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#i’m not prepared to be a sophomore yet
ash5monster01 · 2 months
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Can I get Drew Starkey with prompt 2.??
First Love
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Valentines Celebration Prompt
Pairing: Drew Starkey x FemReader
Warnings: mentions of heartbreak, fluff, established relationship
2. You find an old love letter from your high school sweetheart, do you reach out?
word count: 2k
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Valentine’s Day always brought up old memories. Thoughts to a time that didn’t even feel like you had lived it anymore. So much had changed, things you never really expected too. It’s weird that it feels so much heavier this year. Maybe since it had been ten years. A decade later and your life was not what you had wanted or expected it to be. Which explains why you pull the box stuffed away in your closet out. A layer of dust covering the top and you slowly blow it away as you pull the lid open to memories you hadn’t revisited in a very long time.
It’s the big things you notice first. The pair of roller skates you seemed to live in sophomore year of high school. A stack of year books with worn covers and faded signatures on the inside. A hoodie, one from him that overtime just became yours. Then it was the pictures. So many pictures it made you realize just how much of your life had been intertwined with his. It may have been ten years since but it was still ten years together before. Trying your best to avoid your young smiling face you find a stack of letters, rubber banded together with handwriting that is all too familiar. You knew it maybe wasn’t the best idea to read one, open old wounds, and yet you can’t stop yourself from freeing one of the envelopes.
Hello my love,
Did I happen to mention just how beautiful you looked today. I didn’t hear a single thing in Calc class because you kept brushing that perfect hair out of your face and across those shoulders. All I could think about was the smell of your perfume and wishing my head was buried in your neck. If I fail it’ll be all your fault but I wouldn’t really mind. It’d be worth it if it meant I got to keep looking at you. Just a degreeless loser with the most perfect wife. That’s right, I said wife, because I’m going to marry the hell out of you. It’s my only dream, out of all my successes in life you will always be my best one. Remember that.
Love Drew
The tears that spring to your eyes are not intentional. It was just that you had almost forgotten just how much he loved you. It was still your biggest regret that you never got to tell him just how much you loved him too. Maybe he had a girlfriend or even a different wife now but that still never stopped you from checking his Instagram and watching all of his latest movies. Which is why you’re so quick to pull up his account and scroll through the posts. He had grown up so much. He wasn’t that young 19 year old boy you used to know. He was a man now, a man you had let go of in order to not hold him back.
It’s when you accidentally double tap the screen and the heart appears do you feel your stomach drop. In instant panic you realize you’ve just become one of those crazy exes who still looks at their old boyfriend’s profile. Yet you shouldn’t feel this way. Drew was always your closest friend after all. So in order to make yourself look less crazy or possibly even more crazy, you hit the message button on the top.
Hey, was just reminiscing. So proud of all the things you have done. Hope all is well.
The internal cringe is enough for you to throw your phone across the room and pray that his famed status will keep him from ever seeing any notifications from you. Yet that isn’t proven true when your phone dings with a text from an unknown number on the other side of the room. Nervously picking it up, you prepare for whatever the text may hold.
Hey, it’s Drew. I’m really hoping this is still your number 😅
I got your DM but it feels weird messaging you of all people over Instagram
The second text comes through as you’re finished reading the first one, nerves tingling through your entire body. You hadn’t expected a DM back, let alone a text. Yet here you both were and now you had to face the consequences of your actions. You were the one who reached out first after all.
It’s still me! I would have texted but obviously your number did change
You know how awkward it seems. Texting him professionally as if he isn’t the only person in the world you are most comfortable with. You don’t have time to dwell considering another text comes through.
Yeah, I actually had to ditch it after a crazy fan incident. I would have given you my new one but honestly I figured you didn’t want it.
Of course I’d want it, no matter what you’ll be important to me
You don’t want to come off as flirty but it was true. Even if your relationship had been ten years ago. Drew held your heart and gave you every first experience of love in your life. That never goes away, he would carry those firsts around with him forever.
You home? I’m in town and I’d love to meet up
It’s not the text you expect to come after the one you just sent. Knowing Drew was so close now made you even more nervous. It had been so long. Were you really even ready for that kind of confrontation? Then again you didn’t want him to think you were still all torn up especially after you reached out to him. So you sucked it up and texted back.
Yeah! We could meet at our old place, 4 o’clock?
See you then
And just like that, you not only revisited your past memories, but were truly going to step in it. Ten years ago this was your normal routine and it was weird how getting ready for this still felt so natural after all this time. This time you put a bit more effort into your appearance. If you were going to see Drew for the first time after all these years, you had to look good.
So with your jacket wrapped tightly around you, you find yourself walking to the center of town. The bustle of familiar faces walking along the streets, colors of red and pink covering every storefront you can see. You register completely that you’re doing this on Valentine’s day. The anniversary of when you left him ten years ago. Right in front of the old diner stands Drew, bundled up and holding a single pink rose in his hand. He doesn’t see you approach right away which makes you smile just slightly.
“Hi” you hum out, all emotions leaving you but happiness. You never would’ve thought seeing him in person again would bring you this much peace. He jumps just lightly before his head swiftly turns to face you.
“Hi! There you are” he grins and you can’t help the small laugh that falls from your lips. Suddenly he’s holding the pink rose forward. “This is for you, since it’s Valentines after all”
“Are you asking me to be your Valentine?” you tease, fingers curling around the stem and lightly brushing his own. You can’t believe how long it’s been since you’ve felt his touch. Red covers the boys cheeks as you pull the flower close and take in its scent.
“No, well if you want. Yes, maybe. I don’t know anymore honestly” he flusters out and all you can do is giggle as you take a step closer to him.
“I’ll be your Valentine, considering I have been many times before” you tell him with a smile and he sighs in relief, comforted just as much by you, as you are of him.
“Let’s go inside, I don’t want you to freeze” he says, hand falling on your back and guiding you towards the door. You obey, heading straight for your old designated booth. Drew watches as you slide carefully into your side before he sits down himself.
“Look at you movie star” you grin at him after a moment, taking in his grown and handsome appearance. A fresh blush covers his cheeks as he lets out a soft chuckle.
“I’m no movie star, not quite yet” he says and you roll your eyes.
“Oh please, Drew I see your face everywhere I go. Edits of you pop up on my tik tok now. Who would’ve thought my high school sweetheart would be everyone’s celebrity crush by now” you say, knocking your foot with his and he laughs lightly.
“To be honest it shocks me. At the end of the day I still am the bad guy on my claim to fame show” he says and you just smile, taking all of him in.
“That buzzed hair, been so long since I’ve seen you with shaggy hair. It’s weird how different you look and yet you’re still completely the same” you don’t mean to be sappy but sitting here of all places with him will make you like that.
“Yeah, I kinda wanted to grow it out but with filming schedules I’ve had to keep it shaved down. Maybe after though” he says running a hand over his head and you just grin.
“I can’t wait” and the sentence isn’t meant to imply you’ll be spending time together in the future, yet Drew can’t help but think of that.
“Why’d you reach out today?” he cuts to the chase and the smile quickly falls from your lips. “And don’t give me some classic bullshit response. I want the truth”
And you consider your options before finally choosing to speak.
“Every Valentine’s day I go through our box of things. Mementos of our time together, because if I’m being honest, I’m not really over it. I know I left you but it wasn’t because I didn’t love you anymore. It’s because I didn’t want to hold you back” you saw no point in lying, he deserved the truth. Even after all these years.
“You never ever held me back” he says after he lets your words sink in and you sigh, hands coming up to tug at your hair.
“It doesn’t matter Drew. I know you, you would’ve chosen me over going to LA. Chasing your dream, becoming a superstar, I wasn’t apart of that” you tell him and Drew sighs, taking a moment to think of his next words.
“You were apart of that. You always were, because none of that mattered compared to you. You were always my greatest accomplishment” and the words from that letter ring through your mind.
“Do you still love me?” you finally ask, needing to know exactly what was going through his mind.
“I never stopped” he says and finally a small smile pulls at the corner of your lips.
“Do you think I could be apart of it now? So I stop accidentally liking your instagram posts?” you ask and a belly laugh falls from the boys lips across from you.
“If you’ll have me” he says, hands reaching across and cupping yours into his own.
“Always” you tell him with a grin and just like when you two were 16 and first started to come here, he lifts off his seat and leans across the table to meet you. Searching his eyes you meet him halfway and slowly press your lips against his own. Kissing him like this again for the first time in ten years feels like a fever dream but it was perfect. He was perfect and still tasted faintly of cherries and coffee. He was the only thing you ever truly wanted.
And you got him back.
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natsessence · 2 years
Text
The New Maid
pairing | dom!natasha x sub!reader
summary | After being hired as a maid under Natasha Romanoff's care, your suspicions on her intentions with you soon grow weary. With her request to wear a revealing uniform and her elongated stares, it's not long before you can submit to more than just your attraction for her.
warnings (18+) | smut, dom/sub, dark-ish nat, praise kink, possessiveness, rough sex, fingering, mommy kink, bondage, dirty talk, degradation, spitting, slight spanking, multiple orgasms, oral sex, vibrators, mommy nat (drooling), short skirts, fucks you over her desk tbh
a/n | hi this has already been published on other platforms for a whileeeee but i’m trying to cross upload my work on here cause i wanna write more. this was also my first time writing anything ever (let alone smut) so enjoy :)) any feedback is appreciated!!
word count | 6.3k
warning! (18+): language and sexual content. please refer to tags before reading.
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Working under Natasha Romanoff had been a dream. From the very generous pay to the no expenses of living in her lavish mansion, it baffles you how lucky you were to get this job. It started off as a one-time summer thing, a side hustle to earn some extra money before your sophomore year as a college student. But once you learned how well a live-in maid gets paid, you realized there were far too many benefits of pursuing the job for more than just one summer.
Training as a maid was quite simple as well, the owners would usually have articulated plans or certain schedules you follow throughout the day. However, Natasha Romanoff wasn't as easy, she had you by her side practically every second of the day. You're not exactly sure what her job specifically entails, but it must pay well for her to be able to afford such an enormous house. You're glad for the digital map of structure and layout otherwise you'd get lost just looking for the bathroom, which still occurred quite a lot. You do, however, know it has something to do with Stark Industries. When you've had to deliver messages or meals to her grand office, you've overhead her conversations with Tony Stark. Although, it sounded much more like she was talking to a friend than a business call, it was none of your business. She seemed to be a very powerful woman, and you'd hate to cross her, but so far, she's been nothing but more than accommodating.
It's only been a week, but you've wondered if she has other employees. So far, the only people you've seen, besides Natasha, is the chef, pool boy, gardener, and the silent security guards at every gate. You've yet to meet other maids or butlers for that matter but realized Natasha Romanoff is just one person. It'd be quite excessive to have multiple live-in maids. It just felt quite lonely to think about Natasha all alone in such a huge place.
Aside from the very small and revealing, cliche maid outfit she requested you wear the night you arrived, you figured Natasha was just a traditional woman and had no complaints. Especially none with spending almost every hour attending to Natasha Romanoff's needs. You couldn't deny the attraction you felt for her, but in all honesty, who could? She was an undeniably gorgeous woman. The long touches and stares she sent you at times didn't help either. You'd feel her eyes burn into you as you served drinks or prepared her dinner. The outfit she provided failed to hide the blush in your cheeks at every pet name she threw your way. Especially when she would say goodbye and leave a longing touch on your arm or stare at you too long. Every time you were with her things became much harder to focus on. But this job was the highest-paying gig you’ve ever had, so you’d have to suck it up and ignore the little (huge) crush until the end of summer.
Waking up and eyeing the maid uniform hung above your closet, you prepared yourself for your day. You'd assumed the outfit had probably been tailored for the last maid, who may have been (extremely) smaller than you. But with you having to do work around such a colossal property, it required you to move around a lot. So, when you had to practically walk everywhere and bend over every surface to reach the things, you would feel the rise in your skirt and always missed the smirk that rose to Natasha's lips when she was around you.
For the schedule today, you would help her prepare for an on-call business transaction. She asked you have her breakfast served in bed and prepare her outfit and office for her before noon. Simple enough. So, with a final brush of an invisible wrinkle on your top, you hurried along to serve Natasha her meal.
Knocking on the door three times with a tray of caviar buttered croissants, lobster scrambled eggs, and cinnamon brioche french toast in your arms, you opened it to find Natasha plaid in nothing but a black silk robe. Your eyes couldn't help but fall to her chest, where it was barely covered by the thin fabric, finding her cleavage peeking out tauntingly. Her red locks were barely tussled, you'd never be able to guess she had just gotten out of bed.
"Good morning, Ms. Romanoff. Here's your breakfast." You said as you placed the tray onto her bed and above her, your face dangerously close to her chest before you straightened yourself up by her beside.
"Mmm, good morning, my dear. Did you sleep well?" She asked, a smile playing at her lips at the sight of you as she faintly rubbed her eyes.
With your hands rested behind your back and a thump in your heartbeat at the use of the pet name, you replied, "Yes, splendidly, miss, thank you. Is breakfast to your liking?"
She groaned at the use of your "Miss and Missus," the first day you arrived she insisted that you use her first name; Natasha. She definitely wished for the use of a different name on your lips, but she couldn’t scare you away just yet. Using her forename never felt polite to you, and you're not sure you would be able handle letting her name roll off your tongue that easily when you could barely manage being in her presence. She gave up soon, but it's not like she didn't enjoy hearing you call her Ms. Romanoff, either. The sound of her name on your lips made her stomach twist with desire.
Your outfit was no mistake, either, she had of course received your profile and knew your measurements, she just couldn't resist seeing you in such a thing. Natasha was a woman that paid attention to detail. Usually, she'd never even have a live-in maid, or a maid at all for that matter. She'd probably just get Tony to whip up some robot to do all her biddings, but she wasn't that shallow. After Steve had teased her about living all alone in such a large home, she figured she just needed a little more human interaction in her home life. Eventually she found a housekeeping service. Intentionally, she had only wanted to find a maid or butler that would come in during the weekdays, but after crossing your profile and seeing your picture. She couldn't help herself. She found you irresistible and absolutely perfect. Even more when you met her, and she fell in love with your innocence, shy blushes, polite manner, and cute smiles. She felt like a teen all over again. 
She knew she had to have you.
She raised her glare to find you obediently awaiting her answer. She smiled to herself, "Yes, sweetheart, it's divine. Tell Jeffrey I send my compliments. Have you eaten, my love?"
The painted pink on your checks only grew stronger with her constant use of pet names. Natasha knew this just as well, she loved seeing you blush and even more when she knew she was the reason why. "No, not yet miss. I was planning on picking up something on the way to prepare your office."
"That's nonsense, Jeffrey prepares an amazing breakfast every day. You've been here a week, honey, make yourself comfortable. It's practically your home, too." Your head dropped slightly, nodding at her reprimanding request.
“Yes, Ms. Romanoff,” before you could make your exit, she grabbed your wrist and tugged you into her bed, catching you in surprise. "While you're here, you might as well eat, darling."
It sounded more like a command, but you wouldn't deny her either way, knowing you were always hopelessly compliant to her demands. That's what made Natasha so set on you, not only were you a wonderful sight to see, your obedience is what made her sure you were perfect for her, even after only a week. No one had this effect on her as much as you did. She planned to make you hers, she just wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait.
You could barely move a muscle on the large black silk comforter of her bed, awaiting her next command and watching as her hands moved to slice the French toast and raise the fork to your mouth. You eyed her, hesitantly opening your mouth as she fed you.
"Good girl," she hummed satisfied, her eyes following your every move.
You nearly choked at her words, feeling your heart beat harder against your chest and heat rise to your cheeks. After a few more bites and her gazes in between, your heart paced even faster at her next move. "Stay still, honey, you have something righttt there." She said as her hand rose to grasp your face, her thumb moving to your bottom lip as she wiped away the powdered sugar that stained your mouth. She moved the same thumb to her own mouth and licked the residue slowly, glossy green eyes never leaving yours. You couldn't do much but stare starstruck at her lips in front of your face, agonizingly close as she licked them teasingly. The action alone made your stomach shudder sensually and pool heat to your center.
You composed yourself and mumbled a timid, "thank you." Before rising to your feet and picking up her tray to place onto a table to distract yourself from the wetness growing between your legs. "I'll get started on your outfit. Does it need pressing?" You said as you returned to her side. Natasha let out a small chuckle at her effect on you.
"Yes, I believe so. It's hung in my closet; you can do whatever you see fit. I trust your eye for clothing." She acknowledged with wink as she moved to grab her reading glasses and a book from her nightstand.
You nodded, moving to her walk-in closet and setting your eyes on her tailored, black suit. You planned on pressing it in the station of the laundry room before Natasha called out to you just as you were leaving, suit in hand.
"Do it in here, I want to see you." She said, signaling you to use the table that stood within her large bedroom. You couldn't help the thoughts running in your head, but only one remaining prominent; she wants to see you.
You swallowed a gulp and nodded compliantly, turning your back to her as you began pressing her suit. Natasha smiled to herself, enjoying the view in front of her as she occupied her mind of everything she would do once she got her hands on you. It was hard enough restraining herself from pouncing on you any second of the day, but with each movement your skirt rose ever so slightly, giving Natasha a perfect view of your white lace panties and having her wishing she could rip them right off. She was practically drooling at the sight.
Once you were done, you moved to hang it in her closet where it laid before. You returned to her side before clasping your hands behind your back and asking, "I've finished, Ms. Romanoff. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
She took a moment to drink you in, standing obediently in front of you in your tight outfit. Your breasts pushing against the fabric and legs covered in white stockings. Before eyeing you up and down, she hummed to herself, "There are lots of things you can do for me, sweetheart. But for now, everything is fine, thank you."
Your eyes widened slightly at her remark, were you hearing things? You weren't sure how much longer you would be able to handle this woman and her seductive teasing. But you blamed it all on your attraction for her, declaring you were just making up things in your head. You nodded and made your way to her grand door, feeling eyes glued to your body as you made your exit.
At noon exactly, you had already finished preparing Natasha's office for her business meeting, you were tidying her bookshelf when you heard the door open. Twisting your head to find her in the same suit you had pressed earlier today. It hugged her body perfectly, but you didn't have time to admire any further as you clasped your hands together to greet her. "Good afternoon, Ms. Romanoff. Your office is ready. Let me know if you need anything." You bowed slightly and continued to the door before she grabbed your arm as you attempted to brush past her. Your bodies were excruciatingly close, you hoped she couldn't hear your heart practically pounding out your chest.
"Stay, dove. You won't be a bother, just continue your work. If you've finished, you're free to leave. But I'd much rather you stay." She blew into your ear, her grip never loosening from your arm as you stood tense at her side.
"I-uh yes, Ms. Romanoff." She beamed at your answer, nodding and reluctantly letting you go. You already missed the feeling of her skin on yours. She continued to make her way behind her desk, sitting in her extravagant chair that made her look ten times more powerful. She began working on her computer, typing away and eyeing you every so often as she continued to work. It wasn't soon before her meeting began, you were thrilled to see her in action. Not knowing exactly what her job was, you were glad to at least gather some intel on what she did for a living. You barely understood the terminology or language they had been using throughout the meeting, you really wished you had taken Russian instead Spanish. You’re not sure if it would’ve mattered anyway because the majority of the time you were distracted by how hot Natasha was, exerting her power and getting fueled up when something didn't go her way, spitting out what you assumed were Russian curse words. You couldn't ignore the same pool of wetness that grew between your legs as you watched her intently. You didn't mind staying her office, sitting patiently in the seat across from her while reading a book you picked from her office library. Natasha most definitely didn't mind either, being able to watch your every move as she worked, she loved every second.
Once her meeting had finished you assumed she would dismiss you, so you rose to your feet as soon as she did. But she only moved to unbutton her blazer, releasing it and letting it drop down her arms with a frustrated sigh. The sight alone was probably the most attractive thing you’ve ever witnessed. Your eyes followed her as she moved to her serving cart and poured herself a glass of scotch, taking a sip with one hand before walking back to her previous spot. She stood across from you, eyeing you amusingly with one hand in her pocket while the other held her drink.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Ms. Romanoff?" You questioned hesitantly, noticing her irritation from the meeting and offering aid. At that remark, it seemed any residual anger from the businesswoman had disappeared and been replaced with lust.
"Yes, actually." She said, a smirk tugging at her mouth ever so slightly. You nodded eagerly, urging her to continue. "Come and kneel for me, sweetheart." You stood in shock for a moment, mentally pinching yourself to see if you'd heard her correctly. “Excuse me?”
When she gave you a look and reiterated it with a, “You heard me, pretty girl.” It was as if your body was on autopilot as your mind ignored the shock of her words and you nervously moved onto the space in front of her. Dropping to your knees compliantly and awaiting silently for her next direction, looking up to her face, doe-eyed and sweet.
She bit her lip as her hand rose to your face, her fingers sliding underneath your chin as her thumb swiped across your bottom lip once again. However, unlike this morning, her thumb pushed further into your mouth, behind your teeth and reaching your tongue. She took a moment to admire you, legs tucked underneath you as your hands rested in your lap pleasantly with her finger in your mouth. "You look so pretty like this, kotenok."
You squirmed on the floor underneath you, trying to ignore the soaked panties you had stained from being with Natasha all day. Wanting to please her, you wrapped your lips around her thumb, your cheeks hollowing around her while your eyes never left her hungry gaze.
Her eyes practically rolled to the back of her head. "Such a good girl. Skazhi mne krasivaya devushka (tell me, pretty girl), what do you want." She requested; her thumb coated in your saliva as she moved it from your mouth to let you answer.
"I- you. I-I want you."
"That's no way to ask, little girl. Where are your manners?"
"Sorry, Ms. Romanoff."
"Wrong. Try again. Tell mommy what you want. Correctly, this time." She released as her grip tightened around your jaw.
"I-I want you, mommy. Please."
She groaned at your words, grinning slyly as her hand continued to caress your face.
She had you right where she wanted you.
"What a good little girl you are. Come sit on mommy's lap, sweetheart." She let out as she dropped to her chair and tapped her right knee twice, thighs spread to leave room for you in between her legs.
Like the obedient girl you were, you rose to your feet, taking only a few steps towards the woman in front of you with insatiable hunger. As you took your place on her lap, your skirt flew up, leaving nothing but your bare bottom in lace panties on Natasha's thigh. Her hand immediately moved to your thigh, rubbing slowly as it made its way up and down. You whimpered in frustration, wanting to feel her hands all over your body. Eventually she reached your clothed heat, stroking painfully slow over your drenched panties. You tried not to squirm under her touch, wanting to push yourself further onto her fingers but her hand firmly wrapped around your waist kept you in place.
She noticed your impatience, chuckling softly before swiping her fingers harder against your core. You moaned at the feeling, pushing your hip into her hand, desperate for her touch. 
"Greedy slut, aren't you?" You couldn't answer, your mind only focusing on grinding your hips against her now spread-out palm.
But soon you felt a stinging slap against your thigh, dangerously close to your heat, you jumped in surprise and whined at the loss of her hand against you. "Answer me."
"Yes, mommy, only for you. Please, I want you so bad."
You didn't have time to concentrate or dwell on the loss as she began stroking your bare thigh again, spreading your legs firmly and pushing her fingers back to rub circles against your cunt. Her mouth soon attached itself to your ear as your mouth was left open at the sensation, letting out labored breaths.
She slid her tongue around your lobe and into your ear, "You have no idea what you do to me, kotenok. Walking around in that little outfit, I've wanted to fuck you senseless since the day you walked in here."
Your legs closed in reflex, feeling the undeniable drench between your legs. But Natasha only growled against your ear, moving her leg to wrap around your ankle, keeping your bottom strapped against her.
"Is that what you want, pretty girl. You want me to fuck you so hard you can’t walk?" She teased across your cheek, peppering wet kisses along your jaw and to your lips, leaving her centimeters away from your mouth. You knew better to answer this time, closing your eyes from sensation of her palm rubbing against you.
"Yes, mommy. I want you inside of me, please, I need you so bad." You whined against her and moaned once she moved your panties to the side and slid her fingers through your juices.
"Oh baby, you're soaked. My good little girl, all wet for me, huh." She continued, looking up to your flustered face as you writhed on top of her.
Before continuing her movements, she paused, "Say red if you want to stop, sweetheart, I won't be mad. Yellow if you want to slow down and green for go. Understood?"
You nodded before realizing she wanted a verbal response. "Yes, mommy."
"Good, printsessa," she smiled before shoving her fingers into your heat, muffling your moan with her mouth and she connected your lips into a heated kiss.
You could barely focus on kissing her back with the way her fingers were deepening inside you. You so desperately wanted to keep up, and you loved the feeling of her plush red lips on yours. The way she tasted only made you crave more; cherry and scotch, it was as addicting as it was sexy. She moved with incredible expertise, knowing how to get you breathless with a lick of her tongue against yours. You could feel her smirk against your mouth when you struggled to keep up with her hungry kisses, instead letting out breathy moans into her mouth. Natasha continued exploring your mouth, growing wetter at the sight of the strings of your mixed saliva connecting your mouths.
She continued her thrusts, adding another finger as her thumb rubbed against your clit, only causing more sounds to escape your mouth. Just as you felt yourself clench around her fingers and tighten your fists as your hips rode against her, she pulled them out, eliciting another whine at the loss. Releasing her hand drenched in your juices and sliding it into your mouth. You were forced to open wide as she commanded.
"Shut up and suck," you did exactly that, running your tongue through her manicured digits and tasting yourself around her. You loved the way her eyes were devouring you, as if she was about to rip you apart on the spot.
She moved to grab your wrist, moving your hand to let you feel her packing through the crotch of her pants as you began stroking her through the fabric. Your thighs clenching at the thought of how big it was. "You want my cock, printsessa, huh? Wanna get it all nice and wet for your pussy?"
You didn't waste a second to respond, desperately letting out a "Yes, mommy, please."
She grinned at your eagerness, motioning her head to the floor in front of her again and saying, "On your knees, krasivaya devushka." You obeyed, dropping to the carpet beneath you once again and placing your hands neatly flat onto your lap.
She watched you like a hawk before rising to her feet, towering over you before unbuckling her belt in front of your face. She pulled the belt from its loops and circled to your back, pulling your arms from in front of you and locking them together in her belt against your back. The position only brought your breasts up further against your tight outfit, displaying them in front of your body. Natasha moved in front of you once again, enjoying the sight but still insatiably wanting more.
"Color, my love."
"Green, mommy."
She smiled before kissing your cheek. After a pause she moved her hand to grab her drink once again, taking a sip before deliberately extending her arm out and pouring it into your cleavage, feeling the cold liquid roll through your body and onto your stomach as your mouth drew out a gasp.
"Oh my, I'm so clumsy, dove. Let mommy help you with that." Natasha feigned with faux innocence as she bent her body down to your level, eyeing your shiny chest and immediately ripping apart the blouse effortlessly with both of her hands. It left you in your matching white lace bra, presenting your breasts perfectly into Natasha's view. She groaned, moving her two hands to grope them above the fabric. You could only watch, immobile with your hands tied behind your back as she unclipped your bra and let it fall down your arms. Your heart raced against your chest as she moved to the drink once again, dropping the cold liquid all over your bare chest as inhaled sharply, feeling the cold sensation run down your body. Natasha only stared further, wanting this picture of you to last in her mind forever. She opted for the next best thing, reaching for her phone on the desk and angling it to get you into view. She snapped a photo of you, knowing she would be using it for later purposes and hoped she would have enough for an album soon, she would make sure of it. She couldn't help herself and soon enough, began sliding her tongue up against your stomach and around your breasts, palming the opposite one and pinching around your nipples. She sucked each of them, humming at the taste of scotch tainting your skin as your arousal grew as you watched her worship you.
After enough teasing, she moved to drop her pants in front of you, revealing the large red strap on teasing your face. She shoved two fingers into your mouth again, coating them in your saliva before she gripped your cheeks open and tilted your face up to her. "Swallow." She directed as she leaned down to drop a ball of her saliva into your mouth before kissing it. She hummed against your face and continued to stand up straight in front of you, pushing the strap into your face.
"Good girl, and you know what good girls get?"
You shook your head, awaiting her response before she continued and began playing with your nipples, "they get to suck on Mommy's cock, you want that, baby, don't you?"
"Yes, mommy, please." You whimpered from underneath her, fighting the urge to rub your heat against the floor.
She pinched down extra hard on your breasts, tugging at the tip and taking the opportunity to shove herself down your throat when you opened it to moan. You internally thanked yourself for your lack of a gag reflex, adjusting to her size quickly as you let her continue. She picked up her pace, both her hands traveling to tug onto your hair and keep you firmly thrusting back and forth on her appendage. Your cheeks hollowed against the toy, swallowing whole to please her.
"That's right, baby, sucking my cock like a good slut. You're such a pretty girl, aren't you, my pretty little girl." Natasha moaned out between her rough thrusts.
Soon she released you, a string of your saliva connecting to tip of her cock and tears brimming your eyes when she pulled your hair back to move your mouth off of her. "What a mess you are. I bet that pussy's just as much of a mess, huh? Why don't we check. Stand up, slut."
You gathered your breath and brought yourself to feet, struggling slightly as your thighs rubbed together and your hands still remained tied behind your back. Natasha smirked at your appearance, chest open at her mercy and plaid in a skirt with suspenders connected to your white stockings.
You were soaked, you knew it, too. You could feel your wetness roll down your thigh and feel it press against your panties. You'd do anything to relieve yourself, but you were completely at Natasha's will.
"Oh, I'll never get tired of this. Maybe I'll make you walk around the house like this. Put on some panties with a vibrator in it and watch you tremble while you do your chores. You'd like that wouldn't you, pretty girl." She teased, her hands caressing your backside before delivering a smack to your ass. You jumped in surprise, squealing before answering her. "Mmph! Mhm! Anything to please you, mommy."
She groaned into your ear, feeling her body ghost over your back as her hands massaged your bottom. After moving to face you once again, her hands never resisting the chance to grope your boobs, she moved her hand down your core. Rubbing the fabric against your cunt as her palm made contact with your clit, making you jerk forward and whimper in pleasure. She released her hand from you, removing your skirt and moving to slide her hand down your stomach and to the top of your panties. She followed the pattern of the lace before hooking her fingers and dropping them to the floor. You stepped out of them and felt yourself being pushed down onto the desk, bending over and wondering when she had cleared it for you. You turned your head to the side, looking down and noticing the mess of papers on the floor from cleaning off her desk. You wondered if you would still be responsible for cleaning it.
Her nails pressed into the curve of your back, pushing you down against the cold wooden desk. Her hands found her way back to your bare bottom, sliding down to smack it once again. You screamed in surprise, knowing it had been harder than the last.
"If you can't keep that pretty little mouth of yours closed, I'm gonna have to do something about it." She vocalized above you.
"I'm sorry, mommy, I'll be good."
"You will be, princess. Now, look at what we have here, such a pretty little pussy. Can't wait to bury myself inside you, baby. Gonna fuck you like the whore you are." Natasha groaned at the thought, enjoying the whimpering mess you were bent over her desk. She dropped to her knees behind you, running her tongue up your thigh and following the trail of your slick until she reached the spot you needed most.
You let out a sob in relief, moving back to grind against her tongue and the way it pressed flat against your heat. She continued her movements, teasing your folds before shoving her tongue inside of you. Once she began to play with your clit, you screamed in pleasure, but soon whined once she retracted her mouth. It wasn't soon before she appeared in front of your eyes with your white lace panties in hand.
"I told you to be quiet, slut. Now mommy's gonna have to do something about that." She scolded before rolling your drenched panties into a ball and into your mouth, gagging you. She caressed your face gently as she smiled down at you, brushing loose strands of hair from your face before moving behind you once again. She pulled your hair, lifting your body flush against hers. "Now, kroshka, I'm gonna play with your pretty little pussy and if you can be a good girl, I'll let you come. But if you can't keep those panties in your mouth, I'll be punishing you tonight. Color."
"Green." You let out, muffled by the fabric occupying your mouth. She flipped your body to face her, using her muscled arms to lift your hips onto her desk and manhandling you. She forced your legs apart, letting cool air hit your bare bottom and drop your wetness onto her desk. Natasha loved the sight of your cunt glistening in front of her. You placed your palms on the surface behind you to sturdy yourself, but once your eyes widened at the vibrator Natasha had in her hand, you weren't sure you'd be able to hold yourself together. She laughed at your reaction, moving her hands to your breasts again and stroking over your nipples.
Catching you off guard, she immediately pressed the vibrator down to your core, buzzing against you and having you scream in pleasure against your gag. She immediately began rubbing it through your folds, teasing you and ignoring the only spot you truly desired. You wailed against her, pushing yourself further onto the machine before she slapped your thigh.
"Naughty girl, I'm the only one who gets to fuck you. Stay still, or your wrists won't be the only thing that's tied." She ordered, pressing further against your cunt and clutching at your nipples. 
She took mercy on you, moving the vibrator onto your clit and enjoying your reaction as you moaned in pleasure on top of her. Your head was thrown back, and your eyes rolled to back of your head once she began fucking you with two fingers. You could hear the obscene noises coming from your core as she thrusted into you, even louder were the groans and whimpers escaping your throat, only to be muffled by the gag.
"You hear that? You're so wet against my fingers, can't imagine how you're gonna sound taking my cock, slut." She continued to curl her fingers against you, moving the vibrator against your clit painfully. You could feel yourself reaching the edge, bucking your hips into her movements and whining against the device.
"You wanna cum, pretty girl?" You nodded frantically above her, practically riding her fingers as the sensation on your heat grew stronger.
"Cum all over my fingers. Now." She demanded, adding a third finger. You did just that, biting down on your gag before becoming a whining mess. Covered in your own slick as the sensation washed over you while Natasha kept her pace. Your thighs were trembling on top of the desk when you let out a final cry, collapsing against her.
She halted her movements and grazed her hand over your face as she pulled your panties out of your mouth. Sweat was trembling down your body as she began kissing your face. You struggled to keep your eyes open to watch her suck each of the fingers she had fucked you with. You could taste yourself on her tongue as she connected your mouths, dominating you in record time. Your breath hitched when her hands and lips began to roam all over your body. Tweaking with your nipples in one hand while she sucked the other.
Soon the toy between her legs found its way between your folds, sliding itself against your sensitive cunt and becoming coated in your cum. It wasn't long before you were dripping again, despite barely coming down from your orgasm.
"Is my printsessa ready for my cock?" She taunted, continuing to grind her hips into your center. You gasped as the toy slid across your clit, attempting to thrash away from the feeling but Natasha's hand on your leg kept you still as she released a dark chuckle.
You gathered your thoughts, responding to her before you received punishment. "Yes, mommy. Please."
"Aw, my pretty girl can do better than that. Beg me, slut."
You writhed on top of her, letting the moans fall effortlessly from your throat as you rolled your hips on her length. Natasha noticed you getting lost in enjoyment before she moved her cock away from you and slapped it against your cunt. "Answer me."
You struggled to get your words out, growing frustrated you shouted, "P-Please, fuck me! Need you inside of me, I'll be a good girl. Please just fuck me, mommy! Use me!"
She grinned, beaming at your desperation and wasted no time before lining her tip and inserting herself into your core. The moan you let out was the loudest yet, your head was thrown back in pleasure and mouth left open as she plunged herself further into you.
"Oh my- fuck. Nat, you're so big."
Her head snapped up to your face, you hadn't noticed your slip-up but once she gave you no warning and slammed her entire length into your pussy, you could only scream in satisfaction. Natasha roughly picked your body up from the desk, twisting you and shoving your head down to bend over once again. Her cock never escaping your pussy, she began relentlessly thrusting into you, her hands reaching in front of her to grab your hair.
"That's not my name, naughty girl." She scowled, her hand coming down to smack your bottom repeatedly while you flailed beneath her.
"S-sorry, mommy! Please, harder, you feel so good." You cried between her thrusts. You didn't think it was possible for Natasha to quicken her pace, but she began pushing in and out of you rapidly, the only sounds filling the room were her grunts, the embarrassing squelch of your pussy, and sound of her skin flapping against yours when she bottomed out at each thrust.
"Such a dirty girl, taking mommy's cock so well. This pussy was made for me, wasn't it, baby." She moaned on top of you, pulling your hair to bring your back flush against her body. Her hand moved to your bare stomach, gliding to clutch your breasts and pull at your nipples. You let your head fall back onto her shoulder, you could feel your knees trembling from beneath you. If it weren't for Natasha's sharp thrusts and hands holding your body, you're not sure you would be able to stand on your own.
Once her fingers found its way to your sensitive clit you couldn't take it anymore, between her rubbing circles on your clit and her relentless force on your cunt you felt yourself helplessly clenching and squirming around the toy.
"P-Please, mommy, can I c-come." You cried, your voice wavering between her movements.
"Come, baby, be a good girl for mommy." Natasha began focusing on pleasuring you, playing with your clit and reaching to tug on your nipples while she fucked you into your orgasm. Her hips continued ramming into you as your rode out your high, letting out noises you didn't know you were capable of making and screaming her name in a loud moan.
You slumped against her body, breathless and covered in cum, sweat, and alcohol. You turned your head to face Natasha tirelessly, she smiled against you and placed a kiss to your lips.
"My good little girl, you did so well, detka." You hummed at her praise, enjoying the feeling of her fingertips caressing your body while her strap was still buried inside you.
"Come on, baby, let's get you cleaned up."
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mypoisonedvine · 2 years
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contains adult themes such as sex and sexuality, drug use, violence/assault, and misogyny; other things to be prepared for include complete irrelevance to the canon of stranger things, 17-year-old jason is trying to bang 15-year-old elle which makes me wanna peel my face off (but it's accurate to the film), reader is adopted and has some issues with her bio parents, mileven and lumax with background robin/vickie, and dad!hopper being MVP as per usual
note: significant sections of dialogue were lifted directly from the film, because why mess with perfection? I still took liberties with it, but for some of those really iconic scenes, please know that I'm not the reason those lines are so hilarious. credit for the scenes I transcribed go to Karen McCullah & Kirsten Smith, the screenwriters of 10 Things I Hate About You, who of course themselves based the work on The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare.
length: 20k words
for @get-your-fics midsummer night's writing challenge!! thank you for hosting rosie!
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As his hand slid up her creamy white thighs, she could feel his huge member pulsating with desire…
Mike was looking down at his hands, interlaced in his lap, until Ms. Kelley shut her laptop.  She smiled at him politely, and he smiled back.  “So!” she began, checking his file again.  “Michael—”
“Just Mike,” he nodded.
“Right.  Well, we’re glad to have you at Hawkins High— it shouldn’t be too different from your last high school!  You were well-behaved your freshman year, correct?”
“Uh, mostly… one or two tardies, that’s it,” he assured.
“Great!  That means if you see me again, something’s gone horribly wrong.”
“Huh?”
“This is where kids with behavior problems get sent.  Deviants, misfits, sluts, weirdos, creeps— they all have to come in and chat with me to get their shit straightened out.”
“Their what?” Mike repeated.  “Are you— am I in the right office?”
“Not anymore, my novel isn’t gonna finish itself,” she announced.  “So scoot.”
He didn’t, at first, too stunned.
“Scoot!”
He jumped up, trying to process what conversation just occurred, only to bump into someone as he backed out of the doorway.  “Watch it!” a firm voice warned him, and he spun to look up in ill-suppressed terror at the guy he’d just collided with.
Mike was too intimidated to even choke out an apology; it’s hard to say where to start with what scared him most.  Maybe the chains, maybe the leather jacket and denim vest, maybe the glare?  Yeah, it was definitely the glare— that was what made Mike cower and dart away before it could get any worse.
“Ah, Mister Munson!” Ms. Kelley greeted with faux sweetness.  “I see we're making our visits a weekly ritual.”
As her smile fell, Eddie’s grew.  “Only so we can have these moments together,” he cooed, taking another step inside.  “Should I hit the lights?”
“Oh, very clever, trailer park boy,” she offered flatly as she examined the incident report already in his file.  “Apparently you exposed yourself in the cafeteria?”
“I was just joking around with my bandmates,” he promised.  “It was a bratwurst.”
“Bratwurst,” she repeated, raising an eyebrow and glancing down— ostensibly at his handcuff belt buckle.  “Aren’t we the optimist?”
A hint of Eddie’s resolve faded as she tilted her head and smiled at him cheerily again.
“Next time, keep your dangler in your Wranglers, mkay?” she suggested, chipper yet hollow.
Eddie shook his head as he left, leaving Ms. Kelley to return to her desk and re-open her computer.  Examining her screen, she erased one word and replaced it.
…she could feel his huge bratwurst pulsating with desire…
~
“Hey!  Mike, right?” 
Mike turned, seeing another sophomore standing in front of him with a high top on his head and hightops on his feet.  “Yeah!” Mike answered.
“I’m Lucas,” the other student offered with an extended hand for a shake.
Mike sighed with relief as he returned the handshake energetically, noticing Lucas’ basketball uniform.  “You know, normally they send down one of those audio/video geeks.”
Lucas nodded; “Yeah, I know— I know what you mean.”
Right on cue, Dustin Henderson rolled by with the A/V cart.  “Hey, Lucas,” Dustin nodded, “where should I put the radio equipment?”
Lucas coughed and brushed Dustin away.  “Lucas?” he shook his head, pretending he had no idea who that could be, as he ditched a bewildered Dustin and guided Mike along down the hall.
As they walked past a crowd of popular seniors, Lucas motioned towards them.
“So, over here, you’ve got your basic beautiful people,” he explained, “unless they talk to you first, don’t talk to them.”
“Is that your rule or theirs?”
“Watch,” Lucas offered, nodding in their direction.  “Hey there,” he greeted.
“Who are you talking to?” Steve ‘the Hair’ Harrington asked with a sneer.
“See?” Lucas smiled at Mike, who shook his head as they moved along.  “Anyways, you’ve got your Diet Coke drinkers,” he explained as he motioned toward a crowd of students all holding red cans.  “Very edgy, don’t make any sudden movements around them.”
Mike nodded in understanding, trying to keep up— literally, since Lucas kept walking quickly, but also in terms of the explanation of Hawkins High’s social dynamics.
“You’ve got your basic stoners—”
A senior with long black hair and bloodshot eyes caught Mike’s attention.  “Hey, nice threads, man,” the stoner complimented with a smile, “Ocean Pacific?”
“And your surfers—”
Mike gawked at the muscular, tan guy with a blonde mullet and, for some reason, no shirt on.  “Does he walk around like that at school?” he wondered aloud, but Lucas didn’t notice.
“— even though the closest they’ve been to the ocean is when they drink Ocean Spray cranberry juice.”
As Lucas laughed at his own joke, they walked through the courtyard.  
“And this is our fearless Hawkins High basketball team!” Lucas explained, setting his hands on one of the player’s shoulders as they passed their lunch table.  “Go Tigers, huh?”
The players scowled at him as Lucas’ hand was shrugged off; he crossed his arms.
“Yesterday I was their up-and-coming star,” Lucas recalled with a roll of his eyes.
“What happened?” Mike asked.
“Patrick McKinney started a rumor that my Converse were fake,” Lucas explained with a sigh.  
“So they’re freezing you out?” Mike realized, offended on his behalf and concerned that everyone here was that superficial.
“I’ll get back in, don’t worry,” Lucas assured, but Mike wasn’t really worried about him so much as himself.
It was right then that Elle Hopper walked by, carrying with her the essence of youthful beauty and ingenue-ity.  Her busy patterned jumpsuit was every bit as colorful as her spirit; she laughed lightly with the redhead at her side, a few words of a conversation about a trip to the mall floating through the air.  
As time seemed to slow just for her, she tossed her hair over her shoulder, sending a wave of the scent of candy-sweet perfume right in Mike’s direction.
“Oh— wow,” Mike sighed like the wind had been knocked out of him.  “Who’s she?”
“She’s out of your league is who she is,” Lucas warned.
“And?”
“And she’s got this super scary dad— won’t let her or her sister date.  Ever,” Lucas announced firmly.
“How bad could he be, is he a hardened criminal or something?”
“Worse,” Lucas shook his head, “he’s the sheriff.”
“That’s worse?” Mike frowned.
“A criminal will just kill you.  The sheriff will actually get away with it.”
~
“So,” Ms. O’Donnell began, “what did everyone think of The Sun Also Rises?”
Bethany Walters raised her hand instantly, and you rolled your eyes— because of course she would.  “I loved it,” she cooed when she was called on.  “I was soooo romantic!”
You grimaced, unable to stop yourself from commenting (a habit of yours).  “Romantic?  Hemingway?!  Please— he was an abusive alcoholic misogynist—”
The rest of the class was already groaning and rolling their eyes, a few mutters of not this again here and there, but you kept going.
“— who squandered half his life hanging around Picasso trying to nail his leftovers.”
Yes, it was just like you to say something like that when Bethany was just trying to express a perfectly harmless opinion, but it was just like Jason to take it further.  “As opposed to an unlikeable, self-righteous loser with no friends?” he quipped.
You weren’t planning on saying anything, but thankfully Ms. O’Donnell stood up for you anyway.  “Quiet, Jason,” she scolded lightly— she was never that hard on him, because he was the star of the basketball team, but she also didn’t let him bully you that openly in class.
“I guess in this society, being male and an asshole makes you worthy of our time,” you concluded, shooting Jason a look over your shoulder, who simply smirked back at you.
And if it was just like you to say something snarky and politically-charged, and just like Jason to use it to insult you, then it was just like Eddie to show up late as if it were no trouble at all.  “What did I miss?” he asked with a smile as he burst in.
You answered instantly, without looking back: “The oppressive patriarchal values that dictate our education.”
“Great,” Eddie nodded, spinning on his heel and walking right back out again.
“W-wait!” Ms. O’Donnell called out, but Jason spoke again and took her attention away.
“How about we make a new rule— don’t come to class if you can’t handle your PMS,” he suggested jokingly.
“Jason!” she snapped.  “Watch your attitude.”
You smirked to yourself smugly, but that moment of righteous indignation didn’t last long.  
“And you,” she added, turning her attention to you, “go to the office.”
“What?  Why?!” you protested.
“Because— because you’re being disruptive!” she decided.
Sighing, you got up from your seat and slung your backpack over your shoulder.  As Jason snickered at you gleefully, you ‘accidentally’ let your textbook swing into his face, smacking that shit-eating look right off of him.
It was only a minute-or-so walk to the office, where you heard Ms. Kelley calling out to her assistant as you walked in. 
“What’s another word for engorged?” she asked her, stumping the receptionist.
“Tumescent?” you offered.
“Great!” she smiled, typing at her laptop; you had some inkling what she was using that word for, though you wish you were blissfully ignorant to her erotic exploits.  “So, were you terrorizing Ms. O’Donnell’s class again?”
You frowned.  “Terrorism is a pretty strong word for simply expressing my opinion.”
“How about the way you expressed your opinion to Billy Hargrove?  By the way, his testicle retrieval operation went quite well, if you were wondering.”
“In my defense,” you smirked, “I didn’t know he actually had balls when I kicked him.”
“The point is,” he sighed, less amused, “you tend to make a bad impression on others, and that’s not actually something to be proud of.  People see you as—”
“Opinionated?”
“The term used most often is ‘heinous bitch’,” she corrected.
The words themselves didn’t bother you too much— yes, they were sexist, but that was nothing new here— but the knowledge that people were actually saying this to Ms. Kelley gave you pause.  Were you really so traumatizing that they had to discuss you with the counselor?
“So, you might want to work on that,” she offered.  “Bye!”
You scoffed.  “As always,” you began as you stood, “thank you for your excellent guidance.  I’ll let you get back to writing about aching cores and quivering members.”
As you turned, quietly proud of yourself for standing up to her, you heard her ponder to herself, “huh… quivering member, I like that…”
~
In the parking lot, you and Robin were walking side-by-side to your car (since she’d gotten a ride from you today, and also every other day for the past year and a half) when you were nearly run over by Jason screeching up to the curb in his car; it was just like him: shiny and new, overvalued, a fabulous body with subpar machinery under the hood.
“Hey,” he nodded at you, flashing that taunting grin, “didn’t anyone ever tell you that you dress like a bog witch?”
“Aw, do you really mean that?” you beamed excitedly, and he frowned at his failed insult as he pulled his car up a little further.  If only he would’ve kept driving straight forward forever— he would’ve gone over the edge of the quarry eventually; but instead, he stopped… in front of your sister.
“Hi, ladies,” he greeted suavely, “care for a ride?”
You and Robin watched from beside your car— it was just like you, too: classic, older on the inside than it was on the outside, and debatably in need of a polish— in horror as Elle and Max hopped into the back of Jason’s convertible with all the girlish glee of two ingenues in over their head.
“Well, that’s a… charming new development,” Robin frowned.
“It’s disgusting,” you spat, hopping into the driver’s seat and turning the engine over.  As you pulled out of your spot, you nearly slammed into one of those varsity basketball dweebs speeding by on his bike.  “Hey!” you shouted at him, leaning out your window.  “Didn’t your mommy tell you to look both ways before riding that thing in the street?”
The kid cowered and biked away, and you shook your head as you pulled it back into the car.  
“I swear, these kids are getting dumber every year,” you sighed.  “I think there’s a little too much chlorine in the Hawkins gene pool.”
As Lucas pulled over by the curb by Mike, the new student stared at you and Robin driving away in the beat-up vintage.  “Are you okay?  She almost hit you,” Mike noticed.
“Oh, that’s nothing with your beloved’s older sister,” Lucas scoffed.  “I’m lucky I still have all my parts.”
“Wait, that’s Elle’s sister?!” Mike realized.
“Uh huh, in the legal sense,” Lucas agreed.  “Sheriff Hopper adopted them both when they were little— I assume he found his first daughter abandoned by a tribe of rampaging bitches or something.”
That was just one of many theories about how exactly your dad came to adopt you and your sister, though the real story was much less interesting; speaking of him, he usually got home from the station after you returned from school, with him working later in the afternoons and all.  When he returned home that particular day, he found you reading Jane Eyre on the sofa, and he smiled at you.  
“Hello, honey,” he greeted.  “Make anyone cry today?”
“Not yet,” you returned, “but it’s only four-thirty!”
He hummed and leaned in to kiss you on the forehead as you turned your page.  Right about then, Elle walked through the door— and you knew that she thought she would’ve just made it in time to beat Dad home by the cringe that crossed her face when she saw him.  “Hi Daddy!” she beamed, trying to play it cool.
“And where have you been?” you asked, getting a grimace from her for your shameless sell-out.
“Nowhere,” she dodged.
But Dad missed the exchange entirely, still going through the mail.  “What’s this?” he asked when he saw a massive white envelope.  “It says Sarah Lawrence?”
You hopped up off the couch at lightning speed, snatching the letter away and shredding it open like a kid on Christmas— but not you, some other generic kid, because even when you were little you liked to open presents carefully (it helped you temper your expectations).  “Oh my god!” you shrieked when you saw a massive congratulations.  “I got in!  I got in!!”
“Honey, that’s great,” your dad offered, “you can use that to negotiate better scholarships at Indiana State!”
You frowned.  “I know you want me to stay here—”
“We decided that you would stay here,” he countered.
“You decided.”
“So, what, you’re just gonna leave?” he realized with a saddened frown.
“We can dream,” Elle mumbled to herself— but not quite enough to herself, because you caught it and you raised your eyebrows in challenge.
“Why don’t you ask Elle who drove her home?”
“Don’t change the…” Dad trailed off, turning to Elle as he took the bait completely.  “Who drove you home?”
“N-now, don’t get upset, Daddy,” she pouted, “but… there’s this boy—”
“Who’s about as sharp as a marble,” you interjected.
“And I think he might ask me—” Elle continued, but this time your dad interrupted her.
“I think I know what he’s going to ask you.  And I think I know the answer: No!” he announced proudly.  “It’s always no!  You know the house rules: one, no dating until you graduate.  Two, no dating until you graduate!  Pretty simple stuff!”
“Daddyyyy,” Elle whined, making you roll your eyes at her.  “It’s so unfair!”
“You know what’s unfair?” he returned, looking at you too.  “Last week I had to drive a girl to the hospital, she went into labor alone in her car on the side of the road— and she’s fifteen.  You know what she said to me in between bouts of screaming in my backseat?”
“I’m a crackwhore who should have made my sleazy boyfriend wear a condom?” Elle assumed.
“No,” Dad frowned, “she said I should have listened to my father.”
“Oh, she did not,” Elle scoffed disbelievingly.
“Okay, no, she didn’t— but she was probably thinking it!” he insisted.
“Can we focus on me for a second please?” Elle pouted.  Like everything isn’t already focused on you, you thought to yourself.  “I’m the only girl in school who’s not dating.”
“No you’re not— your sister doesn’t date,” your dad reminded her.
You chimed in quickly: “And I don’t intend to.”
“And, why is that again?” he asked you with a pleased smile.
“Have you seen the unwashed champions of idiocracy that go to that school?!” you replied.
“God, where did you come from?  Planet Loser?” Elle spat.
“As opposed to Planet ‘Look at me! Look at me!’” you offered in your best passé, vapid voice with your eyes rolled back halfway.
“Okay, here’s a solution,” Dad decided suddenly, making you both perk up.  “Old rule’s stricken, new rule: Elle, you can date—”
She lit up immediately.
“When she does,” he finished, pointing at you.
“B-but, she’s a total freak!  What if she never dates?!” Elle whimpered.
“Then you’ll never date!  Oh, I like that,” he announced proudly.  “And I’ll get to sleep at night— the deep slumber of a father whose daughters aren’t out being impregnated.”
His police radio went off and he sighed.  
“I don’t have time for this right now,” he decided, directing his attention at you specifically for a moment: “We’ll talk about college later.”
Elle tried to get him to stay with a whine, but he was gone, and she was pissed at you once more.  “Can’t you find some loser sad enough to wanna go out with you so I can be normal?” she pouted.
“Sorry,” you shrugged, “guess you’ll miss out on some fabulously witty banter with Jason.”
“You suck!” she exclaimed as she stormed off.
“You suck!” you imitated her quietly before you went to your own room.
~
Mike’s patient, anxious waiting paid off when Elle sat down at the library table, setting down her books with a sigh.  
“Can we make this quick?” she asked, sounding a little exhausted already.  “Tammy Thompson and Tommy Hagan are having a horrendous, public break-up in the courtyard.  Again.”
“O-oh, yeah, okay,” Mike agreed, still a little stunned that he was sitting across from the object of his affection.  “I thought we’d start with pronunciation…”
“That’s the worst part,” Elle pouted, “I feel like I’m trying to cough up a loogie.”
“Well, then how about we start with cuisine?” he suggested, heart racing even though he’d practiced this a thousand times in the mirror at home.  “We could go to that French place on the square, maybe Saturday night?”
“You’re asking me out?” Elle realized, gentle shock lifting into a wide smile.  “That’s so cute!”
Mike’s eye twitched.
“What’s your name again?”
“Uh, it’s Mike,” he answered, “listen— I know your dad doesn’t let you date, but I thought if it was for French class—”
“Wait a minute, Mark,” she interrupted.
“Mike.”
“My dad just came up with a new rule!  He says I can date if my sister does,” she recalled.
“Really?” Mike perked up.  “Well, then let me ask you, do you like D&D?  ‘Cause we should totally do a oneshot together—”
“Uh, big problem, Mick,” Elle reminded him, “my sister is a perfect specimen of freakazoid.”
“Yeah, I noticed she’s… antisocial,” Mike offered sympathetically.  “Any idea why?”
“I don’t know,” Elle considered, glancing upward as she thought about it.  “She used to be, like, really popular, but it was like she got sick of it.  I’m pretty sure she’s just incapable of human interaction.  That or she has a brain tumor or something.  Either way, she’s a bitch.”
“Well, yeah,” Mike agreed half-heartedly, “but there’s plenty of guys who wouldn’t mind going out with a… difficult girl.  I mean, she’s not ugly; and people do crazier stuff all the time!  Jump out of airplanes, ski off cliffs, swim with sharks… it would be like extreme dating.”
Elle knitted her eyebrows together.  “You think you could find someone that extreme?”
“Why not?” Mike shrugged.
“And you’d do all that for me?” she pressed softly, reaching out to brush her hand over his arm.
Mike would do anything for her to touch his arm like that again.  “I-I mean, I could look into it…” he offered as his brain short-circuited.
And so he was determined. Which was why he and Lucas weren't actually paying any attention in science class that same day.
As they pretended to make progress on their frog dissection, Mike and his new friend were really scoping the room for local talent to potentially date Hawkins’ resident mega-bitch.  Their search so far had only turned up men like themselves: that being men afraid to get the Hargrove treatment and have their future generations compromised.  Turns out guys are generally pretty protective of their nuts.
“I told you it was impossible,” Lucas sighed, “no one will go out with her.”
Mike’s attention was taken by the partners two tables over— a massive, freckled kid with a leather jacket, and his buddy with a mess of rocker hair and a custom denim jacket; the latter was fooling around with butterfly knives, before using them to impale the frog carcass, because apparently the little pins provided just weren’t doing it for him.
“Hey, what about him?” Mike wondered, watching with a tilted head.    
“Woah, no, you don’t want to mess with that guy,” Lucas shook his head, “don’t even look at him.  He’s a criminal, he deals the harder stuff around school— you know, more than just pot.  I heard he lit a state trooper on fire.  He just did a year at Rikers.”
“Hey, well at least we know he’s horny,” Mike shrugged.
“I’m serious, he’s unhinged!” Lucas warned.  “He sold his own liver on the black market for a new set of speakers.”
Meanwhile, the metalhead had taken out a cigarette and was leaning down to light it on a Bunsen burner.  The display should’ve deterred anyone, but it made Mike smile optimistically.  “He’s our guy,” he insisted.
~
The basketball team was joking around at lunch as Chance shared an X-rated story from his date the night before, and Lucas took a deep breath as he waited for the perfect moment.
When all the guys laughed at something Chance had said, Lucas quickly slipped in and tried to blend in as he laughed along.
“Oh my— oh my god,” he got out breathlessly as he laughed, “wow, Chance, you’re hilarious.”
He wiped his eye, still laughing as the rest of the table’s reaction died down and they all glared at him.
“Are you lost?” Jason asked coldly.
Lucas sighed.  “No, I just… I thought maybe it was all water under the bridge by now.”
“It’s been less than forty-eight hours,” Andy noticed.
“Wow, nice counting, Andy— tomorrow we’ll work on shapes,” Lucas encouraged flatly.
Andy nearly jumped across the table, but Jason put a hand on his chest to hold him back.  
“Actually, truth is, I came here to… make a suggestion,” Lucas added, making Jason’s eyebrows raise.
“Go on…”
“You want Elle Hopper, right?  The sophomore?” Lucas continued.
“Yeah,” Jason shrugged, “she’s cute.”
“But she can’t date until her sister does,” Lucas went on.  “Your problem could be solved if you found someone to take her out.”
Jason laughed.  “Does anyone hate themselves that much?”
“Probably not, but people do like money…”
As Lucas bounced his eyebrows up and down, Jason seemed to put together what he was implying.  “You want me to pay someone off to date her?”
“I mean, I don’t want you to, but it’s an idea,” Lucas corrected.
“Do you know anyone that desperate for cash and unfazed by the prospect of emasculation?” Jason returned.
“Meet Eddie Munson,” Lucas beamed, motioning to the opposite end of the cafeteria where Eddie was ‘subtly’ trading a bag of pills for a twenty-dollar bill with another student.
“Munson?  The Freak?  I heard he ate a live duck once,” Jason grimaced.
“Everything but the beak and feet!  Clearly he’s a great investment,” Lucas beamed, but Jason remained suspicious.
“What’s in this for you?” he wondered.
“I think you know,” Lucas sighed, “I want back in— I know I’m still on the team, but I wanna be really on the team again.  I miss you guys!”
“You miss your chance to be popular,” Jason corrected.
“Also that!” Lucas agreed in a continued upbeat tone.
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do,” Jason agreed cautiously.  “Now, back to the loser table with you.”
As Jason shooed him away, Lucas moved across the way to the table where Mike was watching it all go down disapprovingly.  “Why do we need to get him involved again?” he wondered with a shudder.
“Calm down, he’s just our money man,” Lucas soothed.  “We let him think this is all his idea, meanwhile he’s busy dealing with Eddie and you have time with Elle.”
Mike sighed, concerned, but knowing he was out of other options.  Still, in a battle for ‘the girl’, he didn’t feel equipped to face a popular, handsome senior.
But when Eddie looked at Jason, he didn’t see a popular, handsome senior; none of that mattered to him.  He just saw: douche with a quaff.  So, while he was out taking a smoke break on the stands by the soccer field, he was surprised to see that very quaffed douche approaching him.
“Hey,” Jason offered Eddie with a nod— that very nod that made girls want him and guys want to be him, but it was powerless on Eddie, who just glared back at him while exhaling a cloud of smoke.  “How are you?”
Eddie blinked forward, barely aware of the Tiger-pride-green blur beside him.
Jason stammered as he tried again to break the ice.  “I, uh, had some great duck last night—”
“Do I know you?” Eddie wondered.  “Shit, are you buyin’?”  He didn’t seem the type, but hey— as long as he had cash, he was Eddie’s type, customer-wise.
“Uh, no,” Jason shook his head nervously.  “Well, actually, yes— but—”
“I don’t sell roofies, Romeo,” Eddie warned him.
“I’m not buying drugs!” Jason barked, a little too loud for something that’s supposed to be secret.  “I’m buying a date.”
Eddie’s eyes widened.  “Listen, Carver, you’re a good-looking guy, but—”
“No no!” Jason rushed out, face turning pink.  “Not for me!  For her!”
Jason pointed down the field to where you were running drills, sweating and determined, grunting as you kicked the ball across the grass.  “The Hopper chick?” Eddie noticed.
“Yeah!”
Eddie laughed sharply, and so did his friend beside him.  “Yeah, sure thing, champ— I’ll get right on that,” Eddie agreed sarcastically.
“Look, until someone goes out with her, I can’t bag her sister,” Jason explained with a sigh.
“What a shame,” Eddie stuck out his bottom lip, “how many years of therapy will you need to cope with this trauma?”
“I know you don’t care about me,” Jason crossed his arms, “but I’m thinking you care a bit about Andrew Jackson?”
“That racist son of a bitch?  He was a piece of—” Eddie began, but then Jason pulled the twenty out of his pocket and brandished it proudly, making Munson shut his mouth.
“Whaddaya say?” Jason prompted.  “For a crisp twenty, you could take out the lovely Miss Hopper—”
As they glanced down the field, the guys winced at the sight of you roughly body-checking another player, who fell to the ground with a cry.
“For a crisp thirty—” Jason began again, summoning a ten from his pocket.
“Well, now, let’s think about this,” Eddie pondered aloud.  “You’re paying me to take her out, but I’ve gotta actually take her somewhere: we’ll say the movies.  That’s fifteen bucks for two tickets.  We get popcorn, that’s… fifty.”
Jason scoffed.  He knew there was more than a little inflation going on in those numbers, but he also knew that the freak had him under his thumb in these negotiations.
“She’s gonna want Junior Mints, what do you know, we’re looking at seventy-five already,” Eddie smirked.
“What kind of gold-plated Junior Mints are you buying?” Jason rolled his eyes.
“What kind of girl is this chick’s little sister?” Eddie countered.  “Is she really worth it, or are you just blowing hot air?”
Jason was powerless to even such an obvious trap— he could never say no to a dare.  Eddie was really saying, are you chicken?  And Jason could probably be talked into fighting a bear while only armed with a butter knife if it was all to prove he was not, in fact, chicken.  “Fifty,” Jason spat, “final offer.”
A bill was produced from Carver’s designer wallet, and Eddie’s ring-covered fingers snatched it away and stuffed it into his pocket.  “Pleasure doing business with you,” Eddie offered with a sarcastically-saccharine smile, but Jason only rolled his eyes and wandered off.
Just then, Coach Hastings blew the whistle.  “Good hustle, girls, good hustle!” he offered to the team.  “Take a water break!”
Seeing the group of players disperse, Eddie waited until you were on your way to the cooler to snuff his cigarette and jog up beside you.  You shot him a look before he even said anything.  “Hey there, girlie,” Eddie greeted you, “how ya doin’?”
“Uh, sweating like a pig,” you answered, wiping your face on your uniform, “and yourself?”
“You sure know how to get a guy’s attention, huh?” he laughed nervously.
You seemed amused, but in more of an at way than a with way.  "My mission in life," you quipped.  "But, hey, clearly I captured your attention.  Lucky me."
He grinned as he watched you chug your water.  "So I'll pick you up Friday then?"
You choked, laughing as you nearly spit the water right onto him.  "Yeah," you agreed sarcastically as you wiped your chin, "sure, Friday."
"I'll take you places you've never been before," he promised lasciviously.
"Like where, the crackhouse on Miller Street?" you rolled your eyes.  "Do you even know my name, screwboy?"
"I know more than you think," he challenged.
"Well, for that to be true," you returned, "you'd have to know more than the average eighth-grade dropout."
You turned to leave, walking away with a shake of your head.  "Well that's easy!" he laughed as he called after you.  "I did eighth grade twice!"
From across the field, Mike and Lucas watched you ditch Eddie with cringes on their face.
"We're screwed," Mike sighed.
"Now wait a minute, where'd all your optimism go?  I wanna hear you upbeat!" Lucas beamed.
"We're screwed!" Mike repeated, a forced, cheesy smile glued to his face between two thumbs-up.
"That's better," Lucas approved, patting Mike on the back.
~
As you exited the local records store, empty handed due to the continued lack of good punk records available, you sighed at the sight of Eddie Munson leaning against your hood.
"Nice ride," he noticed.  "Vintage fenders?"
"Are you stalking me?" you asked instead, brushing past him to try to unlock your door, but he slid in front of you with crossed arms.
"I was in the laundromat," he assured, tilting his head to the washateria across the street, "I saw your car, that's all."
"Funny, you don't strike me as someone who washes their clothes," you mocked.
"Well, if you must know, I was there to make a sale," Eddie admitted.
"And what are you here for, blocking my door?" you wondered.
"To say hi!"
"Hi."
You tried to reach around him again to get the key in the lock but he put his hand over it.  "Not much of a talker, are you?"
"Not much of a listener, are you?  I'm not interested."
"Are you scared of me?" he asked— not a threat, not hopeful or disappointed, just a genuine question.
"Why would I be?"
"I dunno, most people are."
"Well, I'm not."
"Okay, you're not scared of me— but I bet you've thought about me naked," he purred, leaning in a little closer.
"Am I that transparent?" you gasped, faux worry dropping into deadpan disdain.  "I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby."
Just when he let you get into your car, finally, Jason Carver and his dick-compensation-mobile pulled up and screeched to a halt right behind you, blocking you in.
"The fuck?!  Is there some kind of creep convention going on at the record store?" you groaned, laying on your horn.  "Carver!" you barked as he hopped out and strolled by you.  "Move your gaudy-ass car!"
"No, thanks," he smiled at you as he walked along towards the storefront.
You felt helpless, until you got a dangerous idea— and fed up as you were, you couldn't resist it.  Flooring it in reverse, those vintage fenders of yours piercing right through the cherry-red paint and imported metal underneath.
Jason sure whipped his head around fast and gaped his mouth at the damage.  "You bitch!" he screeched.
Hearing Eddie's belly laugh, you looked at Jason and offered him only a flippant shrug and a "whoops!"
"WHOOPS?!" your dad repeated, pacing around the kitchen as you sat at the table.  "My insurance doesn't cover teen angst!"
You shrugged again.  "Then tell them it was a seizure or something."
"Are you punishing me?" he wondered.  "Because I don't want you to go to Sarah Lawrence?"
"Are you punishing me for standing up for myself?" you countered.
“No, but I’d prefer you didn’t do it in such an expensive way!”
You scoffed.  “I’d prefer that you stopped making my decisions for me.”
“Well—” he began, but he was cut off by his police radio sounding off.  
“Chief Hopper, come in— Chief Hopper, this is dispatch, we have a 10-54…” the nasal feminine voice came through.
You both sighed and he picked up the radio.  “Chief here, I’ll head there now.”  He turned to you with a pointed finger.  “We’ll discuss this later,” he promised, or threatened, depends on how you look at it.  As he left, Elle stormed in, fuming at you.
“Did you just maim Jason’s car?!” she yelped.
"Allegedly," you grinned.  "Looks like little miss princess is gonna have to ride the bus with the unwashed masses.”
~
As Eddie shut his locker, he was startled by Jason glowering on the other side.  “Shit,” Eddie blurted out.
“When I shell out fifty, I expect results,” Jason frowned.
“I’m working on it,” Eddie insisted, brushing Jason off as he grabbed his books and shut his locker.
“Standing by while she violated my car doesn’t count as a date,” Jason reminded him.  “I don’t get any if you don’t, so you better figure out how to charm this chick or—”
“I just upped my price,” Eddie decided suddenly.
Jason had just turned to walk away, but that made him look at Eddie again.  “Excuse me?”
“A hundred bucks a date, in advance,” Eddie announced.
“Forget it,” Jason dismissed.
“Then forget her sister,” Eddie shrugged.
Jason hesitated, wondering if Elle was really worth all the trouble.  Maybe she wasn’t, to him— but the street cred he’d get if he deflowered her was.  He groaned as he reached for his wallet, and Eddie grinned proudly.  “You’d better be as smooth as you think you are, Munson,” Jason warned as Eddie snatched up the bill.
The interaction still had Eddie in a particularly bad mood during shop class, making Mike even more hesitant to approach him;
“Wh-why can’t you talk to him?” he asked Lucas.
“I talked to Jason,” Lucas replied.
“Yeah, but you know Jason,” Mike reminded him, “and Jason isn’t… unstable.”
“Just go, chicken,” Lucas rolled his eyes, shoving Mike forward— and he stumbled, but made his way over to Eddie’s workstation.  
When he got a glare from under a curly fringe, Mike just blurted it out: “We know what you’re trying to do… with Hopper?”
“Yeah?  And what are you gonna do about it?” Eddie challenged.
“Uh— help you!  We wanna help you,” Mike explained quickly.
Eddie wrinkled his eyebrows together, standing up straighter and crossing his arms.  “Why, exactly?”
Lucas appeared behind Mike, resting his hands on his shoulders.  “You see, my friend here is… mildly obsessed with her sister, Elle.”
“What’s the deal with this girl, her tits shoot fireworks or something?” Eddie scoffed, and Mike nearly jumped on him for saying that— as if that fight wouldn’t be pitifully uneven.
“Mike’s love for her is… a little purer than that,” Lucas promised, “especially purer than Jason Carver’s.”
“Look,” Eddie leveled with the two of them, “I’m in this for the cash.  Carver can plow whoever he wants.”
“Okay, there will be no plowing!” Mike exclaimed, voice cracking.
“Listen, Eddie— uh, Ed,” Lucas smiled, “this whole thing— we set it all up!  We told Jason to pay you off, so Mike can get the girl.  Mr. Popular is just a pawn.”
Eddie seemed to like that; maybe even someone as detached from the popularity hierarchy could still enjoy a little humiliation for the star point guard.  “So, are you gonna help me tame the beast, then?” 
“Are you talking about Hopper, or your hair?” Lucas joked, though he dropped his smile when Eddie glared at him.  “O-okay, yeah, we’re gonna do some research, we can find out what she likes and stuff.  We’re your guys.”
“In a strictly non-prison-movie way,” Mike added anxiously.
~
Mike and Elle were walking around the old bridge— she promised to show him the prettiest place in Hawkins, he thought about turning it into a line but he resisted the urge, and he delicately broke the pleasant silence.  “So, have you heard about the party Steve Harrington is throwing at his parents’ lake house?”
“Yes,” Elle pouted, “and I really really wanna go, but I can’t.  Not unless my sister goes.”
“I’m working on that,” Mike promised, “but she’s not going for my guy.”  He paused before he continued, narrowing his eyes.  “She’s not a, uh…”
"A friend of Billie Jean?” Elle finished.
“No, I’m not asking if she’s a Michael Jackson fan,” Mike corrected, “I meant—”
“I know what you meant!” Elle rolled her eyes.  “Billie Jean King?  Tennis player, women’s rights advocate, giant flaming lesbian?”
“O-oh,” Mike stuttered, “I don’t really watch tennis…”
“Or the news, apparently,” Elle sighed.  “The point is, no, I don't think so.  I found a picture of Rob Lowe in her drawer once so she's at least got some interest in men.  Jury's still out on her bestie Robin Buckley, though…"
"But that's the kind of guys she likes?  Pretty guys?"
Elle shrugged.  "All I know is she said she'd never date a smoker."
“Okay, no smoking,” Mike nodded, “what else?”
“Listen, I try not to get too deep into my sister’s twisted psyche,” Elle sighed.
“But we need to know more!” Mike insisted.  “We need to go behind enemy lines…”
Even though it was his idea, Mike felt a little out of his depth watching Elle go through your room; it looked sort of how he imagined it might, except for missing a giant cork board with pins and red yarn outlining your plan to cause men as much suffering as possible.
“Okay, here we go!” Elle announced excitedly as she rifled through a drawer.  “Class schedule, reading list, concert tickets… ha!  Black panties!”
Mike cleared his throat as she held up the offending pair of lacy underthings.  “What does that tell us?”
“That she wants to have sex some day.”
“Couldn’t she just like the color?” Mike wondered, flustered.
“You don’t buy lingerie unless you want someone to see it,” Elle insisted.
“Oh,” Mike nodded, perking up slightly.  “So… can I see your room?”
Elle blinked quickly, getting a bit tender all of a sudden.  “No… a girl’s room is very personal…” she explained shyly.
“Right,” Mike agreed nervously.
~
Two sophomores didn’t exactly blend in at The Hideout— it was a dingy old hole-in-the-wall, with grimey old bikers getting drunk in every corner… and Eddie, shooting pool by himself in the back.  He straightened up when they approached him, nursing his beer with a raised eyebrow.
“We have information for you,” Mike explained.
“Don’t say it like that, it sounds weird,” Eddie frowned, “she’s just a girl, not a… spy or something.”
“Right,” Lucas agreed as Eddie took another sip from the brown bottle.
Mike narrowed his eyes.  “Should you be drinking alcohol when you don’t have a liver?”
“What?!” Eddie scrunched up his nose.
“Nothing,” Lucas shook his head.
“The first thing is she hates smokers,” Mike explained.
Eddie groaned.  “I’m gonna have to quit?  Fuck, this is getting more unpleasant by the minute—”
“Just for now!” Lucas bargained.  
"And there’s another problem: Elle said that her sister likes, uh, pretty guys,” Mike added.
There was a tense pause, until Eddie’s eyes widened.  “Are you saying I’m not a pretty guy?”
“H-he’s very pretty!” Lucas smacked Mike on the back.  “He’s gorgeous, look at him!”
“S-sorry, I wasn’t sure,” Mike mumbled awkwardly.
Eddie brushed off the insult quickly, taking a big puff off of his cigarette— maybe he appreciated it more, knowing he’d have to cut back for a while after this.  Meanwhile, Mike pulled out a folded up piece of heart-shaped mini-notebook paper (borrowed stationary from Elle, obviously) and read the list aloud.
“Okay, ‘likes: Thai food, feminist prose, and—’” he cleared his throat before he continued— “‘angry girl music of the indie-rock persuasion.’  Here’s a list of CDs that she has in her room.”
Eddie looked at the list in disdain.  “So I’m supposed to, what, take her out for noodles and spoken word and sit around listening to chicks who can’t play their instruments?”
“Have you ever been to Club Nina?” Lucas wondered.
“Her favorite band is playing there tomorrow night,” Mike explained, and Eddie sighed as he pressed his lips together.
“I can’t be seen at Club Nina,” Eddie shook his head.  “First of all, that’s rival turf, second of all—”
“She’ll be there, she’s already got tickets for her and Robin,” Lucas pressed.  “Just… tolerate it, for a night.  And maybe don’t deal any drugs there.”
“Can I at least do some drugs there?” Eddie frowned.
“As long as you’re not too out of sorts to do some major seducing,” Mike offered.  “She has a pair of black underwear!  If that helps.”
“I mean, it couldn’t hurt, right?” Lucas elbowed Eddie playfully, who jerked away.
As stupid as it was, Eddie found himself still wondering about your alleged black panties as he walked into the club to look for you the next night. He found you horribly frustrating, sure, and the feeling was mutual, but picturing you in something like that was... not too terrible.
Eddie noticed the looks he was getting from the girls at Club Nina, and they weren’t exactly approving; a man invading their space was bad enough, but a metalhead in the land of the soft-rockers was turning heads.
He ignored it for the most part and sat down at the bar, ordering something light enough that he could keep his wits about him, but hard enough that he could tolerate this whole situation.  Believe it or not, he didn’t actually like getting repeatedly insulted and degraded by you— it wasn’t even the sexy kind of degrading, just your incessant hatefulness chipping away at his dignity.  But damn, he could feel the added weight of Carver’s money in his wallet, and he liked that.
Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for you to show up at the bar, ordering two waters like the lightweight you were.  He pretended not to see you, but you didn’t offer the same courtesy, making a groan of disgust at him.  “If you’re planning on asking me out again, just get it over with,” you pleaded distastefully.
He looked at you with an irritated frown, pointing at the band behind him.  “Keep it down, maybe?  I’m trying to listen.”
That seemed to throw you off, and he enjoyed your moment of bewilderment.  “Did you leave your cancer sticks behind?” you asked.
“Yeah, permanently,” he nodded.  “Turns out they’re bad for you.”
He shrugged, and you dropped the sarcasm for a split-second.  “You did?” you pressed, surprised.
“You know,” he changed the subject instead, “these guys are no Adolescents or Souixsie and the Banshees, but they’re alright.”
“You know Souixsie and the Banshees?” you repeated, flabbergasted.
“Why, don’t you?” he joked.  He got down another sip of watered-down liquor, before turning to face you directly.  “You know, I was watching you before,” he admitted, yelling to be heard over the crescendo of the song, “I’ve never seen you look so sexy!”
Of course, that was right about when the song ended, and Eddie looked around the club as he realized the entire swarm of alt chicks had heard him.  As they laughed at the scene, he smiled awkwardly and watched you get visibly embarrassed— good to know you had emotions other than rage, contempt, and boredom.
“Why don’t you come to Steve Harrington’s party with me?” he challenged, and the moment faded as the next song began.
“You never give up, do you?” you frowned, starting to walk away and back into the dancing crowd.
“Was that a yes?” he wondered.
“No!” you shouted back to him.
“Was it a no?” he added.
“No!” you said again, and he smiled.
“I’ll pick you up at nine-thirty, then!” he called to you, but you were lost to him again— for now.
~
Elle and Max, dolled up in their finest party gear, crept carefully across the foyer towards the front door.  Elle knew all the creaky floorboards to avoid, yet even in their silence they seemed to trigger Chief Hopper’s sixth sense.  “You should have used the window,” he announced as they deflated.
“H-hi Daddy,” she greeted as if all were normal.
“Hi,” he returned as he looked at them.  “Where are we going?”
“Um, just a small study group of friends,” Elle insisted, and Max nodded along.
“Otherwise known as an orgy?!” Dad barked.
“Mr. Hopper— Chief, sir— it’s just a party,” Max soothed.
“And Hell is just a sauna!” he returned.
As you came walking down the stairs into the middle of the argument, oblivious, your dad snagged your attention.  
“Are you aware of this party?” he asked.  You simply shrugged, on a mission for snacks.  
“People expect me to be there!” Elle complained.  “I have friends waiting for me!  Daaaddddyyy!!”
“If your sister’s not going, you’re not going,” he stood fast.
Of course, that turned her ire towards you.  “Why can’t you be normal?” she whined.
“Define ‘normal’,” you challenged as you crossed your arms.
“Going to Steve’s party is normal!”
You scoffed.  “Steve’s party is just a lame excuse for all the youthful morons of Hawkins High to drink beer and rub up against each other in hopes of distracting themselves the pathetic emptiness of their—”
Elle and Max interrupted to finish your rant: “meaningless, consumer-driven lives,” they groaned in unison.
You hadn’t realized you were so predictable, and your shock gave Elle an opportunity to make one more plea.
“Can you just, for one night, forget about your crusade against all things enjoyable and just be my sister?  please?  C’mon,” she begged, stepping up closer, “please, do this for me.”
It was more sincere than you were used to from her, and it reminded you of simpler times, of when she thought you were the coolest big sister ever and she was your favorite person— before she was spoiled by the world and you were soured by it.  Those memories were what convinced you to somberly nod.  “I’ll make an appearance,” you agreed, and she squealed as she hugged you joyfully.
“Oh god, it’s starting,” your dad mumbled to himself in a daze.
“It’s just a party,” Elle promised him, but he stiffened up suddenly.
“I want you to wear the belly,” he announced.
Elle whimpered out her “Daddy, no!” but it was too late, he’d already gone to fetch it from the closet, and you watched with schadenfreude as he pulled out the padded faux-pregnancy jacket.  
“Not all night,” he promised, “just around the living room for a minute while you contemplate the weight of your decisions.”
She held her arms out in defeat as he slipped it on over her dress, smiling proudly at his work.
“Every time you even think about kissing a boy,” Dad lectured, “just imagine wearing this all the time.”
“You’re such a space cadet,” she sighed.
“Okay, we’re going now,” you announced as you headed for the door, but he stopped you.
“Wait a minute: no drinking, no drugs, no kissing, no tattoos, no piercings, no getting in vans, no— no ritual animal slaughter!” he enumerated.  “Oh god, I’m giving them ideas…”
You startled when you opened the door and saw Eddie standing there, fist raised as he was about to knock.  “What are you doing here?” you asked him flatly.
“Nine-thirty, right?” he smiled, “I’m early.”
“Whatever, I’m driving,” you insisted.
He leaned to the side to look over your shoulder, raising an eyebrow.  “Who knocked up your sister?”
~
Lucas held on tight to his drink in a plastic cup as he attempted to keep Max Mayfield’s attention for at least a few minutes at a time.
“You know, I’m on the basketball team,” he reminded her with a grin.
“Right,” she mumbled, unimpressed, but he was a little too tipsy to notice that his lines weren’t working.
“Do you, uh, play any sports?” he asked.
“I skate, if that counts,” she shrugged.
“Oh, rollerblading is cool!” Lucas beamed, but Max rolled her eyes and walked away at his incorrect guess of what kind of skating she meant.  “Ever been to Rink-O-Mania?” he called after her, sighing when he realized he’d officially struck out.
You brushed past him, knocking into his shoulder as he pouted.  Eddie was still following you, for some reason, dodging dancing girls and kissing couples along the way.
Jason clicked his tongue at you as you passed by.  “Lookin’ fresh,” he cooed, in that way that was mostly mocking yet probably a real come-on if you went for it: Schrödinger’s pick-up line, if you will.
“Oh my god, did you feel that?” you looked around at the air.  “My pussy just dried up so fast it actually dropped the humidity in here!”
Jason seemed a little too interested in an update on your genitals, but you were already walking away, trying to lose him and Eddie now.  “Hey, is your sister here?” he asked you loudly.
“Stay away from my sister,” you warned.
“I will,” he promised, “but, you know, I can’t guarantee that she’ll stay away from me…”
You shook your head as you shoved your way into another room of the Harrington’s massive lodge, accidentally stumbling upon two jocks wrestling and throwing punches on the floor.  A crowd had gathered around the scene to cheer them on, and you sneered in disgust at the uncivil display.
“Hey, hey!” Steve himself appeared, trying to break it up.  “Take it outside!”
One jock pulled the other up by his shirt, and the two of them went tumbling back— right through the window.  They didn’t even stop swinging as they fell onto the grass, and Steve’s face went blank with numb shock.
“Th-thanks,” he mumbled to himself, and you gave him a pat on the shoulder as you passed by.
“At least we’re on the ground floor,” you offered him quickly, but a tap on your shoulder pulled your attention away.  
“Hey,” Jason smirked as he let you get a good look at him with his arm around your sister’s shoulders, “look who found me.”
You weren’t even angry— which was a nice break, really— you were just worried now.  “Elle, wait,” you called to her as they walked away.          
“Please don’t address me in public,” Elle requested with a roll of her eyes.
“I just wanna tell you something!” you pleaded.
“I’m being a normal teenager for a night— you should try it,” she suggested, and the two of them disappeared into the crowd again.
Just in time for your impending breakdown, some guy walked by holding a tray of shots.  “Shots, anyone?  Ladies?”
You grabbed one with each hand and tossed them back in rapid succession.  You reached for a third when Eddie reappeared, snagging it out of your hand.  “What are you doing?” he asked, concerned.
“I’m getting trashed, dude,” you offered in a fake party-boy voice.  “Isn’t that the point of all this?”
Eddie shrugged.  “Think the point is to just… be yourself.”
You snorted.  “You might be the only person who thinks I should be myself.”
At the same time that you were ditching Eddie again, Mike was finding Lucas.  “Have you seen her around anywhere?” he asked as he scanned the crowd.  For all his excitement to find her, he seemed to get overwhelmed when he saw Elle coming down the stairs with Max.
“Come on, man, relax,” Lucas assured as he patted his shoulders.  Mike took a deep breath.  “Just be yourself.”
Nodding, Mike summoned his courage and approached the girls.  “H-hey, Elle,” he greeted politely.
“Hey,” Elle returned, “Mike, um— do you know Max?”
Elle grabbed the redhead and shoved her towards Mike so she could try to break away.
“Oh, yeah,” Mike nodded, “we have Math together, right?”
Max hummed as she crossed her arms; “Great,” she offered unenthusiastically.
“You, uh, look really amazing tonight,” Mike offered Elle, and Max cringed as he failed to take the hint.
“Oh— um,” Elle stalled, and Jason descended the stairs to slip his arm around her.
“And we all know I look amazing,” he interjected, making the girls giggle and Mike roll his eyes.  “C’mon, Elle, let’s go— there are jell-o shots in the kitchen.”
He was already turning her around to guide her away, forcing her to look over her shoulder to wave at Mike: “See you around, okay?” 
Mike watched helplessly as Jason took his dream girl from right in front of him— the blonde even offered him a thumbs up on his way out, to add insult to injury.
Eddie found you again in the study, starting to work on another drink.  “Hey hey hey,” he interrupted as he gently lifted it away from you, watching you whine and make grabby hands for it.  “Why don’t you let me have this one, hm?”
“No!” you pouted, jumping for it, but he held it up higher— it forced you to push yourself up against him to try to get it, and he forced himself not to notice how it felt to be close to you.
Someone walked by with their own drink, just about to have a sip when you snatched it away instead, running off before Eddie could set down the cup and catch up.  “Shit,” he hissed to himself.
As he tried to navigate past other partygoers to get to the kitchen, he heard the blasting stereo change songs to something not actually awful (in his opinion): Def Leppard.  Unfortunately, you seemed to like Pour Some Sugar On Me, too— considering you hopped up on a table and started dancing there instead.
“How’d you get her to be normal?” Jason laughed as he appeared beside Eddie— and he couldn’t decide if he was more disgusted by Carver’s glee watching you, or Carver’s chumminess with him.
“Hey!” Eddie called to you, getting through the crowd of cheering guys as quickly as he could, but you couldn’t hear him through the overwhelming sound and the haze of drunkenness.  He watched you dance, a mix of concern, embarrassment, and arousal stirring in him as your moves became more and more suggestive.  “HEY!” 
When he shouted the second time, it didn’t quite get you to look at him but it did startle you, making you whack your head on the chandelier— which in turn made you stumble and fall.  When you came down dramatically, he held out his arms and managed to catch you, looking at your startled, panting face.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, but you looked angry at him again.
“I’m fine,” you insisted, trying to wiggle out of his embrace, but failing.
“You’re not fine,” he groaned, “c’mon…”
He didn’t exactly carry you, mostly because you wouldn’t let him, but he didn’t let you walk on your own when he saw how wobbly your legs were.
The sounds of the party faded into the distance as you walked in the grass, up to the shore of Lover’s Lake where the Harrington’s had some rustic old swings hanging from under a massive tree by the water.
“I-I just need to lie down somewhere,” you insisted, stumbling again as Eddie had to grab at your waist to keep you upright.
“No, you can’t lie down right now,” he sighed.  “If you lie down you’ll go to sleep.”
You pouted as he set you down on a swing.  “I like sleep,” you protested.
“Can’t sleep if you might have a concussion,” he explained, watching you slump against the rope beside you.
He was about to fuss over you a little more, try to keep you awake somehow, but he saw Mike storming down across the grass.  
“Hey,” Mike greeted as Eddie stepped past you slightly to meet him.  “We need to talk.”
“I’m a little busy at the moment,” Eddie informed him, gesturing towards you.
“Well— it’s over, okay?  All of this— the deal’s off,” Mike frowned.
“Huh?”
“She never wanted me,” he realized with a sigh.  “She wanted Jason the whole time.”
Eddie rolled his eyes.  “Listen— do you really like this girl?”
“Yeah!” Mike assured.
“And she’s worth going through all this trouble?” he pressed, stepping forward towards the new kid.
“I— I think so.”
“Either she is or she isn’t,” Eddie frowned, “and considering we made it this far, she must be— so you need to keep fighting for her!  You’re twice the man that Jason is, if she’s got two brain cells to rub together she’ll figure out she’s better off with you.  Capice?”
Mike puffed up his chest a bit.  “O-okay!” he decided.  “I’m gonna go for it!”
“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” Eddie cheered, slapping Mike on the shoulder before he ran off back to the party.
Eddie was smiling as he turned to you, only to lose his grin and rush over as you started to fall forward out of the swing.
“Woah woah!” he yelped as he knelt down in front of you and held your face with both hands.  “Gotta stay awake, remember, sweetheart?”
You stuck your bottom lip out.  “You’re so patronizing.”
He smirked.  “Leave it to you to use your vocabulary words when you’re totally shitfaced.”
When you fluttered your eyes shut, he lightly smacked your cheek, the rings hitting a little extra hard on your jaw as you groaned.  “What are you hitting me for?”
“Because you might have a concussion,” he reminded you.  
“And you want to add to it?” you assumed, awake enough for him to let go of your face, which he did.
“If you go to sleep now, you might not wake up.”
“You don’t care if I never wake up,” you dismissed.
He smiled at you, a little too amused by such a morbid sentiment.  “Sure I do!”
“Why?” 
He almost let his smile falter.  “If you died, I might have to go out with a girl who actually likes me,” he answered.
“If you could find one,” you snorted, eyes still shut but face curling into a proud grin at your own joke.
“See?  Who needs affection when I have blind hatred?” he teased.
You sniffled and sat up a little straighter, so Eddie stepped back and sat down on the swing beside you.
“So, why’d you let him get to you?” he wondered, looking out across the lake sparkling under the glow of a half-moon.
“Who?”
“Jason.  You’re normally so unaffected.”
“He always drives me crazy,” you admitted, “but messing with my sister is crossing the line.”
“Well, you’ve chosen some creative revenge,” he laughed, “by drinking through the Harrington’s liquor cabinet.”
You laughed along with him, a rare moment where you two overlapped— and not even in a negative emotion!  “You know what they say,” you replied.
“What’s that?” he wondered.  But you didn’t continue.  He looked to the side and saw you falling down again.
“Shit,” he spat, leaning forward and catching you at your shoulders, tilting your face up to his.  “Wake up!  C’mon, look at me, sweetheart, listen to me— open your eyes…”
He was a little overwhelmed by the way you did exactly as he’d asked, fluttering your eyes open at him, something entirely new in them that he’d never seen on you before— or maybe anyone, at least this up close.  “Hey,” you smiled softly.  “Did you know your eyes are a little bit hazel?”
He smiled back at you, examining your face, wondering for a split second if he should go for it.
But before he could, you keeled over and wretched— right on his white Reeboks.  “Shit,” he said again.
~
Elle was waiting out in the cool night air, her thin cardigan not doing much for her as she watched Jason drive off with a slew of girls in tow; he’d tried to get her to go to another party, but along with her curfew coming up, it turned out that he was sort of a dud.  For all his alleged charisma as one of the most popular guys in school, he didn’t know how to talk about anything but basketball, plus his ‘boys’ and their misadventures— usually drunken ones.  She tried to cut him some slack since he was likely a little tipsy, but she still couldn’t justify the way he talked about his ex-girlfriend.  It was just tacky!
As she waited for you to hopefully reappear soon and drive her home, Mike brushed by.  “Have fun tonight?” he asked, somewhat sharply.
“Tons,” Elle sighed, expecting him to stop and getting a little more shy when he didn’t. “Hey, um, Mike?” 
He stopped and turned, and she gave him a pitiful look.
“Any chance you could give me a ride home?”
Eddie hadn’t driven a car as small as yours in a while— and it wasn’t even small, it just felt that way compared to his van.
You reached forward and turned up the stereo, a Patti Smith song getting louder as you did.  “I should do this,” you announced.
“What?” he wondered.
“This!” you said again, pointing to the radio.  “Make music, start a band!  Aren’t you in a band?”
“Yeah, I didn’t know you knew that,” he admitted.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m gonna do, too,” you decided with firm defiance.  “My father would love that.”
“I didn’t think you were the type to worry about what your father thought,” Eddie noticed.
“Oh, so now you’ve got me all figured out?” you scoffed.
He shrugged.  “I’m getting there.”
You deflated slightly as you looked out the window.  “Nobody knows anything about me,” you admitted, “except that I’m ‘scary’ or whatever.”
He smirked slightly at your air quotes.  “I’m not known to be particularly enjoyable either.”
When you looked at him, he felt a little penetrated by your stare, so he looked back at the road ahead.
“Look at us, having a little talk about real stuff,” he blurted out, trying to break the tension.  “I mean, you’re usually so closed off and now I think you might spill your guts or something.  Oh, right— you already did…”
And you stiffened up again.  Right on cue.
Whereas your conversation with Eddie died a few minutes before you pulled up to your house, Elle and Mike’s only began when he put the car in park.  “You never wanted to hang out with me, did you?” he realized, irritation tinting his voice.
“I— I did!” Elle lied, trying to be nice.  But she was always trying to be nice, and that wasn’t enough; Mike scoffed in frustrated disbelief.
“You didn’t!”
Elle deflated.  “Yeah… okay.  Not really.”
“Well, then that’s all you had to say!  You could’ve just said you weren’t interested and none of this would’ve happened— but then you wouldn’t have gotten your night with Jason.  That’s what this was all about, wasn’t it?”
“But I—” she began, cut off by Mike’s rant.
“You know, you can’t just treat people however you want because you’re beautiful.  Lucas told me you were vapid, and I defended you!  I— I learned French for you!  And then you just—”
She cut him off with a kiss— a sweet kiss, not too short, but exactly the sort of kiss two sophomores should share in a car after a party.  When she pulled away, she smiled a little, and Mike blinked at her a couple times.
“Goodnight,” she offered softly, getting out of the car and walking up the steps to her front door.
Mike turned to face forward again, dumbfounded expression morphing slowly into a grin.  “And I’m back in the game!” he beamed, pumping his fist triumphantly.
~
As you walked into class, you tried to avoid the eyes on you— but you couldn’t, just like you couldn’t avoid throbbing in your head.
“Nice moves last night, señorita,” one of the stoners in class nodded approvingly as you came in.
“That was radical, dude,” a surfer boy offered with a ‘hang tight’ hand symbol.
And then there was Jason.  “What do you owe you for the table dance, babe?” he taunted.
Shuddering, you sat down as Ms. O’Donnell began.  “Settle down, please,” she begged the class.  “Whatever happened outside of school hours is not to be discussed now.  Wouldn’t you rather hear about your midterm assignment?”
The class groaned in unison.
“You’ll be writing a sonnet,” she explained, “in the style of William Shakespeare.”
When you raised your hand, you saw the look on her face, and you knew what she was expecting.  And you didn’t blame her.  You spoke when she pointed towards you.  “Should it be in iambic pentameter?”
She seemed suspicious of such a simple question.  “Um, no, it doesn’t have to be,” she replied.  “Why?”
“I just wanted to know…” you mumbled sheepishly.  “Is that so wrong?”
“Um, no,” she decided.  “That’s a good question, Miss Hopper… and it doesn’t.  Thank you for asking.”
She wasn’t the only one shocked by your sudden interest in her teaching, and you noticed the way the entire class was looking at you.  “What?” you scoffed, and you shook the moment off as Ms. O’Donnell began lecturing again.
~
Mike and Eddie sat beside each other as they watched your soccer practice from a safe distance.  “What’d you do to her?” Mike wondered.
“What?  I didn’t do anything— did you see how drunk she was?” Eddie shook his head.  “What made you think something happened, anyways?”
“The fact that the plan was working,” Mike answered.
“Why do you care?  I thought it was over.”
“It was,” Mike agreed, smiling, “until she kissed me.”
“Aw, that’s sweet,” Eddie congratulated, “I told you to go for it.”
Lucas, meanwhile, was running the track— and he stopped when he passed the two other boys.  “Alright, I talked to her,” he informed them, “I got the scoop.”
“What’d she say?” Mike wondered excitedly.
“Hates him with the fire of a thousand suns,” he announced with a sarcastic smile.  “That’s a direct quote.”
Eddie sighed, looking a little defeated.
“H-hey,” Mike tried to comfort him, “maybe she just needs a day to cool off?”
But the three of them had to lean away to dodge a soccer ball that came flying over, narrowly avoiding nailing Eddie in the head.  When they looked up together at the source, they caught your glare coming their way.
“...or two,” Eddie added.
~
You groaned as you sat with Robin on the bench, watching the prom committee hang up posters all over the courtyard for the wretched event.
“Can you imagine going to that brainless display of teenage vapidity?” you rolled your eyes.  
“Uh, I can,” Robin admitted, “if I had a date.”
“I thought things were going okay with Vickie,” you frowned at her.  
“Well, yeah, they’re okay, but it’s not like that, yet,” she explained.  
“You’re sparing yourself by not going,” you insisted, “the whole thing is a patriarchal sham anyways.”
“Even if you go with a girl?”
“Yes,” you groaned, “because you’re still supporting the institution.  It’s basically a mating ritual you have to dress up for!”
“Alright, we won’t go,” she promised.  “I didn’t have anything to wear, even if I knew how to ask Vickie…”
“You’re looking at this all backwards,” you sighed, “we’re not missing out— we’re making a statement!”
“Oh, great,” Robin beamed sarcastically, “something new and different for us!”
Across the courtyard, Elle was busy reviewing her Science homework at a table when Jason popped in beside her.  “Hey there, cutie,” he cooed.
“Hey…” she mumbled, focusing still on her textbook, in fact she hadn’t even looked up at him.
“Studying hard, huh?” he noticed, trying to prompt her again.         
“Can I help you?” she wondered flatly.
“Well, it would help me a lot if you say yes when I ask you to prom,” he quipped.
Elle only sighed, turning the page in her book.  “You know the deal, Jay— I can’t go if my sister doesn’t go.”
“Good thing she will.”
That got Elle to tear her eyes away from cell biology so she could look at the senior beside her.  “Since when?!” she gasped.
“Let’s just say,” Jason purred, scooting closer to her, “I’m taking care of it.”
~
Eddie chewed on the inside of his cheek as Jason rambled about the money he’d just handed him.  “That’ll cover flowers, limo, tux, the whole enchilada.  I don’t care what you do, just make sure she gets to the prom.”
Eddie suddenly handed the money back.  “You know what?  I’m sick of being a pawn in your little game, okay?”
Jason scoffed at the money.  “Then make it two hundred,” he decided, summing another bill to add onto the small pile in Eddie’s palm.
Hesitating, and then sneering, Eddie stuffed it into his pocket.  The money felt like it would burn a hole through the denim if he left it there too long— he went to the music store first, wondering if he should spent it; wondering if he should try to talk to you instead of just watching you play around on a bass you’d borrowed from the wall of instruments.
In a moment entirely out of character for him, Eddie just couldn’t muster up the courage to do it, to tap you on the shoulder and get your attention.  He could stand on tables in the cafeteria and make a fool of himself playing at the Hideout for whatever crowd of drunks accidentally stayed for Corroded Coffin’s show, but he couldn’t just… say hi to you.  You just looked so at peace sitting there on the amp, rocking your head between the big headphones that dwarfed your face; he was happier just watching you play for a few minutes, leaving before you opened your eyes and noticed him.
He watched you from between the stacks at the bookstore, too, swallowing as you flipped through Sylvia Plath.  What was it that was making him so nervous to approach you all of a sudden?  It’s not a crush, is it?  No…  no, it’s probably my natural aversion to pain.
Just when he was afraid you were about to leave and he would miss his chance, he jumped up from behind Adult Non-fiction and surprised you before you could head for the door.  “Excuse me,” he smiled, “have you seen The Feminine Mystique?  I lost track of mine.”
You looked appropriately disappointed and unamused, but he was used to that by now.  “What are you doing here?” you asked him flatly.
“I heard there was a poetry reading,” he replied, not even trying that hard to sound believable, since you’d never believe it.  You knitted your eyebrows together and opened your mouth, apparently searching for the exact words to cut him down.
“Y-you… you’re so…” you started a few times, and Eddie grinned as he realized he’d stumped you for the moment.
“Charming?” he finished for you.
And in a moment entirely out of character for you, you gave up, shaking your head and trying to step past him to walk away.  He side-stepped and planted himself in front of you.
“Irresistible,” he offered instead.
“Unavoidable,” you corrected.
“Inevitable,” he agreed with a wink.  “Love always is.”
“Love?!  Jesus Christ,” you spat, laughing sharply at how absurd it was.
“You do realize you’re not as mean as you think you are, right?” Eddie wondered, following you closely as you kept marching towards the door to leave.
You spun to look at him as you replied, “and you’re not as badass as you think you are.”
“Ooh,” he winced playfully, “someone still has their panties in a twist.”
“Don’t even for a minute worry that you have any effect whatsoever on my panties,” you snapped.
“Then what did I have an effect on?” he encouraged.
“Other than my gag reflex, not much,” you frowned.
“Gag reflex, huh?” he purred, and you grimaced as you rolled your eyes.
“God, you’re barbaric!” you announced as you shoved a book into his chest— The Feminine Mystique, of course— and utilized the moment he spent looking at it to exit the store.  He didn’t even really process that you were already gone until he heard the little bell on the door chime, and he sighed.
~
Eddie just wanted to get his lunch in peace, but those two pipsqueak sophomores flanked him as he moved through the line.  “What’s the word?” Mike asked.
“Well, you were right— she’s still pissed,” Eddie replied.
“Sweet love, renew thy force!” Lucas exclaimed, and Eddie made a face at him.
“Don’t say shit like that to me, people can hear you,” Eddie warned him.
“Look,” Mike interjected, “she’s embarrassed!  Sacrifice yourself on the altar of dignity and even the score.”
Rolling his eyes, Eddie departed the lunch line early— he didn’t want green bean casserole anyways— and left Mike and Lucas to look at each other.  “Don’t say shit like that to him,” Lucas soberly instructed Mike, “people can hear you.”
They were right, though, and the next day, he acted on their advice.
You were out on the field with the team, running drills, clearing your head in the only way you knew how.  Of course, Eddie couldn’t stay out of your head for long— or out of your way.  
You didn’t notice the speakers turning on at first; you heard it, but you didn’t think much of the static buzz of silence.  It wasn’t silent for long, though, and everyone turned their heads when they heard an electric guitar begin playing.  You looked up in the bleachers, and widened your eyes at the sight of Eddie hopping up into view as he played, a long black cord trailing behind him.  The marching band had left some of their equipment up after practice, including the microphone intended for the national anthem singer, and Eddie leaned into it as he began to sing along with his own playing.
“I gotta tell you what I'm feeling inside, I could lie to myself, but it's true—”
“Oh my god, is that—?” you heard a teammate of yours whisper to another, and they were all looking at you suddenly— and so was he.
“There's no denying when I look in your eyes,” he continued to sing, “girl, I'm out of my head over you…”
You turned around when drums and bass began to play as well, from the other side, and you laughed at the sight of the other members of Corroded Coffin— the logo made in tape on the kick-drum was a good sign that that’s who they were.
“And I lived so long believing all love is blind,” Eddie continued, “but everything about you is telling me this time, it’s forever—”
You finally recognized the KISS song and laughed in some impossible combination of disbelief and unsurprise: because of course Eddie would pick a KISS song to serenade you, but oh my god, was he really serenading you right now?  In front of everyone?
“This time I know, and there’s no doubt in my mind,” he sang passionately as he played, “forever, until my life is through, girl I’ll be loving you forever…”
The other musicians were singing harmonizing vocals, and your team was staring at you in shock as Eddie pointed at you in a break from his guitar playing; they knew before then that he was singing to you, but apparently even further confirmation continued to blow their minds.  You couldn’t believe it either, because, you know… it was you, and this was some kind of modern-fairytale bullshit, and you realized that you only never wanted it because you never thought it could happen.  Romantic surprises, sudden music, kisses in the rain?  Maybe for other girls— girls like Elle— but never for you.
Except here it was happening to you.  “I never thought I’d lay my heart on the line,” Eddie sang into the microphone, “but everything about you is—”
It came to a literal screeching halt, and everyone covered their ears at the feedback from the speakers.  Vice Principal Owens apparently didn’t take too kindly to the noise and disruption, as he appeared on the side of the field to chew Eddie out.  “What is the meaning of this?!” he yelled, and the drummer bailed first, tossing his sticks and grabbing a hi-hat and tom and making a break for it.  As the soccer team cheered and clapped for the performance, Eddie unplugged his guitar and sprinted from the Vice Principal.  “That’s school property!  That’s school equipment you stole!”
You laughed as the chase began, and Eddie caught your gaze for a second to give you a shrug as he swung the Gremlin over his back and dove off the bleachers.
“I hope you enjoy detention, Munson!” Owens yelled his threatening promise as he shook his fist— obviously incapable of keeping up with a freak on the run.
~
Coach Hastings stalked the columns of uniform plastic seats-and-desks, eyeing his quarry of quivering detention-goers.  A split-second of eye contact with one of them, before the kid jolted and stared down into his lap, made the coach smile somewhat menacingly and approach his desk.
“You look nervous, son,” he noticed with a grin, and the boy hesitantly blinked up at him.
“Yes, sir,” he agreed.
“You’re sweating like a pig,” the coach continued.
“Y-yes, sir,” the student agreed again.
“Your eyes are red!  You’ve got pot, don’t you?”
Apparently too scared (and stoned) to deny it, the kid awkwardly pulled a baggy out of his pants pocket and let Hastings snatch it away.
“I’m confiscating this,” he announced as he took it, marching back down the row and snagging a snack bag of Cheetos on his way as well.
Eddie scoffed slightly to himself as he saw it; not exactly a subtle plan, especially to Eddie, whose occupation at the school’s main dealer gave him unique knowledge of the coach’s habit.
He was just preparing to space out for an afternoon of mind-numbing boredom when you came in through the door, and he sat up slightly in surprise.
“Um, sir?” you got the Coach’s attention, meeting him at his desk at the front.  “I… have some ideas for practice tomorrow.”
“Now’s not the best time, Miss Hopper,” he replied quickly.
As he turned his back to the class, you made quick eye contact with Eddie to motion to him, pointing towards the window.  He sat up further, but tilted his head.  “The window!” you mouthed.
When Hastings turned around to look at you again, you played it off with a forced laugh.  
“Y-you know, we have that really big game soon against the Paxville Poodles…” you began again, stalling poorly.  Eddie quietly got up from his seat, just as Hastings made a move to turn around, and you unthinkingly reached out and grabbed his arm, making him look at you suspiciously.  “Your bicep is huge!” you blurted out.  “Wow— and look—” you grabbed the other— “this one’s even bigger.  You don’t take steroids, do you?  Because I’ve heard steroids can cause some shrinking of the, uh, package.”
The other students murmured and snickered to each other as Eddie crept around the back of the room, towards the open window at the front; you repositioned yourself and Mr. Hastings to keep Eddie’s path exactly behind him.
“But I didn’t come here to talk about your package!” you added.
“God, I hope not,” the coach agreed.
Eddie’s next step made a bit of noise— that damn chain on his jeans wasn’t very quiet— but you stopped him from turning to look by talking more.  “The point is, they always beat us,” you continued, “and I’ve got this plan to help us win this year!”
“Which is?”
“That… thing you taught us!” you answered chipperly as Eddie kept creeping towards the open window.
“What thing?” Hastings wondered.
“Misdirection.”
He narrowed his eyes.  “I taught you that?”
“Yeah!  You, o-or, you know, Siegfried and Roy— anyway—”
When he tried to turn his head over his shoulder, you had to reach out and grab his chin to turn his bewildered face towards you.
“They look left, we go right!  Bang, we score, we win,” you tilted your head and smiled wide.  Panic was setting in because you really thought Eddie would’ve made it out by now— he was close, but not there, and the coach was clearly losing his patience.
“But, how do we make them look left?” he wondered.  Eddie was halfway out the window, no looking back now… literally, meaning he didn’t see what you were about to do.
“Uh— like this!”
A rush of adrenaline compelled you to do it— or maybe it came right after you did it, honestly it was all a blur— and you lifted the bottom of your shirt up to your chin.  The classroom gasped, the coach’s chin dropped, and you cringed internally as you realized how far you’d gone: but you didn’t regret it, yet.  Actually, it was pretty funny, if you thought about it… not that you had exactly thought this through.
Hastings stared at you, dumbstruck and more concerned than aroused, the thoughts of what the hell is wrong with this girl? and oh god, am I gonna lose my job? obvious on his face.  The detention attendees began to whoop and holler as you dropped your shirt and Eddie was long-since freed.  “Okay!” you said with a thin voice, clearing your throat.  “Well, now that you’ve seen… the plan… I’m gonna go… and show the plan to someone else.  Okay.”
He said nothing, watching you walk away, and the classroom applauded you on your way out.
~
“I can’t thank you enough for breaking me out,” Eddie smiled as he paddled the rickety canoe.
“Oh, I do that all the time,” you dismissed jokingly.  
“How’d you keep him from seeing me?” he wondered.
You snorted a bit.  “I, uh, dazzled him with my… wits.”
Eddie shrugged and looked out at the water on every side, pulling the oars in now that you were stuck in the smackdab middle of Lover’s Lake.  “So, what’s your excuse?” he asked suddenly.
“Hm?”
“For acting the way we do.”
You considered that for a second, glancing out over the lake.  “Maybe it’s, like, daddy issues— ‘cause I don’t know my biological parents or anything.  Elle’s write her letters and stuff but mine don’t want anything to do with me.”
“Okay, maybe it’s that,” he nodded, “or…”
You sighed.  “I don't like to do what people expect.  Why should I live up to other people’s expectations instead of my own?”
He smiled, clearly proud of himself for getting you to fess up.  “So you disappoint them from the start and then you're covered, right?” he suggested, and you shrugged.
“Something like that.”
“Then you fucked it up,” he laughed.
“Huh?” you frowned.
His eyes seemed to sparkle more right before he said it— did he have some way of voluntarily doing that?  “You never disappointed me.”
You smiled a bit, but hoped he wouldn’t see that stupid, girlish emotion on your face.  “What about you?” you countered quickly.  “What’s your damage?”
“Oh, gosh, where to start,” he began, tapping his chin as he looked up and to the right like he was picturing it all, and you laughed.  “Daddy’s in prison, mommy’s… god knows where— last I heard she was in Washington?”
“Wait, the state, or D.C.?” you asked.
“I don’t even know!” he chuckled..
“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve got no clue where my mom is, either,” you shrugged. 
“I know misery allegedly loves company but, no, that doesn’t make me feel better.”
“There were a lot of rumors about what your parents were up to,” you admitted.  “Cult and traveling band were both popular.”
“Well, there are a lot of rumors about a lot of things,” he replied, “but they’re all bullshit.”
“So, the state trooper?” you challenged.
“Ridiculous,” he shot it down.  “You made out with a chick at a party?”
“Fantasy,” you rolled your eyes.  “Of theirs!  Not mine— I don’t wanna kiss anyone in public.  The duck?”
“Hearsay,” he smirked.  “Billy Hargrove’s balls?”
“Well, that one’s actually true,” you admitted, “but he deserved it!  He groped me in the lunch line.”
“Ah, don’t tell me that,” Eddie warned, “or I’ll go kick ‘em back up again myself.”  He clicked his tongue and tossed his fist as if to demonstrate.
“Why were you held back again?  I know the porn career’s a lie.”
“Do you?” he challenged.
You tried not to get too flushed imagining that.  You were strictly against porn, on feminist grounds, but… it was an interesting mental image.
He laughed first, then you followed suit.  “I missed a lot of classes, yeah, but I don’t have any good excuse.  I— to be honest, I have a lot of trouble with reading.  It takes me hours, gives me a headache… so I keep failing English.  And it’s not like I’m making ‘A’s in anything else…”
You tilted your head as you looked at him.  “Eddie, are you dyslexic?”
He raised an eyebrow.  “No, I’m bisexual,” he corrected.
“Dyslexia is a learning disorder, it causes difficulty in reading,” you explained.
“Not even gonna react to the bisexual thing, huh?” he pressed.
“Maybe you should see a doctor,” you encouraged.
“No cure for it,” he shook his head.
“For the dyslexia, dumbass!” you snapped, and he laughed.
“Okay, okay, I will,” he promised, “if you go see about getting that stick up your ass surgically removed.”
You rolled your eyes, but you still couldn’t stop a smile from filling your face.  “I thought you didn’t mind it.”
“I don’t,” he smiled.  “‘Cause I know you’re actually just a hopeless romantic under all that venom.”
You glanced down at the floor of the boat, at Eddie’s Reeboks across from your worn-out Converse.  You heard him whisper your name, so you looked up again, and he pulled you into a sudden kiss.
Kissing in a boat on Lover’s Lake— a little on-the-nose, maybe, and another one of those things you never expected to happen to you.  You never expected to like it so much, either, but you smiled into it and wrapped your arms around his neck.  Pulling you back with him, he fell into the front end of the canoe with you on top of him, kissing you harder.
Unfortunately, you both got a little carried away… and when he tried to roll you onto your back so he could lay above you, it knocked the small boat off-balance and sent you both tumbling into the lake.
You came up with a gasp, and a laugh, as Eddie came back facing the wrong way and yelling your name fearfully— like you’d drowned in the last three seconds.  Hearing your laugh, he spun around and put on a self-effacing smile before swimming a little closer and kissing you again.  You let him, even though that warm feeling in your chest was just getting hotter until you worried it would burn you up from the inside out; you brushed dripping, limp curls out of his face and grabbed him by the back of the neck to keep him close.
~
Half-dry from the journey home, Eddie walked beside you up to your front porch.  Not exactly wanting to bring in a lake-damp drug dealer, you guided him to sit next to you on the steps, and he seemed to look somewhat reverently out at the surrounding neighborhood.  “Beats the trailer park?” you assumed.
“Yeah,” he smiled, “but it’s not as bad as people think it is— I guess neither are we, though.”
“Okay, then tell me the truth,” you requested.
“The truth?  I’m afraid of the dark,” he grinned.
“No, something real,” you protested.
“Okay…” he agreed, lowering his voice and leaning in to kiss your neck.  “You’re sweet.”
You smiled, and he moved around to kiss the other side, giving you an eyeful of his fringe.
“And sexy,” he added.  “And completely hot for me.”
“You’re… very self-assured,” you giggled, “anybody ever told you that?”
“I tell myself every morning,” he agreed with a smile, “part of my daily affirmations.”
Your eyes drifted over his face— over his gentle eyes and soft lips and strong jaw— and you wondered how you never noticed how perfect he was before.
“Go to prom with me,” he said suddenly.
The moment left and you felt a little suspicious.  “Um, are you asking me, or telling me?” you wondered with a raised brow.
“C’mon, it’ll be fun,” he promised.
“No it won’t, it’ll be a circus of patriarchy and the hypersexualization of the American teenager,” you insisted.
“It’ll be fun if you come with me,” he clarified.  “I thought you liked doing what nobody expects?  The only one who expects you to go to prom is me.”
“Why do you even wanna go to the prom?!” you wondered.
“Maybe I’m more conventional than I look!” he defended.  “Maybe I only never went because I never had a beautiful girl to take.”
“I don’t buy it,” you scoffed.  “Why are you so insistent on this?  What’s in it for you?”
“Do I need to have a reason to want to be with you?”
“You tell me,” you challenged.
“You know something?  You need therapy,” he frowned.  “Maybe a shrink can help you unpack this inability to accept affection.  Were you not hugged as a child or something?”
“Right,” you snapped, “because all my problems are caused by being adopted— I forgot.”
“I didn’t— that’s not what I was saying,” he defended.
“So, what are you saying?  If I’m not madly in love with you, something must be wrong with me?”
“I think if you don’t trust me by now—!”
“By now?  One kiss and you’re totally trustworthy?” you tilted your head.
“We kissed twice,” he reminded you.
“Yeah, my mistake,” you scoffed, leaving the question of whether the number or the kisses were the mistake hanging in the air.  Shaking his head, Eddie pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his vest pocket.
“Damn it, they’re soaked,” he groaned as he opened it.
You snatched it away.  “I’ll throw them out for you,” you offered sharply as you stood up and stormed inside, slamming the door behind you.
~
Max Mayfield startled when she opened her locker, a flood of folded papers spilling out— origami stars.  She tilted her head as she knelt down, picking one up to unfold.  Because you’re funnier than people realize, it had written inside in somewhat poor, yet meticulous, handwriting.  Wrinkling her eyebrows together, she snagged another from on top of her textbooks.  Because you’re the most beautiful when you’re in class, listening and thinking.  It was cheesy, but she bit her lip as she imagined who this… extravagant secret admirer might be.  About to unfold another, Lucas leaned beside her at the lockers.
“Huh,” he noticed, “wonder who did all this just to ask you to prom.”
As he crossed his arms in front of his chest, she noticed the band-aids around the ends of many of his fingers.  “Basketball injury?” she assumed.
“No,” he denied sheepishly, “just, uh, papercuts…”
She smiled as she raised an eyebrow at him.  “So, you think this… stalker guy is asking me to prom?” she noticed.
“I— um, I assume,” he shrugged.
“That’s presumptuous of you,” she laughed.
Across the hall, Vickie was emphatically agreeing to Robin’s more tree-friendly prom invite: no letter or origami or notes or anything, just the courage to finally ask, and that was all she had wanted anyways.
All across the school, plans were being made, except for Elle: she had more options than most for her date, yet was forced to choose none because you were still resisting Eddie with what little fight you had left in you. 
After catching her glare each time you passed in the hall at school, you decided to attempt a peace offering at home.
You hesitantly knocked on her bedroom door after dinner.  “Come in,” she called from the other side, but her annoyance was obvious.  Especially when you entered and found her sitting on the bed, reading a book, ignoring you completely.
“Listen,” you sighed, “I know…”
She didn’t shut her book or look up at you.  You sat down near her feet and carefully took the book away; she crossed her arms as she finally returned your gaze— though hers was much sharper.
“I know you hate having to sit around at home because I’m not, you know, popular or dating or anything,” you informed her.
“You don’t care,” she rolled her eyes.
“I do care!” you insisted.  “But I believe you should do things for your own reasons, not someone else’s.”
“I wish I had that luxury,” Elle snapped, “but I can’t do anything because you don’t want to!  You know I was the only sophomore asked to prom?  And I can’t go because you’re too uptight and feminist-y to just go out with that Eddie guy.”
You frowned.  “How do you know about Eddie?”
She rolled her eyes.  “I’m sixteen, I’m not stupid.  And everyone heard about him serenading you on the soccer field anyways.”
Your cheeks warmed at the memory.  “Well, that’s not the point.  I can go out with him if I want, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to prom.”
“Prom is actually gonna be fun you know, it’s not this horrible institution that you think it is,” Elle promised.  “And Jason asked me and—”
“He never told you we went out, did he?” you interrupted, and Elle’s jaw dropped.
“You’re joking, right?” she assumed; you shook your head.  “You and Jason?!”
“For a few months, freshman year.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because he’s sooo cute,” you answered with a Valley-girl-voice, but it didn’t do as much to diffuse the tension as you’d hoped.
“You hate him!” Elle noticed.
“I do now.”
“What happened?” she wondered, and you looked away because you thought it might be easier to say it if you weren’t looking right at her.  Even if she hated you, you didn’t want your little sister to think of you in the way she might when you admitted it.
“Well…” you trailed off, but she beat you to it.
“No,” she sighed, “you didn’t— you did it?!”
“Once,” you interjected firmly, as if that made it any better.  “Just once, because, you know, everyone was doing it.  I wanted to be cool— I wanted to feel normal.  But afterwards, I told him I didn’t wanna do it anymore because I wasn’t ready.  Aaaaand he dumped me.”
Elle blinked at you in bewilderment.
“After that, I decided to never do anything else again just because everyone else was doing it.  I haven’t since!  Well, except, you know, going to Steve Harrington’s party and getting wasted.”
“How did I not know about this?” Elle wondered.  Apparently she confused being popular with being omniscient.
“I warned him that if he told anyone, all the cheerleaders would find out how small his dick is,” you snorted.  Elle didn’t seem as amused, though.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she wondered.
“I wanted you to make up your own mind about him,” you replied.
“Then why did you help Daddy keep me hostage here?!”
She got up off the bed and stood, frustration switching to anger, and you wrinkled your eyebrows as well.  “Because I wanted to protect you!” you replied.
“By not letting me experience anything?” she countered.
“Not everything is worth experiencing, Elle!” you snapped.  “Not everyone can be trusted!”
“I wouldn’t know!” she announced furiously.  “You were too busy worrying I’d make the same mistakes as you to let me make my own!”
She stormed out of her own room and left you alone in it with a slam of the door.  You sat on the bed for a minute, considering what she’d said.  Noticing the picture on her nightstand, you sighed at the shot your dad had taken of the two of you, years ago, in line at Disneyland.  She used to think you hung the moon back then… why couldn’t things still be that easy?
~
You glided down the stairs quickly, holding up the end of your dress, and passed Dad as he watched TV.  “Bye, I’m going to prom,” you offered him flippantly as you passed.
“Ha ha, very funny,” he returned flatly.  Of course, when he caught you and your outfit in the corner of his eye, he realized you were serious.
Before he could even ask what was going on, you were out the door.  He would’ve chased you in search of more information, but he was distracted by Elle marching by next in her sparkly, colorful gown.
“What’s that?” he asked when he saw the midriff-baring garment.
“A prom dress!” she answered joyfully.
“I seem to be hearing that word a lot lately,” he frowned.
The doorbell rang, and Elle scampered across the foyer to answer it.  On the other side, Mike was waiting in a suit with a corsage in hand ready to give her— but he stalled when he got a look at her all dolled up (even more than usual).  “Wow,” he beamed, “you look… bitchin’.”
She smiled and started to leave with only a wave to her dad, but he crossed his arms.  “Stop,” he insisted, and Elle sighed as she froze.  “Turn.” 
The young couple turned, Mike looking a bit anxious as Elle prepared for the usual.
“Explain,” Hopper demanded.
“Well, you know how you said I could date if my lovely, wonderful big sister dated?” she batted her eyelashes.  “Turns out she found this guy who’s sort of perfect for her, which is sort of perfect for me, because Mike invited me to the prom—” she squeezed her date’s hand for emphasis— “and I really wanna go and I’m technically allowed since she’s going, and I know you’re a man of your word so you’ll stick to the rule you made.  Right?”
There was a heavy pause; Mike extended his hand to the Chief politely.  “Nice to meet you,” he greeted.
Elle took his hand instead and guided him out the front door.  Powerless, Hopper stepped up to the open doorway and watched them run to the waiting limousine together.  “Back by eleven, you hear me?” he called out.  “One minute past and the entire police department will be looking for you!”
They got in the car and drove off as he watched with a sigh.
~
You’d sort of been expecting Eddie to wear a t-shirt with a tuxedo pattern printed on it… maybe that’s what everyone expected of him.  But he was wearing a real one, in a dark cranberry color that seemed to bring out that little bit of hazel in his deep brown eyes.
It was stupid how easily his one simple glance over your body could make you fight the urge to blush.  You knew you looked good, you actually felt good, but it was different to see Eddie acknowledge it.  “Wow,” he offered with a wide smile.
“Yeah,” you agreed, “uh, you too.”
He handed you a rose before you hooked your arm in his to walk inside to the decorated gymnasium.
“Where’d you get a tux?” you wondered.
“Wayne had one,” Eddie shrugged.
“Really?” you pressed, and Eddie laughed.
“Hell no, he couldn’t even help me with my tie!  I… had a friend help me get this,” Eddie admitted, internally disgusted with himself for referring to Jason Carver as a friend.  Then again, he was disgusted with himself for doing this for Jason’s benefit at all, but at least there was a real benefit for himself, too: the only girl he’d ever really fallen for walking arm-in-arm with him to prom.  “Where’d you get the dress?” he wondered.
“Oh, um,” you blinked quickly, “I guess I really was a hopeless romantic deep down after all… ‘cause I had a nice dress in the back of my closet, just in case someone ever wanted to see me in it.”
There was a little moment of pause as Eddie imagined you saving a dress like this for someone special, hardly believing it was him.
“Listen, I shouldn’t have questioned your motives for asking me out,” you blurted out suddenly.  “I was wrong.  I’m sorry.”
He’d never seen you so… humbled?  And it made his heart twist.  “Don’t sweat it,” he encouraged, “you’re here with me now— that’s all that matters.”
~
Jason was already wearing his tux— and a sparkling-white smile— as your father opened the door.  “Hello, Mr. Hopper,” he offered charmingly, even though anyone with half a brain knows to call him Chief Hopper.  “I’m here to pick up Elle for the prom?”
Saying nothing, the Chief shut the door as suddenly as he’d opened it.
~
As you walked in to the room, dancing and general merriment in every direction, you caught Elle and Mike dancing cheek-to-cheek not too far off— and your sister offered you a quick wave and a gentler smile than you’d seen on her (directed at you, at least) in years.
Robin and Vickie, as always, were dancing to the beat of their own song, ignorant and uncaring to the judgment of others; Lucas guided Max to the dance floor, and you were one of many who noticed how good the unlikely pair looked together.
You were so caught up in it that you almost didn’t notice the music changing to another song— your favorite song.  Eddie nudged you with his elbow and pointed at the stage, where the band from Club Nina joined the musicians already playing, and you gasped.  “Oh my god!” you choked.  “It’s—!”
“I had a friend help me with that, too,” Eddie grinned at you, drinking in your ecstatic excitement.  You looked like a kid in a candy store as the lead singer waved at you; first humbled, then unabashedly joyful… so many new emotions that Eddie wasn’t used to seeing you show, but he liked this one so far.  He liked how beautiful you were when you let yourself be openly happy— it reminded him of the way you looked dancing to this song at that club all those weeks ago.  He hadn’t just been putting on the moves, he really thought you looked sexy when you let go and enjoyed yourself.  And now you looked that way again, but you were dancing with him.  You looked, and felt, freer than ever.
~
Elle was on her way to freshen up in the girls’ room— because the last thing she needed now was a lifting false lash with everything else going so perfectly— when Andy and Patrick stopped her.  “Woah, hey,” Andy said as he grabbed her shoulder, “what’s going on?”
“What?” she wondered.
“Where’s Jason?” they pressed.
“I dunno, probably off somewhere picking his nose?” she replied sarcastically.
“Oh my god,” Patrick laughed.  “I knew he couldn’t do it!”
“Huh?” she asked.
“He was so sure he could pop your cherry tonight,” Andy explained, bemused, “but he was full of shit— as per usual.”
Elle stepped back.  “What a creep!” she spat, but they weren’t even paying attention anymore, just chuckling to each other about how they wouldn’t let their team captain live this one down for a while.
As for Jason, he wasn’t too far away after all— he was angrily storming through the dancing crowd towards you and Eddie.  “Hey, freak!” he yelped just before grabbing him by the collar of his jacket and pulling him aside, though not quite far enough away.  “What’s Elle doing here with that pipsqueak?!  I didn’t pay you to take out her sister just so some little weirdo could get with her instead.”
Eddie whipped his head around, praying to whatever deity would listen that you hadn’t heard, but it only took a split-second to see the look in your eyes.  And there was a third emotion he’d never seen on you before: real heartbreak.  No anger, no rage, just devastation.
“Wait,” he pleaded as you began to walk away.
“I can’t believe I was right about you,” you replied with a shake of your head, “the first time.”
Jason let Eddie go to unsuccessfully chase after you; he was disinterested in the Freak versus Bitch drama unfolding once again, much more focused on getting back at Mike Wheeler for screwing him over.
Lucas tried to intercept him, but he got shoved roughly to the ground on the way to Mike.  “You messed with the wrong guy,” Jason informed him with a sneer, “and now you’re so done.  You and that prissy bitch.”
“Watch what you say about her,” Mike warned angrily, but Jason wasn’t exactly intimidated— in fact, he almost looked amused right before his fist collided with the sophomore’s face.  Mike crumpled to the ground, not exactly a match for Jason’s strength… but then again, neither was Elle, and she was the one who swung back— right in the nose.
“That’s for making my boyfriend bleed!” she explained as he clutched his face.  “That’s for my sister,” she added as she kneed him in the gut, “and this… is for me.”
A swift kick to the crotch sent him to the ground, and Elle stepped over him to offer a hand to Mike.  He took it, looking up at her in awe as she helped him stand again.  “Uh, boyfriend?” he noticed.
It was the kind of move you would’ve been proud of, if you were there to see it; apparently ball-kicking ran in the Hopper family, and not just in the soccer sense.
“Please, let me explain,” Eddie begged as he chased you out of the gym.
“I think it’s pretty self-explanatory!” you returned sharply.  “It was all a set-up, by fucking Jason!  I should’ve known it was too…”
Too good to be true.  You couldn’t admit that, you’d already given away so much.  “It wasn’t— that was just how it started!” Eddie promised.  “But I really fell for you.”
“Yeah?  Funny what money can do to a person.”
“I never cared about the money!” he insisted, and when you spun around to challenge that, he grabbed your shoulders.  “I only cared about you.”
“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” you sneered, and he did want to show you— he wanted to wipe that all-too-familiar look off your face and go back to how things were.  He kissed you, hard and forceful, but you pushed him off with a whine.  “I hate you!” you spat as you managed to fight him off— not that he was trying that hard to force you to stay, he knew that was wrong… though he wished he could.  He wished he could hug you tight enough to keep you here until you would listen, but you were too stubborn for it to work anyways.  It was that stubbornness that made him resent you in the beginning, then it was one of the things he fell for— and now it was the reason you were walking away, and he was just watching you go, unwilling to hurt you anymore.
~
“You’re sure you don’t wanna come?” Elle asked again, pityingly, as Mike held her hand.  You shook your head.  “Okay, well, we’ll miss you.”
It was sweet, but it was a lie; a young couple didn’t want you chaperoning their movie date.  Lies can be so sweet that way, the best ones usually are.  You watched them walk together down the sidewalk, knowing it wouldn’t cheer you up to go with them.  “Is she gonna be okay?” Mike whispered to his girlfriend, though not quietly enough.
“I hope so,” Elle replied softly.
As they left, your dad appeared and sat next to you on the steps, groaning as his older joints made it a bit more of a task.  “Where’s she going?” he wondered.
“To meet a bunch of bikers,” you offered quickly.  “Big ones… full of sperm.”
“Not funny,” Hopper frowned.  You gave him a look, and he smiled slightly.  “A little funny.”
It still wasn’t enough to make you smile back, and you looked forward at the houses across the street again.  
“So… the dance,” he remembered, “was it groovy?”
Even that couldn’t make you crack a smirk, though you wanted to.  “Some parts…”
“Which parts?” he wondered.
“The part where Elle beat the crap out of some loser,” you recalled— the stories around school were already glorious.  You were pretty sure the rumor that she pulled some Karate Kid moves and spin-kicked him in the face was just a rumor, but you liked picturing it anyways.
“Elle did what?” he gasped.
“What, are you afraid she’s taking after me?” you challenged.
“No,” he answered quickly, “I’m impressed.”
You looked at him again, soaking in that all-too-rare approval.  It’s not that he wasn’t affectionate… well, he wasn’t, but it was only because he had trouble expressing himself.  It made his eloquence going forward even more unexpected.
“You know, fathers don’t like to admit when their daughters become capable of running their own lives,” he explained.  “It means we’re obsolete… we’re spectators.  Elle still lets me play a few innings— you’ve had me on the bench for years— and when you go to Sarah Lawrence, I won’t even be able to watch the game.”
You were about to complain about the baseball metaphor until you realized what he was really saying.  “When I go?” you repeated excitedly.
“Don’t tell me you changed your mind now!  I already sent them a check,” he answered with a slightly mischievous smile.  Exclaiming in joy, you threw yourself on him for a tight hug.
~
“I assume you’ve all prepared your sonnets for today?” Ms. O’Donnell looked over the room.  She frowned when she saw Jason sinking into his chair.  “Mr. Carver?”
“Uh… I, uh, have a doctor’s note,” he explained.
“Oh— well, regardless, sunglasses are not permitted indoors,” she reminded him.
Sighing, he took the aviators off, and the class snickered at the sight of two black eyes on either side of his bandaged nose.
“Would anyone else like to read theirs for us?” she encouraged, and you waited a second before raising your hand.
That seemed to surprise everyone— most of all Eddie, who lifted his head from where it had been resting on his desk.  Some of your classmates assumed the worst— here we go and time for a feminist lecture that rhymes and all that— but some seemed to sense what was really coming.  Ms. O’Donnell, pleasantly surprised, stepped aside to let you come stand at the front.
You opened your notebook and did your best not to look at everyone looking at you.
Clearing your throat, you began.  “I hate the way you talk to me,” you read aloud, “and the way you cut your hair.  I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare.”
Your reading was particularly flat and unemotional, just hoping to get this over with, yet at the same time, so many emotions were flooding you inside.
“I hate your stupid white Reeboks, and the way you read my mind— I hate you so much it make me sick, it even makes me rhyme.”
You spared one half-second glance up, and even just in your peripheral you saw Eddie’s face, and you had to fight getting choked up.
“I hate… I hate the way you’re always right, I hate it when you lie,” you whimpered, voice breaking, “I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when— when you make me cry.”
As a hot tear crossed your cheek, you fought the instinct to defiantly wipe it away— for once, you wanted to feel this, and you wanted to be seen even at your most vulnerable.
“I hate it when you’re not around, and the fact that you didn’t call,” you continued, approaching the end.  “But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you; not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.”
The way Eddie was looking at you was just too much; the way everyone was looking at you was just too much.  You stormed out of the class, leaving them in stunned silence, crying harder as you ran down the hall.
~
Your face was dry by the time you got to your car; maybe you’d let Eddie play with your heart and invade your mind and cry way too much, but you decided that was over now— no more tears over boys.  Especially dumbass, annoying, sexy, horrible, gorgeous boys who play you for a fool and have the audacity to fall for you in the process.
You were about you open your driver’s side door when you saw the sparkling white resin in the front seat, and you bent down, greeted by the Fender Stratocaster you’d been eying resting in your seat.
Reaching in through the open window, you pulled it out delicately and inspected it like it was magic— because maybe it was.
“Nice, huh?”
Eddie’s voice behind you made you jump and spin, and he smiled at you expectantly as he shoved his hands in his pockets and tilted back on his heels for a second.  “A Fender Strat?” you noticed.  “Is this— is this mine?”
“I figured you could use it,” he shrugged, “when you start your band.  Or join mine.”
You smiled slowly as you looked at it again, and then back at him.
“Besides, I had some extra cash,” he explained.  “Some jerk paid me to take out this amazing girl…”
“Yeah?” you smirked.
“Yeah,” he nodded, “but, uh, I kinda fucked it up.  ‘Cause I totally fell for her.”
You loved the way he looked with a flush tinting his cheeks.  “Really?” you pressed.
“Of course,” he grinned.  “Very rare to find a girl who’ll flash someone to break you out of detention.”
It was your turn to feel your face warm, then, wondering how long ago he found out about that.  Dropping your forehead into one of your hands in embarrassment, you laughed shamefully at the memory, hardly believing you’d done something so impulsive.  As risky as it was, you actually kind of liked the person you were when you were with Eddie.
With a gentle grip on your wrist he moved your hand away from your face, the other tilting up your chin so he could kiss you.  You let him, for a moment, but before you could properly melt into him you carefully pushed him back by his shoulders.  
“You know you can’t just buy me a guitar whenever you screw up, right?” you asked.
“I know,” he agreed, “but hey!  There’s always drums, bass, tambourine… triangle…”
You snorted your laugh and he kissed you again.  You pushed him away again.  “And don’t just think you can—”
He kissed you again, a little harder, and you gave in to it willingly.
Yeah, all that cheesy romance stuff? Sappy poems, public serenading, making out in front of everyone as the bell rang and the day ended? Turns out it really can happen for a girl like you. It can happen for a guy like Eddie, too; neither of you expected it to, but it did. And as you spent the rest of your senior year getting to know him better, you found a lot more things about Eddie Munson that you would've hated if you learned them before— but they only made you love him more instead.
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lukehughes43 · 1 year
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no time for goodbyes - luke hughes
word count: 4,282
a/n: so this is technically the first installment of the coug!read x luke seeing as I still haven't finished the other fic, or even started the fic that is the beginning of coug!luke. but I was in my feels last night, so please enjoy this heart wrenching fic🫶🏼
-
the night had started to wind down for everyone in the sophomore house the minute you had gotten back from student teaching. the boys being exhausted from a monday afternoon practice, and you being exhausted from chasing around six-year-olds for eight hours straight. when your five sophomore hockey players walked through the front door a little after four o’clock they found you passed out on the couch, still dressed in your blue and white checkered and a plain white tee. luke was in charge of carrying you up the stairs to your room so mark and eddy’s disaster of cooking dinner wouldn’t wake you from a much-needed rest.
you woke up an hour or so later by lightly shaking you awake. mumbling a soft, “marky and eddy made dinner for us, coug.” to which immediately woke you up based on the fact the last time mark and eddy tried making dinner you almost no longer had a house due a kitchen fire. you stumbled around the practically empty bedroom, minus the boxes stacked up in the corners, before groggily booking it down the stairs to make sure everyone was still alive.
when you ran into the kitchen and dining room area the other four were seated around the dining table in their unofficial seats, smiles on their faces waiting for you to finally join them in order to have one of the last meals together as a found family. after practice tomorrow they were departing to the airport right from yost in order to get on the plane to tampa. meaning that this was it. this was the last meal with all five of them together as once michigan was done so was luke. he was to board a plane straight from tampa to newark and the last two years at michigan would officially be in the books for the youngest hughes brother. leaving you in a house full of four other hockey boys until it was your turn to join luke in jersey after april 28th: graduation day.
“you guys made family dinner,” you smiled as the bittersweet words left your mouth. not yet wanting to believe that this was the end of the cherry on top of your time at michigan. “and you didn’t even burn the house down. i’m so proud of you.”
there was a chorus of laughter that filled your ears before luke pulled your seat out for you. once he pushed you in all the way he took his seat to the left of you, sitting so he was for the last time eating a meal between two of his favorite people - you and dylan. the conversation between bites of the steak, mashed potatoes, and caesar salad was almost nonexistent. everyone in an unspoken agreement to just sit there and soak it all in. of course small talk was eventually made as mackie made you a glass of wine, claiming that it was well deserved even though it was only monday. he knew how hard you were taking everything, you may not have told him directly, but he knew. all of the boys knew. while this was luke’s last week of college hockey, it was also the last week everything would be semi-normal regarding your relationship. the nhl and the demanding schedule an obvious looming fear to both of you.
the conversation died out after hearing how practice went and the six year olds who had crushes on you found out you would be leaving them soon. and soon one by one all of you dismissed yourself from the table. mark being first, trying to get out of dish duty. eddy followed second, taking everyone’s dishes as he went. dylan sprinted away afterwards as if filming a monday questions video. leaving mackie, youself, and luke. you were the next to fall, not wanting to be, but ultimately knowing you had too much to do in order to prepare for missing all of your classes thursday and friday in order to be in tampa. your left hand squeezed luke’s right, as your right hand ran over the discolored wooden table. “‘ve gotta head up, lukey,” you whispered over to him. a sad smile taking over your face while you stared at him as you tried to read the expression on his face. praying his blue eyes would give you a little insight into what he was thinking. he hummed before turning to look at you. “get out of my work clothes, shower,” you then explained. “go through your bags to make sure you have everything.”
the last part earned a laugh from mackie seeing as he had done the same for both mark and eddy. duker being too stubborn not allowing anyone to double check for him. “goodnight y/n/n, see you tomorrow?” mackie asked with a hopeful smile.
shaking your head you frowned, “i’ve got school.” instantly the rain cloud that had a hold over the room became even heavier at your words. “i won’t see you guys until thursday. i’m in the middle of teaching during the send-off, and since i’m already missing thursday and friday…” you trailed off at the end, not having the heart to speak anymore. too afraid that you would break down in the middle of the dining room if you did.
“i get it,” mackie answered with a sweet smile. “we’ll see you thursday, mom.”
nodding your head you turned your attention back to your boyfriend. “i’ll be up soon, cougy,” he mumbled, eyes meeting your for a split second before he looked back at the table. the use of ‘cougy’ instead of ‘coug’ was what tipped you off to what was going on inside of his head. he was reaching his emotional breaking point.
“okay, lu.” he leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of his curls before turning to look back at mackie, “night macks. take care of everyone for me until thursday, yeah?” he gave you a final salute and that’s when you started your terk upstairs to the empty bedroom once more. it made your heart heavy to walk into a room that was normally so full of life, reflecting yours and luke’s personalities, packed away into boxes like it had been since the end of the big ten tournament. between preparing for regionals, classes, and student teaching luke and you were busy packing up your lives at the mere fact that his season could’ve ended two weeks ago meaning you had to be prepared in case that was to happen.
you let out a deep sigh and walked into the empty room, slowly closing the door behind you so nobody could hear as your walls came crashing down faster than you could piece them together. the shower was where you choose to break down for the night. already knowing that luke would leave you to yourself once he came into the room since he had showered at yost after practice, and knew you needed this time to decompress. so that’s exactly what you did. you sat under the scolding hot water letting the tears stream down your face as you silently sobbed over your college life that was coming to an end. over this being luke’s last week as a michigan wolverine. at how after his nhl debut you wouldn’t see him again until graduation, something you needed to bring up to him and talk about as the devils would be in the playoffs and there was no way you’d let him miss anything hockey related just to watch you walk across a stage.
when you finally got out of your depression shower, luke was already camped out in your bed. the comforter was pooled around his waist, his bare chest on full display for you. just waiting for you to climb in next to him. “how was your shower, coug?” his voice was tight as he asked the question, and you wondered if this was when it finally happened. if this was the moment luke finally allowed himself to come to terms with the whirlwind of emotions he was currently experiencing.
“it was nice,” you answered honestly. “helped me clear my mind.” right away you knew luke would understand what you were getting about. slightly hoping that he would take it as a subtle hint that he too could confess everything he was going through to you. instead, all you got back from him was a small hum of acknowledgment, eyes downcast on his phone screen. after changing into your pajamas which consisted of luke’s boxers and a worn-out ntdp t-shirt, you crawled into bed next to him. arms immediately wrapping around his torso, head falling against his chest. “i never got around to looking through your bag to make sure you have everything,” you said to break the silence of the room. “i’m not that worried though,” you added on, “i mean everything you needed was the only things you could pack. you just have to remember your chargers in the morning before you go to practice. i can text you in the morning to remind you if you want.”
when luke didn’t answer you thought maybe he had fallen asleep. it wouldn’t have been the first time the worn out hockey player fell asleep while in the middle of a conversation with you. only that wasn’t the case this time. you could feel from underneath its resting place as his heart rate began to increase. his breathing beginning to follow in it’s footsteps. “hey lukey, baby, we gotta sit up. can you sit up for me?” you asked, already knowing what was about to happen. luke was on the verge of a panic attack, everything hitting him all at once. the packed boxes. the final practice at yost is tomorrow. an elc in his future.
“‘m okay,” he choked out between ragged breaths. “just, just stay here. just lay here.” you knew he was referring to you staying situated on his chest, feeling the safest when he had you cuddled up on top of him.
shaking your head you propped yourself up instantly. throwing your legs on either side of his waist in order to straddle his lap. “no, no luke i need you to sit up for me. okay? can you do that for me, baby?” you asked while staring down at him. his eyes were screwed shut, knowing that if he had them open you would be able to see how red and puffy they were. his final moments of sitting at the kitchen table after family dinner ended causing everything to hit him like a freight truck. “luke, i’ve got you,” you whispered, hands cupping his cheeks, “but i need, you have to sit up for me. please.” you were disparately pulling him into a sitting position, letting his head fall against your chest. his arms wrapping around your waist in a bone-crushing hug. “i’ve got you. i have you, lukey. it’s okay. i’m right here. you’re safe. just, just get it out. deep breathes.” your words were muttered into the top of his curls, as you soothingly ran a hand up and down his back. the other laced in the curls at the nape of his neck. “i love you. i’m here. you’re okay. i’ve got you, lukey.”
“i- i, i start playing in the nhl as soon as saturday,” he finally spoke. voice cracking as he did so, his breathing slowly coming back to a normal rhythm. “tomorrow… tomorrow’s my last ever practice at yost. tonight was the last family dinner.” you could feel your own heart breaking all over again at his words. shattering even more so as you knew there was nothing you could say or do to make things better. “our fucking bedroom has been packed up to leave for two weeks!” his hold on you got tighter with each realization. your presence being enough to ground him in this instance for him to get all of his emotions out before it was too late. “cougy, this is it. it’s my final week of college hockey.” it took all the strength in his body to force his head up to look at you. his blue eyes as clear as glass due to the tears that were pouring down his cheeks. “my final week of seeing you every single day until i retire, which will be what? like ten-fifteen years from now?”
you squeezed your eyes shut in order to prevent the tears from slipping out. forehead dipping down to rest against his, “it’ll be okay, lukey. we’re going to make this work. you have to take the good and the bad. that’s what you’ve been telling me since january right?” just barely his forehead moved against yours in a nodding motion. “plus it’s me and you, honey. me and you no matter what.”
“you and me,” he whispered against your lips. you could taste the salt from his tears that were staining his cracked lips with every word he spoke. “but coug, i just. this is it. it’s over. and, and i don’t even get to say goodbye to you tomorrow. you’ll be gone before i wake up, and i won’t see you until thursday. and - and if we lose it’ll be for nothing.”
“it won’t be for nothing, luke warren,” you corrected with a pointed look. “everything you’ve done, everything i’ve chosen to do in order to watch you play this year has not been for nothing, luke. i do it because i love you. because there is nobody out there more proud of you than me,” you confessed with a small smile, “just don’t tell your parents i said that.” your little jab jim and ellen caused a small smile to grace luke’s face as well. “if you lose on thursday, which you’re not going too, then we get on a plane and we go to jersey. you get on the team plane and go to boston, and i’ll fly out with your parents. we’ll be there for you first ever fucking nhl game, and i’ll be there standing and waiting for you. tears streaming down my face just like after you scored your hat trick. you know why?”
he shook his head, “no. why?”
“becuase i love you,” you answered. “because the last three years of my life have been the best years of my life because i’ve spent them loving you. officially i mean. but what you’re feeling right now luke? it’s normal. it’s healthy. it means that we have met some incredible people who we are so lucky to have in our lives. people that are always going to be there for us, no matter what happens in the future.”
he let out a shaky breathe while he let his eyes meet yours once more. “you graduate college in twenty-five days. and then you’re mine. in jersey, and everything will be okay again. i’ll be there to watch you walk across the stage, and then we’re together, never apart again.”
your heart was in your throat at his words, knowing that there was no better time to bring this up than right now. “about graduation, lu, you’re going to be in the playoffs. as much as i want you there, you can’t be if you have something hockey related. especially if you have a game scheduled for it.” the way his arms loosened around your waist is how you knew you struck a nerve within the nineteen-year-old. “i just! having our parents there will be enough for me. and as soon as the ceremony ends we can have a devils watch party at your house! cheering on my favorite boy, and my best friend.”
luke’s face hardened with every passing second. not at all thrilled by what you had said. “i’m not missing your college graduation, y/n,” he grumbled, clearly frustrated by the fact you had suggested such an outrageous thing. “you realize you’re the only one of us whose’s going to graduate college and have a degree, right?” by that you knew he was referring to quinn, jack, himself and you. the four of you being thick as thieves since you grew up next to each other. you and jack have been best friends since your shared birthday, as well as the fact your mothers were best friends. “how could i miss that? miss the love of my life getting her degree that she’s worked her ass off for the past four years to get it? no, absolutely not. i’m coming to graduation on the twenty-eighth. game or no game. end of discussion.”
it was no secret to either of you that you had more to say on the topic, but you knew when luke was set on something he was going to do it so you dropped it. “okay, you’re coming to graduation. but as soon as it’s over we’re getting on the first flight newark, got it?”
“got it, coug,” he agreed with a smile growing on his face. his head dropped back to rest against your chest once more. his tears pooling into the already wet fabric. “do you think i - i mean, do you think we can do it this week. win the natty? push my rookie game back until the eleventh?”
“of course i think you can do it, moosey,” you answered with nothing but certainty. “there’s nothing you guys can’t do. you know that.”
he let out the breath that he was holding in. nuzzling his head further into the cotton fabric that smelled just like you. “i’m sorry i acted like the world was falling apart tonight. it’s just, i never thought we’d actually get to this point,” luke confided in you. “it always seemed so far away, like we’d never actually make it to this day. but now it’s here, and i feel like there’s still so much i haven’t done with the guys. so much i haven’t done with you, coug.”
you dropped your head to rest against his fluffy curls, taking a deep breath in to smell his shampoo and conditioner. “don’t apologize my sweet boy,” you cooed, kissing the top of his head. “i mean i just broke down in the shower before you got in here. it’s okay, i promise you. it’s a little scary, yes, but you have nothing to regret, lukey. you have left such an incredible impact on everyone here and mich, and you’re going to be so fucking missed. fuck, i’m going to miss you those two weeks before i get to see you at graduation.”
“don’t remind me about that,” he groaned, head diving forward so you were now laying on your back and he was on top of you. a squeal left your mouth from the action, cradling his head closer to your chest. “those two weeks are literally going to be hell, cougy. we’ve never been apart for that long before.” humming you ran your hands through his hair. trying to find the right words in order to try and calm his nerves about it. “are you going to be able to survive without me for that long, y/n/n?”
“god no, lukey. how am i supposed to fall asleep in an empty room with you not here to hold me?”
you could feel the frown form on his face through the t-shirt. “i’ll call you every single night. make sure that you get to sleep. no matter how much jack chirps me, i don’t care. and if, you know, the depression gets a little too much in those two weeks, just go climb into bed with duker. or make a bed in mackie’s room.”
a cold shiver ran through your body at the thought of you sleeping in the same bed as dylan. of course, it’s something you’d done before with him being your college best friend. sometimes it was because he needed to comfort of someone other than his boys, someone who would actually listen to what he was feeling and try and help him through it. other times it would be because luke was busy and you were on the verge of crumbling apart. it was in those times dylan would make it a mandate you slept in his room where he could keep an eye on you before luke got home. in fact, you’ve slept in every room of the sophomore house. taking turns making sure your college children weren’t sad or just being there in case they needed the gentle loving that only you could offer them. “ew absolutely not!” you laughed. luke’s head tilting up to look at you with a smile. “i don’t want to step foot in that room. we don’t know what goes on in there anymore. it’s definitely highly unsanitary.”
a chuckle fell past luke’s lips before he rested his head in the crook of your neck. his breath fanning against your skin, lips just barely grazing the skin there. “you could always have him sleep in here.”
you shrugged your shoulders. “i was thinking about just going home,” you mumbled, almost as if you were scared to admit that you wanted to spend the last two weeks of your college career in either yours or luke’s childhood bedroom. “i love the boys, and i love being here. but i just, i feel like it might be better for me to stay at home. i mean i’ll have your parents, my parents. being here just won’t be the same without you, lukey.”
the sudden confession you had just made was pulling on luke’s heartstrings. “would you drive to school and teaching?” you nodded your head ever so slightly, eyes growing heavy with each passing second. the physical and emotional exhaustion finally hitting you once more. “you could always take my car too if you wanted. just so you’re not constantly using your own.”
yawning you smiled, “i was already planning on it, lukey.” your eyes were closed when luke looked back up at you, and he could feel as your breathing began to even out from underneath him. “i love you, luke.”
multiple kisses were pressed against the skin of your neck and jaw, pulling a smile on the corners of your lips. “i love you too, y/n/n. get some sleep, okay, cougy? i’ll be here when you wake up tomorrow.” and with that you drifted off to sleep for the final time in a full sophomore house.
when you woke up in the morning to the sound of your alarm part of you was confused as to how your phone got in the room seeing you don’t remember ever grabbing it off the coffee table after your post-school nap. only to remember that luke thought of everything when it came to you and without a doubt brought it up when he came up from dinner. reluctantly you carefully slid yourself out from under the dead weight that was luke’s sleeping body in order to get ready. grabbing a throw blanket you carefully tucked him in, allowing him the chance to sleep in until his own alarm went off to start his day.
getting ready you were stuck in a whirlwind of emotions as you remembered you wouldn’t see any of the boys until thursday morning, having chosen to surprise them by flying out wednesday night rather than thursday morning like you originally told them all. once dressed and ready to make your way to the elementary school you were student teaching at you sat down at your desk, slipping on your cartier ring luke had gifted you along with the necklace that adorned his favorite nickname. your attention then turned to the post-it note stack, maize yellow of course. grabbing the navy blue pen you had resting beside it you scribbled out two final notes for your boyfriend and the boys you considered your children.
lukey, i love you so incredibly much i’ll see you on thursday. you’re going to do amazing this week, take it all in. text me when your boarding and when you land. i’ll meet you in tampa, moosey. me and you, sweet boy. - coug<3
after writing both notes you stuck luke’s against his phone he had plugged in on his bed side table. running back to press a kiss against his cheek. a smile pulling on his feature even though he was sleeping. “i love you, lukey,” you then whispered into his ear. kissing the top of his head one last time before you carefully slipped out of your bedroom. the next and final stop in the early morning hours of the house was the front door. you were frozen as you stood there waiting to walk out, knowing if you didn’t leave now you would be late to school after running to starbucks. so you forced yourself to put the final note up on the door.
to my hughes wedding bridal party, make sure you have absolutely everything- CHARGERS!!! now that thats out of the way, know that win or lose i’m always going to be proud of you guys. thank you for the past year, there’s nobody else i would want to life willingly with. i’ll see you in tampa! love you guys. - coug… aka mom<3
you stared at the note for a minute longer than what was necessary, tearing beginning to well in your eyes before you forced yourself to open the front door. taking a deep breath you pulled it closed behind you, as well as closing the door on the last four years of life.
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earthtoharlow · 3 months
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Flashing Lights
11) Kentucky Daddy
Jack Harlow x Singer!OC
Series Masterlist
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“I can’t believe you, Jack!” Maryse said while FaceTiming Jack, she was currently packing as she was going to spend the weekend with Jack as he was preparing to drop his highly anticipated sophomore album. They were going to end the trip at the Kentucky Derby where she was going to meet his parents.
The screen was blurry as Jack was holding his phone walking down the busy streets of New York, on his way back from picking up takeout. “How was I supposed to know?!” He huffed into the phone.
Maryse just rolled her eyes, “Literally everyone knows Brandy and Ray J are siblings!”
“White people..” she added, shaking her head in disappointment.
Jack with a click of his tongue, jokingly glared at her as he rounded the corner of her place. “So what, you are embarrassed to be with me now?”
He was back at her apartment now, Maryse had the phone placed on her bed as she continued to pack. “Yes.” She said with no hesitation.
“HEY!”
Maryse turned around and Jack was leaning against the doorframe with a pout as he held onto the bags of takeout.
She ignored his reaction, as she skipped towards him and placed a kiss on his cheek before grabbing the food from him and began walking towards the kitchen.
Jack was hot on her heels like a love sick puppy, it was going to be a busy week and he couldn’t wait to show her around Louisville, and finally meet his parents.
He continued to watch as he sat across from Maryse as she began to eat her Pad Thai. Jack didn’t introduce many women to his parents, especially to his mom. None of his past relationships had been long enough or even serious enough for them to actually meet.
Jack wasn’t nervous at all about this week, he knew all his friends and family were going to love Maryse as much as he does.
After they got up from the table after they finished eating, Maryse dragged him back into the bedroom.
“Ok Jack, what are you wearing to the derby? I wanna try to match.”
Butterflies fluttered in the pits of his stomach, hearing that she wanted to match him. This would also be their first public appearance as a couple, as they were going to walk the carpet together.
“I think I’m going with an all white suit.”
He watched as she stood in front of her closet with her hands on her hips. “Jack, I think I need to go shopping!” She says looking at her clothes in front of her with a pout.
Jack rolled his eyes playfully before getting up from the bed and standing behind her. “M, you have plenty of things to wear! A lot of this stuff has tags on them”
“Besides..” he continued “it’s just going to be my friends and family—
Maryse cut him off “AND Drake.”
He laughed and lightly squeezed her hips “Yes, and Drake! You could wear a trash bag and everyone would still love you and think you’re beautiful.”
Her face warmed at that compliment and Maryse turned her head upward to give him a kiss. “While that’s really sweet, I’m not wearing a trash bag to meet your parents.”
“Do you mind if I take a look?” Jack asked her, walking further into her closet when she gave him the go ahead.
It took him a couple minutes but he finally found a dress that would be perfect for her to wear. “What about this?” Jack asked for her opinion.
It was a white custom made Alexandre Vauthier ruffled dress. It was sent to Maryse months ago and she hadn't had a chance to wear it yet. She loved it.
“I think I need to make you my stylist.” Maryse told him with a bright smile before grabbing it from the closet and placing it in her suitcase. It was a comfortable silence as Jack watched Maryse finish packing, the longer he watched her move around the room the more he just wanted her laying next to him.
To get her attention Jack let out a loud sigh. He could see the corner of her lips twitch trying hard not to crack a smile. So he let out another sigh, but louder.
“Yes, Jack?” Maryse says with a giggle
Jack immediately pouted and reached his arms forward, motioning for a hug. “Are you done yet? I wanna cuddle.”
One thing Maryse loved about Jack was that physical touch was his love language. He always found an excuse to touch her.
Packing could wait, she wanted to be in his arms more. She stopped what she was doing and crawled into bed with him. Jack's arms wrapped around her body tightly. She could stay there forever.
“Are you nervous about this weekend?” Jack asked, breaking the silence.
Maryse only took a split second to think before answering. “Surprisingly, no. I thought I would because I’m meeting your parents but I know they’re amazing people since they raised such a great son.”
“But I should be asking you the same thing, your sophomore album comes out in a couple days. I’m so proud of you, I know everyone will love it.”
Jack smiled. “How can you be so sure? You haven’t even heard it yet.”
He jumped as she pinched his side, “Doesn’t matter, I know how much hard work you’ve put into it.”
Jack pulled her even closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Thanks babe, I have a feeling this week and album will be life changing.”
***
Maryse watched the television screen in Jack’s suite at the Churchill Downs and shook in laughter at Jack getting carried by his security guards across the field.
They had just finished walking the red carpet not too long ago. Since it wasn't announced that Maryse was showing up, press went insane when the couple walked the carpet hand in hand.
Waiting for Jack to make it to the suite, Maryse was talking to Urban as he decided to snap photos of her.
“Are you nervous to meet the parents? —oh and bring your chin down a little” Urban said as he brought the camera back up to his face.
Doing as he said, she waited for him to take a couple photos before replying, “Maybe a little?”
Urban shook his head “Don’t be, seriously. Maggie and Brian are cool as hell! Besides, I’m pretty sure Maggie already loves you.”
Maryse wasn’t sure why she was surprised to hear that but she was. Just as she was going to question Urban about it, she heard commotion behind her.
Turning around, Jack and Drake were walking in the room, as soon as Jack walked in his eyes searched all over trying to find his favorite person.
When his eyes finally met Maryse’s, he lightly tapped Drake in the chest and motioned for him to follow him over to where Maryse was standing with Urban.
“Hey, baby.” Jack said softly, giving her a small kiss on her lips.
“Hi, I missed you.” Maryse said, wrapping her arms around his waist, and staring upwards at him.
As they were having their moment a small fake cough came from behind them, turning around it was Drake and Urban who they honestly forgot was there.
The four all started laughing, “My fault, Drake, this is Maryse Monet, my girlfriend, which is the least interesting thing about her.” Jack laughed when Maryse lightly hit him in the chest.
Maryse smiled and shook Drake’s outstretched hand. “Hi, it’s really so nice to meet you! I’m a huge fan.”
Drake thanked her, “I’ve heard so much about you, it’s great to finally meet. You’re very talented, that album you dropped this year was amazing!”
Maryse almost audibly gasp, turning her head to face Jack and Urban and mouthing “oh my god”
Everyone around started laughing and they continued talking until Jack was dragged away to film some parts of the music video.
Maryse was grabbing another glass of wine when she heard someone call her name from behind her, turning around she saw a woman slightly taller than her with curly hair that resembled Jack.
Maryse smiled and held out her hand. “You must be the infamous Maggie Harlow.” Maggie returned her smile and ignored her hand before pulling Maryse into a hug.
She hugged Maggie back just as tightly. Pulling away Maggie held on to her arms as she spoke again. “I’ve been waiting all day for Jack to finally introduce us so I took matters into my own hands. It’s so nice to meet you. Jack talks about you all the time.”
Maryse wasn’t sure why she was so shocked to hear that but she was. “He does?”
“Yes, honey. It’s the first thing he mentions when he calls.” Maggie says with a laugh. Maryse's face immediately warmed.
It was quiet as the two watched Jack laughed and joked around with his childhood friends who Maryse was able to meet for the first time this week.
Maggie couldn't hide her smile when noticing the expression on Maryse’s face as she watched her son. It was the same expression Jack would have on his face watching Maryse. A look of love and admiration.
Maggie knew that her opinion on Maryse meant a lot to Jack but he didn’t need to worry. She could already tell Maryse was going to be part of this family for a long time.
***
Jack watched from afar as he watched his mother and girlfriend laughing and chatting. He was happy the two were hitting it off. Drake nudged him lightly to get his attention
“Looks like ya moms and Maryse are getting along well.” Drake told him.
Jack nodded he knew his mom was going to love her if not more than he did. Jack couldn’t help but think about how this all just felt right. Having Maryse in his hometown, laughing and getting along with all his friends and family was as natural as breathing.
Sometimes it felt like she had always been in his life.
“Stop drooling over your girl, I wanna run an idea with you for the video.” Jack rolled his eyes and smiled when Drake told him the idea. It was going to be incredible.
***
“Seven-fifty for the round, canaries, and they glitterin'
Everyone cheered and smiled as Drake rapped to Maggie and Maryse as he filmed his verse. Maryse caught Jack’s eye, and looked at him wide eyed with excitement.
This day couldn’t have gone any better, Jack thought. He was going to cherish this week for the rest of his life.
The next few months were going to be insane with Jack going off to film White Men Can’t Jump and then going on an international music festival tour, and then his own world tour at the end of the year.
He was hardly going to see Maryse as she was also planning a tour at the end of the year, so they were trying to spend as much time as they could before they both started touring, but Jack wasn’t worried, they always made time for each other no matter how busy they both got.
The next few months would be the true test.
***
AN: ok everyone be nice, my writers block was and still is kicking my ass!! that's why the ending is kinda sucky. the next couple chapters Jack and Maryse relationship will be put to the test hehe bye now
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butler-trouble · 1 year
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Just Once (Pt. 1) ~ Elvis
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.••°°°°••..°°••....••°°..••°°°°••..°°••....••°°..•
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A/N: I know it’s kinda slow going but it’s going to pick up, I promise. I want this to be a longer series so I’m kinda hoping for this to be 15-20 parts.
Prompt: You and Elvis became friends in high school, spending time goofing off with him and his other friends. All the time spent together caused Elvis to catch feelings for you. You never wanted to admit it yet you always felt the same. Then, he began touring across the state. Between finishing school and working, it was hard for you to come see him. But all it took was a phone call from Elvis to get you in a seat in his next performance. What happens when you see him is something that you didn’t expect.
Warning(s): pg-13 ish, some mild language, but this series will become more 18+ as it progresses.
Word Count: 2.5k
Tag list: @otherbluefae @shynovelist @kaitaesupremacy @kendralavon7
.••°°°°••..°°••....••°°..••°°°°••..°°••....••°°..•
September 1950
The ringing of the school bell signified the beginning of the first day of Sophomore year. You were well prepared for your first day in a new school, having read the required books over summer and having all of your supplies out and on the desk for class to begin.
As you opened your notebook to take notes the door to the classroom opened, catching your attention quickly. In walked a boy with dark hair that had been combed over with hair gel wearing a striped suit. You hadn’t noticed that you had been watching intently until he spoke up.
“I-I’m sorry I’m late, ma’am,” He stuttered his apology to Mrs. Davis as he made is way towards the only empty desk, next to you. Mrs. Davis quickly dismissed him, assuring him that it is the first day of school.
When the raven-haired boy sat next to you, he began to pull out materials from his bag when he noticed you sitting beside him. “Hey, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you ‘round here before, are you new?,” He whispered to you as the teacher began going over classroom rules.
You turn your attention to him, a small smile appearing on your face when he said hello. You nod shyly, “Yeah, I’m new. I moved here ‘bout a month ago from Oxford,” You whispered back, your eyes adverting towards the teacher and trying not to get caught by Mrs. Davis.
His bright blue eyes widened at the mention of Huntsville, “Like as in Oxford Mississippi?” He asked, eager to know your response. You let out a small laugh from his reaction, nodding quickly. “I’m from Mississippi too.. Tupelo.” He whisper-yells in excitement, causing the smile to spread across your face. “That’s awesome. We’re
Then he made the realization that you don’t even know his name yet. “Oh, by the way I-I’m Elvis,” He said, reaching his hand out for you. “It’s nice to meet you, Elvis. I’m Y/N,” You put your smaller hand into his, shaking his hand politely.
You spent the rest of class having side conversations with each other, talking about anything and everything in between. Although it was difficult to carry conversations without getting caught by Mrs. Davis. It was hard to explain, but something in your heart knew that Elvis was going to be your friend and he wasn’t going anywhere.
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
July 1951
Today was a warm summer day under the Memphis sun, the humidity radiating through the air. Mommy and Daddy are out for the day for their anniversary, leaving you at home to deal with the heat. Even in your shorts and tank top, it just seemed like nothing was cooling you off. Then like an answer to prayer, Elvis called with plans.
“I-I was thinkin’ ‘bout going to the creek with Red and George here soon. Would you wanna join us?” He asked. A smile spread across your face, already thinking of the nice cool water. “I’m in,” You agree, a hint of excitement in your voice that makes Elvis grin into the phone. “We’ll come by and get ya soon so be ready,” He finished, saying your goodbyes before hanging up the phone to get ready.
You changed into a red and white striped two-piece bathing suit. The top had a knot that was tied between the cups, creating a simple yet cute design. The bottoms were mid-rise, covering most of your behind while accentuating your waist. Not too prude but not too showy.
As you slide into some flip flops and grab your towel, you hear the honking of a car out front to signal they were here. You rushed out the door before making your way into the car and Elvis caught a look at you in your bathing suit from the driver’s seat as you came closer, causing his breathing to hitch in his throat. She looks so ho-, His thoughts were interrupted as you opened the door to enter and all conversations halted. “Hello, boys,” You say as you situate in your seat placed besides George in the back, Red placed in the passenger side. They each said their hellos, Elvis’s coming out more enthusiastic than he hoped but you never seemed to notice.
Conversations begin again with you joining in every once in awhile but mainly enjoying the scenery outside the window. Oddly, Elvis was more quiet than usual so you made a mental note to ask him about it later. Eventually you glanced up and caught Elvis’ eyes in the rearview mirror for moment before his eyes shot back towards the road.
The small interaction caused your cheeks to burn and turn a rosy shade of pink. You hadn’t noticed but Elvis’s left leg began to shake up and down slightly, something he did whenever he was nervous. You turn your attention back to the window to allow your cheeks to return to normal, all while the car pulled into the gravel close to the creek.
Elvis parked the car and his playful smile grew as the creek came into view, forgetting the past few (hormonal) moments. A few people were already accompanying the waters, some on floats and drifting along with the water. “Time to get wet!” Red joked, earning a few laughs as he hopped out of the car followed by yourself and George.
Excitement grew inside you, considering that swimming is one of your favorite things since you were a child. As all the boys began walking towards the water, you began sprinting full speed until you reached the edge where land meets water. For a split second you turn around to look at the boys, all of which were beginning to sprint themselves, before totally immersing yourself into the water.
When the boys joined in, you all began splashing each other and trying to dunk each other underwater. During the play fighting, George splashed you with water which caused you to burst into laughter. In the middle of trying to splash him back, Elvis came up behind you and picked you up over his shoulder.
You began to shriek, “Elvis!” You exclaim between laughs, kicking your legs around as he tightened his grip. “I’m gonna throw you,” He teased, making little gestures to pretend like he was going to throw you which caused you to shriek more. “Put me down, Elvis pleaseeee,” You begged, your belly hurting from laughing so much.
“Only if you say that I am the most handsome guy in the world,” He negotiated, the biggest grin plastered on his face. “What? Oh c’monnn,” You joked which made him pretend to throw you once more. “Okay okay okay!! You’re the most handsome guy in the world,” You mumble.
“Louder!” Elvis teased as he held you up on his shoulder. “You’re the most handsome guy in the world!” You say louder, grabbing onto his arms for stability. He began to lower you off his shoulder, “Awww,” He cooed. “Too bad you’re goin’ down anyways,” He spoke quickly before dropping you into the water. All the boys began to break out into laughter as they watch you go under.
You pushed yourself back up to the surface, pushing your wet hair off your face before swimming closer to Elvis. The wide grin never left his face as you reached for him and once you grabbed him, you began to play wrestle with him in the water. When you reached to softly punch his arm, he grabbed both your wrists with his hands which pulled you closer to his chest.
Before you knew it you were inches away from his face, only noticing when you felt his breath fanning your face. Although unintentional, Elvis was liking the feeling of you pressed against him and only inches away. Part of him wanted more of you and he contemplated going for it but he was a bit stunned. Your eyes lock with his and for a moment you swore he leaned in closer. Your heart began to beat faster and an unfamiliar feeling in your belly began to bubble which caused you to panic.
“I just want to be friends,” You blurt out before he got too close. An expression of confusion, and a hint of sadness, flickered across Elvis’s face but he quickly recovered and let go of your wrists. You swore you could have died from embarrassment.
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
March 1952
Oddly enough, you found yourself becoming best friends with Elvis after the creek incident. Elvis stopped by your house the day after to talk about things that happened. You told him about your fear of losing him as one of your close friends, so you don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize that. He had reassured you that he wouldn’t ever try anything again, but told you that he wouldn’t promise not to flirt sometimes. To that you laughed and rolled your eyes.
From that day forward, you talked to Elvis at least every other day and told him everything. You felt like you could tell him anything and he would support you. It also helped that he was constantly complimenting you. It boosted your ego, even if you didn’t want to admit that to him.
Today, you had plans to go to the diner with Elvis. You were dressed in a white short-sleeve top tucked into a pink flowy skirt with black kitten heels. A honk was heard from the front of the house, urging you to come out. You grinned as you checked yourself in the hallway mirror once more before running out the door and into his car.
“You look absolutely beautiful, miss y/l/n,” He said in a low tone. His voice has been getting deeper lately and something about it gives you a little fuzzy feeling. Stop it.
When you snap back to reality you realized you hadn’t responded. How embarrassing. “Thank you,” You respond shyly as you buckled your seatbelt on. “No, thank you,” He teased with a wink as he pulled away. This is going to be a long day..
When you arrive at the diner, you both find a booth for two in the corner. The diner was adorned in black and white checkered floors, bright red leather booths, and white tables. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and eggs permeated the air. However, your favorite thing to order was their strawberry milkshake.
The waitress approached the booth and pulled out her notepad. “What can I get for the lovely couple today?,” She said sweetly. Redness covers your cheeks as you hid behind a menu as a smirk formed in the corner of Elvis’s lips.
“Actually,” You began to protest, but thought it would be more embarrassing to correct her. Your eyes shot back to Elvis for a moment, his eyebrows raised in amusement. “What’s that, baby?” He teased, emphasizing ‘baby’. You shot him a playful glare before looking back at the waitress.
“Can I just have a strawberry milkshake please?” You smiled at her as you hand her your menu. Elvis let out a small chuckle at your lack of protest, “Same for me, ma’am,” He responded and earned a nod from the waitress. “I’ll be back with that,” She said, dismissing herself.
“Elvis Aaron Presley,” You warned teasingly, pointing a finger at him as he continued grinning like an idiot. You couldn’t help but to let out a giggle, shaking your head. “Look, a man can dream,” He said half-jokingly.
You began to chit chat about little things, asking about his parents and telling him about your own. Then as conversation died, you began to ask each other deeper questions. “So what do you want to do in life, Presley?” You probed, gently nudging him in the leg with your foot to grab his attention again. Elvis’ eyes darted to you from the table, a bright smile on his face at the question. “I-I’ve always wanted to sing. To make music!” He spoke enthusiastically.
With the amount of excitement he exuded, you couldn’t help but to grin at him. “Really? Hmm.” You hummed, tilting your head to pretend to be in thought. “Elvis Presley, global superstar!” You flare your fingers to mimic flashing lights. “I can see it already.” He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head at how goofy you were and you soon joined him in laughter.
“But no seriously, I bet you could do it. Let me hear you sometime,” You suggested, earning a hopeful look from him. He opened his mouth to speak as the waitress approached. “Alright, here you lovebirds are!” She sing-songed, placing the milkshake glasses in front of the both of you. “Thank you,” You both say in unison and she smiled before she walked away.
“When I take you home,” Elvis said as he placed his straw into the shake. You frowned in confusion for a moment, quickly remembering the conversation before the waitress arrived. “Ooo! Dessert and a personal concert. You sure know how to treat a lady,” You joked with him.
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
After the milkshakes, you went back to your house to hang out and hear him sing. You were too excited to hear him sing that the second you walked into the door, you grabbed his arm and dragged him to the living room. He followed close behind, laughing at how ridiculous you were while taking a seat on the couch when you finally let him go.
You sat on the chair across from the couch with your chin in your palm, looking at him eagerly. “You really wanna hear me sing?” He teased. “C’mon, of course I do,” You encouraged him to begin. He cleared his throat before he looked at you, pausing. “Well I don’t know if I can do it when you’re lookin’ at me like that,” He said as his knee began to shake up and down again.
“Why? Do I make you nervous?” You asked jokingly. A moment of silence. “Yeah,” He said in a softer voice filled with honesty. You gave him a quick nod, “Okay, I’ll turn around. It will be like I’m not even here,” You turn in the chair so your back is facing him.
Elvis took in a deep but shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves. He closed his eyes to help as he began to sing, his deep velvety voice filling the room. Your eyes widened slightly within seconds, absolutely stunned at his voice. Despite his nervousness he went through the song beautifully and leaving you in awe.
“Elvis…” You began as you started turning around to face him again. Nervousness filled through Elvis’s body as he awaited for your reaction. Never has he ever been this nervous about a girl before. For a moment you couldn’t think of words to explain how wonderful he is. “I’m not just saying this because you’re my best friend but you have a beautiful voice.” You finally find the words.
Relief washed over him at those words and he relaxed in the seat, “You really think so?” He asked in reassurance. You nod frantically, “I know so. I also know that the world needs to hear your voice. You gotta do somethin’ with it,” You encouraged. And little did you know, those words would later kickstart the beginning of Elvis’ career.
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starry-hughes · 9 months
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summer ending (mooch hughes)
on the last day of summer at the lake house, mooch was packing up her room. she felt like she hadn’t had a real summer. tyler wasn’t around and she barely talked to luke.
she was returning to vancouver for her sophomore season in a couple of days. packing her bags silently as her mom prepared the going away dinner for the kids, all four of them were flying out to attend the nhl media day in the morning.
a soft knock came to her door and she responded softly with “come in!”
luke awkwardly made his way into the room. he and mooch were barely on speaking terms. the comment “you don’t know what love is” had stung mooch so hard it almost caused a complete spiral. “hey, do you need help packing?” luke asked.
mooch zipped up her final bag, “no. i just finished. is dinner ready?”
“no, not yet. can we talk?”
mooch finally looked up at luke. “it hasn’t felt like summer, and i just wanted to apologize again. i fucked up, bad time, you have every right to be mad at me. you have so much love and adoration for people, and i was wrong to say you didn’t. what happened between you and tyler is between you two, not me and you or whoever else. and i’m sorry i’ve been a complete jerk.”
mooch sucked in air, “thank you for apologizing. i don’t forgive you yet.” luke’s face fell.
“but i apologized!”
“i just need time okay? there’s a lot of things on my mind and it all just hurts.”
tension and silence filled the air. “i’m going to go downstairs and help mom,” mooch cleared her throat before walking out of her room.
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jiniretbabii · 3 months
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SPLIT:
Yandere Seonghwa × Fem Reader
WARNING : Contrains the following:
Kidnapping
Vulgar and extreme language
Gruesome Murder
Physical Abuse
Mental Abuse
Illegal Drug usage
Heavy Alcohol consumption
Stalking
BDSM
HARDCORE SMUT
Extreme Mental illness
Seonghwa is absolutely batshit crazy....
Reader's Discretion is Advised.
3 years after the horrific Yuru Hana Academy school murders, Y/N being the only victim to escape with her life, she relocates to a large city to attend university to start anew. As she adjust to her new life, finally free of the petrifying past. A sadistic serial killer is now active in the city. The Split Murderer resurfaces possibly finish what was left unfinished…. Her
CHAPTER I:
“Breaking news: the mass serial killing spree that has shook the nation of South Korea has finally came to end in YuruHana Academy in the remote area in Southern South Korea. The Split Killer, 36 year old Minato Kobayashi a Japanese native and a former teacher at Yuru Hana Academy has been captured at the crime scene and was arrested and is being charged with the 18 murders known as the split murders. The sole survivor, 16 year old Song Y/N was found alive, naked bound and chained inside the abandoned Gonjibam Psychiatric Hospital 30 kilometers outside the town of Gwangyang-si. When police arrived, they discovered 4 bodies of students of Yuru Hana Academy that were dismembered. Police investigating the incident stated Kobayashi has a history of severe mental illness and when police raided his home found child pornography and photos of the students whom he targeted. The police are not releasing any further information as the investigation continues. We will keep you all updated on this horrific and tragic situation. I’m Yang Haneul and this is Seoul Channel 8 news.”
3 Years Later:
“Hi mom, sorry I couldn’t visit last month, I was preparing to move to start university. I wish you were at the graduation, but I know you were watching me from heaven. I might not be able to visit often, but I wanted to come and say I love you and I miss you, also happy birthday. Thank you for the life you gave me, even though I made some horrible decisions. Please forgive me and watch over me.” I said as I laid a bouquet of roses onto my mothers final resting place. Sending my final prayers, I stood up brushing the dirt off my jeans.
It’s been a year since her passing. Every month I came by to talk to her, despite being one sided.
Strolling through the graveyard I made one last visit to my friend, Yuki.
Seeing her small yet elegant memorial, her picture from when we were sophomores in high school. Her short black hair, radiant smile. “Heeeeey Yuk. It’s me y/n. How’s Heaven? Must be better than this shithole. Anyways I wanted to stop by and say I finally graduated!” I whispered, holding back tears. “I miss our crazy adventures, I miss our sleepovers, I miss the way we would skip class and go eat sushi by the lake.” The tears began to flood down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry that I got you into this mess, but they got him. They got Mr. Kobayashi. He’s being executed but don’t worry, you won’t be able to see him, he’s not making it to heaven. He’s going directly to hell. I know it sounds bad, but I did schedule a meeting with him before he’s hung. I hope to get an answer to why. Anyways I’m moving to the big city to start university. I’ll try to come visit sometimes. I love you, I miss you.”
It’s been 3 years since that dreadful night.
A night that would change my life forever.
A night I can never forget.
A night I can’t understand why.
3 years ago:
“Y/N I-I don’t know about this…” Yuki said grabbing right of my arm. “This place is creepy. So many people went missing here.”
I chuckled, “cmon YukYuk that’s just a story people told us to not come here. It’s just an old loony bin. Nobodies been here for ages. Doubt anybody goes missing here in broad daylight.”
We explored the old insane asylum as we ditched class to avoid the calculus test. Scattered rusted beds littered the hallways. Exploring around we find file cabinets ripped open with files empty of what was once filed with patient’s information.
We explored deeper into the building heading downstairs to what appeared to the maximum security area. Beds with straps, broken monitors and a feeling of despair.
“Y/N look!” She gasped. I turned to see what looked like blood. I stepped forward and examed the dark red fluid. A unsettling feeling filled my body. Something isn’t right. I crept forward to see where the liquid was coming from. “Y/N we should really go. I have a bad feeling about this. Please!”
I ignored her, curiously took over.
Slowly I walked, my shoes clicking, echoing off the dead walls.
I shrieked and fell backwards.
There it was, a body sawed in half. I dropped my flash flight and scurried. “We gotta go!” I panicked. Yuki ran to see what I was seeing.
She quickly covered her mouth to silence her scream. There lied Minho. Sawed in half. Eyes wide looking into the ceiling.
We began to race off the building but was stopped when I loud bang halted us.
The large door of the max security area locked us in.
Trapped.
Loud, slow footsteps echoed from afar. “We need to hide!” I whispered, tears running down my face. We took off our shoes and dashed to find a dark hiding spot.
A dark eerie humming began to ring through the area.
Hearts racing I held Yuki’s hand. ‘God if you exist, please save us!’ I kept repeating in my head.
Me and Yuki hid in a dark nurses room underneath the desk. Holding each other tight in silence. The humming and footsteps got louder and louder.
Each step shook my heart.
“My love, my love, please do not be afraid, my love, my love, everything will be okay.” The deep voice sang.
Yuki began to sob, I placed my hand over her mouth, “shhhh please!” I pleaded.
The singing got louder and closer. “My love, my love, can’t you see, my love, my love, you belong to me.”
Time passed as the tension began to build.
The man kept singing and singing and then it the singing went silent. We stayed hidden under the dark desk, thinking he was gone.
“I know you’re hiding in here.”
My heart sank, eyes widened. Biting my lip, breaking the skin, bleeding to hold in my sobs. Me and Yuki remained quiet.
The heavy footsteps began to roar as it got closer and closer to where we were. Tucking our bodies tight, praying he won’t notice us hiding.
“My love, my love, please don’t be scared, Y/N, Y/N I’m the only one who cared.”
The man was standing right in front of the desk.
“Found you!”
He grabbed Yuki’s leg, dragging her.
“NO PLEASE! LET ME GO! Y/N! HELP ME!”
I scurried from the desk, “YUKI!” I screamed.
*WHACK!*
Everything went black……
Chapter II and III comes Monday at 20:00 EST!!!
Writing isn’t my best thing, but I would love feedback and suggestions! Love you guys!!!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
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gardensgatekeeper · 4 months
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'Tis the Damn Season - Part 1
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Pairing: Danny Wagner x Reader
Word Count: 1,686
Warnings: Fluff, angst, swearing, drinking, implied sex // loss of virginity. Let me know if I missed anything!
Got inspired after listening to 'tis the damn season by Taylor Swift one too many times oops!
You and Danny were the textbook definition of high school sweethearts, even making it in the yearbook for most likely to get married. Never in a million years would you have been prepared for the world of hurt that followed the messiest breakup this town has ever seen. Something about going to college and needing to find some perspective, whatever the hell that meant. In the seven years that have since passed, you’ve done everything imaginable to block everything out of your memory. Hell, you quite literally left town a few months after because it was just too much. In a small town where everyone knows everything, you just couldn’t escape the hushed whispers every time you left the house. Not to mention the fact that nearly everything reminded you of him, from the traffic light in front of the bank he almost ran on the first date because he couldn’t stop staring at you…
It was exactly 5:30 p.m. on the dot when you heard a sturdy knock on the front door, making your heart leap out of your chest. “I’ve got it!” You practically leaped from the couch where you had been anxiously waiting for the past 45 minutes. You quickly opened the door where Danny stood on the other side, holding a small bouquet of wildflowers that had clearly been pulled from the side of the road somewhere. Nonetheless, they were perfect. “Hi.” You smiled. “Hi.” He grinned back. “Uh, these are for you.” He sheepishly said, handing you the flowers. “They’re beautiful, thank you.” You quickly ran to put them in a cup of water in the kitchen, making a mental note to properly arrange them in a vase later. When you waltzed back to the front door, you overheard your dad threatening Danny to have you back before your 9:30 p.m. curfew or else he’d be meeting his Smith & Wesson. “Dad!” your face turned beet red with embarrassment, practically shoving Danny out the door. “I promise he’s not serious.” You reassured Danny, who you were sure was probably scared shitless. He nervously chuckled before opening the passenger door of his 1987 Chevy Silverado for you. It felt like such a fairytale that a sophomore as cute and charming as Danny would want anything to do with the awkward little freshman you were. You still don’t know what he saw in you. On the drive to the movie theater, you noticed he kept glancing in your direction, a goofy grin peeking through. Your face flushed red once again, but not with embarrassment. In a moment you caught him glancing at you again, the green glow on his face suddenly flashed yellow then red in the blink of an eye. Looking ahead, you screamed out “Danny!” He whipped his attention back to the road, brakes squealing as he quickly applied pressure to stop the vehicle just before it crossed the white line at the intersection. “Shit, are you okay?” He asked. “Yeah, I'm fine.” I’m sorry, you just look so beautiful and I couldn't stop staring” …
To the time you gave yourself to him after your junior prom.
It seemed like just yesterday Danny showed up at your house with a sign asking you to be his date to prom, which you obviously said yes to. The night had been everything you dreamed of; you’d gotten all dressed up and took lots of pictures with your friends and dozens more with just you and danny. You’d danced the night away, from practically raving to the club-like songs to swaying to the more softer melodies. But when Danny pulled into the driveway of your house, you felt a pang in your heart as you weren’t ready for the night to end just yet. “Do you wanna come inside for a bit?” You asked. “Truthfully, I think I might need you to help me out of this dress.” You chuckled more to yourself. “Of course baby.” He smiled, quickly hopping out and opening the passenger door as he had done countless times before. Your parents just so happened to be out of town for the weekend, so you had the house to yourself. You took advantage of their absence and snagged a beer from the fridge, offering one to Danny who politely declined. “If you're worried about having to drive, why don’t you just stay?” His decision was clear when he smiled and grabbed the beer can you were still holding out. After changing into more comfortable clothes, the two of you cuddled up on the couch and put on a random movie. Of course, one thing led to another and soon you found yourself straddling his lap, sucking each other's faces off like the world was going to end. Your hips subconsciously shifted and a soft groan escaped his lips, which ignited a flame inside you. You and Danny had done a lot of things together, but hadn’t gone all the way yet. You were still a virgin and had been wanting to save yourself for ‘Mr. Right.’ You felt so lucky that Danny never pressured you to do anything you weren’t comfortable with, which must have been the reason you suddenly felt ready. Your movements halted as you pulled back, a look of confusion and concern spreading across Danny's face. “What's wrong baby?” “Nothing. I uh-" "You what?” “I want you Danny. All of you.” You whispered. “What? Are you sure? Y/N don’t think that just because I’ve got a raging bo-“ “Danny it’s not that I promise.” You giggled before continuing. “I’m ready. I trust you. I want you.” The smile that radiated from him warmed your heart so much. He grabbed your face with both hands and kissed you with such passion, you felt like you might truly float away.” “I love you Y/N.” With that, he grabbed your hand and led you upstairs to your room …
And here now you found yourself standing in that very bedroom where you’d be staying for the holidays. Of course, it looked a lot different than it did back then — the once vibrant blue walls were swapped for a much softer pale yellow and a new set of bedroom furniture replaced the well loved pieces you once had. Though physically things were different, the memories of your past life still remained, as if they were bound there forever. Your heart ached as you longed for the simpler times, before you had to deal with the shitty reality of the real world. Just like always, your parents were driving you absolutely insane. So when your mom mentioned needing something from the store, you jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house. It felt weird being back after being away for so long, really only having been back two or three times since you moved to the city. In the hopes of trying to avoid going back to the torture of listening to your parents argue over the controversy of ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside,’ you decided to take a little walk down memory lane, a stroll around town if you will. You managed to find a parking spot in the lot centered in between the Methodist church and your old high school. Your heart panged as you remembered the familiar feeling you had on your graduation day when it really sank in that you didn’t have Danny anymore. God why couldn’t you get him out of your mind? Shaking your head, you stepped out of your car into the brisk, unforgiving cold. Walking down the street, you admired all of the stores with festive window-front decorations. You found yourself even popping in a few of the shops and getting some last minute gifts for some of your friends back in the city. As you exited one store and made your way back out onto the street, the wind suddenly picked up and a strong gust ripped the scarf from around your neck. “Shit!” you gasped, going to chase after it. You sighed in relief as you saw someone up ahead grab it for you. “Thank you so much! I don’t know where that wind ca-“ Your words immediately stopped as the kind stranger turned around. Your heart skipped a beat as you recognized the slightly aged face. “Y/N?” Your mind raced with a million thoughts as you tried to collect yourself and respond, but instead you found yourself staring blankly back at him. “I thought this looked familiar. Is this the scarf I got for your birthday that one year? I can't believe you still have it.” He said more to himself, seemingly analyzing the worn fabric material before handing it back to you. “Thanks.” You quietly muttered. “So, you in town for the holidays?” “Uh yeah, staying at my parents’ house.” “Cool, well uh, I’m around for a few days if you wan-“ “Danny we don’t have to do the awkward small talk. Just forget it, I should be getting back anyway.” Your chest felt heavy as all the old emotions were coming back up, tears threatening to spill out. You quickly turned to walk back towards your car but before you could get very far Danny called out for you. “Y/N wait!” He caught up to you, gently resting his hand on your arm. “Listen, I'm sorry. I know we I didn’t leave things in a good place and that’s completely my fault.” Your eyes swelled as the tears were beginning to cloud your vision, but you refused to give him even a single one. Especially not after how many tears you had given him all those years ago. “I don’t think-“ You started but were abruptly interrupted. “Please Y/N. Can I pick you up later? We can ride around like we used to, just for old times sake.” There it was. That same smile that made you fall for him so many years ago. The same smile that appeared when he said he loved you for the first time. The smile that made you give into anything he asked. “Okay.”
Part two
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xxsabitoxx · 2 years
Text
Best Friend’s Sister •teaser•
Shinobu x Fem! Reader
Warnings: full fic will have proper warnings. This fic will contain smut — WLW — toys — etc
All characters are aged up 4 years from their canon AU ages — in this fic, the reader is 19/20 and Shinobu is 22. Everyone else is aged up according to the 4 years
A/N: I simply couldn’t resist making a female version of this. Thanks to @muzanswaifu for the initial idea with the Sanemi fic & helping me figure out a good plot point for this one :)
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“A pool party?” You sipped on your drink, all eyes were on Kanao as she proposed the idea. “Yeah, Shinobu and Kanae said it’s the perfect weekend to have one.” Kanao took a bite of her food, eyes landing on Tanjiro who was squished into the booth beside her. “Does that sound fun to everyone?” Tanjiro smiled at her, eyes scanning each face to see what they’d say.
“I’m down.” You bite down on a fry, beside you Inosuke agreed “I can show Aoi all my pool tricks.” A determined look passed over his face as Aoi sighed, “You know I’m cool with a pool party since I don’t have a choice.” She lived in the same house after all. On the other side of you, Zenitsu groaned at the very thought. With any luck, Inosuke would crack his head open. “A pool party sounds fun.” Muichiro’s agreement got Genya’s attention.
“I’m free this weekend.” Genya smiled, clicking off his phone and sliding it in his pocket. “I’m down for a pool party.” Nezuko smiled as well, sipping on the milkshake she had ordered. All eyes were on Zenitsu now, the only one who had yet to agree to the party. “Just think! You’ll get to see Nezuko in a swimsuit.” You stuck your tongue out, dodging the fry Tanjiro threw at you. But clearly your statement had worked, Zenitsu agreed in no time at all.
“But wait, Kanao…” Zenitsu looked a bit confused, all eyes turning to him again. “Wouldn’t your sisters want to have their own party with their friends?” Ah yes, the rather famous friend group. At least they were famous on your campus, people loved them, even despite the fact that all but one had graduated. It was a friend group of eight, consisting of Shinobu, Kanae, Mitsuri, Obanai, Sanemi, Kyojuro, Giyu, and Tengen. Out of all of them, Shinobu was the only one still in university, she’d be graduating in less than a month.
Meanwhile you, Tanjiro, Genya, Zenitsu, Kanao, Inosuke and Aoi were nearly done with your sophomore year at college. Nezuko and Muichiro were nearly done with their freshman year. “Oh well, they are all going away for the weekend.” You felt a bit sad at that, you were hoping to see Shinobu. No one - besides Nezuko - knew of your crush on Kanao’s older sister. You weren’t even sure if Shinobu liked girls, and there had yet to be a situation where you could casually bring it up.
“Ohh I see.” Zenitsu sighed dreamily, probably imagining how cute Nezuko would look this weekend. “So, is it going to be a one day thing or…” Nezuko was twirling her hair around her finger, waiting for Kanao’s response. “We’ll have the house to ourselves for the whole weekend. So feel free to pack some clothes and stay over. They are all leaving Friday night and they won’t be returning until late Sunday or early Monday.”
The anticipation for this weekend to arrive seemed to spike in everyone now. The kocho estate was certainly the place to be, a large beautiful home that made others envious. And the nine of you would have it all to yourselves for a few days. The possibilities were endless, though you still wished Shinobu would be staying behind. “Oh I forgot!” Aoi piped up, using her hand to pile the rest of her food on Inosuke’s plate.
“Shinobu may not be going. She has a few things she needs to prepare for her graduation. If she can’t get them done before Friday, she’ll most likely stay home.” It was as if the wind was put back in your sail, a giddy grin spreading across your face. One that had Nezuko laughing to herself as she busied herself with her milkshake once more. “So it’s settled then? A pool party weekend starting Friday night?” Tanjiro glanced at all of you, a series of “yes” followed. “Alright then! We’ll meet at seven!”
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“What’s so Special About the Moon?”
Jamil Viper x MC(insert character Mac)
(Ch. 1) – Ch. 2 – Ch. 3 – Ch. 4 – Next – Previous
This was originally supposed to be, like, a single chapter hurt/comfort before my OC (Mac) and Jamil as a song fic where they berate him and then sing a song referencing the moon… but then I had feelings and it’s becoming a more in depth character study between the two. Don’t worry! By the end of this mini series, there will be song lyrics and more sappiness… it’s just now that I’ve finished both Book 4 and Book 5, I need to reorganize the events and specific and whatnot. Some quick housekeeping as always: I tried to make Jamil to encompass both his dark & mysterious villain persona ALONG WITH him practically being a fucking child so that’s why I wrote him like *this* so yeah… I’m moving around the timeline so that Yuu/MC (aka Mac) has the weekend to GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER LOL, Mac is about 19-20 (haven’t decided yet) and uses mixed pronouns as a heads up, Ch. 2 has a 1st draft written put still needs to be typed up and edited. If you see a typo NO YOU DIDN’T!!! This one of my first times trying a different writing doc that isn’t Google (cuz fuck Google) and it’s a little weird to get used to and edit stuff. It’s beta-d in the sense that licking the spatula while your mom bakes cookies and claiming that you helped… literally only a few paragraphs were checked over y’all.
Quick shout-out to @krenenbaker and @twst-beam for inspiring my writing thus far (and sorry for taking so long to post this lol!)
I’ll be releasing some type of overview of my OC eventually, but take these snippets as they go while I fall back in love with writing. You’ll meet Mac in full when xey are good and ready… anyway, please enjoy Chapter 1 of my new fanfiction, “What’s So Special About the Moon?”
“Here. You can use this one,” Jamil directed towards the plain (compared to the rest of the dorm) laundry… mat? There were several industrial sized washer and dryers, a couple moderate-sized one’s that would fit a regular apartment complex, and a long wall designated area for hand washed items. Jamil was keeping the door prompt open with his hips; his slight frown of concentration and the flick of his Magic Pen were the only signs of the current spell he had going. Turning around, MC was slightly surprised by the massive piles of fabric that was being corralled in via multiple a massive sheet tied to multiple brooms. They still couldn’t fully grasp the concept (and power) of magic and seeing it so casually performed on a day-to-day basis was kinda daunting.
“Thanks again for letting us use the space along with showing me how to properly clean all these fancy duds and whatnot.” the Ramshackle Perfect awkwardly trailed off. Their focus was split between stealing peaks at the Scarabia Vice Warden, not wanting to bother the already busy Sophomore, and surveying over the dusty, damaged antique pieces the two stripped from the halls of the previously abandoned dorm. Rugs, carpets, curtains, furniture covers (in varying state of disrepair) dulled of their once rich and vibrant color. The patterns were a mix of stuffy academia and the quiet comfort of a grandparents cottage living room. Both extravagant, yet understated. It’s a style lost to time, but not quite a revived ancient aesthetic.
At this point MC was fully lost in thought; they desperately needed to clean, fix, organize and decorate the dorm in preparation to host so many guests. Even with his limited memories, they had a feeling they’d never hear the end of it from his parents.
“Don’t worry about it much.” Jamil said, interrupting their musings. “Honestly, I’m doing this as much for myself as I am helping you.
With a flick of his wrist, Jamil organized the seemingly random crumbled piles of fabric by condition, color and use. His movements while cleaning were quick, smart, and efficient-- all while patiently showing Mac which order to start in along with the best way to clean them.
“Ya’ know…” MC broke the relative quietness between the two workers, “Even with everything thing that happened over break, I understand why Kalim still trusts you; I almost can believe that you’re not that bad of a guy.” Jamil gave xem a startled (and exasperated) look, but they continued before he could respond: “I fail to see how helping the person who ruined your ‘world domination’ plans—”
“They were hardly World Domination level!” He quickly snapped. His embarrassment led to him tugging his hood further down his face, teeth slightly clenched, and dilated eyes as MC continued listing all the ways he’s “helped” them out.
The magic-less Perfect laughed to themselves the more conflicting emotions flew across Jamil’s face. Eventually those same emotions were compressed behind a cold, smooth mask. Limestone slabs and stiff mud brick walls were swiftly constructed between the two working-class students. Something about it didn’t sit right with Mac.
“Hey I’m not saying what you pulled wasn’t a dick move! But you’re also not the first overly-traumatized teen boy I’ve had to deal with… and between what you’ve said about yourself, plus thing’s I’ve heard and seen, I’m starting to think you’re not nearly as complicated as you think you are.” The longer they argued *to* him, the more Jamil’s mask began to crack; there were a few holes in his walls he didn’t account for. Xe’s a tad more observant than I remember, but weirdly just as persistent, Jamil internally rolled his eyes.
“I could still change my mind and send you back to deal with the Pomefiore Wrath(tm),” He mumbled while gracefully lugging the newly cleaned (and damp) furniture coverings into an empty drier. Despite his harsh threat, MC still remembered him assuring the other this laundry room was only ever used by him after Kalim’s parties.
The large machines and larger working space was specifically added for the servant to clean and repair any decor or Asim Family Treasures when Kalim’s recklessness caused a larger mess than usual. This meant that Mac and Grim (who was originally supposed to be helping… where the hell was he anyway?) could do as many loads needed without worry. On top of the borrowed space, the Housewarden himself had cheerily has assured them, his Oasis Maker would replace all the water used ten times over!
Mac’s thoughts were interrupted once again as Jamil relented, “I told you, I’m doing this to help me.” After receiving an unconvinced eyebrow raise, Jamil began to explain, “Kalim might’ve announced us as equals but I still have a job to do. If he got sick while spending Allah knows how long in a dusty, dirty, shabby condemned building like Ramshackle I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“It’s not nearly that bad anymore!” the sole-human resident of said dorm argued, but was quickly shut up with a tired gesture towards the untouched loads of laundry left to be done.
“On top of that,” Jamil smirked “Even a common peasant like myself wouldn’t sleep in a rundown garbage heap if I can help it.” His smirk slowly slide off his face from his face as the insulted Perfect almost ripped the handful of soapy doilies, that they were previously scrubbing by hand, as xey prepared a retaliation.
“OK, first of all! This whole Inferior-Superior shtick isn’t going to prove your point. If I’m being totally honest, I’m pretty used to the bratty, arrogant attitude of teenagers by now (even if I wasn’t Leona is a thousand times worse).” They turned their full body to face the 2nd year boy before continuing the assault. “Secondly, even just doing the bare minimum would’ve been fine, considering I’ve slowly been deep cleaning them place room by room. This is just last minute cleaning considering I wasn’t expected to host six extra people in two days.”
The shock of Mac’s care and attention to detail couldn’t win over Jamil’s newfound freedom to be right… and sassy while doing it. “Keep in mind you wouldn’t be the only one having to deal with Vil. His expectations are much higher than my personal standards—”
“Getting there!” MC interrupted again. “It’s not like Vil and whoever else couldn’t magic things better or get things done over at Pomefiore.” However, their fire started to die down with their obvious lack of understanding of magic. Not that Xeir level of intellect ever stopped them from talking out of their ass during debates… even if this wasn’t exactly shaping up to be anything like Debate Club back home.
“Not the point!” Mac built back their steam after thoughtlessly shaking off any internal distractions. “Third of all,” Jamil groaned not-so-quietly, “third of all, you didn’t have to show me how to do it. Nor did you have to continue helping me. There’s only so much I could pay you back in favors and it’s not like you’ll make back the time and energy spent. You’re obviously a bit of a piece of shit but I don’t totally blame…”
Jamil suddenly gave Mac his full attention. He smoothed any emotional tells from his face and readied himself to actively dissect what ever left xeir mouth and any messages in between the lines. The silence prompted Mac to drip extra sincerity as they begin to ramble without thinking.
“… I get why you did what you did. You’re not totally forgiven, but it’s not like I’ll hold a grudge over you forever. Whenever I joke about Winter Break I thought you knew it was just that: a joke.”
The two stared at one another for a few beats. Jamil betrayed nothing that he was thinking, but Mac could practically feel the exasperation flooding off of him in great waves. The disbelief pushing and pulling off of him, despite remaining stone cold to zeir admission. So, of course, they continued with slight for fever:
“Yeah, okay, you held us all prisoner, enslaved via hypnosis your entire dorm, and nearly killed multiple students. Twice.” Mac cringed at their own blunt statement, “… But why would you go as far as you did, if you didn’t care! What your parents, and more specifically your culture, put you through wasn’t fair—but you obviously still love and cherish them!”
At this, he seemed to get even more guarded. It felt patronizing to be hold how he supposedly felt or why he should feel a specific way. They hadn’t been there. They hadn’t grown up as a Viper in the Desert, constantly reminded by Kalim’s Mirage of wealth what he could never have. They didn’t know the FIRST thing about the Scalding Sands—!
“… How do you know anything about my parents? Did Kalim--?!” He choked out infuriated at the mere implication.
“Relax Viper! It’s all in the Secret of The Ooze™”
“What?”
“Never mind…”
The usual absurdity of MC’s references (much to xeir chagrin that no one seemed to understand them) Jamil allowed himself a shadow of a smirk. Right about now they’d drop what they were saying and instead empathize with him over terrible bosses. They’d both fall back into a familiar pattern of quiet understanding while making playful small talk; maybe Xe’d make a remark over how “hellish” the desert temperature is and moan about being “a poor Northern forced into the sun” before dragging them both off to grab an abominably sweet drink that Kalim would still put sugar in. Xe had always been could at mediating with the other students at NCR.
However, they didn’t drop it. They continued to push him… especially when they realized that he expected the conversation to have ended and started to relax. Xey pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally, they had circled back to him rebelling from his status.
“What? You think I’d be Happier staying a lowly servant?! I’d rather cut my own tongue out than remain bending to Kalim’s will for the rest of my days.” He huffed, still not stopping his assault on the pile of laundry in front of him.
A frustrated sigh left Mac as Xey tried to get their point across, “THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M SAYING!… Obviously, you don’t love being forced into child labor or having to pretend to be something you’re not, but that doesn’t mean you’re totally being honest with yourself either. Rebelling adolescents often do a complete 180 of who they once presented as in an extreme action to feel validated.”
Jamil scoffed in indignation at the impromptu therapy session he’d been forced into.
“Just because you were forced to lie sometimes as ‘Servant Jamil’ doesn’t mean those memories or feelings weren’t authentic!”
“My Childhood, my Pride, my ENTIRE LIFE was stolen from me before I could even open my eyes, Mac! Who could cherish that sort of future?”
“I’m not disputing that! I’m not trying, in any way, to imply that what you went through didn’t fucking suck. But just because you’ve started saying the quiet part out loud doesn��t mean you’re being totally honest either. Switching one mask for another just means nothing has changed but your ability to bitch about-it to the kid you literally Grew Up With, Jamil.” A tired resignation was growing in their eyes as they headed to the end of xeir rant.
It was clear MC was starting to speak in circles and xey weren’t going to be able to get through to them. A heavy weight sunk deep in their chest, slowly sliding to xeir stomach the more he misunderstood the magic-less student. I saw him drown in the depths of his own helplessness and self-pity, but even after he’s been pulled out it’s like he can’t help but dive back in for a swim. It was a suffocating thought while Mac watched as Jamil once again went stone-faced… Like what he was about to say would be his final shield before walking away. It’s a shame that the Ramshackle Resident had become too used to throwing bombs over walls and blowing verbal shields to smithereens after months of being stuck in Twisted Wonderland.
“I’m not sugarcoating or bowing down to anyone anymore. I won’t bite my tongue. I won’t put on a Happy Face to Kalim’s idiotic, half-thought out ideas again. I’m slowly gaining my freedom, something you clearly don’t understand. Just because you’re as blind as he is doesn’t mean anything! What more could you want from me?!” He hissed his final insult before finally stepping away from his station. Not leaving the room, he aggressively got himself a cup of water from one of the sink and gulped the unfiltered water down.
“Just because you’re not hiding your bitter, knee-jerk reaction from an unfair world doesn’t mean you aren’t still hiding away and lying about your more vulnerable emotions.” Mac whispered in an emotionless tone. “Cutting a part of your past off and pretending it was never there is doing yourself a disservice and lying to those that still care about you… And there sure-as-shit isn’t much that I hate more than a Fucking Liar.”
. . . . . .
The lacy doilies sat in a sudsy basin, left forgotten as the two students stood a mere paces from each other—both maintaining an uncomfortably intense eye contact. The sloshing thump of the washers and stirring hum of driers harmonizing were the only song to accompany the two’s stare down. A short hiccup as Mac took a drawn out breath was the only reaction between the two of them. The combined heat of Scarabia’s sun (barely past 10am) and the humidity of continued use of machinery didn’t help the suffocating air in the wide laundry room. Not to mention the loud, stifling silence to boot.
MC usually held back such honest commentary (not that they weren’t blunt) unless Xe deemed it necessary: think high stakes and a sense of urgent drama. But something about Jamil and Kalim’s situation reminded them of himself. The two’s intertwined dance of class, history, loyalty and betrayal, friendship and loss, and such overwhelming guilt reminded the dimension hoping stranger of home. Whatever that meant.
But this was no time to get lost in their own problems and Trauma’s. They’d went too far (again) and that means xey should be the bigger person (again) and deescalate the situation before he hated them (AGAIN). Which means, MC would be the one to break the silence and run away again.
“Ya’ know what? Grim’s probably burned the school down already. Don’t worry about,” Ze gestured blindly to the numerous stations they’d started, “this mess. I’ll rope my little Rat Gremlin and the Freshies into finishing this up. Hell, I could probably convince Rugs to pitch in for lunch or something. Bully the Music Club with helping in exchange of random sheet music I still remember from home.”
Their rambles became more spastic as they noticed Mr. Sugar, Spice and Not-So-Nice break out of his own trance and try to reply. “Seriously! Just enjoy the break… Not that it’s my place or responsibility to be butting in anyway. I will be back in, like, 10 minutes and from here-on-out minding my own damn business. Sorry. Whatever. See you sometime after Sunday, I guess?” Their entire monoluge Mac was slowly backing out of the room before turning around in xeir spot and just short of sprinting their way out of the dorm. A few passerby Scarabia students stopped to eavesdrop on xeir muttering… watch them leave.
Without getting a word in Jamil stood unmoving, watching the Ramshackle Perfect leave swifter than the desert wind shifting the dunes. Almost on auto-pilot, he simply left to go back to his room and do as he was told; enjoy his break. His day off. The day he could do what he liked and didn’t necessarily have to prioritize work. A day he spent working to help and assist the pitiful, magic-less loser that was dropped-kicked into another reality and forced to play nice with a University filled with overpowered and hormonal teenagers while having no way home… And in return was insulted, psychoanalyzed, and thrown aside before he could get a word in edgewise.
“Son of a STREET RAT!!!!!” It was clear he’d need a few hours to calm down before he could even think of trying to enjoy the rest of his Saturday off.
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razorblade180 · 7 months
Text
Summer vs Nick
[spoilers for Twin Snowflakes]
Twin Snowflakes full story <-
The end of year was near! After some time out of school for the building to be restored, Almanac was up and running again. Its students were as eager as the construction workers. Not wanting their summer vacation ruined, they had been sprinting towards success for the past couple months. Their work ethic had been so diligent that even Harriet, a former Ace Ops member, found the drive of her students pretty intimidating. Although school must’ve felt like a relief after the months of enduring a freak blizzard that displaced the entire kingdom. Former slackers were now raising hands left and right. Then there was Summer; Harriet’s flakiest student was now on time. Not only that, but an air of confidence and ease had accompanied the singer. Harriet was glad to know all the hidden truths behind the Blizzard and the school’s destruction. It made seeing Summer’s new demeanor all the more special.
Harriet sat in a chair behind a small desk in the gymnasium that faced all her students that sat in the bleachers in front of her. “Alright everyone, I’d take attendance but you all have clearly proven you all want to pass this year.”
“Ma’am!” They all said in unison. You would’ve thought they were actually enlisted with how perfect it was.
Their teacher smiled with pride. “Okay~ extra enthusiastic today. As much as I love it, there’s a reason none of you are dressed out currently, which I’m positive you all know why; being sophomores and all. Final Exams have officially been prepared! Your final hurdle after months of hardships is here.”
She watched the excitement and anxiety spread as chatter amongst the group before settling them down. “Easy now. I haven’t even explained it yet for you all to worry. Thankfully not too much has changed with all the complications. Being a huntsman is about brain and body; as well as flexibility. Last year was a simulation in Atlas Academy’s combat facility, but now that you have more experience under your belt we get to be a bit more practical.”
“Please tell us it’s not survival wilderness. I’ve learned enough about the cold.” Valerie quipped, earning a few chuckles of shared pain and gratitude for normal life again.”
“Ha! If I was the General, then maybe. Don’t worry. I’m not sticking you out in the cold, willingly.” She smirked as she saw the worry on the students. “Relax. I promise it’s simple. You have two options available which you’ve probably heard of from your upperclassman and are somewhat familiar with previous tests this year. One option is you must find any student outside of this class to partner up with you for a bounty hunt. The Grimm have already been placed in their appropriate area and you will be accompanied by a professional huntsman there to not only ensure your safety, but grade you on your performance.”
Val’s hand shoots up like a rocket. “What kind of Grimm are we talkin about?” Her interest peaked.
“Manticore, Sphinx, pack of Beowulves, even a Goliath; we got an assortment for you all to pick from.”
“Ah, I see.” She put her hand down and looked to her right to see Summer unbothered by the info, unlike some of her classmates.
This is where brains came into play. Summer, as well as a couple others in her class, have already started weighing the options and understanding what was being asked. “We would pass by killing the bounty, like an actual mission?” She asked.
“That’s correct. You and your partner pick like a standard huntsman mission and complete the job.”
That confirmed everything Summer needed to hear. This exam doubled as an ego check. Yes, picking a partner was important, but what’s more important is picking a bounty clearly within your means of killing as well as showing your capabilities. After all, the partner wasn’t being graded. In all likelihood, picking a person that’s clearly better than you would come off as you riding on the success of others if they do the heavy lifting. An automatic fail for sure.
“Option two!” Harriet said loudly. “You will find a student outside of this class to do combat via tournament style. Meaning knocking them down below 15% of their aura. I have to approve of the opponent so I suggest asking me before you go running off to them. While they are allowed to reject, I promise you those in your year and above know the struggle and will gladly meet you head on. Also, winning is not a requirement for passing. This serves more as an extensive look of your combat prowess that will be graded thoroughly, given its a much more controlled environment.
This new option brought more to ponder and made a female student raise her hand. “Why such a dichotomy between the two options, if I might ask?”
“Good question. One reason is because when you’re an actual huntsman, you get to pick your kind of assignments. Some spend their time exclusively killing and tracking Grimm. Others prefer putting a stop to bandits or working with local law enforcement where more human annoyances occur. Not to mention even though many of you show much promise, you’re still only sophomores in combat school. Forcing you to go grimm hunting is a bit deranged don’t you think? So the second option exists for those who clearly aren’t ready for that kind of situation.”
Despite the rough curriculum and Harriet’s aggressive nature, her students had become well aware of her fondness towards all her students and people in general. They wouldn’t be surprised if she overlooked each Grimm mission just in case.
“I’m giving you this entire class time to think about your options. See me when you’re ready. Exams last a full two weeks so no need to rush. Also, for the sake of fairness, if you’re choosing a person to fight then your fight happens no sooner than the following day.”
That made sense to Valerie. Challenging someone out of the blue doesn’t give them much time to come up with a plan, while the challenger had ample time. Not that any of that information was useful to her.
“I’m totally doing the bounty.” She said, leaning back casually with her eyes closed.”
“I figured.” Summer hummed. Val was the winner of many tournaments. Even if she won, she’d probably be graded roughly. “Don’t pick haphazardly.”
“Unlike most of the people here, we’ve had a taste of real combat. I’ll probably end up choosing the Sphinx.”
“I bet Aunt Ruby signed up to be a huntsman guiding students. Coach Bree felt pretty confident about the student’s safety.”
“ I can see that. My dad most likely is on the roster too. As well as yours.”
“I can see that.” Healing and hiding were useful in bad situations. “Got a partner in mind?”
“Max.”
Now that through Summer for a loop. “Seriously!?”
“Yeah. He’s not such a bad guy. Plus he had my back once in a dicey situation. Guess he inspires confidence. Anyways, how lucky is it that Nick isn’t in this class. You two get the clean up shop like always. I’m kinda jealous. It’ll be like the entrance exam all over again.”
“You say that as if you didn’t use him for a previous exam.” Summer retorted.
“Hey, he requested me. I only said yes. Plus I’m not picking him now aren’t I? Out of curiosity for you of course.”
“Oh how generous.” The sarcasm was heavy yet playful in nature. “I have to see if picking a sibling is even allowed first of all.” Summer stood up and made her way to Harriet to find out.
“Hey Coach?”
“You asking about Nick?”
Summer smirked and said, “I’m not that predictable, but sure.” As she shrugged.
“Normally I would advise against it.”
“Buuuut you find me endearing?”
“No, your record speaks for itself. I know you won’t slack off. Also I have to grade him anyway so this makes paperwork faster. Although, not everyone might be pleased.”
Summer could already detect the glances and mutterings of her less friendly peers. This was nothing new. Many claim having a sibling, let alone a twin, leads to some pretty rigged behavior. Whatever. As Harriet said, her skills spoke for themselves.
“I’m gonna go find him.”
Valerie watched the private conversation from a distance. Eventually Summer walked away from Coach Bree and towards the door. Summer looked at her and motioned to Valerie to come along. Guess there was no reason to stay. Val got up and followed.
“She approved?”
Summer nodded. “Yep. I can use Nick in my exam. I’m going to discuss it with him. He should be in his study block.
“Cool beans. Maybe I can find Max along the way.”
xxxxx
Inside of an English class, the kids do their own independent studies as a constructive use of their study block. All except for Nick, who leans back in his chair with hands in his pockets as Eliza crunches numbers in the desk opposite to his.
“You know you could try to make yourself useful.” She badgered.
“Lighten up. Aren’t you the one who always wants to take the reins? I kinda like using the study block to relax. It’s easier than I thought.”
“Not that you shouldn’t enjoy your newfound freedom, but we are dealing with the school sales. All the money has to be here and triple checked.”
“If what’s in the safe doesn’t match the receipts then I’ll personally make up the difference.”
Eliza squinted at her class president. “How are you even allowed to make financial decisions with that attitude?”
“Charisma~”
The classroom door opened and prevented further nagging. Nick, Eliza, as well as several other peers looked to see Summer and Val walk in.
“Hey you two.” Nick waved,sitting up straight in the process. “Isn’t it P.E. time for you?”
Val yawned as she spoke. “Yeah, but no activities today. It’s final exam time.”
“Ah. Now that you mention it, I did hear mutterings about that in the lunchroom.” Nick recalled.
Eliza let out a sigh. Yet another thing on the to-do list. Oh well; at the very least she felt confident in her skills. “Can you give us the summary?”
“Find a partner to go on a bounty mission with; graded and accompanied by a huntsman. Oooorrr find a student to fight in a tournament style match. It’s graded much harsher.”
Summer nodded. “That’s more or less the situation. Can’t pick a person in the same gym class and Coach Bree has to approve your opponent. They also get a day of prep time at least.”
Eliza relaxed her shoulders. “That’s not so bad. Cake walk for us either way.”
“You’re not wrong.” Summer locked eyes with her brother and stood over him. “Nicholas Schnee, I challenge you to a duel for my final exam.”
Valerie nodded. “Yea- what!?”
The entire classroom heard that declaration and stared in a silent disbelief. Even Nick’s eyes briefly widened before mirroring Summer’s stern gaze of resolution.
“Okay.” He said without a care in the world. “Tomorrow then? I’ll be there.”
“Cool.” Was all Summer said before walking out. “Let’s go, Val.”
Their best friend was still flabbergasted by this sudden action. Her jaw might as well have been on the floor as she slowly found the mental processing to leave.
The rest of the students were just as stunned. A fight between the twins? That was new to hear about! Oh if only they knew the truth. Still, Eliza herself was shocked by this proclamation. Despite participating in the push to free Atlas from the blizzard, this turn of events was sudden. After all, this would be a proper battle between relatives; unlike the do or die experience of facing Shiva. Eliza looked at Nick. Although his words carried no urgency in his acceptance, Nick looked wide awake. His right hand removed his ponytail and began ruffling his hair as he started looking lost in thought.
“You okay? That was sorta…sudden.”
“Hmm?” He glanced at his vice president to see a look of worry on her face. A chuckle left is lips. “Heh, thanks for your concern. I’m alright. Although it’s gonna be hard focusing on schoolwork for the rest of the day, haha.”
“You can borrow my notes. They’re better anyways.”
“Oh? Sweet, thank ya.” He kept messing with his hair as he mentally ran through scenarios. “Tomorrow will be interesting.”
“I bet half the school is gonna want to watch.”
“Fine by me. She probably challenged me publicly like this so she has no excuse to back down.”
“Yeah, it’s a little unlike her…”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Nick smiled. He felt a little proud of his sister. “Guess she’s ready to face the truth; whatever that may be. Only fair that I meet her head on as well.”
“I can’t tell if you’re excited or worried. But I guess that’s nothing new.” She smiled. Never a dull moment with the twins.”
xxxxx
The rest of the school day was pretty uneventful. Well…for Summer anyways. Her stunt was pretty popular and spread immediately after Harriet approved the match. At least that hurdle was done; mostly.
“I can’t believe you did that!” Valerie yelled as they walked home from school. “What happened to the iconic duo!? Are you two fighting at home?”
“What!? No, Nick and I have never been closer. This was just something on my mind is all.” Her voice trailed off.
“Hmm, explain. Don’t say it’s nothing major. You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m above average, thank you!” Summer looked around the freshly salted city; its lush potted plants in full bloom on every corner storefront to add color to this porcelain shaded kingdom. “Hard to believe a few months ago this place almost froze over for good.”
“Well…not for good.” Val said hesitantly. “Shiva still liked this place. I’m positive she would’ve left it after getting what she wanted.”
“Heh, what a nice way of framing it.”
“Is that what’s bothering you? Do you sense something?”
Summer shook her head. “Nope. Not in the slightest. All me, all the time. Been a few months but still odd to say aloud. I feel good though.”
“So what is the problem? Not that you need one to face your brother. Heh, I fight him all the time for practice, but that’s never been your style.”
It’s true. In all their years it was rare for them to face each other in earnest for multiple reasons. “I guess…I’d like to change that. I do really know my limits these days and before that, I never wanted to know exactly where I stood with Nick. If I won it felt like cheating, and if I lost…”
“Then it would’ve been another thing for Shiva to use against you.”
“Not like she- I needed any more insecurities to screw myself over with. Whatever, that’s all in the past now!” She pumped her fist to the sky to pump herself up. “ It's about time I cut loose and give it all I got!”
“Yeah! That’s the spirit! I like that attitude! I’ll be rooting for ya.” Val pumped her fist as well. “As a pro at fighting your brother, want any tips?”
“Nah. It’s not like I haven’t seen him struggle against our parents and aunt countless times. As well as Shiva’s final bount; though that was kinda a special case. I doubt our fight will be half as chaotic.”
“I hope so.” Val laughed nervously. The school can’t take another pounding like that. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Hmm? What do you mean? I’m staying at your place.”
Valerie’s eyes went wide. “What!?”
“You don’t expect Nick or myself to sleep comfortably in the same house the day before a fight, do you? Treat it like a sleepover! I know where the spare room is, or were you hoping we’d share a bed like old times?” Summer grinned.
The gears in Valerie’s head were malfunctioning for a moment before the girl gave Summer a pout and squint. “So now it’s okay to act all flirty?”
“Of course! After all, neither of us are in love with each other.” Summer rubbed her chin. “Though maybe we should pretend to throw Nick off his game?” Summer teased again. “We know that method works.”
“OH HA! HA!” Valerie pouted harder, her face turning red. “How many times am I going to have to say I’m sorry for that?”
“Zero. It was just too convenient to not joke about it. Nick would’ve laughed.
Val signed. “Get better material, both of you.”
xxxxxx
“I’m hooooome!” Nick echoed through the main corridor of the manor. It took a couple minutes before Jaune and Weiss came running in from the west wing; before she could speak, Nick watched his father fling her over his shoulder. “Was I…interrupting something?” Nick said, hoping for an appropriate answer.
“Your sister texted us about school. I’m here struggling to stop your mother from creating an obstacle course as last minute training.”
“I just want it to be a fair fight!” She defended.
Nick didn’t know if he should laugh or feel slightly wounded. “Think I can’t take her now that I’m back to normal?”
“I don’t mean it like that sweetie. Instead of watching you over analyze every little thing I thought practical training would be healthier.”
“And I think we should remain neutral.” Jaune said assertively. “Your sister won’t admit it but she’ll be upset otherwise.”
“That’s fine. I actually wanted to go to sleep early anyways.” Nick began walking upstairs. “Don’t worry about dinner. I already ate.”
Jaune slowly put his wife down as they looked at each other in befuddlement, then towards Nick. “Are you okay?” They asked.
Weiss’s mother senses tinged. “You’re definitely tense.”
“Pre fight jitters. It’s nothing, I promise.” Nick did not linger any further and went to his room.
“Well that was convincing.” Weiss said, crossing her arms and looking at Jaune. “Should we show up for the match?”
“I think that would only add pressure for both of them. It’s not like it won’t get recorded. Let’s give our kids some space.”
The Ice Queen deflated like a balloon. Not the answer she wanted to hear, but definitely the reasonable choice. Jaune put his arm around her waist and let her lean on him like he always did.
“Looks like Nick isn’t the only one tense and over analyzing.” Jaune smiled.
“Pfft, you say that as if you didn’t know before you married me. I blame Ruby.”
“Pretty sure it’s your big heart.” Jaune kissed the top of her head.
Nick sauntered into his room, dropping his belongings and falling backwards onto his bed. He pulled out his scroll in one fluid motion, his thumb hitting all the correct places before dropping it beside his head.
“Hello?” Veronica said after two rings. “Nick? You there?”
“Hey Vee. Hope I got you at a good time.”
“I answered, didn't I? What’s going on?”
“Final exams. It’s basically a fight. Summer challenged me and I said yes.”
“…Ah”
He could hear ruffling over the speaker, like if she was sitting up from a couch. “Yep, a good old brawl between siblings. I’m pretty proud of her for asking.”
“You don’t sound like a proud brother. Conflicted is more like it.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. It’s kinda dumb honestly.” Nick stared at his callous hands. “Remember how I looked fighting Shiva? The anger, it’s relief?”
Veronica got the picture. “I see, You feel bad for looking forward to fighting your dear sister? That about right?”
“Holding back wouldn’t do any of us any favors yet coming out swinging to vent frustration feels gross. Not to mention I don’t feel like taking a dive in any competition!”
“That’s good. You should never do that. It’s an insult to everyone involved.”
“But-”
“Nick, your sister is a smart girl and everyone who truly knows you is aware of how much care you have for her. Nobody is going to think less of you or that you don’t care anymore if you decide to fight like a pissed off stranger.”
“That’s a…colorful description.”
“Your dynamic is shifting. Let it shift. Didn’t you two used to fight all the time as kids? Maybe both of you are repressed. I don’t have a sibling but I can’t imagine being nice to them all the time. Especially if they’re anything like me. Give yourself some grace.”
“……Therapy has been paying off for you. That was some awesome advice.”
“Dummy! I’ve always given good advice. I just don’t buy my own product. Anyways, stop stressing. It’s a grade isn’t it? Worry that pretty little head about passing. If you hold back, you could fail.”
Nick sat up. “Shit, you’re right.”
“Did you actually not consider that? Ha, why am I not surprised?”
“Think you can wish me luck?”
“Do you really need it?”
“I don’t know, but I have no choice but to do my best whenever you’re in my corner.”
“….I bet you’d say that to Valerie too.”
“Vee! I thought we were having a moment!” He said, flustered.
“Hahaha! There, you sound like yourself again. Do your best Nick. I’m always rooting for you.”
Before he could say thank you, Veronica hung up. Nick smiled as he felt a weight lift off of his chest. “Alright, let’s do this thing!”
Little did he know that the person who just comforted him was now screaming into a pillow, embarrassed by her own words.
“AAAAAAHHHHH!” She raised her head, hearing a text alert.
“Thank you❄️💙”
“What the- don’t add a heart~” she put her head back into the pillow.
xxxxxxx
Tomorrow came in the blink of an eye. Word of the fight had fully made the rounds between the students of all grades and those who were lucky enough to have the proper free period found themselves sitting on the bleachers for track/football field. Normally a match would take place in the combat room, but Harriet had the foresight to give a bigger, more open space. Not only for the class, or the students that were clearly skipping their block, but for the fighters themselves. Last thing the school needed was a stray fireball hitting a wall.
Eliza and Valerie sat on the bench warming seats thanks to the convenient excuse of “council work” and “the obligation to support their fellow staff.” They just wanted to be as close as possible and ground level. Harriet stood in the middle of the field waiting for the twins to change. It wasn’t long at all before doors from each side of the field opened.
Now by every right, the students who chose to do this exam have the ability to dress out into their fighting gear. They were essentially fighting under tournament rules after all. However, to everyone’s surprise, the twins opted for a more casual approach; dawning their gym attire. Nick walked onto the grass wearing black compression pants and shirt with his dusty blue gym shorts and gray shirt over it. His hair was tied back into a short wolf tail and his only accessories were fingerless white gloves and a belt that held his sword, Mort Froide, on his left hip. On his right hip was a small pouch made for holding vials of dust. His white tennis shoes were laced up and ready to go.
“That’s interesting.” Eliza said, pleasantly surprised. “He’s fully treating this like an activity.”
Valerie nodded. “Yeah. That’s way lighter than his normal clothes. I doubt he’d be wearing the compression suit if it was a bit warmer.”
Though neither one of them were completely caught off guard by the twins' attire, the rest of the students chattered among themselves as they witnessed Summer in a new light they’ve never seen. The girl known for always layering up has decided to only wear the gym shorts and shirt, exposing many of her old scars that graced her limbs. Summer didn’t even bother to cover the faded scar on her cheek like she adamantly did each day. A similar belt held her sword, Shiva, on her left hip while the girl tied her up into a high ponytail and let the ends fall down the back of her shirt. Unlike her brother, all her dust could be held inside the chambers of her blade. The loose shirt fabric was tied up with a scrunchy and he began stretching her arms as she continued her walk towards the center.
“Does she seem…different to you?” An upperclassman boy said.
“I never knew she had so many scars. Was she in an accident or something?” Said a female fan of the idol.
“It’s like she woke up for a fight. It’s kinda cool.” Said a shy freshman.
“Those scars are gross.” A peer said, holding back fake gagging.
Another shrugged. “I’d say this is the cutest she’s looked.” A female band mate said with pride.
Many had varying opinions on who they were looking at, but none of that was relevant, least of all to Summer. She gave her brother a wave. “Sleep well?”
“I should be asking you. I’m the one who slept in my bed.”
“It was cozy. Starting to think my bed is too soft.”
“It was made to keep you nice and toasty.” Nick smiled. “Not like you need it to anymore.”
“Hehe, true enough. Since we’re well rested, I don’t want to hear any excuses later.”
“Likewise.”
Harriet could feel the tension and she loved it! Nothing like a good brawl to get the blood flowing. “You both clearly look ready.”
“Ma’am!” They said in unison
Nick drew his sword and grabbed it with both hands as he put his right foot forward. Summer unsheathed her blade and held in her right, its tip pointed down beside her right foot as she placed it back a step.
The Jumbotron displayed their auras and lenses set their sights on the twins, eyes and cameras.
“I don’t have to tell either of you to ignore the spectators. Just focus on what you do best. You know the rules and so do I.” She pulled out a single coin and flipped it sky high before speeding off to the Press box where the other examiners watched behind a tinted window.
Vibrant eyes stared unblinkingly into each other. Time felt like an eternity as gravity pulled the coin back from the heavens. The first move has already been decided. The second the currency hit the ground, Nick jumped backwards with immense power; he quickly made a glyph hover over his head while Summer had already reached out with her left hand, summoning a giant Nevermore out of a small yet powerful glyph. The humongous bird screeched its battle cry, beak wide open to eat its prey; it would never get the chance however. A huge Gigas arm jutted out from Nick’s glyph, flattening itself palm downwards as it slammed its armored hand against the back of Nevermore’s body and neck like a pesky insect. The ground shook from the impact and both Grimm faded from the blow.
All it took was a tick of a gear and blink of an eye before Summer was right behind Nick, poised to slice him at the neck; his intuition was sharper than her blade however. He ducked down without even confirming her location, rolling along the ground and twisting himself around as he sprang up. Morte Froide defended against three rapid thrusts then a quick vertical slash. Nick had known from Summer’s starting position she was going for a summon, but it was clear it was only used as a means to an end.
“Time dilation.” He gritted his teeth and remained defensive as he was swarmed with vicious attacks.
Summer knew she couldn’t let her brother do as he pleased, which is why he mustn’t be allowed to set up his attacks. Thankfully he was a novice in comparison to her glyph making. She was certain lightning dust was held in his blade to pull off what she managed to accomplish. She darted forward, then leaped over head to strike his back again, but instead of pivoting, Nick took the chance to lunge forward. Summer chased after, preparing to parry a horizontal slash as he pivoted. As the blade came into view, a hue of red lit the battle field as flames danced on Morte Froide.
Summer hissed, “It wasn’t lightning!?”
Nick smirked as he doubled handed his blade and flung the flames in a whirlwind around him. It didn’t matter how fast Summer was if she risked getting burned from all angles. He saw his sister end her assault by prioritizing her safety with a step back. Not one to miss an opportunity, Nicholas gladly took his turn on the offensive. He closed the gap in a single lunge with his blade held high and guided downward in a blazing arch that clashed with the enemy blade. He used his strength to swing back up for another clash, then went for a diagonal cut to the left that was also blocked wonderfully. Nick brought his right foot forward and kicked straight out against Shiva, pushing Summer away. The rest of the flame’s drained towards the tip as he pointed Mort Froide right in her direction and launched a high speed fireball.
Formless winds twirled around Summer’s blade and shot like a blow dart with a single thrust. The intensity punctured the fireball, destroying it completely. Nick wasn’t about to show her up with a move like that! Summer horizontally slashed the space between them, did five more thrusts; the air vibrated violently before sending out delayed wind attacks that force the boy to backstep. Summer waited at the last possible moment right before his feet could land to make a wind glyph that blasts Nick sky high.
As far as the attack goes, Nick was unharmed. Unfortunately, he was certain it wasn’t supposed to hurt. A bright white glyph shined from below and gave him another Nevermore that wanted to play. Summer’s plans seemed to be more flexible than usual, while remaining practical. She had put him in a situation where he now had to fight a bird in midair. Nick twirled his blade then reeled it back like a javelin. It glee purple with the gravity dust he swapped in, then was thrown at the beast. Even bone armor couldn’t withstand such force and was split in two as the blade pierced the body completely and crashed into the ground. Upon the disintegration of another bird, Nick got a clear view of rock walls and pillars erupting from the ground in almost a segmented maze fashion.
Nick questioned how his sister’s brain worked. “How is anyone that fast?”
“Practice!” She fired shards of rock at him.
If it was as simple as that, he’d be at her level. Nick summoned a Gigas sword to his hand and deflected the rocks by spinning it like a windmill in front of his body, then kicked off a quick glyph to roll safely onto the field, his body remaining crouched as he took off running towards Summer and grabbing Morte Froide along the way.
He watched his sister retreat behind a pillar. Seconds later, rock and wind was sent flying at him while she darted off quickly to another location. Nick cut through the attacks easily, but now he had to play an elemental guessing game.
Eliza was thoroughly invested. “Not a bad strategy. He can’t immediately counter her attacks if he can’t see what glyph she’s casting.”
“Doesn’t stop his reflexes.” Valerie pointed out. Summer may be quicker semblance wise, but Valerie knew better than most that Nick was physically quicker. If Summer hadn’t used time dilation earlier, then that head to head swordplay could’ve gone poorly for her.
A jet stream of water blasted through a rock pillar and headed towards Nick. As he was about to slash it, he quickly made the decision to dodge right. Sure enough, a rush of electricity ran across the water not even a second later. Relying on his eyes right now wasn’t the best right now. Nick stayed calm and listened. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t see the attack. The kindling flicker sounds that came from behind him was all he needed to know. He pulled the used water from her previous attack into a glyph and blasted it to collide with an incoming fire attack. Not only did it conserve his own plans, but stopped Summer from freezing the floor at his feet. Nick chose a random rock wall to run up and stand on.
“Gotta hand it to ya Summer. I was a little worried at first that this was going to be a little embarrassing for one of us. But you seem to be taking this very seriously.”
The rock he stood on began to rumble and glow red, making Nick flee to another one as it became molten hot to the point of eruption. “Damn. Can you teach me that?”
“Can you take this seriously!?” Her voice echoed from multiple angles.
“I am taking this seriously. I just didn’t see the need to rush. Besides, making something this elaborate is a bit ridiculous. At this rate I just have to conserve more aura than you if you’re going to pull these stunts. If you want to beat me so badly then you better get bold, or else….” He trailed off.
Summer spotted his position from behind more cover. She made a gravity glyph where she stood then expanded it until she heard a sizable clunk. Summer looked over her shoulder to find the Gigas Nick tried to hide hopelessly trapped to the floor.
The girl smirked as she turned back around. “Nice tr-” Nick was gone. A shadow beneath her gradually grew, causing her to look straight up to see the body falling with his sword pointed down. His descent only increased the moment he entered the space of the gravity glyph. “Shit.” Summer dispelled the technique and fled. Unfortunately Nick had already gained tremendous speed.
He teleported the Gigas armor onto himself and struck the ground like a falling star, but he was only getting started! Not only did the shockwave hit Summer, but she saw a flash of brown glyph; a rock glyph. He must’ve swapped again in midair! A powerful tremor spread in every direction, obliterating her constructs and sending rock flying in every direction; including fragments that grazed her skin like shrapnel.
Before she could even hit the ground she knew Nick had to be advancing. Summer landed on her back then tumbled backwards onto her feet with another gravity glyph at the ready, putting it out like a wall. Sure enough Nick was precious moments away from a clean cut. The extra force in his direction was enough for his swing to slow just enough for Summer to lean left, while countering. Each of their blades found themselves connecting along each other’s ribs, causing strained grunts.
Armored up, Nick managed to brute force his movements despite the gravity while Summer remained off balance. She quickly clashed with Mort Froide to her left, then swung right to face the summoned blade. This wasn’t good at all. Nick was way too close for comfort! Thankfully the added weight made keeping up with him easier.
Back and forth, the audience watched her fight the dual wielder! What was once a long range battle quickly turned to an exchange of blows where each twin found room to inflict damage where they could. It was hard to tell who the crowd was rooting for. Some chanted for Nick, while others squealed for Summer. Then there were those who were simply happy to see a good fight.
Eliza and Valerie’s eyes were fixated on every subtle moment, and quick decision as they watched the pair move across the field. It was good Summer remembered to work the ring instead of staying in place, but Nick refused to lit up! He was definitely burning stamina with the way his attacks became relentless in the face of gravity. However, that extra weight was only gonna last for so long and they could tell by the look on Summer’s face that it was soon. She scrambled to parry faster; going as far as to put a glyph beneath them and rotate their position as a way to throw him off his rhythm. It kinda worked, but the pro-figure skating was used to recovering from a stumble; adapting his practiced moves into a twirling slash.
Nick opened up Summer’s defenses with another hit that moved her blade out of the way of her body. As he aimed to cross slash her stomach. He heard the click of her revolver chamber. Summer had opened it and out fell a vial of unused ice dust. Nick wasn’t able to stop his attack and struck it, causing an explosion that blew him away while Summer managed to throw up another glyph to shield her from the brunt of it. She merely stumbled backwards while Nick was forced to stab his sword into the ground to stop himself from sliding any further than halfway across the field. Both of them stared at each other as they caught their breath.
“How reckless of her.” Eliza said. “That might cost her points.”
“I don’t know. She made preparations to block against it and is still standing while her opponent kneels.” Valerie smiled as she watched both of her friends in action. 65% aura on Nick and 60% on Summer. “This is still anyone’s match and I think they’re finally all warmed up.”
Eliza chuckled. “Heh, another thing they should be deducted on.” Even when they weren’t being showy, a spectacle followed their every move.
As Nick composed himself, he watched Summer’s movements. Her eyes took everything in while remaining resolute; she didn’t even seem particularly tired. Their last exchange had simply left them breathless. Nick couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy fighting a person who knew his behaviors as well as he knew theirs. He could sense the determination coming from her as she readied herself. Nick stood up properly and pointed his blade at his closest rival.
“Are you done pretending like you’ve worked every scenario? We both know there’s a path you want to walk, so walk it.” He could see her stern gaze start to falter. Honestly, they truly were alike. “I won’t hold anything against you, so bring it on! Don’t you wanna give me your best!?”
His words cut deep. She did tell him to take things seriously. If she couldn’t hold true to that herself, then what was the point. The difference between pushing your limits and doing your best is a matter of perspective in her eyes. It was time to start being the best. Summer took a breath.
“Like I said before, I don’t wanna hear any excuses from you. I’ll play my ace, so you better play yours.”
Summer let her sword fall right out of her hand and into the ground at her feet, confusing the audience. She reached out with her right hand then made a small white glyph that fit into her palm. At first it looked normal, then quickly glowed brighter until it became a flash of light. As the glow faded, Summer held an ice cold cutlass in her hand. The air temperature around her grew colder and a faint shimmering in her hair was noticeable to those looking for it.
A grin spread across Nick’s face that matched his sister’s. He manifested the helmet of the Gigas and advanced, fully free from the earlier gravity glyph. As graceful as freshly fallen snow, Summer all but glided gracefully over to meet both his blade with both of hers.
Her eyes danced with renewed vigor. “Let’s dance,”she said cockily.
“Gladly.”
They pushed each other away briefly before letting their blades reunite in a flurry of clashes that brought about bursts of cold air which each hit. The can the power behind the attacks tense his forearms. He goes in for a thrust to the chest but Summer pivots around him like clockwork. She’s faster than before. Nick wastes no time dropping low and sweeping her leg but she cleverly chooses to jump. No matter. He puts a glyph under Summer’s feet and pushes it up higher into the sky to reevaluate his situation.
Summer wasn’t about to make that easy for him. The idol backflips off the platform and sends two waves of ice at him that carve into the ground, forming two walls of ice that put Nick into a corner. As she landed, frost and snow coalesced into her lungs as Summer took a deep breath before blowing out a frigid wind that sent jagged ice crawling in his direction that Nick began to hack through. Summer blew harder but she could only keep it going a few seconds more before she was forced to stop by a sharp pain in her chest.
“Agh!” Summer let out a rough cough. “Too cold…” Her brief moment of pain was enough for Nick to close the gap again. Her brother brought his swords across his body. As she prepared to block another cross slash, Nick brought up his right leg again and snap kicked her block to push her away, then followed up with the slash that broke her guard. It was clear picking to dual wield like him was a foolish decision on her part. He was too practiced in it, but it was definitely an eye opener for her. Nick may have been amazed by her glyph speed, but the fluidity of his swordplay left Summer rather jealous.
Summer threw the cutlass into the ground at his feet. The blade slowly began to crumble away into a whirlwind of frost that surrounded them both. Nick can feel the wind try to chip away at his armor while Summer rushed to face him with her trusted blade, creating a captivating display of sparks and ice.
Eliza didn’t know what she was seeing. “Summer can still use Diamond Dust?” She looked over at Valerie, whose face was just as shocked.
“News to me. I’m unsure if Nick even knew about it.” Though his face was covered, he could tell the amount of focus he had right now. He wasn’t on the back foot, but neither was Summer. “Looks like she’s in control, and it’s nowhere near as imposing as before.”
“I would hope not!” Eliza wasn’t about to deal with a second winter break. She glanced at the aura screen to see both of them slowly ticking down. “I doubt that form is sustainable. Still, what a bothersome ace to have. Tournaments are about to be even more annoying.”
Valerie couldn’t help but sigh in agreement. At this rate she was going to need a new training regiment, again.
Nick refused to back down despite the situation. Where there’s a will, there’s a way; and right now he felt like his sister’s was rather lacking. Her thought process was grand but would only stall then inevitable. If Nick was going to do something then no matter how long it took, it was going to happen! He moved her sword out of the way of her body with his. Nick reeled his summoned sword back, prompting Summer to raise her left. Most likely to raise a glyph barrier, but that’s exactly what Nick wanted.
Before Summer could make one, Nick abandoned the Gigas sword and took hand into his. “Huh!?”
“Hold this for me will ya?” Nick said cheekily as he put his armor over her. It began forcing Summer to kneel as Nick took both his swords and fled the whirlwind.
The possessed armor fought against Summer’s body as she tried to break free. “Aagh! Aaaah! Get ooooffff!” Every muscle in her felt strained. If she couldn’t force herself from inside then she’d cut herself out!
She made the whirlwind turn back into a cutlass and sliced right along the breastplate and helmet, killing the Grimm that trapped her. Summed rose to her feet in pain and saw a faint golden light shining across the field. It was her brother standing perfectly still as the sound of a clock ticked. Her eyes began to widen; he hadn’t used lightning dust yet. He could still use time dilation!
Summer raised her sword to aim a projectile, but as quickly as she was able to channel one, she didn’t. What would be the point? It wouldn’t reach him in time to interrupt, or make a difference. The dozens of ideas and strategies in her head were abandoned almost immediately. Instead, Summer let Shiva fall to the ground, arming herself with the cutlass. Her stance shifted to one that was wide and low to ground. Summer brought the blade to the opposite side as if she were to sheath it; her gaze narrowed in on souly Nicholas while she began creating multiple normal white glyphs all over the sports field and below her feet.
Nick couldn’t smile wider even if he wanted to. “Finally…” he uttered, revving himself up. If Winter were here, he was sure she would be so excited for Summer. Up until now, his sister’s performance was amazing. Hell, they were brilliant choices to make. However they all served to keep himself within reason. “You wanted no excuses, so overcome me or fail!”
Nick became a blur with his enhanced speed, going as far as to use the glyphs she made for extra momentum. Summer blasted off towards her opponent and swung full force to meet his attack, causing the biggest clash yet! No more strategies to prevent Nick’s skills. The plan was now simple and direct. Be better. She would either triumph over this hurdle or lose trying to!
The speed of Nick’s attacks weren’t for the faint of heart and some watchers even failed to catch the number of consecutive hits. Valerie watched Morte Froide attack in a “Z” pattern before five rapid thrust met a metal blade. Nick then leaned with his left to swing the summoned blade to greet Summer’s defiant side slash. He held his blade flat and swung it out, right at Summer’s neck. The girl only moved back just enough to clear it, then clashed with metal again. Nick pivoted around to Summer’s back as feint, returning to his previous position just as quickly when she tried to follow him. Her back was left wide open and suffered a heavy cross slash before Summer could turn back around to cut along Nick’s left shoulder. She tried striking the right but his body leaned out of the way. Nick threw Gigas blade up into the air then held Mort Froide with both hands. Summer gasped, quickly holding the cutlass with both hands and swinging up as hard as possible to meet the thunderous pressure of Nick’s attack. The clash lasted only a second before the swords separated from each other and met again as the the twins began hacking at each other left and right. Valerie could no longer tell who it was that was pressuring who!
Nick didn’t blink once as the violent slashes made more sparks than a forge. “Hahahaha! Look at you~” he goaded.
“Quiet!” She growled through her teeth, her concentration maintained.
“What!? You wanted to fight me. Fight. Me!”
He fully swung right and Summer stepped back in time before vaulting forward to hit him center mass from underneath his arms. Nick reached up with his left hand, perfectly catching his summoned sword and swinging it down to block her stab. Zero hesitation was made as he angled Mort Froide at her face. Summer tilted her head which made the blade sting her left cheek. The minimalistic dodge caught everyone off guard including Nick. Summer followed up with fully planting her feet and using all her strength to cut right through the Gigas blade, destroying it.
“I’m not done yet!” She yelled as she swung left near Nick’s hand. She got her blade right under the hilt of Mort Froide and hit right out of his hand! With her cutlass still raised, she angled downward for the true target. Nick leaped backwards but she jumped forward right with him. “No you don’t!”
Caught up in the fighting fever, Valerie yelled, “She’s got him!”
Summer swung down to finish the match with a decisive blow, but what should’ve hit aura instead clashed with rock! Her eyes widened as two chunks of dust from the destroyed constructs not only blocked her attack, but did so with Nick’s glyphs behind each one as he shaped them into the image of his blade. With Summer still airborne, she was easily pushed back as Nick looked so happy with himself. Damnit! He truly earned every last letter of his nickname!
“Woooo!” Eliza cheered wholeheartedly, “Fight on, Gilgamesh!!!”
Summer slid back and was immediately surrounded by more glyph covered rock Dust that flew her way as blades while Nick himself rushed behind them. The entire field had become his ammo. Summer took a page right out of his playbook and flung icy wind in form mimicking Nick’s flame attack; the feeble stone was torn to shreds while keeping the boy at bay long enough for Summer to deal with him properly as they continued their duel! Their feet carried them around the entire space like rushing rapids thanks to glyphs she had made and his time dilation still in effect. Summer disarmed him again but one after another, new blades replaced her hard work but she just had to keep going!
Just how long have they been keeping this up? Neither could say. Summer only knew her arms felt heavier than lead with every swing. Occasionally she’d feel pain from a good hit, but ignored it as she dished out her own damage. It was a strange feeling she wasn’t completely aware of. She was focused, yet zoned out. Energized and calm. Her body knew what moves it wanted to make without too much thinking yet obviously they each weren’t attacking recklessly. Summer had been in many fights but this rare trance she found herself similar to her final push against her uglier side. There was no simpler way to put it; right now, she wasn’t just in a fight. Summer was fighting. If she could remember, she’d have to ask Nick if this is how he always felt?
If she had paid attention, then she’d definitely believe so because their next attack synched up. His blades pressed against hers before they both pushed away hard enough to send them tumbling away, Nick’s blades breaking again. As they rolled, Nick managed to grab his true weapon. The twins stopped themselves by making one more glyph each that acted as a backboard their feet hit, blades ready for an outward horizontal slash. They flew towards each other in a single, powerful lunge that sent them past each other as the crowd heard the final loud clash of weapons. The two stood utterly motionless, maintaining their striking pose.
The crowd went silent, unsure of who connected. Summer’s faint radiance finally diminished. Her eyes glanced down at the cutlass she held and watched it fade away into nothing more than dwindling snow. The strength to turn around was all she had left, her eyes landing on Nicholas as he finally turned around as well. He was saying…something. His words fell on ringing ears. All she saw was moving lips turn into a satisfied grin, before a flash of blue flickered on him. Nicholas Schnee fell to the ground. It was only then that her brain registered what had just taken place and the sound of a buzzer reached her. The strength Summer thought she lost came flooding back and unleashed itself as her fists punched straight into the air.
“I DID IT!!!!”
Her voice erupted through the silence and invoked cheers from the amazed crowd. Everyone celebrated loudly. Valerie finally stood up and ran over to the winner, giving her a tackle hug that sent them to the ground.
“You were awesome!!!!”
“Everything hurts!” Summer said, happily laughing.
Eliza walked over to her defeated president who laid on his back. She looked down at his peaceful smile to see he was still conscious. “You okay?”
“The soreness is already kicking in.”
“Not surprising. You’re only working with 9% in the tank because of that final hit. Meanwhile, Summer is coasting on 17% left.” Eliza smiled. “Not a bad performance at all.”
“Coming from you, that means a lot. Hehe…”
Harriet’s voice came from the speakers to finally say a few words. “Everyone give another round of applause to both of your peers for an exceptional performance. Nicholas, Summer, well done.”
That sounded like a passing grade to them. They’d still have to wait for an official number but frankly, they were never concerned about failing to begin with.
xxxxxx
After such an explosive match, other exam participants gave their best and more during their turns. Although many would agree no match would top the twins. At least not today.
Summer was excused from further classes for the day. Not like there was much to do at the end of the year. She essentially just passed and technically wouldn’t be missing anything if she didn’t show up for the remaining days as a sophomore. Though that probably wouldn’t be the best look, sadly. After a little rest in the locker room, the real struggle of putting on her uniform was over and walked out a winner, but also a tired woman. Even opening the door made her sigh.
“Shouldn’t I be the one sighing?” Nick said, catching her by surprise by sitting up against the wall with two energy drinks. “Hey, winner.” He tossed her one drink and then worked his way up to standing.
“H-Hi.” Summer took him by the forearm and helped him to his feet. “You didn’t have to wait for me.”
“I got no better place to be. Besides, we do share a house.”
“We can go home early too?”
“Yep. We’ve been cleared.”
Nick started walking while Summer followed behind him. Their walk was quieter than Nick imagined. The only constant noise was their feet on concrete as they made their way off school grounds. He eventually looked over his shoulder to see his sister looking down at her feet and only occasionally looking up to check her surroundings.
“You seem a little reserved considering your grand solo debut.” He teases lightly. “I’m not mad y’know?”
“Really?” Summer was genuinely surprised. “I did challenge you out of the blue, and so many people know you for your fighting ability with and without me. I wouldn’t hold it against you if this was frustrating. It would frustrate me.”
And they call him a worry sort? Nick stopped walking, letting Summer catch up to him until he was right beside her. “The last thing I am is frustrated. I actually couldn’t be prouder. Besides, you’ve always been the talented one.” We continued to walk at her pace.
“What!?”
“Ha, like you don’t know. You’ve always been smarter and had a knack for this. It just took a little time for your confidence to catch up with your skill. I mean your glyph mastery is incredible and your form is way more refined. By comparison-”
“Oh shut up.” Summer said defiantly, pointing at Nick’s face. “I’ve mastered nothing and don’t give me that comparison crap! You’re fucking incredible!”
He blinked twice. Angry compliments weren't what he expected. “O…kay?”
“I’m serious! You make it sound like beating you was a full blown conclusion, but I had no certainty at all! My form is refined!? Your swordplay is immaculate and unique. Don’t even get me started on your glyphs. My knowledge may be vast but what you can do, you do with brilliance. I can’t begin to understand how you make so many swords so quickly!”
“It’s just practice. It’s a literal copy of mine.”
“And that maze was a blueprint I drew, but you couldn’t believe your eyes. What would be the point in feeling good about my victory if you claim you’re nothing special? And you say I need confidence.” Summer crossed her arms and turned her head away like a pouty child. “Hmph!”
One minute there was praise, the next he was being chewed out for his actions. “And here I thought you took more after dad.”
Summer whipped her back around. “I do!”
“Pfft, okay.” He smiled. “So are you switching to cutlass from now on. That was pretty nifty swordplay.”
“Hell no. I don’t understand how you can fight so aggressively and up close so much. Although…you gotta teach me that trick where you threw your sword and caught it perfectly without looking!” Her eyes twinkled. “That was pretty cool. I would’ve clapped if I wasn’t the one fighting!”
“Hahaha! Only if you help me with my glyphs.”
“Deal!” The awkwardness she felt between them melted away. Looks like she was worried over nothing. “By the way…don’t you think you were cutting it a bit close with aiming for my face? I’m an idol! You could’ve hurt my revenue.”
“Uhh…I may have gotten a little caught up in the thrill. You had aura though, as well as annoying Dust shenanigans. My bad.”
“As long as you’re aware then I guess I’ll let it slide. Wasn’t exactly pulling my punches either.”
“You threw a Nevermore at me, twice. Not even mom does that! Speaking of which, how much you wanna bet her and dad were in the Press Box?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me, but no way they were allowed to grade us. It was probably Ironwood doing that, or maybe even Neon or Robyn. I’ve heard they can be pretty critical.”
“Guess we’ll just have to wait to see.”
They continued their conversation all the way home. One painfully sore step at a time.
xxxxxx
As they arrived at the manor, Nick made a quick trip to their parked car in front and put his hand on the hood.
“Is the engine warm?” Summer asked.
“Yep.” He walked to the front door and pushed one side open while Summer got the other.
“We’re home!” They called out, watching their parents run into view from the living room.
“Wow, you two are home early!” They said, smiling warmly.
No under normal circumstances, a child might take those words of shock to mean their parents were doing something scarring and rather gross. However, not only did they show up from the living room, but were fully dressed to go outside.
The twins returned the smile. “They were totally in the Press Box.”
At least it saved them the trouble of describing the day that would surely be talked about all summer long.
-The End
xxx Bonus xxx
“Hey Nick!” Summer yelled as she slid into his room with an opened letter. “Read it and weep!” She flashed her exam score that held a magnificent 94% on it.
“Oh hey. Good job.” Nick casually lifted his score of 98% in her face as he continued his virtual Uno with Adrian.
“What!? How’d you get a higher score!? I won the fight!”
“Yeah, but who had to spend the first half overcoming the plans made against them? I mean I literally pulled off trapping you in a suit of armor.”
“…I made you look too good.”
“And that’s why I’ll never regret having you as a twin.” He clicked his mouse. “Uno out. I win!”
“FUCK!”
Nick snickered like a gremlin. Two wins against two family members. Today was a good day.
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chervbs · 1 year
Text
hold on tight — s. harrington
pairings: platonic!steve harrington x gn!reader
word count: 1.7k
synopsis: steve finds out that you’ve been asked out on a date and you realize he’s the big brother you never had, but always needed.
warnings: overprotective big brother steve aka nothing romantic in this one! reader wears makeup but their gender is never specified, reader also has a romantic interest whose gender is not specified (no explicitly stated sexuality), reader was a hawkins lab experiment like el, mostly just platonic fluff <3
a/n: I love love love platonic fics and there’s very little i’ve found for ST so if you know of any send them my way! I also adore big brother/parent steve and I hope I did him at least a little bit of justice. gif isn’t mine.
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“You’re going on a what?”
You made eye contact with both Eleven and Max, the three of you simultaneously rolling your eyes.
The gang had all gathered at Steve’s for one last hurrah before the summer ended. Robin, Nancy and Eddie had finally graduated, a feat thought near impossible after the defeat of Vecna. But everyone had survived and had been relishing in the last three months of summer.
While the kids were preparing to start their sophomore year, you were prepping for your senior year.
You had escaped Hawkins Lab by Elevens side back in 1983, and had helped defeat the monsters of the Upside Down with your friends. Being a few years older than the kids had put you at a disadvantage when it came to the friendships that started as alliances, but your powers were much more developed than your younger sister.
“A date, Steve.” You replied calmly, somewhat expecting this type of reaction from him.
The man in question sputtered like you’d said the most atrocious sentence he’d ever heard. “With who? Who asked you on a date?”
The way he asks puts an emphasis on the wrong side of the question. This catches Max’s attention, the red head answering before you could. “And why do you say it like that, Steve? You think it’s so impossible that someone would wanna go on a date with our lovely friend?”
You know, and you know Max knows, that he didn’t mean it like that. But the red that tints his cheeks and the panic that sets into his eyes is just too funny.
“W-what? Of course not, I just meant-“ His eyes find her mischievous smirk and they narrow at her, focusing his attention solely on you. “I didn’t mean it like that. Now–who asked you out?”
His stern expression and the hands on his hips remind you of Hopper. The man you considered your father had yet to find out about this date, but you can imagine he’ll have a similar, albeit slightly more violent, reaction.
You roll your eyes again. Steve snaps his fingers, index finger pointing angrily at your face. “Hey, don’t roll your eyes at me. I just need to know who it is. For safety reasons.” He gives a one shouldered shrug, as if that would help in getting you to believe him.
A sigh escapes your lips. “If you must know, it’s a kid that was in my chemistry class last year and they work at the record store on main.”
“Lighten up, dingus!” Another voice calls. Robin emerges from the pool, taking the towel held out by Nancy and joining you by the pool chairs. “Y/N hasn’t shut up about this kid for weeks. Let ‘em have some fun.”
Ignoring your now flustered state at the girls words, Steve’s glare turns to the blonde. “You knew about this?”
You can’t help the groan that leaves your lips, head falling back in exasperation. “Steve!” You whine. “What is your problem?”
His arms maneuver to fold across his chest and he stares at you like you’ve offended him. “Well, excuse me for being concerned about you.” His tone is all sass, and if you were growing increasingly annoyed, you probably would’ve laughed. “How do we know his kid is trustworthy, huh? I don’t know if it’s slipped your mind, but we’ve literally been to hell, and I don’t know about you but I’m not willing to take any risks.”
“And I don’t know if it slipped your mind, but I have some very special abilities.” You remind him, mentally reveling in the way he’s pouting. “Even if his intentions weren’t good, I would know.”
You possessed a few telekinetic related powers just like El, but your main ability was foresight. You didn’t have visions and you couldn’t see years into the future, but you were able to know what would happen in the next minute. It allowed you to have impossibly fast reflexes and you usually knew what people were going to say before they did.
Steve struggled to come up with a rebuttal, and you sent him a knowing look. “Steve. I’ll be fine. I’ve known them for over a year now, and I really like them.”
When El had left with the Byers’ to California, you’d been able to stay in Hawkins and were residing in the Harrington household. Steve’s parents were gone ninety-nine percent of the time, and anytime they did pop back into town, you’d have a sleepover with Robin or Nancy.
Over the years, the former jock had become something of a brother to you. Like Dustin, you’d gravitated towards Steve, desperate to bond with an older role model that didn’t feel like a parent. He understood you better than Hopper but cared just as much. And after spending so much time taking care of Eleven and helping her grow into herself, it was nice to have someone be that person for you.
You could practically see the thoughts running through his head, and for a moment you feel almost bad about bringing up the topic around your friends rather than telling him in private.
It was a well known fact that he also saw you and the little sister he never got. Even after Hopper came back and the Byers moved back to Hawkins to live as one, big, happy family, you stayed with Steve. Of course you had a room there, but you assured hopper and Joyce that you were perfecting content with your living situation.
Hopper had been a little suspicious at the start that your “brother/sister” relationship with Steve was some kind of cover up. But he was quick to learn that that wasn’t the case.
You knew Steve was just being over protective. The two of you shared a bond that was different than even the one he had with Dustin. He wanted to keep you safe at all costs, and you couldn’t fault him for it.
Finally, under the pressuring stares of all of your friends, Steve sighed in defeat. “Fine. I guess, you can go on your date. But be careful. Please.”
A triumphant grin with a hint of fondness grew on your face. “I wasn’t looking for your permission, Stevie. But I’m glad I have your support.”
The smug grin was quickly wiped off your face, a squeal escaping your lips when he lunged for you, your body flying through the air and into the pool before you could blink.
-
“And…all done.” Nancy smiled in satisfaction, swiping the last little bit of lip gloss across your bottom lip. You looked over at the Max, El, and Robin nervously.
“How do I look?” All you received were bright smiles and gestures to look towards the mirror.
You braced yourself before twisting at the waist. The person staring back at you was almost unrecognizable. The makeup, the hair, the clothes were all foreign concepts to you, which is why you had the girls here to help you get ready. Without them you would have had no idea where to start, and you really wanted to impress your date.
When as much as expressed to your friends, they were quick to assure your that you’d look amazing wearing a trash bag, and if your date didn’t think so then they weren’t the one for you.
But they knew, and you knew that deep down, it was also partially for you. For the little kid that never got to experience these kinds of things growing up and who for once in your crazy life, just wanted to feel normal. Steve also knew this, he had to have, or else your not sure how he’s been able to behave this entire time.
You could hear him pacing downstairs and you almost rolled your eyes at his dramatics. He was just worried, you knew that, so you let him be.
Until the doorbell rang, and your abilities informed you of what could happen next. “Don’t your open that door, Steven!” You shot up from the vanity and launched yourself out of the bedroom, the girls hot on your heels as you ran downstairs.
Steve was inches from the door before an invisible force stopped him in his tracks. You looked back and found El with her hand outstretched and holding back a grin.
Sending her a silent thank you, you looked back at Steve, who was glaring back at the group of you. “Real funny.”
“Sorry, Harrington, we can’t have you scaring off the poor kid before the first date.” Max remarked, leaning against Eleven’s shoulder.
Nancy spun you by your shoulders, smoothing out and wrinkles in your clothes and any flyaway hairs that escaped in your haste to beat Steve to the door. “Okay, you’re all set.” She beamed. “Don’t be nervous, you’ll be fine.“ She assured, seeing the hesitance in your eyes.
You took a deep breath, facing the door and Steve, still stuck in his spot. “At ease, El.” You joked. She got the hint and freed Steve from his confinement, the man stumbling slightly.
Steve didn’t reach for the door again, only stared at you with a mixture of concern and acceptance. Without a word, he pulled you into him, embracing you with the hope that it expressed everything he wasn’t able to say. “Be careful, okay?” He mumbled.
You squeezed your arms around his torso. “I will.”
Robin handed you your purse that the girls had packed with all your essentials. A compact mirror, a travel sized makeup kit for touch ups, tissues and some pepper stray, just for safety. Not that you’d need it, but it helped put everyone’s mind at ease.
The group watched you pause in front of the door before you pulled it open. They only caught a glimpse of your date before it closed behind you. As soon as it shut, they were all pressed up against the window. You were already beaming at your date, tucking a hair shyly behind your ear when they opened the passenger side door for you.
Robin rested her head on Steve’s shoulder. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”
She was joking, but Steve nodded. “Yeah. They do.”
And if Steve saw the quick kiss you shared while waiting for you to get home safely, he’d wait till the morning to tease you about it.
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cryinginmyroomsposts · 8 months
Text
Be My Valentine | Ch- 4  Uh Oh
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pairing: Vernon x reader
genre: angst, heartbreak, friends to lovers, non-idol!au, college au
summary: College was hard enough and the thought of spending Valentine’s Day alone and sad was not your style. And the best solution was to go on a platonic date with your best friend Vernon. It goes so well that it becomes a tradition until it gets messy… nothing ever goes wrong by pretend-dating your best friend right?
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status: ongoing
a/n: This is just angst and I might’ve hurt myself writing this. I’m sorry in advance, promise you a happy fluffy ending!
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Time moves on, another second and another minute, but you stay right where you are. Hearing your heartbeat in your throat and trying your best not to panic. You hear faint sounds from the club, ringing at the back of your head. You feel every part of your body and the awareness of it all is overwhelming.
"Excuse me."
The unfamiliar voice from the door of the balcony makes you and Vernon break apart from the intense reverie you were both lost in. Seeing this as your way out, you leave all logic and maturity behind as you run as fast as you can from there to your apartment.
It's all a blur. You push past the stranger, down to the entrance of the club and head out without bothering to take the jacket you left behind. You had your phone in your hand and that's all that mattered as you ran- rather speed-walk as fast as the fancy heels let you. You reach the apartment in record time and open the door with the keys, grateful that Liv was out and jumped straight onto your bed.
It was dark and cold in your room. Your legs were frozen and your feet were killing you now that you are barefoot. Yet you stay there, face planted on the pillow, breathing heavily. Nothing makes sense and yet everything does.
You know one thing, but it is the one thing you did not want to have known anytime soon. To you it made no sense, or so you keep telling yourself. You just wanted to run away from all the complications.
But life isn’t that simple because that is the exact moment the bell rings and you know who is on the other side. You could simply stay here and not open, hide away in the place that is familiar and safe. But you simply cannot stand the idea of him standing there, on the other side of the door, probably shivering and definitely hurt.
This is the one thing you didn’t want. Ever.
And to prevent more of Vernon getting hurt you could hide away but you change and open the door. Eyes meeting with the heavy, wet and dark eyes of his. His hair wet from the snow, his face tired and scared.
You move away to let him in and he walks to the living room silently. You bring a cup of water to him and he drinks it. You notice he has brought ur jacket with him. He notices you have changed into what you called “the depression enduring outfit”.
You both stay still as the clock ticks. The only sound filling the dimly lit house is of the shallow breaths you both take.
“When?”
That’s all. One word. The word that has been plaguing your mind. The word you know he can’t deny anymore. Not with how his eyes darken in resignation of any fight and denial he had prepared.
“Not too long.”
“Vernon.” You stare at him and be stares back. He gulps realising you aren’t going to backdown.
“Since sophomore year.”
Oh.
His answer hangs in the air for a minute. The tension is rife and so is the fear in both your hearts. Both hopping not to lose the other. Two hearts wanting the same thing through the opposite means.
“Was it the Valentine’s Day date?” You think you can actually feel your heart in your throat.
“Months before that.”
Oh. God.
You cannot physically or mentally handle this, you sigh and lean back into the couch where both of you are sitting at opposite ends.
“It’s not fair Vernon.” Your voice breaks and you hear him sigh.
“I know. I thought it would go away. I tried… I tried to make it go away.” He scoffs and you look up to see how defeated he looks.
“That’s why you’ve been a jerk since I started trying to date.” It comes out as a comment because you deem it to be the singular truth. You miss the way he whips his head to your direction and how his body straightens.
“That’s not it.” The words are practically spit out between clenching his teeth together. You catch the shift and face him, leaning forward.
“Then what? You’ve been jealous and you acted rude.” His eyes are flaring now.
“Y/n don’t say shit just cuz you can.”
You sigh and look at him, he is looking at you with a multitude of emotions on top of which lays the anger.
“What about our friendship? Was any of it real?”
Now he looks bewildered. Eyebrows shooting up, eyes wide and mouth agape.
“Was any of those moments real, any of that care and support… I thought we had a solid friendship but you also turned out to just want me.” The words leave you before you can catch yourself. These are the thoughts you formulated in moments of emotional instability and the minute it leaves your mouth it tastes bitter.
Vernon looks a minute away from exploding in pure unadulterated rage. You want to it take it back. You watch as he struggles to regulate his breath. As he huffs and runs a finger through his hand. When he faces you again, his eyes are glistening and all that anger has been replaced by hurt.
“Don’t do this.”
“You’re not denying it.” You want to stop but the feeling of betrayal along with everything else- primarily fear, takes over you. The best option you know is pushing him away and you do just that.
“Are you kidding me. Y/n! Are you seriously going to look at me and say that? Of course our friendship meant- means, everything to me. That’s the only reason I kept my feelings away. I tried, real real hard, to not fall. I tried y/n… I did.” He’s never sounded or looked this vulnerable- tears streaming down his face and voice cracking with each word.
You sigh, feeling tears of your own roll down your eyes.
“I can’t do this Vernon. I can’t. I don’t..”
“What?” You see him as he prepares for another accusation thrown at him.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Your voice is a mere whisper but you can see that he hears it. You feel the way his heart contorts.
“You won’t.” He moves to kneel down in front of you, taking your hands in is.
You scoff. “I will break you. I will break us.”
He shakes his head sideways, more tears streaming down.
“This won’t end well. I- I can’t lose you… you’re one of the only constants I’ve had after years of tumultuous relationships and everything else.”
“Y/n, I know it’s scary but we can make it work. I know it is triggering a lot for you… but it’s us. We can figure it out… together.” It’s a plea rather than a consolation.
“I don’t want this Vernon. I don’t want change. I can’t handle it. I don’t like you. And I will never love you”
His hands freeze above yours. He slowly moves away, back hitting the coffee table, he stares at you.
“You don’t have to love me. We can just give it a try. We can work it out.”
You shake your head. “Vernon. I don’t know how many times to tell you. I don’t love you. And I won’t.”
You see it. The exact moment your fear comes alive in front of your own eyes. The way the tears stop rolling down his face eyes and the realisation sinks in. He gets up, face stoic, heaves a sigh and starts to walk toward the door and you follow.
“I will break your heart into pieces.” You say silently, hoping it still hasn’t come true.
His hand freezes on the door handle. He turns around and scoffs. “You just did.”
And he’s gone. Taking all your happiness with him. Gone, like everyone else. Gone, because that’s what’s best for him.
***********
A day. A week. Two weeks. They have all passed by, unbeknownst to you.
You are aware of time as a regular concept and if it’s functioning around you. You still wake up, go to classes, do your chores, your internship tasks and you function according to the generic concept of time in its physical existence. But your heart stopped the moment the door clicked behind him.
It might’ve stopped seconds before when he acknowledged that you’d indeed done the one thing you swore not to.
Your heart stopped, tears drained and emotions stuck. But you functioned as you were expected to. Moved on, as you were expected to. This was habit, you did this when your parents messed up or when your friends found friends of their own. You did this when douchebags broke your heart. And you do this now, knowing you might’ve broken the best thing you ever had.
You’d be stupid to have not realised sooner. Rather, you were stupid to live in denial. You saw it coming. With every lingering touch, an extra soft smile and the longing stares when he thought you didn’t notice. You did them all too. You felt it all too. You had lied through your teeth to him. You had been lying to yourself for years. All to live for the hope that you would help him. The wishful thinking of preventing him the pain you’d always leave in your wake.
You’d done a lot of thinking since the moment the door closed. You thought of all the things you hadn’t wanted to make yourself think of before. You thought of running to him. You thought of holding him close. You thought of him holding you. You thought of how it would feel to finally have him to you. You also thought you don’t deserve him. You thought about everything you could do to hurt him and everything you did. You thought about how you chose douchebags till now knowing you don’t deserve the good ones. And Vernon was the best of all.
You stopped thinking eventually. Not before sending a couple dozen apologies to him, all of which have been left unread. You stopped thinking when you could no longer physically could.
Now you just do everything you’ve managed to make a habit out of.
Unfortunately for you, Vernon was one of those habits. A very addicting and supportive one at that. You kept reaching to text him, to see him between classes. To apologise. To console him.
You’d seen him once in the two weeks, owing to the lack of classes together this semester. He looked his usual self but you caught the lack of joy, or any emotion, on his face. You watched him walk away, again, knowing it’s you who caused it. Praying it was right for him.
Liv was there for you, she held you through the harshest nights and kept you grounded. You were glad there was still one person you could hold on to. A person you could reach out to when the going gets tough. A person to get you back up.
So you keep going, keep doing and keep hurting.
With the finals closely approaching, you did what you do best- study to avoid life. You studied day in and day night. April blended into May and you flourished through every assignment and test.
You had managed to convert your internship into a full-time job thus achieving your biggest dreams. You watched as Liv got to achieve her goals. You scrolled and scrolled until you found that Vernon had also managed to secure his dream job, and most probably the title of gold medalist of the university.
You were excited, you were grateful but it still felt empty. It felt empty not having the person who motivated you every step of the way to share your achievements with. All of your accomplishments were devoid of colour without having his achievements to celebrate along with. You’d been running for all of this for days, months and years. Every single thing you did had led here. Yet, waking up to your literal dreams felt gut-wrenching.
And as you sit at your desk eyeing the Graduation ceremony invite, the thoughts you suppressed started crawling back. The moment you had been eagerly talking about and discussing for years. The day you had planned to celebrate with him, your best friend and… everything.
The invite had awoken every thought you had made dormant through denial. You’d done your best to block him out for weeks only for it all to come crashing on you when you realise that everything around you and on you reminded you of Vernon. He was so intertwined into every part of you that the very thought of doing this without him next to you made you want to puke.
The realisations, the impending future and the big changes- all rumbling in your mind. Every thought, mistake, yearning, wishing, and wondering bouncing off the other.
Until they all collided into one singular thought- a need, you need to see him.
You need to go to Vernon. To beg for forgiveness, to hope he can forgive himself.
Maybe you can finally piece the broken pieces of both your hearts into one masterpiece.
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ragingclaw · 9 months
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The Usual Routine (Harvey x OC)
Summary: Another day, another season. Harvey takes his time and mulls over things.
Word Count: 1,255
AN: Fluff. Just fluff. Also, I thought about focusing on my fic. I rolled a d20 and got a nat 1. Guess I'll dilly-dally.
The warmth of the morning sun hit Harvey’s face, something he had been experiencing ever since he moved into the farmhouse with Hiraya. Sensing that the right side of the bed was empty, Harvey instinctively reached out for his glasses and made his way to the kitchen, only to find it empty except for the plate and a cup on the table.
Sitting, Harvey hummed to himself as he marveled at the fact that he had found himself living in this peaceful house. Three years after he’d married Hiraya, he still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have been the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Remembering the quiet mornings that he would wake up to make him feel warm as he took a spoonful of the complete breakfast in front of him.
In the distance, he could hear Gregory and Flora already at their usual shenanigans. He knew that those two are shouting at each other as they clear up debris scattered around their farm, it is the start of a new season after all. A perfect time to spend time with Aya and Danny, he thought to himself, placing the now-empty plate on the sink and drinking the remaining coffee in his cup.
As he officially started his day, Harvey heard footsteps coming from their son’s room. “What do you want for breakfast?” turning around, he saw Hiraya carrying Daniel whose arms are tightly wrapped around his mother’s neck. A smile appeared on his face when he heard their son mumble something to Hiraya. He looks and sounds just like you, Harvey recalled his mother saying to him one time when his family visited him on his birthday.
After setting the plate aside to dry, Harvey watched Hiraya put Daniel in the chair before ruffling his hair, earning her a giggle. For Harvey, moments like these made his longing for a domestic life for many years worth it. It did not take Daniel long to notice him, as he was immediately bombarded with questions if they are going to help Hiraya on the farm or not.
“Good morning, dear. How’s the breakfast?” Hiraya greeted him with a small smile, finally completing his morning with a kiss from her. He then sat down beside Daniel, who demanded a hug as soon as he was seated. “Honey, it’s fantastic, and all of the dishes that you make are something that I always look forward to.”
He could see a blush form on Hiraya’s cheek and her attempts at hiding it, causing himself in getting flustered at her reaction in return. Announcing that she’ll prepare Daniel’s food, Harvey stood up and volunteered to do it, only for him to almost knock the both of them down. Noticing how close their faces are, Harvey’s breath hitched with how firm yet gentle Hiraya’s grip on his arm was.
It took Hiraya some time when she realized what was happening, and when she did, she couldn’t help but laugh at how silly they are. “Harvey,” she chuckled as she buried her face in his chest, “We are not teenagers anymore.”
“I can’t help it, honey. Your love makes me feel as if this is the first time I have fallen in love with someone.”
Hiraya looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Are you also this much of a flirt 20 years ago?”
“No,” he kissed the top of her head, “I’m just comfortable in expressing my emotions to you.”
The world seemed to slow down for Harvey as he gazed into his wife’s eyes. Uttering a quiet “I’ll cook” to her, he then started preparing their son’s food as his thoughts drifted to the very first day that he met Hiraya. If someone had told him 6 years ago that he would fall in love with one of the new people that moved into Pelican Town, he would laugh at them.
Harvey had been in two failed relationships before Hiraya. The first one was when he was just a sophomore at the university; a charming girl, but tried to control him too much, so much that he forced himself to push his nervousness around people and be a social butterfly after they fought when he declined her invitation one time.
Those five years with his ex drained him emotionally and mentally. Some of his friends advised him to try having one-night stands with other women after his first heartbreak, though he immediately knew that setup wasn’t for him the morning after he woke up with his head throbbing due to hangover, only to find his bed empty with a note from a friend’s friend. Up to this day, Harvey wondered how he was able to do those back then despite how shy he was around people.
If it wasn’t for his second relationship, if he could even call ‘two friends meeting after work to have sex and talk after that’ a relationship, he might’ve been content being alone and married his profession. He had talked with that friend of his after they’d done their routine to try and upgrade their relationship, although after three dates they both knew that neither of them wanted a serious commitment at that time, especially when they both spend most of their days at their jobs. At least you had someone help you sort out what you want, Hiraya said to him when she asked him about his past relationships.
A small hand pinching his cheek pulled Harvey out of his thoughts, seeing his son happily put his hand on his face repeatedly. Seconds later, a small chirping sound coming from the door caught their attention. “They’re looking for you, honey. Odd that they like being around you considering you can’t even understand what they are saying,” said Hiraya as she walked through the doorway.
Daniel’s face lit up as he saw the junimos following his mother, while a handful was clinging to her. “Any news from your friend, the wizard, about why I can see them?”
“No,” Hiraya sighed, placing a green junimo on Harvey’s shoulder, “though he strongly believes it’s because you’ve been exposed to magic the longest. He also mentioned that Grandpa’s place is one of the places that is potent with magic.”
A small “huh” was all that Harvey could manage. The green junimo, who was quietly sitting on his shoulder, used his mustache to cling over to his right shoulder. Surprisingly, the junimo seemed to weigh like a feather, though he still grabbed the clinging junimo and placed it on top of his head. Hiraya, who was watching all of this unfold, tried to stifle a laugh while Daniel giggled at his father’s predicament. “You stay there, and please hold still,” he mumbled.
For a moment, the subtle ruckus happening outside of their house suddenly sounded pleasant. The sounds of their animals, the rustling of the leaves, splashes of water caused by the fish in their pond. All of it made Harvey flustered, his heart swelled with joy. This is all I ever wanted, Harvey mused. This is what I waited for all my life. To create my own family with the one I love. Finally, I’m home.
“I guess this will be our usual routine, don’t you think honey?” Harvey asked with a smile, breaking the silence that surrounded them. 
Looking at his wife, he noticed that Hiraya seemed to be thinking the same thing as him, as he was met with a gentle smile from her. “I guess it is.”
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imtooscaredforthis · 8 months
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Entrapment
Chapter Twenty Two: Overtime
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Mentions of: Guilt, Death, Murder, and Smut. NSFW!!
A/N: The moment you’ve all been waiting for 🤭
Tags:@dead-bixxxtch-walking @vandeaad @mama-miya @the-fandoms-georgie @moonshineinasippycup @stwbwwychan
You frowned to yourself as you went through what you could from the police station. There had been another murder, and you couldn’t do anything to stop it. Debra Myers, a young woman with a bright future ahead of her, only a sophomore in college when she got killed. The murder was brutal too. She was stabbed five times in the chest, even though the first one killed her.
You felt guilty. Maybe if you could’ve figured it out sooner…You felt like it was all right there, his patterns, his behavior, his personality. Something just didn’t click. And you couldn’t figure out what. Then again, you were closer than any of those incompetent cops and detectives at the police department.
“You alright?” Jed asked, putting a hand to your shoulder. You jumped slightly, snapping out of your thoughts. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You sure? Because you’ve been staring at that picture for the past five minutes.” You looked down at the photograph you were holding, a picture of Debra that you were going to use for the papers. One where she was still pretty and alive.
“Oh, sorry.” You murmured, putting the paper down on the table. Jed glanced over at the clock. “You know, it’s a quarter to five. You can head out if you want.”
“Jed, I’m good, really. I can handle it.” You told him with a small smile. He gave you a skeptical look, but after a moment of studying your face, his expression changed.
“Okay, but I don’t think we’re going to get this all done by five. I’m going to ask Jamison for some overtime. You in for a late night?” He offered.
You grinned back. “Yeah, I’m always ready for that.”
“Perfect.” With that, he walked off to Jamison’s office, while you continued to go through the information.
Hours had passed and it was getting rather late. It was just you and Jed at the office and you ordered Chinese food and ate together while you worked. He helped keep things light by joking around and talking with you.
You and Jed have been working together for a while now, for a solid month and a half. While you did know him before that, you weren’t as close with him as you are now.
Jed was kind, considerate, and funny. He also didn’t talk about himself much, preferring to hear about you instead. While you did find that to be slightly weird, you decided to not push it. You also found it to be kind of hot, in some weird mysterious way.
“Alright, I think that’s it.” He said as he hit the enter button on the keyboard. You stared at the paper you had written on your monitor. You had finished a little earlier than him, and were waiting for him to finish to ask if he could look over your writing.
He spent a couple of minutes skimming the article, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. You watched him, studying his reaction and preparing for what he had to say.
“This is great, ______.” You beamed at the praise. “You really think so?”
“Oh yeah. It’s the best thing you’ve written yet. I can’t wait to read more.” He complimented.
“Thanks. I didn’t want to make it too dark or edgy, but I wanted people to be aware. Does that make sense?” You asked. He nodded in response. “I could see what you’re going for.”
“I think a good amount of people are cautious about this Ghostface stuff, but they never think it’s going to happen to them. They never know who he’s going after next. It could be the most innocent, average person, he doesn’t care..It could be anyone.”
Jed placed his hand on yours, breaking your chain of thought, and stopping your rant. “_______, it’s perfect. Are you sure you’re okay?”
You looked him in his eyes, and you didn’t know what happened next, all that you lost all self control. You leaned into him, kissing him hard. He was surprised at first, but then he kissed you back, pulling you close.
You have been so stressed out lately, maybe this could finally be the release you need. You pulled away from him with a coy smile, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.
Something in those baby blue eyes of his darkened, and the next thing you knew, he was taking your hand, leading you over to Jamison’s office. “Jed, what’re you-”
He threw his glasses onto the desk, and pushed you into Jamison’s chair, kissing you before kissing down your neck. He kissed down your neck, occasionally wrapping his lips around spots that made you writhe and squirm, leaving light hickeys.
He leaned over you, unbuttoning your blouse and whispering into your ear. “Let me take care of you, okay? You deserve it.”
“Okay.” You let out a shaky breath, as he popped the final button. His hand trailed up your stomach slowly, making you flinch in sensitivity. He caressed the undersides of your lacy pink bra, before leaning in and kissing your cleavage gently. You totally forgot you were wearing that, and you were so glad you did.
His tongue flicked out against the material as he went lower, moving over your clothed nipple, and making you gasp. He went lower, kissing down your stomach, before moving to your skirt.
You unzipped it, letting him pull it down your legs, before he looked at your matching set of panties. He pushed them aside, glancing at your soaked cunt.
“So wet already, huh?” He purred, making you whine. “Jed, stop teasing.”
He smirked in response, spreading your thighs and caressing them softly, before he began to taste you. He licked up your slit, groaning to himself, before he flicked his tongue over your clit.
He only took things further, pressing his face against your heat and slipping his tongue into your cunt, his nose bumping against your clit just right.
“Oh God.” You threw your head back with a mewl, arching your back. He rolled his eyes, groaning against you, the vibrations making you jolt. He was addicted to how you taste.
You ran your fingers through his hair, holding tight onto his messy brown locks. If you paid close attention, you would probably notice that there was a darker shade there on his scalp, indicating his hair was dyed from black to brown. But you were far too distracted by how good he looked between your legs.
He pushed his face further into you, eating you out like a starved man. He went faster and just right, and the next thing you knew you were cumming, your legs shaking and your back arching as you finished right on his face with the loud moan of his name. He helped you finish up, before pulling away with one messy kiss to your sensitive clit.
“Fuck.” You panted softly. No one’s ever made you feel like that before. Some of the sex you’ve had has been good, but most of it was average and below. No one’s ever made you feel like this before. You were hooked.
He pushed you out of the seat, undoing his belt and pushing his pants down, revealing the sizable tent in his boxers. You would prefer if both of you were completely naked, but you didn’t mind this either.
He patted his lap, before removing his boxers. You smirked at him. “You want me to repay the favor?”
“No, better than that.” He replied. You straddled him, grinding your soaked slit against his tip, feeling his precum rub against you.
“Do you have a condom?” You asked. He shook his head. “It’s fine, I’m on birth control anyways.”
You slowly sank down on him, moaning at his length. Fuck, he was big. Once he was in, you started to move. Slow, at first, and then faster.
“You feel so good.” He groaned. You leaned in, kissing him as you continued. This was just what you needed.
His stubble rubbed against your neck just right, and you moaned as you got close. “That’s it, clench me just like that.”
The praise threw you over the edge, making you finish, with him following suit, climaxing on your stomach.
“You think you can take one more?” He asked, surprising you. “Huh?” You murmured, still dazed from your high.
“One more..You think you can handle it?” You nodded in response, letting him position himself behind you.
He was soft at first, holding your hips gently, while you held onto Jamison’s desk. But soon enough, he started to go faster and faster. “Jed…feels amazing.”
Your eyes rolled, and he cupped your cheeks, making you look over his shoulder and kiss him as he kept going. He went faster and faster. You dug your nails into the wooden desk, some of his papers falling off.
“Just let it go. There you go. Good girl.” He groaned, as you climaxed again, before finishing deep inside. You clenched him hard as he did, moaning out.
You both sat back in Jamison’s chair, panting softly as you came down from your highs. Jed helped clean you up with towels from the bathroom, and got you back into your clothes, while he put his own on.
“I’ll take you home, okay?” He said, pressing a small kiss to your forehead. You smiled back. “Okay.”
As you waited for the elevator, Danny walked over and grabbed the camcorder he hid behind the computer. He smirked to himself, switching it off and leaving the camera on his desk. He pulled out the memory card before joining you.
He’s got you right where he wants you.
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