#and a shot of one in bed and I think at a school (one might’ve been a teacher?) or restaurant or smth

[fagbearentertainment]

Raghhh I’ve remembered this animator I loved in middle school who made this really good Two Time by Jack Stauber AMV of their ocs but they deleted their channel and it’s been so long I can’t remember the channel name to try to search for it 😭😭😭

#I think I remember a few bits of animation #like of the character smoking a cigarette and blowing out hen smoke #and a shot of one in bed and I think at a school (one might’ve been a teacher?) or restaurant or smth #yeah I think one character was a science teacher or scientist or smth like that #and another might’ve been a hit man? and they were gay maybe? or trying to kill each other? #gahhh I wish the channel was still up they were one of my fave animators ever like I vividly remember #commenting on tons of videos and them replying to em

[s4toryuu]

12:37 am — gojo satoru; sashisu

gojo satoru refuses to drink his medicine…

reblog to help gojo get better

out of everything you could call satoru, you think dramatic takes the top spot. so when you wake up in the middle of the night, you listen out for what could possibly have waken you up.

“koff! koff! UGH!” you recognized gojo’s voice from the dorm building behind yours.

oh my fucking god. you sighed. that morning, that idiot had to get sent to his dorm because he kept coughing every time yaga spoke. he sneezed and sniffled, so you assumed that he was actually ill and didn’t just decide to up his antics for no reason. besides, he was a little quieter than usual today.

you got up to put on a jacket and practically stomped to gojo’s dorm, where you were met with his open door and geto standing against the door frame.

“satoru, I told you the medicine wouldn’t be as effective later on.” geto sighed. you noticed his socks. they were pastel with characters on them. you ignored it to yell at who probably gave it to him.

“gojo! if you’re gonna cough just cough! you don’t have to yell after!” you said before sliding one of gojo’s slippers. there that idiot was, laying down faced up with arms stiff on his side and his comforter raised up to his chin. “are you playing dead?”

gojo groaned. “guys.” he sniffled. “I think this is it for me. suguru, I always loved you. y/n, I did steal your marshmallows last movie night. shoko—where’s shoko?” he looked up, illness suddenly voided for a second until shoko appears behind you. her dorm is a couple doors from yours after all. the snow-haired drama queen’s head fell back on his pillow and his sickness returned.

“eh, what?” she muttered to him before stepping inside. gojo started coughing again.

“are you contagious?” you asked before shifting away from gojo’s bed. geto took the medicine he got from gojo’s counter and placed it on the latter’s nightstand.

shoko walked over and sat on his bed. she placed her hand on gojo’s forehead before snickering. “you’re burning up. you really are gonna die.” she laughed.

you all chuckled, except gojo who whined again. “can’t you use reverse cursed technique on me shoookooo…”

“nope. I’ve only done it on physical injuries. why won’t you just drink the medicine?” she took the plastic little spoon and wiggled it to gojo’s face for emphasis.

gojo screwed his eyes shut and shook his head like a child. “don’t wanna.” if it wasn’t 12:37am on a school night you might’ve found it adorable.

“you might really die, satoru.” geto shot from the foot of gojo’s bed. he definitely woke up from his coughing and subsequent yelling, seeing as geto’s room is right next to gojo’s.

the next morning after your first class, the three of you gathered in the cafeteria and geto stirred up a plan.

“he’s probably not drinking it because he thinks it’s bitter.” you conclude.

suguru sipped on his tea. “ah, I know. that’s why I got the honey flavor version.”

“how are we gonna force him to drink it? it’s not like we can force feed it to him.” shoko shook her lollipop. you were just glad it wasn’t a cigarette.

“he’ll just turn on his infinity. I think we have to ambush him.” you laughed at the image.

“geto, summon a cursed spirit to hold him down.” shoko joked.

the cold breeze practically slapped you while walking to the dorms. geto was sure your victim was still asleep. he had the spare key when you thought to take off your shoes for maximum stealth. the two followed.

geto stood in front of the door to block the light while you and shoko slithered in. it was dark except for the nightlight by satoru’s night stand. you could make out the important things. the untouched medicine, and gojo sprawled over his bed under his sheets. he faced the left side cuddling a pillow. tissues filled the trash can dragged by his bed and some on the floor. poor kid.

geto tiptoed to the other side of the bed where satoru was faced while shoko prepared the poison. you got in position across geto and stifled a laugh at shoko trying to break the seal as quiet as possible. she tiptoed next to you and nodded to geto.

“satoru” geto called out. “satoru, wake up.”

“sugu…” gojo whined. he didn’t open his eyes. geto gestured for the syrup-filled spoon. shoko handed it to him promptly and again, you stifled a laugh at your plan.

“satoru-kun. aaah,” geto opened his mouth. geto using “-kun” was too funny.

surprisingly, satoru opened his mouth slightly too. what the hell? this wasn’t even part of the plan. suguru took the spoon to satoru’s mouth.

shit, it would probably just spill out with the way he was faced, you realized. you lunged to push satoru’s shoulder to the right so that he would face up. you decided him choking on it was better than it spilling. because that way it would at least get in his mouth.

gojo woke up. he made eye contact with you and immediately tried to get up. he moved his hand to push yours off but you held his shoulders down with your weight and geto got all the syrup in.

“MMGHFHG!” gojo yelled with his mouth closed. he struggled against you, and you gave it 5 seconds before his strength took over and even less before he activated infinity.

“geto!” you called and he took over your hold on sicko’s shoulders.

gojo started kicking, and you straddled his shins.

“swallow!” geto exclaimed as gojo tried to push his hands off. shit, this wouldn’t work.

“geto! get on!” you yelled and geto straddled gojo’s stomach.

“swallow it!” suguru grabbed gojo’s arms and held them against the bed by his head.

“HHNGNGGHH!” satoru shook his head.

“satoru! it’s honey flavored!” geto argued.

shoko laughed and you heard her camera shutter. she stood far enough to snap a picture and you realized what it looked like. you were straddling gojo’s calves while suguru was straddling gojo’s, uh… lower stomach with his hands pinned by his head.

then, as if on queue, the door opened. your heads snapped to the door and you saw your sweet (to you, at least) junior nanami for about .7 seconds before the door closed again.

you flew off of gojo’s calves. “nanami! wait!”

this ended with a lot more stsg than I thought lol

#𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘶𝘶’𝘴 #gojo satoru #geto suguru #shoko ieiri #sashisu #fluff #crack #jujutsu kaisen #drabble #nanami kento #nanami is traumatized #fanfic #gojo x reader #satosugu

[slutforitoshi]

sae and rin itoshi - aphrodisiac *:･ﾟ✧

ft. sae itoshi x f!reader x rin itoshi, 18+ minors dni

cw: threesome, rin and sae literally fight over your body, f!masturbation, oral m!receiving and f!receiving, fingering, unprotected sex, cumming on face

synopsis: your hangover leads you to make the best mistake

wc: 3k

A/N: so fucking feral for this duo <3 also as for requests, i’m open to prompts but it’s not a guarantee i’ll write it T-T (please send in ideas though i’m always looking for inspo!)

you woke up with your head pounding incessantly, mimicking the music from the clubs you hopped the night before. you don’t even remember how you got home. fuck, why did you think it was a good idea to drink like you were still a freshman?

you fumble for your phone at the edge of your bed, hoping you remembered to charge it before you passed out. near the top of your notification stack was a text from your roommate.

roomie: headed back home for the weekend! i was gonna say bye but you were still knocked out lol. introduce me to your new friends again sometime, they were cute ;) 

what was she talking about? as far as you remembered you came home alone after a night out with some old high school friends that your roommate already knew. well, as far as you remembered was around 6 shots in, barely past the 1st club. 

you laid a bit longer in bed, trying to recall the events that ensued after your old friend challenged you to match her. how were you supposed to know she could outdrink any frat guy multiple times over? the night started coming back to you in flashes, like you were watching a compilation of embarrassing clips that got increasingly worse.

dancing on a table, throwing up in a bush, getting close to kissing the bartender for free drinks…was there anything you didn’t do??

the pounding in your head grew in intensity, pushing you out of bed and straight to the medicine cabinet. tylenol, tylenol, tylenol…aha there. you grab the white bottle and pop the cap open, downing two at once, dry (that’s how desperate you were for the migraine to subside).

the couch was your next destination. you felt the soft cushions and way too many pillows and plushes rest against you, giving you immediate relief from the aches in your body. see? i told you it was a good idea you said internally at your mom who was complaining how the couch decor was “excessive”.

you waited for the pills to kick in, to give you any relief from the persistent pressure that surrounded your temples. and it did…only to move down lower. it starts off as a slight pressure on your abdomen, then blossoming into heat. you weren’t innocuous at this point in life, and recognized exactly what it was: you were horny.

and the heat only grew, morphing into a roaring fire, with the incinerator located right between your thighs. you could already feel the dampness, threatening to leak past your folds onto cloth. this cannot be right. who gets aggressively horny during a hangover??

you begrudgingly hoist yourself up from the soft plushes, and make your way back to the medicine cabinet, starting to wonder if the tylenol might’ve been expired or something. the bottle itself looked normal, until you looked inside it. tylenol isn’t supposed to be pink.

you fish a pill out, looking for any engravings that might tell you what the fuck you ingested half an hour ago. libido-max. from the name of it alone (along with your still intensifying symptoms) you should’ve realized what it meant. nonetheless you resort to good old google to help explain.

“libido-max is an over the counter sex enhancement pill for women complete with a warming formula for maximized pleasure” your hand clasps over your mouth as you continue reading, “the recommended serving size is one pill as the dosage is quite strong.”

it dawns upon you that you took double the recommended amount. shit. you were definitely never drinking like that ever again. you contemplate texting your roommate why tf did you switch out the tylenol for female viagra, but decided against it. technically it was on you, too. leave it up to your dreadfully hungover self to swallow bright pink pills without thinking twice.

as you felt the temperature in your body continue to rise, there was only one method you could think of for relief. switching to incognito you pull up a porn site, settling on a video you thought would do. you skipped through all the bad acting in the intro, right into the action, desperate for some release. 

“harder…fuckk” the woman through your screen moans, and you could feel your clit throbbing in response. reaching down, you’re met with more slick than you’d ever encountered touching yourself. squelching noises echoed your room, growing louder than the sinful moans coming from the speaker of your phone.

your small fingers slid easily into sopping entrance, and the sensation was more than welcomed. small moans began to escape your lips as well, harmonizing with the other woman’s. you synchronized your fingers with the thrusts in the video, imagining it was you getting pounded, fucked so mercilessly by a thick cock.

after a particularly loud moan through your phone, you can feel it. like you’re at the edge of a cliff ready to drop before-

knock knock.

aand you lost it. grumbling, you exit out of the tab and pull up your already drenched panties. if it was another old lady trying to recruit you to join a pyramid scheme, you weren’t sure if you could resist slamming the door.

“look i’m not interested in-” instead of a short old woman with a fake smile, you’re met with a pair of teal eyes. two actually, now that you noticed the second figure behind him. 

“oh my gosh i’m so sorry, i thought you were- well nevermind um can i help you?” you stumble over your words, half out of embarrassment and half because you realized the two guys standing in front of you were attractive. 

“we stopped by to return your jacket” the one with light maroon colored hair says, holding up the familiar coat you left your house wearing last night. 

“shoot, thank you so much” you take the coat out of his hands, noticing that they’re veiny with long fingers. you try to ignore the flash of heat the observation causes.

“how did you know it was mine though?” you cautiously ask.

“oh she must not remember” the taller one says softly. your mind starts racing. what the fuck did you do in front of them?

“it wasn’t anything that bad” the one in front reassures you, seeing the panic settle on your face. “you just passed out in our apartment and we had to carry you here.”

wasn’t anything that bad??? you were mortified. you knocked out in some random (really attractive) guys’ apartment and they had to bring you back. well that explains how you got home last night then.

“oh my gosh i’m so sorry,” you replied, clearly flustered. the guys don’t give much of a response though, simply shrugging. you noticed that they were pretty expressionless.

“it’s ok, we live next door anyways” the green haired one says, looking to the right. “we were taking out the trash and came back to you on our couch. your roommate called you a bit after so we knew where to take you.”

ah, they must be the cute new friends your roommate texted you about.

before you could respond, a pair of cold hands were on your cheek (or maybe you thought they were cold because you were still under the effects of the pills).

“are you sick?” the owner of the cold hands was the maroon-haired one. you flinched away from his hands, turning an even deeper shade of pink. 

“n-no, probably just a bit hungover though” you nervously laughed, hoping they’d just accept that.

“you look like you’re burning up, maybe a fever?” the other one steps forward, taking a closer look at your flushed appearance. yeah it’s because you feel like a fucking dog in heat and having two insanely hot guys in front of you is not. helping. 

“no i promise i’m fine” you try harder to convince the duo, “i probably just need to rest up from last night…”

neither of them move from the front door, and the green haired one cocks an eyebrow. they clearly don’t believe you. 

“do you need any medicine? we should have flu medicine-” the green haired one starts.

“nope no flu medicine needed here” you let out a nervous chuckle, trying not to let your knees buckle. the knot in your abdomen grew significantly since you answered the door. you needed to cum, and soon.

“hey we don’t mind getting you some. i think your roommate mentioned she was leaving this weekend and you shouldn’t be home alone without medicine-” this time the maroon haired one is cut off.

“i promise i’m not sick” you exasperate, now having to lean against the frame for support (clearly not a good look for your case). the shorter guy’s eyebrows furrow in concern. both pairs of feet were still planted in your doorway, and you realize they weren’t leaving until you either accepted the medicine or told them the truth. 

looking back, the other option was clearly the more logical and less embarrassing one. you’d blame the hangover for the words that spilled out of your mouth next.

“it’s not because of a fever. i…i accidentally mistook sex enhancement pills for tylenol and took way more than the recommended dose,” your bit your lip, hoping they’d leave now that you were honest. the two look at each other, and the teal glint in their eyes served as a signal that they were thinking the exact same thing.

“there’s still a way we can help you though”

~~~

“rinn” you moaned as his fingers ghosted over your already pebbled nipples through the thin tank you had on. 

pleasantries and introductions were quickly exchanged as they kicked off their shoes and began undressing. you could hardly believe your ears at their suggestion, but you weren’t exactly in the position to refuse such a tempting offer. in fact, you were more than eager to accept.

now, you were draped over the couch, your head facing who you now knew as rin. sae was on the opposite end, marveling at the mess you made through your cotton shorts. 

“it’s like a fucking flood down here,” and he starts pulling at the waistband. 

rin continues to tease your nipples, never giving you enough friction. you were so responsive, even the slightest touch had your back arching. please, more, you beg internally. rin seems to recognize your pleads though and finally pulls your tank down to reveal the hypersensitive skin.

his lips are upon them immediately, sucking harshly, causing an exceptionally loud moan from you. from your half-closed lids, you could see sae’s eyes darken. as if unhappy how his brother could emit such a reaction from you. he was determined to do better.

you were fully exposed waist down now, and sae slowly runs a finger down the soaked slit, taking note of how you shivered from the action. he presses two fingers and is amazed at how easily they slip in, prompting him to add a third.

“fuck sae…so full” you moan out, which sae responds with a smirk before he starts moving his digits. in and out, in and out, and you could feel yourself tiptoeing the side of the cliff again. what does it for you is rin though.

“stop hogging her pussy” he says, rising from your chest. one of his hands move down, pausing precisely at your clit. as soon as he’s circling them you feel the push over the edge. 

“i-i’m cumming!” you scream out, followed by waves of intense moans. you weren’t sure if you’d ever cum so hard before. it took a minute for you to recover, only to see the brothers’ hands had left you.

“what the fuck rin. that was my moment” sae spat, clearly pissed he wasn’t the catalyst to your orgasm. 

“you should’ve been faster then” rin responds, a glare settled on his face. the warmth in your stomach was still growing, and you were still desperate for their touch.

“i want another” you whine, and teal orbs immediately snap back to you. right, the match was far from over. that was just the first goal.

they assume their old positions, except sae intends to use more than his fingers this time. it felt like fireworks the moment his lips hit your heat. the soft muscle of his tongue circled your clit, then moved down to dip inside the leaking hole. the added combination of the pill’s effects along with the sensitivity from your last orgasm had you bucking your hips which sae quickly restricted. he pins down your lower waist with his arm, and you could feel how strong he was. 

rin’s lips instead sought out yours, messily kissing them as he fumbled with his belt buckle. then his lips were off yours. a light push causes you to fall onto your back, and he pulls you forward abruptly so that your head is left hanging off the side of the couch. sae’s tongue never leaves you, moving forward with the pull. 

you see your first cock of the day, and it’s pretty. long and curved upwards, towards an insanely handsome face. you instinctively open your mouth, tongue slightly hanging out against your bottom lip.

“fuck, i could cum to this view” rin sighs before pushing his length into you. it almost immediately hits the back of your throat, but he pushes further. tears prickle from the invasion, but you refused to push him off you. not when he’s making such sounds.

breathy moans leave his mouth as he thrusts harshly. you could swear that alone made you grow even hotter. the sight of the bulge that forms at your neck every time he pushes in makes him delirious.  

sae utilizes his fingers with his free hand again, pressing three fingers into the entrance that happily welcomes them as he laps up the slick that continues to flow out. he curves his fingers just right, hitting the spot as if he’d known the exact blueprint of your body. and the second set of waves come.

“that’s right, cum hard for me”

even sae’s arm couldn’t hold you down as your next orgasm shook you, not that he minded. your move rin he mentally said, but rin had other concerns. your throat had gotten tighter, and the vibrations from your moans were pushing him to his own threshold. 

your mouth is hit with a new heat, coming from the man positioned above you. as much as he tried, he couldn’t contain it, and thick white ribbons hits your throat which you struggled to swallow all of. 

as he pulled out of your abused cavern though, his length still remained. it was as if the pill’s effects were contagious. 

sae had risen from his position, taking the time to free his own cock. thick was the first word that came to mind. it no doubt had a wider circumference than his brother’s, although a bit shorter. he uses his strong arms to flip you over, pulling your ass up near him. what a sight. he aligns himself at the entrance, eager to chase the next crash of waves.

usually rin would object to letting his brother take such a pretty girl first, but frankly, he had to take a break; fucking your throat left him breathless. instead he focuses his attention back towards your lips, laying more gentle kisses against them this time. 

sae was still full of need though, and rin’s soft kisses were starkly contrasted with the abrupt stretch of sae’s girth into you. your mind went into a haze, not knowing where to focus your consciousness as rin begins to knead at your hanging breasts. 

“taking cock so well” sae grumbles as the sounds of slapping skin grows “like you were fucking made for it.”

sae’s pace is merciless, and it persisted. you couldn’t fathom the extents of his stamina, seeing as how he didn’t even break a sweat. your voice began to grow hoarse from the repeated moans, and sae’s pride grew knowing he was the cause. 

“hey, mind sharing?” rin deadpans, growing impatient at his brother’s greed. he’s met with a glare, but sae begrudgingly pulls out, leaving you empty. you began to protest, but rin quickly reassures you.

“i’m right here. gonna fill you up real quick” he picks you up with ease, placing himself under your figure. his cock twitches as the tip prods your entrance, reveling in the way your slick coats him. he swiftly bottoms out in one push. sae’s previous work makes it easy for him to quickly pick up the pace, and you’re left an incoherent mess once again.

“f-feels so good rin” you stammer between thrusts. 

“wanna make you cream on my cock. need to feel you cum around me” he mutters

sae’s taken rin’s old position, lining his girth directly in your line of vision. you know what he wants and you happily open your mouth once again. sae begins his attack of new bruises against the back of your throat, relishing in the feeling as you hum in pleasure from rin’s length. 

harder, faster you think, desperate to dissipate the pool of heat in your abdomen.  

even with your mouth full, rin seems to understand you perfectly, hands gripping harder at your waist to help him reach new depths in you. your muscles began to involuntarily clamp around rin, a sign that you were looking over the cliff again. his thrusts also grow erratic as he’s close to his high. 

“f-fuckkk!” you exclaim, losing strength in your lower body. rin continues to pound through your climax, increasing his speed even more until he inevitably shoots strips of white into another tunnel of your body.

sae follows soon after, except he opts to pull out and mark your face instead. 

the three of you collapse on your couch, utterly exhausted from the intensity of the session.

before you could catch your breath though, you felt a familiar warmth start to pool once again down below. 

“still..still hot” you pant, overheating by the second. 

“you heard her rin,” and the brothers shift towards you again, ready for another match.

#rin itoshi #rin #itoshi rin #itoshi sae #sae #sae itoshi #sae itoshi x reader #sae x reader #rin x reader #rin itoshi x reader #sae smut #sae itoshi smut #rin itoshi smut #rin smut #blue lock #blue lock smut #bllk #bllk smut

[msschemmenti]

To Be Near You

Melissa Schemmenti x reader

Prompt: Ava decided to do some staff bonding (and content gathering) and forces the teachers to have a sleepover in the school. Melissa and the reader are in a secret established relationship and get caught together.

a/n: this idea came to me before bed yesterday because I was thinking about what barbara howard would wear to sleep

“Maybe I should go get my air mattress out of my storage unit. I don’t really wanna sleep on my rug.” Y/n mumbled as she dropped onto the plastic-covered couch next to Melissa. The TV was playing some game and it currently had all of the older woman’s attention. It was a Thursday and Y/n honestly couldn’t keep up with what sport Melissa watched on Thursdays but she was really only there for the company. 

Melissa shifted as the words Y/n uttered finally broke through her focus. “Barb and Gerald are letting me borrow their spare, you won’t need yours.”

Y/n eyed the woman curiously, trying to figure out if she’d missed something within the past 6 months that would make Melissa’s response a logical solution to her problem. “Mel darling, you do understand what a lock-in is right?”

Ava’s latest fixation has been on team bonding (apparently that’s where the money is this week). And she had the brilliant idea to have the teachers spend a night in Abbott. Obviously, no one wanted to do that, but after a few threats and incentives, the woman rallied enough teachers to participate. Everyone had discussed their sleeping plans earlier over lunch and had established that they’d all be sleeping in their own classrooms, much to Janine’s dismay. Y/n couldn’t help but feel bad for the woman as she tried to convince everyone to set up their sleeping bags in the gym for an actual sleepover. She’d been shot down faster than Y/n’d ever seen before. Between Barb and Melissa, there was no chance in hell either of the women would be participating more than necessary. 

“Of course, I know what a lock-in is. What’s the issue? You haven’t ever complained about sharing a bed before now.” Melissa grumbled turning to face Y/n as the game came to an end. 

“And I’m not complaining now. I just must have missed the part where you told our co-workers you were banging the new fifth grade teacher.” Y/n replied wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. 

“I think I’m doing more than banging you,” Melissa wiggled her brows back causing Y/n to blush in the truth of the tease. 

“Even if that is true, how do you plan to explain me sleeping in your classroom to anyone without outing us?” 

Melissa shrugged, “I think you’re giving them all too much credit. It’ll be fine. Once everyone retires to their own classrooms, you can just come down to my room. By morning everyone will just be worried about getting out of there so the sneaking out won’t be an issue. Piece of cake.” 

“Says you, you’re not doing any of the sneaking.” Y/n rolled her eyes, she’d do anything for Melissa so her complaints were only for show. “But alright, that crosses at least one thing off of my list of things I need to pack tonight when I leave here.” 

“I’ll just take my stuff we can stay at your place.” Melissa said rising from the couch to go collect her things. “Give me like 20 mins and we can leave.” Y/n went to tell Melissa it wasn’t necessary but she was already gathering all of her things to tag along. As she watched the older woman buzz around the house readying for their own little sleepover she couldn’t help but to smile at how readily Melissa was to come home with her. 

-

“This might’ve been Ava’s best idea yet.” Janine grinned as everyone gathered in the teacher’s lounge to wait for Ava to bring dinner. “I already feel so much closer to you guys. You know I’d actually feel even closer if we all put our sleeping bags in the-” 

“Shut up Janine, dinner is served.” Ava said as she hip-checked Janine out of the doorway carrying a box of takeout orders. She brought the box to the table in front of the couch and quickly grabbed her things, “Back you filthy animals. Everyone’s orders should have their name on it.” 

Y/n rose from her seat at the table by the wall and waded through the throng of teachers to retrieve her meal. Sliding under someone’s arm she was able to get her box but saw both Barb’s and Melissa’s still sitting there. Without much thought, she grabbed them both and ducked back out of the crowd and headed for their table. She slid the boxes to each woman with a smile and turned to head back for her seat at the other table. Before she could get too far, Melissa’s hand reached for her wrist and pulled her back. “Thanks hon, why don’t you eat with us?” 

Y/n eyed Melissa hesitantly, they normally kept their in school interaction to a minimum and Y/n hardly ever sat near Melissa for to long. They’d learned that one of them had a hard time keeping her hands to herself. So the invitation was like playing with fire, especially if Y/n was meant to sneak into Melissa’s classroom to cuddle later that night. She gazed at Barb briefly before letting her eyes fall onto Melissa again and seeing the silent plea behind her eyes. 

“We won’t bite sweetheart.” Barb smiled as she hit Melissa’s shoulder in a sort of scold for still holding onto Y/n’s wrist. Y/n nodded and moved to have a seat and when Barbara returned her attention to her food she shot Melissa a warning glare, nonverbally telling her to behave. The redhead grinned mischieviously and nodded. “How was your day Y/n? I didn’t see you at lunch.” Barbara asked making polite conversation like the Godly woman she is.

“Oh it was okay, I left something at home so I ran back to get it before I had to pick the kids up. How about you?” Y/n replied gazing toward the woman kindly. That morning Melissa had been on her ass about bringing her sleeping bag and she’d planned to slide it in the car without her noticing but they’d practically been joined at the hip since they’d made it to the apartment the night before. After leaving it at home, she went back to grab it and tucked it in her classroom for the day. Of course she wouldn’t be using it, but it would be nice to have some sort of cover if anyone was to look in on her that night. Melissa didn’t see it that way, but it would come in handy this evening.

“Well I woke up this morning, so I can’t complain. But I know I’ll be complaining tomorrow after sleeping on an Air Mattress.” Barbara groaned.

“Oh I know what you mean, I’ll be lucky if I can move my back after sleeping in my sleeping bag. I’m not sure this was the best idea after all.”

“Exactly, forgive me but I do not want to see any of your faces after 3:30-” As Barbara talked Y/n startled at the feeling of a hand inching up her thigh underneath the table. She kept her gaze on Barbara but her nods in agreement became more aggressive as she tried to listen. She didn’t even have to turn to know that Melissa was sporting a proud smirk as she tease her girlfriend. Y/n knew it was around the time they were alone and free to be themselves, but the location was not ideal for this kind of teasing especially if Melissa wanted to keep their secret. “But I’ll be glad when morning comes. I just hope Gerald can make it through the night. He always says he sleeps better when I’m there. He’ll probably be wide awake tonight.” 

Y/n swatted Melissa’s hand away under the table as discreetly as possible before pouting at Barbara’s words, “That’s so romantic. I guess that makes sense though, especially since you’ve been married for so long. I hope someone feels that way about me someday.” 

“I’m sure they will hon.” Melissa said finally adding something to the conversation. Y/n let her eyes fall to the red-head and tried fight the hopeful look that she knew was on her face. Melissa winked quickly and then both women turned back to their dinner. 

-

Mel <3: Coast is clear. Everyone is asleep.

With a pillow under her arm, Y/n made her great escape through the halls of the school. She was only going down one set of stair, but she’d have to tip-toe her way passed Janine’s classroom and that would be the ultimate test of her spy skills. Once she made it down the stairs she could see Melissa peaking out of her door, looking down each side of the hallway. When their eyes met, she threw her head back in a ‘come on’ motion and reached toward Y/n making grabbing motions. 

Once in the safety of the classroom Melissa seemed to pounce on the younger woman. Their lips met languidly, dancing an all too familiar dance, before they finally broke apart when air became a necessity. “God, I’ve been waiting to do that all day. We’re never doing this again.” Melissa groaned before pulling Y/n toward the airmattress in the corner of the room. 

“Can’t argue with that. I’m gonna set an alarm to head back to my room at 7. I figure, no one will be up by then.” 

“Set it for 8. I don’t want to wake up before 8.” 

“Well baby, I’ll just be quiet. You don’t have to get up with me.” Y/n said nestling into the air mattress and Melissa’s side. 

“I know I don’t have to but if you get up, I will. It’s already hard enough falling asleep the first time. If you leave I’ll never get back to sleep, even if it is for just an hour.” Melissa confessed quietly as she pulled Y/n closer.

“Are you saying you have a hard time sleeping without me? Because that would explain a lot, but also be so romantic.” Y/n asked with a slight tease in her voice. 

“I just like being near you. I feel…I don’t know. At peace or something.” Melissa said bashfully.

“Well, I like being near you too. So I guess we both win, hm?”

“I guess you’re right.” 

“I’ll set my alarm for 8. Now let’s get some sort of sleep on this thing.” 

“Alright, goodnight hon.” Melissa said placing a kiss on Y/n’s hair.

“G’night Mel.” Y/n whispered, closing her eyes in bliss.

-

Morning came and Melissa had been right, everyone was really was just trying to get out of the building as quickly as possible. The couple had shifted position a little but were still tangled in each others arms. With Y/n’s alarm vibrating away on the floor of the classroom, the women continued to sleep in ignorant bliss. As the other teachers escaped the school for the weekend, Barbara stood outside of her best friend’s classroom hoping to catch her before she left. She figured she could get the air mattress back now to solve that problem and figured her friend would be awake by now. She opened the door and entered as she normally did, but came to a stop as she saw the two bodies tangled together on the bed. The shock didn’t last long before the smile took over at the sight of the two. Despite being on an air mattress in the middle of a classroom, both women seemed to be as comfortable as comfort could get. Y/n’s mouth wide open, a bit of drool hanging from her chin. Melissa’s arms wrapped tightly around the younger woman, as if to keep her from falling off of the bed. This was a couple that was comfortable with each other and that loved each other deeply and Barbara could see it all now. 

Making her way to the side of the bed, she picked up the vibrating phone and stopped the alarm. With great displeasure she reached down to shake her friend awake gently. As Melissa’s eyes creeked open, her gaze first fell to Y/n. She seemed to mentally and physically check to make sure she was alright before she let her eyes wander the room. They quickly landed on Barb and her cheeks flamed as bright as her hair. 

“Good morning.” Barbara smiled down at the woman. 

“Morning.” Melissa answered sheepishly. She waited for Barbara admonishment or warning, but it never came. The woman smiled softly before nodding down to the mattress. 

“I’m heading home, but you can just give the mattress to me Monday. I’ll tell everyone you’ve already left on my way out.” 

Melissa nodded gratefully before watching the older woman head for the door. Barbara paused before leaving turning back to Melissa, “I’m expecting a call sometime before then to hear about all of this.” 

“I’d expect nothing less. I’ll call you tonight.” Melissa promised, causing Barbara to nod with a grin before heading out of the school.

It wasn’t long before the snoozed alarm went off again and Y/n stirred away, as her eyes adjusted to the sun peaking through the windows she looked up at Melissa with a lazy smile. “What are you doing up? What time is it?” 

“After 8 and Barb knows.” Melissa shrugged snuggling further into the covers now that they had a bit of downtime before they had to get up.

“Well, better her than Janine.” Y/n said following Melissa back to comfort.

“Yes, anyone would be better than Janine.” Melissa agreed with a smile placing a goodmorning kiss to Y/n’s forehead. “Good morning.” 

“A good morning indeed.” Y/n smiled leaning up to plant a kiss of her own on Melissa’s waiting lips.

#melissa schemmenti x reader #abbott elementary x reader #abbott elementary #melissa schemmenti #lisa ann walter x reader #lisa ann walter #barbara x melissa #barbara howard #msschemmenti

[jesuschristmattyhealy]

you're the only one I want to see

to the anon who suggested this idea: I hope you know it has become a permanent installment of my before-bed-fantasy-dream-time. this is very much inspired by the Andrew/Amelia Golden Globe's interview, hence the title. thanks to @hereyeswerefilledwiththestars for the reader's interview theme I appreciate you bestie <33 hope you all enjoy comments and feedback is always appreciated. ilysm

////

“I think you’re being summoned.” 

“Am I?” 

You watch in professional disbelief as Harry Styles turns in profile to find that, yes, his publicist is waving him onto the next interview. 

“Oh, yeah,” he pouts, “So sad, I was having such a good time chatting.” 

“Don’t worry,” you reply with an air of chumminess you can’t quite believe is coming across as effortless, “We’ll find a time soon, darling, I promise.” 

“They can’t keep us apart, I won’t let them,” he declares, “Keep up the good work.” 

“I’ll certainly try!” You call after his retreating back. As soon as he’s out of ear and eye shot you double over, wheezing to the camera man, “I can’t believe I just had a full conversation with him.” 

It’s the 2023 Britt Awards and British GQ has hired you as a representative for the red carpet, after your web series gained popularity and got you noticed by large publications across Europe and America. In a world where every interview has to have a schtick, yours is called “Two Drink Minimum,” a show where you invite celebrities out for at least two drinks and ask them increasingly more ridiculous questions as the night progresses. So far, you’ve hosted names such as Pedro Pascal, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jonathon Van Ness and in the new year, it seems like everyone’s publicist is in your inbox asking for a feature. Your career has led you to a lot of “pinch me” moments, but watching Harry Styles’ ever-sequined back sauntering away from you calls for a punch square in the face. 

Suddenly, a male voice pulls you from your star-struck stupor. 

“I was hoping you’d be here.” 

You start, spinning around to come face to face with the man who decorated both your high school bedroom and college dorm room, and your phone lockscreen for as long as you can remember having one. Matty Healy, wearing a dark green suit and an amused smile.

You press a hand to your chest, “You scared me-” 

Instinctively, he reaches for your forearm, “-oh no, I didn’t mean to scare you-” 

You grip the sleeve of his suit, hardly believing his real skin and bone is beneath it, “-you just materialized out of nowhere-” 

“-I was just so excited to see you, I couldn’t help myself.” He giggles — really giggles. 

You can feel your face heating up in spite of yourself, “Wha- excited to see me? Matty Healy please-” 

“No, really, ask the boys I’ve been dying to meet you.” 

The knowledge that the men of the 1975 have even mentioned your name, let alone had full conversations about you, is almost too much to handle. You search for a word, anything really, that might be appropriate. Your brain feels like hot pea soup. 

“And where is your… gang this evening?” 

His brow furrows, you immediately regret saying anything. Staring at him might’ve even been better. 

His lips turn up at the end, “Gang?-” 

You’re already explaining yourself, “I don’t know why I said that you’re-” 

He’s smiling full on now, like he knows something you don’t,“Yeah, there’s a name for what we are, love, it’s a-”

“- A band, I’m sorry it’s just that I’ve been talking to Harry Styles and I’ve lost all cognitive ability,” you joke, gesturing wildly at your forehead.

He rolls his eyes, the smile becomes a smirk, “Oh that’s it, is it, you’re still thinking about him? Should I leave, should I go find him for you?” He points his thumb behind him, already turning to go. 

You reach for his arm again, giggling at his sarcasm, “No, no, Matty that’s not what I meant-” 

“- No it’s alright, I don’t want to stand in the way of true love.” He waves one hand at you, the other loosely holds your finger tips.

“No, honestly what it is is that I’m actually getting really nervous around you but I was embarrassed so I used Harry as a cover,” Truer words had never been spoken. 

He’s nodding, a single strand of hair tickling his eyebrows,“Oh, there’s the backpedal, no it’s alright the damage is done, I see where I stand. Just England’s second best male pop star, that’s alright.” 

You whistle through your teeth, donning a jokingly skeptical look,“I don’t know, I feel like Ed Sheeran might have that title.” 

His mouth actually falls open at that,“Ed Shee- right I’m leaving, you’ve slandered me for the last time-” 

You’re laughing now, the nerves have gone. It feels like you’ve been old friends forever,“No! Matty, don’t give up on us-” 

He shakes his head, looking away from you into the crowd, “-after I was so kind and complimentary to you-” 

“- you’re right I’m the worst, I’m awful-” 

“-telling you how excited I was to see you, practically baring my soul-” 

“- please come back, let’s talk about this!” 

“Ok, fine you’ve convinced me.” He circles back to you, clasping his hands in front of him. His eyes make a trail from your eyes to your mouth to your necklace back to your eyes. If you weren’t blushing before you certainly are now. 

You take a deep breath, “Ok, now you were telling me where your band is.” 

“Yeah, they’re queueing at the Glam Bot.” 

“Oh, is there a line?” 

“Yeah, it’s ages long too, I couldn’t stand there any longer. George is gonna text me when we’re up.” 

“Do you have your pose planned?” You ask. 

“No, and I’ll tell you what we should probably figure that out because that thing is proper intimidating.” 

“Yeah, it comes at you awfully fast doesn’t it?”  

“Yes! It’s so fast, I get nervous just watching it.” 

“Matty Healy? Afraid of a robot?” 

He frowns with his whole face, leaning backwards,“No, no, I’m not. I’m a big guy, I don’t get scared-” 

You roll your eyes, laughing through your nose,“That’s right I forgot, forgive me.” 

“-It’s fine, just try to remember next time,” He winks at you, just barely so much so you think you might have imagined it, “No, I’m mostly just scared that I’ll blink or something stupid.” 

You make a noise of agreement, “Do you want to practice not blinking?” 

He bites his lip in thought,“How would we do that, exactly?” 

“Easy, we’ll just have a staring contest.” 

“Oh yeah, okay .” 

You square off, each of you closing your eyes in preparation. 

“Ok,” you say, “Counting us down. Three, two, one, go.” 

You open your eyes and are immediately met with his stare, dark amber, autumn leaves and the forest at sunrise, maple and mahogany. Your breath catches in your throat. He’s smirking at you again, as if he can read your thoughts. You try to think about neutral things, dogs, going to the grocery store tomorrow, how much your feet hurt right now, just in case he can. 

“My eyes hurt already,” You whisper. 

He doesn’t say anything, just hums something under his breath. It all feels strangely intimate, all these people in the room and he’s staring at you like you’re the first person he’s ever seen in his life. An idea washes over you suddenly. He’s rocking back and forth slightly on his heels. Just as he moves forward, you lift your hand and snap your fingers in front of his nose. He blinks immediately. 

“Ha! You blinked!” 

“That’s cheating!” He’s indignant, his Northern accent evident. 

“It’s not cheating, I’m just preparing you!” You laugh as he shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. 

“This is so unfair,” he rubs his dry eyes with the heel of his palm. 

You pout sarcastically at him. “I’m so sorry, I hope someday you can forgive me.” 

“It might take a while,” He wrinkles his nose at you, then is distracted by his phone lighting up i his pocket, “Oh, George is demanding I come back now.” 

Your stomach falls slightly, “Yes, go back to your-” 

“Gang?” he raises his eyebrows. 

“-exactly.”

He touches your arm again, the skin tingles, “So sorry to leave you, I feel like that was probably the most worthless interview you’ve done all night-” 

You laugh. 

“Not like that it was bad, I just feel like I didn’t give you anything whatsoever.” 

You place your hand over your heart, “Don’t worry, it was very impactful to me.” 

“Ok, well that’s all that matters,” He’s inching away, lingering slightly, “Maybe we uh… maybe we can have a redo on your show.” 

You hum agreement, “Now there’s an idea, Healy.” 

“I have good ones sometimes.” He shrugs, thumbs in his pockets. 

“I’ll have my people get in touch with your people,” You say, and before you can stop yourself, shoot him a pair of finger guns. 

He’s almost turned away, but does a double take, laughing, “Did you just finger gun me?” 

“Pretend that didn’t happen.” 

“Sure. I’ll see you in there.” 

He walks away, giggling still, looking over his shoulder at you. You retreat to the bathroom to call your roommate in hysterics. 

#matty healy fic #matty healy x reader #the 1975 fic #im very excited abt this one I must say #hope you all enjoy !!! #mayhaps there is a part two being thunk

[abbyromanoff]

I’m sorry…(Trouble Chapter 4)

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x reader

Word count: 3043

Warnings: smut, fingering, praise, angst, fluff, possessiveness, jealously, homophobia, secret relationships, R’s parents being assholes

Series here:

No one is permitted to steal, copy, or reblog my work as their own!!

It had been nearing a week since the last time Nat called you, talked to you or even looked at you. You felt hopeless and alone, she had never been this distant with you, what did you do wrong? Whenever you tried thinking of all the possibilities of what you might’ve done to upset her, you came up empty. It had been dragging you down all week, and everyone had noticed it.

“So, Y/N, I was talking to our neighbor. You know Mrs. Barnes, right?” You nodded with a mouthful of food, putting a finger to your lips to signal to wait.

“Yeah, I know her. Her son is in a few of my classes.” She smiled between bites, giving hinting glances to your father who sat on the other end of the table. You were too caught up in your own mind, you couldn’t notice the clear meaning behind their shared looks.

“Well, she’s told me that her son is single. We thought it’d be perfect to set up a little something for you two.” Your head shot up, your angered expression not matching your mother's cheerful one.

“Oh, c’mon, don’t give me that look. Trust me, you’ll love it! We can go shopping for a pretty dress and you can get all dazzled up, you’ll look so beautiful.” Were you not beautiful without the dress or makeup? Apparently not, that’s only what boys cared about anyways.

“Mom, I appreciate it but I don’t really like Bucky like that.” You tried stating calmly, only for your annoyance to grow the more she spoke.

“Why not? He’s a very handsome young man, you two would look so cute together. Don’t you think, Y/F/N?”

“Your mother is right, Y/N. You need to stop staying inside all day and go out. Make friends, go on dates, have fun for once.” You sighed, your appetite suddenly lessening as the thought of eating alone made you nauseous.

“Darling, you need to do more with your life besides sitting in your room and writing or drawing or whatever you do up there in that cave of yours. You’re 18, you’re not getting any younger.” It hurt hearing the words come from your own parents, the people who were supposed to love you. Nat’s words ran through your head, maybe she was right, maybe she was the only one that actually loved you. And you ruined it without even knowing.

“I’m sorry but I don’t want to go out with him, I don’t want to date anyone. I don’t want a high school sweetheart like you guys, I want freedom.”

“Y/N, no boy is going to want to date you when you’re old. They want a young, pretty girl to have their children, why do you always have to go against everything we say? Why do you always feel the need to start an argument? Can you not just listen to your own parents for once?” You quickly shoveled in the rest of the food, not caring to ask if you could leave the table and immediately standing up to head to your room. Your parents called after you, disappointment and angered words leaving their lips. It brought tears to your eyes, why couldn’t they just love you? Were you that unlovable?

Your body collided with the bed, the soft mattress almost immediately readjusting to your body and hugging you softly. You let it all go, all the frustration and worries turned into tears that quickly turned into loud sobs. You wished Nat would be here to hold you, take care of you. But she wasn’t. She hated you. And it was all your fault. You’d sit here, drowning in your sorrows and hoping that she’d at least call. Some would say you were acting dramatic, but they must’ve never known what love feels like.

Nat sat parked outside of your house, the limited light making it nearly impossible for anyone to see her there. She wanted to talk to you, not apologize, just talk. She didn’t think you deserved an apology after what you did. You knew it would hurt her and you still went out with Kate.

She got out of the musty car filled with smoke looming in the air and walked to the side of the building. She could see your light on and took her chance, using the firewood your father left out to her advantage. She stood on top of it, mentally thanking her height which let her just barely reach the first-floor roof. She was lucky your room was connected to it as she knocked on your window, seeing a figure through the blinds almost jump up. You knew who it was, Nat was the only person who’d ever climb the side of your house so idiotically. You rushed to unlock your windows and open them, seeing Nat’s beautiful face smiling back at yours.

“Nat!” You quickly covered your mouth to try and minimize the sound you made, fearing your parents would somehow hear you. “What are you doing here?”

“What? Am I not allowed to see my favorite girl?” She let herself into your room, knowing you’d let her in anyways. She cupped your cheeks in both of her hands, staring down at you and licking her lips.

“I missed you, baby.” Her voice was hushed and her breath reeked of cigarettes. You feared it was another high of hers, she’d act like she cared for you and then would forget everything she said the morning after.

“Are you seriously high again?” She chuckled and shook her head, grinning at the cute pout that painted your face.

“No, I’m not high. I only had a few cigs, nothing too dangerous.” You let out a relieved sigh, trying to fight the urge to have her in your arms but failing. Your tears returned as your wrapped both arms around her large form, your head resting on her chest as she cradled you closely.

“Shh, it’s okay.” She kissed the top of your head, smelling the sweet shampoo that she loved so much.

“What did they do?” She sat down on your bed, pulling you close to sit on her lap. Your legs were over her side as she used her thumb to wipe the tears pooling out of your eyes. You told her everything, failing to notice the angered expression she held.

“I swear, I’m going to fucking kill them.”

“It’s okay, Natty, it’s not your fault.” You both sat in comfortable silence, the only sound being the sniffling coming from your nose and the hiccups leaving your mouth. She had almost forgotten the entire reason she came to your house until you spoke once more,

“Natty?.” She gave a hum in response, signaling for you to go on.

“Are you mad at me?” Her silence was all the answer you needed. But you still wondered why, why was she mad at you? What did you do wrong?

“I’m sorry for whatever I did, I really don’t know what I did wrong.” She almost broke when hearing the soft and apologetic tone you used on her.

“I don’t want you hanging out with that girl anymore.” She muttered, but you could still hear her. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, you had a feeling who she meant but why did she hate her so much?

“With Kate? But, Nat-”

“Don’t ‘but’ me, Y/N, you know what you did. And you couldn’t fucking even tell me.” She paused, releasing a troubled breath and flaring her nose, “Do you like her?” The question took you by surprise but you couldn’t deny there were small feelings there, ones you’d never tell Nat about.

“What? No! Of course not! She’s, just a friend.” She didn’t seem to believe you, but you couldn’t blame her, you couldn’t even believe your own lie.

“I want you to promise me something.”

“Of course. Anything.” She looked you dead in the eyes, her anger settling for something warmer and sweeter when seeing you.

“I want you to promise me that you’ll never talk to, go near, or even think about her. I don’t want you around Kate, she’s not good for you.” Your eyes widened at her words, the thought of losing Kate wasn’t one you liked, but losing Nat would be even worse. You were a wreck without her for only a few days, you couldn’t even imagine how crushed you’d be if you lost her again. So, you had to agree, it was the only thing you could do.

“But, what if I lose you again? Kate she- she doesn’t do the things you do. With her I can actually talk and not just be shut down, it’s nice, you know?” You regretted your words the second they left your mouth, Nat clearly didn’t like them either.

“What, so you don’t want me anymore? I’m too much for you?”

“No, that’s not what I-”

“Listen to me, Y/N, you’re mine. And so what if I have an occasional smoke, at least I’m actually having fun instead of hiding all day doing nothing. Kate is not good for you, she ruins people. I don’t want to see that happen to you. I would hate to see you get hurt because of your own stupid decisions.” Her statement reminded you of your own parents, were you really that boring that you couldn’t even break loose every now and then? Maybe that’s why she’s too embarrassed to have you around. Because she doesn’t want anyone to see her with someone like you.

“Tell me, baby, who do you belong to?” She was standing in front of the end of the bed now, you stuck in your old position. You held your hands in your lap and picked at your fingernails as the emotions that were bottled up started to arise. When getting no response, she tried again.

“I won’t ask you again, who do you belong to?” You sniffled, refusing to make eye contact with her as you muffled your response.

“You.”

“What was that?” She teased further, your voice only rising as you spoke again.

“I belong to you and only you, Nat.” She hummed, nodding her head slowly in agreement. She cupped your cheeks like earlier, this time leaning in close but not just letting your lips touch, she was waiting for you to make the move. You reluctantly did, pressing your mouth against hers for a short yet passionate kiss. Before you could pull her back in for more, she moved back.

“Nat-”

“Shh, just let me do all the work, okay?” You were pushed down onto the bed as you watched Nat remove her leather jacket along with her shirt. Her denim jeans were next to go, leaving her to be left in nothing but her bra and panties. You were still fully clothed, until she sat next to you on the bed, ridding you of your shirt and soon your pajama pants. Your bra was already been removed when you had gotten dressed, your freed nipples hardening as the cold air hit them. Your legs clenched together as she played with the hem of your panties, slowly dipping a finger in to feel your warmth.

“Fuck, you’re already so wet for me.” She whispered, her breath ragged and short.

“Is this all for me, Y/N?” You nodded as it became too hard to speak, the fear of accidentally releasing a noise too loud and your parents hearing overcoming you. She seemed to understand and didn’t push any further. Her other hand played with your neglected breasts, running her fingertips over the buds gently. Her hips thrusted into the air, her arousal pooling in her damp panties when hearing your light moans. You had such an effect on her, she didn’t understand it but you did things to her nobody has ever done before. You made her feel cared for and loved while making her horny as ever, it was unbelievable.

“You’re so beautiful, have I ever told you that?” She had, but this was the first time she seemed to mean it when she wasn’t high. She wasn’t one to give compliments, but whenever she said them, meaningful or not, it made your heart melt.

“You’re the most beautiful girl in the world, and you’re all fucking mine.” Her digits teased your clit, rubbing the bundle of nerves as you soaked her fingers. She pulled them out of your undergarments, licking the two digits and moaning at the taste of your juices.

“You taste so good, love.” She pulled down your panties, you lifted your hips to help her in the process. Her eyes widened when seeing you bare, your precious cunt on display for her. She licked her lips as her fingers found their way back to your needy clit, her mouth finding place on your breasts. She circled your nipple with her tongue, your head tossing back as your hands grasped the sheets beneath you. You’d never felt so good before, not even from your own fingers. You had guessed Nat had practice before, the thought only made you envy whoever it was who got to be with her first. You always expected your first to be a man, but you also never expected to meet someone like Nat who’d change everything for you in just a few months.

She could feel how tense you were, and no matter how needy you were, she couldn’t get you to relax in her hold.

“Hey, relax. It’s okay, I’ll be gentle. If you need me to stop I will, just tell me, I won’t be mad.” The soft side of her calmed you down like a breath of fresh air. You needed her and she needed you just as much.

“I’m ready, Natty. Please, I want you to touch me.” She nodded, hesitantly pressing her lips onto yours and savoring the feeling. Oh, how she’d never get sick of those plump lips of yours. She pressed her forehead against yours, the tips of your noses hitting just barely. You felt her fingers prodding at your hole, begging to feel you. You gulped down your worries and nodded, almost instantly feeling two digits slide into your tight cunt. She didn’t move, instead letting you get adjusted to them and kissing you apologetically when you hissed in pain. She wanted to kiss your neck and paint your skin with her marks, but she knew she couldn’t. She could only ever mark you as hers where no one could see, her love for you would always have to stay hidden, even from you.

“You- shit! You can move now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes just- please! Please fuck me, Nat.” She didn’t say anything, instead doing as you asked and slowly sliding her fingers in and out of you. Your whimpers and whines only encouraged her to quicken her pace. As much as she tried to be gentle, it was nearly impossible to hold back.

“God, please! I just wanna- fuck, I wanna ruin you, baby. Wanna make you mine, show everyone you belong to me.”

“Please mark me, Nat, please. I don’t care if they can see it, just want you everywhere.” She compiled, moving her head towards your chest and kissing down to your nipples before leaving a small purplish hickey. She admired it as if it was gold, she couldn’t take her eyes off of it and she never planned on doing so.

“Shh, you don’t want your daddy coming in here and seeing his daughter all spread out for me, right? I can see the look on his face already, he would be so disappointed in you, such a shame.” Her words didn’t register in your brain, you were too out of it to even think. Your mouth formed an O shape as she thrusted into you repeatedly, a pit forming in the bottom of your stomach as you came closer and closer to the edge.

“Nat! I’m gonna-” Her hand covered your mouth to silence you. As much as she wanted to listen to your moans on repeat for hours on end, she knew there was no way she could without you being caught.

“Cum for me, Y/N, cum all over me.” She hid her head in your neck, sucking the skin softly, completely forgetting her rule of no marks that could be seen. Your coil snapped, your juices soaking her digits as she let you ride out your high.

“Good girl, baby, you did so well for me.” She takes a deep breath, the words she wanted to say were begging to get out, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t admit it. She worried that once she let you know how she felt, you’d leave her. She knew it was no excuse to hurt you, but she couldn’t help it. And deep down she knew you’d never take advantage of her, but it still was a fear she’d always have.

“I love you so much, Y/N. So, so much.” It felt relieving to get the words that had been haunting her mind out. She had only told you so when she was high out of her mind, but now, she was sober and she truly meant it.

“I love you too, Natty. I love you more than anything in the world.” She kissed you gently, easing her fingers out of your hole slowly as to not hurt you. She placed her digits against your mouth, dragging your lower lip down and making you taste yourself. You sucked on her fingers, staring up at her as she smiled back at you. You were so beautiful, she couldn’t take her eyes off of you.

“I’m sorry about everything, love, I promise I’ll change. Do you trust me?”

“I trust you.” Before she could lie down next to you, a loud knock interrupted you both. She jumped to try and grab her clothes, but it was too late.

“Y/N, me and your mother wanted to-” He stopped in his steps, staring at the scene in front of him with widened eyes. Anger and disappointment took over him. You and Nat shared a look of fear, you were fucked.

Taglist: @pancakefan7529 @natsxwife @kksalexa @arualdcg

#natasha x fem!reader #natasha romanoff fluff #natasha angst #natasha x reader #natasha fluff #natasha smut #natasha romanoff smut #natasha romanoff angst #natasha marvel #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x reader smut #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x y/n #natasha romanov #natasha romanoff x gn!reader #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanoff x female reader #natasha romonova #natasha romanoff x female #natasha romanoff x you #dark! natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x reader fluff #natasha romanoff x gender neutral reader #natasha romanoff x reader angst #black widow #black widow angst #black widow fluff #black widow x reader #black widow smut #black widow x y/n

[babyonboard]

Hey could you write a Hangman x innocent reader one shot. I know it's kinda contradictory with Hangman's personality but I think it would be funny if he makes a dirty innuendo and the reader is kinda just like 🤷‍♀️ But Hangman is intruiged so he keeps talking to her and finds himself falling for her

P.s I absolutely love your writing! ❤️

thank you so much for the request!! <3

Your first day at Top Gun was overwhelming to say the least. Even as top of your class in the Navy, and the previous head of your department, you had never thought about joining Top Gun. It definitely has a reputation. With only 2 other girls in total, everyone says that the school is a lot of testosterone filled men trying to show off. And to you, that’s exactly what it seemed like.

In anything flight or navy related, you were in your element. You were already excelling at top gun. But now, as you and your only female counterpart Phoenix walked together to the bar, you felt completely out of your element. You don’t go to bars often, in fact, you hadn’t been to one in a couple of years. You didn’t necessarily want to go, but Phoenix came in your room and insisted.

The two of you walked in, immediately overcome by the scent of beer, sweat, and cologne. You almost coughed.

Phoenix, who isn’t really your best friend, it being your first day and all, walked away from you immediately to play pool. Everyone was either gathered around the bar, the pool table, or the piano. You didn’t know the song they were singing at the piano, and you were terrible at pool, so you retreated to the bar, taking a seat there. Folding your hands on the table, you nervously fidgeted in your seat; you already wanted to go home.

The thing is, you joined top gun late. Everyone is already friends. You are awkward and shy, making friends was never your forte. So, you decided that you were going to keep your head down, and quietly make your way to the top of the class. You wanted to make friends, you really did, you were just too shy to do anything about it.

“Whatcha want to drink, darlin? It’s on me.” Hangman leaned on the counter next to you.

You looked at him with wide eyes. You had met Hangman this morning, and you already didn’t really like him. He was mean to other people. He hadn’t said much to you, but he did wink at you when he walked past you in the dorms. You didn’t really know how to react so you just looked at the ground. You think you might’ve heard him chuckle.

“Oh, um…” you stammered “I don’t really… I don’t know… I haven’t drank anything in a while.” You tried to recover.

“What, you don’t have a favorite beer?” He smiled. Jesus, his teeth are white.

“No not really. I don’t really drink beer to be honest.” You laughed.

“What do you drink? Come on, don’t tell me you got through flight school without some type of alcohol-aid.” He tilted his head. A smile, or rather a smirk, still sat on his face.

“Well, I did do a shot a couple of years ago.” You began blushing. God, this is embarrassing.

He burst out laughing. “A couple of year ago?! We’ve gotta get you something good then, huh?” You shrugged. He turned to the bar tender, finally taking a seat next to you. He ordered you some type of beer, and you noticed that he gave the female bartender the same wink he had given you earlier that day. Disappointed, yet not surprised. You knew what type of boy hangman was.

The bartender disappeared across the bar, pouring your beer. Nervously tucking your hair behind your ear, Hangman sipped his drink. “What’d you say your call sign was again?”

Your heart dropped. You hated your call sign. “It’s stupid.” You admitted.

“I bet it’s not.” He said.

“It’s ‘honey’. They call me that because, well, the boys came up with it. They said-“

“Let me guess.” He interjected. “It’s because your sweet.”

You blushed. “It’s because I have a Winnie the Pooh t shirt. I wear it to bed sometimes and one time someone found it in my drawer. Ever since then, I’ve been honey.” You could practically feel your ears burning.

“Well I think it’s cute, honey.” He playfully nudged your shoulder. “Maybe you could show me the shirt when we get back to your room tonight?”

You furrowed your eyebrows “Why would you come back to my room?”

He laughed and shook his head, a confused look still sitting on your face. Turning back to you, his face dropped. “It’s a joke. Like a joke about you taking me back to your room tonight.”

“Okay…” you looked down at the drink you still hadn’t taken a sip of yet “Maybe Im not understanding?”

Hangman scoffed. A smiley scoff. “You really are innocent, huh honey?”

You shrugged.

“Then you’re hanging out with the right person, I can tell you that much.”

The night went on, Hangman sticking by your side. To your knowledge, you had found a friend. He eventually convinced you to play pool with him, despite your whining. “You’ll be fine. I’ll teach you.” He promised.

You were bent over the pool table, pool stick in hand as you aimed. He was behind you, his hand over yours and his belt buckle touching your ass slightly. The pool table was crowded, lots of people around watching. He was mumbling something about using your fingers to aim, when you suddenly heard him whisper into your ear “you like being bent over like this?”

You paused. Bent over playing pool? Who would like doing that? It’s really uncomfortable. “Um… not really? Am I supposed to?” He did nothing but laugh slightly, then stand back up straight to let you hit your shot. You made it.

Phoenix and Bob cheered off to the side of the table, and you stood up, sporting a proud grin. You walked over to high-five them and they began talking about pool strategy.

As you made conversation with your new friends, Hangman was off in the corner with Coyote. He looked towards the pool table, Coyote following his gaze to see he was looking at you. “You ever see a girl that cute?”

Coyote was shocked. “Cute? Jake, when have you ever in your life called a girl cute?” Hangman’s eyes didn’t leave your face as he watched you smile with the other pilots. He shrugged.

“She’s just… There’s something about her I guess.”

“Aw hell nah Jake. Don’t get all soft on me now.” Coyote slapped his shoulder.

Hangman didn’t give a response, he just smiled.

#hangman #hangman imagine #hangman seresin x reader #hangman top gun #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin #rooster x reader #rooster imagine #top gun imagine #top gun one shot #hangman seresin #hangman seresin imagine

[notmuchtoconceal]

( . ) brounderconstruction

bro keeps himself looking intense as he snaps his nightly progress pic 

he owes himself that, at least. the pretense of dignity. the reminder of who he was. a tinge of shame lingers past the extinction of the shutter sound. the regret curdles, the violation probes on. as he stares off, past his own reflection, his guts curl into knots as it sinks in what he is

a toy. a pet. an owned man

he could’ve kept on by himself. he was a steady worker. he didn’t lack direction. he could live through his own pain. survive. keep on moving.

that’s how it was for years. didn’t have close connections. didn’t need em. kept himself busy. he drank a little more than he should’ve, but it didn’t get him doughy. not like his old man. none of that sugary shit. clear liquor. shots. with some soda water at formal occasions. not that he went to many of those. he kept himself disciplined. he was cunning. played strong safety, and lost his scholarship cause he didn’t like getting bossed around. whatever. he put himself through school, doing what he could. construction in the summer. security. washing dishes. a job was a job, and he did ‘em well. that’s what a man did. he kept it at. didn’t make excuses. didn’t ask for help. one day he’d find someone worthy of his friendship, worthy of his respect. between all that work, all that disgust with the mediocrity around him, he’d ended up completely alone

now he belonged to his big bro

can’t say how it was they’d first met. maybe he was a stranger, approaching him in a bar. might’ve been he’d seen him around. maybe he said more than he should’ve. knows he’s gotta stay home when the demons come out, even if he’s gotta face that empty bed another night.

worst of it comes out in the dark, lying still in the canyons of the ceiling. maybe his bro was a dude who was willing to listen. who knew what to say. who managed to be in the right place when his defenses were down. it didn’t matter. what he said felt good. through the motion blur of his distilled forebrain, what he said stirred something deep within. something he never knew was there. their meeting lead them both inexorably to this place, this moment. his bro was gonna tell him the truth about himself

shoulders rolled back, chin held high, his bro inspected him like a piece of meat. he’d never stripped in front of another dude before, even after eight years of playin ball. his stony features contrasted with his soft chub as bro cradled and squeezed his balls.

he didn’t wince. he needed this.

he went years unable to admit that to himself. but here he stood, exposed, given freely to another man. someone he thought was naive. another do-nothing smart guy. wise beyond his years. his most cherished friend, his only friend. he needed the control. he needed the firm, guiding hand of another man in his life. when he felt that hand on his shoulders, the volt ran through his body, arching his back, and clenching his abdominals into a tension like the bow of a ship. though his dick stood at half mast, and his retracting balls tried to squirm out of his bro’s grip, nothing but a near imperceptible quiver of the lips betrayed the stoicism of his face

his first order, the act which he would remember for the rest of his life, was simply to repeat the following words.

the words which would set him free

you’re weak

at first, his eyes gave nothing away. he continued to stare with the focus of a soldier as the phrase echoed through the hollows of his skull 

you’re weak

a sharp influx of air like the snarling of a caged bull

it’s like i’ve been tellin you for months, bro. you like to think you’re strong. i get that. but you’re not. you’re not, and you’ve been too dumb to listen. before me, you’re weak. away from me, you’re weak. you’ve been hiding from that fact your whole life. i want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you’re weak. don’t mince words. don’t try to cheat. look within yourself and accept that this is the truth. see yourself for what you really are

his teeth were bound into a vise. the muscles in his mouth contracted on the verge of a swallow, but his throat was dry. the beginnings of a flush on his smooth, tight cheeks highlighted the mute fury in his eyes

big bro didn’t care

you’re my bro. i take care of my bro.  i won’t ever ask you to do anything which would dishonor you. ask you to speak anything but the truth. that’s why i’m saying this to you now. you’re an animal. untapped aggression. snarling at your captors to hide its feelingw of terror. you’ve always been afraid. always been helpless. you’ll chew off your own leg to get out of a trap, but there isn’t any trap except the one inside your own head

that’s why you’re standing here in front of me right now. a stallion submitting to the bit because it knows it needs to be broken

now look me in the eyes

look me in the eyes and tell me what you are

big bro was right up in hisface. he wanted to lock eyes with him. see if he’d back down. clobber that smug, self-satisfied lil smirk of his into mush. but this was a standing order. staring. neutral. focused

i care about you, bro. i don’t want to see you get hurt anymore

look back on your life and think about all the time, all the energy you gave to looking strong. how it crippled you. made you angry. kept you from other people. the friends you never made. the things you never learned. about human beings. about yourself. how everything became so much harder because you had to do it alone. how you thought it was fucking noble to grind yourself to the bone, even when nobody asked you to. i get it, bro. you had it rough. this life, it breaks people. we’re all alone. but we don’t have to be. at some point, you decided to make things harder. it was better for you to die that admit the simple fact that you were weak

who the fuck was he to tell him this shit about himself? he knows who the fuck he is. knows the pitying glances he’s scorned. the way his firsts curl and the veins in his forearms bulge even at the pretense he needed help

yeah, maybe there’s a lot he didn’t fuckin know. maybe he was a dumb animal. too busy out doin shit to have the luxury of layin around thinkin about some fuck that didn’t matter. he knew he was tough. knew how things were. there was no point in gettin attached to other people. society was a slaughterhouse. everyone who didn’t pull themselves up the food-chain got eaten, and so fucking what. that was nature. sharks and minnows. big fish and little fish. he could say the world was bros help bros, but what the world was is dog eat dog

and now here he was. standing naked before this man he had let inside his head. the man to who he had agreed to give his life. he was an animal, just a fucking animal, and big bro was the butcher.

meat.

on the slab.

ready to be carved up and packaged

bro would wrap the plastic around his head. as he panicked for a last breath, on some misfiring of instinct his nostrils would vacuum-pack his own face. he’d feel the lack of oxygen to his brain.

nitric asphyxia.

going hazy.

colors desaturating.

through the sheen, the blur of a face deformed would lean down, the voids of eyes and mouth dilating between laughter and hunger with the rhythm of sucker fish. he wanted it. he wanted it more than anything else.

he wanted to die 

and bro’s arm held him close 

the motion jostled him back to awareness. of the space around him, the body cradling him with gratitude and warmth.

his bro’s head over his shoulder, soft, reassuring pats on his back. he felt small nuzzled against big bro’s chest, though he was in stature the bigger man. so small, he needed to push back. so small, he would rather run, back to his life of belabored toil than feel this humiliation for another fraction of a second. he would run… until he heard those words. the words that chilled him. the words that demolished him

you’re safe

i won’t ever hurt you

before this man, he was nothing. before this man, he was a child again, staring up in awe and terror. only now the man who looked back didn’t hold a belt, didn’t have the stink of whiskey on his breath 

now he was beyond small. as though he were water molecules diffusing into bro through the membrane of their new body. the fusion of their embrace. pin-pricks shot like a tide of heroin needles across his skin. the tension in the knots of his guts liquefied into a bubbling ammonia, leaving him hollow and warm. a shell. held up only by strength of his big bro

eyes clenched shut, fighting back the tears, he cried through gritted teeth

“i’m weak”

his bro’s fingers ran through his hair. say it again

“i’m weak” 

louder. look me in the eyes

“i’m… i’m weak” 

bro

you know how much strength it took to say that?

on the verge of succumbing to gravity, a pearl coalesced and shone on the head of his cock. bro wiped it up, and held it to his lips, ordering him to lick.

wrapping his mouth around bro’s fingers, he explored the edges of his nailbeds, the wrinkles of his joints, the crevasses between where the digits had locked; savoring the tang of his skin, salted with the drop of his pre 

he had done well. it felt good to let go

it would be hard for him, sure. a lifetime’s worth of baggage isn’t dropped overnight, even for a man so young.

he could be strong now, strong for real. he was bashful before his bro, but he never struck him, never belittled him, was forgiving in his reprimands, and gave him the room he needed to grow

even with his arms bound behind his back, the heavy leather hood pulled tight over his face, big bro’d put his cap back on before he left, so he knew that even as a faceless object, they were still bros. after a few hours bound to the pole in the garage, sweltering in the summer heat with no stimulation through the sweat but the coarse fibers of hemp rope and a jockstrap, he’d take him down and bring him inside where they’d watch movies. sometimes as a footstool, sometimes cuddled up together on the couch, rubbing and cradling his dick through the pouch and calling him a messy boy for dripping on the cushions. most nights, when they went to bed, bro’d spoon him handcuffed and muzzled, but other nights big bro’d sink into lil bro’s strong chest, wrapped up in his arms, feeling the safety and protection he’d afforded him repaid

when things were good, when he could focus on the here and now, he knew he wasn’t a lesser man. knew he had allowed himself to become the man he was always meant to be. even if he was still angry, still prone to brooding, he always had his big bro’s back. was always ready to defend him. bro thought the contrast between his brutish public persona, and the cute lil whimpers he made when they were alone was too adorable for words. his wolf in the streets, pup in the sheets. nobody knew who was really in charge

under the care of his bro, he had learned to smile. learned to sit and be at ease with himself without feeling ashamed. the shame would still come, at moments when he felt closeness was infantile, and trust was naive, but time and experience’d hardwired these thoughts into him.

he had to fight em every day, and suspected some trace of would remain as long as he lived. he knew his bro was right. he could sit with his pain until it passed, just like he did before

there were other words. words he had heard before and never believed. words whispered between brothers, between fathers and sons, between couples who had it declared at the alter. his bro would take his length of chain, pull it snug it around his neck, and padlock it shut. the weight on his traps and upper pecs signified his power, his commitment. every time he did this, his bro had said those words.

those words so often repeated as guilt, as spite, as a placating nothingness

but when his bro had said em, he believed em. repeated em with a smile and thanks

thank you, bro

feels good to be owned

#backwards cap bro #chained brah #bro love

[applefan28]

tony :3

TONYYYY BABY DARLINGGGGG <3333

Sexuality Headcanon: GAY AND T4T AS HELL like there is no denying tony loves boys, you’d have to be pretty blind to how obvious his crush and love and care for jeff is throughout the game. of course, one could argue just because he crushes on jeff, doesn’t mean he can’t for girls. But come on be real, tony wouldn’t like girls other than just having a good amount of besties he’s close to. Tony is Gay and very much Proud of if, and she’s kinda become the sorta spokesperson of gender and sexuality for his closest friends/those he loves. Going more into her gayness and attraction, very obvious tony has a thing for shy, passionate nerds that he can also dote on affectionately (jeff hehe). She’s a bit of a nerd herself in some aspects, but jeff outweighs on that by a long shot and adores that part of him <3

Gender Headcanon: tony is a he/she feminine trans boy who’d say her gayness is a factor in her gender. Ever since he was little, tony’s always had a liking to the stereotypical “girl” interests and likings from loving pink, frilly/pretty clothing, partaking in pretend tea parties and baking, anything that again, would be deemed a solely “girl” trait. And none of that ever goes away, because that’s just what tony loves. Coming out and transitioning into a boy, tony’s confident stride takes that liking into another level of self identity. She might’ve started off with just he/him pronouns because it’s the “boy” pronouns, but i think given her self awareness and pride in femininity, tony would include in she/her pronouns (and own it). As for gay being a facet of her gender, it really comes into play as she comes to realize being t4t. This sorta connection and self love in loving those like you that reflects on yourself, simply just being a boy that loves boys but in a transgender way because of unique experiences and worldviews that comes with, tony is all about that :)

A ship I have with said character: JEFFTONYYYYY <33333 augh, they’re absolute sweethearts man, one of the very very few things that make me alloromantic (aside from marshple) lol.

Tony is super caring and shows concern for jeff when he literally just gets out of bed, hell, she had a dream about them two… it’s so insane. Throughout the snowwood portion, all tony has shown is how much he looks out for jeff by helping it around to leave and head out on it’s quest with ness and paula. Even at their departure and split, tony tells him “remember, we’re best friends!”... actually making me tear up as i type this ahah even when tony was held captured with many others, the one she calls out for is jeff of all people, both for the fact that she hopes he saves him and misses him so, but she believes in jeff and it’s capabilities. Even after being rescued, she tells ness “im jeff’s best friend”, to firmly state his position in their relationship, it’s so silly and cute <3 and the phonecall OHHHHHH ohhhh the phonecall… there’s just so much worry and anxiety and tenderness in her tone and wording… because tony truly misses jeff and wants it to be okay :,( just writing about that phonecall isn’t enough oh my god. One of the moments ever in that game. And then there’s the letter she sends to jeff… how much she misses him and is waiting back at the school… and states how she’ll be sure to clean it’s glasses… ugh…

And that’s just the tony side of the pairing! Jeff doesn’t speak much of tony in the game, but it isn’t until the letter at the end where jeff says outloud “that tony has a heart of gold…” that’s just so simplistic yet telling of jeff’s feelings of her. He’s not one to talk so much of his own feelings let alone just talk in general, but it’s clear it’s aware of tony’s caring attitude towards him. That statement speaks volumes in how jeff feels of her, as i can imagine it being a little flustered and in this unknowing state of love reminiscing on tony, knowing she’ll be back at the boarding school waiting for him

There’s just so much love and heart in those two kids man, by canon alone it’s chock full of their undying bond. Asking me about headcanons between the two ahhhh man… staying up late playing games that were snuck in by maxwell, talking back and forth listening intently about the others’ interests, baking and cooking for the other to indulge in their heartwarming crafts, helping the other out during study sessions, pulling off pranks, going out for walks in Winters’ snow filled landscape, christmas celebrations together… seriously man there’s just so much you can make of these two im forever obsessed <3

A BROTP I have with said character: being a little basic here, but im fond of tony and ness’s friendship being rooted in their shared love of music together! Ness, you can assume by his default “PK Rockin”, would be super into almost any rock genre and music overall (a bit of an oldhead. Also would play guitar). Tony struck me as someone who would study music and sing, and because of how much my boyfriend and i exchange so many thoughts about jefftony, tony being into bubblegum pop and punk. A lot of what them two listen to are somewhat obscure and not in the range of what their generation would listen to, so finding out the other is into this old band as well would lead to sharing in vinyls and CD’s and tapes and showing each other the music they’re into #autisticswagger

A NOTP I have with said character: anyone that isn’t jeff </3

A random headcanon: not mine specifically (props to my boyfriend) but i stand by it very much because I Agree, tony has PTSD from that hostage event in the game where she was, along with others, in those tubes held captive. Such a thing happening to a kid would obviously leave tony scarred and frightened about it, left with nightmares and terrors of the same happening again, or even worse involving either her or jeff :( of course, jeff would be the first she’d go over to for comfort, needing to be by him in bed or held and comforted through means of distraction and reassurement. Maxwell would also help in too, being older than them two, he takes responsibility and action in not only giving a step-in for gaurdian support, but maybe even helping her get some form of professional help too? point is, tony developed ptsd as a result of that hostage, and was left scared and afraid of it happening once more... she'd be a little more cautious and anxious than usual especially towards jeff, and it does chew a bit at her state. thankfully, tony has a very supportive group of friends around him who not only listen to what he's so afraid of and why, but console and offer aid in mending that mentality without judgement. she deserves the love and all else <3

General Opinion over said character: your honour that’s my sondaughter my literal ANGEL <333

#tony earthbound #jeff andonuts #jefftony #earthbound #mother 2 #asks #god i love tony. btw hi lan if youre reading this

[peterpanfromlemonland]

Don't Hyde From Me (ch13 Lost in You)

TW/CW: Mentions of blood, death, gore

The rain was pouring down hard, lightning struck and Hoa shivered in fear as the crash of thunder soon followed after. Tyler held her close to him, the loud rain drowning out his quiet sobs. He knew he had to face Laurel at some point but he was too scared, he didn’t want to fuck up and lose everything; his freedom, the progress he had made in controlling the hyde, Hoa. He admitted it, he was a coward. From the corner of the depths of his mind he thought he could hear his mother’s voice. 

��What’s wrong Tyler?” It was a memory, one that he had locked away.

“I’m scared, mommy.” The little boy sniffled, “I don’t like thunderstorms.” The little Tyler hugged his mother tightly, afraid that she would be swept away by the crashing sounds. Who knew that 17 years ago he would be feeling the same emotions he did as a kid, the same intensity and loudness. He wanted to run away, the turmoil in his mind was loud enough to wake the girl up. Hoa stirred softly, rolling on her side to face the boy, groggily mumbling as her eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Is everything okay?” Her voice came out laced with sleep. Tyler didn’t want to worry her but he knew that she would find out eventually. The boy slowly shook his head while wiping tears from his damp face, to be honest he didn’t know if things were okay. Hoa pulled him closer, kissing his forehead, she didn’t push him to talk about it- she didn’t force it. The two of them lay there in silence, the boy’s soft sobbing was the only thing that could be heard.

“Laurel,” Tyler managed to mutter out after a few moments, “I think- I think she’s back…” Hoa’s eyes shot open, she was fully alert. Tyler shook violently, apologizing profusely. He didn’t want to be taken away again, he didn’t want to be tormented by the lifeless corpses again. He felt helpless yet again, Hoa was trying her best to calm him down- asking him what the best course of action would be; which course of action he would suggest. 

“We’ll take care of this,” Hoa stroked his hair, “I promise, we’ll figure this out. Together.” She cupped his face in her hands as they both sat up, it felt like another weight was lifted off the boy’s shoulders at that moment. She caressed his face and dried up any remaining tears, Hoa assured him that they would talk to the principal about this but Tyler refused. No one would believe them, the whole school saw Hoa as a nutcase and Tyler as a wanted criminal. If they won’t listen then Hoa would make them listen.

“Hoa,” Tyler stepped out of bed, his eyes frenzied, he could feel himself turning again, “That won’t help, that will only make them think badly of us!”

“Tyler,” the girl’s voice remained steady, “I understand you’re upset and worried, but trust me. I got this handled.” 

“How can I trust you when every chance at death you get you jump?!” Within a matter of seconds the boy had fully turned into the hyde, seething as the monster’s tall form knocked over various items here and there. Hoa stood up calmly, trying to ease the boy back down to earth. Nothing was working, the hyde roared at the girl, sending his claws slashing down on her. Blood splattered everywhere, the girl stumbled in her place as she held her side. Crimson pooled at her feet while she tried to speak but only blood sputtered from her lips. Tyler saw what he had done through the eyes of the hyde, his heart raced, afraid he might’ve killed her. 

“Ty,” Hoa coughed out, “We’re a team now, you need to- fuck- you need to trust me.” The girl slowly hobbled towards him, her long sweater stained red. She was more upset that she ruined a good sweater than the boy going all hyde and hurting her, but sweaters can be replaced… relationships on the other hand cannot. Hoa tried to steady herself, only ending up slumped over a wall. The boy’s breathing was labored as he slowly reverted back to being just Tyler.

“That was one hell of a right hook there, Barista boy.” Hoa wheezed out teasingly before falling into the crying boy’s arms. He was frantic, spitting apologies left and right as he placed pressure on the wound. The poor boy was choking on his words while she assured him that it was an accident, he didn’t know what to do. He was naked, covered in blood, cold, his girlfriend almost dead in his arms. 

“Wh- what do I do?” He tried to calm himself down, doing deep breathing exercises he was taught in therapy, “Sh- should I call someone or…?”

“Dial up Page for me.” Hoa coughed out, pointing to her phone, “I’ll give you the password.” Tyler rushed to the phone and typed in the password, quickly pulling up the contacts in her phone. He found Page’s number and dialed it, placing the phone on speaker. Hoa explained what had happened to the elemental over the phone all while trying to keep her blood inside, motioning to the boy to fetch her med kit after he had propped her up against a wall.

“Jesus, chief,” Page groaned from the other end, “Stop getting into these bloody accidents.” 

“You know me, Page.” Hoa jested, “I’m a blood sucker.”

Tyler rushed back to the girl’s desk, tossing things around in search of her precious med kit- she scolded him, saying that the “big boy med kit” would be in her bag. Once he found the big boy med kit he dashed back to her side and opened it up, the phone call between Page and Hoa ended with a quick ‘over and out’ from the vampire before Tyler lifted up her sweater to get closer to the wound. Blood oozed out, fabric was soaked and most likely permanently stained an iron red, the boy frantically rummaged through the kit looking for any bandages or gauze.

“Cyklokapron.” Hoa wheezed out, “Use the cyklokapron or celox powder first.”

“The what?” Tyler raised his eyebrows, confused at the girl’s words, “The ‘what’ powder?” Hoa groaned and pointed a bloody finger at a small olive green package. The celox powder. The girl instructed the boy to dump some cold alcohol on the wound to sterilize it, then dump the entire contents of the package on her wound first before getting the bandages. The boy was rushing back and forth, trying to keep his girlfriend alive. When the boy dumped the alcohol on the oozing wound she hissed in pain. The door opened to reveal Page, at the ready. They quickly made their way past the panicked boy and went straight to work on the vampire who was bleeding out.

“Jesus, Hoa,” Page chuckled as they stitched up the vampire, “You and your little Barista Boy gotta get your act together.” The elemental reached for the medical tape and bandaged Hoa’s abdomen up nice and tight, making sure to keep every drop of blood inside.

“There we go,” Page said as they removed their gloves, “All stitched up. A job well done, if I do say so myself.”

“Thanks, bud.” Hoa groaned as she adjusted her position, “Even the medic needs a medic.” She jeered. Page helped their friend back to her feet, throwing the girl’s arm over their shoulder to help steady her. Tyler stayed silent in the corner, afraid and hurt, and naked, he didn’t like the feeling of helplessness. Page led Hoa back to her bed and asked if the two needed anything before they left. Hoa wanted her usual coffees, Tyler just took a caramel macchiato. 

“Oh,” Page stopped right before they were out the door, “You also want me to go on a blood run?” Hoa nodded, the vampire was almost out of her blood supply in the fridge. Her brother had gotten the wrong kind of blood last time, she preferred ox blood to pigs blood.

“Just 2 dozen packs of ox blood will do.” Hoa flashed a thumbs up to the elemental and Page was gone with a flash, leaving the two lovers to sit in their own chaos. Tyler was situated on the other side of the room wearing only his boxers, the boy couldn’t help but stare down at his blood covered hands- her blood. He felt like crying but the tear ducts were dry, he felt like screaming but nothing could come out. He had hurt her, almost killed her, he was sure she would hate him now.

“Hey,” Hoa broke what seemed to be a never ending silence, tossing a ball of paper at the boy’s head, “I’m not mad at you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She forgave him, it was an accident, she knew he didn’t mean it. She patted a spot next to her, gesturing for the boy to sit by her, a welcoming smile across her face. Tyler shook his head, remaining silent.

“I almost killed you.” His voice came out as a whisper, “You could’ve died-”

“But I didn’t.” Hoa cut him off, “I’ve had worse than this.” You call that almost dying? Try being poked and prodded with a hot branding iron for months. Hoa stubbornly hobbled her way over to the boy, plopping next to him and resting her head against his shoulder. He was warm and she craved the warmth. She started humming, it was that tune again. That lullaby. It brought him peace, he held her close- making sure to avoid touching the wound- as he cried softly. The two of them sat like that for what seemed like hours, Hoa slowly rocking the boy back and forth while she hummed, a blanket wrapped over the both of them for warmth.

“Hoa?” Tyler’s voice cracked, his throat was dry, “Do you hate me?”

“Why would I hate you?” She replied, running her fingers through his hair, “There’s nothing to hate.” Her vision was a bit dizzy as she stared at the boy with nothing but pure admiration. Tyler didn’t know how he ended up with a warden that trusted him so much, he was lucky. Somehow, Fate had graced him with Hoa, and he was thankful to have met her.

“Are you doing okay?” He asked, concern was growing from within as Hoa was visibly shaking.

“Fridge. Blood.” Was all that the girl could say, Tyler knew immediately what she was implying. He got up and rummaged through the fridge, pulling out the last bag of pig's blood from its compartment. It looked odd, he thought that maybe if he shook it a bit it would look like how blood’s supposed to look? He made his way back to the girl and handed her the blood bag, she swiftly opened the bag and drained its contents- slowly gaining her strength back. Hoa coughed as she downed the whole bag, pig’s blood was disgusting. 

“Does it really taste that bad?” Tyler questioned, staring at the now empty bag, “Doesn’t all blood taste the same?” Hoa chucked the empty bag at the boy’s head, no it was not the same. He had a lot to learn.

“Not all blood tastes the same, Barista Boy.” She rolled her eyes as she pulled him back onto the bed, “Depends on the species. Pig’s blood is way too metallic tasting.” Humans’ blood? Well that all depends on the whole anatomy of the individual, what’s in that one person’s blood defines the taste. Tyler listened intently as she explained the whole logistics of how vampires drink blood, albeit he didn’t quite understand much of it but he tried to.

“So…” The boy fiddled with his fingers once the girl was done educating him, “What does my blood taste like to you…?” Hoa blushed at the question, turning away to avoid his gaze, she did not expect to be put on the spot like this. Tyler waited for an answer, goosebumps formed on his skin from the anticipation- mostly the cold.

“Somewhat salty,” the girl started, “Somewhat sweet.” His blood had a hint of salted caramel to it, not too sweet and not too salty. Not a whole lot of the annoying metallic taste either. She apologized, it must’ve been weird hearing someone talk about the taste of blood- especially your own partner. Hoa apologized, the topic of blood was a very squeamish one. Hoa was still hissing at the disgusting taste of pig’s blood. Tyler chuckled before allowing the girl access to his neck.

“Wanna wash the taste out with my blood?”

#tyler galpin x oc #tyler galpin #tyler galpin cute

[munchabunch]

Burnin’ For You (6/?)

A/n: welcome to chapter 6 I really hope you enjoy it. Make sure to leave a like and reblog if you do! If you have any suggestions or requests my ask box should be open!!

Eddie Munson x OFC!Penny Castillo

Word count: 2.9k

Warnings: implied smutty thing, cursing, bullying. Eddie being a lil pervy ig

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She was running as fast as she could, umber leaves blurring past. She could hardly breathe, her chest tightening with every ounce of effort she was exerting. She didn’t dare to slow down. Not for a second. She darted between trees and jumped over fallen branches, hearing them snap behind her as whatever it was that was after her paid them no mind. Sticks and leaves digging into the pads of her bare feet as she haphazardly tried to outrun inevitable death. The screech that erupted from behind her made the fear already blooming in her chest grow into full terror. A scream escaped her lips as she felt her body start to ache. She was beginning to slow now, unable to keep up the pace. This can’t be happening again. She felt the creature on her heels. Just as she saw the road in the distance looking like a light at the end of this horrible tunnel, she tripped over a branch she hadn’t noticed. Twisting around on the ground, she looked up just as the flowered opening of a mouth was careening down towards her. She shrieked as everything went black.

The incessant beeping from her alarm clock jarred her awake. The ache in her throat told her she must’ve been screaming as she was dreaming. She laid in her bed for a moment, eyes trained on the ceiling trying to gather herself. Peeling the sheets that clung to her off her sweaty body, she tried desperately to catch her breath.

What the hell was that? Penny thought to herself. Pushing it to the side, she slithered out of bed begrudgingly and began getting ready for school, though she wanted nothing more than to stay tucked underneath her fluffy duvet. As soon as she was dressed, she took the sweaty linens off the bed and took them down to the laundry room, shoving everything into the washer. She knew her mom was still asleep after a long night at the hospital, so she left her a note asking her to please switch them over to the dryer when she could.

Penny waltzed her way to the kitchen, making herself a lunch and some buttered toast. She ate quickly, grabbed her keys from by the door, and shrugged her backpack onto one of her shoulders. She walked out and locked the door behind her, noticing robin was already waiting by her car.

“Hey Penny! How was the party last night? I wish my parents would’ve let me go.” Robin threw her backpack into the backseat as Penny unlocked the doors.

“It was kinda boring honestly, we didn’t actually stay long. We left and went to his house to watch a movie,” Penny responded as she pulled out of the driveway.

“PENNY!” Robin shouted, causing Penny to swerve the car.

“Holy shit Robin. Oh my god. Don’t do that. It’s like you have a death wish dude.” Penny scolded a sheepish Robin, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But Pen. Oh my god. You went to his house. Did you guys- yanno…. Do the do. The horizontal tango. The uhhhh the sideways cha cha?”

Robin wiggled her eyebrows as Penny shot her a glance.

“Oh my god Robin,” Penny cackled. “No. We did not do any of that. Or sex. Seriously? Sideways chacha? Did you just come up with that? Not half bad.”

“I did just come up with that. Thank you. Did you at least kiss?” Penny’s face burned bright red at the question.

“OH MY GOD YOU DID?” Robin nearly launched herself out of the seat.

“NO! No we didn’t. I thought we might’ve been about to but there was a scream in the movie and it startled me and I jumped. Then I saw the time and I had to speed my ass back home, seriously I think I broke a couple laws. But I really think I was reading into it.” Robin glared at Penny’s response.

“Okay so you think he was going to kiss you but now you think he wasn’t? PENNY. Get your shit together, Penny baby. He so obviously has the hots for you. Just like you do for him. I don’t know why you don’t see that, dingus.” Robin implored her friend to see the reasoning.

Penny shook her head as she pulled the car into the parking lot, deciding to park it next to the infamous van, which earned her a pointed look from her short-haired passenger.

They made their way inside the building, elbowing through the congregation of students. Penny got to her locker and put in the combination, gathering her textbooks that she would need for the mornings classes.

“What’s that up there?” Robin asked behind her, having already grabbed her books.

“What? Oh.” Looking up at the top shelf of her locker she noticed something new, pulling it down carefully. A Kit Kat and a cassette tied together with a twine looking string, with a list of songs and bearing a note that said,

For our #1 fan

- E

Penny’s breath caught in her chest and, wide-eyed, she looked at Robin, who was looking back at her with the biggest shit-eating grin.

“Still think he’s not into you?” Robin asked, with a smirk.

“Robiiiin, I don’t know.” Penny’s face flushed. Could Eddie like her?

“Well it’s your lucky day. I have band practice at lunch so you’ll have plenty of time to figure it out.” Penny tucked the cassette and Kit Kat safely back in her locker along with her lunchbox. Closing her locker and bag, she and Robin started to walk down the hallway together having a little bit of time to meander to class as the bell hadn’t rung yet.

She stopped short in her tracks causing Robin to stop as well, though slightly more clumsily.

“HEY!” She shouted face turning bright red with rage.

Suddenly she turned, grabbing someone aggressively and shoving them against a locker. She held him against the wall gripping his shirt in her fists.

“You like fucking with kids, Hargrove? You like almost running over fucking middle schoolers, HUH?! I swear if I ever hear anything about you messing with my kids again, that pretty face of yours will get a downgrade. So it’ll match your heart. Try it again, I fucking dare you.” She could feel eyes on her but she didn’t give a damn. Nobody messes with her kids.

“Oh my god Penny!!” Robin's voice rang out, sounding a million miles away from Penny.

“Castillo, get your hands off me.” Billy looked her dead in the eye, anger coursing through him.

“You leave those kids alone, your sister included. Am I clear?” Penny looked lethal. Billy rolled his eyes at her petulantly.

“I SAID AM I FUCKING CLEAR?!” She snarled at him, eyes wild, pushing him harder into the lockers.

“Crystal.” Billy said, calmly, with a subtle ferality interweaving his tone.

Penny pulled him by his shirt closer to her. “Good.” She said in his face as she abruptly let go of him, causing him to lose his balance, stumbling back into the metal doors. “Come on Robin.” She said, turning away from the degenerate.

“SHOWS OVER PEOPLE. KEEP IT MOVING!” Penny shouted to the hallway of onlookers, the sound of the school bell clanging set the crowd into motion. A pair of big brown eyes found hers, the face they belonged to offering her an astounded smile and a two finger salute. She sent him a sly smile as he trudged in the opposite direction.

“Penny. What the hell just happened?” Robin asked her, surprise dancing across her face.

“He fucked with my kids. And he’s not gonna do it again.” Penny replied simply as they made their way to their first class of the day, one of the only ones they actually had together.

The morning classes passed by quicker than usual, before she knew it the bell for lunch was ringing. Penny went to her locker to get her lunch box, grabbing the Kit Kat that Eddie had left for her, she headed to the cafeteria.

She made her way over to the hellfire table, taking her now permanent place next to Eddie. She looked at him with a thankful smile as she held up the Kit Kat.

“Did you get to listen to the tape?” Eddie whispered near her ear, sending a bolt of shivers down her spine.

“Uhh no not yet I haven’t gone to my car since this morning, but thank you,” she whispered back, an earnest smile gracing her features.

“Yeah it’s no problem, sweetheart. I figured you’d have a Walkman or something, though.” Eddie was surprised, with how much Penny loved music he’d figured she’d have one.

“Oh I did but it broke.” She wasn’t going to mention exactly how it broke. Its demise had been last year at the Byers house, stepped on by a demogorgon.

She unwrapped her Kit Kat and began eating it, first biting the chocolate off the ends and the sides, then separating each wafer and eating them individually.

“What are you doing?” Eddie looked at her, eyes squinting in confusion.

“What? I’m eating my Kit Kat.” She defended. She knew it was a weird way to eat anything, let alone Kit Kats, but that’s how her dad ate them and he swore they tasted better that way. She had to agree.

“Sweetheart, with all due respect, what the fuck?” Eddie giggled.

“They taste better this way,” Penny pouted, her eyes as big as saucers.

“Whatever you say, doll.” The pet names never lose their effect on the butterflies in Penny’s stomach, fluttering their way up to her heart.

“Try before you deny, Eds.” She continued in her peculiar endeavor, Eddie rolling his eyes at her playfully.

“So you uhh thinking of trying out for WWE after high school, tough girl?” Eddie looked at her, amusement in his eyes, as he referenced her confrontation with Billy that had happened earlier. The butterflies Penny felt still hadn’t ceased, her stomach flipping incessantly.

“I was thinking about it. I could use some practice though. Think you could take me ….. big boy?” Penny asked in a sultry tone, as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. Eddie froze, on the spot. Feeling heat creep up his neck and his jeans becoming impossibly tight.

“Yeah. Aha I- uhm. Oh, shit. You know I totally forgot I have to meet a customer,” he paused looking at his watch, “right now actually. I’ll see you guys later.”

He threw his seat back and practically ran out of the cafeteria towards the exit door, muttering expletives under his breath the entire time. He ran across the parking lot to his van, opening the door and putting on some music before he climbed into the back to take care of his current dilemma.

Meanwhile back at the lunch table, the remaining members of Corroded Coffin were uproarious.

“What the hell?” Grant asked, cackling. Penny looked at the boys that lined the lunch table.

They each met her eyes with a large smirk on their faces.

“What?” She asked them, eyes wide.

“What the hell kind of spell did you cast on him, Castillo?” Jeff asked her.

“What do you mean?” Penny asked, feigning innocence.

“We mean that, we know how you feel. About him. Just because he’s an idiot and can’t see it doesn’t mean we are too!” Gareth told her, voice low so no one at any of the surrounding tables could hear him.

Penny’s stomach dropped and her breathing picked up noticeably.

“Hey hey. I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. I promise. Just uh. Just try going for it, Penny.” Gareth said, trying to gently nudge her in the right direction. He knew Eddie had no clue how Penny felt about him, and that Penny was just as clueless about the dungeon master’s feelings for her. That didn’t assuage the panic she felt at their friends, Eddie’s band mates, knowing about her feelings.

The signal for the end of lunch rang out and Penny gathered her belongings. Deciding to cut class for the rest of the day, she ran to her locker, grabbed the tape and jogged outside to her car. She got in and started the car, examining the new mixtape titled Coffin Setlist 9/25/1984. She noticed underneath it in a different ink was written Our #1 Fan’s First Official CC Show with a heart drawn next to it. Smiling to herself she popped in the tape, listening to it with the volume low so as not to draw attention to herself. She got through the first song Holy Diver and the next song started just after. She recognized the voice singing immediately, it was Eddie’s voice. She’d remembered that first show, they’d done a metal cover of Holding Out for a Hero. He must’ve recorded one of their gigs and put the song on the mixtape. It was about to switch over to the next song when she heard a sound coming from the van next to her. She turned down the volume even more and listened.

“Fuck.” Eddie’s voice was muffled but she was sure it was him.

She got out of the car to knock on the side of the van.

“Eddie?” She jumped back when she heard a loud thud come from inside the van right where she was standing.

She knocked a little harder on the side.

“Eds, are you okay?” She asked, worry evident in her tone.

“Pen? Uh yeah just give me a sec!” Eddie’s voice rang out again, muffled and sounding a bit strained.

“Okay it just sounded like you got hurt or-,” she put her ear to the side of the vain just in time to be cut off by a guttural moan coming from the cabin of the van.

“OH. Oh god. I’m so sorry. I’ll leave you two alone. I- I’m going.” She hastily got back in her car, tears pricking her eyes. She pulled out of her parking spot and tore out.

Eddie clambered out of the back of the van, and saw her tail lights leaving the school grounds.

“Fuck. FUCK!” He slammed the back door to his van and went back into the school. He scrambled to his locker, grabbing his metal box and ran back out to his van.

“Shit shit shit. Where would she go?” He asked himself.

He got in the van and pulled out of the lot, driving to Penny’s house.

Pulling into the driveway, he got out and started knocking on the door like a man crazed.

The door swung open revealing an unhappy Carolyn Castillo.

“Oh Uhh hi, Mrs. Castillo right? I was looking for Pen. She ummm-“ he paused not knowing how to tell her mother that she’d left school.

“Penny should be at school Mr-?” Lynn looked the stranger at her door up and down.

“Oh um Munson. Eddie. Munson.” With a gulp, Eddie offered his hand to Lynn to shake.

She shook his hand with a wary smile.

“Well, Eddie, Penny should be at school. You’d have better luck finding her there.” She moved to close the door. Eddie put his hand on the door to stop it from shutting.

“NO, shit. Sorry, I think I may have upset her. Or something else did. I don’t know. She left in a hurry and I don’t want to get her in trouble with you at all. I just. Ughhh I really like your daughter, Mrs. Castillo. And if I’m the one that upset her then I NEED to make it right. I- I can’t have her upset with me because she’s the only person in this stupid town that makes me feel like living here is worth it. Like, I’m worth it. I’m sorry. I know you don’t know me. But she’s my best friend. And I just need to find her. Do you know where she could’ve gone?”

Lynn opened the door fully mid way through his speech. Her mouth hung open in shock trying to process everything.

“You can call me Lynn. And I’m really sorry I don’t know where she could’ve gone, Eddie. I can let her know you stopped by and I can try to get her to talk to you but ever since her dad she’s been really closed off about everything.” Eddie’s face fell as he felt his heart drop, yet a sliver of hope remained. He knew she was close with her mom and hopefully Lynn would be able to help him fix whatever was wrong.

“Yes, please let her know I was here and that I really need to talk to her.”

“I’ll see what I can do. I do really have to get going for work though. But I like you so let me let you in on a little secret. She likes gestures. Not like big grand gestures. Or flowers. Something that means something. Okay?” After bidding their goodbyes, the door shut, leaving Eddie deep in thought as he walked back to his van.

Inside the house, Lynn walked upstairs to her daughter’s room.

“So that was your friend, Eddie, at the door quite literally begging me to tell him where you might be so he could fix it?” Lynn began. Penny looked at her, eyes wide and rimmed red from the tears she’d been crying.

“I know I said you’re not allowed to date but if you wanted to date him I’d allow it. I like him.”

Penny spluttered, mouth agape.

“Mami, we’re just friends. And besides, he definitely doesn’t like me like that.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that, Mija.” With a pointed look, she turned and left her daughter to ruminate over her words.

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And there’s chapter 6. I hope you enjoyed it!!

Taglist: @portaltothevoid @chaoticmunson @madaboutmunson @riffcrusader

#eddie munson #the chokehold this man has on me #eddie my love #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things fanfic #eddie munson x ofc #eddie munson angst

[skitzs]

Haruka: Dreamboat

A person considered exceptionally good-looking and sexually attractive—particularly a man.

‘He is not anybody’s dreamboat of a point guard - he’s small, inconsistent with the shot, and never one to rack up a ton of assists - but he plays hard and seems not to have become overly enamored with his own abilities. Yet so, he is someone’s dreamboat. A dream yet to be reached.’

The sun had barely risen when Haru got out of bed to take his time in the shower this morning, and prepare himself some breakfast after. His alarm for school hadn’t even gone off, and he was already wearing his apron and tying it around his middle. He took on slicing some tomatoes and potatoes to go with the can of saba that’d been opened for quite some time, just idling beside the chopping board, and another one beside his feet where Rin the cat had been frolicking, as if she couldn’t decide whether or not she’d jump her food.

At the living room, Haru could imagine Kisumi darting around what with the noises he’d been making, looking for belongings that got swept under the rugs or the sofa overnight, something Haru was used to living up to nowadays. Last time it happened, the guy moaning about misplaced things, he was searching for a book he claimed he’d hardly started reading the day prior, getting sidetracked just because a friend called in and he had to leave the apartment at the last minute. This time, Haru thought he’d heard him cry about a headset missing—an expensive one too—and even though Haru might’ve spotted a Beats headset lying somewhere at the foot of the coat rack when he passed by the living room earlier... he didn’t have the energy to mention it to his roommate. Too much effort.

“Haruka-kun...” came the whiny voice of one Shigino Kisumi moments later, allegedly standing at the entryway of the kitchen, addressing him. Haru carried on with what he was doing, which was sprinkling salt and pepper in the small pan where the onions and garlic were sizzling. He would be adding the sliced tomatoes in about a minute. “Have you seen my headset?” came the question next, and from the corner of Haru’s eye, he could see that Kisumi had snagged a seat on one of the chairs surrounding the table, dangling his head over his folded arms, hair sticking up into various directions, and... Right. The guy had given up.

“Hnn... Think I saw it under the coat rack,” Haru murmured then, proceeding to turn up the fire of the stove after chucking the vegetables into the mix, as he finally took pity on his roommate.

“Oh—really? Damn it! Why didn’t I think of checking there?” He hissed mostly to himself, but Haru still caught it anyway. And Haru continued to listen in as his roommate tumbled to get out of the chair, making the legs screech against the floor, footsteps descending in weighty thuds. A few seconds passed, and he was cheering behind Haru, presumably poking his head in the kitchen’s doorframe, “Thanks, Na-na-se! Found it!”

“Good for you.”

“Mm!”

Psh. He sounds so happy.

Haru shook his head, fighting the urge to smile. This feeling, and that—Haru had gotten used to. Just like he was used to the other stuff, like his roommate calling him by names he didn’t just let anyone call him (...perhaps with the exception of Rin). Haruka-kun, Na-na-se, Nanase Haruka, and whatnot. Haru didn’t mind them any longer. As much as he’d hate to admit it, Haru’s respect for Kisumi went up by a notch over the course of a week they’d been living under the same roof. He supposed that’s just how it is—you become accustomed and at the same time get tired of being mad at every little thing and habit. After knowing his roommate was actually a future dentist also contributed to that phenomenon. He couldn’t fathom it at first, especially looking at Kisumi and taking his quirks in consideration. The guy came off too comedic and campy, droll, that sometimes Haru didn’t know how to act around him. The bastard found absolutely anything funny, and he would laugh, wheeze and slap his knee in the midst of it, making Haru wince for most of it, listening to the guy’s ear-grating clamor as he told Haru about his day in college that, quite frankly, Haru could not have processed anyway, lest he stressed it down with the way he paced and gestured all at once.

Well, at least Kisumi was a bit calmer now than a few days ago, when they were yet to get past the phase of getting-to-know one another...

Shutting the stove off, Haru sat on a chair after getting everything laid out on the table, contemplating calling out to Kisumi to eat with him. He abandoned the thought though, thinking better of it. He didn’t wish for the other one to get the wrong idea. That they were buddies now... That would only give the guy more reasons to pester him, wouldn’t it? Not that he ever gave himself false hopes in regards to that. Close or not, he bet Kisumi would still choose to badger him regardless.

With a slight shake of his head, Haru grabbed the disposable chopsticks next to his plate and cracked them into two. He demolished his food as efficiently as he could and drank some water, taking care of the dishes when he was done and throwing the trash, caressing Rin the cat who was scratching at her ear on his way out.

He came back to his room and flopped on the bed, landing on his front. Haru still had an hour to spare before his first class, this he learned upon checking the time on his charging cellular phone, and he was done with almost everything—he pondered—except brush his teeth for the second time this morning. Because he’d do that, actually, before and after meals. He had to wait for a couple more minutes though. Kisumi was still in the bathroom when Haru trotted his way over here, he got to hear the pelting of the running water hitting the tiles, and of course the consistent humming and speech practicing.

Once he heard the shower faucet twist, Haru sat up. Then he listened to footsteps passing, and he got up and slipped out of his room, going straight into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and checked his reflection in the mirror, mildly relieved that he didn’t need to shave his face. No stubble. Behind the cabinet back in his room, Haru got into some presentable clothes (a flimsy thin Cornflower shirt, some dark indigo denim jeans, and a pair of white sneakers after black socks), snatching up a basil hoodie that he wore over his top. He was about to shut the thing when he captured the sound of Kisumi at the living room answering the door, making him freeze thinking it was Rin.

Haru glanced at his door, before taking a peek to confirm his assumption.

It wasn’t Rin. He opted to eavesdrop, as if it was imperative to even call it that considering the volumes of their voices as though they ate a bunch of little speakers for breakfast... Haru let go of the doorknob and took a step back until his knees hit the bed and left him no choice but to drop heavily on its edge. He decided to stay in his room as he waited for Kisumi who spoke with the person (maybe a friend, or a block mate, Haru had no indication, but whoever they were, Haru deemed they were just as jovial as Kisumi, because he could literally hear every word they were saying...), all but wanting them to leave first.

He wouldn’t know how to deal with them, suspecting his friendly roommate to introduce him to his visitor. It’d be downright inevitable.

Staring down at his bag that lay on the floor, Haru let himself fall on his back across the bed, setting his hands over his stomach as he cared to stall. When he sensed people ascending the hall, Haru rose and studied the slits at the bottom of his door. And the knocking started.

“Haruka-kun? You coming or what?”

“Is he also from our department?”

“Nope. My roommate is an artist!~ He’s really good, you should see his work.”

“An artist? What does he do? Paint?”

“All kinds!” Not all...

“Eeh? He sounds awesome...” And you sound so impressed.

Honestly, Kisumi gave him too much credit... when the truth of the matter was, he only saw two of Haru’s works. One was a picture of a pond he took when he was younger, the other being an unfinished sketch of the pool in Iwatobi, and both were half-assed. Sighing, Haru opened the door (before Kisumi got carried away and fed his visitor more overexaggerated telltales), and he was met by two tall guys already dressed for college.

“There you are!” Kisumi tweedled, overjoyed as he stepped into Haru’s leeway, about to engulf him in a hug. Haru made sure he didn’t succeed by planting an open palm on Kisumi’s face and pushing him back. “Itai...” He pouted, but he instantly redeemed his raging enthusiasm when he thumbed at his friend, vibrant amethyst gaze gleaming in all its brightness and contrast. “Meet Shiina Asahi, Haruka-kun! My best friend slash classmate slash childhood friend!”

Haru directed his attention to the aforementioned, Shiina Asahi. The guy was almost the same height as Kisumi, with hair a mop of marmalade, a color that was in between the shades of red and orange, with eyes the sharp color of punch, which could be distinguished in between the shades of pink and red, and he wore a blue polo shirt and a simple round neck shirt from beneath, a sling bag across his torso, dark pants and kicks. Another future dentist. “Nice to meet you. Nanase Haruka,” he offered with a nod.

“Likewise!” The guy returned with a winsome grin.

**

So despite his best efforts to hide in his room, Haru still ended up going to school with Kisumi and Asahi, the three of them walking along pavements and crossing some streets at redlights. Haru was okay with it, so long as they didn’t bother him.

He brought his camera with him, slung around his neck, then his bag with two of his most-used sketchpads. Asahi and Kisumi walked ahead of him, chatting away, while he vibed on his own from three steps behind. He didn’t usually tag along with Kisumi when going to Uni, he would mostly ride the train or book an uber, but today he didn’t feel like doing any of those. He got up early, after all, therefore he’d mainly idealized taking the long route for once. Like he did before, in high school. Maybe because he felt nostalgic, hoping to get the same feeling he used to when he took the long stroll from his home to Iwatobi elementary school, with or without Rin.

Although his surroundings now didn’t compare to the old one he traveled to and fro, he realized that this still felt nice. It was the middle of Spring now, after all, the beginning of the rainy season, so he thought that perhaps... before the first pour could drop, at least he’d accomplished something as methodical as this: walking and blending in. Like taking in the prefecture as a whole, the vociferation, the early morning hubbub and rushing pedestrians, unfamiliar faces of students studying in the same university and their tinkling discordance, the gloomy, desolate weather, and just—everything. Because this was the place he resided now, he’d be waking up to the same overtone from here on out, so might as well commingle.

The phone in his pocket vibrated after a while, and Haru originally planned not to get it, because it could just be a text anyway, but the vibrating continued on. He pulled it out, unable to check the caller ID before answering the call and pressing it close to his ear. “Hello?”

“Haru.” On instinct, his heart skipped a beat, and the feeling was all too close-knit that he almost forgot how it made him shudder.

“Rin,” he breathed out, slowing in his steps. Kisumi and Asahi changed their pace as well, as if they overheard him speak.

Rin on the other line conveyed the impression that he was smirking when he revealed, his voice low and startlingly ardent, “Heya, dummy... To your left.”

And Haru obeyed, looking over to his left, not ending the call just yet. Right there, on the other side of the road stood Rin in all his glory, clad in an oversized white shirt and black ripped pants, a black cap over his head, wisps of burgundy hair falling to either side of his beaming face, delicately framing it. Haru only then noticed the shoes he was wearing which was a pair of blood red Nike in low cuts, once he put his phone away and clicked their call to an end, jogging his way toward him. Two boys traipsed and tumbled after him—Haru making a mental note that Natsuya wasn’t with him, for once—crossing the street as well, causing a traffic and for alignment of cars to promptly pull up, drivers winding their windows down to cuss. “Oi! You trying to kill yourself, kid?!”

Rin was laughing as he reached Haru by the sidewalk, looking back over his shoulder to yell over the loud horns going off, “Momo! Nitori! Be careful! Jeez...”

“Hai, Rin-senpai!”

“Aack! My beetle!” One of his kouhais whined, a redhead kid, scrambling to catch a transparent container mid-air as more cars screeched into a halt, one after the other.

“Pesky high schoolers!” “Hey, we’re college students!” “Sumimasen!”

Rin put a hand on his forehead as he bowed his head in dismay, sighing, and Haru could only sympathize with him.

“Oh, it’s Haruka-kun’s cat!”

Haru jumped at the sound of Kisumi’s voice. Immediately, he spun around and bit through gritted teeth, heart racing dangerously fast in his chest, “Shut it, Kisumi. I know where you sleep.”

“And? Is that supposed to be a threat, Na-na-se~? Or is that you flirting and basically admitting you wanna sleep with me?” Kisumi finished his jesting with a flick of his fingers, a coquettish wink and a tiny bit of tongue sticking out. Blinking in confusion at what his roommate said, Haru couldn’t help giving him a weird look, similar to what he felt. Kisumi did the same thing, blinking back at him, before he backtracked with, “I joke, Haruka-kun!” He chuckled, patting Haru’s arm, then he leaned in and whispered, “I know I’m no match for him.”

Haru felt himself blush, hard. Whether he blushed due to his roommate casually implying he knew of Haru’s crush on Rin, officially, or that Kisumi had just confessed to having a thing for him, Haru didn’t know. All he knew was, Rin was here... and he probably heard what Kisumi said just now, to which Haru desperately hoped he didn’t. Looking at Kisumi’s friend who was keeping a low profile behind Rin, and the way his brows were furrowed like he was slowly putting two and two together, something white and hot hurtled at the pit of Haru’s stomach, and he thought, what the hell.

“Ah, finally! I thought I’d lose my beetle!”

Haru looked up, and finally he could breathe again after realizing Rin didn’t hear a word Kisumi said, after all. He was too busy looking after the two boys having some trouble crossing.

But eventually, Rin focused his attention on him, and the first thing he did was give Haru a heart attack...almost. “Haru,” he exhaled around a grin, effortlessly slinging an arm around him, like clockwork, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. Lips parting, Haru’s eyes widened, and Kisumi’s answering reaction to that was to muffle his giggles into his hand, eyes bright and festive. Again, what the hell.

Stepping forward, Asahi looked back and forth between him and Rin. “Who is this, then?”

“Ouhm—Asahi, my roommate’s friend,” Kisumi relayed, smiling oddly, emphasizing on the word friend. Haru’s throat went brittle.

“Oh?”

“Yep! Hi, Matsuoka Rin.” Rin smiled broadly, not letting go of Haru just yet, his musky, boyish scent sticking to Haru’s clothes. He offered a hand to shake.

Asahi, who went, “Shiina Asahi! Nice to meet you!” took his hand and tugged it twice, firmly.

When they let go, Rin introduced his kouhais to them, Momotaro and Aiichiro (whom he addressed as Momo and Nitori), that, according to him he gave free lessons on any kind of instruments, completely skipping the part where Natsuya wasn’t present in his shadow today. “Hello! Nice to meet you all! Nitori Aiichiro!” “Nice to meet you! Mikoshiba Momotarou at your service! Hee.”

Ah, so, Haru forgot to mention... Rin’s a musical prodigy.

He knew how to play any and all kinds of instruments. Well, not in the way that he was great at every instrument there was, but in a sense that he could easily figure them out at any given moment. The first time he played an instrument, the violin, it was in front of Haru. It was back when they were ten, before middle school, and Haru had been blown away. He was so utterly speechless throughout Rin’s performance that he almost cried just by listening. And Haru rarely cried... Rin was just that good.

So good that Haru fell head over heels for him.

But that was just the gist of it, because Rin did a lot of things—from sports to what Haru would deem were extraordinary hobbies. And he was almost splendid at each of them. Swimming, billiards, board games, dancing and even singing. Yes, Rin had an awesome voice, although he would never admit it. He denied it, actually. Haru had to resort to catching him singing, if he truly wanted to hear it, otherwise Rin would never let his voice be heard by anyone. To this day, Haru still doesn’t understand what was the big deal.

“You guys heading to school? Mind if we tagged along?” Rin asked on their behalf, letting his hand fall from Haru’s shoulders back to his side. Haru watched as he gripped on the strap of his gym bag.

“We don’t mind!” Kisumi answered for everyone, and he and Rin walked together, behaving like they’d been friends forever. Haru was left to gape at the sight of his childhood best friend getting along so seamlessly and deftly with his frisky roommate. They were even bumping arms as they sauntered ahead of everybody along the pavement, pointing at random shops and people and laughing together.

Kisumi, without question, was fawning over Rin, Haru could hear him blabbering on and on and praising Rin about anything and everything, making Haru’s ears go hot whenever he’d let slip some of his living habits... that Rin already knew, anyway, thankfully. Phew. And Rin would look back over his shoulder to smile at Haru, still holding Kisumi hostage like a lovesick fool, as he reiterated with pride, “Ah, yeah! Haru loves those cans of mackerel. I remember back when we were kids he almost fainted after strictly only eating saba for an entire week. I had to carry him bridal style all the way to his house, good thing he weighed nothing.”

Kisumi guffawed, pulling on Rin’s sleeve with his fingers. “E-ehh?! Whoa, hold on—then it’s bad that that’s the only thing he eats now, isn’t it? I haven’t seen him eat anything else aside from it ever since we lived together!”

“Hmm?” Looking back again, Rin tilted his head at him in wonder, “Na, Haru, is that true?”

Clicking his tongue, Haru rolled his eyes, feigning nonchalance despite feeling his face burn. That’s right. Rin carried him bridal style that day. And the rest of the night, he refused to leave his side until he saw him eat something. “...Unless he monitors my every move, don’t just believe anything he says about me.”

Rin stopped walking to change places with Asahi next to Haru, and he slung his arm over him, pressing their bodies further, Haru once again getting a whiff of what could only be one of Rin’s expensive perfumes, now that he came to think of it... “But you’re a stubborn one, aren’t you? ...Why do I have a feeling that what your roommate is saying is true?”

“I eat other food too, Rin,” he mumbled in response, but in his mind he was answering differently. And if it’s true, then what? Would you feed me something else and promise to take care of me?

“Well, you better,” Rin intoned, clinging closer to him as he murmured, “otherwise Kisumi here would also carry you bridal style before you know it.”

Haru shuddered at his hoarse timbre, momentarily paralyzed as he craned his neck to look at Rin, but the moment was disrupted once they heard someone call Rin’s name. “Oi! What took you guys so long? Ai! Momo!”

“Natsuya-senpai!” Nitori chirped, waving his hand as he skidded past them, followed by Momo who practically bounced in his steps. “Kirishima-senpai!”

Natsuya. Rin’s hold on Haru slipped away, and he frowned as soon as it did. “Hey, man! Sorry! We bumped into Haru and the others on our way here!”

All of them met halfway. They’d gone inside the campus now at this point, where students rounded their huddled groups, whispering amongst themselves as they charged them curious looks, some glaring and some marveling, if the awestruck facial expressions they held were any indication.

“Oh? Haruka... I knew it!” Natsuya trilled, beguilement in his voice (the usual), tittering in the way he always did, resulting in the gears in Haru’s head to crack. The sound of it instantly annoyed him, and a part of him just wanted to walk out. “Been a while since I last saw you,” the guy proceeded to coo, reaching out to pinch at Haru’s chin, but Haru was quick to slap it away this time, when he failed to do it yesterday.

“It’s only been a day,” he deadpanned, turning his head away. At the corner of his eye, he saw Asahi and Kisumi halt in their steps as well—Asahi who was looking inquisitional, whereas Kisumi was merely radiating buoyancy, clearly just happy to be here with them—and Haru had to scratch at his arm in irritation, because...his day was just going well, and now—

“Aww, see? He really hates me, Rin,” Natsuya groused, focusing his attention on Rin. But Rin overlooked his claims, chuckling, then he was addressing another person—apparently, as it appeared to be—hidden behind Natsuya.

“Hey, Ikuya. I see you finally showed up to school after a week of sulking.” His voice gave the feeling of being a little sportive, like he was taking the piss on that person. ‘Ikuya.’

Letting himself be seen from standing behind Natsuya’s giant form, a guy with dark teal hair with long fringe almost blocking half of his face, and with piercing eyes the same tangerines as Natsuya himself side-stepped a little to the right, arms crossed against his chest (in peevishness, Haru would guess), bunching up the navy blue sweater he sported, glowering blithely at Rin. “Yeah, right, Matsuoka Rin. Nice to see you too.”

Silence washed over them, before Rin and Natsuya burst into laughter, Rin jumping the new guy and hugging him. “I’ve missed you! You’re still the same irritable kid! Oh—”

“We’re literally the same age, Rin...” The Ikuya guy grumbled, but Haru could see him reciprocating to Rin’s embrace nonetheless, no matter if grumpily.

“Still!” Rin exclaimed persistently, shaking the guy in his arms. Haru and Ikuya’s gazes met amidst their hug, and Haru upon noticing the change in their features had to put his attention elsewhere. He never liked intruding into other people’s business.

“Rin, Haruka-kun,” Kisumi suddenly quipped, motioning with his hand, “Asahi and I will get going. It was a pleasure.”

“Oh—yeah, of course! It was a pleasure too!” Rin grinned, just as Momo and Nitori took the chance to say their goodbye as well. “Both of you too? Guess it can’t be helped... Just make sure to drop by next week, okay? I’ve still got lots to teach you.”

“Will do, Rin-senpai. Thank you! Bye, Natsuya-senpai!”

“Yeah, Matsuoka-senpai, I look forward to more of your mentoring!” A massive toothy grin. “See you soon, Kirishima-senpai!”

“Ah, don’t trip on your way.” Rin nodded, shooing them away, and Haru could tell he was truly proud of what he was doing for them. Haru didn’t see that coming, if he was honest. And now he couldn’t help realizing how Rin had surely matured over the years. If anyone told Haru before that the Rin he’d once known to be quite selfish and self-centered, one who aimed high and was colossally ambitious all by himself would give free music lessons to the youth came his twenties, Haru would’ve probably laughed at their faces as he mused, there’s no way... that’d be too good to be true. But now... Haru smiled to himself as he watched Nitori, Momo, Kisumi and Asahi retreat to join the other students scattered along the corridors, disappearing into the corner.

“Haruka.”

Mood rapidly souring, Haru eyed Natsuya warily, and the guy had the nerve to smile sweetly at him. He was clutching Ikuya’s shoulders, Haru noted, making him face him properly in curiosity.

“Meet my brother, Ikuya. You’re perfect for each other,” he said in one go. Wait—brother? P-perfect for each other? In what aspect? Just when Haru began to scramble for reasons as to why he declared such a thing, Natsuya continued with what he meant, “You’re both cranky and always frowning like mackerels, you see, so I think you’d definitely get along.”

Haru sputtered, cheeks warming in quick spurts. “What the...”

And Ikuya might be sharing the same sentiments as him, for the guy had scowled at his brother. “Aniki...”

“See? Even your voices sound the same!” Natsuya jived, laughing. Ikuya, obviously blushing himself, looked away, but he didn’t break away from his brother’s grip. “Ikuya, say hello.”

It took him a while, but eventually he murmured, “...Hello.”

Haru felt obliged to bow in greeting. “Ah, hello.”

The common repartee between Natsuya and Rin commenced from there, as easy and as smoothly flowing as ever, the two of them soldiering ahead and pushing through heaps of college students, while Haru and Ikuya who seemingly both preferred to be out of sight, or simply didn’t enjoy drawing attention to themselves followed suit. If what Natsuya said was true about Ikuya being indifferent and impassive like he was, Haru must say he was starting to believe him based on what he was seeing right now. Ikuya hunched as he walked, as if trying to appear smaller and invisible, and somehow, Haru related to him.

At first glance, one wouldn’t be able to guess that Natsuya and Ikuya were brothers... probably. They didn’t have any physical resemblance. Except for their eyes, maybe. In the more isolated corners of Haru’s brain, he couldn’t decide who was much more attractive, the Aniki or the Otouto. On one hand, Natsuya had this unique charm in him that evidently pulled people in, like he could flawlessly engage anyone into a conversation no matter what it was, he was just that influential that even the likes of Haru didn’t stand a sliver of chance. Ikuya on the other hand, well, Haru hadn’t the slightest idea yet of how he communicated or how he normally rolled, but—for some unfathomable reason, Haru had a feeling that he didn’t need to. He attracted people naturally. He didn’t have to open his mouth like his older brother in order to make anyone cave in. By artlessly hanging out by himself, he would have people wanting to check up on him, see if he was having fun, or getting bored, or what-have-you. He’d have anyone on a tighthold, fessing up for him, one by one. I know it, because...

“Haru! This is your first class, right?” Haru looked up as his mind went blank, just like that, and—ah. He smiled on the inside as he nodded his affirmation.

Right, so... Not that he cared more than the fact that Natsuya and Ikuya were related, really. Anything past that shouldn’t matter, because Rin was smiling at him again, conceivably catching him spacing back there for a second, and—of course, why would he even stress about someone else, when he had Rin to worry about for the rest of his life? He was the only one that truly mattered for Haru. Always.

**

Listening to the teacher discuss something in front while they made them work on a semi complicated concept wasn’t difficult, per se, but Haru frankly didn’t like studying enough that it bothered him all the same. All he wanted was to finish this piece, submit it, and then go on about his day. Feasibly before, he did like studying, learning and attaining all that knowledge at one point in his life, but never did he harbor any type of love for it. He got bored easily, he ran out of patience doing extensive research on stuff, and engaging in full discourses with strangers was such a hassle. More often than not, he’d have to look for the most searched article on the internet and run with it, slapping his own opinion and basic analyses on top of it to come up with a resolution. Why else did he pursue being an art student anyway? He even almost took up psychology, which could’ve been his biggest mistake, but for similar reasons, he had to put it down after finding out what awaited him. Thesis after thesis, study of emotions, mental capacities, examining the science of human behavior, and mental processes. Not to mention it included the study of the mind, the brain, and human and animal social interactions...which, Haru might be fond of animals, but not to such extent, he didn’t think so. It would be a lot better just to draw them in their most candid... The major touches on many different areas of psychology like social, cognitive, abnormal, personality and developmental were... He couldn’t even say. Just thinking about it made Haru want to puke.

He preferred doing everything freely. The only time he allowed himself not to be free was when it came to his feelings or emotions. There was just something about feeling that he found rather meaningful. Because before, when he neither loved something nor cared for someone—a person or a thing—he was but a walking ghost on land, his life felt...bland. But after discovering his love for art, and water, and...Rin, everything about his views and beliefs had changed. He’d then longed for feeling something, for the first time in his life and... At this rate, he had zero plans on letting that go. It’d be a waste. Haru didn’t wish for it to go to waste. Not now, not ever.

Someone to his right cleared their throat.

Haru looked up and was met by a pair of brooding ginger eyes and dark teal hair that fell softly over them, making him immediately ponder if they took the same course. Regardless of what he thought, Haru replied, “May I help you?”

Ikuya, thrusting a hand forward, muttered quietly, “Think you might’ve dropped this.” He presented an eraser that Haru had no recollection of ever owning.

Returning to his sketch, Haru told him, “That’s not mine.”

“Oh.”

He picked up his pace, proceeding to darken some outlines of his work, but then he paused abruptly after seconds when he felt Ikuya’s presence that had yet to depart, the guy still looming over him and... Haru just couldn’t go on like this.

“Do you need anything else?”

“No. I just...” Haru waited for him. Finally, he gestured to an empty seat beside him. “Can I sit here?”

“Do what you want.” It took a minute, as if Ikuya hesitated at the tone he used, which had Haru hoping his disposition didn’t come off rude... But when Haru chanced him a glance, he saw the guy sink into the chair little by little. Good. Haru went back to what he was doing, all the while sensing Ikuya dig his sketchpad up together with a couple of mechanical pencils. They both worked in silence.

Their teacher patrolled the area after giving out final instructions (that Haru already knew), peering over everybody’s progress, and that included his and Ikuya’s too.

Haru was sketching a sight he saw when he was six. His parents brought him on a camping trip back to the southwest coast of Japan, where he found his first love: a waterfall. He couldn’t forget how it looked, even now, because it was just rather breathtaking. That was when he discovered his love for water, despite being born with it. Of course, as a baby, he didn’t realize it yet, but as he grew older, his passion for it aged with him. Since the concept required them to draw ’what their heart desired’, Haru had no other prerequisite but to tackle this side of him. Otherwise he’d just have to draw Rin—which, that would only expose—

“That looks nice.”

“Hm?”

Ikuya was leaning on the armchair as he studied his work, and Haru only then noticed how thick and long his eyelashes were. “Landscape is not my area of expertise.”

“Oh.” Haru curled in on himself as he put more contrast to the water in his drawing. “I like drawing landscapes every once in a while. Though I would say I’m more into doing last minute still-life.”

“I see. I’m more versed in drawing anime characters. You know, manga. I want to be a mangaka someday.”

Haru hummed. “That’d be cool then. Having an acquaintance who drew manga.”

“An acquaintance, huh?” Ikuya mused, going back to work as well.

“Yep.”

Come to think of it... Ikuya was Natsuya’s brother. This got Haru a bit officious now, questions running through his head. Did he also meet Rin in Australia? Or was it just Natsuya? Rin did acknowledge him earlier as if they’ve known each other for so long. Haru wanted to ask... but in the end kept his mouth shut. He wouldn’t want to be figured out.

**

Lunch break rolled around after some time, and Haru decided to go to the cafeteria alone, initially, but that had been for naught because Kisumi and Asahi accompanied him when he happened upon them by the row of lockers in the hallways on his way there, much to his chagrin.

He had mackerel, baked potatoes, tamago rolls, stir fried veggies, and a box of juice—then there was Kisumi who munched on some salad with five strips of pork katsu and nursed a bottle of iced tea in front of him, and then Asahi who had his own bento. Haru ate quietly, while Kisumi tried to chat him up, although he only gave him yes or no responses from time to time. Asahi talked to Kisumi a lot as well, which was a great distraction, Haru thought. They mostly exchanged words about dentistry that Haru couldn’t grasp with his mind in shambles. He just wanted to fill his stomach and get the hell out of here, if he was being honest.

“Hey. Did you hear what I said, Na-na-se?” Kisumi snapped his fingers at his face. Haru blinked once, twice, and then had the urge to glare at his roommate for salvaging him from a reverie. He totally zoned out back there.

“Yes... I heard you, Kisumi.” He didn’t.

“Then what did I say, hmm?” Kisumi drawled, putting his balled fist under his chin as he leaned his elbow over the table, taunting facial expression on display. His periwinkle eyes glimmered under the low hanging lights up the ceilings of the eatery, lips stretched into a mellow smile, and Haru didn’t hear what he said just now, not really.

Resorting to sighing, Haru opened his mouth (to ask whatever Kisumi said just now) but was interrupted when he saw Natsuya and Ikuya—who seemed like he’d been stealing glances Haru’s way—talking animatedly with each other at the two-door entrance of the cafeteria. Overhearing people watching on and gossiping about ‘the Kirishima brothers’ around him about their booming popularity in their university, had Haru’s mind blanking again, and thus resulting to Kisumi looking smug once more.

“You were about to say, Haruka-kun?”

“Huh.”

“You are so lucky I love you.”

Haru perked up. “Excuse me?”

Kisumi sighed. “Nothing.”

Haru’s heart tugged in his chest. “That wasn’t nothing, I heard you, Kisumi,” he scowled.

“Then why are you still asking?” He sighed again, as if he was done with the subject. Then proceeded to angle his body towards Asahi to get back with what they were talking about just now, leaving Haru utterly lost.

What’s his deal? Is he seriously messing with me? Just this morning... Haru was reminded of Kisumi whispering those words to him, “I know I’m no match for him.” For Rin was what he meant by that. He had no match for Rin? In regards to?

Looking up, he eyed Kisumi before him, whom he found out was already doing the same with him but quickly looked away when caught gazing. Haru swallowed as realization sank in. He must be joking.

Upon catching sight of Natsuya looking over at him, Haru without having the time to think quickly announced he was finished eating to both Kisumi and Asahi. And he was about to stand up but Natsuya was fast approaching him. “What do you want?” He clucked flatly, knowing this was going to happen from a mile away.

Natsuya produced a noise of amusement, putting both hands on each hip. He badgered, “What’s with the sour expression, Haruka?”

“Natsuya-san!” Kisumi suddenly piped up, voice overly joyous and childish.

“Oh, hey, Kisumi!” Natsuya matched his enthusiasm.

And Kisumi beamed at that, tilting his head to the side in a flamboyant manner. “You’re here for my Nanase?”

It went completely silent after that question, so quiet in fact if a pin dropped—

“‘My Nanase’”? All of them asked, even Ikuya... except for Haru.

Breaking into a gleeful grin, Kisumi giggled. “Why do you all look so shocked? He’s my roommate, so I get to say My Nanase—”

“I never gave you my permission,” Haru immediately retorted, cutting him off. I should go.

“Right then,” Natsuya slapped a hand on the table as he spun on his heel, looking up overhead and back again as he loudly inquired, “Has anyone seen my Rin?”

Blood surged up to Haru’s head in an instant. “My...Rin?”

Bright tangerine eyes flicked over to stare him down, Natsuya’s smirk never ceasing. “What? Kisumi gets to do it, but I can’t, Haruka?”

And Haru stood there, unmoving, unblinking. His mouth went excessively crisp, his back hunching bit by bit as he let his knees weaken under such taunting gaze. Natsuya held his posture, cunning and bereft of daunt. Haru wanted to punch the smug off his face. That’s it. He’s doing this on purpose. He knows something Rin doesn’t. Haru turned to leave but stopped as soon as he saw Rin saunter into the room. “Ah, there you are!” Natsuya sang.

Haru held his ground, fastening his grip on the tray as he looked on with bated breath at the image of Rin effortlessly gliding past people in the area, with his crimson hair tied into a loose ponytail now from the back, black cap still present, his white shirt a little askew and his face clear of anything aside from the willingness to get to their group, and damn it. He was gorgeous, and Haru had trouble processing all that. “Natsu. What’s up? You were looking for me?” He asked once he was closer to them.

“Rin.” Haru bit his tongue, despite the name having already slipped.

“Hey, Haru.” And Rin went straight for him the moment their gazes met, nudging past Natsuya who had his arms spread out (for a hug?) and reached out with his hand. Instinctively, Haru froze as he witnessed Rin’s face lessen the gap between them, causing his breath to hitch and for his eyes to flutter at their near proximity. This close, Haru had no doubt in his mind; Rin’s eyelashes were longer than Ikuya’s... A faint brush of fingertips had Haru going back to his senses once he understood what was actually happening in this moment. Rin just took something from the corner of his mouth, and Haru learned it was a piece of...

He didn’t get to finish his thought process, distracted when he seized the way Natsuya was gawking at them with a nasty smile painting his lips, appearing way too overjoyed at what was playing out in his face. Rin was flicking his index finger and thumb as he frowned, unperturbed, protected by oblivion, when Haru redirected his attention to him, and then there was Ikuya who snapped his mouth shut as he turned his head away with a cold huff, cheeks red.

Kisumi and Asahi were side-eying each other beside Natsuya, before Rin cleared his throat and told him directly, “There was a piece of rice.”

“Oh,” Haru mumbled, gulping. Natsuya burst into laughter, unable to hold it in any more, even disintegrating into a puddle of cackling disarray. But Rin didn’t mind him, so neither did Haru and the others.

Instead, Rin smiled at him, a dimple popping up from his left cheek. “You just finished with lunch, huh?”

Haru nodded. “Yeah.”

Gathering himself as he licked his lips, Natsuya put a hand on Rin’s shoulder and squeezed. Haru was fixated to the way he was holding Rin, like he owned him. “Na, Rin—I was looking all over for you, you weren’t answering any of my texts.”

“Ah. Here, dummy. Phone’s dead.” Rin waved his phone to show Natsuya.

He made a face. “Tch, damn it. You didn’t charge it before leaving this morning?”

“You know why.” Rin scoffed, rolling his eyes. Natsuya looked like he was trying to recall it in his head. Haru glanced to his left, and saw Ikuya standing there and fidgeting with the cuff of his sweater, watching everything happen like he was anticipating something. “So, do you remember now? You were hogging the outlet, Natsu... Your laptop, two fuckin’ cell phones, and your iPad.”

Natsuya pumped a fist to his open palm. “Ah, shit! I didn’t realize.”

“It’s fine. Why were you looking for me?”

From there, Natsuya lit up, and he told Rin excitedly, “It’s about the band we should be building, Rin!” A band? They’re forming a band? Would Rin be si—

Scratching at his nape, Rin sighed. “Mm... Did you find members?”

“You bet I did! It was pretty easy, actually! And you,” Natsuya draped an arm around Rin, “will be singing.”

Having heard that, Haru’s heart fluttered in his chest, ears ringing in excitement simultaneously.

“You know I don’t do that,” Rin murmured in protest, clicking his tongue. Haru basked in the way his cheeks went beet red...

“I know, but we always start somewhere. Plus, your voice is great! Awesome, even! I heard you singing in the shower, you know?” Natsuya wiggled his eyebrows, shooting Rin a spicy look, eliciting a growl from Rin.

“Shut up. No one needs to know that.”

Natsuya disregarded his snarky resonance altogether as he tacked on with his own accumulated plan, “Anyway. My brother here, is going to be our bassist—,” Ikuya heaved brusquely and folded his arms over his chest at the mention of himself, “—And I met this dude at a bar, he said he could play anything, and what are the odds? He also goes here!”

“Who?” Both Ikuya and Rin asked.

“Mm, well... Not sure if any of you know him, but I actually told him to meet me here. Kinjou Kaede. Ring any bell?” Natsuya cocked a brow at the two.

“Mm? No. Haven’t heard of such a name...”

“Okay, well. He should be here any moment now, I want you to meet him. He’ll be playing rhythm for us, and—”

Haru shut him out as he dreaded himself. More people surrounding Rin... Haru didn’t know how that should make him feel. But at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling giddy that Rin would be— He could possibly be singing for this, and Haru would be hearing his singing voice live, loud, and clear.

“I know Kaede-kun, actually,” Kisumi suddenly chimed in. Everyone turned to assess him.

“Yeah?” It was Natsuya that decided to humor him.

Kisumi pursed his lips, thoughtful. “Yeah, sure. We attended the same high school together, but we were never put in the same class. But I know him, and I bet he knows me too.”

Grinning broadly, Asahi wound an arm around Kisumi, making the guy giggle. “Honestly, who else do you not know? You know almost everyone around here.”

“Guess I’m just way too friendly.” Haru rolled his eyes at that, but didn’t say anything.

As if on cue, the plus one member for their band came into the room, and Natsuya recognized him on the get-go. “Oh, speaking of! Yo, Kaede!”

“Yo, Natsuya-chan,” the guy in question responded, and his voice sounded lazy, just like how he brought himself, seeming laidback and collected. Haru drank in the new person’s appearance; he wore a light blue polo shirt that was unbuttoned all the way down, with peach colored shirt underneath that, his joggers the dark shade of gray, donning some black running shoes, and his hair—it was a shocking color of orange. ...There was no other description for it off the color wheel, apart from that. Orange. Could even pass off as sunset orange, perchance. It wasn’t the same as Momo’s fiery ones, or Asahi’s in-betweens. He was as tall as Natsuya though, both of them looking like a pair of giant rooks. Or like those moving trees Haru saw in a movie once... maybe.

“Chan? I told you to stop calling me that. I’m older than you, you little brat!” Natsuya laughed out loud. “You might as well address me senpai.”

“Not a chance in hell.” The guy countered easily, smiling. It was sardonic, like he was being sarcastic, but Natsuya didn’t seem to care.

He simply went on to pull Ikuya to slot under his arm, the smaller guy wincing at the force of their bodies slamming against one another. “So, this is my brother! Cute, isn’t he? He got it from me,” he rattled in haste, as if avoiding being called out for that last bit, tipping his chin coolly afterwards to regard Rin, “and that’s Rin, the one I’m talking to you about. He’ll be singing for us.”

“Natsu—oi! I never agreed to that!” Rin argued this time, blushing harder now.

And Natsuya merely grinned, flashing perfect white pearls at them. “You didn’t need to, man. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“Tch. Asshole...”

This was it, the very moment that Haru began to realize how Natsuya was just like Nagisa, except Nagisa took no for an answer despite being pushy at times. He never knew there’d be someone who could beat his friend at being persistent.

The new guy, Kaede, shook hands with Ikuya and Rin. And that had been Haru’s chosen moment to flee the scene. He just saw a glimpse of the time on the wall clock they had within the cafeteria.

“Ah, Haru, where are you going?”

Haru looked back over his shoulder, meeting Asahi’s gaze momentarily who was getting a move on with Kisumi next to him, both guys about to follow his lead out the canteen rail. “To my next class,” he supplied for Rin.

And Rin, who was just holding Kaede’s hand, took his time to skip towards Haru and stand before him. He put a hand behind his head, looking shy all the sudden. Haru patiently waited for him to continue. “I see... Um. Will I be seeing you later?” He finally asked in a soft pitch, like he didn’t want anyone to hear aside from Haru.

“Uh... What for?” And so he asked, to which he kicked himself for, as soon as it escaped his mouth.

Ruby eyes widened at his expense, and there was a faint blush creeping up Rin’s neck as he uttered, “Oh, um, I don’t know. Just to hangout? But if you’re busy, then...”

He wet his lips, then gently informed, “I won’t be doing anything later...”

Rin’s eyes set ablaze, and he bit his bottom lip in triumph. “Then we can, yeah? My place, or yours?” And that was when his voice returned to its original tempo, causing everyone within their vicinity to overhear what he conjectured.

He took it upon him to roam his eyes around, and it seemed like everyone was tuned in to them conversing at this point. Natsuya was the one who had the biggest smile amongst them, seconded by Kisumi who was smirking mockingly, then Asahi who looked a little perplexed, Ikuya who was staring curiously back at them, and Kaede who had absolutely no appraisal as to what was actually going on.

At last, Haru cleared his throat. “Anywhere is fine, Rin.”

“Mmm, in that case, mine!”

“Okay.”

“That’s settled then! I’ll see you later.” Rin grinned at him, before whirling back to deal things with his friends—or, future band mates...

“Okay,” Haru said again, averting toward his left, Kisumi and Asahi catching up with him. And before he went to exit the cafeteria, after disposing of his trash, Haru still felt eyes on him.

**

Haru attended three more of his classes that were declared in his itinerary before he was freed for the rest of his afternoon. He could go home now and relax under the spray, get into some comfortable clothes and flop on his bed, drift off right away, but—instead Kisumi and Asahi dragged him to Asahi’s sister’s pub in the end, anyway. It was mostly Kisumi’s idea, and Haru had no say to it, because... No reason. Haru couldn’t come up with a single one.

But—he’d envisaged it had something to do with Kisumi’s ceaselessness, somehow? He was just like the younger version of Rin that Haru hung out with twenty-four seven back then. His subsistence and self-inclusion that went a long, long way. Rin was the type of kid who wouldn’t let everyone around him have fun without him. He’d get really bitter and snippy, and he’d snap. Haru might’ve spoiled him a lot then, letting him in on every ounce of secret and cared far too much to not let him miss out on anything.

Not that he would offer the same treatment to Kisumi, though. It was just the fact that he still had a fair bit of energy to consume and he had no other plans besides those things he mentioned, so... Also, Asahi was kind enough to invite him so willingly despite them only knowing each other for half a day. Haru couldn’t have said no. Not yet anyway.

They had a late afternoon snack at the pub, and Haru got to meet Asahi’s older sister, Akane, as well as her tiny baby that Kisumi refused to let go of the very instant he held them. Like currently.

“I’ve missed you a lot, you little thing! You’ve grown so big! Oooh—” Kisumi chuckled as he let the baby pinch and squish on his cheeks. He’d been carrying them around as the three of them sat around a table for four snagged at a corner near the window.

And it was nice here; they had the heater cozying up the area, the pub being open to the public and served draught beer or cider with or without food. Seeing as it was the middle of the day, however, no one was out here thrashing and that made the atmosphere ten times better. The interior was brown—wood—with only a few tables and booths, the bar having a couple of high stools and the menus leaned on a slanted position over the shelves, chalk writings in a wispy hiragana, katakana and kanji.

“Asahi! Get your nephew! He’s murdering your friend, can’t you see?!” Akane yelled over the counter, with her voice high-pitched and motherly. Haru almost laughed at her lively bravado.

Grunting, Asahi rolled his eyes at her but did what was told. He scooped the baby—Tsukushi—up from Kisumi’s arms and held them against his own. Kisumi still didn’t leave them out of his sight as he leaned over and went on to coo and make faces to make them giggle and squeal.

Haru held up the glass of cold red tea that Asahi slid toward him earlier, bringing it up to his lips. At the corner of his eye, he could make out of Ikuya who was in the pub too after all, situated at a different table at the left hand side, talking to a guy Haru’d never seen before. They wore black-framed glasses and a coral polo long sleeves, their hair brown and short. Seemed like they were discussing something over a plate of... Haru couldn’t really tell from his place around their table. And he thought it’d be less hassle to pretend not to notice anyway, so he opted to just look down at his lap, again. He’d been doing it for the past ten minutes now, besides, glancing on his phone for no reason.

Somehow, he’d hoped Rin would message him.

When his phone vibrated, Haru snatched it up and the smile he almost mustered didn’t see the light of day when he saw it was a text from someone else—not Rin. But that was fine. It was from Makoto. Last week was the last time he got to see and speak with Makoto, and he sort of wanted to hear from him. Haru read the text, and it was the guy asking how he’d been, reasonably pertaining to his living situation and school. Haru replied to him, because Makoto was a pleasant soul, and Haru still felt effectuated whenever he was reminded of Makoto’s courteousness, so he thought it would only be appropriate to accommodate him more than was nearly necessary.

And this, Haru thought, was what he meant by necessary because he didn’t usually reply to people. He wouldn’t even reply to his own parents or Rin sometimes...

“Oi, oi, Kisumi, c’mon! Let’s do this, the usual—” Asahi suddenly warbled, dropping heavily on one of the chairs with a hefty sigh (he’d already returned Tsukushi to their mom), waving his phone around. Haru looked up from his own phone after sending a reply to Makoto, to see what was happening. “Hi, guys! We’re live now after a long day. Yay! I just finished with college, and now I’m at my sister’s inn! Chilling with my friends here, look—” He panned the camera around that was after all running. He’d started a livestream on... Instagram?

And he was talking so fast in an odd vlogger voice.

“Hi!” Kisumi trilled, waving at the camera that had yet to point at him.

Asahi complied to show Kisumi then, snaking an arm around him. “So, you already know Kisumi, my weak buddy when it comes to drinking!” He laughed. “And then, here, we have a new guest, Haruka!”

Oh no.

“Nn...” He was quick to grumble under his breath. Haru wasn’t sure he liked where this was going. Even so, he faced the camera, just to see what was up on there. Nothing much... Or—wait. Was that...? Did Haru see correctly? Twelve thousand three hundred viewers? But, he just started his live—

He’d just made friends with a social media influencer, then. What else was in store for him?

“Say, hi, Haru!” Asahi grinned at him, and Haru found it quite captivating that he couldn’t deflect it.

“Hi,” was what he managed, and that was enough to please Asahi to smile even wider and retrieve his phone to talk to his audience again.

“Oh, you guys are so lucky. Did you know just how shy Haruka is? He’s probably the most quiet person I’ve ever met, but he said hi to you!” Asahi informed his viewers, cheekily winking at them. And then he pursed his lips and narrowed his gaze at his phone, mouth forming into a small o right after, head craning sideways to regard Haru with wiggling brows. “Haru, they’re all asking for your Insta. Do you have one? They said they wanna follow you.”

“Oh...um.” Flattered as he was, Haru had no such thing. Rin had asked him to create one for years now, only that he tended to forget every time. “I don’t have an Instagram.”

“You don’t?” Kisumi mused, frowning deeply, just as Asahi made the same facial expression, biting his bottom lip in a ‘yikes’ way. While this transpired, Haru somehow caught a glimpse of Ikuya watching them, but Haru was too preoccupied to acknowledge it. The glasses guy passed by, going back to their table and Haru minded them talking with wild hand gestures, before they were getting up and leaving the pub together.

“Kisumi,” Asahi intoned, stealing Haru’s attention again.

“Mm?”

“You know what this means, don’t you...” Asahi stated dramatically, fixing Kisumi a look that foretold he had come up with an obnoxious idea. And all Haru could think of was— this is bad. Without saying anything, Kisumi nodded firmly, and then minutes later, Haru had his own Instagram account assembled. They took a genuine, ‘unfiltered’ picture of him, for one, and then used it as his profile picture, then thought of a username that would go with it, haru_n_630, and that was that. He had two people he followed (Kisumi and Asahi) alongside thousands of strangers following his account thanks to Asahi’s influence.

“I’m not gonna post anything there...” Haru mumbled once he got his phone back, staring at his Instagram account that rather looked so empty and brand new.

“You sure? You’ve got such a nice camera, Na-na-se~! Might as well make use of your photography skills!” Kisumi suggested blithely, eyes shining bright. Asahi nodded primly in agreement, and Haru just—he could only blow a sigh.

Looking back at his profile, he mulled it over. With his thumb hovering over the screen, he tapped on the magnifying glass icon and typed out matsuoka_r, because despite not having an Instagram before, he knew what Rin’s IG handle was. Of course he knew. Rin’s profile sprung up, and Haru felt a little disappointed seeing it was locked. He was on private, so he couldn’t stalk his pictures... Heart flipping in his chest, a surge of something fuzzy and warm took route in the pit of his stomach as he imagined having to see what Rin might’ve uploaded in the past five years; while he was in Australia, or just when they were yet to finish high school. He could be finding some undiscovered gems here...

“Thanks, you two,” he droned in later, to which he didn’t expect would earn him two pairs of wide eyes and those surprised looks on Asahi and Kisumi’s rosy faces. Whatever evoked those... “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s just that...” Asahi started.

“I’ve never heard you say thanks before, love,” Kisumi finished for him. And it was Haru’s turn to flush.

In the end, he locked his phone and put it away, bypassing following Rin’s Instagram account for now, snorting to himself. “Shut up.” Both Asahi and Kisumi laughed, and Haru had no choice but to smile at the ground.

**

It’d been a few hours since he came back from Akane’s bar, with Kisumi in tow, of course, who behaved unnaturally tacitly next to him on their way here. Even as they ran into some people that knew him, Kisumi had managed to keep his hands to himself, the same with his thinny voice that Haru never had the burden of hearing.

Until now.

“Going somewhere?” Kisumi asked, smirking at him by the hallway.

By this time, Haru had already had some change of clothes, picking a black and white cap to wear over his head, his multi-color windbreaker to go with some dark blue shirt from underneath, his favorite pair of black trackies, and lastly his black Converse shoes. He was on his way to Rin’s and Natsuya’s, like he and Rin had talked about this afternoon during lunch, and Kisumi at the moment was blocking his way.

It was no news that Kisumi had been aware of it, because he was there when Rin invited him to hangout, so definitely, Haru knew this was him plainly tormenting.

Due to the kind deed he perpetrated for Haru earlier, Haru spared him the cutting comeback that brimmed at the tip of his tongue and ignored him altogether, carrying on to walk past him and grab his key at the doorstep, looking down at Rin the cat who lay flatly on her stomach, snoozing through the food coma that she’d surely lodged. He checked himself once more; he got his phone and wallet in the pockets of his windbreaker, and there was no need to bring an umbrella... he was all set.

“I’m off to see Rin,” he relayed at the least, before crooking the knob.

“Hai, hai, Na-na-se~ I know... Don’t go home too late though, or I’ll come get you myself.”

Haru wavered. Huh.

But then thought better of it. Tch. Whatever...

He’d thought about riding a taxi, but it wasn’t urgent, so in the end he’d stick to taking the subway instead. He figured his beep card still had some change in it, therefore he took the tube to Rin’s apartment. There weren’t many people in the train, just a few elderlies and workers, making the trip peaceful and with less altercation.

He reached the building after a few minutes of walking, and jogged up the stairs as he did. Rin lived on the fifth floor, and the only elevator the building owned did not work. It was fine with him.

Outside, Haru could already hear noises coming from their door. He was puzzled at that, because he could swear he heard more than two people... And it wasn’t Natsuya or Rin, making him rethink his next move.

Then again, he was already here, and he didn’t text Rin beforehand... Inhaling sharply, Haru raised a fist, twisting it around to let his knuckle face the wooden door. Here goes nothing. And so he knocked on the door, albeit a bit hesitant. There was silence that followed his rasping, and then multiple footsteps clattered the floorboards. Haru sucked in, overwhelmed by it all. He couldn’t help starting to dread, asking himself, did I knock on the right door...?

But then the door swung open and he was met by four pairs of eyes, one of them being Rin’s. “Ah, Haru!” Rin bounded towards the door and bumped with Ikuya who’d answered it, the boy’s eyes intense upon seeing him at the front step. From the looks of it, they were having some sort of meeting... about that band they were supposed to be forming. Because here was Natsuya, the friend he mentioned and introduced earlier, Kaede, Ikuya and Rin. All four of them gathered here, no longer wearing the same clothes they wore in college this afternoon. Rin held him by the wrist and pulled him in, closing the door with a soft click behind him. “Come in, Haru. Listen, I know I told you we’d hang out tonight, but Natsuya here—”

“We’re having a band discussion, Haruka. It was my idea. Hope you don’t mind?” Natsuya chimed in, placing a hand on his right hip and raising a perfect thick brow.

“Not at all,” he was quick to say, because he really didn’t. He was fine with it, he was...kind of curious now, actually.

“Great! So, Rin? We’re waiting.”

“Err... Do I really have to? I mean, Ikuya could be a lot better than me—”

“I’m not singing.”

Rin sighed. Haru stepped over some scattered CDs and magazines swarming the floor, some empty cans of sodas here and there, making the room stuffier, as he headed toward Rin’s bed. He’d been here only twice—this being the second time, the first time was last week—and he only stayed for a couple of hours, so it was only now he was minding the place at large. The interior was a lot different from his and Kisumi’s, for one. While theirs had the white motif going on in it, Rin and Natsuya’s apartment was all dark and brown and maroon.

The kitchen wasn’t as big as their own, there weren’t any bedrooms, just this one where they were all at, the only two single beds situated on either side of the wall, Natsuya’s side and Rin’s side, but the bathroom... Haru had used it last week. It was the first thing he checked upon touching down, really, to which Rin teased him about, because yes, they had a huge tub that could fit two persons. Overall, this was the type of apartment that was good for one person, if Haru would say so himself, but he and Natsuya managed to fit all their belongings anyway, not to mention get a space for each of them.

Rin’s side sported posters across the walls beside his bed, some random polaroids of him and his family, Gou, Miyako, his father... And then there were two foreigners on top of it, that Haru would presume was the married couple that Rin lived with in Australia. He hadn’t met them. Then again... Haru had no idea if he wanted to.

On the other hand, Natsuya’s side of the room was pretty plain and simple. On his wall was a clock hanging next to a basic-looking calendar. A white board with scribbles of blue marker—Haru would assume that was all about fitness and schedules... And it wasn’t just for himself, but also for Rin. So they went to the gym then. Rin hit the gym with Natsuya, and it seemed like they dropped by every after lunch.

Having taken all that in, Haru self-consciously looked down at himself and couldn’t help frowning. It’s been a few months since I last hit the gym myself. Maybe I should give it another go...

There were two nightstands for each of them, and Rin had a couple of books stacked on top of his, a wrist watch holder, his phone hooked to the charger, and Natsuya’s side only consisted of a small, old bedside lamp and a pile of antique cassette tapes on one corner next to a pair of drumsticks. So the chatty bastard was the drummer.

“What do you think, Haru?”

“Haruka? Familiarizing yourself with the room, eh?” Natsuya jested, mirthful. Haru ignored his elfish gaze, although he could feel his cheeks warm at the notion of his query. Because it’s true. I’m familiarizing myself with the room. I want to memorize the things that Rin sees on a daily basis. I want to learn more about this place—the place where he starts and ends his day. This place that could’ve been ours alone... If only I didn’t turn down his offer—

“What do I think about what?”

“You know, me, singing for the band?” Rin inquired, and the way his voice came out suggested that he was indeed in dire need of an honest feedback. He looked so utterly...concerned.

“Ah... I think it’d be a great idea,” he told him then, fiddling with his thumbs.

“See? Even Haruka thinks so!” Natsuya clapped, motioning towards Haru right after as if presenting him as proof that Rin could actually do it.

At that, Rin groaned, putting both hands to his forehead. “Haru, why would you agree? You’ve never even heard me sing!” Eyes widening for a short second, Haru looked down at his lap. And he could feel Rin’s heated glare burning holes on the side of his face now, his shadow looming over Haru’s figure by the edge of his bed. And then it came, “Haru...? You haven’t, have you?”

Exhaling, Haru tilted his head up and fixed Rin a look. Around the room, he could feel eyes zeroing on him, anticipation building up. “I might have, Rin...”

Crimson eyes went huge in a snap. “Eh? When?! How?”

“When we were in high school,” he admitted softly.

“Ohh...? So it is true, you’ve known each other forever, huh?” Natsuya put a hand on his hip, smiling broadly. Haru tore his gaze away from him immediately, lest he wished to see the wink that might come after such a shit-eating grin. He had no patience for that right now.

“Got nothing to do with you.”

A loud, reverberating laughter. “Anyway! So it’s settled then! Rin will be the vocalist, while he plays the lead! Kaede, you will be in rhythm just like what we walked about. Ikuya, you're the bassist, and I’ll be the drummer. This year, there’s going to be an event on campus, and we’re participating, you hear? We’ll have rehearsals. Send me your school schedules so I can set up some appointments for us in advance. I know a local music space rental in our prefecture, so it’ll be easy to hook us up!”

“You’ve really had everything planned out, don’t you?” Kaede cocked a brow.

“Yeah, well, Rin and I have since talked about forming a band, even back in Australia, you see. Plus, we’ve got my brother saying yes too, which is a rare feat, so this is really gonna happen. I’m not passing on the chance.”

Rin released a long suffering sigh, and he took the space next to Haru, sinking his weight onto it. Haru instantly felt safe when he did, unsurprisingly enough. Though he lamented inwardly, why did I have to feel safe? It’s not like I’m surrounded by a group of criminals.

“Fine. Let’s have it your way then. Where should we send our schedules?” Rin asked, massaging his temples. Haru could tell just how much this was making him nervous.

“My email! Y’all know mine, right? Kaede?” Natsuya pointed a finger at the aforementioned.

“I don’t,” Kaede simply divulged, unagitated.

Natsuya shrugged. “Well, I’ll text it to you. Any questions? Violent reactions?”

“I do have a violent reaction,” Rin claimed, raising a hand.

Shaking his head, Natsuya backed up. “Erm, yeah, you can’t back out anymore—”

“I’m not. I just wanna know who’s going to write our songs? Don’t tell me it’s gonna be me.”

“Oh, is that all?” Natsuya pulled Ikuya all the sudden and ruffled his hair, affectionately. “My brother’s got us covered!”

Ikuya’s cheeks turned pink. “Tch.”

“So, any more violent reactions, Rin-sama?” Natsuya grinned, eyebrows raised, sarcasm dripping past his outward persona.

“Mmm... guess not,” Rin mumbled, already sulking.

“If that’s all, I’m leaving,” Kaede announced, heading toward the door.

“Oi, oi! Hold your horses, dude, you sure you won’t stay for a couple of beers?” Beers? No one mentioned about—

“I have classes tomorrow, genius,” the guy deadpanned.

“And you think I don’t?” Natsuya chuckled, tipping his chin up.

Relenting, Kaede rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Fine. One bottle.”

**

No, they had more than one bottle.

In fact, by the time they finished an entire case, Natsuya was a right mess, swaying around with Kaede, who Haru thought was cool and unprovoked before this, while Ikuya sat on a corner, leaning his back against the wall, nursing a glass of drink—Haru didn’t hear him speak again the moment they started drinking. He was just there, coexisting with the others, gaze hooded as he speechlessly scrutinized his surroundings, like he didn’t wish to be here.

Rin on the other hand hadn’t left his side at all, his once pale cheeks now scarlet and flush, and he was downing his fifth bottle. Haru...had never seen Rin drink, not ever, until now, in their years of friendship. He didn’t even think Rin would actually commemorate their invitation to do so. Much like Haru himself, who clutched a bottle of beer on his lap. ...Apropos of hanging out, respectively, Haru didn’t have a choice but to agree to drinking with them, especially when he saw Rin’s wobbling lips profusely apologizing to him for the last minute change in plans. So there was that. He was on his third drink now.

Expectedly, he felt a little dizzy. He didn’t suspect beer would taste this bitter... Although, he must admit, when the beer was cold, the taste became tolerable, and the feeling it gave also felt nice, making him feel light and free. He kind of liked it.

After some time, after another round of passing bottles amongst them, Rin began to hum beside him, like he was already testing his singing voice, whether or not he still got it. And he did. He seriously still did. Haru never doubted Rin’s gift. Gifts... really. Just like his beauty and benevolence that he rarely let free in front of others, only with people he cared about the most, perhaps, like his family and friends—Haru being one of those—which was on an entirely different level, all things considered. But of course he didn’t know any of that, because of course he didn’t. After all, he was Matsuoka Rin, one of the single most humble and insecure people Haru’s ever come to know. The guy just had no idea how great he was, how fetching and comely, and...

Haru directed a furtive glance to his right, couldn’t help staring at Rin’s throat as he drank, the way his Adam’s apple would bob whenever he swallowed. The veins popping up there, whenever he’d made a face due to the bitter taste of the beer running down his throat. He’s sweating, he’s so aesthetically pleasing. It was a shame he didn’t have the slightest clue. About Kisumi saying he looked like a supermodel, Haru thought he couldn’t deny him the compliment, because he was spot-on, wasn’t he?

Speaking of sweat, Haru felt a trickle slide down his own forehead. No wonder... One of the guys switched off the air-conditioner earlier, because Natsuya didn’t want the stench of beer to stick to their hanged clothes by the window, he said, as well as to their bed sheets.

Still, he shouldn’t be ogling Rin like a creep. It’s not right.

Haru took another swig from his beer when he heard Rin call his name, “Haru.”

“Yeah?”

“Didn’t think you’d actually drink with us. I thought you didn’t...”

He pressed his lips together, nodding. “I don’t.”

“Then why?”

Unable to say, he went on to shrug. Because you are, so I am now.

And that caused Rin to smile at him, his face looking so pink. Rosy. Haru wanted to touch it, feel the warmth that he was sure it radiated. And perhaps, he almost did, but he regained his consciousness immediately to ball his fist beside him instead. It’s not right.

Lifting up his head, Haru alleged the part where Ikuya’s gaze—that seemed to have been focusing on him the entire time—lingered on for three short seconds, before the guy turned his head as if he didn’t mean to stare. He’d moved places now from leaning against a wall at a far corner of the room at large, to lounging on his older brother’s bed across them, his body facing Haru and Rin, here by Rin’s bed.

Seeing as it was dead quiet outside, Haru wondered what time it must be now... He wondered if Kisumi was already looking for him at this rate, or if he even considered calling. Somehow, Haru worried. Then again—

Haru looked at Rin beside him, who was still quietly humming and hugging the bottle of beer into his chest, and suddenly he found that he didn't care so much anymore. Because he realized there were far more important things right now that he was experiencing for the first time.

Like— “Haru...” Rin dropped his head on his shoulder, taking his hand and looping their arms together as he clung tightly. He was acting really sweet tonight, soft and tender that it made Haru’s heart ache. He could stay this way with Rin forever, he thought.

“Rin, what is it?” He managed to ask in a mumbling intonation, nonetheless, despite his rapidly beating heart. Despite feeling something twitching from some part of his body that he couldn’t really let turn into a big deal, like he shouldn’t let any of this get to him, otherwise... He’d be in trouble.

“Nothing, I miss you.” But Rin sure is making this hard for him.

“You miss me? But... I’m here.”

“Yeah, but still.”

Haru could smell beer on Rin, he was also slurring now. He was drunk and out of it. “If you say so, Rin.”

“How about you? Don’t you miss me, Haru?”

I do, you have no idea. “Maybe.”

“Mm... Maybe, huh? Must say, I’m offended.”

Haru shook his head, about to laugh softly at Rin, be coy about it, but when he moved to face Rin, an audible gasp almost escaped him after processing the fact that their faces had gone too near with one another, their noses brushing not-so-slightly now, rather than those other instances, against each other, and—shit, this was him, literally drowning in pools of rubies and carmines, and. What does he do? It took him a second, a minute, a moment before he could recollect himself and back away a little. “Sorry.”

“For what? Not like we’ve never had our faces that near before. Tch. We even ki—” Rin clicked his tongue as he cut himself off, sounding a bit pissed. Indignant. Haru’s heart leapt up to his throat and he swallowed the lump that formed there far too quickly.

“We were kids back then, Rin,” he argued despondently. Seriously... What do you want me to do? I’d make out with you, Matsuoka Rin. Full-on snog the life out of you. Because I swear, it wouldn’t just be an innocent kiss anymore, from here on out. Even with other people around, I won’t give a damn. But...

“Ah.” Rin finished the last dregs of his beer and lowered the bottle after. Wiping his mouth, he elbowed Haru’s arm. “You still remember too, then.” How could I forget? Your lips on mine, you mean?

Haru pursed his lips. “Suppose so.”

“And... you’re not mad at me?”

“Why would I get mad? Like I said, we were young and... stupid.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Rin fixed him a look, and it was crazy how efficiently he could switch moods. From joking to being serious in seconds flat. It made Haru’s mouth dry and his stomach fuzzy and lukewarm, he couldn’t breathe properly. Rin’s eyes were a striking fiery red in this instance. “Na, Haru. If I did it now, would you get mad?”

And, what? Haru felt...shocked, he couldn’t believe what Rin just said. A long beat of silence passed between them, yet Rin’s gaze remained intense. Again, what does he do?

Just then—

“Oi, you two!” As it turned out, Natsuya had been calling them. Haru tore his gaze away from Rin as he mentally kicked his own ass for it. Shit, I don’t know how to respond to that. I mean, of course I wouldn’t have minded, but—Rin... You’re... just drunk, aren’t you? Haru chased Natsuya with a questioning look. Or so he hoped it was. “I asked if you wanted more beer, losers. My treat!”

A low grumble resounded from within their circle. It was Kaede who crouched on the floor beside piles and piles of tattered vinyls. “Nah, man. It’s almost midnight, I need to get home.”

“Oh—ah? Timeout. Where’s my brother?” Natsuya with a glass of beer that sloshed a little, whirled around, distractedly, looking for Ikuya who apparently went missing.

“I think he went inside the bathroom,” supplied Kaede with a yawn.

“Eh? Oi, Ikuya! Are you in there?” And so he knocked on the door.

It opened, and Ikuya emerged from it with a drenched fringe. Seemed like he splashed water on his face. “What?”

“There you are, I thought you disappeared again! You always disappear in the middle of everything. Even when we were—”

“I’m still here, aren’t I? Jeez.”

“Ha! That damn attitude. He definitely didn’t inherit that from me.”

“You sure?” Kaede smirked.

“You don’t believe me?” Natsuya glowered at him, totally off his rocker now.

“Man, don’t even fucking think about it. Fuck... This feels like a déjà vu.”

“He got this drunk last time too, didn’t he?” Ikuya asked, disappointment in his voice. His frons knitted and his eyes set ablaze. Looking at him made Haru’s body stiffen for a second.

“Define drunk.” Kaeda snorted. ”Motherfucker crawled out the bar. I had to call for a cab for him and beg the driver not to kill him. Took a picture of the driver and everything. T’was so embarrassing.”

“Oh.” Ikuya, still with his eyebrows furrowed, glared at his brother.

And that was good enough; Natsuya was finally raising both hands in what Haru could only pinpoint as him surrendering. “Wow. Bunch of killjoys.” He waved them all off as he paced around for a few. “Fine, no more drinks for us! We can continue this next time. How about a picture then? Haruka, you mind taking it for us? As a newly formed band.”

“Oi, don’t just ask him for things, asshole. His service isn’t for free,” Rin snapped.

“Really? Are you a freelance photographer, Haruka?” Natsuya had the audacity to ask.

And Haru couldn’t help lolling his head to the side, irritated once more. “Stop saying my name like that.”

“Haruka.” Natsuya grinned as he stated, the evil scoundrel.

Well, fine then. “Natsuya.”

“Haruka. Haruka. Haruka.” Damn, he despised him a lot.

Sighing in frustration, Haru was forced to whip his phone out and rumbled, “Huddle. Now. Before I change my mind.”

“Yes! Knew I could count on you, Haruk—”

“Quiet.”

As it was, Rin stood next to Natsuya, and Ikuya had to be dragged there, while Kaede enjoyed the expansion at the far left. Haru tapped the camera application on his phone and supported its weight as he directed the lens to take a picture of them. The lighting of the room wasn’t bad per se, but it wasn’t what Haru would normally approve of. He took another one; Natsuya was thrusting a peace sign, while Rin let his other hand wrap over his shoulders. Ikuya was looking away with a blush on his face, and Kaede was puffy-eyed and grinning beside them.

Haru, feeling spiteful, zoomed the camera in to focus on the only good thing about tonight... He zoomed in on Rin’s simping face, and he took a shot of just him. Just him, again. Just him... And then all four of them, because he was nice like that.

“Hey, how many photos was that?”

“Not telling you.”

“Aww, you really hate my guts.” Natsuya pouted, his cheeks tomato red. Amongst everyone here, he was the most drunk. “Let me see then,” he slurred, waddling toward Haru, and Haru, eyes wide, had to jump on Rin’s bed, without a doubt surprising everyone with his action.

“No,” he gritted out, petulance oozing out of him.

It was quiet for a moment, no one was talking, until Natsuya broke out into boisterous laughter. “Hey now, what are you hiding in there?”

“Nothing. None of your business.”

“Do you save porn, Haruka? Oh god.”

And that was when Haru felt himself dissolve.

“Oi, shut it, Natsu.”

Haru glanced at Rin, who was sporting a soft blush across his face and down to his neck. Haru couldn’t tell if he was blushing due to the alcohol in his system, or because of what his roommate assumed. “Come on, why won’t you show us? Did I guess correctly?” No, you idiot! I don’t download porn. I just don’t want any of you to find out about my crush on Rin.

Natsuya scrambled to get to where he was, nudging past Rin and Kaede. With something hot recoiling in his guts, Haru backed away from the edge of the bed as fast as he could manage, and just when he thought Natsuya was about to reach him, a hand stopping Natsuya saved him the trouble—

“Aniki!” Ikuya shouted.

“Huh?” Natsuya perked up.

Ikuya, who had one hand pushed in the pocket of his jeans, ran his fingers through his hair, tilting his head a little over to the side. He drawled wistfully, “I’m tired, I’m going home.”

“Already?”

“Yes. So, can you? Walk with me, outside.” He thumbed at the door.

“Oh. Okay.” So, it seems. Natsuya’s weakness was Ikuya...

“Guess I should go too,” Kaede mumbled, already gathering his things.

Ikuya, Natsuya and Kaede made the beeline for the door. Haru took that time to hop off the bed and lock his phone. “I’ll just send you the pictures, Rin,” he told Rin who stayed beside him.

“Yeah, sure, Haru. No problem. Sorry about Natsuya.”

“Mm.”

When the three were officially gone, Rin leaned close to him and whispered, making his hair stand on end at his raspy deep voice, “You’re not hiding any porn there now, are you?”

“Rin...” Haru sighed as he slumped his shoulders.

Rin’s answering laughter made his heart flutter. “Kidding. I’m kidding.”

**

“You’re late.” Kisumi, AKA Haru’s mother (now, apparently), had his arms folded across his chest, foot tapping on the floor. Haru sighed and swerved past him. He removed his shoes at the front door and left them lying there, heading inside the apartment. He tottered over to the sofa and shut his eyes, feeling a little dazed. “You smell like beer.”

“Nn...” He groaned. Kisumi had seated beside him, their arms pressed against each other down to their thighs. Haru didn’t like that they were, but the alcohol in his system reacted oppositely. It was the same as when Rin had been pressed up against him earlier, like drunkenness required it. Being touched, being held. And Haru didn’t even like any of those two things, not really, but he surmised being under the influence of beer made one clingy. Or, as the case may be, it was just him. So this was how he got tipsy, huh.

“So, how was it? You, getting to hangout with him?”

“What...do you mean? We do this all the time... especially when we were younger.” Ah, so being drunk also made his voice garble. His throat felt parched, like it begged for water, and his thoughts... they felt scattered right about now, like they’d been elsewhere tonight. Woozy.

“How long have you known each other?”

“Mm... before middle school.” Why am I suddenly answering Kisumi’s questions? Normally I would ignore them and leave him be.

“Ah, I see. So he’d be a difficult rival then.”

“Yeah. He’d be a difficult ri—” Haru’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up straight. What did he just say? Rival? “Na, Kisumi—”

“Yep?”

“What are you—”

“Tch. I don’t know about you, Nanase Haruka, but...” Haru gave Kisumi a once-over before stopping to direct his gaze toward his face. He allowed himself to witness the way Kisumi’s eyes darted downward as if he was staring at Haru’s mouth, causing him to swallow visibly; and he did the same, looking down at Kisumi’s lips that parted open slightly. It was odd. This was strange.

“But...what?” Haru held his breath, for some reason he felt it was crucial at this moment.

And the moment was disrupted when Kisumi outrightly sneezed, twice, head craning away in a flash. “There—there’s your answer. You should wash up because you really reek of alcohol and it’s late, we have classes tomorrow, you know.” Kisumi stood up, marching toward the hallway that led to their bedrooms. “See you in the morning, roommate~!” He chirped optimistically, though his voice came out in a manner that told Haru it was purely intentional for it to sound genial. He had his own moments then.

Rolling his eyes, amused, Haru got up as he thought about taking Kisumi’s advice into consideration, murmuring to no one in particular, “Good night.”

#like pools of water beneath our feet #lpowbof2 #lpowbof chp 2 #my fic #rinharu #harurin #free!

[borntoocry]

All Your Glory

pairing: robin buckley x fem oc! 

genre: coming out; secret crush

summary: Helena (Lena/ Lee•Na) has had a secret crush on robin for a while and thinks but hopes robin knows. 

authors note: I’ve been thinking about writing a quick robin one-shot and now that i’ve written this one... i want to continue adding to this--maybe!? also, touch tank reminds me of robin and so think of that song when you’re reading:) 

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

I wondered if Robin knew I was into girls just as much as she was. I wondered if she saw the way I wore my jeans, or how I nearly wore business attire with ties and scruffy loafers or sneakers because she enjoyed wearing the same thing. I wondered if she noticed but said nothing because she didn’t know how to bring it up in our conversations; or maybe she didn’t care. 

I also wondered if Robin knew that I liked her. That I took my time in counting her freckles and imagining them hovering over me, or in front of me as she pressed her lips onto mine. I wondered if she thought of me the same way. I wondered if she knew already, and if she did, if she even cared. 

I talked about her a lot and I never seemed to shut up about her. First it was about her recent haircut and hair tint, and how she looked absolutely beautiful. Then I spoke about her new job, and how I was excited that she no longer had to dress in navy blue attire with long socks and a lousy hat atop her head. Then I spoke about her coming over every week, almost every day, and simply being around me without speaking. Sometimes we would rent VCR tapes from Family Video, buy food from the store a couple of blocks from my house, and have a fun sleepover. 

There was nothing wrong with speaking about Robin–not in my opinion. It filled the silence; and at times it was better than speaking about what was happening at home. Robin never considered it odd either–when we were surrounded by Steve and Dustin tagging along, or Max stumbling in to rent another movie to watch with her mom. She usually pinched my side or dug her head into my back, as if she were a dog nuzzling her head into her owner. I never acknowledged her crazed movements, only if she begged me to stop with the voice of a child. 

I hung around Robin more than anyone else. She would stop by my house and my parents would cook us dinner. We would take it to my backyard where I held my treehouse and we would eat inside until it was dark. Then, we would smoke a couple of cigarettes and two dainty joints and sneak back inside, up to my room where we painted each other’s nails and I drowned her face in makeup. 

When she took a shower, I always patiently waited and when she returned to my room, I would pretend to be asleep. I might’ve been into women, but I’d never seen a woman naked before unless it was through my brother’s hidden Playboys. I wasn’t sure if I was okay with seeing a woman naked, nor if I even wanted to see a woman naked. Of course I did, but it was painful to come to terms with finally stepping into the person I was. Especially with how everyone was extremely against gay people. 

I was now lying beside Robin in my bed: her head lying on my lap, her hand stretched across her stomach, rubbing circles on the patch of bare skin. We were watching a new romance film that had recently been released to Family Video. I heard great things from the people at school, so I told Robin to steal it when she could, and she took it on a great night–on a Friday. 

At the moment there was the main character Lola, speaking to her ex-best friend, Coletta. They stopped speaking but began catching up after Coletta found out Lola was getting married to a man named John Silverspoon. And now they were… making up. Or making out. Or touching and telling each other they wanted to confess their feelings for as long as they could remember. 

Oh. Was this the movie people at school were recommending?, I thought. There was absolutely no way people from school were recommending a lesbian film. 

“This is sick!” Robin exclaimed. 

“I can’t believe people told us to watch this movie,” I whispered. 

“Why?” she asked. 

I shrugged. “I guess ‘cause no one talks about gay people. No one really wants to talk about them.” 

Robin removed her head from my lap and slid off the bed. She marched to the TV, paused the movie, and hopped back onto my bed. “So let’s talk about it,” she said as she tucked her legs into one another and pressed her hands on my knees. There was a shock that trickled over me and temporarily paralized me. 

“What do we talk about?” I asked. I most certainly sounded like a mouse. 

“You.” She smiled. She looked me right in my eyes and stuck her tongue out, coating her lips like she was truly interested; preparing herself to speak. 

While she seemed amused, I was terrified. Albeit wondering if she realized I liked women too, I wasn’t keen on her finding out and talking to me about it. I simply wanted her to find out and take me as I was without further questions.

“What do you mean… Robin?” 

She rolled her eyes and said, “I know you like girls.” 

“What?” I asked again. “No.” 

She raised an eyebrow and asked, “So you don’t like girls?” 

I shrugged. “No. They’re… not for me.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes. I like dick.” 

She burst into laughter. She shook her head and pressed her hand atop my mouth rather than atop hers. “Don’t you ever say that ever again! I know you don’t, Helena, so cut the bullshit. You like girls, don’t you?” 

“No, Robin, I don’t,” I spoke. My words felt harsh on my tongue: burning their way through my throat and marking my teeth and tongue. 

She scoffed and shrugged. “Ouch. Well I’m disappointed.” She then continued to rest her head on my shoulder and look up at me. She picked up the end of my braid and removed the elastic protecting it from unraveling. “That upsets me,” she huffed after a beat. 

“What?” I had the air sucked out of me and I wasn’t sure if it was because she was a vacuum or I couldn’t breathe because she was saying she wanted me. “What do you mean?” 

She took this time to place an icy hand on my chin and pull me down towards her. She looked at me with tranquil eyes and a parted mouth and said, “If you’re not into girls, that’s a bummer, because Lola and Coletta could have been us. Or we could have been Lola and Coletta–doesn’t matter, same thing.” 

“Oh,” is all I said. Then when she began slowly nodding, begging me with her eyes to say something, I added, “Well maybe it’s a good thing I lied… then.” 

“You lied?” 

“Yes.”

“I knew it.” 

“How?” I whined. I was desperate to know. 

“How you dress, how you style your hair, how you love talking about me and never stop, even when I pinch you and beg with my slutty voice.” 

“Slutty voice?” I asked with a laugh.��

“Like this: please, Lena, stop telling everyone I wear bright white panties! I only wear them for you!” 

“Oh my GOD!” I pushed her off my lap and jolted up so I was standing on top of my bed. 

She followed suit and stood in front of me, her hands hesitantly raking through her hair as she watched me with ruby cheeks. “I’m… I’m joking.” 

I reached out and grabbed her cheeks, shaking her face around and around. “No you’re not. You’re not kidding, Robin, and that’s okay. I… I like it. I like that you’re not joking.” 

She nodded and proceeded to nuzzle her cheek into my hand. “I don’t think I was joking. I just told you something off the top of my head without thinking bright enough. Maybe that was dumb.” 

I wasn’t sure if I needed to kiss her at this moment, but I wanted to. So I asked. “Can I kiss you?” 

“Why?” she asked. She looked down at me with wide eyes and a look in her eyes that screamed, You like me, seriously, don’t you? 

I shrugged and questioned my entire existence. “I dunno’. I guess I just want to kiss you. Is that fine?” She nodded. I began leaning in but I freaked out, so I pulled away. I froze and whispered, “But you take initiative. I’m scared and I don’t know if you’ve ever kissed a girl, which I don’t think you have because you would have told me but I don’t know, maybe you have. But you seem like you know how to kiss and I don’t have a clue… So please… kiss me before I go crazy.” 

She chuckled but proceeded to pull my face in and plant her lips on top of mine. She kissed me with passion, as they spoke of in the movies, and need, and want, and the need and want to be mine and to kiss me like she never wanted to kiss someone this badly. 

I was entranced. I would have allowed her to do anything to me. I would have given up my virginity that night if she asked me to give it to her. I knew nothing of sex with a woman, but I wanted to try with Robin. If that was what kissing Robin once did to my brain, I wanted to see what kissing her twice did, or kissing her thrice and so fucking forth. 

“I wanted to tell you…” I kissed her. She kissed me. We were still standing on top of my bed, except my back was against the wall. 

“Tell me what?” she asked. She bit my lip and I let out a noise I never released a day in my life. 

“I, uh, I was into you.” I moaned again. She licked my lips with her tongue. 

“Into me or girls in general?” 

“Girls,” I whispered. “But I’m… I’m really into you… too.” 

“Good to know,” she continued. “I’m really into you too. And boobs… God I love your boobs.”

“Good,” I moaned. “They're yours.” 

“Really?” she asked, groping them instantly. 

“Mhm.” I was biting down on my lips–enough to draw blood. “My lips too.”

She removed her lips from mine and held my face in front of hers with her jewelry-clad hands embracing my skin. “That’s also good to know. My boobs and lips are yours too.” 

“Good,” I whispered in the lowest voice. “I really like your lips.” 

“Really?” she panted. 

I hummed. “Yes. I look at them every day when I first look at you. I look at them when you talk, and I watch how you bite down on them. I watch how you chew on them and lick them when you’re either nervous or bored or entranced.” 

“Oh…” Robin was smiling now. Her big bright teeth were shining brighter than my room lights. I was blinded. “You are so gay!” 

I pressed my hand on her mouth and pushed her down onto my mattress. I sat atop her waist and didn’t remove my hand until her hands were ghosting over my hips and her eyes were struggling to stay on my face. Once she couldn’t bear it any longer, I said, “Lookie here, Robin, this is something not everyone can know. I like you, I really do, I just have to shove my sexuality into a locker or a closet and leave it shut until I like… die. Actually, maybe not. There are a lot of people coming out nowadays… but I don’t want to right now. Do you understand? I understand if you don’t understand but–” 

“I understand,” Robin murmured. “I get it. You don’t have to come out yet. I haven’t either. But I’ll be here whenever you do want to, alright?” 

I tucked my lip into my teeth and hummed. “Okay. Maybe I’ll tell Steve and Max. Maybe.” 

“Okay,” she continued. “I support you, Lena. One-hundred percent.” 

I dipped down and kissed her lips the color of cherries again. “Thank you. I also support your… uhm… I support you sexy monstrosity too.” 

She dug her head into my neck and laughed. It vibrated through me. She kissed my neck and hummed. “You’re beautiful. My beautiful. I support you in all your beauty.” 

#robin buckley #robin #robin buckley fluff #stranger things #robin stranger things #maya hawke #kissing #lgbtq community

[themuselesswriter]

Between Then And Now - Chapter Five: Broken Once - Broken Many Times

Characters: Winston Williams, Monty De La Cruz, Estela De La Cruz, Mr De La Cruz, Original Characters

Summary: Monty wakes up from his father's beating and finds himself in a strange place, forced to gather strength that he never had.

Word count: 800+

Warnings: Child Abuse, Death, Mental Illness, Physical Abuse

A/N: this is an old chapter but since I’m reviving everything I thought about publishing it here as well

Credits: technopath - polarr filter by demiesgod, photos from Pinterest

————————————Teaser——————————-

“Isabella, help your mother set up the table” their father said so sweetly, the fifteen years old did as she was told, she had all of their best features, Estella’s heart-shaped face, long soft hair, Monty’s light eyes, freckles and hair colour, she was so beautiful, every guy at school wanted to date her, she was so sweet, her kindness was contagious to a point, she was loved, perfect, the child neither of them could be.

Their mother frowned at the table setting, they had forgotten the orange juice “dear, didn’t you pick up the orange juice as I told you?” the woman questioned “I think I might’ve forgotten” he replied with a nervous laugh, one that’s sweet “you know it’s Estella’s favourite and she would throw a tantrum if it’s not on the table, dinner will be ready in an hour, do you think you can go pick it up?” the man nodded, Isabella jumped “let’s go to the mall, you can pick up the juice from the groceries section and I can get some supplies for my art project!” she exclaimed “the mall? Isn’t it too far?” their mother raised an eyebrow at her “only 20 minutes drive, please! We won’t be late!” she begged with puppy eyes, the woman ended up agreeing.

~~~~~~~

He woke up in a hospital bed, not sure how he got there, but everything hurt like hell, Estella was by his bedside “Monty” she was standing right in front of him, showering him with kisses and sobs, he winced, what happened? “Nurse!” his sister shouted, everything was too loud, he was greeted by nurses who were invested in him, he opened his mouth to speak but his throat was dry and speaking hurt.

“Wh-” he coughed “it’s okay, we’ll fix that in a minute but right now let’s make sure you’re okay” one of the nurses smiled at him, he attempted to nod, but the best he could come up with was a blink, he allowed them to take some blood and run whatever tests that needed to be ran, focusing on his weeping sister, god she looked like their mother and he hated that, he hated the image of Estella turning into a soulless weeping woman with no purpose in life.

Minutes later, he was given soda to drink, and jelly to eat, the process was difficult but he managed to do it with the help of his sister “what happened?” he whispered, his voice cracking with every sound “you don’t remember? The fight with dad? He pushed you to the wall and you fell unconscious, you’ve been in a coma for a week” his eyes shot open with shock, a week, his heart began to race, it was alarming to the point that the heart monitoring machine began to beep “it’s okay” she desperately tried to calm him down, a week!

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#museless fanfic #13rw fanfiction #13 reasons why #13rw #monty de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz #estella de la cruz #estela de la cruz #winston williams #rico de la cruz #mr de la cruz #ao3 fanfic #fanfics

[notchesandbullets]

Pure Affections Wrapped Up in a Dark Green Bow (Husband!Pro-Hero!Bakugou x Wife!Reader)

Art credit: @/gaysony on Instagram

Warnings: suggestive themes (there’s one steamy kiss and innuendoes sprinkled throughout), nudity (not sexual), fluff, cursing, injuries, hurt/comfort, soft!domestic!Bakugou and heartwarming present. 

Synopsis: You had been married to Bakugou for a couple years now and you had a special present for him. But when he gets home, it’s clear that he hasn’t had the best day. You’re there, steady and strong for him to lean on for support and he does until he’s capable of standing on his own again. This is what love looks like.

Words: 6k

The door to your flat slammed closed, signaling that your husband was home, and you wiped your grimy hands on your dirt-streaked cargo pants. You grabbed something and jumped on the counter, shoving it in a cabinet before closing it. Double checking to make sure you couldn’t see it, you leaped down, quelling your excitement as you sped out of the kitchen.

But your rapid footsteps faltered when Bakugou came into sight, looking absolutely drained. 

He dropped his duffle bag on the floor without a care and kicked off his shoes, never looking up once. 

“Katsuki?” 

Your soft voice brought him back down to reality and he sighed heavily, gripping the roots of his ash-blond hair in frustration. When he finally glanced up, his garnet eyes were laced with exhaustion. 

But everything melted away the instant he saw you.

Engine oil smudged on your cheeks, Bakugou refrained from snorting at the sight of your muddied cargo pants and stained, white tank top. You sure were a sight for sore eyes even when tinkering with your support items commissioned for big-time heroes like him.

“Hi.” You giggled as he dumped the rest of his stuff to the ground, closing the distance in between you two in three large strides.

You frowned as you noticed a slight limp in his gait but you didn’t get a chance to question it. Bakugou didn’t waste any time, trapping you in his arms and crushing your form to his chest.

He grunted his hello, but his eyes were soft and his smile was fond as he drew back slightly. He might’ve grown since his hot-headed days in high school as you helped him express his emotions but that didn’t mean all his ticks went away.

You just held him as his head plopped on your shoulder, sensing where his distress and aggravation was stemming from.

“Bad day?” You asked sympathetically, looping your arms around his neck so that you could card your fingers through his spiky hair.

He snorted but his fingers tightened from where they were gripping your waist. “Like you wouldn’t fucking believe.”

It was awful. He had gotten called away on a mission only to find out that his people mixed up who he was going up against and had given him skewed intelligence. He would’ve fucked them up for a mistake like that if it wasn’t for that column that landed on his leg and trapped it. He was fortunate that Recovery Girl had made a special trip to see him or else he would still be in the hospital. 

You smiled sympathetically at the bite in his tone and pressed a kiss to his temple in an effort to calm him. “You want to talk about it?”

Bakugou shook his head no. All that could come later, right now, he just wanted to to hold you in his arms. Because when he did, it was like all was right with the world.

You didn’t press the issue. Instead, after coaxing him to stand on his own two feet so that you weren’t dragging his weight around the complex, you led him to your shared bedroom.

“C’mon, bathtime.” You encouraged softly.

Bakugou didn’t fight you as you guided him into the simplistic yet modern bathroom and he lifted his arms up as you tapped his wrists to indicate what you wanted him to do so that you could take his shirt off. 

You turned around so he could strip the rest of the way and started to run the bath. You left the lights off on purpose so that the harshness of it wouldn’t hurt his eyes. Instead, the window provided natural light. 

Adding a couple bath salts and essential oils (even though he claimed he hated the way it smelled) to aid in his relaxation, you adjusted the temperature of the water to chanced a glance back at the man draped over you. Your brow furrowed and a frown pinched the edge of your mouth as he leaned against you more than usual. He was more hurt than he was letting on.

Slinging his heavy arm around your shoulder, you supported him and helped him into the tub. He had already undressed the rest of the way but your brow furrowed as he struggled to lift his left leg. Eventually, you were able to lower him without a problem and you grinned triumphantly at the feat accomplished but it went unnoticed by your husband.

Bakugou frowned tiredly when you didn’t follow him in. 

“Come here.” He rasped, his voice heavy and laced with a burden he didn’t want to voice.

Your expression softened but you shook your head. You were so dirty from working in your workshop. If anything, you needed a shower. He could soak by himself and then come eat dinner when he was ready and up for it.

But Bakugou tugged on your hand, insisting. 

“I don’t give a shit.” He growled lowly. “Get in here, dumbass.”

Shaking your head at his crude language, you squeaked when he yanked you towards him. Your breath caught in your throat as he was now an inch away from your face, his hot exhales mingling with your gasp of surprise. 

“You’re not asking, are you?” You sighed dramatically but smiled to let him know that you were just kidding. “Alright, give me a second.”

As soon as you took your clothes off, you clambered in the bath with him, facing him because you didn’t trust him not to try anything in this state where you were both nude. 

He wrinkled his nose, giving away his displeasure as you stayed an arm’s length away from him but you didn’t care and urged him to scoot forward so that you could start to clean him. 

Bakugou hissed as your nails dragged against his scalp. “Taking a damn bath is fucking dirty.”

“The water gets so fucking disgusting.” He scowled, huffing scornfully when he saw how brown the water was turning already.

You shrugged, focusing on a patch of particularly rough sediment clinging to his chest. 

Bakugou took this moment of peace in time to observe the way your brow furrowed in concentration, how your nose flared and your lips pursed. 

You hardly ever let him watch you at work in the shop, giving him a shitty excuse that he distracted you or some shit.

Fucking lame. 

You were a vision when you were working on things that you were passionate on. He could watch you for hours and never get tired. He actually had, on several occasions, had gotten in trouble with his PR team more than once because he skipped or forgotten about a press conference meant to boost his publicity.

Not that he really needed more. If anything, as a top ten hero, he needed less.

All he wanted was to lay in bed and fall asleep with you in his arms. Was it too much to ask for that of the world? To give him an uneventful night of peace where he wasn’t called away to work, to be able to wake up with you in the morning when the sun rose above the skyline and greet you with breakfast in bed instead of a scrawled note that told you how much he loved and missed you since he couldn’t stick around. 

You never minded. You never complained about the hardships once.

You knew that when you agreed to marry him you knew exactly what you were signing up for. And you never regretted it.

Sure, the days were hard. You had work and friends to keep you more than occupied but at the end of the day, it boiled down to commitment and how much you loved him. That wasn’t to say that waiting was easy, not at all.

Because everyday you had to worry about whether or not he would make it home that night. Whether he was eating properly and getting enough rest. How every time you turned on the news you held your breath as you flicked through the channels, hoping and praying that your husband wouldn’t be on the front of those stories that broadcasted the death of a hero for the whole nation to see. 

But he was worth it. He was worth your unconditional love for him and every single moment of waiting. You would always wait for him because there was no one else you’d rather be with.

Bakugou almost fell asleep in the tub as you bathed him without being prompted. Normally, he's have some kind of irritation flashing through him as he was forced to endure your loving touch that he absolutely did not need. Or treasure.

Or was the only thing he was able to think of when you tended to him with the utmost care.

Fuck.

He had learned fairly early on in your marriage that being vulnerable didn't not constitute the same as being weak in his definition. But it got easier as time passed and he saw that you would be the last person on earth to judge him or think less of him because of his limitations. 

It had taken a while but eventually you broke down those high walls of his, embracing him in the midst of the maze he had built up around his heart to protect himself and kissed the top of his head as he leaned down. 

You got him. All of him. 

There was nowhere else in the world he’d rather be than by your side. 

Bakugou’s head lolled back against the backsplash as your nails scratched against his scalp.

He exhaled deeply. “Fuck, that feels good.” 

You fought back a cheeky smile. You knew him well and all of his weak spots.

Bakugou’s eyes fluttered closed as you continued to clean him. Usually, he would insist you turn around and relax so that he could take care of you but all the energy was sapped out of him. He was lucky he had someone like you to sit here with him after a shitty day, not ask any questions, but just simply be with him. 

You squeaked in surprise when he suddenly brought you in for a hug and you blushed a rosy red when he nuzzled unabashedly into the valley of your breasts.

“Katsuki!!” You exclaimed in shock, your fingers winding in his hair when he didn’t let you go. Your eyes shot open when he tugged you into his lap. He was never this forward and he usually waited a good couple hours to initiate any kind of physical contact after a rough day at work.

Today must have been particularly bad. 

“Thank you.” Bakugou grunted, the voiced appreciation coming out muffled from where he was attached to your chest.

Gaze softening, understanding filled your eyes and you gently kissed the top of his head. “You’re welcome.”

Discreetly, you grabbed the soap to finish his bath, sudsing yourself in the process. Bakugou didn’t complain once as the water turned dark with dirt, even though he was barking about it earlier, simply basking in your presence and breathing you in while you took care of him.

He toweled off first, per your insistence since you still needed to wash your hair.

As soon as you dried off, you gestured for him to hand you the antibiotic so that you could get to work on those cuts of his. He protested the entire time.

“This doesn’t even hurt, why do you have to put a fucking—”

Bakugou broke off with a hiss of pain as you pressed down slightly harder than you needed to in order to emphsize your point.

“Katsuki…” You warned, your eyes blatantly telling him not to fight you on this or else he’d regret it. He got it rather quickly.

“Yeah, yeah,” He mumbled, averting his eyes. “Fine. Do your fucking shit or whatever.”

You weren't thrown off by the indifferent tone in his voice. He needed to know that you weren’t going anywhere. 

He always got agitated anytime he got hurt. It was only natural for someone who grew up thinking they had to be strong all the time.

Gently pressing down on his thigh, you paid special attention to when he winced.

“It’s just bruised.” You threw him a pointed glance, knowing what he was going to deny. “Recovery Girl came by?”

“Yeah.” Bakugou hissed under his breath. “Shitty nerd called her before I could say a damn word.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Well thank goodness for that because everybody knows you would screw that up.”

“Oi.” He growled at your snark. “Not fucking funny.”

You grinned. “Wayyyy funny.”

Your smile faded as you continued to patch him up, inspecting him thoroughly to make sure you hadn’t missed anything. He had a tendency to hide how bad his injuries were and although you could understand why, you didn’t appreciate the times he was literally knocking on death’s door and would die if he didn’t receive medical attention.

Those times, you weren’t all that forgiving.

Gesturing to his leg that he had been favoring since he came home, you arched an eyebrow in silent questioning. 

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “It’s fine.”

You crossed your arms over your chest but didn’t push it. He could still walk on it so it was probably fine. His pride was probably what was hurt more. Either that or the mission had gone bad and he had been too late.

Swallowing harshly, you knew not to cross that line. 

As the two of you exited the bathroom, you left behind the tense atmosphere and relaxed as you stepped back into the living area, making your way to the kitchen with great difficulty as Bakugou peppered kisses to your neck in a wordless thanks for helping him.

And the instant you arrived in the kitchen, you sprang away from him.

“Surprise!!” You shouted excitedly, waving your hands at the simple meal set up at the table. 

There was a single cinnamon and spice candle that sat in the center of the white tablecloth. He never was one for extravagance but you put in a little extra effort today.

At his silence, your arms dropped and you played with your fingers nervously, thinking that he didn’t like it. Or maybe that he found it annoying and just wanted to be left alone and now he would have to eat dinner with you.

You started to ramble as you began to panic. “I-I thought we could do something nice, since it’s your birthday, and I know since the pandemic, things have been really hard on you guys so I thought it would be nice to relax and—”

You cut off with a squeak as he swept you up into his arms and off your feet, burying his face into the crook of your neck. Cheeks flushing bright red, your stammering came to a halt as he let out a shaky exhale against your heated skin.

“Thanks.” 

It came out quieter than his usual volume, taking you by surprise, but you still heard it nonetheless.

You didn’t tease him. Maybe later when he could handle it, but not now. 

Stroking his hair comfortingly, you grounded him in reality before guiding him to sit at the table. He had tried to hide how happy he was from you but he couldn’t. Not one bit.

You knew him too well.

Letting him rest his feet, knowing he must’ve been standing and running around all day to correct mistakes, defeat villains and save people.

You moved to go sit down on the opposite side of the table like you normally everyday at dinnertime but the arm locked around your waist stopped you.

Glancing back quizzically, you yelped as Bakugou pulled you down into his lap, pressing your back flush against his broad chest.

He didn’t say anything, and if you had to guess, you figured that his brow was probably furrowed in annoyance and his mouth was pressed in a thin line at indulging in something as simple as your company and affection, but you could let him have this.

He deserved it after all. 

Twisting around, you planted a gentle kiss to his jaw, raising a hand up to tilt his face down towards you.

“Happy birthday, Katsuki.” You breathed, eyes shining with emotion. 

Two years. It had been two years since he demanded that you marry him. You couldn’t believe it when he asked you. 

Unlike most couples, you two hadn’t dated much at all. Your first date was a home-cooked meal at his apartment that he shared with Kirishima at the time, a day before the wedding. 

Your friends were shocked, to say the least. 

But you two were close. You might not have dated like how many people would classify it, but the two of you knew each other better inside out for most of your lives and was often the first one called whenever there was a villain incident that the other had gotten hurt in. 

Bakugou hadn’t cared that the public knew about you. He had originally wanted to keep it a secret so that you were better off in terms of safety-wise, but you had nothing to hide, telling him to let them try. 

They wouldn’t break you.

Your relationship might’ve seemed rushed to some, frantic and panicked, but it couldn’t be more off from the truth. 

The thing was, you just knew. You knew that if it was going to be anyone, if you could see yourself with one person for the rest of your life, it would be with him. 

No one else even came close. 

But you were still surprised when Bakugou admitted the same, just in fewer words. 

After going through everything, the USJ incident where you had gotten hurt taking a hit from the Nomu for him, the kidnapping where he was ripped away right in front of your eyes, to where he was the one to finally be able to rescue you during a break-in at Heights Alliance, he just knew.

Like you, after risking your lives for each other countless times and finding solace in each other after it was all said and done meant a lot. Meant more than he could put into words. 

You squeaked as the arms around you tightened out of the blue, concern filling your gaze as you leaned back into his chest. 

“Are you okay?” You asked softly, your small hands covering his on your waist as you sank into his embrace, tilting your head up so that you could see him clearly.

Bakugou’s vermilion eyes snapped towards you as he was broken out of his reminiscing. He grunted in your direction, internally wincing at how short he was being with you even if you didn’t even seem to mind. 

His wistful smile transformed into a full-blown smirk as you grabbed a piece of korean barbeque off of his plate and popped it in your mouth. 

Bakugou’s breath tickled your ear as he leaned forward and his low voice, though rough with exhaustion, held a touch of amusement. “I saw that, dumbass.” 

You blinked up innocently at him, kicking your feet childishly and he shook his head, pinching your side in retaliation. You jumped and smacked his chest, blushing deeply as a chuckle reverbated against your back. 

“Katsuki!!”

“Fucking dumbass.” He muttered into your hair, unconsciously catching a whiff of the coconut and pineapple shampoo you used. You smelled even sweeter than usual, it was dulling his senses. But he was not complaining. 

You smiled to yourself, snuggling into his warmth. It was quiet moments like this when there was nothing else but the company of him surrounding you and the ambiance of a safe place that you loved the most.

Heart at ease, you were surprised to hear that his heartbeat matched yours. 

Your teeth worried into your bottom lip cheekily and before he could tease you any further, you redirected his attention to his mostly untouched plate, insisting that he eat.

Bakugou was generally pretty good about staying on top of meals and eating healthy to balance out all the exercise he got working as a hero, but lately things had hit him hard and he had been slacking off more than usual.

You were quick to catch it before it got too bad though. 

Bakugou’s eyes shimmered with a hint of unspoken emotion. He was so lucky to have you.

Moving to get up so that you could get your food from across the table, you gasped as his arms squeezed around your midsection, preventing you from leaving.

“Don’t leave.” Bakugou muttered, his brow furrowed as a hint of a pout appeared on his face. 

You giggled softly at his childish antics. “I’ll be right back.”

He could be so clingy sometimes, not that you were complaining. You were just as bad. There was something about being in his embrace and letting him hold you that made you feel safe, made you feel like you were at home.

Although it was rare and far in between, he did occasionally let you cuddle him. It had taken a while into your marriage for his walls to come crumbling down, but once they did, you never once made fun of him for what he needed or asked for. 

Pouting when your beloved husband didn’t let you free, you blinked up at him with doe eyes.

You wiggled in his lap when he still didn’t release you. “Katsuki—”

“No.” He growled stubbornly. 

You sighed, trying to appear as disheartened as possible. “But I’m hungry.”

“You can eat my fucking food, dumbass.” Bakugou huffed.

Folding your arms over your chest stubbornly, you frowned. He wasn’t going to eat the food you made? Even after going all day without eating his meals?

Oh hell no. 

You squirmed in his lap, now trying to pry his unyielding grip off so that you could reach your own plate that was probably cold by now on the other side of the table. 

“Katsuki, please?” You pleaded and his frown faltered.

Why did you have to be so damn cute? It wasn’t fair.

While he was distracted, you swiped your plate from across the table and settled back into his lap cheekily, sighing contentedly as he was left in a stunned silence.

“Oi, what the fuck?”

You giggled, waving your chopsticks at him. “What the matter, Katsuki? Cat got your tongue?”

He glared at you but it faded as you laughed harder and he found a small smile lifting up the edges of his mouth.

Dinner consisted of light banter back and forth as he stuffed the food you had made in his mouth, begrudgingly admitting that it tasted good when you eagerly asked.

He tapped your hip to get you to stop squirming once you finished eating but you retorted that he was taking too long. 

He needed to finish, you had something to give him. 

Bakugou arched an eyebrow and purposefully went slower until you smacked his arm with an indignant cry at his audacity. He barked out a laugh, his chest shaking as you pushed out your bottom lip at him childishly.

“Fucking brat.” He muttered fondly and you beamed at the soft tone he took on.

“You love me~” You sang, pecking his cheek.

“Go die.” He hissed, attitude back faster than you could blink.

You insisted that he finish his meal before you revealed what you were holding back from him. 

Bakugou wasn’t going to admit that the curiosity was eating away at him as you dangled the unknown of his head like something to be played with and he was almost ashamed at how he quickened his pace.

Almost.

He didn’t react when you clambered off of his lap but his eyes widened when you climbed on top of the counter.

Chair scraping back and crashing to the tiled floor with how abruptly he stood up, he was by your side in a split second.

“Fuck— You’re going to fucking fall!!!” He cursed violently, chest heaving as he panted hard.

You giggled lightly, leafing through the spices you kept on the top shelf in order to find what you were looking for. “Relax, Katsuki, I’m fine.”

You started keeping them all on the very top after he dumped an entire bottle of chili pepper into your dinner one night. You were not amused at the shit-eating grin on his face that came from getting his fix of spicy food.

After that, it was only salt and pepper from then on, much to his dismay.

Bakugou didn’t look at all reassured by your words and he was strongly thinking about climbing up there with you just so he could catch you if you lost your balance when you squealed joyfully and hopped back down.

Thank fuck. You were going to give him a heart attack one day. 

After you ushered him to sit back down, you presented the culprit as to what your dodgy behavior was all about.

Bakugou’s vermilion eyes widened when you proudly handed him a carefully wrapped gift box. The pattern on the paper was simple and you didn’t go overboard with decorating it, settling for a small bow on top. 

He appreciated it. 

Even though to the untrained eye it looked like you hadn’t spent much effort, he knew that it was in fact the very opposite. He could see where you had meticulously folded the paper so that it laid flat and didn’t crease or wrinkle. The dark green bow vaguely reminded him of Deku, but more of the time when you said you loved the green in his hero costume because of how much it contrasted against his eyes. 

Your words, not his.

He couldn’t fucking care less about the color except for the fact that you said you liked it. That stuck with him more than he would’ve liked to admit. 

Bakugou’s hand shook slightly as he accepted the gift. “You weren’t supposed to get me anything, brat.”

You only rolled your eyes humorously, planting your hands on your hips. “Oh please, like I’m not going to get you something for your birthday.”

You may have had a habit of going all out for things like his birthday and holidays and he hated it because he never knew what to do with those warm, fuzzy feelings you left him with, giving him those wide smiles of yours that lit up the room as though he had created the universe and blinked up at him with your bright, loving doe eyes that melted his heart.

So instead, his competitive spirit spurred on to compensate for the lack of emotional capacity he had to deal with all of these unwanted feelings. 

It frustrated and flattered you to no end.

“You better fucking remember this when yours comes around then, dumbass.” Bakugou smirked, shooting you a sharp look when your jaw dropped. He would return the favor and go overboard when yours came around.

You blinked. The nerve he had. He knew you two were trying to save up funds so that you would have a stable foundation when you were ready to have kids. “W-Wait, Katsu—”

“Too late.” He rejected flatly, his eyes twinkling with a touch of amusement as he dodged your attempts to take back the present. 

His present. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Bakugou snapped as you lost your balance and crashed face-first into his chest while trying to get it back.

You floundered for a second, trying to get your bearings but your husband was too fast and beat you to it. He set the box down in flash in order to catch you.

Hooking your legs around his waist so that you didn’t fall again, his palm splayed against your lower back, teasing with the hem of your shirt before it dipped underneath. 

You jolted as his warm hand came in contact with your chilly skin and you shivered. 

Bakugou’s eyes narrowed accusingly at you. “You’re cold.”

Blushing, you tried to hide only for him to be one step ahead of you and yank your wrists away from your face. 

“Fucking idiot.” He muttered to himself and you giggled, bouncing excitedly in his lap now that your life was no longer in danger from falling ungracefully off of a chair. 

“Open it, open it, open it!!” You chanted over and over again, tugging at his arm enthusiastically. 

Bakugou grimaced at your volume. “Stop fucking yelling in my ear, you shitty woman.”

But he froze and his whole body tensed the second he opened the lid. 

You blinked at him nervously, brushing back your hair anxiously as you waited for him to say something. Unable to wait as the silence stretched on, you pointed out each one of the items sitting in the container to explain what they were so he didn’t just think you gave him a pile of junk as a gag gift. 

“They’re specialized compression arm bands for when you’re out in the field to help reduce the muscle strain but they won’t be affected by your quirk, you’d have to try really hard to destroy them and even then—”

“Thank you.”

You stopped your nervous rambling and blinked up at him in shock. Was that genuine gratitude you detected in his voice without the usual mask of nonchalance?

You giggled, almost not believing your ears. He didn’t even bother disguising it. “Wow, the world must really be ending.”

“Shut the fuck up and die.” Bakugou hissed.

Ah, there it was. 

You grinned widely. “You really like it?”

“Course, you shitty woman.” He glowered, slipping them on to try it out. 

Bakugou remembered telling you about the strain overusing his quirk caused on his arms but when push came to shove, he didn’t care if he destroyed his body when it came to saving the day. But that was years ago. 

Back when you had first met and he had blown you up during a training session. Literally. The burns landed you in Recovery Girl’s office and after that, he had walked in to begrudgingly apologize but you just looked up at him with that same kind face that greeted him everyday and asked him if it always hurt to use his quirk for such huge blasts.

You weren’t even offended by the fact that he had hurt you. It was true that he didn’t ever hold back against opponents, even when training, but even he admitted that he might’ve gone too hard.

Maybe.

But to think you not only remembered it but also worked through that pretty brain of yours to come up with a solution like this. 

All the support tech in the world didn’t have a material that could withstand his nitroglycerin when he ignited it. 

You were incredible.

Bounding up to your feet eagerly, you didn’t give him any time to throw a tantrum that you had detached yourself from him as you begged for him to try them out. 

“Hah?” He glowered. “You want me to use my quirk indoors?”

But he raised his hands anyway. You were always the one to enforce the rule of him not using his explosion inside, since it was destructive even with his fine control over it. You must’ve been really excited to see him try it out.

His palms popped with sparks at first and he raised an eyebrow as a cooling sensation kicked in automatically. Slowly, he built up his power until he fired a controlled AP cannon that shattered the vase from across the room. 

You cheered and clapped your hands gleefully at how well it worked. It had changed blue when it activated, signaling that the cooling agent was doing its job.

Flexing his hands, Bakugou noticed how his arms weren't as sore as they normally were. 

He took them off and turned it over in his hands, examining it closely. “How did you do it?”

You went on a rant, enthusiasm taking over every inch of your being as you eagerly explained how you created the material, a hybrid of some sort of elastic that could withstand high heats woven in with a cooling agent to soothe his muscles when they were overworked. The threads that made up the compression bands were fireproofed down to their molecular level, an expensive process but possible with the right amount of funds, along with a ton of time and patience.

All of which you had as you spent a huge chunk on the money you had saved up for this.

Your husband’s expression softened into something that vaguely resembled fondness as your eyes shone with excitement over your newest piece of tech. Specially made just for him. 

Fuck, he was whipped.

Bakugou buried his face into your chest and you yelped in surprise, tugging his hair to pry him off of your body but he just groaned and stubbornly refused to move.

“Katuski!!” You protested, your hands shooting to the arms that were wrapped around your torso and pressing you close to him. “I’m dirty!!”

A blatant lie since you had bathed with him but you were desperate. This would inevitably end up in the bed if you didn’t push him off you right now. 

You had been working in the shop all day to finish these up, just able to wrap the specialized compression sleeves in time before he came home. And because all of your clothes were currently being washed since there was an accident in your workshop a few days ago, you had to throw on your dirty tank top and cargo pants after scrubbing it as best as you could; and it was not the most appealing or flattering on your body. 

It was clear your husband thought otherwise though.

“Don’t care.” Bakugou grumbled into your chest, his meaty hands going down to cup your butt.

You smacked his chest, telling him off, squeaking when he retaliated by squeezing your ass firmly. Rolling your eyes at the cheeky smirk on his face, you kissed his nose softly and his expression crumbled away to the softness that you knew had always lurked behind his guard.

“Happy birthday, Katsuki…” You whispered, a millimeter away from his lips. “I love you.”

You hadn’t even finished your declaration before his hand was snaking around the back of your neck, closing the distance in one go and crushing your mouth to his. 

You whined as he dominated your mouth, his tongue demanding entrance. You decided to play with him a bit and kept your lips pursed. He growled at your disobedience and you shifted giddily in his lap, yelping when he nipped your bottom lip. 

He groaned against your mouth as you ground your pelvis into his.

Bakugou thought this was going to go somewhere with how much you were teasing him but to his frustration, you climbed off of him, panting hard to catch your breath.

You winked. He knew that glint in your eyes. 

“Catch me if you can!!” You shouted over your shoulder as you sprinted towards the living room and took refuge behind the couch. 

“What the fuck….” He muttered under his breath, shaking his head at your childish antics as you raced out of view. 

He stomped into the living room. 

“Oi, get out from behind there, dumbass.” He growled.

When you didn’t reply, he rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently. 

“I know you’re there, shitty woman.” “He drawled. “I can see your fucking foot.”

Your indignant squeak made the corner of his mouth twitch in amusement but the look was quickly wiped off of his face as a foam bullet whizzed past his ear. You had just declared war.

A wide smirk spread across Bakugou’s face at the invitation of a challenge and forgoing his shirt, he sank low to the ground. He didn’t even bother to take one of the other guns where they were stored. He was going to beat you in hand to hand so easily it was going to be embarrassing.

“Just remember when you fucking lose,” He started, cracking his knuckles loudly. “Don’t come crying, dumbass.”

“I don’t cry— Hey!! That’s cheating!!”

Your confident reply broke out into a whine halfway through your sentence as Bakugou leaped over the couch and tackled you to the floor, pushing the gun away so you couldn’t shoot at him anymore.

“You’re such a fucking child.” He snorted, stealing a kiss from you before you could say anything.

“But you love me anyways~” You sang, repeating your declaration from earlier as you booped his nose softly.

Bakugou huffed indifferently, a proud smirk stretching across his face as his true feelings won over. 

“Damn right I do.”

#bakugou x reader #husband bakugou x wife reader #bakugou x reader onshot #bnha #bnha bakugou #domestic bakugou #domestic bakugou x reader #domestic bakugou x reader fluff #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katsuki x reader #happy birthday bakugou #bakugou x reader fanfiction #bnha fanfiction #bnha bakugou x reader #bnha bakugou x reader fanfiction #bnha bakugou x reader onshot #bakugou x reader fluff #bakugou fluff #bakugou domestic fluff #hurt and comfort #bnhacity

[atlabeth]

nightmares - mike munroe x reader

summary: It was a deal made by two almost-friends in the early hours of the morning after the worst night of their lives, when they realized that all they really had left was each other.

a/n: so this is once again. not my normal content but ive been on an until dawn kick lately and fell in love w the characters all over again. i dont know if anyone still reads or writes for this fandom but. here u go. enjoy

warning(s): lots of cursing, canon typical violence, mentions of graphic violence/death (but nothing too descriptive), mentioned depression, insomnia, and alcoholism, some heavy themes but its hurt/comfort so it ends in fluff

wc: 4.8k

You were running.

You were running, and it was freezing — fuck, it was freezing.

You knew your surroundings; how could you ever forget? Every fucking moment on the goddamn mountain was engraved into your mind for what you assumed would be the rest of your life, an assumption that had since been proven correct.

And now, against your will, you were back. Of course you were back.

A shudder ran through your whole body as that all-too-familiar screech rang out behind you, each second of it like nails on a chalkboard in the worst way. Your lungs burned like all hell but you couldn’t stop — if you stopped, you were as good as dead.

Some part of this fucked up thing was almost funny. Humans were always boasting about how they were the top of the food chain, how they were the height of evolution. There was nothing to keep an ego in check like being hunted by a supernatural creature.

Any thoughts of bullshit philosophy were dashed from your mind as you took a hard right, nearly falling over from the sharp curve of the mountain but just able to catch yourself. Your heart was thundering in your chest, the beats nearly lining up with your sprinting. You felt an intense urge to turn around, try and gauge your chances, but the thought of slowing down for even a second terrified you. It’s not like you needed to anyways — you knew exactly what was after you.

You were nearing the end of your road, both literally and figuratively. You stumbled over a tree root, your hands splayed out in front of yourself at just the right angle to keep your momentum going and, in some feat of luck, stay upright and running.

But your luck had just run out.

Your senses were proven correct as the harrowing cliff edge came into view, and a thousand things screamed in your mind at once as your demise stared you right in the eye. You barely managed to catch yourself, very much aware that the snow falling into the void could’ve just as well been you.

That fucking screech again, even closer than before, and you whipped around as you took an instinctive step back. Your hands patted around everywhere, searching for something to defend yourself, but you had nothing. No gun, knife, even the ground around you was devoid of rocks.

You had nothing. You had nothing to defend yourself from this goddamn nightmare creature, and you were going to die.

Your eyes darted around wildly in an attempt to find something, anything, to save yourself, but there was nothing. You took another step back and felt your foot slip, your breath catching as you barely managed to save yourself with a twist and a lunge away from the edge. The shock of the ground and the cold against your skin was just enough to remind yourself that you were actually alive. Another pile of snow mimicked the fate that seemed imminent as it trickled over the side of the cliff, and you screwed your eyes shut as you tried to shut your mind up.

Think, goddammit, if you wanted to get off of this fucking mountain you had to think—

The screech that pierced through the night sky was far too close for comfort, and as your head snapped back towards the woods you swore that your heart stopped beating.

It had caught up. You were out of time you were going to die but you didn’t have anything and you were going to fucking die—

A flash of white pushed off a tree and lunged towards you, teeth bared as it emitted that horrible screech. You didn’t even have time to scream, completely frozen in place as one clawed hand reached your neck, and you braced for the moment of release.

You shot up in your bed, breathing rapid and unsteady with a barely contained cry on the edge of your lips as your hand instinctively flew to your neck. You heaved an almost strangled sigh of relief to know that your head was still attached to your body (it might’ve seemed obvious, but… your head wasn’t exactly on straight at the moment, all jokes aside) and collapsed against the headboard.

You ran your hands across your face as you tried in vain to calm yourself down, ultimately having to turn on your lamp to ease your troubled mind that there was nothing going thump in the night.

It had been this same routine almost every night — horrible nightmare, wake up crying or screaming or both, and start the day at 3 am because you couldn’t fall back asleep.

It was exhausting. You were exhausted.

You knew you couldn’t go on like this, but what choice did you have? Therapy had been mandated by the police for a certain amount of time after the incident, but… it’s not like it had helped. How could it, when no one truly knew what you had gone through?

Well… that wasn’t completely accurate.

One person knew what you were going through, and you hadn’t said as much as one word to him since that night. You didn’t really… know what to say.

Hey. I know we’re not all that close, but I’m sorry your girlfriend and all your friends were killed by a Wendigo and that I made it instead. Hope you’re not going insane with grief. I’ll send you a card at Christmas!

...yeah. You had no idea what to say to him after months of no contact.

The relationship you had with Mike Munroe was a strange one, to say the least.

None of you were the same after that night on the mountain. The horrors of the mines would be forever entrenched in your head, flashes of the Wendigos appearing every time you closed your eyes. You and Mike were the only ones who made it off, and the guilt you carried everywhere was a burden you knew you couldn’t shoulder. And even after the physical scars had faded, you knew the mental ones never would.

Sometimes you wondered how you had even managed to get involved with the group in the first place — bonds that had been made in your freshman and sophomore years had somehow managed to stay strong enough throughout the rest of high school, strong enough to cement your spot in the friend group and the yearly lodge visits. You liked them all well enough, enough to go up to an isolated mountain with them for a weekend or so, but… yeah. Sometimes you did wonder what the hell you were doing with them.

But now?

Now, you would give almost anything to hear Sam’s laugh or one of her compliments, or tease Ashley and Chris about their very obvious feelings; hell, you found yourself missing Matt’s useless football facts. And even though Emily and Jessica weren’t always the nicest, you still had managed to worm your way into their hearts. Knowing that you would never get Emily’s brutal but helpful advice or get dragged to a football game by Jessica again?

If someone had told you the difference between life-long trauma and a completely normal existence was that blonde girl with the braids in your biology class, you might’ve thought a little harder before accepting that party invite.

The days after you were rescued from the mountain passed in a daze, questions and interrogations from police never sticking for too long. And it didn’t even feel like it mattered, the way none of them seemed to believe you.

They kept you separated from Mike throughout the whole process, and you were only able to catch glances of him when you were being transferred to different rooms throughout the long process. It really was like something out of a horror movie — a group of teens go up to a lodge in the woods, and only two return with a story of unspeakable horrors — and rather than try and work out what had happened, they seemed intent on pinning the deaths on you and Mike.

As if you weren’t dealing with enough after watching your friends get murdered by the monster of another friend, the people that were supposed to be helping you were instead trying to charge you with them. If it wasn’t so fucking infuriating, it would’ve been laughable.

The worst part? You could hardly blame them.

When you took a second to listen to yourself, to what you were spouting to the police, you sounded insane. If you hadn’t witnessed it all first hand, you wouldn’t have believed yourself.

You told them to go down to the mines. That the thing that killed your friends would be down there, and they could see it for themselves.

You didn’t know if that was the right choice. Hell, you might’ve been sending those cops to their deaths. But it was the only way you could think of to get them to believe you.

(You doubted they would go down there anyways. What was the word of two crazy college kids over actual logic? Not much, you imagined.)

You were in that damn interrogation room for what felt like forever until you were finally taken to a hospital to get your wounds treated. But even in the hospital bed, police were by your side asking about what happened every day of your stay. After your discharge, you were forced into custody until they got information that they deemed satisfactory.

By some miracle, you and Mike weren’t charged with anything. The news might’ve gotten hold of your story, but you didn’t know. You didn’t want to know. You didn’t ever look at the news after the tragedy, too afraid that you would see the smiling faces of your friends staring back at you, or pictures of you and Mike with news anchors trying to talk about how involved the two of you were.

If there was one thing worse than going through hell, it was other people trying to make a profit off of your spiral.

Your friends’ families offered their condolences, but not much else. You didn’t hold it against them. Your survivor’s guilt was strong enough to know exactly why they didn’t reach out further.

(You blame yourself for their deaths, after all. Why wouldn’t they?)

It was the same situation with Mike.

Maybe you had purposefully drifted apart from him, trying to build up walls of your own so that he wouldn’t be able to spring it on you first. You assumed he hated you after what had happened, and he had every right to. You might’ve helped each other through the night, but you had no other option. Now, everyone else but you was dead — people he cared about more than you — and you just couldn’t face that.

But as you stared at yourself in your bathroom mirror, you realized that you might have to.

You looked awful.

Weeks of sleepless nights were catching up to you, appearing in the form of

hollow eyes and dark circles, along with a slight discoloration of your skin. The scars from the mountain had mostly healed, but there was a particularly nasty gash on your cheek that was still showing — it wasn’t doing you any favors in the ‘looking completely normal and sane and not severely sleep deprived’ department.

You splashed some water in your face to try and wake up a bit, but the slight drowsiness that followed you everywhere seemed to be a permanent part of you now.

(It was almost funny, in a way. You were so paranoid and alert all the time, unable to fall asleep, and yet it was all you could think about in moments like these. You wondered when irony had become such a staple in your life.)

You had tried talking to therapists, your friends, your family, even searching the internet for advice on what to do after a life changing traumatic event. Nothing had worked.

The simplest solution had come to mind more than once, but you had pushed it aside with the determination to work through this on your own. But now, staring at yourself and seeing how much you had deteriorated…

You had to go talk to the only person who would understand.

~

You had considered turning around more than once on the drive over.

Because, really, what the hell were you doing? Showing up at his doorstep in the middle of o dark thirty because— because what?

Because you had a nightmare?

He had gone through the same thing you had, probably even worse. Losing Jessica right in front of him, having to cut off his fingers to get free, spending countless hours alone, dealing with the nightmare that was the sanatorium, and then…

Well, you had been in the mines with him and Josh when it happened. There was no doubt in your mind that the scene replayed in his head endlessly, just like it did for you.

Showing up… it was going to be a mistake. You knew it was.

For all you knew, Mike had moved on already. He was stronger than you, he always had been. Maybe your presence would send him spiraling once more, or maybe it would just earn you a verbal beating like no other. Mike had always been nice enough, but the trauma you had endured was enough to turn a saint into his own worst enemy.

You didn’t know what would happen. You didn’t know anything, and as you turned down his street you regretted more than ever not keeping in touch with him. Maybe then you wouldn’t be in this situation, scrambling after your last hope for salvation after slowly killing yourself over the past few months.

But there was no chance to turn back now, because before you knew it your knuckles were rapping against his front door.

The pause between your arrival and a response was so long that you considered leaving and pretending like this never happened, but just as you began to step back the door swung open.

You didn’t really know what you were expecting, but… he was there. The only other testament to the horrors of Blackwood Pines, and maybe the only person that could help you through this.

“...hi,” you murmured, swallowing the sudden lump in your throat as you looked the personification of your shame in the eye.

Mike blinked a few times, whether to try and wake up a little or out of surprise from his visitor you didn’t know, but it was a few seconds before he responded in kind. “...hey. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you around.”

You chuckled dryly as you nodded. “Yeah. Sorry for the sudden arrival. I’m, uh… I’m kind of surprised you even opened the door.”

He huffed out a short breath in a facsimile of a laugh. “Not getting much sleep these days.”

“That’s something we’ve got in common.” You crossed your arms across your chest and let out a loose sigh, eyes wandering around in an attempt to think of what to say next. It should’ve been so easy, but… but for some reason, it just wasn’t.

“Guess so.” That awkward silence stretched out once more, neither of you knowing how to fill it. Thankfully, Mike continued to take the plunge, but it wasn’t without a slight barb. “What are you doing here?”

“I—” you stopped just as you had begun, because you really didn’t know. You had come here for help, but could Mike really do that for you? He was the same as you — a fucked up teenager trying to deal with something so far beyond him.

“I don’t know,” you admitted as you made eye contact once more. “I… I really don’t know. I’m out of options, and… I can’t keep going like this. So I came here to talk, or— or to try and get some help. I don’t know.”

That same silence filled the air once more, the night ambiance the only thing in between the two of you. You missed when that silence used to be comfortable, but… you could only blame yourself for it.

“So— so, what?” he asked, the beginnings of a frown starting to crease his brows. “You just— we go through all that together up there, and then when we get back down you don’t say a word for months. And now— now, out of nowhere, in the middle of the night, you just show up and ask for help?”

“God,” you muttered. When he put it that way, it was true. It was ridiculous, to expect his help after the way you had just left him to deal with it all on his own for a reason borne of your own insecurity. “You’re right. This was— this was stupid. I’m sorry.”

You had already turned to go when you felt a calloused hand on your shoulder, causing you to stop in your tracks.

“No.” His voice was surprisingly soft as he sighed, stepping back with a shake of his head to make room in the doorway. “No, I—” Mike paused for a moment, as if he couldn’t find the right words to say. “I’m sorry. You can come in. Obviously, you can come in.”

Your eyes widened slightly as you tried to hide your shock at the gesture, but you weren’t about to turn it down. You nodded, and he stepped aside to make space for you to walk in. When you did, you were met with a mess not unlike the one back at your apartment, save for the beer bottles. Clothes were strewn about haphazardly on every surface, so you took a seat on a clean spot on the floor, leaning back against a chair and pulling your knees up to your chest. You actually preferred it this way — it was grounding, in a literal sense. Mike pushed aside a laundry basket and did the same, but pulled one leg up and let the other lay extended.

“Why?” he asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had been accumulating once more. “Why did you just…” he gestured around with his hands to try and get his point across but ultimately settled with a sigh. “You didn’t say anything. You didn’t try to text, or call, or write, or— or anything. Hell, I would’ve probably jumped to get a messenger pigeon from you. But it was just… radio silence.”

You picked at the dry skin on your thumbs as you tried to come up with an answer. “I… I don’t know,” you repeated. “It was stupid, and it was horrible of me to leave you alone. I mean… I don’t know why I did it. I know what I’ve been going through, and I know you’ve been going through the same. So I don’t know why I didn’t try to reach out and see how you were doing.”

He chuckled mirthlessly as his eyes swept over the empty bottles that had accumulated on the coffee table. “I’m not the best with alone.”

“I know,” you said quietly. “I thought…” you shook your head as you looked at the ceiling. “I thought that you hated me. I know that you cared about them all more, you were closer to all of them, and… and I thought you wouldn’t want anything to do with me. That I would just always be a reminder of what you lost. And… and, I don’t know. Maybe it was my way of trying to move on. Was a stupid fucking idea, though.”

That got a genuine laugh out of him as he ran a hand through his hair. “I guess I get that. I dunno why I didn’t try to talk to you either. Maybe since you didn’t say anything, I didn’t want to either. This whole thing fucked me up.” His gaze moved to you. “Fucked us both up.”

“You can say that again,” you muttered as you tapped your fingers on your knees. “I can’t look anywhere without seeing them. I mean, I see that fucking…” you grimaced. “I see Josh, and I see what that thing did to him, and I just— I’m right back to step one.”

He swallowed hard and nodded. “...yeah. That was seven layers of fucked up.”

“You can’t just keep saying everything was fucked up,” you said dryly. “It was shitty, too.”

Mike snorted, some kind of slightly masochistic humor going on between the two of you. “Nothing really gets the point across like fucked up.”

“Guess you’re right,” you finally conceded with a small smile. “This is… this is nice. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to… I don’t know, to talk to someone like this.”

“It is,” he murmured.

Another pregnant pause hung in the air, but the silence wasn’t as uncomfortable now. Trickles of what it used to be like, of your old life, were beginning to poke through.

“I never hated you,” he said suddenly. Your eyes flicked up to meet his, and it was like his brown eyes were piercing through you as he continued. “I never did. After it happened… yeah, I was mad. I was fucking pissed, but it was never at you. You were my friend too, y’know? Even though we weren’t that close, we were still… we were still something. And I’m glad you made it. I just wish you hadn’t convinced yourself that you had to go through this alone. Maybe things would’ve turned out different, these past few months. For both of us.”

You nodded, choosing to avert eye contact first because you almost couldn’t handle the sincerity. Your heart sank a bit at the sight of all the beer bottles, and you knew that he was right. Maybe things would’ve been different if the two of you had weathered it together from the start. And so you said that.

“I still can’t help but feel like I’m to blame for—” you gestured around at the mess with a sigh, “for this.”

“Look.” His voice was raspy as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair, and as he met your eyes once more you were able to see how truly exhausted he was. With dark circles that matched your own, scars that were still healing, and a certain hollowness behind his eyes… It was like looking in a mirror. And it made you realize how fucked up the two of you had really become.

Mike had always been good at holding himself together, putting up his signature egotistical-douchebag-jock act in the face of anything that threatened to tear him down, and more often than not he came out victorious. But not even class presidents were immune to the horrors that they had faced, and it was taking more of a toll on him than you had realized.

“It’s not your fault. You— you did everything you could; I know I’m still alive because of you. Besides, we were idiot teenagers — we still are — and none of them deserved to die because of it. Not Hannah, not Beth, not any of them.” Mike shook his head and sighed. “Not even Josh. Man was fucked up even before all of this, but he didn’t deserve what happened to him. He needed help, but instead he got his fucking… god. I can’t even say it. But he didn’t deserve it.”

You let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding, the subconscious process having stopped because of the weight of his words. It was cliche, but you didn’t know how much you needed to hear those four words: it’s not your fault.

“Maybe you should be my therapist,” you joked weakly. But as you let your eyes trail back to Mike you bit your lip. He hadn’t included himself in that statement, and it wasn’t too hard to figure out why.

“Mike… it wasn’t your fault either. You’re not just saying bullshit to try and make yourself feel better, it really wasn’t your fault. What do they say? ‘Getting through your guilt is the first step to recovery’ or some shit? You deserve to be here just as much as I do.”

“But it was,” he insisted. “It’s easy for you to say that. You tried to stop it, I… I just went along with it. Fuck, I started it all. Hannah and Beth went missing because of me, Josh went out of his fuckin’ mind, and if he hadn’t brought us all back up there for his revenge plot then they wouldn’t have died. How is it not my fault? Why do I get to live when all of them died because of me?”

“Mike,” you sighed. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know why we made it back when none of them did, but it’s not your fucking fault, okay? You— yeah, that prank was fucking stupid, but— but how could you know what was going to happen?” You huffed a laugh that was only slightly unhinged. “People pull pranks all the time. Native American legend cannibal spirit things don’t try to kill people all the time. You can’t keep blaming yourself. It’s not going to help them, and it’s not going to help you.”

That silence stretched out once more as he took in your words. You didn’t know if he believed them or not, but you did. That had to be worth something, right?

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” he muttered, breaking the silence once more. “And I… I don’t know. I don’t know why it took almost fucking dying from those goddamn things, a— and seeing what happened to all of them...”

“I don’t know,” he repeated, leaning back against the foot of the sofa. “All the shit that happened, all of them dying — I don’t know how long it’ll take until we’re okay again. Hell, I don’t even know if we ever will be okay again. What happened up there was fucked up in the worst way, and the fact that no one believes us makes it a hell of a lot worse.”

You chuckled darkly as you cupped one hand in the other. “You can say that again.”

His lips twitched for a moment as if he wanted to smile but ultimately thought better of it. “I know we aren’t that close anymore, but the truth is we’re the only ones on this fuckin’ planet that know what really happened up there. We’re the only ones that will ever really understand what happened to us, and… and I think we’re the only ones that can really help each other through this shit.”

He met your eyes once more, something resolute in them. “So the next time this happens, because it will, if you don’t want to be alone… you can come here. Any time, any day, no questions asked. Just knock on that door, and I will be there. No more isolation, no more trying to get through this on our own. We gotta be there for each other, because we’re all we have.”

You nodded gratefully, a feeling of warmth slowly creeping through your body with his reassurance. “Thank you, Mike. You… you have no idea what this means to me.”

“I think I have some clue,” he murmured.

As you exchanged weary smiles, you saw a faint twinkle in Mike’s eyes. He was always the kind of person to help others, even if it was for the wrong reasons, and that was one thing that stuck with him after the disaster. And in that moment, a long lost feeling washed over you — safety.

You hadn’t felt safe in… well, it seemed like forever. Adrenaline and pure instinct were responsible for getting you through those twelve hours, along with an overwhelming wave of numbness and denial. But once all of that wore off, the nightmares had begun. Your friends, the Wendigos, the mountain itself — anything and everything that your mind could use against you, it did.

It was a living hell. You could hardly ever sleep anymore, horrific images always jolting you awake after an hour or two and keeping you awake for the rest of the day. It was no wonder Mike had ended up with a drinking problem — it was probably the only way he could sleep, the only way he could bring some form of peace to his mind. By some miracle, you had avoided that fate, but… you would be lying if you said you hadn’t come close.

But somehow, for some reason, you could tell that things were going to be different. Now that you and Mike weren’t avoiding each other anymore in the name of painful memories… you felt like things were going to be okay. Or as close to okay as you could get these days.

You weren’t alone, and neither was he.

He had saved your life on the mountain more than once. Now, he was saving you again. Just in a different way.

-

perm tags: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77

ud tags: @kwyloz

#mike munroe #mike munroe x reader #mike x reader #until dawn x reader #until dawn #until dawn fic #mike until dawn #sadie writes #i always get so insecure when i post things that arent for atla #then i remember that. this is my blog and i can write what i want #lol