not riding back there," Max declined, staring at the four boys piled into the back.

"Come on, Mayfield get in," Steve sighed.

"No way, Sheriff," she mocked, her red pigtails flipping in the wind under her beanie.

"Fine," he shook his head, slamming the hatch closed and walking around to his side, letting Max slide in first before closing the door behind them. She settled into the bench seat and put her belt over her thick jacket as Steve pulled out from the Beyer's driveway.

"You okay?" Max asked looking over at him as they drove back down through the forested loop into the city center.

Max had become a permanent fixture in Steve's life, her mother was barely capable of functioning these days, and with that came the constant flickering of the power in the trailer and a lack of food to eat.

Steve didn't mind making up a bed for her in his house, ever since his parents started having extended vacations that turned into retirements and never coming home from California. The house had felt more empty than before and when Lucas came to him complaining that Max was in the trailer for three days without power...

It took some convincing on Steve's part to get Max to come with him, but she hadn't seen her mother in a few days and he could hear her stomach growling. Anyone will cave for warm french fries, even a stubborn, emotionally guarded redhead with a bad attitude and a kind heart.

She had been sleeping at his house ever since.

"Yeah kid," he grumbled.

"Not a kid anymore." She rolled her eyes.

"You aren't eighteen yet," he snapped, "still a kid."

"Two weeks!"

"Still a kid," Steve reminded her. "Have you talked to your mom lately? Will she be home for Christmas?"

"No," she grumbled turning away from him.

"Bower offered to cook, were going to do it at our house. Robin might even convince Eddie to come down off that stupid mountain for the day." Steve started to tell her the plans.

"Your house," she cut him off.

He slammed the brakes on the truck hard, the sound of bodies slamming together in the back echoing through the air followed by a chorus of hollering. Max braced herself on the dashboard and turned to give him a dirty look.

"Our house." He corrected her. "It's nothing but an empty box without you there, remember that."

"Ok, ok..." She sighed but he knew she understood, no matter how many times he told her that he wanted her around she still seemed to doubt his honesty. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, just make sure you take out the garbage when you get home." Steve started the truck again pulling into town without any more fuss. He let the boys out of the back and lined them up on the sidewalk, "ski hill, next week, you help Bower until he says he doesn't need you and no complaining."

Mike rolled his eyes and Steve pushed his jacket back over his hip to expose the handle of his gun until both hands were on his hips, "no complaining." He repeated and Mike nodded shakily at him with a shocked expression.

"What are you going to do shoot us?" Mike laughed off his fear.

"You'll make good target practice dipshit," Steve snapped. "Move your asses," he clapped, sending them all rushing into the cafe.

❄️❄️❄️

The sun had finally disappeared behind the horizon as Steve finished his paperwork and left the station. The snow was coming down heavier than before, too heavy to be safe for anyone to be on the roads.

He adjusted the chains on all four tires and climbed into the driver's seat to head home when the radio crackled on, "Sheriff," the voice of Mark Little came through the status.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Nance called in and said there are car tracks veering off the road in the snow up on the highway out of town. Saw them when she was driving by about twenty minutes ago," Little chirped through the radio.

"Any sign of the car?" Steve asked.

"No."

"Alright, I'm leaving now." Steve turned the engine over and let the truck warm. He really didn't want to spend the rest of his night digging some stupid tourist out of the ditch.

David Bowie played over the radio softly as he drove, the snow pilling up on the road making the tires spin out wildly at times but he just went slow and steady.

"Did Nancy say where the tracks were on the stretch?" Steve clicked the radio off.

The snow had blanketed over everything in the short time it had taken to get out to the part of the highway that led out of town. The radio was silent for a long time before it cracked to life again, "about a mile north of-" Little said before cutting out.

"Deputy?" Steve clicked the radio to life, no response. Sometimes when he got too far out of town the radios died out. He tried again, "Deputy Little, can you hear him?"

He was met with more static. "Shit."

He pulled the Bronco over the side of the road and climbed from the driver's seat. He zipped up his jacket and grabbed a flashlight from the glove compartment. The snow made it hard to see anything more than a few feet in front of him and the flashlight only helped so much.

"Hawkin's police department," he hollered out, "Sheriff Harrington, is there anyone out there?"

The snow pelted against his cheeks, stinging his exposed skin as he continued to search. It was a painful reminder to not believe everything Nancy called in all the damn time.

"What the..." his thought was cut off as his flashlight illuminated a bumper about five feet in from the side of the road. He dug his boots into the slippery mud and snow beneath his booths but it was barely enough to keep him upright as he slid down the embankment into the forested ditch. "Is anyone in there?" He hollered, shining his flashlight furiously around the back of the car.

Light blue Camry. The reporter from the cafe.

"Shit," he moved fast knowing that make and model. "Edith?" He called out moving against the side of the car toward the driver's side down. The entire front end of the car was pressed inward, sandwiched against the tree it had slid into.

His flashlight reflected off the window and glared into his eyes. "Edith!" He yelled seeing her brown hair flared out around her face, her forehead against the steering wheel. Blood dripped from her eyebrow and lips, down her chin in a thin dark streak of dried blood.

He yanked against the door but it was locked from the inside. He called out to her again as he tried to work out a plan in his head that would help get her from the wreck safely. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her further. With how deep the snow had gotten and how bad the highway was there was no way he was getting transport out here. He turned to the back window smashing it with the opposite end of the handle until the glass shattered into the back seat over her belongings.

He continued to talk to her as he reached through the window as far as he could, the crook of his armpit and shoulder pressed roughly into the frame as he wiggled for the lock. The sound of it popping made him laugh with relief as he unwound himself from the car and pulled the door open with a forceful pull.

He shone the flashlight over her, pressing two cold fingers to her neck.

"Jesus!" She shot away, slamming her head against the headrest as her body jolted back to life.

"Hey," Steve put his hand out to stop her from moving around too much, "hey hey!" he shouted as she continued to panic.

Her dark brown eyes widened as she realized where she was, her hands bloody as she padded her body over for broken bones. "You were in an accident," Steve explained trying to bring her back to focus. "I need you to sit still until we know how badly you're hurt."

"My ears are ringing," she whined, pressing her palm to her eye with a hiss, "is that? Oh my god is that blood?"

"Edith, stop moving," Steve growled, his voice low as he knelt beside the driver's side and checked out her legs, nothing seemed to be broken. That's good news, means she can walk out of here.

Steve reached across her, his nose filling with her sweet vanilla perfume and the copper tang of the blood dripping from her wounds. She trembled under his touch as he checked her over before popping the belt buckle loose. "Nice and slow," he said extending his hand to her.

She stared at it for a second, her dark eyes rimmed with tears illuminated like glass by the flashlight. She placed her hand in his and let him help her from the wreck, "easy, it's slippery."

Her boots dug into the ground carefully but her knees wobbled sending her crashing forward into him. Her free hand caught the collar of his jacket, bracing herself in the snow as his arm came around her waist and held her to his body.

"You're alright, are you dizzy?" He looked down at her and letting go of her hand he fixed her beanie over her head so it kept her ears warm.

"A little," she answered, "there was...a deer?"

She looked up at him, "I left before lunch," she whined and the sound was so sweet and exhausted that Steve ended up laughing.

"It's too late and too dangerous to stay out here, my truck is up on the highway. Do you think you can climb?" He stifled his smile and tried to be serious.

She nodded and let go of his jacket slowly. Steve inspected the car one more time and swiped her camera off the passenger side floor before slamming the door shut to keep the snow out. He turned back to her leaning against the cold car, shuffling on the incline to stand in front of her. He looped the leather strap of her camera gently around her neck and made sure her jacket was zippered properly.

"Thank you," she whispered settling down into the collar.

"You ready?" He asked and held out his hand for her once again. She welcomed his help and intertwined their fingers together.

"Slow," he explained, highlighting their path back up the embankment, "hold on to me."

She dug her free into his jacket, twisting them tightly in her grip. His arm drifted behind him to keep his hold on her as he stomped them footholds up the hill. He felt her squeeze against his palm and paused climbing.

"You ok?" he called back to her, peering over his shoulder. His hair fell into his face, but as the wind blew it around he saw that she was taking long deep breaths of air as if she was trying to keep herself from vomiting. "Few more steps," he encouraged.

She met his gaze and nodded softly, she was silently talking herself up. She gave herself a long moment before stepping up and pressing against his back, "few more steps," she whispered against him and the warmth of her breath caused the air around her to fog.

Steve planted his boot on the highway, anchoring himself to the tree and using all his strength to help her the rest of the way up. His bicep tensed tightly under his gently as she scurried her way past him and up to safety, he pushed on her lower back, forcing her the rest of the way. As he joined her on flat land he fought to control his breathing.

Edith swayed uneasily on her feet and tipped to the left too far to catch her balance before her eyes fluttered over into the back of her head.

"Edith?" Steve inhaled a sharp breath, dropped the flashlight to the ground, and slid his arms underneath her before she hit the ground and hauled her up against his chest. "Stay awake," he whispered to her adjusting her in his arms as he walked his way carefully back to his truck.

Her head lulled against him, her eyelids heavy and her breathing strangled in her chest.

"Shit," he struggled to open the passenger side door, reaching as far as he could without losing his grip on her frozen thighs. When he finally pried it open he walked around and set her gently against the bench seat. "Hey," he rubbed a knuckle against her cheek, "Edith you gotta stay awake."

"I'm cold," she whispered, her eyes fluttering open lazily.

"I know," he said as he buckled her in and closed the door. Rushing to the other side he climbed in and pushed the keys into the ignition, "come on you piece of shit," he growled as the engine whined and stalled against his protests.

The Bronco roared to life and Steve flicked all the dials to warm the cabin as quickly as he could. Leaning forward he tore his jacket off, leaving him in the thin tan t-shirt he hissed as the cold air bit into his arms.

He covered Edith's legs with the jacket like a blanket, "it'll get warm in here soon."

She hummed something he couldn't hear, as her body leaned against his and her head fell against his shoulder. He pulled the truck off the shoulder, the wheels spinning in the thick snow and slippery ice.

He wasn't going to make it back down that hill into town, "Uh," he started, looking down at her, sleeping on his should her feet tucked up under her and her fingers gripped around his arm.

A sheet of snow whipped against the truck as he drove carefully down the winding path toward the house, he had shovelled the driveway that morning but it had piled back up. At least two feet of it, "alright you piece of garbage, get through this snow for me and I'll never yell at you again." He smacked the steering wheel with his free hand and accelerated through the bank of snow, the engine revved as it quickly became overworked. It wained under the pressure as he pressed down on the gas pedal to get them the rest of the way.

The lights were on in the house, "Max," Steve huffed a sigh of relief as the truck slid to a rocky stop.

He cut the engine, running to the front door, "Max!" He called inside and within seconds her head popped around the corner, red braids swinging around her face. "Go upstairs and get blankets, lots of them, and the first aid kit from the bathroom."

"Why?" Max asked but made for the stairs.

"Just hurry," Steve said running back out into the snow and wind.

He ripped open the passenger door and slide Edith from the seat, pulling her hood around her head and tucking him close to his chest. The snow bit through his shirt and snuck into the brim of his boots as he stomped back to the house with her in his arms.

"Who the hell is that?" Max asked with a bundle of blankets.

"A reporter," Steve grunted as he set her down on the long brown couch in the living room, "bring those here."

He unlooped the camera from her neck and set it on the glass coffee table. He unzipped her wet jacket and stripped it from her body carefully before taking one of the blankets from Max and laying it over her. "In the first aid bag," Steve pointed behind him as he kept tucking her in, he needed to bring her temperature back up. He pressed his hand to her neck, she was still so cold. He knelt beside her on the carpeted floor and examined the bruises on her lip and collarbone.

Max handed him everything he needed without hesitation and helped him by uncapping the peroxide and dosing a piece of gauze in it. "Here," she said as he pulled Edith's beanie off her head.

"She drove off the road up the highway," Steve explained. "Hey," he whispered with a soft smile as Edith's eyes flickered open slowly adjusting to the light around her.

"Holy shit," she huffed out, touching her head again.

"Morning sunshine," Steve gave her a weak smile, just happy to see her awake and alert, "this is gonna hurt," he said pressing the piece of gauze to the wound above her eye.

She hissed and pulled away from him.

"I know, " he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"He has to clean it or it'll get infected," Max explained, handing Steve a clean piece to wipe away the excess blood. Edith looked up at Max, who hovered in her pastel-striped sweater and long pyjama pants.

"Edith, this is my sister, Max." Steve looked up at Max whose expression softened at his term. "She's right, we have to get these clean or they'll hurt worse down the road. You ready for more?"

Steve hooked a finger under her chin, her skin is soft and cold as he tilts her face so he could inspect the large, twisted split skin along her jaw. Her eyes screwed shut as he cleaned it, only opening when he purses his lips and blew a warm breath against it to dry the skin. He pressed a few clean sutures to the jaw and removed his fingers from underneath her chin.

"How's your head?" He asked her.

"Feels like I hit a tree," she laughed and the sound was like honey.

"Sorry about the house call, the hill is a death trap but in the morning I'll get you to the hospital to be properly looked at," Steve smiled, watching her brown eyes take in her unfamiliar surroundings.

"I feel great Doc," she smiled at him, the corners of her soft lips curling gently.

"Yeah," Max scowled, "I'm going to go find her a change of clothes. Mostly so I don't vomit from this weird adult flirting thing happening," she waved her hands in the air and disappeared up the stairs.

"Sorry about her," Steve got off the floor turned and to the stairs where Max had gone and stood back from Edith with his hands in his pockets. "About this, the snow, about your head," he sighed.

"Do you always apologize this much?" Edith asked sitting up on the couch.

"I—," he ran a hand through his hair nervously, his face felt hot and his hands were sweaty.

"You didn't make it snow," she smiled. "Oh ow," she winced pulling her other hand from beneath the blankets.

"Let me see," he returned to her side sitting on the edge of the couch and cradling her hand in his palm. "There's some glass," he turned the skin into the light to get a better look.

He dug through the first aid kit until he found some tweezers and lifted her palm to his face. He carefully pulled the two small shards of glass from her skin and dropped them on the table.

"Better?" He asked rubbing his thumb over the two small scratches where the glass was. He didn't realize how close their faces were until he looked up from her hand and came face to face with her lips.

Her brown eyes feathered over his face, "you have a lot of freckles," she whispered, her breath hot on his cheek.

"You have a really nice nose," Steve said, "I mean, oh god," he pulled away from her laughing. "I clearly have not been in a room with a pretty girl in a very long time."

"I kinda like it," she smiled. "Guys are always about the lips and the boobs," she rolled her big chocolate eyes at him. "Didn't take the sheriff of Hawkins to be a nose guy."

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Steve asked trying to change the subject. He walked toward the kitchen island taking note of the folding laundry in the basket.

He dug through pulling a clean sweater out and shucked off his wet uniform with his back to Edith. He tugged the warm navy sweater over his head and looked back to see her staring at him over the couch.

Steve smiled softly, pulling the sweater out and down so it lay against his stomach neatly. Edith's cheeks were flushed red and her lips parted like she was about to say something.

"Here," Max interrupted standing at the bottom of the stairs with a handful of laundry and a brush. "Leave mouth breather," Max ordered Steve.

He gave them privacy, taking his wet shirt down to the basement so Max could help Edith. He chucked the shirt into the washing machine, turning around he leaned against it and stared at the basement stairs lost in thought.

He would like to believe Hawkins was cursed but how bad could it be if it had given him a chance to see Edith again?

"Earth to dipshit," Max waved her hand in his face. "We're out of laundry soap," she said as his focus came back.

"Thank you," he said softly, "for doing the laundry and finding Edith some warm clothes."

"I wouldn't wanna spend the night in wet clothes," Max shrugged. "It was no big deal."

"Max," Steve said gently, "thank you."

"Ya, ya don't get all sappy on me, brother," she raised an eyebrow at him and he flung his arm around her.

"You want some hot chocolate?" Steve asked leading her toward the stairs with his hand rubbing against her hair.

"I think I still have marshmallows stashed," she huffed, acting as if she was annoyed. "Can we watch a Christmas story?"

"Again?" Steve laughed as they came up from the basement, they had already watched it once that week. And three times the week before.

Edith sat curled on the couch, her fingers wrapped around her camera and the flash went off before Steve could untangle himself from Max. Her hair was tugged back into a loose ponytail and she wore one of Steve's old gym shirts. The grey one with the Hawkins High logo on it.

Max wandered toward the tv, as Steve gravitated to Edith. "I hope you like Christmas movies," he said leaning over the back of the couch.

Edith looked up at him over her shoulder, "I don't watch many, too much driving to get stories."

"I'm sorry the Cafe was ready this morning," Steve said as he moved back to the kitchen. "If you're cleared by a real doctor tomorrow I can drive you over. You went through all this hell, you can't miss the way it looks when Bower is done with it. It's... magical." He boiled the water over the stove and leaned on the counter. Watching her watch him.

"I believe that," she said. "There's something about Hawkins. It's like a magnet."

"While you chat with Bower I'll get your car pulled from the ditch," Steve said trying to avoid the topic of Hawkins with her.

"How long do you think it'll take to fix my car?" She asked.

"The damage was intense but only the guys at the shop will know how bad. We can put you up at the hotel in town," Steve explained.

She nodded, turning back to watch Max as she set up the movie and got comfy in her favourite chair. It had been Steve's dad, he could never bare to sit in it. It had always felt wrong, but the second she became a permanent fixture, Max had claimed it. He brought the girls their drinks and found a place next to Edith with a beer in hand. Max turned the lights off and started the movie, her back turned and her focus on little Ralphie.

"I have more than enough," Edith lifted the blanket with her toes and urged him to take the corner. She wiggled her toes under his thigh as he pulled the excess blanket over himself.

Before long Max was fast asleep in her chair and Edith was well on her way. He put the cups in the sink circling back to tuck Max in under a heavy wool blanket.

Kneeling beside Edith she smiled at him softly, "you sure you'll be okay here?" He asked her, hovering closer than he should to get one last smell of her perfume. "You can have my bed, I can sleep—,"

Edith pressed her swollen lips to his, ceasing the conversation he was having with himself. She lifted her hand, tangling her fingers in his sweater and tugged him closely toward her deepening the kiss. Steve's hand brushed against her face, his fingers tickling her neck and engulfing her tiny face in his palm. She tasted like salt, hot chocolate and candy cane as her tongue swiped into his mouth and tangled with his.

She pulled back slowly, looking at him with her hand still gripping his sweater. Both completely out of breath she left Steve craving more of the sweet peppermint taste.

"Thank you for saving my life," she whispered.

"Oh you are welcome," he brushed his nose against hers and stole another taste. Unable to control himself. He hooked his finger into the navy collar of her shirt, his shirt.

She stared at him with wide eyes, "was it that bad?" He laughed, "I haven't kissed anyone in a while. Especially not someone who looks prettier than me in that shirt."

"Stop it," she giggled, and blood rushed to her cheeks. "It was perfect."

"Then why do you look terrified?" He asked.

"Not terrified, just seeing clearly. Stay with me tomorrow for my interview at the Cafe. I think my story should be about the whole town." She smiled, brushing her thumb over his bottom lip.

"Why the change of topic?" He asked, kissing the pad of her thumb before she could pull away.

"The cafe wouldn't be magic if it wasn't for the people of Hawkins. The story is about that, the townspeople. People like you and your sister."

"Alright," he nodded. "But if I do this, you owe me dinner."

"I think I owe you more than dinner," she laughed, kissing him one last time. Her lips lingered on his, her eyes fluttering shut.

"I'll tell the boys to take their time with your car," he laughed against her mouth.

"Whatever you say, Sheriff." She pulled him down on top of her, wrapping her fingers into his hair and deepening the kiss for the second time.

Masterlist

#steve harrington #Steve Harrington edit #Steve Harrington fan fiction #oneshot #stranger things #Joe keery #holidays #hurtcomfor #hurtcomfort #fluffy

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