#there is GOING to be some triangle or pining to some dude | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ckret2 · 11 months

Text

The most unpleasant breakfast.

I feel like this picture is a perfect summary of the fic so far.

Chapter 6 of The Pines Capture Human Bill Cipher But Can't Tell Anybody Because They Don't Know Whether Killing Him Will Restart Weirdmageddon (title TBD). Chapters one, two, three, four, and five, and I've gotta get a masterpost or something.

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The group asking for a seat at the truck stop diner was an odd sight: three adult men; two children; and one disheveled barefoot lunatic in a cartoon pony toga, handcuffs, a chain restricting one arm, and the dirt-smeared remains of a butterfly marker mask. But truckers and odd sights were the only things you saw at a truck stop on the outskirts of Gravity Falls at three a.m., and the handcuffed guest wasn't blinking SOS in Morse code, so the weary party was escorted to the round corner booth without question. They sandwiched Bill between Soos and Stan and silently awaited their menus.

"Hey, I'm Dani, I'll be taking care of you tonight." A waitress passed out menus to the group, hesitated uncertainly with a couple of paper kids' menus in front of Dipper and Mabel, and handed them over when Mabel made grabby hands for the accompanying four-pack of crayons. "Can I start you off with some coffee, or...?" Dani's gaze fell on Bill, and she beamed. "Oh, hey! Toga Lady! Hi!"

Bill gave her a puzzled smile and raised brows. "Hello?"

"Oh, yeah dude!" Soos laughed. "Wendy got a picture of you the last time you came by. You're totally a local meme now."

"Okay, I've gotta know." The waitress gestured at Bill's ensemble with her pen. "What's your story?"

"Well—" Bill opened his mouth, and froze; and the whole table went still as they simultaneously had the same realization.

If anybody revealed Bill's identity, in Gravity Falls, the epicenter of Weirdmageddon, they'd have a mob on their hands. At worst the town would rip Bill to shreds, and at best they'd throw him in a cell so they could schedule his shredding for a pleasant Saturday afternoon when more people could watch. Bill couldn't risk the possibility that he'd die for good, and the humans couldn't risk the possibility that he'd be re-released as a triangle.

None of them could reveal anything.

And all of them knew it.

"Party," Bill said. And then, warming to the cover story, he went on: "This is my party uniform. A little anachronistic, but what can I say? There's nothing I like better than being the center of attention at a wild party!" He cast a sideways glance toward the Stan twins. "Until the fun police break it up."

Ford grumbled, "Partying wasn't the problem. You were going to burn down the town."

"You get so worked up over a little bonfire, sheesh." Bill rolled his eyes, leaned toward the waitress, and said, "These geek types, I tell you. Some people wouldn't recognize a good time if it appeared to them in a divine vision."

"Maybe if I ever had a divine vision..."

Bill shot Ford a dirty look. They quickly broke off their mutual glare, conscious of Dani curiously watching, and Bill breezily explained, "He had a bad trip and still blames me for it."

Dani laughed. "You're crazy! What's your real name, Toga Lady?"

Bill hesitated. "Guess!"

"What?"

"Guess! It's a game. You guess mine, I'll guess yours."

She looked down at her name tag. "I already told you my name's Dani."

"But did you tell me it's Danielle Miranda?"

Her eyebrows shot up.

Bill beamed. "I'll give you three guesses! While you're thinking about that, could we get a round of coffee, and... do you serve anything more toxic than mildly spoiled apple juice? No? Just coffee."

"And a chocolate shake," Mabel threw in.

Bill's eyes lit up. "Make that two."

Stan snapped, "I am not paying for you to get a chocolate shake." Bill sighed.

Once the waitress was gone, Bill said, "Trauma still disrupts humans' long-term memories, right? Have the locals forgotten my name yet?"

"Yeah, no, everyone remembers," Soos said. "I know two different Williams that got their names legally changed."

Bill groaned. "Great. Terrific! Fine. My last pseudonym was getting stale anyway, it's about time I find a new one. All right, what have we got, toss out some ideas." At the others' blank looks, he said, "I've spent the last couple of days getting starved, beaten, and literally killed. All I'm coming up with is 'Not-Bill' and 'the letter A.' Somebody else think of something."

Stan let out a loud sigh. "Who cares? Bob."

"No."

"Will."

"No, and you're stupid."

"Hey—!"

Ignoring Stan's irritation, Bill looked around the table. "Anyone else?"

The others at the table considered the question. Soos said, "Ferdinand. I think Ferdinand is way cool."

"Coming out of you, that's not the high recommendation you think it is, Questiony."

Soos winced. "Ouch."

"C'mon, give me something that sounds a little bit like me."

Dipper said, "Troy Angle?" Mabel laughed.

Bill didn't. "Troy again."

Ford ventured, "Xanthe?"

"Ha. Sure, just call me 'yellow hair,' why not. I like the direction you're thinking—"

Stan—whose barely-suppressed rage at this whole situation had been steadily building back up since Bill called him stupid—snapped, "Why are we looking for a name he'll like? Why does he get any say in this! I say we call him whatever he can pronounce through a mouthful of broken teeth! Because when I'm through with this sonovab—"

Bill blocked his view of Stan's threatening fist by holding up his menu. "But Stanley's got a point, I need a simple name. How many Americans know how to spell Ξανθή?"

"Get this stupid thing out of my—"

Mabel stood and slammed her hands on the table, interrupting the brewing argument. "GOLDILOCKS!"

Bill erupted into a peal of laughter that made the rest of the table flinch. His handcuffs clattered as he smacked his hands on the table and he leaned toward Mabel. "Yes yes yes YES! You've got it! That's perfect!" It was like a light switch had flipped on in Bill, suddenly re-energizing him. Eyes crinkling in genuine amusement, Bill said, "You know, I like you, kid. You're the one with the fun ideas!"

Mabel blinked in surprise, any pleasure at the unexpected compliment dampened by the knowledge that being liked by Bill was never a good thing. Miffed, Dipper said, "Hey, I made a pun."

"I don't like puns."

Ford said, "If you'd please stop trying to win over my grand-niece with flattery..." but fell silent as Dani came back with drinks.

She passed coffee around, set a chocolate shake down for Mabel, set a second one down for Bill—"On the house"—and winked. "Is it Rumpelstiltskin?"

Bill cracked up again. "No, but give me three hours and a particle accelerator and I could teach you to spin straw into gold!"

"Worth a shot." Dani laughed. "Okay, is everyone ready to order?"

There was an awkward pause. Soos finally said, "Oh man, we all got to talking and completely forgot to look at the menu. Can you give us like five minutes?"

"Sure. Just wave when you're ready."

The group steeled themselves to the task of picking a meal, which felt far too mundane for such a bizarre night. Dipper frowned at the paper kids' menu he'd been handed. "Hey, Soos. Can I look at your menu when you're done...?"

Wordlessly, Bill stole Dipper's menu and crayon box and slid over his adult menu.

"... Thanks."

Bill had already dumped out the crayons and started drawing triangles on the menu. "Don't mention it!"

By the time Dani returned, Bill had covered a quarter of the menu in tiny doodles of his own triangular face, reluctantly scratched them out after Soos pointed out he could get arrested for those, and covered half the rest in countless eyes. Soos ordered a burger, Stan ordered bacon and eggs, Ford ordered an omelet, Dipper ordered an omelet too not because Ford did but because it sounded good and maybe he wanted to try one okay that's all, Mabel ordered rainbow sprinkle chocolate pancakes, and Bill ordered a banana octopus pancake and a side of bacon "as floppy as you can make it" over Stan's objections to letting Bill get a side item.

"And raw bacon. Got it." Dani closed her notebook, gave Bill a considering look, and said, "Is it Blondie?"

"Ha! No! But you've been a good sport so I'll give you a hint! It's something in between your first two guesses."

"Huh..." Dani considered that a moment; then noticed Bill trying to pick up his shake with handcuffs on. "Do you... need help with those? I think our gas station next door's got bolt cutters."

Firmly, Ford said, "We've got bolt cutters at home." Bill gave Dani an apologetic shrug.

As soon as Dani was gone again, Ford leaned forward. "All right, Bill. If you're going to be in our house for who-knows-how-long, we need to establish some ground rules."

"Boy, do we ever," Bill said, with the confidence of somebody who assumed he'd have an equal say in deciding what the rules were.

Ford went on without acknowledging Bill. "For now, we can lock you back in the cellar—"

"Cellar's right under the gift shop," Stan pointed out. "I was thinking a storage closet. Just stuff him in there and pile a bunch of furniture in front of the door."

"You know, Stanley, I think that would be safer," Ford said, like he was trying to pretend he liked the idea based on safety rather than based on how satisfying it would be to make Bill as uncomfortable as possible. "Although I'm sure Bill knows he'll just be putting himself in danger if he makes enough noise to catch anyone's attention—so there's rule number one, no sounds. And once I've done some repairs, we can move him to the bunker..."

"No, I don't think so," Bill said. "I don't like that at all."

Coolly, Ford said, "Well, Bill, you're our prisoner, so we can do what we want, you don't get a say in it, and you don't have to like it. In fact, the more you dislike it, the more I think I do like it."

Stan laughed, elbowing Ford. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

"But that's just the thing—I do get a say in it," Bill said. "I'm as worried as anyone else about what might happen if this body is killed—but there are fates worse than death, aren't there? Like boredom, for instance. You know what I'm talking about, right?" He gave Mabel an appealing look.

She doggedly avoided making eye contact, slurping her shake.

Bill shrugged and returned his attention to Ford. "You know and I know that you're only keeping me alive until you can think of a better way to kill me—and that gives me an advantage. It means I've got nothing to lose. If I'm not living a life that's at least barely tolerable, then your only way to stop me from choosing death on my terms instead of your terms is by sticking me in an artificial coma." His smile stretched wider. "And are you really, really sure I don't know a way to kill myself in my sleep?"

Ford and Stan's scowls deepened the longer Bill spoke. Stan muttered, "If he's gonna be like that, it's not too late to just kill him and get it over with."

Ford shook his head. "What do you consider intolerable conditions."

"Being locked in one little room with nowhere to stretch my legs, no entertainment, and no company. Abandon me in your bunker? Once I get tired of the scenery, I'm bashing my skull in."

"And if we lock you in the cellar?"

"Then I'm screaming for help until someone calls the cops, and we all get to learn what they find more convincing: 'You've gotta believe me, this lady is secretly Bill Cipher in disguise,' or 'Help me, officer, these lunatics think I'm some kind of demon pyramid!'" Bill rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking for much. Just a little mobility. A few rooms I can move freely in, the occasional conversation, a window or two I can look out of..."

"In other words," Ford said, "if we don't want you to do anything drastic, we need to give you a slight chance to escape."

"See, this is why you're the smart one!" Bill graced Ford with a brilliant smile. "And in return, you've bought yourselves time to look for a guaranteed way to finish me off. It'll be like a game: can you figure out how to get rid of me before I find a way out?"

"I stopped playing games with you a long time ago, Cipher."

"We never stopped playing. You just stopped having fun."

Their negotiations were interrupted by Dani's return. She distributed their meals, then said, "Okay, I've got two guesses. They're dumb, though."

"I'll allow it!"

"Rapunzel or Goldilocks."

"Hey, guess number four! Smart girl! Give her a nice tip, Stanley."

"Stop trying to spend my money."

Dani laughed. "You're joking!"

"No, really! Goldilocks!"

"No, no way. You're totally lying."

Studying her face to gauge how much of her skepticism was sincere, Bill amended himself, "Okay, okay—first name Goldie, last name Locke. Funny though, right?"

"I didn't think I'd get it. Goldilocks the Toga Lady. Ha! You guys enjoy your meals."

Once she was out of hearing range, Ford said, "Here's your situation. You're trapped in a small geographic bubble and surrounded by enemies. You have no money, no identification, no connections, and if you still have any powers at all, they're clearly dampened or we'd be dead by now. Your options are limited even if you do escape—so before you try, think how much less latitude we'll give you once we catch you."

"Sounds like somebody's about to agree to my terms."

Ford glanced at Stan, to see if he wanted to voice any objections; then Soos, as the current owner of the shack; then the kids, with a silent apology for what this would mean for their summer; and when no one protested, Ford said, "You'll stay in the main shack. You can go anywhere that isn't closed behind a door—that means the kitchen, the living room, the R&D room, and the attic. You don't get to enter any room behind a door without supervision. You don't get access to tools, poisons, or anything you could potentially use as a weapon. No phone, no computer, no borrowing anybody's cellular phones, but you can use the TV."

"Question."

"Yes?"

"How will disputes over what to watch on TV be resolved."

"Everybody in the house gets priority over you."

"Now you're just being petty. You won't even say we could vote on TV selections?"

"Fine, let's vote. Who's in favor of being petty and never letting Bill choose what to watch?"

Everyone but Bill raised a hand.

Bill laughed. "Okay, I walked into that! But I want books."

"Fine. You can have books."

"And writing materials."

"Under supervision only."

"Sheesh, paranoid. Okay. And a radio."

Ford considered that.

"Come on, you don't think I could get into trouble with a radio."

"You can use the record player."

"Nobody uses records anymore. I want a CD player."

"Fine."

"Fine." Satisfied, Bill picked up the maple syrup bottle and poured way too much on his pancakes.

Mabel cast a quick, envious glance at Bill's banana octopus. It had chocolate chip eyes and was way cuter than she'd expected.

Bill caught her glance, gave her sugary pile of sprinkles and chocolate an equally covetous look, and said, "Want to go half and half?"

She shoved her plate over. "Like you wouldn't believe!"

Dipper hissed, "Mabel," and Mabel flinched, guiltily glancing toward Ford to see if the Head Bill Cipher Expert had any objections to the pancake swap. Ford grimaced, but said nothing. Mabel had already agreed and Ford couldn't think of anything Bill could have done to an untampered-with plate of pancakes, and if Ford objected on principle he'd just end up making himself look like the bad guy—which he had a sneaking suspicion Bill would immediately pounce on.

Meanwhile, Bill certainly hadn't waited to see if Ford approved. He mercilessly sawed his mushy cephalopod in half, the swap was made before anyone could protest Mabel sharing her bounty of sugar with the worst person in the universe, and Bill gleefully added more maple syrup to his new source of sweet sensory overload. He scooped up a forkful of pancakes, stuck it in his eye, then jerked his head back and stared in confusion when it just hurt. He tried the other eye before he remembered his mouth.

Mabel played with the banana peel tentacles on her half-octopus. At Dipper's grimace, she said, "It's fine, he'll be fine! Octopuses grow back if you cut them in half."

Soos had worked through his burger like popcorn at a movie while he watched Ford and Bill's hostage negotiations. Now that the important decisions had been made and Soos was down to fries, he said, "So, how are we gonna keep Bill out of all the other rooms? Am I gonna have to put locks on every door tomorrow? Because if we just say 'don't go there,' Bill will be like, 'okay,' and then do it anyway, you know?"

"Yeah, Stanford, how are you gonna keep me out of your rooms?" Bill was twirling a piece of bacon around his fork like spaghetti. "I hear I'm pretty sneaky." He stuck the fork in his eye again, winced, and gave it a disappointed look.

"Well—" Ford glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, leaned closer to Bill, and lowered his voice. "I've actually got a clever idea about that."

Instantly intrigued, Bill leaned in closer. "Oh, do you?"

Like he was inviting Bill in to hear a secret, Ford reached past Stan to put a hand on Bill's shoulder—and said, "Amnesia Limina—"

"You—!" Bill tried to jerk out of Ford's grip, but was blocked by a wall of Soos. Soos caught on and grabbed Bill's wrists before he could shove Ford's hand away.

"—Stupidi Digiti—"

"I hate you."

"—Occultus Locus."

A bright red light flashed between Ford's fingers. Bill's eye twitched. He jerked out of Soos's grip and shrugged off Ford's hand. "When did you learn how to play dirty?"

Dipper had watched with such fascination that he hadn't even noticed a chunk of omelet fall off his fork into his lap. "Whoa, what was that?"

"A curse," Ford said. "Cast it on a door, and no one who interacts with it will know how to open it. Cast it on a person, however—and they'll forget how to open any door. We don't have to worry about locking Bill in if he doesn't know how to use a doorknob, do we?"

Bill asked, "What's a doorknob?"

Stan cracked up. Ford grinned at Dipper and gestured at Bill. See?

"Seriously, what's a doorknob? I know every word in the English language, I'd know if 'doorknob' was a word. Is it a wart? A kind of fungus?" Bill sighed irritably. "I taught you that spell. This is how you pay me back for teaching you?"

"No, this is how I pay you back for torturing my family."

"I never tortured your family! Just you."

Mabel raised a hand. "You stuck me in a bubble."

"That wasn't torture. You had a great time."

Dipper said, "You threw me down the stairs and stabbed my arm."

"That was self-torture, and I had a great time."

Ford said, "Well, then—this is payback for myself."

Bill scowled, lips pursed, expression sour; and then spat a thick, milky wad of phlegm onto Ford's omelet.

Stan rounded on Bill so fast he kneed the table.

Ford put a hand on Stan's shoulder to stop him from making a scene. Calmly, he cut around the chunk of soiled omelet, scooped it up, and dropped it in Bill's milkshake.

Everyone tried to ignore how a crooked smile threatened to break through Bill's scowl. As if he was almost having fun.

When they left, in lieu of the extra tip Bill had wanted Stan to give the waitress, he turned over his paper menu and drew a map to an eighty-year-old buried cache of stolen jewelry just a fifteen minute walk from the diner.

He'd finished his milkshake, egg and all.

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#bill cipher #human bill cipher #gravity falls #gravity falls fanart #gravity falls fic #my writing #bill goldilocks cipher

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coffeeimagines · 2 years

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bill cipher x a reader that is cheerful kind and energtic with a strong sense of justice plz :3

im going to throw tumblr out my window it erased everything I had I FORGOT TO SAVE IT AS A DRAFT....... but saw it earlier even when you requested more than 7 days ago im so sorry lmk if you'd want anything changed!

note: the reader is siblings with the twins if you won't mind? I'll def change if you don't like it. ( n/n is nickname )

another note: so sorry if this stops making sense towards the end I had major writers block & lost a bit of motivation to write I'm so sorry anon. - 9/23/22

Bill Cipher with a Reader that is so full of life

It was this very summer that you've finally made it to gravity falls, after being told it was a fun yet mysterious place. You came here with both your siblings Dipper and Mabel to meet your grunkles face-to-face for the first time.

When you finally arrived to the mystery shack, grunkle stan gave your siblings a warm hug and your grunkle ford gave you a hand shake.

"Ah, you must be my (niece/nephew) i've heard about! What is your name?"

"I'm (y/n)! You can call me (n/n) if you want though" you replied with a smile. You waved to grunkle stan and he gave you a soft fist bump.

"Great to finally meet ya kiddo."

"Yeah! I've been trying to tell you about them when mom said we were allowed to call you! They're absolutely the best sibling i've ever had, alongside dipper!" Mabel says as she hugged you.

"Why don't you two show them around? If they'll be staying here for this summer might aswell get used to the place, ay?" grunkle ford says and your siblings nod in agreement.

Dipper and Mabel both introduced you to their friends. When you met Pacifica she didn't really seem like the one to be interested one bit in you but you were so confident to becoming her friend.

After going around town for a bit, you've noticed a forest that seemed like a good place to look around the outside until you were called to go eat.

"Since you're just getting to gravity falls, you should know something very important, (y/n)." Grunkle stan told you with a serious expression.

"There's this triangle that goes by the name Bill Cipher. Whatever you do under all circumstances do not approach him if you ever see him. He tends to make deals with people he comes across just to backstab them in the end."

"Hey, we don't have to worry about him anymore though! Me and Dipper beat him multiple times and he's gone now! Don't you remember?" Mabel replies. "Well yeah Mabel but just what if he somehow comes back? We can't be so quick to assume that he's just gone for good." "I guess you do have a point but we're in safe hands now! And if he ever does come back who says we can't beat him again?"

"I understand, can I take a walk around though? I want to explore some more and I think this will be a great opportunity." You ask. "Of course you can. We'll call you back for dinner." Grunkle ford tells you."

You give him a hug before running out the house and into the forest.

"Evil triangle? What makes a triangle evil? eh." You shrug. You sit down breathing in the fresh air that surrounds you but a statue catches your eye.

"Wait, isn't that the triangle I was told about..? It seems harmless though." You say to yourself as you walk up to the triangle. You softly shake its hand until you hear yourself being called by Soos.

"Coming!" You say as you rush back to the shack.

"There you are dude, mr pines and his brother were calling for you its sort of getting late, I saved your meal though you're allowed to eat in your room" "Alright, thank you for letting me know soos- wait where do I sleep?" "I think you should ask mr pines"

You head over to grunkle stan to ask where your sleeping. He explains that you'll be sleeping in the extra room they have and guides you to it.

You immediately hop into your bed and eat your meal. Once grunkle stan leaves with your empty plate and closes the door behind him you get your rest.

When You woke up in the mind scape, this is when you met Bill Cypher himself.

He didn't seem harmful so you were confused on why everyone hated and feared him.

During the few weeks of you both knowing eachother, he started to gain quite a liking to someone like you, someone who's so full of life.

"Hey kid, how come you're... like this?"

"Like what?"

"So ongoing & full of life. It irritates me in a.. good way."

You giggle softly to yourself. "I don't really know myself, I just really enjoy seeing another day in life you know? Sometimes I just feel like everyday is a gift for us."

You both realize that you're fading away from the mindscape.

"Oh, looks like you're waking up kiddo."

"Well, yeah." You sigh. You leans towards bill a bit.

"Hm? Something you need kid?"

You give bill a kiss on his (supposed to be?) cheek as you fade away completely.

You wake up breathing heavily with a blush on your face.

#bill cipher x reader #gravity falls fanfiction #requests open #requests are open #reqs open

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bippot · 1 year

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I know you want to write a Steve story deep down.....(maybe a Eddie x reader x Steve if you're feeling adventurous and want me to forever be in your debt)

Got to writing and turns out, yes, I did want to write this. I might even do a part 2 where it becomes a little spicier if I have the time. Here is a tame Eddie x Reader x Steve.

Summary: Steve can play the guitar. Corroded Coffin are down a guitarist... it's perfect. Well, except for the fact that both Eddie and Steve like the same girl.

So, who will she pick? Or the better question is, will she have to pick at all?

Tags: Mutual Pining, Rock and Roll, Band Fic, Comfort, Fluff, Love Triangles, Secret Crush, Makeover

Song Recommendation: Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar

Stranger Things, Eddie Munson Masterlist - here

└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘

Steve Harington. What else is there to say? Eddie didn't have a chance. No way. The Freak vs King Steve? There was no doubt who people would bet on. For lack of better words, Steve was perfect. He had it all: money, a great sense of humour, a pretty face with an even prettier soul to go with it, and, to the rocker's surprise, really good guitar skills. Not as good as Eddie. But if he put more practice in, that could be a possibility.

The only thing Steve didn't have was Y/N. Sure, he was trying. After Corroded Coffin had added Y/N as the lead singer, Steve begged and begged to also be included in the band. Jeff had been forever grounded by his parents when they found out about the mass amount of drugs the band did. Not to mention that Peter had left Indianna when his family moved to bloody New Zealand.

There was a slot open and Steve was willing to fill it.

"Dude, can you even play guitar?" Eddie asked as Steve continued to pester him about the vacancy.

Eddie was in the process of coming up with ideas for Hellfire and had gone to Robin in the video store as she tended to help him connect the dots together. Eddie had the ideas, Robin knew how to put them together.

Y/N tended to help him, but as of late, Eddie wanted to put some distance between them. It was very obvious that she'd soon be swayed by Harrington's seduction techniques and Eddie didn't want to witness any of it.

"Hey, stupid. Didn't expect to see you here," Y/N greeted as she walked into the store in search of a movie for her family to watch tonight.

"Hey, loser."

He looked up from his scribbles to catch her eye and offered her a lopsided grin. Before Eddie could say anything else, Steve cut in, "Hey, hot stuff. Tell Eddie that I can play guitar."

"Harrington can play guitar."

"How the hell do you know?"

As she started looking through the shelves of videos, Y/N answered, "We had the same teacher, Mr Sutherland." She pulled one out and read the blurb, putting it back as soon as she read the word 'gruesome' - her mother wouldn't like that one bit. "Remember him, Stevie?"

Saying that Steve looked smug would be an understatement; he couldn't stop himself. Not only had he proved that he could do the thing he wanted to, he also had got her to reveal to his romantic rival that they had some sort of old friendly history - and that was something he had over Eddie.

Despite being the same age as Steve, Y/N hadn't gone to Hawkins High. She had been sent off to one of those fancy boarding schools and only returned when she had graduated. It was a mere coincidence that she agreed to hang out with her friends at the Hideout and get talking to the front man of the band playing there.

"I remember him very fondly, even though I was far from his best student." Steve winked in Y/N's direction and walked over to where she had drifted off to, searching for a second before he held a video out towards her. "Your mother will love Tootsie, I'm sure of it."

Giving the Dustin Hoffman flick a quick once over, Y/N nodded, accepting the tape. Her attention quickly switched back to Eddie, patting him on the shoulder as she made it to the till.

"You don't fit with the band's image, Steve. You look more like George Michael than Izzy Stradlin..." Eddie dropped his pen when he noticed the look Steve gave him. It was expectant. It was as if he was waiting for Eddie to give in. "No. Y/N, tell him."

At this point, Y/N was in the process of checking out her movie with Robin. The girls were barely paying them any attention while they chatted away. Y/N managed to hear her name and let out a "Hmm...?" as she turned around to look at them. Both boys were beaming at her and her eyes darted between them, unsure what the hell they wanted from her.

When their smile wavered slightly, Eddie cleared his throat. "Tell him he can't be in our band."

"Why not?" she asked innocently and grabbed her copy of the video, tucking it under her arm while keeping her other hand hooked onto the strap on her bag. Steve shot his hand out, almost as saying 'See!' in a very clear gesture. "Give him a new style and he'll fit in."

Now, Steve was good at fitting in. He fit in with people all the time. He was fine with that. Changing his look, on the other hand, was something else. He was still himself underneath it all, still somewhat preppy and conformatative. Maybe all that black and leather wouldn't really work on ol' Harington.

"You're not going to cut my hair, are you?" he asked, sounding terrified as she took another step towards the door. "Please don't touch my hair."

"Yes." "No"

Eyes widened as Y/N and Eddie spoke at the same time. They glared at each other.

"We're not touching his hair, Eddie."

"I was thinking we could give him a mohawk. Maybe shave it all off."

The mere thought of losing his hair made Steve protectively reach for it. His hair was his pride and joy. As much as he hated to admit it, he was more than physically attached to the locks on his head.

"Nu-uh, Munson. How'd you like it if I cut your hair?" Y/N replied, raising an eyebrow at him and daring him to attempt to lie to her.

Neither of them blinked. In fact, they both stood there staring at each other until Steve began to look uncomfortable. Finally, Eddie gave in. "I would....n't, I wouldn't like it," he admitted, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly as the words left his mouth.

Life as a buzzed dude was not the fondest memories Eddie had of growing up. There was no way he'd subject another person to that. Having a luscious head of hair is a young man's right. His father had been bald and Eddie was determined not to end up like his old man in any way, shape or form.

"Had a buzz cut once because Tiffany Davies stuck her gum in my hair and my uncle couldn't get it out. I'd rather not go back to that."

"See you at band practice then, Steven. Edwin will give you the details."

"That's not my name!"

"Later Edmund."

With that Y/N was out of the store, leaving the two boys behind. Eddie's eyebrows furrowed and he turned his attention to Steve. "I hate you."

"That's not bandmate behaviour, Eddie-boy."

Band practice came around too soon for Eddie's liking. Yet, as always he drove to Y/N's house to pick her up as per usual. He knocked on her front door and wasn't too surprised when Mrs L/N answered the door instead of her daughter. "Eddie! How are you, lovely?"

"Better now I've seen you, ma'am," he jokingly flirted, grinning broadly as she slapped his arm. Her parents were kind to him, which was so weird.

Historically, parents aren't too fond of the weird rocker guy that hangs out with their teenage daughter and gets high with her but Eddie must've won them over during Y/N's time in the band. Or maybe it was just because he flirted with them. Both of her parents were targets of his good natured compliments.

"Y/N! Your boyfriend is trying to steal my wife again!" Mr L/N yelled from his seat in the living room as she walked down the stairs. His eyes glinted with laughter as her face flushed at the name he'd called Eddie. No matter how many times she'd corrected them, they never seemed to believe her.

Smiling softly as he leaned against the doorframe, Eddie shoved his hands deep in his jacket pockets and watched Y/N's every move with careful interest. He playfully wolf whistled when she passed him to walk to his van.

"Shut it."

"That was because your dad looks very handsome in that polo shirt of his. Not everything's about you, princess."

Rolling her eyes, Y/N grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the knowing looks they were getting from her parents. He chuckled at her actions and let himself give in completely, following after her willingly. He loved the way she held on to his hand, the feeling of it being so small and warm and soft against his.

They got to his van and began the journey to the studio - also known as Gareth's garage - as they bickered about what station they should listen to, why his van was always a mess and "I really don't see what he is going to bring to the table."

"He can carry a tune well enough," she argued back, laughing at the expression he threw at her. She poked him in the bicep. "Plus, he's pretty enough to entice a crowd."

His voice was super high as he repeated, "Pretty!?" And yep, that was definitely a blush covering his cheeks. He coughed awkwardly and muttered a quiet, "Do you, uh, do you think I'm pretty?"

"God no," she said, completely deadpan, but quickly scrambled to reassure, "I was kidding. You're a beaut. A total knockout, Eds. So, so handsome," when his face fell. It didn't seem to work so she shimmied as close to him as possible, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You've got those beautiful big brown eyes and your hair curls so nicely and when you smile....I could just sit here and look at you forever. Did you know, Ed? Forever!"

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he slowly began pulling his gaze off the road so that he could stare directly into her eyes. He was blushing harder and Y/N grinned at the sight of it, leaning forward to nudge her nose against his.

"You're making it really difficult to drive."

Her teasing continued until they finally made it to the garage and he was finally able to park and turn off the engine. Stepping out of the vehicle, they heard loud voices shouting. Gareth and Steve were arguing about something. It wasn't hard to figure out what it was about.

"Don't touch my drumsticks!"

"I simply moved them so I wouldn't sit on them!"

"So you admit you put your filthy fucking hands on them!" Gareth snorted, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. Steve was breathing heavily and was ready to start a fight that wasn't needed.

"My hands are not dirty."

"Yes, they are."

"Are not."

"Are, too."

They kept arguing as the other half of the band arrived, looking amused by their interaction. Y/N and Eddie walked inside the garage and the pair stopped squabbling as soon as they saw their bandmates. Steve looked relieved as he spotted them and Gareth's expression softened, even though he was still scowling slightly.

"Glad to see you two are getting along," Eddie teased, rolling his eyes at the glare he received. Y/N shook her head at her friend as she stepped past him to help Steve set up, not before Eddie slapped her ass for good measure.

Steve huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're such a dick," he grumbled under his breath, shooting an irritated glance at his friend who winked cheekily in return. No, he must focus on making a good impression. His skills as a musician might be improving quite a bit since he'd started practising again, but playing in a real band was still not something he had ever done before.

He was still new, unsure of the dynamics of everything and just wanted to try his best in whatever he ended up doing. This was going to be his chance and he needed to keep cool and confident in his abilities.

"Don't sweat it, hon," Y/N whispered as she patted his shoulder lightly and flashed him a reassuring smile. He sighed and looked down at where she touched him, only for his face to heat up at the contact.

Oh dear lord, what had he gotten himself into?

"Show us what you've got, Harrington," Eddie said as he stretched his arms above his head in a dramatic manner and, when Y/N stood beside him, he slid them around her shoulder casually. She didn't say anything. She just gave Steve a quick wink when his gaze met hers. It was a sign for him to relax. No matter what, she had his back.

So, Steve started to strum the opening to 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot.'

Before he'd reached the chorus, Eddie waved for him to stop. "Hang on," he said, holding up a finger. "Need to hear something faster."

"Ed, at least let him get to the solo half way through," Y/N argued as she nudged at his side. It looked as if he was about to argue back then she looked up at him and smiled sweetly at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Oh. He knew exactly what that expression meant and that look alone nearly sent his knees buckling under him.

"Alright, alright," he conceded reluctantly, allowing Y/N to gesture that Steve should continue.

And Steve did just that. Admittedly, he looked a little more nervous that Eddie would stop him again so Y/N did the singing for him in an effort to relieve some of his worries. He nodded appreciatively at her and readied himself for the guitar solo, which he aced, much to Y/N's delight.

There was no doubt how her cheering made Steve feel all giddy inside. Especially when he saw her grin as she clapped excitedly when he finished the song. "Stevie-boy! Pat Benatar would be proud of you right now!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug while Steve tried to suppress the goofy grin spreading across his face at the compliment.

When they pulled apart, Y/N glanced around at the rest of the band. They were trying their best to seem bored by the show they'd seen, but then Eddie held his hand towards Steve. "Corroded Coffin welcomes King Steve. Just don't fuck it up," he warned him jokingly and the boys shook hands then did some sort of awkward bro hug.

Through the next couple of weeks, Steve was put through 'Edward Munson's School of Hard Rock'. Eddie even made a sign and everything - a sign that was very quickly changed to read Cock instead of Rock by Gareth. It was a boot camp to make sure Steve knew his Hetfield's from Halen's.

Then Y/N took over for the makeover.

"I don't see why I have to come along," Eddie whined as the trio made their way into the store.

"I need an informed second opinion."

They made their way around with Y/N and Eddie arguing about what clothes would look best on Steve while Steve stood in the middle of it all, watching their interactions with his head turning like he was witnessing a game of ping pong every time they made a point.

"Munson is making it sound way too complicated. The clothes are one thing, sure, but most of it is about confidence."

"Kinda true. Still, he can't wear that, sweetheart."

Looking down at his outfit - a mustard sweater and clean blue jeans - Steve frowned. What was wrong with his outfit? He liked his shirt; it fit him snugly and the sleeves had slipped past his wrists comfortably without it being too tight.

└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘

Y/N came to stand next to Eddie as he held out one of the shirts she suggested in front of Steve's chest. Steve looked between his own shirt and the one before him as if he were thinking of saying something, but in the end he closed his mouth tightly.

"We don't want to force him too far out of his comfort zone so getting him stuff he would usually wear in darker colours is step number one, sweetheart," Y/N came to the conclusion out loud and looked at Eddie for confirmation, who simply shrugged.

"I guess that makes sense."

Steve nodded and smiled softly as Y/N handed him another black shirt. "Let's see..." she mused aloud, "What else...oh, maybe this? Do you like this?" As she asked this question she held up a simple grey Metallica shirt and held it out to Steve who thought it looked good enough and he now knew who Metallica was. "Okay, we'll get you a pair or two black jeans and rip them ourselves. What about rings? Are you comfortable wearing rings?"

"Yeah, I think I am."

Eddie couldn't help but mockingly repeat what Steve had said and Y/N giggled as she hit his arm gently.

"Well, let's get you some nice rings then."

As she talked and laughed with Steve about what he should buy, Eddie couldn't help but sneak glances at Steve when he thought no one's attention was on him. His heart ached when he saw Steve's soft smile directed towards Y/N, who was going along happily to Steve's very obvious flirting. Wait....was he jealous of Y/N? Or Steve? Or both?

No, surely, this was impossible. But yet there it was. A small seed of jealousy planted itself in Eddie's mind and grew. Maybe he was just overreacting. Maybe he was imagining things. Yeah. That was it.

Once all of Steve's new clothes had been acquired, the trio was about to leave the mall before Y/N remembered, "Oh shit, I've got to buy a new bra because my lucky one finally called it quits. You guys wanna come with me? Or are you going to stay here?" The boys glanced at each other and nodded eagerly in agreement as she headed off towards the lingerie shop. They were hot on her heels, eager to watch.

"What do you think?" She inquired holding a particularly red lacy one to her chest as she turned around. It's safe to say that both boys were a little flustered.

"Me? Or..." They both awkwardly exclaimed, simultaneously pointing at themselves then the other one.

"Whoever wants to answer."

A few seconds of silence passed between the three of them until one finally spoke up. "Definitely sexier than the one you've got on now," Eddie complimented with a cocky grin.

Her lips twitched upward but Y/N ignored him, instead deciding to ask Steve, "You?" Her voice went up in an almost hopeful tone as she eyed him expectantly. His cheeks flushed a light shade of pink at her words and he fiddled nervously with the hem of his shirt. His heart thundered against his chest and butterflies danced crazily inside his stomach when he heard her question directed at him.

"Yeah, um," he stuttered, his voice barely audible, "Definitely sexy."

That seemed to give her some encouragement because she bought that one without hesitation, leaving the other two dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. The boys gave each other a look, each trying to hide how pink their cheeks had gotten.

"Come on, losers!" Y/N shouted out cheerfully as she skipped away from them and towards where Steve had parked his car with a smile on her face and a bra in her shopping bag that was dangling in her hand as she bounced along. Eddie and Steve followed behind after they had exchanged a look that clearly stated 'I'm going to look at her ass, don't tell her' and nodded in solidarity.

Back at Y/N's house, which was just over the road from Steve's, the trio made their way up to her room for the final stage of the makeover test. But first they had to go through the motions with her parents. "Is that little Steven I see?" Her mother cooed as she opened the door and immediately began peppering Steve with questions about his entire life since she'd seen him last. That was probably when he was twelve and a lot in his life had changed since then. "Look at you! So handsome!"

"More handsome than me, Mrs L/N?" Eddie pouted as he poked his head around Steve's shoulder. She shot him an amused glance as she ushered the group in.

"Oh Eddie, it's not a competition," she chuckled before giving him a friendly smack on the back of the head. She turned to Y/N with a bright smile on her face. "You know the rules - door open."

"Ai Ai, Captain." Y/N saluted her father. "Don't worry, I promise I'll make sure they behave," she told him with a wink before taking Steve and Eddie by the hand and leading them into her room.

As they entered, Steve couldn't help but look around her room curiously. From the posters of different bands on her walls to the bookshelf full of comics and the keyboard in the corner, it was just like he had imagined. Eddie, on the other hand, had been here enough times and immediately fell onto her bed, lying flat out so his head rested on her pillow.

He always did that. Every time he'd entered her room, Eddie would feel tired and soft and comfortable so Y/N was used to it at this point. She sat beside him, resting up against her headboard, and casually ran her hand through his hair while watching Steve take in the room with wide eyes.

"Dude, are you napping?" Steve suddenly questioned, his eyebrows furrowing as his gaze zoned in on Y/N's gentle caresses. There was some part of Steve's head that knew for a fact that Eddie's hair would be fun to run your fingers through, but he shook that thought away

"Uh, yeah. I'm super tired." Eddie replied honestly as his eyes slowly drifted shut. "You two and your 'passion for fashion' really zapped all my fuckin energy."

Steve wanted to deny that he was fond of seeing Eddie sleepy and looking more peaceful than usual, but he couldn't. Instead, he decided to keep quiet and watch as his buddy cuddled closer to Y/N and wrapped his arms around her like she was a teddy bear. And even though it shouldn't have been surprising, Steve found himself smiling brightly at their intimate display.

It wasn't a big deal, right? They were friends. It didn't mean anything. Yet, it still made him happy knowing they trusted him with such a private moment. It felt like they were letting him into their little bubble. Like everything was okay and they felt safe enough around him not to hold anything back.

When he thought Eddie had fallen asleep, Steve complimented, "He looks a lot calmer in his sleep, don't you think. Almost, I don't know, sweet-looking? Like he hasn't done heroin in the school bathroom at twelve pm on a Tuesday," and was rewarded with a hearty, but sleepy, chuckle from the 'sweet-looking' boy.

"Why thank you, big boy."

"You can be a real jerk sometimes you know that? Seriously."

"A sweet-looking jerk."

Y/N chuckled. "God, just kiss already." Which caused Eddie to bite at her hip playfully and pull her slightly closer to him. With one chaste little peck on his bite, Eddie settled back down to sleep, but this time he had a goofy grin thanks to Steve's compliment.

While Eddie was sleeping, Y/N discussed whether Steve was comfortable wearing make-up and his answer was "Yes... as long as my dad doesn't find out," and she remembered how traditional Mr Harrington was.

"Go through my make up bag and see if you like any of it," She instructed and he quickly rummaged through her makeup case. He pulled a tube of mascara from her case and examined it, squinting his eyes as he tried to read the tiny writing on its side.

"What does this do?"

"It makes your lashes look longer."

"Why?"

"Helps enlarge the look of the eyes."

One by one, he asked what each product was and what its use was. When he came across some lip gloss, he picked one bottle up with a smirk before stating, "I accidentally used this when I was working at Scoops because I thought it was chapstick and it tasted good."

There was no way she was passing on this opportunity. Excitedly, she urged him to "Put it on. I want to see what you looked like." So he obliged with an enthusiastic nod and applied the product liberally on his lips, playfully puckering and blowing her a kiss as soon as he was finished. Y/N giggled at the sight of his silly, adorable, dorkish act, which made him smile back.

"These lips and a god awful sailor's outfit, complete with the hat and everything."

"Wish I could've seen it," Y/N mused out loud as she stared dreamily at his lips before averting her attention back to her makeup bag. "Now, what's next?"

"Pencil thing."

Gently, she corrected him, "Eyeliner pencil." He was heavy handed when he drew a line on his hand and broke the tip. "Softer."

The next line he tried was a little wonky due to the jagged point, but it was a lot neater than the previous one. Y/N held her breath as he started to carefully outline the bottom of his eye, thinking he was going to poke himself at any moment but he didn't. Once he deemed his work satisfactory, he showed it off to her.

"Smudge it a little." He did in an instant. "There we go, hot stuff. Very sexy."

Steve felt weird. A good weird or a bad weird? Didn't matter. He liked both. He was enjoying this too much, that was obvious, but there was also something else. It was hard to explain, but he knew it existed. It was like a strange sort of comfortable warmth, filling him up like never before.

Now, he understood Eddie and why he passed out as soon as he arrived. He was completely at ease in her bedroom. Y/N's room was open, it was comfy, it allowed them to be whatever they wanted to be. In one word, her room was safe.

"Do you two do this often?" He asked, gesturing to Y/N's hand in Eddie's hair whilst she continued to stroke her fingers through it.

"Sometimes when he has trouble falling asleep, which has been more frequent in the last month or so," she explained. "Or maybe when his brain is racing and he needs a distraction, I try to calm his mind and let him focus his thoughts on things that make him happy instead of negative ones."

"Like music?"

"Exactly like music." He watched as she smiled softly down at her friend and he couldn't help but mimic her smile. "It's nice."

There was no doubt that it seemed nice. Steve could imagine it. Everything in his body wanted Y/N to let him use her as a pillow and run her hands all through his hair, just as she was doing to Eddie. It was written all over his face.

"Make-up wipes are in the draw on the left," she said, diverting his gaze to Eddie. Gently, she caressed his cheek and cooed, "Hey stupid, can you squish over a bit please?" when he opened his bleary eyes. Eddie groaned but moved over, allowing space on the other side of her. Y/N patted the gap beside her for Steve to take.

Without wasting another second, Steve did just that. There wasn't much room to spare so Y/N brought her arm around Eddie and pulled him closer until his head was resting comfortably in the crook of her neck. It made Steve's heart flutter and butterflies erupt in his stomach. He loved how close they were. Loved how calm they seemed to feel with each other. Loved feeling like they were finally, truly safe.

"Are you comfortable?" She whispered in Eddie's ear, her voice low and sweet like honey. He nodded without saying a word so her fingers gently carded through his hair again, stroking it until the urge to fall asleep again became too much for him to ignore.

Within a few minutes, Eddie had returned to the land of Nod. Steve watched in amusement as he snored lightly, Y/N's finger moving soothingly along his cheekbone. She kept her voice low as she whispered, "He pretends to be all metal and gruff. Nope. He's actually a huge softie under all that."

Soft? Of all the adjectives Steve would apply to Eddie, soft had never come up before. Idiotic, yes. Heroic. Strange, most definitely. Soft? It did seem to fit him though.

"All the bullying kind of forced him into it," she added, sighing quietly. "I know he tries to hide it from everyone, but it did really get to him. It still does sometimes."

"Did... did he tell you why?"

"No, but I've caught glimpses and snippets of his past," she admitted after taking a while to consider how to describe everything he shared with her without overstepping Eddie's boundaries. "Despite everything, he's still kind and gentle and caring… to a fault, no matter how tough he acts."

As she spoke, her thumb rubbed along Eddie's cheekbone lovingly and Steve couldn't tear his eyes away from how adoringly she gazed at Eddie's peacefully sleeping form. She must have noticed the sudden silence that followed her words because she immediately apologised, "Sorry. This is probably way too sappy. You don't have to listen to this if-"

She was interrupted by Steve's quick response. "No, I wanna." His voice was soft and it only added more to the atmosphere between them. She turned her head slightly to meet Steve's eyes that shone with sincerity, admiration and a hint of something else. She was unable to name it, but she recognized that it was more than friendship, more than mere acquaintanceship, yet something.

Something different. Something new. Something...more.

Yet, their tender moment was interrupted by Y/N's mother. "Honey, I said to leave the door open," her mother reprimanded, her voice too loud for Eddie and forcing him to shoot awake, alert and confused. "Oh sorry, lovely. I didn't know you'd drifted off."

"Was dreaming of you, Mrs L/N," he sluggishly flirted, rubbing his bleary eyes and giving a weak wink before returning his head back to Y/N's chest.

"Eddie, stop. You're going to make me blush, dear," Mrs L/N chuckled fondly before turning her focus back to her daughter. "Are you friends staying for dinner?"

"Up to them."

Both boys let out a polite "Yes please!" at the same time. Mrs L/N nodded and smiled at their responses before making her way to the kitchen.

For a moment, Eddie completely forgot that Steve was there. He nuzzled further into her, mumbled, "Yaw comfy" in a weird, childish accent and placed a peck against her cheek. Steve laughed as he observed the scene playing out in front of him with amusement.

"Ah, Harrington!"

Eddie quickly sat up at the sound of Steve's voice, losing balance and falling off the bed entirely. With Y/N laughing at him and Steve smirking smugly, they managed to get the poor boy back onto the bed safely. Eddie grumbled some profanities under his breath while he adjusted his clothes and got his bearings. "I'm okay. I'm okay," he said, brushing himself off, not bothering to look at Steve who was now chuckling to himself. "Shut up, Harrington."

"I didn't even say anything."

Y/N was watching them in amusement, still holding back a laugh until Eddie suddenly stopped in place as he noticed a small smear of black by Steve's eye. "He put eyeliner on," he pointed accusingly towards Steve, who simply shrugged.

"So what if I did?"

"Did he look hot?"

"Smoking," Y/N said with a grin, which only caused Steve to blush furiously.

During dinner the boys tried to keep their squabbling to a minimum but some teasing remarks slipped through the cracks. Like when Steve accidentally bumped Eddie's elbow and the former mumbled, "Get your fat elbow away from me."

And the latter responded, "Not as fat as your head."

Mrs L/N soon set them straight with a glare that only a mother could give, which was something that neither of them had really experienced before. Eddie's mother had died when he was young. Steve, on the other hand, his mother was rather carefree and unrestrictive when it came to discipline - Mrs Harrington was far more focused on Mr Harrington's affairs than effectively raising their son.

Then before they knew it, it was dark outside and time to bid the L/N's goodbye. Steve had his cheeks squeezed and told to come around anytime his parents were out as Y/N's mother thought "A young man such as yourself, and I don't mean to be rude, you look as if you can only make ready meals," and she was one hundred percent correct.

While Steve was being assaulted with maternal love, Eddie was busy winking at Mr L/N and making the old man chuckle. "Looking good, sir. You've definitely put some muscle on since my last visit."

"Yeah yeah, lay the flattery on thick, kid." Mr L/N ruffled Eddie's hair. "My car is making that god awful clunking sound, mind popping over when you're free to have a look? See what all the fuss is about?"

"Would be an honour, sir."

Honestly, Y/N wasn't surprised how quickly the pair of them had charmed her parents. It was almost impossible to imagine Steve being intimidating or cold, much less friendly. And Eddie was far too playful for anyone who spent five minutes with him to find him scary in any way shape or form.

"Y/N?" Steve piped up, drawing Y/N out of her reverie. She looked at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow. Steve cleared his throat, fidgeting a little uncomfortably as he continued. "Uh... I just wanted to say..." he began before pausing to gather his courage to say his next sentence. "Thanks for today and the clothes and everything. I'll try my best not to mess up my band duties."

"You will absolutely mess up," she replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips despite herself. "We all have. Eddie forgot to tune his guitar a couple of weeks back. Gareth snaps his sticks all the time. And it's rare we get through a performance without me forgetting the lyrics at least once."

Her smile faded, a pensive expression washing over her features. "It's never perfect. You've just got to try each week and hope that it turns out okay."

Fuck, that was a total relief to Steve. He'd not said anything but the idea of performing was so nerve inducing for him that it made him feel like shit. To think that someone as kind and wonderful and amazing as Y/N - a girl whose whole heart seemed to glow whenever she smiled and had a voice that could charm the birds from the trees - could possibly mess up too was so relieving to hear. And, if she thought he wouldn't mess up too badly and ruin the show then it must be true, right?

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He was quick to give her a hug that she eagerly returned. Steve pulled back after a few moments, smiling sheepishly, trying not to blush too obviously as he muttered, "See you tomorrow."

As soon as her embrace with Steve ended, Y/N was pulled backwards by the hips until her back hit Eddie's front. His arms snaked themselves around her waist and pulled her closer as he kissed her temple lovingly. "G'night, princess," he whispered before leaning in and kissing her cheek. His kiss lingered for a couple seconds before he finally stepped back, releasing her from his hold reluctantly.

"Bye boys!" Y/N chirped. "Be safe. Try not to do anything reckless, okay?!"

"Dude, that last bit was definitely directed at you."

"Shut it, Harrington."

Despite the fact that Steve only lived opposite, Eddie walked him home. The rocker insisted on it, even though he hadn't told his buddy that. But Steve didn't mind. In fact, if he was honest, he felt honoured.

"Hey, man. I, uh, I want to apologise if anything Tommy and I did or said ever, you know... got to you. Or hurt you or, uh-"

Steve was interrupted by the huge bear hug that Eddie pulled him into. It took Steve off guard momentarily, but quickly returned the embrace, laughing as he hugged the older boy tightly. He could barely breathe, but he didn't mind. They were friends, after all. There was no harm done in the end. No big deal. Besides, they needed each other. Just friends though. Nothing more.

"No, no it's fine, man. Really. Don't sweat it. Everything is cool," Eddie assured him, loosening his grip but not releasing his hold. They stood in each other's arms for a bit before they realised what they were doing and hastily broke the embrace.

"Oh. Oh, shit, sorry," Steve exclaimed, blushing furiously as he stared down at the ground. "Uh... I should go. Uh."

"Right. Right, yeah! Of course. Yeah, um, bye." Eddie waved awkwardly. As awkward as it was for him, seeing his friend acting so nervous was kinda cute. A light chuckle slipped past his lips and he shook his head slightly as he made his way to his van.

Once he reached his vehicle, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he leaned against the wheel, accidentally pressing the horn and scaring himself. He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before driving off.

Chapter 2: Best Of Both Worlds

#eddie stranger things #eddie munson & reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve stranger things

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jade-of-mourning · 13 days

Note

hiiii lychee :))

as you can see I have too much free time on my hands. but I have a decent amount to say today, so prepare yourself

I’m gonna try and keep this organized and maybe short so 1: do you have any more thoughts on the avatar mako au to share because it’s been rolling around in my brain a lot and I want to know what you have to say about it bcs the way your brain works is so. hajdhskapxn/pos

2: mako learning to draw by engraving his parents’ faces in the dirt of an alleyway over and over and over for years even as he starts to forget their faces. mako who wishes he could’ve afforded paper and charcoal at eight to put down something permanent, something accurate. mako getting their family photo from yin and giving her the scarf, redrawing the picture on the nicest paper he can find to give to her as well. artist mako,, save me artist mako,,,

3: more fem mako thoughts but makorrasami love triangle/eventual polycule(?) except they’re all girls. I just feel like the pining after your team captain who you now do know is gay except it’s because she’s dating a rich girl who’s also very hot is just a whole lot more fun than what they had going on in canon because. girls but sports au. sooo in love w that. also I don’t think makorra would get together in b1 like canon did for a couple reasons. for one, the girl trauma in addition to general trauma of being a homeless orphan. touch and gestures of affection from a person she doesn’t know well yet would probably be a no-no, and korra seems like a very touchy person, just in the natural way that her space is yours and your space is hers. also her energy? like obviously mako would come around but korra in b1 is so much more excited about the world than mako and I think that would kind of, like, intimidate her. (<-also reasons makorra could’ve worked later on but not when they happened) but as the series progresses, korra mellows and mako gets used to her. it works.

but then how does masami happen so early? because asami is the moon to korra’s sun. she’s calm and a careful thinker and after korra’s exuberance breaks down mako’s walls a little bit, asami would be able to slip in being everything mako imagines herself wanting. also more than financially stable. so masami becomes a thing, and korra is jealous, but she’s not sure of who which I personally think is so funny

but yeah that’s basically it. I always love how you take my silly little commentary and give actual thoughtful replies, it makes my day 😭

with love

🐌

snailon! good to see you here haha i totally didn't die for like two weeks what fjsgjhjkgfhs (i'm so sorry i took so long that you thought you imagined this ask hhh)

okay i actually have not thought about it for a hot minute but get this… i get like 40 hours a week back because no more percussion! so i have so much time!!! dude i'm going to rewatch lok AGAIN and then brainrot some more. avatar mako's love hate relationship with the entire fucking world is the only thing about it in my head. i'm sorry i don't have a lot to say about this au right now :(( it'll happen,,, one day,,,,

oh! (sobbing!) personally i am a fan of aspiring writer mako but also artist mako is extremely valid and i love the hc's you've built around it :)

girl for girl for girl makorrasami is really the best version of it tbh! love all your thoughts and actually that's a hilarious angle of korra getting the Sapphic Confirmation but it's not a good thing bc the love interest is actually dating a girl who is NOT korra except oh shit this girl is also super hot and attractive. what the fuck is this. korra my favorite girl in the world ever you're allowed to like all the girls in the world if you want and no one has the right to fault you for it.

anyway thank YOU for always sharing your thoughts with me!! i love to hear it and i'm sorry there was such a delay bhjfjgfh i'll get to your other ask soon promise. my commentary is a little bit dead today but i wanted to get this out instead of leaving it rotting in my inbox forever because i promise i have been turning it over in my head for a minute now :P have a good day snailon!

#lychee acquires and answers asks

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bisluthq · 1 month

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I’m now seeing a lot of diskhorse going around about swifties saying Taylor is being portrayed as a big bad mad woman bc she is expected to “reveal” how awful Joe was in TTPD and that this “pro-Joe” sentiment is deeply entrenched in power dynamics. But like…we haven’t even heard the album yet? It feels like both extremist sides are readying for war around proving Joe was a monster or proving Taylor was the monster and is now fucking over poor baby Joe. I guess I’ve of the mindset neither one of these people needs a defense squad? Swifities are gonna hate Joe regardless - even if she doesn’t “reveal” anything we don’t already know (they had an anxious attachment and wanted different things and both felt unseen in different ways) - they always believe she was the ONLY wronged person in the relationship (certainly true of her early days with older men but I feel less so as time has gone on).

Ps: do you think cardigan might be about her nostalgia for MH? The smoke hanging around in the air/smoke on my clothes Slut parallel stood out to me. And it does seem very pining/building someone up in her mind/what could have been/MANIfEsTINg - you’d come back to me!!!. Idk I know the timing is very early for that but a thought!

I agree that neither Joe nor Taylor require defending at this stage and neither is likely to because based on what we’ve heard so far it’s pretty likely we’ll hear what we know - maybe with some more details - and yea Swifties will hate him regardless of what she says and some people will say “HOW DARE SHE WRITE ABOUT HER LIFE” and it’ll all be terribly boring because like that’s just idk life. I’m personally very excited to hear her perspective and then idk apply it to my own situations as I usually do with her songs lol. I agree that the old dudes aside (so Jake and John) and Sam x6 aside (because HE COULD’VE JUST SAID NO and he COULD’VE gone home) most of her relationships collapsed on two ends same as like idk all our relationships do? It generally takes two or lol more I suppose people to fuck something up??

I don’t buy cardigan as a Matty song when it was being written at alllllll lol because the timing doesn’t work and the first pre teenage triangle draft had all that gold imagery which she usually had about Joe (and she was with Joe at the time) but she did seem to associate it with him when they were together. Taylor applies her own songs to different situations/scenarios though just like we apply her songs to different situations/scenarios.

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rownanisntwriting · 11 months

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this or that? tag!

i was tagged by @thewardenofwinter! you can find their post here! i am combing through my tags to see which ones i'm able to participate in. thank you for giving me plenty of options teehee.

historical or futuristic

i feel like it's much easier to do something historical considering there is already something to build off of? and you have to pull a lot less shit out of your ass, especially considering you can have easy reference for clothing and such. a lot of my rps (shhh) are more historical than modern.

the opening or closing chapter

while i am fully aware of how hard openings are— i love endings. i have yet to write one, but they are so bittersweet. i think i prefer it more out of anticipation.

light+fluffy or dark+gritty

give me the dirt and blood beneath the nails, the pining, the bad boy. in fact, give me the castlevania style shit. give me all of that. in fact, i'll do it myself.

animal companion or found family

in project tsa the mc Venus does have a cat named Farah, but i think found family is so so so sweet. theres just something about it.

horror or romance

romance is so fun. i'm getting into establishing a relationship with some charachters and i think they're going to be absolute sweeties. i also like romance between villians? like the bad guy should get the girl, i'm not even sorry.

hard magic system or soft magic system

i feel like it is so much easier when a magic system is strict and linear. i'm going to have to write one myself for some projects, but especially project labyrinth.

standalone or series

i can see some fulfillment in a standalone, but i can see the appeal of a series. i actually prefer a series, especially if it's slow burn, it won't feel rushed, and if it's the 'a touch of' series, just throw it away.

one project at a time or always juggling 2+

researching for 'endless wip' as we speak.

one award winner or one bestseller

now i aint sayin she a golddigger...

fantasy or sci-fi

give me a sexy mentally ill vampire with mommy and daddy issues. thats all i fuckin want (alucard from castlevania).

character description or setting description

as long as youre not telling me that the mcs brown orbs pierced her own in the mirror as she pulled her shiny, chocolate brown hair pulled into a bun to begin her day so she can have cereal for breakfast before school— then i'm cool. i'd truly rather hear about the sky. if the sun burned like a fluorescent lightbulb in a classroom at 8am— I want that shit.

first draft or final draft

i suppose first! i've not made it to a final yet. i hope i can sometime soon, i want that fulfillment of ending something.

love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs

if there is anything to be learned from twilight— it is the fact that love triangles fucking suck. especially when both characters are unstable as shit, one of them being wildly suicidal and the other has some insane anger issues. and besides, the mc always ends up choosing the douchey dude anyhow.

constant sandstorm or rainstorm

my boyfriend made me fall in love with rain. i've learned to tolerate thunder.

as per usual, i have no one to tag, so i will leave the floor open!

#writeblr #writeblr tag games #this or that #tag game #thank yew

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coldflasher · 1 year

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Thallen ✨

Once again I am behind haha. This is a much more straightforward one. It's a no from me on this one! 1. Why don’t you ship it?

The main reason I don't ship this one is almost entirely because of Eddie as a person, to be honest. He's very sweet, but the man is so vanilla and I honestly don't think they really gave him much of a personality. They knew they were going to kill him off from day one, and I think because of that, they didn't really develop him much beyond "blandly nice, likeable dude." He's... saccharine, is probably the best way I can describe it. Very white picket fence. Don't get me wrong, I like him well enough, but there's a reason that I don't really include him in fics even as a love interest for Iris, and it's mostly because I don't think there's that much substance there and I have a hard time digging deeper into him because they never really gave us a lot to work with. What do we know about Eddie, other than that he's kind and a good boyfriend? Some very brief backstory about him being bullied that never gets explored and only serves to explain why and how he knows how to fight. That's kind of it. I absolutely can and will glom onto a side character with minimal backstory, but there has to be something to hook me in. We got a whole season of Eddie and I feel like he was less developed than some of the random metas of the week that we've had for a single episode.

To be fair, Barry also throws a spanner in the works of this ship for me, because Barry does NOT like Eddie at first, and not in a fun enemies to lovers way where they're sniping at each other and you get that fun banter. Eddie isn't in on it and has no idea that Barry dislikes him, so it feels like punching down. Don't get me wrong, I love all the scenes where Barry is sulking and rolling his eyes and making cheap, bitchy digs about him, because they're really funny---but because Eddie is so cheerful and nice and genuinely has no clue that Barry's being a dick about him being his back, it just ends up making Barry look petty and mean. I mean, he IS, and I love him for it (god i miss bitchy s1 barry and the giant chip on his shoulder) but I don't love that dynamic from a ship perspective.

2. What would have made you like it?

So there are two very different directions they could have taken Thallen that would have made it easier for me to get behind. One would be if they had let Eddie fight back more. Like aside from punching him that one time after he confessed his love for Iris, Eddie doesn't really react or fight or do anything but stew in silence when he realises what's going on behind his back. I think they should have let him be meaner about it, honestly. Make him more flawed and give him a darker side.

Alternatively, I liked the moments of friendship we got between him and Barry and the love triangle could have been more interesting if they'd leaned into that more, imo. Add more conflict with Barry being genuinely torn about knowing that if he does get with Iris, he will be betraying a close friend who he's actually come to care about a lot in his own right... then he starts to care about Eddie in a suspiciously homoerotic way and the audience gets confused about who those longing stares are really aimed at... who's he really pining for? Is it still Iris? Or is he now jealous of both of them 👀 ooh, the drama

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I love this scene. You all know.

HARDER!!

Also I really like the scenes we get after Eddie finds out the big secret, where they're all driving around in Joe's car while Barry catches bad guys and they're all having so much FUN with it, and Eddie is in so much awe of what Barry can do... what a sweetheart. He deserved better :(

I do think they had potential, I just wish they had developed the friendship and the dynamic and Eddie as a character because I feel like I never got a good grip on him as a character, really

Send me a ship and I’ll answer three questions based on if I ship it or not.

#answered

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sparkyz-plug-writes · 1 year

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🏵️?!Eye on you three?! Bill cipher x Elizabeth (Platonic)🏵️

!!Requested by @fanfics7283 also the oc Elizabeth belongs to her!!

Characters:

Bill cipher: He/They (still Maniac a little dorito dude but a little bit more kind)

Elizabeth Mayday: She/Her (main pep, symbol is Starlight)

Dipper pines: He/Him (tired boio, ofc pine tree)

Mabel Pines: She/Her (bouncing off the goddamn wall someone help her- da shooting star)

+ grunkle Stan, Soos and Wendy!

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Elizabeth woke out of bed from her alarm, Utterly a bit annoyed bc she was having a wonderful dream, one with the stars! But that stupid fucking alarm ruin that for me- I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready. So after one hot shower later, a hair dryer Grunkle Stan got her (THANK GOD) And she put on her normal white sweater and Olive skirt with a pretty Olive and yellow headband and she was off, running into the living room smelling breakfast! She sat down

"Hey Elizabeth guess what?!"

"Hm? What is it Mabel?"

"I made MABEL JUICE!!"

". . . . Oh no-"

Mabel gave Elizabeth a glass, she was scared at what Stan said "Like coffee and nightmares had a baby" but she took a sip, instantly the flavor was too much for her and her face showed it

"g-great...!"

"Wow thanks so much!! But could you get Dipper, he's gonna help me with my puppet show!"

Mabel hugged Elizabeth but the taste of the juice was still getting to me- She then got up to go get Dipper because that worked her up!! But he was probably digging into that journal again, he's OBSESSED but that thing kind of scares her! But passing by Wendy and Soos she at least said hi

"Hey Wendy, hey Soos!"

"Hey" "Sup dog?"

"you know, gonna go get Dipper out!"

They laughed a bit, they knew about the mysterious things going on in this town but they still kind of joked about Dipper and his obsession with that book, but Elizabeth just took up to the roof, but Dipper wasn't there... It worried her bc she thought that he was up here but suddenly the world went dull, things stopped moving, what was going on-

"HeheheHAHAHA! Well aren't you back Starlight?!"

"Who are you?!

A triangle Man appeared it was Bill you know him for when Dipper and Mabel fought him, Elizabeth didn't get to fight him though, she was out of town for a bit but she was scared, TOO SCARED

"P-Please don't hurt me.!!"

"hey hey calm down kid I'm not gonna hurt you- YET, HAHA! Just kidding, but listen I've been watching you, Pine-tree and shooting-star for a while now! So I want to ask you for a FAVOR for me!"

"What is it..?"

"I just need a bit of a puppet! I've been soooooo bored in this realm so I wanna help you and you friends!" (He just wants to cause mayhem)

"Wait you wanna help? That's great!!"

Elizabeth tone changed, she was happy he wanted to help, poor fool, it was all a lie, or was it..?

"So if you're like a ghost and I can definitely get you something to possess and I have a lot of ideas I have in mind-"

Elizabeth started ranting about stuff that bill could do he was annoyed by it but never had the idea of different things to possess even though he was really just going to possess her but one thing stuck out

"-Also wanna be friends?"

"Friends? You serious?"

"yeah! We can help you and you can help us!!"

". . . Yeah we could be "friends"..."

"okay I'll get Dipper and Mabel!!! They'll be glad we can make amends and be buddies!!"

"WAIT KID DONT GET THEM-"

Elizabeth was already gonna get Dipper and Mabel, Bill trying not to, something tells me these four are gonna get into some trouble, but, what's a burned town between friends...? :]

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

OMG I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE THIS AJSBSLANAKSNW

#oc x canon #gravity falls x oc #dipper pines #mabel pines #bill cipher #and ig:#gravity falls x reader #idk how to tag-

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belabellissima · 6 months

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Casually slides down your chimney

Your secret santa has returned!! Thank you so much for those answers to the would rather game! I'm notoriously bad at them, too, so I'm happy with the rambling, especially becuase if gave me a chance to learn more about you!

Honestly I think we had the exact same answers for the bonus questions! I'm a hardback fan all the way 🥰 And my go to in the morning is a coffee, but I love nothing more than my afternoon english breakfast with a bit of milk and honey. I think I need to try that masala chai wiith cardamom and sugar though, that's sound delicious!! And Team Rosalie is a perfect answer 🤌

When it comes to your gift, what I'm hearing from your answers is that you'd like a smutty multichapter feysand fic that's set in canon driven and driven by romance with LOTS of angst 👀 hehehe that sounds delicious and I think I already have an idea brewing in this ole Cauldron.

My questions for you now are...

What are your favorite romance tropes?

What are your top 5 favorite Feysand moments?

If you could change anything about the acotar series, what would it be?

What's your favorite song(s) at the moment? Which ones remind you most of Feysand?

Hello!!!! You have returned!!!! And this time I can answer before going to work lmao! edit: no actually I wrote for so long that I had to go to work before I finished and am posting this on my break 😂

And same answers?!?!?!! ITS FATE! And I'm so glad to know another English Breakfast lover!!! Truly a wonderful tea😌 also all the talk of masala chai made me crave some enough to go make a pot! I have had smh a fresh mug next to me and I didn't add too much sugar this time! and i have more dishes added to the never-vanishing pile but I have cleaned up the spills on the counter its f i n e

One thing about me is that I have a favorite pot that I always use for hot drinks and soups because it's the only one without a lip and so also the only one where I can consistently pour from it and not spill what I've just made.... but that one was already dirty :/

Also the gift already sounds so beautiful! Perfect 💯 10/10 I am READY to bawl my eyes out! (have you noticed yet I use... a LOT of exclamation marks?😅)

and for the questions!

Favorite Romance tropes? ooooh thats a tough one because a lot depend on the genre! If I'm reading fantasy then enemies-to-lovers is amazing, but especially so if it's one-sided! Like Jude and Cardan - he was in love with her and she hated his guts so much she thought he must hate her in return! Or Feysand in the first book, now that I think about it lmao. Other favorites include classics such as only one bed (or horse if its a road-trip romance), soulmates/fated mates, forced proximity, and hidden identity! If its more contemporary though, I lean toward fake dating, rivals-to-lovers (technically a branch on enemies to lovers but eh), and mutual pining/idiots-to-lovers. One trope though that i don't really like??? Is actually the love triangle. Because I WILL start shipping all three of them together rather than choose. (Or the back-and-forth starts to annoy me. Depends on how it's being written.) speaking of that if you like sci-fi books i would recommend Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, that's got a canon polyamorous relationship!

Favorite Feysand moments - Calanmai obviously, that scene is iconic for a reason and i get emotional if I think about it too long while remembering chapter 54, there you are. I've been looking for you I also adore Feyre throwing her shoe at Rhys after he dares her to do it again, Feyre taunting Rhys while in the Summer Court only to immediately get jealous that he does the same thing, both CoN scenes, and the scene with the bone carver when feyre admits she would have turned the knife on herself and Rhys is devastated by it. what can I say I love angst hahaha😂

Honestly I don't like that Rhys twists Feyre's arm for the bargain. Like... dude. I know you were playing a part but really? Also i wish nesta was a carynthian - the writer in me understands that her character development and journey needed for her to stand her ground instead of reaching the summit, and arc-wise it was a fufilling end, but the valkyrie lover in me is like... why couldn't nesta reach the top too? also cassian not saying ily to nes in her book?????😡🤬 do better cass.

Favorite songs at the moment are "So Hot that it Hurts" and "Conversations with the Dashboard" by Voilà (they are so underrated I need more people to listen to them), "Electric Touch," "You're On Your Own, Kid," "Castles Crumbling," "Willow," "Ivy," "Dress," and "New Year's Day" by Taylor, "Last of the Real Ones" by FOB, and "Da Selby" Parts 1 and 2 by Hozier. Feysand wise is probably New Years Day (I did title my amnesia fic with this song so I kinda have to pick it lol 😂 ) and Dress (but dress is also perfect for Emorie so👀). Voilà also has a perfect feysand song with "Figure You Out" - it just screams rhys to me in the beginning of acomaf saying "Really? Tamlin? You picked Tamlin? He gave you red paint and thought it would make you happy and you still think he’s the man for you?” Also "Hurt for Me," "Where's My Love," and "Better" by SYML destroyed me with the Feysand feels to the point that I immediately added them to my playlist! 😭

I think that’s it, what songs do you like though??? I’m always looking for new music 😅

Make sure you’re drinking enough water and getting sleep!!! 🥰 See you next time!!!!!! byeeeeeee!!! 👋🏼

#secret santa #ily take care of yourself!#as always: milk and cookies #🥛🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

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miss0atae · 9 months

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The Jungle - 8th Episode Review

Here is the review for the 8th episode and I truly was not excited about this one. I really wanted it to be better than what the preview was giving yesterday but you’ll see really quickly that my hopes died so fast.

We get the backstory behind the reason’s why Hack came to see Irin. He was having sex in the bathroom at that time with a random woman (or was it just a hug XD. The spice is so tame in this series) then Hunter knocked at the door with an unhappy face. Turns out he was the messenger for Pine who wants someone to take care of Irin while he is not here.

Suddenly we have a flashback from 7 years ago with Irin coming at the RV (was it her first time?). The RV is freaking old for a secret bar. She struggled to get in because she didn’t take the same piano lessons at school like Pladao or Gale. Hack helped her get inside and we also learn that apparently you only get three chances to get in. Excuse me! Since when? I remember Pladao and Gale doing more than that. They got a free pass, or what? Anyway, Hack is flirting but Irin is not into it. We discover that she already knew Pine but not Hack at that time. He offered her a drink but she rejected him. He is trying to explain the personality of Pine to her but in vain. Mostly it looks like he is trying to ruin her chances with him. It was the only point where I thought Irin was the most clever girl among all the group so far. That quickly disappeared too. She saw right in his bullshit which was a refreshing change. Also, Hack has a big ego! It's the size of a mountain. “You will come to me when you are tired of trying to break his walls”. Man calm down! You're not that great either. So Irin is a butterfly. What would be an episode of the Jungle without these little comparisons with animals. It is to keep alive the vibes of wildlife documentary introduced from the first episode. So back in the present with Irin being again tired with Hack's bullshits. My question is why Hack thinks he can score good points with Irin if he is mocking her all the time. Plus being jealous of Pine for about 7 years is too much!

Wow! In the next scene we got Bad mom the return! I wasn't expecting it. Wayu wants to come clean to Pethai's grandparents about taking his brother’s identity but Bad Mom thinks it won't work. She should be the one apologizing why he is doing all the work?! Wayu just wants to tell them that he doesn't need their inheritances. Dude is rich why would he need them anyway? I assume a celebrity in Thailand earns a fair amount of money. Bad Mom is still thinking only about her. That woman is so shameless and self-obsessed. Is she pretending to faint now? My bad, I was bad-mouthing her when it turns out she has cancer. Oh please! Stop trying to make every villains a good y in disguise.

We leave Bad Mom and Pethai to switch to the twins. Nannam is mocking his twin for not going through his love story with Pladao. Nanfah is really becoming the sweet Naan. Is there hope for a real love story between them in the next episode? You can't just be friend! Also I don't care about Irin/Hack and Pine, love triangle. They should have made the show focus only on the twins. I love this kind of story. The twins taking the identity of the other one was amazing in Not Me. I'm quite impressed with Nanon here. He is not bad at all. Of course we are not at the level of Gun Atthaphan but it's a quite good performance from Nanon. Sweet Naan stop thinking you'll hurt the girl. Pladao is not her cousin. Besides she did so many dumb things before and she is still fine. This girl has nine lives. Nannam is not helping at all xD. Your brother needs to have some reassurance. Stop trying to be the better man Naanfah. Go after her! I was shocked to learn that Pine could be the real leader of the Jungle. I also notice that that Naanfah said Nannam and Pethai were the right hands of Pine and he only has Hack now. So Nathee is only in the Jungle for what? Just to look pretty.

Let’s move back to Irin who is drinking her problems away and Hunter acts like her sober companion. He also tries to convince her to strop trying to get with Pine because it's not possible since there was only one person for him anyway. I guess he is talking about his true love (Is it August or another girl? Because they all talk like she is dead so I don’t know). I kind of feel sad for Irin. She will have to settle for Hack. We got another Flashback with an audition for Irin where they order her to undress in front of a man to get the job. Again everyone goes to the RV to celebrate. This bar is supposed to be hidden but everyone gets there. The man who conducted the audition is trying to grope Irin. He can't leave her alone. I hate those kinds of scenes. They are really hard to watch for me. I understand why we get them for the plot but gosh it's so infuriating. Hack helps Irin. Then Pine also joins in. Irin tries to go home but the man is really assaulting her this time. The Jungle arrived and saved her. That’s how she got so in love with Pine because she views him as her savior. Was the encounter before or after she came for the first time in RV? In the present, Hunter is still acting as the therapist of everyone here. Irin is in her delusional era. Why forcing yourself in a relationship when the other person doesn't want to be with you? Let it go! Find someone who really wants you for you. Well, after drinking a lot and going after Pine in her home she wakes up in his bed but it didn’t happen. She thought she had sex with Pine but it was Hack in fact. Don't drink kids or you will regret it. Hack is having fun while Irin is freaking out. My guess... They probably didn't really do it. I thought like that with Pladao and Nanfah in one episode but they never really said if it happened or not.

Why are these relationships all starting badly in this show. It's getting boring after a while. Irin went to pick up her sister in her school but she had one class to still do so she joins her. The sister has a law class to attend and she said she likes this class because of the teacher... we all know the teacher is Hack because the world is so small. He teases Irin in his class by asking her questions. I stopped caring at that point so I can just say that it was to show their relationships after their night. Then after the class we got a product placement for milk when they met outside. Has anyone tried it before? I can’t drink cow milk but I’m curious about the taste. Did we also got a Durex product placement too? They disagree about many things. Really I got bored of their conversation. There are absolutely zero sparks between them. I saw Krist on Be My Favorite recently and I know he can have it with a co-star so my guess is that it's bad writing/directing in action again.

The series is really trying to make Bad Mom a good person deep down. So annoying. Wayu and her are reminiscing about the real Pethai. Wow two brothers who look the same but have different personalities. Groundbreaking! Sorry I can't feel sorry for Bad Mom. There isn't enough good writing to make that possible. She tried to ruin life for others. Wayu is a fool to fall for that. I can't. This part is the most ridiculous in the whole series. It's a big no for me. I feel zero empathy for them. It's terrible.

Irin has an identity crisis and an accident at the same time. Turns out she is fine and only the car got damaged. She calls someone to help her and I guess it’s Pine, but he doesn’t come and instead we have Hack. Irin is furious and disappointed. She is jealous and hurt because she knows she will never be in Pine’s heart. Hack looks almost hurt for her. It was the only time where I thought it looked like he wants her. He is offering her an escape by telling her the truth about Pine and how he lost his love. Also we learn that Pine has sex with different women and drinks to forget about that person. At the end of this episode, Irin decides to sleep with Hack to forget about Pine.

This episode was so boring. Like really it was the first time I couldn’t concentrate because there were no reasons for me to be really attentive. I only liked the part between the twins. The preview for the next episode is not that interesting too so I don’t have a lot of hopes for next week. At least, we’ll have more info about Nathee and the beginning of his love story with Florence. Aye is a really good actress and I can’t wait to see her. She is one of the reason I decided to watch this series so I was really anticipating her apparition. I also hope Pladao and Nanfah will get their romance in the coming episodes but I doubt it will be in the 9th.

#thai series #gmmtv series #the jungle the series #my reviews

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with-love-from-hell · 1 year

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5 Sides of Human

{Part thirteen}

Genre: Mixed

WC: ~4.4k

CW: Anxiety, depictions of anger and verbal aggression, pining, scheming, vague mentions of manipulation, love triangle/one sided feelings, swearing, Simeon being a jerk lol, Storm has a stutter but I am not depicting it with written word consistently, spoilers for season 1&2!

A/N: still primarily on Hiatus, but after this week I decided to write a little bit to get my stress levels down. So here (:

Series Masterlist

“Mammon that was pathetic.” Fern scolded as they watched Mammon begrudgingly begin washing the mess of dishes amassed by his cooking. “You had her right where you wanted her, and you still couldn’t ask!?”

Mammon groaned. “I...I tried, but Lucifer, he jus-”

“He’s the one you’re competing against, Dammit!” Fern threw up their hands and began pacing around the kitchen. “Don’t you demons go by that weird alpha-beta male society structure thing?”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Satan scrunched up his nose, notedly walking into the conversation at the wrong time. “Isn’t that entirely based on those fallacious human-world wolf studies? Demon’s are far more intelligent than humans, Fern. You of all people should know that.”

Fern shook their head, completely bypassing the insult. “But y’all are like...weirdly manly macho masculine dudes. And obviously Lucifer has taken on the weird dad role he has, so that makes sense for this right?!”

Satan raised an eyebrow, and Mammon stood staring vacantly with a confused expression on his face. Fern groaned again and continued pacing.

“Are you going to ignore the fact that he called you stupid, Fern?” Vivi snickered, hoisting themselves up onto the counter.

“That’s not the point here!” Fern sighed, turning back around. “Mammon missed his chance to ask her out! I don’t want tiny grumpy grandpas running around because he decided to screw around with Storm.”

Mammon groaned. “Aye, I don’t want to think ‘bout that, man! The last thing I want visualized is him doin’...uh- stuff- with Storm!”

Vivi scoffed in disgust. “Why is it that you guys always default to that sort of thing? I think Storm’s smart enough to not do something like that. Besides, it’s not like it’s any of your business.”

“While I do agree that her sex life is not really our concern, I don’t want to ignore it and pretend having her messing around with him wouldn’t bother me for the same reasons.” Satan sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t think anyone in this house, plus many others, would be cool with it either.”

Vivi made a disgusted face and rolled her eyes. “You are all too much. Fuckin’ gross.”

“I think you’re ignoring the fact that Lucifer made a critical mistake today though, dear.” Asmo leaned against the doorframe, amused by the startled reaction of him listening to their conversation.

“Whatcha mean?” Mammon attempted to cross his arms, forgetting that they were drenched in dishwater and immediately shaking them lose with an annoyed growl.

“Well, did you not pick up on the way he was talking to Storm at the table and how she reacted to it?” Asmo’s lips twitched into a calculating smirk. “He was treating her like a child, and she did not seem to like that at all. I think he’s lost some affection points with her.”

“Points?!” Vivi jumped down off the counter. “Alright, no. This isn’t a competition to see who can get with Storm first!”

“But what if it was, though.” Asmo’s smirk grew. “I suppose I’d win, given how I’m irresistible n’ all.”

“Yeah right.” Mammon scoffed, pointing accusingly at Asmo. “If ya tried to flirt with her she’d go runnin’. Ya don’t got any self control.”

“I’d hate to agree with Mammon, but he’s right.” Satan shrugged. “Storm is shy and withdrawn. She’d do better with someone who fits her personality and is more sensitive to her needs, so I’d say your both out.”

“Oh, what and you’re in? I heard her turn you down in the library this morning, Mr.-Strong-Sensitive-Silent-Type.” Asmo mocked poking him in the chest.

Vivi blinked in confusion. “Wait, did you make a move on her?”

Satan stood frozen, a delicate blush spreading on his cheeks. “Well- It...It’s not like that, I was just-”

“What the fuck dude!” Fern screeched. “I thought we agreed that we’d put our bets on Mammon! You’re gonna mess up the whole plan!”

“What in the fuck are you all yelling about? I’m trying to nap in here for fucks sake.” Belphie grumbled from beneath the center island, causing Asmo and Mammon to squeal in shock. Fern began berating him for eaves dropping, while Belphie tried to make a point of how he could end up with Storm over anyone in the room.

“Alright, alright! shut up, will ya!” Mammon hissed, gesturing at everyone to keep their voices down after hearing Lucifer’s threatening voice from elsewhere in the house telling them to be quiet. “If ya wanna make a wager on this, I’d be willin’ to place a bet, but maybe we should do this when Lucifer ain’t in earshot, got it?!”

“Hmm.” Asmo giggled, shaking his head. “I think that I may go try my luck tonight, I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Oi!” Mammon yell-whispered, trying to block Asmo from leaving. “I ain’t gonna let ya do that until I get to talk to her first!”

“Alright, that’s it!” Vivi finally pushed herself off the counter in frustration, quickly moving toward Mammon and Asmo. With a few swift movements, she grabbed the backs of their heads and knocked their faces together hard, causing both of them to whine in pain. “I’m done with this shit. You can call me if you want someone to punch that dollar store ass dracula wannabe in the face, but I’m not going to sit here and help you manipulate your way into getting to my friend’s pants.”

“Friend..? I thought you said you couldn’t care less about Storm.” Satan mocked.

She paused, turning around and shooting Satan a glare. “Maybe you need your hearing checked because I didn’t say anything about us being friends.”

Satan gulped as Vivi punched her open palm, shaking his head in objection. “N-nevermind...”

“That’s what I thought.” Vivi growled, quickly stomping out of the room.

“Hey gurlieee.” Asmo beamed as he watched Storm enter the cafe, already prepared to work. He was eager to see she had picked up a shift early to get it all over with as soon as possible- just as he’d predicted she would. He skipped over to her, playfully winding up the bar rag he had been wiping down the counters with and snapping it at her hips.

“Quit, Asmo.” Storm grumbled, dropping her backpack behind the counter and dawn one of the white aprons.

“Aw, why the long face? I know this sucks, but you get to spend the next 8 hours with meee!”

“Isn’t your shift half over though?” Storm quirked an eyebrow at him, confused as to what he had meant. “What about rehearsal tonight?”

“Well, I figured I could stay later if it meant spending time with you.” He winked, bumping his hips into hers. “Besides, it’s a slow night! We basically just get to buss tables and hang out. How can you say no to that?!”

Storm rolled her eyes, but her small smile forming on her lips displayed her amusement. “I guess it wont be that bad then.”

Asmo giggled, booping Storm on the nose and going back to work. As Asmo had said, the night was slow. Few customers came and went in the first few hours, and there was barely anyone in for the dinner service. Storm was kind of surprised the shop owner had agreed to this decision with Lucifer given how little patronage they were receiving on a Friday night, thinking that they would have been more fit to just get the money for the repairs and call it a day.

Toward the last hour of their shift, Simeon burst through the cafe doors. He was furious, to say the least, and made a B-line directly toward the table Storm and Asmo were clearing.

“Is this a joke to you?” Simeon crossed his arms, tapping his foot in annoyance. “You think that this whole thing is just a big ol’ goof, and that you can half-ass it like you do everything else?!”

Storm barely had time to look up before the words flew from Simeon’s mouth. She furrowed her brows in confusion and hurt, trying to figure out what possessed the normally docile angel to act in such a manner. As she turned her attention to him to offer a rebuttal, she realized he was facing Asmodeus.

“What? Simeon, I-”

“Shut it.” Simeon snapped, poking a finger into his chest. “You were supposed to be at rehearsal 4 hours ago. We had to do the whole thing without you, and you know damn well you’re the one who needs to practice your lines the most, Asmo!”

“What about Storm!” Asmo gestured to her as he whined, “she missed rehearsal too!”

“Um, hello?!” Storm threw up her hands in exasperation. “I told him I wasn’t going to be there ahead of time! You didn’t have to stay this long with me- I even reminded you of rehearsal!”

“Ah, really?” Simeon narrowed his eyes, “Besides, she knows all her lines by heart. You don’t.”

“Come on Simeon, give me a break!” Asmo groaned, dramatically throwing his bar rag to the floor. “We’ve been at this non-stop for like 10 days now!”

“And that leaves only 5 left until the play!” Simeon yelled, catching the watchful eye of the Bartender who was supervising Asmo and Storm’s shift. “Again, I ask if you think this is a joke!? Do you want me to look like a fool!?”

“Simeon, you need to relax a little bit.” Storm murmured quietly as the Bartender shot her a warning glare. “I know this is a big deal but we can fix it- just calm down.”

Simeon’s eye twitched, but felt calmer as Storm patted his forearm. With an exasperated sigh, he leaned into Asmo’s face and sternly whispered. “If you’re not at rehearsal tomorrow, I’ll make sure there are consequences.”

With a sharp turn on his heel, Simeon stormed out of the restaurant, leaving Asmo frustrated and whiney for the remainder of her their time. Once the bartender called for Storm and Asmo to return their Aprons, Asmo excitedly pulled Storm along to a nearby bar, offering her a plethora of drinks to help “relax” her after the long day.

“I can’t believe how much of a jerk Simeon is being.” Asmo griped as he tossed back a shot. “Seriously, how can he act like this and get away with it? He’s worse than Lucifer.”

Storm shrugged, playing with the umbrella in her drink. “I mean, you did choose to skip rehearsal. And you haven’t been practicing your lines at home.”

“Oh, come on now.” Asmo rolled his eyes. “Nobody has time for something so stupid.”

“I...I have...” Storm muttered meekly as she sank into herself. “Besides, I...I do kind of agree with him...Like, Diavolo put me in charge of this and it doesn’t really seem like any of you care all that much except for Levi. I want to impress him and show him that I...That I’m worth something. But If you think it’s all stupid, then I guess-”

Asmodeus’ playful expression fell into a frown. He placed a hand on her shoulder tenderly, trying to figure out what to do to fix the way he made her feel. “Hey now, I didn’t mean it like that... I just meant that Simeon is being a bit too rough on everyone, is all. We’ll make sure it’s a success, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Storm forced a smile, but it immediately fell back into a frown. She remained quiet for a moment, continuing to play with her drink as Asmo desperately tried to figure out what to do.

“I think I’m just going to go home now. I’m really tired” Storm pushed her stool away from the bar and hopped down, having not even touched her drink. She tried to hurry away, knowing that Asmo was very pushy when it came to their time spent hanging out.

“What? I-WAIT!” Asmo gripped her arm before she was able to sneak away, the action shocking her a bit. “Before you go, I wanted to ask you something!”

Storm took a step back toward him and raised her brow, indicating she was listening.

“Do you want to go to the ball with me after the play?” He smiled warmly and raised his eyebrows. “Obviously there’s no one you’d rather go with, right?”

The way his eyes shimmered with a glittery peach tint told Storm he was again attempting to use his charming abilities on her. She sighed, gently pulling her arm free. “Sorry Asmo, I’m not interested.”

Asmo pouted. “What?? Why no?t!”

Storm looked away from him, trying to maintain her ground. It was difficult having to reject two of the brothers in one day. “I decided that I’m not really going to go with anyone specific because I don’t want anyone to feel bad.”

“Oh come on, they can suck it up!” Asmo waved the concern away before asking once more, giving her the cutest puppy-dog expression he could muster. “Are you sure you don’t want to go with me?”

“I...I’m sure.” She gave him a weak smile. “But I’m sure anyone else would!”

Asmo sighed. “Yeah, buuttt if you change your mind I may not be available!”

Storm nodded. “I’m aware...but that’s probably for the best.”

"Well, suit yourself then.” Asmo shrugged, attempting to display his indifference, but Storm could see the hurt behind his eyes before he returned his attention to the bar.

Storm snaked her way through the crowd and out of the bar to begin the walk home, feeling a bit disheartened that Asmo had struggled to accept her no, and then didn’t make an offer to walk her home like he normally would. She wouldn’t hold it against him, as she knew the rejection probably hurt his ego more than he’d want to admit, but she would be lying if she said she still wasn’t confident in walking alone in Devildom- especially at night.

“Can you believe she said she wasn’t interested? in me!?” Asmo cried into his pillow as Heart patted his back. “I mean, what’s not to like!”

“I’m sure she still likes you, Asmo. Just...not in that way.” Heart tried to reassure him, but wasn’t sure what to say to make him feel better, on top of the jealousy they felt at Asmo first asking Storm to the ball.

“Well I don’t want storm to just like me like she likes everyone else!” Asmo sniffled. “I’m special...Aren’t I?”

“Of course you are.” Heart reassured with a smile.

Asmo turned to them, curling his legs to his chest. “Well it doesn’t feel that way now...”

Heart’s smile dropped as Asmodeus broke into more sobs. It was surprising to them that someone filled with such vanity could also be so insecure. “Not everyone has to be enamored with you for you to have value, Asmo.”

“But I’m the most beautiful creature in all three realms- objectively!” Asmo pointed out flatly. “If not everyone agrees, then what's the point of anything!”

“Storm is just one person- why does her opinion matter so much to you when the rest of the consensus is...that?”

Asmo sighed in frustration, burying his head into his pillow. “I don’t know! I mean, I love her to pieces and I guess I just haven’t felt that way about someone before and had them not return it.”

Heart winced, not liking that confession. “Well, you can’t force everyone to love you.”

“That’s the thing though! I don’t have to!” Asmo belted into the pillow, more tears flooding down his cheeks. “Everyone just falls for me naturally- except her!”

“Asmo, just because one person doesn’t like you in the same way your used to doesn’t mean your life doesn’t have meaning. Besides, wouldn’t you want people to love you for well...you, and not just your appearance?”

There’s a pause for a moment before half-heartedly Asmo shrugs. His voice is muffled as he mumbles into the pillow. “I guess I don’t know. I’ve never really had that before I don’t think.”

Heart takes a deep breath. “ Love shouldn’t look like...well...obsession. It’s something deeper than that. And if that’s what you’re feeling for Storm, she isn’t obligated to love you back...I mean like, she still loves you. It seems like you guys have more of a friend or sibling bond, honestly. Storm seems like she’d be pressed to hate any one. She just doesn’t love you in the same way you love her.”

Asmo rolled over, eyes glistening with tears. “Well, I mean...I don’t know if I do love her in the way you’re talking about either.”

Heart blinks in confusion. “What? But you just said-”

“No, I know what I said...I just...” Asmo paused, trying to find the words. “I guess the love I have for her is more like obsessive? But I do see her as a close friend too...I don’t know. I just don’t like the idea of someone not loving me, I guess...”

“So you really just want her to love you- it’s not necessarily like you want to marry her or something.” Heart stated, trying to make sense of Asmo’s mess of emotions. “Like, if she did love you back, would you try to vie for her attention exclusively this much?”

“I guess not.” Asmodeus sighed, sitting up and hugging his knees. “That’s kind of fucked up of me, isn’t it?”

“Well, you are a demon.” Heart chuckled, but their expression dropped when Asmo looked at them with hurt in his eyes.

“I don’t want to be that way towards her though. She’s like family. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“Well...then maybe you just support her in the relationship that means something then?”

“You mean her and Lucifer?” Asmo cocked his head to the side, curious as to what Heart knew about Fern’s plans to sabotage any chance of a romance the two had.

“Well, yeah.” Heart shrugged. “They both really seem to like each other in that deeper way, so why not put the energy into that? It might make you feel better.”

Asmo nodded slowly, chewing his lip. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. Something about the moment with them felt intimate, and he found himself surprised that he would allow himself to be vulnerable like this with someone who wasn’t his brother. For a moment, Asmo wondered if the fluttering feeling in his stomach was the deeper love Heart was talking about.

“Heart?”

Heart paused the circles they were rubbing on Asmo’s back. “Hmm?”

“Do you love me?”

Heart was taken aback, a deep blush spreading across their face. “I- uh...I mean...Well...y-yeah?”

Asmo giggled at their sudden flustered state. “Like, in the way my fans do, or in the deeper way?”

“Uhh...well...I...” Heart sat frozen, unsure of what to say, as Asmo stared expectantly at them. They took a deep breath, not wanting to full-out confess to him. “Well, I suppose I haven’t known you for long enough yet to say that for sure...but I definitely feel something deeper than just attraction...”

Asmo’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Heart swallowed hard, trying to force the embarrassment off their features. “Yeah...and I mean...Since Storm wont go with you to the ball, I...I will...I-if you’d want to.”

A look of surprise mixed with excitement and curiosity shifted onto Asmo’s features. “Wait, are you asking me out on a date!?”

“Uh...yyyeesss..?” Heart gave a nervous smile as they almost posed the answer as a question to themselves, causing Asmo to laugh heartily. At first they thought he was mocking them, until he caught them into a tight embrace.

“Of course I’ll go with you! How could I say no to that adorable face!” Asmo giggled, peppering Heart’s face with gentle pecks. “I thought I’d be the one to ask you, but you never cease to amaze me with your boldness, darling!”

Heart breathed a sigh of relief, returning the embrace with a light chuckle. “Well, ya know...Dat me.”

Asmo giggled once more, squeezing Heart tighter. For once, the receiving of love from another felt more wholesome and pure rather than lustful, and he found himself liking the feeling more than what his fans ever offered, and even what Storm had shown him in terms of platonic love. Something about Heart seemed to lull him into a sense of comfort, to the point where he didn’t want to let go of them for even a moment.

“Where’s Diavolo? We need to practice the closing scene!” Simeon paced around the room in frustration, feeling pressed that they were now down 4 days to the play.

“I’m sure he’s just running a bit behind schedule.” Lucifer reassured, only to be met with a pointed glare from Simeon.

“He hasn’t been at Rehearsal since day 5. I’m worried that he hasn’t been practicing and is going to fudge all his lines!” Simeon let out a frustrated sigh, finding it hard to coordinate with Diavolo’s schedule- especially since too many “urgent” things had come up and taken even more time away from practice.

Storm shuffled her weight anxiously. Was Diavolo avoiding the play on purpose? He seemed excited to have the role he did at first, but maybe she said or did something to make him want to avoid her. Was it her appearance, maybe? Did she smell weird? Storm snuck a discrete sniff of her hair and armpits. No, it wasn’t that- or maybe she just misread his eagerness and he was just being overly nice. Did he really believe she could pull this off, or was he just leading her to failure? Did he really even want her hear like Solomon said? Maybe he is trying to find reason to get rid of her by making her plan bomb in front of everyone...or maybe-

“Hey...Storm?”

She flinched in surprise at the sudden feeling of a hand on her upper back. Lucifer had moved closer as Simeon continued his tirade of how everyone was ruining the play, seeing Storm seemingly becoming more and more anxious. Given her trauma, Lucifer was worried that Simeon’s brash and explosive demeanor was triggering to her, and seeing her dazed made him anxious- especially given she didn’t respond the first two times he called out to her.

“Are you feeling alright?” He leaned down, voice nearly a whisper. His palm pressed into her back gently as she hesitated in her reply, trying to reassure her that he was safe to talk to.

“I guess so...I’m just a bit nervous about all of this.” She sighed, trying to consider how much she should share with him. Since the shift at the Cafe, his strictness had again subsided and Lucifer was much more relaxed again around her, allowing their friendship to fall slowly back into place. Which was a relief, considering the weird behavior Mammon was exhibiting, on top of the awkward rejections she had to give Asmo and Satan the other day.

Lucifer nodded. “I share the feeling. Diavolo usually isn’t this unreliable with his commitments, and he still refuses to tell me what’s going on.”

“Really? But you’re like, the closest person to him besides Barbatos.” Storm was surprised when Lucifer sighed and shrugged in response.

“I thought so too.” He paused, running his other hand through his hair. “I have a feeling something bad is on the horizon...but I can’t quite place what it is.”

Storm swallowed, nodding with him. She didn’t share it previously, but since Diavolo became more inconsistent, she had started feeling the same way. Something didn’t feel right about it, and he was definitely hiding something.

Before Lucifer had a chance to reply and formulate a plan for how they should proceed, Lucifer’s phone rang. He immediately dropped his hands from Storm’s back and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Diavolo’s face in the call icon on the screen.

“My lord, Where are y-” Lucifer paused before finishing his statement, his brows furrowing in annoyance. He was quiet for a moment, and murmured voices could be heard on the other end of the phone. “What? But what about the play?”

Simeon snapped his attention toward Lucifer, hurriedly approaching and gesturing for him to hand over the phone.

Lucifer held up his hand to signal for Simeon to back away, and avoiding his attempts at grasping the phone from his hand. “Storm worked really hard on this, and there’s only a few more rehearsal’s left, and-”

Before Lucifer could stop him, Simeon finally snatched the phone out of Lucifer’s hand. “What is this you’re discussing with Lucifer and not the director, Lord Diavolo?”

Lucifer stole a concerned glance at Storm, who tried to give a reassuring smile.

“Excuse me?!” Simeon yelled, causing both Storm and Lucifer to wince. “We have 4 days left and you’re backing out now?!”

Storm felt her heart sink, guilt festering in her chest at the idea of Diavolo quitting the play without so much as a word to her. Simeon continued berating Diavolo for the irresponsible choice while she became lost in her negative thoughts, blaming herself for the shit-show of a play that would surely come to pass, and the disappointment of those that would follow: Simeon, Lucifer, Diavolo...not to mention the entire student body. She gulped, feeling the anxiety begin to rise in her chest again.

Simeon huffed. “Fine, I’ll rework it to where your character isn’t needed, but I think you owe all of your cast mates who need to now relearn numerous lines an apology, and an excuse from class and other duties so they can spend more time rehearsing.” With those last words, he tossed the phone back at Lucifer.

Lucifer attempted to speak to Diavolo more, but was disgruntled when he saw that he had hung up the phone. He appeared uneasy, as if trying to piece together the last 5 minutes in his head. Storm nudged his arm gently before giving him an attempt at a reassuring smile, but Lucifer saw the anxiety that clouded her eyes through the faux gesture.

“Alright everyone. We’re done rehearsing for today, but I expect you bright and early tomorrow morning because I have to rework the entire script again.” Simeon muttered in frustration as he gathered his belongings into his satchel.

The group groaned collectively, all realizing now that the next few days were going to remind them what pure hell looked like.

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