#or if she is too lazy to make her own nest she will WAIT IN LINE to lay her egg in a nest someone else made | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

urfavstargirl1 · 1 year

Text

time after time - finale

Part 7 and FINALE to the series Chemistry, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 , Part 5, Part 6-- Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

stranger things masterlist | Spotify playlist

summary: Y/N stands up to her parents with the help of her friends, Eddie, and Uncle Wayne, plus an epilogue at prom

cw: angst, fluff, anxiety, hurt/comfort, shy/nerdy!reader, pre-ST4, cocky!Eddie, swearing, strict parents, sex and smut 18+, minors dni,

a/n: sorry for the wait and the minimal editing and heres a happy ending i hope u love it bye

The next morning, Y/N wakes up to sunlight peeking through the blinds in a lazy haze. Birds nesting in the tree outside her bedroom window chirp peacefully. Y/N softly opens her eyelids, letting them flutter as they adjust to the light.

She turns her head to the side and reads the time on the alarm clock resting on her nightstand.

“Today’s the day,” she whispers determinedly.

After weeks of seemingly never ending isolation and misery, Y/N decided that she would no longer say goodbye to romance. That she wouldn’t let the broken wings her parents clipped hold her down.

And what better time than now? She has to take what might be her one and only chance before it fades away. There’s only one way to know if the sun may shine again.

On that electric Saturday morning filled with hope and possibility, Y/N eats breakfast in a hurry and gets ready to surprise Eddie at the trailer.

She knows she’ll have to bike the whole 7 mile ride there, but it’s her only option. She needs to do this on her own terms, and avoid the risk of anyone finding out. It’ll be much easier to figure things out with Eddie before they get anyone else involved.

An hour later, she walks down the stairs and towards the door to the garage.

“What are you doing,” her sister calls out.

“I’m going out.”

“Going where?”

“To make things right.”

Y/N walks out the door and grabs her bike. She opens the garage door and hops on. She rides her bike onto the street and pedals furiously, leaving her parents and sister in the dust.

She turns on the same streets she’s always known. She pedals hard and fast. Her breathing harsh and visible in the unseasonably cold November air.

She pedals and pedals and pedals, body growing warm with heat. Her only focus? The road before her.

There’s no turning back now.

She passes the neighborhoods of two story colonials and onto the neighborhoods with single story homes and chain link fences. Soon, she’s on the main road with nothing but trees and the occasional car to keep her company.

For a moment, she almost wishes she had asked someone to drive her there, growing slightly weary from the bike ride, but there’s enough adrenaline to get her there and the allotted time gives her space to think about all the things she might say.

Eddie, I came here to talk to you. I want to… apologize. I’m sorry for all the running and hiding. I thought I was doing us a favor. Saving us the trouble. But, in the end, you were right.

And now, all I know is that I need you in my life. It hurts more to be without you and that terrifies me. I don’t know what to do.

After several miles and an almost collision with a runaway deer, Y/N turns into the trailer park.

She scans the beige metal buildings till she finds the one she recognizes as Eddie’s trailer. She presses the brakes on the bike and slows to a stop in front of it.

She sits on her bike for a moment, catching her breath from the ragged breathing pattern she acquired along the ride.

Too lost in thought and anxious about what will happen next, she barely has enough room in her brain to observe the rather empty surroundings of the trailer.

She hops off and kicks the kickstand. She takes a moment to breathe deeply. Despite being in the zone only moments before, she is now acutely aware of how shallow her breath is. How sweaty she is under her jacket. How rapidly and violently her blood is pumping.

She catches her breath for a moment and smoothes her hair. She walks up to the front door and pauses a moment before lifting her fist up and knocking.

She waits a moment for someone to answer the door, but no one does. When the moment grows a little too long, she decides to try again.

She brings her knuckles to the door and knocks. She looks around and realizes Eddie’s van is gone. She takes in her surroundings. She could have sworn this was Eddie’s trailer. Is she at the wrong one? Is Eddie not home? This early on a Saturday morning?

“Hello? Is anyone… there?” She asks. She waits for a moment, nerves flowing all throughout her system, but nothing happens.

What do I do now?

She sighs, and is just about to turn on her heel when the doorknob turns and the door opens, revealing an older man with worn down features and graying hair buzzed closely to his scalp.

“Hello?” He asks, not having expected some teenage girl to knock at the door.

Y/N’s eyes widen and she steps back. This must be Eddie’s uncle.

She blinks before shaking her head. She pants between sentences, “H-Hi, I’m… Y/N Y/L/N... I’m a friend… of Eddie’s… is he… is he home?”

Wayne quirks an eyebrow. So this is the girl Eddie’s been so worked up about?

“No, I’m afraid not. You just missed him,” he answers, concerned about her frazzled and breathless state.

“Oh,” she wheezes as she puts her hands on her hips and doubles over.

“Are you alright, darlin’?”

Y/N nods. “Yeah… I just… I biked over from my house… and car rides… they make the distance… seem a lot… shorter.”

“Uh huh,” Wayne nods cautiously, “Well, I’m Wayne, Eddie’s uncle. Come on in. Let me fix you up a glass of water.”

Y/N stares blankly as Wayne turns over his shoulder and heads into the trailer. She cautiously considers the offer for a millisecond, before instantly taking him up on it, too thirsty to even really care.

“Thanks Mr. Munson… It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Please, Mr. Munson was my father, call me Wayne,” Wayne roars a laugh and smiles at her as he pulls a glass cup out of the cupboard. “And it’s nice to meet you too.”

“Take a seat,” he gestures to the dining table.

Y/N catches her breath as Wayne fills up a glass with water. He sets it down in front of her and takes the seat across from her.

“Thank you,” she whispers before beginning to chug.

Wayne crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair, “Listen now, Eddie didn’t tell me where he was going so I couldn’t really tell ya when that boy’ll be back. But you’re more than welcome to stay until then if ya like.”

Y/N’s eyes widen as she jerks her head forward. For all they know, he might be out all day.

Wayne looks at her dismayed demeanor and sighs.

“May I ask,” He looks at her curiously, “What exactly brings you over? I know my nephew wouldn’t make a young girl like you come all this way by bike. Or leave if he was expecting you.”

Y/N looks up at him, “Oh, no, he wasn’t. I’m sorry to show up unannounced like this. But I came to surprise him. I was really hoping I could, um, talk to him, and maybe-maybe even apologize.”

“Apologize? Shoot, must be something serious I reckon. I love my nephew to pieces but I know he ain’t exactly a saint. Usually the one giving the apology, not gettin’ it.”

Y/N inhales through her nostrils, feeling the tension in her shoulders as they climb upward, “Yeah, I’m not usually the one apologizing either, but… I think I might’ve messed things up.”

Wayne nods and looks at her in understanding, silently inviting her to go on if she so wishes.

“You see, the thing is…I really like your nephew. A lot. More than I’m allowed to. Boys are sort of… off limits at home.”

“I see,” Wayne nods.

“We’ve been working together on this assignment at school and it was surprisingly a lot of fun. We would spend a lot of time together and I didn’t even get the chance to realize just how strong my feelings for him were before my parents caught us together, and I got in a lot of trouble for it.”

Wayne lifts a hand and strokes the stubble on his chin with his thumb and forefinger, “Eddie’s no stranger to trouble, but I reckon you are, aren’t ya darlin’?”

Y/N nods sullenly. “Yeah, it’s awful. And now, I just feel stuck. Like I’m in this game of tug of war and on one side is being with Eddie and on the other is not letting my parents down but I can’t have both.”

Wayne looks at Y/N, worried she might start crying on him. Barely accustomed to Eddie’s own emotional waves after so many years, he’s ill-equipped to handle this.

But then, Y/N takes a deep breath and looks up at Uncle Wayne. “Hurricane Eddie came into my life with no warning and turned it all upside down,” Y/N nervously jokes.

Wayne chuckles, “Believe you and me, I see the aftermath of Hurricane Eddie everytime I walk into his room.”

“I know right? I love Eddie but that boy is such,” Y/N laughs before pausing a moment and quietly adding, “a mess.”

Love?

Her heart skips a beat and she looks up at Uncle Wayne with puzzled eyes as he warmly smiles at her.

She shakes her head, “Anyways, I just… I don't know what to do. At first, I thought, if I had to choose, I would choose my family. I would always choose them, even when it meant being under house arrest for a month and cutting Eddie out of my life. But after all was said and done, it didn’t seem to change much. In fact, it only made me more miserable.”

Wayne nods as he processes her words.

“And no matter what I choose, there’s no going back. All my life, I’ve been the good girl with good grades who never misbehaves. And after what happened, I know I’ll never be that girl again. Not to my parents and not to myself. But I don’t know who else to be.”

Wayne sighs and smiles at her, “Take a load off sweetheart, you don’t have to worry about carryin’ the weight of the world on your shoulders ‘round here.”

Y/N nods patiently and makes a show of exhaling and dropping her shoulders.

“Have you ever heard the sayin’, Rome wasn’t built in a day?”

Y/N frowns and cocks her head to the side, “No, not really.”

“Well, it wasn’t. Took the Romans years to build everything they write about in them history books.” “Okay?” Y/N responds, not entirely sure why he’s bringing this up.

“What I’m tryna say is, there’s things in life that you just gotta take day by day. You won’t solve the conundrum of forbidden love by tomorrow.”

Y/N nods and blushes, feeling sheepish that she hadn't made the connection sooner.

But even still, it feels like if she doesn’t figure this all out now, she never will.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I guess it just feels like we’re running out of time, you know. We only have so long before we graduate and I go off to college.”

Wayne nods contemplatively.

“And what about my parents? Am I just supposed to accept the fact that they may not be happy with me right now, but as time passes, their anger will just fade?”

“That’s exactly it,” Wayne smiles.

“Now that’s science fiction if I ever heard it,” Y/N mutters.

Wayne laughs. Yeah, this girl’s been hanging out with his nephew alright.

“Believe me, if you’re anything like Eddie says, I’m sure your folks know just how great of a daughter you are, they just wanna keep you safe. I wanna do the same for Eddie sometimes, but I know I gotta let him be a kid and make his own mistakes. It’s the only way to learn.”

Y/N pouts as she nods and looks into her lap. “I know, but I don’t like making mistakes. It feels awful.”

“It’s a part of life sweetheart. You’re gonna fall. But the real question is, are you gonna stand back up?”

Y/N’s shoulders loosen and her eyes soften, “I want to, I just don’t know how.”

Wayne examines the puzzled look on her face. It oddly looks like the same one Eddie has when he’s off in his room, frustrated with a chord he just can't seem to get right or he comes across a roadblock in that D&D game he loves so much.

Wayne sighs and places his hands on the table and clasps them together. “Listen, how ‘bout I tell you a story?”

A story? Isn’t Y/N a little too old for story time? What’s next, a bit of milk and cookies too?

Despite biting her tongue, her thoughts must be evident on her face.

“Don’t deny an old man one of the few pleasures he has left in life,” Wayne says in a joking tone, but Y/N’s immediately softens her shoulders and gaze, almost apologetically.

“I see how you kids these days seem to carry a lot of burdens on your shoulders and I ache for ya’, I really do. You’re too young to be this cynical.”

Y/N shrugs, not sure how to respond.

“Sometimes I worry about what this world is coming to, but at the end of the day, I know I can only control so much. And what I can control is having a loving home for Eddie and his friends. And that includes you too darlin’.”

Once Wayne’s put it into these words, Y/N immediately understands what Wayne is building up to. He’s about to share some generational wisdom with her.

There wasn’t a whole lot of that to go around in her own family, so there’s something to be said about the subtle buzz of excitement Y/N’s feels. Perhaps, her situation is just a tale as old as time. One she’ll never be alone in because generations of people before her have also been in her shoes.

“Now, I know things are different these days, but you remind me an awful lot of someone I used to know. Someone I met back when I was about your age.”

“Who?” Y/N cocks her head to the side and furrows her eyebrows.

“Well, back in the fall of 1837,” Wayne starts, making Y/N chuckle.

“My parents had just moved my sister and I to Hawkins. We’d spend the better years of our youth growing up down south but then my daddy went and got a job at one of them new automobile factories up here.

I had just graduated high school and without fail, my mama and daddy made it loud and clear, I was to work and work only. Anything else was a waste of time and money.

Now, for a while, I firmly believed in this. I figured it was more important to help make ends meet than run around with some girl or go out partying with the big boys.

So I went and got a job at the local lumber yard. It wasn’t nothing fancy but it was good work. Pay was decent. For a while I could focus on that. Helped having enough food on the table, newer clothes, a few more presents at Christmas time, things like that.

I had a duty to my family, and I had no problem fulfilling it.

I’d spend all my hours at the lumber yard and was content with it. I’d made friends with some of the other boys that worked out there. We’d horse around on the job, but after work was done, I’d go home to my family like I’d always done.

Sort of like a routine for me. Safe and reliable.

But then one sunny June day, I met this girl. Mind you, I wasn’t even looking for her or nothin’ like that. But she sorta just found me. And my life was never quite the same after that summer.”

Y/N’s eyes widen. She gazes at him curiously, imploring him to go on.

“Her name was Sally. She was a beauty, I’ll tell you that. I can still see her pretty golden hair and big brown eyes.

On our first date, I had learned that she came from a good family. A real good family. She was a descendent of some of Indiana's first settlers. Her daddy was a big shot in local government, and her mama an heiress. She lived in a big house with some of the finest china you ever did see. What’s more, she was set to go off to Yale for college, just like her parents did. It’s where they met, after all.

But you never woulda really guessed by the way she carried herself. She was beautiful without letting it go to her head. She was sharp as a wip but never held it against ya. And she was the kindest person in the whole world. She was unlike any girl I’d ever met before,” Wayne says wistfully.

Y/N clutches her empty glass, “What happened?”

Wayne sighs longingly, “We fell in love. She made me laugh and she opened my eyes to a whole world I never even knew existed. She was a wild card, that one. I was always in for a surprise with her, but I could never seem to get enough. For the rest of the summer, I went and saw her anytime I wasn’t working. We talked on the phone all night. We even thought about running away together, starting a new life.”

“Really? Why?”

“Our parents didn’t approve of us being together. Hers said I didn’t come from the right kind of family. Mine said I was wasting time.”

Wayne pauses for a second, but a look of pain never crosses his face.

“What did you do?”

“All we could do,” he shrugs, “She’d be off to Connecticut in the fall, so we made the most of what little time we had left together that summer. ”

Y/N furrows her eyebrows in confusion. She was almost expecting him to say he stood up to their parents and fought tooth and nail to be with her.

“What?”

“Listen darlin’, I knew I couldn’t change her folks’ minds and I wasn’t gonna kill myself trying. I knew I could either spend the summer with her and nothing more or I could simply leave it at that.”

“What about her parents? And yours? Didn’t they still object to you spending the summer together?”

“They did at first, but then they got over it when they realized how temporary it was. At the time, I wasn’t even thinking of marriage. All I knew was that I was young and in love. I didn’t know how long it would last and I wasn’t very interested in planning it all out. I just wanted to enjoy it for what it was. And I promised myself I wouldn’t let things get in the way of taking care of my family.

As for her parents, well, they never liked me or even respected me, but they came around to tolerating me. I was like a stray dog that made their little girl happy, coming around sparingly but one they would never come to call their own.”

Y/N frowns at the thought. It breaks her heart to hear Uncle Wayne refer to himself like that. And if that’s what she and Eddie are going to be like, she doesn’t want her parents to just tolerate Eddie… but would that be better than nothing?

“Were you happy? Even though you knew it was short lived? And neither of your parents supported it?”

Wayne takes a moment to think about it, reflecting on the long lost memory.

“I don’t think we thought about it that much. We were just a couple kids trying to have fun. Life’s too short to take it so seriously. We had the rest of our adult lives to do that.”

Y/N frowns, not too satisfied with his answer. How is any of that supposed to help? The only reason she’s gotten this far in life is by thinking about things too much.

“But to answer your question, we were happy. We were happy the whole time, but it helped not having so many people breathing down our necks by the end.”

Y/N nods contemplatively, a bit more content with that answer.

“What happened after the summer was over?”

“Well, just as you might expect. We said goodbye and went our separate ways. She went off to start her first semester of college and I stayed here. I kept working at the lumber yard for a while, taking care of my family.”

Wayne looks away, slightly forlorn and Y/N feels slightly guilty for making him relive some of these memories.

“Was it hard? Saying goodbye?”

“The initial time apart was tough. I’m not gon’ lie to you. I could hardly look at any other girls ‘cause in one way or another they never compared to Sally.”

Y/N frowns. To her knowledge, there’s never been a Mrs.Munson in the picture. She wonders if Sally was his first and only love.

“We wrote to each other for a while, but after a certain point, the letters stopped. Years later, I found out she had gotten married to some senator and started a family out in Virginia.”

“Wow,” Y/N says painfully, “I’m so sorry.”

Wayne shrugs, “That’s life darlin’. It keeps going on whether you want it to or not. But it’s important to not let the tough stuff like pain and heartache keep you from living it.”

Y/N nods and fidgets with her fingers.

“I knew it’d be worse to let my life pass me by just because things didn’t turn out like I’d hoped. So once my sister had gotten older and my family was in a better place, I picked up and left town for a while. Sorta like my daddy, I thought the change of pace might help.”

“Did it?”

Wayne nods, “I held odd jobs in different towns across the state. It wasn’t much, but enough to get me by. What’s more, I got to meet a lot of new people. People from all walks of life with all sorts of different problems. And somehow it made my problems at home seem a lot smaller, more manageable to deal with.”

“Did you ever fall in love again?”

Uncle Wayne squints his eyes for a moment before opening them again and shaking his head.

Y/N exhales and slumps in her seat.

“Alright now, don’t you go on and worry about me darlin’. I’m still alive and that’s one of the greatest gifts of life.”

Y/N nods, feeling as though her foot has been caught in her mouth.

“I’m sorry Mr.Munson, I mean… Wayne. I just, I hope you can experience love again someday.”

“Listen sweetheart, I’m gon’ be alright. Ya hear? I’ve got all the love I need right here in this home.”

Y/N nods sheepishly.

“The world works in mysterious ways, but don’t you ever be mistaken, love is always there.”

Y/N nods again, reflecting on the ways she finds love in her life. Her parents, in their own weird way, come to mind, and even her friends.

“As for your predicament with Eddie. Well, if you two are anything like me and Sally, then all I can really tell ya is that relationships are either a lesson or a blessin’. Period. You don’t get to choose which one it is. The only thing you can choose is whether or not you want to experience it.”

Y/N thinks about the new choice laid out upon her: She could choose to be with Eddie.

It would be hard. It would mean defying her parents. It would even mean having her heart broken when she leaves for college.

But, it would also mean she could be happy. It would mean he could be happy too. It might even mean truly and deeply falling in love.

“It all just seems so risky,” Y/N huffs as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“That’s life darlin’, always gonna be a little risk for something you love.”

“Wow, I’ve never thought of it like that.”

“It’s all about perspective, sweetheart.”

At the mention of the word sweetheart, Y/N’s mind runs to Eddie, and suddenly, it clicks.

She gasps.

“That’s it,” she scoots her chair back and rises, smiling at him triumphantly. “I know just what I need to do!

Before Wayne can even say something, Y/N moves away from the table and pushes the chair back. “I need to go! Thanks… Wayne!”

“Uh, glad I could help,” Wayne replies with an earnest smile and a chuckle.

Y/N nearly races out the door and Wayne follows her, standing in the doorway. “Wait, do you want a ride?”

“No, it’s ok,” Y/N calls out as she mounts onto her bike. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for all your help!”

Wayne yells something back, but Y/N is too lost in thought about her course of action, so she just waves him off as she rides her bike into the distance, fueled by adrenaline.

She pedals and pedals and pedals, preparing to make her mighty rebel yell.

She has one big decision to make and only seven miles to figure out how she’ll spend the rest of her senior year without any regrets.

***

Y/N pedals down the same roads she came through no more than an hour or two ago. Halfway along her route, a random thought pops up into her head that she should stop by Michelle’s house before she goes to speak with her parents.

She’s not sure why. Maybe Michelle could give her a pep talk. Or maybe it would help to talk to someone about how she’ll convince her parents to let her date Eddie. Even then, it’s not like either of those things seem dire, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that she has an inexplicable gut feeling that she needs to go to Michelle first.

As she makes her way through the neighborhoods of Hawkins, she mulls it over and figures that it wouldn’t hurt to run things with Michelle. Facing her parents is a daunting task and maybe a friend who can lend an ear will help.

But as she reaches Michelle’s street, her house visible in the distance, she finds an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Perhaps it’s an illusion and the car is in the neighbor’s driveway.

But as Y/N’s pedals and comes closer, she begins to recognize the big beige van that is definitely in Michelle’s driveway.

No, it can’t be.

But as soon as Y/N approaches, she knows for sure that that is Eddie’s van.

The shock of seeing that Eddie is at Michelle’s house is enough to make her sharply press on the brakes with a death grip that sends her jolting to a stop, propelling her to fly off her bike, into the air, and onto the pavement.

She whines at the screeching noise and a loud thump can be heard when she hits the pavement. Her palms dig into the street to break her fall and she curses aloud.

She slowly pushes herself up to sit on her bottom and brings her palms forward. Her knee is throbbing and her palms are all scratched up and swelling, blood threatening to burst at the seams.

She didn’t even realize she was crying till a few hot tears slip from her cheeks and onto her asphalt dusted, very scratched up hands.

“Are you okay,” an authoritative male voice asks.

Y/N avoids looking at whatever good samaritan has approached her. She’s about to graduate high school and she's sitting in the street crying after falling off her bicycle like some child.

Y/N waves him off, “I’m okay sir, I just fell off my bike.”

“Sir? Don’t give me any ideas now sweetheart,” the same voice replies, somehow sounding younger and much snarkier.

Just as he lays a warm hand on Y/N’s upper back, between her shoulders, Y/N looks up into the sweet pair of big brown eyes she loves most in the world.

“Eddie,” she cries out as she wraps her arms around him, pulling him close to her.

Eddie lets out a yelp as though the action knocked the breath out of his lungs. But as he processes the feeling of her body against his, he instinctively returns the gesture and kisses the top of her head.

“C’mon, smartypants, let’s get you inside,” Eddie whispers in her hair as he keeps one arm wrapped around her midsection and the other under her knees as he picks her up and carries her to the house.

It’s all happens so fast that Y/N can barely keep up as Eddie walks across the lawn, carrying her bridal style as the rest of her friends come pouring out the front door.

“Y/N!”

“What happened?”

“What’s going on?”

Eddie explains that he saw her fall off her bike as he takes her inside, leaving the other girls to bring her bike inside and turn the bathroom into a full on operating room.

Michelle goes to grab the first aid kit while the other girls find something in the freezer to use as an ice pack while Y/N sits helplessly on the bathroom sink.

“I’m fine really, it’s just a scratch,” Y/N mutters as Eddie inspects her hands, feeling somewhat exposed as she sits on the counter of the bathroom sink, despite the layers of clothes she currently has on.

Eddie cups her cheek, wiping away the remaining moisture from the tears that had slipped away only moments ago. Even in an emergency, he can’t help but sarcastically say, “Mhm, I’m sure it is.”

Once the girls have brought in the supplies, Eddie politely asks them to wait over in the living room, leaving some privacy to complete his very important medical procedure. Y/N can’t tell if he’s being serious or just joking, but the girls follow his order and give them their space.

“Seriously, you guys are overreacting. It’s just a few scratches and probably some bruises. I’ll be okay.”

Y/N hisses as he tenderly applies antiseptic treatment to the cuts on her hands.

He glances up at her through his eyelashes, giving her a knowing look only for her to stare blankly back.

Y/N watches him as his eyes are lost in focus, in the zone of caring for her.

“Why are you so good at this?” Y/N softly asks.

Eddie smiles and chuckles, “What? Being your little nurse?”

Y/N pouts but nods.

Eddie looks up from her hands and into her eyes and in a low voice says, “Well, let’s just say I’ve had a lot of practice.”

Y/N frowns at his answer and Eddie could just kiss the little wrinkles in her forehead away, but he can’t. Sure Y/N is at least talking to him and smiling in his presence, but there’s still a wall between them, one he wishes he could just break down with a wrecking ball.

“From what?” Y/N whispers.

Eddie carefully wraps her hands in bandages. He holds Y/N’s hands in his, palms up so his thumbs can gently brush across them.

Eddie shakes his head and forces a smile trying to say in the most light-hearted way possible, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.”

“Eddie,” Y/N softly whines, bringing her right hand up and gently cupping his face with her fingertips,”I’m going to worry about it.”

Eddie looks at her with a hardened face, but in his eyes, Y/N can see the softness. She can see the struggle in them.

She gently pulls away as she realizes her mistake.

The two look at each other for a moment, wanting to say so much, but afraid of saying the wrong thing.

“Let’s just worry about your recovery, huh?” Eddie jokingly diagnoses as he places a gentle hand on Y/N’s knee for comfort. But instead, she winces in pain.

He immediately grabs the frozen bag of peas wrapped in a dish towel and he instructs Y/N to hold it on her knee to ease the swelling.

After an awkward moment of silence, Eddie decides to diffuse the tension by teasingly saying, “So was that your first time riding a bike or something?”

Y/N huffs and rolls her eyes, “No, Munson.”

Eddie can’t help the small smile that forms at hearing her call him by his last name.

“In fact, this is all your fault!”

“My fault?”

“Yes! I just came to see Michelle and then I saw your car in her driveway. I almost thought I was hallucinating.”

“Well fear not sweetheart, for it is I, the humble Lord Munson, here in the flesh,” Eddie dramatically says in his D&D voice as he bows in front of her.

He peers up at her through his lashes, finding her to only glare at him.

He stands back straight and leans forward to whisper in her ear, “If you really want to make sure you’re not hallucinating, feel free to touch as you please, princess.”

“Eddie,” Y/N scolds as she uses her fingertips to push him away.

Eddie snickers and smiles at Y/N, heart warming to find her smiling at him too.

Even Y/N can feel a warmth in her chest despite squirming under his gaze.

For a moment, she looks away. But when she looks back at him, she properly takes him in for the first time that day.

Now that the adrenaline of the moment has passed, suddenly a million questions overcome her.

What are Eddie and her friends doing here? And why is Eddie dressed like that?

He’s wearing a maroon cable knit sweater and a cream colored carpenter’s jacket over it. It’s sort of weird seeing him out of his normal clothes, but, unsurprisingly, he still looks hot.

It’s like he’s unlocked a new superpower to her. He could pull off any look besides the rocker type if he ever wanted to.

And his hair! She’s never seen it like this before. When his hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, it feels like she can see his face in a way she never has before. Maybe it just looks more complete now that she can see his ears too.

But the question still stands: what is happening right now?

It takes everything in her not to just reach out and grab his hand or something when she asks, “Seriously Eddie, what are you doing here?”

Eddie exhales and looks her square in the eyes. There’s no use in even pretending, is there?

“I’m here… for you.”

“For me?” Y/N asks simultaneously, surprised and confused.

Eddie looks down and nods as he begins twiddling his fingers, lacking the chunky metal rings he usually fidgets with.

“We, uh…” Eddie momentarily looks up at Y/N and his breath gets caught in his throat.

Y/N doesn’t understand what’s making Eddie so nervous.

“You can tell me, you know that right?”

Eddie looks down and Y/N reaches forward and gently twiddles her fingers with his. It should be reassuring. And Eddie shouldn’t even be afraid to tell her this. But for some reason, actually saying his plan out loud suddenly feels ridiculous.

Eddie gulps, “Your friends and I- We were supposed to go over to your place.”

Y/N smiles and her eyes widen in amusement, as if Eddie had just told her a joke.

Eddie looks at her with a sense of guilt written all over his features.

“Eddie, why?” Y/N asks as she realizes he’s being serious.

“We were gonna talk to your parents.”

“Wh- My parents?!”

Eddie takes a deep breath and interlaces his fingers with hers. He squeezes her hand and tries too hard to make a joke of the words, “We thought we could try talking some sense into them.”

He offers her a lopsided grin. Y/N’s eyes widen as she squeezes his hand bone-crushingly tight.

“Eddie, what are you talking about?”

Eddie looks down at their hands and loosens his grip to withstand the near pain hers are causing.

“Eddie!”

“I know, I know,” Eddie winces and Y/N loosens her grip. “We were all just worried about you. Your friends told me you won’t even talk to them. That you haven’t been not acting yourself. Not ever since that night.”

Y/N avoids his all encompassing gaze.

“It’s not right what they’ve done to you,” Eddie mutters under his breath.

Y/N looks at him blankly and shrugs sullenly.

“No offense, but, we just thought your parents ought to know the hell they’re putting you through.”

Y/N snorts and Eddie looks at her in alarm having never heard her make a noise and startled by the unnerving reaction.

“Is that why you’re dressed like this?” Y/N asks teasingly as she reaches forward and grabs the collar of the jacket.

Eddie huffs and nods albeit displeased.

“C’mere,” Y/N whispers as she lightly tugs him toward her by the fabric of his jacket. Eddie obliges and shuffles forward as Y/N spreads her legs wider for him to fit between them.

Y/N locks eyes with Eddie and leans forward. She brings her arms to the back of his neck, gently taking out the elastic band holding his hair back. She removes it and places it around her wrist before fluffing his hair back out. She drapes a few strands over his shoulders and smiles at him.

“There.”

Eddie looks at her cautiously, unsure of her actions.

“I have to admit, this look is definitely doing something for me. But Eddie, you should know, I don’t care what you wear. You look hot either way”

Eddie crinkles his eyebrows and laughs at the sentiment.

“Were you really going to barge up to my parents house like this?”

Eddie looks at her sheepishly, suddenly embarrassed at the idea that seemed so fool proof only moments ago.

“With a huff and a puff you were gonna glow the house down?”

Eddie rolls his eyes and places his hands along her thighs for leverage. “Again, what else was I supposed to do?”

“Let me handle them,” Y/N says as she runs her hands over Eddie’s.

“You don’t have to handle them alone. You know that right?”

Y/N bites her lip, unsure of what to say.

“Hey,” Michelle pops by and leans against the doorframe.

Eddie immediately retracts his hands, as if it were Y/N’s parents he was being caught by.

“What’s the verdict, doc?”

He recovers by putting on a solemn face and placing a hand to his heart. “I’m afraid I have bad news… She only has six hours to live!”

Michelle dramatically brings the back of her forehead and cries “Oh God, why?”

Eddie and Michelle proceed to crack up at each other's silliness leaving Y/N to watch in nothing but utter confusion. It’s sort of nice but mostly foreign to see her best friend and her… Eddie to be bonding like this.

“Nah, she’s just a little scratched up on her hands and bruised on her knee, but she’ll make it out alive.”

“Thanks Eddie,” Y/N squeaks as Eddie helps her off the bathroom sink and leads her to the kitchen and dining room where all the other girls are milling about snacking on chips and soda.

“Hey,” Y/N awkwardly waves as she walks in the room. “You guys having a party or something?”

“Basically,” one of the girls says jokingly.

“We were just about to take it to your house too,” another adds.

Y/N looks over to Eddie and Michelle, “So I hear.”

“Eddie ‘Blabbermouth’ Munson told you how we wanted to go ambush your parents, didn’t he,” Michelle asks as Eddie shoves a handful of chips into his mouth.

“Hey!” He grumbles with his mouth full.

“I love you guys, but that was a murder-suicide mission waiting to happen,” Y/N jokes as she reaches into the bag of chips Eddie is holding. She looks pointedly at Michelle, “And you! I told you talking to my parents wouldn’t do anything.”

Michelle sighs, but before she can say anything, Y/N adds, “Seriously, I appreciate the lengths you guys would go to do something like this for me. And I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting these past few weeks. It wasn’t very cool of me. But, a wise man once told me that relationships are a lesson or a blessing.”

Y/N looks at her friends, “You guys are my blessing.”

“And you,” Y/N looks over at Eddie and takes a few steps towards him. She points a finger to the middle of his chest, “Well, I’m still trying to figure out which one you are. But I know now that I can’t choose which one you’ll be. I can only choose to find out. And I do. I want to find out.”

Eddie’s eyes gleam as he looks at Y/N. He could just kiss her, but he can't. There’s still a wall. Sure she’s knocked down a few cinderblocks already, but it's still there.

Before he can even decide, Y/N turns on her heel and walks back to the table where she grabs a bottle of coke, “I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I got some good advice from Eddie’s uncle-”

“You talked to Wayne,” Eddie asks as he places a death grip on his bag of chips, resulting in a pronouncing crackling noise.

Y/N takes a swig from the bottle, “Yeah. You weren’t home, and he was. He ended up having a lot of good advice to give.”

“When did you go over to the trailer?” Eddie asks firmly as he takes steps in Y/N’s direction, unnerved by her casual demeanor.

“This morning. That’s actually where I was coming from before I fell off my-”

“Why didn’t you call?” Eddie asks with shock and frustration.

Y/N scoffs, “Because I wanted to surprise you. And don’t even be mad at me Munson because it looks like you had the same idea.”

Eddie opens his mouth to say something, but closes it. Too many questions whirl around his brain for one to get out. But he knows that she’s right. He can’t get mad at her for having the same idea as him.

“So what did he say,” one of the girls asks.

Eddie looks over from her to Y/N, awaiting the answer to one of his many questions.

“He told me a story about his first love. How they were sort of like Eddie and I.”

Eddie looks at Y/N as if she had just said the same sentence in fluent french. He’s never been one to pry when it comes to his uncle. They had this unspoken rule where the less they knew about certain things, the better.

But Y/N must’ve done something special to make him open up like that. The thought makes even more questions come to mind.

“His was more of a summer love, but talking to him made me realize that I was putting too much pressure on myself and what this relationship could be. And that it doesn’t have to be that way. I don’t know how long it’ll last but for the time that it does, it makes me happy and I’m not hurting anyone, so why should I deny myself.”

“So what are you going to do now?” Michelle asks.

“Well, for one, I have a very important question to ask,” Y/N says before turning to Eddie and reaching forward to grab one of his hands in both of hers.

Y/N looks into his eyes and says, “Eddie, I know I haven’t been very nice to you. I said some things and did some things I’m not proud of. I know it was just because I was scared and angry, but that doesn’t make it okay. And I’m sorry. But if you’ll have me, I’d really like to see what this could be.”

Eddie stares at her for a moment, trying to convince himself this isn’t just a dream and that he needs to say something.

But when he takes a moment too long to respond, Y/N casually turns around to face her friends and say, “And secondly, you all have given me the confidence I need to do what’s right. So now, I’m going to talk to my parents. I’m not sure what I’m going to say. If I'm just going to ask them or tell them, but all I know is, I’m not going to be their puppet anymore. Starting today, I’m gonna start pulling the strings in my own life.”

***

Later that evening, Y/N sweatily stands in the kitchen at her parent’s house, laboring over the stove with a variety of pots and pans in her wake.

Back at Michelle’s house the girls and Eddie helped Y/N come up with a plan to make the grand declaration to her parents.

Y/N was adamant that this was a conversation she needed to have alone. And that when the time was right, she would bring Eddie into the same picture as her parents.

They figured if Y/N buttered them up a bit by doing some extra chores around the house and making dinner, they might be more receptive to her decree.

And by the end of the night, she promised she would call Eddie with the news of how things went and that the girls would all go out to the diner for breakfast tomorrow whether or not it was a celebratory meal or a time to comfort her if things didn’t work out.

So here she was, blasted with the heat of all the burners on and multiple aromas swirling around her nose.

Y/N hoped and even prayed that things would all go well, it was that serious. She braced herself for her parents to be mad or to not understand, but she didn’t know what she would do if they punished her again.

She prayed she wouldn’t have to find out either.

By the time dinner was ready, Y/N’s stomach was clenching and her heart was racing. Her parents were delighted by the surprise, blissfully ignorant to the request Y/N was about to make as they all sat around the table.

Dinner started with compliments by her parents on how delicious the food came out. Y/N just meekly smiled and thanked them, gathering up the courage to ask for what she wanted.

Her parents talked about menial things like their plans for the next day and some of the errands they would have to run. But it all just became noise before Y/N couldn’t take it anymore.

Her silverware clanked against the plate as she loosened her grip, “I have something to say.”

Her parents and sister looked at her blankly. Her parents looked at each other in confusion when Y/N opened her mouth but nothing came out.

“What’s wrong Y/N?”

Y/N looked at the three sets of eyes glaring at her and instantly chugged from her glass of water.

She set the glass down and cleared her throat, “Um, there’s something I wanted to, um, say.”

“Okay,” her mother said earnestly.

“I…I just, um…”

“Just spit it out Y/N,” her sister said before returning to her own plate.

Y/N glared at her before remembering the task at hand.

“I, um, I got an acceptance letter from Purdue in the mail earlier this week. And a waitlist letter from Notre Dame.”

That is not what Y/N meant to say, but for some reason it felt like she needed just a bit more ammunition.

“That’s great honey,” her mom said with a smile.

“Your mother’s right. We’re very proud of you,” her dad added.

“Thanks mom and dad. It’ll still be a while before I hear from U Chicago, but it’s good to have other options till then.”

Her parents nodded. And now, she has them right where she wants them.

“But in the meantime, there’s something I wanted to…”

Ask? Say?

“What is it sweetie?”

Y/N gulps, “I, um, I wanted to talk about, um, the house rule… about boys a-and dating.”

Her dad quirks an eyebrow at her as he brings a forkful of food into his mouth.

“Oh, well, what’s there to talk about?” Her mom asks casually.

“Um, I just wanted to say that I see the logic behind the rule, but, um, would like to counter with the proposition that even though I’m not in college yet, I will be in a few months. I’ve already gotten accepted to one and my grades are still good. And-”

“Y/N, we’ve talked about this,” her dad dismisses.

“I-I know, and I-I’ve learned my lesson but I think I’ve proven that I can be mature and not let boys distract me from my educational goals.”

Y/N’s dad chuckles, “Don’t be so naive, Y/N.”

Y/N’s stomach turns. “B-but I’m not. I-I know I’m capable of handling the demands of both school and a relationship on top of my family, friends, and everything else.”

“School comes first in this house, always. Relationships come and go, but no one can ever take your education away, you know that Y/N,” Y/N’s mom says.

“I know, but why can’t I have both? Why does it have to be one or the other?”

“Y/N this is about establishing priorities. We want you girls to place a high value on your education. For any young woman, it should take high priority over some short lived high school sweetheart.”

“I know. School i-is important. I’ll never lose sight of that. I’m just saying that, yeah, school will always come first, and family comes after that but, don’t you think third or fourth place are up for grabs on the ol’ list of priorities,” Y/N nervously smiles, feeling like she’s some kind of stand up comedian hoping the joke lands.

“Y/N, you know our decision was final. You made a mistake and you learned from it. Now it’s time to move on and focus on graduating,” Y/N’s mom counters.

Y/N presses her lips together and silently fumes in her seat.

It’s not a question about whether she will graduate or not. She’s on track to graduate as third in her class. What gives?!

Y/N’s parents look at her blankly and Y/N turns to her sister, pleading with her eyes to help defend her.

Her sister gives her a blank stare, but she can see something going on behind those eyes. Y/N can’t tell what it is or if it will even break the threshold of their dinner conversation. But she has to keep trying.

She didn’t want to have to resort to this, but she has one last card to play. She’s practiced this speech for a while now, but she never thought she’d have the chance or courage to ever actually deliver it.

“Well, if I’m being honest, I think you should know that I love you both and I care a lot about what you think. But the truth is, for the past few weeks, I’ve been feeling like-like I can’t breathe. Like nothing in life even matters besides getting into UChicago. A-And that’s no way to live.

And I know, there were things I did that weren’t okay, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry I lied. I’m sorry I went behind your backs. And I’m sorry I broke the rules.

But… But I’m not sorry about my feelings for Eddie. I like him a lot and I’m tired of hiding it. Eddie’s a good person. He makes me happy.”

Just thinking of Eddie makes Y/N’s lips quirk up slightly and she sits up straighter in her chair.

“I-I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, and I’m well aware of what the consequences might be. I know the likelihood of heartbreak. But I'm willing to take that risk. And I know that longevity may be an issue, but I’m not too concerned about that. Whether this relationship lasts till the time I go to college or not, I think I’ll be okay–”

“Y/N, I know you must–”

“I’m not finished,” Y/N declares, looking her parents square in the eye despite the tremble in her fingers or the red hot fire flowing in the blood in her veins. Instantly she knows she’s set off a bomb in her parents by the look on their faces, but she has to deliver the rest of her speech before it goes off and demolishes everything in their wake.

“A-and I’ve made my decision. I-I’d rather take my chances and take months to recover than to spend years regretting what could have been. I’m determined to explore what this could be. I say this with all the love and respect in the world, but at the very least, I hope you can trust the daughter that you’ve raised. I know I’ve proven time and time again that I have a good head on my shoulders and that I’m on the right track, so I hope this choice doesn’t make you think any differently. Because I’m still the daughter you raised to be trustworthy, responsible, and a good judge of character.”

For a moment, all Y/N’s parents can do is look between each other and her. The smoke coming out of their ears has seemed to fade, so now, Y/N can’t tell if they’re only fuming inside or if the ice coating their hearts is beginning to crack.

The silence continues as her parents ruminate over her proposition. But the silence is threatening to slowly kill any dream Y/N might have had about being with Eddie.

Right when Y/N’s parents are about to say something, Y/N’s sister clears her throat and the attention of everyone around the dinner table turns to her.

“I had a boyfriend in high school,” Y/N’s sister says casually before bringing a forkful of food into her mouth.

Y/N’s mom nearly chokes on her drink and Y/N’s dad bursts into a hearty laughter.

Y/N’s eyes widen as she looks at her sister in awe.

“I’m serious. It was Daniel. We dated for almost two years.”

“Daniel? Your friend Karen’s brother?” Her mom asks irately.

“Why is this the first we’re hearing of it,” her dad asks as he drops his silverware onto his plate.

Y/N’s sister shrugs and briefly makes eye contact with them, “Because I knew you and mom would act just like this. And unlike Y/N, I don’t need your approval to live my life.”

Her parents look from one daughter to the other.

“Did you know about this?” Y/N’s mom asks.

Y/N looks at her sister then at her mom but doesn’t say a word.

Y/N’s mom raises a palm to her face, “Oh, dear God, where have I gone wrong? What did I do to deserve such disobedient daughters.”

Y/N sighs while her sister rolls her eyes.

Her dad softly calls her mom by her name and places a hand on her arm. Not as distraught, but newly concerned by all these skeletons making their way out the closet.

“Mom, please,” her older sister scoffs, “I may not be at UChicago but I’m at least in community college, I don’t do drugs, and I’m not pregnant. Y/N’s on a much better path than I am. I’m pretty sure you’re doing just fine in terms of parenthood.”

Y/N’s mom drags her palm down her face and looks between Y/N and her sister. She looks over at Y/N’s dad who subtly nods and shrugs.

“You’re right,” he says before Y/N’s mom can. “Perhaps your mother and I have been…”

Her dad pauses and looks over at Y/N’s mom, his own pride getting in the way of admitting his faults.

“We’ve been too hard on you girls haven’t we?” Y/N’s mom asks, as though the thought is revolutionary. But Y/N’s just relieved that her parents have come to this conclusion on their own.

Y/N’s eyes widen as she looks between everyone at the table, unsure if she’s dreaming or if the moment is just unfolding at light speed in front of her.

Her mom sighs and her dad grabs her hand.

“We just didn’t want to see you girls have to go through the same struggles your mom and I went through. We thought you'd be better off for it,” her dad says.

“But we didn’t realize how much it was affecting you. We never wanted you to feel like you had to lie or suffer in silence,” her mom adds.

Y/N squeezes the napkin in her hand. There’s no way this is real life. Her parent’s apologizing? Admitting their shortcomings?

Even Y/N’s sister looks at her in concern.

“We swore we’d never be like our own parents, yet here we are,” her dad says in a teasing tone.

Y/N feels a pang of guilt hit her chest, even though none of what her parents just said is her fault.

She always thought that her parents were so strict because that’s just how they are. Parents are supposed to be hard asses. But it never occurred to her that they act that way because of experiences they had in the past. That they had fears and dreams beyond parenthood too.

“It’s that MTV rockstar looking boy you want to date, isn’t it?” Y/N’s mom asks with no hint of disappointment or anger, only wanting to understand.

Y/N wishes she could shrink to the size of a mouse and just crawl in the cupboard, but now is her moment.

Even then, all she can do is meekly nod, but it seems to be enough when her mom says, “Well, if that’s the case, then you’ll need to bring him home so we can properly meet him.”

“We’ll need to see if he’s good enough to date our little girl,” Her dad says and pauses before adding, “But if he can manage to get in our good graces, then we might just see about you two dating.”

What?

Is that what Y/N thinks it is?

Is this her in?

Sure she’ll have to bring Eddie over and he’ll have to meet her parents. Face to face. And make a good impression.

But her parents are theoretically almost okay with her dating Eddie! And somehow that was more than she was expecting.

“Really,” she squeals as she clasps her hands together.

Her parents nod and Y/N practically shoots out of her seat and runs over to give each of her parents a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She yells in their ears as she wraps an arm around each of their necks, pulling them closer to her.

“Slow down, honey,” Y/N’s mom says.

“We’ll have to lay some new ground rules,” Her dad adds.

She squeezes them tight and holds on for a second before letting them go, resulting in a loud and exasperated sigh from both of her parents.

She pulls away and looks between them, “May I be excused from dinner, please?”

Her dad looks at her in confused amusement while her mom also amusedly asks, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I need to make a phone call,” Y/N says cautiously, trying to subdue the excitement bubbling in her stomach. “Pretty please?”

“You can call after dinner okay, missy, we need to discuss new ground rules,” her dad orders.

Y/N pouts and reluctantly returns to her seat. As she finishes the rest of her plate, her parents begin throwing around ideas like how Eddie won’t be allowed upstairs, how they’ll need to meet Eddie’s parents, to which Y/N has to correct them and say they’ll meet his uncle, how her sister will have to chaperone their first few dates, and something about a new curfew.

It’s not music to her ears, but it’s waayyyyy better than a big fat NO.

After dinner, Y/N runs to place her dishes in the sink and zips her way up the stairs and runs to her room. She softly closes the door behind her and practically gets carpet burn from sliding across the floor and over to her nightstand.

She picks up the phone and dials Eddie’s number before flopping onto her bed and sighing as the phone rings.

Eddie picks up on the first ring and frantically answers, “Hello? Y/N?”

“Eddie, baby, it’s me,” she answers in a honey sweet voice

Y/N doesn’t know where that came from. She’s never called Eddie, baby, before. She’s never called anyone that before. Before Eddie, she might have thought it cringey or grounds to throw up on whenever she heard anyone else say it to their significant other.

But, now, it’s like the word was invented for her and Eddie. Like no one was ever anyone’s baby till Eddie and Y/N were.

And if Y/N’s not mistaken, she hears the sound of a muffled groan over the receiver before Eddie’s gruff voice says, “What happened?”

Y/N pauses for a moment, not to give Eddie any further anxiety from the anticipation but to figure out how to describe what just transpired.

“Th-They said yes. They’re letting us date!”

“Fuck! Are you serious? They really said that,” Eddie asks and Y/N can hear the excitement in his voice.

“Yeah, well, on one condition though.”

“What is it,” Eddie asks in alarm.

“They want to meet you.”

“They… what?”

“They want to meet you and get to know you. You know, properly interrogate you to make sure you’re good enough to date me,” Y/N says in a naive attempt at a joke, making fun of her parents words and easing the tensions from the daunting proposition.

But it doesn’t land, and all she hears is silence from the receiver.

“Eddie,” Y/N asks in concern.

“Yeah,” Eddie responds neutrally.

“Doing alright over there?” Y/N asks as she twirls the cord of the phone with her fingers

“Mhm, juuuust trying to figure out how I can spontaneously transform myself into whatever Prince Charming your parents want me to be,” Eddie sarcastically responds.

“Michelle and the girls seemed to do a good enough job of that this morning,” Y/N teases again, but it’s as though she can hear Eddie gulp over the phone.

“Baby, it’s gonna be okay,” Y/N says, surprising herself with how natural it feels to say the term of endearment but also hoping he’ll like it enough that hearing her say the word will help soothe him. “Look, we both know that you’re the perfect guy for me. There’s nothing you need to prove to them, you know that right?”

“Kinda feels like the opposite if we’re being honest here princess,” Eddie says teasingly, hoping it hides the nervousness he’s feeling.

“I know Eddie, but I promise it’s not. My parents just want to know you. I know you, but to them, you’re still a question mark, you know?”

Eddie barks out a laugh which takes away the tension in Y/N’s shoulders.

“And besides, I wouldn’t change a hair on your head. If they have any shit to say, they’ll have to get through me first, okay?”

Eddie makes a noise between a laugh and a sigh before tauntingly saying, “Yeah tough girl? Gonna talk back to your parents for me?”

And sure, the words Eddie says aren’t meant to be menacing but by the way he says them? They are most certainly a threat. And Y/N can feel their impact in the sudden fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach.

Now it’s her turn to audibly gulp over the receiver. “I think my good girl wants to bring her bad boyfriend home, doesn’t she?”

“E-Eddie,” Y/N asks as she clutches the phone in both of her hands, her mind entering a haze. She takes a breath and Eddie can hear the shakiness over the phone.

He hadn’t meant to turn the phone call in this direction but by god is it sweet sweet music to his ears to hear her react this way, just for him.

It’s relieving to know that even after all this time, it didn’t have to take much to know he still stands right where he wants to be.

But as much as he wants to be the biggest tease in the world right now, he knows he has time for that.

He’ll have plenty of time to find out how to make Y/N’s skin crawl in the best possible way or discover just what makes her tick.

Little does he know, he’s giving Y/N plenty of material to report back to the girls over brunch tomorrow.

***

May 3rd, 1986

Y/N looks at herself in the mirror, swiping on a coat of lip gloss on her lips and adjusting the wisps of hair framing her face. She takes one last look, searching for any other imperfections.

Tonight's the night. If she plays her cards right, something very big could happen.

This sort of thing used to frighten her, but for him, she welcomes the possibility. She wants it to happen with him. There’s no one else she’d rather do it with than him. They’ve even gotten close, but it hasn’t happened yet. And it very well could… tonight.

Ding dong.

Y/N hears the front door open and a series of muffled voices.

“Y/N,” her mother calls out from downstairs, “Your date is here.”

Y/N takes a deep breath in and smooths out her puffy light pink gown. The smooth satin above layers of tulle run under her soft fingers.

Y/N smiles at herself and takes one last look around the room, making sure she hasn’t forgotten anything. Her eyes land on her shimmering silver heels set out next to the door and she walks over to put them on.

She leaves the room and slowly descends the stairs, clutching onto the railing so as not to trip and fall. She’s too lost in concentration to focus on the party’s reception of her below.

As she makes the final step, she looks up into a familiar pair of warm brown eyes who look like they’ve just landed on an angel, sent straight from heaven.

Y/N’s eyes meet his and her smile widens from ear to ear.

He’s wearing black jeans and a soft white dress shirt with a black bow tie to match. The ensemble is complete with his signature leather jacket sans jean vest, chain hanging from his hips, combat boots, and silver jewelry adorning his skin.

His hair, as beautiful and long as ever, with wispy bangs covering his forehead, is organized in loose neat curls falling down his back.

“Hi,” Y/N says breathlessly as she takes the final step on the ground floor.

“Hey,” he whispers, simply gleaming at her.

Y/N slowly walks toward him and stands arms length away. She could just kiss him or hug him, but she isn’t quite comfortable doing that sort of thing in front of her parents.

Even though they’ve been dating for almost six months now, Y/N doesn’t think she’ll ever feel comfortable enough to put on a public display of affection in front of her parents.

But for now, the two smile and gaze into each other's eyes until a bright flash and the sound of a snap can be heard from the polaroid, Y/N’s mom is nearly shoving into their faces.

“Agh, mom,” Y/N whines as she brings a hand up and blinks to regain focus from the dizziness of the bright light.

Eddie takes this moment to also snap out of his gaze. “I, uh, I brought you this.”

Eddie holds up a plastic container with a rose the color of her dress.

“Is that a corsage,” Y/N smiles and cocks her head to the side. Her eyes land on the boutonniere placed on the lapel of his jacket, matching the corsage in the box.

She smirks, as if to taunt the freak for going so conformist on her. And sure, it isn’t very metal to be doing the tux and prom thing in front of mommy and daddy, but love has made him do stranger things.

Eddie nods sheepishly, unaware of the subtle pink tint to his cheeks as he shakily reaches for her wrist and places the corsage gently along the soft delicate skin.

Y/N gleams at him, feeling like an absolute princess, “I love it! Thank you, Eddie.”

Eddie sighs and smiles in relief.

“Alright you two,” Y/N’s mom coos from the side, “Let’s get some more pictures.”

Her mom whips out the trustee Polaroid camera and begins snapping a few more photos. The unexpected flash startles them.

“Mom,” Y/N complains.

“Okay, now Eddie, put your arm around Y/N,” Y/N’s mom smiles while her dad supervises from her side.

Eddie awkwardly places his arm around Y/N and the two forcibly smile. The flash nearly blinds them again.

“Ok, another one!”

Y/N and Eddie resume their smile as the flash pops again.

“Okay, mom we gotta go,” Y/N grabs Eddie by the wrist and nearly drags him out the door.

“Wait,” Y/N’s mom calls out and Y/N and Eddie freeze in their spots, hand just about to touch the doorknob.

“Here you go, Eddie,” Y/N’s mom says as she hand’s one of the polaroids to Eddie and smiles at him, “For a night to remember.”

Y/N’s mom hugs Eddie and then turns to hug Y/N. Before she pulls away fully, she raises her thumb to Y/N’s head and does the sign of the cross while saying, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” in Spanish.

“Mom,” Y/N whines as she flushes underneath, knowing her mom only ever does the gesture before any major life event or if she does something risky like when she took the SATs or went off to summer camp for the first time.

“You two be safe out there, okay,” Y/N’s mom pleads.

“Have Y/N home by midnight, you hear,” Y/N’s dad orders and Eddie straightens his posture, nodding profusely.

Eddie opens the front door and ushers Y/N to walk through first.

“Bye you two, have fun,” Y/N’s mom calls from the front door as Y/N and Eddie make their way over to his van.

“But not too much fun,” her dad forcefully adds.

“Bye,” Y/N turns over her shoulder and waves.

Eddie opens the passenger door for her and helps her into the van before closing it and jogging over to the other side.

He puts the key into the ignition and turns it on, making the van roar to life. He’s just about to lean over the edge of his seat to give her a kiss when she gently nudges his shoulder and pushes him away.

She shakes her head and looks over to the open doorway where her parents are waiting for them to drive off, “Not till we’re out of sight.”

“Afraid we might get caught?” Eddie teases her.

Y/N rolls her eyes, “No, it’s just weird. I don’t want them to see me kiss a boy.”

“What about kissing, a man?”

Eddie closes his eyes and leans forward, puckering his lips to a comedic extreme.

“Shut up,” Y/N shoves him away harshly and laughs. “Just get us out of here and then we’ll talk.”

Eddie backs out of the driveway and turns onto the street, pausing to wave to Y/N’s parents who are still waiting in the doorway.

Eddie smiles and leans close to Y/N’s ear to huskily say, “Oh trust me sweetheart, we won’t be doing much talking if I can help it.”

Y/N tenses and her smiles fades, arm frozen mid-wave.

And then Eddie drives off and before they know it, they’ve arrived at the Hawkins High School gym.

Trust a town as small as Hawkins to have an event as big and extravagant as prom to be held in the town’s only high school’s gym.

But as Y/N and Eddie meet up with Y/N’s friends and their dates, they enter the gymnasium and are welcomed by a space absolutely decorated to the nines.

There’s no way this is the same place that’s home to sweaty jockstraps and musty basketballs.

Instead there are dozens of lights strung about the ceiling, twinkling like stars above them, with a disco ball as full as the moon in the center of it all, reflecting light onto the blue and cream colored streamers hung in waves all around them.

Y/N and all her friends' dates run off to get them punch while the girls find a place to sit. They find a table at the edge of the dance floor and gush over how pretty they all look in their dresses or how well their dates, especially Eddie, cleaned up.

When Eddie arrives with a cup for Y/N, he takes a seat next to her and Y/N looks at him as if he hung the moon up in the night sky.

Eddie smiles in confusion as he settles in and wraps an arm around her, “What?”

Y/N smiles and shakes her head. Without warning, she leans forward and presses a loving kiss to his lips. And for the first time that night, she can smell the cologne he’s wearing. She’s used to him smelling like cigarette smoke and irish spring soap, a scent she’s come to love, but something about the cologne ignites something animalistic in her.

When she pulls away, it’s the second time tonight Eddie’s blushing. He lightly chuckles and squeezes the hand placed on her shoulder, “What was that for?”

Y/N leans forward and chastely kisses him again, “Nothing.”

“Feels a little more than just nothing,” Eddie innocently teases, attempting to read the look in her face or gleam in her eyes.

Y/N places a hand on the top of Eddie’s thigh, close to his knee, and gently runs her fingers along the fabric.

Eddie knows whatever it is, she must be feeling good. It took him almost three months to get her to initiate any sort of PDA and even then, she only ever does it first whenever she’s really in the mood, always preferring for him to lead the way.

Y/N shrugs but the grin never leaves her face, “I'm just really happy we’re here. That I get to share this moment with you.”

Eddie almost wants to give her some smug look and tease the hell out of how gushy she’s being right now, but he can’t even properly make fun of her because he feels the exact same way.

So his only natural response is to lean forward and let his lips do the talking, and by talking, they practically give a speech dedicating his devotion to her, even though it means he’s gotten some of her lipstick on him. But it’s okay, he’ll be sure to give her a good amount of hickies later tonight to get even.

Midway through practically making out, the DJ plays Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and Y/N breaks away from the kiss and shrieks.

“I love this song,” Y/N squeals and shoots up from her chair.

Eddie, still lost in the haze of the kiss, looks up at her in confusion. Y/N grabs his hand and drags Eddie to the dance floor.

Eddie stumbles along with her, wondering how the moment got away from him.

As they make their way across the waxed wooden floor, Eddie leans close to Y/N’s ear and yells so she can hear him say, “Uh, I don’t dance.”

“Well, sweetheart, you are tonight,” Y/N smirks back at him as she continues to lead the way to the pit of students smushed together moving their bodies to the beat of the song.

And now he really knows she’s so far gone. This is Y/N’s night now and the last thing he wants to do is get in her way.

As they find a spot on the dance floor with her other friends and their dates, Y/N faces Eddie and starts swaying her body to the rhythm.

“Uh,” Eddie says under his breath but it’s too loud for anyone to hear. He looks at her and forcibly smiles while mechanically trying to mimic her movements. He figures that if he can focus on her, maybe he can forget about the many pairs of eyes staring at him right now.

“You’re too stiff,” Y/N huffs as she places her hands along his biceps and squeezes them.

Eddie tries to loosen his limbs but the apparent lack of alcohol or THC in his system is making itself a problem right about now.

“I told you babe, I don’t dance,” Eddie says apologetically.

“Edward I’ve seen you dance, you just didn’t know it,” Y/N says with attitude. It should be annoying that she’s calling him out like this, but it’s kind of hot when she gets feisty, especially since it doesn’t happen so often.

“Just pretend you’re doing a set with Corroded Coffin. Move your body to the rhythm. Let the music flow through you,” Y/N says as she guides the movement of his arms to the guitar solo at the end of the song.

Eddie starts to loosen up a bit and then the song transitions to “If You Leave” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and that’s when things really click for Eddie.

Y/N loved that Pretty in Pink movie so much, she made Eddie watch it with her in theaters three times. Against his will, he knows the song like the back of his hand. But it’s proving to come in handy right now as he slowly starts to loosen up and match Y/N’s energy as she dances along to the beloved song.

Months ago, he never would’ve expected to see Y/N like this. Back then, he never would have thought it possible for her to be able to just let go and have fun, but he likes to think her ability to do it now is partially his own doing.

Even as “I Melt With You” by Modern English comes on next, Eddie can’t help but laugh and smile as he terribly dances along with Y/N and her friends.

Never in all his years did he think he would ever even go to prom, let alone have fun at it. But Y/N seems to be his lucky charm in that way.

He thrashes around with Y/N as “Blue Monday” by New Order comes on next and the rest of the crowd has been long forgotten at this point.

Y/N does zany silly moves to make Eddie laugh, not even caring what anyone else thinks. And Eddie does the same, knowing there’s only one person he would be willingly looking like an idiot on the dancefloor with.

From “Rio” by Duran Duran to “Come On Eileen” by the Dexys Midnight Runners, Eddie would never admit to any of his friends just how fun it is to dance to stupid Top 40 stuff.

In a way, he’s sort of relieved that none of them came because they’re too young or didn’t have a date. This is a side of him that he isn’t ashamed of, but is much more comfortable showing knowing he won’t be teased.

But another part of him knows he and the boys would absolutely demolish the dance floor without a regard for what anyone thinks. It would have been so much fun to show up to prom with his boys and prove high school didn’t break them.

He hopes that no matter what happens, his younger friends can have the time of their lives like this too. That they can experience more joy than what Eddie’s had over the past six months.

High school was a shit show for him, but it’s ending on a pretty high note. But the night isn’t over just yet.

When the DJ plays “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, a song that apparently annoys Y/N for some reason, as though it isn’t the same flavor of bubblegum pop as the other songs, at least to Eddie’s ears.

But Y/N tells Eddie she wants to take a break and get some punch so Eddie walks her over to the refreshments table.

The chaperone behind the table, undoubtedly some member of the PTA, smiles at Y/N and hands her the cup of punch.

“Hey Munson,” someone calls over from the other side of Eddie.

Eddie turns in the direction of the voice, leaving enough room for Y/N to see a face that’s familiar but she doesn’t exactly remember why.

“Carver, to what do I owe the pleasure,” Eddie asks with gritted teeth.

Y/N doesn’t know the blond boy or how Eddie knows a guy who would wear a varsity jacket to prom, but the tension in his shoulders and grit to his voice say it’s not for a good reason.

Y/N takes the opportunity to snake her arm around Eddie’s waist and hold on to him, leaning into his side as she gazes at the boy across from them, hoping to comfort him from whatever is unfolding.

The sudden motion catches the boy’s attention and his eyes move from Eddie to Y/N. If Eddie’s not mistaken, Jason’s eyes seem to widen a bit and linger on Y/N for more than he’d like, so instinctively, Eddie wraps his arm tightly around Y/N, pulling her into him even more.

“This your girl,” Jason asks as he juts his chin out in Y/N’s direction.

The motion isn’t threatening but something about it makes Y/N want to crawl out of her skin.

Y/N and Eddie look at each other before looking at Jason.

“Yeah, what’s it to you,” Eddie asks menacingly.

Jason throws up his hands in mock surrender, “Nothing man, she’s just pretty is all.”

Jason continues to oogle a bit longer at Y/N but she can’t even figure out what to say to make him stop.

“How’d a freak like you manage to get a girl like her?” Jason asks with a sense of genuine curiosity. Like their relationship is the big bang theory and he needs to ask questions to make any sense of it.

And then it hits Y/N that she does know him. It’s Jason Carver and she tutored him before basketball season in junior year. He was struggling with physics but would spend half the time flirting with her even though he had a girlfriend on the cheer team. It always made Y/N uncomfortable, no matter how nice it was to hear that she was so smart and pretty.

“Doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out, Jason. But for you, maybe a little tutoring might help,” Y/N says with a smirk.

Eddie looks at her in confusion while Jason looks just about like he’s been caught red-handed, realizing just where he knows Eddie’s girlfriend from. All the embarrassment from her rejection comes back to him in waves.

“Newton doesn’t have any laws of physics to explain it, but I’m sure it can’t be that hard to believe a smart girl with a pretty face could be into such a hunk with a heart of gold like Eddie,” Y/N adds before innocently taking a sip of her punch.

Jason’s jaw drops and is rendered speechless as Y/N smirks at him confidently.

Eddie has so many questions but more than anything he just wants to take Y/N to the back of his van and have his way with her, but there’ll be time for that later. For now, he kisses the top of her head and smirks back at Jason.

The instrumentals to “The Promise” by When In Rome begins playing from the sound system, prompting Y/N to let her fingers drag behind Eddie’s back down to his hand. She holds his hand but walks forward to Jason

“If you’ll excuse me,” She says as she hands the cup to Jason, “I’m gonna go have the time of my life with, the freak, out on the dance floor.”

Jason looks at her as if he’s frightened by any move she makes.

Y/N takes another step and whispers into his ear, “And by the end of the night, he’ll probably take my virginity too. And I don’t know if that’ll make me a freak or not, but all I know is that if you ever have a word to say about Eddie Munson, I can promise you, I will hunt you down and make you regret ever using your tongue against that boy. Am I clear?”

Y/N pulls away slightly, just enough to be within earshot and still look into Jason’s blown out dark blue eyes.

“Say you understand,” She yells at him authoritatively, still close enough to hurt his eardrums.

“I-I I under st-stand,” Jason says as he winces.

“Now apologize to Eddie,” Y/N commands.

“I-I’m sorry man,” Jason blinks nervously.

“Say it like you mean it, Carver. I know you can do better than that,” Y/N goads.

“I-I’m sorry Munson. For everything. Really.”

It’s taking every fiber of Eddie’s being not to bust out laughing at the sight of a flustered Jason Carver. It’s not even like he’s dreamed of this moment either. He wasn’t exactly banking on ever seeing remorse from one of his bullies, but he sees the effort Y/N is putting into getting justice for him and he couldn’t be more head over heels in love with this girl.

Eddie tries to hide his smile and nods but he can’t even bring himself to thank Jason or accept the apology.

Y/N’s the one to thank here. He does so by leaning forward and capturing her lips in his.

Y/N kisses him back before pulling away and saying, “C’mon baby, let’s go dance.”

Y/N takes his hand and leads him back to the dance floor where the DJ has now transitioned the set to play “Hold Me Now” by The Thompson Twins.

Y/N and Eddie join the other couples slow dancing and Eddie is grateful the positioning is hiding the front of his pants. The scene back there kind of awakened something in him.

Y/N wraps her arms around Eddie’s neck as Eddie wraps his arms around her waist before slowly dragging them to her hips and landing on the softness of her behind.

“Goddamnit sweetheart, I don’t know what’s gotten into you tonight but I’m fucking obsessed with it,” Eddie groans in Y/N’s ear.

She can feel something hard against her leg and the resulting heat it brings to her cheeks. She nervously giggles, unsure of how to acknowledge his words or his body’s reaction.

Eddie moves his head back to look into Y/N’s soft eyes. Y/N smiles shyly at him and he wants nothing more than to make her smile like that for the rest of his life.

But now that the heat of the moment is over, Eddie’s mind won’t let him get past the thing we’re all wondering: What the hell was that? How does Y/N even know Jason?

So as they slow dance, Y/N explains everything. She even mentions how she remembers Jason teasing Eddie in the cafeteria at lunch. She always knew Jason was a dick, but at the time she never knew Eddie and now that she does, she wanted to do what was right and stand up for him.

“It was fuckin’ hot baby. I’m pretty sure you either made him jizz or piss in his pants. I was trying so hard not to laugh”

Y/N rolls her eyes and smiles, flushed at Eddie’s crass words, but agreeing with them nonetheless.

“I love you Eddie,” Y/N says as she holds him tighter, “And I told you, I won’t let my parents or any high school dickhead get in the way of that.”

Eddie chuckles and holds Y/N tighter against him, firmly squeezing her ass in the process.

Y/N lets out a small yelp in surprise as Eddie smirks at her.

It’s not long before one of the chaperones, Eddie’s English teacher, scolds him and commands the two to be “arm’s length apart.”

But as soon as she’s out of sight, Eddie resumes their position and Y/N lays her head against his chest.

Eddie and Y/N hold each other and sway in silence till the song ends and “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper is played next.

Y/N stiffens slightly and pulls away to look into Eddie’s warm brown eyes.

“What?” Eddie asks in concern.

Y/N lets out a small breath. The first few notes of this song always take her back to when she was grounded for going out with Eddie. The Dark Ages.

She would listen to this song and think about him. She would imagine what it would be like to ever talk to Eddie again. What she would say or how she could ever move forward from the time they spent together.

But in the end, she always had hope that she could have a somewhat happy ending. That with time, things would get better, even if it meant not being with Eddie in the way she wanted.

And then it played on the radio that one day he gave her a ride home. And just like the song said, Y/N was lost but Eddie looked and he did find her. Time after time, Y/N fell but Eddie caught her and waited for her to return home.

Time after time, Y/N never would have thought she could make it to this moment. After all the sleepless nights and headaches and puffy eyes. She can’t believe she’s here with Eddie at prom. They’ll be graduating in a few weeks. And in a few months, she’ll be headed off to Chicago.

“Baby, what’s wrong, why are you crying,” Eddie asks as he cups Y/N’s cheek and wipes away the stray tears slipping down her cheek.

Y/N leans into his touch and closes her eyes as a few more sobs escape her.

“I’m sorry Eddie,” is all she can manage to choke out.

“Don’t be sorry princess. What’s going on?”

“I’m just,” Y/N sniffles, “I’m so happy. I can’t believe I get to be here, with you. It feels like a dream come true. I love you so much, I can’t handle how happy I feel.”

Eddie smiles, feeling that same wave of unbridled emotion wash over him. Now, it wouldn’t be very metal of him to be crying in front of all these people, at prom no less, but when the girl he loves is crying before him because she’s so happy to be with him that it feels like a dream, well he’ll be damned if that isn’t enough to make a grown man cry.

Eddie pulls away slightly and looks Y/N the eye, “Let’s get out of here.”

Y/N pauses for a moment and looks around. Some of her friends have started to leave and a few couples are walking out the gym doors.

Y/N looks down at her wrist and realizes she left her watch at home.

“What do you say, Cinderella, it’s only 9:30,” Eddie adds.

Y/N looks at him and wipes a tear from her cheek and nods.

Eddie wraps his arm around her waist and leads her to the doors of the gymnasium. Before they walk out, Y/N looks over her shoulders and looks at the room one last time.

A night to remember.

And then Eddie whisks her away to his van and the two go for a drive. Eddie puts in a tape and Y/N is sure he must have made it for tonight. It isn’t playing the normal zany stuff he likes. It’s slow and melodic. Borderline sensual but still with that rock edge.

Plus, there’s a bit more Journey and Foreigner than she imagined Eddie would have listened to.

Among the myriad of questions in her mind, “Where are we going,” is the first to come out of Y/N’s mouth.

Eddie briefly looks over at her from the driver's seat as “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner comes on next.

“I thought we might make a pit stop at the trailer,” Eddie says casually as his gaze returns to the road before him. “Wayne’s got the night shift, so it’ll be just us.”

Y/N looks at him nervously. This isn’t the first time she’s gone over to Eddie’s place at night when Wayne wasn’t there. But none of those nights ever had the kind of possibility tonight has.

Before she can even begin to think or overthink the events of the night, Eddie pulls up to the trailer and turns off the ignition, effectively killing the song before it has the chance to reach its prophetic chorus.

Eddie gets out of the car and walks over to open the door for Y/N. He holds his hand out for her to grab as she carefully steps out of the vehicle.

He cautiously leads Y/N to the front door and nervously fumbles with the keys before unlocking the door and holding it open for her to go in first.

Y/N steps in and awkwardly stands in the kitchen, watching as Eddie closes the door and locks it before mechanically taking off his jacket and hanging it on the nearest chair.

He walks over to Y/N and gently caresses the skin of her cheek before leaning forward and kissing her.

Y/N feels stiff against him and he can feel her try to loosen up, but something won’t let her so he pulls away.

“Sorry Eddie, I-”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Eddie reassures her as he runs his hands up and down her arms.

He looks into her eyes and says, “This is just like any other night, okay? I’ll only go as far as you let me.”

Y/N looks away and nods.

Y/N and Eddie hadn’t exactly planned to have sex for the first time on prom night. Neither really acknowledge the possibility in the weeks leading up to it. Eddie has been respectfully going at the pace Y/N is comfortable with, but the tension has been running high.

Y/N wants to and he knows it too. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want it either. But in Eddie’s mind, tonight may be the night, or it may just be another night. If she feels up for it, that’s great, but he doesn’t want her to feel any pressure just because it’s prom night.

“C’mon,” Eddie says as he grabs her hand softly and slowly guides her to his room. He flicks on the light of one of his lamps and motions for her to sit on the bed.

Y/N follows his silent command and watches as he puts in a tape in the sound system in his room. It has the same tape from the car and is now playing “Fluff” by Black Sabbath, one of their favorite songs.

Eddie smiles shyly at Y/N and walks over to her. He kneels on the ground before her and gently takes her left foot in his hand. He slowly undoes the strap of her heel and removes the shoe. He lightly massages her foot and Y/N softly groans.

Eddie smiles and moves on to repeat the process for her right foot.

“Thanks Eddie, my feet have been killing me,” Y/N says appreciatively.

“Anything for my princess, so pretty in pink,” Eddie teases and Y/N blushes.

Eddie rises to his feet and proceeds to undo the bowtie around his neck. He moves down to unbutton the buttons of his dress shirt when Y/N rises to her feet and makes a closed-mouth noise.

He looks at her in confusion but she just waves away his hand and starts undoing the rest of the buttons herself. Her nimble fingers shake as she breathlessly undresses him.

Eddie can sense her nervousness as says, “It’s okay baby, you’re doing great.”

Y/N slightly chuckles and whines, “Eddie, this isn’t…”

This isn’t some marathon race she needs to be cheered on for. It’s just a normal night at Eddie’s trailer. She’s been here hundreds of times. She’s made out with Eddie on his bed hundreds of times before.

Why is tonight any different?

“C’mon, let’s just lay down for a bit and cuddle,” Eddie offers.

Y/N weighs the proposition and decides to accept.

“Should I take off my dress?” She asks as she looks down at the layers of fabric.

Eddie shrugs, “If it’s more comfortable.”

Y/N looks at him and nods. She turns around and asks him if he can undo the zipper. As he does, he can feel shivers run down her spine as the skin of his fingers brush against her back.

The dress pools down to her ankles, revealing her in a matching white lace bra and panties.

Eddie hisses at the view from the back, trying to contain himself knowing it’ll be even better from the front.

“C’mon,” Eddie’s voice cracks as he closes the door to the room and walks over to the bed.

Y/N mechanically mimics him and the two get under the covers. Eddie shimmies off his jeans and moves closer to Y/N. He wraps an arm around her, pulling her close to his side. Y/N snuggles him, but stiffly drapes an arm over his warm and bare stomach.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Eddie asks as he draws small circles into her arm.

“Mhm,” Y/N responds with her cheek pressed against Eddie’s chest.

“What was your favorite part?”

“Seeing you dance,” Y/N giggles.

Eddie scoffs and rolls his eyes even though she can’t see from her vantage point. “I told you sweetheart, this body was not made for dancing.”

“No, but it was so good. I don’t care if you’re a good dancer or not. It was so much fun. All my favorite songs were played. All my favorite people were there. Tonight was perfect,” Y/N says and then shuffles to look up at Eddie.

Tonight has been perfect and it’s not over yet. And as she looks into his eyes, she realizes she has nothing to be afraid of. It wouldn’t be the perfect end to a perfect night without the perfect boy to be a part of it.

So she grins from ear to ear and leans forward to kiss him. Eddie is slightly taken off guard, so it takes him a moment to readjust to her lips, but when he does, it’s like nothing he’s ever felt before. Like he’s kissing her for the first time all over again.

He brings a hand up to cup her cheek and kisses her passionately back. Without breaking the kiss, he gently nudges her to lie back. He rests his forearm against the mattress for leverage and leans over her.

As Y/N lies back on the mattress with her head resting against the pillow, she brings her hands forward to cup Eddie’s cheeks, his soft lips never leaving hers.

Eddie uses his other hand to gently trail from Y/N’s shoulder to her arm, and lowers down to her waist. He moves his touch to her lower back and firmly presses her body against his.

Y/N gasps in the kiss and Eddie smiles, using the moment to slip his tongue past her lips, wanting to taste every bit of her he can.

Y/N whimpers, quickly turning into a puddle of goo at the lightest touch. She lowers one of her hands onto his shoulder and uses the other to slide past his scalp and run through his hair, tightening the hold on particularly pleasurable moments.

Eddie continues to touch along her skin and feels a sense of pride whenever her body reacts to it. The squirms and moans all rev his engine to the point where Y/N can feel him against her.

Without breaking the kiss, she reaches down and touches him, making him groan and fall out of the kiss.

He hovers over her breathlessly, his curls hang in a curtain over her head.

“Hold your horses there princess,” he says in his theatrical D&D voice making her giggle. “We’ll have time for that later, but tonight is about you.”

“I want it all Eddie,” Y/N replies simply. It’s simultaneously a plea and a command. “I want to feel it all with you.”

“Yeah,” Eddie asks incredulously.

Y/N nods underneath him and pulls him in for a chaste kiss.

“If at any moment you ever want to stop, just say the word and-”

“I know,” Y/N smiles at him shyly, grateful that he’s being so careful with her.

“I love you,” Eddie whispers before moving down and kissing her with more passion and fever than he even knew was possible. Y/N returns the kiss in a similar manner, as though she were in a desert and Eddie was her lone source of water.

But the warmth of the soft touches and loving kisses doesn’t nearly compare to the heat of Eddie’s touch as it migrates south. Touching her in places she’d dare not let anyone else go. Pushing buttons only he knows exist. Loving her body the way only he can.

Eddie’s tongue and lips move expertly as he gives her the pleasure he knows she deserves. With Eddie’s head between her thighs, Y/N’s almost certain this must be heaven on earth.

That is until he begins using his fingers and the feeling is just too good, but she knows she wants more. No needs more.

She needs Eddie unlike anything she’s ever needed before.

And as the night progresses to where Y/N and Eddie are joined at every possible place, she knows she’ll never get enough. To feel so full and complete with Eddie like this is a feeling unlike any other.

Eddie’s own body is electric. Red hot blood pumping violently throughout his veins.

He sloppily kisses Y/N between thrusts and Y/N can barely think or breathe. All she can focus on is Eddie and how good he feels and how much she loves him.

Y/N’s arms are wrapped around Eddie’s neck and her legs lock around his hips, holding him closely to her. As though any inch spent apart is too far.

Something primal overcomes both of them as they consummate their love for one another.

With no one around to hear, they cry each other's names out with each rocking motion. The slapping of skin and sounds of haggard breaths fill the air.

It all just feels too good, like unearthly good. Eddie’s never even felt this way before. Like he was just made for loving Y/N.

“It’s okay, let go for me baby,” he coaxes. Y/N is on the verge of tears. The pain and pleasure become all too much for her.

The coil of tension within her snaps. She cries out Eddie’s name in release and soon he’s crying out hers too.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” he whispers into her neck.

Y/N whimpers and shudders under his touch as she sees stars. He rocks her through her pleasure as she comes down.

She breathes heavily and as the sensations slowly subside, she lays down blissed out with Eddie and his heavenly body lying next to her.

After a moment to catch their breaths, Y/N and Eddie turn to face each other. Eddie pulls her body against his. He wraps his arm around her waist to hold her close.

Y/N closes her eyes and smiles in bliss. Eddie places soft kisses on her lips and ends on her forehead.

Y/N hums contentedly and nuzzles her head into his chest.

While trying to catch her breath, Y/N manages to say, “Oh Eddie, that was-that was so good.”

“Yeah? You liked it?”

You run your fingertips along the plane of his shoulder, “Mhm. Did you?”

“Every second of it. You did so well, baby.”

Y/N’s heart flutters at his words. “I love you Eddie.”

“I love you too baby.”

Eddie says he loves Y/N all the time. It’s not like it’s the first time he says it at all. But after what just happened, Y/N feels like it has a whole new meaning. Like he loves her for the first time in a way that is much deeper than any other time he has ever said it before.

She looks over at him and admires his full lips or soft cheeks. She can’t believe she gets to be here with him like this.

Far from her mind are the thoughts or what happened months ago or what will happen months from now.

All she can think about is how happy she is and how much she loves the boy lying next to her.

***

Taglist: @dotslabyrinth @aedicn @fancyghosttrashhero-blog @churchmuffins @urallidjits @delusionalbabe @astrolockley @ebueller @im-julessssss @kimmi-kat @protecteddiemunson4vr @littlestarfighter03 @rosie-posie08 @prestinalove @luvrsbian @tvserie-s-world

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson headcanon #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst ##stranger things fanfic #stranger things s4 #stranger things season 4 #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #urfavstargirl1

142 notes · View notes

absentia-if · 1 year

Note

Oh hey, it's been a while, I should play the latest update.

*Names MC Karina Zane...an M-mancing MC without knowing Carina is M's own aunt.*

*After finding out*: Ah...Shit

But for real, I'm really happy to have the option of being happy for K in moving on XD My MC isn't particularly vengeful (Kinda have this headcanon image of her having been pinning for M for years and it solidified during her captivity, wishing she could see them one more time.)

Feel free to ignore this ask, but I want to say I love the chapters you've work so hard on ;-; FUCK, it hurts to see how many people got affected from the kidnapping incident..

As for my question: Say MC has a thing where scent gives them the safety they needed most and the RO came home early to find MC hugging and clinging to a clothing of theirs that smelled of them the most, just burying their nose in the fabric or even having a little clothing nest if they could be spared. When MC notices them, they get embarrassed and try to come up with a logical, 'totally normal' reason to be sniffing their SO's clothes. How would they react/approach this?

I've done the exact thing multiple times! In fact, there are two canon women with that first name-- Carina Steele and Karina Ashford, both of whom you meet. I just thought the name was neat when creating Detective Ashford that I completely spaced on Carina Steele; even though I absolutely adore her.

I'm excited for your Karina to begin romancing M. I just know that it'll be a fun adventure for you both. I can't wait for you to see what's in store for M-Mancers down the road! In fact, there's a scene coming up that I think you're going to enjoy quite a bit. And thank you for your kind words! I truly appreciate it a great deal. I'm so honored that I have people like you reading my story, and that I get the privilege of being able to interact with you too. Thank you so much for being here! For being your wonderful self!

As for your question?

--------------------------------------------------

Kade/Kara: "What're you doing, sweetheart?" They tilt their head, hazel eyes flitting over the nest of clothes you had crafted on the bed. A warm look quickly took over the one of confusion that had been prominent only a second before; a gentle smile appears at the corner of their lips. "Having a lazy afternoon? I'll join you once I've changed out of my work clothes. Is that all right?"

Michael/Margot: Complete adoration flickers across their face, warmth completely suffused within the azure blue of their gaze. "I have a bunch of sweatshirts that I could give you, baby," they murmur, sitting on the edge of the bed, making sure not to disturb the nest, as a gentle look etched itself across their face. "Why don't I go get them and you can turn on something that we can watch? I won't be gone long, I promise."

Blaine/Blaire: They tilt their head. "Whatcha got there?" Plopping down onto the bed beside you, they toss you an award-winning smile. Their focus only shifts when they pick up one, of the many, shirts you had used to make your nest upon the bed you shared with them. "You know," they muse, a thoughtful hum interlaced with the words. "I wasn't even aware I had this many shirts. I guess I've found a good use for them, huh?"

Wren/Wynn: Confusion filters across their face before dawning realization eclipses it. And, from that confusion, a look of gentle sincerity appeared. "There's no need to be ashamed of this, MC." They shrug, an almost smile curling their lips. "I'm honored that you find so much comfort in me. I'll try to make sure that the feeling remains no matter what, okay?"

Nicholas/Natalie: A shy smile graces their lips at the sight that greets them on their bed. The warm expression causes their gray eyes to appear almost silver within the dimming light of the room. "You like to be surrounded by my clothes." It's said as more of a statement, the fact that it is, and you don't even have a chance to respond before they continue. "I'm assuming it has something to do with my scent, right?" They wait for your approval, one that you give in the form of a nod before their expression softens even more. "You can always cuddle me now, dearest one. I think I'm slightly better company than an old hoodie."

#absentia #kade lewis #kara lewis #michael steele #margot steele #blaine ellis #blaire ellis #wren cassidy #wynn cassidy #nicholas paxton #natalie paxton #conpusedbord #asks #ask #fluff

74 notes · View notes

madangel19 · 7 months

Note

Oh. All the Prompts are very nice, I can't decide.

"You're mine" with Swiss and Delia, Please?

Oh boi, this is a perfect prompt for these two and now I can finally work on it >:3

Warnings: Spooning sex (idk what's it's called, but they're spooning), vaginal sex, daddy kink, somnophilia, implied oral, fluff and smut, a little bit of a breeding kink splashed in there

Word Count: 1571

Rehearsals had run a lot later than Swiss was used to. The multi ghoul stretched his aching back as he made his way back down to the ghoul den. The rest of the pack was slowly making their way down. All of them didn’t say much to each other. It was definitely a harder rehearsal that left everyone exhausted and ready for bed.

Hopefully he didn’t leave Delia waiting for him too long. He had promised a nice romantic evening together, but things took a turn during rehearsal and Copia wasn’t pleased until they got everything just right.

He noticed a nearby clock on the wall and saw that it was well past 1 AM. She was probably asleep unless she decided to stay up for him. Even if she was asleep, he would still absolutely love just crawling into bed and snuggling up beside her. Maybe the right amount of touching and quintessence would awaken her for some lazy fucking before passing out together.

He murmured several good nights to his fellow pack members who went off in small groups or by themselves to their rooms. The ghoulettes all went to Cumulus’s room together. Dewdrop and Aether went into Dew’s room, the smaller ghoul clinging onto the quintessence ghoul like a tired child. Rain and Mountain went to their own rooms, not saying much to anyone. Most of the time, Swiss would have gone with one of them or taken some of them to his room, but he had his favorite human to cuddle up with. She didn’t need to sleep in a ghoul’s nest all by her lonesome.

Swiss opened his door where he was greeted by the combined smell of lavender and weed that hung heavy in his room. He paused, sighing in content while breathing in that sweet smell that was coming from his bed. He noticed several incense burners in the room before his focus went to his bed. Laying on top of the covers was Delia, who was fast asleep while clutching one of his dress shirts to her chest. She was dressed in an enticing see-through purple babydoll nightgown that perfectly showed off her body. Her purple hair had been let down from her usual bun, letting it splay out around her and making her look all the more angelic. On the nightstand was a half-finished blunt and a lighter along with several vibrators, a dildo and a bottle of lube. The poor thing must have been waiting so long for him that she decided to enjoy herself. He was definitely going to have to make up for making her wait so long.

Swiss took a moment to take in every sweet detail of her before undressing and putting on a simple pair of boxer shorts. He would shower in the morning, preferably with her joining him.

He crawled into bed next to her, purring softly as he wrapped his arms around her middle. She felt so soft. Much softer than usual. She smelled like the sweet-scented soaps in the bathroom. She even bathed for this. How adorable.

Delia grunted in her sleep when his arms were around her. She briefly stirred, her arms slowly moving to touch where he was holding her.

“Mmm, Swiss?” She murmured, slowly lifting her head and looking around sleepily.

“I’m here, sweetheart. You go back to sleep,” Swiss cooed, nuzzling her cheek and using his quintessence on her to make her all the more comfortable.

“I…I was waiting…so long. I wanted to see…you,” Delia whispered, taking his right hand and placing it over her breast. He chuckled and gave it a gentle squeeze, his smile growing when he felt her heart beat faster.

“I wanted to see you too, baby. Rehearsal just took longer. I can make it up to you if you want,” Swiss whispered back before planting a kiss on her neck, getting a delightful shiver from her.

“I…might fall asleep since it’s…so late. I want you…to feel good.”

“Don’t worry about that, sweetheart. Just let me put you back to sleep in my own special way and in the morning, we can have as much fun as you want,” he purred, giving her breast another squeeze as he slowly grinded against her.

Her thighs were already wet from when she was pleasuring herself, adding another wonderfully delicious smell to her. In just a few moments, he was going to make her even more wet and he would gladly clean the mess he made while she slept.

“Mm, I’m…already warmed up for you, daddy,” Delia moaned, slowly wiggling her ass and pressing it against his already growing boner.

“Perfect,” Swiss crowed, removing his boxers with ease, freeing his cock.

He pulled her closer to him, his cock rubbing against her thighs. The combined smells coming from his favorite human had him beyond aroused. He needed to be inside her now or else he would just cum from rubbing against her thighs.

“Lift your leg for me, baby,” he said.

Delia obeyed. Swiss grabbed a hold of her butter-soft thigh, squeezing it and adoring the way her flesh felt under his claws. He slowly pushed himself into her, hissing in pleasure at how soft and wet she already was for him. Delia moaned adorably as he slowly thrusted in and out of her. Even if he were to cum quickly from this, they still had plenty of time together in the morning. If he was lucky, he would wake up before her and fuck her awake.

“You’re so sweet for me, Delia. You’re mine. All mine,” he purred in her ear.

“I…I’m yours, daddy,” Delia moaned, gripping the sheets beneath her. He pushed harder into her upon hearing her calling him his favorite term of affection. It made him all the more eager to fill her up with his kits.

“Fuck, I can’t wait to knock you up, Delia. Seeing you round and…and full of my kits is gonna make me go crazy,” he growled in her ear.

He wrapped his tail around her leg and removed his hand so he could reach around and grab a handful of her breasts. Even with his large hands covering her breasts, they could never hold enough.

“I…I’m already round, daddy,” Delia said with a giggle before it turned into a beautiful moan when he lovingly squeezed her nipples between his claws.

“You know what I mean, baby,” Swiss replied.

He let out a hiss the deeper he thrusted into her with ease. The lube helped him with reaching further into her.

Seconds passed and he could feel her pussy clenching around him as her little moans turned to the sweetest gasps. His tail was starting to tremble while keeping her leg up. He was already so close.

“You…you ready for me, baby?” He murmured while slowly picking up the pace.

“I am, daddy. Give it to me,” his beloved little human moaned, her hand clutching his. He interlaced his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb over her hand before spilling himself into her with a low growl. He held back the urge to bite down on her soft flesh while pumping her full of his hot seed. He didn’t want to ruin her when she was so soft and beautiful like this.

Delia sighed softly as he filled her, melting into him and feeling like a sweet dream. Swiss unwrapped his tail from around her leg, letting it carefully drop down. Once he was sure he was done filling her up, he relaxed around her, his cock still deep inside her.

“That feel good, sweetheart?” He asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before kissing it.

“It did. Thank you, Swiss,” Delia whispered back to him.

She shifted her body, causing him to pull out of her as she turned to face him. Swiss grunted at the change, not wanting to pull out just yet, but once she was looking up at him while nestled safely in his arms, he quickly changed his mind. She smiled at him sleepily and reached up to caress his face. Swiss purred happily, closing his eyes in pure bliss as he leaned into her touch.

“I love you,” she cooed before yawning adorably.

“I love you too, baby. Get some sleep. I’ll clean you up,” he purred, kissing her tenderly and filling her lungs with the smoke he used to put people to sleep. Delia smiled into the kiss with a happy sigh before she became limp in his arms. Swiss chuckled as he pulled away from the kiss and admired his work.

“See you in the morning, Delia. I’ll wake you with a surprise,” he whispered in her ear, his fingers going down to gently prod at her soaking pussy. Delia shivered in her sleep and instinctively bit her lower lip.

“Yes…daddy,” she murmured in her sleep.

“I’m going to give you the sweetest dreams, sweetheart,” Swiss purred, slowly planting kisses all over her face and chest before making his way down to the sweet treat in between her legs.

He paused to yawn and rested his head on her thighs, gazing up at Delia lovingly as she breathed calmly with such a pleasant smile on her lips. If he ended up falling asleep in between her legs, then he wouldn’t mind. It was simply a dream come true.

“Fuck, I love you, Delia,” he murmured before continuing to kiss her thighs.

#the band ghost #ghost band #ghost bc #nameless ghouls #swiss ghoul #fanfiction #ghost fanfiction

16 notes · View notes

annie-creates · 1 year

Text

The best girlfriend

Pairing: Lady Lesso x werewolf reader

Genre: fluff

Words: 700

Note: Thank you so much! Here's a part two for your kind message. Read Out like a light for part one, but you'll be fine reading this on it's own.

You woke up to light scratches on your back and a kiss pressed into your forehead. Hardly could anyone imagine a better morning than in the arms of your beloved girlfriend who always took such good care of you. With a quiet hum you opened your eyes and slowly stretched your limbs out not wanting to leave the warm comfort of bed. But the sun peeking through the windows was mercilessly announcing the start of the day and wasn’t waiting on anyone.

“Good morning love.” Lesso greeted and kissed your cheek sneaking her hand from under you. “Had a good sleep?”

“Yeah I did, thanks to you.” you answered with a content smile still not ready to get up.

Leonora obviously wasn’t either, if her lazy moves and wriggling in the covers was any indication. With a silent agreement you both laid back down, you watching her from the side and her picking up her book. You let her read for a few minutes, before a frugal idea came to your mind.

„Hey babe.“ you picked up a strand of her fuzzy hair curling in around your finger.

„Hm?“ she uttered not picking her sight from the book.

„Can you wash my fur?“ you asked her with an angelic smile.

„Yeah sure!“ Lesso stared at you in a slight shock with her lips a little agape for a moment before realizing what you’re asking for and agreeing.

You probably haven’t had a proper bath in forever considering your werewolf activities and she wouldn’t want your animalistic counterpart to develop fleas. You happily jumped out of bed turning into your wolf form with little nuisances, taking your steps right into the bathroom. Leonora doubtfully followed you, she didn’t think you’ll keep the enthusiasm once you’re drenched to the bone. Lesso filled the tub up helping you in, it wasn’t nearly big enough for the biggest dog on earth, but it will have to do for now.

“Don’t splatter me.” she warned you before taking the shower head and soaking your hair.

You were deservedly enjoying yourself in the water, splashing it with your paws and making waves like a little child. Once Leonora took the shampoo out and started massaging it into your fur, you made it your point to not let a single drop run down into your eyes or ears. Lesso made sure to not miss a single little spot on your wolf body, giving you a good rinse afterwards. As she turned to grab a towel, you heavily shook yourself splattering the whole bathroom.

“Hey I told you not to do that!” she huffed trying to use the towel as a shield protecting herself from the water.

As she helped you out of the bathtub she rubbed you off trying to get as much water out as possible so you’ll dry faster. Being a wet wolf wasn’t too pleasant for anyone. The moment you could you ran out of the bathroom jumping on the bed.

“What do you think you’re doing? Absolutely not. Down!” she tried to force you off the bed but you were having none of it.

You picked up every blanket you could find around the room, wrinkling and rumpling them up on the bed in a form of circle creating your own little nest. Once you were satisfied with the result you laid in the middle watching your girlfriend expectantly.

“Fine, but you’re never doing that again.” she huffed laying down next to you in your little piece of wolfy home, mindlessly scratching your head and ears.

You purred in delight relaxing on top of all the blankets and duvets, laying your heard down on your paws. Leonora laid newt to you diving into your nest herself, she’d never admit it but it was actually comfortable even to her. Not that she’d ever allow you in the bed as a wolf again. Nope, this was a one time thing as a reward for being such a good girl.

“You’re my little wolfy aren’t you, pup.” she praised you and your satisfied purring must have been heard all around the school castle.

She was just about the very best girlfriend you could ever ask for.

#lady lesso x reader #lady lesso #lady lesso fluff #lady leonora lesso #lady leonora lesso x reader #leonora lesso #leonora lesso x reader #lady lesso x you #charlize theron #school for good and evil #tsfgae #sge #sge movie #sge netflix

139 notes · View notes

oxygenbefore1775 · 2 years

Note

Hello! I wanted to make a request of how the warriors would act stranded on an island. (All fun) For example: who’s going fully nude and being one with nature (I know it’s probably my man Zeke), who’s surprisingly knowledgeable at surviving, who’s the absolute wreck and so on. I just thought it would be funny to imagine the warriors in this scenario.

Hello! What a nice req, also fitting for my recent array of summer-centered hcs! Hope the hcs are not too cruel - be it the real life, all of them would be dead but anyways enjoy (also i noticed that you're my first ever moot and it's cool)

AoT Warriors Stranded On An Island

Annie

given her skill set, the girl is set for life

doesn't even get worried or concerned about her ordeal, as if she's getting stranded on a weekly basis

her only concern would be not to be able to take a hot bath - and also to ward off other warriors from stealing her stuff

builds her own lair surrounded by traps so that no one could bother her

Bertholdt

the whole castaway-experience breathes a new life into Bert as he unleashes his repressed anger

would survive on sheer anger and to spite the fate (and would do that succesfully)

may release too much of pent-up frustration via beating up the local flora with whatever item he has on his hands

doesn't eat any fruit he finds while it's fresh and waits for it to ferment a bit (lord knows Bert needs his kick of ethanol every now and then)

Pieck

is resourceful enough but not fot the sake of her survival - Pieck would put her brains to use only to satisfy her whims

starts fire with the lenses in Zeke's glasses but doesn't intend on stoking the flame - she can perfectly well start another one, anyways (it's not like her entire life depends on having a source of heat)

befriends local birds so they always snoop around in her hair, turning Pieck's already unruly hair into a nest

Porco

a couple of hours of going hungry is all Porco needs to resort to the thoughts of cannibalism

Reiner is the first candidate to be considered for eating - just because he's big and would last the group at least a few days

in a desperate attempt tries to swim away from the island but is always brought back with the tides

makes himself a lance and manages to catch some fish with it but is too scared to eat the fish raw so he has to ally with Pieck to use her fire

Reiner

distances himself from the group as soon as Porco brings up the proposition of cannibalism - Reiner may be cool about his death but is not too enthusiastic to serve as potential fodder for the group

once Reiner finds a hot spring tucked away in the island's interior - he forgets about the potential rescue and just wants to bask in the hot water (the island may well become his last place of residence so he might as well enjoy his stay)

beside the hot spring, an improvised hammock is also on of the go-to relaxation places for Reiner

source of food doesn't matter to him at this point - the mere relaxation serves as great sustenance for Reiner's tired body

Zeke

embraces the idea of wilderness all too quickly and maybe takes it a little to literally - meaning, all of the items from his "former civilized" are to be thrown away so Zeke's straight up walking around the island naked (beard only adds to the ferality)

the nature is not too welcoming though so Zeke ends up sunburnt, bitten by insects and chased off by a wild animal - all of it in a span of one hour

is too lazy to put any effort or elbow grease into sustaining his own life and opts for stealing resources from the others

48 notes · View notes

1waveshortofashipwreck · 3 months

Note

hi!!! 🩷 i've been a lurker for a little while but i LOVEEE your writing and when i saw you were doing ship requests i just had to send in an ask. if ship requests are closed though, totally feel free to ignore this hehe

i'm a female (she/her), my charm point is probably my thicker eyebrows and my personal/dress style is androgynous but leaning a little towards masculine. my myers-briggs is ISTP, i'm a bit of a realist but i love making people laugh and i'm quite laidback. for weaknesses, i can be stubborn at times and get a little too defensive. but in terms of personal strengths, i'm crafty, loyal, the dad friend, and a tough egg to crack. i like living slow, so a few of my hobbies include art, lounging around, and visiting new places :)

my love language is probably physical touch first and words of affirmation second. i'm not picky about looks, but i'd like someone reliable, someone who would be there through thick and thin. they'd probably also be as laid back as i am...i wouldn't mind someone who puts me on a pedestal gomez addams style hehehe. i'm fine with any of the boys, but a few of my faves from bob include bull, toye, luz, and malarkey!

thank you so much for opening up ur requests and i cant wait to read what you write next!!! 🩷🩷🩷

AAAAAA thank you so much for the kind words anon!! I’m sorry this took so long lmao 😅 Thank you for requesting and hope you're having a great day!!

I ship you with…

George Luz! What would we do without George Luz!

A song from my liked songs that reminds me of y’all - A Kind of Magic by Queen

How you met

Ok so I picture you being an NCO in Luz’s platoon

Very much have the respect of your men and they would follow you off a cliff if that’s where you were going

In Taccoa with Luz first saw you he was just

In absolute awe

The way you handled Sobel’s bullshit while keeping up the morale of your men just… He was in love with you from day 1 but he never acknowledges it, he just thinks he really admires you

Also he loved having someone else to joke with and banter, he’d never admit it but in places like Eindhoven and Bastogne Luz felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, like, he wasn’t the only one trying to make the others laugh to help them through it

So y’all get to the Eagle’s Nest and you and George are sharing a bottle of wine on a couch just vibing and having a lovely time

And then quietly Luz asks “what do you think you’ll do when we get home?”

Then you realize that you and George aren’t gonna be together every day forever

“I’m honestly not sure George, what about you?”

“Well I’m probably gonna go back to Rhode Island, but I’d love to bring a certain someone back with me…”

“...you mean that?”

“Of course I do.”

This whole time your voices are getting quieter and y’all are leaning closer to each other until finally your lips touch and holy moly both of y’all are on tOP OF THE WORLD

How he knew he loves you

Ok so I know he said he’s in love with you from day 1 but goofy boy Has No Idea

Sure he realizes he has a crush on you at the Eagle’s Nest but he still has a ways to go lol

So you two are in your apartment on a lazy saturday just relaxing and doing your own things

You’re doing some drawing on the couch and you don’t see Luz just PLOP and glue himself to you

The two of you start laughing and you try (not really) to push him off but you both wind up laying on the couch him spooning you close and tight and you both just feel so happy and safe

And Luz just realizes… this is where he wants to be

Not necessarily on the couch (even though y’all’s couch is mega comfy) but just goofing around with you and snuggling you and talking about everything under the sun

So he turns you around in his arms and looks into your eyes and

“You’re my best friend, I’m in love with you”

And in that moment everything is just Perfect

A conflict and how y’all resolve it

So both of y’all have had hard times at work recently

Nothing too awful, just a bunch of little things and they’ve been piling up for both of y’all

So Luz just got home and went to the kitchen to get you and him a couple glasses of water

And you just hear a glass break followed by a “shit!”

You go into the kitchen and see George trying to sweep up all the glass with a hand broom and dust pan

You crouch down to help him but inadvertently let an aggravated sigh slip past your lips

“I didn’t do this on purpose y’know…” George mutters to you

“I never said you did?”

The two of you start bickering and it grows into something that has you both yelling at each other over you don’t even know what

You go to grumpily put the broken glass in the trash but accidentally get a small cut on your hand in the process

Of course now it’s your turn to shout “shit!” and you make your way over to the sink

George just grows quiet and follows you

He gently takes your hand away from the cut and wordlessly starts cleaning and bandaging the cut for you

“I’m really sorry about all that, work has just been shit this week, every day it feels like there’s something new going on,” his voice is almost a whisper, but you can still detect the sadness and regret

“I’m sorry too… work hasn’t been great for me either…”

You both just quietly vent what’s been going on at your jobs and it ends with Luz engulfing you in one of his trademark Hugs

“I love you so much doll,” he says before placing a gentle kiss on your forehead

The two of you spend the rest of the night just holding each other and watching a funny movie in peace

Your Happily Ever After

Y’all are just the epitome of being with your best friend

You’re always doing things together and it becomes so silly and SO CUTE

It could be anything from being on a fancy dinner date and starting a food fight to playing pranks on each other at home

Like even grocery shopping y’all will just… turn it into this hilarious, wholesome chaos that only comes from being soulmates with someone on your wavelength

Also you two ALWAYS go out together, like, all your friends know they’re getting both of you or neither of you and it’s adorable

Like, everything y’all do with each other is just so easy (heheheheh)

Even when you have the worst days you’re able to fall into each other’s arms and it’s just a breath of fresh air

A silly headcanon about your relationship

Ok so

Y’all talk on the phone to your Easy Boys all the time

But on more than one occasion they’ve mixed up y’all’s voices

Like you’ll pick up the phone and Malarkey will just “Hey George!” without missing a beat

So now y’all have made it into a game

Whenever one of you picks up the phone and it’s an old Easy Buddy you both purposefully try to imitate each other and both of you just get an absolute kick out of it

Perconte has been the only one so far to see through it but everyone else is totally clueless

It backfired a little when you were on the phone and Guarnere went “so how’s engagement ring shopping going?” but that’s another topic for another day

Aaaaa I hope you like it Anon!! Please don't be afraid to message me telling me you saw this lol, I know the feeling of submitting an anon ask and then forgetting about it 🤣 Thank you again for requesting love!! ✨

#band of brothers #band of brothers ship #hbo #hbo war #easy company #ask #anon #george luz #emily shut up #making waves

5 notes · View notes

violetjedisylveon · 2 years

Text

Out Of The Nest

Summary: Eda convinces Enzo to leave the owl house with her so she can sell at the market.

Word count: 2.8k

Warnings: Swearing, anxiety, panic, panic attacks mentioned, manipulation, Philip/Belos and his shit mentioned. Typos

A/N: I'm pretty sure we don't see the Collector's ears in the show so I've decided that they do not have ears like a witch or a human, instead they have very tiny, moveable sea lion like ears, because it's cute and why tf not? Please enjoy the mental image of the Collector with tiny little sea lion ears.

Eda raises two gods AU link here.

________________________________________________________________________________

Eda rolled over in her nest with a sigh, King squeaked softly as he was dislodged from his spot on her chest.

Enzo had another nightmare last night, they had those most nights, so her nest had two more occupants. She didn't mind much, if they could sleep through the night, that was a good thing, right?

Her ears picked up the sound of rumbling stomachs, the kids would be up and hungry soon. Do I still have anything left to eat? I needa go to the market, ugh, I gotta sell too. Eda groaned internally. She hadn't left the house much since she'd brought Enzo and King. At first it was because King was sick and she couldn't leave him, now it was because of Enzo's nervousness about leaving and being caught, they stuck to her side most of the day.

That concealment stone should be ready by now. She'd been making concealment stones to sell for a few years now, and the other day she started making one for Enzo.

I suppose I have to get up before they do now. Shit.

Eda was many things, a morning person was not one of them.

She huffed and hauled herself out of her nest. She slipped on her slippers and shuffled to the door then down the stairs.

The fridge was close to empty, she had to start buying enough to feed three people. There was still enough griffin sausages to make some breakfast, and she could chop up the remaining fruits to make a salad. After that she needed to go shopping.

Feeling lazy, she spelled the fruit to move so the knife could cut it without her actually doing anything, and then she very lazily tossed the sausages onto the pan with the heat on low.

Next, the concealment stone.

She had to get it from the basement, and she needed to find some clothes for Enzo, and a baby carrier for King. There was a lot in her basement.

XXX

Enzo yawned and rubbed their eyes as he made their way downstairs with King in their arms. Mmm, sausages... They could smell breakfast, it was smelling good. King squirmed a little, the aroma of food awakening him more.

They patted his head so he'd stay just a bit calmer longer. Feeding frenzy King was harder to hold and they didn't want to drop him.

The house demon was awake and setting the table. He looked up and waved his head upon noticing Enzo had entered the kitchen.

"Hiya Enzo! King! Morning!" Hooty screeched.

"Morning Hooty." Enzo greeted him, sleepily setting King in his high chair and slumping down into their own seat.

They hadn't slept well at all last night, Philip kept trying to summom them. They had been fighting the influence of the summoning tablet most of the night, only being able to rest once Philip gave up for the time.

Maybe I can sleep good tomorrow. They thought.

A plate being set down in front of them caught their attention and they startled back.

"Easy there, it's just a plate." Oh, it was only Eda.

"Thanks." They murmured softly.

King was already devouring his plateful of food. There was a bowl with fruit on the table too. It smelled good.

Enzo slowly started eating, going at a pace they could manage. Food was good. Food made sleepiness go away a bit.

They finished much later than normal, King was waiting to play, he'd become fascinated with fighting games. His vocabulary had expanded, he could say food, play, want, and he was trying to say Enzo now.

"Eso! Play? Want play King?!" King squeaked happily, his little tail wagging around.

"Sure buddy." They said, grabbing the plates to be put in the sink.

Eda didn't really like plates left on the table, she was happier when it was clean. Enzo liked Eda happy.

"Hold on kiddo, we need to talk." Eda stopped them from leaving the kitchen.

"Is something wrong? Did I do wrong? Are you mad?" Enzo asked.

"Relax, I'm not mad, I just need to talk with you." She patted the seat across from her.

She was calm, they sensed no anger or disappointment. Deeming there wasn't any danger, Enzo sat down and looked at the table as a bundle of things was spelled onto it. Clothes, a sort of harness? and a golden owl pendant with a soft looking red band, kinda like the one that those kids and their mom had all that time ago.

Enzo picked the pendant up and turned it over in their hands. They held it up to the light and- Oh? their hands weren't orange anymore, instead, they were brown, and there were darker freckles on their arms?

"Do you wanna take a look?" The owl lady asked.

She had a small mirror in her hands that she held up for them when they nodded.

There was no half orange and purple face, no pale purple hair, no scar, no red eyes surrounded by yellow staring back at them. Just solid brown skin, with freckles dotted all over their face. They let their eyes travel around the reflection.

They had a v shaped hair line, with pale greenish hair that was messy in a way reminiscent of Eda, they had longer eyebrows that were darker green and more mint in color. They noticed ears on the side of their head, witch ears, they never had ears like this before, their ears, externally, were tiny. The witch ears moved when their's did. They looked back to the center of the mirror and found bright golden eyes staring back at them.

"How do you like it, kiddo?" The owl lady sounded a bit nervous.

Enzo felt around their lip with their tongue, they could still feel their scar. So it was only an illusion.

"It's good." They said.

They hesitantly glanced up at her.

"But why do I need it?" They asked tentatively.

Eda bit her lip, worry was already forming on the kid's face. She didn't want to freak them out, that had proven to be very easy.

"I've gotta go to the market today, I need to sell some shit-er crap to fools, and I need to get more food. I don't want to leave you alone and I figured this would make you more comfortable while we're out." Eda explained slowly.

Enzo's eyes practically doubled in size.

"We're leaving the house?! We're leaving?!" He shouted, chest heaving as they started to panic.

"It'll only be for the day, we'll be back before the sun goes down. It'll be okay, nobody will recognize you, I promise." Eda said quickly to calm them down before the panic could fully set in.

Enzo looked at her with scared eyes, their breathing started to slow down. She'd been able to beat the panic this time. She lowered herself down so they were at eye level with each other. It was good to talk to kids on their level, it was supposed to help keep them calm... Right?

"I'm sure we'll all have fun, you won't have to go far from me if you don't feel like it, a-and you can even get something on our way back, how does that sound?" She asked, reaching out a hand, but not invading their space unless she got permission.

Enzo glanced at her hand and the pendant in their hand. They gave her a small nod of affirmation. She felt some of the built up tension in her body evaporate.

"Okay then, let's get some clothes."

XXX

Eda bounced King a bit as he played with her hair. The infant demon had been entertained by Hooty while she was having her talk with Enzo and finding clothes that would fit them. They were waiting for Enzo to come out from picking which clothes he liked the best or found most comfortable.

The door to her storage- er, Enzo's room, opened and the young demon stepped out looking nervous. They had on a slightly oversized light blue shirt with elbow length sleeves, the concealment stone pendant was fastened securely by the raised collar of the shirt, Enzo had a bit of a preference for things that covered their neck, a pair of dark red pants were tucked into fuzzy brown boots. A yellow belt Eda recognized as one of hers was on over the shirt.

Enzo was fiddling with the red cord of the belt, a worried, nervous expression on their face. They looked up at her, ears bent down in worry.

"Are sure he won't recognize me?" Enzo asked in a hushed whisper.

"I'm positive, kiddo. It'll be just fine. I promise." Eda told them confidently.

XXX

Eda pulled Enzo back out of the way of a passing cart. They squeaked and stuck closer to her side, tightening the grip on her hand. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze as she peered around the corner, checking for any scouts.

She definitely wasn't looking for any trouble today, that would absolutely be too much or a trigger for Enzo. She didn't even know how she would handle a full blown panic attack or flash back from them. She had only seen a little of Enzo's power, since they didn't seem to like using their magic, but just going by the effortless snap of their fingers teleportation they'd done, they were definitely a powerful demon, and everyone's magic got out of control with strong emotions.

The small panic attacks they had were already worrisome with how Enzo pulled everything towards them in something of a protective ball. She didn't know how bad, or the limit of what they pulled in was.

So getting into any sort of anything with covens today was a big no no.

Eda stopped outside of her market stall, she'd be selling quick today.

"We're here, you can hang in the back or you can stay next to me and King." She told Enzo.

"Stay with you." Enzo whispered.

"Okay buddy." She gave another squeeze and got about setting up her stall for the day.

Foot traffic should be perfect for her situation, enough people to make selling today worth it, but hopefully not enough to scare Enzo. King was currently asleep in the baby bjorn she had in her basement so he shouldn't be very bothered by it, right? Babies were used to noise because of their parents heartbeat, even if King hatched from an egg maybe.

Maybe I should pick up a parenting book on the way out. That didn't sound like a half bad idea. She had enough snails with her at the moment to probably find a good basic parenting book.

"Aww! Mama! lookie! She's got a baby!" A child's voice caught her attention.

A Ocelat child with small fuzzy ears on her head, a fluffy tail and thick messy hair ran towards her stand with a matching demon following close behind.

The little girl stood on her toes and peered over the edge of her stand. She was staring with big eyes at King. The enthusiasm put Eda off a bit.

"Aww, they're so cute!" The big eyes turned to Eda, "Is this your baby?" She asked.

"Kitten, she might not want to answer that question, remember what I told you the other day?" The little girl's mother said gently. She looked vaugly familiar.

"Uh... no, sorry Mama, I forgot." Kitty smiled sheepishly.

"That's alright, we'll go over it later." The mother said before turning to Eda.

"I'm sorry about that, she's very excitable." She appologized.

Eda shrugged, it was nothing, she'd been shouted at by kids a lot. They usually weren't happy.

The Ocelat women was looking closer at her, sharp eyes narrowed. Uh oh, better bail before she calls the-

"Edalyn Clawthorne! Lord Calamity of Hexside. The youngest witch to ever get put on a Grudgby team! Bane of principle Faust's existence!" She was leaning closer, ears perked with interest.

"uh, yeah, did you go to Hexside?" Eda didn't quite recognize her yet, some bell was trying to ring as she tried to remember her.

"Yeah, I was in the oracle track and plant track.".

That wrung the bell.

In the history of Isles since Belos's rule, multi track students were a rarity, only being allowed with very special cases, like an oracle student who could only do that oracle shit through plants for example. Such exceptions were very rare, and extremely hard to get approved. An interest in all magic hadn't cut it when Eda was a student.

Oh Titan, had she resented the few allowed to do mixed track studies. But, those students had been branded with special sigils the moment they graduated and intensely monitored. So a bullet was dodged there.

And Clover had always been nice and didn't brag about their privilege like others did.

"Clover Margay. Who woulda known I'd run into Hexside's little Blooming Oracle all these years later in the market." Eda whistled.

Clover blushed a bit and looked sheepish.

"The Flower Future seer getting flustered?" Eda pressed.

"Eda stop!" Clover said in her signature adorable whiny embarrassed voice.

"Alright, I'll stop." Eda chuckled.

"What are you doing nowadays?" She asked.

"I'm a therapist."

"Really? What do you, uh, therapy I guess?"

"I help people with trauma, and I use aroma therapy to create a calm and safe environment." Clover sounded proud.

"That really is quite impressive, Clover." Eda told her somewhat awkwardly.

She glanced over at the little demon girl currently looking through a basket of human toys. Oh, her right arm had a prosthetic attachment, and hardened abomination goo was acting as her arm.

"Phocomelia, runs in the family, usually only the tail." Clover said like she was reading her mind.

"Ah. I didn't know you had a kid, how old is she?" Eda asked, shifting the focus of the conversation.

Clover smirked and glanced down, right at Enzo. They tightened their grip on her dress in response.

"I could say the same about you, miss Clawthorne." She leaned closer.

Eda frowned at the demon, unsure of how to respond with a reasonable answer. Saying she picked two kids up from a remote island no one knew about and unlike anything else on the Boiling Isles, oh and one was extremely powerful and definitely not a witch, wouldn't be the best.

She noticed Clover was looking at Enzo strangely, there was a little too much focus in her eyes. Clover frowned then looked back at her with a quizzical gaze.

"Everyone's going to think you and Raine banged." She stated bluntly.

The Boiling Isles suddenly got a lot more boiling as heat rised into Eda's cheeks. She'd noticed how the concealment stone had made Enzo look, well, something like her obviously but also something like Raine. Apparently it was obvious.

"Anyway, Gailine is six, she really likes animals and she wants to be a beast keeper when she's older. How old is your kid?" Clover breezed past that blunder.

"Oh, uh..." Eda glanced at Enzo.

I don't actually know how old Enzo is, I'm not sure if I actually want to know. How old do they look?

"They're eight." She said.

"And how old's that little one?" Clover's tail flicked towards King.

"Oh, he's less than a year." Eda looked to Enzo for confirmation, she got a very small nod.

"Aw, he's a cute little guy." Clover said.

"Yes, very active too." Eda nodded.

"I know a great slayground not too far from the edge of the forest around Bonesborough, it's got lots of climbing opportunities and it's a very quiet one. I think you and your kids will like it." Clover told her.

"That sounds nice?" Eda guessed.

She didn't do very much talking to people, hustling them blind was the extent of her interacting with others. And she may have been just a little caught off guard by Clover referring to Enzo and King as her kids. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, or if the kids would accept that.

"Maybe we'll see you there sometime? We have to get going, I've gotta get to the office." Clover collected her daughter and left with a cheery wave.

"Eda, who was that?" Enzo asked.

"Clover. She went to the same school as me. She's nice." She told them.

Enzo pressed further into her side, staring in the direction that Clover Margay had gone.

"She's got mind magic." They said.

"Uh, sure?" That was one way to name oracle magic, Eda shrugged the comment off as a customer came up.

________________________________________________________________________________

Short and kinda sweet chapter with less trauma.

Gailine and Clover Margay are new OCs for this AU. Clover is allowed to practice two types of magic because of an exception, she's a therapist. Gailine is Clover's daughter and she's going to be Enzo's friend, their only friend outside of the owl house.

You can find out more about Clover here, and more about Gailine here, I drew them.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I enjoyed writing it!

If you have any questions about this au or comments on the chapter I'd love to hear them!

And I have an ao3 account now, I'll be posting the chapters to there sometime soon, I'll put a link on all the previous posts and make a new post about it ao look out for thay if you're interested.

I wish you all a good day, whatever that is for you.

VJS out!

19 notes · View notes

bumbleclan · 10 months

Text

BumbleClan: Moons 31-33

One very long wait later, we got another quarter of a year in! Sorry it took so long, you know how it is- onto the update!

Thoughts before the New Moon:

Rainkit has tiny little paws....damn he sure does

Mudfur tries to enjoy some time under the sun, but Claykit and Poppykit are working together to pester her to play with them. Flowerpaw attempts to ask her what it's like being an elder. "Just great." she replies, voice dripping in sarcasm.

Stoatskips eavesdrops on Quartermoon. The older she-cat is feeling underappreciated if u mfs do NOT start appreciating my girl-

Hazelbloom and Buzzardpoppy make plans to visit the medicine cats. Hopefully it's not something serious.

Yewpaw daydreams about the day he becomes a warrior....one day buddy i believe in u

Howlfoot wonders how Mistykit is doing, the small kit is still cooped up in the medicine den :(

From StarClan, Moonthistle is looking to visit Kokichi in a dream... ruh roh?

Outside Clan territories, Whisker thinks they saw Razzle earlier today, but the kittypet recently coward back into his Twoleg den to hide from a strange noise he heard, so it's unlikely.

CW: Cat Injury | we make it another quarter with no deaths, but some folks get kinda beat up

Moon 31

Mistykit has recovered from kittencough! Just in time for the ceremony!

While he was excited for it, it takes a bit of coaxing from his mother for Mistykit to exit the nursery to come with his siblings to the tree trunk. Shenzibat watches with pride as Sunstar names them apprentices. Poppypaw looks bored, but as she touches noses with Brokenspots, on the inside she's bouncing for joy as if she's still a small kit! Rainpaw touches noses with Stoatstalk, tail lifted high. Mistypaw watches his siblings and their new mentors leave for the clearing, and nervously touches noses with his own mentor, Buzzardpoppy, before joining them.

Stoatskip feels like a small litter is on the way, and promptly moves to the nursery in preparation.

Featherfoot, Flowerpaw, and Haventail have recovered from their sores. As the three join the other medicine cats in herb inspection, it's noted that they'll also have to keep an eye out for mullein this moon, as some of the stock went bad.

Mudfur gots a running nose :(( world cruel to little old ladies

After the ceremony, Sunstar picks up some fresh-kill for her and Gracklegorse to share, the leader and deputy spend the afternoon chatting, Sunstar letting out a long purr at one of her mate's lame jokes.

What she doesn't notice in this time, however, is Claykit sneaking out of camp. Hazelbloom's not gonna forgive this one i think

Golddawn is spreading rumors about Shenzibat???? what'd she do to you wtf she had a fight with Mistypaw before the ceremony but she's literally helping Mudfur get burrs out of her fur right now.

Kokichi also heard a rumor about Yewpaw... was that you too Golddawn what da hell girl

Pong got into a fight with Sunstar??? hellaur...... just after I read that Brokenspots feels safe around you....smh

Howlfoot also took the last of Valentino's favorite nesting material. rip

Thoughts and In-Camp Actions:

Golddawn plays with some wind-swept catmint... again. Featherfoot and Squirrelface successfully bring back mallow and tansy to the herb stores, and the latter leaves the medicine den to check up on the warriors, while Featherfoot tries to talk to Golddawn about how he would be involved more in combat, the older she-cat does not hear him.

Plumshine tries to set a good example to the newly appointed apprentices. They pay the cat no mind. Mistypaw feeling rather lazy on his first day, and Poppypaw seeking out Flowerpaw for some older apprentice advice. Rainpaw is thinking about a time he caught a huge rabbit... That was a dream, of course, and the young cat hasn't gone out hunting yet.

Stoatstalk, in his usual bachelor fashion, has received multiple invitations to share tongues, and is trying to decide which one to take.

Brokenspots stands tall, hoping Sunstar has finally noticed her improvement with her newly found status as mentor.

Outside the Clan, Whisker is glad he chose a life of freedom, noooo but ur retirement plan bestieeee come onnnnn

From StarClan, Fawnroot saw Pong's fight with Sunstar, and is highly disappointed in the warrior. Runnelkit meanwhile has been walking in the dreams of Quartermoon for a few nights now

Patrols:

Gracklegorse has Stoatstalk lead a patrol consisting of the newly appointed mentors and apprentices to check on the borders. While passing under the canopy, Brokenspots alerts her fellow warriors of some suspecious pawprints in the mud. Stoatstalk boldly follows the trail to a tresspassing rogue, Buzzardpoppy commands the apprentices to stick back, and the three warriors fight off the intruder until they flee out of BumbleClan territory.

Howlfoot and Kokichi decide to take Yewpaw out for some training, Squirrelface requests for them to gather some herbs while they're out as well if they could find any. While on the hunt for said herbs, Yewpaw stumbles across a bush or bright red berries. He recognizes them as raspberries and gathers a pawful to bring back to camp, receiving praise from the medicine cats for properly identifying the berries.

Golddawn notices Pong glaring at Sunstar with an odd look in her eye, and offers for the young warrior to join her in gathering some herbs as a distraction. Pong agrees, and the two set out to gather moss. Golddawn leads the way to the best moss patch she knows of, and the two make quick work cutting off bits and pieces to put into their respective piles - once the piles become mouthfuls, they pick up the bundles and start back towards camp.

Golddawn informs Quartermoon of the fight between Pong and Sunstar earlier this moon, and while the warrior isn't ready to face the leader quite yet, she's willing to sit down with the older medicine cat and talk through things.

Plumshine and Valentino set out to go hunting, as they treck through the territory, Valentino comes across a rabbit burrow. He tells Plumshine to go on ahead, and waits next to it, still as stone, until... bam! They pounce the unsuspecting rabbit before it has time to flee.

Featherfoot and Squirrelface stroll through the forest, chatting while they embark for an herb patch the medicine cats haven't visited in a while. Squirrelface lets out a humming noise, "Say... Have you ever thought much about death? Your own, that is." the tomcat swishes his tai "... No, I can't say I have." he mews back "Not past knowing I'll go to StarClan in the end.". It certainly makes for an interesting conversation, and it's all too soon that they have their mouths too full of betony and moss to continue.

Hazelbloom and Shenzibat invite Haventail and her apprentice, Flowerpaw, to join them on a hunting trip. Flowerpaw agrees before Haventail, excited to do something outside of helping the medicine cats. Once they exit camp, Hazelbloom brings up a rumor she's been hearing about a badger denning somewhere in BumbleClan territory. Carefully considering their options, Shenzibat proposes they set up a stakeout outside the supposed den. Once dusk arrives, and the badger pokes it's head above the ground, the patrol is prepared, and everyone turns for home in unison. The cats fade into the underbrush before the predator even has the chance to blink the sleep out of its eyes.

Sunstar has a crazed look in her eyes. Gracklegorse offers for her to join him on one last round around the territory before the sun sets. She agrees, and the two set out. While walking along the border, they catch sight of an OatClan patrol renewing their scent marks up ahead. When they get close enough to cross paths, the patrol leader gives Sustar a respectful nod, which she returns. The two patrols refocus on their tasks without stopping for conversation, but there is a feeling of mutual respect in the air.

Thoughts before the New Moon:

Mudfur tells the story of how she lost her tail to a very interested Claykit. the young kit has tears in her eyes

While the apprentices take a break from their training, Howlfoot has a few of them engaged in a very, very tall tale. Mistypaw listens intently as he sunbaths, and Rainpaw is taking mental notes as he picks burrs from his pelt. Stoatstalk watches form afar, wanting to get to know his adopted sister a little better.

Plumshine has been caught faking a bellyache, and is getting a stern lecture from the medicine cats.

Kokichi wonders how Featherfoot is doing. well he's currently thinking abt taking on a new apprentice and I mean there's Claykit still and she has some little siblings on da way- i believe in u featherfoot...

Outside camp, Whisker feels as if they saw Buzzardpoppy recently... pspspspspsps come hoooome cmooon

From the comfort of his Twoleg home... Razzle has gotten stuck under the couch. this is so sad

From StarClan, Fawnroot watches over the Clan, and Moonthistle looks to send a message to Stoatskip...? inch resting

(Bonus) CLAYKIT IS SCARED OF SUNSTAR??? why :((( she is so silly and nice

Moon 32:

Sunstar gazes proudly at her son, Yewpaw. He had spent this entire apprenticeship helping the Clan, and handled his sister graduating before him well, and so, with a nose touched to his forehead, she names him Yewsong for his altruism.

Squirrelface, who recently always seems to have herbs stuck to her, was bitten by a snake, but has miraculously survived!

In the quiet of the nursery, in a nest they've spent so long preparing, Stoatskip and Hazelbloom welcome a litter of two kits, Goldkit and Burrkit. While gathering horsetail to help with the birth, the medicine cats notice the lungwort has gone back, they will need to restock soon. Once the stress of the birth is over, Hazelbloom pulls Claykit close to help pick burrs out of her fur, it may or may not have been the inspiration for her younger sibling's name.

Haventail heads out for a walk, keeping and eye out for lungwort after asking Featherfoot what herbs she should keep and eye out for, and gets her paw stuck in a twoleg trap. She manages to get out and returns to camp gravly injured. Yewsong finds Hazelblooms choice of name for his kit annoying. well good thing its not YOUR kit huh

Featherfoot jokes about OatClan's scent with Pong, and also shares a complaint of his regarding Quartermoon, which the mediator overhears. In her mix of emotions, they end up getting in a spat with Buzzardpoppy over a pice of fresh-kill. Buzzardpoppy then gets into a fight with Rainpaw. horrible chain-reaction there.

Stoatskip talks to Golddawn, confessing that their second kit is in fact named after the elder, and goes to spar with Shenzibat after the conversation. Estatic at the news, Golddawn misses Gracklegorse when going to pick up the last of his favorite nesting material, drawing the ire of the deputy. He decides not to confront her, however.

Mudfur thinks Shenzibat hasn't been entirely honest with the Clan about her recent whereabouts lately. Poppypaw doesn't seem to care too much, thinking the warrior was nice today :)

Kokichi and Brokenspots share the latest gossip the older cat overheard over the border, before he goes to check on Squirrelface, and the two talk about recent Clan happenings.

Thoughts and In-Camp actions:

returning to camp with a bundle of dandelion and betony, Featherfoot looks to apologize to Quartermoon. Golddawn successfully gathers mullein, despite hearing the voice of Bushrush in her head.

Gracklegorse is also looking to talk to Quartermoon, but the older cat is currently working out Pong and Sunstar's differences, While Pong is stubborn in her dislike for the leader, she's able to trust her a little more.

Valentino eavesdrops on Stoatstalk while the younger warrior spars with Yewsong and Kokichi, what they're eavesdropping for is anyones guess.

After Squirrelface and Haventail's accidents, Buzzardpoppy offers to gather herbs for the medicine den in his sisters stead.

Howlfoot has been caught imitating her mother's behavior a couple times. cuuuuuuuuuuuute

In the apprentice's den, Flowerpaw gossips with Mistypaw as they sharpen their claws. Poppypaw talks about a large rabbit she caught a while back, which makes Rainpaw hungry.

From StarClan, Fawnroon looks to send a message to Stoatskip....about what he just got done giving birth

Gracklegorse confides in Sunstar, doubting his abilities as deputy. To help lift her mate's spirits, she takes them out of camp to train, the older she-cats insecurities don't fully deminish, but it did cheer him up a little. The two walk back to camp in a slightly better mood.

Howlfoot feels a sense of dread as Pong heads out to hunt alone, the warrior previously contemplating to her if she could kill a fox all by herself, Howlfoot decides to follow somewhat behind to keep an eye on her. Thankfully, no foxes show up, and Pong returns to camp none the wiser of her secret patrol companion with a large rabbit in her mouth.

Kokichi takes up mentoring Flowerpaw while his mentor is in the medicine den, and, much to the apprentice's dismay, takes him to accompany Featherfoot in some herb gathering. He tasks the two cats to assist him in gathering plaintain. Flowerpaw feels it more as their clearing a path than gathering herbs, but grows less irritated the more they gather, and the three return to camp with a decent stock of it.

Stoatstalk and the felow mentors take their apprentices out on a hunting patrol. As they walk along the border lines, the patrol hears a strange noise coming form the bush. Mistypaw takes the lead and checks it out, only to come face to face with an angry fox! While he backpedaled before it could bite his face off, it still manages to take a good bite at his leg before the rest of the patrol can back him up.

Golddawn goes out to attend one of the grimmer jobs of a medicine cat- tending to the grounds where BumbleClan mourns their dead. Hazelbloom offers to accompany her on this, which the older she-cat agrees. While there's nothing different about the place, Golddawn always feels that the greif and love their Clanmates express here has seeped into every corner. The two cats tidy the grounds, gathering rosemary as they work. Golddawn thinks it feels appropriate for the plant to grow here, when it's herbs are used to cover the scent of death.

Thoughts Before the New Moon:

Gracklegorse organizes some final patrols, checking in with Sunstar to see if they seem right to her. She isn't really hearing that much of it, has she's kind of been zoned out most of the day. Rainpaw approaches the deputy to see if he needs any help, which they happily accept and use it as a good teaching moment for the young apprentice about patrols.

Stoatskip silently contemplates the Clan's ancestroy while Golddawn enters the nursery to check on him and the kits, she gives a warm smile to Goldkit as he mewls for what the two older cats assume is milk. What their unaware of is that the late Runnelkit stumbled into the kits dreams on accident the previous night.

Squirrelface interprets an omen from her spot in the medicine den while Featherfoot walks around camp to check on the warriors. Yewsong enters afterwards to help organize the herb storage.

Pong mentions to Featherfoot that she's felt the need to wash her paws a lot lately, and that she saw Shenzibat leave camp without talking to anyone but where she could be going. The medicine cat thanks her and tells her to update him on if her paws get further irritated.

Plumshine and Valentino are feeling sassy today. oooooooo

In the apprentice's den, Poppypaw is basking in the sun while Flowerpaw frets over an assessment the warriors gave to him. Outside the Clan. Razzle is missing Whisker, who just got invited to spend the night with a group of loners! good for him now pspspps come join the clan thanks

I totally didn't restart the game to save rainpaw from certain doom at the cost of mistypaw's leg. anyway onto the next moon-

Moon 33: Leaf-Bare

Mudfur's nose has cleared up, and watches Claykit from a distance as she is named apprentice. Claypaw bounds over to Shenzibat to touch noses with her new mentor. Mudfur doesn't entirely understand the choice, but notices that Stoatskip might be even more against the idea, seeing the tom glare Shenzibat's way, keeping his kits close by him.

Kokichi overhears Buzzardpoppy complain that Flowerpaw isn't very helpful around camp, and assigns the older apprentice to help fix up Mudfur's nest, much to Flowerpaw's dismay. Claypaw disagrees with Buzzardpoppy, however, and offers to help Flowerpaw out!

Chain reaction of some kind: Kokichi tells off Featherfoot for checking on him too much, and he wants to spend more time with Pong, who just got into a fight with Quartermoon. whats going on here.

Hazelbloom got into a fight with Mistypaw over a feather...Gracklegorse somehow finds Mistypaw to be the annoying one despite Hazelbloom being the older cat in this situation??? hellaur.

Thoughts and In-Camp actions:

Squirrelface, Haventail, and Mistypaw are all treated with wild garlic for their wounds, unfortunately, there's only one left in stores, and Golddawn and Featherfoot failed to find anything in their start of the moon patrol. Golddawn hopes that StarClan gives them a good sign soon.

Shenzibat hopes to set a better example to the younger cats, now that she has a apprentice of her own. Perhaps Sunstar knew that giving her more responsibility would help keep her out of trouble?

Yewsong, Stoatstalk, and Hazelbloom spar in camp while the apprentices watch. Flowerpaw is nervous about upcoming patrols, but Buzzardpoppy assures him that today will be a good one. Brokenspots watches the sparring warriors a little further back, pondering what Hazelbloom might be thinking about.

Claypaw isn't paying attention to the sparring though, instead is eating her fresh-kill near the medicine den while Haventail tells her a tall-tale. Rainkit is with them, but is also keeping a close eye on the spar, and a closer eye on Brokenspots, wanting to get to know his brother's mentor a bit more!

Outside of Clan borders, Razzle feels he saw Whiskers again, but isn't entirely sure. Whisker herself is hiding under an old barn, wishing newleaf to come around already.

Things are rather down in StarClan, Fawnroot is missing Sunstar, Moonthistle is sad to see how much the Clan has changed without him. And poor Runnelkit is wishing she got to be a medicine cat. i WILL reincarnate you i promise just let me find the right cat--

Shenzibat takes Claypaw out for her first hunt, and the two find a pair of squirrels chasing one another across the forest floor. Taking the oppertunity, Shenzibat teaches Claypaw how to properly remain undetected, and, with the squirrels distracted, they both successfully catch one. Hazelbloom gives Claypaw praise for the catch.

Sunstar and Gracklegorse lead a patrol, taking Stoatstalk and Buzzardpoppy with them, along with the two toms' apprentices. The patrol discuss the badger that has been found denning in the territory a few moons ago, and decide to go and check and see if it's still there. They locate the den and begin sniffing along the outside, when a rustle is heard-- the badger emerges, more confused than the cats are surprised. A rush of confused claws and flying fur fills the area as the patrol scatters and the beast charges for them. Poppypaw's leg is injured in the process, but everyone makes it home safe... Including the badger.

Brokenspots notices Burrkit attempting to sneak out of camp, but quickly stops the kit alongside Rainpaw. It's far too cold for her to leave the safety of the nursery, and the two escort her back to Stoatskip, who gives his daughter a proper scolding. Brokenspots worries for Burrkit, noticing the symptoms of her headache. Rainpaw feels a sense of dread, thankful they they spotted her before it was too late. Fawnroot watches the incident. and plans to warn Brokenspots of something.

Golddawn and Featherfoot exit camp, determined to find herbs this time around. But, while exploring, they find a nice rock to sunbathe on, and seize the chance to take a break and warm up a bit. Unfortunately, they doze off, and it's far too late to gather any herbs by the time they awake.

With her apprentice and his mentor both stuck in the medicine den, Brokenspots offers to train Flowerpaw, and the older apprentice happily agrees. Once they reach the clearing, Brokenspots declares that nows a good time to practice his climbing skills! Flowerpaw quickly picks up her tips, and backs it to the top of the bare tree and back down with ease.

Brokenspots and Haventail have a long discussion, with Quartermoon there to mediate. It goes extremely well, and both she-cats find themselves quite fond of each other.

Hazebloom and Kokichi catch scent of a fox out on their hunt, and track it down to find the stocky animal feasting on a small deer carcass. Fresh-kill like that is perfect for this early into leaf-bare. The two cats leap into battle, but with just the two of them they begin to tire quickly keeping the fox on the defensive. In a swift act of bravery, Hazelbloom ducks under it's jaws and seeks her teeth into the fox's throat. It's not that deep of a bite, but enough for the fox to give up and flee.

Valentino, Pong, and Plumshine head out to patrol the border, coming across a OrioleClan patrol renewing their own scent marks up ahead. Valentino and the patrol leader give each other a quick nod of acknowledgement as they pass by before they both refocus on their own tasks.

Howlfoot and Yewsong go out for one final hunt before dusk sets, and discover a Thunderpath running through the forest. Paying attention to the sounds of upcoming monsters and the vibrations on the ground, the two cross it and continue their hunt successfully, though they find an alternate route back to camp when it starts to get dark.

Final Thoughts:

In StarClan, Fawnroot plans out his message to Brokenspots, and Runnelkit looks to warn Poppypaw about the badger, but Moonthistle gently informs her that it's too late, but Poppypaw is okay.

Rainpaw is dreaming abt having a mate and kits someday.....awh.......

Flowerpaw attempts to eavesdrop on Buzzardpoppy, but the warrior isn't saying a lot, preferring to be left alone today.

Goldkit has tiny little paws. just so you know.

Pong looks to the medicine den, wondering if Featherfoot has gotten any prophecies, lucky for us, he has! He's interpreting one right now.

Outside the territory, Whisker chows down on some food given to him by a Twoleg. The first moon of leaf-bare is over with no casualties, but the winter cold isn't over yet...

Okay! So! 4 Injured guys! Not Great start to leaf-bare. Hopefully this does not lead to anything bad happening start of next moon. I hope you guys enjoyed, and sorry for the long wait again!

#BumbleClan Adventures #story updates #cat injury

0 notes

imdoingwhateverisnext · 11 months

Text

The Desperation

It is a scent that predators love and "normal" people avoid because it smells really bad. Notice how it feels when a person that you are not interested in is saying anything, nearly begging for a date or even a moment of your time. Yesterday I put myself in the shoes of that desperate person. Not intentionally, but I caught myself doing it.

My oldest son is married. When he calls me (rarely), he doesn't talk for long. It isn't personal, it is just the way he is. He isn't a big phone talker. When he visits me, he rarely stays longer than 30 min or an hour tops. Even on special occasions. Again, it isn't personal. Yet I heard myself on the phone after 20 minutes of conversation, trying to extend the time I could talk to him. Asking questions, being overly chatty. I invited him and my daughter-in-law over for a movie or game night. I love her like she is my own as well. I asked if I could cook for them. I listed all of the dishes I had that I could make, trying to appeal to any level of cheapness or laziness by offering him basically whatever meal he wanted with no clean up requirements. He kept putting me off and declined my offer to cook for and entertain them. I could tell he was politely trying to get off the phone, so I relented. I left the door open if he were to change his mind and want to come over later (I could always hope). When we hung up, I thought to myself, 'I wouldn't want to come hang out with a pathetic loser like myself either!" Very sad.

Even writing this, I can feel how pitiful it is. I gave birth to these people. I shared my own internal organs as living space (rent free). Oh and believe me, they would not have gotten their deposits back had I charged them. They did not leave the place looking as nice as it did before they moved in. I have never tried this hard for a friendship or a date, not ever! I wouldn't dare! I have dignity! Yeah right. I used to have dignity. Apparently those days are numbered too. I can't wait to see how it feels when I am dumped at a nursing home and never have visitors. I guess I should prepare myself for that seemingly inevitable outcome.

If I wasn't yet certain of my situation or standing, I had two more opportunities on the same day to prove just how pathetic I had become. My other son, who is 18, and my daughter, 16, would be my next two chances to redeem myself.

My daughter disappears downstairs into the 'dungeon' soon after she comes home. I try to get her to stay upstairs with me for as long as I can. It is a futile effort. I often can bribe her with chocolate, or a ride somewhere she wants to go. Again offering to cook something, go pick up take out, or watch a movie together (even one I know she will like and I won't). This was the level of desperation I had reached. I knew my odds were not good, but I was pulling out some of my best work. Ultimately my pleas ended as I sadly watched her disappear down the stairs to her room. "I love you Mom. Goodnight". She says as I hear her door close.

"I love you too baby girl".

My 18 year old will usually spend 20-30 minutes at a time with me. If I press the issue, I can force more time, but if I do, it isn't mutually fun or even pleasant. I worked so much as they grew up. I missed out on so many important things...just so I could work, earn money, and destroy my knees and psyche. Since my near death experience I can honestly say that the words, "I wish I could have worked more" didn't enter my mind. Now it is too late, and my desperation is becoming clearer.

I can't buy their affection because I had been disabled and out of work for a while. Now I want to take in every last moment of time they will allow me to spend with them, no matter how brief or fleeting. There may never be another chance.

Oh My God...What have I become?! I am a beggar. I beg for my children's affection and their time. and like the Cat's in the Cradle song, it is already too late. My heart is broken and my nest is almost empty. Every day is like a countdown toward the end of my time with the best 3 things I have ever taken part in.

I am a desperate loser. I admit it. My kids are too cool to hang out with me and I fucked up my entire life and their childhoods by working all of the time. I can never get that time back.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit upset about all of the hours of work that was required for me to live comfortably, in the same exact way I live now. The main differences are then I had a little extra money to do things and no free time to do them. Now I have free time and no free money. I try to stay positive, but sometimes these feelings grab me in the center of my chest, and it feels like my soul (or what is left of it) is being crushed.

I am not looking for pity or sympathy, I am just trying to maintain what is left of my peace of mind. There is nothing that anyone can do for me or give to me that will give me that time back. I am hoping that eventually if I write about it enough, the feelings will begin to ease, but I am not overly confident.

Today my perfume is sadness sprinkled with hints of regret, in a base scent of uncomfortable desperation. Maybe tomorrow I will wear the glow of confidence, sprinkled with hope for the future, and youthful exuberance.

It could happen.

#Desperation doesn't smell good on anyone #I still wear it though #Cry days suck

0 notes

novamirmirsblog · 2 years

Text

Underneath the Tree

Word Count: 1151

Genre: fluff

Request: no

Warnings: none

Summary: Natasha had never bought a tree, you weren't going to let her get away with skipping an important part of Christmas ever again.

A/n: I added in Yelena cause Christmas is making me emotional and if Yelena didn't have her big sister I'll cry (the crying may or may not be linked to my period but I guess we'll never know <3)

"I'm sorry. What?" You stared at Natasha in shock. "What do you mean you've never bought a Christmas tree?"

You paused the movie you and Natasha were watching, turning your full attention to the woman who's legs were tangled with your own. It was a particularly cold day and you were both snug under large blankets. You had managed to convince Natasha that one day off wouldn't hurt her and she never could say no to you.

Natasha gave you a small smile from over her candy cane hot chocolate, something she was enjoying far more than she had thought, "Well we obviously weren't allowed them when we were training to be assassins and Stark normally just has one delivered."

"Stark is a lazy ass. Come on." You moved her feet off of your lap and dragged her from the sofa. Once you were both bundled up in scarves and you with a wooly hat (Natasha refused to wear one because 'she's Russian and that's an insult'), you were off.

"Why can't we take the car?" Natasha complained, her fluffy socks getting damp from the wet slush that covered the street.

"Because that's not the point."

"Y/n, I am not carrying a tree back to the compound."

"But just imagine how gorgeous you would look. My big strong protector." You pouted at her, your voice held a slightly mocking tone and your eyes glinted.

"I knew you only kept me around for eye candy."

"Of course my love, what else are you here for?" You grinned at her and kissed her on the nose.

"Mind blowing sex?"

"Yes. That too." you sighed and linked your arm with hers, snuggling in to get all the body warmth you could.

"So not only am I eye candy, I'm your personal heater too?"

You chose not to answer, instead pointing out the pretty Christmas lights that hung from the trees dotted along the path.

After walking a little longer, you arrived at the Christmas tree shop that looked like the one you used to go to when you were younger.

"Okay, we're here!"

You dropped Natasha's arm and began to walk towards the trees when she grabbed your hand, a slightly panicked look worked her way to her face. "Wait!"

You stopped and turned to face Natasha. "What's wrong?"

"What am I supposed to be looking for?"

Your expression softened and your heart fell even more in love with Natasha than you thought was possible.

"Something big but not too big because otherwise they tend to thin out. You have to look at the tree and imagine the decorations and where they would go, what they would look like."

"I'm going to find the best Christmas tree ever." Natasha looked at you, determination written all over her face

"Not if I find it first." You both looked at each other, the competitive spirit burning as you both suddenly sprinted in opposite directions.

~~~~~

You were sure you were lost. It had been hours since you started looking for the perfect tree and you still hadn't managed to find it. It needed to be the perfect blend of bushy, tall and the right shape. At this rate, you were sure you were going to lose. Every tree you thought had potential turned out to have something wrong. The first looked okay until you pulled it out of the pile and saw that the other side was completely flattened, another seemed tall enough but turned out to be missing too many branches and the tree that seemed absolutely perfect, you had been attacked by a pair of angry pigeons who had made their nest there. You were tired, cold and scratched up. All you could hope was that Natasha had been squished by a tree and was currently a corpse. You rounded what felt like the same corner for the nth time when you bumped into your very excited girlfriend.

"Y/n! This one is perfect!" Natasha beamed at you as she stood next to the prettiest looking tree you had seen. You looked from the tree to her, watching as her eyes lit up and her mouth was spread wide in an uncontrollable grin.

"I love it!" You kissed her softly, careful to keep it pg when there were kids around.

"So where's your contender?"

"Ugh. Let's not talk about that thank you. You've won, now what do you want you prize to be?" You wiggled your eyebrows at her, making her laugh and hit you in the stomach with her free hand.

"Stop that." She smiled as the tree guy wrapped the tree up in plastic netting. I want to get the car back. Or maybe see you carry the tree home." It was Natasha's turn to wiggle her eyebrows at you and you smirked.

"There is no way I am carrying that back. I got Jarvis to send a car. Help me shove it in?"

~~~~~

You gave up after about 5 minutes of trying to shove the tree into the car, opting to sit by the side and laugh as Natasha wrestled to get the tree to fit, occasionally making an inappropriate joke. The jokes stopped when Natasha took off her jacket, revealing her toned arms. You took an intake of breath so sharply that you choked a little on your spit. Natasha smirked at you as she grabbed the tree again, readjusting her hold.

"Heyyy" You whined. "That's not fair." You pouted at her "You know I like your arms." You huffed under your breath, refusing to take your eyes off her when her muscles moved that deliciously. You remembered all the lovely things she could do with those arms, with those hands too. Your thoughts turned to what it would be like if you were the tree, having Natasha's hands sliding over you as-"

"Stop daydreaming and get in the car. The tree is in."

You snapped out of your thoughts before they could get any further, heat rising on your face as you got in the passenger side of the car.

"What had you so distracted moya lyubov?"

"arms."

"Sorry what was that?"

"Huh? What?"

"Detka."

"I may or may not have been focusing on your arms."

Natasha laughed. "Well they're going to be skinny if you keep convincing me to skip training."

"Aww Natty, didn't you have fun picking the tree and drinking Christmas hot chocolate with me?" You leaned over the top of where the Christmas tree was blocking you from Natasha and fluttered your eyelashes.

"Of course I did." Natasha gave you a quick peck on the lips before stopping at a red light. "Seriously thought Y/n, thank you. I never really saw a point of celebrating the holidays but picking out the tree was fun."

"Just wait till we get home, Yelena and the others are going to go ape-shit when we get to decorate it!"

#natasha x you #natasha romanov x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha x y/n #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow #black widow x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanov #black widow x female reader #black widow imagine #black widow x you #marvel #mcu #natasha mcu #mcu imagine

176 notes · View notes

sukirichi · 3 years

Text

dutifully yours. [01]

Attached to the could’ve been’s of a promised happily ever after with the Crown Prince disguised under a scheme for power and greed, you are torn between choosing your happiness — or abandoning it to fulfill your duty as the future Queen.

→ unedited bcos i’m brave lazy. implied patriarchy. angst in future chapters. pure romance and fluff for now. royalty au. eventual smut. prince naoya !! i love him sm i could cry. this fic will break me, okay. naoya is close to canon but with my twist if that makes sense. drama in future chapters. oh and listen to this while reading <3

→ massive shoutout to my besties for always hyping me and helping me uwu, i present this token of prince naoya being an ideal husband okay cry cry i love him sm im crying. anyways pls enjoy bcos i poured my heart out to this and bcos i want more people in the naoya fucker club :>

one | next (to be posted)

Ever since the day your mother taught you how to read, you’ve had your nose buried in a book. Losing yourself in different worlds, swooning over fictional princes, and fantasizing for a love story ripped out of fairytale itself with such burning, passionate romance – you’d been through it all, dreamt of it all. And yet, you struggled to stop yourself from tugging at your dress.

The tight corset hadn’t even been the main focus of your worries, and neither was the heavy rivière resting on your collarbones.

“Would you stop fidgeting?” Beside you, your mother pursed her lips, fingers decorated with jewels stopping in their movements of fanning herself. The temperature hadn’t been particularly high inside the limousine that evening. You supposed it was the mere sight of you tugging and gulping audibly every now and then, gloved hands running over the hems of your collar.

You ducked your head down. “Sorry, Mother. I can’t help it.”

“Dear, your anxiety is written all over your face,” she sighed, turning your face to her as she cupped your cheeks. Smiling tenderly like a mother always did, your heart felt soothed even by the slightest bit. You wished she could keep holding you like this – like you were a fragile flower she was afraid of breaking; a fragile flower that needed more care handled than most. Tonight, however, you felt a hundred years older. Like you’d accidentally clicked on fast forward and got launched to the future. A future that seemed so unclear yet so...perfect. So right.

“How would the Prince fancy you if you’re sweating bullets like that? It’s not a good look for a marquess’ daughter.”

At the mention of the Crown Prince, your heart sank again. “My apologies, Mother. I’m just rather nervous. It’s the Crown Prince we’re talking about here.”

“He is quite the looker, isn’t he?” she giggled behind her fan, “Strong and handsome, as well.”

“My ladies. You are not fantasizing over the Crown Prince in my presence, are you?”

Crossing her leg over the other, your mother leaned forwards, elbows on her knees as she winked at your father. The marquess had his torso half twisted from the passenger seat, glaring playfully at your mother’s unabashed features. “It is of no seriousness, My Lord. I’m simply easing your daughter’s nerves.”

Your father sighed in worry. “What’s got you so worked up, child? You are beautiful. The Prince would be blind to not notice you.”

Each fibre in your body screamed in desperation for your father to be right. Tonight was not just any other night – the entire Kingdom, including noblewomen, foreign royals, and unwed daughters from honourable families had been invited to the Zen’in Castle for one purpose only: to find his Crown Prince a suitable wife, one that would be fit to be the next Queen as well. As the daughter of the marquess, you’d naturally received the invitation. It felt just like yesterday when the mail arrived and you’d cheered so much in joy the chickens went flying out of their coops, your horses galloping and whinnying at surprise, and now you here – minutes away from the palace where you were soon to be deemed worthy or unworthy to be beside His Highness.

With a shaky smile, you dug your nails into your thighs. “Well, we’ve only met once, Father. I doubt the Prince would remember me.”

“Just smile, darling. You will do great.”

To no one’s surprise, the Zen’in Castle brimmed with people and esteemed guests. Men and women danced with one another as muted chatters and chuckles blended in with the grand royal orchestra, everyone dressed to the nines and making you feel completely out of place.

The moment you’d been welcomed by the knights and led to the palace doors, your dress began to feel tighter than usual, your ribs clenching uncomfortably from the pressure. Your hands had not stopped trembling either, not even when you hid it behind your back and nodded at the people passing by. There were governor-generals, dukes, earls, professors and royal advisors and even families of the royal family’s inner circle of knights. Everyone looked like they belonged here. Chatting amongst one another over the finest of wines or discussing conspiracies on where the Kingdom of Zen’in would be in the next sixty years of the future King’s reign, no one here seemed to be out of place.

Everyone except you.

A warm hand was suddenly placed on the small of your back, making you gasp. Your mother’s smile was nothing short of warm as she held you close to her one last time, leaving a kiss on your forehead. You didn’t even realize how much you shook until she clasped her hands with yours. “Calm down, dear,” she reminded, “You’ll be on your own now. This is where we leave you since we’re not supposed to mingle with potential princesses.”

“Mother!” Your eyes widened in embarrassment. Looking around frantically, you bit your lip in fear someone must’ve heard.

Of course, while it would be no surprise most guests – if not all – hoped that their daughter would be the Crown Prince’s chosen fiancée, it still felt wrong to boldly assume such when you could barely keep up with the events of tonight.

However, your mother merely laughed. “I am proud of you, dear. Never forget that. It doesn’t matter whether you are chosen or not. We’re only here for formality and respect to the King and Queen’s demands.”

“You say that as if the Crown Prince really would not bother with me.”

“We didn’t mean that,” your father cut in, a flute of champagne already nested between his calloused fingers. Ever since you arrived, he’d been snatched away by fellow earls and barons, disappearing into the crowd for a ‘hearty conversation over one’s lands.’ You knew better than that, though. That statement always translated to which leader got to have more chances to wine and dine with the King, to which your family was ridiculously reminded of that you’d been stationed to the most faraway land where even hearing news from the royal papers was but a privilege.

“Just be yourself, alright? And enjoy the party. It’s about time you met with girls your own age and made some friends.”

“I – Father, wait!”

A slender young woman slithered to your side out of nowhere, her golden brown eyes following the silhouettes of your parents. It wasn’t long before they completely disappeared. Left alone with the stunning woman that was – for some reason – dressed in a plain black curve hugging dress too modest for tonight’s appropriateness, you took three steps away in caution. “You must be from way up North,” she noted, her head to the tipped to the side. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

God, was she beautiful. Long, thick eyelashes and short hair chopped in messy yet elegant curves, you struggled to hold her gaze. “Oh, yes, I come from the Terratian Borders. My family is stationed there under His Majesty’s orders.”

She hummed to herself. “The Terratian Borders are mostly forests and fields, no? The last time my family and I visited there, I came across the loveliest dandelions I’ve ever laid eyes on. Shame they died on the way back,” offering her hand – again, bare and empty with decorations yet still littered with faint scars and cuts – she beamed at you. “I’m Mai, by the way. Mai Zen’in.”

Zen’in?

Hands cupping your mouth, you bowed deep until your back ached. “Lady Mai!” you shut your eyes closed, unable to live with the shame. Mai Zen’in; one of the iconic twin pair from the extended Zen’in royal family, both a fashion icon and a legend for being a rumoured female knight. To have her in your presence was an honour. “My apologies for not recognizing you any sooner, Lady Mai!”

“Stand up, I’m not a royal,” she sniggered, “We’re just relatives of the actual monarch, but don’t let the family name fool you. The Crown Prince barely even acknowledges us being of the same blood.”

Albeit hesitant, you followed her gestures of making you stand up. You straightened your back and cleared your throat, fighting the urge to go haywire the moment his name was brought into the conversation. Not only would you be seeing Prince Naoya again in real life for the first time in years, but you’d also made acquaintances with his distant niece. However, his name was spoken with malice.

Frowning, you faced Lady Mai in all seriousness. “Prince Naoya? Why so?” Lady Mai looked at you like you’d grown two heads.

“He’s an ass, that’s why.”

“I-I don’t think he is,” you defended, “The Prince has been nothing but kind to me.”

“I didn’t know he was capable of kindness,” she muttered more so under her breath, low enough you were unsure whether you were supposed to hear it in the first place. Lady Mai then shook her head to herself before stealing a flute from a waiter passing by. Chucking it your way, her face turned dark and grim. “Take it as free advice: stay as far away from his as possible. The Crown Prince is nothing but good news.”

“Is it because he has lots of lovers?” you inquired with a small voice, “Uhm – well – It was an assumption. With a title and handsomeness like that, it would make sense everyone would want to be the Crown Prince’s lover.”

Lady Mai’s lip curled upwards. “Prince Naoya won’t bother with lovers. He is too occupied for that.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Heard from whom?”

“The Royal Declaration from His Majesty himself,” you said, “Was it not the purpose of this ball? To find worthy candidates to be the Crown Prince’s betrothed? His coronation is coming soon.”

“Right. I forgot today was technically a bridal market,” she scratched the edge of her brow, falling silent for a moment. Her eyes scanned the lively crowd for a brief moment – watching with you as everyone laughed and danced to their heart’s content – the grand final event of the routine personal dance with the Crown Prince himself slowly approaching to reality. “You are joining in the festivities, are you not? Later, when he arrives, he shall meet you.”

“I am obligated to as a noble bachelorette, though I doubt His Highness would even look my way. There are far richer noblewomen here and even daughters of duke that would be perfect as his wife. ”

“You may have a point for that,” she hummed to herself, unaware that her agreement to the Crown Prince not paying attention to you left a sting both in your ego and heart. Not that it lasted long, for Lady Mai was already tugged on the arm by another equally fiercely beautiful woman – her older twin, Maki Zen’in. Soon to be governon-general of the Kingdom.

Lady Mai smiled in apology. “I need to go now since I’m not a part of this event. But hey, if ever I come around to visit the Borders again, perhaps you could entertain me?”

“I would be honoured to, Lady Mai.”

“You are sweet and innocent,” it was her sister who spoke this time, glasses perched high on her nose that concealed the wariness of her gaze. “I hope the Crown Prince never gets to your routine.”

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s nothing; she was talking to herself. Maki does that a lot,” Lady Mai’s forced chuckles were barely heard from the music. “You enjoy the party now. Don’t drink too much lest you want to embarrass yourself in everyone’s eyes and be talk of the Kingdom. Prince Naoya would hate it if you took the attention away from him.”

“Oh, uhm...”

“It’s a joke, Lady Y/N. Relax.”

You bowed once more. “My apologies.”

“The dance is about to begin,” Maki tapped on your shoulder, making you look up right where her eyes zeroed in. And exactly in the middle of the grandiose hall, under the sparkling golden chandeliers where he made all the gold in the world look incomparable next to him, the Crown Prince stood in his fully glory. Blond hair with the ends stained of midnight gelled back to reveal his forehead, the Crown Prince’s beauty never failed to shine. Whether it be in the papers, in the tabloids, in the billboards that you passed on the way to the city, or from way back when you met him for the first time as a naive, innocent teen – Crown Prince Naoya came straight out of a magazine cover.

In the back of your head, you could hear either of the twins murmuring good luck. Maybe both of them had said it – you had no idea. All of your attention, all the sensibility and coherence of your state had been switched the next instant, as if your heart and soul was born for the sole purpose of being bewitched by your Crown Prince.

And as if feeling someone’s gaze on him, the Crown Prince’s eyes trailed over the crowd. Almost boredly, his sharp eyes bounced from one giggling woman to another, the ends of his lips smirking upwards for just the tiniest bit. It must’ve stroked his ego. Until his eyes connected with yours. The Crown Prince’s eyebrows knitted together. You had no idea how you looked in that moment, and quite frankly, you didn’t care. Because the Crown Prince was looking at you, and you were looking at him with hearts in your eyes along with your heart pulsing at the tip of your tongue.

“Let us begin,” his lips moved from the distance, “Play the music. I shall dance with my bride.”

The air shifted in a split second. Murmurs were thrown over the room, women and men alike turning pale. Even the orchestra was stunned from the Crown Prince’s entrance – and it hadn’t even been dramatic to his standards – yet the whole castle fell mum from just a few of his words. A few seconds later, the crowd recomposed itself, and the strings began to dance along with its bows.

You are pushed into the crowd. Nearly colliding into the arms of another, you quietly thank the masked man who was to be your first partner of the night.

All the men joining the dance floor dressed with the intention of making the Crown Prince shine. Prince Naoya stood out from the throng of white as per the colour code, his blood red uniform as both Prince with the golden crest of the military leader pinned to his right breast. The other men meant to be filler partners until all the potential brides got to their designated three minutes with the Prince were all dressed in black, faces covered behind a plain black mask. None were allowed to talk. None were allowed to utter even a word, and so your partner pursed his lips in displeasure at your apology.

Whatever. You just had to wait a few more rounds before the song finished and transitioned into a new one; the song where you’d been informed would be your time alone with the Prince.

You’d been so lost in your head you barely breathed the entire dance. From partner to partner, you blanked. Your heart drummed so wildly in its cage it begged to come out, and strings of apologies were let out each time your masked partners grimaced for a brief second when their hands came in contact with your sweaty ones. Around you, all the lovely women smiled and danced graciously, mouths moving in unreadable conversations shared with the Crown Prince. Not once did you look at the six partners you’ve danced with. Not once did you worry about tripping on your own feet. Not once did you care that some of the masked men held you a little too roughly for your comfort. Your entire reason for existing in that moment was to witness the Crown Prince himself, mirroring his frown that got deeper and deeper with each woman retreating to the sea of people he’d rejected.

Not once did you even think about being one of them – the girls who’ve ducked their heads down as their parents comforted them over not being the chosen one, of bringing ‘dishonour’ to their families that the mighty Crown Prince had deemed them unworthy. Tears streamed down their faces until black ink followed afterwards, lips trembling from silent sobs.

Despite their broken prides – although there was that minority who simply sighed in relief after returning to their own families – no one would dare interrupt the Crown Prince’s dances.

All of these thoughts crossed your mind too late and at the exact time your masked partner pulled away from you, body half bent in a bow with his arm outstretched to the side. Following where he was gesturing at, your eyes met the Crown Prince’s tall and lean stature, a few blond fringes now fallen from his movements.

Even though a thin layer of sweat shone from his face, Prince Naoya remained ethereal.

And like a snake charmed by the musician’s seductive tone, your feet moved on its own. Fingers stretching until it met with the Crown Prince’s large and warm ones, you were now in front of him. With him. Holding him, touching him, meeting him eye for eye and realizing – gold. His eyes burned a deep shade of gold, elegantly rich and heartbreakingly stunning your heart ached.

Before you knew it, your hands began to tremble, feeling as if your body had been corded into a corset three sizes smaller. You could not breathe, and the Crown Prince took notice.

“You are stiff. Do I make you uncomfortable?” Good Saint. If only possible, you would’ve closed your eyes and basked in the deep warmth of his voice. It reverberated from deep within, breathed out with an air of natural authority and profound confidence it made your knees weak. As if sensing his effect on you (though for the wrong reasons, it seemed), Prince Naoya hummed to himself. “This routine shall last for a few minutes before I can let you go, I’m afraid.”

You instantly realized the implications of your silence. “N-not at all, Your Highness! I am honoured to be dancing with you.”

“There is no honour in a choreographed dance. Everyone will dance with me. It’s nothing special.”

Your heart fell. Prince Naoya not only sounded dejected, but detached as well. As if he found no pleasure or specialty in this event, at a time where he had every opportunity to meet his lover, and that this ball was merely a task to be checked off in his already long list of responsibilities. It wasn’t disappointment, per se, but rather melancholy that left a bitter taste in your mouth. Not because Prince Naoya held little to no regards for something you treasured, but because he sounded terribly alone. Like he was simply waiting for it to end out of discomfort.

“It’s special to me, Your Highness,” you blurted out faster than you could stop yourself. For a moment, you feared you may have offended him, but the Crown Prince only laughs.

And when he did – saint, when he laughed – his eyes crinkled into half moons, pearly whites flashing against the bright lights and his whole chest shook with amusement.

You’d never seen him smile this way before.

Prince Naoya’s laughter didn’t cease. Around you, your gut instincts told that people were now beginning to look; the Crown Prince’s deep rumbles of laughter sounded exquisitely like music as well, after all. “ Is it special to you because you are now dancing and within the Crown Prince’s proximity? As much as I presume how exhilarating it might be for those who mostly see me in the papers and in the tabloids, I assure you, dancing with your Prince is not an honour. Especially when you are all sent the invitations based on your status and not your worthy traits.”

“It’s special to me,” you mumbled, growing shy all of a sudden when the Crown Prince nodded at you to continue. “Because...because it reminds me of the first time we met.”

The Crown Prince hummed in amusement.

“We have met before?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’m from the Terratian Borders – my father is a loyal servant of His Majesty. You visited the borders when you were eighteen and I was sixteen. Do you remember it, Your Highness? You stormed in my private library.”

Indeed, the young barely-out-of-his-teens Crown Prince barged into your home’s library years ago. You were not previously informed he and his parents would be visiting since they arrived wordlessly, so you were stuck in your chambers as usual, killing time if not for sleeping and tending to the animals. Perched on a ladder, you attempted to reach for a book on the upper shelf when your foot slipped beneath you. At the age of sixteen, you were dramatic enough to say your life flashed before your eyes. You would’ve screamed then had strong arms not appeared out of nowhere, the Crown Prince staring at you with wide, golden eyes as they were now, his breathy rasped as he asked, are you okay, my lady?

The mere recollection of that fateful memory had your cheeks warming in delight. “You were so charming and heroic back then. Even when I had no idea you were a royal, I would have still believed you to be princely,” you said rather absentmindedly, blinking once then twice at your words. “Of course, it’s understandable if you do not remember, Your Highness!”

“My apologies. I do not remember, though Terratia is a wonderful place. Such a shame I was not informed beforehand they had a lovely daughter.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” you cheered back, cheeks and jaw beginning to ache from how wide you were smiling. But could anyone blame you? You felt absolutely silly that you were a breath away from passing out minutes ago, and now here you were, dancing with the Crown Prince and sharing memories with him like it was a daily occurrence. The words it’s true love when you feel at peace with them suddenly rang back at your head from that latest romance novel you read, and you turned away, hoping the Crown Prince would not read your thoughts to your face. However, Prince Naoya’s lips pursed into a thin line, all traces of humour now disappeared. “I’m sorry – should I not have laughed?”

“No, I don’t mind,” he mused with his jaw locked tight, “I just haven’t seen anyone react that way before.”

“Like what?”

“Like my words meant the entire universe to them. I may dare even say you look terribly in love, though I cannot blame you on that one, can I?”

Prince Naoya shook his head the minute the words left his mouth. Forcing himself to believe it couldn’t be real, perhaps, you truly did not know anymore. Your only plan for tonight was to see the Crown Prince and get to live out your dream of seeing him once more even for just a brief moment before you travelled back home while he married another, and yet – “Your Highness, I’m in love with you. I have always been since the day we met.”

You could no longer stop the words. The voice at the back of your head begged you to shut up and not cause a scene, that your time had passed up and people were staring, yet you remained in his arms no matter how much you wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow you whole.

“Please do not misunderstand me, Your Highness. I did not come here to attempt to steal your heart and be your wife, though I will admit I have dreamt of meeting you again for so many moons. I...I only want to tell you this. That I love you and even though it was a brief moment, I think the love I’ve always read about felt real and possible for the first time in my life,” chuckling nervously, you gather to courage to face him, adoration shining for the Crown Prince stood shock still before you, however stunned he may be. “I love you, Your Highness. I love you. And to whoever lucky woman you choose to be your betrothed, I hope she takes care of you and showers you with all the affection you are deserving of. You would make a great King. So God help his Crown Prince, and may you lead us all into a better world.”

Prince Naoya did not budge a muscle. His eyes remained hard on yours, breath warm as his nostrils fumed. With each passing second that he did not speak, you grew restless and tugged your arm away from his hold with a disgraceful smile.

You’d truly crossed your line. The repercussions to be faced for this impoliteness would destroy your family’s honour. You had to leave. “Your Highness? The song has changed. It’s time to let go—”

The Crown Prince inched close enough until his hair tickled your cheeks, his deep voice sending shivers down your spine as he pulled you close, close enough that your lower bodies touched. Skin ablaze with heat, you dared not move an inch. “Do you mean it?” he demanded lowly, his fingers ghosting over your wrist to hold you in place. “Do you truly love me? Not for what I have, not for who I was born to be, but me as a person itself?”

Closing your eyes to shudder in a deep breath, you exhaled. “Of course, Your Highness. Even if you were not born as a Prince, I’m sure I would’ve still loved you in a different universe.”

“But I do not know you.”

“We don’t have to know each other, Your Highness, and we never will. Once you let me go, I’ll return to the shadows where I belong, and I will continue supporting you until the day of your coronation.”

“And if I refuse to let you go?” he clicked his tongue, “What will you do then?”

The Crown Prince’s spicy perfume must be an aphrodisiac or hypnotizer of sorts. Everything he did messed with your mind that it was too late – the music had stopped and people were no longer drinking or chatting. Everyone’s eyes were on you and the Crown Prince. You could only imagine how controversial this position must be; with his lips trailing dangerously close to that sensitive spot in your neck where you nearly moaned. You really needed to leave.

“P-people are looking, Your Highness. You do not want this affair with someone you won’t choose—”

“Who said I won’t choose you?” Finally, he pulled away. But Prince Naoya never once tore his gaze away from yours, nor did he allow you to look at anyone but him as he caresses your jaw so light and feathery you wondered if he was truly there.“Who said I haven’t laid my eyes on you the moment you walked in here? This ball is for naught because of you, Lady Y/N. I’ve already made my choice, and you helped me confirm it as soon as you danced with me.”

“Your Highness...”

“Look at me,” he ordered, your eyes flitting from his pinkish lips to his sharp nose and then to his fox-like gaze. Only this time, Prince Naoya was no longer harsh. “Don’t be scared.”

“But they’re looking.”

“You are with me, of course they’ll look,” he teased, “They wish to be you right now. But ignore them and dance one more time with me.”

It wasn’t like you had a choice, but did it matter? One nod from him was all it took before the orchestra fumbled back to their spots and a new song played, Ode of Moonlight Lovers, and the Crown Prince was guiding you back to where he had originally danced with you.

From the corners of your eyes, you caught a glimpse of your parents with their mouths gaped open; your father looking like he was on the verge of passing out. However, you felt nothing but joy, nothing but the adrenaline pumping through your veins as he danced and twirled you in his arms. When the music stopped and you were both panting for air with silly smiles on your face, it dawned on you that you were with the Prince. No, rather, it was only you and the Prince alone. Even in the sea of people whose faces began to blur, he prevailed crystal clear.

You could recognize him anywhere, find him everywhere.

Prince Naoya stepped impossibly closer until your chests touched, hearts beating as one. Cupping your jaw, he was near enough that he swallowed all your shaky breaths with a small, teasing smile like you both shared a secret the entire world could not know.

“Do I still make you nervous?”

Laughing, you nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. I feel like I’m going to explode.”

“It’s beloved now,” he corrected, face inching closer and closer to a point you could count the number of his lower lashes. “And what do lovers do to seal their union?”

“M-Marriage?”

“Close, but this is much better.”

If anyone were to tell you that you would have a love story ripped out straight from a fairytale, you would’ve laughed at their faces. You were no Cinderella, nor were you a goddess of beauty that could’ve possibly caught the Crown Prince’s eye. Yet, his soft lips were on yours, kissing you with as much passion you could only dream of that you cried.

Strong hands guiding the back of your waist, Prince Naoya dipped you lower to the ground – the grand of finish of his dance. He had chosen his bride.

The crowd cheered and rejoiced all around you, making you smile into the kiss. Fisting his collar to bring him closer to yours, your mouth burst into metaphorical fireworks as soon as his tongue mingled with yours for an experimental taste. He was bitter yet sweet; expensive wine resting on his tongue, yet a delicate vanilla sat heavily on his soft lips that molded with yours. It was a taste you could spend forever being addicted on. And you were crying, crying so much your chest ached and the Prince’s cheeks grew damp from yours. You’d dreamt of this for so long, too long now.

Prince Naoya slowly pulled you away, his thumb wiping the tears away from the pads of your cheeks with tenderness in his touch. However, the Prince was not satisfied. The crowd whooped as he leant down to kiss your forehead. “You are mine now, my princess.”

Looping his hands with yours, the Crown Prince led you out of the castle. The crowd parted naturally to make way for the new couple, and you were left staring at his broad back and the tuft of blond hair where you’d soon find out how soft it would be. Sending one last glance to your crying parents, you waved goodbye. You had no idea where the Crown Prince would take you but you were already bunching your dress up, heart completely filled with trust you did not question it. What mattered tonight and for the rest of your life was that it felt right. That it was him – your beloved Prince Naoya Zen’in and soon to be husband – that you’d follow through the moon and back.

417 notes · View notes