#upside down is STUCK on the day WILL went missing will spent all of season one trying desperately to go home he went to his house and his

[bylertruther]

"there's no basis or case to be made for will having powers" okay then genuinely please explain any of the following now after watching season four:

why does the upside down look like hawkins and is presumably stuck on the day will arrived despite the fact that vecna was there first and has been residing there this whole time? if vecna was capable of reshaping the world, as he's stated he wants to do, why hasn't he done it in his own world? why is he so intent on seeking out the person for whom time apparently stopped if it's all just coincidence? if will didn't do that and he doesn't have powers, then why didn't time progress or the setting change once the teenagers got there? why was time only influenced by will and will alone if he has no powers whatsoever?

how was will able to call joyce multiple times? the only person we've seen so far be able to do something similar is eleven when she would channel what she heard through the radio. electricity doesn't work in the upside down, so how did will do that? why did it cause a shock and ruin the phone, the same way that the radio went up in flames when eleven did it, if he doesn't have powers?

how did he manage to wake joyce up at one point? (it could've been her imagination, but the show made it pretty clear that joyce had been right about everything the entire time even though everyone thought she was crazy, and will was wearing the same outfit but he looked and sounded distressed + exhausted like he may have been while hiding in his upside down version of the house.)

how was will able to see his mother and guide her with the lights to the place he was hiding?

how was will able to see the letters she wrote on the wall?

how was will able to light up the lights that fast and sometimes simultaneously? especially with the lights that were on the ceiling? the way he communicated with joyce isn't totally similar to the way the teens communicated with the party in season four. he's too short to reach the ceiling and he doesn't have elasti-arms or super speed, so he couldn't have been touching that many lights that fast all by himself with his own hands. if anything, it's more similar to the training exercise brenner had the lab kids do, because they didn't need to touch the lights (obviously) to control them. so, how do you explain that if he has no powers?

how did he acquire true sight before his possession? the doctors thought it was ptsd and all in his head, but just like with joyce, we come to learn that will had been right the entire time. the mind flayer was real and it was coming for them all and eventually it did. how did he know that? how could he have had such knowledge before it ever melded minds and bodies with him? no other powerless human could do that, so how do you explain it?

if will is truly a powerless human being, why did vecna hunt him down? we know that vecna stalks his prey before he strikes. we know that "the monster" followed will from mike's house all the way to the shed where they vanished without a trace. we then saw it stalk will again and eventually possess him. will said that vecna wanted to kill everyone else, but not him. why? we know that vecna doesn't care about people. so what did will have that he wanted so bad? what was it about will that made him more valuable to vecna—a self-perceived god among useless, pitiful, and brutish men—alive than dead? what was it about will, a supposed powerless and normal human boy, that made vecna want to spare him and use him? if he wanted access to the lab, weapons, or tools that could bring down entire nations and rendered millions around the globe defenseless to his attack, then he wouldn't have picked a sweet twelve year old boy who lives a tiny little life in a tiny little town who just wants to hang with his friends and play games. unless... he was the key to achieving his plans? but according to this argument that will is just a normal boy, why is it then that vecna did all of that if will isn't capable of anything?

additionally, we know that gates are opened with a psychic connection. when the psychic connection was made in that shed, will entered the upside down. there, he was hunted for a week. why did the demogorgons kill and eat everyone else, but never will? why did they only carry him to the library aka the source of it all? why didn't they treat him roughly or eat him like they did all of the others? will didn't suffer any serious damage from the upside down, so he couldn't have been "dead" for long when his parents found him. why was it different with him? why did he get special treatment even in hell if he's just a boy?

why does will still sense the creatures of the upside down even after he's been exorcised? how is it that the psychic connection is still there? how is he still able to know what vecna is feeling, the kind of state that he's in, and what it is that he's planned? how does he have this connection still even though he shouldn't if he's Just Some Guy?

if will was just a normal, powerless boy... then why did a self-proclaimed god try so hard to recruit him more than once? why did it hunt only him? why did this god want to kill everyone but him? why did this god deem him more worthy and useful in life and at his side than in death? why did it seek him out and not eleven, a girl who actually has powers, powers that were once stronger than his own even and that he clearly wanted as we saw in s3? why is the upside down stuck on the day will went missing, despite it clearly being inhabited by other creatures that we assume to be more powerful than him? why is will going to be central to season five, the season where it will all come to a close and we'll be learning about the upside down and more, if... he's Just Some Guy that had to brave it for a week and that's it? why did season four (and the show overall, but said outright and explicitly here in 4x09) reiterate that it has always been vecna and that will has always been his victim/in his sights/connected to him? why did vecna choose will byers, who some of you claim to be Just Some Boy, of literally all people on planet fucking earth to achieve his plans?

vecna stalked will. he hunted him. and when his plans were foiled, he tried again. when he couldn't do it his way, he sought to kill eleven so that he could absorb her powers (s3). and now, they're back in each other's heads. the silver cat fed when blue met yellow in the west, but they're back now and we've been told that this is only the beginning. if will is just another powerless human, then what is the point of any of that? how do you explain everything that we've seen? how do you explain the choices these characters have made and continue to make? how do you explain away the connection that they keep drawing our eyes to? the connection that shocked the duffers and made them ask jamie if he'd seen the scripts when he brought it up (that it all goes back to will, how everything and everyone is connected to will)? the connection that they themselves are saying we'll see clearly in season five?

that isn't even scratching the surface of all the obvious instances where they make it clear that will is vecna's narrative foil, because that would make this already gargantuan post thirty miles longer.

they wouldn't have done everything that they've done over the span of multiple seasons now if it was just for nothing.

it doesn't make sense if will is just some normal kid and a random fluke in the master plan. the writers could've had vecna pick anyone. they could have made it so that will's connection was severed or lessened, but they didn't. they could've admitted that will was just a meaningless casualty, but they didn't because he wasn't. it wasn't a random animal that took will, he wasn't possessed for shits and giggles, and he doesn't continue to have that psychic connection for no reason. they don't tell us that nothing is a coincidence and they don't have the characters themselves remind us that they need will just for it to be... nothing.

will knows what's coming, what's happening, and the condition of the person who will do it all. why have him experience all of that, and even be able to in the first place, if he's... powerless? how do you even explain the connection in the first place? no other character, not even the ones cursed by vecna, are able to do what he's done. how is that not considered a power? and how do you write off the hours of content that you've witnessed as nothing?

clearly, at some point you have to realize that something is going on, no? like, you don't even have to take my (one-too-many) word(s) for it. jamie and the duffers themselves have been saying it over and over again. so... honestly, what's not clicking?

#like i just genuinely don't get it lol #vecna is a big bad and you think he hunted this tiny nerdy little twelve year old for shits n giggles? #you think the writers are making will a main point in their final season and are saying that we're going to learn so much more about #why the upside down is stuck on the day he went missing just to be like 'oh yeah jk it's nothing LOL' #you think that vecna jus went 'lol sure why not' and picked a child with no connections no powers no nothing just because?!?! #like literally WHAT #VECNA LITERALLY HATES HUMANS HE DOESNT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THEM SO WHY DID HE NOT WANT TO KILL WILL?!?!?! #why did he value will more than EVERYONE else!?!?!? IF HE'S JUST NORMAL?!?!?!?! #literally explain it to me genuinely bc i don't understand lol this is season five that we're headed into #i didn't think will had powers beyond his beast sense bc we weren't given any indication otherwise #but now that we know there was A Guy planning everything that it wasn't just random chance but A Person who is manipulative and cunning #and deceptive and ambitious and who is behind EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE SEEN SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING #and now that we know how the lights work and that that realm is stuck on the night will went missing and that gates are formed with psychic #connections and that will STILLLLLLLLL knows what he feels etc etc i just . I Just Don't Get It i don't get how you can think #there's nothing there? especially when the creators of the show are telling you he'll be a major focus? IN THEIR LAST SEASON?! #but no im sure its nothing. will did all those inexplicable things and the mastermind big bad chased him and wanted to spare him and use #him for shits and giggles or because the cuteness aggression was too much lol it means Nothing At All obviously #crazy together was in their auditions they Knew what they were going to do with will they're telling us that it MEANS something that the #upside down is STUCK on the day WILL went missing will spent all of season one trying desperately to go home he went to his house and his #castle to hide and joyce said that emotions can make time go really fast or really slow and one day vecna said Enough and stopped the cloc #k himself he created his own powers the duffers TOLD USSSS that it MEANS SOMETHING THAT THE UPSIDE IS STUCK ON THAT DAY #AND THAT WILL IS GOING TO BE A BIG FOCUS AND WE'LL BE GETTING ANSWERS AND THAT WILL AND VECNA HAVE HISTORY #WILL DID EVERYTHING RIGHT TO TRY AND ESCAPE BUT NOTHING WORKED AND THE FOUR VICTIMS IN S4 DID THE SAME THING #THAT WAS VECNA IN THE SHED WILL HAD A CONNECTION WITH HIM BEFORE HE WAS EVER POSSESSED WILL WAS STALKED THE SAME WAY THAT THE VICTIMS WERE #STALKED WILL IS ABLE TO DO THINGS THAT OTHER CHARACTERS CANNOT INCLUDING ELEVEN HE HAS EXPERIENCES THAT ARE ENTIRELY DISTINCT AND HE HAS #VERY SPECIFIC AND OBVIOUS PARALLELS TO VECNA BECAUSE HE IS THE LIGHT WIZARD TO HIS DARK WIZARD #WHAT IS NOT CLICKING !!!! am i missing something. do u think they would do all of that in EVERY SINGLE SEASON for it to mean nothing? #they're going to start and end the show with will but don't worry he's Just Some Guy? bro. duuuuude my GUY !!!! #mine

[neonghostlights]

Don't Fear The Reaper Ending #2

:Summary: Dani Crawford didn’t expect to spend her days wandering around Hawkins, Indiana as a ghost. She also didn’t expect her only chance at peace to come from local metalhead Eddie Munson. When he becomes all she can rely on in hopes of solving the cause of her demise, the lines between life and death become blurred.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x f!oc (OC is given a name but NO physical descriptions are used)

Warnings: Death, blood, Season 4 vol 2 violence, goodbyes, grief, bittersweet ending. Minors DNI.

Word Count: 1k

Series Masterlist

Ending #1 here

Dani sat beside Eddie's head as he laid on the cold, hard ground of the upside down. 

It wasn’t supposed to go this way. There had been a plan. And although the plan itself wasn’t perfect, it was supposed to go a lot better than this. 

He had made it halfway up the rope before Dani saw the determination in his eyes. He had cut it in swipe before she even had the chance to talk him out of it. 

And now she was sitting beside him while he bled out in Dustin's arms. Unable to even reach out and comfort him. 

He gave his goodbyes and words of advice to his friends before his eyes focused on Dani’s devastated face. He gave her a sweet, tearful smile. 

“I love you, Dani. I’m sorry I never said it sooner and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you cross over,” he coughed out weakly. 

Dustin stared down at him confused but didn’t interrupt. Noticing how his friend's gaze was trained into the blank space beside them. 

“I love you too, Eddie. You helped me more than you’ll ever know. You’re a hero,” Dani said softly, hand reaching out to rub his cheek but never touching his skin. 

More tears welled his eyes as he smiled widely at this. Despite his current state, he was still able to smile. She would give anything to feel him. How desperately she wanted to reach out and kiss him before he went. 

He opened his mouth to say something else but the words never came out. His breathing stuttered and stopped completely. One second he was there, so full of life and confessing his love, and the next second he was gone completely. Just like a flame snuffed out in the wind. 

Dustin grabbed Eddie's jacket, pulling him in closer as he sobbed into his chest. 

Dani sat and waited. Hoping that she would see him appear in front of her. But, of course, Eddie would have no reason to stick around and haunt the town that hated him. 

She watched the poor boy in front of her. No one that young should have to experience everything he had been through. 

“I’m so sorry, Dustin,” she whispered, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to hear her. 

Dani stayed with Dustin even after he made it out of the upside down. He sat on the mattress in Eddie’s living room with Eddie’s guitar pick necklace clasped tightly in his hand. 

She wanted to offer him comfort, some profound words to make the pain go away. But even if she could be heard she wouldn’t know exactly what she could say to fix this.

Steve, Nancy, and Robin finally made it back to the trailer, and by the looks on their faces it didn’t go well for them either. 

It only took one look at Dustin for Steve to rush to his side to comfort him as Dustin stumbled out what happened to Eddie in between his cries. 

She couldn’t stay in that trailer anymore. There was nothing keeping her there. Eddie was gone, and so was her only tie to this world. The only person she had ever loved, and she didn’t even have enough time. Fate was cruel.

How long would she be stuck in this awful eternity where the only thing she would have were the memories of him? 

She wished they had spent less time trying to help her cross over, and just more time being together. The universe knew what it was doing when she made Eddie Munson the only one that could see her. She would forever be grateful for even the small amount of time she had with him. 

Hopefully Eddie was enjoying his time on the other side. She hoped he missed her wherever he was. 

Steve ushered Dustin and the rest of the group out of the trailer with rushed words on having to check on Max, who seemed to have a close call herself but managed to pull through uninjured. 

Dani took one last glance around the messy trailer that had become her home over the last few weeks before she stepped outside into the night. 

Where would she go now? There was no reason to stay in Hawkins just to watch her dad drink himself to death. 

Dani scrunched her eyes closed, trying to think of where she wanted to go next. Technically, the opportunities were endless. But what would the point be if Eddie wasn’t there beside her, cracking jokes and finding the joy in everything. 

“What’s got you looking so down?”

Dani’s eyes popped open in surprise to find Eddie standing at the bottom of the trailer porch steps. Arms crossed with a grin on his face.

“Eddie?!” she choked out in disbelief. 

The blood she had just seen covering his body and face were gone. His ripped shirt was mended again. He looked just as he did before. 

Dani couldn’t stop herself as she ran down the trailer steps and crashed into his chest. Eddie quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to him. Dani took a inhale, breathing in his scent. 

“I can finally feel you,” he murmured, squeezing her impossibly tighter. 

“I thought you were gone,” Dani sobbed while squishing into his chest. 

“I couldn’t leave without you,” he said while pulling her face up to look at him. He traced the features of her face with his fingers, memorizing how her skin felt. 

His eyes zeroed in on her mouth before he pressed his lips to hers in a deep kiss. Sparks flew underneath Dani’s closed eyelids. This is what she had been missing all of this time. She needed Eddie. 

“I love you,” he whispered as he pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers. 

“I love you too. Who knew death would make you such a romantic,” Dani laughed. 

He playfully shoved her shoulder before stepping back and holding out his hand. 

“Well, my lady, are you ready to go?” he said in a goofy voice. 

“I’ve never been more ready,” she said back, grasping his hand. 

He smiled down at her before giving the back of her hand a quick encouraging kiss.

Hand in hand, Dani and Eddie disappeared into the night.

The End

#eddie munson au #eddie munson x original female character #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson fanfic

[erikiara80]

Dear rude anon. If you don't believe that Will is already in a trance at the end of S4, that's fine. It's a theory, after all. 

You can think that Will is whiny and useless. I couldn't disagree more, and I'm sure S5 will surprise you (and maybe piss you off), but that's your opinion.

But what you say doesn’t make much sense. So you think that even if Henry's already put Will in a trance, wasting literally no time, it doesn't mean anything. 

Then why do you think this powerful man would target useless Will the moment he’s back in Hawkins? Maybe he just has another message for El? Like: TOLD YOU, hehehehehe

Or he can’t find someone else to stalk or possess? Someone bigger and already strong without the power of the MF’s particles? Not to mention that Eddie’s body is right there, in the Upside Down. And the scenes in the prison prove that the particles CAN control dead bodies (yes, I believe we’ll see Vecna!Eddie in S5)

Henry has an army of monsters, he is undead and basically unkillable, but for some reason he keeps targeting this kid.

Maybe you think that it’s obvious that things happen to him because he’s a main character. But does this seem the kind of story where things just happen, with no deeper meaning? Sorry, I can’t agree with that. These writers have proved that everything happens for a reason. The villain is the mirror/foil of both the kids involved with the supernatural plot. In every season there are references to other works, tons of easter eggs, meaningful callbacks to previous seasons. And the music is always a fundamental part of the story as well. So it’s clear that, if Henry keeps targeting Will, there must be a reason.

Let’s see how many times he did it.

S1. The abduction  Coincidence! Will was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ok. Possible. Sure, his kidnapping is still different from any other attack we’ve seen in the show, even from the attack of the real first victim, the scientist, but let’s say they wanted Will’s kidnapping to be as mysterious as possible. Why wouldn’t Henry try to get Will in his house, if he was involved in the kidnapping? We still don’t know, but I have a theory on that. Maybe it’s crazy, but imo it makes sense (here)

S2. The possession  Just the consequence of the coincidence in S1? Will spent a week in the UD and coughed up an UD creature, so why not possessing him? Makes sense. Well, there are curious details we shouldn’t ignore, like the eye color change during the possession that doesn’t happen to other people who get possessed later (I talk about it here) But it is possible. 

By the end of the season tho, it seems that Henry/MF is a little obsessed with Will. They could’ve shown the MF looming over Hawkins, since he’s a threat to everyone. But he was at the school, and the lyrics of Every breath you take mean that he’s still stalking Will, specifically (more here) We now know that Henry wants to kill El since 1979, but in S2 he wanted to kill everybody but Will. The song tells us what he thinks about him: “Can’t you see, you belong to me”. He wants his Zombie boy. And not to spy on El, imo. If Henry was still spying on Will after the possession just to find El, then in S3 he would’ve found her way sooner, since Will spent a lot of time with El in that season.

At this point, Will has been targeted three times already. In S1, beginning of S2, end of S2. 

S4-S5. I believe Will is already in a trance at the end of S4, yes, and that there is evidence that supports this theory (here my post but other people have talked about it. heroesbyler aemiron-main, and mIchaelwheeler). Then there is the pic of the actor who plays Lonnie. So it is possible that he’s part of Will’s vision and that they already filmed it. Also, we know for sure that Will is going to be central in S5, and that the UD being stuck on the day he went missing is the key plot point of the last season. 

Seriously, I have no idea how people can think that Will is not an important character or that the villain keeps targeting him because... Coincidences! Things just happen! It’s all about El. No, actually it’s all about Henry and HIS story... 

#will byers #st theory #st s5 #st s5 theory #st s5 speculations #henry creel #the mind flayer #stranger things

[purpleshadow-star]

This might be an unpopular opinion but I think the Duffers actually do a really good job at showcasing platonic and familial love in the show. Let me explain, season by season, character by character:

Season 1:

Joyce: Familial. She never gave up on Will. She continued to believe that he was alive. The fact that she believed that he was somehow communicating through the lights more than the (fake) body she was shown really shows how much she loves him. Joyce spent the entire season believing in her son. If it wasn’t for her and her Christmas lights and her non-stop belief, Will would be dead (remember he was already dying when he was found in the Upside Down. If only the Party knew that Will was alive because of El, they would have had to figure out a way to make the sensory deprivation tank themselves to see where he was, then they would have had to get to the Upside Down to save Will. By the time all of that happened, Will would have been dead).

Jonathan: Familial. Jonathan’s love for his brother ended up leading him in the opposite direction of Joyce for a bit. He went out to look for Will at night, but when the (fake) body was found, Jonathan insisted on planning the funeral because in his mind, he knew that Will deserved a proper send off. He believed the body was his little brother, but as soon as Nancy mentioned the faceless man that his mother had described, Jonathan had no trouble believing that Will was alive. Once he had hope again, Jonathan didn’t give up trying to find Will, even going as far as luring the demogorgon to him with Nancy so they could kill it and make sure it was away from Will and his mom and Hopper, and to make sure it couldn’t hurt anyone else.

Hopper: Platonic/Familial. Hopper’s familial/ platonic love is a little more subtle (or maybe not honestly), but it is super important. His main drive during the season is to find Will and ensure that Joyce doesn’t end up like him. He has known Joyce since they were teenagers at least. They are at least acquaintances, if not friends, when the show starts, but they were definitely friends in the past. Their history is part of his motivation to find Will (aside from wanting to find him just because he’s missing), but it’s not the only motivation. Hopper’s late daughter, Sara, is a big part of his motivation. Sara’s death devastated Hopper. It destroyed him. He is still feeling the effects of her death in season 1. This is a huge drive for him to find Will. He doesn’t want Joyce to feel the pain of losing her child. He knows what it’s like and is doing everything in his power to make sure Joyce never finds out. (It’s also possible that he tries so hard for Will because Wil is just missing. There’s a chance that they’ll find him. Will, as far as he knew, was just lost, and lost kids can be found. Hopper couldn’t do anything about Sara’s cancer. her death was unavoidable, but Hopper could do something about Will. He could save Will like he couldn’t save Sara. But this is more speculation then anything else).

Nancy: Platonic. Nancy didn’t give up on Barb until El told her she was dead. Nancy went looking for her after a day of not knowing where she was, and readily believed Jonathan when he told her about the faceless monster Joyce saw. She went out into the woods with Jonathan, knowing it would be dangerous, because there was the slightest chance that she could find her best friend.

El: Platonic. El only knew the Party for about a week, but they made a big impact on her during that week, especially Mike. They took her in, Mike fed her, and they helped her escape the “Bad Men”. Mike fed her and housed her and stuck up for her when Lucas got mad at her. Dustin supported her and treated her kindly. Lucas was suspicious of her at first, but eventually grew to trust her, and he never sold her out to the “Bad Men” and helped her escape them. El got more kindness shown to her from those three in that week then she had probably ever gotten in her life. In return, she did everything in her power to help them find Will.

Mike: Platonic. Mike’s love for Will was a main plot point for the season. Without it, Will would have died. Mike convinced Dustin and Lucas to sneak out with him to go looking for Will, then he convinced them to keep El a secret so that they wouldn’t get locked in their houses, which would prevent them from going to look for Will the next day. Mike saw that El had powers and that she recognized Will and immediately asked her to lead them to Will. Once Will’s fake body was found, Mike lost hope for all of 2 seconds before El channeled his voice on the walkie. Mike heard Will’s faint singing and 100% believed that he was alive again and he managed to convince the others. Mike's love for Will drove the story forward time and time again. Once Mike knew Will was alive, he didn’t give up trying to find him. There was also the scene at the quarry that really showed how far Mike was willing to go to protect his friends. When Dustin was in danger, Mike literally jumped off of the cliff, most likely knowing that he probably wouldn’t survive, in order to save his friend.

Lucas: Platonic. Lucas’s love for Will really shone this season as well. Once Mike brought up going out to search for Will, Lucas quickly agreed. Lucas cared about Will and he was upset when it looked like El was beginning to distract his friends from their original goal, which was to find Will. It got to the point where Lucas got rightfully angry when El messed with the compass, therefore sabotaging their only way of finding Will. Lucas goes so far as going off on his own in search of Will, but his love for the rest of his friends shows through when he goes back to them to warn them about the “Bad Men” that were going after El.

Dustin: Platonic. I’ll be honest, we don’t see too much of Dustin’s character thoughts or motivations this season. Like the rest of his friends, Dustin wants to find Will, although he’s a bit more logical about it than the rest of his friends. It is also made clear that Dustin cares about his friends when he convinces Mike to apologize to Lucas. Dustin wants all of his friends to get along and to be on the same page. 

Alright this has gotten pretty long, I’m going to split the seasons up into different posts. I’ll link them here when they’re posted

Season 1 / Season 2 / Season 3 / Season 4

#its 3am right now but i wanted to get this thought out #or the beginning of it at least (since i only did S1) #I'll probably write the rest tomorrow #but honestly i love the way they showcase the importance of familial and platonic relationships #season 2 is going to be a blast to write about #i love to analyze but i'm not perceptive enough to do it often #stranger things #stranger things analysis #can you even call this an analysis #Joyce Byers #will byers #mike wheeler #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #jim hopper #Lucas Sinclair #dustin henderson

[witcherslittledove]

Home is Where the Heart Is

A Joey/Henry lockdown fic - AO3

Rated: T

Words: 7k ish

CW: RPF, covid, far too much pining?

_______

“I’m sorry, Joey,” Madeleine sighed again, pressing her head into the crook of Joey’s neck, her hair tickling his cheek.

It was pulled back into a messy bun, flyaway strands surrounding her face in a halo, and as the sun shone from behind her, she looked like some kind of angel. Joey wondered, not for the first time, how he’d even been so lucky to have Madeleine as a friend. She truly was a wonder, his favourite person and light of his life. Everyone should have a friend like Madeleine Hyland.

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple as he pulled back from her embrace. “Nah, it’s alright, Madeleine. Your parents need you, much more important than little old me.”

“Oh fuck that, you bastard, stop fishing for compliments,” she laughed, swatting him on the arm.

“Aww,” he pouted, “Oi!”

She’d hit his arm again, barely a tap but he pretended it hurt, rubbing his arm and pouting even harder at his friend.

“Come off it, Joey. You’re staying with Henry for the rest of lockdown, that’s hardly a trial,” she teased, poking him in the chest.

Ah yes.

Henry.

The bane of Joey’s existence, mostly because of the fucking ginormous crush he had on his co-star. He hadn’t known Henry had been signed on for Geralt until his audition, really he hadn’t known much at all, just that he’d be auditioning for a bard and that he should probably take his lute to the audition. A spur of the moment decision that had turned his life upside down. He’d gone from a nobody to... well, not exactly famous but people had started to recognise him, much to his despair.

And then there was Henry.

He’d been admiring Henry from a distance for a few years now, watching him in the Tudors had sort of been Joey’s bisexual awakening, and then he’d suddenly been thrust into the most bizarre experience of having to work fairly closely with the man.

Joey would never forget the feeling of Henry throwing him over his shoulder as if he wasn’t almost the same size as Henry.

Fuck, that had been hot.

And now, Joey had to cohabit with said crush for an indeterminate amount of time, preferably without making a fool of himself.

He was doomed.

Of course, he could have said no when Henry had offered his place when Joey was grumbling about being alone during lockdown after Madeleine's parents got sick, but no… Henry had stared at him with such shining hope in his eyes that Joey never stood a chance.

Joey just needed to keep reminding himself that Henry was straight. He was practically the poster boy for heteronormative; classically gorgeous, action star, gymrat, lover of sports and building fucking computers.

Okay, maybe Joey was generalising a tad, but it was a form of self-defence.

Christ, the mere thought that Henry could be interested in men… interested in him.

It was too much.

So here he was, saying goodbye to his best friend whilst waiting for his biggest crush to pick him up. Madeleine bundled into her car with the last of her bags, and Joey was left waiting on the pavement. In all honesty, he would have preferred to drive to Henry’s place himself or at least get the tube, something where he felt like he was actively doing something. The waiting was killing him, making his thoughts run out of control. Maybe he shouldn’t have packed his guitar. He could have at least been tuning it, or plucking out some meaningless melody, anything to keep his hands busy and his mind distracted.

When the black car pulled up, Joey let out a sigh of relief before realising that it was very much frying pan, fire. Luckily, before he could really start to panic, the back door opened and Joey was almost bowled off his feet by a large bundle of fur that Henry claimed was a dog and not, in fact, a bear.

“Kal!” Joey greeted warmly, burying his fingers into Kal’s neverending fur, and letting the dog lick all over his face.

“He’s missed you,” Henry called in lieu of a greeting.

He was wearing a grey henley that looked like it was two sizes too small and his dark blue jeans seemed to strain against his quads. Henry’s arms were crossed in front of his chest and he looked down at Joey with a blinding Hollywood smile that made Joey’s heart flutter. Dark curls seemed to have finally recovered from the weeks stuck under Geralt’s wig and they fell in front of his so very blue eyes.

He was bloody gorgeous, and it wasn’t fucking fair.

So Joey did the only logical thing, and started to coo at Kal instead. “I’ve missed him too,” he trilled happily into the dog’s fur, scratching Kal behind his ears. “Such a good boy! The bestest, cutest doggo.”

“He’s not the only one who’s missed you, you know,” Henry groused, although when Joey looked up, he was still smiling so Joey didn’t feel too bad for paying far more attention to Kal than the gorgeous specimen of a man that is Henry Cavill.

“Aww, you sap,” he chuckled. “Well, I still haven’t forgiven you for those cruel and terrible words you cursed me with the last time we met.”

It wasn’t the last time they’d met. They’d had a few scenes after the argument in episode six. Scheduling had meant that it wasn’t filmed entirely in order, and then there had been reshoots and post-production parties, premieres and the table reads for season two, but it was a sort of in-joke. Joey liked to tease Henry about the argument, they’d both lurked enough online to know that ‘the mountain’ was a big fucking deal to the fans of their characters.

Henry rolled his eyes and opened his arms out for a hug which Joey eagerly returned, inhaling the soft musky cologne that Henry wore and enjoying the strongs arms that wrapped around him. He loved hugs, but most of Joey’s male friends would do that god awful hug and pat thing, then pull away too soon. Henry had never been like that and it was delightful, even if it really didn’t help the not so little crush that Joey had on the man.

It was cliche but it really did feel like coming home.

Fuck.

He was utterly screwed… and not even in the fun way.

The drive to Henry’s place was quiet, Joey spent most of the time watching the streets of London roll past as they weaved through bendy roads that webbed across the city. The traffic was weirdly non-existent, a side effect of a global pandemic, and he couldn’t help but be reminded of the ghost towns from films and books.

It was truly haunting, spooky in just the right way. Horror and the Wild had very much had woodland magic vibes, but driving through the dead streets of London, Joey wondered what happened to the fae when a city sprung up near their home. Did they adapt like the wildlife did? Urban spirits that lurked in the shadows, in the alleys, behind the bins and cobbled streets at the back of theatres.

Most theatres were supposed to be haunted, Joey had always wondered just who the spirits were that glided through the aisles when the shows went dark.

Henry didn’t feel the need to fill the silence which Joey was grateful for. On set, with Jaskier on his fingertips, Joey was happy to joke about and laugh and banter, but he was nervous about the move to Henry’s and the silence gave him time to get lost in his own imagination, a reality that wasn’t quite the one they knew.

He was almost disappointed when the car pulled to a stop in front of a rather grand house. It was part of a terrace but that was unsurprising, most places in London were, but it was much nicer than the shitty little flat that Joey shared with Madeleine.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

They were poles apart. Even being friends was unrealistic. How the hell was Joey supposed to even pretend they were in the same league? It was fine. Everything was going to be fine. Joey just had to be a perfect house guest, no clumsy mistakes, no setting fire to any ovens, and no slipping in the shower and messing up his ankle.

He’d just have to spend all his time with Kal lest Henry find out just how much of a walking disaster he could be.

Henry had only offered because he was a caregiver, selfless and kind in everything he did. He would have done the same to anyone else if they’d mentioned spending lockdown alone. Joey was just the lucky one.

Or unlucky.

He hadn’t quite decided yet.

Yes, he would just have to spend his days with Kal and his guitar, stay out of Henry’s way and then everything would be fine.

Right?

___

Joey’s plan went according to plan for almost an entire week. He mostly kept to his room and occasionally the living room. Henry wanted to show Joey some films he liked and it would have been rude to say no, so Joey curled up with Kal on the floor to keep some space between them. That way he wouldn’t be tempted to snuggle up against Henry’s chest the same way he did with Madeleine, only it wouldn’t be the same because Madeleine was his best friend and Henry was… well… Henry.

It was such a mess.

And he was probably being an arse.

They’d gotten along so well on set in between takes, but now, without Jaskier there as a crutch, Joey’s anxiety was getting the better of him, and all because of a stupid crush. This would all be a lot easier if Joey were straight; no awkward crushes, no pining for a man he couldn’t have, no… whatever this was?

He could flirt and tease and banter just like he would with any of his friends because it was harmless.

If only.

No.

He had to do better. The reason Henry had invited him to stay was so neither of them would be alone, and despite all his cuddles with Kal, Joey was really starting to feel touch starved. He’d never gone so long without human touch.

The problem was that Henry was just so fucking sweet. He was so bloody understanding that it made Joey just yearn even harder. There was never any pressure to hang out, just gentle suggestions, and the most amazing home-cooked meals that Henry said could be heated up another time if Joey wasn’t hungry. The wine Henry picked out to go with the meal was heavenly, and fuck, the man could cook.

He felt like he was being seduced; wooed with the most gorgeous culinary delights that were truly to die for.

What was a poor bisexual to do?

So every evening Joey would sit across from Henry at the table, trying to joke and laugh just as they had before, but even to his own ears it felt flat. Madeleine’s voice in his head reminded him that that was probably his anxiety speaking but, of course, he ignored it. They ate their food and then Joey would either retreat to his room with his beloved guitar or Henry would suggest a film.

Until Henry decided enough was enough.

Joey was lured from his room with the sweet delicious smell of pizza, and when he came down the stairs he found Henry already on the couch, two boxes of pizza and a couple of beers already opened and ready to go.

There was no sitting on the floor, not with pizza and a Kal. Joey wouldn’t get to taste the greasy wonders of his takeaway if he sat on the floor, and the pizza box was already being guarded by Henry on the couch.

He had to break his rule.

Fuck.

“Kitchen table not good enough?” he teased with a quirk of his lips.

Henry scoffed. “Who eats pizza at the table?”

It was a fair point and sighed, resigning himself to an evening pressed up against his friend when his cuddle instincts got too much. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing, maybe it would help get him out of his head and into the moment… maybe he should just let Jaskier out of the box and pretend that all was fine?

No.

He could do this. Just… be himself?

“Before I open this box, there is one very important question I have to ask,” he said far too seriously, barely able to hide a smile as he scooped the pizza box into his lap and sat down next to Henry, keeping a safe distance between them.

“There’s no pineapple.”

“Oh thank fuck for that,” Joey laughed and opened the box. It was a standard pepperoni pizza, not his go to, but it was a safe option and one that was always yummy regardless of the restaurant. “Garlic dip?” he asked with a cock of his head.

“Damn, I hoped you wouldn’t like it,” Henry grumbled and pulled a small green topped tub from inside his own box.

“You!” Joey said in mock outrage, “keeping the beloved dip from me. It’s like the mountain all over again.”

“It’s not like the mountain,” Henry grumbled. “I didn’t make the script, you can’t keep blaming me for that.”

Joey’s heart sank as he wondered if he’d taken the joke too far, but when he met Henry’s gaze he saw the man was smiling despite his grousing. “I can,” he insisted.

“Hmm,” Henry replied in his most Geralt-y voice.

And with an internal sigh of relief, everything seemed to be okay. Yes, Joey was pulling some of his energy from his beloved character, but so was Henry, and it seemed to smooth out the edges of his anxiety. The beer helped and everything seemed a lot more relaxed with the takeaway pizza and the film already starting to play on the TV.

“I’m sorry,” Henry whispered after the pizza was finished and the credits had started to roll.

Joey’s head was resting on his friend’s shoulder but he’d managed to keep himself from koala hugging… so far. The vulnerability caught his attention though, and he sat up wearily to peer at Henry.

“For what?”

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable by inviting you here.”

Joey wanted to swear, to stomp around the room and tear the place upside down. He’d fucked up. He knew he’d fucked up, his damn anxiety keeping him from being the person he wanted to be, the person he knew he could be if his head just shut up! He didn’t do any of that though. Instead, he slumped back down to lean against Henry and took a deep breath.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t?”

“No. I’m just- it’s hard for me, being somewhere new,” not a lie, not entirely the truth, “and I didn’t want to encroach on your space. This is your home, and I- umm- I didn’t want to get in the way.”

Henry laughed, running a hand through his hair, pushing the curls back off his face, and Joey was entranced for a moment, wanting to reach out and feel the soft hair between his fingers for himself. It was a miracle that he managed to keep his hands in his own lap.

“Joey, this is our home, for now at least,” Henry said with such conviction and warmth that Joey made a sort of strangled noise in the back of his throat.

“Our home?”

“We have no idea how long this nightmare is going to last. It could be months, Joey. I want you to feel like you can relax here,” Henry insisted, wrapping his arm around Joey’s shoulder and pulling him into a sideways hug.

“Right- yeah, no, I know,” Joey mumbled, trying and failing not to blush.

Now that Henry wasn’t really having to watch what he ate and stay dehydrated for dear old Geralt, he was big.

And Joey was weak.

It was like all his wet dreams were becoming a reality, one by one.

He was just monkey-braining over the fact that Henry was one big, large, strong man that wanted to take care of him. It was pathetic. Joey wasn’t exactly small himself, and he could, should the role require it, hold up pretty well in a sword fight with Henry and not look entirely ridiculous.

“And I know Kal is very cute,” Henry teased, nodding to the dog who was sprawled on the carpet in front of them, “but if you ever need a hug, he’s not your only option.”

Joey definitely didn’t squeak this time. Instead, he finally let himself snuggle up to Henry the way he’d been wanting to all evening, every evening since he’d arrived. “Like this?” he teased.

Henry chuckled, and just squeezed his arms tighter around Joey, “Exactly.”

“I’m sorry,” Joey mumbled. “I was being an arse.”

“No, it’s not your fault.”

Joey scoffed.

“I should have been clearer on day one,” Henry sighed, “although seeing as you live here now, maybe you should cook?”

Joey laughed nervously, burying his face into Henry’s jumper. “Neither of us want that,” he muttered. “Trust me.”

“I’ll help?” Henry suggested, which of course brought forth a dozen images of cooking together, dancing in the kitchen to whatever songs fell past Joey’s lips, lazy early morning kisses as they waited for the coffee.

He swallowed, blinking away the fantasies. “How about you cook, and I’ll help?”

“Lazy,” Henry said with a chuckle but just pulled Joey closer.

“Only trying to keep you safe, darling.”

Darling.

Fuck.

“I mean, Henry, sorry, slip of the tongue. I mean- fuck. I call Madeleine darling all the time?”

“Joey, it's okay,” Henry reassured him.

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

With a sigh, Joey untangled himself from Henry’s arms and gathered up the pizza boxes and empty beer cans. Booping Kal on the nose as he went past, he busied himself with clearing up. It wasn’t much and didn’t take long, so sooner than he would have liked he poked his head back around the door.

Henry was sitting on the floor, rough-housing Kal, chuckling as the dog kept licking at his face. The sight made Joey smile softly, and he almost didn’t want to leave, but he was getting tired and he really didn’t want to slip up again. He couldn’t blame every mistake on Madeleine. It wouldn’t be fair to her.

“I’m going to bed,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his hair. “See you tomorrow, Henry.”

_______

After that, things started to get easier. Joey would flop down onto the sofa next to Henry in the evenings regardless of what they were doing. Sometimes he’d lie with his head in Henry’s lap whilst they both read a book, other times he’d pluck at his guitar and laugh over stupid limericks that he could make up about his co-star. True to his word, Henry made Joey start helping with mealtimes, although he soon regretted that decision but refused to back down. The food still tasted good but the presentation was lacking. They spent an afternoon trying to bake bread together… Joey’s did not turn out so well and Henry’s attempt was thankfully less than perfect but still edible. The little flaws made Joey feel a little less inferior, and made Henry seem all the more human.

Kal still got a lot of Joey’s attention. How could he not? He was just so fluffy and adorable, plus Joey loved the little pout that Henry did whenever Kal got more hugs than he did. Joey could pretend that his friend was jealous, and that just helped him sleep a little easier at night.

Cuddling on the couch had become their usual routine, and it settled something deep inside of Joey that had been becoming restless. Mornings were spent watching Henry workout. Joey joined in occasionally but usually he would just cheer Henry on from the sidelines sipping his cup of tea. It was a sight to behold, and Joey thanked the lord that the gyms were currently closed otherwise he would never have been allowed to enjoy the view.

Henry’s arse was truly spectacular.

Despite his morning workouts, Henry had definitely gained a rather lovely layer of fat over his previously tightly toned muscles. He looked stronger. He looked cuddlier. Joey’s crush was only getting worse by the day, wanting to run his hands over the broad muscles of Henry’s back, thighs, arms… wherever he was allowed, but he just settled for the cuddling each day.

Joey tried not to think about the fat building over his own stomach and filling out his cheeks, barely noticeable unless you’d had a lifetime of his mother breathing down his neck about his weight. He was cuddlier too, that’s what he told himself whenever the familiar buzz of anxiety started to build up.

And anyway, Henry didn’t seem to mind.

Kal certainly didn’t. The beast of a dog had started to share the sofa with them in the evenings, squishing between them for maximum cuddle potential until eventually he got bored and retreated back to the floor.

It was really starting to feel like home. There were signs of Joey around the house, sheet music left on the TV cabinet, a set of spare lute strings in the kitchen, the bastard instrument tucked away in the corner of the living room until Joey could bring himself to pick it up. Two sets of keys now hung up by the front door so they could both take turns walking Kal without having to worry about getting locked out if the other was busy. A fluffy worn blanket was now strewn over the big armchair where Joey liked to sit during the day. Even the fridge now stocked Joey’s favourite rosé wine.

All in all, Joey wasn’t hating lockdown. It was frustrating but he enjoyed being inside anyway, and well, the company was pretty great.

The two of them were curled up on the sofa watching the Great British Bake Off on netflix, gin and tonics flowing a little too freely, and Joey felt like he was on top of the world. He had the best cuddler in all of England, nay, the world, a big fluffy puppy to boot and some bloody brilliant booze in hand.

The best thing was that Henry’s hoody had shifted up at some point during the evening, and Joey couldn’t take his eyes off the soft but defined muscles that were often hidden under Henry’s clothes. The dark hair that dipped beneath the exposed band of Henry’s boxers was tantalizing, and Joey longed to reach out and touch…

Only he was drunk enough that his inside thoughts had his hand moving before he could realise, landing on Henry’s stomach.

He froze and stared up at his friend with wide eyes.

“Oops,” he slurred.

“That’s my stomach,” Henry pointed out.

And still Joey didn’t remove his hand, relishing the bare skin beneath his fingertips, but he knew he needed an excuse, so he did the only logical thing and launched his attack. Henry was stronger than him, but Joey had the element of surprise as he tickled his friend, fingers dancing across the exposed skin as Henry desperately tried to shove Joey away. They were both laughing, too busy pushing and pulling at each other, that neither of them quite registered that at some point in the tussle, Joey had straddled Henry’s waist in an attempt to keep him pinned down.

Until suddenly their lips were barely a breath apart.

Oh.

“Hi,” Joey mumbled, smiling coyly down at Henry, the longer strands of his fringe falling into his eyes.

“Hi.”

It wouldn’t take much to lean down and kiss him, maybe Henry would even reach up first. There was no denying the sudden pull between them, and god, Joey wanted it. He’d wanted it for so long now.

So close.

The warmth of Henry’s breath brushing against his lips.

Eyes closed.

Hearts racing.

A soft whisper of a moan.

And then a bark rang out in the room, startling Joey and shattering the moment. He cursed as he fell to the floor, the world spinning from the gin and giddy burst of adrenaline. Kal jumped up into Henry’s lap, barking and whining excitedly at his owner, checking that he was okay following Joey’s tyrannical tickle attack.

Joey felt like an ice bucket had been dumped over his head, feeling far too sober, far too fast.

He’d almost kissed Henry.

He’d almost kissed Henry.

Fuck!

“Right,” he slurred as he pushed his hands back through his hair- too long, needed a haircut. “Bedtime, sleep. Yup.”

“Joey?”

“See you in the morning?” he mumbled, although glancing at the clock, he wondered if that was a little optimistic. “Tomorrow,” he amended.

“Tomorrow,” Henry agreed, looking a little disappointed.

Joey refused to think about it. He wouldn’t start to hope. It would hurt too much if this all went wrong.

______

They didn’t talk about it.

Or rather, Joey, didn’t talk about it.

Henry tried to bring it up the next morning but Joey just laughed it off before his heart could get torn to pieces. He didn’t need confirmation that his crush was a no go. He already knew, but he really didn’t need to hear the words. Not to mention his hangover was an utter bitch and all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed and feel sorry for himself, which is exactly what he did.

After a few days, or was it weeks, months, years? Time seemed to stop existing, all Joey knew was his clothes seemed to be tighter than before and he was in desperate need of a haircut, but after a lockdown-eque period of time, all was forgotten. They fell back into their usual routine, and Joey’s crush continued to simmer just below the surface, unnoticed by Henry.

He’d started to facetime Madeleine most evenings just before bed now that the novelty of living with a bloody filmstar had worn off. He missed her terribly and she seemed to be going crazy at her parent’s house. There was a twinge of guilt stabbing in his chest when he realised he’d all but forgotten about her the first few weeks of lockdown, but it was nice to catch up with her again.

Henry was brilliant, but he was no Madeleine Hyland. He wasn’t Joey’s best friend.

And sometimes Joey just needed to vent about Henry’s stranger habits. Like seriously, why wass there that weird sponsored water just stationed around the house? And what was with the weirdly staged selfies on instagram. It made Joey feel a whole lot better about his own lack of media presence. He’d rather be a mystery online than this boomer energy than Henry had going on.

Venting to Madeleine helped too, he got less frustrated about the shit hole that was life during a pandemic. A little less angry, a little less depressed, and a little less pathetic with his pining over Henry, although Madeleine would probably disagree.

She was probably right.

The sudden cold turn in the weather hadn’t helped. It wasn’t too bad but Joey had mostly brought summer clothes with him because he honestly hadn’t thought he’d be staying more than a couple of weeks. Thankfully he’d thrown in a couple of onesies for comfort reasons so he spent most his days dressed like a tiger and hoping that Henry would find it endearing. The best part was his onesies were a bit looser and fit him more comfortably than his normal clothes. A lockdown diet was brilliant, but not exactly what he’d had in mind when he’d gone shopping all those years ago.

What he hadn’t expected, was for Henry to rock up to dinner wearing the stupid bunny onesie that Joey had left in his room.

“There,” Henry greeted him with a broad smile, “Now we match.”

It wasn’t fair. Joey wanted to kiss him so badly. The white onesie was a little short on Henry, pulling up just above his ankles, and it still managed to stretch at his shoulders, but it was so fucking adorable and Joey could pin point the exact moment his crush tumbled over the edge into love.

It was the crinkles at the corner of Henry’s eyes as he smiled, the slight tilt of his head, the sparkle in his ocean blue eyes.

Except they weren’t just blue. No, there were specks of golden brown in one eye, that were just captivating. Joey felt like he could so easily get lost in Henry. Every time he looked at the man he found something new and exciting.

“Darling, you look adorable!” he cooed, before he could get too distracted by the fluttering of his own heart. “Very cuddly.”

Henry chuckled and opened his arms wide, allowing Joey to barrel into them. “That was the idea.”

“So, what’s for dinner?” he asked, hoping that Henry would have forgotten that-

“It’s your turn to cook.”

“Bugger,” Joey whined. “Cheesy pasta?”

“You made that last time,” Henry teased.

“I’m very good at carbonara!” Joey countered.

“Melted cheese on pasta isn’t carbonara.”

Joey scoffed. “Eh, close enough.”

“Fine, make your cheesy pasta.”

“Carbonara,” Joey said with a wink. “I’ll add bacon this time.”

The pasta was overcooked and the bacon was a little chewy, but it was dinner, and afterwards Henry made them both extravagant hot chocolates made from actual chocolate rather than powder shit that Joey used. It was covered in whipped cream and marshmallows and had a healthy amount of Baileys to top it off. They curled up on their usual spot on the sofa, buried under blankets and held the warm mugs close to their chests.

If it had been snowing, then Joey would have thought he’d walked into a Christmas film, all it needed was a fireplace and some fairy lights. It was cosy and warm, and a little bit romantic, or it would be if Henry was interested in men and Joey was his type.

No, he couldn’t think like that.

They were friends, good friends, good friends that liked to cuddle and almost kiss if the dog hadn’t interrupted.

It was fine.

Everything was fine.

He took a long gulp of his hot chocolate to stave off his anxiety, not noticing when his nose dived straight into the whipped cream until he looked up to find Henry staring at him with a fond expression. Warmth flooded through Joey’s chest as he returned the smile, feeling high on love and sugar.

“Hi,” he breathed, sounding as love sick as he felt.

Henry’s smile brightened, filling the whole room with light and Joey could have sworn he could hear the swell of violins in the soundtrack of his life.

“Hi,” Henry replied easily as if he hadn’t stolen Joey’s breath, heart and soul. “You- umm, cream, here!”

Henry tapped his own nose.

“Oh cock!” Joey hurried to wipe his nose, almost spilling his hot chocolate in the process, “Fuck! Bugger, shit balls!”

Henry, the bastard, just laughed, his arms reaching out to steady the mug and stop Joey from falling to the ground. “I think you made it worse.”

Joey snorted “I got that, yup, thanks.”

This time he could feel the sticky sweet cream clinging to his cheek, the subtle taste of vanilla on his lips. He pouted up at Henry, gazing through his eyelashes in a way that he hoped could be played off as friendly, but also maybe a little bit seductive. His tongue flicked out to lick his lips and he barely resisted the urge to wink.

Maybe there had been more Bailey’s in his drink than he realised.

Instead, he just wiped his face and snuggled back up to Henry, pulling the blanket up to his chin. They settled on watching Always Sunny, so Joey didn’t really have to concentrate. He let the tension drain from his body as he listened to the familiar TV show and then closed his eyes. Warm, happy and wrapped up in the arms of the man he loved-

Joey fell asleep.

He didn’t notice the way Henry was staring down at him as if he hung the fucking moon and stars, or the inner turmoil his friend was plague with as Henry resisted leaning down to kiss Joey in his sleep.

No, Joey was blissfully ignorant, sleeping better than he had in weeks.

________

The rest of lockdown went by in a blur. Their routine started to seem normal and any doubts Joey had about spending so much time with Henry faded away. They bantered easily like they had on set, laughing and giggling over whatever stupid thing one of them had said. Henry would spend hours playing his video games whilst Joey zoomed Madeleine to work on their new album together. When the regulations relaxed they started to walk Kal together, enjoying the quiet summer days and fresh air. The cuddling never really stopped, and some mornings Joey would wake up still curled up against Henry’s chest, their limbs tangled from the night before.

Those were Joey’s favourite mornings. He’d be stiff all day from sleeping on the couch but he could pretend, for just a few moments, that things were more than they were.

The pining never went away but it was truly the sweetest torture that he’d ever had to endure. The domestic bliss being barely a step away from everything he craved.

And when the time came for Joey to return to his flat with Madeleine, he felt like shit. He didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay in the strange fantasy world he had with Henry, eating too much food and drinking too much wine, cuddling and watching crappy Netflix shows.

Which was why he was sat, staring at a messy pile of clothes on his bed, clothes he’d not worn in weeks. Over the chair were his onesies and a collection of jumpers and hoodies that he’d stolen from Henry over the last few months and weeks. Kal stared up at him from the floor, tail thumping against the carpet.

Joey sighed and ran his hand through his hair, trying desperately to ignore the ache in his chest that was growing more painful with everything second that passed. “I don’t know, Kal. I should be happy about going home.”

Kal didn’t respond, his tail still wagging away just like it always did whenever Joey paid attention to him.

“I miss Madeleine, of course I do, but living with Henry has been great. And you, I love you, big fluffy puppy!” He cooed with a big smile as Kal barked happily and jumped up onto the bed. Joey laughed as he tried to keep his face away from the attack, wrapping his arms around Kal’s neck and pressing his nose into the fur.

“If I tell him how I feel that’s just going to make season two really really awkward, but I just feel like I’m missing a chance, you know?”

If Kal knew, he either didn’t care or just enjoyed watching Joey suffer. There was no reply and Kal just rested his head in Joey’s lap.

“Yeah, right,” he muttered, still running his fingers through Kal’s fur. “You’re no use.”

Kal snorted at that and Joey rolled his eyes.

“But I love you anyway, yes I do!”

“Ready to go?” Henry asked from the door.

“Shit!” Joey yelped. “How long have you been standing there?!”

Henry chuckled, striding into the room and perching on the bed opposite Joey. He reached out to scratch Kal on the head with a dazzling smile. Joey felt his cheeks warm up and he buried his face in Kal’s fur to hide the blush. So many months and he still couldn’t stop his heart from racing whenever Henry smiled. He was pathetic.

And he was running out of time.

He knew it was a bad idea, even entertaining the thought of dating a co-star, but he’d regret it if he didn’t give it a shot. I mean he could always blame the mixed signals if it went wrong. They’d nearly kissed twice and Joey didn’t even cuddle Madeleine as much as he’d cuddled Henry. They were probably the only people that were less touch-starved during the lockdown than before.

So Joey was going to tell him.

Just three words.

He could do that.

Fuck!

He couldn’t do that.

“Joey?” Henry said, reaching out to squeeze Joey’s shoulder.

Joey blinked. Had Henry been talking to him? He’d asked a question so that would make sense. God, his anxiety had gone through the roof, it was like that first day all over again.

“Need to pack,” he mumbled, gesturing at his clothes.

Henry let out a long and heavy sigh, sounding just as thrilled about the idea as Joey did. “I suppose you do, yeah. When is Madeleine due over?”

Joey hummed, glancing at his watch. “Ten minutes ago. Lockdown traffic must be a thing of the past.”

“Pity.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah,” Henry sighed.

Neither of them moved, both staring glumly at Kal who was happily nestled between them. It was strange but Joey had almost begun to think of Kal as his, theirs. Their home, their life, their dog. He would miss Kal very much.

He would miss Henry even more.

“Do you have a start date yet?” Joey asked, the restrictions were lifting and there were talks about getting back to work again, but it was all up in the air.

Henry shook his head. “Should be getting a call from my agent some time this week. I need to make sure my other projects can work around the schedule.”

Joey smirked, “Or my dear witcher will have a new face next time we meet,” he teased.

Henry scoffed. “Not a chance, you’re stuck with me, bard.”

“You still owe me an apology,” Joey shot back, not quite realising how close they’d gotten during their mock argument.

He swallowed and licked his lips, one hand reaching up to scratch the stubble on his cheek. His face was burning right up to the tips of his ears, his heart thumping in his chest. There was a spark of electricity crackling between them, the scent of coffee lingering on Henry’s breath.

“I’ll make it up to you,” Henry promised, voice hoarse and low, making heat spread through Joey’s body and the world around them seemed to disappear.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Henry breathed, the words shaky.

Joey longed to reach out and brush his fingertips along the strong line of Henry’s jaw, to feel the scratch of stubble beneath his skin. He longed to tangle his hands in the dark mess of curls, to see if they were really as soft as they looked. It felt as if there was a magnetic force pulling them closer, a string tying their souls together, binding them as one. Joey couldn’t ignore even if he wanted to, and he was over that. He couldn’t live inside his head any longer, not when there was a chance.

Hope.

Deadly, poisoning his very soul, until he could think of nothing except Henry’s lips on his, hands roaming bodies, pulling at hair, unable to resist the promised pleasures of sin. Tongues tangling. Hearts singing. One breath shared between two. Heat. Lust. Love.

Just Henry.

His love.

Joey closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Henry’s, their lips barely ghosting over each other, you really couldn’t call it a kiss; not yet. One more breath, a millimetre to close the gap.

A horn honked from outside and they pulled apart before they could cross the bridge, past the point of no return.

Joey let out a slightly manic laugh and ran his hands through his hair, whilst Henry went back to stroking Kal as he cleared his throat.

“Bollocks, I still haven’t packed.”

“I’ll invite Madeleine in for some tea,” Henry chuckled, stretching as he stood up.

Kal barked happily and jumped down, wagging his tail as he sniffed at Henry’s socks.

And Joey was left alone once more.

“Fuck!” he groaned, covering his face as he flopped back onto his pillows.

By the time he finished packing, Madeleine and Henry were laughing away in the kitchen like old friends.

Like Joey and Henry had so many times.

He wasn’t special. Henry was just that guy.

Hope.

Dangerous and lethal, stabbing into the heart and tearing the soul apart.

“Ready,” Joey mumbled, holding up his suitcase and guitar. “Might take a couple of trips, I have another bag upstairs and the damn lute.”

“Not sure I ever heard you play the lute?” Henry teased.

“Yeah well,” Joey grumbled and turned away from the kitchen before he could start crying.

He really really didn’t want to cry in front of Henry. What was a little heartbreak between friends? At least he could channel that into Jaskier whenever they finally got back onto set. God, he was a fucking mess.

“I’ll help you,” Henry volunteered because of course he would. He probably just wanted Joey gone sooner.

The poor bloke probably couldn’t wait to have his own space back without Joey’s inedible attempts at cooking, non-stop music and chatter, lazy slobbish evenings in front of the TV.

He wasn’t going to cry.

He wasn’t.

Fuck!

Joey sniffed and stumbled out the door, his hands gripping his suitcase so tight he thought he might break the handle. Back home with Madeleine, to his life, and his bed, and nights spent drinking too much wine and lurking on social media.

He’d just about managed to throw his suitcase into the boot when he heard a loud bark behind him, followed by Henry grunting. Joey was almost knocked off his feet as Kal bundled into him, circling around as he jumped up, winding the lead around Joey’s body and pulling a poor Henry with him.

Not that Joey was particularly complaining about having Henry pressed up against him, but did it have to be when he was crying?

Henry cursed, struggling to keep hold of the lead. Their faces were close and they had to wrap their arms around each other to keep steady. Joey laughed through his tears, reminded of a similar moment from one of his favourite Disney films.

Only Kal was a lot bigger than a Dalmatian.

“I don’t think he wants you to leave?” Henry said, smiling sheepishly.

Joey smiled back despite his broken heart. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“I- I don’t want you to leave either,” Henry whispered so quietly that Joey wasn’t sure whether he’d heard it at all. “I- umm, I like having you here… with me.”

“Oh,” Joey replied stupidly.

“Fuck, I- Joey… Can- can I kiss you?”

The world turned upside down. Joey's heart stopped and everything started to spin. He tried to process the words but nothing seemed to make sense. There was no fucking way that Henry had said that, that he wanted to- wanted to…

Fuck!

“Oh,” he repeated, blinking at Henry as he licked his lips. “I mean. Fuck. No, I mean… Christ. Yes. Please. Yes.”

Henry chuckled and cupped his cheek, pressing their lips together in the most tender of kisses, taking Joey’s breath away right there on the pavement. Joey just giggled when they parted and then swooped back in for another kiss, and another-

And he never wanted to stop.

He didn’t need to breathe, he just needed this; Henry’s lips on his.

Henry had other ideas though, pulling away with a blinding smile.

“Stay with me?”

Joey nodded and threw his arms around Henry’s neck. “God, yes.”

And then they kissed some more. They had months of lockdown to catch up on, after all.

#the witcher rpf #henry cavill rpf #Joey batey rpf #Joey batey/henry cavill #Joey/henry

[secretlittlerandezvous]

Evermore - Jamie Benn

Summary: Back in summer 2013 Jamie ends his relationship with Y/n. Seven years later they run to each other on the street and both of them wonder what would happen if they tried to get back together.

Words: 2964

“We've been here before, you and me together. And we will again. Somewhere somehow we'll meet again.” - Leohearts on Tumblr

End of 2013

Y/n forgot about the time on July 22 at 5:33 pm. That was when her whole life fell apart and her world turned upside down. That was the moment he broke up with her and left her alone, confused and broken. It seemed so easy for him to walk away and forget about their love, but for Y/n it was a heartbreak she’s never experienced before. She was hurting, but everyone around her kept moving forward, life went on and on and Y/n stayed stuck in place. Summer ended as quickly as it came, the leaves turned brown and fell from the trees in the blink of an eye, Halloween passed and Thanksgiving was near but she didn’t acknowledge it and refused to make plans and she decided to stay home alone and cry. She didn’t want anyone to see her because the breakup seemed to take away all of her confidence and she feared everyone would look at her and think “what a fool, she thought she was going to get a fairytale ending with her hockey player prince”. As if the breakup put her in a bad light, as if it meant she wasn’t worthy of the love and the good company of her friends. The only reason she got out of bed every morning was her job that she didn’t enjoy anymore and for every minute she spent there she prayed for the end so she could go home and curl up in bed. No one saw her smile, no one heard her laugh, she stopped joining her colleagues for lunch and she avoided every conversation. She spent most days in her bed, crying and screaming whenever she needed to, and kept replaying every moment before the breakup to find the one where she went wrong. Maybe one day she’d find the mistake and it’d give her a fair chance of avoiding it the next time she’s in a relationship. Because what if it truly was all her fault? What if she ruined it? On the other days, she wrote letters, sometimes to Jamie, sometimes to herself just to get her thoughts out of her mind, and sometimes she stared at the blank paper and didn’t write a single word. All letters ended up in fire the moment she finished writing them.

Y/n used to believe she wasn’t the type of person who lets a heartbreak ruin her life but the end of her and Jamie’s love story had a bigger impact on her than she expected. She kept repeating to herself it was just a breakup, just a guy, just a temporary feeling but nothing could ease her pain. The pain was so overwhelming she was sure it would last for evermore.

The situation significantly changed in December. With all the Christmas decorations, songs, and movies that followed her everywhere, it was hard not to feel the joy. Suddenly she started craving the company of others and started hanging out with all her friends whenever there was a chance, sometimes she walked around the city on her own, she shopped for gifts and before she realized it, she was being her old self again; happy and cheerful. Her attitude towards the breakup changed as well although it highly depended on her mood each day. When Y/n felt good and confident, she wondered what she was even fighting for. For a relationship that ended weeks before he said it out loud? For a man who got so disgustingly comfortable in their relationship and took her for granted? On days like this, she refused to blame herself. On the days when she wasn’t in a good mood, she still cried a little and some doubts returned. But no matter what day she was having she knew now she was going to get through it.

Jamie on the other hand was doing better than ever before. He felt free to do whatever he wanted, he could go out and party all night every night, he had a different girl in his bed every time he went out, there was no one holding him back. In September he was named the sixth captain of the Dallas Stars, the new season started, and he felt like he owned the world. He had everything he ever wanted. But most of his old friends could hardly recognize him. He was the opposite of who he used to be. Cocky and foolish. Jamie naturally refused it and insisted on his truth: he was still the same person. Everyone could see how lost he was without Y/n, they saw it long before Jamie did. Jamie believed he was happy, however the breaking point came in December, just around Christmas. All his teammates were getting ready to spend the holidays with their wives and kids, girlfriends, and families, they all had someone to go to, someone who would greet them at home. But Jamie returned to an empty apartment every night and he started missing Y/n singing in the shower, her silly dance moves while she prepared the food, or her sleeping peacefully while he was about to leave for the morning skate. He missed her face and her voice and her support and love. Everything that he took for granted. He got overly comfortable and believed she would stay by his side no matter what.

And so, while Y/n started to feel better, Jamie started to feel the consequences of their breakup and the pain of all the things he lost.

Presence

Another horrible date, another idiot her friends set her up with. Another wasted day and time and a wasted outfit on someone who didn’t deserve it, not even a tiny bit. Y/n felt comfortable with being single, but her friends believed it was time for her to start seeing someone again. Since her brokeup with Jamie, she only had one longer relationship that lasted for almost three years. But that was three years ago and since then she only went on dates, but she was never satisfied with anyone. And unlike her friends, she already gave up on the hope of ever finding her soulmate.

On her way home, Y/n decided to take the longer route home to properly clear her mind and get some fresh air she so desperately needed. It was late spring, and the weather was nicely warm, the trees were green, and flowers bloomed around the sidewalk. Her mood was significantly decreased by that idiot her friends believed he could be the one, but she still couldn’t resist to smile as she looked around herself. New life always began with spring for her. And as she looked around, she noticed a familiar figure standing just across the street. A tall, muscular figure, dark hair, and tattoos covering his arms, the way he posed as he stood still. Y/n froze in place when she realized it was truly him, her heart started beating faster and she debated with herself whether she should quickly leave or continue walking and go to him to say hi. She then smiled even brightly and with confidence went to him. After all, there was no grudge against him anymore, no anger or pain, no need to cause a scene. She was at peace and she was now able to look back to 7 years ago and feel joy from all the memories she had of him and them together.

Jamie as if he knew felt a familiar presence behind him and slowly turned around. He didn’t expect to see anyone, and he believed it was just a random feeling but there she was. She was more beautiful than he remembered, her hair was longer, her face more mature now but the smile and bright eyes didn’t change at all. Panic took over Jamie when he realized she was heading his way and he wanted to run away. He wasn’t quite ready to face her because even after 7 years he couldn’t believe he made the mistake of letting her go. He knew now she was the love of his life and foolishly he let her go and he couldn’t believe his stupidity and naivety he was better off alone. What was going to happen now? Was he going to meet her on a beautiful spring day with the birds singing, trees blooming and the sunshine warming up his skin and learn some awful truth? What if she was on her way to pick up her children from kindergarten or school? What if he was about to learn she’s happily married and has everything she ever wanted? Of course, he would be happy for her but the selfish side of him couldn’t accept she would have that with someone else and that he was going to spend the rest of his life searching for her in some other girl and then die unhappy and alone.

“Hey there stranger,” her sweet voice brought him back to reality from his thoughts and sent shivers down his spine. It was like seeing a ghost.

“Y/n!” He breathed out and without thinking, he took a step closer to her, wrapped his hands around her, and gently picked her up. Y/n closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the moment and enjoyed his touch, his strong hands around her body, his beard slightly scratching her soft skin, his cologne, and the nostalgia. Jamie did the same, his heart was beating fast and he knew he would have trouble with letting her go once again. “How are you?” He asked as he put her back on her feet, unwillingly and full of fear he would never get to do this again.

“I’m good,” she said confidently. “Really good. I was just on a date.” She laughed.

“A date huh?” He said raising his eyebrow hoping she would give him more details.

“Yeah,” she nodded. Y/n knew she should’ve told him it was a bad date and that the guy was an idiot but Jamie was the last person she wanted to talk to about it and after all, he didn’t need to know anything about her personal life anyway. “But let’s not talk about that. How are you, Jamie? I’m so happy to see you!”

“I’m good too! Things are great with hockey and everything, you know? Couldn’t ask for more I guess.”

The two fell into a silence that was far from comfortable. They randomly and shyly looked at each other from time to time desperately trying to figure out what to say next. After so many years, after all the pain and moving on what could two people possibly talk about? They were done with the small talk and although neither one of them wanted to part ways just yet, they had no idea what to talk about. Y/n deep down knew meeting him would cause some damage, it would bring back some bad memories and possibly even pain and it would certainly leave her wondering what could’ve been if he didn’t end their relationships. Jamie wanted to grab her hand and never let go because he knew now without a single doubt that it was the biggest mistake of his life to let her go and even after seven years he didn’t fully move on.

“I should probably head home,” Y/n whispered unsurely.

“No! Don’t go, not yet,” Jamie said quickly. “We haven’t seen each other for so long we can catch up a little, grab a coffee or something and talk.”

“Jamie,” she said, rubbing the back of her head as always when she found herself in an uncomfortable situation. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Look, after the breakup I was not doing good and it took me so long to get over you. And just seeing you here in front of me is hard because it’s making me realize that it never faded, you know? Something’s still there, some feeling, and I can’t risk getting my heart broken again.” It took all her strength to say it out loud but she had it rehearsed in her mind for such a long time. After the breakup, Y/n often imagined running into him on the street and this was the speech she prepared and memorized.

Jamie knew this was coming, he deserved it. He deserved to know how much he hurt her and how much he screwed up. He had no illusions about himself anymore, for a few years now, he admitted to himself he was arrogant to everyone around him. But what for? It was probably too late. A girl like her, so kind and beautiful, funny and supportive couldn’t be alone.

“I know.” He nodded and looked away. He couldn’t bear looking at her, but he wasn’t gonna give up just yet. “Y/n, I know I made a terrible mistake and I’ve been regretting it for so long and if I had the chance, I would take it back. I was stupid, selfish and I took you for granted. I know it! But I also know that if you gave me a chance, I would be better this time.” This was the first time Jamie shamelessly and bravely admitted his feelings. He was never good with words, expressing his emotions, and avoided it as much as he could but 7 years was a long time to think and to change himself for the woman he loved. In the end, this was probably his only chance.

“I can’t Jamie, I’m sorry, I can’t do this again,” tears appeared in her eyes as she said the last word but she still found some courage to fight it back and smiled at Jamie before she walked away praying he won’t go after her. And he didn’t.

A couple of days later

A few days later Y/n found herself confused about her feelings for Jamie and she couldn’t stop thinking about him. He still had her wrapped around his finger. All these years of moving on and believing she was over him were destroyed. She thought deeply and constantly, wrote dozens of reasons why it’s not a good idea and why she could give him another chance, she cried, tried to forget, talk about it with her friends. But nothing worked. The memory of him kept coming back to her even in her dreams and ever since she ran into him she had a few dreams about the meeting, about their life together, and even a dream of their breakup. She was screwed once again.

“So, what you’re gonna do about it?” Y/n’s friend finally asked after the curiosity took over her. “I mean you’re thinking about him, right?”

“Of course, I am thinking about him! How could I not? It’s been 7 years and I was over him, over us and then I meet him for a few minutes, and he messes me up like this? What am I supposed to do now?” Y/n yelled out. Deep down she already knew what to do but didn’t want to admit it to anyone. Not even herself.

“Whatever you decide to do, I know it’ll be the right thing,” the friend smiled at her warmly.

That night Y/n couldn’t sleep. She kept tossing and turning in her bed, she tried to read a book, watch a movie, listen to a podcast but nothing could put her to sleep. The decision she made deep down haunted her because she knew if it was a bad one it would end in a total disaster and she wasn’t sure if she would survive it the second time around. And so, the next day she decided to go see Jamie in person and clean up the air.

Y/n arrived to the American Airlines Center early in the morning hoping she would find Jamie there. When they were dating, he liked to go there before anyone else arrived to have time for himself and Y/n hoped this habit didn’t change and she would find him on the ice.

“I hoped I’d find you here,” she said with relief when she spotted Jamie on the ice all by himself. “Some habits just don’t change huh?”

“Y/n!” Jamie said with surprised face. He was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice her standing just a few feet away from him. It brought back so many memories of her coming with him to early morning skates, to his games, or when they sneaked in at night and skated until the late hours of the night. It reminded him of her smile and excitement, he heard her laugh and saw the sparkles in her eyes. “What you’re doing here?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said the last time we saw each other,” Y/n admitted. “And I came to the conclusion that I might survive giving you or perhaps giving us a second chance.” She smiled at Jamie and then quickly stopped as she realized he could’ve changed his mind and not want her back anymore. “If you still want that.”

Jamie’s face lit up immediately after she finished talking. He hoped and prayed for a second chance and he knew that if he was gonna get it he would make sure to treat Y/n right and appreciate her as he should’ve. He then quickly skated to Y/n and stood in front of her with hope and happiness visible on his face. “I promise I won’t make any stupid mistakes this time.”

“You will make stupid mistakes,” Y/n giggled. “Just don’t ever let me go again.”

“I won’t, I promise you that.”

“Then it’s for evermore,” Y/n whispered and kissed Jamie. And it was right. It felt right. They belonged together.

#jamie benn #jamie benn imagine #jamie benn writing #jamie benn one shot #jamie benn imagines #dallas stars #dallas stars imagine #dallas stars one shot #dallas stars writing #dallas stars imagines #nhl imagine #nhl players imagine #nhl writing #nhl imagines #nhl one shot #hockey imagine #hockey writing #hockey one shot #hockey imagines

[somedayonbroadway]

The Sisma

A/N: This is an original work that I am testing out, so please be brutally honest with me, give me all the opinions if you choose to read, I would really appreciate it! This began as an Anthropology assignment to create a new religion and out of it came this...

Summary: In the beginning there was darkness, chaos and evil. But all of that was ancient history, right?

TW: Witchcraft

In the beginning there was darkness, chaos and evil. The Craz roamed the darkness in their true form with greed and mischief and ate away at the very essence of potential life that might have emerged otherwise. This was the before times, before a new humanity, water, fire, air and earth.

Then, the stars fell. Four stars, to be exact, four stars that were four beautiful sisters; Alora, Rakisha, Nori and Beila. They fell right down to the darkness. It was pure chaos. The fallen stars still had their fading lights with them, and a desire to make something whole and pure out of a fallen world, one that had once been a home of goodness and peace and acceptance. So together, they used their light and their unique ways to push away the darkness and create a world of their own. The four sisters came to be known as the Bringers; the Sisma.

Alora, the first to fall and the first to awaken in the darkness, danced the grass into existence, creating a soft place to land for her following sisters, whom she knew were yet to come. She brought forth from the ground, trees and mountains, flowers and soil. Alora was henceforth known as the Bringer of Earth.

Beila, the most heartbroken of the four by the essence of darkness that now surrounded her, cried from her own sad eyes, the swelling seas, the rivers and the rain from the stars above. Beila was then and forever will be the Bringer of Water.

Rakisha found the world still dark and dreary as she fell into it, so she whispered light into the world, sending a ball of fire up to the skies to keep the world warm, bright, and wild, though her creation was found to be unpredictable and hungry, just as she was. Rakisha, wild and free, came to be known as the Bringer of Fire.

Nori, the youngest and shiest of all the sisters, sang the air from her lips so quietly so that every creation could then breathe in life and know of her presence though they may not see her. From the song came the breeze and the wind. From then on, Nori was named the Bringer of Air.

For the first time in centuries, there was new hope on a fallen world, the light of four Bringers creating something brand new from the dark ashes. This, however, was something the Craz were anything but grateful for. Craz thrived on darkness and chaos, surviving off of the mess of a world it had once won in a great war. The Craz fought back, sending a dangerous darkness back out over this new world, poisoning the green trees, the oceans, the wind and the sun, creating the night and the dark moon so it could use it to harness the light and send it far away from them.

Fearing they would lose their new creation, the Bringers brought forth an army to defend it; the animals. Nori made birds of the breeze and let them fly over the darkness and shed their light onto it. Fish, sharks and seals grew from the bubbles of the rain, rivers and sea purifying the waters so that they may live there. From the burning fires of the world grew lions, tigers and bears, fierce creatures to let out mighty roars to scare the darkness back into the light. Finally, from the flowers and trees grew creatures unlike any other; humans.

The humans were meant to be an army of light against the Craz, fighters and protectors of the sacred land that was created for them. This, however, did not last as, instead of protecting the Bringers gifts and lights, they began to harvest the gifts for themselves, trying to steal the lights away from the world and claim it as their own. The Bringers then decided to leave the humans to fight the Craz without their light, promising to come back when they were worthy enough to have a purified world, when the light could reach their eyes.

At least, that’s how the story went.

All of that was ancient history now. Still the story was as sacred as ever, told on the first of each season and followed by the Relation to the Bringer of the season. It was winter now, the season belonging to the Bringer of Water, Beila, the saddest of all the Bringers, so the Gingri had each cleansed themselves in the river that ran beside their village, just as they would do the whisper of fire on the first of summer, or the dance of earth to welcome in spring, or the song of the air for fall. But now, it was only winter. The season of Bringer Beila. Some believed that Beila held the weakest light of all the Bringers and that the Craz could easily infiltrate Gingri with the darkness that winter brought. Maybe those folks were right.

Penn stared straight ahead, watching the river run through the trees. This was a peaceful place, a place where she could sit and listen to the gifts of the Bringers when she felt lost or afraid. She always thought the gifts spoke to her, guided her. She could feel them, sense them. It always felt surreal.

“Penn!” someone called from behind her. The girl jumped, whirling around, her heavy hair falling behind her as her green eyes searched frantically for the voice calling out. “Penn! We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“Oh?” Penn asked, a smirk falling onto her face easily, as though there was nothing in the least that was special about this day.

Another girl came rushing up to her, giggling as they lightly collided. Penn caught her friend easily, holding her by the shoulders as the other smiled. “Everyone has been searching for you! You are popular, Penn, a real life celebrity who is missing her own birthday party!”

Jeen, a girl like no other in the eyes of Penn, had the best smile in the universe as far as she was concerned. Something about it made her feel all gooey inside. “Well, I was quite comfortable here until someone disrupted my meditations—“

“Oh, meditations are for the old! We’re coming in with the new.” This girl always had a way of trying to make ridiculous, nonsensical things sound profound. It never really worked, but it did make Penn laugh. “It’s your Jequan today!” Jeen insisted. “You should be excited.” Clearly, the other girl was disappointed in Penn for not being quite as bubbly as she was.

It was Penn’s Jequan. It was a ceremony that had been done for generations, a test for every child of seventeen years of age. It was a big deal in Gingri, a great tradition that welcomed a child from their young life to the life of an adult. It cleansed them of the darkness that may be planted inside every young Gingrinian at birth, the darkness of a fallen world.

With a small, dramatic sigh, Penn reached up for a tree branch that hung above her. With slight difficulty, the young girl pulled herself up and hooked her knees around the sturdy tree, letting herself hang upside down. Her thick hair hung beneath her as she tilted her head at her friend. “The world is more interesting from this angle,” she stated with a cheesy, sarcastic grin. “You have very pretty eyes.”

Jeen did not seem very amused to the average person, but Penn was no average person and could see that look in her deep brown eyes, the one that said she was doing her very best to keep from smiling. After all, Penn had known Jeen for what felt like a lifetime. Well, since they were six. See, when Penn was young, she was a quiet, reserved young girl. She hardly spoke to anyone back then, except for the Bringers. Penn always wished she could see the Bringers. They were always so beautiful in her head. Being taught Sismarna by the Seekers, the belief of the four Bringers, she was taught that the Bringers were unlike any being she’d seen.

Growing up, Penn had spent so much time wondering, she had forgotten to live a little. Jeen reminded her that there was still a world here. They vowed to explore it together, take in every blessing the Bringers had given them.

Still, they had heard this Sismarna story thousands of times. The Bringers created the world. The Bringers were the light. The Craz were the darkness.

Yet, Penn and Jeen knew very little about the Craz. All they knew were the stories they’d heard that only might be true. There were rumors of course, of a Craz that had been captured and studied a few decades ago, but there was no proof that even that had ever happened. It was curious.

Now, the story of Penn and Jeen sneaking off into the woods behind the hunters was a completely, totally and entirely classified secret. Only the hunters were allowed deep into the forest. If what the Seekers preached was true, Craz inhabited that forest. Sometimes, hunters would come back looking spooked, eyes wide open and some kind of voice in their head. It always wore off eventually. The Seekers said it must only be a warning.

When they were fourteen, Penn and Jeen had stuck out on a hunting trip. They had only been joking at first, asking each other what would happen if they went off into that dark forest and wondered alone. So they each covered the other in brown dust and drew on their chests the symbol of the Bringers for protection, just as the hunters did for every quest they went on. An ancient Listener had once heard from the Bringers that this was the best way to keep the Gingri people safe when in a Craz infested forest. So no one questioned it. After all, one had to be blessed with the gift of the Connection to be a Listener, just as the Seeker had to be blessed with the gift of Knowledge to preach and the Healer with the gift of Warmth to heal.

Out on that hunting trip, to this day, Jeen swears she saw a Craz. They got separated for one moment and Jeen came back with a scraped wrist claiming that a Craz had stolen her blood, a Taker, teachers of witchcraft and history of the Craz, and will wait till the opportune moment to use it to control her. Penn was still trying to convince her that myth was not real. Jeen would not have it.

“Okay! Come on, come on!” Jeen insisted, tugging lightly at Penn’s hair. “You’re gonna be late for your own ceremony! Your brother will have your head if you’re late!”

With a dramatic sigh, Penn looked to the ground and let herself fall, landing gracefully on her feet. “My brother needs to learn patience. He’s not a proper Seeker yet, there to fore,” she emphasized, flipping her hair back. “He ain’t in charge yet,” she shrugged easily, smirking at her own improperness. Sometimes it was just more fun to be improper. Then that snarky smile left her face as she became serious. “Now quick, help me fix my hair before he sees me.”

So maybe Penn knew her brother was very much in charge. Well, of her at least. See, her brother, Kye, was all she truly had growing up. He was only five years older than her, but he had taught her all she knew now, about the Bringers and the wild world they lived in. He had braided her hair for her and tucked her into bed at night. Penn’s mother had died when Penn was young and her father was a Seeker, busy with other families a lot of the time. And being a Seeker’s daughter brought much too many expectations onto Penn, like her being on time for her Jequan, her hair up, back and tamed, and her clothes ready to come off so she could show her full, true self to the Bringers.

Jeen only snorted and took four straight fingers to her forehead on one hand, before moving them in a U like motion towards the skies. “Sisma, help us,” she asked the Bringers with a small laugh, calling the Bringers by their official collective name; The Sisma.

With a small laugh, Penn began the short trek back. “Yeah… Kye’s gonna kill me,” she stated, rushing into the small tent, stripping out of her clothes as Jeen tip-toed behind her awkwardly, trying to tame her hair into a bun on top of her head. Penn was in her underclothes by the time she got to the center of the tent. Jeen quickly tied her off before rushing away, knowing she should not be there. Kye was waiting with his arms crossed, as if knowing that his little sister would choose that exact moment to enter the room.

“You’re late,” he stated. “Have you even chosen your ruins yet?”

Raising her eyebrows at her brother, Penn put her hands on her hips. “Oh ye of very little faith,” she scolded playfully. “Of course I’ve picked my ruins! I…” Then she stopped, because her brother was right. Penn was too excited to sit down and be a proper seventeen year old who actually sat still and chose her ruins for herself. It was her birthday after all. Today, she went from girl to woman. It was her Jequan. It was much too exciting to sit and look through some ancient book.

With a very heavy sigh, Kye, who believed himself to be an old of some kind when Penn was around, stood up and grabbed the paint made from berries and grass, dipping his fingers in it. “I thought so,” he sighed, with a small shake of his head. Still, Penn prided herself with the small smile she had gotten out of him. She stood patiently as her brother drew on her forehead. “The ruin of Hope, to bless your stubborn head,” he began, moving to her shoulder. “The ruin of Perseverance, to help you if you struggle.” He moved to her hip. “The ruin of Guidance, to help you connect with the Bringers,” he said, before standing. And then he began to draw right in the middle of her back, a large symbol, bigger and more important than every other. “Lastly, the ruin of the Light,” he sighed. “This will protect you when I cannot.”

Turning around with a smile. “Aw,” Penn smirked. “I knew you loved me.”

Kye sighed and brought four fingers to his head, lifting them up to the sky. “Sisma, help my clueless little sister—“

“Okay, I get it,” Penn stated. “I’m done joking. This is a very important day and my brother is helping me,” she smiled. “Just don’t worry about me too much. After all, I am a Seeker’s daughter,” she said confidently, mockingly strutting around the tent and moving her head like she was trying to flip her hair back, only her hair was tied in a tight bun and would not move.

“Oh, baby sister, what will I do with you?” Kye asked.

Penn let herself give him a big, cheesy grin, like she might have when she was a small child, her eyes squeezed shut as her teeth nearly took over her whole face. “Give me a kiss, wish me the luck of Sisma and watch me crush my Jequan in a very good way?” she asked.

Looking at her with those bored looking eyes, Kye kissed his little sister’s cheek. “May the Sismas bless you,” he said. “Now go out there and crush your Jequan in a very good way,” he instructed, pushing her a bit towards the exit of the Preparatory Tent towards where her ceremony would begin.

This was it. The last moment of her childhood, standing here, at the doors of a white tent, covered in berries and wearing very little clothing and she did not know how to feel. This was the day she would be cleansed of the darkness the Craz had cursed all mankind with.

It was odd, in a moment she felt conflicted, almost like she would lose a part of herself. Quickly shaking herself out of that mind set, Penn smiled and took a very deep breath, walking out, into the open, where many people stood in a large circular formation.

In the middle of it all was a man Penn always strived to please. “Come closer, my child,” he smiled. It was her father. She smiled and did as he said, kneeling before him slowly, a small excitement for making the man proud rising up in her. “Recite the way of the Sismarna,” he instructed gently with a fond smile on his face.

Raising her four fingers up to her forehead and pushing her hand up towards the stars, Penn began slowly, “Sisma saved this world. We are not but Refugees, borrowers of a land created for creatures more worthy than us. We must remain true and steadfast towards the light over darkness, Sisma over Craz and honor over witchcraft tricks,” she stated. “We must rely on the Bringers to save us and bring us light, we must make ourselves worthy to receive such light again, therefore, I, Penn Nightingale, surrender myself to them, asking Sisma to cleanse me of the darkness of this world.”

Her father smiled down on her. “Very good, Penn,” he whispered, motioning for her to stand. So the girl did, following her father obediently towards the box in the middle of the small crowd. Three Seekers helped lay her down in the open square. She was surrounded by four wooden boards, hand carved with intricate designs lining the sides, separating her from the rest of the world as one of the Seekers leaned over her with a smile.

An ancient prayer was sung over Penn’s head as her body was slowly and gently buried in pure soil, given to Gingri by Bringer Alora. The girl closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose as the soil was poured over her. “May the Bringer Alora grant you a piece of her light,” one Seeker said. After only a few moments, Penn was completely immersed in the soil. “Penn Nightingale, please stand and present the dance of the earth,” the same man called above her.

So Penn slowly lifted herself from the soil and began the dance of the earth in complete silence. The eyes on her made her want to stop. Her heart was running wild and a nervous smile made its way to her face as she forced herself to keep her shy gaze on the ground. She was used to doing this dance in a group at the start of spring. Her feet moved and stomped the ground in a pattern she’d known since she was a child and as her dance came to a close people applauded her. The first of the four challenges was complete.

Next came the cleansing. A barrel of water from the river was dragged close to her. Her father helped her lay back down. “We will now be cleansing you in the water of the river,” he explained as a wave of water was poured over her. She gasped and shivered a little bit at the cool feeling, holding her breath as she was submerged. She was shivering already, listening for the sobs of Bringer Beila who some believed they could hear during this part of the ceremony.

Only, Penn didn’t hear any sobs. She heard a whisper, inaudible at first, but growing louder and louder by the second. For a long moment, Penn forgot the fact that she couldn’t breathe, intent on knowing what this Bringer was trying to tell her, if Bringer Beila was trying to communicate something to her. It was growing louder and louder by the moment until finally a strained and tired voice was able to meet her ear. “Neligra!” it nearly screamed before hands pulled Penn out of the water. That’s when she heard the worried murmurs.

“Child, are you alright?” her father called.

Reaching up to wipe at her eyes as the cold water dripped down her face. “I’m alright!” she smiled, trying not to think too much about what had just happened. Neligra. She had never heard that word before. It must’ve been in her head, the lack of oxygen. She did not know how long she had been under the water, but she knew she had to catch her breath.. “I apologize, I got lost under there,” she tried to laugh off.

The Seekers only smiled at her, helping her stand from the box. “You gave us quite a fright there, young one,” one of them chuckled. “No one ever stays beneath the water for that long. You have quite the lungs on you,” he stated. “May Bringer Beila bless you with a portion of her light.”  

It had only felt like a small moment to Penn.

And now suddenly she was standing in front of hot coals, a small pathway lined with fire. “While performing the whisper of fire, you will walk across these coals to the other side where a healer will be waiting if you need her,” her father instructor. “Don’t worry, my love, they aren’t too hot,” he assured, and Penn managed a smile, only becoming slightly intimidated by this part of the ceremony. Watching others do it always made her feel giddy, like she couldn’t wait to conquer this challenge, still that did not mean the idea of letting her own feet trail across those stones seem any less painful.

Still, taking a deep breath and hesitating for a long moment, Penn managed to hiss as her first toe touched the coal. “Bin ein jent cur,” she began whispering. “Mon grea lo pondru kin il lee…” It was nearly a chant. Maybe it was. Penn had never thought to ask. All she knew was the flames around her seemed to grow and her words echoed in her head. It only made her wonder more what the words actually meant. A Seeker must know, her father must know. She would have to ask soon.

The path was long in Penn’s head, and when she stepped into the cool grass again she sighed in relief. Everyone else was quiet. Penn looked around, the smile gone from her face as she saw that the eyes watching her had widened. She looked through the crowd, searching and searching for an answer for why everyone was looking at her like she had two heads until she found Jeen standing with Kye. Jeen offered her a stunned shrug as the Seekers surrounded her.

“May the Bringer Rakisha bless you with a piece of her light,” one of them said, almost suspiciously. “You have one last challenge, Penn Nightingale. Are you ready?”  he asked genuinely. Penn looked to her father. He looked worried.

“I am,” Penn breathed, unsure of what was happening to her. She must just be imagining things.

The last challenge was to honor Bringer Nori. It was done while singing the song of the air. Penn was supposed to let the Seekers lift her body up towards the stars while she sang, before they let her sink back to the ground. It was supposed to be a simple one, the last challenge, the last point.

And yet, as Penn began to sing this song, something began to happen right before her very eyes.

The world around her grew dark. The faces of her friends and family morphed into something new, faces with black paintings on them, ruins of darkness and danger drawn across their skin as they danced to the song around her, chanting their own language at her, one that she listened to and began to translate in her head. “Naligra!” the group screamed before she blinked and was suddenly back in reality.

The song falling gracefully from her lips stopped immediately. “Neligra…” she breathed to herself, her eyes suddenly void of any emotion or thought as her feet moved slowly and silently without her consent. She began to speak in a language she had never spoken before, walking aimlessly towards the forest she had been forbidden to go into since she was a child.

“Penn?” Jeen called, trying to follow after her, but Kye stopped her, unsure if going after his sister was safe.

The crowd didn’t dare stand in her way as an unfamiliar song began to spill from her lips in a way nothing ever had before. Penn was walking willingly towards the forbidden forest, a dazed look on her face as though she’d never seen those trees before.

“Penn,” her father called as well, following after her.

That was when Penn turned around, her eyes still very much entranced. “Neligra,” was all she said again, speaking clearly and definitively this time before her hand raised over her head. The motions the invisible people in her mind had been doing in that large circle came to her easily. Penn was not even thinking about them, Penn was hardly thinking about anything. Some instinct deep inside her knew exactly what to do. She let it take full control as she snapped her hands down towards the ground and a black smoke engulfed her.

And just like that, Penn Nightingale was gone.

#original post #original story #original work #new religion #witchcraft #fantasy #fantasy world #work in progress #my wip #first draft #the bringers #mythology #original mythology #four elements #new world #creation myth #rituals #ceremony #made up #anthropology #original character #writers of tumblr #writing #writer #writing life

[irrelevantwriter]

Feral

Pairing: Chief Jim Hopper x Female Reader/You

Rating: Explicit, NSFW

Warnings: Language, unprotected vaginal sex, mention of bodily fluids, touch starved Hopper (he just wants to be held), allusion to PTSD but not stated explicitly, Hopper going full beast mode (bc we deserve)

Word Count: 2K

Summary: Jim was trapped in the Upside Down. He made it out and back to you. But all that time away without you means it’s only a matter of time before he snaps.

A/N: I miss my thicc Chief and this is me finishing a fic I started last year to exercise my Hopper muse. I had the idea to have Jim trapped in the Upside Down after season 3, but we’ll see if that’s going to be true or not. As long is our boy is still alive, I don’t give a fuck. So, this idea was bred from one of a million convos @negansdirtygirl22​ and I had about Hopper being a beast in the sack and was very much based on the scene in season one of him ransacking his own trailer. This went a little softer than I anticipated, but he’s still going HAM on that pussy so I don’t think you guys will mind. Enjoy and share with your friends! Feedback is that good shit.

*Masterlist in bio.

**********************

Jim eyed you closely, barely able to contain himself as you drew the curtains in your bedroom. The lamp on your nightstand offered a subtle glow, but it was enough for him to appreciate what he’d been kept away from for so long. You were blanketed in one of his flannels, the long wool socks your wore stopping just below your knee. It was a sight he never thought he’d see again.

Being trapped in the Upside Down was shit. It was a terrifying place that he had yet to really even put into words since he’d been back. He felt like time had stood still and yet, he felt like he’d been away a hundred years. In reality, six months had passed. Every second there he was on alert, fighting for his life in some capacity. It was not unlike the time he spent in the war, although even then he had better chances of making it back than he did in that warped universe. It was a place that looked so much like home, and yet it was the farthest thing from it.

A tease for what could be.

Home.

He felt his heart stutter at the thought. He was finally back with his girls, a notion that had been so far away and intangible only a few short days ago. You’d been at his beck and call since he’d returned. You were by his side constantly, a byproduct of thinking the love of your life had died. You always seemed to be touching him in some form or fashion, the skin-to-skin contact a comfort to his touch starved body. He could see what the loss of him did to you…and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut because of it. You’d clearly taken his “death” hard and his sudden reappearance had everyone suffering from whiplash, you especially.

Jim grunted when you bent across the bed to turn down the covers. He caught the barest glimpse of your ass encased in white cotton, the visual making his libido soar. He’d been without your touch for six long months…it was starting to show.

“Jim?”

Your voice pulled him from his lustful thoughts, slamming him back into reality.

“What’d you say?” He asked as he scratched at his newly trimmed facial hair, eyes flicking from your face to your exposed legs.

“I asked if you were ready to go to bed?” You smiled warmly up at him. It was a smile that made his chest feel tight, in the best way possible.

“I, uh…” He found himself at a loss of words looking down at you, the glow of the lamp highlighting you in the most heavenly way.

“You okay?” You prompted with a slight laugh, but he could tell you were worried by his hesitance.

He reached for you, pulling you close. It was the first time since you’d both been reunited that the two of you had been so close without anyone else around. El had been stuck to him like glue and it’d taken a shit ton of convincing from Joyce to get her to sleep at the Beyers’ home for the weekend. Joyce had tried to delicately explain the need for “adult time” while both you and Jim had looked on with a mixture of gratefulness and embarrassment.

Jim was feeling especially grateful at the moment.

“Never better.” He replied lowly, encasing you in his embrace. You let yourself become surrounded by him, snuggling your face into his bare chest.

“God, I missed you…” You whispered against his skin, hands resting near his beating heart. That wasn’t the first time you’d expressed that sentiment. And he could hear the grief less and less each time you did.

He cradled your hips in his hands, positioning his mouth near your ear. “I missed you more.”

He felt the delicate touch of your lips on his chest and he pulled you closer. He didn’t bother trying to hide his aroused state. Instead, he let you lead…he let you dictate where this was going to go because he was a man already on the edge.

“Jim…” You moaned as you rubbed against him, feeling his need for you push back in kind. He dug his fingers into your hips, pulling the fabric of his shirt with it. Your hands were suddenly on his face, pulling him towards your desperate lips.

That was all it took.

Jim moaned at the taste of you, your essence cloaking him in a desire-fueled fog. His body warmed from the inside out, his nerves feeling like they were vibrating with pent up energy. His tongue dominated yours as you struggled to get closer than humanly possible to him. He ripped at your shirt, buttons flying. The garment was removed immediately, allowing bare chests to meet. Your hands tangled in his hair and he swore he felt you shiver when he ran his hand down your naked back.

“Bed.” You gasped against his lips.

Jim grunted in response, lifting you from the ground and forcing your legs to wrap around him. His mouth attached to your neck, sucking with wild abandon. He could feel the heat radiating from your core, the pull for him to get lost inside you. It was almost too much for him.

Moans and groans filled the room as he threw you on the bed, your back making contact with the soft blue sheets. Your legs opened instinctually and Jim admired the view, a view he’d missed deeply. He could see a darkened patch of moisture on the fabric of your panties, the evidence of your hunger for him making him delirious. He had the sudden urge to mount you, to own you once again after so much time apart.

He slid off his sweats, exposing himself to the electric air of the room. You closed your legs at the sight and shifted helplessly against the mattress, eager to create friction. He moved forward wordlessly and parted your legs. You allowed him to do as he pleased, letting him rip the cotton from your body like a barbarian. He growled at the sight of your glistening lips, already burying his fingers inside you.

“Fuck.” You cursed with your head thrown back. You squirmed against his hand, coaxing him further inside you. He panted as he watched you writhe against his touch, your back arched and your mouth parted in a portrait of ecstasy. You were soaking his fingers, your body more than ready for his entry. He was thankful for that because he didn’t think he had it in him to be gentle. It felt as if he’d reverted to some sort of primal beast while away and he had yet to make the switch back to reality. His only concerned was feeling you wrapped around him, painting your walls with his cum.

He pulled his fingers from you with an obnoxious slurp and coated himself with your spendings. You rubbed your legs together as he jacked himself off to you. Just the sight of you sprawled out and as desperate was enough to nearly send him catapulting into space.

He stopped himself before he got to that point, already seeing the tip of him leaking with precum. He pulled at your ankle, practically impaling you on his cock. He covered your body with his own, biting and sucking along your nude body with animalistic fervor. Your nails pierced his skin as you thrust your hips up, attempting to catch him in your folds.

“Goddamn,” He cursed as he squeezed your breasts in his large hands, pushing them together so that he could devour your peaked nipples. He moved along your curves, settling between your legs. The position felt like home as much as the cabin did. The warm clutches of your body was his true home; it was where he belonged.

He nipped at your ear and buried himself against your neck as he finally thrust up into you. You accepted him, though he could feel the tight stretching of your walls as you did. Your whole body tensed around him, sucking him further inside. His breaths got faster and more ragged, the struggle to retain some sort of control slipping by the second. The sensation was too much and not enough. He could practically feel your heartbeat pulse against his throbbing cock, your walls encouraging him to move. His forehead rested on yours, the both of you taking a moment to both savor and ease the satisfying tension.

Jim gave no thought to anything besides the feel of your body connecting with his. He began to move fast and deep, grunts and growls accompanying each thrust. He transformed from man to brute as he pounded into you. He could feel the barrier of your cervix, his cock hitting it in an intense rhythm. The bed moved with his actions, the headboard a soundtrack for your coupling.

“I can’t…” He rasped, hands going to your throat. “I can’t last. Fuck…”

Your nails dug into his back, your legs wrapping around him as he set a brutal pace. You didn’t hide the moans and whimpers that escaped your lips. He could hear every inhale and gasp as he fucked you with wild abandon.

“It’s okay…” You breathed out, chest rising and falling in rapid movements. The sound of his cock assaulting your pussy was obscene, the growing wetness between your bodies a signal that both of you were close.

He felt your hand wiggle between your bodies, your fingers rubbing feverishly at your clit. His hips only moved faster, clutching at that blissful force that threatened to take hold. Your back arched, sending your chest up and into his. He gripped at your thighs as you begged for more and pulled away in overwhelming desire. He followed your body, not letting you escape his wrath.

“I’m cumming, Jim…fuck.” You cried out, features contorted into a myriad of emotions. Your nails pierced his skin as your pussy clamped down and didn’t let go. His cock had no choice but to stay immobile as your walls spasmed with almost painful intensity.

“Fucking Christ, baby…” He cursed, trying not to succumb to your body but knowing the effort was fruitless.

You soaked him, the evidence now painting both him and the sheets below. Your body shook with aftershocks of pleasure, but he resumed his thrusting, his cock now sliding almost sloppily against you. His hands dug into the mattress as he watched your face go from lustful torture to peaceful serenity in a second. He’d missed your face, envisioned you there with him as he struggled to stay alive. Now that he was back with you, he never wanted to part from you again. If he had it his way, he’d be balls deep in you every day. You were his solace, his peace.

The thought of having you like this forever set him off and he came with a violent thrust and growl. He bit into your shoulder, but still not hard enough to break the skin. He used your body to accelerate his climax, pumping you with cum and sucking harshly into the flesh of your neck. You accepted it all, widening your legs in a silent demand for more. His muscles tensed and contorted in blind passion, his mind blissfully suspended in that moment. His fingers dug into you flesh, anchoring him to you as his entire being sailed into the clouds.

He collapsed onto you with a grunt, his chest heaving and skin sticky with sweat as he listened to your heartbeat beneath him. Your fingertips danced along his broad back, your legs tangling with his. He felt the biggest wave of exhaustion overtake him, his eyes barely able to remain open.

“I love you, baby girl.” He mumbled sleepily, your touches only adding to his lethargy. He shifted his hips slightly, his cock still very much connected to you. The unmistakable feeling of cum overflowing from your lips and soaking you both comforted him, his body in no hurry to separate.

“Love you too, baby…” You mirrored back, your voice soothing him into a nightmare-free slumber, a state of rest that he’d been chasing for six months but was never able to achieve.

The man was home.

#jim hopper #chief jim hopper #jim hopper x reader #jim hopper x you #chief jim hopper x reader #chief jim hopper x you #jim hopper fanfic #jim hopper fanfiction #chief jim hopper fanfic #chief jim hopper fanfiction

[stoven-harrington]

Where did the time go (during the summer I spent with you)?

Steve Harrington X OC

Hey this is my first story I'm writing about my favourite boi Steve Harrington. I hope you guys enjoy it😍😍

Also shout out to the story Time Flies By by @harringtown for inspiring me to write this fic. She's really amazing so please check out her other fics

This happens a year after season 3, so Steve is now 20.

Steve Harrington AU in which Steve is dragged into 2019. With him here in the new modern world, going back to 1986 just might be possible. Time travel, new friends, old friends, with so much at hand, love shouldn’t be on the table. But life doesn’t always go as planned.

Chapter 1:  A Normal day with a side of concussion please

I came to visit my aunt’s place in Hawkins to house-sit for her over the summer break. Of course, this wasn’t my ideal summer plans (those included going to beaches and seeing my friends) but I knew that Auntie Maria needed someone to watch over the adorable pitbull Nico. I haven’t seen his dopey face in forever and I miss that fur ball. Walking up to the door, I barely had the chance to knock on the door before it busted open and Auntie Maria’s hand reached out and dragged me inside, pulling me into a hug.

“Oh thank god you’re here!” Her hair was a mess, eyes crinkling in happiness, her clothes slightly sloppy as she smiled at me. “God, it’s been forever since I last saw you! And I know who also missed you.” I hear the dog tags before I see the grey fur. Nico comes rushing and jumps on me, making me fall to the floor in a mountain of his kisses. A giggle pours out of me as I try to get up without Nico trying to jump on me again.

“Hey Auntie Maria, hi Nico. How’s my good boy? Did you miss me? Did ya? Did ya? I missed you!” His tail kept wagging a mile a minute as I pet his belly. Auntie Maria laughed at the both of us while pulling out her Polaroid, snapping a picture before I could protest.

“Awww just look at you two. So cute. Ahhh I wish I didn’t have to go so I can spend time with you both but you know? Work is work. Hey where’s your friend? I thought you guys would come together?” I finally stand up and look back at her.

“Nah, Saint said they’ll be here in a week or two. They got stuck with a project but they said they’ll head over after its done.” She nods absently while petting Nico.

“Alright, well at least you won’t be alone with Nico the whole summer. Oh, and if you need help or anything Joy said she’d be happy to lend a hand on anything okay?” I smiled hearing Joy’s name. That lovely little Filipino lady was one of best highlights of this place, besides my aunt and dog of course.

“Oh I like Joy, she makes the absolute BEST food. Her sinigang* is to DIE for and UGHHH I just love her.” She laughs as she grabs her phone.

“Yea she’s the best neighbor I could ever ask. Make sure to say hi to her when you see her and hey, maybe you could even help her out with gardening and stuff. Her son isn’t coming over this summer because of his job so it’s just her and Marcus.”

______________________________________________________________

Auntie Maria didn’t really have a lot of time to talk but she did mention that she stocked the house with food for a month or two and that I could use anything in the house as long as I didn’t use her weed (this is one of the reasons why I love Auntie Maria). She also said I could get a job if I wanted to earn a buck, but I figured I’d be busy exploring the rest of the town I haven’t seen and whatnot so whatever. Besides, I earned a lot from my job at home so I was well off for the summer. She parted ways after hugging me and Nico and drove like the speed demon she is as I waved her off. Nico whined a bit until I took him for a walk and briefly said hello to Joy and her husband. There wasn’t really a lot to do after putting my stuff away and before I realized it, it was night. Saint texted me about their project and I filled them in on my short day while making myself some fried rice.

Benefits to house sitting for Auntie Maria: I have 3 choices of bedrooms. She never told me why she had a lot of bedrooms other than giving the regular ol’ excuse of “guest rooms”. I always felt like she was lying about it since I would find items in the rooms that I knew didn’t belong to her, but it was her business and I wasn't gonna pry. Picking at random with a metal bat in hand (Auntie Maria still kept my softball equipment from high school since mom was gonna throw it out), I walked into the bedroom furthest from the stairs on the second floor and laughed at Nico hopping on the bed before me.

“Hey you punk, I was gonna sit in it first!” He barked in response and quickly got comfortable as I placed the bat next to my side of the bed and got under the sheets. It wasn’t long until he scooted himself by my feet and soon after, my eyelids started to droop. Sleepiness was creeping on me as I whispered, “Night Nico.”

________________________________________________________________

It was supposed to be a typical night for Steve: he was expecting to walk around the forest lake in peace while he gathered his thoughts on what college to choose. He did this every so often away from his children rugrat-group of friends, especially his favorite, since he wanted them to care for themselves and not him. At that point of the night, he’d get get closer to the lake and try to skip rocks, watching his rocks just sink into the water. After that, he would head back to his car and go home, sneak into his room and knock out.

But this wasn’t supposed to happen: getting snatched by some slimy creature and squirming out of it but not before the creature cut him with its claws(?). Steve barely had time to think as he fled to his car, not realizing the big gash on his leg was starting to bleed. Could he make it to the car? Why couldn’t he just have a normal night? Was it really that hard to ask for?

“Shit! Just one time!” He exclaimed

He was trying to grab the walkie and bat he left in the car to warn his friends but as his fingers brushed the car door, the claws came back once more and grabbed his ankle. Steve struggled to get the creature to let go by kicking, however, the creature learned its lesson and grabbed both of his legs as they went through a slimy portal of a tree. This had to be the end for him, what else was there to live for? He hadn’t even found a girl he liked aside from Robin since she just don’t swing that way. Man, this blows

Expecting to see the upside down and the creature’s mouth above his face, he was pleasantly surprised to see neither of those things and instead was just lying on the ground of the forest again. Fuck that, if he had a chance to get away, he was taking it. Without a second to spare, he jumped up and looked down at himself.  The stupid creature ripped his jeans and he finally noticed the bleeding.

“Dammit, and these were my favorite pair and I’m bleeding all over…” Just then, the growl of a creature nearby jumped him back to his senses. He recognized the sound was unnatural and tried to strain his ears to hear what direction the creature was hiding in. The growl came closer and a rustle of leaves tipped him that the creature was on his right and he sped towards his left, hauling ass without second guessing himself. He couldn’t hear the creature anymore because of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears but he noticed houses starting to take form in his field of view and ran towards the closest. Someone just had to be up right? There's always one person who can’t sleep right? God, he prayed for an insomniac, someone to let him in.  

That was short-lived however because while he was so focused on getting to the door, he didn’t notice the stupid rock in his way and tripped, hitting his head on yet another stupidly placed rock and knocking out in the progress. He didn’t even see the light turning on in the house in front of him or hear the creature creeping closer. Talk about having a shitty night.

  *Sinigang*= a Filipino soup that can be with either pork or chicken, spinach, tamarind, ginger and others. The soup is really good if you have the chance to try it, do it. Doesn't hurt to try something at least once right?

This story is on archive of our own and has more chapters there but I will post the rest of the chapters

Part II

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x oc #demogorgon #pitbull #i love dogs #steve the hair harrington #stranger things kids #jane hopper #dustin henderson #robin buckley #mike wheeler #will byers

[tozierswheelers]

being the elder henderson sibling [headcanon]

Requested?: Yee my dudes. Anon: “I absolutely loved your Wheeler and Byers middle child imagine! can you make one for Dustin’s older sister? Love your blog btw “ (idk who you are but i’m glad you enjoy my blog <3)

Pairing: Dustin Henderson x reader (platonic, family), Steve Harrington x reader (romantic oops) 

((btw guys if you’re getting annoyed at all of these turning out as romantic Steve things, pls let me know))

((once again, season 2 below the cut))

you were Claudia Henderson’s pride and joy

well you were, until Dustin was born

but you couldn’t complain

Dusty was your pride and joy as well

you were always so supportive of him 

((especially whenever him and the rest of the party won the annual science fair))

you would always help Mr. Clarke with the AV club

the fact that you were always around meant that you were always the one constant in the Party’s lives.

they loved you

((you were the og group mom))

no matter how cool you were to The Party, you were unapproachable at school

you thought it was because you were a certified Loser™

in reality, it was because you intimidated everybody

you were so pretty and kind and smart that people saw you as unapproachable.

well, everybody except your closest friend

((aka Jonathan Byers))

you always had your nose stuck in a new book, oblivious to the awestruck glances aimed at you.

Jonathan would always snort at the glances you’d get from half of the basketball team ((yes, including Steve Harrington [pre-Nancy]))

when Will went missing, you swear you felt your heart break

but you didn’t cry because Dustin was distraught and he needed someone to comfort him.

in fact, you comforted all of The Party, Jonathan, and Joyce.

you caught Dustin sneaking out of the house to go look for Will one night

instead of ratting him out to your mom, you went along because “there’s no way I’m leaving a dumbass like you all alone in the woods.”

The Party was relieved to have you tagging along

you made them feel safe.

you’re skeptical about Eleven at first, and take Lucas’s side for a while.

soon, you begin to see that the young girl can actually be a highly useful asset.

the next day, you find yourself being extremely surprised.

when you hear that Barb is missing, you’re pretty rattled.

first Will, now Barb.

what was happening?

after school, you find your way to the parking lot

you see Steve and his little crowd mocking Jonathan 

you approach them right as they break him camera.

pissed off, you begin shouting obscenities at them, shocking everyone.

sweet, beautiful, caring (Y/N) Henderson knew how to curse?

when Carol starts making remarks about Jonathan, you lunge at her.

Tommy intervenes and before you know it, his fist has met your face.

everyone stops.

they all stare at you 

you simply crack your neck and deliver an equally devastating blow to Tommy’s face.

((at this point, Steve is feeling guilty because he just knows he’s fallen in love with you but Nancy is still in the picture))

but damn can you take a punch 

Tommy is on the ground, in pain, and you simply grab Jonathan’s hand and threaten the little group.

your foot hovers over Tommy’s crotch before you speak.

“if you ever pull a little stunt like that again, you can say goodbye to any future children you were planning on having,Tommy. you too, Harrington.”

Steve simply stares at you and Jonathan groans because he knows what that look means.

he’s seen it too many times on his brother’s face and on the faces of half the school’s basketball team.

Steve. Is. Absolutely. Smitten.

eventually you find out about Will’s body being found.

you reluctantly head home to be with Dustin...

...who sends you right back to the Byers residence, insisting that Jonathan needs you more than he does.

although hesitant, you listen to your little brother and spend the night with Jon.

you help calm Joyce down when they have to go identify the body.

you eventually tag along with Nancy and Jonathan when they go looking for the monster.

you notice Nancy is missing and follow her into the Upside Down.

when the monster chases you, you make sure she goes back through the tree first. 

you barely make it through, the Demogorgon clamping onto your leg and leaving you injured.

you refuse to go to the hospital, and Nancy proceeds to patch you up. 

when you go to the store to buy your weapons, you’re the one who sees the movie matinee first.

you try to keep Nancy away from it, but she sees it anyways.

when she runs off, you grab Jonathan’s hand and tug him along.

“oh look, Nancy the slut and the creepy couple”

“shut up Carol. just because Tommy is the only one who wants to fuck you doesn’t mean you have to be bitter all the time.”

Tommy takes a step towards you but stops once you arch an eyebrow. 

Steve looks at your hand in Jonathan’s and starts talking shit.

“really Nance? you had to go after Byers? I bet you, him, and Henderson there had a lot of fun together eh?”

you’re the first one who swings and although Tommy is urging Steve to fight back, he knows that he can’t hit you.

so he hits Jonathan instead.

you wind up at the police station

where you eventually spill the whole story to Hopper and Joyce, showing them your wound as proof. 

when you contact The Party, you’re the one who has to speak to them 

you’re the only one that they truly trust.

you don’t want to leave them but Nancy insists that she and Jonathan need your help.

Jonathan is your best friend and although you don’t know Nancy that well, she is a sweet girl.

so you agree and go with them. 

when Steve arrives, you’re the one who opens the door and tries to keep him out. 

eventually, the Demogorgan arrives and you have to keep it away from Steve, who is unarmed.

when he helps you fight back, you realize that maybe (just maybe) he isn’t a self-centered, big-haired douchebag.

fast-forward to the end of the fight 

everyone is safe, except El.

although you’re sad that she’s gone, you know it’s nothing compared to what Mike is feeling. 

when Will awakens, you’re right by his side

along with the rest of The Party.

and when Jonathan sees the way Will looks at you, with that dazed, dreamy look,

he knows that things might turn out okay.

you hug Dustin tightly and tell him how much you love him

Dustin whispers the same things back to you before pushing you off and rubbing his neck in embarrassment

the rest of the evening is spent in comfort as you all realize that you still have each other.

things slowly go back to how they were

you’re still the mom of the group

you and Jonathan are still as close as ever, especially with Nancy becoming closer to you as well.

unbeknownst to you, Nancy and Steve are having problems because Nancy is too focused on Jon and Steve is too focused on you.

you inevitably meet new kid Billy Hargrove and his charming kid stepsister Max ((who you take an instant liking to))

you met them in the parking lot on Halloween, where Billy asked you to go to Tina’s party with him and you “agreed”

((you said “sure, I’ll see you there” but the wink you gave Max showed that you had no intention of ever showing up))

you choose to supervise The Party instead, and even dress up as a Ghostbuster with them.

((they are beyond excited about that))

when Max surprises them and sees you, she immediately starts laughing

she explains to The Party that you just stood her dick of a stepbrother up on Halloween.

((Dustin is super proud of you bc he’s heard so much shit about Billy))

anyways,

you don’t know it, but Mike and the rest of The Party are keeping Will’s visions a secret from you because they don’t want you to worry.

you know something is going on but you think it’s just normal teenage boy stuff

so what if they’re keeping secrets. they can’t tell you everything, ya feel?

after trick or treating, you and Dustin walk home

and find a lil thingy in the trash can.

you and Dustin are both intrigued by this...thing.

so you keep it

and name it Dart. 

and then it all goes to shit

I mean, first it escapes at the emergency AV Club meeting

next thing you know, Will is infected by that shadow monster.

you’re pissed off at the kids for not telling you what was happening with Will

like you yell at them

y e l l

they had never seen you so upset and The Party felt so guilty that they had caused this.

you give The Party the silent treatment until Dustin runs up to you in a panic, telling you about how Mews is dead.

you sigh and roll your eyes because “dammit Dustin I really can’t leave you alone because you always mess things up.”

Dustin grins because he can see you fighting a smile and he knows that you’re not upset with him anymore. 

“alright (Y/N), we’re gonna go over to Mike’s house because none of those sons of bitches are answering and we really need their help.”

you reluctantly hop onto Dustin’s bike and make your way over to Mike’s house

you run into Steve there, a bundle of roses in his hands.

“(Y/N)? what are you doing here?”

“i’m looking for Mike. or Nancy. but they’re not here so we’re leaving.”

you’re tone is pretty rude and Steve is pretty shocked.

you grab Dustin’s hand and begin to walk off but he stops you.

“wait. he fought the Demogorgon with you last year didn’t he?”

you sigh and nod your head.

“then he can help us.”

Steve agrees to help because he wants to win you over

you find yourself going down into the cellar first, holding a crowbar and getting ready to defend yourself against Dart.

Steve almost has a heart attack and races after you.

you propose the idea to lure Dart to the junkyard with raw meat.

when walking towards the junkyard, you trail slightly behind the two boys, snorting whenever Steve gives Dusty advice.

“what? you got better advice Henderson?”

“yeah. Dusty, do exactly the opposite of what he says. his advice is bullshit. i’m not sure how he ever got Nancy to agree to go out with him.”

Steve frowns at your words before speaking. “Nance and I aren’t together anymore”

you look at him, eyes wide in apology.

Steve stares right as you before continuing,

“turns out, we were way too focused on other people.”

you look down awkwardly, an unwelcomed blush painting your cheeks

Dustin simply grins widely as he looks between the two of you, causing Steve to scoff and ruffle his hair.

at the junkyard, you and Max do most of the work

Dustin and Lucas are too busy chatting and Steve is too busy admiring you.

while waiting for the demodogs, you find yourself sitting next to Steve, head thrown back against the wall of the bus and humming a song under your breath.

you only stop when you hear Steve chuckle breathlessly

“are you humming AC/DC, Henderson?”

you blush and nod your head 

“never took you as that kind of girl.”

“what kind of girl did you take me for Harrington?”

Steve stares at you for a moment before looking away, distracted by Lucas shouting.

“they’re here!”

when Steve goes outside, you feel kind of guilty

you know you should be helping him but you want to keep the kids safe.

you fight off the demodogs that try to attack the inside of the bus.

after making sure no one is hurt too badly, you lead everyone to Hawkins Lab, following the mini demogorgons.

back at the Byers house, Joyce has you stay with her, Hopper, and Mike when talking to Will.

she knows that he’ll feel safer with you there as well.

since you’re the designated babysitter, you stay with the kids 

they quickly become restless and so do you

when Mike begins to talk about his plan, you can’t help but agree with him

after Steve disagrees, they all turn to you.

“hey you dipshits, why aren’t you listening to me?”

“(Y/N) is the leader. she’s our babysitter, not you Harrington. we listen to her.”

you smirk at Steve.

“that’s right. i’m in charge. and I say we go.”

the kids all cheer and start to gather up whatever they need.

Steve narrows his eyes and glares at you.

“it’s on Henderson. I’m gonna be the best damn babysitter these kids have ever had.”

“dream on Harrington.”

you and Steve are now in competition to see who is the Best Mom™

Steve is super upset bc you’re making him flustered just by looking at him.

Dustin walks back into the room during your intense stare off

“goddammit guys. we can feel the sexual tension all the way from the back of the house!”

when Billy arrives, you step in front of Max and Lucas

Billy ends up cornering you and wrapping his arms around your waist.

“y’know princess, what you did to me at Halloween wasn’t very nice.”

Steve is by the door, ready to attack the mullet-headed dick

you totally save yourself though, pulling his mullet and kicking him until he lets you go.

when Billy tries to lunge at you, Steve steps in

“don’t you dare lay a hand on my girlfriend Hargrove.”

you pretend not to hear the kids cheering at his words. 

even though Steve gets his ass kicked, you’re still grateful.

in the tunnels, you make sure that Dustin is by your side the whole time.

except when Mike is caught

that’s when you separate yourself and help Mike get free

you and Steve make sure that the kids get up first

when you see the demodogs running at you, you yelp

Steve follows your gaze and grabs your hands.

“listen Henderson. if we’re about to die, there’s something I've always wanted to do.”

you glance at the demodogs hesitantly, before turning back to Steve.

“you might wanna hurry up then Harrington.”

Steve immediately presses his lips to yours.

and you’re kissing

as all the demodogs run around you. 

you pull away awkwardly

but you can’t deny that it was the best kiss you’ve ever had

((not that you’d ever admit it))

once you exit the tunnel, you’re met with the smug faces of The Party.

“well, i’m glad you got that out of the way.”

“shut up Dusty.”

you avoid Steve afterwards, too stubborn to admit that maybe you have a crush on him.

Nancy and Jonathan try to get you to talk to him

“c’mon (Y/N). he really likes you!”

“you guys were together???”

“well yeah, but he always liked you and I always liked Jonathan.”

you notice him spending more time with Dustin and it warms your heart.

Dustin definitely brings him up in random conversations you two have.

“hey (Y/N), this pasta is great. you know who else likes pasta? STEVE!”

“hey have you seen my walkie-talkie? by the way, STEVE IS DOING PRETTY WELL TODAY!”

eventually, Dustin asks you to help him get ready for the Snow Ball.

((you definitely laughed when he told you that Steve told him to use the Farrah Fawcett Hairspray)).

he also begs you to go drop him off with Steve.

when Steve first sees you, it’s awkward as hell.

but you just brush past him and into the car

when he gives Dustin advice, you roll your eyes and lean forwards.

“don’t listen to him Dusty.”

you kiss his cheek and he smiles before getting out of the car.

“alright, have fun you two. but not too much fun.”

“Dusty what are you-”

Dustin points to the roof of the car smugly

hanging from the car’s roof is a sprig of mistletoe

((where did this dipshit get mistletoe??))

you and Dustin have a mini stare-off before you groan and turn around, taking Steve by surprise and kissing him harshly.

“wow”

“you got that right Harrington,” you grumble.

“does this mean you like me Henderson?”

“don’t push it dumbass.”

Steve chuckles before turning serious.

“I really do like you Henderson.”

a pause. then...

“i know.”

“did you just Han Solo me?”

“yes but i like you too so shh.”

Steve Harrington might have been a douchebag but he cleaned up his act.

The Party was super happy that you were together now

especially Dustin.

((you were still the favorite babysitter though))

(((shh don’t tell Steve)))

Tags: @delicrieux, @broken-pieces, @toekeery, @stanleyurisalive, @tapetayloe, @thekidsofneibolt ((if you wanna be tagged, let me know))

#steve #harrington #steve harrington #steve x reader #steve harrington x reader #dustin henderson #dustin x reader #dustin henderson x reader #mike wheeler #will byers #lucas sinclair #eleven #jane ives #jane hopper #jim hopper #joyce byers #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #billy hargrove #max hargrove #max mayfield #stranger things #stranger things x reader #stranger things 2

[guysbeingdudesbeingbros]

Exam Stress ~ Blake Imagine

Prompt: hello! since it is/just been exam season for a lot of people could you write a blake one where y/n is up late trying to study but blake keeps distracting her with kisses n cuddles and begging her to come to bed and y/n gets increasingly annoyed until she gets really upset because she’s nervous/stressed and ofc blake is an absolute sweetheart he just comforts her?? thank you i hope you’ve had a lovely day!!

Usually you weren’t nervous for your exams. You were a decent student, getting pretty good grades and enjoying most of your classes.But you were terrified for your math exam. You were awful in math, nothing made sense and everything got mixed up in your head.

So you settled in for a long night a few days before the exam, intent on teaching yourself a whole semester’s worth of information.

You were sat at your desk, books spread out all around you. It was only late afternoon, almost dinner time. You had been studying for a few hours, but so far you felt fine. You took breaks to grab a snack, stretch, scroll through twitter. You had gotten through a couple chapters without feeling confused, which was making you feel better about learning everything tonight. 

Your phone buzzed, making you look up from the problem you were working on. 

From Blakey: Can I come over after dinner? I miss you :( xx

You smile at the message, finding it adorable that you haven’t seen your boyfriend in a day and he says he misses you. 

To Blakey: I need to study, so if you come over you have to be quiet and not annoying... 

You reply, wanting to see him but also knowing that he will also try to distract you. 

From Blakey: You won’t even know I’m there! xx

You shake your head, really rethinking why you said yes in the first place. You went back to your books, trying to get as much done before Blake got to your house. 

For the first hour Blake was at your house, he was quiet and didn’t bother you. He just walked into your room, pecked you on the lips before laying down on your bed and going on his phone. 

You were honestly surprised he left you alone for an hour, expecting him to only last a few minutes at most. 

“Take a break and cuddle with me, Y/N!” Blake said, making you turn around to look at him. He gave you puppy dog eyes, being very dramatic. You roll your eyes fondly before turning back around to your work.

Things were starting to get confusing again. And it had nothing to do with Blake being there. You understood some of the problems, but then they would throw in a fraction or an exponent, and you would be lost again. The problems were getting longer, more complex, and you felt yourself falling behind. 

Blake’s arms wrapping around your neck made you jump, you were so lost in thought that you didn’t hear him get up off of your bed. You just let him hug you from behind, resting his chin on the top of your head to watch you work. You messed up the problem, groaning quietly when you erase it to start again. 

“When is your exam?” Blake asks quietly, not wanting to annoy you but finding himself genuinely curious, and slightly bored. 

“Three days from now,” you answer absently, concentrating on redoing the problem in front of you. You get halfway through it, before getting stuck. You grab your textbook next to you, flipping vigorously through the pages to find out how to finish the problem. You find the chapter you need, reading through the explanation. You sigh, seeing that the answer was easy to get. 

Blake presses kisses to your neck, breaking you from your thoughts. You honestly forgot about him for a second. “What B? I’m trying to work,” you sigh, looking up at him. He’s standing behind you, playing with loose strands from your ponytail. He leans forward, placing an upside down kiss on your lips. He lingers for a few moments, pressing light feathery kisses on your cheeks and jawline. 

“You seem stressed. How long have you been studying?” Blake asks, eyes showing concern. You smile at him softly, grabbing his hand and playing with his fingers a little. 

“Only a few hours, I have to reteach myself everything,” you admit, giggling when he winces sympathetically at you. 

“Well let’s take a break to get a snack,” Blake offers and you agree, partially because you were hungry, but partially because you know that if you spent a little time with him Blake would leave you alone for a little while again. Win-win scenario. 

Two hours later and you were very annoyed. It was getting late and over the past half hour Blake had not stopped bothering you. 

At first, it was just asking you random questions or showing you something on his phone. And you paid attention to him, not wanting to be rude to him. But, then it escalated to Blake cuddling you while you worked. He pulled up an extra chair, sitting right next to you while you tried to keep studying. He would rest his head on your shoulder or kiss down your neck. 

You giggled a few times, knowing that he just wanted to spend time with you and keep you from getting too stressed. But, the chapters you were working on were so hard. You’ve been stuck on the same problem for about 25 minutes now, unable to figure it out and find out how to solve it. You tried googling the question, using apps to answer it, even checking the back of the book to see if the answer was there. But nothing. It seemed like your teacher put the problem there to confuse you completely. 

And Blake’s constant nagging was not helping. In fact, it was pushing you closer to your breaking point. 

“Y/N, it’s late love and you’ve been working all day. Just come to bed,” Blake pleaded, pulling your arm a little. You shake him off, growling a little under your breath when you have to erase all of the work you’ve done. You restart the problem, but within a few seconds you mess up. You curse, scribbling out the whole problem angrily. 

“Seriously, let’s sleep. It’ll make sense tomorrow,” Blake continued to say, thinking you were ignoring him. But, you felt yourself getting worked up. “Y/N! Come on! Just stop studying and relax!” He sighed. And you snapped. 

“Blake! Can you just stop for a second! I can’t stop studying, the exam is in a few days and I don’t know anything! I’m going to fail!” You shout at him, making his eyes widen in shock. He just stares at you, unsure of what to say to calm you down. “I can’t get this stupid problem! And I won’t pass this exam, I’m such a dumbass...” you shout, your voice cracking at the end. Frustrated tears fell down your cheeks. You felt exhausted, hungry, and overworked. 

Blake approached you slowly once he saw you crying. He wrapped you up in his arms, cradling your head onto his shoulder. “Shush, love. It’s okay, the exam is in a few days, you have plenty of time to learn how to finish the problem. You’re exhausted,” Blake whispered, rubbing soothing circles in your back. You let out a few pitiful sobs, too tired to move your head from his shoulder. You felt the long day catching up to you in his arms, feeling the last of your energy drain away. 

“Let’s go to bed, yeah?” Blake asks, pulling back a little to look into your eyes. You nod, giving him a watery smile. He smiles back, wiping your tears off your cheeks with his thumbs. He kisses your forehead before leading you to your bed. Blake pulls back the covers, holding them up for you to climb in. 

Just as you get settled in your bed, you see him start to turn away. You reach out quickly to grab his wrist. He turns back around to you, a questioning look on his face. “Can you stay with me?” you ask in a small voice, hoping he wasn’t annoyed at you for being rude and shouting at him. You watch a soft smile break out across his face. 

“Of course, Y/N,” Blake whispers, sliding into your bed. You turn so your back faces him, letting his be the big spoon. His arms wrap around your waist, squeezing your comfortingly. You thread your fingers with his, resting them on your stomach. 

“Thank you, Blake. I love you,” you mumble, feeling your eyes slip closed. Blake presses a kiss to your upper back, snuggling his head into your hair. 

“Anytime, Y/N. I love you, too,” Blake whispers, and with that you fall asleep. Right before you drop off into unconsciousness, you figure out how to solve the math problem. But, instead of jumping up out of bed to write it down, you just snuggle closer to Blake, leaving it for tomorrow. 

Sorry for the delay in posting! Hope you like it! Good luck on your exams if you haven’t finished them yet! 

Thanks for requesting, much love 

xx

#Blake Richardson #new hope blake #blake imagine #blake richardson imagine #new hope club #new hope club imagines #nhc imagines #imagines #new hope club one shots #one shots #prompt #request

[a-lbeit]

2018: a year in review

rang in the new year with really good people actually watching the ball drop for the first time in a few years. it always makes me sad in a happy way.

had my friend (from california) i met while studying in berlin come to visit!!! but there was a giant (relatively speaking) snowstorm that came through, so we had to rearrange a couple things we had planned on doing. but most things worked out, especially since i didn’t have to go to work for like 5 days lmfao. we did a ghost tour, went to a few historical sites, and even drove to savannah for a day.

went to waffle house with a few people the night before i left for my last semester at american university and....tbh....started feeling some things about someone again (but it’s gone away lmao)

returned to dc for the last time for a while

actually started booking things for the best goddamn spring break -- a trip to western south dakota to visit badlands national park and everything around it

saw the devil makes three

started an internship with rock creek park, my own door into the nps

went to the bars on u street for the first time for my friend’s birthday. almost got projectile vomited on during the pregame lmfaooooo

saw arlo guthrie

got moviepass at the height of it. i saw many films with it, some of my favorites being lean on pete, three billboards outside ebbing, missouri, and bad times at the el royale. however, the company obviously went downhill. i was all right with only being able to see 3 movies a month, because for 10 bucks, that’s still not bad. but then showtimes started disappearing and i finally gave up hope. it was nice while it lasted. 

took my german midterm and skrrted right out of dc to embark on one of the greatest journeys of my life. i’d had this spring break in mind for a year and a half, and i feel so grateful that i could actually accomplish virtually everything i had dreamed of:

drove to dayton, ohio, then waterloo, iowa, then wall, south dakota, my final destination. along the way, i saw a zoo that was my window to a west i had only ever heard about, a statue of abraham lincoln right next to the mississippi, the world’s largest truck stop, a hobo memorial, an intricate and delicate and intriguing grotto, a tri-state marker, a corn palace, the goddamn missouri river, and all the farmland and life that make up the heartland of the united states. i was mesmerized and i had barely started.

reached my motel in the evening with a backdrop of the sunset over the badlands, got nervous by a group of men wearing camo and carrying what seemed to be hunting or fishing gear, went to dairy queen, and came back to a once-again empty motel parking lot. i felt better.

spent the next day in the national park. it was the off season, so the entrance i went through was unmanned. i saw countless sheep and prairie dogs, sometimes within a few feet of me, and admired the bright, layered colors in the rock. i played springsteen’s “badlands” with nobody in sight, miles of land in every direction that seemed both right there and unreachable at the same time. the visitor’s center had information and nice people. the cliff shelf trail was a small introduction to my hiking in the park. the notch trail was fun and gave me a bruise and let me see the badlands as they are meant to be seen -- you get to climb a ladder and get into the formations. there is an astonishing view, but if you go a bit further than most people do, it’s even more incredible. i lay down backwards and looked at everything upside down. i drove back the way i came and stopped to admire the sunset over the jagged and far-off edges. it was still the beginning.

(got an email saying i was accepted into the disney college program lmfao)

with the next day came a further destination. in belle fourche, sd, there is the true geographical center of the us. you go down a gravel road for around 8 miles. it’s scary when the fog doesn’t let you see more than 200 feet in front of you and the farms on either side of you are encased in snow. but the mysticism surrounding the decor -- a homemade cross, a simple “the true center of the nation” declaration, and various hiking boots stuck in the fence -- especially when you seem to be the only person for miles, is surreal. i left there and finally found my way out of the fog and went on into wyoming to see devils tower. the sky was a piercing blue and i was blinded by the light, but snow is always on the ground that time of the year, i guess, and i hiked knee-deep through 2 miles of it. i dropped to my knees in happiness like a weakling when i saw my car again, but i felt like cheryl strayed. people feed the prairie dogs so much there that they come right up to you. the squeaks were unending and cute. i drove the 2 or 2.5 hours back, mostly in the dark, my feet water-logged but my heart full.

i drove to mount rushmore the next day. it’s strange always knowing of something and finally seeing it in person. i love the sculpture and i don’t know how people are able to do things like that. i wish i could have hiked closer to it, but the trails were still closed for winter. then, through the black hills i continued, coming up to the crazy horse memorial and reluctantly paying the admission fee, although i know it helps their progress. i know i probably won’t be alive when (and if) it’s completed, but it’s nice to see at least part of it. i wish i could go up to it. maybe one day. wind cave national park came after, and i saw bison munching on grass 10 feet away from me. i wish i could have gone into the cave. maybe one day. i walked along the grassland without a jacket on. i couldn’t believe it. i left and took the backroads to return to mount rushmore to see it at night. it was scary, especially navigating the never-ending curves in the black of the unpopulated areas, but coming closer to the monument, i passed through one-car tunnels that framed the sculpture perfectly. 

the next day was my second time around at the badlands. i hiked half of the castle trail and climbed some of the formations, able to admire all i could see from a throne made of crumbly rock. there was fog in the morning which lifted to another sunny day. there were cacti and deer and even phone lines. the shadows in the creases of the hills kill me with their nonchalant elegance. i went back to my motel and came back into the park at night. i had never seen so many stars, although it was so goddamn frightening being in a parking lot unable to see 5 feet in front of me that i left after a few minutes.

my last day, i was supposed to go to jewel cave national monument, but it snowed and caused some of the roads to close. instead, i walked through the storm to wall drug store and meandered around the kitschiness. i want to bring people there to show them how incredible it is. 

i drove back to washington over the next 3 days, stopping at the now snow-covered badlands for one last look, the green giant in minnesota, effigy mounds national monument, dubuque, and everywhere in between along the way.

native american history around all of the places i have mentioned is rich and cannot be underestimated. i didn’t talk about it, but these places are of course sacred to the tribes of the region and it is paramount to respect that. i think the nps tries to educate, but it could do more.

i went about 4,200 miles on that trip. i miss the days of driving with my playlist that took months to create. 

i came back to washington and didn’t really talk about my journey except for a mention of it when discussing what we had done over spring break in german class. i love to recount this 10 day period, but i don’t do so very much because i feel inarticulate and i don’t want to minimize the effect it has had on me. 

saw langhorne slim, don mclean, and george ezra (on 3 separate occasions)

was a part of park rx day with rock creek park

saw old crow medicine show (which has become a yearly tradition i guess lmfao)

went to the graduation happy hour for the library circulation desk. that night was something i’ll never forget. i miss that place so much.

the next day, drove to clemson to see melissa graduate! what a time in our lives. then promptly drove back to dc for my own graduation

but the night before my ceremony, i saw david byrne. it was wild but not as great as i had hoped, mostly because i couldn’t see too well.

graduated from american university, but continued to be on its campus a few days a week until mid-august because i couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the library or the campus. i love that place more than i thought i ever would. 

saw shakey graves 2 days in a row, as you do

saw pussy riot thanks to a recommendation from my german professor

visited my work friend’s farm just outside of baltimore

saw pauly d dj at a club lmfaoooooo

found a shark’s tooth at calvert cliffs state park

went to new york for a day to visit brandon before he moved to san francisco! i got in around 5:30am and had the first part of the day to myself. i went to staten island and all the nps sites downtown, then met him at his brother’s apartment a couple blocks from central park (???!!!!). we went to greenwich village, ate lunch at the white horse tavern, and then had a second lunch from mcdonald’s in washington square park. he had to go after a while, but i walked over to the high line to see the sunset. i walked ~45k steps that day but the joy is remembered more than the pain in the end.

i worked and flirted with a nice guy. i might visit him in california in may. 

went to nashville to see paul simon with my friend callie. we rocked and enjoyed trashy nashy. that same day, paul simon announced his final show in queens was to be in september. i thought about how i could attend. 

we came back to charleston through the smokies and went swimming in the rain. the beauty of that area is unlike anything else. then we met lauren for lunch and it was so goddamn nice. i wish it could have been for longer. 

saw harry styles bc i love myself ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

had a couple friends visit and we did the touristy stuff of dc. it was nice to do that with people for once. 

had a couple more friends visit and we went to asbury park for the fourth of july. it was atmospheric and i couldn’t believe i was in springsteen’s stomping ground, especially as one of his song’s namesakes. 

saw southside johnny and the asbury jukes

saw a ship belonging to the spanish navy when it docked in charleston for a couple days

started my second long trip of the year

drove from dc to cleveland, first of all. i spent as much time as i could in the rock and roll hall of fame. i saw all the stuff i had learned about in my rock and roll history class and stuff i had grown up with and everything else i didn’t know about. “bruce juice,” pete seeger’s banjo head, and a couple free games of pinball were memorable moments. then, i went on to the cleveland museum of art, where i took a photo i wasn’t supposed to and recognized a couple pieces from my art class sophomore year. i loved cleveland way more than i thought i would and saw myself as a resident there.

went to cuyahoga valley national park the next morning, admiring the only national park in ohio with its waterfalls and greenery, and continued on to bowling green, kentucky. on the way, i went to kent state (which affected me more than i thought -- the military is too often a disgusting institution).

took a 4 hour tour deep into mammoth cave and saw things i couldn’t have even fathomed before. i couldn’t really wrap my head around the fact that we were underground where it is always dark yet still teeming with life. the change in humidity when coming back outside made my camera fog up for a good few minutes. it was funny, really. afterwards, i took advantage of the parts of mammoth cave national park that light does touch -- i got soaked in a rainstorm but seeing the green river and having a butterfly land on my finger were things i will always remember. wet and cold, i went on a second tour of a different part of the cave by lantern light in the evening. we saw cave graffiti and even a bat.

i left that area and moved on to the cumberland gap. it was the day before my 22nd birthday and i was in 3 states at once (for the second time this year). “salt seeking buffalo, moccasin clad warriors, dreaming pioneer, battling civil war soldiers. each was here in the historic cumberland gap, and now so are you.” [punctuation added] has got to be one of my favorite signs i’ve ever seen. it conveys the history in simple terms, which is the way i like things. it’s endlessly meaningful without being pretentious. 

on my birthday, i toured the forbidden caverns near the smokies, then hiked some of the alum cave bluffs trail. i wish i could have done the whole thing, but i was short on time, as i wanted to be back in charleston by the evening to celebrate my birthday with my parents. 

the day after, i slept in for once, went to the angel oak with melissa, and saw brian wilson and the gang perform all of pet sounds with callie. it was nice but there were so many empty seats that it was a little sad. 

started my travels again, going back to the smokies area but stopping in blowing rock first and then going down the blue ridge parkway. the next day, i went to pigeon forge and rode an alpine coaster and finally did a somewhat substantial hike in the smokies -- charlies bunion. i saw a mother bear and her 2 babies and was alone on the trail with a beautiful deer. after that hike, i did the tail of the dragon drive and went to fontana dam, where the fog along the water made for an otherworldly feeling in my heart. 

came back to charleston once again, but not before swimming around looking glass falls and feeling that this is what summer should look like. also made a stop at the carl sandburg home nhs.

started my drive back to dc for the last time, but took the scenic route -- south of the border, luray caverns, and the hardest hike i’ve ever done over in shenandoah. the famed old rag. it was a rainy tuesday, and the rocks were slippery. i didn’t see a single other person. i clutched those rocks for dear life at times, but i made that 10 mile hike and it was invigorating. i miss getting grimy in the forest. 

that whole trip took me 3,755 miles around the eastern us with my ipod, 60s on 6, and phlash phelps’s voice in the morning as my soundtrack. 

acknowledged in my head that it was nearly time to the leave the library, a home of mine for the past three and a half years. i told people the date of my departure and it inched closer despite my desire for time to stop progressing. 

had a tour of the towers of the national cathedral. it’s not something many people have done and i’m glad to have seen the not-so-showy parts of the structure, along with a closer-up look at the showy parts we know and love. 

had a visit from lauren -- we went to nando’s, the portrait gallery, and thrift shops with paige. i wish it would have lasted longer. 

went to six flags with my friend from work, where we rode every ride we wanted to. it was carefree, even though my pants ripped. 

my final day at the library inevitably came and went. instagram follows and facebook friends increased as i knew this was now the only way to see the people i had known for so long. i got choked up, and i’m choked up even writing this. to say i miss it is to put it very insignificantly. i have left some of myself there. 

went back to new york for a few days, where i met up with my father so that we could see a concert in central park celebrating the greenwich village folk scene of the 60s. the mc was richard barone, who we’d met 2 years prior when he gave us a tour of greenwich village. on that trip, i saw theodore roosevelt’s birthplace (thank god for him, sincerely), the cloisters, staten island again, the seinfeld restaurant, and even coney island. we took the bus back to dc and drove my ‘97 ford escort back to charleston.

for the few days i had in charleston before moving to orlando to work for disney, i hung out with people like old times. trivia, the beach, apartments. the circuit. 

i really fuckin moved to orlando, i guess. i moved in with 7 other people. we resort-hopped before we got our entrance passes to the parks. i felt mostly unmoved by the orientations that they try so hard to brainwash us with. i took a huge paycut coming here. 

i started working at the food and wine festival. goddamn, i miss working at epcot. i saw the groovin alps play their bavarian percussion music and i poured beer and served lobster rolls and korma chicken and lentil stew and everything in between. i met dozens of beautiful people, some of whom are gone back now to from where they came. but i’m still here. 

i mentioned earlier that paul simon announced back in june that his final concert would be in queens in late september. i bought a ticket the day they went on sale and was determined to find a way to attend. i did. i flew to new york for a few days -- came into penn station from newark, walked around to greenwich village and the brooklyn bridge and went to the museum of the moving image late in the evening on a friday when it was free. the next day, i visited the queens museum in flushing-meadows corona park (where the concert was also being held) and was in line for the show by 11:30am. i waited for like 8 hours in all, but i was front row. that final paul simon show (which we all know isn’t really the final one, but it did have a certain finality to it) was transformative for me, paul, and everyone else in the audience. i saw lorde, jimmy fallon, and john mulaney. i cried and was recorded and tapped along and admired the performances of “the cool, cool river” and “the obvious child” and every other goddamn song he played. i stuck around as long as i could. the next day, i flew back to orlando and returned to work, but i felt different. 

lived the typical life of a college program participant: work, go to the parks, work, go to the parks, sleep. 

voted somewhere along the way and was overjoyed that democrats took back the house. 

went to st augustine with sarah

eventually, the food and wine festival ended and i was transferred to port orleans riverside, where i currently am. it’s awful but i’m alive. 

spent thanksgiving, christmas, and every other holiday at work. it wasn’t really a big deal but it was obviously depressing. 

at the beginning of december, broke down and bought a plane ticket back to dc. i had to pick up a poster from the anthem (a music venue), anyway. i stayed with paige and saw my old work friends and just had a good time. goddamn, it was cold, but it was worth it. i finally was able to tour the department of the interior and and i went to theodore roosevelt island for the first time since like freshman year. we even saw zoo lights and went to the christmas pop-up bar on 7th street again. 

played basketball one time lmao

played jackbox countless times with my roommates and we made a few trips to jellyrolls, one of the best parts of disney world. i love to go there and sing and hear the piano.

spent new year’s eve at jellyrolls, coincidentally, where i stole a noisemaker and we all wore hats and sang “auld lang syne” when the clock struck midnight, just as you’re supposed to do. 

laughed and cried while going through so many large life changes but still understanding that there is always some sort of constant in your life

drove more than i think i ever have before

went to several of the concerts they had for the food and wine festival -- saw people like air supply, starship, and the plain white t’s

listened to countless hours of music -- i think my most listened-to artists were springsteen, dylan, paul simon, maybe david cassidy, old crow medicine show, and lorde. 

song of the year: “fare thee well (dink’s song),” marcus mumford and oscar isaac (from inside llewyn davis). it’s an incredible song to travel to.

was always conflicted about working for disney, but really became disgusted with the corporation the more i worked here. i will be happy to not work for them anymore when the time comes because it makes me so uncomfortable to be employed by an entity that doesn’t give a shit about its employees and milks every single fucking penny that it can out of its customers, all under the guise of being giving and magical by using terminology such as “interactions,” “magical moments,” and “guests”

considered my options after this is all over

loved the national park service and even wrote a capstone on it

2018 was the most eventful year of my life. i am not in school for the first time that i can remember; i have a degree. i travelled to more of the us than i ever knew really existed, i saw incredible concerts, and i met some truly wonderful people. but of course, the difficult moves that come along with a year like this were depressing. i knew i would be completely heartbroken when i had to leave the library back in august, but i didn’t realize how sorry i would also be to see my roommates go back to their homes at the end of their tenure at disney. it’s been 2 days, but i miss being able to hang out with them. to gain all the life experience i did, it was necessary to lose some really great parts of my old life. and that blew. but you get over it. 

this year in review has taken me so long to write because i had so much to include that it seemed overwhelming to try to articulate it all. i think back to when i would wait until the night before a paper was due to start it, and i feel the same way. but the power in finishing it and having something tangible that points to a certain time in your life and explains the way you felt at that moment is like nothing else. even if the paper you write is shit, it never seems as bad (at least, to me) when you return to read through it a year or two later. it’s your thoughts set in stone, frozen in time. it’s a nice reminder. and i really enjoy writing these posts and i generally like what i write and how i say things, despite the inevitable procrastination in doing so.

i always think of “auld lang syne” when i do a year in review. sure, it’s a standard song for the new year and these year in reviews are written on or around the new year. but to write this, i have to think back to days gone by, before the year even started. and i get this feeling in my stomach of nostalgia and wistfulness (i’ve written about it before, i know) reflecting on the good ol days of these past 365 days and the times before them. we live in strange times right now, especially during what has become a two-week long (and counting!) partial government shutdown, but the memories of the warm past and the dreams of a better future are always going to be around to steady your head. without the abstract, how would we get to the concrete?

“we all cherish our children’s futures. and we are all mortal.”

#about me #me #a year in review #2018

[deathisonlypermanent]

We’ve Only Just Begun Pt4: Together

Watching the Signs Along the Way Talking It Over Just The Two Of Us  Working Together Day To Day Together (You are here)

Peter Parker x Reader Rating: PG-13 for cursing wc: 2267

Previously on We’ve Only Just Begun:

“Oh, hey, what are you guys doing for New Year’s Eve? I’m having a party and I would love if you guys could come.” (Y/N) casually invited Peter and Ned.

“I’d love to come!” Ned said immediately.

“I’ll ask May, but it sounds like fun.” Peter smiled at (Y/N).

“Cool! I’m actually about to head out, but let me know!” (Y/N) called as she exited the cafeteria.

“Peter, this is the perfect time to confess your feelings!” Ned practically shouted at Peter.

“What are you talking about? That’s a terrible idea.”

“Then Spidey up! There’s no way she’ll say no if you’re Spider-Man!”

“No, Ned.”

But Peter couldn’t help but think that it was a good idea...

We continue:

As New Year’s Eve crept closer and closer, (Y/N) got more and more nervous. She had been planning on confessing her feelings to Peter at this party, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought it was an absolutely terrible idea. What-if scenarios kept her up at night. What if he didn’t feel the same and it ruined her only good friendship? What if she never confessed her feelings and never got to know whether or not her and Peter were meant to be? But what if he liked her back? What would she do then? She’d never been in a relationship before and had no idea how to function in one.

Before she knew it, it was the day of the party. She quickly opened her phone to shoot a text to her, Peter, and Ned’s group chat.

From: You To: Apple Bottom Jeans (boots w the fur)🍎🍎

See you guys at 8?

(Y/N) couldn’t help but think of the day they came up with the ridiculous name. They were all at their respective homes rapidly changing the name of the group chat to equally ridiculous -- and occasionally offensive -- names. It was stupid, but fun. “(y/n) sucks” “Peters left pinky” “Neds gay for flash” (This one prompted an immediate response from both Ned and Peter saying “thats not even funny” and “he wishes”). It had settled down after a couple minutes, everyone had ran out of funny ideas, so (Y/N) suggested that everyone hit paste and send whatever it was.

(Y/N): ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ned: Martha was ugly like a shaven baboon,

So she wrapped herself up in a curtain cocoon.

And after a week, she finally emerged,

She smelled like wet garbage, what a psycho.

But Peter...he had a link to the song Apple Bottom Jeans by T-Pain.

And it was almost....too good. (Y/N) and Ned refused to let it go, changing the group chat to “Apple Bottom Jeans (boots w the fur)” every time Peter tried to change it to anything else. Eventually, he gave up and left it like that -- (Y/N) and Ned sent confetti with their next few messages out of sheer excitement.

(Y/N) was pulled out of her sentimental flashback by a buzz.

From: Peter To: Apple Bottom Jeans (boots w the fur)🍎🍎

Ya ill see you then :)

His text brought a small smile to her face. He wasn’t even trying but he did it anyway. God, he’s just so cute. (Y/N) thought for a moment before her anxiety came back, full swing. Why does anxiety exist? It was understandable in caveman days because they were prey, but now there’s just a teenage girl hoping to find the courage to confess her feelings.

The human brain sucks. She thought with disdain as she slipped her phone into her back pocket and made her way to the party in her kitchen/living room. There was already family there that her parents had insisted come early so they could get drunk together before the kids got there.

Her home was never this crowded, people sat all around their table and nearly every seat on the couch was taken. (Y/N) wouldn’t consider her family upper-middle class, but they certainly lived in a nicer apartment in Queens. It was a three bedroom apartment, with a room for her, her brother, and her parents. Her living room didn’t have a wall separating her kitchen so the edge of the couch served as a sort of barrier. The entire place was decorated, not only with New Year decorations, but with pictures of her family. The kitchen cabinets were covered in pictures of (Y/N)’s childhood, framed photos of relatives she’s never met and people she’s spent her entire life with covered the walls, and it made her feel happy. If she ever felt down, she only had to look around and see all the people that would support her no matter what. And, right now, she needed support.

Ned, Peter, and May arrived at 7:55, which absolutely delighted (Y/N). She greeted them and invited them in, giving them all year 2000 glasses -- it was her family’s tradition, they refused to buy any year past it -- and colorful party hats before introducing May to her parents and sitting around the kitchen table with Peter and Ned.

Ned took a look around the party, nodding in approval before turning back to (Y/N), “Kickass party!” He shouted over the chatter and music.

“Thanks!” She laughed, “Nice hat!” She pointed at Ned’s party hat on top of his favorite fedora.

Ned smiled and took a small handful of chex mix. The party was, generally speaking, a success. Drunk relatives kept coming up to (Y/N) and her friends and making very strange conversation, but, for the most part, Ned, Peter, and (Y/N) were free to hang out. Their conversation was light and breezy, mostly carried out by Ned because (Y/N) and Peter were both consumed by their nerves and entirely in their own heads.

Around 11:00, Peter excused himself to the bathroom and left (Y/N) and Ned to talk. And, that’s totally fine. But it was now 11:45. Needless to say, (Y/N) was worried and upset.

“....and that’s why Star Trek can never really beat Star Wars when it comes to quality.” Ned finished his point and (Y/N) realized she hadn’t listened to a thing he had said because she was so busy checking the time and scanning the room for Peter.

“Oh, totally.” (Y/N) wholeheartedly agreed, nodding passionately, even if she had listened, she knew pretty much nothing about Star Trek or Star Wars. “Do you know where Peter is?” She finally asked Ned, maybe he knew something she didn’t?

“Uh…” Ned looked nervous and checked his phone before responding, “He’s in the bathroom, right?”

“For an hour?” (Y/N) questioned and sighed. She was getting frustrated and upset, she planned to tell Peter at midnight but he was nowhere in sight. She knew full well that if she didn’t tell Peter tonight, she’d never have the nerve to tell him ever again. There’s no better time than on New Year’s Eve! If things went bad, she’d have time to move on, and if things went well, they’d have time to go on a date before school started. But every minute that passed was another minute closer to midnight.

“I think I’m gonna go for a walk,” (Y/N) told Ned, standing up and stretching. “I need some air before midnight.” Ned nodded, knowing that her anxiety was that much worse in social situations like this.

(Y/N) felt bad for leaving Ned in a house full of people he didn’t know, but she was upset with Peter and she was surrounded with people when she really just needed to be alone. Once her coat was on, she left her apartment and made her way outside. The cold New York air stung her cheeks as soon as she stepped outside, even though it was supposedly the “warmest winter New York had seen in years.”

She walked around the neighborhood for a bit, grateful for her distance to Times Square during the tourist season. She could never understand the overwhelming desire people felt all over the world to be in New York for the New Year.

“Damn TV for making New York seem so glamorous.” She cursed under her breath as she walked. She slowed her stride and sighed as she began to think about her life again. She couldn’t help but look for signs that she was making a mistake with Peter. ‘I mean, he disappeared. Is there a bigger sign that I’m making a mistake?’ She thought over their friendship and how devastated she would be if she lost her two closest friends. If Peter liked her, Ned would have told her, right?

“Ugh, I’m so stupid.” She groaned, stopping and burying her face in her hands. She stayed there, feeling sad about her feelings that would never be shared, for several minutes before steeling her nerves and deciding to go back home.

She had just turned around make her way back when something big and wet hit her on the top her head. “What-?” She looked up only to be hit with several more on her face. “Crap.” She whispered before speeding up in an attempt to get home before she was drenched. ‘Of course, I had to bring the one coat without a hood.’

(Y/N) was, unfortunately, unsuccessful and was soaked by the pouring rain well before she got home. She stopped under a small awning to check the time and message Ned that she might not make it back for midnight.

11:55

‘Yep, definitely missing midnight.’ (Y/N) sighed and opened her messages when she heard a familiar voice yell, “Uh, a little help!”

(Y/N) glanced around, curious and on edge. “Peter?” She called back, walking slowly toward the alley the voice called from. She peered down the dark alley, terrified and cold, searching for her best friend.

Much to her surprise, and disdain, instead of Peter, she found Spider-Man, tangled in his own web upside-down, drenched from the rain.

Her eyes went wide at the sight. “Oh my God, are you okay?” (Y/N) ran over to him but had no idea how to get him out of his own webs.

“Yeah, just, uh, messin’ around and got myself stuck.” He laughed awkwardly, his body spinning slightly.

“If only the world could see the amazing Spider-Man now.” (Y/N) laughed, plucking one of his webs like a guitar string after steadying him.

“Oh, god, please don’t tell anyone about this,” He groaned, the eyes of his mask getting smaller, somehow.

“I won’t,” she giggled, her eyes crinkling, her left handing coming up to her mouth to hide her smile. “But, your voice sounds so familiar…” She bit her lip, contemplating whether or not she should speak more.

“Oh!” Spider-Man shouted suddenly before deepening his voice and speaking again. “I get that a lot.”

“...I’m...sure you do,” (Y/N) agreed, nodding her head at the same pace she spoke.“But, you sound a lot like this guy I know. His name is Peter.”

“Who’s this ‘Peter’ guy? He sounds super cool.” Spider-Man said, sounding embarrassed.

(Y/N) giggled, her heart fluttering at the thought of Peter.“He’s a huge dork. But, that’s what makes me like him so much.”

“Oh, yeah?” His voice was suddenly small

“Yeah...he’s really cute. I was actually going to tell him tonight, but I haven’t been able to find him.” She confessed. “Aaaaaand I just confessed something weird and embarrassing to a super stranger.” She screwed her eyes shut and sighed, even though she was nearly certain that Spider-Man was no stranger.

“It’s not embarrassing!” He insisted, “I’m sure he feels the same! Something super important probably came up and he-he couldn’t, uh, couldn’t come back?”

(Y/N) cracked a smile. She could practically picture Peter’s curls underneath the mask. “Yeah, that’s probably it.” She said softly, looking into the eyes of the mask as if it would tell her everything she was wondering about.

“Yo-You should definitely still tell him how you feel, though. I mean, I’m sure he’d love to hear it.” Spider-Man stuttered out.

“You’re right,” she said, stepping closer to the dangling, masked, drenched, hero. She was certain at this point. “I’m going to tell him that I like him.” The pitter-patter of the rain on the fire escapes was going to be the soundtrack to her confession. She knew what she was doing. Or, at least, she hoped she did.

Her voice dropped as she stepped even closer to Spider-Man. “I’m going to say that I love his enthusiasm for everything he’s involved in. I love the way he casually checks in on me when he knows I have a bad day. I love that he pretends not to notice when I do something super embarrassing. I love that he’d do anything for his friends. I love that he’s smart enough to do whatever he wants but he chooses to hang out with me and Ned and take normal classes to be with me. I love that he comes to my shows even though I know he doesn’t like them. I love his beautiful brown eyes and his wonderful smile. I love that I can depend on him. But, most of all,” She took a shaky breath before her final confession, “I love him.”

A heavy silence fell around them. Peter wasn’t sure what to do and (Y/N) had just spilled her heart. Peter was about to say something, anything, to break the silence when a loud cheer went up and fireworks exploded in the sky.

(Y/N) looked up at the sky and smiled before returning her loving gaze to the boy in front of her. “Midnight.”

Spider-Man said nothing but stared at (Y/N) as she grabbed the edge of his mask and pulled it down to his nose. She leaned forward slowly, her breath hitching just before she pressed her lips to his.

It was a small kiss, but it was enough to leave them both breathless and elated.

“Happy New Year, Peter.” (Y/N) said softly, no longer caring about the party or the fact that she was drenched in cold rain. Her heart was warm and that was all that mattered.

#peter parker #peter parker x you #peter parker x reader #peter x you #peter x reader

[ebhenah]

Inevitable

Fictober18 Day 3

Prompt 3: “How can I trust you?”

Voltron fanfiction. Post season 07. Klance. Keith/Lance

Rated T for Language

“You get close, then you get scared, and then you BAIL, Keith,” Lance snapped, rounding on him, “it’s who you are. So, what am I supposed to think now?”

Keith’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. What was he even supposed to say to that? It was true. It was easier to leave than to be left behind. 

Lance shook his head. He stomped around the room. He pushed his hands through his hair so many times it was all sticking up at weird angles. It was like he’d been hooked up to some kind of power source and all that energy had nowhere to go. “This isn’t fair,” he snapped, “you know that, right? You’re timing is SHIT.”

“I know,” Keith managed to say. “I know it is.”

“How long?” Lance demanded.

“What?” he blinked, that was so not the question he was expecting.

“How. Long,” he repeated, anger flashing in his blue eyes. “How long have you been sitting on this?”

“Umm... how long for me, or how long for you? Because there’s a diffe-”

“Are you KIDDING ME?” he snarled, “just answer the goddamn question Keith- you were the one who started this conversation in the first place!”

“Fine... I guess... since Nyma and Rolo stole the Blue Lion,” he sighed, “that’s the first time it, like, clicked.”

Lance froze. He went from frenetic, agitated constant motion to stock still in less than a heartbeat. His eyes bored into Keith with such intensity he could FEEL the rage there impaling him, inch by inch. 

“But... it probably started before that... and I kind of tried to convince myself it wasn’t true for longer.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Oh my God Keith... Why did you try to convince yourself it wasn’t true?”

“Oh... I didn’t want it to be true. It hurt.”

“It hurt,” he repeated, shaking his head, “it hurt, he says. So, MONTHS before we even knew the Blades of Marmora existed, you knew?”

“Yeah,” he crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the floor. 

“Is that... Is that why you bailed on the team?” Lance hissed, “oh my God, it IS isn’t it? Rather than fucking talk to me, you abandoned all of us.”

“I didn’t abandon anyone,” he argued, “there were good reasons for me to go with the Blades... and Voltron had Shiro...”

“You say you loved me,” Lance breathed, “love me... and you left anyway. You just walked away. Like I was NOTHING.”

“No! It wasn’t like that,” Keith insisted.

“Wasn’t it?” Lance took a deep breath, “I don’t understand how you manage to KEEP doing this shit to me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You really have your head stuck so far up your own ass you are blind to everything, don’t you?” He shook his head, “what was the point of telling me this? Now? What did you think was going to happen?”

“I...” he shrugged, “don’t know, really... I just... I couldn’t NOT say it any longer.”

“Did you think I’d be happy? Overjoyed? Flattered? What?”

“I have no idea what I thought... I didn’t think you’d be furious, though.”

“Well, that’s what you got. I’m furious,” he threw his arms wide. “My life is pretty good right now... but here comes Keith fucking Kogane... ready to blast everything apart AGAIN. I’m so sick of rebuilding my life around whether or not you are in it, Keith!”

“What does that even mean?” Keith was clearly confused, visibly perplexed.

“You...” he snarled, shaking his head, “just... YOU... you’re like some kind of Lance McClain-specific booby trap. You don’t even DO anything and you fuck my life up. I was a really happy kid. Did you know that? When I got to the Garrison, I was sickeningly happy. Good student, big, happy family, best score on that testing sim in my whole school. I was going to go the Garrison like my big sister. I was going to find a gorgeous girl to fall in love with, be a fighter pilot, have lots of friends, get married, have kids and explore the solar system... and then.. YOU.”

“How the hell did I stop any of that from happening?” Keith demanded.

“Because my happy, straight little ass took ONE goddamn look at you and your stupid mullet and fell head over heels in love with you, the hot shot who just. Kept. Beating. My. Scores. and never even knew I was alive, and that turned my whole life upside down.” He made a noise that was very close to a growl, “I spent my whole first year in crisis, trying to make sense of what I was feeling... and when I eventually came to terms with that, suddenly you were GONE, and I had to figure it all out again, so my whole second year was me scrambling and just... missing someone who literally had no idea I even existed. I got that under control and bam-look who is back in my life- no recollection of me, no clue who I am, and now I’m stuck in space fighting a goddamn war, and YOU are one of a literal HALF DOZEN people I interact with on a regular basis... and once again, my never-quite-good-enough ass is stuck in your fucking orbit and you STILL don’t see me! You look right through me. For months- I am nothing. I’m the dumb one. I’m the screw up. The dead weight. The seventh wheel... and then- somehow, you start to see me and I think, maybe... jusssst maybe... and then you are gone. Gone.” His hand scrubbed at his face and came away wet. Hot, angry tears streaked down his face, but they didn’t slow him down. This needed to be said. It had been eating away at him for too long to go unvoiced. “So, I adjust. Again. And you come back... and it just keeps fucking happening.... and I know. I KNOW it’s stupid and hopeless... and so I keep just... trying to change my focus. Concentrate on the job. Pursue anyone who catches my eye. Train. Hang out with the others. ANYTHING. Just... try to push the rubble that is my life into something that looks kind of like it might work. YEARS! Years I have been trying to figure out how to function around this massive, humiliating unrequited bullshit... and now you do THIS! So, yeah. Furious... because it could have been so different. It could have been AMAZING. But now- the one thing I know better than anything else in this entire universe is that Keith Kogane WILL destroy me, one way or another. So, here you are, saying exactly what I have literally dreamed of you saying, and all I can think is ‘how can I trust you?’ How can I trust you not to bail again? How can I trust you not to set off ANOTHER bomb in my life? And no matter how desperately I wish it was different, I know the answer is... I can’t. I know I can’t. You know I can’t.”

“Lance-” he looked stricken. Heartbroken. Ashamed.

“No! YOU did this! You don’t get to be all sad-puppy now. You LEFT.”

“I came back,” he said weakly. 

“To stop Lotor,” Lance almost laughed, it was just too sadistically perfect. This was exactly the kind of thing just being around Keith did to his life. “Not good enough.”

“No- I was gone two years,” he insisted, “and I promised myself I would tell you. I would make things right with you. I would put myself out there. The whole thing with Lotor... that’s totally separate... and it was important and time sensitive.”

“The game show. Stranded, floating in space. Days and days of travelling in the Lions. How many times were we staring down death and you STILL never spoke up? You said nothing. You don’t get a pass for that.”

“I was scared,” he said, his voice small. “I was terrified and I didn’t know how to get past that... and I am really sorry. For all of it.”

“Oh wow, Keith,” sarcasm dripped from his words, “thank-you for your magical apology. I feel heaps better now.”

“You’re in love with me?” it was barely more than a whisper.

Lance rolled his eyes, “not like it’s some kind of secret. It’s humiliatingly obvious, because I am a complete disaster and I just keep handing you knives to gut me with.”

“You’re focusing on the wrong things, Lance. You’re in love with me. I’m in love with you. We’re in love. That matters.”

“But it doesn’t, though... because I might be the dumb one, but even I know not to risk this. I can’t trust you.”

“You can,” he pleaded, “Lance... please... give me a chance to prove that you can trust me.”

His expression didn’t change, but his eyes shifted, meeting Keith’s and it was enough to give Keith hope.

“No more Blades. No more running. No more closing myself off,” Keith promised. “I don’t expect anything. Just... please... be my friend, let me show you that I am here to stay... and if I do. If I prove that. If you trust me... THEN we will talk about all this. I love you. I’m in love with you. That didn’t change in all the time I spent with the Blades. It didn’t change in two years of being away from you, stranded on a space whale. It isn’t going to change. I love you. I love you more than anything.” 

“God, I am such a fucking idiot,” Lance muttered, striding towards Keith, “and a goddamn masochist.” He clasped Keith’s face in his hands and pulled him down into a kiss. He’d probably regret this, but not as much as he’d regret NOT doing it.

#fictober18 #Klance Voltron fictober18day3 howcanItrustyou VLD keith lance #keith/lance

[mell-bell]

a typical meeting (for a rebel that is)

aka First Time Cassian and Reader met

AO3

Cassian x Reader

Words: 1483

Series Summary: Cassian and Reader Firsts – from first meeting, to first kiss, first fight, first pet, first “I love you”, all the way to to their (first) last breaths (maybe…that might be too depressing)

Time Cassian and Reader have known each other: A week by the end

Prompt: Anonymous- “firsts” for cassian x reader please?!? (like first date, first kiss, first fight etc) :-))

Chapter: 1/20

Author’s notes: Hey guys! I got a prompt to do a Cassian x Reader Firsts Headcanon, but it kinda blew up and became 7 pages long so I decided to make it a series of chapters instead of headcanons. Each chapter will be about a particular first for Cassian and Reader. It will go in order instead of jumping around in time! 

“Your mission is to find Cassian Andor. Last known location, Coruscant.”

You had been in the rebellion since you were 10 years old. The rebellion trained you quickly and at 11 you were off on missions by yourself. Your job was to find people. You were a bounty hunter of sorts. The rebellion would send you to hunt down missing or stranded rebels all over the galaxy. Your supervisors said you had a “young and trusting” face that would be able to do the work that the well-seasoned rebels couldn’t. They stood out where you could blend in.

Even though you worked in the same area as Cassian, you had never met him. Not many people knew what your job was and you were off world so often that you barely met your fellow rebels. However, over the years you heard bits and pieces about Cassian. The rebels you rescued rewarded you with stories of their travels and you’d pieced together what you could about the most popular rebels, Cassian included.

From what you had heard, Cassian was the best spy the rebellion had. The years passed and you rescued rebel after rebel, but none of them stuck around long enough to become a friend after you returned them to the base. You lived your life alone, giving yourself fully to the rebellion and you didn’t expect that to change. It wasn’t until years later, when you finally met Cassian that everything you thought you knew was turned upside down. 

You were sent after Cassian Andor after he had been stranded on a mission on Coruscant. He had been there gathering intel, when he became trapped under fire. Without a second thought, he sent his droid Kay, back to Yavin 4 with the information he gathered, leaving himself stranded. You were sent to retrieve him. And retrieve him you did.

After arriving on Coruscant and scouring the area for information about a rebel spy you were able to scrounge up enough information to begin your search. It took you a few days but you were finally about to locate him. Some low level dealer was holding him, waiting to auction him off in the planet wide auction in a few days. After “asking” around the local market and “borrowing” a few weapons from a stall you went into the dealers den guns blazing.

“Cassian Andor! Where is he?” You calming stated, pointing your gun at the only man in the room.

Not even missing a beat, the man, without even looking up, pointed to the back room.

Your brows shot to the air, but you held your composure and made your way through the messy room to the door in the back. There you found Cassian Andor tied to a drainpipe.

“Who the fuck are you?” He snarled up at you.

You smirked down at him, twirling your gun, “I’m here to rescue you, Princess.”

“I’m doing just fine as is, fierabrás,” he scoffed.

Ignoring his words, you leaned down to cut through his handcuffs, but he pulled away. 

“Let. Me. Do. My. Job.” You said through gritted teeth.

He opened his mouth, but before he could say another word, you drove your stolen gun into his head and he dropped to the ground. You sighed before groaning with the realization that you would now have to carry him all the way back to your ship.

After cutting through his handcuffs, you pulled him up and hoisted him up onto your shoulder. You fell slightly into the wall before you regained your balance and began your trek back out into the market. The second you opened the door to the main room three men came running into the building.

Without even flinching you opened fired and dropped all three of them within seconds. You turned your gaze to the man who had pointed out Cassian in the first place. He looked at you, at your gun, and then went back to reading. You shrugged your shoulders and left to return to your ship.

Thankfully you didn’t run into any more trouble on the way back to your ship. Once you reached it, you hurried inside, dropping Cassian unceremoniously on the floor and quickly took off headed to Yavin 4.

You set course, turned on the autopilot, and settled down with a sigh in the back of the ship with some food and began to write up your mission report. It wasn’t until about an hour later that you began hearing groaning from where you had dropped your new buddy, Cassian.

You had to give him credit, because within a minute he was on his feet and taking in his surroundings. He seemed to quickly register that he was in an unmarked ship, meaning he couldn’t receive any answers from his surroundings. He then turned his gaze to you.

His mouth opened, but before he could get a word out, you put up your finger, silently telling him to wait. You finished the sentence in the brief you were writing and looked up at him. Cassian drew in a breath, but once again you interrupted.

“I’m Y/N. I work for the Rebellion. Mon Mothma sent me to retrieve you when Kay returned back to base without you. 

You heard him sigh and fall back against the side of the ship, sliding down to sit restlessly on the ground a few feet from you.

“Y/N. I know you. Mon talks about you a lot. You’re the bounty hunter who finds stranded rebels?”

“Present and accounted for.”

“How do I not recognize you?” You look up and see him scrutinizing you.

You chuckled, “Because that’s how the rebellion wants to keep it.”

“They told you that?” He probed.

You took a deep breath and looked down at your data pad, “Not in as many words. But they definitely don’t want my face known. Makes it easier to not get caught as a rebel. Though, it could also be that most of my time is spent away from the base. You’d be surprised how many rebels go missing.”

“That must be lonely.”

You look up at him startled as no one you had ever rescued had ever taken an interest in your life, “I’ve been alone most my life. Doesn’t make a difference to me. The rebellion has been all I’ve known since I was 10.”

He looked surprised. “Since you were 10? What about your family?”

Your shoulders stiffened and you could see him flinch out of the corner of your eye. He began to speak, probably to apologize when you abruptly look up straight into his eyes, “I’ve been on my own for longer than I can remember. Even before I joined the rebellion I barely had any family. I don’t remember what it was even like before this life.”

He grimaced as your once bright eyes began to darken as bad memories were pulled to the surface. Your eyes glazed over as you turned to stare at the wall opposite you, your body feeling heavy as the painful flashes you had pushed so far into the crevices of your mind came flying out.

Cassian was quiet for a few minutes before moving closer to you. He gently took the data pad out of your hands and you shook your head trying to focus on something else. 

Cassian began to speak, softly and slowly about how he joined the rebellion at just 6 years old. He took you through losing his family, his home, his pet, his possessions. How the rebellion had given him a family, only to take it away yet again. After losing his partner he swore that he would never get close to anybody again. And so the rebellion became everything he knew. 

As he continued speaking, you began to relax in his presence. Everything he spoke of was something you had experienced yourself. How you had both lost your family. How you both barely remembered anything from before the rebellion, but what little you did remember was desperately clung to. The way you distanced yourself from others to avoid making connections you would ultimately lose in the fight. Or the way that you followed orders, because they had been drilled in your head at such a young age.

It took a week to get back to Yavin 4. By that time you felt that Cassian knew you better than anybody ever had, even your family. He was easy to talk to and you felt safe telling him your secrets, because he had the same secrets. He listened without judging and offered support without forcing it on you.

You didn’t know how different everything would be after this.

This mission started out as just any other, but something had changed. You weren’t ready to admit it to yourself, but Cassian had become your family and would change everything you thought you knew.

Next up: I never knew what I was missing (from a friend like you) aka First time you realized you had a best friend

PART 2

#Cassian x reader #cassian imagine #cassian andor #rogue one #my fanfic

[berrynarrybanana]

over pt. 1 // h.s

here we have my attempt to write angst in part 1, anon i promise part two will end happy and sweetly, okay? I hope this is good enough angst for you and I’m hoping part 2 will be up tomorrow!

Two weeks felt like a lifetime.

Two weeks felt like all four seasons had flown by time and time again and you were stuck in your apartment watching them come and go. Two weeks was agonizing when you didn’t have the one you loved there by your side anymore. You felt like you’d taken a piece of your own heart and threw it away like it was nothing. You didn’t feel whole anymore. Maybe that was a bit dramatic, but that was how it really felt. And to add to the pain and loneliness, you felt guilty. You were the only reason that you were in this current position. You were the reason that your world had been flipped upside down. You didn’t have a single soul to blame but yourself for the mess you’d caused.

It’s funny how those two weeks after breaking up feels a lot like those first two weeks you started dating. You hardly left your apartment, you were overwhelmed with emotion, and all you could think about was Harry. It was a lot like those first two weeks you spent together, tangled up in the sheets of your bed, learning each other and all of the things that came with being together. But there was one vital piece missing here. Him. You weren’t really sure how you could go on now without him. You felt broken and lost without him. But you couldn’t do much about it now.

There was no way he would take you back now, not after how it ended. You hadn’t meant for it to be out of the blue and hadn’t meant for it to be at that exact moment, but it just happened. There were a million thoughts racing through your head when you realized how special that night truly was and you felt guilty. You thought back to all of the things said about the two of you. You didn’t like to believe everything you read, but lately it had all been making sense to you. You were dragging him down just as plain as day and you felt overwhelming guilty and responsible for so much.

But that was over now and you were…free? You didn’t want to be free, but it was better for him. It was better for his career that you not be a part of the picture anymore. It hurt like hell, but it was for the better. But you never prepared for the moment you’d have to see his family. You were blindsided as you walked into the café you always stopped in and they were sitting there. Anne, Gemma, and Robin all gathered around chatting. It was Gemma who spotted you first.

“Look who it is!” She smiled and you were taken aback. Why would she smile at the person who broke her little brother’s heart? She should hate you. “You’ve been so impossible to get ahold of these last few weeks, love, how have you been?”

You didn’t expect her to get up and pull you over to the table with such enthusiasm either. You weren’t exactly what to say to her. “I’ve… busy- I’ve been busy.”

“Harry said works had you occupied,” She shrugged before pulling a chair up for you, sitting back down in her own quickly. “Said you’ve been at your place for the last few weeks more than his. I assumed you were just pregnant and couldn’t keep the secret much longer.”

“Gemma,” Anne scolded softly. “Now be a dear and take Robin up to get some more muffins and a coffee for our love here.” She gave you that soft, mothering smile she always did, but her eyes were showing it clear as day. She knew. She knew and she was going to yell at you. You nodded in response and smile as Gemma and Robin stood up, chatting away as they walked. You looked up at Anne, her eyes soft and her frown present as she picked up her cup to take a sip before sighing softly. “How have you been?”

“Not well,” You whispered, fiddling with your fingers under the table as she nodded. “I’m so sorry Anne, I never wanted it to end like this, or at all really.”

“What went wrong, love?” She tilted her head to the side, genuine concern seeping through her tone as you took a deep breath. You tried to keep it together.

“It wasn’t him, Anne,” You reassured her softly. “I should go, I have work.”

“Love,” She interrupted you as you were standing, her voice stopping your movements. “Just because you’re not with Harry doesn’t mean you’re not family. We love you so much and we would hate to lose you.”

This day kept throwing curveballs your way and you were stunned. It was wonderful of her to care so deeply about you, to still love you even after you were done with her son. “Thank you, Anne. I’ll always love you, too, you know? You guys are like my family.”

“And that won’t ever change,” She gave you a soft, knowing smile. “Have a good day at work poppet. Maybe think a little more on your decision.”

You nodded before walking off, your head ducked low as you walked out of the café. You could survive without coffee this one day. You walked down the street with your arms crossed over your chest and your eyes on the ground, trying to fight back tears. It was too much. You couldn’t go on without him there. Every day was a new challenge, a new hurdle that you weren’t sure you could jump without his support. It was hard moving on in life feeling so alone, so at fault.

He was everything to you and you hated yourself for letting him go so easy.

But there was nothing you could do now.

It was over.

#harry angst #request #anon #harry #harry one shot #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #my writing