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elena-mayfair · 1 year

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Dreams - part one

Paring: Bruce Wayne x f!reader, Batman x f!reader Genre: Thriller, mystery, with elements of slow-burn romance Warnings: rating T+/M, strong language, unsettling images, themes of depression, depictions of mental illness Summary: When Bruce Wayne asked you if you would go with him to Metropolis for the weekend to attend one of the most important events in the business that was TechX you expected to hear from him over the week. You expected maybe a visit to the office, a phone call, or at least an email and instead you got complete silence. Bruce did not write, did not call, did not show up at work, did not show up at the office, no headlines, no Twitter posts, absolutely zero contact for a week. "Of all people, why would he want to take a trip with me," you wondered. Word count: 12k Note: Most gifs are not mine, credit to the authors.

Series masterlist

***

Blue and red lights were flashing in the darkness of night as Batman crossed the yellow tape that marked the crime scene. He rarely appeared at crime scenes, being used to operating from the shadows and disappearing at the first sound of sirens coming from afar yet there were exceptions. That night was one of them. Gordon didn't dwell on his explanations, illuminating the night sky with a signal only to state in a grave tone a few minutes later "you have to see this." Batman didn't question. The shocked expression on Gordon's face told him all he needed to know. He rushed to his car only to follow Gordon toward the unknown. Toward, as it turned out, a nightmare he had not seen in a long time.

Silence fell as soon as he walked in between the policemen. All movements seemed to stop for a moment, conversations grew quiet, while all eyes turned to him. All except one. Gordon had ignored the surprised looks of his officers, ordering them to make a space, to leave the crime scene, to shut up if they wanted to keep their badges. Batman merely followed. Between the trees and benches of Robinson Park, reluctantly stepping out of the shadows and into the dim light of the street lamps, he had to, Gordon needed him. Whatever was waiting for him was so terrible that Gordon was willing to subject himself to the judgment of his men under him just to be able to lead the investigation with him at his side.

"They were found about an hour ago," he began quietly, "an elderly woman reported it after her dog smelled blood. The paramedics are taking care of her, she's in shock," he explained as he rubbed his tired eyes and lit a cigarette. "For a moment I thought it was Zsasz's work, but something does not fit here," he continued, "you'll see for yourself." In a harsh tone he ordered the two forensics to move away then crouched down and sighed heavily, "I hope you'll be able to deduce something from this because I'm not."

Batman froze in a stupor for a moment. On the ground between the trees, huddled against a bench a woman's body lay. Young, classy, elegant, probably from a good home. Light blond hair not so long ago perfectly pinned up was now messy, draped with leaves and mud, stuck to her face. Her elegant makeup was showing through the countless cuts on her face, the remnants of her red lipstick blurring with the wide cut of her lips reaching to the sides of her face, merging with the red of the cooling blood trickling down her slit throat straight onto her once creamy velvet coat. Multiple slashes scarred her body, deep, wide, tearing flesh, destroying organs, ripping out life. In her arms, she was cradling a child, a little girl with wide-open blue eyes, whose head was falling lifelessly to the back.

"Batman?" Gordon asked, observing his friend who stepped a few steps closer.

"Jewelry, purse, whoever did it took nothing," Batman stated quietly, "a diamond ring on her finger, a gold wedding ring, diamond earrings…" he reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a phone handing it to Gordon to be secured as evidence.

"So far you're not telling me anything I don't already know," Gordon growled.

"Rough night?" Batman decided to ignore the commissioner's tone.

"Fucking rough month…" Gordon once again sighed heavily, "we haven't caught one murderer yet and already another one is emerging!"

"A murderer…" Batman muttered calmly and crouched down by the bodies, "I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Dilated pupils... bulging veins…bruised fingers and lips…dilated nostrils…" Batman mumbled to himself while looking more closely at the woman's body, but Gordon could hear everything, "clenched teeth and hands…" he examined the child's body more closely, careful not to gaze into her wide-open terrified eyes.

"We've already photographed everything, you can if you must…" seeing as Batman struggled to spot the leads Gordon gave permission. Frozen bones crackled as Batman cautiously drew back the woman's still arm.

"The child's body was crushed…. exophthalmos… fingernails broken, scratches…" he examined the child's body then the mother's body then rose from his knees, reached into the utility belt and pulled out a flashlight. Slowly and cautiously, with the flashlight pointed to the ground, he began to move away from the corpses. Step by step, scanning each millimeter of the ground beneath his feet carefully, separating the traces of police boots, from the traces of dog paws, deciphering every detail, reading the last hours from leaves, branches and mud.

"She was dragged here…" Gordon spoke up quietly.

"No… not dragged…" Batman walked a few more steps then returned to the bodies, "she was moving away, clear heel marks pressed into the wet ground. She tumbled over, moving backward, pushing away from someone."

"Killer?""

Batman did not answer. He crouched in front of the bodies once more and began scanning all the details once more. Mud on her hands, on the back of her velvet coat, lumps on her shoes confirmed his assumption. Frightened eyes, mother and child, mother's clenched hands, bulging veins….

"She was afraid…" he finally stated, "she was terrified. Whatever or whomever she saw she wanted to get away from him. She wanted to protect her daughter. She held her tight, too tight. The girl tried to break free, scratching her mother's face. She was in pain. But she was afraid…so much so that in an attempt to protect her daughter she crushed her ribs and suffocated her after which she died of a heart attack."

"A heart attack?" Gordon asked surprised.

"A heart attack," Batman repeated, "wounds…. on her face, on her abdomen, on her chest, were inflicted posthumously."

"Forgive my skepticism but how can you tell?"

"The wounds are precise, detailed," Batman pointed with his finger to the slit in the mouth and the slit in the throat, "if she was alive, she would try to fight, the wound would not be so clean. The blood loss is comparatively too small and there is no sign of splatter. In a state of fright, her blood pressure would have been at least 180-200/120. Cutting the carotid artery at such pressure would have caused the blood to gush out. There would have been marks on the ground all around."

"Makes sense…" Gordon nodded, " an attempt to pose it as murder?"

"Clumsy. Whoever did it was unsure, he was trying to fake a murder or cover up the actual cause of death but he hadn't done it before. He wanted to be accurate, too accurate, he improvised, he didn't think like a murderer.

"Who then?"

"A psychopath."

***

When Bruce Wayne asked you if you would go with him to Metropolis for the weekend to attend one of the most important events in the business that was TechX you expected to hear from him over the week. You expected maybe a visit to the office, a phone call, or at least an email and instead you got complete silence. Bruce did not write, did not call, did not show up at work, did not show up at the office, no headlines, no Twitter posts, absolutely zero contact for a week. You checked the TechX profile to find out if his attendance had already been announced, and sure enough, posts announcing the billionaire playboy CEO Wayne Enterprisses' presence had been trending for days. Yet you haven't heard from Bruce. On Wednesday, you began to think that perhaps you should write to him and ask where and when you were supposed to show up, what time your flight was leaving, and from which airport. After all, it was somewhat of a business trip. TechX was starting on Friday evening and would wrap up by noon on Sunday, so even though doubts were beginning to cloud your mind, just in case, you started packing your suitcase and preparing the right clothes for the trip. You checked your email, checked your spam folder, checked your business mail, nervously glanced at your phone knowing that even though he hadn't asked you for your phone he had access to it, still no contact. On Thursday, you discreetly asked Lucius if Mister Wayne was perhaps in the office, under the pretext of discussing feedback on your project. You were not sure if Lucius knew, you were not sure if this was more of a business trip or more of a social one, you were not sure what kind of relationship Lucius and Bruce had, and above all at all costs you wanted to remain professional. Lucius only replied with his typical smile that Mister Wayne was out of town and then added, "don't worry, the information will come, he hasn't forgotten." The suggestive smile and the tone of his voice took you aback, suggesting that he wasn't really talking about feedback on the project. Resigned, you returned home, ready to give up, unpack your suitcase and settle in for the weekend with a bag of chips in front of your favorite TV show. "Of all people, why would he want to take a trip with me," you wondered. You didn't have to wait long for an answer. A short message, just a few words and the nervous frenzy began all over again.

"I hope you are ready. The car will pick you up tomorrow at 11:30am. See you then."

And period. No emoji, no smiley face, no emotion. And yet it didn't seem to you that someone like Bruce was a man who used emojis. That message made you realize that Bruce was a man who apparently had no need to ensure, to check, to confirm. He was a man who was certain and decisive, if he said something once it was clearly so. And he probably expected the same from the people around him.

"I'll be ready. See you tomorrow."

You wrote back briefly and succinctly but even though you didn't add a smiley face, a grin lit up your face. The craziness had begun. You thought you were prepared and yet suddenly everything seemed inappropriate. The dress you had chosen was too casual, unsuitable for a public appearance in the company of someone like him. The sneakers you wanted to fly in flew out of the bag, "I can't walk around in sneakers next to a guy wearing Tom Ford suits," you scolded yourself. Classic straight black pants replaced jeans, a black dress shirt with chiffon sleeves replaced a more formal one, a black leather jacket also went into the bag, plus two dresses one more businesslike than the other just in case. Your favorite black-heeled boots that match everything also went to the bottom of the bag, along with, to your displeasure, black heels. "Okay, that looks good. Now only accessories, electronics, and cosmetics," you assessed the contents of the bag with satisfaction. You were excited. All sadness disappeared replaced by a radiant smile, the burden of the past days' experiences seemed insignificant, worries were replaced by a wonderful mood, the only thing missing was an unexpected knock at the door.

You didn't expect anyone, after all, who could visit you unannounced. Convinced that it was a courier with plane tickets, you turned down the music and ran to open the door. Green eyes shone before you as the blood froze in your veins.

"You don't call, you don't write, you don't answer my calls, I decided to drop in." Jonathan smirked, "can I come in?"

"Jonathan this is not a good time," you answered not feeling like having the uncomfortable conversation that awaited you.

"There hasn't been a good time all week," he chuckled spitefully and, without waiting for your permission, entered the apartment, "are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you!" you denied immediately.

"Forgive me, but after you slipped out in the middle of the night leaving a note that you would be in touch only to not hear from me all week, I dare say you are avoiding me," anger boiled under a facade of calm control.

"I just needed some time to myself, that's all," you tried to dismiss it with a chuckle, "I needed to sort things out in my head."

"And apparently you need not only time but distance," his glance swept over to the open suitcase, "you going somewhere?"

"To Metropolis, on business," you replied briefly as if it was nothing important, " sorry, I didn't mention it, the time wasn't right."

"It was. Apparently, you just didn't want to tell me about it."

"I didn't think it was something you should know about," you shrugged, "if you were my therapist I would have simply called off the appointment."

"But I'm not your therapist," Jonathan's voice sounded dangerously low.

"You're not…." you repeated, "and actually who are you, huh?!" you spat angrily, "what is this?! This strange thing between us. You are not my therapist and yet you are putting me through some horrible therapy methods! You're not my therapist because a therapist wouldn't be angry with my business trip. You're supposedly my friend and yet you won't say that there isn't something between us…." you paused in a half word, "what are we?"

"Do you really have a need to give it a name?" Jonathan came closer and took your hand. His green eyes shone intensely as he said, "some relationships are more complicated to give them a definite name."

"I'm trying to control the chaos in my life, and I'm not sure if you're helping me with that or not," you replied, aware that his proximity certainly wasn't helping. Jonathan didn't respond, only reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a cream-colored envelope.

"I was planning to give you this after therapy but there was no time," he wryly accented your words handing you the envelope, "I was hoping that as my friend you would like to accompany me."

You opened the sealed, elegant envelope made of thick cream paper and pulled out a richly decorated stylish invitation. The headline proclaimed The Thomas Wayne Annual Gala of the Scientific Association.

"You want me to go with you?" you whispered in surprise staring at the invitation, "I don't know what to say, you surprised me."

"Say you have an evening dress in your closet," he smirked then added, "The gala is usually a boring party full of snobs and self-obsessed members of the scientific society, but in your company, it would be bearable. Besides, I thought you could use some entertainment. The food and music are mostly exquisite."

"Is that supposed to help me name this thing between us?"

"You think too much of it all my dear," green eyes shone intensely as he put a finger under your chin forcing you to look at him, "but if you must name it so much, then let it be your way. I like you. Consider it a date," a thrill ran over your skin as he spoke the last words in a smokey voice.

"A date…" you repeated in your mind while looking at the invitation, "damn, it's on Sunday! I'm in Metropolis until Sunday. Why didn't you say something earlier?!"

"I wanted to. A week ago. But you chose to avoid me."

"I'm gonna make it," you glanced nervously at your watch which indicated four o'clock in the afternoon, "you need to go!" you ordered and started rushing to get dressed.

"What? Why?!"

"You need to go now!" you grabbed your jacket, bag, keys "I gotta run! I don't have an evening dress!"

***

At exactly 11:30 on a Friday morning, a black Chrysler parked on the side of your street. You applauded in your mind your decision to wait in front of the building when the car pulled up at the exact appointed time, not a minute earlier or a minute later. Excitement quickened your pulse as you waited for the charming man who would get out in a moment to take your luggage from you and help you get into the car, but Bruce was not there. The driver's door opened and an older gray-haired, slender man in a three-piece suit with his shirt buttoned up to his neck tied with a black bow tie got out of the car. He bowed his head politely and spoke in a strong British accent.

"Miss Y/L/N I presume. Alfred Pennyworth at your service," he bowed gracefully and, without waiting for your permission, took your suitcase and coat from you, "Miss, allow me."

"Alfred! Nice to meet you, Bruce has mentioned you," you smiled politely thanking him and handing him your luggage. Confused, you waited for his instructions, you were not used to such treatment. Alfred placed your suitcases in the trunk, laying your coat perfectly flat, then opened the passenger door with a gesture inviting you inside. You smiled thanking him again.

"The plane departs at 1:15pm. The flight is scheduled for exactly one hour and forty-five minutes which gives a landing time in the Metropolis of 3pm. The weather in Metropolis is excellent. Sunny, temperature around twelve degrees Celcius or fifty-seven Fahrenheit, however, the evening is forecast to be colder so I suggest you bring an outer garment," Alfred informed as he started the engine and drove the car out onto the busy road, "in your seat pocket you will find a folder with the event schedule."

"I suppose Mister Wayne is already in Metropolis," you prompted, looking over the event schedule, "since he didn't come to pick me up in person."

"You look troubled miss," Alfred cast a glance in the rearview mirror, "is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course! I'm sorry," you faltered, "if I can be completely honest this is all new to me! I didn't expect this trip to happen at all considering that he messaged me yesterday afternoon. I'm flying to the biggest event in the industry and I don't even know what airline! I'm a little nervous."

"I understand," Alfred visibly frowned, "in that case, I am obliged to apologize on behalf of Master Wayne. Master Wayne can be quite a busy man," he explained kindly, "I hope you were not offended in any way."

"No, of course not," you smiled, hoping it would look natural.

"Master Wayne will be expecting you at the airport," he informed, "and don't you worry about your ticket and lines. Master Wayne does not fly commercial airlines."

"Of course…he flies private…" you sighed pensively, "why didn't I think of that."

You didn't have to wait long to see for yourself the luxury of travel in the company of Bruce Wayne. Thirty minutes and a dozen politely exchanged sentences later, a black Chrysler pulled up at the back of Gotham City International Airport in perfect synchronization with the familiar gray Lamborghini. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw his car approaching. Alfred parked, and you, not used to the custom, reached for the door handle eager to get out.

"Allow me, Miss," Alfred immediately reached for the door and extended his hand offering assistance. You smiled apologetically and once again thanked him. You kept repeating in your mind that it wasn't a cab, that you didn't have to worry about your luggage, you didn't have to glance nervously at what was happening to it, you didn't have to collect it from him, nor pay or tip him. The only thing left for you to do was to wait awkwardly and watch as Bruce got out of the Lamborghini and walked with a slow nonchalant pace toward you. He smiled, elegant as ever and yet the few days of stubble on his face suggested that he had indeed had a busy week.

"You look nervous," he smirked as he approached you.

"Is it that obvious?" you chuckled.

"If it's because of the plane then I understand, I don't like to fly either," he admitted, reducing the distance and standing in front of you. For a moment he flinched as if he wanted to kiss you on the cheek however he chose not to, "please excuse me for a moment," he excused himself and pulled Alfred aside.

You watched them from afar as they talked in hushed voices. Something was clearly bothering Bruce, he was giving orders as was in his habit while Alfred remained silent for a long moment nodding in agreement. For a moment you thought it was a conversation between a superior and a subordinate, but when Bruce finally turned silent and Alfred began to speak, you realized it was in fact a conversation between son and father. Bruce's face darkened and this time it was he who nodded in agreement before they both turned in your direction.

"Shall we?" the mask returned to Bruce's face as he pointed to the plane.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pennyworth," you smiled courteously.

"The pleasure was all mine Miss," Alfred replied with a bow, "have a safe trip."

Feeling like in a movie scene, you followed Bruce. Brought to the airport by a private butler on the way to a private plane alongside one of the most influential men in the world. "How did that happen?" you chuckled under your breath.

"What's so funny?" Bruce threw a sidelong glance at you.

"Reality," you replied, "ignore me, please. It's just myself thinking to myself about myself."

"Care to share?" he asked, offering you a hand and assisting you to board the plane. This time you didn't rush.

"Nope!" you replied with a grin, "I'll keep it to myself."

The interior of the plane turned out to be exquisite like everything around Bruce. Spacious, suitable for up to six passengers. There was no stewardess, only a well-stocked bar and a mini-fridge at each of the lodges. Everything in wood and leather conveyed luxury but didn't scream hubris.

"This is the first time that I'm seeing an airplane without a flight attendant," you noticed as you settled comfortably into a soft seat so big you could sleep in it.

"I value my privacy," Bruce explained.

"I noticed. Private car, private pilot, private plane," you listed, "you're very secretive Mister Wayne."

"It comes with the job," an infuriating smirk once again dawned on his face and you were sure it wouldn't go away anytime soon. As soon as the two of you were left alone, something changed, the expression on his face, the look in his eyes, and the tone of his voice, were completely different from how they had been a moment ago, "Alfred informed me that it was extremely rude of me not to call you for a week," he began softly, "forgive me. I didn't mean to cause consternation or doubt."

"I have nothing to forgive," you replied, "Mr. Pennyworth has already apologized for you, explaining that you happen to be a very busy man. I should have come to those conclusions myself."

"Which doesn't explain my behavior," Bruce continued, "I know that I can sometimes come off as neglectful."

"It's okay, really," you assured him, "I was stressing, that's all. TechX is a dream come true! I typically like to have everything planned to the T' and you didn't give me that opportunity. Sorry, I'm not used to well…" you hesitated weighing your words, "let's just say I feel like Alice who fell out on the other side of the mirror."

"What do you mean?" you weren't sure if he was pretending to be ignorant or if he really was.

"Well, you're not going to tell me that all this is standard!" you laughed, "because it's not!"

"Oh, right!" he awkwardly rubbed his neck, "but don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Your heart hit stronger in your chest but you remained calm. The implications of his words were not hard to read, and once again you couldn't help but wonder if he said it on purpose.

The plane rose into the air remarkably gently, and although you felt a pressing force in your stomach it was not as unpleasant as usual.

"I read the event schedule, it looks packed!" you began as soon as the plane reached the right altitude, " sorry for asking, but the unknown frustrates me, what's the plan? What time should I be ready today? What about tomorrow? When are we flying back to Gotham?"

"You have a lot of questions," he noted, "but I understand, so I'll try to outline a plan. The whole event runs from today until Saturday evening, late at night. I have planned to return to Gotham on Sunday at noon. A car will pick us up at the airport today and take us to the hotel. I've reserved two suites for us at the Metropolis Plaza Hotel," gentleman as always, "we'll have about three hours to freshen up before the event starts," he ran his hand over his beard, "and shave in my case. Don't worry about anything. Everything in your hotel room is for your use. If you feel like ordering something just do it. The hotel staff knows what to do. Don't worry about meals at the event venue there will be plenty of them. Tomorrow evening after the main event ends we are going to attend, well private party…" he chuckled seeing your amused look.

"Again, sorry but I have to ask, dress code business or business casual?"

"I'm sure whatever you have in your bag will be perfect for the occasion," a smirk flashed over his face once again, "but I think business elegant if you can put it that way."

"Got it."

"Tomorrow if you want we can spend the whole day at the expo. Exhibitors from many different companies will be presenting their latest designs, new ideas, and technologies. I will be giving a short presentation during the panel."

"I wouldn't miss it!"

"And as I mentioned in the evening we are invited to a banquet with several of my associates. So formal dress code, black tie."

"I'm prepared for such an occasion as well," you smiled pleased that thanks to yesterday's unexpected shopping you bought not one but two dresses, one of which you packed for the trip, "but if you were intending to calm me down I'm afraid you only made me even more anxious."

"Nothing to worry about," the blue eyes flashed brightly, "trust me, I'll keep you close," he added in a smooth low tone making you wonder about what your role was on this trip. "I know the schedule seems intense, and it probably will be, but most of all I want you to enjoy yourself," he said.

"I have a feeling it will be an unforgettable experience."

In the Bruce Wayne world, everything ran like clockwork, no delays, no mistakes as if everyone who came into contact with him knew instantly what standards he expected as if his mere presence made the world suddenly adjust to his requirements. Immediately after landing, a black Bentley pulled up and a driver who, as it turned out, only delivered the car, packed your luggage into the trunk and handed Bruce the keys. In front of the hotel, a staff awaited, ready to pick up the car and luggage along with an impressive tip, as if they were well aware of the car he was traveling in and the time he was scheduled to arrive. At the door, the elegantly dressed door-keepers waited for that perfect moment when he would come close enough for them to take a proper bow, greet him with a trained "Welcome, Mister Wayne," and open wide the door leading to luxury and prestige. As you walked beside him it seemed to you that everyone was looking at you, that curious eyes were flitting from every direction even though you were certain that most of the people in the hotel were of no less status than Bruce himself. And yet, with his statuesque posture, his perfect blend of nonchalance and class, and those intensely gleaming blue eyes, he seemed to tower above them all.

"Welcome to the Metropolis Plaza Hotel," the concierge greeted you in a perfectly smooth professional tone, "the suites are already waiting for you," he added pulling out the gold-colored key cards without expecting any acknowledgment from Bruce, "all according to your preferences. Your luggage has already been delivered."

Bruce simply picked up the cards with a brief polite thank you then directed you towards the elevators.

"Do enjoy your stay, Mister Wayne," you heard as you moved away from the reception desk.

"So this is the standard in the Bruce Wayne world," you smirked as soon as the elevator doors closed, "I understand that the lack of a hotel escort to the room is due to your preference for privacy."

"I hope this doesn't overwhelm you," the stoic billionaire's façade dropped again showing a sincere, kind-hearted man. You were fascinated by the ease with which he came to change faces depending on his surroundings.

"Maybe a little," you admitted, "I should expect it, but still, this is not a world accessible to mere mortals."

"Don't be fooled by apparent beauty and glamour. Everyone here plays a role."

"You too?" you glared with a devious smile.

"I do too," he confirmed, "and so do you."

"And what role am I playing, Mister Wayne?" you didn't intend to but the flirtation was coming out so very naturally.

"It remains to be seen, Miss Y/N/L," the way he accented your name brought a shiver to your skin.

You didn't have to wait long to find out. Bruce escorted you to your room, informed you that his was right next to yours, and left you alone for less than three hours, three hours that flew by in the blink of an eye. Coffee came first, having the highest priority in any situation, followed by a short message to Jonathan containing a simple, "I'll make it. See you on Sunday." Next, a shower because you needed to freshen up, makeup and hair because you needed to present yourself, black pants imitating leather and a dress shirt with chiffon sleeves according to you were business elegant. You topped it all off, despite your reluctance, with high heels, silver jewelry and a small handbag on a silver strap. You decided that with your budget and mortal's possessions, you looked elegant enough, and with half an hour still to spare you took a coffee and stepped out onto the balcony to get some air.

"Mr. Pennyworth had some good information," you grinned as you exposed your face to the surprisingly warm for this time of year sunshine lighting up the cloudless sky. Metropolis was so different from Gotham. From the top floor of the hotel, the view of the city spread with a shimmering glow reflected off the glass skyscrapers. So bright, so inviting, promising fulfilled dreams, the city you were supposed to live in, and yet. You listened for a moment to the whisper of the city below, so different from the hum of Gotham. Instead of menacing murmurs and mysterious whispers rolling through the city like blood pulsing through the veins, you heard joyful music composed of the sounds of distant conversations, signals, the hum of cars, the sound of horns, and the singing of birds. There was no darkness lurking in every alley, no fear, no dread, no quiet determination. After all, how could there be when the city was protected by the Man of Steel, who, instead of lurking in the shadows, rose in the sunlight toward the blue of the sky.

"Different isn't it?" reached you from the balcony next to you.

"Very different," you replied glancing at him. In the sunlight, his black suit shone with a soft velvety glow. The black shirt, black tie fastened with a pin under the collar, and that typical smile of his made your knees weaken. "But different doesn't mean, better. I liked Gotham's dark gothic vibe and its dark soul. There's something about it that just draws you in."

"You were supposed to work at LexCorp and live here," Bruce recalled, "now, after a few months in Gotham, don't you regret your decision? After all, Gotham was not kind to you."

"Absolutely not!" you grinned.

"I can't believe you wouldn't trade Gotham for Metropolis, the city of the future!"

"Nope!" you repeated with an even wider smile then added, "Metropolis has no Batman. And he saved my life."

"What are you saying?!" a shock of surprise swept over his face, "you didn't say anything! What do you mean he saved your life? That accident of yours?"

"Sorry but I don't go around bragging about it!" you replied awkwardly, "actually I don't know why I said that. Somehow, I thought of Gotham and thought of him," you mused for a moment, "but yes, Batman saved my life."

"I don't think I'll surprise you if I say that my curiosity peaked," he smirked, "you'll have to tell me all about it but in a spare time," he looked at the road below, "that's our car. I hope you're ready."

"I am!"

You weren't. You weren't ready at all and not even a little. You weren't ready for the crowd of reporters waiting outside the Metropolitan Expose, you weren't ready for the crowd of staring eyes, for the endless flash of cameras, for the excited voices exclaiming his name that you could hear behind car closed doors. A cold sweat washed over you as you looked at the world on the other side of the windshield, and suddenly you longed to be back in the sewers of Arkham Asylum instead of facing the devouring reporters. You needed a moment, you needed a moment of silence to calm your anxiety, to gather your courage, but it was not given to you. Bruce parked the car and, without a moment's hesitation, got out and the camera lights flashed even more intensely.

His name was shouted from every direction, calling for him, just to get his attention, just to get him to turn toward the right camera, but he ignored them all, walked to the passenger door to open it, and extended his hand to you.

"Breathe," for a split second he removed the mask from his face, "you are with me, you will be fine. Trust me."

"Trust me…"

You took his hand and got out of the car with the utmost grace, grateful in your mind that you decided to wear pants. As much as you wanted to head for the entrance as quickly as possible, to escape the blinding light of the flashes, you had to rely on him, and he had to play his part.

"Smile," he murmured quietly glancing at you discreetly. His eyes shone with understanding, safety but also pride, "you look amazing. Relax…" he smiled as he placed his hand on your waist drawing you gently closer to him. The camera lights blazed with doubled intensity taking away all your confidence and Bruce as if sensing this only tightened his hand tighter on your waist, as if wanting to give it back to you.

"Mister Wayne!!! Mister Wayne! Here!!!"

"Mister Wayne! Who is your companion!?"

"Bruce! Are you dating!?"

"Mister Wayne!!! Mister Wayne! GQ!!! Can I count on a short interview!?"

"Mister Wayne! What do you think of LexCorp's controversial moves!?"

"Mister Wayne! Is it true that you are planning to sell WayneTech!?"

"Mister Wayne! Who are you wearing today!?"

"Mister Wayne! Are you planning to settle down!?"

"Mister Wayne! What do you want to say to all the grieving women who will see you with your new partner?!"

"Miss! What's it like to catch the most desirable bachelor in Gotham?!"

A hail of questions fell from every direction. You couldn't see their faces, voices blended together, lights flashed from every direction and yet you were smiling, playing your part.

"And that is enough for them," you heard a quiet murmur. Bruce smiled one last time then, without taking his hand off your waist, directed you toward the entrance.

Yet inside, it was not at all quieter but much more interesting. Exhibitors from all regions of the country, each in their own part of the huge hall, yet occupying a space larger than that of many stores. There were no major players on the stands, only companies wishing to impress those who really meant in the business, hoping that perhaps their idea would impress one of those who had the means to implement it. Illuminated banners, music, impressive sound effects, excited promoters, passionate young entrepreneurs trying, at least for a moment, to stand in the glare of the world's most influential enterprises, a glare that shone above their heads hiding them in its shadow. On the walls around the entire room, high above their heads shone huge logos of the biggest representatives of the technology industry. The stylized LexCorp in sunset color, the minimalistic S.T.A.R Labs in blue and white, the red plain Stagg Industries, the green-gold modern Queen Industries, and among them the silver elegant Wayne Enterprises. You stopped for a moment gazing in awe. An exhilarating realization broke through the stress and anxiety bringing a bright smile to your face, you were part of it, one of them.

"Is it just as you imagined?" Bruce asked eyeing you with fascination.

"Absolutely not!" you grinned, "but I'll have to survive it, somehow."

As flattered as you were by his company you wanted to ditch him and run toward the stands, talk to the young brilliant minds, inquire about technological innovations, peek at solutions, absorb as much as you could. Bruce, however, had other plans.

"Forgive me, I should have warned you about the reporters," he said in a hushed voice pulling you gently to him, "I hope you won't hold it against me."

"Don't worry about it, I'll add it to the list of transgressions," you sassed.

"I'll have to do my best to balance this list with good deeds then," the blue eyes drew magnetically close. Bruce didn't even try to pretend that this was strictly a business relationship. "I have a few hands to shake, it would be a pleasure if you would accompany me," the soft voice and the charming smile made it impossible for you to refuse. He took your hand placing it on his forearm and led you into the crowd.

Moving through the venue from one group of people to another, you tried to remain classy and keep a discreet smile on your face even though excitement made your face flush. The statuesque figure at your side nodded time and again to someone in the distance, greeted with a look and a smile, shook one hand after another. Some faces came and went, faded into oblivion leaving only their gazes in your memory. Some full of admiration, others full of surprise, others brimming with contempt. You didn't learn their names you didn't know who they were and neither did Bruce feel the need to stop and have a word. They were just pawns when he was the man in power. Yet even though everything around told you that here you were walking hand in hand with power and prestige there was no hubris or contempt for others in him. There was none of the arrogance that others exuded.

"Miss Y/L/N! What a pleasant and totally expected surprise," arrogance emerged from the crowd dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and red tie, "I should have guessed someone had bought you off from me!"

"Mister Luthor," you greeted him with a polite smile while simultaneously clenching your hand tighter on Bruce's forearm, "nice to see you again."

"Professionalism trained to perfection," he looked at you meaningfully while simultaneously addressing Bruce, "Wayne, I thought we'd finally get along but meanwhile you first refuse to sell me WayneTech only to then buy off my engineer."

"I believe that's what we call a friendly compromise Lex," Bruce's tone dropped menacingly low. He refused to shake his hand, "WayneTech was never for sale to begin with."

"Come on Wayne! If you wanted to bargain all you had to do was make a counter-offer!" Luthor's ostensible nonchalance deprived of Bruce's honesty, once again he resembled a hyena taunting its prey. But Bruce was no prey.

"I'm not interested in your money Lex, and no amount of it would convince me to sell you WayneTech."

"Shame. With a mind as brilliant as Miss Y/L/N's we could accomplish so much," he finally looked away from you and fixed his gaze on him, "I understand merging business and pleasure but Bruce, you should stay with your models and actresses. It's a shame to waste such potential," he sneered and Bruce's muscles tightened under your hand. "If you had decided to work for me we could have cut a much better deal," he added in your direction.

"With all due respect Mister Luthor, but I simply could not agree to work for someone with such questionable ethics and a company profile that does not align with my own moral values," you snapped back with a wry smile, "no offer you would have made me could possibly persuade me to work for you."

"Questionable ethics? Well, well, she's entered the big leagues and she's already messing around," Luthor laughed, "Moral values can be easily changed and bent. You just have to know where and how to push."

"Not mine," you growled, "forgive me, gentlemen," you glanced at Bruce apologetically and walked away.

As you approached the bar you tried with all your strength to remain calm, but the blood in your veins was burning with anger. Once again you were reminded of your ignorance. You should have expected to meet Lex Luthor at the event, just as you should have expected the luxuries provided by Bruce and the dozens of photographers awaiting his arrival. "What am I doing here?" you leaned against the bar, ordered a coffee, and, sipping it slowly, watched him from afar. Although the conversation between him and Luthor seemed to be heating up, they both remained classy and professional. Standing a step away from each other, with forced half-smiles glued to their faces, only their eyes betrayed their mutual dislike. You were fascinated by how smoothly the look in Bruce's eyes changed, from worry when he glanced in your direction to icy anger when he turned back to Luthor. "How many faces does he have?" you wondered, "which one is real? Or are they all there?" you observed him, "he is hardly trying to keep a professorial distance."

"Don't let him get under your skin. He's a piece of shit, an arrogant piece of shit. He's hardly worth your nerves," a friendly voice commented next to you, "and you have nothing to worry about. Bruce knows very well who he's dealing with."

"I don't recall asking you for your opinion," you snarled without taking your eyes off Luthor and Bruce further immersed in conversation, "keep your friendly advice to yourself."

"So he's already got under your skin," the man laughed and slipped a fresh cup of coffee under your nose, "I am not sure if coffee is such a good idea, but yours seems to have gone cold."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'd really rather be left alone," putting the cold cup of coffee down on the countertop and accepting the fresh one, you looked at the man and almost let it out of your hands, avoiding chaos only thanks to his quick reflexes.

"Careful!" he smirked saving the situation, "maybe we should order water after all?"

"Mister Queen…" the blond man smiled charmingly seeing your surprised face, "I'm so sorry! I really hadn't, damn it, I'm sorry. It was incredibly rude of me."

"Relax! Luthor is doing this to people, roaming around and pissing everyone off. A scumbag like no other!"

"I guess you're right," you smiled shyly, and remembering your previous faux pas you extended your hand to him, "Y/N Y/L/N," you introduced yourself.

"I know!" a wide smile lit up his face, "WaynTech's newest addition! Oliver Queen," he shook your hand exchanging courtesies, even though he didn't need to introduce himself at all.

"I know!" you replied with an equally broad smile, "please forgive the question, Mister Queen, but how do you know about me? I don't think a lower level engineer is important enough to be talked about at Queen Industries."

"Call me Oliver, there's no need for forced conventions," he corrected you, "Bruce didn't fail to mention you once or twice. Well, maybe five."

"Bruce talked about me?" you tried to control the tone of your voice in an attempt to hide your surprise.

"He talked is an understatement! How is the work going on the project to improve Gotham's security warning system? I'm looking forward to seeing the results of the first test phase. I think Star City would also benefit a lot from such a system!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if I should discuss this subject with the CEO of a competing company."

"Okay, let's establish one thing up front," he threw his arm around your shoulder and, steering you toward Luthor and Bruce again, he pointed his finger ostentatiously, "over there, that one in the red tie, an asshole and a scumbag. And my humble person, a friend," he smiled sincerely, "you do not think Bruce would talk about this project and you with just any random guy."

"I don't think that Bruce would talk about me or this project with anyone."

"You won't get far with downplaying yourself! A lower level engineer," he snorted, "not for long, oh not for long."

"I'm not downplaying myself," you denied, "I just…"

"Just what?" the ease with which he spoke made you want to abandon professionalism and be yourself.

"I'm surprised that's all! Seriously, I didn't do anything special, I'm just doing my job!" you sighed heavily but Oliver continued to smile disarmingly.

"Keep going, say again that you and your work are not worth talking about between two CEOs," he sneered.

"Because it isn't!"

"Y/N look around. Where are you and who are you here with. Believe me, if you weren't worth it you wouldn't be here. I know him very well," green eyes flared with amusement, "Bruce doesn't do or say anything without a reason, and those things and people he spends time with are worth a lot."

"You see, I hear what you're saying to me but it doesn't quite get through to me."

"It better start, and it better start fast, because tomorrow you'll be on the tongues of not only two CEOs but all the gossip magazines and portals out there," he chuckled.

"Fuck…" you swore quietly prompting a loud rubbishy laugh from Oliver, "I don't want any drama! The problems I already have are enough!"

"Let me tell ya, if you don't want drama you chose the wrong guy," he winked and added quietly seeing Bruce approaching, "there will be plenty of drama, believe me…" he whispered after which, spreading his arms wide, he gave Bruce a truly friendly hug.

"Ollie, I hope you maintain at least a modicum of professionalism," Bruce gritted but smiled kindly. The anger had disappeared completely from his eyes, and the smile he bestowed upon you as he stood at your side was as warm as before, "Was he behaving himself?" he asked.

"Me, never!" Oliver laughed, "I tried to persuade her to pour red wine on Luthor, completely accidentally, but she stubbornly refused."

"Yes, Y/N can be very stubborn," his hand seemingly involuntarily found its way to your waist again, "I'm glad you two had time to get to know each other. Oliver and I have been working together for years."

"I always thought Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries were in competition with each other," you noted, uncertainly finding your place again at his side. Oliver's words did not leave you indifferent.

"Queen Industries would first have to have something to compete with," Bruce chuckled.

"Hey don't get cocky Wayne!" Oliver feigned offense, "mutual collaboration doesn't have to involve what our companies do," he turned to you.

"And what then?"

"I think we will have to leave this subject for another day," Bruce's tone suddenly grew firm again, "I think we have enough excitement for one day."

"Right! Tomorrow we'll have plenty of time to chat during the banquet!" Oliver nodded.

"Ollie, did you happen to see Clark Kent today?"

"From the Daily Planet, I've only seen Lois Lane but Kent hasn't. Why do you ask?"

"I was supposed to give him an exclusive during the event."

"He'll probably show up tomorrow, after all the paparatzi crowds have cleared out and only the real reporters are left."

"He better."

***

They called Metropolis the City of Tomorrow, a city of opportunity and fulfilled dreams, a city of lights that even in the middle of the night seemed as bright as during the day. A city where shadow and darkness never entered, where people could feel safe, guarded in the end by the Man of Steel. An idealized image of reality created by hopeful people. They didn't pay attention to crime, they didn't pay attention to violence, they seemed to ignore threats and those who threatened them, they felt safe, they felt that someone was watching over them. Someone who didn't hide his face under a mask, someone who didn't hide in darkness and shadows, someone who wasn't to be feared even though he posed a far greater threat to them than the one they feared. One who even here was able to find shadow amidst the radiance of the lights. One who seemed to bring the shadow with him, weaving it around himself like a veil that Clark could see from afar. The statuesque, motionless figure whose shape only loomed against the blackness didn't even flinch when he landed next to him on the roof of the skyscraper.

"Where were you?" he asked him in a low grave tone staring into the distance.

"Sorry Batman, I got held up," he replied walking up to him.

"The cat was stuck in a tree?"

"A plane fell from the sky."

"Funny," he chuckled quietly.

"Everyone's okay, nice of you to ask," Clark replied grumpily.

"I wouldn't have thought otherwise."

"Batman, what's going on? Why won't you tell me the details?"

"I want your honest reaction and opinion. My intentions don't matter."

"Why?"

"You don't need to know why," he replied sternly.

"If it wasn't important you wouldn't have asked me for help."

"I want you to either confirm or dispel my assumptions. At this point, you don't need to know more. Just be there tomorrow."

"I've seen the pictures," he decided to make a dangerous move knowing his friend very well, "they're already circulating online."

"Typical."

"You looked happy. Truly happy."

"I was doing my job. Don't look for much meaning in it."

"Bruce, we both know that's not true," he tried gently, "I saw you doing your job. I saw you putting up appearances when the spotlights demanded it. It wasn't the same."

"You have a point?"

"It's okay to want to be happy Bruce…. it's okay to want something or someone…." Batman didn't even flinch but his face hardened, despite that Clark decided to continue, "this life we lead, the mission, we can't do it alone. You can't do it alone. Want it or not, you're only human."

"I didn't ask you for life advice.

"Bruce, come on! How long have we been friends! You like her, that's obvious! For once, let yourself take a risk and give it a try."

"Stop," Bruce interrupted groggily, "just stop. Don't assume my intentions without knowing them."

"Lois has been watching you and said that she seems to like you. You. Not the persona you created."

"And that's exactly the problem," he muttered quietly.

"And why is that a problem?

"Just be there tomorrow," he ended the conversation then pushed off from the edge of the roof and soared into the night.

***

"And what are we going to do with you? You tried to run away, it wasn't nice of you. One can't just escape from here."

"Watch me," you spat out viciously. Your arms, legs, tied with wide leather straps prevented you from moving. You tried to yank yourself out but couldn't. Not far away, in the shadows of the light, multiple people seemed to be watching. "I have repeated this hundreds of times. I am not what you think I am! I can't do the things you think I can! Let me out!!! I revoke my consent!!! Let me out!!!"

"I can't," the needle flashed against the white light, "I can't just let you go. I can't let you run free out there. You know too much."

"Even so, no one would ever believe me! I'm a nobody! I'm unimportant! No one would pay attention to me! And even if someone did they would probably lock me up in the loony bin instead of believing me!" you tried to bargain, "Please. Don't. You know it won't work. Just let me go. I'm no threat to you."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" The icy voice pierced you along with the needle puncturing your skin. "You see I believe we just haven't found the right spot yet, the one we're looking for," he murmured beside your ear, "we press and push, prick and pierce, but we haven't found the right spot yet, which when pushed properly will release all your potential…" With cold wet fingers, he ran over your collarbones, neck to stop at your forehead, "it's here…. inside your head. And I want to bring it out."

"I beg you not…" tears flowed down your cheeks, "you're wrong! You are wrong!"

Cold metal touched your temples.

"Please stop…"

He laughed quietly tightening the straps on your arms and legs.

"Please don't…"

The sound of the machine being turned on rose above your sobs.

"Please…" a wide piece of leather shoved into your mouth drowned out your cries.

"And now we'll try to push."

Shock jolted through your entire body as electricity ran from your head to your feet. Muscles tensed, teeth clenched painfully on the leather in your mouth as the first wave convulsed your body.

"Again."

Your eyes went black as another surge shot through your muscles.

"Come on, show me what you're hiding."

The third surge stopped your breath, every thought, every feeling except the metallic taste of blood in your mouth.

"We can play like this and for hours. For me, the situation is won anyway. In the worst case scenario, I'll fry your brain and then you certainly won't be any threat."

The fourth surge, stronger than the previous ones stopped your heart.

Darkness fell and everything suddenly stopped. The pain disappeared, the tears dried up, the fear, dread, suffering seemed so distant. You fell into an abyss in which you heard neither your own breathing nor the beating of your own heart. You were falling into a blissful, peaceful darkness. You wanted it. You craved solace in the darkness, and when it seemed to have already surrounded you when you could almost feel its soothing touch on the wounds of your soul an aggressive flare tore through it bringing with it renewed pain.

A fifth wave shook your body with a scream that ripped out of you as if it wanted to destroy everything around you. A scream filled with pain, a scream filled with bitterness, a scream of hatred, a scream of anger, a scream of uncontrollable desire for revenge. It tore strips of leather from your arms and legs, shattered the lamps above your head, blew away the machines to the wall, set scalpels and syringes in a whirlwind, started hurling them in all directions, inflicting wounds, cutting and puncturing just as they cut and punctured you.

"I knew it!!! I knew it!" he exclaimed in delight, " magnificent! So magnificent!"

"You shouldn't poke in my head…" you breathed out through your teeth.

"Just look at you! Magnificent!!! You gonna be my…" the words sank into a gush of trailing blood. His white coat flooded with red as he grabbed at his slit throat as if desperately trying to keep the life inside him.

"I warned you," life escaped from his terrified eyes.

It was over. The nightmare was over. You were free. All you had to do was open the metal door and run down the long corridor toward freedom. All you have to do is open the door.

Bang! Bang! Banging against the door. Insistent, loud, aggressive, filling the silence. They were trying to enter. They were trying to breach the door. To stop you.

Someone called your name. From a distance. Barely heard under the deafening sound of pounding doors. Fading into the noise.

The pounding grew stronger, louder, knocking the door off its hinges with each blow. One more moment and they'll force their way in! One more second and they'll capture you!

A voice from afar called out again. Desperately. It called out once and then a second time. It was so far away.

The door yielded. With each blow bending the metal more and more to finally tear it from its hinges and forcibly send it to the other end of the room.

No one called your name.

You froze staring into the darkness. You waited for them. You waited for them to rush in with guns, with handcuffs, with chains. They will capture you. They will execute you. They will kill you. In terror, you waited. Ready to fight. Ready to take back your freedom by force.

But the fight did not come. The darkness took shape, the shape of a tall, slender man with raven black tousled hair, a marble face, and eyes that seemed to hide the stars. The darkness wrapped around his body taking the form of a long black cloak as he took long strides toward you.

Something had changed.

"Who are you?" you asked tentatively.

"That is not important,'" his voice resounded deep as if from the abyss of the world. He stopped between the blood and the pieces of glass, swept his eyes slowly over the surroundings before fixing them on you. His eyes seemed endless, like the infinite depths of a black starry sky. "You must wake up."

"Wake up?" you whispered.

"All of this," he ran his eyes over his surroundings once again, "this is not how it should be. It does not feel normal. Dreaming is disturbed, tainted, broken. You are broken."

"This is a dream?" you couldn't take your eyes off his, "how can I be aware that I'm dreaming?"

"Because I have allowed it."

"You allowed it?"

"You often come back here. To the same place. To the same memory," the infinite depth of his voice seemed to wash over your body and mind, "this is not the first time we have met."

"Why don't I remember it?"

"Because I don't want you to remember."

"Can you do it?"

"I can do many things," there was a gentleness in him, a cold soothing kindness, "I can erase this dream, this nightmare. The distorted memory."

"So this happened? I…" you looked at the blood spilling at your bare feet, "I killed him."

"Only you can find the answer to that question, but not here," he replied, "this nightmare is not quite real. It is altered, bent by your fear and by something else," he rubbed his fingertips in front of his eyes as if to feel a non-existent structure, "it feels forced."

"By whom?" the question broke out breathlessly.

"You will not find the answer to that question here," the stars in his eyes shone, "in a moment you will wake up. You will not remember our meeting. Nor my words. But you will remember the doubt. The feeling of doubt and suspicion. Trust in it. It will guide you to the truth," he slipped a pale hand out from under his coat.

"Wait!"

"This dream is over."

Bruce shook her gently in an attempt to wake her up. Forehead burning with fever, skin wet with sweat and tears, he repeated her name, gently trying to pull her out of the nightmare. She couldn't hear. Her face twisted in a grimace of pain, her hands clenched on the sheets, her body twisted as if in a convulsive shock, she suddenly relaxed and sank onto the bed.

"Y/N wake up!" he repeated again, "wake up! Do you hear me!" the realization of the adrenaline syringe hidden deep at the bottom of the bag in the closet of his room suddenly brightened his mind, "Y/N!" he shook her gently by the shoulders.

She moaned quietly. Her breathing took a steady pace, her heart seemed to calm down. Despite his terror, his thoughts were clear and composed. He looked around the room. The windows were closed. No signs of intrusion. Everything was in order, no disarray, except for the door lying on the floor, which he had knocked down a moment ago. He ran his eyes over her arms and hands and, finding no traces of a needle, reprimanded himself in his mind for thinking she might have been using drugs. "I've seen them before," he thought as he looked at the unmarked bottle. Y/N groaned again shifting under his hands.

"Y/N can you hear me?" he caressed her cheek. The fever was subsiding, "open your eyes…" he whispered. She only moaned softly and, cuddling her face into his palm, opened her eyes.

"Bruce?" confusion marred her eyes, "what are you doing here? What's going on?" she tried to get up so he helped her then rose from his knees and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked softly.

"Sure I do," she replied startled.

"Tell me."

"We are in Metropolis, in a hotel room at the Metropolis Plaza Hotel…" she stopped in mid-sentence when her eyes rested on the hole in the door frame where the door should have been. At the entrance to the room stood a confused young man in a room service uniform, "Bruce? What happened to the door?"

"I knocked it out," he replied briefly then added, "I'll be right back alright?" he informed her and with a quick step made his way towards the entrance.

Y/N watched as he changed from a caring man to a powerful persona in the blink of an eye. She watched his commanding stride, the look he threw at the butler making the man yield under his weight, she could hear the icy "stay here" with which he held him in his place. He was gone only a moment. A moment full of confusion, the covers pulled high up to her neck, confused stares, and an uncomfortable silence. When he returned he didn't wait a single second, the authority spoke up issuing orders.

"Here's a grand," Bruce began, placing the bills in the man's hand, "I trust the press and tabloids won't find out about it."

"Mister Wayne, sir, I would never…" the boy blushed hesitantly accepting the money.

"Let me see your phone."

"Sir?"

"Show me your phone," Bruce repeated with emphasis taking the phone from the butler, "unlock it," he ordered.

"Sir I would never do anything that would…"

"I believe you," Bruce interrupted him, "unlock it."

The boy reluctantly unlocked the phone and handed it to Bruce. He only swiped the screen a few times before handing it back to its owner.

"Thank you," he pulled another stack of bills from his pocket and shoved it into the confused man's hand, "if anyone had asked I was drunk, completely wasted. I mixed up the rooms," the butler nodded while Bruce pulled out another bill, "here's an extra five hundred. A token of my gratitude for your cooperation and assistance in moving Miss Y/L/N's belongings to my suite quickly."

"Yes sir!" the boy merely nodded then with swift careful movements began to gather her bag and scattered clothes.

"Bruce it really won't be necessary," she began but he didn't listen to her. He only threw her an assuring look then disappeared into the bathroom only to return a moment later with a packed makeup bag and bathrobe in his hand.

"You can't sleep in a room without a door," he smiled kindly handing it to her, "you'll spend the rest of the night in my room. And tomorrow we'll work something out."

Fifteen minutes later you were sitting disoriented, wrapped in a robe and sipping hot mid-tea that had been delivered to you by the butler. The nightmare had not yet fully left your mind, still clouding your perception of reality. Bruce was pacing around the room. He arranged your clothes on the sofa, hung your dresses on hangers, carried your cosmetics to the bathroom then opened the window letting in the blissful fresh scent of the night air and sat down opposite you.

"You will take the bed, I will sleep on the couch," in the privacy of his apartment he adopted a gentle tone and warm expression once again.

"Bruce, I can sleep on the couch. Really! A lot of fuss about nothing!"

"About nothing?" his brow arched in surprise, "Y/N you were screaming. I thought someone broke in, that you were in danger. You were screaming in your sleep."

"I'm sorry…" you whispered embarrassed.

"Don't apologize," the warmth of his voice and the blue of his worried eyes seemed to calm your exhausted nerves, "don't apologize because you have nothing to apologize for."

"I have caused you trouble."

"It's nothing," he assured, "the most important thing is that you're okay. Are you okay?" his eyes shone with concern.

"I don't know…" you replied weakly, "I'd like to say yes, but that would only sound like a lie. And for some reason I don't want to lie to you."

"Has this happened to you before?"

"Nightmares? Yes. That intense? I don't know," you admitted, "it's not like there was anyone around to tell me about it."

"You were all feverish, crying in your sleep…"

"Awesome," you smiled faintly, "another mishap. This is what happens when you pick up an idiot from the street and bring her into the society."

"Stop it!" his hand tightened on yours, "I didn't say that to embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable. I just, you worried me, I don't think that's surprising," there was no lie in his eyes.

"I didn't mean to worry you," you replied, but hearing Bruce's heavy sigh you gathered your courage and decided to continue. You owed him that much. "It started after the accident. Nightmares, anxiety, maybe slight paranoia. I ignored them, not the first trauma in my life. I knew that with time it would pass. But it didn't pass."

"Don't get me wrong but have you talked to a doctor about it?" concern shone in the dark depths of the blue of his eyes.

"A psychiatrist?" he nodded, "let's say that I did. My… friend helps me with the mess in my head. He has extensive experience and knowledge in psychology and psychiatry. He has been a great help and support to me since the accident. But I wouldn't call it typical therapy."

"Did you dream about the accident?"

"No…" one part of you wanted to run away from his gaze when the other wanted to completely sink into it, "no, I don't dream about the accident."

"If you don't want to talk about it, I won't insist."

"I don't want you to think I'm insane," you smirked.

"I won't"

"Promise?"

"Promise," a shiver ran down your spine at the sound of his words. A strange feeling, a familiar sense of security, "you can trust me."

"I think these are memories…" you began hesitantly but Bruce's hand still on yours provided comfort, "some of my nightmares are memories, for sure. I remember them too well to have any doubts. But others, I'm not so sure…" you mused for a moment, "they feel like memories, but I'm not sure. Because I don't remember…"

"You don't remember?"

"There is a two-year gap in my memory," you replied quietly. You looked at him but there was neither surprise nor derision in his eyes, only a quiet understanding, "A void, a complete void. A black space where memories should be. I don't know anything, I don't remember anything from that time."

"Memories began to return after the accident?"

"After the accident I increased the frequency of therapy sessions," you replied, "I also started taking medication. You probably think I'm nuts."

"I do not think that," he assured, "believe me, crazy is the last word I would use to describe you."

"Liar," you sneered even though his eyes spoke the truth, "I think the sessions and the drugs unlocked something in my mind and memories began to return."

"Memories of what?" he inquired.

"I don't want to talk about it," you slipped your hand from his under the guise of reaching for a mug of tea, "at least not now."

"Of course, I understand."

"Forgive me but I haven't even talked to my psychiatrist about it."

"This friend of yours, yes," you nodded in response to his question,

"This friend of yours, yes?," you nodded at his question, "you say he's good at what he does. What's his name if you don't mind me asking?"

"Doctor Jonathan Crane."

***

~~Gotham City~~

Nightwing stood over the broken body of a forty-year-old man and watched the blood flow from his frozen in excitement mouth. The bag of money he had recently stolen lay nearby, green bills spilling out onto the wet concrete sidewalk. The gun he had fired at him just a moment ago still warmly fell out of his hand with a metallic clang. If only he had reacted faster the man would still be alive. He should have seen this coming, but how could he?

"What happened here?" Red Hood jumped off the building and landed next to him.

"He jumped," Nightwing replied quietly.

"He jumped?"

"He just jumped. I didn't even have time to react."

"Wait wait wait. He robbed the bank and then committed suicide?"

"No… it wasn't suicide," Nightwing denied, "I got him cornered and instead of giving up he said I couldn't do anything to him, that he wasn't afraid of me," he looked at his brother seeking understanding, "he laughed in my face."

"That's new."

"He said I couldn't do anything to him because there was no fear in him."

***

Chapter ten: Dreams - part two

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Author note: Originally this part was meant to be all in one chapter. But as I sat down and started writing, it grew and grew so much that I decided to split it into two. Otherwise, this chapter would be about 20k. I really wanted to get you all into his world, like truly deep into the world of Bruce Wayne, or at least the world that I imagine. I think it worked out. Some new characters appeared and one unashamed cameo which I couldn't help but write! After all, he is a character in DC comics (and I love him so much). The second part will be out as always within the next two weeks, and then I will take a break, which means that chapter eleven will arrive a month later. I'm traveling abroad to see my friend so I won't have time for writing. Hope you'll forgive me. I added to the tag list those who asked to be added. Thank you for your engagement! It truly means a lot to me. And finally, as always Dear Reader, I thank you for reading.

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Tag list:@clown-princesa @theclassicvinyldragon @blondwhowrites @batgirlspain @hangmanscoming @julesjewelss36 @cherryflavoredcoke @grandstrangerphantom

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unofficial-dawg · 1 year

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Wednesday Addams X Fem Reader | Bite Me Pt II

A/N: Y’all gave so much love to Bite Me Pt I, I simply had to deliver on Bite Me Pt II. Its rough around the edges, grammatical and spelling issues probably, spoilers. Also, Bite Me Pt III, anyone? My Tumblr is very much rough writings, this story will be fully fleshed out and posted to my AO3 (this is a massive project im working on this week and next week)! I’ll drop the @/link, when I get it completely set up, as pinned post. Also Xavier Thorpe x Reader coming soon maybe????

Word Count: ~ 1,712

Watching Wednesday and Tyler interact made your teeth ache. It was weeks since your fight, and though you both weren’t on speaking terms, her friends were your friends too. Or rather, your friends were her friends seeing as you had been attending Nevermore longer than the petite girl ahead of you. “You get a bad vibe from him too right? Like I’m not crazy am I?” You ask Enid. Her momentarily silence said enough but for her to have followed it up with:

“I think its good Wednesday is making friends and I can totally see them being a cute cou—“

“Finish that sentence and I’ll rip your throat out” You spat, pointing your finger at her, your chair sliding back as your long form becomes even more inhuman.

With a sigh of frustration you flatten out your outfit, having been a free day you wore several layers to keep you and yourself away from the sun. Even when it was raining,, the UV rays were a bitch. You re-tuck the band t-shirt that was overtop a long sleeve turtleneck. Your high-waisted jeans gave with ease as they were baggy, making it easier for the layers to adjust. You impatiently tap your left foot covered by a platform loafer on the ground, glancing to the side to stare at the girl you were enamoured with.

If Wednesday was goth, you were her grunge counterpart. The two of you looked..correct standing next to eachother. Complimented and highlighted eachothers beauty. You clench your jaw, your gaze focusing back onto Enid’s form, she sunk into the booth, her claws gripping the table, no doubt because she was quite startled of your previous outburst. Your anger was a force to be reconned with.

“I’m…sorry, I’m just—“ you look at her and begin sincerely apologising, “I-“.

You were stumbling over your words struggling to produce a coherent sentence, luckily, or rather unluckily, it is forgotten as man rapidly presses the countertop bell, “Where’s the service in this place?!”

You glance back where Tyler and Wednesday were previously standing. “Well isn’t that convenient”You grit your teeth in frustration. “Something isn’t right with that boy. This whole situation is fucked” You stare out the window in disdain. It appears Xavier also had slipped from the café.

“Y’know, y/n, maybe she gets distracted by you and thats why she doesn’t bring you with her anymore” The pathetic attempt to comfort you was appreciated nonetheless and you smile sadly looking down at the girl.

————————————————————

The following weeks didn’t seem to get any better. Wednesday was giving you emotional whiplash. You’d both hang out and the routine of back and forth banter would repeat and then suddenly she’d be ditching you to spend time with Tyler or stalking Xavier.

“It’s like I don’t even exist to her anymore” You complain to your roommate. Bianca looks down at you with an annoyed expression, “God, you sound like Xavier y/n…Seriously Wednesday isn’t that special.” She rolls her eyes catching the pillow you haphazardly throw at her.

“It’s not fair… What does he have that I don’t?” You finally show your face to her, the unshed tears seemed painful.

“Do you really want me to answer that question?” She smirks amused at the stupidity of your question.

“Ew. I do not wish to ever have to think about MY girlf—“ you quickly catch yourself “ about Wednesday being with Tyler like that. Or anyone for that matter. she’s mine.” you pout

“If you’re so upset why don’t you just talk to her? It’s a two way communication street y’know.” she lectures “I mean really, y/n/n, sitting here bitching about some girl? The old you would beat you to a pulp if she saw your pathetic ass like this. Over some girl no less.”

This made you pause, “Oh god— Have I been “moping”?” you put quotations around it.

“Brooding, whining, crying being a general nuisance.” she rattles off, “Look y/n, I care about you. But this obsession with Wednesday is turning you into this. I know for a girl thats been alive for this long,, you know more than anyone that people are temporary. And Wednesday will die one day, and what will you do then? Better to rip it off like a bandaid and start fresh yeah?”

“I mean she might as well have stabbed me with a stake in the heart, and not in the good way.” you sit up and rub your face in exhaustion. “I know you’re right, I just… love her. I love her so much and I want to go when she does. I want her to kill me. What do I do B?”

“You vampires are so dramatic” she says and amused tone shining through the mask of annoyance. “Go talk to her. Gift her your cold dead heart, play her your stupid violin, do something to show her how you feel. And when she inevitably breaks your heart pick yourself up and show her why she was interested in you in the first place. You’ve lost your spark y/n. You follow her around like a sad dog. A dumb dog.”

You slide on your jacket, and with a quick “Thanks, B.” you’re slipping out the door to track down the Enigma that is Wednesday Addams.

Enid proceeded to lie to you about Wednesday’s whereabouts for ten minutes. Very quickly you realise she is stalling and you rub your temples in frustration partially giving up on the whole notion of confronting her.

“And so then I came back from Yoko’s room and she wasn’t here.”

You quirk your brow in slight amusement “You’re a terrible liar.”

“I’m not lying!” she says fidgeting slightly

“oh right right. well if you say so.” You shrug pretending to turn and walk away. She quickly attempts to shut the door, but you had other ideas as you snap around, catching the door with your foot.

“But if you were lying,, hypothetically of course” you grin wickedly. Your form was always sickly and a bit inhuman, but when you would shift your posture slightly, and bare your teeth, you looked infinitely more nightmarish.

“Honestly, y/n! We got in a fight and i left, i only came back to look for my nail polish. My guess is the crypt” The girl in front of you cringes at the mention of the monster. You can only assume she’d seen the beast for herself.

Your hand that was resting against the door frame began to turn white, your nails were sunken so deeply into the wooden beam that it was splintering with every slight shift of your hand.

“Is she?”

“Thats all I know” she waves her hands in the air.

“Thank you for the information.” You pry your hand off the door frame and walk back towards your room, assuming you were probably too late. Subconsciously, you glance out the window not thinking you’d catch sight of the goth’s form being enveloped by the shadows of the woods.

With a newfound sense of anger you rush down the corridors to catch up with her. There’s a gracefulness to your movements despite the speed. You suppose it’s a vampire thing. Or at least one of your blood status though you never really bothered to care or pay attention to that.

“Wednesday!” You shout following after,, “Wednesday!”

“stalking me now are we, y/n?” she doesn’t even bother to look at you, choosing to continue on her path to the crypt.

“you need to get a better guard dog.”

“Why is it any of your concern? You think I can’t do this investigation without you?”

“You’re seriously sneaking out to see him?” You deduced, frowning whilst you finally catch up to her.

“You may be blinded by your attraction to him but he is just as much of a suspect as everyone else-“ You grab her wrist harshly.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” she wrenches her hand from your grip immediately.

You glance down at the faded puncture wounds she has on her neck. “so i guess that means nothing to you then?” your facade falls briefly

“We were never official.” she reiterates to you, almost brushing the thought off completely.

“Oh yeah? Cause vampire bites are just something to take so casual right?” You hiss out. “Whatever Wednesday. I’m sick of this shit.” you turn to leave but she grabs your arm. The uncharacteristic movement made you freeze, and hope had electrocuted your heart into beating for a few fleeting moments.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” her emotions breaking through from her usual somber expression and apathetic mood.

“How should I know Addams? You have everyone wrapped around your finger. Xavier, Eugene, who is in a coma, And prime suspect number one.” you readjust your posture, you were quite taller than the girl before you. “You’re gonna get yourself killed. And for a guy no less? For a normie? One that bullied Xav? You are so busy chasing after some guy to see-“

“To see you? Don’t be vain y/n it doesn’t suit you.” she drops her hand and stares at you, her eyes hollow from all semblance of emotion. Your eyes narrow before you turn around,

“As opposed to being what, Wednesday? A selfless idiot that would die for you? The world doesn’t revolve around you and I am perfectly fine in solitude just as much as you are, so we’re done.” You flip her off over your head, not sparing her a glance, as you head back into the castle grounds.

The way your eyes went from a blur of anger and pain to a void abyss greatly intrigued Wednesday. She tilted her head before turning around to meet up with her,, almost boyfriend? At least he didn’t seem to care for titles. Why did you? Why did it all bother her so much? She focused on the task at hand, ignoring the way her stomach twisted into a knot. An unsettling feeling consumed her whole as she arrived at the Crypt.

In your fit of rage, you tipped the police about the stolen motorcycle. At least you could fuck up their date plans a little bit.

#wednesday x reader #wednesday #tim burton #wednesday addams #eventual fluff #angst with a happy ending #series #netflix

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osirisiii-bc · 4 months

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South of Heaven - Part I [IYRIN spin off - Terzo x OC]

Rating: Explicit, nsfw, sex, mental health issues, abuse, religious trauma, lemon, mental instability, mind manipulation, explicit language, biblical imaginary, violent couple fight, blood and injuries, violence, crossover fic.

Pairing: Papa Emeritus III / OC, Cardinal Copia / OC, Papa Emeritus III / Omega (mention), Alpha / OC (mention).

Crossover: Ghost/Metallica.

Summary: A group of rival satanists attacks the Ministry. Iyrin, now a fallen Angel, is struggling with their new demonic condition, and things between them and Papa Emeritus III are not going as they both expected. Terzo’s revenge against the rival satanists during a Metallica concert only makes things worse.

Part I | Part II | Part III

I’m posting because sometimes one just have to go on. I can’t keep changing things and get stuck on the same sentence forever. It is a 3 chapter fic, already written down so 1 chapter per week. And yes, it is a crossover fic starring Metallica in one of the chapters.

The main story, IYRIN, is on Wattpad and AO3.

This spin off chapter, The New Inner Circle, is on Wattpad, AO3 and down here 👇🏻

Part I. The New Inner Circle.

“ The night we met I knew I needed you so, and if I had the chance I'd never let you go… ”

The little plastic horns attached to their headphones' headband followed the rhythm of the music as they lightly moved their heads while walking down the hallway.

The sun had risen only a little before, but they were already awake to witness that spectacle from the window of the Papal’s bedroom. As the Ronettes' song played on, a burnt smell began to tickle their sensitive nose.

They frowned but continued hopping through the almost-empty corridor. Maybe someone nearby was smoking something strong.

“ So won't you say you love me? I'll make you so proud of me, we'll make 'em turn their heads every place we go… ”

They often strolled around the abbey with music in their ears at unusual hours, helping drown out the voices they claimed to hear inside their heads. Sometimes in the heart of the night or at the first light of morning, the only sound through the corridors was their soft voice singing some joyful melody.

The smell of smoke intensified uncomfortably, and while no one seemed to be awake until a few minutes before, they started to notice more people all converging in the same direction.

“ Be my baby now… Whoa-oh-oh-oh … oh.”

Iyrin halted and slowly freed their ears from the large headphones, frowning at the scene before them. In front was the main entrance of the Ministry, and the crowd around the large door couldn’t hide the consequences of what had likely happened during the last hours of the night, when parties were over and everybody was defeated by tiredness or intoxication. They turned at the touch of a hand on their shoulder. It was Terzo, probably still half-asleep when called for the emergency, judging by the way he was still trying to adjust his cassock.

“Are you okay? What happened?” he asked, anxiously.

“I don’t know, I just arrived,” Iyrin shrugged, as shocked as him. “Looks like a fire.”

“Well, a door doesn’t catch fire by itself…” And with that, he walked past them to meet the group of people gathered at the entrance. Iyrin followed soon after, observing the scene, confused like all the others.

The large entrance doors had been destroyed at the bottom half, where the fire had started, leaving the entrance open. The only coverage now came from the surviving wood of the top half and a part of the right side. Luckily, the fire hadn’t spread inside, but it had ruined the marble of the entrance and the closest furniture. As Terzo had said, the door didn’t catch fire by itself. A ghoul handed him a letter and the knife used to pin it on the external wall of the building, probably by the perpetrator of the attack. Terzo read it briefly, nervously jiggling at the content.

“Ah, what’s this? 1991 again? Is Burzum back with his shit?” He shook his head, as if talking to himself.

“What’s written?” Iyrin asked.

Terzo folded the letter, “We’ll discuss it in an emergency meeting. I need Sister Imperator.”

A nun stepped forward, stopping the Papa from walking away. “Papa,” she began, timorously, “they have made a sacrifice.”

Terzo frowned at her words. “A sacrifice…?”

“A cat,” the nun lowered her gaze, “Can’t tell which one, it is… carbonized.”

Iyrin saw his nostrils widen as he took the longest, raging breath before blinking.

“Go look for Bastet,” he ordered whoever was listening, barely turning his head in their direction.

Iyrin widened their eyes at the realization, immediately moving through the corridor with a fast pace, followed by a couple of nuns.

“ Hello Scooby-Doo cocksuckers.

This is the devil speaking to you. The real one, not the one you pretend to worship.

Did you like the surprise?

We’ll be signing Master of Puppets, waiting for you in the pits of hell if you have the balls. We’ll make sure you find us.

Death to the Ghost faggot.

Signed, The New Inner Circle. ”

“Is this a fucking joke?” Secondo rhetorically asked with an amused smirk, clearly not taking that seriously. “Did they really name themselves The New Inner Circle*?”

“I would have much preferred it to be a Christian group... Satanists fighting each other is just ridiculous,” a cardinal commented soon after, slowly shaking his head.

“They quote Metallica, and they don’t even know me and James are close friends,” Terzo considered. The letter was still in his hand after reading it to the attendees of the emergency meeting. “At the very least, they’re just a bunch of bored kids.”

“Let’s find those kids and beat the shit out of them then,” a Ghoul proposed. “Let’s show them what Hell really looks like.”

“That’s an idea,” Terzo agreed.

Iyrin took the floor, trying to inject some logic into the discussion. “Before jumping to conclusions, what was the mention of Master of Puppets? A figure of speech or—”

“A concert,” observed a Ghoul. “Metallica is playing in town in a couple of days. Some of us were already planning to go there.” Then added, “It looks like an invitation.”

“So we know where to find them. They must be local folks.”

“You wouldn’t think of going personally to the gig,” Iyrin said, taking for granted that Terzo would never do such a reckless thing but still scared to know his answer.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“Your Unholiness—”

“You can’t go; it’s too dangerous,” Sister Imperator finally spoke, echoing the fallen Angel, who just gave her a long, cold glance. The fact that Iyrin was present to the majority of meetings and councils was a condition the woman struggled to stand, usually making it clear whenever she could.

Terzo just shrugged, as if it was nothing to worry about. “I know the band personally; we’ll have a free pass everywhere in the venue. All I need is a group of Ghouls with me to find those assholes.”

A couple of ghouls leaned forward. “I’m in,” they declared, followed by many others.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. What if it’s a trap?” Iyrin looked at him again. The worry in their tone suggested they were talking to him like Terzo and not Papa anymore, but he just ignored their stare.

“We’ll discuss it later. Let me do my job.”

“Well, you have to do it better then.”

Terzo just sighed, nervous, but ignored them again and the fact that all around them had heard that. He adjusted himself in the chair. “This is the letter they left and the knife they hung it with. Track down what you need to find them. We are going to the concert.” He stated, leaning the letter and the knife on the table, towards the ghouls. “If anyone has something against it, can just stay here waiting for further instructions when I’ll be back.” He finished the sentence turning directly to Iyrin, speaking more to them than to the rest of the attendees.

That said, he declared the meeting concluded, with no other opposition.

Terzo remained seated at the table as Iyrin attempted to approach him, waiting patiently for most people to leave the room. They had been careful to avoid explicit interactions or displays of affection in public, mindful of potential gossip within the Clergy.

However, any intention of conversation vanished when Terzo spoke up.

“How many times did I tell you not to fucking call me out in public?” His words weren't a question requiring an answer, and he didn't even turn to face them.

“Alright,” the Grigori sighed, rolling their eyes, then moved away from his irritated Unholiness.

Things were far from easy. Since Iyrin's conversion, their relationship had been a constant roller coaster of beautiful ups and unbearable downs.

Very few people had heard Terzo raise his voice in anger off the stage. In his youth and during uncontrolled possession episodes, if the rage he displayed was once silent—manifesting as a raspy, low voice resembling more of an evil growl than a scream—assisting Iyrin's torments revealed how loud he could become when pushed to his limit, and sometimes beyond.

Their fights had been frequent, desperate, and sometimes violent. Doors slammed so hard that they made walls tremble, and objects were thrown on walls and the floor, especially by Iyrin. Unable to channel the chaos of the forces battling inside them, Iyrin couldn't recognize the hate and anger feelings, unknown to them before that moment, that clumsily tried to pour out on the person they were connected with the strongest feelings.

Needless to say, Sister Imperator wasn’t happy with the situation, to put it euphemistically. She despised Iyrin and their influence on Terzo, either positive or negative, always looking skeptical towards them, never directly talking to the fallen Angel, and trying to change Terzo’s mind about them at any given occasion. Some feared it was just a matter of time before they could see Iyrin walk down the Abbey corridors in papal facial paint. More than once, members of the Clergy had expressed their fear to Sister Imperator that Terzo could choose the fallen Angel as his successor, given how highly he seemed to regard that creature, despite the frequent fights.

Very few members of the Clergy considered it a safe situation. Their baptism ritual hadn’t been enough to convince the Clergy of the true intentions of the Angel. Nobody had ever dealt with one before, and the private meetings that excluded Terzo had multiplied since Iyrin was introduced to the Ministry. However, Terzo wasn’t one eager to follow advice and common sense.

But their attitude wasn’t the only change the conversion had brought.

Vanity, not one of their characteristics until they embraced the influence of their former chief, Azazel, was now occasionally reflected in the thick kajal lines they sometimes wore around their eyes, new ways of styling their hair and a growing interest for luxury clothing and accessories. Terzo had also found a new stress reliever in painting their nails black.

Although lust was one of the aspects that mostly had surfaced by their conversion, Iyrin was rarely seen at orgies and parties, and never in black masses. They hadn’t completely rejected their heavenly past as a creature of God, even though, for obvious reasons, they couldn’t practice the Catholic cult anymore. The only cult symbol they still wore was a Grucifix pin on all their outfits, positioned on the heart as a sign of devotion to Terzo, more than to the project itself.

Despite becoming a fallen Angel, closer to a Ghoul in their energy, they retained most of their naïf nature and a gift rarely seen in a place like the Ministry: a profound empathy for every kind of creature. However, they also developed the strongest negative feelings with consequences that were rather chaotic.

As a result, Terzo had progressively reduced their own presence in all their usual activities, causing half of the Sisters of Sin to hate the now fallen Angel. They blamed them for the reduced occasions to meet the Papa, while the other half started to love them for their capability to relieve the love suffering that Terzo still caused every now and then. Iyrin was slowly trying to gain more approval among the siblings, the same way Terzo had started to do with the audience: by offering support, understanding, and a shoulder to cry on. Terzo often suspected it was a kind of professional deformation, where every sibling’s confession about him was new information to be piled up in their brain and spit out at the most convenient occasion.

The extension of the cult developed around Terzo, outside but mostly inside the Ministry, had paradoxically grown more as he had started to show himself less, and began to show at the Abbey when many Sisters of Sin dyed their hair blonde to try to look like Iyrin and catch the Papas' attention, once the gossip spread about that new favorite partner. Some nuns even started dieting to try to reach their impossible proportions. Funny thing was, Terzo never really had an aesthetic preference, but it was rather amusing to see all those blonde heads during orgies.

But what really upset the Clergy, was that Terzo has proved himself to be a charismatic leader and a brilliant frontman for Ghost, surpassing the achievements of any previous Pontiff. The success of Meliora opened doors to a broader audience, and Terzo's performances, deviating from institutional norms, swiftly became iconic, especially with the drastic wardrobe change for himself and his Ghouls. He claimed the non-liturgical attire made him feel more connected and accepted by the crowd, contradictorily adopting a stronger preaching style than his predecessors. He had just started to talk, communicate with the people, actively driving them to his cause, not expecting the people to find a reason to join by standing mute and still like useless statues. He had just stepped off the pedestal, giving people the illusion of being reachable, perhaps just by extending a hand towards the stage if you were really lucky that day, but his words were what the Clergy feared the most.

He succeeded where Sister Imperator expected a swift failure, and what frustrated her the most was that whenever she anticipated a mistake, he managed to achieve triumph.

Iyrin walked past the doors that led to the garden, where the Sisters of Sin were taping handwritten signposts to invite people to promptly close the doors when passing by to prevent the cats from going outside. A note also informed that the felines were still free to roam inside the internal cloister. They set the cowl of their winter habit over their head and ventured outside.

In the garden, they found Primo sitting on a stone bench under the surprisingly warm sun rays, seemingly enjoying the cool air at the end of winter. Unlike Secondo, he didn’t participate as much in the activities of the Clergy anymore; having spent his entire life in the service of the Church, he just wanted to enjoy his last years in a quiet retirement.

Iyrin’s ritual had been a spectacle attended by half the clergy. Surprisingly, once informed, Primo had been the most interested in the event. After the initial shock of learning that an Angel had been kept in the Ministry, their decision to become a fallen had awakened ancient curiosities in him. Being the most diligent of the three brothers, he was thrilled to attend such an unusual ritual taking place before his eyes.

Him and Secondo were in the first row of the chapel, which was filled like maybe only the papal investment ceremonies were. Sister Imperator was absent, though, like Copia and all her strict collaborators, even though some had sworn to have seen the Cardinal appear at the back of the chapel, sneaking in for a short time.

Although Terzo had suggested Baphomet for their duality and balance, Iyrin had chosen to reunite with their former chief, Azazel, now one of the highest-ranked demons at Satan’s side, master of corruption and vanity, once chief of the Grigori order and among the first angels to rebel and fall.

Iyrin had performed almost the totality of the ritual by themselves in Aramaic, the earthly mother tongue of both, with the assistance of Papa Emeritus III, and his blood offered as a sacrifice. “If I have to be damned,” they had said, “I’ll make sure it will be by my own hands.” More than a ritual, it had been, in fact, the event of a holy creature communicating and connecting with the underworld, in a way nobody had ever practiced in the Abbey. Terzo liked to brag about it, adorning himself with the merits of that conquest.

After the initially skeptical reception, Primo had gradually grown fond of the fallen angel; one could often find them strolling in the garden, arm in arm, discussing theology and magical matters, or working together on supervising sermons and students' papers. They also enjoyed light conversations about music and their shared passion for The Beatles. He found in Iyrin a new, direct source to expand his knowledge, gaining insights from someone who had witnessed firsthand the stories he had only read in books.

“A bit of hustle at the Ministry today, huh?” he started, opening only one eye when he felt the Angel closer.

“We are victims of an attack by a group of rival Satanists, apparently,” then they just added, “Isn’t it a bit too cold to stay outside?”

“I was informed,” he just said, no emotion betraying his firm tone.

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“Internal conflicts among Satanists are an old issue that never fails to surprise me. And, anyway, today is a lovely day, and a bit of cool air can only do good to my old shell,” he quietly reflected. It wasn’t unusual to see him outside, in the garden, under unfavorable weather. He claimed it helped him stay in touch with the elements and the force of nature, while Terzo just considered it a weird habit of a bored retired old man apparently tired of living.

He gestured somewhere beyond the Grigori, “Be patient, Asa, could you please hand me a tangerine from that tree?”

Iyrin hid the spontaneous smile at the way he had called them; they walked towards the tree, reaching the lowest fruits. While roaming their hands through branches and leaves, a quick spring caught their attention: a small mouse briefly looked at them, sitting on a branch, then it ran down the trunk. Now that the cats were confined inside, the rats would thrive, they thought.

They walked back with four tangerines: two for Primo, one for the Ghoul sitting at a comfortable distance, and one for themselves.

“How come you don’t participate in Councils anymore? Your opinion would be very helpful in such situations.”

Primo just shook his head lightly, inspecting the fruit in his hand. “I won’t be of any help to who is deaf and blind.”

Iyrin looked down, immediately understanding who he was talking about. “Sometimes he just doesn’t want any replies to the things he decides. He’s very determined.”

“Only sometimes?” He asked rhetorically, finally peeling the thick skin of the fruit, “Listening and negotiation are crucial abilities for a leader. Unfortunately, Terzo lacks both qualities, along with many others that will get him in trouble one day. That’s why I opposed his promotion." He took one slice and added “Determination is a good quality when it is sided by a strong vision, but he’s losing that. Maybe all this success is not doing good to someone like him.”

“That’s why maybe he would benefit from guidance like yours.”

But Primo just shook his head again. “I won’t be as tolerant as you or obliging as Secondo,” he swallowed the fruit, moving his lips in a shadow of a smirk, “My patience is not what it used to be. How is it going with your voices, instead?” He quickly changed the topic.

The Angel just sighed, looking somewhere away from them. “Sometimes they whisper and sometimes they scream. Music is helping.”

“One day you’ll have to start listening to them; our Lord is speaking to you, and sometimes his ways are difficult to understand.” Talking to him, sometimes you could lose sight of the fact he was talking of Satan and not God. “He is in all things, in all feelings that make our skin crawl or our head spin, inside and outside of us. You need to keep the door open for Him.”

They nodded, swallowing the fruit. They thought it was a strange trick of fate to pass from a silent God to such an invasive one.

“How is it going with the soap I made for you then?” this time it was them who changed the topic.

“Oh, look.” his face softened like he just remembered something beautiful, “You’ve done a miracle. The irritation is almost completely gone. I haven't felt my skin so soft in years.” He slid off one of the gloves to show the skin of his hands, visibly improved. Winter hadn’t been gentle with his hands, already damaged by a lifetime of glove covering, provoking irritations and wounds to his delicate skin that regular creams and soaps didn’t help. Nothing comparable to the healing powers of a Watcher and their knowledge in alchemy.

“I’ll prepare some more, then. And some cream, too.” they said, taking his uncovered hand into theirs to warm it up. “But let’s go inside now, before the cold does its damage again.”

Neither of them had noticed Terzo standing by one of the windows of his office, observing them talking for a few minutes.

He was relieved to know that he could rely on his older brother's support in taking care of Iyrin while he was away on tour or for promotion. Yet, upon his return, he had to confront the reality of what it meant to be in the initial phases of possession.

He turned only when he heard the familiar voice of Sister Imperator call for him. “Did you ask for me?”

“Yes,” he confirmed, taking his place at the large desk. It was still early in the morning, and he knew he wouldn’t probably leave that room until the sun would set again, “We need to talk about the security of the Ministry.”

Imperator just nodded, taking her seat.

Hours later, Terzo was easing Iyrin down on the numerous pillows of his bed; the hair of the Grigori spread waves of pale platinum on the purple sheets.

“Ah… look at you…” he mumbled while unbuttoning his shirt. “And I’m lucky enough to come back to my room to this fine, warm devilish creature waiting for me in my bed…” He got rid of the shirt, letting it fall to the floor, leaving his slightly defined abs exposed, and revealing the reason why the highest rank figures were covered from head to toe: a thick map of cuts and scars on both arms that didn’t spare hands and palms, testimony of years of rituals. Soon he knelt on Iyrin, kissing them with impatience.

Sex was still amazing, but it wasn’t always enough to distend the fallen angel’s nerves whenever a trigger made their brain click. That night, though, it was Terzo who needed his nerves distended after the long day he had been through.

Iyrin adjusted on the pillows, looking at him. “I wasn’t waiting for you. You literally dragged me in.”

“I said waiting for me in my bed... ”

“And your cat is staring at us again.”

At the door, Bastet was sitting on the floor, looking at the scene until she just decided to leave them alone and roam somewhere else. She had gotten used to Iyrin’s presence only after their conversion and seemed to barely tolerate them, but the Angel still felt slightly embarrassed by the cat’s constant stare in those intimate moments. It had taken the help of four Sisters to finally find her, curled up among the warm sheets of the laundry, welcoming the nun who found her with the widest, careless yawn. It turned out that the sacrificed cat was still one of the Ministry colony, named Maudit. Terzo was incredibly hurt by that, even if relieved it wasn’t his personal cat.

Satan must have blessed the sacrifice, as only a few days later, three new lives would come to light in the colony. One of the kittens, chosen by Terzo himself, would be named after Maudit (II).

“See? She’s gone… she feels unwelcome,” he lazily joked. “Where have you been all day anyway?”

“I was with Primo, talking about soaps.”

“Uhm, ok.” He just cut in between one kiss and the other.

But something was stopping Iyrin from really enjoying that moment of intimacy. It didn’t take long for them to speak again. “Terzo.”

Terzo’s face rose from their neck, where his lips were busy kissing it in a failed attempt to ignore them. “Yes, darling?”

“You literally shut me up at the meeting.”

Terzo blinked, “I told you we’d discuss whatever you were saying. Just not there.”

“That was the place to discuss.” They observed. “You never let me speak when there is someone else listening.”

“You mean I don’t let you publicly scold the Pontiff with your indelicate sarcasm?” The conversation didn’t stop him from sliding down the fallen angel’s underwear, with his eyes still fixed on their face. “What are you afraid of?”

Iyrin arched and moaned softly when he caressed their inner thigh all the way up, softly rubbing his thumb where it connected to the groin. “Just… I’m not really sure of this concert idea.”

“The band will be playing in a small venue, I’ll have enough Ghouls to track those cunts down, and you.” Again, his mouth searched for their skin, leaving a damp trail from the collarbone to the jaw while teasing their sensitive area. “You’re coming, right?”

“It will be very hard.” They reflected, adjusting to his touch. Terzo took one of their hands just to place it on his crotch, inviting them to take some kind of action. Iyrin distractedly committed to it, starting to lightly caress him while overthinking. He was indeed hard. “A small venue is still thousands of people; it will be hard to differentiate all energies in that mess. Everybody will be hyped up, creating mixed signals. The Ghouls will be terribly excited.”

Terzo delved on their neck again, biting and kissing whatever he could. His hands reached for his belt, unbuckling it with a certain rush. “Oh yeah… excited…”

“Dear Lord, Terzo! Are you listening?”

Terzo stopped and sighed, loudly, getting the idea there would probably be no sex that night if he didn’t pay attention to them. “If we don’t find them, they will probably attack us again to get our attention. I’ll have the security around the Ministry reinforced.” He nodded, like to cement those words. He cradled the Grigori’s hand in his, caressing it lightly. “It’s been a long time since I last attended a concert as a guest. Even if they don’t show up, it will be worth it anyway.” He reassured. “Take it as a night out. Metallica are my close friends, it’s going to be fun. You always say I need to get distracted sometimes. Won’t you like a bit of fun with me?”

Iyrin looked down, pondering. “What if you find them? What are you going to do with them?”

He just shrugged, “Having a little conversation?” but his answer sounded rather incomplete. He probably didn’t have any plan and would just come up with something with what he liked to do best: improvise.

Iyrin nodded, even if still doubtful. “You can’t wait to create a bit of mayhem, don’t you?”

“… Well, that’s one of my evil specialties.” He smirked, then he became more serious again. “Are you coming, then? I’ll need at least one brain there to assist me.”

Iyrin nodded again, then sighed. “If you’re crazy, I’ll just be crazy with you.”

“Good…” He just kissed them on their cheek, closer to the angle of their lips, leaning on them again. “Now show a little love to your Papa for once… I need you to come tonight too.”

___ Notes:

*The Inner Circle was the name given to a group of self proclaimed Satanists, that involved the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem and Burzum. During the end of the 80s and beginning of 90s they committed a series of crimes, like catholic cemetery desecration, catholic church burning and murders, but they targeted also metal bands that weren’t “Satanists enough” in their opinion. Terzo refers to these episodes when he says “Ah, what’s this? 1991 again? Is Burzum back with his shit?”

#the band ghost fanfiction #ghost band #papa emeritus lll #terzo x oc #papa emeritus terzo #terzo x omega #cardinal copia #papa emeritus i #primo emeritus #terzo emeritus #terzo fanfiction #secondo emeritus #sister imperator

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pansyfemme · 3 months

Note

hey i just found your blog and wanted to let you know that your gender expression is exactly what i want for myself, but i'm so afraid of getting there.

I identified as nonbinary for four years before I started T and soon after that realized I was just a binary trans man. I used to dress pretty feminine a lot of the time, I used to wear a lot of makeup, jewelry, skirts and dresses, etc and I wasn't ashamed of it. I even would dress up in drag sometimes, and I still have all of that stuff. but I also had really severe dysphoria that was so debilitating. when I started T and first began to pass, I gained a bunch of weight and no longer fit a lot of my feminine clothes. And I stopped dressing feminine at all.

For months I was soaking up the euphoria of now passing as male, it was so amazing and such a huge relief. I liked being masculine a lot of the time, I gradually ended up turning into a bear, and I loved that. But eventually I started to miss my old style, I missed wearing makeup and I missed it all. I started wearing earrings again to work, my boss always comments on them that she loves them, and it makes me happy. But it's not enough.

I have really deeply ingrained internalized homophobia, it's probably something I need to work on but right now I have a lot else on my plate. I live in a blue state, in a progressive city, I've never experienced any LGBT hate personally directed at me, but the fear is still there. I'm also terrified of people assuming I'm nonbinary again, because I know with my heart that isn't me. I'm a man, there is no question to my maleness at all to me. It took me a long time to realize that. Even now that I pass, my dysphoria fears are still there, and I fear that dressing how I want to would cause people to misgender me again, but this time as nonbinary instead of female.

I have a bunch of money in gift cards at this one costume/vintage store I got most of my old stuff at, I want to go and revamp my closet with stuff that fits me now, but I'm so afraid now that I pass as male. I'm afraid of the judgmenet, trying to be a feminine man when I am neither skinny nor hairless.

Do you have any words of advice at all? Looking at the photos in your pinned post, you give me so much gender envy. And we're the same age. I wish I could get to where you are but I have so much fear preventing me. Thank you for your time, hope you are having a wonderful day <3

First of all, thank you for such a sweet honest message. It means a lot that I could be someone you think of to seek advice from.

Given your concerns, i cannot tell you that it's going to be easy. I'm also from a progressive city in a blue state, but even there, i get a lot of rude words shouted from cars, laughs at me, and a lot of hurtful statements pretty reguarly. I also have that issue of people assuming im detranstioning or nonbinary. I'm not saying these things to caution you against it, because I continue to dress the way I do regardless of these things, but I want to be fully honest about how I experience going out in public the way I do. I'm lucky enough to have very supportive friends, teachers and classmates, that are both positive towards, and downright thrilled about the way I present.

I feel very similarly towards my maleness. I identified with various labels in middle and highschool, but remained he/him pronouns and leaned masculine until i realized that perhaps I was just a man who enjoyed presenting femininly. The original transition back to dressing feminine happened while i was still identifying as nonbinary, but already on hrt. For a period of time, i decided to present very differently. I was on hrt, but i shaved all my body hair, wore heavy makeup, and i still had my chest at the time, so i essentially presented as what most would percieve as a cis female but continued to use he/him. This wasn't an act of detransiton, it was actually based on consistant bodyshaming i recieved from another trans person in my life. I'm just spelling this out because at different times in my transiton, i have presented as masculine, feminine, androgynous and something in between both before and after medical transiton. I still have days I choose to take on a more masculine apperance in public for various reasons, though I no longer have the ability to pass as a cis woman. I believe that gender presentation is fully fluid, and I've become pretty comfortable moving between different states of being even when my idenity remains static. What you are percieved as externally has very little to do with your internal idenity, and being fluid in presentation doesn't mean your personal identity is fluid.

For me, the best ways I could manage presenting the way I do is the fact that I have a personal network of people who are very confidently supportive of my choices, as well as seeing a regular therapist who encouraged my crossdressing after seeing how happy it made me. You have to be aware that even if you are already visably queer, this will increase it signifigantly. Queer visability can be good, and theres no way to entirely turn off your visability, but understanding that dressing like this can become stressful or anxiety inducing is a big factor. I, for example, never use gendered public restrooms unless i am presenting masculinely. The main positives of dressing this way is that it can feel really genuine. I don't feel like a girl in makeup and skirts, I feel and look like how I am. You'll also notice a decline in people gendering you specifically transmasculinly. Yes, people will assume you're trans, but you will be left to tell people your actual identity. While having they/them used on you can be an issue, I find people ask your pronouns a lot more often when they can't directly assume he/him or she/her. This has led to me gaining a lot of control over my own coming out, and me being able to tell someone my idenity in my words because they can't fit into boxes immediatly. So yes, people may assume you are nonbinary. However, this can manifest in different ways, including people being less likely to assume things as all, if that makes sense.

The issue with being fat and hairy and presenting femininly can manifest in a lot of ways. It's just an assumption that people make that a man who presents femininly must be skinny, hairless, and submissive. The power we have is being able to show people that that isn't reflective of our community. As a guy on here who's gained a lot of following specifically for being a feminine man who is not what people may expect by that description has lead to a lot of people telling me they've experimented a lot more with gender presentation, and that means a lot. I cannot tell you that people will be polite about it. However, I have experienced a lot of love towards me because of those aspects of me as well, and that's really exciting.

I appriciate the ask. sorry it took a few days.

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kpopcookie0813 · 7 months

Text

NCT REACTION TO YOU DOING THE WAP (Hyung Line)

Warning: Kind of smutty!!!!

Also, I tried my best so if there is something better you would like to see please let me know in the comments. ENJOYYY!!!!!!

Taeil:

I hope he recovers soon and isn't going through too much pain.🥺🥺

He probably wouldn't do anything. Taeil would just let you enjoy your TikTok. He might be the one filming it for you. T: What you doing? Y/n: Making a TikTok. T: Okay carry on Y/n: Wait Tae can you record this for me for a better effect. T: Yea sure *takes phone and starts recording* Y/n: *starts dancing* T: Here you go *smiles and gives you your phone* Y/n: Thank you *kisses his cheek* T: Your welcome baby

Johnny:

MR. JONATHAN🤭🤭

He won't even let u make the video. And don't ask why cause he will give you that stern look to make you shut up. 😳😳😳. Y/n: Hey babe if you need me, I'm making a tiktok video. J: What kind? Y/n: The WAP dan- J: Nope do something else. Y/n: B-but Johnny I- J: I said no. Y/n: But I just..... J: *glares at you* Y/n: Fine

Taeyong:

BUBU🥹🥹!!!!!!!

Tae would be the one making you do it with him. To be honest you wouldn't be surprised that he wanted to do it (boy is weird but a good weird?!?).

T: Babe come do this TikTok with me Y/n: Which one? T: The WAP Challenge Y/n: Yeah sure T: * starts twerking* Y/n: Damn you can twerk better than I can.

IM SORRYY BUT THISSS ISS MY MANNNN 😝😝😝😝😝(1/9)!!! CAN I JUST, SAY HE LOOK SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!😋 *Clears throat* Anyways back to the reaction. :)))

I feel like he would be one of those boyfriends who tackled you to the ground because he doesn't want anyone else to see what's his.

Y/n: *dancing the first part minding your own business* Y: Not today *tackles you to the ground* Y/n: Ow nigga what you do that for. *You whine* Y: Cause all that ass is for me to see not nobody else. *He said smacking your butt* Y/n: Bitch *under your breath* Y: What was that? Y/n: Nothing

Kun:

My pookie bear(2/9)☺️

Kun would act like the mom that he is nag at you for doing the dance. He might even hit you with a belt.

Y/n: *shaking ass for TikTok* K: *walks in and hits you with a belt* Y/n: WTF why K: WATCH YOUR MOUTH AND YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN HERE BEING DIRTY Y/n: .........

Doyoung:

He would just look at you with disgust. And I mean pure and utter disgust.😭😭😭

Y/n: *You doing the dance* Y/n: *Finished and posted the video and looks at Doyoung* D: *Looks at you with disgust and judging you at the same time* Y/n: Boy what is you lookin at me like that for. D: *shakes his head gets up and walks away*

Ten:

Just like Tae he would be the one to ask you to come and do the video with him. Ten would be so happy to do it with you.😌😌

Y/n: Hey babe what you doing? T: Making a TikTok can you come and do it with me Y/n: Yeah! Y/n: What song is it? T: That song by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Y/n: Ok sure!

Jaehyun:

Kind of like Johnny but since he knows you so well he already knows what kind of dances you like.🫢🫢

J: Hey baby what are you doing? Y/n: Nothing just doing a TikTok. J: *Walks in the room you are in* if it's that WAP challenge then no Y/n: But it's just a dance. J: No means no Y/n Y/n: But Jae- J: *Pins you against the wall and looks down at you with a glare* I said no Y/n: ........

WinWin:

THIS MY STINK!!!!(3/9)😜😜

I don't really know anymore about how he would feel about you doing the challenge. I feel like he would be shy but low key turned on.

Y/n: Y'all know I'm freak *You sang while dancing* W: *Walks in* Y/n-shi what are you doing Y/n: This challenge on TikTok called the WAP wanna see the video of me doing the challenge. W: Yeah Y/n: *Shows him the video* W: 😳😳😳😳 Y/n: Are you blushing? W: No *Lowkey turned on*

Jungwoo:

THIS MY NUMBER ONE BOOKIE RIGHT HERE!!!!(4/9)😚😚😚

I don't think Jungwoo would be shy cause of how his personality. He is my bias so that's probably why I think that. But I feel like he would just sit and stare at you feeling horny but not wanting you to know.

Y/n: *Dancing* J: *Watching you closely* Y/n: *Saw him watching so you start doing with a little more booty and finishes video* J: 😮🤤 Y/n: Did you like it? J: Y-yes *Horny now*

Lucas:

I know he isn't in the group anymore but, idgaf.(5/9)🥰🥰🥰

I think while you are doing the video this man would pick you up and take you to the bedroom. Then fuck the shit out of you.

Y/n: *Dancing and is on the humping part* L: *Bits lip cause he finds it sexy* Y/n: *Gets about to do the rest* L: *Picks you up throwing you over his back and takes you to the bedroom* Y/n: Lucas what are you doing. L: You will find out. 😏😏😏

Mark

I don't know if he is a part of the hyung line or not. I don't really know how he would feel. Maybe shy and awkward but wants to see you do it again.👀

Y/n: *Doing the dance* M: Hey babe what y- Y/n: *You do the split twerking part* M: Damn baby can you do that again😳🤤🥺 Y/n: hahahahaha😂😂

I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED!!!! IF YOU WANNA SEE MORE PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS OR PRIVATELY FOR ANY STORIES YOU WOULD LIKE ME WRITE...

#nct ambw #taeil #johnny #taeyong #yuta #kun #doyoung #ten #jaehyun #winwin #jungwoo #lucas #mark

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2dfd-simp · 8 months

Text

This Blog Is Now Dead

FYI: This is a semi rant.

TLDR - I won’t be active on this blog anymore

I’ve only been back on Tumblr for a couple of months. And already I’m remembering why I fucking hate it. For a multitude of reasons.

1) Every single type of media allows for explicit material. It’s about managing who sees it. The internet made it even more accessible then ever before. And yet Tumblr removes so many posts that the censorship becomes more obscene than the material that’s being censored. And having over 10 blogs deactivated it gets tedious starting again from scratch. Fuck Tumblr.

2) I’m here to goon to the amazing content that gets posted on here. That’s all I want to do. I enjoy gooning (obviously) but this blog is just getting full of shit to the point it feels like a chore. Gooning while getting shitted on isnt wxactky what I’m after unless that’s literal rather then metaphorical. Incase it’s not obvious I’m submissive. I’m a beta loser and well aware of it. I’m not even a switch and the rare times I do do it I don’t enjoy it. I do however enjoy encouraging each other to be worse. There is a line though between making each other worse and just trying to get domme’d for free. If you just want to be dominated pay a femdom. Guess what? You have to pay for literally every other service out there too, even ones essential to living such as water and food. The amount of people on here trying to use reverse psychology to get me to domme then is insulting. The fact you think you’re being clever is even worse. Fuck You. And this bit is to one specific guy who has messaged me over and over asking to be controlled and then saying his wife is his Mistress and that I’m a loser for not controlling him and his wife thinks the same. Firstly, here’s a secret about me. I’m a sociopath. Genuinely. What does this mean to you? It means I don’t care what you or your “wife” think about me. Your strangers. I don’t have empathy towards people I do k ow and have to fake it. I certainly am not going lose sleep over what you are what is probably the nickname for your hand think of me. Secondly if you had a wife who was your mistress you wouldn’t be asking for others to control you over and fucking over again. Because you already have a Mistress. It’s not Pokémon. You don’t need to find and collect every person to domme you, you only need one and apparently you’re married to one. Fuck you and your bullshit

3) Fucking exposure. People who have known me across multiple blogs will know I’ve done exposure captions or invaded your privacy with your consent etc, starting back years ago from when I met x-loservirgin-x. When I’ve done things like log into your Facebook etc I’ve only ever done what was agreed same as with people who have done the same with mine. Today has been the second time I’ve been interrogated because somethings been found out about someone. As mentioned above, I’m here to jerk off and goon. If you want exposure then be prepared for the risks that come with it and when you talk to multiple people about it. I’ve seen posts about both people on other sites and captions I’ve made saved and posted on other sites too. I can’t control that. Being hassled over the consequences because you didn’t think it through is t exactly what I’m here for so from now on I won’t be doing exposure at all. It’s not worth the fallout. Also aimed at one person: if what you did to your sister is true then you deserve anything that happens. Anyway. Fuck Exposure.

4) Fucking Findom. As soon as my pinned post was about paying money to a girl with screenshots showing it had happened i’m suddenly flooded with Findoms messaging. Sorry but I shut most of you down. Would you want your betas giving money to another Findom? And I would guess half of these “Findoms” don’t even have any losers paying them to begin with as they’re nothing but scam artists. There was one other Findom. I did pay because my biggest fetish is Asian Supremacy and @reigntina is amazing as fuck but that was only a small one, and I apologise. Please dont take my non reply the wrong way, my best friend was a Findom before…welll long story. Anyway, I fucking hate free loaders with a passson. And the fact I had only sent a small gift meant I didn’t want to waste your time as I felt like a free loser myself. Anyway, if anyone does want a Findom I seriously suggest you visit (and pay) her. And as for the guy who wanted a small tribute and I said I would on payday and then you kept nagging and using reverse psychology on me, go fuck yourself.

4) You know who you are. Yes I love to be made a worse person and corrupted. Yes, I’ve jerked to non-nude social media pics of 15yo before. But holy fuck. The amount of people “encouraging” me to find pre teen? No. I’m not searching on my IP for it, I’m not saving it, I’m not sharing it. That’s not corrupting me to be worse, that’s you getting me to do your dirty work for you. Most certainly fuck you.

So yeah. Between fake Findoms and others telling me to send, people regretting choices and being asked for stuff that I’m not doing I’m not having fun any more in this blog. I won’t deactivate it as there’s posts on here you isn’t enjoy, and I know people like to goon looking back on messages and I’ve made about 10 AI chatbots which can only be accessed via links I sent in private message so I don’t want you to lose them, but I’m done on here. But I do love Tumblr despite the hate. So I’m starting a new blog. No I won’t share it in here as I’m burning ducking bridges. If you find me you’re more than welcome to follow me, I know people always do in the end. And despite the frustration and amount of fucks being given out, I do enjoy chatting and not just about gooning etc. I’ve talked to others about Sword Art Online, Destiny etc as well as the girl I saw in the street and I rushed home to jerk off to. But I’d I get the inking it’s gonna become one of the things that’s pissed me off about this blog, I will just block you going forward. I’m here to goon and be as pathetic as possible. The only frustration I want is from not cumming.

Namaste

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linagram · 10 months

Text

a (very late) introduction to linagram!

hi! since the second trial is going to start soon i hope so and also i've noticed some new people following this blog, i thought that it would be a good idea to make a post like this! i think it will be useful for both new people who don't know much about my ocgram, but still want to learn more and people who are following this blog since the first trial, because i've actually never mentioned some of this information before!

(yes i know it would be better if i just added all of this to my pinned. i know. i will leave a link to this post there sjskslsl)

"Why Linagram?" Because this OCgram is named after me! :D And also because I'm bad at coming up with names and titles. Also [2], at first it was just a tag I used for my Milgram OCs before I created this blog, so yeah.

"What about the guards and the prisoners?" This OCgram actually has more than one guard (if you don't count Jackalope as another Canongram guard) and right now there's two guards (last name, first name order): Sanada Eiji and Andou Miki. There's also ten prisoners, just like in canon (same name order): Miyagawa Akio, Hanasaki Aimi, Ishizu Shun, Chiba Naomi, Sanada Kei, Yoshioka Eiko, Yano Asahi, Maruyama Yurika, Kuroki Riku and Himura Reina. After the first trial, all prisoners were forgiven except three of them: Akio, Kei and Yurika.

"Is this OCgram connected to Canongram?" It kinda is and it kinda isn't. It shares a lot of things with Canongram, like music videos, ten prisoners, also some prisoners share things like personality traits, backstory details, etc with the canon prisoners, but it's also very different from Canongram: more than one guard has to participate in the voting process, Jackalope almost never appears (though he will appear very soon) and doesn't really play an important role (he wasn't even there to explain how everything works) and also both guards are related to the prisoners. You have probably already noticed that Eiji shares a last name with one of the prisoners and that's his brother. Miki is related to one of the prisoners as well. I imagine that this OCgram takes place a few years before Canongram, but I'm not sure how many. Also, a lot of the MVs often have scenes that look like they're actually happening from someone else's POV, like a victim or a side character's and not just the prisoner's. Most of the time it's just done to make the MVs more interesting, but you can interpret it as the victims/side characters trying to help you/the guards figure out what actually happened, if you want! The victims play a big role here in general, since the guilty prisoners can not only hear the voices judging them, but they can hear their own victims' voices or even see them too. Maybe Milgram is the victims' new home too.

"Is this OCgram connected to the light novel?" I admit, I was kinda inspired to do the whole "haha what if the guards were actually the prisoners' siblings" thing because of the novel's plot twist (even though it wasn't the exact same thing) (and also because i just thought it would be a cool concept, like wow, your sibling is one of the prisoners now. what are you gonna do), but nope, this OCgram isn't really connected to it.

"How does the voting process work?" Both guards have to talk about everyone's crimes and watch the MVs together. After that, they have to decide if they will forgive them or not. However, Eiji and Miki's morals and personalities are very different: Eiji thinks all of them deserve to die for their sins and Miki wants to forgive them. So yeah, they have to somehow convince each other that their opinion is the only right one. After that, they both have to vote them innocent or guilty.

"How will the second trial go?" I will post both pre-T2 voice dramas first, then I will post the album covers (+ song titles and preview lyrics), everyone's T2 profiles and then I will start posting their voice dramas which will also include their MV descriptions and polls. You can vote them innocent or guilty based on literally anything: their crime, their personality, their design, etc. Metavoting is fine too though it doesn't mean that everything will go exactly as you planned, hehe. After each prisoner pair's voice dramas get posted, I will write their interrogations as well (for example, if Akio and Aimi's VDs were posted, that means I will also post their interrogation soon).

"Can we send questions for the interrogations?" Yes! And you can also simply ask them questions even if it's not for the interrogations, like, if you just want to learn more about them or talk to them, haha. You can interact with them too if you have Milgram OCs as well :] And yes, you can send questions and interactions for the guards too!

"Do you already know what you're gonna do for the third trial? Are all prisoners actually dead and we have to decide if they should go to Heaven or Hell? Is this all just an experiment? Do you have something completely different in mind?" I know that it's still only the second season of Canongram and it would probably be better for me to wait for the third season and maybe I will do that, but also I just kinda decided to go wild and do something original :D I already have some ideas for the third trial and the "big reveal", but don't be surprised if it turns out to be completely different from canon!

"Does your OCgram include any triggering topics?" Since this is Milgram, yeah, death and murder is like, the whole thing, but just to be safe, here are all the warnings (i suck at these, so i'm sorry if some of them sound like i'm not being serious or something, I JUST HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DESCRIBE THEM): bullying, self-harm, suicide, physical and emotional abuse, toxic relationships in general (platonic, romantic, etc), sexual themes (nothing too nsfw and nothing like that gets actually shown or described in detail, but it's there just so you know sjsjksks), characters get beaten up and injured in different ways (especially now that it's season 2), one of the guards is obsessed with punishing everyone so yeah, he's gonna say and do a lot of scary things, one of the murder victims was literally ten years old, derealization/depersonalization, hallucinations, literally all of them (including the guards) need therapy, like i'm sure all of them have at least one undiagnosed mental illness, stalking, harassment, some murders were very brutal, some future MVs will have elements of body horror and gore, but nothing too scary or detailed. If you find anything potentially triggering that I haven't mentioned here, please let me know!

Hopefully, this explains how this OCgram works! If you have any questions, feel free to send them!

#i don't think miki is supposed to be a lot taller than eiji BUT IT'S SO FUNNY TO DRAW THEM THIS WAY #LIKE I WOULD MAKE EIJI MORE TINY IF I COULD #“lina what do you mean RIGHT NOW there's two guards” :) i am looking away #but yeah i actually do have ideas for season 3 already. i'm putting way too much effort into this i know #but hey at least i'm having fun :D #milgram #milgram oc #ocgram #milgram project

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wally-friggin-franks · 5 months

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PART THREE (take two) YOU GOT IT PAL

actually writin' this in my notes, so, uh, hopefully i'll remember the way i wrote some of this stuff-

the biggest story on my mind right now is when henry was tryin' ta work late for the third, maybe fourth day in a row. and i wasn't havin' it. that day i had baked breadrolls, so i just waltzed up to him, gave him some, n' just. talked with him. had a chat, yknow? eventually, i convinced him ta go home and get some rest. i'm glad that i could. i also wanna make those breadrolls again some day- they were one of th' only things i could safely make that weren't too shabby, and they were pretty easy fer me. maybe soon.

the next story was when i was helpin' clean the warehouse. clutter, beams, junk, etc... i was just strong enough to help move this stuff. i wasn't entirely helpless, heh. anyways, i was in the middle of movin' a huge metal beam, it's hoisted onto my shoulder, and friggin' bertie is standin' in my way. now. a normal person would say "hey! excuse me, gotta get through!" but not me. cos i didn't like th' guy. so i just. "accidentally" knocked him unconcious with the beam. everyone believed me, sayin' that i "didn't have th' smarts ta pull it off" WELL I DO AND I DID AND IT WAS ON PURPOSE. take THAT. and the warehouse guys didn't help move anythin' it was just me n' lacie

i think i'll save th' repurposed coat closet story for a while, at least 'til i draw what it looked like. it was awesome. i would make that its own seperate post.

although, i'll gladly tell about the writin' department. usually, that place was dead quiet. could hear th' drop of a pin, and then everyone was lookin' at it. but this particular day, everyone was shoutin' and pointin' fingers, all thanks ta friggin connor wheatley. cos he didn't like alice angel. "boo hoo women character waaah waah weh weh weh BLEUGH." he got punched. i let it happen. after that, i slammed my broom handle to th' floor, and everyone went quiet enough for me to go clean. soon as i left, everyone was back at it again, heh.

if you ever were t' hear susie sing, you'd know the recordings NEVER did her voice justice. sounded like a literal angel. any time she was in a recordin' session, i'd try and clean nearby, cos lemme tell ya- she's gotta be the best out there. her voice had me floored every time. never got old. and she could be a wide variety of characters, too! it was really awesome t' see.

and shawn was th' BEST toymaker. i know about the whole "crooked smile" debaucle but honestly? thought that gave 'em more charm. made it so you could tell which ones would last ya for forever versus which ones couldn't. and just,, the craftsmanship behind it all? was awesome. sure, injury here and there, but each one was made skillfully. i loved watchin' shawn do her thing, they were really good at what he did, y'know? gah.

i really wish i had asked norman about how projectors worked. i would've gotten t' listen to it gush 'bout somethin' it loved, and it would've been smilin' the whole time, AND it wouldn't be mad at me? all around win situation! it was really cool. i can't even properly put anythin' into words it was so cool. the best projectionist in the world ever! n' was just a good guy. awhagwhgr

and henry's awesome, too! the way he could jus' whip up a drawing that quickly, and precisely? you could tell he knew what he was doin'. even the stuff he threw away was awesome. any drawings norman didn't steal, i definetly stared at for a while. he was good at advice, too. all-around a swell guy. he probably didn't have a single malicious bone in his body, in all honesty. couldn't insult his friends if he tried. really sweet guy. makes norman happy, and norman makes him happy right back. sweet, aint it?

jack was one of the best lyricists ever, i think. they could just... immediately get the vibes for a song, n' put it into words. it was really cool! again, what is it with people throwin' stuff away that was still REALLY good? all the lyrics they wrote had some swing to 'em, and just matched the feel of the song perfectly. good tempo, good use of phonetics, etc. just awesome. tried not t' disturb jack while they worked, though, so i mostly admired from afar.

prayin' tumblr doesn't eat this one. if it does, got it saved in m' notes, cos norman said to do that. its really smart :]

#batdr da #batdr irl #batim da #batim irl #batdr kin #batim kin #wally franks irl #《remember that time?》

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teamfortraven · 2 years

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Medic T-Word Alphabet

Gonna be doing @otomiya-tickles 's Tickly Alphabet for all the mercs, but instead of having people ask, nah, I'm gonna give it to you up-front, all of them (spare a few for personal reasons).

Also, this is my first actual post, so I might as well make tags for these guys-

Alright, let's get to the headcanons, doc is first :]

A: Aftercare | What is their aftercare like after a heavy round of tickling?:)

Medic will absolutely be wanting to take your temperature or some weird shit (mad doctor, he can't help but be curious) after he's done wrecking you. So once you're done swatting his hand away and giving him a questioning look, he'll finally sigh and grab his Medi gun, granting you a quick zap that will have you feeling like nothing ever happened. If that's not what you want and start complaining, he'll call you ungrateful and threaten to wreck you again.

However... if he's in a particularly good mood, or you're exceptionally close, he'll sit down and massage you instead, rub your shoulders, nice things to help you relax and wind down... All while verbally recalling every embarrassing moment of what just happened, much to your dismay (he thinks it's funny).

B: Bondage | How do they react to bondage, do they enjoy it and if yes, what is their favorite pose?

When being the ler, he's extremely calculated, so, if the lee is alright with it, he'll sometimes want to have them pinned, in some way. He doesn't exactly care how, as long as it leaves them exposed, just so he can get at every single nerve and test their reactions to things.

When he's the lee? He's absolutely good with it, but he'll fight against it while they attempt to get him ensnared. If you somehow managed to get him pinned, he's all yours. Will probably act super dramatic about it, stuff like "OH NOOO, I've been trapped!". Then he'll just sit there with this expectant look on his face until you actually do something. Nerd.

C: Chase | What are their chances in a chase, both as a lee and ler?

When he's the ler, you're 100% going to have a problem getting away from this guy. Given how intelligent he is, and the fact that he's faster than a lot of members of the team, he's either going to outrun or outsmart you. If you're getting to far ahead, he'll take a different route, making you think you lost him, just to suddenly hear his boots clacking loudly behind you. He'll also attempt to purposely scare you into dead ends, just so he can watch the panic that sets in as he slows to a calm walk, knowing that you have absolutely nowhere to go.

As the lee, he's the biggest smart-ass about it. "Getting outrun by a doctor? How embarrassing!" "I diagnose you with 'not going to catch me'!" His favorite thing is definitely flustering the ler before they can even get their hands on him. "You're supposed to be making my face red!" Won't slow down, will avoid all dead ends. You started a game that you will not win. The only way to get to him is being Scout TF2, sorry. Therefore, I highly recommend starting the chase when he's already cornered, or not even starting one, just immediately pouncing.

D: Death Spot | What is their most ticklish spot?

Oh my god, shoulders and shoulder blades. His gear covers it for the most part during battles, but when it's not? Sneaking up on him and clawing down his back will cause him to shriek, promptly turning to face his attacker. Also lets out the most adorable giggles if you gently spider across those areas, blushes and squirms and everything. If you somehow manage to pin him onto his stomach, tickling harshly across his shoulder blades will have him cackling almost maniacally. As soon as you let him go, you better run, because unless it's your immediate first move, he's going to grab your ankle and drag you down to the floor with him, enacting his revenge.

E: Expression | How do they express their wish to tickle/be tickled?

If he's intent on tickling you, he'll simply clear his throat to grab your attention before wiggling his fingers in the air. As if that's not bad enough, he'll say shit like "I'm only going to check for broken bones..." "Just going to make sure your lungs are working!" If you don't start laughing at the stupid teases, you're going to the minute his fingers make contact with you.

If he wants to be tickled, he'll probably try to purposely annoy/piss you off, somehow, or at least provoke you. "I bet you can't make me laugh." "You are the worst at tickling. Oh? Going to prove me wrong? Ja, okay, sure." Depending on how heated the argument gets, you may both end up yelling at each other, but that shit-eating grin is gonna be on his face the entire time.

F: Fight | What is their behavior in a tickle fight like?

If there's an entire group going at it, he'll single someone out, sneaking up behind them to take them by surprise, and immediately jab his fingers into the most sensitive spots on their body (he's responsible for giving the mercs check-ups, so believe me, he knows all the spots). After they've crumpled to the floor, he'll become much more teasing about it, unless he's pissed. If that's the case, pray someone else goes after him, and, hopefully, not just join in on tickling you to death.

If it's just you and him, he knows you'll be much more focused, so he'll have to resort to simply pinning your wrists above your head with one of his hands and pretending he doesn't know exactly where to strike with his other one to make you lose it. Eventually circling back to those spots will have him saying things like "What an interesting discovery..." and the extremely ominous "Typical for a mortal to be sensitive here..." No one questions it; they're usually too busy laughing and squirming away from his touch to truly process it, anyways.

G: Gentle | How do they react to gentle tickles?

He actively welcomes them :] it's actually extremely cute. He'll squirm around a bit, but it's all involuntary. He actually finds them extremely comforting; if you gently tickle him while he's trying to work, he'll attempt to scold you for it, but it melts away through bubbly giggles. Half the time, he'll basically fall asleep once you're done. No doubt after he wakes up, though, he's going to hunt you down and get revenge for 'taking several hours out of his day in place of sleep'. Get some fucking rest, doc, you kind of need it. Badly.

H: Habits | As a lee/ler or both, do they have specific habits when it comes to tickling?

Be afraid if he takes his glasses off and sets them somewhere safe. He's about to get serious. No matter how hard you may flail, he's going to abuse every weak point he can reach, with incredible accuracy.

Giving him gentle tickles sometimes causes the cutest thing ever to occur. If you slowly try to draw your hand back, he'll slump forwards subconsciously, attempting to follow it with his eyes shut like a big, dumb cat. As soon as he snaps out of it, his face is redder than his uniform (works for both teams LMAO). Bonus points if you laugh at his reaction, because he's going to have you beneath him, screaming in laughter in under 5 seconds (with that flustered look remaining on his face the entire time).

I: Interrogation | How well would they handle a tickle interrogation?

If he's conducting the interrogation? Girl put me in that chair-

Anyways, he could be laughing at full volume the entire time, but not a single secret is gonna slip from this man. He'll throw you a bunch of sassy remarks, but that's about it. Again, he loves flustering the ler(s), so if he can get you to blush, it's a massive confidence boost to him. He's especially going to threaten them with what he's going to do once they release him. "Be careful when you let me go... You're going to be sitting in this chair, next." Laughs even harder if the interrogator clearly has some thoughts about that idea.

J: Joy | Their absolute favorite thing about tickling?

Being mostly a ler, probably gauging the other person’s reactions. He’s super interested in seeing how they react to certain things, practically turns it into an experiment, but he has a lot of fun doing it, too. Bastard will sometimes be muttering things to himself like he’s taking notes while the person beneath him is just gasping for air. Will ask questions like “Where does it tickle most?” If he doesn’t get a response… “Fine. I’ll find it myself.”

K: Killer Move | As a ler, do they have special skills to use against their lees and drive them crazy with?

If he pulls out his Medi gun before the onslaught is over, do not trust it. If he has you pinned down, he’ll expose you wherever you’re most ticklish before zapping that area with the beam from his gun. WORST THING EVER. It creates a weird vibrating-tickling feeling, absolutely gonna drive you insane. Worst part is, it’s not like you can shove the beam away like you can a hand; you’re just gonna have to try covering yourself to the best of your ability. Seeing you lose it will spur comments like “What? I’m just healing you”, and yet he’ll sit there and watch with his head leaning into his hand, propped up on his elbow with a smirk on his face.

L: Laughter | What does their laughter sound like when they are tickled?

Medic does that loud cackle most of the time, unless you’re either just starting to tickle him or doing it gently. Then you’ll hear the cutest giggles ever. As long as you’re being aggressive enough, he won’t blush, and usually won’t even try fighting back. Once he’s had enough, though, he’ll either push you off or jab at you methodically until you involuntarily collapse in on yourself to protect from his retaliation.

M: Mornings | Their tickle behavior during mornings?

He’s usually up bright and early (as he is to bed super late), but he definitely is not a morning person. He just gets up early to get more work done. In the case where he’s had his morning coffee, if you’re lucky, it’ll put him in a really good mood, and he’ll be super playful. Poking at him will give the exact reaction you’re looking for; he can tell whether you want to make him squirm, or be the one getting poked, just from looking at you. Will get this cheerful smile on his face and go “Ah, alright!” Is usually gentle when he gets like this, almost loving. Won’t even try taking your temperature afterwards :]

However… if he’s not in a good mood? Better not piss him off; this man will not hesitate. If you try to initiate something, he’ll turn on you in a whirlwind and have you down before you even know what’s happening. He’ll watch you squirm around frantically and say shit like “Oh, was? You want more? Well, if you insist.” Won’t stop until he will probably need to use the Medi gun on you, even then he’ll go through a round of “Oh, you want me to heal you? I guess that’s just too bad.” before he gives in and grants you a quick zap. Yeah, his reactions can vary extremely.

N: Nights | Their tickle behavior during nights?

He works very late into the night, and he usually doesn’t get tired until the last hour or so he’s awake. If you try provoking him during that last hour, he’ll just clumsily swat you away, muttering “nein, nein” under his breath. However, before then? If you insist on having a chase, he will get super fucking excited. He loves nothing more than the fear of not knowing what’s in the dark, whether he’s the one feeling it or he’s instilling it in you. This is actually one of those rare cases where you actually might be able to catch him. He doesn’t exactly have night vision (and you don’t either) so resorting to stalking the other in the shadows is bound to happen.

O: Online | Text messaging and social media, do they have some kind of online tickly behavior to tease their lee or ler with?

The doc is extremely good at writing, so uhh… you can imagine just how skilled he would be at flustering someone over text/call. Shit like “You’re not going to be so confident once I get my hands around your waist…” and “Oh, you think that’s funny? I can make you laugh even harder. Come to the infirmary ;)”. Going to be a smug bitch the next time he sees you. If he’s teasing his ler, however, will say stuff like “Well, too bad, you’re not going to get at me because the door is locked.” Definitely going to get wrecked the next time if he gets his ler a little too riled up.

P: Partner In Crime | If they were to go after a lee and accept the aid of a tickle partner, who do they prefer to join hands with and why?

Well, the obvious answer here would be Heavy. They hang out a lot, so chances are, if he's going to gang up on you with someone else, it's gonna be Heavy. He can very easily hold someone in place (although he is very careful about it), while Medic uses his extremely skilled hands.

However, I propose an alternative, as well... Medic is obviously pretty damn strong. He can absolutely hold his lee down himself, no problem. Given this... two sets of hands are always worse better than one. I think Spy would probably be his 2nd biggest partner in crime. For example, if he's in the middle of a chase with you, you might accidentally slam into something... invisible. Before you know it, Spy has you on the ground, an amused look on his face. He was finding it fairly entertaining watching the two of you run around, and decided it would be even better if he helped the already scarily talented doctor wrench even more laughter out of you. Two lers who have horribly flexible hands... this can only go well.

Q: Question | Their response to the question ‘are you ticklish’?

You're never gonna get a direct answer out of this bastard. He'll slowly turn to you, an innocent smile stretching across his face, his hands clasped together.

"Why don't you find out?"

It's an invitation as much as it is a taunt. A fight is 100% going to break out- a tickle fight, that is. But then again, that's only if you have the nerve to engage with how confidently he's looking at you. Either way, he'll get what he wants.

R: Role | Lee or ler, what is generally their main role?

Almost always a ler, enjoying the feeling of having control over others. The very thought of everyone else knowing that he knows exactly how to make them crumple to the floor gets him excited. Most people don't mess with him unless they're A) pissed at him or B) just really wanna get wrecked.

However, when he's in a lee mood, it's a refreshing change. Just as teasing about it, specifically to provoke the other, but he'll rarely fight back.

T: Teasing | Their most favorite methods of teasing their lee/ler?

Doc definitely pretends it's a medical exam, or a surgery, or something along the lines of that.

"Now, this is a very important procedure, so I'm going to need you to hold still," he says as he tickles you as fast as humanly possible.

"Oops! Sorry, didn't mean to... tickle your funny bone?" He'll laugh at his own stupid joke, his barely audible over yours. "Oh, you thought that was funny, ja? How flattering!"

Hell, he just enjoys verbally teasing in general.

"I wonder what would happen if I tried to play you like my violin?" He'll suddenly scratch horizontally across whatever area he's targeting, fast. Will probably start humming whatever tune he's picturing playing before sparing you a glance. "Oh, how peculiar... it appears I forgot to tune it." Before you can register what's happening, he's focusing quick jabs into your most sensitive spot.

Basically, you're going to be a blushing mess (he'll probably pull some shit like 'oh my, you look like you're running a fever').

U: Unusual | Do they have some unusual tickle spots? Where?

Will screech like a startled dove if you pinch at his hips. It is the funniest thing, and he will absolutely not let you get away with it. That is... if you let up on it. If you keep drilling your fingers into those two spots, he'll be out for the count, legitimately blushing out of pure embarrassment. It might not be his most sensitive spot, but it sure is one he doesn't want anyone else knowing about (surprisingly).

V: Victim | As a ler, who is their favorite lee and what makes this person their ultimate victim?

This is a super biased headcanon, but Engineer (I totally don't ship Engie and Medic /s). Since he's always healing everyone else, he usually has to make semi-frequent trips to dispensers during battles. Unless he's out on a quick adventure for scrap metal, Engineer will be right there, working on one of his buildings. "Hallo, Herr Engineer!" is all the poor man hears before two sets of fingers are poking him on either side, causing him to jump and stifle a few giggles. It's basically his way of saying 'thanks for the provisions' before running back to the front.

But when they aren't in battle? The two will often visit each other to see how each's experiments are going (both of very different natures). So different, in fact, sometimes when Engie asks how it's going, Medic will hum before saying, "Let me check." Knowing how the doctor views the other mercs, you get where this is going... He finds it adorable how Engineer forgets every single time, laughing in a tone of genuine surprise as Medic tickles him.

W: Word | What is their reaction to the T-word? Can they say it out loud or do they get embarrassed?

Oh, he can say it, alright. In fact, he immensely enjoys saying it just to tease whoever is about to be his lee, especially if they've got it so bad that they can't keep a straight face hearing the word. Upon seeing their reaction to what he uttered, he'll get a delighted grin on his face.

"What's wrong? You seemed to get a little nervous when I said 'tickle', mein freund. Ah, there it is again!" He'll repeat it as many times as he pleases, much to the lee's dismay, until they're practically begging him to just stop and do it, already.

If that happens, he'll giggle a bit. "Alright. If you insist!"

Ohhh it's done. Wow. That took much longer than anticipated. Still, I can't wait to do all the other mercs, it's really fun :]

#tf2 tickles #tickles #sfw tickling community #medic

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flamma-nocturna · 3 months

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oiiii ok SO since I'm slowly coming back online and stuff I'm gonna make a few changes to how we run things around here hwhwh

first.! I'm taking my old carrd down! it's. kinda old and outdated and i lowkey don't like it hwhsgwh. instead I've been playing with neocities so eventually once it's done I'll drop it here :o

in addition I'll probably make yet another new pinned post for here bc the one we have now is. ugly GWHSGW

also i want to set up an art blog to reblog all my art on here to over there! i made the blog already but i need a good url for it so some help would be great -.-; and once that's done I'll definitely start finishing and posting more work >:3

i also miiight want to post my art on other platforms so some help figuring out where to go would also be nice hshsh. I'll be hunting for jobs soon and i wanna put myself out there a smidge more but idk where to start... (also idk if it'll happen but i wanna improve enough to start taking commissions hwhdhsh-)

oh and uh i officially stopped using the - at the beginning of my text. i no like it no more T-T

#so uh. yeah! that's all I've got for now! how is everyone else doing hahshhs #💜#vocis tenebrarum

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sarahannmartin15 · 8 months

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Teen Wolf preferences

First kiss

Sorry I haven't been active I just needed some inspiration and I'm getting alot of projects lately but I will post more either today or tomorrow

Derek: so let's say this was a pretty classic way so here it goes. You where at Derek's loft and you two had planned a chill day so you where lying on his chest until you needed the bathroom you two where watch your all time favourite movie (insert favourite movie) and as you got up he pulled you back down you fell on his lap and your faces inches apart from each other you could feel his eyes drift down to your lips and then it happened he kissed you.

It took you a little bit to analyse what's happening but soon you melted into the kiss your lips moving in sink. Then Scott and Stiles walked through the door despite you and Derek tell them NOT to come over "wow hey um we did not have to see that" Stiles said " why you jealous because Lydia hasn't kissed you she probably hasn't even thought about it" you snapped back. Stiles pretended to be shot in the heart and Derek just rolled his eyes at Stiles

Scott: for once there wasn't supernatural crazyness going on in beacon hills so Scot took this as a chance to bake with you. "So what are we making" you asked baking was one of your favourite thing to do " anything you want" Scott said enjoying the view of you only wearing his shirt and a pair of panties as you bent down to get the flour.

"Let's do pancakes" you said turning but also tripping over your own feet and Scott caught you you looked into his beautiful brown eyes then you took a peek at his lips they where so pink and perfect to kiss (I even cringed while writing this) then Scott kissed you you immediately kissed back your arms around his neck his one hand on your face and the other on your neck. It was perfect but you and Scott did need to breath so you pulled apart and rested your foreheads together "have I ever told you how much I love you" he asked " only about 100 times" you said while giggling.

Stiles: Stiles was under so much pressure lately and he's been working and helping Scott he berley had time for you and one day at school you walked past you Spanish class and walked in because you forgot your homework there you walked in and saw Stiles having a panic attack

" OMG Stiles hey relax focus on me and my breathing " "I ........ can't relax" Stiles said starting to breath heavier. Then you remember in your mental health class the teacher said if having a panic attack hold your breath and so you kissed Stiles and his breathing went back to normal. " thank heavens that worked" you said even out of breath" thank you and can I kiss you again" Stiles said " you're welcome and yes of course. Stiles kissed you and it felt amazing you could feel him smile into the kiss

Isaac: so today it was pack training and Isaac asked Scott to pair him with you obviously Derek still didn't know about you and Isaac so Scott did that everyone was training with their partner and Scott was going against Derek. You and Isaac where making sure not to hurt each other but also play hard when Derek was watching so you pinned Isaac down everytime. Then Derek was watching and Isaac pinned you down faces a few centimetres away noses touching and eyes hooked on each other then Isaac did it even though your brother was watching he kissed you and you kissed back his arms supporting him and your hands on his chest " um excuse me" Derek said after coughing " oh um yeah well shit" Isaac said " please don't hurt him I was the one who did it" you said knowing your brother loves you to much to hurt someone you love but that didn't stop him from chasing Isaac with a frying pan.

Liam: so you and Liam where hanging out at his place playing call of duty ghosts and you two have been playing for hours and everytime he won but then you won " YES YES YES!!!!" You jumped up and shouted then Liam got the confidence to pull you into his lap and kiss you and it took you a second to realise what happening but then you kissed him back " I've been waiting to do that for ever" Liam said " same" you said out of breath. Then you kissed him but more passionate and your hands traveling up and down his chest his hand on your lower back and one behind your neck. After a few moments you heard the front door open it was his parents you two snapped out of it and continued to study for science.

Theo: you and Theo went on a jog together like you do almost every day. While running it started raining you loved dancing in the rain so when it started to rain you pulled out your phone and played better when Im dancing by Megan Trainor because you always felt better when you where dancing. Theo started dancing with you and it was so funny, he pulled you in and kissed you passionately and it was that whole cute kiss in the rain scene

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infitsovermisfits · 2 years

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What's Shakin' Baby? (2) - Eddie Munson x GN! Reader

AN: i wanted to finish this before my birthday (4 days ago now) and instead i broke my glasses ;-; happy birthday to me ig. ANYWAYS it's finished now- it took me so long and i really apologise for that ;-; I'm a perfectionist and it takes me a while to write these... I mean, look at the size. It's also difficult for me to work when I'm burnt out and tired all the time, and considering i stayed up till 7am to write this (dw I'm sleeping as soon as i post this) then yeah. That starts to take its toll eventually. I'll say that I had a lot of fun writing this- i understand not everyone likes fluff but to those i say ok? go read something else there's a multitude of fics I'm sure you'll find what u like :) PERSONALLY i liked Dustin and Eddie's friendship in s4 and it's clear Gaten and Joe have great chemistry... But hear me out: Eddie and Max. Do u really think Eddie saw Max moping around, all sad around the trailer park and just didn't do anything about it? Nah. Sarcastic little sister and Goofy older Brother? Ya. We were truly robbed of Max finding someone like Eddie to confide him and realise could be a good sibling to her that doesn't yell at her and make her afraid. (arcade idea stolen (with permission) from @intergalacticaquarium if you, like me, think Eddie and Max should have had a friend/siblings dynamic in s4, I encourage u to read their fics about them. They are v wholesome.)

WARNINGS: gender neutral reader, reader is 20, L O N G and slow burn forgive me i got v carried away, reader smokes, fluff, tooth-rotting fluff at the end, i promice, mentions of billy being a bad older brother to Max, Max opening up a bit about Billy trauma, Eddie being an amazing older brother to Max (along w yn ofc), eating food, negative self-talk, slight angst at the end, brain empty, no more thoughts, lmk if i missed something

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | MASTERLIST

15,915 words (holy shit i know)

The following day, you found you were driving back home from your trip into town with Eddie, blasting one of his mixtapes and singing along happily. As suspected, there wasn't anything interesting in the various stores and boutiques that had opened up since Starcourt shut down, but you still had a delightful day. You almost forgot how fun Eddie was to just... Be around. Even if he hated following you through the stores, his comments on the people in the store or the mannequins or the stupid slogans on the shirts made it difficult to not burst out laughing in the middle of the otherwise silent store. You did eventually have to drag him out so you wouldn't get kicked out when you flicked your gaze over and he was shifting the mannequin's hand around to be a middle finger. He finally pulled you into a Goodwill- the best decision you had made that day because apparently, you hit a jackpot- someone retired a bunch of Metal merchandise and it's probably the most quiet Eddie has been while sober and conscious in years. You both meticulously searched through the numerous Metal band t-shirts (some of which neither you, or Eddie had heard of, surprisingly), unsown patches he could add to his battle vest and various band pins. Eddie kept mumbling to himself about 'how lucky he got' as well as 'how someone could ever give this up'?

Collectively, you spent almost two hours sifting through all the clothes there and eventually buying close to ten things each. You stopped by a McDonald's to eat something, sitting in his car and talking about some bizarre thing that had crossed Eddie's mind at that moment, and as you drove home, you excitedly pointed at the Palace Arcade,

"Holy shit! That place is still open!?" You grinned eagerly, trying to turn your head to look over your shoulder at the passing building,

"Uhuh. If you came here a couple of weeks earlier, I would have taken you," he said playfully,

"What? Why not now?" You frowned, looking back at him,

"Cause school's out for summer. It's gonna be crowded as fuck with stupid kids stealing all the good prizes," He pouted, and you lit up at his comment,

"Aww," You grinned, "I'm sure we can just find your disappearing ink somewhere else out of town-"

"No, no, no," He grinned, "Buying something is not the same as winning it in an arcade after busting your ass on Tetris for an hour," You laughed softly at his comment,

"You played Tetris for an hour and all you could get was disappearing ink?" You grinned. At first you thought it was a joke- you remembered Eddie's whole phase with with the ink, realising he could draw whatever he wanted, wherever and no one would see it. He grafitied a lot of rooms in Hawkins with stupid messages and crude drawings, not to mention his room was full of glowing drawings under the black light he brought... You quickly realised he wasn't joking about spending an hour on one game and your eyes widened, "No-"

"Babe-" He said quickly,

"Eddie-" You said in a warning tone,

"Babe-" He repeated, his eyes widening and a grin spreading across his lips,

"Are you telling me you played Tetris for an hour... And all you could afford was disappearing ink?" You asked, mouth opening in shock,

"I'm not answering that," He huffed, "I don't like your tone,"

"How bad are you at Tetris?" You laughed, "It's a simple game, how-"

"Okay, well," He smiled, "Now you're just being mean-" He commented on your laughter,

"Eddie-" You managed breathlessly,

"It's a hard game!" He protested,

"This is like the rubik's cube all over again," You teased once you calmed down a little,

"It is not! Do not disrespect the cube like that"" He whined,

"The cube!!" You said amused, laughing,

"Can you stop making fun of me, babe?" He cast you a glance with a bright grin on his face,

"I'm not making fun of you; you're just funny, Eds," You grinned, shaking your head, "I'm simply reminiscing on that week that you locked yourself away in your room, almost losing your mind over that thing," You said,

"Yeah. And then a possum tried to kill me and cursed it," He said playfully,

The possum incident occurred in early autumn a few years ago. Before he disappeared for the week, Eddie picked up a new strain of weed from Rick. He talked your ear off about how it was real, authentic shit, grown in pristine conditions, and supposed to be better than anything he had ever sold or tried before. He'd been so excited to 'test' the product that he left his bedroom window open while he was greened out and a possum snuck in during the night. He didn't realise at first, but when he discovered it... It was safe to say that nothing could beat that phone call- hearing Eddie screaming about the 'demonic' marsupial hiding away in his closet and crudely describing it as a 'screaming rat that wants to eat him' was confusing at first. When you pulled the receiver from your ear, you almost collapsed laughing as you could hear him yelling from his trailer. It took you a while to collect yourself before you arrived in his home- Wayne was already there, attempting to usher the terrified creature into an empty laundry basket with a broom, while Eddie stood on his bed and rambled about 'demons' and 'cursed cubes'. Seeing you made him yell at you for laughing at the scene, and once you calmed, you moved your focus to help Wayne. You felt bad for the older man, considering he usually slept during the day for his shifts at the Plant, and who reprimanded Eddie about closing his windows at night so creatures don't find their way inside,

"It didn't try to kill you, Eddie," You told him as he parked his van outside his trailer, "It was more scared of you than you were of it," You pat his shoulder as you unbuckled the seatbelt and got out, heading for the back of the van to collect your bags,

"Why'd it have its mouth open then?" He grinned, opening the back for you,

"Because that's what they do," You reminded him, "They don't have thumbs, or spikes or knives, so they open their mouthes to be all scary," You explained, smiling as he rolled his eyes. You cast a glance at the bags, "Damn... We gotta wash all of these," You mumbled as you grabbed yours, which had been set on the right,

"Possums are terrifying," He muttered under his breath as he walked back to his trailer,

"Yeah, yeah," You rolled your eyes, "Hey, meet me at mine in like, ten minutes," You said, "I got watermelon in my fridge," You smiled,

"Yeah, I know. I was there when you bought it," He said with a grin, "Save me a beer," He said, before disappearing into his trailer.

A while later, you'd set the clothes you bought in the washer, opened the beer for him and got busy cutting up the watermelon. Eddie quickly entered announcing himself with a cheerful 'Hey baby!' the thick smell of cigarettes fluttering through the air behind him. Glancing up to give him a small smile, you noted he was shirtless, yet still wearing the same pair of dark jeans he had on before. He hated shorts, so he opted to find the jeans with the largest rips and holes in them instead. It surprised you when he walked up behind you, wrapping an arm around your waist and pressing a kiss to the back of your head. As you tried to feed him a chunk of the fruit, he playfully moved out of the way, grabbing the beer and mentioning that he was smoking, so he couldn't eat. You rolled your eyes, before telling him you should go sit outside, considering your AC was busted and it was cooler there than inside. There was a thin layer of sweat on your forehead, and you didn't want to stay inside longer than you had to. You eyed the spider etched into his right shoulder- how dare he not mention he got a new tattoo?

"You're staring," He said in a sing-songy tone, distracted by fishing out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pockets, causing you to blush and glance away from him,

"Shut up, Eds," You said with a small smile, following him outside and sitting in one of the seats you had on the porch, before grabbing a watermelon slice to eat. You gladly accepted the cigarette he offered, leaning over so he could light it for you and inhaling deeply,

"You dig the new ink?" He asked playfully, sliding a notebook you hadn't noticed he brought along off the table into his lap and flicking through the pages. You eyed him; the cigarette tucked between his teeth and plump lips, his brows drawn together slightly as he focused on the contents of the pages; big brown eyes darting over the words scribbled inside, "Drew it myself," He said, lifting the book up to show you the spider,

"Holy shit, Eds, it looks so cool!" You grinned, taking a bite of the melon,

"Thanks!" He said proudly, picking up the pencil that had fallen from between the pages and flicking to a half-empty page, "Took me forever deciding where I wanted it," He mumbled,

"It looks good where it is, babe," You told him, giving him a small smile and eating some more of your watermelon slice, "Oh- Hey Max!" You called, seeing her approach from the entrance to the trailer park on her skateboard. Considering she didn't look up at your loud yell, you guessed she must have her headphones on, "You think she's still super into Kate Bush?" You glanced over at Eddie,

"Probably," He murmured, the word muffled by the cigarette between his lips. His gaze flicked up to you, then Max in the distance, and then settled back to the notebook he was busy scribbling away in,

"Mh," You hummed. You took another drag before straightening and raising a free hand to wave at her as she approached. Seeing you, she effortlessly stepped off the board, walking a few steps and picking it up, before pulling the headphones off of her head and letting them sit around her neck. She came to a stop before the steps up to your trailer, glancing between you and Eddie,

"What?" She asked sharply,

"You having a good day, Red?" You heard Eddie ask,

"It... Was fine," She said, a little confused by his question,

"Anything fun happen?" You asked, leaning your elbows on your knees and letting your head rest in your hands, smiling at her, "Oh- you want some watermelon? I just cut it up- it's from the fridge so it's nice and cold," You offered, glancing behind you and picking the bowl up from the table, extending it out to her

"No," She shuffled in place a little,

"Damn... That's a shame," You said, setting the bowl back in its place, "Well, if you want any, you know who to ask," You told her, "Are you more into smoothies, by any chance?" You asked, "I have a blender and crazy experience making thick juice," You offered, smiling at the sight of the corners of her lips involuntarily lifting. She turned on her heel to walk to her neighbouring trailer,

"C'mon, Red," Eddie chimed in, "Their smoothies are a work of art- and that's coming from me," He called after her,

"Whatever," You heard her mutter before she quickly climbed the steps and entered the trailer,

"Damn," You sighed, leaning back in your chair and finishing the cigarette, stumping it out in the recently emptied ashtray,

"I could hear it from here," You heard Eddie chuckle to himself. You turned your body to look at him, leaning an arm on the table,

"Kate Bush?" You asked,

"Good, old Katie," He grinned. You gave him a playful glare,

"If you dare disrespect her, Eddie, I swear-"

"Wh- Disrespect?" He set the pencil between the pages of his book and closed it, setting it on the table, "When did I ever say anything disrespectful about Kate Bush, babe?" He said defensively, though there was an amused look on his face,

"You didn't, but I know how riled up you can get," You grinned, finishing your clice and setting the rind back into the bowl, "About what constitutes as 'real' music," You mimed air quotes before grabbing another slice,

"I would never say a bad thing about Kate Bush though, babe," He said, "Promice. Hand on heart; cross it and everything," He said, drawing a finger in two lines over the ink on his chest,

"Good," You raised your brows, "Cause she's like... Crazy amazing,"

"I know," He grinned, "I was the one who introduced you to her," He smiled,

"Cause the song came on the radio," You teased,

"In my car," He said with a smirk,

"Whatever," You rolled your eyes, sitting back in your chair and biting into the watermelon, quickly licking the juice that spilled onto your fingers. It was delightfully cold, thanks to you putting it in the fridge as soon as you got home from the grocery store earlier today. You only wished you could buy some stronger alcohol, or make a cocktail...

"Hey... Come here," Eddie mumbled, catching your attention. Once your eyes were on him, he removed the cigarette from of his mouth and tapped his leg with his free hand, shifting his legs so they were spread slightly wider apart,

"Why?" You asked, though you set your slice into the bowl and stood up without much hesitation. His smile simply widened as you approached him, carefully sitting in his lap and wrapping your arms around his neck. He hummed pleasantly, wrapping an arm around your middle to pull you closer,

"Missed you," He said simply, before tucking the cigarette back between his lips to take a drag,

"We spent the entire day together, babe," You reminded him, pulling the cigarette out of his lips and placing it between your own as he tilted his head back to exhale the smoke up into the air,

"Mhhm, and you dragged me around all these stupid stores and didn't let me have fun," He grinned, leaning forward to press a kiss to your cheek and taking his cigarette back,

"You almost got us kicked out, again," You grinned,

"I was just helping the mannequins express their feelings," He said with a nonchalant shrug. Your eyes flicked down to his neck, smiling and allowing your hand to gently caress the soft skin, "They've probably been stuck there for years in those awful shirts. I could sense a lot of anger coming from those plastic things," He said,

"You're a true hero, Eds," You smiled, "For mannequins all across America," You grinned,

"I work one store at a time," He said with a small smile. You laughed as he took another drag, "Can't believe we scored gold in that Goodwill," He said proudly,

"I know, right?" You grinned, "I finally got my own Pantera shirt," You said excitedly,

"I wonder who gave all of those shirts away," He muttered curiously,

"Someone cool?" You said, shifting a hand to play with strands of his hair, running your fingers through,

"Or someone lame," He suggested, glancing at the movements of your hands as your fingers began to carefully braid his hair, "In any case, we lucked out. You're like a good luck charm," He said with a proud smile,

"Me?" You asked amused, grinning as he moved his hand to touch yours, pulling your fingers away from his hair and pressing a kiss to the back of them,

"You," He murmured, brown, doe eyes meeting yours. He set the cigarette in the ashtray, letting both his hands wrap around you,

"Bet if you went to the store earlier without me you would have found those shirts anyways," You mumbled, rolling your eyes,

"Nah," He said, "But they'll make good replacements for all the shirts you stole from me," He said playfully, causing you to laugh,

"Maybe this is my way of giving them back to you," You joked,

"That's a really stupid way of giving me back my stuff, babe," He said, "Making me pay for my own stuff?"

"Eddie I'm j-"

"I know," He laughed, "I just like to tease you," He smirked, leaning back in his chair with a small sigh, "So! We have the rest of this wonderful day together. What do you suggest we do?" He asked, watching you expectantly. It was only the beginning of summer- the days would grow longer and hotter, and you'd be forced to get the AC fixed so you could seek comfort in the coolness of your home. That meant you couldn't really hang out in there. Eddie's trailer was always an option but it felt a little strange just inviting yourself there- besides, Wayne worked nights at the Plant, which meant he had to sleep all day. You couldn't play the TV too loud or yell or listen to loud music... You let your mind run as you leaned over Eddie, pulling the fruit bowl closer so you could munch on a slice as you thought. You'd already been and raided the nearby stores, and Hawkins was a shithole with nothing interesting ever happening here. The only thing left was...

"What about the arcade?" You said, raising your brows, "You can win me a teddy bear," You smiled,

"How romantic," He grinned, "But be warned, it will take me like... Six hours on Tetris to get enough tickets to afford one of those," He said, causing you to laugh,

"Damn- does the arcade even let people stay that late? Especially if they're awful at the game they're playing," You teased,

"Fine- you're not getting anything from me," He huffed playfully,

"Eddie- no!! Play anything but Tetris," You plead, grinning,

"Fine, fine. I'm pretty good at Pinball," He said, arms leaving you momentarily so he could stretch them above his head,

"You can't win tickets with Pinball. Also- pinball is the lamest game you can play at an arcade," You said, holding the slice out for him to take a bite of,

"Hold on-" He said surprised, gently moving your hand out of the way, "What did you just say?"

"Pinball is the lamest?" He opened his mouth in shock, and you smirked, moving the slice against his lips so he was forced to take a bite of the pink fruit, "What are you? An old man?" You grinned,

"Old men aren't the only ones who play pinball, babe!" He protested, yelping softly as some of the juice spilt out of his lips and down his chin. You laughed as he reached a hand to wipe his face and smirked, swallowing the food in his mouth and grabbing the slice from your hands,

"Yes, they are!" You laughed, shaking your head and getting off of his lap, "Oh my God- Eddie," You managed between laughter, having to lean your hand on the side of your trailer, "I have never met anyone who goes to an arcade thinking 'I'm going to play pinball', what the fuck?" You laughed,

"Listen- okay, okay. Since you think this is so fuckin' funny-" He said standing and following you as you stumbled inside your open front door, hardly breathing through your laughter, "-You haven't been here in a year, and, like, a bunch of the good machines broke down," He rambled,

"So it's the machine's fault you're horrible at the games," You grinned as you stepped into the warmer home, "Not your horrible game skills?" It was only a few degrees difference, though the change felt astronomical,

"Yeah- it is," He said, groaning as he followed you, feeling the warmth against his skin, "Shit- what's up with your AC?" He asked, watching as you removed the mass of black from the washer,

"Broken," You huffed, grabbing the basket and heading back outside,

"Why didn't you ask Wayne to fix it for you?" He frowned, walking to the broken machine and tapping it,

"He's asleep, right?" You said, glancing over at him, "I don't wanna wake him and waste his time," You sighed,

"Babe, your house is unliveable. I'll get him to fix it for you-"

"Don't we have plans to go to the arcade?" You asked, trying to quickly change the topic as you moved outside to the now empty line you shared with Max, beginning to hang up the wet shirts,

"Yeah, but-" He tried, following you quickly,

"Do you think Max'll wanna come with us?" You asked, glancing from her trailer, then back over your shoulder to see him standing on your porch and watching you. With a dejected sigh, he moved to sit down, his legs hanging over the edge of the porch, "Do kids nowadays even play arcade games anymore?" You asked more yourself as you got back to your task, running a hand over the wet, upside down 'Pantera' print,

"Of course they like arcade games," he said with a huff, "Everyone likes arcade games,"

"Good," You smiled, "I have faith in the new generation once again. And maybe she plays games that aren't Pinball or Tetris," You teased, "Maybe she's actually good," You added, "Maybe-"

"I swear to God if you make fun of me again..." You heard him say in a mock threatening tone,

"You'll what?" You grinned, setting the empty basket down and looking at him. A large grin spread over his face and he quickly hopped off the porch, "Oh no- Eddie, no-" You yelped as he suddenly grabbed you, picking you up and spinning you around and cackling, "Put me down!" You laughed loudly,

"You take everything you said back or I throw you in the dirt!" He said playfully,

"How about I don't!" You grinned, grabbing at his hands. He laughed again, setting you down but still holding on to you tightly. He opened his mouth again to say something, although-

"Gross," You heard from nearby, causing your head to look in the direction of the voice,

"Oh, hey Max!" You grinned at the red-headed girl now standing nearby in the shade between the two mobile homes. Eddie loosened his hold on you, letting you brush off your clothes and gather yourself, "We were just looking for you-"

"Why?" She asked,

"Well, uh... Eddie and I are planning on going to the arcade later and we wanted to know if you wanted to join us," You offered with a pleasant smile. She watched you with a frown, glancing between your faces, before narrowing her eyes,

"What's in it for you, huh?" She asked sceptically,

"Nothing...? We're just going to have fun and play games. Maybe get some milkshakes later or something?" You offered, glancing over at Eddie,

"C'mon, Red," Eddie piped up, moving to stand next to you, "It'll be fun; we used to go to the Palace all the time-" He gestured between you,

"Didn't we call it 'Our Palace' at some point?" You grinned, glancing back at him,

"Hell yeah," He grinned, "God, I used to kill on those pinball machines," He gave you a look, while you laughed at his statement, "Christ," He mumbled, rolling his eyes at your reaction, though smiled fondly at your laughter,

"Don't mind him- we played games other than Pinball," You assured her, "Have you ever been there, Max?" You asked the girl, and watched her cast her gaze downwards momentarily,

"Yeah... I used to go a lot, actually. It was the first place I'd go to when I first came here from California," She said, "I stopped going a few years ago... Cause of school? Haven't really been there since," She admitted,

"All the more reason for you to come with us!" You said eagerly, "Please? We promise we'll never bother you again," You plead, putting your hands together to emphasise your point. She glanced back at you and sighed,

"Fine," You both grinned happily, "I'll have to ask my mom,"

"That's fine- you be ready by 6," You told her eagerly, before grabbing Eddie's hand and dragging him back to your trailer,

"See you later, Red!" He called after her, laughing slightly as you dragged him inside your trailer.

It took a while for you to get ready. You had brought in the rest of your watermelon inside so the flies and wasps wouldn't gather around the fruit, eating the slices and trying to get Eddie to eat them with you, before cleaning your hands and changing into your outfit for the evening. Eddie left at your request to get ready himself, allowing you to freshen up and get ready in peace. Once you were finished, you walked out to meet up with Eddie and Max. Coincidentally, you walked out of your trailer at the same time as her, giving her a small nod and mentioning that Eddie was going to be your ride to the arcade. Once you locked your trailer, you joined her in the short walk over to his, lighting up a cigarette on your way there. Max had also changed and was holding a blue zip-up jacket for later in the evening, when the temperature would inevitably drop. Her hair, which had previously been braided, was out in loose waves and framing her pale face. She glanced at Eddie's trailer as you stopped, leaning against his van. You could faintly hear Black Sabbath playing from his open bedroom window,

"He's late," Max pointed out,

"He is... As usual," You let her know, "But he's our ride, so we gotta wait," You said with a sigh, "He's probably fixing up his hair- it usually takes a while, he's got a lot of it," You joked, smiling softly as she let out a quiet, breathy laugh,

"Yeah. Right," She nodded, eyeing the cigarette in your hand,

"Speaking of hair," You gestured to her, "Where's your Anne of Green Gable's schtick?" You asked,

"Didn't seem fitting for an arcade," She mumbled,

"Course," You smiled, "You excited to try any of the games there?" You asked,

"Excited?" She smiled slightly, "Do I look like a kid to you?"

"Well, you seemed eager to go," You shrugged, "I'm excited. I'm sure Eddie is too- oh! And if you're any good, you could teach him how to play Tetris!" You grinned,

"He doesn't know how to play Tetris?" She asked, blinking her wide eyes in surprise, "But it's so easy...!" She said, and you laughed softly, nodding,

"I know, right?" You smiled, glancing over her "He excels at DnD though... That might be the only game he's good at. As annoying it is watching him play the games and loose them, it's pretty funny," You grinned,

"Sure," She smiled slightly, glancing around in silence,

"I think your hair's cool, Max," You told her, "Pretty colour and all that," You said with a nod,

"What about my hair?" Eddie asked, walking out of the trailer and meeting you at the foot of the stairs,

"Not yours," You said, rolling your eyes, "Max's," You gestured to the girl. Eddie glanced over at her and nodded his head in a silent hello, before plucking the cigarette from your lips and taking a drag as he twirled his car keys in his hand. He was wearing a Metalica shirt under his leather jacket,

"Nice hair, Red," He complimented, "Now are you two ready for the greatest night of your lives?" He asked, glancing between you with a grin,

"In Hawkins?" You smirked, grabbing your cigarette back from his hands, "Never," You winked. Your grin widened at the way he looked at you after your wink,

"Right- not grand enough for you, Your Majesty?" He waved his hand in a mock bow, grabbing the door handle to the passenger side and pulling it open for you. With a grin, you stood a little taller,

"No. It never is," You said in a fancy tone, "Now take me to my Palace, your highness," You said playfully,

"Jesus fucking Christ you are both awful," Max muttered, shaking her head,

"You wanna be called your highness too, Red?" Eddie asked with a smirk,

"I was promised a ride to the arcade," She said, "My mom gave me a 9 pm curfew, so..."

"Right- and we're losing daylight," Eddie clicked his fingers in understanding. He walked over to the back door, opening it and gesturing for her, "M'lady, your chariot awaits," He said dramatically, smiling at her. With another eye roll and a 'whatever' muttered under her breath, Max climbed into the back. You shut the door after her and climbed into the passenger seat, while Eddie moved around to the drivers side, and you drove off into town,

"Did you eat dinner yet, Red?" You asked, busy shuffling through the tapes you found in the car,

"Huh?" She asked, "Oh uh... Yeah," She said quietly,

"Is that a lie?" Eddie asked, glancing in the rearview mirror to see her face. You did the same, watching her blink, before quickly glancing out of the window,

"...No," She said in an unconvincingly way,

"Well I haven't," You chimed in, "But I'm not hungry right now," You said quickly, seeing Max glare at you through the mirror, "We should go buy pizza after we finish up at the arcade," You glanced over at Eddie,

"Hell yeah, we can stop by a Pizza hut and get those breadsticks you like," He grinned, giving you a knowing look,

"Nice- sound good to you Max?" You turned your head to look over your shoulder at her. A small, involuntary smile spread on her thin lips, though she quickly turned her head to try to hide it from you,

"Sure... Sounds good," She confirmed, glancing down at her feet and shuffling them slightly. With a satisfied smile, you looked back to the tapes you had left discarded in your lap, continuing to flip through and listening to the gentle clatter of plastic against plastic,

"Here," Eddie mumbled beside you, reaching over and opening the glove compartment. Thankfully, you were at a red stop light. Curiously, you watched his hand as he shuffled through the stuff thrown there carelessly. Your eyes focused on his rings, faintly glittering in the light from outside. You always had a fondness for them, loving the way they looked against his rough hands, and how cold they felt compared to the warmth of his skin. He finally pulled a tape out, and you glanced over the cover, "Put this one in," He said softly,

"'Kill 'Em All'," You read, sliding the tape out of the cover and looking it over, "Is this new?"

"Nope. I just lost it," He said, smiling once you set the tape in and placed the others back, "And then found it again when I was cleaning my van a few days ago. Hey, Max, you good with loud music?" He asked as 'Hit The Lights' started blaring loudly from the speakers,

"Yeah," She said softly. You expected another annoyed 'whatever' but the girl just kept silent, looking out of the window,

"Good- loud is good," Eddie smirked, giving you a glance and winking back teasingly,

"Hah- yeah," You grinned as the heavy guitar riffs came in and you turned the music back up. The ride into town wasn't too long, though by the time you arrived at the arcade, your hair was all messed up, considering you had rolled the windows down and spent the majority of the ride nodding your head to the music and laughing along with Eddie. Max was silent the whole time, only staring out of the window at the houses zooming past the van. Her hair covered her face so you couldn't see her expression, though it didn't appear she minded the loud music, or the way the car shook at your limited dancing, or your screaming along to the lyrics. You hopped out of the parked vehicle, glancing at the spinning 'Palace Arcade' sign, then flicking your gaze to the building. The lights were already lit, though the sun's light drowned them out so you couldn't appreciate the bright colours they'd usually cast across the parking lot. Outwardly, it was still the same as you remembered when you were there last year, and since you drove by it earlier today,

"Ready?" Eddie asked, coming to stand beside you, hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket and a small smile set on his lips as he watched you, "Also, is this our..." he trailed off, shuffling his boots against the gravel bellow, "Uh... How do..."

"Our...?" You looked at him expectantly. He opened his mouth, but the words fell short and he found himself unable to look at you. You narrowed your eyes, before realising, "Like our first date?" You asked, "As a couple?" He smiled at your words,

"Uh... Yeah," He nodded, "My first date with you," He said fondly, "I should have taken a camera," He huffed,

"We can always take a picture after," You nodded to the building, before walking forward so you could stand in front of him, "I'm looking forward to this date with you, Munson," You said, watching the grin forming on his face,

"I'll make it worth your while, babe," He said, walking forward to press a kiss to your forehead. You hummed pleasantly, before glancing back to his van,

"I love going out on dates and babysitting," You said playfully, "Speaking of-" You knocked on the back window, causing Max to jump, startled. She hadn't moved since you parked, appearing distracted. She gave you a confused look, before you pointed to the arcade behind you, "We're here!" You said, opening the door for her. She slid over, considering she was on the other side, and hopped out, looking at the building before her, "Hey, are you okay-"

"I'm fine," She said quickly, giving you a stern look. You held your hands up in surrender,

"Just making sure. We can always uh... Do something else," You offered,

"No, I just..." She sighed, glancing in the car as Eddie locked it, "I left my jacket in there," She told him,

"Oh, that's fine. It's warm now anyways and we'll come back," He gave her a reassuring smile, "You'll get your precious jacket back soon. Now come on! Let's play games," He said excitedly, eagerly walking over to you and grabbing your hand, pulling you towards the arcade.

Inside, it still looked the same, aside from a few new machines you were excited to try. You glanced over your shoulder to make sure Max was still following along, motioning for her to join you at an ATM to exchange the ten dollars you had brought along for quarters, one by one. Once you all had your money, you followed Eddie as he made a beeline to a machine,

"Pong?" Max asked as he slipped the change into the machine,

"Yeah! We used to play this all the time," Eddie said, glancing over at you with a wide grin, "You ever play?" He asked Max,

"Have I ever played Pong?" She asked with a slight smile, moving to stand next to him, "I heard you can't even play Tetris," You laughed as Eddie cast you a glare,

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm not losing to a child," He said, determination clear in his tone,

Eddie did, in fact, lose to Max. Badly. And when he started getting low on quarters and playfully frustrated, he insisted you tag in. She was good- really good. Normally, losing a few rounds would hurt your ego, but considering how much she was smiling and laughing now was worth the shame of losing to a freshman. She eventually pulled you away, bored of her near-constant victories to play air hockey,

"I'm with Max!" You said quickly, moving to stand next to her,

"Two against one? That's not fair!" Eddie whined,

"Fine- you play against her and I'll be the ref," You said, searching through your pockets for a dollar,

"And let her beat me again?" Eddie protested, "Hell no,"

"What is it, Munson? Are you afraid to lose to a child again?" You teased, leaning your hands on the side of the table,

"Yeah, Munson," You heard Max say besides you, handing you a dollar that you could put into the machine, "Looser buys us all candy?" She offered. He smirked, moving his hand out for her to shake,

"You're dead, Red," He grinned playfully, taking his spot at the end of the table and watching the rather intense game.

Eddie graciously bought you all a bunch of Nerds, Pop Rocks, Pixie Stix and Fun Dip. Max mentioned something about wanting to play Dig Dug and disappeared off down the aisles to find it, sneakily stealing the full bag of candy with her while Eddie distracted you with his annoyed mumblings of losing two games to a freshman,

"Aw man, my candy necklaces," You pouted when you noticed she was gone,

"C'mon- I wanna show you something," Eddie grinned, grabbing your hand and pulling you to another game,

"But what if she eats all of our candy?" You asked with a soft smile,

"First of all, I don't think it's humanly possible to eat that much candy at once without your teeth falling out," He said, casting you a glance,

"This is coming from the same Eddie Munson who won't eat his fruits and veggies?" You teased,

"Shut up," He rolled his eyes with a smirk, "Anyways," He glanced up at the name of one of the machines, before gesturing to it,

"Centipede?" You read the writing at the top, "This one's new, right?" You asked, not recognising it. Eddie nodded,

"Go ahead," He motioned for the machine,

"I don't know how to play it, Eds," You said, "Don't wanna waste my precious quarters on a game I'm not gonna be good at,"

"Then let me show you," He prompted,

"You and your history of being awful at games?" You asked playfully, digging through your pockets for some change,

"Babe," He whined, "Come on, please?" He smiled. With a sigh, you moved forward, placing your quarter in and straightening up. It surprised you a little as he moved up behind you, putting his hands over yours and resting his chin on your shoulder, "Here, like this," He said softly, considering he was so close to your ear,

"Okay," You started the game, eyes darting over the screen as he started it, "Woah- why does it split up like that? What?" You laughed softly as you shot at the bug. Eddie moved his hands over yours so his fingers pressed against yours on the buttons. You'd played games together multiple times- Eddie behind you with a gentle hold on to your hands, occasionally fighting for control over the buttons and laughing as you playfully yelled at him to get off because you were going to get a 'Game Over' and waste your money. All in good spirits of course. You revelled in the closeness of him in this sort-of hug. Now you were finally together as a couple, it felt different. The gentle kisses he'd press to your cheek and neck, or simply blowing cold air onto your skin, grinning as it caused you to shiver, were incredibly distracting, but you couldn't deny that it felt nice, and beautifully intimate,

"Damn, you've been making fun of how bad I am at Tetris when you can't even play Centipede," He smirked, pressing another kiss to your cheek before letting go of you, standing to the side, grinning proudly,

"If you weren't distracting me, Eddie, I might have won," You huffed, "Or at least get a high score," You huffed, glancing at the flashing 'Game Over' screen. You glanced down at the names next to the high scores, noticing 'Mad Max' filling some of the bottom slots- could that potentially be your red-headed companion, blissfully distracted by you and Eddie and eagerly tapping away at the buttons on Dig Dug? Glancing up higher, through the less familiar names, your eyes widened at the top two, "No-"

"Yes," Eddie grinned beside you,

"No," You repeated, jaw-dropping at the two names at the top, "You beat Henderson at this!?" Your eyes widened, glancing over at him smiling proudly,

"Kid's got a vendetta against me because I kicked his ass on here," He said, "I wanted to see how you would do," He said,

"You just distracted me the whole time, Eds! I had no chance!"

"Uh- I helped?" He said, "And now you can't make fun of me for being bad at games," He grinned, "Here, watch me, it's honestly really simple," He playfully pushed your arm so you'd step out the way,

"And here I thought your gaming talents ended at DnD," You teased, folding your arms and watching him straighten up, hair bouncing once he placed his own quarter into the machine,

"I'll let this one slide, but if you offend me one more time," He held up his finger in mock warning,

"You'll what?" You challenged, grinning, "Huh? Huh? What're you gonna do Munson?" You grinned, moving to stand very close to him. He only smiled down at you, soft eyes flicking over your face, and making you momentarily forget your playful conflict. He quickly broke the eye contact, glancing at the screen, then looking at you with a slight glare,

"I'll make you walk all the way home," He settled, smirking proudly and starting the game, quickly tapping the buttons,

"Oh, yeah?" You asked, looking over his shoulder at the screen. He clearly knew what he was doing, fully focused on the screen. Leaning closer to his ear, your grinned, "Make me," You hissed, quickly moving away and smirking at the way his eyes widened and he looked at you quickly. You were already walking away towards Max, though you glanced back and blew a playful kiss at him, "You better win that game now, babe!" You called back to him, watching him shake his head and grin, glancing back at the screen, "How's it going Max?" You asked, looking over her at the screen, "Holy shit- you're on round six!?" You said proudly,

"Yeah," She murmured, concentrating hard,

"How are you so good at Dig Dug?" You marvelled, staring at the screen and then glancing down at Max's hands as she expertly played the level,

"Got a lot of practice back in California," She mumbled, blue eyes darting around the screen in full concentration, "They have the same machine up there. And I spent a lot of time here when I first came to Hawkins," She said, a small smile appearing on her lips as the screen flashed brightly, indicating she passed the level,

"Nice, Max!" You grinned, lifting a hand up for her to high-five, "Max... MADMAX? You've had the top high scores on this game for years now," You smiled as her hand slapped against your own, "That's real talent kid," You complimented,

"It's a simple game," She shrugged, though the smile didn't leave her lips. She ended up scoring sixty-eight thousand points and you grinned, feeling like a kid at the sight of all the tickets pouring out of the machine, "Damn," she hissed, standing back as the screen displayed 'Game Over',

"What?" You asked with a small smile,

"I got third place," She said with a small frown, "I used to be way better," She glanced at the high scores that both displayed MADMAX,

"Are you hearing yourself?" Eddie spoke up, grinning. He had quietly joined you a few moments ago, holding a bunch of tickets he won at Centipede, "You got third place-" He leaned over to tap the screen, "-And first, and second. You're the entire podium!"

"Still. I should have done better," She said, glancing around at the other machines,

"Meh- I say you did great," Eddie grinned, reaching over and ruffling her hair, "C'mon!" He eagerly scooped up her tickets, swiftly moving to another machine, "Let me show you how it's done!" He said, stopping at the Pacman machine and shoving the tickets into your arms,

"Eddie's awful at Pacman," You whispered to Max, earning a small laugh from her that caused you both to lighten up as he started playing, "He always loses, but he likes the noises,"

"Babe, stop throwing me under the bus like this- Max, I'm great-" The telltale sound of Pacman dying came from the machine, "The fuck!?" He exclaimed, causing you to laugh as he smacked at the console,

"Eddie, don't break it!" You quickly grabbed at his arm, smirking, "My turn," You pushed him away with the tickets and focused on the game as the next round started, "See, what you're doing wrong is you're going after the power-ups first; you only go after 'em if the ghosts are chasing you," You muttered, "Max, get over here to watch the pro," You grinned, standing aside so she could watch you,

"Pro?" Eddie asked amused, "You got on the leaderboard once, babe. Humble yourself," You gasped at that,

"Excuse me, how many times have you been on the leaderboard, Munson?" You challenged,

"Well, on Centipede and Dragon's Lair-"

"I don't give a shit about those- I'm talking about Pacman," You smirked, "How many times have you beaten the first level of Pacman, Munson? Huh?" You teased, managing to kill one of the ghosts with the immunity buff,

"Damn- you can't even get over the first Pacman level, Eddie?" You heard Max ask from beside you,

"The game's hard!" He protested, though you could hear the smile in his voice. He stood behind you, an arm snaking around your waist and his head resting on your shoulder as he watched your movements,

"Get the cherries!!" Max chimed in, from the side. She sounded so happy- and when you completed the level, your small audience erupted into eager cheers, Eddie gripping your shoulders and shaking them slightly,

"Max- you do this level now. We'll take turns!" You said eagerly, ushering her to take your place and grinning as she started playing, "Eds, you can watch," You teased, turning to see him looking mock offended,

"Wh- Why!?" He whined,

"Uh- you cost us one of your lives," Max chimed in, "You're not touching this game again," She said playfully,

"Hear that Munson?" You smirked, glancing back at the screen to watch Max play,

"Well, I'm the one holding all of your tickets," He said, indicating to the large mass of tickets he held, "I can easily go cash these in for a bunch of sticky hands and worms on strings," He teased,

"You wouldn't have those if it wasn't for our skills!" Max grinned,

"She has a point, Eds," You grinned, "That'd be stealing," You said, to which he huffed and rolled his eyes,

"So no disappearing ink?" He pouted at you,

"Why are you so hung up on the disappearing ink?" You asked with a wide smile,

"Because it's cool!" He grinned, "And you can only see it with a black light!" He grinned. You made a face, sticking your tongue out,

"Yuk- I don't want to go near you with a black light-" You muttered,

"Shit!!" Max cursed as Pacman's death sound effect played from the machine. She hit it with her hand, wincing at the impact. With a small frown, you walked over to her as 'Game Over' flashed across the screen,

"Hey," You said, "It's fine! I'm kinda tired from all these games. Why don't we cash in our tickets and go... Eat pizza?" You suggested, glancing from Eddie to Max,

"Sure," She sighed, and you gently touched her shoulder walking to the prize counter and looking over all the things on display. From puzzles to gimmicky items stacking the shelves behind a clerk, and plushies hanging from the ceiling on strings, you let out a small sigh, eyes settling on a lava lamp momentarily, before rolling your eyes at the 'grand prize- 10,000 tickets!' scrawled underneath it,

"You ever get one of those?" You asked Max, pointing to the assortment of large teddy bears, dragons and various other stuffed toys,

"No... I doubt we'll be able to afford any of them," She shrugged, "Usually I could only afford the candy," She sighed,

"Me too. I did get a mug one time though. With Kermit the Frog on it," You smiled, "Spent a lot of time on solo pong though... Not too much fun playing it by yourself," You said, "I still have it. I drink hot cocoa out of it every winter," You smiled softly,

"You?" Max asked amused, "You like the muppets?" She smiled softly,

"What can I say? I have a soft spot for that funky little green guy," You grinned, clicking your fingers, "Too bad we can't afford any of the cool toys," You huffed,

"Whoever told you that?" Eddie grinned, appearing out of nowhere, "Let's get these counted," He gestured to the large ball of tickets. It seemed to have doubled in the few moments he was away from you, and when he placed them on the counter for the employee to count, you noticed two sticks of unopened tickets in his back pockets. How he managed to get those was a mystery to you. Catching you staring, he gave you a wink, "I'm gonna head to the bathroom. You guys pick out a good prize," He said playfully, walking behind the machines, away from the employee's view and pulling the two wads of tickets out, unfurling them to try make it look like they came from the machines,

"Where the hell did he get those?" Max hissed to you, eyes widened mouth agape as she looked from him to you,

"Eddie... Has his ways..." Was all you could say, stumped as to where he even found them, "I sort of figured it's best not to question things like this by now," You told her, glancing at the tickets. He promptly returned with another ball of unfurled tickets and a proud smirk on his face as the employee sent him a glare, considering they had to count more tickets. You heard him briefly mention he forgot them and attempted to distract the employee in hopes that'd get you more tickets. You moved to the side with Max, glancing at the prizes that were worth thousands, "Got your eye on anything, Red?" You asked, leaning your elbows on the glass counter, "Perhaps a Carebear?" You suggested,

"What about that?" She pointed,

"You're talking about the Popples?" You smiled, "I always loved those- my family could never afford them but I always thought they were so cute," You said,

"What even are they?" She smiled,

"Don't know, and I don't think I care. They just look cute for kids," You shrugged, "Which one d'you want?"

"What?" She asked, her smile faltering,

"What?" You mimicked, moving one of your arms so it was leaning on the counter, "I asked you to pick one," You nodded to the toys,

"Are... You sure?" She frowned, "They're your tickets..." She said, brows knitting together,

"You won more games than me," You winked, "C'mon Red, just-"

"But what about you?" She asked quickly,

"What about me?" You smiled, "C'mon, Red. This is for you- you deserve a reward for wrecking a super Senior and a college student at arcade games," You rolled your eyes. She was still looking at you with a confused look. You glanced back at the plushies, "Fine. Get a Care Bear instead," You prompted,

"But do you-"

"C'mon Red!" You groaned, "Look how sad Funshine Bear looks!" You pointed to the smiling yellow bear, "It's begging for you to take them home!" You grinned. She looked at you with wide eyes, still searching your face, as if she was looking for any hint of a lie, or... Some other emotions. She quickly looked back at the high-end prizes,

"We've got a good nine 'k' built up; that means thousand," Eddie grinned at you,

"Proud of you for learning that one, babe," You smirked, patting his chest gently, "You can get so much disappearing ink with that," You teased,

"Well now I'm not gonna get any," He pouted playfully,

"So what are you getting?" The tired employee said, glancing between the three of you. You looked at Max expectantly,

"Care bear; care bear," You quietly chanted at her confused face. She smiled slightly, rolling her eyes and looking back at the prizes,

"Can I get the... One of the Popples?" She asked softly, moving to place her hands on the counter, pointing out the one she wanted to the employee,

"You still have three thousand left," They said, placing the toy in front of Max and removing the price tag. It took you a while to choose through the various smaller prizes, trying to spend all your tickets so you had zero left. Your purchases included: three sticky hands for each of you; a few string worms for Eddie; matching space-themed keyrings for Eddie and you; disappearing ink; a bunch of temporary tattoos; and finally, more candy. You soon left, climbing into the van and speeding away. You grinned, throwing Pez pellets from a shitty dispenser at Eddie as he attempted to catch them in his mouth while he drove you to Pizza Hut.

Eddie brought up that you should probably share the pizza and then asked about the toppings you would both like. Max was mostly quiet, and you were fine with most things... That was until he jokingly brought up getting pineapple or banana. Even Max joined your fierce protests against them. You ended up getting half just cheese and half with toppings you mutually agreed on with Max, considering how iffy Eddie could be with certain ingredients,

"This'd be so good if it was Hawaiian," Eddie smirked at you over a mouthful of pizza,

"Eddie, you're very close to losing your speaking privileges," You grinned as he threw his head back and laughed, "Why are you so insistent on getting pineapple and banana on our pizza? You want to watch the world burn that bad?" You asked,

"You are correct, my dear," He smirked,

"That poor worker at the arcade wasn't enough for you?" You smiled at him,

"They counted wrong. And if they didn't want me to find their extra tickets, they should have hidden them better," He shrugged, "Besides, you know I'm only kidding about the fruits, right?"

"I knew you were joking," you gave him a sceptical look, before glancing over at Max, "He hates fruits," you let her know,

"Really?" You nodded with a small hum,

"Yeah, he does," You smiled, "I work at Sam's Smoothie Shack and I basically have to force him to drink the smoothies I make," You said, before glancing over at him, "Speaking of you hating fruits," You glared at him, "If we did get pineapple or banana, you wouldn't even eat it,"

"Nope," He smirked,

"So why would..." You trailed off, confused,

"Just to piss you off," He grinned,

"Eddie that'd be such a waste," You huffed, rolling your eyes as he laughed again,

"But it would be funny!" He said,

"Whatever," You smiled, looking over at Max, "Hey why aren't you eating?" You asked,

"Oh, I... I can have more?" She asked uncertainly. You looked at her, incredulously,

"Of course you can!" You smiled, "You think we can eat this whole thing just by ourselves?" You said, gesturing to the partially eaten pizza,

"Well..." Eddie said, before wincing your name as you kicked him under the table,

"Max, eat as much pizza as you want. We can even ask for a to-go box if you wanna take this home and reheat it later," You smiled at her, "It's no good cold, so get to eating," You reassured her, before your attention quickly snapped to Eddie, "You too- I don't want to hear any more about your weird pizza combos," You said, tapping Eddie's hand as he reached for another slice,

"Speaking of-" He smirked, "What if we put the pizza in a blender?" He smirked as you groaned his name in protest, "What? You expect me to drink mushy, blendy raspberries but not blended pizza?" He grinned, starting up yet another playful, bickering session between the three of you. At least Max was having a good time.

When you left, the sun had almost set, only a sliver of orange left, sitting far on the horizon The sky was primarily filled with a wonderful dark blue and speckled with bright stars. You remembered learning that most of them were likely suns at the centre of other galaxies, likely filled with their own solar systems, full of their own people or aliens... But most of them were likely dead, the visuals of them exploding into novas or supernovas taking light years to reach the earth and your gaze. But who cared if they were all dead? As long as you could see them, they were real, right?

You hummed along to the quiet music, the same Metallica tape playing quietly now as you stared out at the darkened houses and streets of Hawkins. The city was so much more peaceful at night, when the inhabitants were sleeping and the streets were relatively empty, safe for the occasional fox or cat that darted across the street. When you were younger, you thought the darkness was scary; some unseen monster hiding away in the shadows. Now, it just felt serene and calm- a small, anxious, part of you maybe still believed there were monsters lurking away somewhere, but with Eddie at your side... Actually, he probably wouldn't do a lot to scare them away. He'd likely run away. But he'd run away with you so... Technically, you were in safe hands?

"What's on your mind?" He asked softly, his hand coming to rest on your leg, gently moving over your knee. You sighed, shifting to lean back in your seat and stretching your arms above your head,

"Hawkins... How quiet it is," You said softly, glancing over at him to see him smile, "You,"

"Me?" He asked surprised

"You," You grinned softly at the feigned disbelief on his face, "I had fun on our first official date, Eds,"

"I'm glad," He smiled, gently squeezing your leg, patting it, then putting his hand back on the gear shift, "Mine or yours?" He asked,

"Mine- I gotta collect my laundry before someone steals my Pantera shirt," You sighed,

"Already so attached?" He asked, smiling softly as he put his leg back on your knee. You placed your hand over his, skimming your fingers over his rings,

"Mhm," You smiled,

"Aw," He cooed, smiling softly, "By the way, I asked Wayne if he could fix up your AC," He said,

"Wh- Eddie," You said with a small frown, "You... Didn't need to," You said,

"Mmmh, I kinda did," He said, giving you a look. As you looked away, getting ready to protest again, he said your name to try and get your attention back on him, "I've known you the better part of my life, and I know that you're just gonna leave it broken and complain about it never being fixed," He said softly, "I wanted to do something nice for you," He glanced over at you. You couldn't stop the small smile that found its way onto your lips,

"Remind me to pay Wayne back for his kindness," You sighed, leaning back in your seat,

"I won't," He said with a small smile, "Besides, if you want me hanging around you all summer, you better have that thing fixed because earlier today?" He huffed, "I thought I was gonna die!" He said dramatically,

"Uhuh. Yeah," You smiled at him. With a sigh, you cast a glance in the rearview mirror, catching sight of Max in the reflection, "You good, Red?" You asked softly, turning your head to look at the girl in the back. She was staring out of the window blankly, eyes shutting slowly with the gentle lulling of the van. You smiled to yourself, "Max," You prompted, making her sit up and look at you,

"Yeah?" She hummed tiredly,

"Are you alright?" You asked again,

"Uhuh... Yeah," She nodded, fiddling with a hairband around her wrist. Her jacket was draped over her legs, as if it was a blanket,

"Beating us at arcade games tired you out this much, huh?" She smiled at your words,

"Maybe," She mumbled, leaning her head back against the seat and turning her head back to the window. You shifted back so you were sitting straight in your seat with a small smile, glancing at Eddie. He was already looking at you with an affectionate smile, but averted his gaze back to the road when you caught him staring.

The rest of the drive was quiet; the usual loud music turned down so you could only faintly hear it. It was peaceful: you humming along to the melodies; Eddie's fingers tapping along to the beat; the road stretching out into the darkness before you. All too quickly, he was pulling up in front of the Munson trailer at Forest Hills, and the sound of the three doors opening echoed into the quiet,

"You good going home by yourself, Max?" Eddie asked, walking around to stand next to you,

"Yeah- make sure you don't forget your jacket or your prize," You smiled, leaning your back against the van and glancing at Max as she walked in front of you,

"Right," She looked over them, before looking up at you, "Can you hold this? I want to put my jacket on," Eddie quickly moved forward, taking the plush from her as she thanked him. He looked over the Popple's face, handing it back to her,

"Cute," He commented, setting his hands in his jean pockets,

"Are you sure you don't want it?" She asked, holding the creature in her hands and looking it over with a small frown, "I mean, isn't this like a couple thing to do? Win prizes at arcades for each other?" She glanced between you,

"Mmh- but you can also get them for friends," Eddie said. You felt him tapping your shoulder, and when you looked at him, he was holding a lit cigarette out for you to take, "It's yours to keep, kid," He smiled in reassurance,

"Oh!" She looked over the stuffed animal again, blinking and with a look of bewilderment on her face, "Uhm... Thanks, Eddie," She nodded her head to him, then thanked you quietly, "Tonight was... Was good," She said,

"No problem- I'm glad you had a good evening," You said, taking hold of Eddie's hand once he locked the van, "Ready to go home now?" You asked, nodding towards the two trailers,

"Sure," She said quietly, still staring at the toy, transfixed. She followed after you silently. The night was pleasant, a soft breeze blowing through your hair and sending a chill across your skin. At your shivering, Eddie took the cigarette from your lips and held out his jacket,

"You'll be cold," You said with a frown,

"You'll be warm," He said with a smile, causing you to roll your eyes and take the jacket from him. It was warm from his body heat, and the smell of cheap cologne and weed filled your senses- the comforting smells of home, "See? You look better in my clothes anyway," He said, moving an arm around your shoulders with a smile,

"How cute, Eds," You said, taking the cigarette back from him and placing it between your lips to take a drag. You finally made it to your trailer, picking up the laundry basket you had left behind and quickly taking down the shirts, folding them as you stacked them in the basket. Glancing over you saw Eddie sitting on the top step of your trailers porch, quietly talking with Max as he smoked your cigarette,

"You got a name for the little guy?" He asked, nodding to the plushie in her hands,

"A name?" She asked quietly,

"You never named your stuffed animals as a kid?" He asked, raising his brows,

"No..." She said,

"Well, I think he deserves a name," He pointed to it, "How about... Frederik... Frederik the First," He smiled, "He strikes me as a... Thing with an 'F' name," He said,

"Why the first?" She asked,

"First one to get a name from you. And it rhymes," He explained,

"It's alliteration..." She said quietly,

"That's the one with the letters being the same?" He asked, taking a drag as she nodded, "'F' and 'F'. Huh... Well, if you don't like Frederik the First, give him a different one... Or her!" He smiled, moving his arms out. She regarded the toy for a moment, thinking,

"Francis the... Fast," She said, glancing up at him for approval,

"Cause he's fast?" He smiled,

"Well yeah... She kinda looks like a rabbit I had back home in California," She said, moving a hand to touch the soft fur on the Popple's face, "She wasn't called Francis, she was called Hoppy,"

"That's cute," Eddie said, nodding, "Predictable for a rabbit but what can you say?" He shrugged, "Did she like hopping?"

"Mhm," She hummed softly, smiling at the fond memory, "Yeah she... She was great... And then she ran away," She frowned softly, "My stepbrother... He forgot to close her cage... I cried for weeks hoping she would come back," She said with a small frown, "But she never did..."

"Well," He sighed, "Things like that happen," Eddie nodded, "I had a puppy that ran away," He sighed sadly,

"Really?" She asked,

"Mhm. My dad got super drunk and left the door open. I was, like, eight?" He put a hand on his chest, "My first heartbreak," He said dramatically, leaning backwards on his arm, "Sometimes I still think I can hear Lucky barking for me to let him back in," He sniffled as you approached, setting the basket by your front door with a small laugh,

"Eddie, you better not let anything that's whining under your window inside," You smiled, taking a seat next to him. Eddie moved an arm around your waist, drawing you closer to him, "Last time you freaked out over a possum," You reminded him,

"I'm smart- I won't let a possum back inside, babe," He shifted his head to kiss your cheek reassuringly before his gaze travelled back to Max. She had gone quiet, still staring at the toy in her hands, "Are you sure you're okay, Max?" Eddie asked, the worry clear in his tone as he watched the girl standing before you. She glanced up, and from the faint light, you could see faint tear tracks were staining her face. She quickly whipped it dry, a look of anger crossing her face, before it quickly faded. She opted to look away from you both instead. You let the tense silence hang in the air, glancing at Eddie and meeting his concerned gaze as you both figure out what was best to say to her. Slowly, she moved to sit down on the bottom step,

"Metalica... The Four Horsemen... Billy liked those songs," She mumbled, more to herself. She drew the toy close to her chest, hugging it,

"Billy "The Asshole" Hargreeves listened to Metalica?" Eddie muttered in disbelief; you shoved his shoulder slightly at the comment, "What!? Is it so hard to believe that waste of space gave them the time of day?" Eddie said with a frown,

"Eds, he was her brother," You hissed, glancing at Max, "Sorry h-"

"No, it's fine. Billy was... An asshole," She sighed, rubbing her clothed arms with a small frown, "The music just reminded me of him... And the way that things used to be when he was still around," She said softly. You remained silent, letting her talk. Somewhere deep down, you felt she needed this- to talk to someone, "They weren't great... I mean, he drove me to the arcade, but he never went inside like you did. Sometimes he got out of the car to talk to a girl. He never went inside to play games with me..." You heard a small sniffle, "He never won me prizes, or let me keep them... We were never close, but I still cared for him... And maybe that was my fault,"

"Your fault?" Eddie asked softly. She shook her head,

"That... We weren't close," She sighed. Did she want to say something else? "He was my step brother. He barely tolerated me in California. He hated that we were related. I thought if we moved to Hawkins things would be okay... But then they weren't," You frowned softly, brows drawing together, confused,

"H-" Eddie started, but you quickly tapped his chest with your free hand, drawing his attention,

"Shh," You hissed quietly. In the dim, moonlight, you might have seen the twinkle of fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, had she not moved her head to look downwards and pick at the fraying material of her shorts,

"Today was one of the best days I've had in a while," She admitted, and though you couldn't see her face, you could tell she had a slight smile on her lips from how her tone shifted, "And all you guys did was play games and ate food with me," She said quietly,

"Well, sometimes that's all you need," Eddie smiled, leaning forward to ruffle her hair, "Eat food and play games with your friends. You let us know anytime when you want to go back down there and kick ass at Dig Dug again. Or Pacman," He glanced over at you,

"Mhm," You confirmed, "We're always here for you, Max," You said, reaching a hand over to place it on her shoulder, "Us... 'Trailer Trash' gotta stick together, right?" You gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back with a small nod, whipping her face again,

"Sure..." She stood slowly, looking at the plush in her hands, shaking slightly,

"You have a goodnight," Eddie wished,

"You guys too," She said, waving a hand. You watched as she walked the short distance to her own trailer, waving once again as she noticed you watching her, before unlocking the door and disappearing inside,

"I hope she's doing okay," You mumbled softly, letting out a sigh and rubbing a hand over your face,

"She's okay for now," Eddie murmured beside you. You felt a gentle kiss being pressed to the side of your head, "We did what we could... Come on- it's getting cold, even for me now," He said, moving his hand to rub your arm. With a grimace, you stood and grabbed the laundry basket, while he stubbed his cigarette out,

"I just wish we could do more for her... Do you think it's too much if I bring over lunch tomorrow? Or breakfast?" You frowned, glancing over as he stood up, throwing the butt of his stubbed cigarette into the darkness,

"How about you just invite her if you run into her?" He suggested. Glancing up at him, you saw him offering a hand out for you to take, "We let her know today she has us if she needs us. And she has her mom to take care of her," Gently sliding your soft hand into his rougher one, you let him pull you towards your front door got your keys out,

"Yeah, but if she's anything like mine was..." You trailed off with a long sigh, "But you're right. At least we made sure today was a good day for her," You smiled softly to yourself as you entered your home. A soft sigh left your lips at the coolness inside- you'd have to bake Wayne cookies or something as a thank you present, "We can go to the arcade some other time again," You said, "Since she said she liked it,"

"We'll go whenever you want, babe," he said from behind you, entering after you and locking the door behind him, "Where's that camera of yours?" He asked, walking around,

"It's up on that shelf-" You pointed it out for him, "I brought it all the way back down to Hawkins with me. It should still have some film. You want a beer?" You asked as you headed for the kitchen, sliding the jacket off of your shoulders and setting it on the back of one of the dining chairs,

"Nah- not really," He said, approaching you with the camera and turning on the kitchen light,

"Oh?" You murmured surprised, turning and leaning your arms back against the kitchen counter, watching him curiously,

"Not thirsty," He said with a wink. There it was again. You grinned, moving so you were standing next to him, illuminated by the overhead kitchen light. He held the camera up, snapping a picture of the two of you together, smiling into the lens. As it instantly printed, he grabbed it, shaking it and setting it off to the side to develop "Kiss me on the cheek?"

"Why?" You asked with a smile

"For the picture," He smiled holding the camera up again as you placed a hand on his shoulder to get closer,

"Is one for me and one for you?" You asked in an amused tone, standing on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek,

"Mhm," He hummed, snapping another picture and shaking that one out too, "We'll have these ready by tomorrow," He said, setting the camera down next to them and looking at you,

"That's good. I'll look at them before work," You smiled,

"Work," He sighed, moving closer to you and setting a hand behind you on the counter to prop himself up as he leaned down to kiss your cheek, "Do you have to go?" He asked with a small pout,

"Unfortunately," You smiled at him, "You can always come and visit me though- you're my most valued customer, Eds. Even though you never buy anything," You said playfully, setting a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezing it,

"Right," He said with a frown, hanging his head so his hair bounced. You reached a hand up to gently play with the ends of his loose curls, "God... I..." He groaned softly, moving and beginning to pace slowly across your kitchen,

"What's up, Eds?" You asked, folding your arms and shifting to lean back against the counter, watching him,

"I don't know," He said, his hands moving to rub over his face and eyes, "I guess just... I've been thinking about... Things a lot," He said with a frown, "Mostly you being so far away from me in Franklin... I mean... We're the same age and I'm still in... Fucking high school..." He muttered to himself angrily,

"Hey, Eddie," You said softly, gently putting a hand on his wrist, "You know that's not-"

"But that's the thing- it is my fault," He said quickly, exasperated, "I mean, I'd love to graduate and leave with you, but I just fucking can't get through this year," He huffed, "The first time I failed it... I never cared about... Education or whatever and then... It was all so serious in Senior year... With graduation and with college," He sighed,

"Yeah, that... Was stressful," You frowned softly, remembering back to two years ago. How stressed you had been the whole time about passing all your classes, actually getting into Franklin college, and applying for financial aid. Since he failed, you graciously delayed your plans of leaving for a year- not fully ready to accept being so far from Eddie for such a long time, and not trusting yourself to survive that long without him... But when he flunked the next year too, you knew you couldn't wait for him any longer... You had to live your life and... Do something. And although your separation was heartbreaking, you vowed to come back the following summer. And here you were, and here he was in your kitchen... "But we got through it right, Munson?" You tried assuring him, "Here, come on, it's been a long day we can talk about this tomorrow," You said softly, moving through the kitchen to walk to your bedroom,

"I didn't want to graduate that first year," He suddenly admitted. You froze, glancing at him,

"What?" You asked in surprise,

"The first time. I guess I failed on purpose- missed O'Donnell's final because I knew there was no way in hell I'd pass it so I just... Didn't show up," He sighed, shoulders sagging. He crossed your room, sitting heavily in your desk chair, "I never told you because of how embarrassing it was, and you were already mad at me-"

"No, I was never mad-"

"You were pissed off, babe," He said quickly, pointing at you, "I could see it... Sence it... You fucking... You could have left me that first year- You should have-"

"Wait, Eddie, hold on, cause yesterday you were pissed that I left without you," You frowned,

"Yeah, and at myself that I didn't just go with you," He sighed, "All because I was afraid about moving on with my life... Seeing Wayne so disappointed I failed wasn't the same as seeing you," He frowned, sitting heavily in your desk chair, "You were walking around so sad everywhere... Because of me," He said,

"No, Eds, it wasn't because of you," You said quickly,

"Don't bullshit me," He said in a sharper tone than intended, wincing himself, "Shit, sorry," He muttered. With a frown, you walked over to him, kneeling on the ground before him and reaching out a hand to place on top of his,

"Eddie," you said softly, "I know how hard school is for you. Even now. But I never looked down on you for failing. I never felt angry staying here. Annoyed maybe, but never angry at you," You said softly, squeezing his fingers and feeling the cool metal of his rings pressing against your skin, "I just... Wish you could leave with me already," You sighed, "See how much better the world is outside of Hawkins..."

"Yeah, and I'm trying," He said in an exasperated way, "You have to believe me I'm-"

"Good," You said quickly, cutting off anything else he might have wanted to say, "Because I miss you a lot," You moved his hand and pressed a kiss to the backs of his fingers gently, as he had done to your before, "And I can't wait to have you annoy me every day of my life again," You smiled softly, standing and moving to your nightstand so you could set your alarm clock to four am.

Eddie went quiet at your statement, seemingly moved by your tender gesture. He was leaned back in your swivelling chair, moving side to side slightly with his hands clasped together and a faraway look in his eyes. He was playing with his rings, having slid the metal pig's head a little further up his skin so it was loose, twisting it around his digit. His legs were spread apart widely; he had removed his shoes at your front door. There was a deep frown set on his face, corners of his plump lips downturned, and his brown eyes missing their usual Munson spark,

"Okay..." You sighed, sitting on your bed far enough so you could lean your head back against the wall and letting the heavy silence surround you momentarily. You glanced over at him, thinking for a moment, before smiling to yourself, "You... Remember when we were younger? And we'd make all these plans about our futures?"

"Yeah, but we... We were kids, man," He frowned, running a hand over his face, "Kids don't think about money and bills and... College and graduation," He rambled,

"Plans are plans, Eddie," You said softly, giving him a small smile, "Besides... It was always our future. Never my future, or your future. Ours. We always wanted to be together, no matter what came our way," You reminded him,

"And you still want that...?" He asked, the uncertainty clear in his voice. It always broke you how hard Eddie was on himself, how disbelieving he was that you wanted him to stick around. If only he knew just how much he meant to you,

"Are you kidding me?" You smiled at him, "Of course I do... Come here," You said, even moving a hand to pat your leg, the same as he had done to you earlier today. That made him smile, along with your reassurance. With a sigh, he stood up and walked over to you,

"You mean it?" He asked sheepishly, placing a knee on your bed before sitting down, half on, half off,

"Yes, Eddie," You said, reaching a hand out and grasping his tightly, "God, what I would give to just... Leave with you right now. Get you out of Hawkins for good," You smiled at him warmly, "Drive out somewhere, find a cute little place-"

"Why don't we?" He asked hopefully, "Like- like right now?" He offered, his smile returning to his lips as he looked at you eagerly. Truthfully, there was nothing you wanted to do more right now... Though realistically, it was near impossible,

"Well, I can't exactly have long-term guests staying in my dorm room..." You sighed,

"But you came back here to make money for next year, right?" He asked; you nodded your head, "So you can move out?" You nodded again,

"But the thing is with my rent here, I'll have t-"

"Move in here with me," He blurted out, and your hand relaxed in his, eyes blinking in disbelief,

"What...?" You whispered. It felt like every emotion flooded your brain and your veins at once, circling through your body and making your heart race and your stomach drop,

"Just- Wayne'll understand, he loves you!" He said excitedly, grabbing both of your hands in his, and shifting closer to you on the bed, "That way you won't be paying rent here; you'll be keeping all your money, staying with me, which is a great bonus, personally speaking," He rambled with a bright smile, making you let out a small, surprised laugh, "And you just gotta focus on work-"

"Eddie, you realise I would never-" He frowned at your words, "-stay free of charge right?" You finished quickly, his expression relaxing, "If your uncle even let me stay, I'd at least help him out with the rent and paying for utilities- I could also get a second job and-"

"But you're not... Saying no?" He asked, "If I talked to my uncle and he said yes, you'd move in with us?" He asked hopefully, eyes full of longing and hope. You smiled softly. His eagerness had caused him to shift closer so he was mere inches from your face,

"I'm not saying anything until you talk to your uncle about this," You said, a smile spreading across your lips, "I know how impulsive you can be, Eds. I don't want to finalise anything just yet," You stated, "But... I'm not going to decline or pass up on an offer like that," You barely even finished your sentence and he was already grinning wide and wrapping his arms around your middle. He laughed in delight, leaning on you so you were forced to lay back on your bed with him on top of you, nuzzling his face into your neck eagerly,

"You mean I'll get to wake up to you every morning for the rest of my life?" The proposition didn't sound too bad. You couldn't deny that the times Eddie had stayed overnight at your trailer had always left you feeling happier and significantly more well-rested. Though you were not a morning person, waking up to the sight of him in your kitchen, humming along to himself between drags of a cigarette in just his checkered pyjama pants while he made coffee was an image you had burned into your mind, and made you want to leave the warmth of your bed. The memories of waking up in the middle of the night, tangled in one another arms on the couch with the TV static glittering against your face, forcing you to press your face further into his neck and feeling his lips ghost over your forehead were your personal favourites. Going to sleepovers and leaving wearing his clothes because you purposefully forgot to bring something to sleep in, and were too drunk or stoned to walk across the park to your home, eventually forming a collection of black band shirts that you'd find yourself wearing when your heart ached for him in the middle of the night, crying against the cotton that so faintly clung to his smell... You wouldn't need them anymore... You'd wake up to him every day...

"Only if-" You started, though quickly stopped due to his groan of disagreement,

"Indulge me, babe," He muttered into your neck, lips ghosting over your skin causing you to shudder, sighing as his warm breath fanned against your flesh. Lifting a hand up to stroke through his hair, you smiled softly, shutting your eyes and letting your mind run, "What would our lives look like if we lived together?" He asked you,

"We'd wake up like this," You started, feeling his lips moving into a grin at your words, "You'd wake up first. You always do, Eds..." Your brow furrowed and you opened your eyes, "Wait... Does that mean every time I'd fall asleep on you-"

"I never wanted to wake you up," He mumbled. His voice was delightfully low next to your ear, "You always hated getting woken up by anyone... It's a good thing you're so cute. I'd be pissed off if anyone else used me as a personal pillow," You laughed softly at that,

"I... Wow..." You hummed. You couldn't even count the number of times you had unintentionally fallen asleep on him- on his couch, in the movie theatre, in the forest when you got too drunk or high... And he always...

"Mhm- it's wild how long it took you to realise I was in love with you," He sighed again, "Continue, please. I was enjoying myself," He said, "We wake up..." He started for you again,

"You worm your way out of my arms eventually," You smile softly, "You go to the kitchen to make us coffee. It takes me a while to realise you're not there... I get up-"

"Oh, be realistic, sweetheart," He chastises, causing you to laugh,

"I thought it was our fantasy?" You smiled,

"Yeah, but come on," He laughed, "Don't be unrealistic," He said playfully,

"Fine. I lay in bed until you bring me coffee... We get to drink it together... I'm probably wearing one of your shirts- the AC/DC one's my favourite-"

"Oh yeah, do you have it by the way?" He asked, "I've been looking for it everywhere,"

"Uh... Yeah," You admitted, embarrassed, "I took it with me... To remember you by," He smiled again, and he pressed another kiss to your skin,

"Damn, babe, am I really that forgettable?" He says playfully,

"Of course you're not, Eddie!" You say quickly, "I just... It gets lonely out there without you, you know?" You said with a small sigh,

"You can keep it," He grinned, "The shirt. It looks better on you anyway. Keep going," He murmured again,

"Right... So... We drink our coffee in bed... I'll probably tell you about some wild dream I had- or you will. And we'll laugh about that," You smiled, letting your eyes open slightly to watch your fingers as they gently separated the strands of messy curls, "And then... We'll smoke something?"

"It's your day off work?" He hums,

"Mhm. No work that day," You smile, "Maybe it's a weekend? We'll either go outside and enjoy how cold it still is, or just open the window and lay back in bed," You mutter as you watch your hands delicately working through his hair, avoiding pulling on the knots, "Maybe you have your guitar and you're playing something for me?" You smile, "I'm laying in bed... Or on your lap,"

"What song?" He whispers,

"I don't know," You match his quiet tone,

"Oh c'mon, babe," He says normally, kissing your neck again, "What song do you want me to play?"

"I can pick any song?" You smile,

"Anything in the entire world," He murmurs, "For you, I'd learn any song,"

"Romantic," You mumbled, humming, "Could you play me 'Rip Her to Shreds'?" You grinned,

"Blondie? Really?" He asked amused as he sat up to look at you, placing his chin on your chest,

"Hey! You said any song," You smirked, moving your hand to play with the hair framing his face, "Maybe you could throw in 'A Shark in Jets clothing'?" You asked,

"What is it with you and Debbie Harry?" He grinned,

"Have you seen- Have you heard Debbie Harry? She's amazing!" You grinned,

"Mhm," He hummed half-heartedly, before moving his head to the side so he could lay on your chest, "I'll play you the Shark one- I always liked that one better,"

"You listened to Blondie for me?" You smiled affectionately,

"You left the tape at mine," He said, "Though I can't say I'm tempted to steal your Debbie poster," He grinned, sitting up and looking across your room at it,

"I used to lay awake at night and just stare at her," You sighed playfully, eyes scanning over it, "She's just so beautiful," You breathed,

"I'm getting jealous over here, baby," He said playfully, causing you to laugh "Why didn't you take her to Franklin with you?" He asked curiously,

"I guess I just forgot..." You sighed, "And she looks better up here," You smiled to yourself,

"Or... You secretly came back for her, and not me," He said playfully,

"Bingo, Munson," You said playfully. You let your eyes fall shut tiredly as he moved off of you, laying next to you. His arms remained wrapped around you, but he pulled your body closer to his chest, "Today was a good day," You murmured,

"It was?" He asked,

"Mhm," You hummed, opening an eye to look at him, "Because of you," You gently touched the tip of your finger to his nose, grinning as he wrinkled his nose,

"Cause of me?" He asked softly,

"Mhm," He smiled at that, "You always make my days better, Eds..." You said softly, setting a hand on your cheek and leaning forward to gently kiss him, "I love that we can kiss now," You grinned, quickly kissing him again,

"Mhm," He hummed against your lips, "You have no clue how long I've wanted to do that," He sighed, leaning his head back on your pillows and shutting his eyes,

"How long, Eds?" You smiled,

"Mmmh," He hummed, opening his eyes and looking up, thinking, "So... You remember in junior year-"

"Here we go," You rolled your eyes,

"Let me speak, babe," He smiled,

"Oh, sorry, do go on," You smiled, reaching out and beginning to play with his hair again,

"Mh... In junior year, we skipped Phys Ed together to smoke behind the gym. It was your first time, and you started coughing like crazy," He smiled,

"Ugh- I still remember how bad it burned my throat," You commented,

"Uhuh- and look how far you've come," He grinned, "Anyways- we both went back inside to change. You got dressed first, as usual. Some Seniors had apparently seen me stealing their cigarettes and decided to beat the shit out of me for it," You winced softly at the memory. It was outside- he was already changed into his Hellfire shirt and ripped black jeans, but by the time you got there, the white fabric was speckled with his blood,

"Shit, I remember," You frowned, the images of him being punched, then thrown to the ground, body curled and arms raised to try and protect his face as he got kicked flashing through your head,

"Yeah..." He muttered, absentmindedly reaching a hand up to touch a small, faint white scar stretching from the bottom of his lip down to his chin, left as a reminder of the incident, "Thought they'd kill me until you came and saved me," He glanced over at you. He poked at your downturned lips with his finger gently, but you quickly grabbed his hand, interlocking your fingers,

"I don't like that memory," You frowned at him. His face bloomed into a soft smile, and he moved your hand to press a delicate kiss to your fingers,

"Well I do," He said softly, "Because when they saw you, they ran. And then... God, they probably kicked me in the head too hard because I thought you were my guardian angel," He closed his eyes, setting your joint hands on his chest, "You were so worried for me," He smiled, teasingly,

"Because I thought they were going to kill you," You said sternly, watching him unamused. He kissed your hand again, just to watch your expression soften slightly at the gesture,

"You picked me up off the floor and skipped sixth period just to take care of me," He said softly, glancing up again in remembrance, "You had this look on your face... Your eyes were shining so much, I thought you were going to cry for me. You babied me a lot- you said I could have a concussion and I should go to the nurse," He smiled,

"That's not a happy memory, Eddie," You said softly, moving your face closer to him,

"No... It's not," He agreed softly, "But do you know why I realised I was in love with you then?" He asked softly,

"...No," You admitted softly,

"Would you like to?" He asked with a smile, the curve of his lips widening as you nodded, "I realised that someone, someone in all of Hawkins, cared about me," He said with a gentle sigh,

"You have Wayne-" You tried to say quickly,

"I know," He said quickly, "But family caring about you is different to friends- or lovers," He spoke softly. He let go of your hand, and moved it to slide against your cheek, "See, you could have left me there. Pretended you never saw, pretended to be confused or worried about my black eye and split lip next period... But you went out of your way to make sure I was okay- I think I remember you mumbling something about covering my hospital bill if I actually had a concussion," He smirked as you looked away with a blush,

"Of course, I care about you, Eddie," You said softly, frowning,

"Yeah... I know now... And I realised then that you really did that day," He said softly, "And I also realised," He said softly, sliding his hand down to your chin and tilting your head with his fingers so your eyes locked, "That I was in love with you," He murmured before his lips touched yours, sealing his words.

The kiss was slow, and gentle, years of yearning and affection pouring into one another. It was beautiful, not sad or interrupted like the first one you shared yesterday, and you could feel warmth flowing from your chest across your whole body. It really felt like you would be floating away, if he wasn't holding you down, pressing you closer against him, one hand running up and down your arm whilst his other kept a gentle hold on your face. Your own hands roamed from his neck down to his chest, feeling his heart beating against your gentle fingertips. You smirked against his lips as you traced a heart with your fingers, sighing as you felt him pressing his tongue against your lips in a silent ask for permission.

Though you didn't go further tonight, you went to sleep knowing you were with someone you loved and trusted completely, and that he'd still be there by the time you regained consciousness made you feel safe, above all else. And knowing he wanted some sort of future where you were there for him, and he'd be there for you made you feel elated. You knew it was rare to find someone you could happily call your 'soulmate' in this world- but Eddie was your person. Your soulmate. Yours...

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