#i want to know about boats and socks first

[midnight-mismanagement]

No one:

Zero Escape character during a high-stress situation: Let us take this opportunity to ponder at length a logic paradox as we contemplate our imminent doom.

#zero escape #999 #vlr #virtue’s last reward #ztd #zero time dilemma #the nonary games #literally every non-player character #hey do you want to know about this random theory #it’s a cool tip that will help us later #;) #I’m not complaining I just find the whiplash funny sometimes #we’ll go from 0 to 100 real quick #akane tell me more about the mysterious ways of the universe #don’t worry about the bomb we got time #i want to know about boats and socks first

[hopelesslyromanticshark]

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ Dj Got Us Fallin' In Love

content: leo valdez x daughter of apollo! reader warning: language, cringey ass songs for humor, kissing (ewwwwww major ick bro wtf barfing as we speak-) author's note: see this is what happens when I try to take a break from writing…I end of writing. I am not ashamed, I’m just a girl in the world who has homework she should do but instead wrong fanfics 🤪🤪🤪 ANYWAYS this is so painfully sad at times but also really funny in my opinion. Also I will not accept negative judgement on the songs I didn’t have brain power to super customize them so this is what we get.

y/n was sick of the fighting. they’d all been on the argo ii together for far too long and it came out in petty fights and arguments. y/n was willing to leave it alone until frank, who managed to be the only person to stay out of the petty fights, got pulled into an argument with piper over socks…yeah, socks, you heard me right. to say the daughter of apollo was on the verge of pulling her hair out would be a lie, based on the clumps of hair that went down the drain of her shower. she was going to fix this and she knew just how to do that.

“hey, leo, where’s the speaker you made a few weeks ago?” she asked, peeking her head into the engine room. without looking at her or saying anything, he jabbed his finger towards the corner, where the bronze speaker was nuzzled. she frowned but went and picked it up. y/n went to leave but stopped at the door, turning towards the boy who still had yet to say anything or look at her.

“leo-”

“y/n, i really don’t want to snap at you right now but i am not in the mood. like, at all. leave…please,” he huffed out before forcing his words to sound calmer and not so snipped. he wasn’t lying, he really didn’t want to be mad at her too.

“okay, okay, i get it,” y/n whispered back, leaving like he asked. as she walked away, she felt all that much more confident in her decision. now leo, the boy that’s her best friend (and crush but shh lets not talk about that), was getting pissy with her too? nope, all this pettiness was ending tonight.

Following another awkward dinner, with people bitterly asking for the passing of salt or pepper, y/n volunteered for the first night shift. no one argued - at least not with her anyways. there were definitely snide comments made to others as they went to their rooms. maybe an hour had passed since the hellish dinner before alarms started ringing through the boat, a sure sign that something was happening on the deck. where y/n was…alone. everyone scrambled out of their rooms, still in their pajamas and raced up the stairs. leo went to the helm, turning the alarms off and frowning at the lack of a daughter of apollo.

“where’s y/n?” he asked, worry and panic growing in the pit of his stomach at the lack of response. “hey, where’s y/n-”

so we back in the club with our bodies rockin' from side to side side, side to side, uh

“is- is that ‘dj got us fallin in love’ by usher?” percy asked as the music blared from somewhere, everyone confused as the pounding club music continued to play.

“i’m sick of the all fighting. absolutely sick of it. it’s over the pettiest shit and there is no point in it. so, i’m fixing it. right here, right now,” the daughter of apollo called, appearing from behind a pole and approaching the group. leo huffed, glaring at the girl for freaking him out. Though, he couldn’t stop the smile from taking over his lips at the thought that she figured to fix the group dynamic with usher.

“we’re dancing out all this bad energy. if my dad was right about anything, it’s music. c’mon,” she mused, smiling at the group, which didn’t budge. if anything, the seven pajama-clad demigods moved closer together to form a barricade of non-dancing people. at least it was the most unifying thing they'd done in weeks.

“fine. i’ll dance by myself. you’ll all break eventually,” the daughter of apollo hummed, a knowing smirk on her face as she moved in front of them. leo took one look at her face and knew within thirty minutes they’d all be dancing. but he refused to be the first one to break. the ruthless mocking from piper over his crush was not worth it.

“let me remind you all, you’ve all told me your favorite songs, those cringy songs that you love that you don’t want people to know you love. those songs that just, oh, i dunno, make you dance,” she taunted, giving them all one last chance to give in. the group shared a nervous glance but still didn't budge.

"have it your way," the girl added in a sing-songy voice, bouncing over to the speaker and hiding what song she picked next until it played loudly for all of them.

it's so crazy right now most incredibly, it's ya girl, b (yes) it's ya boy, young you ready? uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no (ow)

"shit."

leo heard it from somewhere to his left but couldn't exactly pinpoint who said it. everyone was glancing around as y/n subtly dancing in front of them, not yet pointing out who it was. she had this way of dancing casually but leo was hypnotized, his knee jerking to join her but he held strong.

"when i talk to my friends so quietly. who he think he is? look at what you did to me. tennis shoes, don't even need to buy a new dress. if you ain't there, ain't nobody else to impress," y/n sang along, making a face as she mixed up some of the lyrics. but, leo knew she never missed lyrics and that it was all a ploy to-

"those aren't the words!" annabeth huffed before slapping a hand over her lips, realizing she'd completely outed herself. laughs flew through the group as she shrugged her shoulders before pushing her way out of the group with a smile, joining the daughter of apollo with a giggle. now it was the two of them, dancing sloppily and laughing. leo figured the lovestruck look on percy's face matched his own.

"one down, six more to go!" y/n cheered as she moved to change the song once more, putting a few on queue before joining annabeth to just wiggle about while they waited.

i hopped off the plane at lax with a dream and my cardigan welcome to the land of fame excess (woah) am i gonna fit in?

"oh, gods."

leo knew who it was this time, smirking as he looked over at piper, who nervously glanced up at leo before subtly shoving him away. y/n and annabeth were going crazy by themselves, dancing themselves out of the breath. during the second verse, they approached the daughter of aphrodite, who finally gave in with a laugh and joined the other two girls. during the chorus, when they'd 'move their hips,' leo had to look away every time, in fear he'd have a, er...problem down under. if you get what I mean.

now, with two down, the group was growing more casual. there was the tapping of feet and the sharing of jokes. all bitterness was gone, people who would have slit each others throats fifteen minutes ago now best buds again. before leo could think about it more, the song changed again.

yeah, i'm out that brooklyn, now i'm down in tribeca right next to de niro, but i’ll be hood forever i’m the new sinatra, and since i made it here i can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere i used to cop in harlem – hola, my dominicanos (dinero!)

"that's me, i have no shame!" percy instant cheered, breaking formation and joining the girls. they laughed at him, happily bringing him into the group and then trying to coordinate a dance but it simply wasn't working.

"you should have some shame!" leo called back and percy shot him a glare as he spun annabeth around.

"we haven't heard yours yet, repair boy, we'll see who should be ashamed."

an hour ago and that sentence would have sent leo into a fireball of rage but partnered with the good vibes and the son of the sea gods smile, leo couldn't help but laugh.

kelly, can you handle this? michelle, can you handle this? beyoncé, can you handle this? i don't think they can handle this!

out of the corner of his eye, he saw frank hang his head as a blush settled over his cheeks. hazel looked up at him with an amused smile, clearly in on the joke. frank just shook his head and moved forwards, cheers coming from the dancing group. leo caught y/n's eyes, shaking his head at her. she just smiled brightly at him before piper spun her, forcing her eyes off the boy.

it's hot in, so hot in here so hot in… (ah) oh! want a little bit of (uh, uh), and a little bit of (uh, uh) just a little bit of, just a little bit of just a little bit of, just a little bit of i was like, good gracious, ass is bodacious (Uh)

leo laughed, shaking his head as the remaining people, jason and hazel, instantly darted their eyes to the boy. y/n dancing towards him, holding her hands out as she mouthed along to the words, the group dancing behind her. he shook his head more but took her hand, instantly spinning the girl and allowing her to pull him into the near mosh pit. she was basically attached him at the hip now, her hips occasionally grazing his in rhythm with the song, causing the boy to glare down at her cheekily smiling face.

no clouds in my stones let it rain, i hydroplane in the bank comin' down like the dow jones when the clouds come, we gone we roc-a-fella we fly higher than weather In g5's or better

"I like how it sounds," hazel justified as she moved into the group, y/n abandoning leo for a moment to swish and swing with the daugther of pluto for a while. jason was the last man standing, his arms crossed as he stared at the group with a small smile, all eyes on him.

"you wanna just join now, jase?" y/n offered, holding her hand out to jason only to be met with shouts of objection.

"no, no. we all had to reveal our songs, he has to, too," leo argued, taking the girl's free hand and spinning her around and back into his chest. she offered jason an embarrassed look but he just waved her off with his smile steady.

ask for money and get advice, huh ask for advice, get money twice, huh i'm from the dirty, huh, but that chico nice, ha y'all call it a moment, i call it a life one day while my light is glowin' i’ll be in my castle golden but until the gates are open i just wanna feel this moment

the whole group burst out with laughs as jason proudly waltzed his way into the mosh pit. now the music didn't matter anymore, just that they were dancing around with their friends. leo had the vague thought that this must be what prom feels like but he didn't think any of them would find out. then, ribs by lorde started to play; y/n's pick. it was a lot slower, everyone stopping to catch their breath. no one talked yet though, still enjoying the atmosphere of just dancing it out. of just being teens for the first time in...who knows how long.

slowly, as the song went on, the mosh pit started moshing again. it was just such a relatable song to them; these eight kids with the weight of the world on their shoulders, most of them for the second time. of course they just wanted to be kids again, or for the first time. the guys pretended not to notice the tears in the girl's eyes while they danced and they tried to pretend they didn't get misty eyed too.

this dream isn't feeling sweet, we're reeling through the midnight streets and i've never felt more alone, feels so scary getting old

i want 'em back, i want 'em back the minds we had, the minds we had how all the thoughts, how all the thoughts moved 'round our heads, moved 'round our heads

leo caught y/n's eyes over the dancing group, the two of them unable to pull their eyes off the other as the lyrics blared into their ears. and in that moment, jumping up and down with some of his most favorite people in the world and looking the girl he loved in the eyes, he fell a little bit more in love with the world. but more importantly, he fell more in love with her. this bubbly sunshine girl who managed to save the group from fighting themselves to death with usher.

without a second thought, he weaved his way through the group and grabbed hold of y/n, causing her to look up at him, sweaty and out of breath and with frizzy hair but a smile nonetheless. he gripped her waist before cupping her face and leaning down, smashing his lips into hers as the beat dropped. that was accidently but it felt more magical then anything. y/n's arms instantly draped over his shoulders, one of them going to rest against his chest.

and leo didn't care about the cheers from their friends or about the fact that this would end tonight and when the sun rose they’d be back to world savers instead of teens. all he cared about was her and her lips. he smiled as he pulled back, his sweaty forehead resting against hers, the girl's smile brighter than her father's sun. and it was more than enough for him.

the minds we had, the minds we had it's not enough to feel the lack i want 'em back, i want 'em back, i want 'em you're the only friend i need (you're the only friend i need) sharing beds like little kids (sharing beds like little kids) and laughing 'til our ribs get tough (laughing 'til our ribs get tough) but that will never be enough (but that will never be enough)

author’s note cont. : tbh, cried a little. They’re just kids. Like, literally children. Let them be kids THEYVE EARNED IT GOOD LORD BABY JESUS-

#postcards from covey ౨ৎ #all my love ౨ৎ #heroes of olympus x reader #hoo #percy jackson #heroes of olympus #pjo #leo valdez #leo valdez x reader #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo fandom #jason grace #piper mclean #hazel levesque #frank zhang #annabeth chase

[sgiandubh]

What happened with Barbour ?

Dear Barbour Anon,

My favorite kind of Anon, even if I know the question has recently been asked again and not in this corner. Never mind, I think it's time to talk about it, too.

I bought my first Barbour (entry-level, so olive) Bedale wax jacket 25 years ago, from their (long gone, now) shop on Boulevard Raspail, in Paris. It was a mandatory clothing item to own if you wanted to properly mingle with the law school crowd (it still is) and it ended up being one of my most prized possessions, possibly a part of me. I still have it somewhere, back home. Two more followed, along with a fetishist array of shirts, scarves, beanies and even one of those sturdy crossbody bags you can fit half a house in. So you can imagine my absolute thrill when I found out, very very late, that S had had a rather substantial collaboration with them, from 2016 and until 2019.

I am very bad with timelines, as you probably know and possibly even cackle about, but still: S was appointed as the company's first ever Global Brand Ambassador on July 16, 2016. His mission statement was very precisely defined by the brand and for some reason we'll analyze a bit later, this is important:

(Source, heh: https://www.astonbourne.co.uk/is-barbour-a-luxury-brand-unraveling-the-mystique-of-classic-outerwear/).

A shirt and vest signature collection followed in 2017 and 2018, with the contract being renewed. Advertisement was absolutely gorgeous and designed to shape a very positive image, both for S and the brand. Last autumn's SS Gin promo retained some of that irresistible aesthetic DNA and I discussed it at length.

See for yourself, Anon. The fandom endlessly discussed the first long clip (with the chocolate labrador), but I have no idea if these two have been seen, let alone debated. If they did, let that be my nostalgic mistake.

Spring/Summer 2018:

Fall 2018:

And then disaster stroke, with S's trip to Ha-wa-wee 1.0, in the spring of 2019. A short reel, featuring a rather agglomerated boat trip, was posted on socials. Unfortunately for S, it also featured an allegedly horrifying scene involving the 'traditional' bludgeoning to death of a tuna fish. Emotions ensued and as it often happens here, they spun out of control. Many people, including some of the most vocal S haters, tagged Barbour in their diatribes, filled with environmentalist indignation. They suggested this guy (who did not participate to the savagery and I would be even unsure he realized what was going on) was, by no reasonable means, a proper 'embodiment of the brand's identity, values and aspirations' (remember that mission statement?).

Tone deaf as ever in the midst of a serious PR crisis, S put friendship above anything else, and publicly praised the boat's owner, calling him 'the heart and soul of the island', if I remember well. I still would like to think he has no idea what the hell exactly happened. And then, when somebody finally (August 2019) asked Barbour on Insta about their collaboration with S, they got this politely dry, but clear answer:

"We don't have any plans for a collaboration with SH in the near future" means, in my book and to my understanding, "we are never going to work with this guy again". Truly, some people in here who dare to give morality lessons to others, should be proud of themselves: they did it knowingly and in a very organized way, using multiple sock accounts, to give the impression of a collective retching reflex. To cut the story short, the dread of any ad campaign on this planet.

The effort was genuine. The result of that collaboration was very good. Take, for example, this somewhat heartbreaking customer review by an American guy who has no idea who SRH is and who bought one of those jackets from a Barbour factory warehouse, in 2021, with a hefty rebate (70% off). Clearly something Barbour wanted to get rid of at all costs - what a pity and really what a SHAME on all those hypocrites who will never admit to a public assassination by the book:

This time, I am absolutely not sorry for the length, Anon. This is something that still makes me boil. Unfairness and cheap nastiness simply disgust me.

(Thank you, sweetheart, for the screenshot, always. You know who you are 😘😘😘).

#anon #fandom #shitshow

[maryhadalittlehobby]

Recap of IWTV Screening and Conversation at 92stY

(Please dont repost/reupload my pics or vids from here or IG anywhere else. Sharing/linkinh is ok. Thanks!)

I started the day with a fang gang meetup hosted by Black Girl Talks Fangs. The restaurant was cute and the food great. I'm not a big wine drinker but got a blood red Chateau in honor of the occasion. After, we headed over to the event space.

In my experience attending different events there, the actors typically come in just before the event starts or a few minutes into the screening.

In this case- it was both.

Eric strolled up super casual and had a convo with myself and a few other fans asking if we had read the books and what we were looking forward to. He gave a parting message that the season is amazing and he is not just saying that because he is part of it. I believe him. He was super personable and down to earth.

Delainey arrived next and again kind and generous with her time. She has a very chill energy. Her outfit was more casual this day but I thought chic and the face card never declines. Her makeup artist does her right! And can we talk about that sleek ass ponytail

She complimented my cosplay and said she thinks my beret might be the screen accurate one!

She asked to touch it and said mine was softer!

She also said Carol Cutshall gifted her the beret so she owns Claudia's.

I put this cosplay together in 3 weeks which is barely enough time. Thankfully I had the idea knocking around since October when we first saw this fit in the trailer that dropped at NYCC 23.

Myself and a few fans waited till about 15 minutes into the start of the screening before we gave up on waiting for Jam Reiderson.

While running to the screening I nearly literally ran into Rolin. I asked for a quick pic which he obliged.

The episode was amazing. Very much on par of season 1 so far. Can't wait to see the full thing. Delainey fit into Claudia seamlessly.

The panel itself was great as well. I have a few vids in my IWTV highlight on IG and a few others in an upcoming youtube video I will make AFTER the episode drops. There are some spoiler bits plus 92Y is dropping the full panel too after the ep airs.

Highlights include watching Jam Reiderson literally communicate telepathically- what was the fun on set story?!

Sam slapping Jacobs' lower inner thigh in front of god (Rolin) and everyone.

Working together is like putting on an old glove. An old sock?! Lol what. 'Is that dirty?'

Assad trauma dumping on main. "Armands lost...like me." "I'm intimidated by the cast" Sir please!

Assad also being spicy saying he thinks Armands memory of Lestat is pretty accurate. Drag him king😄

Delainey and Jacob gushing about how they immediately bonded and established their father/daughter/sibling vibes.

Eric calling Jam puppies and Jacob saying "I'm a grown man a parent"lol Sir you are a baby girl as evidenced by

Rolin saying that's a book and this is a show. To me that said was book lovers have the book and you always will but this is a new thing that respects the source but isn't tied down to every single detail.

Then Sam saying there are contradictions even within the series. Please lets talk about it.

And I love this new narrative everyone is spinning, even Sam, who seemed to be in the Lestat is right and Louis is lying boat last press go round. Now everyone is saying there is no right and wrong or truth and lies-the story is told by different people with different perspectives and that's all. Which yes! that's ALWAYS how I saw it! Just because Lestat became the main character and most favored doesn't mean he is infallible.

Jacob and that plushie. Who would have imagined he'd love it so much. Another fan was coming with their Lestat. I don't know if they had intentions of giving it to Sam but sadly they didn't make it.

After the panel I went back to the spot and aimed to get Jacobs signature on my Street of Immortality print which I managed.

I would have loved to get Sam's to but I also wanted to give other fans the chance to get photos and autos. I was already so lucky.

They signed for a loooong time. So long I thought our side wouldnt have a chance or only a few people would. Turns out fans were conducting mini interviews with them lol Someone needs to collect all the questions and answers.

Also they are the smallest cast you've ever seem. Pocketbsized. Everyone one of them is so unassuming.

Overall I had a super good time. The audience vibes were immaculate. The person beside me during the screening/panel was losing their shit then apologizing. But honestly I was here for it lol

Also you could 100% tell it was an audience full of the online fandom.

I ended the night checking out the Time Square ad. It was awesome to see our vamps represented. Hopefully we get a ton of new fans from all the amazing marketing this year.

#vampchella #iwtv #amc iwtv #amc iwtv s2 premiere #amc iwtv x 92sty #92st y #amc iwtv 92st y screening #IWTV 92stY screening and conversation #nyc #jacob anderson #delainey hayles #assad zaman #sam reid #rolin jones #eric bogosian #iwtv cast #iwtv cast and crew

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Rhys Darby has ‘not an ounce of scaredness’ about son’s band dreams

NZ actor Rhys Darby and his musician son Finn interview each other. VIDEO CREDIT: David White/Stuff

Rhys Darby is proudly listing career moments - but they’re not his own.

He’s recalling watching his son Finn’s band, Great Big Cow, “absolutely rock” iconic LA venue Troubadour to sold-out crowds.

As a parent, “you worry about a bit of nepotism,” he admits.

“Are we just ‘yay, our boys!’ when really they’re dreadful?”

But, he says, the band’s indie folk rock is “brilliant”, and keeps getting better. And, he insists, people are paying attention.

“We’re shocked as parents a little bit,” he jokes.

The band, Rhys and I are nestled between a Street Fighter arcade game and a pinball machine, in a dark corner of Auckland’s Whammy Bar. The US-based teen band has been sound-checking for their first international show.

Rhys has donned weathered jeans and a plaid jacket - approved by Finn. His son is wearing Dad’s socks for the night. While Rhys talks, Finn pulls faces and shares quiet in-jokes with his band mates. There are plenty of laughs.

Finn, Paolo Pesce, Will Angarola and Wyatt Nash originally played together in a school jazz combo, and went on to form Great Big Cow in 2022.

Rhys Darby, left, watches his son Finn’s band dreams without “an ounce of scaredness”. DAVID WHITE/STUFF

Now, Rhys insists, they have a growing fanbase. Some of whom “[do] that thing where you dance really closely … Moshing”. He points to my notebook.

“Put down there that I did know what moshing is.”

Sure, Rhys Darby - one of New Zealand’s most well-known comedy exports - helped the band get bums on seats and lock in bigger venues, but they were also recently featured on LA public radio station KCRW’s Young Creators Project, can be found on Spotify and their mainstay is house parties.

“I think because I'm a bigger deal [in NZ], it might have been a little different. In LA, no-one really gives a shit about who I am,” he laughs, looking over at Finn who’s patiently had his hand raised while Dad spoke.

There are people and groups in LA that have helped the band too, says Finn, and he’s not sure those opportunities would have happened back in NZ.

“I would have got you on bFM for sure,” Rhys quips back.

He looks on at Finn’s creative path with, “not an ounce of scaredness”.

“Obviously as a child I had many different dreams, but at the base of everything was art and performance,” he says, describing his younger self as a “dreamer” who wanted to entertain.

Rhys Darby with son Finn before Great Big Cow played Auckland’s Whammy Bar. DAVID WHITE/STUFF

“When it comes to [my kids], I see different ambitions, but they have the artistic talent - I’m completely open to whatever they want to do. I’ll always be there for them.”

Where New Zealand has a bit of a reputation for tall poppy syndrome and an air of negativity, LA is hugely positive, says Rhys - especially for fostering young talent.

And it was in LA, at a house party, that Finn recalls being caught up in the “electric energy” of playing live.

“The whole audience was moving. And I think two people got lifted up above the crowd and surfed around above the crowd,” he says.

Finn’s not the only Darby putting in some work while in Aotearoa. Following Rhys’s joint 50th celebration with wife Rosie, he’ll be returning to the local stage, performing his Rhys Darby 25 Years stand-up show at Waiheke Island’s Wild Estate on April 3.

It encompasses the best bits from his previous shows, but performing it at Waiheke is “just another excuse to put on a show, really”, and to show his US mates another part of Auckland.

Rhys Darby, following a stint in the army and then university, kicked off his career with stand-up, before becoming a household name with an impressive TV and film CV, including Flight of the Conchords, Yes Man, The Boat that Rocked and Our Flag Means Death.

As for whether he still loves stand-up, “love is a strong word”, he laughs.

“I still enjoy it. But it's it's less of a thrill than it used to be.”

What he’s really loving is throwing himself into acting, and challenging himself with more dramatic roles - different to the very physical, crazy “shenanigans on stage”, requiring more focus for the comedian and “not just being a silly bugger”.

Plus, he’s 50 now.

“It’s much easier to do the stuff where I'm just sitting down,” he laughs.

Still, there’s no denying he’s been part of a movement that threw New Zealand comedy into the wider world, and he speaks proudly about his own work, but also that of other Kiwis such as filmmaker Taika Waititi and actor Rose Matafeo.

It’s a type of comedy, he says, that “has a signature” and can’t be copied.

Rhys Darby and son Finn at Auckland’s Whammy Bar. DAVID WHITE/STUFF

“I think it’s that positivity thing, which is ironic coming from a place with tall poppy syndrome. We don’t like each other but you guys love us, eh?”

It’s one of the reasons Darby is still living in LA, “still waving the flag [and] not changing my accent”.

And while Darby’s big break may have been the role of band manager Murray, when it comes to Great Big Cow he and Rosie “don’t want to be helicopter parents too much”.

“We're there when they have a question.”

And while Rhys says he can’t talk about any of his own projects, Finn interrupts with a quiet word about vague plans for a comedy musical theatre show featuring Rhys and the band.

Looking back at his own career, the highlight was breaking into the US market - name-dropping X Files and Our Flag Means Death as highlights.

“What's next? It's all peaks and troughs,” he says - mentioning Hollywood is turning to AI, but “thankfully, there's no one that can do a better robot impression than me”.

Still, the changing industry is worrying.

“People are losing their jobs, and AI is having a lot to do with it,” he says - dropping the quips and gags for a moment.

“After the strikes, I know, it's taken a while to get the industry back on its feet, but I'm hoping that it will get there,” he says.

“But it is worrying. It's really worrying the moment.”

Source: Stuff NZ

#rhys darby #finn darby #interview #great big cow band #stuff nz

[sageworld]

Asleep • Rafe Cameron

WARNINGS • NON-CON, Drugged!Reader, Smut (p in v), rafe being gross

rose ran down the staircase as she heard rafe yelling at an unknown person, trapped in the wine cellar.

“you need to calm down.” Rafe screamed and the sounds from the other side making it clear to rose it was sarah on the other side of the locked door.

“rafe, shh.” rose silently attempts to hush him as he pounds his fist on the door. “rafe, rafe look at me.” she pleads, trying to get the tall man away from the door but to no avail, until.

“rafe, y/n is upstairs.” is said, making the blonde whip his head around and turn to his step mom. “no, no she isn’t don’t lie to me.” rafe quickly steps to rose, making her step backwards hitting the wall.

“she is, rafe. she’s asleep right now, i had to give her something to calm her down. she’s leaving with us rafe i promise. go check on her, she’s asleep in the second guest room, she won’t wake up right away but go check on her.” the older woman babbles in a desperate attempt.

“what’d you give her? is she okay?” rafe’s interest completely abandoning his sister. “rafe, she’s fine. go make sure she has something warm to wear on the boat.”

without another word rafe makes his way up the staircase, nerves eating him alive.

rafe hadn’t seen you in about a month. you were there on the tarmac when rafe shot peterkin. the short time you were with rafe after was messy.

you knew rafe wasn’t the best guy, his one grace being his family name & reputation. after he shot peterkin you knew it wasn’t to be long before that was tarnished but yet you stayed by his side, in full support that john b did it until rafe hit you.

it was the first time he’d ever hit you, he was a coked out monster fueled by jealousy and anger. rafe was convinced you had a thing for kelce, that night ending in you getting a busted lip and being called a whore.

as rafe opened the bedroom door he saw you, laying peacefully. you wore your usual night attire which was normal considering the hour rose must’ve gotten you.

“gotta get her ready.” rafe mumbled, the coke and bourbon in affect. he stumbled towards the bed, a pair of his boxers, sweat pants, t-shirt, hoodie & socks in hand. he had stopped by his room on the way to where you slept, making sure to pick out all your favorites.

rafe sat on the bed, back facing your unconscious body as he turned to look at you. “i love you, pretty girl. i know you might not think that all the time but, i promise i love you all the time. it’s just that sometimes you get me so worked up over things and it makes things hard for me. i wish you understood but, let’s not focus on that right now, pretty.” he talks as if you’re listening.

rafe smiled at you before leaning down to kiss you and even though you weren’t kissing back, he was enjoying it. it was you so, it’ll work, rafe thought.

as rafe’s kisses got more intimate the more his hands explored, one pulling down your spaghetti strap to expose a boob, the other going down into your nike techs.

rafes kisses trailed from yours lips, to your neck, and down to your nipple where he stopped to suckle on the tender flesh. meanwhile his other hand massaged your clit in a desperate attempt to get a reaction from your sleeping body.

rafe feels himself hardening in his jeans, he knows he has things to do and he knows he needs to be quick.

detaching from your nipple, shifts on the bed sitting on his knees as he begins taking off your shorts and panties. he groans at the sight of your pussy. the small hairs growing. well at least i know she hasn’t been with anyone else.

rafe knew you’d been extremely insecure about your hair down there so seeing hair had grown prove to him that you hadn’t seen anyone else in the last month.

after shimmying his own pants down, rafe spits in his hand, stroking his hard cock. he positions you how he wants you, legs wide open.

he groans at how you squeeze him as he pushes in, eyes rolling back. “i fucking love you.” rafe lays his weight on you, a steady pace forming. “i feel this pussy getting wetter, you like that pretty girl?” rafe moans, pulling the rest of your spaghetti strap down, bunching it at your waist.

rafe never had looked at you like a girlfriend more than he did as a possession with no say in anything. this being a new line he crossed but he didn’t care, you wouldn’t remember anyways.

“you like the way i fuck you, huh slut?” rafes words get more aggressive with his thrusts as he uses you like some glorified sex doll. he squeezes your cheeks, forcing your mouth open as he licks inside.

“could be in this pretty pussy. all. day.” rafe pounds with his words.

“rafey…” let out, while it’s barley audible and slurred rafe hears it.

“that’s right baby, it’s me, your rafey.”. he coos but just as fast as you said it is as fast as you fell back into your sleepy state.

“mm almost done baby, promise.” his thrust begin to turn to slop.

soon enough rafe finds his high, fucking it all into you. moaning about how pretty you are as he cums in you.

another line rafe had crossed, while you weren’t on birth control you and rafe always used condoms or pulled out.

you couldn’t defend yourself, and while you couldn’t tell rafe yes you also couldn’t say no. but since you physically couldn’t rafe decided he could do what he wanted.

his clean up is quick, soon enough he dressing you, leaving the hoodie off for until you’re on the boat.

he slides he north face jacket back on before applying a soft kiss to your lips. “i love you pretty girl.” he smiles before exiting the room, making sure to lock the door behind him.

#jj maybank imagines #jj maybank smut #john b smut #kiara carrera #obx icons #outer banks #sarah cameron #topper thornton x reader #obx season 2 #pope hayward #rafe cameron smut #rafe cameron #sarah cameron smut #barry obx #john b routledge #outer banks masterlist #topper thornton smut #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #rafe cameron x reader #obx smut #ward cameron #ward cameron imagines #ward cameron smut #jj mayback x reader #jj obx #obx 3 #rafe obx #obx imagine

[bubuslutty]

Day 6: you wanna be the Queencard?

this is part 6, all parts

pairing: angel/demon!fem reader x 141

word count: 2.5k

tags: fluff, poor attempt at humour (help), no use of y/n, 3rd person pov, proofread by me so sorry for any mistakes

warnings: none

summary: Price notices changes + Angel invites Soap to hang out <3

a/n: special thanks to my first ever beta reader @whore4dilfs! Feedback means lots to me and gives me boosts of motivation <3 

Please consider reblogging if you enjoyed this chapter/serie, means lots 💖

the title of this part is taken from this song.

Price wasn't stupid. He has eyes and can notice when people slowly start to change.

Since they have moved into the little home in London for work under Laswell’s watchful eyes, their new neighbour has been nothing but a pleasant surprise. At first, it was fun you know? Oh look, we have a hot neighbour and she’s nice! Angel would sometimes be talked about when they were having dinner, the men casually talking about how her cat almost ruined her flowers and she shouted at her. Or how last Saturday she almost tripped and fell face first when taking out the trash, or how she gets her laundry from the garden wearing nothing but a stupid t-shirt and pair of underwear.

Price is a gentleman, he tries his best not to stare, not to let his eyes linger on her when she’s out and about or greets him when he’s smoking in the garden. But she’s so fucking pretty, it’s frustrating at this point, how she manages to make his breath stutter every time he sees her. She could be wearing an old Minnie Mouse t-shirt, a pair of shorts and yellow Crocs with gardening gloves, dirty and sweating under the sun and digging up weeds and Price would always get caught staring at her, his cigar forgotten between his fingers.

He feels like a teenager all over again. He’s not a virgin for fuck sake. And he had his fair share of hookups here and there along with (failed) relationships. But he still catches himself staring at her lips when she’s laughing at something Soap said, throwing her head back and screeching with laughter. And she seems to not mind his men’s antics, either.

She doesn’t ask about their scars, doesn’t comment on Ghost's clothing choices or how he wears a mask 24/7 and never asks why she should call him Ghost either. She never asked them intrusive questions, not even when they were comfortable, bellies full of wine and warm under the sun on random afternoons. Angel hasn’t made any of his men or himself uncomfortable, not even once, and that’s terrifying because it’s so easy to get comfortable and open with her. It makes him want to talk about things he only keeps to himself. She makes him want to sit and ramble about what he’d do once he’s old and retired, maybe he’ll buy a boat, or a house up north, or move to Spain or to Morocco.

One fine Tuesday, Price was sitting on the sofa, scrolling on his phone while Gaz was curled up next to him, reading a random webcomic on his phone when their doorbell rang.

Gaz frowned, looking up at Price, "Are we expecting someone, today?" 

"No." Price shook his head. 

"I'll get it!" Soap exclaimed, skipping 3 steps and jumping down the stairs, wearing a tank top and a pair of comfortable shorts with little dog-printed socks. Initially, Soap thought it must be one of his packages that came earlier than expected, but once he opened the door he realised it wasn't the mailman but their hot neighbour. 

And she was absolutely soaked from head to toe, it was raining so hard outside that Soap accidentally got rain inside their house, wetting the floor under his feet

"I locked myself out. Can I please come in until the rain stops?" Angel asked, embarrassed and hair sticking to her neck and face. 

"Holy shit, yeah, of course!" Soap quickly moved to the side, allowing her to step inside their warm house and locked the door behind her. 

Angel stood there awkwardly, her clothes sticking to her skin as she shivered and looked at Soap with her wet eyelashes clumped together.

"What the hell happened to you?" Price said as soon as he saw her, sitting up properly.

"Got rained on, and uhm, I locked myself out," Angel said, squirming with embarrassment, her hands clutching the ends of her short skirt.

"Jesus…" He sighed and stood up, "Gaz, get her something to change into, and Soap, give her a towel and show her to the bathroom."

"You don't have to!" Angel quickly said, still dripping water next to their door, refusing to take a step in any direction. 

Price gave her an unimpressed look, "Really? You're dripping water all over the floor and you'll get sick." 

Angel pursed her lips and watched Price walk to the kitchen, turning on the kettle and preparing ginger tea for her.

Soap brought her a big towel, to wrap herself into and get to the bathroom, where Gaz handed her the smallest t-shirt he could find, a zip-up hoodie and a pair of shorts.

"I tried my best, I know none of this will fit but yeah-" Gaz mumbled, scratching the back of his neck and Angel smiled, shivering under the towel. 

"Thank you, Gaz." 

"No worries." He smiled and left her to change and dry up in the bathroom.

"Oh yeah," He stopped in his tracks and walked up to the bathroom's door, knocking twice, "Take a hot shower, you'll get warmer that way!" 

"Okay!" Angel said behind the door, wrestling with her wet skirt to pull it down.

. 

. 

. 

"Are you sure I need all of this?..." Angel asked, blowing on the mug containing the tea Price made her. 

"Angel, shut up." Price sighed, sitting next to her on the sofa. 

Angel was wrapped in a giant fluffy blanket, wearing military-grade warm socks, with a warm water bottle placed behind her back and a big mug of tea in her hands. 

"Damn, alright…" Angel rolled her eyes and took a sip of her tea, feeling it warm her body from the inside out.

Gaz sat down next to Price, curling up next to him and this time grabbing the remote control, looking for something to put in as background noise. 

Soap also came back down, but with Ghost this time, literally dragging him by the sleeve and making him sit down, curling next to him and throwing a leg over one of his ridiculously thick and strong thighs.

Angel noticed all of this but didn't say anything.

"So, how did ya lock yourself out?" Soap finally asked. 

"I was rushing and forgot my keys," Angel said, already annoyed at how she would need to call someone to unlock her door for her. 

"Went somewhere special? You looked nice." Soap said, making her smile. 

"Yeah, I went for coffee with a friend. And I bought a new ring!" She said and stuck out her hand to show him. 

Soap's eyes immediately sparkled with interest at the ring she showed him. Ghost glanced at him and at the silver ring she was showing him, and knew Johnny liked jewellery, especially silver.

Soap grabbed her hand and he leaned forward, "That's beautiful, where did you get it from?" 

The ring was silver with small pink and purple rocks on it, forming a little skull, obviously mimicking the tag on Kuromi's collar.

"This store is 20 minutes away from here by train! They have so many things and almost everything is unisex! I'll send you the address if you want?" Angel said, excited to be sharing something she found with him.

"I dinnae have your number though?" Soap realised. 

"Oh yeah," Angel was confused, with the number of times they've spoken and hung out, how come they don't have each other's numbers already?

"Alright, give me your number and I'll add you to our group chat so you can save their numbers as well, okay?" Soap said, taking out his phone and handing it to her. 

Angel typed in her number and saved her contact under 'Angel 👹'

When she handed him back his phone he snorted, "What type of emoji is that?"

"It's a demon!" She said with a grin and he laughed, shrugging it off.

The conversation was light and easy, they talked about random mundane things until Angel’s attention was stolen by the TV, she stared at the big screen with her mouth open and forgot to finish her sentence.

She snorted, and Gaz tilted his side to the side, “What’s up?”

“That’s you, John.” Angel pointed at the screen, where a big brown bear was napping under a tree on its back. Gaz and Soap started giggling like school girls at Price’s expression. Ghost on the other hand let out a small snort and pulled at the strings of his hoodie, trying to hide himself from his captain.

Price leaned forward, putting his hands on his knees and squinting at the screen like an old man, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“That’s literally exactly how you nap in the garden sometimes, and it’s cute!” Angel said, still laughing at his face.

“That’s not true, I literally have no idea what you’re talking about, the sun must’ve messed up with your head.” He said, shrugging and refusing to meet her eyes.

“John, stop playing, it’s you!” Angel whined, shaking his arm and making Gaz laugh harder.

“If I’m that bear, you’re that one.” He said, pointing at the TV. Angel glanced at the TV and saw a small cub falling on its face and getting a mouthful of dirt. She gasped at his audacity, “No, I’m not!”

“I have seen you almost trip outside when taking out the trash, 3 times already.” Price teased her, looking at her with a small smirk.

“And you laugh at a lady instead of preserving her reputation? How dare you, John!” Angel said with a hand on her chest and falling back on Soap with a hand against her forehead.

“That is not a way to treat a proper lady, John. Apologise!” Soap said, lower lip dramatically wobbling and cradling her head in his arms. 

“I’ll think about it.” Price chuckled at their antics and Gaz gasped, “Oh my days, you’re actually the worst.” 

“And yet, you still love me.” Price sighed.

“Unfortunately.” Gaz rolled his eyes and placed a kiss on the Captain’s temple before standing up and walking to the kitchen, to get himself a snack.

.

.

.

“I think your clothes should be dry now,” Soap said, opening the tumble dryer’s door and watching Angel bend down to inspect her clothes.

“They are, thanks.” She grabbed the clothes and placed them on top of the dryer, closing the door with one hand.

Soap watched Angel fold her clothes in a neat pile and her skirt caught his attention. It was a pretty short brown pleated skirt, and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to run his hand on the soft fabric. Angel stopped and stared at Soap’s entranced and focused face.

“Nice, isn’t it?” She smiled and he snapped back into reality, retrieving his hand to himself.

“What fabric is that?” He asked and Angel just stared at him, “I actually don’t know…”

“Wait, maybe it says on the tag inside.” She exclaimed and quickly grabbed the skirt, flipping it inside out and frowning, when it was nowhere to be seen, “Oh shit, I must’ve removed it and forgot, sorry Soap.”

If there’s one thing Soap can tell you he likes about the woman, is that she dresses well. Her personal style is so cool and unique to him, every time she’s about to leave for work, he stops and admires her choice of clothes for the day. At first, it embarrassed him, how much he enjoys clothes and colours and fashion, but then it took years of working through internalised self-hatred for him to enjoy ‘womanly’ things without feeling like utter shit about it in the comfort of his own room. Thanks, Dad for the trauma <3

“If you want, I can try to figure out where I bought it from and buy you one? So we can match?” Angel asked, grinning and holding the skirt up in her hands.

Soap’s eyes widened a bit and he quickly spluttered, “No, you dinnae have to! Please, don’t bother.”

“You don’t like the skirt?” Angel’s smile fell.

“No, I do! It's just you dinnae have to bother buying me one, It won’t suit me.” He said, laughing and scratching his arm, no humour behind his laugh, if anything it was tainted with embarrassment and a hint of shame.

Angel’s eyes softened, “Soap, what makes you think it won’t suit you? Have you seen your thighs and tiny -excuse my language- slutty waist?”

Soap blushed bright red and barked out a laugh, “What the shite, Angel?!”

“It’s true! Don’t tell me Ghost has never told you this before?” Angel asked, tilting her head to the side.

Soap took a sharp inhale through his nose and slammed the door of the kitchen shut, “What makes you think he-”

“The man’s practically obsessed with your thighs, every time you sit next to him his hands glue themselves to them, especially when you’re wearing shorts. And I don’t even blame him, you have killer thighs. In my opinion, it’s a crime you have to wear trousers-” Angel said, waving her hands and the skirt around, and Soap almost died and closed her mouth with his palm before he could stop himself.

“Alright!”

“Hmm??” Angel hummed behind his palm, eyes wide.

“You want to buy me a skirt? Okay, just- just don’t–” Soap said, letting out a shaky breath and slowly removing his hand from her mouth.

Angel blinked up at him with big shiny eyes, feeling the borrowed shorts slowly slide down her hips. “Are you free next Wednesday?” She asked and quickly reached down the tie the short’s strings tighter to stop them from sliding down.

“Yeah, why?”

“Let’s play dress up at mine,” Angel said, grinning up at Soap.

“You want to-”

“Let’s hang out, and I’ll show you my jewellery collection,” Angel added with a small smirk, raising her brows.

Soap gaped at her like a fish, his mouth agape, and groaned, throwing his head back, “Fine, At what time?”

“How about 3 in the afternoon?”

“I’ll bring snacks.” Soap nodded, feeling an odd soup of excitement and anxiety brew in his stomach.

“Perfect, see you then, Soap.” Angel winked and grabbed the collar of his shirt, dragging him down to place a kiss on his cheek and happily skipped out of the kitchen.

“PRICE, CAN YOU UNLOCK MY DOOR NOW, PLEASE?” He heard Angel call out in the living room and leaned against the tumble dryer, glancing down at his thighs in his shorts. He chuckled and shrugged, “I do have killer thighs.”

Outside in front of Angel’s front door, Price was squatting in front of the lock, picking at it with some tool Angel has never seen before she gasped when a small click was heard and Price pulled the doorknob down, opening it.

Price stood up and turned to her, “Here we go, now go look for those keys, to make sure they’re actually inside.”

Angel raised a brow, “Should I be worried you can unlock my doors?...” 

“No, why? Are you hiding something?” Price asked, with a hand on his hip, wearing a small smirk.

“Of course not.”

tag list (pls ask to be added or removed): @loveyhoneydovey @cutiecusp @pinkwigonmytv @mandythemint @itsberrydreemurstuff @tapioca-marzipan @fruitymoonbeams-blog @poohkie90 @chaoticevilbakugo @anubis-reed @thefairybird @skytacvia @marytvirgin @cynicalmnm @maechanexe @t0jis-worm @1800imgay @4ndjelij4 @multitargaryen @lilpothoscuttings @mysticalpandabear @silviafantin15 @marvel-ness @bobastayhigh @originalsimp @h-leighh @gxldyjess @msdrpreist @whore4dilfs

#cod mw2 #john price x reader #john price #captain john price #call of duty #cod mw2 x reader #cod mw2 x you #cod mw2 fic #task force 141 #task force 141 x reader #task force 141 x y/n #task force 141 x female reader #141 x reader #ghost #soap #gaz #cod ghost x reader #soap x reader #gaz x reader #bubuslutty writes #Angel on Duty #soap x reader smut #johnny mactavish #johnny soap mactavish #Simon Riley #simon ghost riley #kyle gaz garrick #kyle gaz garrick x reader #kyle garrick #kyle garrick x reader

[heavyhitterheaux]

FL concept: Jack’s reaction to hearing Put it on da floor for the first time

Jack had seen where you had sent him a text telling him to come downstairs to the studio because you wanted for him to hear what you had been working on. He grabbed the baby monitor since all three of them were sleeping before making his way downstairs to where you and Clay were.

“Okay I’m here.” He said before picking you up and sitting down in the seat that you were in before placing you on his lap.

“Ehh I’m nervous.” You confessed before looking over at Clay.

“Why? It sounds amazing and you know Jack loves everything you do. If you only had a song that was silent except you saying a few words here and there his ass would eat it right up.” Clay said as Jack eyed him.

“And?! We love a supportive husband. My baby can do anything she wants.”

“And she loves her supportive little baby that produced this song for her.”

“CLAY! Behave for once!”

“I’ll behave when I put a ring on her finger.”

“SHUT UP, YOU TWO! Clay, go ahead and play it.”

Big Latto

Rip me out the plastic, I been actin' brand new Bitches actin' like they runnin' shit, they really ran through

I'll spend that five hundred 'fore I ever trap you They thought I was gon' fall off, I hate to bring you bad news

Threw so many racks, a bitch can't even see the floor From Atlanta to LA, the only time I'm back and forth

Cheap niggas make you pick, rich niggas get you both Gave the Bentley to valet and let that nigga drive the boat

Shh, be quiet, be quiet, let me pop off Leave the club sloppy drunk, come home and get my rocks off

Heard 'Bitch from Da Souf', he tryna see me knock his socks off Told them bitches meet me at the top, think they got lost Tuh, I'm on go like Grizz

She thought I would kiss her ass, she must ain't took her meds Shit around my neck, it cost a arm and leg

Swear that nigga set for life, I let him get me preg

When it was finished, you turned around to look at Jack who was smiling at you and you simply poked his cheek.

“Oh, so I’m set for life, huh?”

“You’ve been set for life since you were 14, but you get it.”

“Only because she settled for you.”

“CLAYBORN!”

“What? What I say?”

“I'm ignoring you. Soooo, babe I vote we get Cardi on the remix.”

“Say less!”

"Grandma is about to lose her mind. Somebody better go check on her when this comes out."

"NOT YOU CALLING NICKI GRANDMA!"

#jack harlow #jack harlow fic #jack harlow x reader #jack harlow x black reader #jack harlow concepts #first lady of pg concepts

[championleonsslut]

I know you've had a similar ask like this about virgin Leon and I really loved that fic, so I was wondering if Leon and his s/o are both virgins and don't even realize it for a bit, especially the reader who thought Leon would have been experienced with his many fans and fame and they admit nervously that they just don't want to disappoint Leon🥺

Surprised Pikachu face for both of them when they realize they're in the same boat and have both been waiting to try and make it right for each other. Queue very fluffy and passionate lovemaking, especially since they had been pining for each other since Leon started his journey as champion and eventually helped his s/o achieve the same and feelings just grew through the whole game

Omfg this is too cute and I am a sucker for some good old lovemaking every now and then

“You too, huh?”

Tender and sweet af sex it’s kinda sickening

Female reader

You wanted to have sex with Leon, you really did. But… There was just one problem. You’d never had sex before… And Leon… He’s Leon.

You’d feel embarrassed being so inexperienced with the champion who’s probably fucked hundreds of his fans.

But… The wait was killing you. So that night you both were seated on the bed, and you broke.

You sighed, “Leon… I… I want to have sex with you.”

Leon blinked at you.

“I-I know you’ve probably had lots of sex with your fans… And I doubt I’ll be as good… B-Because I’ve never had sex before… I want you to take my virginity.”

Leon just stared at you for a few moments, before he chuckled.

“You want me to take your virginity?”

You nodded.

“Well it’d be more of a trade, since you’d be getting mine too.”

Now it was your turn to blink in surprise.

“Y-You’re a virgin too?”

He nodded, “I’ve never fucked any of my fans, and all my past relationships never really got past heavy-makeouts. I was hoping to save it for you anyway… Because I’d never wanna be with someone like that if they weren’t you. I mean, I’ve liked you since I was a kid! And now… Now you’re my girl…”

Your cheeks reddened at his words, and he brought a hand up to caress your cheek.

He grinned, “I honestly thought you’d got around more. Especially with how pretty you are, good thing I snagged you, right?”

You chuckled, which turned into a gasp as Leon leaned into nibble away at your neck as he ran his hands all over you.

Each caress was like sparks, especially when he touched your hips and thighs. He was gently nibbling at your neck the entire time, and his hands moved up your back to begin fiddling with the back of your dress.

His lips left your neck, and your eyes met instead. His were ridden with lust and love, and half-lidded to match the blush and smirk on his face.

Your dress was off faster than you could blink, leaving you in just your bra and panties. Leon practically drooled at the sight, and you went to tug at his jersey.

You’d seen him shirtless before, but this was a whole new experience.

The next few moments were a flurry of heated passion. Leon’s lips were on yours, his tongue was in your mouth, claiming its territory. He had tugged off his long socks and shorts, and also got to work on your bra.

Once your breasts were exposed, Leon’s eyes lit up as he looked them over.

He pinched a nipple between his fingers, “Beautiful…”

You chuckled, and his lips were quickly back on yours. Soon, the two of you were fully bare. You were quite taken with the sight of his erect, bouncing cock that was just begging for attention.

You were going to reach for it, but Leon had a question.

“Have you… Ever touched yourself before?”

You shook your head, “It’s all too complicated…”

He nodded in understanding, which turned into a chuckle.

“So I’m giving you your first orgasm too?”

That made you blush and look away.

Leon gazed down at your bare pussy, and wasted no time in digging into his meal. His tongue was so warm and wonderful, you yelped at the feeling.

He went right for your clit at first, and it made you tremble. Then, he slowly eased you open with one finger… And then another. He tried three but you were too tight for that.

Cumming for the first time was difficult, but Leon didn’t seem to mind how long it took. He was happy to chow down on your cunt all night long. When he finally tipped you over the edge, you let out a scream of his name that went right to his ego.

You were panting by the time he was done, and your juices were all over his face. He licked them right off.

He pointed a finger at your soaked pussy, “That. That is delicious. That’ll be my dessert every night now.”

You had no complaints.

He gently laid you down on the bed, and got on top of you. You could feel him poking you, and were jittery with excitement.

He glanced down at you, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

You rapidly nodded, and he began to slowly push in.

It hurt at first, but then it stopped. There seemed to be some kind of barrier that was blocking him from going all the way in.

You were going to tell him that he’s too big and he won’t fit and-

Then something snapped inside you, and Leon accidentally shoved all the way in.

Leon blinked, and pulled out a little.

“What was that?”

You glanced down, and his dick was slightly bloody.

“You broke my hymen.”

He blinked.

“Was that important?”

You could tell him about that later, as right now you had better things to do.

His thrusts were slow and precise, really trying to get his point across of how much you meant to him. You were both moaning and groaning the entire time.

Leon hissed through his teeth, “So tight.”

While he ruined your insides, he gently and tenderly kissed you, and left hickies all over your neck and shoulders.

Your cunt tried to swallow him up at one point with your orgasm, and it drove Leon mad.

His moans were slowly getting louder once you came, and eventually he whipped his dick out, which made you whine, until he released all over your stomach and chest.

While he came down from his high, you scooped up some of the cum and tasted it. Not bad.

He snuggled up against you, and you both went under the covers to stay warm.

He pecked your forehead.

“Let’s do that again sometime.”

#sorry this took so long I was very lazy and sleepy #champion leon #pokemon leon #trainer leon #pokemon #anon ask #champion leon x reader #pokemon leon x reader #request #champion leon headcannons #pokemon leon headcannons

[f0xgl0v3]

Various Pjo Character hc: games and Pets apparently

In honor of my snake shedding and scaring my socks off while he does so because for a solid moment I got to stare into the black void of my room and consider that a entity would chose to announce its presence by crinkling a like chip back before I realized and screamed, “it’s you” at him and grinding all day in royal high because the Dev team is setting it on fire but I still want to be a pretty princess in the game.

It is only day two of midwinter break please my marbles have already scattered,

Octavian; if he had access to the game. Would’ve played royal high. He strikes me as a dress up type of guy. Does profit trading but refuses to diamond farm. Also doesn’t like switching over to different rh like games. Again, like exclusively uses it for the dress up aspect, thinks everything looks really pretty. He has all of the stuffed animal items/stuffed animal like ones. Gets oddly heated about the game too. Like, would argue with someone about a value of an item and then leave to server hop. Yeah he’s that one I’m sorry guys. Also his dorm is so bare bones, refuses to spend a lot of diamonds on it until he can do it all at once. But Octavian likes a lot of games where he has total control of his character and everything about it. Really liked Animal Crossing, also feels like he uses the sims purely for character customization; has a bunch of mods and then just never uses them. Has all of his friends/probably the cohort as sims too. Doesn’t like rpg-rpg games that have like fighting mechanics, just feels like the sort of guy to not like video game fighting.

Octavian also had a rabbit. His family had a lot of animals (because he had a lot of family-) and he got to be the rabbit kid. His was the like toasty colored ones with the big lop ears. Sadly it was given away when he joined the legion. But he feels like a rabbit guy, it comforted him a lot.

Jason: you know the wolves life games? For a few certain amount of you I have just unlocked horrifying memories that your brain has tried to hide of emo wolves and if not then you don’t want to know. But I feel like he’d play them, they’d be the first ones once he gets on, along with like obbies. I just feel like he’s the type of guy to like a good obby. But also warrior cats ultimate edition. The first thing my man does when he enters the mortal world is get sucked into warrior cats because I feel like he’s that type of person. Also clangen. He feels like a clangen sort of guy, along with that Mario games. I also feel like he’s in a similar Octavian boat where he doesn’t like games with big fighting mechanics, just doesn’t find it that interesting or something he’s looking for in a game. He is however an open world type of guy, likes exploring.

I want to say he’s a dog guy and would’ve had a dog. But at the same time Jason feels like he’s deeply benefit from getting a cat. Cat’s are just soothing on the soul, also he just feels like the type of person to have a cat on his lap or laying on his chest. Silly little white cat for Jason Grace, or the scraggliest stray cat that was bestowed upon him by the distribution system.

Hazel: any of the like fighting games? Don’t particularly think she likes Roblox much, but if she is playing it’s either one of the games where everyone hates each other and you get to beat each other up or bee swarm simulator. Hazel either is having a de-stress day and it is through being stressed and upset at strangers in the beat ‘em up games, or by tending to her bees and being upset at other people and npcs in bee swarm simulator. Really likes other competitive games too? I don’t know she just strikes me as that type of gal to get waaay too invested in something like a Mario party. Also turn based rpg games, something’s ticks me as someone who’d like that.

Obviously she has Arion but Hazel also feels like she’d vibe with a dog, maybe a cat but I just see more dog with her. A silly little lab for the silly little lady.

Frank: does not play. I genuinely can’t think of Roblox games that are tame enough for him. Actually scratch that tycoon games. The super chill ones where no one interacts with each other and you just exist and build out your little space. He likes those. Enjoys seeing the progress he’s making in something. He’s also an animal crossing player, along with the casual tycoon games. However I’d also say he plays like CoD, just casually and he’s extremely average at it but I feel like he just, does that.

Frank feels like he’d have a really like barely a pet-pet. Like either a fish dude or he has isopods. Just strikes me as someone who can’t deal with a very like aaaaa pet. Or a ragdoll cat. Those are the options I present to you dear reader. Or an axolotl, he’d be an axolotl man.

Larry: Larry plays natural disaster survival. Larry is a menace to society. Also bloxburg, makes pretty okay builds but on a slightly different note feels like a Sims guy to me. I dunno, him and Annabeth get to be in the same boat. Also those really bad mobile games.

Larry gets a pet turtle or a bird. He also just feels like a bird guy, already joked about being a pirate I think he likes giving Camp’s eagles look overs and is happy when it’s his turn to look after them. Also just feels like a man who’d have like 50 pigeons.

Dakota!!!: I almost forgot my man. But Dakota. Dakota plays horror games, he can’t handle them but he still plays it. He is so loud when he plays too. Doors, fnaf, poppy playtime, the list goes on. I think he also sits there and is like, “oh I’m super good at them and like super brave” and it jumps cuts to him screaming because a monster is right behind him. He’s still super brave and great in battle, but he gets so jumpy once you put him in a dark area and instill paranoia. Also can’t play mafia because he screams a little too much.

Dakota is a hamster type of dude. He had a couple growing up and probably would’ve had another one if uh. Events didn’t happen (it’s literally so unfair what happened to him like aaa-). I feel like he had the really small ones.

Okay uh, that’s about it for the random headcanons I’ve spewed. These are 100% my opinions and probably don’t weigh on anything. Thank the Gods I managed to keep Bryce out of it (but if you ask me he is the opposite of Frank, plays CoD and is so annoying about it and very invested-). Anyway I’ll try and actually do something! Possibly New Rome things? Or more Camp Jupiter map, I want to finally put that one to rest. Or Dakota hc finally. We’ll see what happens.

#hehe :3 #pjo hoo toa #camp jupiter #hoo #hoo octavian #hoo headcanon #pjo octavian #octavian headcanon #octavian hoo #octavian pjo #jason grace #pjo jason #hoo jason #hazel levesque #pjo hazel #frank zhang #pjo Frank #pjo larry #hoo larry #pjo dakota #hoo dakota #pjo headcanon #aaaa so many tags- #okay bye

[sisterspooky1013]

Gaslight, Chapter 33/48

Rated X | Read it here on AO3

She remembers slow mornings. They were few and far between, but they were one of her favorite things. Nothing to do, nowhere to be, no reason to leave the warmth of the bed for anything other than a quick trip to the bathroom to brush away their morning breath. It felt so painfully normal, like they were any other couple sleeping in on a Saturday.

She remembers slow mornings when she wakes up with Mulder’s arm slung heavy across her waist, and feels the press of his erection against her ass. Morning sex. She remembers that, too.

Yesterday already feels like a dream, and yet here he is beside her. He’s not quite himself, but there will be time to find the rest of him. To pull it out slowly from wherever it was secreted away, to help him remember how dogged he is, how determined, how insufferable at times. She doesn’t hope for any aspect of his personality to remain forgotten, even the parts that drove her crazy. She wants him back in full, right down to the sunflower seed hulls in her cupholders and the socks he always seemed to leave lying on the floor. The pain of missing Cal and the kids, of worrying about what will happen to them and her mother, is tolerable with his arms around her. She hopes this feeling never fades.

Mulder’s chest presses against her back as he pulls in a deep breath and stirs. She runs her hand over his forearm to let him know that she’s awake, and he wriggles down a little so he can hook his chin over her shoulder.

“Morning,” he says in a gravelly, sleep-worn voice.

“Hi.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Really well. You?”

“Good,” he says, then drops a kiss to her cheek. “I dreamt that we were on a boat and you were wearing a red dress. Is that a memory?”

Scully tries to remember being on a boat together. She gets strange little flashes that don’t quite add up. A snow globe. Sitting on a rock surrounded by water.

“I’m not sure,” she answers.

“You punched me, if that helps,” he adds, and she rolls to her back so she can see his face.

“I punched you?” she repeats, and he nods.

He looks adorable, rumpled and boyish with his hair standing on end. She smiles at him and tries to smooth it down.

“Doesn’t sound familiar.”

“What time is it?” He asks, craning his neck to see the bedside clock. “The guys said Langly would be here to pick us up at 10:00.”

“Only 8:15,” she answers. “We have plenty of time, and not much to pack.” He looks at her for a long time, and an intense expression that makes her nervous slowly crosses his face. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” he says quickly. “I just…there are things I want to say to you, but I feel like I hardly know you. At the same time, I feel like you know me better than I know myself.”

The knot in her stomach tightens.

“What do you want to say?” she asks.

Mulder hesitates.

“How I feel…” he begins, then averts his eyes to where his hand is resting on her belly. “I want to tell you how I feel about you, but I don’t know if that’s already happened or if it would be the first time. And it seems like it’s too soon, but it also…doesn’t.” He shakes his head and cringes. “I’m afraid I’m not explaining myself very well.”

Her heart begins to pound and her throat tightens.

Fuck, Scully. I love you.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” she whispers, and he looks at her face.

“No?”

She shakes her head.

“Maybe that’s why…” he moves his hand to her face, running his fingers lightly across her cheek. “Maybe that’s why I feel such a strong urge to say it.” She waits, and she has to remind herself to keep breathing. Mulder sighs, then leans forward and brushes his lips across hers. “I love you,” he says, just a ghost of a sound. If she’d not been waiting with bated breath, she might have missed it.

She barks a sudden sob, tears springing to her eyes with alarming speed, and Mulder pulls away, horrified.

“No, no, no,” she says emphatically, reaching for him. “Happy tears.”

She wraps her arms tightly around his neck, and he holds her while she cries with relief. Her dreams have come to life, finally. No more waiting.

Once she’s gotten her bearings, she loosens her grip on him and he pulls away so he can see her. He frowns, and she’s sure she looks a mess, but she feels better than she’s felt in months.

“I love you too,” she says, and his frown quickly morphs into a goofy smile.

All of Scully’s possessions fit into her small duffel bag, and Mulder has no possessions at all aside from the clothes he borrowed from Byers. When the phone rings at 10:01, they take a look around the apartment to be sure they haven’t forgotten anything, then lock the door for the last time. They trail down to the ground floor hand-in-hand, excited and afraid, and most of all hopeful. They both slide into the back seat, and Langly twists around to address them.

“Morning, lovebirds,” he says with some measure of surprise, and they smile like a couple of lovestruck teenagers. “Did you bring the burner cell?” he asks. “We’ll need to wipe it and pop in a new sim card before we send you on to the next leg.”

“Shit. No,” Mulder says, unbuckling his seatbelt. “I’ll go grab it, be right back.”

Before he exits the bus, he drops a quick kiss to Scully’s cheek and whispers, “love you,” in her ear.

She watches him disappear into the building, already anxious for him to return.

“Seems like you two worked things out,” Langly says with a suggestive pop of his eyebrows.

“I guess so,” Scully answers, feeling embarrassed that their affection is so obvious.

Langly chuckles and sits back in his seat, fiddling with the radio.

“Frohike drove up north this morning to pick up Mulder’s dog,” he tells her as he scans through rock, hip-hop, and pop music stations. “Our identity guy is leaning towards Canada for your location. It’ll be easier to get the dog across the border if you don’t have to fly.”

“That’s great,” Scully says. “Mulder will be happy to hear that.”

She looks at the door to the apartment building, tapping her toe against the floorboard impatiently. He should be coming back through any moment.

“Did you know that 90% of Canadians live within 150 miles of—”

Scully jumps at a sudden shattering boom against her ears, and her hands instinctively fly to the sides of her face. Her ears are ringing and her heart is in her throat as she slowly looks up to see that the bus’ windshield is mostly gone, and green-blue pebbles of tempered glass are littering the dashboard.

“What the hell was that?” she asks.

Langly doesn’t respond. She only hears a wet gurgle from the driver’s seat. She starts to sit forward so she can see him, but the door beside her flies open and strong hands are encircling her arms before she has even a split-second to react. The world goes dark as something slips over her head, pressing painfully against the front of her throat. She can’t speak. She can’t think. It’s too familiar. Is it happening again, or has time gone on a loop? Is she back there, at the warehouse?

“Mulder!” she manages to scream, just once.

Her hands are forced behind her back and she hears the zip of a cable tie, then her knees hit a hard surface. She hears a door slam and then the roar of an engine. She’s knocked against a wall as the vehicle she’s been placed in begins to move.

It’s happening again. They’re taking her back. They’re taking him from her.

Again.

-

Mulder is just swiping the burner cell off the coffee table when he hears a muted boom from below. He steps out onto the balcony and looks down to the parking lot where Scully and Langly are waiting in the bus. At first, he can’t make sense of what he sees. There are bits of something spilled all over the hood of the bus, and the steering wheel looks too in-focus considering how far away he is. Then he spots a van, black and mostly windowless, parked across the lot. He watches a broad-shouldered man walk briskly away from the van and towards the bus. He doesn’t wait a second longer.

He flies down the stairwell, his feet moving so quickly it’s a miracle that he doesn’t fall. His heart is pounding in his legs and in the palms of his hands, and he feels like he might vomit. The only thought in his mind is “no.” No, this can’t be happening. No, they can’t take her again. No, not when he only just got her back. No, no, no, no, no.

When he flings the entryway door open, the van is peeling out of the parking lot, taking a right towards the freeway onramp. Mulder chases after it, his feet pounding against the pavement somehow propelled by pure will as his lungs burn and his mind goes blank. The van turns and disappears from view, and he stands there, breathless and bereft.

They took her.

They took her.

They took her.

He doesn’t know what to do. He should know what to do. He runs back to the bus, where the back door is hanging open and Scully is conspicuously absent. He pulls the driver’s side door open to find Langly blood-soaked and sputtering, a deep red patch wetting the chest of his T-shirt.

“What happened?” Mulder asks desperately, pressing the palm of his hand against the wound.

Langly lurches and blood runs from the corners of his mouth. He tries to speak, but his throat is flooded. Keeping his hand in place, Mulder pulls the burner phone from his pocket and dials 911. They keep him on the line, instructing him to do what he’s already doing by keeping pressure on the wound. Langly is still breathing, but his eyes have fallen closed.

Mulder needs to call Byers and tell him what’s happened. He needs to figure out how to get Scully back. He should know what to do, but he doesn’t. He can’t remember ever feeling so hopeless.

-

When Frohike walks through the front door with Frenchie in tow, Mulder is sitting on the couch with his elbows on his knees, his hands steepled in front of his mouth. Frenchie barks at him once, but when he lifts his head and looks at her she begins to wiggle excitedly and pulls at her leash until Frohike cuts her loose. She charges him, jumping up onto the couch and licking his face, and he actually smiles, forgetting for just a split second that Scully is gone and Langly is in critical condition.

“What the hell happened to you?” Frohike says, tossing his keys on the kitchen counter. “Where’s Scully?”

Reality comes slamming back down like a two-ton weight.

“She’s gone,” he says tightly, fresh tears springing to his eyes. He pushes Frenchie off the couch and encourages her to lie down at his feet. “They took her.”

Frohike turns and looks at him, gobsmacked.

“Who?”

Mulder shrugs helplessly.

“Whoever took us before, I assume. And Langly—” Frohike’s face blanches, and Mulder chooses his words carefully. “He’s alive, but he’s in bad shape. Byers is with him.”

Frohike slumps into a chair.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he mumbles, and Mulder gives him a minute to let it soak in.

He pets Frenchie aggressively, running his hand from the top of her head down to her tail over and over.

“I don’t know what to do,” he admits, glancing up at Frohike. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Jesus,” Frohike says again, his hand held loosely over his mouth. “In all the files, it never once referenced a location. We’d have to find someone who was involved in the project.”

Somebody who’s involved in the project. Mulder knows of a couple somebodies who are.

It only takes him a split second to make up his mind. He takes out the burner phone, which is streaked with Langly’s blood, and dials Diana’s phone number from memory.

“Who you callin’, man?” Frohike asks, looking worried.

It rings and rings. He waits to hear the clipped sound of her voice, followed by her angry demands. He’s prepared to do whatever is necessary to get Scully back. To keep her safe. If that means returning to Diana, so be it. If he is the collateral that will allow Scully to go free, it’s a sacrifice he is willing to make.

You’ve reached Diana Spender, I’m unavailable right now—

He snaps the phone closed as a strange mix of relief and frustration washes over him. He tries the house phone and hears his own voice on the answering machine. As a last ditch effort, he tries his parents’ house, hoping that she’ll be there.

Teena answers almost immediately, as though she’d been waiting by the phone.

“Jeff?” she says fearfully, her voice lowered. “Are you all right, son?”

“No, Mom, can’t say that I am,” he tells her, running one hand over his eyes. “And you can stop calling me Jeff; I know that’s not my name.”

There is a long, heavy silence.

“I’m so sorry,” she says softly.

“You should be,” he says flatly. “Is Diana there?”

“No,” Teena answers. “She and your father have been…busy.”

“I recently learned that my father was murdered in 1995,” Mulder tells her bitingly. She doesn’t respond. “Do you know Scully, Mom?” he asks her, sitting back.

“Yes, Fox. I’ve met Dana many times,” she says. The sound of his given name on his mother’s tongue pricks at something in his chest. “She’s a lovely woman.”

He feels the tears welling up again, tightening his throat.

“They took her away,” he whispers harshly, closing his eyes. “They took her from me, Mom.”

“I know,” she whispers back, sounding equally pained. “I’m sorry. I know now that it wasn’t the right thing to do. I regret ever agreeing to any of it.”

Mulder sits up suddenly. Frenchie scrambles to her feet and watches him raptly.

“Do you know where they took her?” he asks. It feels as though his entire life is riding on the answer.

Teena doesn’t respond right away. He hears her even breathing, and seconds tick by in agonizing purgatory.

“Have you ever visited the Patapsco River, Fox?” she asks, and he blinks, stupefied.

“What?”

“Of course you have, it runs right through Baltimore, but it’s much more enjoyable in a country setting.”

“Mom, what the hell does this have to do with anything?” he barks at her, frustrated. “Do you know where Scully is?”

“There’s a nice little area called Henryton, right on the banks of the south branch of the Patapsco. I think you’d like it there, Fox. Just do be careful of the tunnel, the railroad is still active.”

His anger fades as a chill creeps up his spine. He stands, and Frenchie follows him as he paces towards the kitchen. Frohike follows as well, only with his eyes.

“Is that where she is, Mom? In Henryton?” So much adrenaline is coursing through his veins that he feels sick.

“Be careful of the tunnel, Fox. Trains do pass through,” is all she says in response.

Mulder closes his eyes and heaves a shuddering sigh.

“Thank you,” he says, and he hears Teena heave a sigh of her own.

“It’s the least I can do,” she whispers. “Please, take care.”

She hangs up before he can say goodbye. He turns to Frohike, who is waiting with raised eyebrows and upturned palms.

“Well?” Frohike asks expectantly.

“Find out everything you can about an area on the Patapsco called Henryton,” Mulder tells him. “We’re going to need a car.”

Tagging @today-in-fic

#the x files #x files fanfic #txf #dana scully #fox mulder #xf fanfic #x files #the x-files #xfiles #thexfiles

[joe-mazzello-archive]

baby we're a dying breed - part two

eddie munson x fem!reader (no y/n)

w/c: 17.9k (i'm sorry)

warnings: slow burn, s4 spoilers, canon divergent, reader has fear of being in/on water, references to alcohol and drugs, violence/gore/blood, supernatural elements (it's stranger things, y'all), smut (p in v)

a/n: here we are! part two of this monster of a fic. i have about six bonus scenes planned if y'all are interested (including some from eddie's pov). i aged ten years with all of the plot holes i had to fix so the duffers will be receiving a bill from me. i did also use a time jump, but some of the bonus scenes will fill in the gaps. hope you enjoy!

It’s eerily quiet.

The commotion from the shoreline has died down and the water around the boat has gone still. It’s just you, laying down, floating alone in silence, trying not to have a complete meltdown.

He left you. He left you behind. In the middle of the fucking lake.

You cannot fathom why.

He must have known you wouldn’t jump in after him. Maybe he assumed he would help save Steve and then just…swim back up? You cannot for the life of you understand what his game plan was.

And either Eddie and the other teens were killed by whatever dragged Steve into the depths of the lake or they all drowned…or they all went through the gate.

You have to believe it’s the third option. You don’t know what you’ll do if it’s not.

You’re also assuming the kids left on the shore were found by the cops. Meaning that even if you manage to steel yourself and make it back to shore, every single person who could have any idea of what to do next is unavailable.

Why did Eddie have to dive into the fucking water?

You then remember some of what the others told you about the Upside Down. It’s full of creatures and vines that all share a hive mind. And those idiots are in there with no weapons and no protection. And considering Steve’s shirt, socks, and shoes are strewn randomly throughout the boat, he’s strolling around the Upside Down barefoot and shirtless.

You don’t want to even imagine what they’re experiencing down there. You just want Eddie – all of them – to be back. And safe. That’s all you’ve wanted since this whole thing started.

You don’t know what to do.

But you do know you need to get back to shore.

So you take a deep breath, and you sit up.

It’s your worst nightmare. The boat rocks with your movement and your stomach churns unpleasantly. The shoreline seems like it’s miles away and you swear the night has gotten darker somehow. You try to focus on your breathing in hopes of calming your pounding heart, and you reach for one of the abandoned oars. As your fingers wrap around the old wood, you close your eyes and try to think of something to distract yourself. A happy thought - just to center your mind while you make your journey back to land.

Your mom comes to mind at first. You think about the time you got home from school to find her excitedly waving an envelope in the air – it turned out to be your acceptance letter for school. She had wrapped you in a tight hug and took you out to dinner that night.

Then you think of your friends, the people you spent your years of high school with. You think about the band dinners at Benny’s, the sleepovers at Carolyn’s house, the nights you would sneak out to smoke in the forest.

And then you think of Eddie. The way his eyes light up every time he gets a rise out of you. His toothy grin when you bite back at him. His eyes when he told you that he’d be there for you in a heartbeat.

You focus on the memory as you open your eyes and hesitantly plunge the oar into the water. With a weak push, you manage to move the boat a little bit, the shakiness only slightly terrifying. You take another breath before bringing the oar up and forward, your second stroke a little more powerful than the first. Then you do it again. And again. And before you know it, you’re steadily moving towards the shore.

When the boat hits the edge of the forest, you practically launch yourself from the vessel, and you don’t even mind that you land smack on your back.

You made it.

The ground feels amazing under you, and you begin to laugh in relief. You let your eyes fall closed and you just lie there, basking in the accomplishment of actually making it back to shore.

“Steve? Nancy? Anyone copy?”

Dustin’s voice is muffled by your bag as it crackles through the walkie talkie. Your eyes snap open at the sound and you jump to your feet, reaching for where your purse still sits in the boat.

“Hey, it’s me,” you say into the receiver, almost breathless from how fast you got up.

Dustin sighs your name, clearly relieved to hear your voice.

“Where are you guys? We’ve been collared by the law.”

“Yeah, I saw,” you reply. You hesitate for a moment before continuing. “Um…I’m still at the lake, I just got back to shore.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“I think they…I think they went through the gate.”

Dustin doesn’t respond at first. For a moment, you’re unsure if he even heard you.

“They what?!”

“Yeah, I think –”

“No I heard you, I just can’t believe they would be stupid enough to go through Watergate without a plan or any weapons –”

“To be fair, I don’t think Steve had a choice in the matter –”

“Shit, I’ve got to go –”

“Wait, Dustin, what should I do? Dustin?”

You get nothing but silence.

With a sigh, you drop the radio back into your bag. With no plan and no experienced teenagers to guide you, your only option is to try and get back home. So you take another deep breath, adjust the strap of your bag, and begin another hike through the woods.

As you walk, you can’t help but let your mind wander to Eddie. You’re so unbelievably upset with him for leaving you in the boat. Despite your intense fear of the water that he was well aware of. Despite everything the two of you went through the past few days. Despite the fact that you practically begged him not to leave you. He still jumped in. You just cannot understand it. If you do somehow reunite with him…you’re not sure what you’re gonna do…but slapping him isn’t completely off of the table.

But at the same time, you’re so worried about him. The idea of him being trapped in another realm with monsters and mind-controlling demons with nothing but his wit doesn’t sit well with you. You’re angry with him, yes – but fuck, you’re so scared for him. Part of you suspects that if you do see him again, you’ll be so relieved that he’s okay that you’ll forget you’re mad at him.

It feels like you’ve been walking for hours by the time you reach a main road, but luckily you’re not far from your house. Your plan is to head home, shower and change – you’re on day four of the same clothes for fuck’s sake – and wait for some sort of instructions from Dustin. He must be figuring out a plan. At least you hope so.

You know it’s crazy, but part of you wishes you could find a way into the Upside Down yourself, at least to be reunited with Eddie and the others. You don’t think you’d be very good at fighting monsters, but at least you wouldn’t be alone.

And then it hits you.

The gate opened where Patrick was killed. Which means there must be a gate where Chrissy was killed.

You immediately spin on your heels and start to head to Eddie’s trailer.

You begin to pick up the pace, your new plan giving you a renewed sense of energy and purpose. You don’t have any idea what you’re going to do when you get there. And hell, maybe the theory isn’t correct and the gate at Lover’s Lake was a fluke. But you have to try.

Because he said it himself – Eddie would do it for you in a heartbeat.

You’re almost in a full run by the time you turn down the street right before the trailer park. All of a sudden you hear shouting, and after a moment you realize it’s your name being called. You peek over your shoulder to see four silhouettes on bikes heading straight for you. With a squint, you quickly discover it’s Dustin, Max, the other boy from earlier who’s name you didn’t catch, and another younger girl whom you’ve never met.

The quartet pulls up next to you and Dustin signals you to jump on the back of his bike.

“Why is it that every time you show up you have a new random child with you?” you ask Dustin as you plant your feet on the back axle of the bike and grab his shoulders.

“We were gonna call you as soon as we got to the trailer,” he explains, ignoring your comment. “I take it you figured out there would be a gate there.”

“Yeah,” you confirm as the teen kicks off the ground and begins to ride again. “I had no plan for what I was actually going to do when I got there.”

“Luckily, we have a plan,” he replies, his tone smug. “We were able to make contact with the others through Nancy's sister's LiteBrite.”

You blink twice.

“You know what, I’m not even going to ask for an explanation.”

You feel the breeze of the evening across your face as you cruise down the street, your legs grateful for the break after running and walking for miles. The trailer park comes into view, and your stomach flutters - you haven’t been to Eddie’s trailer in years, not since high school when you bought from him. Something about returning after all this time makes you nervous – especially after everything you’ve been through the past few days. And of course…the fact that someone was murdered there a few days ago.

Dustin slows to a stop in front of the familiar trailer, and you hop off the bike. The other kids all drop their bikes and begin to make their way up the steps and through the surprisingly unlocked front door. You hesitate for a moment, all of your conflicting emotions swimming around in your head. But you eventually take a deep breath before entering the trailer yourself.

Your eyes are immediately drawn to the ceiling, where a large crack glows red, and weird, black vines grow from its center. It almost looks alive in the way it thrums and moves. It’s not a clean hole - there appears to be a layer of film across it, like it’s never been used – which you suspect is the case.

You’re not sure what you expected these gates to look like, but you can’t say you expected them to look like this.

The five of you stare up at it for a few moments before Dustin finally moves. He grabs a broom that’s propped by the front door and centers the handle right against the glowing crack.

“Well, here goes nothing,” he says before he begins to push the handle through the gate. The film holds at first, looking almost spongy in the way the handle pushes it inward. Dustin pulls the broom down for a moment before he violently slams the handle through the film, tearing it. The gate squelches as he thrusts the long handle through the hole, clearing the rest of the film and gunk in the way.

The five of you all walk closer, congregating directly under the gate, and at first you’re not sure what you’re looking at. But you soon realize you’re looking at an upside down version of the very trailer you’re standing in now…maybe that’s where they got the name from.

You’re about to ask what the next step of the plan is when suddenly a familiar face appears. Steve slowly walks into view, also upside down. He’s followed by Nancy, then Robin, and then finally Eddie. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding when you finally see his face.

Dustin lets out a laugh as he waves at the quartet above you, and you can’t help but smile yourself. The teens wave back as they stare in awe at the open gate. You’re mesmerized by the sight too – if you had any doubts about all of this Upside Down shit, they’re certainly gone now.

Your eyes lock on Eddie and you find him staring back at you. His face is unreadable once again, and you hope yours is too – you want to keep up the facade of being mad at him no matter how much you can feel it slipping.

“Alright, let’s get them out of there,” Dustin announces, breaking everyone’s trance. “I have a plan but we’re gonna need something long for them to climb and something soft for them to land on.”

Without another word, Max and the other two kids immediately start roaming around the trailer and you feel like you missed further instruction – the way these kids can silently communicate with each other and just know exactly what to do will never not astound you.

You’re just kind of awkwardly standing there, not sure what to do when Max taps you on the arm.

“Come help me with this,” she requests, and you simply follow, grateful for more specific instructions. You trail her down the hall and through a door, but you immediately freeze in your tracks as you realize where you are.

You’re in Eddie’s bedroom.

You scan the messy room, eyes drinking in as much as you can. You know it’s wrong to snoop like this, but you feel like you stepped into Eddie’s brain. The walls are littered with posters, and every surface is cluttered with random objects from beer cans and cassette tapes to magazines and items of clothing.

“Hey! I said help me!” Max snaps, grabbing your attention. She’s on Eddie’s bed, pulling at his sheets and you scramble to assist her, trying to ignore the fluttering in your stomach as you grab the sheets off of the bed.

“Bring these to Dustin, I’ll try to find more,” she explains, pushing all of the fabric into your hands. “And then come back and help me move this mattress.” You follow her orders without hesitation, spinning on your heels and heading back to the living room. Eddie’s familiar scent wafts off of the sheets and fills your nose as you walk, and that fluttering never stops. You practically throw the sheets at Dustin before quickly heading back to the bedroom, worried that you’ll get distracted by the sight of Eddie in the ceiling again.

So much for being angry at him.

You grab one side of the mattress as Max grabs the other, and you try not to linger on the sight of a few stains on the surface. The two of you manage to manhandle the mattress through the door and down the hallway before plopping it right below the gate’s opening. Dustin and the other two kids have already managed to get the sheets tied into a rope, and you simply watch as he tosses the fabric upward, through the ceiling.

And it stays there.

These kids are way smarter than you.

You all take turns pulling on the suspended material, and you’re amazed to find it holding strong. The teens above you do the same, and they all exchange looks before Robin decides to really test it out. You watch as she climbs towards you, fighting to reach the opening, before she flips upside down and drops at your feet, the mattress breaking her fall.

“Holy shit,” she says as she sits up. “That was fun.” Dustin pulls her to her feet and your eyes shoot up to see who’s next.

Eddie grabs the rope and starts to climb, shaking his head to clear the hair from his face. His tongue pokes out between his lips in concentration as he pulls himself towards the opening. He finally clears the divide and he flips too, landing on his back on the mattress with a bounce.

“That was fucking trippy,” he says as he sits up. You hold a hand out for him and he grabs it, allowing you to pull him to his feet.

You’re suddenly very close to him.

For a moment you’re pressed chest to chest, his brown-eyed stare piercing. You know your own eyes are wide, your head swirling with a thousand feelings. You’re upset with him but you’re glad he’s okay but you want to hit him but you want to wrap your arms around him but he’s way too close but he’s not close enough –

“Listen, about the boat –”

You don’t let him finish, your hand striking him across the cheek with a loud crack.

“Oh fuck,” he whimpers, immediately covering his cheek with his hand. “Okay yeah, yeah, I probably deserved that.”

But before he can get too far you wrap your arms around him, your head coming to rest on his chest. You know he wasn’t expecting this either, but after a second his arms come around you, and he squeezes, holding you tightly against him. The thrumming of his heart under your head is comforting. He’s here, he’s okay. You’re both okay.

“Nancy? Nancy!” Steve’s panicked voice sounds above you. Your focus shoots up to the hole in the ceiling, where Steve is shaking Nancy by the shoulders, but her eyes are rolled back into her head.

“Shit! He’s got Nancy!” Dustin practically shouts. “We need to find her some music, now!”

Your eyes meet Eddie’s once again.

“Fuck, I have a ton of tapes in my room,” he announces, and all of you scramble back down the hallway. Once you’re through the door your eyes find a stack of tapes on Eddie’s dresser and you immediately start combing through them. They’re all bands you don’t recognize – each name sounds more violent than the last. You glance around to find the others not finding any success either.

“Steve says you need to hurry!” the young girl shouts from the hallway.

“Yeah no shit!” Dustin growls back, frantically digging through Eddie’s desk.

“We’re trying,” Max argues. “I can’t find anything.”

“Seriously, what is all this shit?” Robin counters.

“Well what are we even looking for?” Eddie asks angrily, clearly offended by Robin’s comment.

“Madonna? Blondie? Bowie? Beatles? Music, we need music!”

“THIS IS MUSIC!”

“HEY!” you shout, as loud as you can, drawing the group’s attention. Eddie’s eyes widen, obviously not used to hearing you at that decibel. “Getting at each other’s throats is not going to help Nancy. Just shut up and look for something she might know!”

It does the trick, the group resorting back to silently searching through tapes, the only sounds in the room being the clacking of plastic against plastic.

Only a few seconds pass before the young girl comes running back down the hallway.

“She’s back! She’s awake!”

You all pile back out into the living room as a visibly shaking Nancy sits up from the mattress on the floor, a haunted look on her face. Robin and Dustin fly to her side immediately, helping her up and over to a chair. Steve finally flips through the opening and lands on the mattress, and just like that, your group is finally entirely reunited.

Steve immediately moves to kneel in front of Nancy, his hand rubbing small circles on her knee. Her stare is empty, and you watch as she wipes at her face. You feel a hand come to rest on your shoulder before giving it a small squeeze, and you don’t have to look to know it’s Eddie.

The room is tense, the events of the past few hours weighing heavily on everyone. You have no idea what Eddie and the others experienced in the Upside Down but by the level of grime the group is covered in and the injuries that Steve is sporting, you know it couldn’t have been a walk in the park. And then to almost lose Nancy to Vecna…this shit is getting real.

This is so much bigger than protecting Eddie from the cops or the basketball team. This is life or death. For all of you.

Max is the first to break the silence.

“We should probably relocate to my trailer,” she announces. “We can get some food and some rest while we figure out our next move.” She’s met with silent nods from everyone, the group beginning to meander towards the front door of the trailer.

Eddie squeezes your shoulder once more before letting you go and taking a step forward. You quickly grab him by the wrist and pull him back.

“Uh uh,” you say. “You are going to grab a change of clothes first. You reek, Munson.”

That trademark Eddie grin that you’ve grown attached to returns.

“Always full of good ideas, Major.”

He disappears into his room, quickly returning with a pile of clothes in his hand. You immediately realize it’s another pair of black jeans and a Hellfire Club shirt.

“What, is that your uniform or something?” you comment, crossing your arms.

“I have a signature look,” he defends as he passes you, and you roll your eyes before trailing behind him.

–

You and the rest of the group manage to sneak over to Max’s trailer without anyone noticing. Dustin and Lucas – who’s name you finally know – raid her fridge to find food for everyone, while Max attempts to grab as many blankets and pillows as she can for folks to use.

You try to head for the shower, but your plans are foiled when you find that no water comes out of the showerhead or the sink. Max’s cheeks turn red as you reveal your discovery, and she mutters an apology, explaining her mom is likely behind on the rent payment. She digs through the bathroom cabinet and produces a package of hand wipes. You smile and give her a soft thanks. She disappears down the hall and you take the opportunity to run a wipe over your hands and face.

Your stomach growls, so you opt to wander into the kitchen where Lucas and Erica have teamed up to make everyone PB&Js. You grab two off of the pile, throw them on a plate, and head back to the living room, where you find a freshly changed Eddie emerging from the bathroom. You cock your head and signal him to follow you, and you take a seat on the couch. He plops down next to you and goes to reach for a sandwich and you grab his wrist.

“You’re not about to eat food with your hands covered in Upside Down filth,” you scold, pulling another hand wipe from the package. You begin to clean his hand, starting with his palm.

As you center your focus on wiping away the grime from his skin, you can feel his stare. He’s watching you, and you’re afraid to look back up at him, knowing his eyes will just turn you into jelly. You gently clean around his rings, trying not to think about how the cool metal feels against your own skin. You eventually finish and grab his other hand, and you ignore that the intense fluttering in your stomach has returned. You’re so close to him, his body heat radiating and warming your own body pleasantly.

You’re aware of the strange intimacy of the situation and it’s your own fault – you could have just tossed him the package of wipes and told him to clean himself up. But no, you chose to pull his hands into your lap and take care of it yourself. 

You also realize that he hasn’t said a word this entire time. No snappy comeback to your quip about Upside Down grime. No witty remark about you being his mom or anything like that.

You finish his other hand and it’s then you decide to finally look up at him. He’s looking at you with so much warmth, and a soft smile forms on his face.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he says before giving your knee a squeeze. You offer a small smile in return before reaching for a sandwich and sitting back against the couch. He mirrors you, and the two of you silently enjoy your meal together.

The others are scattered throughout the living room and kitchen, all either having a sandwich or setting up a spot to settle in for the rest of the evening. You notice Max standing at the phone hung on the wall, attempting to call someone, but not receiving an answer. She then looks to Steve before shaking her head, and he nods.

Eddie finishes his sandwich before you, practically inhaling it, and gets to his feet. You immediately miss his body heat, but you try to stamp down your disappointment and finish eating so you can get a little bit of sleep.

You’re finishing the last bite of your sandwich when you notice why Eddie got up – you watch as he lays out some blankets along the floor in a spot that no one had claimed yet. He then grabs two pillows and lays them side by side before stretching out on one of the blankets and laying his head on a pillow. His eyes meet yours and he vaguely motions to the spot next to him.

You bite your lip to hide the smile that threatens to take over – him making a spot for you next to him is such a sweet gesture. It reminds you of your first night in the boathouse – which feels like a lifetime ago – when he created you a bed out of life vests.

After returning the dirty plate to the kitchen and stopping to check on Nancy, you finally venture over to the spot next to Eddie. You settle down and he turns to face you.

“You okay?” he asks and you almost scoff at the question. The guy who’s been on the run for days and just returned from an alternate dimension where he was in constant danger is asking you if you’re okay.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” you say, your voice small. “Are you okay?”

He smiles and you swear your heart skips a beat.

“Yeah, right now I’m okay,” he replies.

You smile in response, and after a few moments he speaks up again.

“My face kind of hurts though,” he quips, and you let out a snicker.

“You said it yourself, you deserved it,” you counter and he chuckles.

“Get some sleep, Major.”

“You too, Munson.”

Your eyes flutter closed, and you’re out like a light.

–

When you come to, you immediately clock a warmth across your middle and against your back. The feeling is pleasant – you feel safe, warm, protected, happy. It almost feels like you’re in a dream, but it also feels so real.

When you finally open your eyes, you’re suddenly reminded of the reality of your situation. You’re still sprawled across the floor of Max’s trailer, you’re still in your clothes from days ago, and there’s still an evil demon trying to kill everyone in Hawkins.

And then you notice the reason you’re so warm.

Eddie’s arm is thrown across your torso, and his body is pressed against your back. You can feel his steady breathing against your spine.

As uncomfortable as you are on the floor, you find yourself not wanting to move. Feeling Eddie against you comforts you and settles your nerves. And you want him to get as much sleep as he possibly can. So you decide to let your eyes fall closed once again.

You’re not sure how long you’re out before you’re awoken by several soft pats on your shoulder.

“Time to get up,” Eddie says and you let out a groan. You manage to sit up, your aching muscles practically screaming at you. Fuck, you’re so over this whole not-sleeping-in-a-bed thing.

The trailer is tense – everyone is still shaken up from the past few days. But Nancy seems the most haunted. Given how she’s still seated in the same spot as last night, you’re pretty sure she didn’t get any sleep.

But it seems like she’s ready to talk about it.

You and the rest of the group all settle around the living room, you and Eddie squeezing onto the couch next to Erica. You all listen intently as she recounts her encounter with Vecna. She explains who he is – how he’s Victor Creel’s son and how he was behind the original murders. How he was the first experiment that eventually led to Eleven, the super powered girl they told you about before. How she was the one who banished him to the Upside Down and how he’s behind everything that has happened in the past three years. 

Then she explains how he showed her things that haven't happened yet. She describes terrifying visions of Hawkins succumbing to the Upside Down – an army of creatures destroying everything and attacking everyone. Her entire body shakes as she describes seeing the bodies of her family members.

As she speaks, Eddie’s leg bounces where it sits next to yours. You can tell he’s anxious. You calmly place a hand on his knee to get him to stop. The movements cease, and you’re about to move your hand when he places his own hand on top of yours, interlacing your fingers. You spare a glance his way and find him already looking at you, an unreadable expression on his face. You give your joined hands a squeeze, and he responds with a small smile.

Nancy is describing her vision of four gates spreading throughout Hawkins when Max speaks up.

“Four chimes,” she says, shaking her head in disbelief. “Vecna’s clock always chimes exactly four times. He’s been telling us his plan all along.”

“Four kills,” Lucas speaks up. “Four gates. End of the world.”

“If that’s true, he’s only one kill away,” Dustin adds.

You feel Eddie tense, and you watch as he runs his free hand over his face. You cover your joined hands with your free hand, running your thumb across his skin to try and soothe him.

Steve instructs Max to try and call more of their friends, and you start to feel your own stress rising. The plot twist of Vecna being someone who was once just a boy living in Hawkins shakes you to your core. How many other super powered beings are just wandering around this town?

Max is unsuccessful once again, and then Nancy drops a bomb on you all.

“We need to go back there. Back to the Upside Down.”

“No, no way, nope!” Eddie argues and you can’t help but agree. Nancy and Steve begin to argue, with Robin, Dustin, and Lucas eventually joining in. They reason that while Vecna is completing his kills, his physical body is vulnerable. Dustin argues that if the group goes in, distracts the army of bats, and attacks Vecna in his lair, they can kill him. Max volunteers to be bait, knowing that Vecna already has a target on her back.

The others all exchange looks, doing that silent communication thing they always do.

“I guess we have a plan,” Steve concedes and the others nod in agreement.

You turn to Eddie.

“Are you sure about this?”

“No,” he admits, his tone pretty defeated. “But I think we have to.”

You let out a sigh, and you nod in understanding, before giving his hand one more squeeze and letting it go.

“Anyone have any ideas on how we can get weapons?” Robin asks. Eddie perks up.

“I might have an idea,” he announces as he gets to his feet. “Red, you guys got a phone book?”

Max fishes a phone book out from a cabinet and hands it to Eddie, who skims through it before plopping it down on the dining table. Everyone gathers around him.

“Here, The War Zone,” he explains as he points to one of the ads on the page featuring a Rambo-esque man sporting a gun in front of an American flag. “I’ve been there once, it’s got everything you need for…uh…well, killing things, basically. It’s just far enough outside of Hawkins. We just need to steer clear of main roads to avoid cops or…angry basketball players.”

“How are we even going to get there?” Dustin points out. “It’ll take all day to bike there and back, and we don’t have that kind of time.”

“Who said anything about riding bikes?” Eddie counters, and you can practically hear the gears in his head turning as he comes up with a plan.

“What, do you have some secret car we don’t know about?” Steve asks incredulously.

“It’s not exactly a car,” he reveals. “But it will do. Anyone up for some grand theft auto?”

Everyone grabs their stuff, and trails behind Eddie, now sporting his bandana tied around the bottom of his face to hide his identity – as if his outfit wouldn’t be a dead giveaway to bystanders. He leads all of you across the way to an RV, the owners of which happen to be sitting right outside. You sneak around the back of it, and you watch as Eddie slides open a window and climbs inside. You all follow suit, taking turns pulling yourselves and each other through the small opening. Eddie heads to the front of the vehicle with his bag of tools, and you and Steve follow him. Eddie yanks out some wires from under the dashboard and begins snipping away.

“Where did you learn to do this?” Steve asks the question you’re wondering yourself. Eddie lets out a soft huff.

“While other dads were teaching their kids how to fish or catch a ball, mine was teaching me how to hot-wire,” Eddie explains. He shoots you a quick glance over his shoulder before going back to the task at hand. “Still like me even though I’m living up to my criminal genes, Major?” You let out a chuckle.

“Munson, I’ve bought illegal substances from you many times,” you argue, a smirk on your face. “I think we’re well past the issue of you being a criminal.”

You watch Eddie work, mesmerized by the way his hands grab at the wires. You hadn’t realized how…nice…his hands are until last night.

You’re interrupted from your thoughts by Robin appearing next to you.

“Eddie, I’m not sure I love the idea of you driving,” she comments.

“She’s right,” you confirm. “Someone might see you.”

“Oh definitely, I’m just starting her up,” he explains. “Harrington’s got this, right, hot stuff?”

Before Steve can respond, Eddie rubs two wires together, and suddenly the engine jolts to life. You hear a muffled “what the hell” from outside and you pat Steve’s shoulder a few times.

“Go, go, go!”

You, Eddie, and Robin clear out of Steve’s way, all looking for something to hold on to.

“Drive, Steve, Drive!” Dustin shouts from the back of the RV, and Steve slams on the gas. The vehicle jerks forward and you lose your balance, immediately careening forward. A hand grabs you by the waist and pulls you back, and you find yourself chest to chest with Eddie, once again.

“I got ya,” he says with a smirk, and you give him an awkward smile before shifting to grab onto a handle by his head, putting a little bit of space between you. But Eddie’s grip on your hip stays firm.

The RV shakes and bounces as Steve drives through the trailer park. He swerves and turns sharply as he weaves through the trailers, and you’re grateful Eddie’s still holding on to you. Finally you hit a main road, and the shaking settles down enough for you to be able to take a seat.

Eddie slides in next to you, while Dustin and Robin settle across from you. Lucas and Erica linger nearby while you notice Max retreat to the back of the RV. Nancy takes the seat up front next to Steve.

“So I’m thinking we’ll need three groups,” Dustin begins. He seems to be the one who’s always the brains behind everything. “One group with Max in the Creel house. The other two groups head back through the gate. One distracts the bat army, and one takes out Vecna.” He states it matter-of-factly, as if it’s as simple as that.

Lucas shakes his head and crosses his arms before relocating to the back of the bus, sitting down next to Max.

“I take it he’s still not on board with using Max as bait,” Robin points out.

“It’s her choice,” Dustin points out. “Besides, I think him and Erica should go with her. They can signal to the group on the other side when Max is under Vecna’s spell and that it’s safe to attack.”

You all nod in agreement, and you can’t help but be impressed at the kid’s planning skills. These people weren’t lying when they said they had experience with this stuff.

“I’m down for heading to Vecna’s lair,” Robin announces. “And I know Steve and Nancy will want to take down that son of a bitch.”

“I guess that means me, Munson, and Dustin will be on bat duty,” you confirm, after doing the process of elimination in your head. You’re not sure how you feel about going into the Upside Down, considering it sounds like you’re the only one in the group who’s never been before. But after everything these people have been through to protect Eddie…to protect each other…to protect Hawkins? You’ll help out any way you can.

“I think Henderson and I can handle the distraction,” Eddie chimes in. “You should probably go with the Sinclairs.”

You turn to face him, eyes narrowed. Of course he’s gonna argue with you.

“Seriously? Ditching me here while you go to the Upside Down to try and be the hero, again?” you ask him incredulously, and you notice both Dustin’s and Robin’s jaws drop a little at your outburst.

“I just don’t want you to have to go there if you don’t have to!” Eddie says defensively, throwing his hands up in surrender.

“Well, I do have to,” you counter. “Because honestly, Munson, I don’t trust you not to do something stupid when you get there.”

The briefest flash of a smirk appears on Eddie’s face, and you immediately know you’ve already won. If you’ve learned anything from the past few days, it’s that Eddie gets a kick out of you bossing him around.

“So I’m going with you and Dustin, end of story,” you finish, crossing your arms. That trademark Eddie grin slowly takes shape and he lets out a huff.

“So bossy,” Eddie comments, his tone playful.

“Okaaaaay,” Dustin says after a few moments. “Now that that’s settled, how are we gonna distract the bats?”

For the first time, Dustin doesn’t have an immediate idea. You ponder his question – and then it occurs to you.

“Wait, we just have to get their attention, right?” you ask, receiving a confirming nod from the group. “So we just need to make a lot of noise?”

“Yeah, basically,” Dustin agrees. You turn to Eddie, and he cocks an eyebrow, clearly wondering what you’re leading to.

“How about a concert?”

It takes a second or two for him to catch on, but then his face lights up.

“Major, you little genius,” he compliments. He slams his hand down on the table, earning a startled jolt from pretty much everyone on board the RV. “Eddie Munson rocks the Upside Down, one night only. The most metal show of all time.” He throws his hands up as if imagining his words on a poster or marquis.

You roll your eyes at his theatrics before glancing over your shoulder to see if you could determine whether or not you guys are close to the store yet. Your gaze falls to Steve and Nancy, who are chatting amongst themselves. But you immediately clock the way they are looking at each other – more than just admiration. You spin back around.

“Are they…?” you ask, nodding towards the pair in the front seats. Robin gives a little shrug.

“They were,” she replies.

“Steve is totally still into her,” Dustin adds. “It’s so obvious.”

“Uh, it’s definitely mutual then, if the speed at which Wheeler jumped in that lake to save him is any indication,” Eddie chimes in.

“But she’s taken,” Dustin argues. “As far as I’m aware, she’s still dating Jonathan.”

“Wait, Byers?” you ask incredulously. “Nancy Wheeler is with Jonathan Byers? Damn, I would not have predicted that one –”

“If you assholes are done gossiping back there, we’re here,” Steve announces. Sure enough, you peek out the window and spot the obnoxious sign for the weapons store…as well as a very full parking lot.

“Guess everyone else had the same idea we did,” you comment.

“Well, they all know a murderer is on the loose in Hawkins,” Robin counters. “But they think it’s a devil-worshiping third-year senior instead of a pissed off demon mind-killing people from another dimension.”

Steve pulls into the parking lot, parking the RV off to the side, ideally so that no one nearby will get curious and peek inside.

“Alright, Eddie is obviously staying here,” Steve says as he stands, his hands landing on his hips. “Dustin and Lucas should probably lay low too, since people know you run with Eddie.”

“I’m gonna stay too,” you add. “Just in case Jason told people I was with Eddie the other night.”

“Alright, everyone else, let’s go,” Steve commands with a wave, and the rest of the group piles out of the RV.

You take the opportunity to slide out of the booth and stretch your legs, before relocating to the much comfier couch at the back of the vehicle. Eddie trails behind you, plopping down on the couch and glancing out the back window. You watch him as he fiddles with one of the rings on his left hand.

“So, what’s it like?” you ask. Your question breaks his trance and he turns to look at you.

“Hmm?”

“The Upside Down,” you clarify. “What’s it like?”

“Oh it’s a party,” he replies, leaning back and spreading his arms before folding them behind his head. “Just imagine Hawkins, except somehow even…shittier.” You let out a chuckle.

“You gonna give me details, or is it a surprise?” you tease.

“Christ, where to begin?” he queries. “Well first of all, everything is dead. The trees, the grass…it’s all rotting.”

“Sounds beautiful,” you comment.

“And then there’s the vines that cover, like, every square inch of the place,” he continues. “And apparently they’re all a part of a hive mind that all of the scary shit in there is a part of.”

“Lovely.”

“And then there’s the bats,” he goes on. “And these aren’t just any bats. They’ve got these long gross tentacle things that can grab you. And if Harrington’s injuries are any indication, they will just…go to town on your flesh.”

“Wow, that does sound like a party,” you say, your tone sarcastic.

“Oh and I almost forgot, there’s an earthquake every few minutes,” Eddie adds on.

“Of course there is.”

Eddie sits up and crosses his arms.

“Having second thoughts about going with us?” he asks, an eyebrow cocked.

“Nope,” you reply, mirroring his crossed arms.

“Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind?”

“Nope,” you repeat, popping the ‘p’. “You’re stuck with me, Munson.”

He eyes you for a bit, and you have to look away after a few moments – his gaze is too overwhelming. He cracks a smirk and sits up.

“I guess there are worse people to be stuck with,” he quips. You take the opportunity to nudge him with your shoulder playfully at his comment. He nudges you right back with a chuckle, so you raise your hands to lightly shove him, letting out a giggle. He’s quicker than you, and he grabs your wrists. You immediately begin to flail your arms, attempting to wriggle free, but he’s stronger than you. The back of the RV is filled with yours and Eddie’s giggles.

“Violence isn’t the answer, Major!” Eddie says as he attempts to control your limbs. 

Before you can respond, the RV door bursts open. Eddie drops your wrists and you both turn to see Steve frantically climbing into the vehicle, the others not far behind.

“What’s going on?” Lucas asks.

“We gotta go,” is all Steve says before tossing the supplies in his hands towards Dustin and practically leaping into the driver’s seat.

“The basketball team is here!” Erica announces. Your eyes widen before they meet Eddie’s.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Dustin shouts. You turn to look out the back window as Steve starts the engine, looking out for those familiar green and yellow jackets. You realize Eddie is simply doing the same.

“Get down!” you say, frustratedly, annoyed at his stupidity. You grab his head and pull it down as you yourself duck below the window as well. Steve gets the RV into drive and peels out of the parking lot. Your grip on Eddie’s head doesn’t loosen until you know you’re out on the road. You finally begin to let go, but you realize this is the first time you’ve ever touched Eddie’s hair. It’s just as soft as you thought it would be, and you have to resist the temptation to play with it. As you loosen your grip, you allow your fingers to run through wavy locks for just a moment before letting go entirely. You immediately avoid Eddie’s gaze as he sits up straight, suddenly finding the road much more interesting to look at.

–

Steve drives everyone to a remote field away from all of the main roads to prepare for the battle. Him and Robin set up shop pouring out liquor bottles they found in the RV to fill with fuel and make molotov cocktails. The Sinclairs get to work using the hunting knives they bought to make spears. Max heads over to help Nancy with her shotgun. You and your battle partners manage to scrounge up some milk crates and trash can lids from a junk pile nearby and start making some anti-bat shields.

“Try not to smash your finger, Major,” Eddie playfully chides as you hammer away at a nail. “We don’t have time for an ER trip.”

“Says the guy who set himself on fire in junior year chemistry,” you snap back with a smirk, cocking an eyebrow towards the metalhead.

“Well shit,” Dustin suddenly says, standing from his kneeling position. “I’m out of nails. I’m gonna go see if I can find another box.” He takes off for the RV, and you furrow your brow. You could have sworn there were two boxes of nails before, plenty for three shields. But now you only see the one empty box where Dustin left it.

“Too bad we can’t bring a drum set into the Upside Down,” Eddie says, drawing you out of your thoughts.

“What?” you ask, confused by the randomness of the statement.

“So we could jam together,” he explains, and you smile, finally understanding. “I mean, I assume the former drum major can still play the drums, right?”

“I haven’t played on a set in a while,” you confess. “Don’t have the opportunity at school.”

Eddie moves his lid from the milk crate, opting to take a seat on it instead.

“Well whenever you’re in town in the future, let me know,” he suggests. “I’m sure Gareth wouldn’t mind letting you have a go at his set.”

You can’t help but smile at the thought of playing some music with Eddie. You probably won’t be able to agree on a song or genre, but something about the idea of jamming with him just sounds really nice. And it gives you hope – that you’ll all come out okay on the other side of this and be able to go back to normal…or as close to normal as you can.

“Sounds cool,” you say, trying to hide just how much you like the idea. Eddie mirrors your smile for a moment, before it slowly fades. He gets to his feet.

“Hey, um,” he begins, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “You haven’t had any, like…headaches or nose bleeds or…visions…right?”

Your heart pangs at his concern. You shake your head.

“No, I’m good,” you reply. “You?”

He shakes his head as well.

“Nothing.”

“Good.”

There’s a moment of silence, and you watch as Eddie absentmindedly kicks a rock.

“You’d tell me if you had, right?” he asks, his voice oddly timid.

“Yeah,” you confirm. “I would.”

“Okay, cool,” he responds, now fiddling with the zipper on his jacket. “Because if it comes down to it, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a Violent Femmes tape somewhere in my room.”

Your brow furrows – you’re both unsure why he thinks they’re your favorite band and surprised that he would have their tape, considering they’re more folksy punk than metal.

“Violent Femmes?” he repeats, trying to get you to understand. “Shit, I assumed they were your favorite band considering how much you used to hum Blister in the Sun in Haviland’s history class.”

You can’t help but bark out a laugh – you were a little obsessed with that song for a while. But you also can’t believe he remembers that. He seems to remember so much about you, and honestly, you don’t even know how to feel about it. You shake your head lovingly.

“You continue to surprise me, Munson,” you admit, your tone sincere. He grins, clearly proud of himself.

“Feeling’s mutual, Major,” he replies.

“Found more nails!” Dustin announces as he arrives back to your prepping area, a box of nails in his hand. You immediately recognize it as the box you saw earlier. You narrow your eyes at Dustin, immediately suspicious, and he avoids your gaze.

“I’m gonna go use the ladies room,” you announce as you stand. “Try not to injure yourselves while I’m gone.”

“No promises,” Eddie replies, and you let out a chuckle.

You head back up to the RV, taking a moment to glance around at all of the others on your way. You hesitate for a moment to think of them as your friends – with the exception of Robin, who you knew from marching band, and Steve and Nancy who you only knew in passing, you just met the rest of the kids a few days ago. But you’re about to go to battle with them against an alternate dimension monster. And these people have done nothing but go out of their way to protect you, and Eddie, and everyone else in Hawkins. You’d be proud if they consider you their friend.

After finishing in the restroom, you pop back out of the trailer and pause for a moment. Across the field, you watch as Eddie and Dustin roughhouse with each other, trying out their shields and just goofing off. You can’t help but smile at the sight. Eddie looks so…free. You’re glad that he’s getting this time to have fun with his friend after everything he’s been through. And you’re gonna make sure that after this is all over, he’ll continue to be free. You don’t know how – clearing his name seems next to impossible – but you’re gonna do it. He deserves it.

You hear a chuckle to your right and you look down to see Steve and Robin giving you a knowing look.

“Shut up,” you say, pointing a finger at the two of them. You aren’t interested in their teasing. They can think whatever they want.

They chuckle once more, and you leave in a huff, practically stomping back down the hill towards Eddie and Dustin.

–

The drive to the Creel House is somber.

You were all able to blow off a little steam when you were prepping for the battle. But now it’s here, and everyone is feeling it. No one really talks – the only sound is the droning of the RV and a Journey song softly crackling through the radio.

You’re crammed onto the back couch, sandwiched between Eddie and Robin, Dustin seated at your feet. Eddie shuffles for a moment, before pulling his bandana out from his back pocket. You watch as he attempts to tie it around the top of his head, but struggles to get it properly knitted. You reach up and grab the fabric from him, and he offers a soft smile and turns his back to you. You fold the fabric and drape it over his head before tying it into a tight knot and tucking the ends underneath. Eddie turns back to face you and grabs your hand, giving a squeeze – a silent thank you. He doesn’t let go, and you don’t either.

The RV eventually pulls up to the decrepit house, and Lucas, Max, and Erica each give a half-hearted wave before hopping out.

“Last chance to change your mind,” Eddie says, his voice low for only you to hear.

“You’re stuck with me, remember?” you reply. He smiles and gives your hand another squeeze.

The RV pulls away, headed for the trailer park, and you can feel yourself getting more and more nervous. You try to focus on the feeling of Eddie’s hand in yours – how his skin feels on yours, how the metal of his rings is familiar and comforting. You’re definitely scared of what lies in store for the lot of you in the Upside Down. Eddie’s description did freak you out, despite what you led him to believe. But you’re determined to see this through. And knowing Eddie will be with you the entire time helps put your mind at ease.

At least a little bit.

Steve parks the RV off of the road, tucked away in the woods near the trailer park. You give Eddie’s hand one last squeeze before letting it go, moving to do one last inventory of the supplies you’ll be bringing with you.

Nancy gets to her feet, a nervous energy about her. She paces a bit, before requesting to run through the plan once more. The first phase is Nancy, Steve, and Robin getting to the playground across from the Creel House. They’ll signal Erica on the other side, who will then signal Lucas and Max. Phase two is Max baiting Vecna, getting him to be vulnerable in his attic lair. The third phase is you, Eddie, and Dustin getting the attention of the bats, drawing them away from the house. Finally, Nancy, Steve, and Robin will get into the house and light Vecna up.

“No moving on to the next phase until everyone copies,” Nancy demands, her tone stern. “No deviating from the plan no matter what. Got it?”

“Got it,” you all say in unison. You all grab your things. You take a deep breath before leading the group out of the RV and through the woods. You all sneak across the park and head into Eddie’s trailer.

Steve goes through the gate first, expertly landing on the other side on two feet. He grabs Eddie’s bed just like you all did on this side of the gate. And then one by one, each teen climbs up and through the gate until it’s just you and Dustin. You help toss supplies through the opening, including the extension cords needed for Eddie’s amp, before it’s finally your turn.

You grab a hold of the tied sheets and pull yourself up. It’s a struggle – you were never good at the rope climb in gym class either. You grunt and put as much energy into it as you can, before you feel the pressure fall away, and you’re suddenly dropping. You hit the mattress and bounce slightly, the fall almost knocking the wind out of you. You don’t even remember closing your eyes, but you open them to see the hole in the ceiling, only now it’s just Dustin looking at you. A ringed hand appears in your vision, and you grab it, finding yourself quickly pulled to your feet.

“Welcome to the Upside Down,” Eddie greets, squeezing your hand before letting you go and turning to wait for Dustin. You finally stop to take in your surroundings.

Eddie wasn’t kidding – there are vines everywhere. It’s unnervingly dark, and you can see little flecks of…something…floating through the air. A flash of red catches your attention, and you turn to look out a window. Angry dark clouds collect across the sky, and a spark of red lightning shoots through the darkness.

You hear the soft plop of Dustin landing on the mattress, and Eddie helps him to stand. With a nod, you all head outside.

You try to ignore the chill that shivers down your spine at how eerie the Upside Down version of the trailer park is. The knowledge that there is nothing in this world except terrifying creatures being controlled by an evil mastermind…and the six of you…is somewhat haunting.

Nancy, Robin, and Steve begin to head in the direction of the Creel House, when Steve suddenly spins to face you.

“Guys, listen,” he starts. “If things here start to get really bad – I mean at all – you abort. Okay? Don’t do anything stupid.”

“We get it, Steve,” Dustin replies, his tone sarcastic. “You can be the hero.” Steve lets out a sigh before saying your name.

“Please, just…keep these assholes in line,” he says. You can’t help but smirk, understanding his frustration.

“I’m on it,” you confirm. He gives you a firm nod before turning to walk away.

“Hey, Steve,” Eddie speaks up, causing Steve to turn back. Eddie hesitates for a moment before continuing. “Make him pay.”

Steve nods once more before joining the other two, and you watch as the trio heads across the trailer park and towards Vecna’s lair.

“Alright then,” Dustin says. “Let’s get to work.”

The three of you grab your tools and begin to fortify the trailer. Armed with a pair of wire cutters, you head for the metal fencing around the trailer park. You cut as much as you can before Eddie is able to pull off each piece. Dustin scavenges some wood planks and metal sheets from some of the trailers and brings them over. The three of you then systematically go around to each window of Eddie’s trailer and cover the vulnerable area with wood or metal, creating a bunker for the three of you to take cover in once the bats descend. While Dustin continues to drill away, you and Eddie use the metal grating to create a barrier around the door, which will give you guys a way to get in and out of the trailer, but still keep you safe.

Once you finally finish, and the three of you run out of scraps to attach to the building, you all take a step back to admire your work.

“Not bad,” Dustin comments.

“Not bad at all,” you agree.

“Now for the fun part,” Eddie adds with a grin, playfully batting Dustin in the shoulder. He heads back towards the trailer and the two of you follow. For the first time in the last few days, you find yourself somewhat excited for what’s about to happen. If you ignore the part about being in an alternate dimension where everything is trying to kill you and your friends, the idea of getting to watch Eddie do what he does best is thrilling.

You trail Eddie down the hall of the trailer and into his bedroom where he freezes in the doorway. Right across from you on the mirror hangs Eddie’s guitar, exactly where it was in his room back in Hawkins.

“Jesus,” he starts, his eyes locked on the sight before him. “It’s like…she was destined for an alternate dimension.”

You bite your lip to hide your amusement at how serious he is…and how he just called his guitar “she.”

“What do you say, team?” he asks, grabbing the guitar from its holder. “Are you ready for the most metal concert in the history of the world?”

“More like in the history of multiple dimensions,” you correct, delight in your voice. Eddie grins and shoots you a wink as he gently puts on the guitar.

“Let’s do this,” he declares before swinging the instrument over his shoulder.

The three of you get to work setting up for the rooftop concert. You and Eddie manage to relocate his heavy amps to the top of the trailer while Dustin works on connecting all of the extension cords. With no word from Robin, Nancy, or Steve, you take a moment to plop down on the trailer roof, letting your feet hang off the edge. You glance over to see Eddie fiddling with his guitar – you assume he’s tuning it or something. Dustin takes a seat next to you.

“I know we kind of…turned your entire world upside down when we asked for your help,” he says, nudging you with his elbow. “But I just want to say…thank you. It means a lot that someone was willing to go through all of this to protect Eddie.” His tone is sincere and it brings a smile to your face. Your eyes are drawn to Eddie once more.

“He would’ve done it for me in a heartbeat,” you reply. And even knowing what you know now, even after everything you all have dealt with in the past few days, you would do it all again.

The moment is interrupted by Robin’s voice crackling through Dustin’s walkie.

“Max is in! Move on to phase three.”

“Copy that,” Dustin confirms, speaking into the receiver. “Initiating phase three.” You both leap to your feet and head over to the amps. You crank the volume and give Eddie a nod. You see him mumble something under his breath before he yanks the guitar pick from around his neck and lets out a scream.

And then he begins to play.

You can’t clock what song it is – metal really isn’t your forte – but you can’t help but get fired up as Eddie begins to strum the chords. You watch, mesmerized, a smile plastered to your face as his fingers travel up and down the guitar. His face is focused, his tongue poking out slightly, and he jams his head along with the music. You look over at Dustin to see he’s having just as much fun as you – he’s banging his head and tapping his foot. 

You realize this is the first time you’ve seen Eddie play in years. You remember the scrawny middle school talent show version of him, adorably attempting to cover AC/DC. But this Eddie – this Eddie is really fucking good. He’s confident, a swagger about him that is…you hate to say it…attractive. You watch as he props a foot up on the smaller amp, and you gotta give him points for style.

Dustin holds up his binoculars, looking for the first sign of the bats. He turns to you and shakes his head, and while part of you is glad they’re not anywhere near you yet, the other part worries that the plan isn’t working.

You turn your focus back to Eddie, and you find him already looking at you. You can’t help but smile, and you begin to softly rock your head along with the music. His face lights up, and he shoots you a wink before turning his focus back to the guitar.

Then a sound that you can only describe as a screech catches your attention. Dustin looks through the binoculars again, but this time when he turns to you, his face is serious.

“Eddie!” he shouts, getting the musician’s attention. “We gotta lock down in T-minus thirty seconds!”

The guitarist nods in understanding before continuing to shred on his instrument. With the news that the bats are on their way, your eyes lock on the sky, waiting for their silhouettes to be illuminated by the flashes of red lightning. You can just make out some dots in the clouds, and your stomach twists from nerves.

“T-minus twenty!” Dustin announces and you feel your heartbeat pick up. You can begin to see the bats clearer in the sky, and holy shit there are a lot of them. The plan is clearly working.

“T-minus ten!” Dustin calls out and your eyes fly back to Eddie, whose fingers are flying up and down the length of the guitar at impressive speeds. The sounds of the bats shrieking is getting louder and louder, and your heart is practically pounding out of your chest.

Dustin begins to count down and part of you wants to just grab the two of them and make a break for it now. You’re getting worried that you’re all cutting it a little too close.

“ONE!” Dustin shouts and Eddie cuts the music abruptly. He quickly yanks the guitar from around his neck and reaches for you, grabbing your hand. You both take off, heading for the side of the trailer. Dustin jumps down first, and you begrudgingly let go of Eddie’s hand in order to climb onto the pickup truck parked next to the building.

“Come on, come on, come on!” Dustin chants as the three of you move. Your feet hit the ground and you practically launch yourself towards the makeshift shelter, and you can hear Eddie cursing behind you. Your hands fly up to catch yourself as you hit the trailer door, and you turn to see Eddie pull the gate shut, causing several bats to hit the metal with an angry screech. Your eyes widen at the sight of the bats up close. You spot rows of teeth in their mouths as they open them to squeal at you, and their tendrils claw at the steel of the gate protecting you.

“Let’s go!” Dustin shouts, getting your attention. You head through the door and Eddie pulls it shut behind him. The three of you stop for a moment, attempting to catch your breath.

“Dude,” Dustin says. “Most. Metal. Ever!” 

“Holy shit!” Eddie replies, grabbing Dustin’s arms. The two of them begin to jump up and down, screaming in unison. You catch yourself chuckling at their antics, but a loud screech from outside kills the moment.

“Hey!” you call out, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “We’re not done here yet, let’s celebrate when we’re out of this place!”

They both nod several times in agreement. You head over to the pile of spears and shields and hand them to the boys. The three of you then opt to settle in the center of the living room, close to the gate opening. Back to back to back, you all face outward, armed and ready for the bats to make their move.

You can hear them screeching outside, thrashing against the building. Your heart continues to pound and your hands shake slightly despite your grip on the tools. The three of you slowly rotate, and your eyes stay peeled as you watch for any sign of the creatures breaking through the fortification.

And then after a few moments, the shrieking dies down and the clattering against the building stops.

“Hey dipshits! Is that all you got?” Dustin screams. You quickly shush him and Eddie shoots him a glare.

“Is that really necessary?” he growls.

You hear a rattling sound above you and your eyes shoot up to the ceiling.

“They’re on the roof,” Eddie confirms. Your stare remains locked on the ceiling as you follow the sound of the creatures. Dustin has the same idea as you and begins to move through the trailer as the clattering continues to travel. You trail behind him with Eddie behind you, shields and spears at the ready. As you get closer to the kitchen, you spot a vent in the ceiling, and you quickly notice shadows moving past it.

“They can’t get in through there, can they?” Dustin asks, and you can only hope the answer is no.

But the universe has other plans.

With a crash, a bat bursts through the vent, creating a vulnerable hole in your fortress. It lets out a blood-curdling scream and you can’t help but scream back.

Suddenly, you’re shoved backwards, Eddie pushing his body in front of yours. He throws the arm holding his shield across your chest as he and Dustin begin to jab at the bat. Your thoughts start going a mile a minute – you need to find a way to close the opening. Your eyes fall to the shield full of nails in your hand and you immediately get an idea.

You go to move closer, but the second you take a step, Eddie’s arm pushes you back.

“Let me help, goddamnit!” you shout, which distracts Eddie for a moment, allowing you to push your way through. You reach for one of the kitchen chairs and pull it with you.

“Out of the way!” you call out to Dustin, who heeds your words and steps to the side. You quickly throw the chair in front of you, climb on top, and with the strongest thrust you can muster, jam the shield into the ceiling right over the hole.

You’re left panting, and you almost double over on the chair to catch your breath.

“Major, you fucking genius,” Eddie mutters, holding out a hand to help you down from the chair. You all take a moment to breathe, the chittering from the bats dying down a bit.

“Are there any more vents?” Dustin suddenly asks and Eddie’s eyes go wide. He takes off down the hall, muttering curses under his breath, and the two of you follow. He stops short in the entrance to his room, and before any of you can make a move, a swarm of bats bursts through a vent in the corner. The bats quickly fill the space, their shrieking the loudest you’ve heard yet.

Eddie pushes you backwards and pulls the door closed behind him. The three of you head back down the hall, and you glance over your shoulder to see small cracks forming in the thin piece of wood. Eddie throws his arm in front of you again, blocking your body with his, and blocking his own body with the trash can lid.

“That’s not gonna hold!” Dustin shouts, and you know he’s right. You’re running out of time.

“Let’s fucking get out of here!” Eddie screams. “Go, go, go!”

Dustin immediately grabs the sheets, grunting as he pulls himself up. The second he flips through, you take a hold next. Your adrenaline has really kicked in, because this time you’re able to easily pull yourself up and through, landing on the mattress once more. The lack of spores in the air and the soft light of Eddie’s real trailer immediately puts you at ease.

You roll off the mattress, awkwardly getting to your feet and looking up to find Eddie.

But he’s just…hanging there.

“Eddie, come on, let’s go!” Dustin shouts.

But Eddie doesn’t move.

He glances up and meets your gaze, and you immediately know what’s about to happen. You see the same look in his eyes you saw back on Lover’s Lake.

He’s about to do it again.

“Munson, I swear to god, if you don’t get your ass up here –”

You trail off as he looks away from you and slowly lets go of the sheet.

“Eddie, let’s go!” Dustin wails. Eddie doesn’t respond, disappearing from view for a moment and reappearing with the spear. 

“Munson!” you scream, your voice cracking. He can’t do this to you. Not when the stakes are this high. Not when he could fucking die.

With a shout, in one swipe he slices the sheet, and the makeshift rope falls into Dustin’s trembling hands. You watch in horror as Eddie moves the mattress out of view, and you stare up at an empty floor. You realize you’re crying.

“Eddie, what are you doing?” Dustin demands, and you realize he’s crying too. Eddie drapes the strap of his spear across his chest and picks up the shield.

“I’m buying more time,” he says, before his eyes meet yours. “I’m sorry.”

And in a flash, he’s gone.

You see red.

“FUCK!” you shout, spinning around and slamming your hands on the kitchen counter. You’re livid. If the Upside Down doesn’t kill Eddie, you sure will.

But you’re not giving up without a fight. That idiot wants to be a hero? Fine. But he’s not gonna do it alone.

“Find some way for us to get back up there, now!” you order at Dustin, who immediately begins scrambling. You tread down the hallway into Eddie’s room and immediately begin digging through drawers and clearing items out of your way.

“You’re a fucking pothead, you’ve gotta have a fucking lighter somewhere,” you angrily mutter to yourself as you tredge through Eddie’s messy bedroom. Finally, you spot a lighter and pocket it, taking off back down the hallway. You swing open the hallway closet, where amongst random objects you spot a plastic broom and a metal baseball bat. You snatch both and head back to the living room, where Dustin has moved the mattress and replaced it with a chair. You grab what’s left of the sheets and tear off a few pieces of fabric, quickly tying the scraps around the top of the bat and broom. Satisfied, you jump to your feet and grab the bottle of vodka tucked into the corner of the kitchen counter. You pour it over the fabric of each tool, trying to coat the scraps as much as possible.

You glance over to see Dustin testing the strength of the extension cord that still hangs through the hole.

“It’s gonna be a rough landing,” he points out. With the mattress gone, your flip to the other side is going to be much less graceful.

“I’m gonna kill him for that,” you respond before throwing the bat and broom through the hole. They land on the other side with a clatter, and you nod to Dustin before leaping onto the chair, grabbing a hold of the extension cord and pulling yourself up. As you begin to feel the weight of the air shift, you swing your body, and you somehow manage to land on your two feet, though awkwardly and with much less style than Steve had earlier.

You immediately grab the tools on the ground and pull them out of the way before adjusting the mattress back under the hole. Dustin falls through with ease, and you quickly pull him to his feet before handing him the broom.

You bolt through the trailer door and down the steps. You don’t see Eddie immediately, but the screeching of the bats gets your attention, and you spot a silhouette in the distance. The bats are swarming him, and you can tell he’s getting overwhelmed.

“Fuck, let’s go!” you call to Dustin, and you head towards one of the forgotten bikes. You hop on, awkwardly trying to balance the aluminum bat in your hand as you begin to ride. You pedal as fast as you can, eyes locked on Eddie’s figure in the distance as he swings his spear and shield. As you get closer, you watch in horror as a bat wraps its tendrils around Eddie’s neck.

“EDDIE!” you scream in terror. His head immediately turns towards you just as he’s yanked to the ground. More bats begin to wrap around his wrists and ankles. 

You practically leap from your bike, tossing it away, and run towards Eddie. In one move, you pull the lighter out from your pocket and set your bat ablaze.

“Fuck off!” you shout as you swing the fiery weapon, knocking out a row of bats that had begun to bite at Eddie’s torso. They let out a high-pitched screech as they attempt to fly away, the fire doing significant damage. You take a few more swings at the bats at Eddie’s feet and hands, and finally knock out the one that was holding his neck.

“Hey!” Dustin calls from behind you, having finally caught up. “Lighter!”

You toss him the lighter and his broom ignites, and he immediately begins swinging at the swarming bats.

You turn back to Eddie, who has managed to sit up, and find him coughing and holding his throat. His eyes meet yours, but before either of you can say anything, you hear a squeal and spin around to find a bat flying right at you. You swing at it, nailing it and sending it yelping to the ground.

Your instincts take over, and you continue to swing at the bats that dive bomb towards you, your flaming bat keeping them at bay. Dustin hollers and yells as he swings his own fiery weapon, and eventually you hear a grunt behind you and see Eddie getting to his feet, gripping his spear and shield once again.

You have no idea how long the three of you stay like that – thrusting your weapons at the creatures. Every so often one of them manages to grab a hold of one of you, but you work well together, quickly getting rid of the problem bats.

You can feel your body tiring out. Your limbs are getting heavy and you're completely out of breath. You don’t know how much longer you can go on – you don’t know how this is even supposed to end. There are too many bats for you to defeat all of them, and you’re sure Vecna’s likely sending some other, deadlier creatures after you next.

Just when you think you can’t fight anymore, the bats begin to fall from the sky.

You stare in shock as they hit the ground one by one, mewling and twitching before becoming motionless.

All you can hear is the sound of the thunder rumbling and the three of you panting.

“What the fuck?” you finally breathe out after a few moments. You scan the bats scattered around you, and you can’t help but feel creeped out as some of them spasm and jerk on the ground.

“I don’t know,” Dustin responds between breaths. “Maybe they did it. Maybe they killed Vecna.”

Shit, you hope that’s the case. Because that means this is all over.

“Whatever the answer is, let's get the hell out of here,” you suggest. The other two nod in agreement, and you drag your exhausted bodies back over to your bikes, discarding your weapons on the ground. You pedal back towards the trailer from which you came, eyes peeled for any other threats. The three of you head back into the trailer one last time, this time leaving the front gate open for the others to be able to get through

Once inside, you and Dustin slide the mattress out of the way once more, setting up the chair like you had on your way in. With a leap, you cling to the extension cord and manage to control your flip through to the other side, landing nicely on the chair. You hop down and move the chair, before pulling the mattress on this side back in place for the others. Dustin drops down first.

“I’m gonna try and get in touch with the others,” he says as you help him to his feet. You nod in acknowledgement and turn to watch Eddie plop onto the mattress. You yank him to his feet harshly and he stumbles and mutters a curse under his breath.

“So –”

Your hand flies across his face with a sharp slap.

“Fuck!” he shouts, grabbing his cheek and stumbling once more. “Okay, yeah, should have seen that coming.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” you shout at him. “Why would you do that? What happened to not deviating from the plan no matter what? What happened to not doing anything stupid?”

A lazy grin appears on his face.

“You’re cute when you’re angry,” he says before he awkwardly sways and grabs his side. “Shiiit.”

You react immediately, moving to steady him by the shoulders. Before you can ask what’s wrong, you glance down to see his hand covered in blood. Your stomach clenches and your heart begins to pound.

“Fuck, sit down,” you order, your voice beginnng to tremble. You push him backwards so that he’s seated on the chair. You impatiently yank off his vest and jacket, and your eyes lock on an ugly red patch forming on his Hellfire shirt. You gently peel the fabric up and away, and reveal several ugly gashes across his torso.

“Am I gonna live, doc?” Eddie says, and you can’t help but roll your eyes. The wounds aren’t deep, and while he’s lost some blood, he’ll likely just need to get patched up. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.

“You won’t die from bat bites, but I still might kill you,” you reply, shooting him a glare. You get to your feet and head to the kitchen, grabbing the leftover vodka and sheet scraps from before. You tear off a piece of sheet and run it under the sink for a moment. You settle back down next to Eddie, and you can feel his stare once again.

“This is gonna hurt,” you tell him as you begin to clean his wound, wiping away the blood and disinfecting it with the alcohol. He hisses slightly and jerks a little when you make contact, but you can still feel his stare practically burning into the side of your head as you work.

“You called me Eddie,” he murmurs, so quiet you almost miss it. Your brow furrows.

“Pretty sure that’s your name,” you point out. “Or have you already lost that much blood you forgot?”

“You’ve never called me Eddie before,” he replies, ignoring your comment. “I’ve always been just ‘Munson’ to you.”

You’re caught off guard for a moment, and you fumble with the fabric in your hands. You realize he’s right – you don’t ever call him Eddie. You don’t even really know why. Maybe at first it was because he annoyed you in high school. He pissed you off so you never gave him the respect of calling him by his first name. And then it just stuck.

He’s right, he was just “Munson” to you. But he’s so much more to you than that now.

And that realization causes your stomach to flutter.

Satisfied with how clean Eddie’s wounds are, you reach for another scrap of cloth. You let your eyes briefly stray to his face, and unsurprisingly he’s still staring at you.

“Stop staring at me,” you mutter, trying to change the subject. “Arms up.”

He ignores your first request but follows your second one. You begin to wrap the white cloth around his torso, trying it tight enough to hopefully stop some of the bleeding.

“You’re still mad at me,” he says, and you let out an exasperated huff and finally meet his eyes.

“You know, it kind of seems like you go out of your way to do things that will make me mad at you,” you argue as you tie a knot to keep the cloth secure. You roll his shirt back down, trying to ignore how his skin feels against your fingertips. He drops his arms and collapses against the back of the couch with a deep sigh. He cocks his head and looks at you with a dopey smile.

“How else am I supposed to get your attention?” he challenges. You roll your eyes – of course he would say something like that.

“You’re such an asshole,” you respond, nudging his knee with yours. He grins.

“Careful,” he warns. “If you keep being mean to me I will fall in love with you.”

Your heart skips a beat and your mouth goes dry.

But before you can even begin to process his words, you hear a crackling sound from above. Your eyes shoot to the ceiling, expecting to see Steve, Nancy, or Robin falling through. Instead you see the gate starting to grow, with more and more vines slithering out of the opening. The opening begins to travel across the ceiling, causing plaster to fall to the floor. You watch as the glowing crack grows and grows before it envelops almost the entire ceiling. The trailer begins to shake.

“We’ve gotta get out of here!” Dustin calls, and you can’t help but agree. You get to your feet and pull Eddie with you, draping his arm over your shoulder to help him balance. The three of you head towards the door, managing to make it through before the gate begins to take it over. You practically stumble down the stairs, trying to manage Eddie’s weight as you move. You pause several yards away and turn back, and the three of you watch in horror as half of the trailer disintegrates before your eyes, leaving a huge gaping hole in the side of the building and a large thrumming red gate on the ground. The gate continues to extend through the grass, cracking through earth and leaving a tremor in its wake. You grip Eddie tightly as the two of you try to maintain your balance despite the entire world shaking. The gate continues to divide the trailer park, moving closer and closer in the direction of downtown. 

The shaking begins to ease up as the gate opening travels farther away. The three of you are left standing in shock.

You hear a noise behind you and you turn your head to see a woman opening her trailer door, likely coming out to investigate all of the commotion.

“Shit, we’ve gotta get you out of here,” you say to Eddie, voice panicked. “We can’t have anyone see you.”

“You guys head back to the RV,” Dustin stutters out as he moves to grab one of the bikes that’s discarded in the grass. “I’m gonna go try and link up with the others.”

You and Eddie both nod, exchange a quick glance, and begin to head towards the treeline.

–

You grip your steering wheel tightly, and you can’t help but glance at the rearview mirror, checking for the tenth time to see if anyone is following you. Despite it being days since the “earthquake” – as the authorities are calling it – your paranoia still hasn’t gone away.

Helping to hide a murder suspect who is now assumed dead will do that to you.

You let out a deep breath as you pass the sign for Hawkins, finally relaxing a bit now that you’re out of city limits. You can only hope it will get easier as time goes on, but with everything you’ve gone through in the past week, you think your stress is understandable.

It’s crazy how much your life changed in such a short amount of time. Had those kids not knocked on your door and asked for your help, you would be on your way back to school at this very moment. Instead you’re headed out to a remote location a half hour outside of Hawkins, bags of groceries on your passenger seat. Steve had volunteered to do the food run for Eddie today, but you insisted that you could take care of it. You tried to ignore the knowing look he shot you, but he could see right through you.

Besides, you have something you have to tell Eddie.

The whole situation seems too bizarre to think about. You had been hiding Eddie at your house after…everything, wracking your brain trying to figure out what to do with him. But on the second day, three adults in suits showed up at your door. They knew everything, even name dropped Eleven, and they explained that they were there to help. They had secured a remote trailer not far from Hawkins where Eddie would be safe as long as he lays low. They even handed over some cash for clothes and supplies. Dumbfounded, you simply nodded your head, accepted the gifts, and helped Eddie get settled in his new home.

Things in Hawkins are still shitty. There are still massive red cracks dividing the town into fourths, there are still townspeople unaccounted for, and there’s still the threat of Vecna and the Upside Down looming in the distance. But Eddie is safe, you’re safe, and that’s all you want to focus on for the time being. You’ll let the experts take it from here.

It’s not long before you reach the dirt driveway, and you head down the long rocky road leading up to the small building hidden in the trees. You see a finger poke through the blinds of one of the windows, and a familiar eye appears in the crack. You hop out of the car with a smirk, before heading to the other side to grab the bags. Eddie pops through the door, lightly jogging to where you're parked. He’s dressed in a plain black t-shirt and gray sweatpants, and you try to ignore the flutter in your stomach at the sight of his exposed arms. You’re not used to seeing this much of his skin.

“Please tell me one of these bags has beer in it,” he almost whines as he grabs one of the paper bags from your arms.

“Nice to see you too,” you snap back playfully, giving him a slight nudge with your elbow. “And yes, there’s a six pack of Miller in there.”

He shoots you a grin and leads you into the trailer. You both drop the bags on the counter in the small kitchen. Eddie pokes around the top of the bags, and you panic a bit, hoping he doesn’t notice one of the boxes shoved at the bottom of one of the bags.

“You shop way better than Harrington does,” Eddie comments before meeting your gaze. “There’s actual food in here.”

“Yeah well, I figure getting some real food in your system will probably be better for your wounds than a diet of cheese puffs and Yoohoo,” you counter. “How are those by the way?”

“Still gross, still achey, but overall better.”

You nod in response. An awkward silence settles over the two of you, and you fiddle with the car keys in your hands.

“So,” Eddie begins. “I take it this will be your last supply run out here. Headed back to school, right?”

You look down at your hands and bite your lip, trying to hide your smile.

“Um, I’m actually gonna stick around,” you reveal, eyes still avoiding his. “It doesn’t…feel right…leaving y– Hawkins right now. Not after everything that, um, Hawkins has been through.” You stumble over your words slightly – you’re struggling to say what you really want to say.

You chance a glance up at Eddie to find him eyeing you warily, his arms folded across his chest. He doesn’t say anything, so you continue, hoping that he’ll eventually understand the meaning behind your words.

“Despite everything, I…uh…I feel safe…in Hawkins,” you stammer. “And I want…I want to help keep Hawkins safe.”

The faintest hint of a smile appears on Eddie’s lips as he nods at your words. He takes a step closer towards you.

“That’s really good to hear,” he says. “Especially since…Hawkins…really likes having you around. And Hawkins would really miss you if you left.”

Your heartbeat picks up at his words, and you’re pretty sure he’s caught on to your hidden meaning.

“Also, Hawkins…cares about you very much,” he adds, before taking another step towards you. You mirror him, taking a step closer so that he’s almost close enough to reach.

“Well, I…care about Hawkins very much, too,” you confirm. Eddie’s smile grows and he takes one more step, leaving very little space between the two of you. He drops his crossed arms, instead choosing to gently take one of your hands in both of his.

“Hawkins also thinks you’re really pretty,” he says, his voice almost timid. You let out a soft chuckle, biting your bottom lip and letting your eyes fall to your hand in his. Your eyes follow as he softly brings your knuckle to his lips, giving a quick kiss to the skin. You feel your body warm at the gesture, and you’re almost taken aback at how he’s looking at you – like you’re everything.

“In case it wasn’t obvious, when I say ‘Hawkins’, I mean me,” he quips, a smartass grin on his face. You can’t help but chuckle and shake your head lovingly.

“Shut up, you idiot,” you say before you pull him towards you and plant your lips on his.

He responds immediately, moving to cradle the back of your head with one hand and your hip with the other. You gently slide your hands up his chest before curling your arms around his neck as you settle into the kiss. His lips move against yours so perfectly, like they were meant for each other.

He uses his grip on your side, to smoothly rotate you so he can press you against the kitchen counter. You deepen the kiss, letting your tongue tease against his lips. He immediately opens his mouth, his own tongue poking out to stroke yours. You groan into his mouth at the sensation, and he pulls you even closer to him, your entire bodies pressed flat against each other.

You pull away for a moment to catch a breath, resting your forehead against his as your chest rises and falls.

“Shit, sweetheart,” Eddie mutters. “Should’a done that a long time ago.” You smile before leaning in once more, already addicted to the feeling of his lips against yours. You don’t know what you expected kissing Eddie Munson to feel like, but you never imagined it would feel like this. His lips massage yours expertly, and your entire body warms at the sensation.

This time he pulls away, and his head falls to your shoulder with a groan. He mumbles your name against the fabric of your t-shirt.

“You don’t even know what you do to me,” he confesses, rubbing his hands up and down your sides. You give your hips an experimental roll, and you hum at the discovery of him hard in his pants.

“I think I have a bit of an idea,” you counter before sliding a hand into his wavy locks. You grab his hair and pull his head up, slotting your lips over his once again. He rolls his hips into you, and his dick rubs pleasantly against your core. You moan at the feeling, and you feel Eddie smile against your lips. He takes your response as a cue to spin you again, and you refuse to break the kiss while he backs you towards his small bedroom.

The back of your legs hit the side of the mattress, and you pull away, but only to pull your shirt over your head. Eddie lets out a groan as his eyes land on your chest, and his hands reach for you. He presses soft kisses all over your chest and the tops of your breasts as his hands slide up your back. He finds the clasp of your bra and easily undoes it, pulling back to rid you of the garment.

You stop him before he can do anything else, grabbing ahold of the hem of his t-shirt and lifting it a few inches. He smiles as he lifts his arms, allowing you to pull the shirt over his head. He shakes his head, allowing his curls to fall back into place, and you take the opportunity to run your hands over his chest, careful not to dip too low and disturb the bandage on his lower body. You smile as you admire the dark ink on his sternum before meeting his gaze once again.

“You’re pretty,” you tell him, and he responds with a smile, his eyes sparkling. He takes your hands in his, pressing a kiss to the knuckles of both.

“Even with chunks of flesh missing?” he asks, his tone cheeky. You chuckle and lean in to quickly peck his lips.

“Yes, evil bat bites and all,” you confirm. He pulls you closer, and your bare chest presses against him as he kisses you once more. You hum into the kiss at the feeling of your skin on his, and slide your hands out of his grasp to run up and down his bare back.

“Lie back for me,” he practically whispers between kisses, and you steal one more kiss before breaking away to sit back on the bed. A smile never leaves his face as he slides his sweatpants down his hips, and you take the opportunity to rid yourself of your jeans, kicking them off to the side.

Clad in just boxers, Eddie takes a step towards the bed before his face falls and he stops.

“Shit,” he says, running his hand along the back of his neck.

“What?” you ask.

“I don’t…have anything,” he says, and you bite your lip to hide your smile.

“Bottom of one of the grocery bags,” you respond, and Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up. He spins on his heels and heads out to the kitchen, and you chuckle at his eagerness.

“I see how it is, you little minx,” he playfully teases when he reappears in the doorway with a box of condoms. “Your plan was always to seduce me, huh?”

You giggle, giving him a casual shrug before laying back against the pillows at the top of the bed.

“I had high hopes,” you reply, earning a chuckle from Eddie. But before he says another word, you reach down and slide your panties over your hips and down your legs, before balling them up and tossing them at him.

His jaw goes slack and his pupils dilate, and the fabric hits him in the chest before dropping to the floor.

“Jesus Christ,” he curses under his breath, and his eyes stay locked onto you as you slide a hand down your body, through your curls, before coming to rest at your core. You run two fingers through your slit, and while you already knew you were wet, you can hear it as you play with yourself. You hum, lazily caressing your opening while Eddie simply stands there gawking at you.

“You gonna join me, hot stuff?” you ask, and it seems to wake Eddie up from his trance. He eases his boxers over his hips and down his legs and impatiently kicks them off. As he fiddles with the box of condoms, you take the opportunity to admire his cock, and shit, it’s beautiful. Long and thick, but not enough to scare you. You can’t wait to know what it’s like to have him buried inside you, and at the exact moment you have that thought, you happen to catch your clit with your finger and let out a moan.

It catches Eddie’s attention, and his eyes lock back onto yours as he rolls the condom onto his shaft. He gives himself a few strokes before moving towards the bed. He crawls up your body until his face aligns with yours, and he leans down to kiss you as he rolls his hips, allowing his cock to slide against your wet center.

“Shit, I must be dreaming,” he mutters between kisses. “Either that or I died in that shithole and now I’m in heaven.”

You adjust your hands under him, interlocking your fingers with his.

“This is real, baby,” you say as you thrust your hips upward, rubbing your core along his shaft once more.

Eddie groans at the feeling, and he looks down between your bodies as he lines himself up with your opening. Slowly and carefully he pushes in, and you let out twin groans as he fills you. Neither of you move for a moment, taking time to enjoy the feeling of him deep inside you.

He slides his hands out of your grasp and under your back, and you wrap your arms around him, bringing your chests together. His head falls to your shoulder as he pulls his hips back, sliding through you so that only his tip is still inside. Then he rolls his hips forward, burying himself to the hilt once again. You can’t help but let out another moan at the feeling, and you dig your nails into his back. He continues to slowly thrust into you, and his mouth finds your neck, kissing and licking and sucking at the flesh.

The two of you move like that for what feels like forever, Eddie’s hips lazily bucking into yours. He feels so fucking good inside of you, like he was always meant to be right here.

Eventually he picks up the pace, with little grunts and whines and curses escaping from his lips. You can feel him getting more desperate with his thrusts, so you slide a hand between you, finding your clit and rubbing at it.

“Fuck,” you moan out. “You feel so fucking good.”

He mewls in response, pulling his head out from where he had buried it and planting his lips on yours.

“Sweetheart, I’m close,” Eddie practically whines. You nod in understanding, your own climax fast approaching. You wrap your legs around his hips, and he grabs a hold of one of your thighs as his thrusts get more and more erratic.

“Shit, shit, shit,” you curse as you give yourself a few more rubs. A wave of pleasure crests over your entire body, and your hips stutter under his. You feel his entire body shudder under your hands, and with a long, deep groan, he comes too. He continues to push his hips against yours as you both ride out your highs, before finally coming to a stop.

The two of you are a panting and sweaty mess of limbs. You try to catch your breath, your entire body still buzzing. Eddie presses a soft kiss to your shoulder before peeling himself off of you and sliding out of your core. He shoots you a smile and a wink before disappearing through the doorway to get cleaned up.

You feel like you’re melting into the bed with how relaxed you feel. Your eyes fall closed and you let out a hum as you settle into the sheets. The mattress dips and your eyes flutter open, watching as a grinning Eddie, still naked like you, crawls towards you. He settles beside you and reaches for you, pulling you against his side and wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You can hear his heartbeat under your head as you rest against his chest, and you reach up to gently play with the smattering of hair across his sternum.

The two of you lie there in a comfortable silence, simply basking in the afterglow of your activities. You’re perfectly content to spend the rest of the day right here, in Eddie’s arms – safe, comfortable, and at ease for the first time since you got back to Hawkins a week ago.

“I wanted to impress you,” Eddie mumbles after a few moments. You furrow your brow, his simple statement confusing you. You turn slightly, allowing you to look up at his face, and you find him staring at the ceiling.

“What do you mean?” you ask, urging him to continue. His hand begins to gently caress the skin of your arm.

“When I jumped into the lake,” he clarifies. “I had just seen Harrington, Wheeler, and Buckley just…dive head first right into danger without giving it a second thought. I wanted you to see me like that. Like, a hero or something.”

You let his words sink in, the explanation for the events of that night finally being revealed to you. While his reasoning still doesn’t make a lot of sense to you, you’re glad you’re finally talking about it.

“And when we were in the Upside Down, I realized it could be my moment,” he continues. “I would be the one to save the day…to keep you safe…to be your hero.”

Your heart pangs at his words. All this time he was trying to play some part you never wanted him to play. He didn’t have to put himself at risk to win you over. He already had you.

He’s had you for a long time.

You shift to sit up and Eddie mirrors you, and you take the opportunities to take both of his hands in yours.

“Eddie…you…you’re not my hero because you dove head first into danger,” you explain, meeting his gaze so he understands how serious you are. “In fact whenever you did it, it pissed me the fuck off.” He lets out a chuckle, and you smile at him. “You’re my hero because…because told me you were sorry about my mom. Because you remembered how I feel about the water and you never once judged me for it. Because you let me cling to you each time we had to go out onto the lake. Because you held me and protected me from having to see what happened to Patrick. Because despite your own fear and stress, you still calmed me down when I was panicking. Because despite the entire world going to shit around us, you always kept the mood light and made me smile.”

You reach up to cradle the side of Eddie’s face, caressing his cheek with your thumb.

“And you’re my hero because you played the most badass, most metal concert of all time,” you add with a cheeky grin, and that earns another laugh from him. He leans in and pecks your lips.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me,” he says. “No more running head first into danger for me.”

“Oh, that convinced you?” you respond, your voice playful. “Not the two times you got slapped across the face?” You both are sent into a fit of giggles, and Eddie takes the opportunity to run his hands up and down your thighs.

“Okay, that’s fair,” he concedes before leaning in to kiss you once again. “Want to know why you’re my hero?”

You cock an eyebrow, your interest piqued.

“Oh, I’m your hero, too?” you say, voice teasing. He leans in closer to you, taking your chin in his hand, forcing you to look right into his eyes.

“You’re my hero because from the very beginning you believed me, believed I was innocent,” he says, a soft smile on his face. “Because after years of me trying to get a rise out of you every time I could, you still chose to stay with me in that boathouse. And you kept choosing to stay with me. Even now, when you don’t have to anymore. Because you’re protecting me, keeping me safe. And I guess you saving my life in the Upside Down is just a bonus.”

He pokes your nose with his finger and you let out a chuckle. He lets go of your chin and reaches for you, pulling you into his lap with your back pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around you. You reach up and rest your hands on his wrists, and he plants a kiss to the crown of your head.

“Damn, Munson, who knew you were so sappy,” you tease, and Eddie digs his fingers into your sides in response. You let out a squeal and wiggle in his grasp as he tickles your skin. He eventually eases up and encircles his arms around you once again, squeezing you once before relaxing into the embrace.

The two of you settle into that position, and you let out a deep breath, content to be in Eddie’s arms.

“I really get to keep you?” Eddie asks after a few moments. You can’t help but smile.

“I told you,” you reply. “You’re stuck with me, Munson.”

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson smut #joemazzmatazz

[syrena-del-mar]

Notes of Desire: Sand's Possible Soundtrack

The gears in my brain are turning because I can't stop thinking about Sand and Ray, and the fact that Sand thought of Ray as his 25th hour but realizes that it's not possible and maybe he was never in Ray's clock at all. Sand seems like the type to, generally, work through his emotions with music, whether it be listening or writing his own.

First, the whole concept of the 25 hours derives from the fact that Sand finds comfort that he shares the same 24 hours as his heroes: Freddie Mercury, Paul McCartney, and Alex Turner. That 25th hour was just, essentially, that magical hour where Sand didn't have to worry about paying of debts or taking care of his mom, it was just him and Ray. The time that he spent with Ray were moments where could really enjoy the seconds instead of counting down the minutes for each of his responsibilities.

I was listening to Artic Monkey's AM album today, when I ran across the time concept in the lyrics. Alex Turner, from Artic Monkeys, has a song called "Knee Socks", which is considered one of the best (if not the best) song on their AM album, whose lyrics goes:

You got the lights on in the afternoon An' the nights are drawn out long And you're kissin' to cut through the gloom With a cough drop coloured tongue And you were sittin' in the corner with the coats all piled high And I thought you might be mine In a small world on an exceptionally rainy Tuesday night In the right place and time

You were a stranger in my phonebook I was actin' like I knew 'Cause I had nothin' to lose When the winter's in full swing and Your dreams just aren't comin' true Ain't it funny what you'll do?

When the zeros line up on the 24 hour clock When you know who's callin' even though the number is blocked When you walked around your house wearin' my sky blue Lacoste And your knee socks

The late afternoon, the ghost in your room That you always thought didn't approve Of you knockin' boots Never stopped you lettin' me get hold Of the sweet spot by the scruff of your Knee socks

And this song is definitely up to interpretation, since Alex has never really come out to define any meaning about this song, but personally so much of this lines up with SandRay. Since I can't help myself, there's going to be a short and sweet discussion below.

Knee Socks essentially is a telling of late-night encounters, finding someone, in the crowd, that would be able to take your loneliness away. Kissing through the gloom, finding something light and exciting in the midst of their darkness, much like Ray uses Sand to escape the everbearing sense of loneliness that Ray has.

The zeros that line up on the 24 hour clock, almost as if the connection that was being sought was clandestine, like a secret midnight rendezvous. Even when they were completely on top of each other in front of Boston, they swore that they were nothing but friends. Ray even told Mew that Sand was not even his type. They kept their relationship tightly under wrap, not even truly defining it for each other. Their nights together were their little secrets.

Personally, I'm on the boat that believes that while Mew may care for Ray, he typically treats him condescendingly. So the lyrics "the ghost in your room that you always thought that didn't approve" almost instantly reminded me of how Mew is always in the background of SandRay's relationship, stopping Ray from moving on. Also, "knocking boots" is an allusion to physical intimacy, which Mew likely wouldn't have approved of completely if Ray had wanted anything serious with Mew.

Overall, this specific song definitely gives the vibe of a lover looking back at their previous encounters in an almost dream-like state, and after this week's preview, I couldn't help but attach it to SandRay.

#only friends the series #SandRay #raysand #ofts #only friends meta #ofts meta #only friends the series meta #only friends sand #only friends ray #thai bl #steph rambles #not a well thought out meta #more like unconnected thoughts that I tried to fix up to make sense

[kalolasfantasyworld]

The bedtime story 🦅

Promised birdies one shot 💕 Honestly this is the cutest one so far.

Summary:

Just a fluffy evening at the Silva estate, during which the birdies are listening to a bedtime story.

Yes, there is an illustration 🩵

Type: One shot

Word count: 3736

It was supposed be short... but you know I can't write short stuff anymore. (I have no idea how literally reading of a story turned into 3736 words... There's nothing more there)

Author's note:

The bedtime story is @lyranova's YuNeva Mermaid AU, so all the snippet's were written and provided by Lyra. 💕

Ao3 link

The doors to the master bedroom at the Silva Estate opened very suddenly. Heinry dressed in his blue silky pyjamas, ran inside laughing and he was closely followed by little Natalia in her own lilac set. She was screeching and following her brother. They took a sharp turn towards the bed and Heinry propelled himself forwards only to land on the soft blue covers. He then helped Natalia get on as well, because the four year old was still a little clumsy. 

However they did not have a lot of time until their mama dashed into the room and stopped in front of the bed. Her dark chocolate hair fluttered and a bright smile adored her face.

“You really think that you can hide on a boat?” She exclaimed to her children. 

Natalia giggled and Heinry stood up on the covers. 

“Sea monsters can’t get on the boat!” He replied. 

“Mama sea monster!” Natalia added and jumped up. 

“Oh really?” Helena flipped her hair. “Do you know what sea monsters can do?” She quirked her brow. “They can wreck the boat and then tickle the passengers!” 

She quickly joined two of her kids on the bed, Heinry tried to shield Natalia, but he became the victim to the first wave of tickles, so his little hermanita tried to help him. Somehow they were both failing. 

“Noureeeeen!” Heinry managed to shout between the laughs. “SOS!”

The brown haired boy ran inside the room at that exact moment. 

“The sea monster got us!” Natalia screeched. “Hermanooooo!”

So Noureen had no choice but to join his siblings in the struggle. Only a flash of his pale red pajamas was visible and he jumped on the bed. Somehow the three of them managed to pin Helena down, or maybe she let them… Natalia was proudly lying on her mother’s stomach, while the boys were making sure she would not move. 

“Mi amor!” Helena exclaimed. “Will you save the sea monster?”

Nozel walked inside the room. He closed the door behind him, before turning to face his family. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his brows trying to look disapproving, but only trying because the soft smile on his lips was giving him away. His silver hair messily fell over his forehead and the parts which were usually pushed back and up stuck out in many directions. Long bags covered his nose and bits of his lilac eyes. Blue, silk pajamas softly crumpled. He took off his slippers and on his feet was obviously a pair of fluffy socks. Helena had stopped pondering years ago why he kept on wearing sandals outside, while at home he could just not wait for his feet to be warm.

“NO papa!” Heinry shouted. “We won fair and square, if you become a sea monster as well we’ll be at disadvantage.”

“Papa and I would win the war then,” Helena laughed. 

“Only because you’re bigger,” Natalia was not letting Helena move as she continued to press on her belly. 

“You’ve won hijos,” Nozel stated flatly. 

“And I was once again abandoned by you,” Helena pretended to sob and earned herself a deadpan from her husband. She could not contain a chuckle.

“It’s late,” he said, “and we promised you a story. If you want to hear the whole thing we should start now,” he glanced at them. “Get off mama.”

The birdies listened quite excited about the idea of hearing a story. Heinry had a wide smile on his face. Natalia’s dark eyes were shining like little stars, while Noureen was blinking curiously. Helena managed to sit up as they let her go. 

Nozel on the other hand slowly approached his desk. Next to neatly folded paper work there was a little pile of story books. They had found their way to that spot some time ago and since the story nights became quite a frequent occurrence, he did not feel the need to put them back to the library. He picked up the first tome. 

“What are we reading?” He asked. 

“Magic wars!” Heinry shouted. 

“What about Pirates of Spade Kingdom?” Noureen inquired. 

Nozel nodded and as he was about to grab the chosen story, Natalia looked up. Her deep dark eyes were like a puppy’s. 

“Papa,” she pouted,”but it’s my turn to choose a story.”

Nozel narrowed his eyes. She was right, the last two times the boys got what they wanted. He nodded and noticed Helena gently stroke their daughter’s hair. 

“It is hija,” Helena said. “What story do you want to hear?”

“Hmmm. Since you were a sea monster, then what about…” Natalia furrowed her silver brows adorably, but then her features brightened. “The little mermaid!” She announced. 

“Whaaaaat?” Heinry made a grimace. 

“But that’s for girls,” Noureen rolled his eyes. 

“I am a girl,” she huffed annoyed and crossed her little arms over her chest. The movement was very Nozel like and Helena could not help the warm feeling bubbling inside her chest. 

Nozel nodded once again, slowly blinking. He picked up another book and made his way to the bed. Noureen moved to the side to make space for him, so that his father could comfortably lean his back against the headrest. Helena also moved up on the bed and sat next to him. Between them there was a little space, so Natalia tried to wiggle her way in there, Nozel picked her up and placed on his lap. Noureen sat on Helena’s right side and Heinry lied down on his belly looking up at everyone. 

Nozel opened the book and cleared his throat. However before he started reading Natalia softly pulled on his shirt. 

“Papa?” she asked. “Can mama read again?”

Helena snorted and quickly tried to hide it, covering her mouth with her palm. 

“You don’t want me to read?” he asked, blinking confused. 

“Papa you sound like our governess,” Noureen pointed out.

“One of the most important events in the history of Clover…” Heinry started talking in a very flat and monotone voice, before making a snoring voice. 

Nozel just parted his mouth, offended. His children were brutally honest. 

“Okay hijos,” Helena chuckled. “Leave papa alone, or you’ll make him sad and there won’t be a story then.”

“There won’t?” Natalia squeaked. 

“There won’t be,” Helena confirmed. “Because I would need to spend the whole evening cuddling papa, instead of reading.”

“Me disculpo papa,” Noureen looked down.

“Sorry,” Heinry added. 

Nozel just passed the book to Helena, who smiled upon receiving it. Natalia used that moment and tucked herself closer to his chest.

Helena flipped the first page and then looked at each one of her children with a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

“Are you ready to hear the STORY of the little mermaid Neva and prince Yuno?”

“YES!” Natalia squeaked.

“I still think that’s for girls…” Noureen sighed. 

Helena just gazed at her son fondly, before continuing. 

“Today was a very special day in the underwater kingdom of Atlantica; it was the king’s birthday. Everyone in the kingdom was celebrating, and it wasn’t just the merpeople, but the sea creatures as well! But out of all the festivities…”

***

“He watched as Neva’s long platinum blonde hair, which was kept in a loose braid at all times, swayed back and forth with the current. Her amethyst colored eyes that stated at the water’s surface shone with longing and wonderment. Her tail and fins, which transitioned from a lavender color to an amethyst one the further down it went, swayed calmly in the water and when the sunlight from above hit her scales just right they sparkled like thousands of diamonds,” Helena prolonged the last word.

“Neva is really pretty,” Heinry pointed out. 

“I have silver hair. It’s not platinum blonde…” Natalia brushed through the strands and her nose adorably crinkled, “but maybe I could dress up as mermaid Neva for halloween.”

“But you don’t have amethyst eyes,” Noureen said. 

“Hmmm,” Natalia pouted.

Nozel softly stroke her hair.

“You can still dress up as mermaid Neva,” he said. “Now let mama continue.”

Helena glanced at each one of her kids with a smile, before once again picking up the book.

“I heard that there was a ship coming by today, Neva explained softly.”

***

“She saved prince Yuno!” Heinry shouted.

“And she woke him up by singing,” Noureen added.

“Neva is sooo cool,” Natalia said.

***

“If I didn’t have these legs, I probably would have been caught by this animal. Legs really are convenient! Neva thought with a small smile. As she looked at the animal, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking how cute it was! It had long, golden hair and green eyes that stared at her with a perplexed look. But as Neva looked at it more, she noticed the dog looked very familiar…and after a moment she gasped,” Helena gasped as well and made a dramatic pause. 

Currently a pair of deep brown eyes and three lilac ones were piercing straight through her. Nozel and their children all had the same perceptive gaze. The room was silent and everyone held their breath. 

“This animal belonged to-!” Helena paused again, much to her loved ones dismay. She chuckled looking at all of them. “Belle, there you are!” Prince Yuno exclaimed,” and Helena with him, “his golden colored eyes narrowed and a stern expression appeared on his face.”

“I knew it!” Noureen was getting more energetic as the story progressed.

“Prince Yuno is handsome,” Natalia nodded and Nozel’s eyes widened in panic. Not his little girl. No boys until she was an adult, or no boys period!

“So, this animal was called Belle? Interesting,” Helena nodded thoughtfully. 

***

“You…don’t have a voice? He asked, and she nodded. The grin slipped from Yuno’s face and a disappointed look appeared in his amber eyes, and that only made Neva’s heart sink further,” Helena breathed out heavily and looked down. “Then, there’s no way you could be the woman that saved me, he muttered softly as his gaze moved from her and towards the ocean. Neva frowned for a moment before she realized why he was saying that; she had sung to him that day, and that was probably what he remembered most,” she whispered. 

“Oh no,” Natalia gasped weakly. 

“I knew it was a bad choice to trust Vanica,” Noureen huffed. 

“But she wanted to get to know Yuno, hermano,” Heinry furrowed his brows.

“And now she’s regretting it,” Noureen crossed his arms over his chest.

“She’s not regretting it! Things are just getting complicated.”

The boys were getting agitated. Nozel needed to stop them before it would escalate further. 

“I see your point Noureen,” he stated. “It was a risky move, a dangerous one, but Neva decided to take a chance on love.”

“After all, if he falls for her within this time everything will end well,” Helena added. “Love is not simple and it’s not straightforward, but it’s worth it.”

“Really?” Noureen raised his brow unsure. 

“You wouldn’t be here if your papa decided that love wasn’t worth the risk,” she pinched his nose and Noureen giggled softly.

Nozel just watched them and he could easily admit that it was all worth it. He had made many decisions that he was not proud of, but taking a shot with his and Helena’s relationship despite all the bumps was not one of them. Sometimes he continued to not believe how he had found himself in the current state, with their little familia, surprisingly full of love and affection. He was still learning about that second part and he wondered if at some point he would ever fully grasp it, but it did not matter that much. They loved him the way he was and his wife made sure he knew about it almost every day. He was so deep in his thoughts observing his familia, that he did not even hear, when Helena had started reading again.

***

“Was this…love?” Helena’s voice sounded dreamy. “Yuno shook his head and felt a blush rise to his cheeks as he looked away. This couldn’t be love, could it? But as his gaze drifted back to her, and watched as a gentle smile appeared on her face as she continued watching the fireflies, he realized that maybe this could be love…” she leaned forward and made a dramatic pause. 

“It is love Yuno!” Natalia squeaked.

“This is so girly,” Noureen sighed.

“There, you see her, Sitting there, across the way, She don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her,” Helena started humming.

Nozel smiled softly and listened to his wife’s voice. She was not on Kahono’s level, but Helena could sing well. She put emotion into her voice and made his heart flutter with each note. He began stroking Natalia’s hair, remembering the night when he saw Helena cradle their little girl and sing her A La Nanita Nana, or that other time when she sang to him after... Nozel got lost in his memories and was pulled out only by Heinry and Natalia joining in on the song.

“Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared. You got the mood prepared. Go on and kiss the girl,” the three of them sang and Natalia giggled after the verse ended.

“Yuno could feel his heart beat anxiously in his chest,” Helena leaned towards Heinry, “just like the voice said, the mood was perfect right? So, why not?” there was an apparent question in her voice.

“It is perfect!” the boy agreed. 

“Just kiss her,” Noureen whined.

“He leaned forward a bit, and he began to reach out to take her hands; but hesitated, wasn’t this being too forward?” Helena raised her brows. “What if she actually didn’t feel the same way about him as he felt about her? What if she got upset that he kissed her? What if…?” she paused.

The birdies held their breaths.

“Sha-la-la-la-la-la,” Helena hummed, “don't stop now Don't try to hide it how…”

“You wanna kiss the girl,” Heinry sang. “Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along. And listen to the song.” Natalia and even Noureen joined in. “The song say…” Helena looked at Nozel and smiled lovingly. 

She leaned in and closed her eyes.

“I’m looking away,” Heinry huffed.

“Bleh,” Noureen added.

Nozel leaned in still holding onto Natalia. 

“Kiss… the girl?” he spoke awkwardly, as a reward receiving a small peck on the lips.

“Good job mi amor,” Helena pulled away and ruffled Natalia’s hair on the way. The girl giggled. 

***

“And they fell in the water,” Noureen sighed. “I knew it! Vanica will not let them be happy.”

“Those were eels,” Natalia commented. 

“Eeels belonging to Vanica!” Heinry pointed out.

“Ohhh,” she quickly nodded, that she understood.

***

“Yuno gasped and panted as his head breached the water's surface. His eyes quickly surveyed the area; the ship he was on had sunk, and Vanica the Sea Witch was nowhere to be seen,” Helena dramatically posed and gasped, her voice turning into an unsure whisper. “So, that meant they defeated her, right? They had won?”

“Of course they won,” Heinry said. He was excited with the story, but Helena noticed sleep slowly coming over him.

“But what if Vanica lived?” Noureen asked curling himself more comfortably next to Helena.

“So, that meant they defeated her, right? They had won?” Helena continued the question apparent in her tone. “A sigh of relief escaped him at the realization, everyone in the kingdom was safe…that was good. As he continued looking around he noticed someone was missing,” she spoke sadly. “Neva? He called out, his voice full of confusion. She was just here wasn’t she? So…where did she go? Maybe the beach?”

“Neva?” Natalia was worried. Even though her eyes were closing themselves every few minutes, she was determined to stay awake until the end of the story. 

Helena continued to tell the sad story of how Neva watched Yuno from underwater, supported by her caring sisters. Nozel furrowed his brows. Was a bedtime story not supposed to be a happy one? Yet crossing a bridge between two worlds was not an easy task, love required sacrifices and sometimes even they were not enough. 

“Yuno!” Helena pulled him out of his thoughts. “An unfamiliar voice called behind him, making him stop dead in his tracks. That voice…that voice belonged to-!” 

Nozel smiled, so after all there was a happy ending.

“Finally, after three months of going back and forth, of skirting around their mutual feelings for each other, of the building romance and tension between them…the two finally shared their first ever kiss. There, on the beach, where the two had first met,” Helena finished in a quiet, dreamy tone. 

Nozel had to admit he enjoyed hearing the story himself. It was not always fluffy and positive, but it actually made him connect with it. Building relationships took time, patience and a whole lot of mistakes to make, only to fix them later. He knew it well enough.

He glanced to the side watching his children. The birdies were all curled up next to them. Now that the story was over none of them was able to hide yawns. They had soft smiles on their faces and relaxed expressions. Seeing them made Nozel’s heart fill with pride and joy. 

***

Helena softly chuckled as she gently pushed Noureen away and tip toeing made her way to the desk. She put the book down on the wooden surface and looked back at the bed smiling. 

Noureen was lying on the side, but since she slightly pushed him off, he somehow scooted closer towards Nozel and now his palm was softly resting on his father’s lap. Hainry was resting in Nozel’s legs, but in a very undignified manner with his limbs spread in all the directions, making it impossible for his father to move. Natalia on the other hand had curled up even more in Nozel’s embrace and leaned her head on his chest. 

“I think you’re stuck, mi amor,” Helena whispered once she got back on the bed.

He lifted his brows annoyed as if trying to tell her ‘You don’t say?’

Helena chuckled quietly and by pushing Heinry slightly to the side, she made for herself some space on Nozel’s lap, the other one that Natalia very distinctly took over. Helena put her head there. She yawned and closed her eyes. A moment later she felt a gentle touch to her head as Nozel began stroking her hair. 

“As much as I appreciate the four of you using me as a pillow, I have work tomorrow,” he whispered. “We need to get all of them to their beds.”

“I know,” Helena answered just as quietly and lifted her head up. She nudged Heinry, who clearly did not want to open his eyes. He turned to the other side and curled up there.

“Hijo, time for bed,” Nozel patted Noureen. The boy slowly blinked and nodded. Still half asleep, he began to get himself up.

Heinry needed a stronger nudge, but thankfully he woke up and just as lazily he stood up from the bed. Now only Nozel and Natalia stayed on the light blue covers. She was asleep and her head was resting on Nozel’s chest. Her little hand was curled in a first and a soft smile adored her lips. If Helena could save that moment in her memory, she would treasure it forever. Actually she was sure that she was going to sketch it later, in her familia Silva sketchbook.

“Let’s not wake her,” Nozel whispered and supported her head as he stood up. Natalia shifted in his arms and softly murmured, but her eyes stayed closed.

Quietly the familia left the bedchamber. Rooms belonging to the boys were close by so once Nozel and Helena walked them there, they both came up to their parents to give them a quick hug. Helena knelt down to reciprocate and place soft kisses in their foreheads. Since Nozel was holding Natalia he could not do much, so he slightly moved her so that he would be able to free one of his hands and gently ruffle his sons’ hair.

“Goodnight mama and papa,” Heinry yawned and Noureen made a small wave.

“Goodnight hijos,” Nozel whispered.

“Sueños dulces,” Helena smiled.

After their boys disappeared behind the doors to their bedrooms, Helena and Nozel turned on their heels towards Natalia’s room. They walked in comfortable silence and Helena was watching her husband and their little girl fondly. Nozel continued to support Natalia’s head with his other hand. 

Helena opened the door for them and let them in. Nozel made his way towards Natalia's bed. He lowered his daughter on the soft lilac bedding and covered her gently. She murmured something and squeezed the cover with her little palm. Nozel stroke her hair before leaning over her to place a soft kiss on Natalia’s forehead. 

“Daddy’s girl,” Helena chuckled quietly earning herself a semi-eyeroll semi-smile from her husband.

She then leaned over and did the same. Helena also made sure that the bedding indeed covered Natalia fully. Once she was satisfied she pulled away.

Her and Nozel silently left the room, making sure that the doors would not creak on their way out.

“This was a nice evening,” Helena smiled.

“It was,” Nozel responded with the same gesture and Helena felt his fingers intertwine with hers. She squeezed them gently. 

“Don't worry mi amor, next time you can read the book,” she half joked.

“I like it when you read,” he admitted. “You put so much emotion into it and everyone gets immersed in the story.”

“Thank you Nozel,” she leaned her head over his shoulder, but it was uncomfortable to walk that way, so she pulled back after a moment. Comfortable silence once again fell between them. 

Inside their room Nozel and Helena lied down on their bed. They covered themselves and Helena nuzzled into Nozel’s side. He placed his hand on her shoulder and began gently massaging it.

“We did something right,” he stated.

“What do you mean?” half asleep Helena raised her brows.

“Our hijos,” Nozel said. 

“Ohhh,” Helena groaned. “Right. Although the amount of time it took me to convince you to have Natalia was massive.”

“You know why…” he whispered to which Helena nodded. “However I'm glad, that I was convinced. The four of you are my everything.”

“Same here, mi amor,” Helena was already drifting away. “Same here."

#black clover oc #black clover #black clover fanart #nozel silva #helena drazel #nozel x helena #the birdies #noureen silva #heinry silva #natalia silva #black clover next gen #silva family #nozelena #black clover one shot #one shot #birdies one shot #my fic

[gaytotaldrama]

i wrote some s1 duncney bc i miss them </3

also on my ao3!

Duncan's pissed. This whole time there's been a five-star resort on the other side of the island, while he's been roughing it in the woods and putting up with Chef's crappy food? Yeah, screw McLean. If Duncan had known about the Playa, he would have snuck in to visit Courtney ages ago.

As it is, the first thing Courtney does when Duncan steps off the Boat of Losers is sock him directly on the arm, hard.

"Damn, Princess, didn't know you could pack a punch," he cracks, massaging his shoulder and shooting Courtney the usual smirk. "Glad to see you missed me."

She rolls her eyes, brows drawn into a glare. She's wearing her grey swimsuit, which he used to think was boring and prudish - now he just thinks it's hot.

"That," Courtney proclaims, crossing her arms across her chest. "Was for snuggling up to Heather."

"What, that?" Duncan scoffs. "Come on, you know I can't stand that chick. And she cozied up to me, or did the cameras not show that part?"

"Doesn't matter!" She throws her arms up in the air - long, tan arms, nice - nearly hitting him in the face. "You let it happen! I saw it!"

He just grins. "You know what you also saw?"

Her only response is a mean stink-eye. God, this woman is like no one else.

"You saw me in the confessionals shouting out to you every episode since you got booted off," he says. "You saw me spray paint the walls of my side of the cabin with your skull."

She narrows her eyes. "That was supposed to be me?"

Duncan blinks. "I thought that was obvious."

Is he seeing things, or did the corner of her lips twitch? "Don't think I missed the heart you carved in the back of my totem head."

"Oh, man, they aired that?" Duncan groans. "The guys at juvie are never gonna let me hear the end of it."

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway, Duncan, because I want absolutely nothing to do with you." And she quite literally sticks up her nose at him. "Hmmpf!"

"Riiiiiight. Sure thing, Princess. And you're the only one who came to the docks to see me because...?"

"Just to tell you how much of an ogre you are!" Courtney splutters, cheeks darkening - has it really been that long since he last saw her, or are there more freckles scattering the bridge of her nose than there were before? "I'm a C.I.T. You're a delinquent. It's not hard to do the math."

Duncan holds up his hands in surrender. "Ok, fine. You have fun making out with Harold, then, since clearly he's more your type."

To his surprise, Courtney freezes, mouth agape. "They didn't tell you...?"

He frowns. "Tell me what?"

"Harold's the reason I got eliminated in the first place! He switched the votes when no one was looking, the little twerp." Her hands ball into fists at her sides. "I've been on the warpath for that dweeb ever since. My lawyers say Chris is going down."

"That geeky little snake!" Duncan pounds his fist into his palm. "Who does that?!"

"Someone who wants to get back at a certain mohawked bully, that's who," Courtney declares. "Don't worry, I haven't let him off easy."

"That's my girl." Another sock to the arm. "Ow! The hell was that for?"

"I'm not your girl," says Courtney, and yeah, she's definitely smiling this time. "As if."

"Uh-huh. How's the pool here? I could use a nice, long swim. Maybe with a certain Type A-In-Training?"

"Ugh. You're still so not my type." She glances around, seems to decide it's safe, then snags him by the collar and sticks her tongue in his mouth. "Mmmm!" She breaks off before he can really return the favor. "Come on, Caveman. Let's get you into your trunks."

Blood rushing in his veins like Owen rushes for breakfast, Duncan grins. "Or maybe you should get me out of my - "

SOCK!

"OW!"

#td #total drama #duncney #td courtney #td duncan #really living up to my blog name by posting het fic lmfao #my writing

[boldlyvoid]

Midnight Runner 3

18+ Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson

Summary: What's worse than crushing on someone at a time like this? Falling in love with them.

Warnings: season 4 canon scenes just fruitier, background ronance, mentions of steves bloody wounds, hurt/comfort, love confessions (kinda), emotional heart to hearts

word count: 11k

Fic Masterlist

Eddie was scared of 2 things, currently: spending his life in prison… and dying at the hands of an evil wizard from another dimension. So when he got into the boat with Nancy and Robin, the last thing he expected was to develop a 3rd fear: 

Losing Steve. 

They got out into the middle of the lake and the compass started to freak the fuck out, Robin radioed back to Dustin to say his theory was right and before he could even reply, Steve was taking off his shoes and socks. 

“Steve, what are you doing?” Nancy wants to stop him before he makes any stupid decisions thank god. 

“Somebody’s gotta go down and check this out… unless one of you three can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for 3 years, it’s gotta be me,” he says, so matter-of-factly, rubbing it in that he was the brawn to their brains. “No complaints. Alright?” 

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Eddie doesn’t fight it, he simply takes everything out of the shopping bag he’s been carrying around in his pocket— it had his smokes and a lighter, and all his snacks were gone now. “I do not wanna go down there…”

Steve was going to want to see under the water, and the flashlight wasn’t going to like being wet, so he wrapped it in the plastic bag and tied it real good. Steve’s done nothing but feed him and worry for his safety these last few days, Eddie was going to repay him by protecting him. From the boat. There’s no way he’s going down there with him.

Steve takes his sweater off, Nancy stares at his chest with a look of admiration… he was her first time, she’s always going to look at him a certain way. Robin caught that, staring back at Nancy with a smile that screamed just how fond she was of Nance after getting to know her better these last few days. Eddie watches it all happen, everyone is looking at someone else, they were a party that cared for one another first and foremost. It was nice. It felt like a family. 

“Hey,” Eddie gets Steve’s attention to hand him the flashlight. Steve, ever the flirt, smirks and says hey right back to him. Eddie wants to smile back and say something about him stripping and putting on a show for everyone but there’s this anxious feeling gnawing at his stomach and he can only reply with: “Good luck.” 

“Thanks,” Steve replies, tossing his shirt to Eddie. 

First, he shows up in track pants with that ass, then he admits to liking him and now he’s shirtless and deliciously lit by the moonlight… Eddie takes a cigarette out of the pack and places it in his mouth because sweet Jesus Harrington was pretty. Just as he flicks his lighter, robin takes the cig from his mouth and tosses it in the water. “Gross.” 

Eddies about to say something when Steve starts to stretch and hype himself up, they all notice he’s about to jump and Nancy cuts him off. “Steve…” she panics, making him turn around. She gives him the softest expression he’s seen from her in a long time. 

She can’t verbalize that she still cares for him because what would that mean? They’re exes, and she has a boyfriend… at least, kinda? Robin said Nancy seemed to be having issues with him, so is this all just a way to get over him? She can’t tell him she cares about him, but she can ask him to “be careful.”

He gives her a little nod and then flashes his attention to Eddie. It’s a mere millisecond of his time, but it says everything. I’ll be back for you. 

Before anyone can say anything else, Steve jumps off the boat and into the water. They grip onto the boat and stay completely still as statues, hoping the stele frame will even itself back out on the lake, and eventually, it does. 

All three of them are on edge for the same, yet completely different reasons. 

Robin loves Steve with her entire being, he is the brother she always wanted and the friend she was always supposed to have. He is her person. 

Nancy has a million things she still hasn’t said to him and they all start with I’m sorry. She would give anything to be Steve’s friend again, especially now, especially if it means Robin comes with him. 

And Eddie… Eddie wanted to take him out and show him a good time and god willing, make him his. Repay the favour from that first night and treat him properly from now on until forever. 

He wanted to love Steve Harrington. 

“Where are we at, Wheeler?” Robin asks, her voice shaky with fear. 

“Closing in on a minute,” Nancy replies, watching the second hand on her watch come right back around. 

They’re waiting on the light to come back. They watched it fade as he got deeper and deeper and then it went pitch black. Eddie figured that when he was swimming back up, they’d see the flashlight again and they’d be able to calm down. But they never saw it. The water is pitch black and as still as ever. Like Steve never jumped in, in the first place. 

Suddenly Steve emerges above the water, arms flailing, he takes in a large gasp of air and scares the shit out of all of them but only Eddie yells. “Jesus Christ!” He can’t help it, he’s been on edge for days and Steve just kept scaring him. 

“I found it,” Steve gasps, swimming towards the boat and taking hold of it so he wouldn’t have to tread in the water for so long. Once he caught his breath he’d get back in… it wasn’t going to be pretty trying to haul himself back over the side of the boat. 

“You found it?!” Nancy is so excited to see him and hear the news. 

“Yeah, I found it… it’s more of a snack-sized gate than the mama gate but still, it’s pretty damn big,” Steve explains, the lack of oxygen still evident in his breathing patterns but he’s trying. 

And then something grabs his foot. Steve is tugged down below the water, causing them all to scream and panic, but he comes back up. He wipes the water ff his face and stares at them like what the fuck was that… and then he’s gone again. 

“STEVE!” Eddie panics. “Steve!! No, no, no!!! Steve!” He yells over the other two, leaning over the side of the boat to see nothing. The water is too dark to know what happened. “What the hell was that, man?!”

“Nancy, seriously what the hell was that?!” Robin panics, but Nancy is silent. 

They turn to her with looks of pure terror, but Nancy isn’t panicking. She’s in survival mode— no, protector mode. She doesn’t even think twice, she just places her boot on the edge of the boat and goes to jump when Eddie grabs her hand. “Wait, wait, you’re not going in there, are you?” 

“Just wait here,” she pushes his hand off of her and jumps in. 

“NO NANCY!!!” Robin freaks out next, Eddie hears a similar fear in her voice. The two of them stare at each other, not knowing what the fuck they were going to do without the two people who know what to do in a situation like this. 

Robin thinks about it for a second, she takes a deep breath and hauls herself to the edge of the boat. She didn’t want to do this, but not only was Steve down there… 

“No, no, no, no,” Eddie reaches out. “What are you doing? She said wait.” 

“Yeah, I heard her,” Robin says with another exhale, she was getting ready to go no matter what he said. 

“She’s in charge!” He freaks out because if Robin goes and if Nancy is already down there, he has to go too. Everyone who loves Steve should be jumping in right now to go after him and Eddie is so scared, too scared. He needs an excuse not to follow Nancy and if Robin goes, he doesn’t have that anymore. 

“Are you kidding me? I made that shit up.”

Before Eddie can even say anything, she plugs her nose and tosses herself back off the boat. 

“God-damn-lying-son-of-a-bitch!” He freaks out, tossing Steve’s shirt to the floor of the boat, he stands… then he sits again, but ultimately he stands back up and gets ready to jump in too, “oh this is stupid. This is so stupid… shit, shit, shit, shit!” 

He jumps in head first, the water is so fucking cold. Shockingly so— it is March after all… after the initial shock of it all, he starts to swim deeper and deeper. It’s hard, the water fights him the whole way down, and about halfway there, he sees the glowing red light that must be the gate. He follows it, reaches out for the weeds around it and pulls himself forward until he’s ripped through the gate and tossed out the other side. He was prepared for more water, but he was tossed onto the hard rock that should be the lake floor. 

The first thing he hears is screaming. He stands up with Robin and Nancy who are all searching for him, they can’t see him behind the shipwrecked boat covered in vines, they can only hear him. Nancy picks up an oar from the ground, she tosses it back to Eddie and grabs another for herself, robin on the other hand grabs the once-abandoned flashlight and follows them toward the sound of his screaming. 

Without thinking, Nancy sees the thing attacking him and hits it with her oar as hard as humanly possible, sending it flying. “Hey there.” 

The adrenaline that rushes through Eddie is more intense than any drug he’s ever taken, he’s able to fend off the bats coming to attack them while robin and Nancy hand the two that attacked Steve’s chest. He’s still on the ground, eddies on his way to tear the thing off him when Steve bites into its tail and pulls it off without letting it get away. He swings the bat around like a fucking rag doll, hitting it off the floor again and again until it stops trying to fly away. He places his bare foot onto the centre of the beast and tugs on the tail, successfully ripping it in two. 

The 4 of them back up into each other, nothing’s flying at them, everything is dead… but the pieces of the beasts are still moving around trying to catch up to their own deaths. Once they realize the immediate danger is over, thats when it sets in. 

“Jesus Christ…” Eddie mumbles to himself, registering that he just killed something for the first time in his life and he was in another dimension and it was in fact scary as hell. “Jesus H Christ!!” 

Steve, however, he’s bleeding and tired and he almost drops to the ground if it wasn’t for Nancy catching him. “Are you okay?” 

Steve looks down at himself for the first time, and Eddie sees it too. “They took about a pound of flesh,” Steve chuckles with disbelief, “but other than that… yeah, never better.” 

Nancy checks behind him, Eddie does too, but Steve’s only been bitten on his sides and he’s bleeding around his neck from the spikes on these little fuckers tails… but he looks okay. It looks liveable. 

“Uh… do you guys think that these bats have, like, rabies??” Robin asks, leaning over a bat and staring at it with her flashlight. 

“Excuse me?” Eddie can’t believe he’s hearing her right, that’s what she’s scared about right now? 

“It’s just that rabies are like my number one greatest fear, and I think we should probably get you to a doctor like really soon—” she starts to ramble. Steve looks like he’s heard it all before while Nancy looks at her with disbelief, shaking her head lightly. “—because once symptoms set in, it’s like too late, you’re already, like, dead.” 

In the distance, the bats make their gut-wrenchingly awful screech, drawing their attention away from Robin's anxiety. Eddie rushes to Steve, he goes to stand in front of him but Steve pushes him back, he makes sure he’s in front of everyone. His arms out, he makes sure they’re safe… they are everyone he’s ever loved in his entire life, after all. 

5 bats land around the gate, fishing with their tails for something to eat. “We can take them… right?” Steve whispers. 

But he speaks too soon, lightning illuminates the sky to show off the hundred of bats headed their way for what must be dinner time… there was no way they were taking them all. 

“The woods, come on!” Nancy points, taking off before the others. 

The 4 of them run as fast as they can towards the shoreline, mostly uphill from the deepest part of the lake towards the boat launch, over dead fish and lost tires, around vines connected to Vecna and finally, they reach the forest. There’s enough tree coverage to keep them hidden from the bats, but even if they did see them, they were preoccupied with going to the gate for a snack. 

They run all the way back to skull rock, hiding under it for cover until the sky sounds empty again. It's genuinely terrifying. Eddie has never been so scared in his life… and he’s been through some shit from the age of 4 to 20. Nothing was ever this horrific. 

When the coast is clear, they think they’re fine and all go to stand back up… but Steve isn’t fine. He topples over himself and falls against the rock, barely holding himself up. Nancy rushes to him and Eddie wants to, too… he just doesn’t know if he’s allowed to. He doesn’t know if he’s Steve’s little secret. He doesn’t know how much he still loves Nancy, but he’s starting to realize she might still love him. So he stays back. 

He lets her clean him up, she rips her shirt and makes a homemade bandage for him all while robin rants about rabies. Eddie can’t watch, he runs away once again… standing at the edge of the tree line like a coward because seeing Steve in pain makes him want to cry. Instead, he climbs over a fallen tree like an idiot and takes a look at the land. 

“So this place is like Hawkins but with monsters and nasty shit?” He calls out, mostly to robin so she’ll talk about anything other than rabies. 

“Pretty much,” Nancy answers instead, helping Steve back up to his feet. “Hey, watch it! This is all a hive mind.” 

“Right, shit, sorry,” he remembers what Steve said the other night and slowly but carefully makes his way back down. 

“But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people, obviously?” Robin double-checks.

“As far as I understand it, yeah,” Nancy nods. 

“So, theoretically, we could go to the police station and get guns and grenades and whatever else we need to blow up those bath things that are guarding the gate,” Robin suggests like it’s easy. 

“Yeah, I highly doubt that the Hawkins PD has grenades, robin,” Steve shakes his head, “but yeah, sure, they might have guns.” 

“Well, we don’t have to go all the way downtown for guns,” Nancy reminds Steve but the others have no idea. “I have guns. In my bedroom.” 

“You,” Eddie points at her, “Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural? In your bedroom?” He can’t fucking believe it. Little miss goody two shoes was actually keeping guns in her shoeboxes and no one would’ve ever known. 

“Full of surprises, isn’t she?” Robin says, overwhelmed and just talking for the sake of it now. 

“A Russian Makarov and a revolver—

“Yeah, you almost shot me with that one,” Steve teases, bumping shoulders with her. 

“You almost deserved it,” she says in a tone that sounds a lot less friendly. It makes Eddie’s blood boil the way she stares up at him. 

He just can’t take it anymore. Steve was his. What better way to prove it than to mark him with his scent… he takes off his jean vest and tosses it at Steve, hitting him a bit too hard and taking him right out of his gross little eye-fucking session with Nancy. 

“For your modesty, dude,” he glares at him. 

Steve stares back, about to snap for the unneeded aggression when the earth starts to shake. Robin trips over herself and starts to fall to the floor, Eddie reaches out for her only to fall with her, cushioning the blow with his own body. Nancy falls into Steve and the two of them grip the edge of the rock formation to keep steady until the shaking stops. 

And when it does stop, every critter in this god-forsaken hell-hole starts to cry out. The forest echoes with sounds only heard in one’s nightmares, “yeah, so, guns seem like a pretty good idea to me,” Eddie suggests as the sounds die down. 

“Me too,” Robin agrees, still on the floor with Eddie. 

He hurt his knee when they hit the ground, he rubs it silently, waiting for Nancy or Steve to say something when they walk out in front of them. “So what are we waiting for?” Steve asks, now wearing Eddie’s jacket. 

Fuck. He looked good in it too. 

—

The walk from skull rock to Nancy’s house was too long… they stopped for a few breaks, they didn’t have any food or water so it was a struggle trying to keep going. The only thing that kept them from staying still too long was the sounds of the creatures in the distance. Luckily, they didn’t see anything, but they were definitely out there.

Nancy took the lead, with Robin at her side, and Steve stayed at their rear— he was the slowest with his injuries but also the most alert in times like this, Eddie stuck to his side, evening it up. The girls walked pretty fast, they were deep in conversation about god-knows-what while Steve kept his attention on making sure Eddie didn’t trip and trying to ignore the pain he was in. 

“Hey, man,” Steve turns to him, the girls up far ahead enough that he didn’t have to worry about them hearing… and honestly, even if they did, he wouldn’t be scared to tell Nancy the truth. With the way she smiles at robin when she rambles, he has a feeling that she gets it. 

“Yeah,” Eddie slows down, giving Steve a smile. 

“I just wanted to say thanks… for saving my ass back there,” Steve can’t help it. For a moment he felt like a goner, he couldn’t get loose, he couldn’t breathe… and then all 3 of them came to rescue him. All 3. 

“Shit, you saved your own ass, man,” Eddie bumps shoulders with him, shrugging it off. Steve places his hand on his back and pats him with a smile, it’s a small thank you. “I mean, that was a real Ozzy move you pulled back there.” 

“Ozzy?” 

“When you took a bite out of that bat?” Eddie explains further but Steve still doesn’t get it. 

It’s also part of his shtick; pretend not to care and it drives them wild. So just he stares at Eddie blankly, shaking his head slightly. 

“Ozzy Osbourne?” Eddie clarifies further, looking absolutely let down that Steve doesn’t know him. “Black Sabbath? He-he bit a bat's head off on stage?” 

“I don't—

“No?” Eddie can’t believe it. 

Steve has to look away to fight the smirk bubbling inside of him. This is how he got his hooks into him. He wanted Eddie to keep talking, to explain it all to him with that glimmer of love in his eyes that he gets when he’s excited. 

Robin, just ahead of them, can hear it all. She turns to Nancy with a knowing smirk, “he’s so obvious… he does this thing where he pretends to be uninterested so that it drives them crazy and they want to talk to him more.” 

“He used to do that to me,” Nancy can’t help but laugh, looking back to see them standing so close. 

“It’s very metal, what you did,” Eddie drops his tone and bumps shoulders with him again, practically begging to hold his hand. “That’s all I’m saying.” 

“Thanks,” he takes the compliment, avoiding eye contact so he doesn’t lost in them and they don’t get left behind. 

“Henderson told me you were a badass… insisted upon the matter, in fact,” he keeps going with the compliments. 

“Wait, Henderson said that?” He can't believe it, he half expected them to bond over calling Steve an idiot or something like that… not this. 

“Oh yeah, shit, kid worships you, dude,” he exaggerates, Steve is sure of it. “Like you have no idea. It’s kinda annoying if I’m being honest.” 

Steve laughs, biting his tongue he almost replies, ‘you love it.’

“I don’t even know why I care what that little shrimp thinks,” he keeps going. “But uh, I guess I got a little jealous, Steve.” 

Steve says nothing, he just turns to him with a smirk, that same ego Dustin carries around starting to show in him again. Eddie was just digging a hole deeper into Steve's heart, making a home there with each new true and kind compliment. Normally people just called him pretty… sometimes funny. Never nice. Never loving. Never brotherly or badass or metal. 

“I guess I couldn’t accept the fact that Steve Harrington was actually… a good dude. Rich parents, popular, chick love him. Not a douche? No way, man,” he rants, invading Steve's space and talking with his hands. “No way. That, like, flies in the face of all the laws in the universe and my own, personal Munson doctrine.” 

He’s so up in Steve’s face, and so cute, he has to push him away with a giggle. But he comes right back, leaning in close, Steve’s given up on playing it cool and now smiling like an idiot. 

“Still super jealous as hell, by the way,” Eddie teases, close enough to kiss him. 

“Ch-yeah, okay,” he pushes him away, shaking his head with disbelief. He really likes this dork. 

“Which is why I would never have jumped in to save your ass. Not under any uh… normal circumstances—“ they stop when they hear a branch break, flashing the light through the trees, they don’t see anything except Nancy and Robin a fair bit ahead of them, laughing at something funny they can't hear. 

“Nope,” Eddie keeps going, staring off into the distance as he walks and talks at the same time. “Outside of D&D I am no hero. I see danger and I just turn heel and run… or at least, thats what I’ve learned about myself this week.” 

Steve follows him, “give yourself a break man,” he reaches out to touch his arm but Eddie grabs his hand and moves it off of him, halting all movement. 

“See?” He points over to Nancy and then stares Steve deep in the eyes. “The only reason I came in here was ‘cause those ladies came in straight after you. Now, I was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind. But Wheeler, right there. She didn’t waste a second.” 

Steve looks over at her, confused why Eddie’s bringing this up. Nancy just does that. She runs into danger and thinks about the consequences later, that’s just who she is. She’s a protector. She’s an older sister. She’s a strong woman trying to keep everyone in the town safe, not just Steve. But Eddie wouldn’t know that. Eddie only knows her as the quiet goody-goody from some of his classes this year. He knows her as Mike’s older sister with the perm and the pink backpack who is always in the library, reading alone since her friend died. He doesn’t know that she’s a badass with a perfect shot. He doesn’t know she was apprehended by the government and recorded their whole conversation to expose them to the media, knowing she could go to jail or worse, be murdered for it. He doesn’t know the real Nancy. 

Or the real Steve for that matter. 

“Not one second, she just dove right in.” Eddie keeps going, trying to drive his point home but he just draws Steve’s eyes back to his own. “Now, I don’t know what happened between you two, but if I were you, I would get her back.” 

Steve's jaw clenches then. Not again... Not another person in his life trying to get him back with Nancy. 

“Because that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen,” he holds his hand over his heart, staring back at Steve with a look that can only be described as personal heartache. He doesn’t mean what he’s saying. He’s just trying to let him off the hook. 

They look back at Nancy and Robin, so far now they’re barely a shadow in the trees now. Steve, without thinking it through, reaches out and takes a hold of Eddie’s shirt and pulls him closer. His other hand lands on Eddie’s cheek just in time to guide him into a kiss. 

Eddie is shocked at first, stiff as a board for a good second before he settles. He carefully wraps an arm around Steve, inside of the vest so his hand rests on Steve’s bare back. He pulls them in so they’re chest to chest, breathing in deeply through his nose, he makes the kiss last as long as possible before they pull apart… barely. 

They rest their foreheads against each other, Steve rubs his thumb over Eddie’s cheek and stares into his eyes. “I don’t love Nancy.” 

“Okay,” he believes him. 

Everything starts to rumble again, sending them down into the dirt, Steve on top of him and saying Eddie’s catchphrase out of sheer surprise, “god-damn-it!” 

“Here we go again,” Eddie complains, holding Steve close and gripping the dirt for support at the same time. 

It lasts longer than the others, rumbling long enough to make something feel wrong. Really wrong. And then Robin is screaming Nancy’s name over and over. 

Steve and Eddie stand even through the rumbling, Steve takes his hand and tugs him along, running after their friends as carefully and as fast as they can. 

The world stops shaking when they meet up with her at the edge of the tree line, facing the toppled-down transformers covered in vines that used to stand in the field behind Nancy’s home. She’s frozen with fear. Seeing her home like this was a shocking thing. And now they have to go inside it. 

“Are you okay?” Robin asks, rubbing Nancy’s back softly. 

She nods, “come on.” 

The field doesn’t have any tree cover, it’s open and illuminated by the red lightning that cracks in the sky. Robin reaches out for Nancy’s hand, not even noticing that Steve and Eddie are also hand-in-hand. Nancy takes it, gladly, tugging robin along and keeping her safe while they’re exposed in the open like this. 

“I didn’t know they were close,” Eddie mumbles near Steve’s ear as they walk, not too far behind them. 

He shrugs, keeping his own voice down, he slows so they fall back a bit more, “she’s just like that… she lost Barb to a Demogorgon, she’s going to let any of us die down here.” 

“Wait, I thought Brass Barb died in a lab accident?” Eddie says a bit too loud, making Nancy and Robin turn around. 

“How’d you know her nickname?” Robin asks. 

“How’d you know it?” Nancy is extra confused when Robin knew it. 

“She can play every brass instrument in the band, she was interchangeable for a bunch of our players,” Robin explains… “we stood together every day for 2 years.” 

“Yeah, I was there too, until I got kicked out of band for flunking English the first time, you guys were sophomores then,” Eddie sighs, still pissed off about it. 

“Yeah, no, I remember,” Nancy shakes her head. “It just feels so weird to think about how long she’s been gone for, especially when I’m down here…” 

“So let’s get out of here,” Robin gives her a little smile, tugging her along quicker, the boys run just as fast behind them. 

—

Eddie followed Nancy up into her room to find those guns she spoke of, except all they found was her exact bedroom from November 6th, 1983… and while they’re in the past, Dustin and the kids are back in their own time, in the right side up, figuring out exactly what’s going on with these gates. Steve hears them in the walls like rats, almost going crazy trying to figure out why the fuck he can hear only Dustin speaking until the others finally come back downstairs. 

It's Erika's idea to get the light bright, light is literally in the name and you can make anything you want on it. It’s a genius idea and it allows them to talk through universes… she was the future of hellfire, and Eddie couldn’t wait to see what other wonderful ideas she had in her mind once they make it out of this. 

Turns out, what Nancy said earlier was right. Every time the Demogorgon attacked it left a gate and vecna was doing the same thing. If they got in through Patrick's murder site, there had to also be one in the woods where Fred died and on the ceiling of Eddie’s trailer where Vecna got her. 

The last message they send says “bike 2 Eddie’s” and they’re off, running down Nancy’s stairs and through the kitchen, towards the garage. “Hey, uh,” Eddie stops by the fridge, “you don’t suppose there’s like, anything still safe to consume here, right?” 

“No,” Nancy looks at him like he’s an idiot. “Come on, we have 7 miles until we get back to the real world and you can have a snack then.” 

“And what size, prey tell, are these bikes?” He continues to ask as he follows her outside. 

“Ah,” she smiles when she sees them. “You see, they were 12 and in my basement the night the gate opened the first time, so all 4 bikes are still here.” 

Nancy picks up what once was Will’s bike, it has Byers carved into the handlebars. It’s the smallest one, she’s the smallest of the 4 of them, so she takes it.

“So they’re preteen-sized, sick,” Eddie nods, picking up Dustin’s, it has a light on it, and it still works. 

Robin takes Mikes and Steve has Lucas’s, they’re not too small, their tires still have a decent amount of air and all the flashlights work. Luckily, the roads aren’t as covered in vines as the forest, so they can take off pretty fast. 7 miles wasn’t going to be too hard… but it did feel like forever. 

They passed the Creel house where thousands of bats circled around it like birds of prey stalking a meal. They picked up the pace and biked faster, all through the neighbourhoods that hated him on the other side, and even though the town looks like a nightmare, he takes it in as his last look. He has no idea if he’ll ever get to bike through town again without people throwing tomatoes at him… or worse, his last trip through could be in a cop car or a hearse. 

They enter the trailer park and Eddie takes the lead, he takes them down the winding path towards the middle of the park and points at the minty blue and white trailer, now covered in nasty shit, “right here!” 

He tosses his bike to the ground as soon as they reach the grassy part right in front of his trailer. He tries his hardest to catch his breath, arms above his head while he takes a look around… it’s so freaky with the vines and the perpetual darkness, but this is where he grew up. He doesn’t have enough time to panic about how fucked up this is because Nancy is already storming towards the trailer door. 

“Thats gotta be a Guinness world record,” Robin explains, lungs heaving, searching for air but still finding space to talk. “Most miles travelled inter-dimensionally.”

Steve coughs while following the rest of them towards the door, he spits out whatever was in his mouth, “I just inhaled a bunch of that shit.” Then he coughs again, more alarmed this time, “I think it’s stuck in my throat.” 

Eddie swings the door open and heads in first, he almost stops right in the doorway at the sight of his living room's new feature but he keeps walking so they can all get in. Steve closes the door behind them all and they huddle unintentionally for protection, Steve points the flashlight at the gate. “Goddamn…” 

Eddie hasn’t been back inside his home since Chrissy died. The last thing he remembers is looking up from the floor to see Chrissy on the ceiling, her bones breaking, the sound rings in his ear— he swallows, cringing inside at the memory of it all. “That’s where Chrissy died… like, right where she died.” His voice breaks, and he turns to Steve for support and finds it in his eyes. 

They say ‘it’s not your fault’ with the slightest shake of Steve’s head, they’re so wrapped up in each other that they don’t notice what robin sees. 

“I think there’s something in there,” she panics, fearful more bats will break the seal and they’ll be trapped in a tiny space with deadly creatures. 

They all lean in closer, not stepping closer per say, but studying it carefully from where they are, “what the hell is that?” Steve wonders aloud, it’s exactly what they’re all thinking, anyway. 

Suddenly the gate bursts open, the red membrane breaks and goop starts to spill, they jump back, screaming for their lives for just a second before the adrenaline kicks back in. Eddie and Steve haul the girls back and stand in front but Nancy breaks past, watching the gate drop in horror. “Ugh? What the—

It's a broom handle that’s sticking through and from the other side they can see a brighter version of the trailer floor. They turn to each there with pure amazement. Dustin did it. That little shit pulled through. Literally. 

They hear his giggle before they see him, cautiously taking a few steps towards the gate, they look up to see Dustin, Max, Lucas and Erika celebrating their success of finding another safe gate for their friends, they get even happier when they see Steve, Nancy Eddie and Robin from the other side. Dustin waves, “hi there!” 

“Hi?” They all wave back, absolutely over the moon that they’re rescued and that the kids, their kids, managed to figure it out and get there in time. 

“We’ve got a plan to get you out, don’t worry!” Erika yells up to them. “Get it, Lucas,” she shoves him, sending the boys back to get the mattress. 

Max is holding a bunch of bed sheets tied together to look like the rope they climb in gym class, “we're going to toss this through… Dustin thinks that if it’s half there and half there then it has to stay secure in the middle? Cause that’s where the worlds meet and the gravity is different? I don’t know.” 

“Makes sense,” Nancy shrugs. 

The mattress gets thrown down on the floor and Eddie is immediately embarrassed. He’s had that bed since he was a preteen and it was Waynes before that, he spilled bong water on his bed the morning before shit went south and the others are… he doesn’t even remember at this point. He’s had those ugly yellow and brown butterflies on his bed for as long as he can remember. New sheets weren’t really something he ever thought to put on the grocery list when they had a perfectly good washing machine and no one slept in his bed but him? This is why. 

“Those stains are, uh…” he looks at robin and Nancy and then Steve and then back up, wanting to die ever so slightly. “I don’t know what those stains are.” 

“Mhm,” Robin looks at him with a look of disgust and then over to Steve, who looks at her just as alarmed. ‘This is really the love of your life?’ She asks with her eyes. 

He shrugs and sighs, ‘I guess.’

“Now, I’m not quite sure how these physics are gonna work,” Dustin cuts into the awkward silence and takes the rope from max. “But uh… here goes nothing.” 

He tosses it through and they jump back when it comes flying at them in the upside down. Dustin holds his end so it doesn’t all go through and then it stops. It hangs there with half of it dangling from each side, just as they suspected it would. 

“And if my theory is correct…” Dustin drops the side he’s holding and steps back with a laugh, “abracadabra.” 

“holy shit,” almost all of them mumble under their breath. It’s remarkable just how much Dustin knows and how much of it is applicable to the shit they go through. 

“Okay, pull on it, see if it holds!” Dustin calls up to them, watching Robin reach out and take hold of the rope. She tugs on it with all her body weight and it doesn’t budge at all. They all keep laughing in amazement, it’s just so fucking cool. 

“This is the craziest shit I’ve ever seen in my life!” Erika rants, “and I’ve seen some crazy shit…” 

Dustin reaches back to give her a high five, Eddie can’t even imagine what they mean by that… they’re like a decade younger than him, how could they have seen something that almost equals up to this?

Robin takes a deep breath and takes hold of the rope again, “okay, I guess I’m the guinea pig.” 

The younger group all backup, making way on the landing pad as Dustin puts it. Robin struggles just a bit but finds her footing, Nancy stands behind her with her hands up, ready to catch her if she falls, watching her carefully the whole way through. She flops over to the other side and lands on the mattress, on her back, she sits up with a smile. “Oh thank god… that was fun.” 

Dustin gives her a hand and helps her off the mattress, and she gives him a little hug as a thank you for getting them back through a safe spot. 

Eddie expects Nancy to follow her but she doesn’t and Steve isn’t going either, they’re looking at each other so Eddie just grabs the rope. “All right! I guess I’ll go.” 

Eddie jumps up and starts making his way up the rope, this was his least favourite part in gym but he did it every year, for 6 years. Only this year did they let him skip it and yet here he was, doing it anyway. 

“Easy, easy,” Steve worries, knowing he’s clumsy and he’ll fall a lot harder than Robin did, given how much bigger he is. He’s like a tank compared to her. 

Eddie smacks down onto the mattress and sits right up, wiping his bangs from his face he gasps, “that was fun? Shit,” he takes robins hand and she hauls him up to his feet so they can watch Steve and Nancy make it through next. 

“See you on the other side,” Steve says, not because he’s going next, but because he’s letting Nancy know she is. He’s not leaving until she’s out. She knows that.

She nods, “on the other…” she freezes, her eyes roll back into her head and Steve panics. 

“Nance… Nancy!!” 

“What’s going on!?” Robins shouts through the gate. 

“Oh no,” Steve starts to shake her. “Oh no, no, no, no, no…” 

“Vecna,” Max says it out loud, but everyone already knew. They’ve all seen Max go through this. 

“Music,” Robin smacks eddies arm, “she needs a song, oh my god… oh my god! Steve!! What song would have a good memory for her?” 

“I don’t know?!” He screams back at her, still shaking Nancy, “Dustin, what song played when she danced with you?” 

“I don’t remember!?” He screams, “and I doubt that’s her happiest memory?” 

“It doesn’t have to be the happiest it just has to give her a memory happy enough to get her out of his nightmare, she has to get to a dream, to the light, basically,” Robin rambles and thinks, she’ sees Nancy around all the time… like the other morning. 

Steve dropped her off just as Nancy was getting out of her car. The exact same song was playing on the radio moments prior, she locked eyes with robin and gave her a little smile and then waved at Steve. It was simple. It was happy. It was before all this shit started… yet if it never started, she’d never be this close to Nancy now. 

“The radio,” Robin points at Dustin’s walkie and they pass it to her, she turns the knob towards the radio station thats always on in Steve’s beamer and hopes to god they’re playing Object of My Desire by Starpoint. It’s been so overplayed lately, that she might just— “thank god,” she hears it and cranks the radio to full blast. 

“We can’t toss it through,” Eddie reminds her, “the towers are all down, down there, they’re not going to hear anything once it gets down there.” 

“Right,” Robin looks around, “get me that chair,” she points. 

Lucas hustles over and gets it, setting it up on top of the mattress so Robin can stand on the chair and hold it up to the gate. 

“Can you hear it?” She asks Steve, who’s picking Nancy up around the waist and lifting her up so she’s closer to the sound. 

“Yeah!” 

“Come on, come on,” Eddie mumbles to himself, tapping his thighs and watching carefully. It’s taking too long… it feels like it goes on forever, just like they described with Max. Chrissy wasn’t out this long, she had long since cracked and fallen back to the floor in this amount of time. It must be a good thing if it’s taking forever. 

The song is just about to end when Nancy snaps out of it, panicking and swinging as she comes to. She pushes Steve to the ground and crawls away from him, “it’s okay, it’s okay!” Steve assures her. 

“Oh, thank god,” Robin steps down from the chair and turns the walkie off. She moves the chair off the mattress but stands back on it so she can watch what happens on the other side. 

Eddie steps into view as well, watching Steve soothe Nancy while she pushes him away. “It’s fine, I’m fine.” 

“Okay,” he lets it go. “Can you climb?” 

She nods and looks up to see Robin, she sighs and softens. “Yeah, I can.” 

Robin pushes Eddie back so Nancy has the full mattress to fall down on, they watch her climb the rope carefully and flop down just like they did, only less enthusiastically. Robin breaks away from Eddie and helps Nancy off the floor, “you’re okay?” 

She nods, “yeah, I… I talked to him?” 

“To Vecna?” Max knows but she asks anyway. 

Nancy just nods, following robin off the mattress so that Steve could come through, finally. Eddie anxiously watches as Steve climbs the rope and tosses himself down to the floor with a hiss and a whine, he’s been thrown around quite a bit and it was starting to show. The others crowd Nancy, not knowing Steve was so badly attacked beforehand, so it’s just Eddie that helps him up, he holds Steve close and rubs his arm, “you okay?” 

He nods, “I’m okay…” Steve makes his way over to the others, he places a hand on Nancy’s back, “you don’t have to talk about it right away, you know that?” 

She nods, “yeah, I know… um, we should all take like a few hours to just chill, I don’t think he’s going to get right back to it. I think he likes the challenge.” 

“We shouldn’t be here,” Dustin reminds them that they’re currently inside a taped-off crime scene, “is your mom home?” He asks Max. 

She shakes her head, “no she has a 24-hour on shift at the hospital, she’ll be home around noon though…” 

“Okay, we’ll head next door,” Lucas agrees, opening the door to let Erika out first. 

“Um,” Nancy doesn’t mean to draw all their attention back to herself but they all stop and turn, thinking she’s got more news. “Robin, can you come with me for a walk? I need to calm down and I can’t go alone.” 

“Y-yeah, absolutely,” she doesn’t even think twice, she just takes Nancy’s hand. 

“Don’t go off too far,” Steve interjects, “take a walkie.” 

“On our walkie,” Robin teases, knowing Steve just wants to keep them safe. She even manages to make Nancy smile a bit. “We’ll be fine.” 

Steve knows that but it’s still hard to let her go knowing anything could happen to either of them. “I know,” he gives them a small smile and a nod as they leave, heading over to Max’s with the other kids. Leaving Dustin with Steve and Eddie. 

“Are you okay?” Dustin asks, finally noticing all the blood on Steve and the fact he’s in Eddie’s vest. 

He nods, “yeah I just—

“We need to get him some clean clothes,” Eddie interjects. “You go watch Max, you can be in charge until Nancy gets back.” 

“Yes!” Dustin cheers, Eddie knew exactly how to get him to leave without asking any questions. “I’ll come get you if we need anything.” 

“Sounds good,” Eddie holds the door open for him and pats his back on his way out. He shuts the door once he’s gone and turns to Steve with a smile, “and then there were two…” 

“I’m in no condition to be seduced,” Steve teases, moving over to the counter to lean against it, he’s getting tired. 

Eddie walks over and cups Steve’s face with his hand, staring into his eyes, “I know, sweetheart, so let’s get you cleaned up.” 

—

Eddie's quick to start rummaging around in all the drawers in the hallway, he talks to himself while he does it and eventually pulls out a white box, “found ya, sucker.” 

He cracks the box open and starts heading to his room, Steve watches and follows carefully, “what’re you doing?” 

“Wayne used to hide the first aid kit from me cause I wasted all the supplies once trying to make my own special effects face wounds with the gauze… that’s another story, anyway, I have a bunch of shit in here if you want to get cleaned up?” He suggests, holding up some antibacterial spray and some big bandaids. 

He crosses his arms and smirks, overflowing with what could only be described as love. “You wanna take care of me?” 

“Yeah, Harrington. Sue me,” he tosses the gauze onto the bed, which is now just a boxspring covered in his comforter and pillows. “But, before I can do that, we’ve gotta wash all that blood off of you.” 

Steve sighs and looks down at his chest, this was going to hurt like a son-of-a-bitch but he knew Eddie was right. “okay…” 

“Right in here,” Eddie places a hand on his arm and leads him into the bathroom. “You can shower or I can just run a towel over you?” 

“If I shower and then have to get back into these clothes I’m going to freak out,” Steve admits. 

“I was going to let you borrow— well, actually I don’t need anything back, you can wear whatever you want from my room,” Eddie explains, riffling through the linen closet for some facecloths that Wayne wouldn’t mind ruining with blood and bat guts. “It’s not like I’m coming back here anyway.” 

“Hey,” Steve reaches out and pulls his attention back to him. “Don’t say that.” 

“I’m just being realistic.”

“I’m not losing you,” Steve puts his foot down. “Not to jail, not to Jason and his goons, not to Vecna or-or these fuckin’ bats,” he references down to his injuries. “You’re not going anywhere except to dinner with me when this is over and done with. Okay?” 

“Okay,” Eddie manages to smile. “Now would you take my vest off so I can wipe you down? I cant have you dying from an infection before our date.” 

“Okay,” he starts to push it off his shoulders and realizes just how much it hurts to lift his arms and stretch out his chest. “Ouch, fuck?” 

“Sorry,” Eddie apologizes on behalf of Steve's wounds and takes the jacket as soon as it’s off of him. “Turn around?” 

“Yeah,” Steve does as he’s told, slowly but surely. 

Eddie looks at the knot that Nancy tied in the fabric, it’s tight as can be, and his meaty fingers aren’t getting that knot out. “Stay here, I’m going to go get the scissors.”

“Okay,” Steve didn’t mind, he simply takes a hold of the edge of the sink to steady himself and waits. Eddie runs out, Steve can hear him tossing cutlery around in the drawer in the kitchen and then his heavy feet running back to him. 

“Okay, here we go…” he has to hype himself up for this part. He really didn’t want to see how much of Steve was missing under this fabric. 

Steve hisses as the fabric tugs on his skin where it’s been fused by dried blood, Eddie apologizes again and again as he takes it off slowly, making Steve turn around to face him again in the process. “Jesus,” Eddie says under his breath once he takes a good look at the damage. 

“Hot, I know,” Steve teases, giving him a smile before he too looks at it in the mirror. He catches Eddie looking at him in the mirror too, then their eyes meet in the reflection, making them smile slightly. “It’ll be okay… at least it’s not another head trauma.” 

“Yeah, you seem to get your ass beat a lot…” Eddie doesn’t mean it as a dig or an insult, “I mean, that’s gotta affect you somehow?” 

He nods, “headaches mostly, and this ear rings a lot,” he points to the left one. “But it’s liveable.” 

“So, when we get supplies later we should add a helmet to the list, got it,” Eddie teases again and Steve shoves him. 

Steve watches him giggle through the mirror, Eddie picks up one of the face cloths and turns the water on. He plays around with the taps until it’s a good temperature and he wets the towel. “Do you want to sit?” 

“Where?” Steve gestures to the counter or the toilet. 

“The counter would be better,” Eddie thinks, “here, I’ll help—

Steve doesn’t need help, he grips the counter with both hands and stands on his tip toes so that his ass cheek is taller than the counter and he scoots himself back until he’s secure. “There,” he spreads his legs and tugs Eddie between them so they’re closer. 

“Showoff,” Eddie teases him, he wrings the excess water out of the face cloth and brings it over to Steve’s chest. 

“You probably shouldn’t wring it out,” Steve micro-manages him. “You’re going to scrub my skin off if you don’t let the water soak the grime off.” 

“Right,” he doesn’t argue, he simply re-wets it, “get ready…” he says as he brings it over to his chest, water droplets falling onto Steve’s pants and he hisses as it spreads down his stomach, “sorry, sorry.” 

“Stop apologizing,” he says through gritted teeth. “It’s fine, it has to happen.” 

“Yeah, well I still feel bad,” he all but whispers, watching the water turn red as it rushes down his chest. 

He’s so close to the wounds he has no choice but to look and he hates it. It’s not that it’s gross(it is) it’s the fact that it’s Steve and in Eddie’s mind, Steve isn’t just Steve anymore… Steve watches his face carefully, in complete silence while Eddie washes the blood and grime off of him. Eddies face is so concentrated, he bites his tongue and breathes through his nose, he tries to shake his bangs out of his face as he leans in closer to Steve, hunched forward, and they keep falling into his eyes. 

Steve just reaches out and runs his fingers through Eddie’s hair, pushing his bangs back for him. It draws Eddie’s attention back up to his eyes, he looks shocked, “sorry,” Steve whispers. “You just—

“It’s okay,” Eddie gives him a sweet smile. “No one really touches my hair…”

“Me either,” Steve knows what thats like, a bit too well. Out of everything in his life, his hair was the one thing he could control perfectly. Eddie probably felt similarly. It’s something he grew, something he takes care of, something that makes him, him. He’s so perfectly Eddie with this hair. “You’re pretty, you know that?” 

The smirk that grows on Eddie’s face is beautiful, his eyes glisten in the soft yellow light of his trailer bathroom and he’s quiet. There isn’t a snarky reply, he doesn’t tell him to shut up or draw his attention to something else. He just smiles and takes it all in. 

“I mean it,” Steve says for good measure. “Before Robin even suggested that it could be you, I already thought you were too pretty for your own good… it’s why I was so short with you, looking at you was so hard, I just want to tell you all the time that you’re so fuckin' pretty.” 

“You’re going to give me a big head, Steve,” Eddie can’t take him seriously anymore, it was too much affection for him to handle. “Then again, you do give good head.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Don’t play dumb,” Eddie teases him, still wiping down his chest and now avoiding his eye contact. “You like pretty much sucked the soul out of me back there, I haven’t been the same since… haven’t even tried getting laid since, I’m like hypnotized by you, Harrington.” 

“Back to Harrington,” he sighs and leans back against the mirror so Eddie can get at the lower bites on his stomach. “Got it.” 

“Don’t do that,” Eddie picks up on it too. “It’s an endearing Harrington, okay? I need more than 4 days with you to make more nicknames than just Stevie and if I say that around the kids they’re going to have a fucking field day with it.” 

“I guess,” Steve can see where he’s coming from. “Are you afraid of me?” 

“What?” He looks up into Steve’s eyes again, his big brown puppy dog eyes could break Steve’s heart if he looked at him the right way. “Why would I be scared of you? You’ve done nothing but try and protect me?” 

“I don’t know, it just seems like no matter what I do, no matter how open I get, you’re still so closed off? What do I have to do to get you to let me know if you like me back? I don’t want this to just be some end of the world I might as well flirt with him, shit, I want this to work if we live through this,” he’s honest about it. “I’ve done nothing but think about you— well, the you from the woods— for almost an entire year.” 

“That’s not me, anymore,” he whispers. “You know that. We’re different now. Things are a lot different. And if I don’t make it I want you to be normal and not get hung up on me, get back with na—

“I swear the next person to say I should date Nancy again is getting punched,” Steve cuts him off. “I’d rather saw off my arms than date Nancy again.” 

“Then why did you lose it back there,” Eddie points out to his living room. “You can’t tell me that you don’t love Nancy and then react like that. You were distraught dude, don’t lie to me. You still care for her. You still love her.” 

“How would you feel if your friend, not the drummer the other one… Jer—” 

“Jeff.”

“Yeah, how would you feel if Jeff was getting Vecna’d right in front of your eyes? You said Gareth is your best friend, but would you still react with love if Jeff was in trouble?” Steve asks, really getting him to think about it. 

He nods, realizing he’s been over thinking it. “It’s just, you see, Nancy’s pretty and she’s not wanted for murder and—

“And she doesn’t love me. She never really did and she’s happy with Jonathan,” he can’t help but cut Eddie off. “I know Nancy better than anyone here because we dated— if you can even call it dating, but I took her on a few dates, I slept with her the night her best friend in the world died and then I over-reacted when she started spending time with Jonathan, not knowing she was hunting the thing that got Barb for revenge… and then I lost her before I even had her.”

“Oh,” Eddie can’t believe he’s getting the full story like this. 

“And if I’m being really honest with you, I’m not even sure if the love I had for her was real. I can’t hold it against her for pretending anymore when I genuinely don’t remember being in love with her. It was so long ago. But sure, I love her, she’s my friend and she’s Mike's older sister and she’s buddy-buddy with Robin now and I can’t let her die while Jonathan isn’t here! He’s kicked my ass once already, I don’t need more brain damage because I failed to protect someone we all care about. The same way I’d protect Robin or Max and especially… you.” 

Eddie’s never seen Steve talk so passionately. It’s like he took a page out of Buckley's book and paired it with his freakish ability to hold his breath for a long time, resulting in that ramble of truth. He didn’t even know what to say to it, at least he thought he didn’t and then he asks the simplest question. “Why?” 

“Which part?” Steve manages to smile, “the not sure about loving Nancy bit or the falling in love with you bit?” 

Eddie’s eyes do that thing where they get impossibly big and he leans forward, feeling like he imagined it. “What?” 

“I kinda figured since you love me and all, I could say it to you.” 

“Backup, backup,” he waves his hands around in front of himself with his eyes closed for a moment, taking it all in. “When did I say I love you?” 

“You didn’t have to, you just jumped in after me.” 

“Not right away and I definitely didn’t want to?” He freaks out, feeling like he’s been caught and he needs to defend himself. 

“I didn’t want to help Nancy and Jonathan the first time. But I did because I loved her,” he explains with a growing smirk. “I figured you out so easily because I did the exact same thing before.”

“You ran?” Eddie can’t believe it. Badass Steve was actually… kind of normal dude. 

“I showed up to apologize to Jonathan for calling him and his brother queer… yeah I know it was a shitty thing to do given who I am and all, but, after he kicked the shit out of me, I had time to reflect and realized, like, nope, it’s just me who’s queer and what I said was super fucked up… So I went to apologize but imagine my surprise when Jonathan opens the door and he was bleeding from his hand and the whole house smells like gasoline and there is a bear trap in the hallway and a Demogorgon on the way,” Steve honestly can’t believe its a real memory and not a dream he’s retelling. 

“But it was too late, they dragged me down the hall into Will’s room and we waited for the thing to attack but it got distracted? It disappeared again and I took the first chance I had to get the fuck out of there.” 

“I mean, it’s not like they needed you,” Eddie teases, bringing a smile to Steve’s face. 

“I know, but that’s not the point, is it?” Steve points it back on him. He did the same fuckin thing earlier. Nancy and robin probably had it covered and he went anyway. “Nancy Wheeler, given any partner, is fantastic at defending this town. That’s a fact I know for sure.” 

Eddie drops the washcloth in the sink and gives in, he places his hands on Steve’s thighs and looks up into his eyes, “what else do you know?” 

“I know I went back into that house not because I didn’t think she could do it, but because if Jonathan died and Nancy lost him and Barb, and Joyce lost him and Will… I couldn’t live with myself. I went back in because I loved Nancy and I would’ve thrown myself in front of the thing if need be to make sure they were the ones who got out of it okay.” 

“It was a suicide mission?” Eddie softens, putting all the clues together. 

He nods, “I loved her, I hated myself and who I was becoming and it wasn’t changing. Even if I dropped Tommy and Carole, even if I somehow got away from my parent's influence… I never thought I’d get to a point in my life where I could be myself and like myself at the same time. I was ready to die in there for her.” 

“But you didn’t,” Eddie is thankful beyond belief.

“Yeah, but surviving wasn’t any better. The government sat us all down and said we could never speak about it, we were in danger from the Russians if we did talk about it—

“Yeah right—

“No, they were serious but that’s later,” Steve is serious and Eddie can tell. “Nancy and I were told it was best to act as normal as possible and that we’d never get in trouble for being underage and drinking the night barb went missing and while I was super thankful my parents wouldn’t find out, Nancy was pissed that nothing was being done as justice for Barb… I processed it all by pretending it didn’t happen and she couldn’t because she didn’t get closure. Not like Joyce, Joyce got her son back and Nancy was stuck with me and nothing else.”

“I’m sorry,” Eddie reaches up to cup Steve’s cheek, “you didn’t look happy that year… I remember she’d sit in the parking lot with Jonathan and you’d always just play basketball in the gym or run track the whole break.” 

He nods, “I always passed you on your way for a smoke.”

Eddie gives him a sweet smile, “you’re the only jock that would pass me without saying something snarky.” 

“I never saw you leave a fight with a black eye,” Steve admits. “I was still yet to win a fight of my own at that point.” 

“I would never hurt you,” Eddie whispers and Steve knows that to be true. It’s why he can open up to him so easily. 

“I didn’t feel worthy of love for a long time,” he whispers back. “Nancy helped, she told me and I believed her but… I knew it wasn’t real. I knew we weren’t having sex cause she remembered how Barb died every time we tried and she didn’t sleep over at my house ever cause it feels haunted to her and the more I tried to be normal the more it made her wish she wasn’t with me. We were both pretending but for vastly different reasons. She didn’t want to get in trouble and I didn’t want to accept the fact that once she left, I was going to be lonely.” 

“Didn’t you already have Dustin then?” Eddie asks, knowing how much Dustin loves him. 

He shakes his head, “no, actually, I was on my way to her place to ask her to take me back after we broke up when I ran into Dustin and he needed help with something from the upside down that ate his cat.” 

Eddies eyes grow wide, “his cat?” 

He nods, “yeah it was one of those demo-dog things I was telling you about, they have the same mouths as the bats but they act like wolves.” 

“Holy fuck?” 

Steve just nods, “it’s been insane and thats just he starts of the second year… last summer we found out that the Russians were in Hawkins under the mall and I went down there with Robin, Dustin and Erika… we barely made it out alive and then we still had to fight the thing from the upside down that came out of the gate that the stupid fucking Russians opened up.” 

Eddie can tell he’s the most traumatized by it so he runs his hands down Steve’s shoulders and shushes him softly, “you’re here now though, we’re working all together on this one. It’s not just Nancy, it’s not just you and the kids. It’s all of us. We can do it.” 

Steve leans forward and kisses him again. He can’t help himself. He has to kiss Eddie as much as humanly possible before they can’t anymore because if he knows one thing from all of this, it’s that the people you love can be taken from you in the blink of an eye. Barb. Bob. Billy… Hopper. They’re all gone and everyone who loved them is devastated now. 

He doesn’t want to know what it feels like to lose Eddie. Thats a devastation that he’d never recover from. 

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