YEEEES! BURN BENJAMIN BURN

Yeeees. There's so little fanfics about Ryan Reynolds and his characters. Totally unfair.

Thank you for this story 🥹🥹

Torture

Pairing: Nolan Booth x Fem!reader

Summary: What happens when The Bishop decides to torture you instead of Hartley?

Warnings: swearing, kidnapping, torture

A/n: I love me some Ryan Reynolds and I was shocked to see that there weren’t a lot of fanfics based off Red Notice so I had to write something

You met John Hartley and the infamous Nolan Booth after getting arrested in Rome. Your life as a criminal was just starting and this was your second heist. Call it beginners bad luck. Somehow all three of you found yourselves intermingled with unearthing the three cleopatra eggs. It has been quite an adventure, an FBI agent, the world’s second best art thief, and the worlds best failed art thief.

Unbeknownst to you, Nolan and Hartley were handcuffed together in a room further down. You couldn’t hear a thing over the sound of a crowd cheering.

For some unknown reason the only thing you could think of was whether Nolan was okay. Your heart raced at the idea of the Bishop torturing him for information on the third egg. You hated to admit that the criminal had grown on you, his constant humor and dashing looks made him completely irresistible but there was also something much deeper and gentler that drew you towards him.

“Where is she?!”, Nolan spit at the Bishop.

She walked in front of him, “That’s not important Booth, this is the time where you tell us where the third egg is.’”.

Nolan let out a breathy laugh, “Piss off for a thousand years.”.

“Oh bummer, I really wanted to do it the easy way.”, she sighed, “That’s okay, I’ll get the information from you, by hurting him.”., she gestured towards Hartley.

“I’m sorry what?”, Hartley questioned.

“I love this plan.”, of course Nolan would.

Bishop turned up an electricity machine and made her way towards Hartley, “You two share a special bond, I mean why else risk your lives together attempting to steal the eggs.”, she grabs two metal pliers, “Isn’t that right, Agent Hartley?”.

“There isn’t any bond between us, I barley know the guy…Booth tell her we’re not friends.”.

Of course being the cheeky one, Booth had to play this one out, “She knows about us pal.”.

“That’s bullshit..”, Hartley immediately knew what he was doing.

“She knows about our special bond..she knows you were the best man at my wedding…”.

“You son of bitch.”, Harley spat at Booth, “He’s lying!”. The Bishop teasingly sparks the pliers in front of Hartley’s face.

“If she hurts you bad enough, I mean if she gets really creative with it, than I’m gonna have no choice but to tell her everything.”, Nolan continues his speech.

“Now Mr. Booth, where is the third egg?”, Nolan stayed silent, “Okay..here I go..”.

“No don’t wait..”, Nolan sarcastically pleas.

He seemed completely unfazed with the torture his new found friend was being subjected to.

“Hm, let’s switch it up.”, the Bishop nods to Sotto and he exits the room with one of the pliers, “If this isn’t working maybe giving a few shocks to that pretty little thing down the hall will.”.

Nolan freezes, suddenly the air feels stiff and the once humorous situation turned sour, “Don’t you fucking touch her.”. He says in a serious tone.

“Seems like we’ve struck a nerve, tell me where the egg is.”.

“Eat shit!”, she lets out a low chuckle and presses a button.

Your screams could be heard clearly, crying for help, crying for Nolan’s help, “NOLAN!!”.

“NO NO STOP IT!”, Nolan thrashes around, “ITS IN EGYPT!”, Nolan finally caved in.

She stoped the machine, “Where in Egypt?”.

“It’s buried with Cleopatra in the Grand pyramid, there’s a secret entry way, alright!Just please stop hurting her.”, Nolan breathes heavily.

“See! That wasn’t that hard, I would say nice working with you but we both know that would be a lie.”, and with that The Bishop left.

“I swear to God I’m gonna to kill that bitch”.

While the two of them got into a shooting fight with Sotto, you were still trapped in the chair. Your body felt numb and your cheeks felt wet, you presumed it was your tears. There was a metallic taste in your mouth and all you could do was whimper as you heard gun shots.

Than there was silence, you heard a door open and your blindfold was ripped off. It took a minute for your eyes to adjust to your environment but the only thing you could see was Nolan’s worried expression as he looked down at you.

“Nolan, it hurts”, you sobbed.

“Hey hey hey, I know sweetheart.”, he didn’t mean for the name to slip out but he was too distracted to care.

Nolan unhooked the restraints and guided you to your feet, you immediately crashed into his chest due to how weak you felt.

“The electricity affected her worse than me because she’s much smaller than I am.”, Hartley spoke and met Nolan’s eyes. Hartley knew the look Nolan had and felt guilty for how badly injured you were.

“I was so scared they were going to hurt you.”, you spoke.

“I wish it was me rather than you.,” he said in a whisper.

You pulled back from the embrace and met his eyes which looked down upon you lovingly yet concerned. He lowered his head and placed a hesitant kiss on your forehead. As he pulled back he analyzed your face for any sort of reaction, once he saw the faint blush on your cheeks and your smile he returned it. He cupped your face and leaned in, your breath hitched as your two lips connected.

You deepened the kiss by pulling him closer by the neck earning a short groan from him.

“Okay okay, break it up!”, the two of you pulled away both out of breath and looked towards Hartley.

“Dude! A little privacy here!”, Nolan said and promptly returned to kissing you.

“Why did I agree to any of this.”, Hartley left with a huff.

You didn’t know what the futures has in stored but for now you felt safe in Nolan’s arms and you knew that this is where you belong.

Guys, guys, did you already watched 200 Cartas: Looking for Maria Sanchez?

Because I did watched it a time ago and it's so good. The kind of movie that we watch eating some chocolate and some popcorn and laugh and think that the characters are cute...

Man, what a precious movie. Lin is so cute in this, just make me want to hug him and never let go.

If you guys didn't watch it yet, I do recommend it!

I normally don't read fanfics written in first person, but this one is amazing. I really liked it.

Steve retouching y/n's makeup was cute 🥹

SUNGLASSES AND LIPSTICK STAINS (part I/III)

Summary: after having his heart torn in half at Tina's party, Steve finds comfort in the most unexpected person. Who would have guessed he would develop such a strong connection with someone he's barely spoken to?

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

Genre: angst (hurt/comfort)

Tags:

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @comfort-reads

Warnings: language, mentions of alcohol, Steve breaking down because that needs a tw.

A/N: taking creative liberty to a) move the release of 'Like A Virgin' Studio Album to September of '84, and b) make Steve and Nancy fall apart a bit earlier for the sake of the plot. It does have a second part, but they can be read separately. That said, enjoy <3.

Part II

Part III

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

Don't cry don't cry don't cry, I begged myself, stalking out of the boisterous house with my thumb and index rubbing away the tears. Don't cry here, I repeated, not at Tina's fucking pre-Halloween party.

October's sharp air cut through my lungs, making me choke up. Maybe the drastic change of temperature wasn't to blame, maybe it was the lump in my throat I was desperately trying to swallow.

She didn't love me.

Gnawing on my lip harsh enough to draw blood, I put the sunglasses back on in an attempt to hide the inevitably shed droplets of salty water spilling from my lids —though they were dried by the light yet freezing wind as soon as they fell.

A part of my mind was begging me to give Nancy the benefit of the doubt, but weren't drunk words sober thoughts?

Drunk words. As stupid as it may have sounded, it hadn't dawned on me. She was hammered.

I had abandoned a completely wasted Nancy in a stranger's bathroom, alone in a house full of people like Billy Hargrove. God, I was the worst.

"Shit."

My eyes darted a tentative glance at the house over my shoulder before being casted down to stare at my shoes. I had to do it, didn't I? Or I could just walk away.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I could just get into my car and leave.

Breath in.

"Fuck." Sniffling, I turned heel and jogged to the backyard's door I had just walked through in search of a breather.

Navigating the crowd of sweaty, intoxicated highschool students was much easier the second time. Although I was grateful for not having to shove my way back to what had been my starting point, I didn't like one bit the way everyone seemed to spare me pitiful looks when I passed by.

Gosh I didn't want to do it —I really didn't want to— but still my trembling hand knocked on the closed bathroom door.

"Nance?" I hated how my voice so obviously cracked at the nickname. "Nance, open up." I pleaded, leaning my defeated form on the door frame.

A couple of seconds passed. Still no response.

"Nancy." I tried again, my patience running shorter each time the girl didn't reply to my calls. So short that I decided I wouldn't wait for her to turn the knob. "Jesus, Nance, can you—"

I froze at the now clear entrance; my mushed brain refused to fully process that the reason why Nancy was not listening to my request was because she was, in fact, not there anymore.

And what were the odds —genuinely, what were the fucking odds— that the tiny window facing the front yard was perfectly situated for me to see Jonathan Byers helping Nancy climb into his Ford LTD's passenger seat.

That was it, that was what it took. My body allowed me just enough time to shut myself into the bathroom before breaking down.

After sitting down —or more like falling—on the cold tiles, everything was a blur of shoulders spasming and heart pounding in my ears so loud that it prevented me from hearing my own sobs.

In the span of a year, my life had changed drastically —technically for the better, but I had lost my closest friends and pretty much everything that was familiar to me. I got by just fine because I had Nancy, and now she was most likely gone too.

I was alone. Again.

My fingers tangled and tugged at my roots in an attempt to ground myself. I had to— I needed to get a solid grasp of reality, get up, and walk to my car.

I was barely succeeding in pulling myself back together the best I could when the third mistake of the night came to bite me in the ass; I hadn't put the latch on.

READER'S P. O. V.

"Wait!" Samantha's fingers pinched dangerously tight the cheap white lace of my fingerless glove, which gained her a slap on the back of her hand. "Ouch! Where you going?! You just came back!"

"I need a makeup retouch!" I yelled over the party's racket, pushing my friend's grasp off me. "I'll be back in a minute!" I assured her, walking backwards in the bathroom's general direction. "Pinky promise!" Giving the girl an apologetic smile, my digits found the knob at my back and gave it a swift twist.

I didn't even realize I wasn't alone until I was fully inside the room with the door locked behind me.

"Oh my gosh— Sorry! I-" I frowned at how quickly the slouched form dressed in black raised to his feet and transformed into a fairly put together Steve Harrington, sunglasses on, chin up and hands on his hips, as if I hadn't walked in on him crying. "Didn't know... There was someone. Are you good?"

"Yup, don't worry, I was about to get going." He mumbled in a hoarse voice, rubbing his nose as he shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Uhm can I—" his index finger vaguely motioned at the door my back rested against.

"S-sure, yeah." I stepped further into the narrow space, clearing the way the best I could manage for the boy to leave.

He didn't leave right away though; instead, he stopped before me and parted his lips, drawing in a small breath as if he planned on voicing a thought, but nothing came out.

Maybe whatever booze Tina had put on that bowl at the kitchen counter was messing with me, but for an instant, I actually felt... bad for Steve Harrington.

"You uh... Came with Nancy Wheeler right?" I recalled seeing them dancing earlier and, thanks to the awkwardness my malfunctioning mind was putting me through, I completely missed the way he flinched at Nancy's mention. "I can— I can go get her if you want."

"Good luck finding her." A weak, rueful laugh accompanied Steve's sentence as he allowed his frame to lean on the wall opposed to me.

Apparently, he had no actual plans of leaving the bathroom, and it just didn't feel right to get out and let him be on his own, so I chose to tiptoe around the topic to at least get some answers.

"The damsel in distress left without her knight in shining armor?" It was a half mock I didn't bother to hide. After all, I had never been too fond of neither Steve nor Nancy, so no matter how well-intentioned I was, some bitterness was doomed to slip out.

Luckily, the boy seemed to take it with humor, choosing to not only indulge the poor analogy, but also taking on it himself. "Oh no, she left with him actually." He puckered his lips, giving me a couple of rapid nods followed by a resentful chuckle. "Yeah he's the knight in shining armor, I'm just bullshit."

"Jesus, Harrington." I whispered, my sympathy for the boy growing exponentially. I had a slight idea of who said knight in shining armor was, and if my suspicions were correct, what Steve Harrington was playing was a losing game.

"Am I that bad?" He questioned in a reedy voice.

"I... don't know?" It was surprisingly heartbreaking to not be capable of reassure him. "I just know you're a popular kid that sucks at history."

"But I'm not— do I look like a shitty person, like, from an outside perspective?"

'Yes' would be the truth, but the truth wasn't going to help anyone. "I don't know, Steve." I shrugged, grasping onto the edge of the sink's counter behind me. "For what's worth, since you parted ways with Hagan and Perkins, you come across like uhh... Like a better person?"

"I'll take that as a compliment, I guess." He announced, running his fingers through his tousled hair before shoving both hands into his pockets. "Thanks, Y/n."

"Oh, wow." I breathed out a genuinely surprised laugh, tilting my head to the side. "you know my name."

"What d'you mean? We were in like" one of Steve's hands left his pocket to aimlessly gesture around. "What? three group projects together? And that's just this year. How could I not remember your name?"

"I mean— okay, fair, but you're Steeeve Harrington." I leaned forward while dramatically dragging his first name. This, for some reason, seemed to genuinely amuse him; I caught a glimpse of his half smile before he averted his gaze from me. "King of Hawkins High and shit. Didn't really expect you to remember my name."

He snorted at my latter quote, the tension visibly heaving on his shoulders slowly dissipating the more we talked. "You're pretty memorable. Specially considering that you yelled at me for not arriving on time. Several times." He remarked, mimicking my motions, back separating from the wall in order to briefly bend over.

"Sorry 'bout that." An apology wouldn't have been my preferred choice of words in any other scenario, but the moment didn't really call for a witty comeback.

"It's okay, I deserved it." He responded, retreating to his initial position.

What followed was an uncomfortable silence that begged to be broken, but I had only so much to talk about with Steve Harrington.

"I should head o—"

"I like your costume." Either his comment was louder, or he was too in his head to process mine on time. "Sorry, what?"

"Nothing." I found myself dismissing my own announcement in favor of exploiting another topic. "I didn't take you for a Madonna fan."

"Why? The woman's smoking hot, and she got some bangers." His genuineness twisted up the corner of my lips in a confused smile. That was certainly not how I had expected my night to go, but so far I was oddly pleased.

"I like yours." I bobbed my head at his clothing choice. "Risky Business?" He hummed affirmatively, a tinge of pride making his chest swell. "Nice. Can I try on the sunglasses?"

"Uh... Sure."

Hesitance could be read in his body language whilst handing me the glasses. As soon as I got a hold of them, he immediately casted his head down, fixing his gaze on his shoes.

I spun around to face the mirror, deciding not to bring attention to his avoidant demeanor. "What do we think?" I questioned instead in a lighthearted, almost joking tone after putting on the sunglasses. "I personally think they make me look cool."

Steve peeped at me through his still watery lashes and the ghost of a small smile fighting to bring some light to his face. "You look cool."

"Nice try but nope, it's definitely the glasses." I countered, using my middle finger to slide them down my nose enough for my eyes to be visible. "They make a pretty good job of blocking the view, don't they?"

"They do." He muttered.

After catching his eyes on the reflection once more, I did an 180 and hopped on the marble countertop.

"First heartbreak?"

"And last." Steve's brows rose as he distractedly kicked the tiles.

"You know it's completely okay to cry, right?" He huffed, so I insisted on the matter. "Everyone's wasted anyway, you don't need these." My fingernail tapped on the plastic arm of the complement.

"Y/n," Steve scoffed, pushing himself off the wall to approach me. "I have uhhh a reputation." He stated with wide eyes and raised brows and, in the midst of trying to figure out whether or not he meant it as a joke, I found myself cackling. "Are you laughing at me?" He inquired with an outraged frown that I, again, didn't know if I should take seriously.

"I don't know, am I?"

"You better not." He barely had to reach out his fingertips to take the sunglasses from me, which made me suddenly aware of how close he stood. "I'm already sensitive."

"My apologies." I whispered with an amused smile, leaning back on my hands to put some more inches between us.

"As I was saying before you decided to be rude," he made a stop to place back on his sunglasses. "I have a reputation." His hand came to rest by my thigh on the counter. "So there's no way in hell anyone in here is seeing me shed a single tear."

"I just saw you sob, though." I teased with a quirked brow.

"I'll allow that because you've put up with me for" he brought his wrist up to his face as if he was about to check his wristwatch. "A long ass while. I'm sorry for keeping you here."

"It's not like you're keeping me captive," I nodded at the door, briefly redirecting Steve's attention to it. "I could've left."

"Yeah, but you didn't."

"Because I didn't do what I came here for yet." I explained, pointing at my face. "I was supposed to retouch my makeup."

"Why?" I felt the embarrassing urge to whine when Steve pushed himself off the sink. "It looks good to me." He stated in a confused tone, pushing his sunglasses up to rest on his head.

"You need glasses. Like, actual glasses," I declared, scrunching my nose. "'cause you're blind."

He puffed out a jaunty 'oh c'mon', which made a smile creep up my visage. Had I just managed to cheer him up?

"You wanna have a laugh before leaving the bathroom?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Steve's eyes notably widened when I pulled up the side of my white layered tulle skirt, which sent me into a fit of giggles while I fished out my mini makeup palette from my thigh high, and consecutively extended my arm to hand it to him.

"Fix my makeup, pretty boy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

STEVE'S P. O. V.

No matter how many times Y/n had assured me I could mess it up and she wouldn't mind because 'it's a Halloween party anyway', I still tried to do my absolute best, which obviously required a very slow process for something Y/n could have probably finished herself in a couple of minutes.

"Stay still."

Knocknocknock!

"IT'S OCCUPIED!" The girl shouted, making me yank her face back to me by holding her cheeks.

After the second person who walked in on me attempting to retouch Y/n's makeup, we had decided to put the latch on the door.

"I'm struggling here, Y/n," I absentmindedly informed her, words coming out muffled by the lipstick I held between my teeth while I tilted her chin up. "so if you could please stop moving—"

"Steve, I appreciate the dedication, but you're taking forever." she quipped in a lighthearted manner.

"Excuse me, but I believe you told me to fix up your makeup, not to ruin it." I riposted before blowing away the surplus dust from the brown eyeshadow I had just finished applying. "Okay, we reached the critical point." I announced, putting down the compact case to take the red lipstick bar from my mouth.

"Okay wait!" Y/n, who had until then been lolling on the countertop, sat upright and wrapped her fingers around both my wrists. "Now I want you to take it easy. This lipstick" she shook my right wrist. "Is a menace. You gotta be careful."

"Pfffft I got this," I assured her with regained confidence I had thought lost when I first entered the bathroom. "trust me."

"Alright, I'm trusting you." Her hands released mine and went to rest on her lap.

"But you can't move."

"I won't."

"And you can't talk." I reminded her, holding her jaw still with one hand while the other held the lipstick a couple of inches away from her lips.

"Okay." Our voices had gradually gotten lower until hers became a barely audible whisper, followed by a silence filled only with the distant sound of Psycho Killer playing in the living room.

Slowly but surely, Y/n's plump lips were carefully coated in a deep shade of red. Blinded by self-assurance and the incomprehensible wish to prorogue my time standing inches away from her, I resolved to do a second layer.

Not even halfway through the process, the bar slipped down. "Shit!"

"Steeeve, that's not my lip." She singsonged with a growing grin that made my task much difficult for more than one reason.

"I know. wait, I think can fix it— stop smiling!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I'll fuck it up even more! Damn it, Y/n." I took a deep breath, straightening my back in order to release some tension. "hold on."

Cradling her cheeks to make sure she was kept in place, I brushed the red beneath her lower lip with my thumb, slightly parting it from her upper one as a consequence.

The mistake was quickly fixed, but I was unable to let go. There was definitely something mesmerizing about that shade of red, I figured after finding myself repeating the previous motion with my thumb, this time with a featherlight touch.

"I fixed it." I struggled to find my voice and release Y/n's face, but I managed. Had I not known better, I'd have sworn she sighed when my hands switched her skin for the countertop. "You wanna... Uh... Check?"

"Sure." I didn't have time to take a step back before being frozen in place by her motions; instead of turning around to look at the mirror, she pulled my sunglasses down to my nose and checked herself in the reflection.

The sunglasses must have done an excellent job of blocking the view, because Y/n seemed completely unaware of how my eyes had latched onto her lips and wouldn't let go.

"I'm impressed, Harrington." She commented, returning the sunglasses to my head without a warning.

It took me a second too long to lift my gaze from the red lipstick.

"Steve?"

I wanted to voice my thoughts —I really did—, but my exhaustion only permitted me to act on impulse.

A muted gasp escaped Y/n's throat when I lunged forward to press my lips to hers, which made me realize how stupid that decision had been.

Just as I began to pull away, Y/n's lace covered palm found it's way to my cheekbone, sliding into my hair as soon as my own hands landed on her hips, bringing her upper body closer to mine.

I wouldn't be able to tell whether it lasted two seconds or two minutes, but it felt way too short.

"Okay" her soft panting fanned over my parted lips. "Okay we can't— this—" she puffed, shaking her head 'no' as she leaned back. "We can't do that."

In my haze and my neediness, I could only ask, "W-why?"

"Because" she contorted to the side to reach for a wet towel laying near the sink. "You're dating Nancy Wheeler—"

"I don't know about that."

"and" she went on, shushing me with her index finger before attempting to remove the red mess her lipstick had made on my mouth and around. "I have to see her nearly every afternoon." She might have noticed my confused visage, because, with a sigh, she explained further. "My little brother is best friends with Mike."

"Henderson." My brows raised so high they met my hairline. It had taken me a hot minute to put two and two together. "Holy shit."

"Holy shit." She agreed, giving me a soft push so she could jump down the sink. "Now, I don't particularly like Nancy, but I don't know if I'd be able to look at her in the eye after..."

"Fair point. Jesus, I'm sorry." I groaned, taking off the glasses to manually comb my hair in an anxious manner. "I shouldn't— I didn't even think-"

"No, it's okay."

"No—"

"Steve—"

A loud bang on the door made us both jolt on the spot.

"Y/N! I'M GOING HOME, AND I'M LEAVING WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!"

"Fuck— COMING SAM!" I watched as Y/n's skirt twirled gracefully when she checked herself in the mirror, trying to fix her lipstick before making her way to the door. "I... Guess I'll see you around?" She tentatively asked, sparing me an apologetic glance over her shoulder with her fingers already around the knob.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll... See you around."

She gave me a small wave before unlocking the door and leaving it ajar after sneaking out of the bathroom.

I couldnt help but let out a quiet laugh at the snippet of conversation I caught from both girls.

"He really touched up your makeup up, didn't he?"

"Shut up or I'll murder you with my bare hands."

😭🥰😭🥰😭🥰😭🥰😭🥰😭🥰😭🥰😭

Puppy Love

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x Reader (she/her pronouns used)

Category: Friends to lovers, neighbours to lovers, fluff

Summary: Your neighbour Dieter's dog is the only comfort you need during stressful days. Well, maybe her and her owner.

Warnings: swearing, mentions of suicidal thoughts, a sick dog, hints of depression, it's mainly just fluff, idiots in love, flashback in italics

Word count: 6.3k (This was originally supposed to be a few hundred words of really basic pure fluff but it turned into a few thousand words with an actual storyline?? Who knew I was capable of that?)

A/N: This is soooo self indulgent because I was feeling down and looking at that photo of Pedro as Dieter with the baby goat. I didn’t think it was realistic for him to have a pet goat so I changed it to a dog. Called Frankie. (Named after Pedro’s character in Triple Frontier…) In hindsight, a cat would’ve made more sense but now it’s too late. He’s kind of out of character so imagine it’s him pre-fame. This isn’t my best work but decided to publish anyway since I put some effort into it.

You knocked on Dieter's door frantically. You'd just had the worst possible day imaginable. You'd slept through your alarm, broken a heel on the way to work, then your train was late and to top it all off your boss was in a terrible mood and took all of his frustrations out on you.

You'd trekked home in the rain which was just the icing on a shitty day, immediately walking past your apartment to go to Dieter's instead. It was sort of an unspoken arrangement the two of you had that neither of you could remember starting or even how it had started. All you knew is that it had been happening years, ever since you moved into the building really. If you'd had a bad day then you'd go over to his to have a cuddle with his dog, Frankie, whilst talking it over with Dieter. And if he'd had a bad day then he'd come over to yours and eat something you'd either baked or cooked, whichever was most recent.

Normally, you'd go to yours first in order to get changed and dump your work stuff but today was especially bad. Bad enough to force you out of that ritual and to go straight to his instead. You continued knocking, not stopping until you heard him on the other side of the door.

"Okay, okay! Calm down!" He swung open the door and his eyes landed on you, drenched from the rain and on the verge of crying. He didn't even need to greet you. "Need Frankie?"

You nodded, your bottom lip trembling. "Please."

"Come on in then." He opened the door wider and stepped to the side, quietly ushering you in and closing it behind you. "She's in her usual spot on the couch.”

"Thank you." You mumbled to him before speed walking into the next room to find Frankie curled up on the end of the sofa. You approached her carefully, not wanting to disturb her too much and took a tentative seat next to her, reaching out to stroke softly down her back as you dropped your bag to the floor. "Hey, sweetie."

Frankie sleepily blinked her eyes open, took one look at you and crawled over to sit in your lap, leaning her head on your chest before she went back to sleep. There was sort of a bond between you and Frankie, one that even Dieter envied. He supposed it was because Frankie just seemed to understand when you were feeling sad so became the ultimate cuddle machine, perfect for you to find comfort in.

Dieter watched the two of you from the doorway, smiling to himself at the sight. His two favourite girls cuddled up together on his sofa. "I'll make coffee." He said before walking through to the kitchen, not giving you a chance to reply.

You barely noticed what he had said, just humming blindly in agreement as you cradled the dog closer to your chest, burying your face in the soft fur of her head. Blinking back tears, you kick off your shoes and crossed your legs underneath yourself, careful not to disturb the sleeping canine in your arms.

Dieter returned after a couple of minutes, a cup of coffee in each hand that he put down on the table before sitting next to you on the couch. He watched you for a moment, clearly trying to hold back tears as you cuddled the life out of his dog. He'd never seen you this bad. And he'd been with you through your best and worst days.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked, clearing his throat and shifting towards you a little, placing his arm on the back of the couch behind you.

"Not really." You sighed and leaned your head against his shoulder, a new development that surprised him. No matter how much you cuddled Frankie, you and him had never gone past a brief hug at the end of the night or a quick kiss on the cheek if you decided to venture out and go to a bar instead of staying in for the night.

He didn't protest to it though, instead wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pulling you closer to him so you were practically invited to snuggle into his side. An eruption of butterflies fluttered through his stomach when you let out a content hum before completely relaxing against him. Dieter decided to fully commit to the extremely friendly situation and leant his own head on top of yours, subtly inhaling the scent of your shampoo.

"Did you just sniff me?" You croaked out, half laughing.

Okay, maybe not so subtle then.

He hesitated before answering. "...No..."

You giggled which was music to his ears after seeing you so down, quietly apologising when you disturbed Frankie from her slumber with your rumbling chest. "Sorry, sweetie, sorry. Just go back to sleep. That's it. Sshhh..."

"You're so good with her." Dieter blurted out, not being able to stop his brain before the words spilt out of his mouth.

"How could I not be? She's my best girl. And the reason I'm not diving off a cliff right now. Plus she's too sweet not to love. How could anyone not be good with her?" You said the last bit in a higher pitched tone since Frankie had begun to stir again already and looked up at you with big puppy-dog eyes that made you melt in the middle.

"You'd be surprised how many people aren't so kind to her." It made Dieter's heart ache to hear you mention the desire to jump off a cliff but he didn't know how serious you were about it. "Is it really that bad?"

"What?" You sat up slightly, briefly glancing at him before you turned back to bumping your nose against Frankie's and stroking her floppy ears.

"Do you really want to dive off a cliff?" He whispered the question, almost careful as to not upset you even more.

You seemed to ponder it for a moment before shaking your head. "No. Not anymore at least. I do remember a time when it was that bad but it hasn't been that way for a while now."

"Oh, that's good." He nodded at you, not noticing the smile you gave him as you looked back at the dog on your lap. "You would come to me though, wouldn't you? If it ever did get that bad again, right?"

"Of course, Dieter." You scoffed as if it were obvious. "You're my best friend. Well, besides Frankie of course."

You both grinned at that, the two of you turning your attention to the dog in question.

"You hear that, Frankie? She loves you more than she loves me! Can you believe that? And after I've let her into my home! The audacity!" He ruffled the top of her head and tugged on her ears gently.

"Well, how could I possibly ever love someone more than I love the bestest and most adorable dog in the world? Isn't that right, Frankie? Are you the best?" You got a sniffle back in reply which you could only assume meant agreement. "Exactly. It's only logical that I love you most. Although, Dieter is a very close second."

Dieter listened to you continue to whisper nonsense to his dog, his heart picking up pace in his chest at the sight of it. His body ached with how much he loved you, the pain of it only increasing as he watched you interact with the most important thing in his life. It was almost too perfect to be real. And that's exactly what it was because it suddenly dawned on him that he didn't actually have you. You were just his neighbour. Not his girlfriend, not his fiancée, not his wife. His neighbour. And that stung.

The night passed by in a flash and soon enough you were saying your goodbyes to Frankie, peppering kisses all over her face as you collected your stuff from the floor. Dieter watched you with a feeling of emptiness in his chest. He longed to ask you to stay the night. He longed to kiss you, to ask you out on a proper date. But he knew he shouldn't. Not only had you known each other for years that it would seem strange now, but you were also his neighbour and if it didn't work out then it would lead to a very awkward relationship of polite nods in the hallway and nothing else. He couldn't risk what you already had going. Spending evenings together as you cuddled his dog would have to suffice for now.

"Thanks as always, Dieter. I still appreciate this." You said as you walked towards his front door.

"No problem. I'm always here to help... Well, Frankie is actually but you get me." He ran a hand through his hair, tugging slightly on the roots as he cursed himself for seeming so awkward suddenly.

Luckily, you just laughed him off. "Give my thanks to Frankie as well then, won't you?"

"Hmm? Oh, ahaha yes." He wanted to punch himself for being so out of it but he couldn't help it. A million thoughts were running through his mind. Every single one of them involving you. Majority of them involving you and him. "Hey, I've got an audition next week and I'm bound to fuck it up."

"I'll make sure to have something prepared, don't worry." You opened his front door and turned to look at him. "Any special requests?"

"Nah, I'm sure anything you make will be perfect." He winced at his poor attempt at flirting. When did it get so difficult?

"You flatter me, Bravo." You stood on the tip of your toes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Dieter. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Goodnight." He said it in a breathy voice, almost lightheaded at the feeling of your lips against his skin.

You just smiled at him before leaving his apartment and walking down to your own, closing the door behind you on the way out. Dieter made his way back to the lounge, scooped Frankie up into his arms and walked into his bedroom. Not even bothering to brush his teeth or get changed, he collapsed on his bed, careful not to squish his dog, and switched off the lamp as he let out a loud groan.

"You get it. Don't you, Frankie? You understand why I love her so much, right?" He asked the canine but received a blank look in return making him bury his face in the pillows. "Of course you do. The two of you are practically best buds. So you understand why I feel this way about her."

Frankie didn't even make a sound in response, just crawled up the length of the bed and plopped down to cuddle into Dieter’s side before dropping off into yet another deep sleep. He looked at her with a smile before shortly following her example and falling asleep next to her.

It wasn't even a week later that you were rapidly banging on Dieter’s door again, this time with a box of cookies under one arm. You'd had another shit day at work, not as bad as the one a few days prior but still pretty awful. Since it was so soon since your last visit to Dieter's you decided to take something with you to compensate. Your most recent baking venture being an assortment of cookies you'd stress-made the night before.

You were about to start knocking again when the door opened and Dieter looked down at you with a sad expression.

"What's the matter?" You asked him before he could even invite you in.

"Frankie's not here." He whispered, clearly upset by it. "She got sick so I took her to the vet."

"Is she okay?" You were immediately worried. Frankie meant more to you than you could ever put into words and the prospect of her not being alright set you on edge.

"Yeah, she's fine. They just wanted to keep her in observation overnight just in case." He ran a hand down his face and sighed. "I assume that's why you're here. For Frankie cuddles."

He added a light tone to the end of his sentence but you could tell he wasn't as fine as he was letting on. And you couldn't blame him. His dog was sick.

"Dieter, are you okay?" You asked tentatively, tilting your head to the side in question. Despite mainly going to his place for his dog, you cared deeply for him. More than you'd ever let on. He really was your best friend and you only wanted him to be happy.

"Yeah, I'm... good." He hesitated before finishing the sentence, knowing he didn't sound the least bit convincing. "Sorry Frankie's not here to comfort you though."

"Don't worry about it. Her well-being is more important." You waved it off and suddenly remembered the box tucked under your arm. "Oh! I brought you these. Fresh from like... two this morning." You held it out to him with a warm smile, the kind that set his heart on fire.

"Thank you." He took the box from your grasp, seeming to think about something for a moment before he opened his door slightly wider. "I'm no Frankie but I'm sure I'm an okay cuddler. If you want."

He appeared shy about the offer, not surprising given he'd never suggested something like this before. It took the both of you aback about how he'd just come out and said it and not beat around the bush about it. A light blush spread across your cheeks, the skin getting hot at the idea but nonetheless you nodded your head in agreement anyway.

"I'm sure you're a great cuddler." You said before stepping past him and into his flat, thankful that you'd actually gone home first to change into some more comfortable clothes this time. As much as cuddling with Dieter sounded delightful, it would most definitely be ruined by your work attire.

Dieter followed behind you awkwardly, stunned that you'd actually agreed to come in and... cuddle with him? Was this really about to happen? If it was, he could fly over the moon with delight. He'd been dreaming about this for years. Something so simple and silly could be something so extremely significant for him, it was wonderful in his eyes.

"How'd you want to do this?" You asked, suddenly spinning around to face him. "Only I really need a hug and I'm not in the mood for discussing cuddle arrangements for ten minutes.

He was caught off guard by your abruptness, placing the box of cookies down on his coffee table. How were you supposed to do this? Dieter looked at his couch, it was too small for the two of you to properly be comfortable without practically lying on top of each other. He thought it over in his head for a moment, noticing your growing restlessness out of the corner of his eye. He didn't want to keep you waiting so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Bedroom!"

"Excuse me?" You raised your eyebrows at him, confused by the outburst. Had he just suggested going to his bedroom?

Dieter cleared his throat and repeated himself. "I think my couch is too small for the two of us so, if you're okay with it, we could go to my bedroom and use my bed instead. I swear the sheets are clean. I changed them yesterday."

You wanted to laugh at him, he was all awkward and blushy and it was a beautiful sight. But you held off on the laugh and just nodded instead. "I'd love that. Thank you."

He nodded in return, once again surprised by your easy agreement. "Right. Let's... let's go then."

"Lead the way." You gestured your arm in the direction of the short hallway leading to his bedroom. You'd never been inside, the furthest you'd ventured in his home being the bathroom. So this was all new for you. New and exciting.

He walked ahead of you to his bedroom, opening the door and allowing you to go in first. "Make yourself comfortable."

"Which side of the bed is yours?" You asked as he shut his bedroom door, glancing around his room to take it in. A couple framed pictures on the walls and books scattered on the floor really summed him up well.

"Uh... neither really. I sort of sleep in the middle. Why?" He sat on the edge of the bed, opposite to the side you were standing on.

You shrugged. "Thought it'd be easier for me to be on whichever side you don't like. Now you've made it complicated by being a middle of the bed sleeper."

He laughed and shook his head at you, amazed by your consideration for his feelings in this moment. "How about I just lay down how I normally would and you get yourself comfortable around me from that? Sound good?"

"Sounds great." You agreed, watching him crawl up the length of the bed before he collapsed against the pillows.

Dieter adjusted himself for a moment before looking at you with an expectant smile.

"Comfortable?" You asked with a slightly mocking tone, struggling to keep your adoration for him hidden.

"Extremely." He wanted to add on that he'd be even more comfortable with you next to him but refrained from it. He didn't know how far was too far. "You ready for this?"

"Extremely." You repeated back to him before sliding onto the bed beside him. The two of you hesitated for a moment, just staring at each other, before he opened his arms and gestured for you to lean against him.

"I don't bite. I swear." He said softly, giving you his most reassuring smile.

You shook your head at him playfully, finding him ridiculous. "I'm not worried about that." You sighed and fell into his embrace, the two of you immediately locking together and sinking back against the mattress.

"What are you worried about then?" He asked, trying not to freak out about how the two of you just seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces, like you were destined for one another. "You can tell me anything."

"I know." You hummed, shutting your eyes out of instinct. "I trust you more than anyone. I'm not worried just... we haven't done this before. It's new."

"Is that a bad thing?" He croaked out, worry rising in his throat that maybe you weren't as into this as he was. But how could you not be? It just seemed so perfect.

"Not at all." You fought the urge to look up at him, deciding to keep your head buried against his chest so as to not ruin the moment. "You're a great cuddler."

Dieter felt his heart whoosh through his chest and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Better than Frankie?" Better to play it off jokingly than assume anything from you or make it awkward.

"Nobody's better than Frankie." You tightened your grip around him, feeling your eyelids growing heavy. "But you're a good contender."

"Happy to be second place." He felt your breathing even out and knew that you were falling asleep. Without moving too much so as to not disturb you, he reached for the blanket at the end of his bed and tugged it over the two of you, careful not to cover your face.

Dieter listened to your soft snores for about half an hour, having you shift against him every so often but never moving too far away from him. Wondering how he got so lucky as to have you as his neighbour, he revelled in that small piece of happiness for a while before eventually falling into his own deep sleep.

The two of you were awoken the next morning by Dieter's phone ringing on the bedside table. You both groaned in annoyance at the early hour but both perked up when you saw it was the vet's calling.

"Hello?" He croaked into the phone, worry lacing his tone. You couldn't blame him. His dog was sick and the vet had called early. That didn't bode well.

Only able to hear one side of the conversation, you leant your head against Dieter's shoulder and kept a grip on his arm. Just to let him know you were there for him if he needed it.

Luckily, he didn't seem to need comforting since he let out a sigh of relief about thirty seconds into the phone call. "That's great news. Thanks. Yeah, I'll come pick her up now. Okay. Bye."

"All good?" You asked once he placed his phone back down.

"Yeah, she's fine." He smiled at you, obviously happy that Frankie was alright. "Sorry to cut this short and give you an early morning but I've got to go pick her up..."

You placed a hand on his to reassure him. "It's okay. I understand. Go bring your girl home. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to be back here."

He appeared to ponder something for a moment. "Could you come with me to pick her up?"

"Of course." You smiled at him before glancing down at your clothes. "Let me just go get changed first and then I'll be back. I'll be really quick. I promise."

"Alright." He nodded at you in return before deciding that he should probably do the same, both of you having wrinkled clothes from being in such close proximity all night.

So the two of you disappeared to your separate places to get ready before you met up again in the building's hallway, the both of you grinning like idiots at each other.

"Ready?"

"Extremely."

You drove to the vet's in silence, you could tell he was anxious about Frankie's condition so you didn't want to push him too far if he wasn't in the mood to talk. It didn't bother you too much but you were itching to talk about the night you just spent cuddling in his bed. It wasn't exactly a regular occurrence.

When you got to the surgery, you headed straight to the front desk and Dieter gave all of his information over, desperate to see his girl.

"Well, Mr Bravo, your girlfriend can go through and pick up Frankie whilst you fill out the paperwork." The receptionist offered you both a friendly smile, holding out a pen to Dieter.

"Oh, she's not my-" He started to protest but you cut him off, it was easier to just go along with it than explain your situation.

"That sounds great, thank you." You shot a look at him to tell him it was fine before turning back to the woman. "Which room is she in?"

"Just down the hall in room four."

"Thanks. I'll be back in a minute." You directed the last bit at Dieter before pushing your way through the double doors to collect Frankie.

The actor watched you go before sighing to himself and turning back to the paperwork in front of him. He groaned quietly, clicked the pen against his thigh and scribbled his signature along the bottom line.

The receptionist reached across the desk and tapped another line at the bottom. "We'll also need your girlfriend to sign the form."

He frowned and looked up at her. "Why?"

She shrugged. "It's policy. And you also put her down as an emergency contact. That is her, right?"

He nodded and read over where he'd hastily written your name the previous day as the person to contact if the vet was unable to get ahold of him. He hadn't even really thought about it, you were just the automatic choice.

Before he could think about it too much, you came back into the waiting area with a sleeping Frankie in your arms. Dieter practically melted at the sight.

"Apparently she didn't have a very good night so they gave her something to relax so she'll be very sleepy for the next few hours." You whispered to him, carefully handing her over. "Vet said she should be fine though and it was just a virus that's been going around recently. She probably caught it from another dog at the park."

"Oh, Frankster. What did those peasant dogs from the park do to you?" He hugged the dog tight to his chest and resisted the urge to cry, briefly gesturing at the reception desk. "They- uh... they need you to sign one of the forms."

"Sure." You turned back to the woman and had her point out where you needed to sign, giving a small smile to the sight of your name on the emergency contact list. Once you were done you thanked her and guided Dieter out of the surgery, letting him continue mumbling words of love to his dog. "Dieter, I'll drive, yeah? That way you can sit with Frankie on your lap."

You could tell he wasn't really listening to you but nodded anyway, too engrossed in his dog to care about anything else. It was understandable.

You managed to coax him into the car and stop holding Frankie for a second so he could put his seatbelt on.

"Dieter Bravo, put your seatbelt on right this instant or so help me god!"

"Don't Dieter Bravo me!"

After a quick minute of arguing you got him situated in his seat and went to the driver's side, speeding out of the car park as quickly as possible. The radio hummed lowly in the background as Dieter spoke to Frankie who was still asleep and unaware of what was happening around her.

"She's asleep. She can't hear you." You laughed at him, mainly because he was being so cute.

"You don't know that. You know that they say coma patients can hear you?" He didn't even glance your way, his hands travelling up and down the length of Frankie's back.

"She's not a coma patient." You continued to laugh, being careful to drive slowly so as to not get distracted. "She's a sleeping dog that's high on whatever drugs they gave her."

"Same difference." He grumbled, hiding his smile in Frankie's fur. "She's cooler than a coma patient."

"Can't argue with that one. She is the coolest dog around." You replied with a laugh. "Knew that since I first laid eyes on her."

Dieter's head snapped to look at you as he thought back to the first time you had met.

You were stumbling down the hall of your new building, desperately trying to weave in and out of the corridors and remember your way back to your apartment. You'd just had your first day at your new job and it hadn't gone as smoothly as you hoped it would. Nevertheless, you pushed through it and managed to get to the end of your shift without any serious mishaps. But now all you wanted to do was crawl into bed with a glass of wine and a book.

That would be a lot easier if you only could find your stupid apartment.

After way too long a time of searching, you finally found your new home and you let out a cheer in triumph, slapping a hand over your mouth when you realised how loud you were.

"Fuck!" You cursed to yourself when you dropped your keys, bending down with a groan to retrieve them.

"Are you okay?"

You spun around at the sound of a deep voice to see your new neighbour hanging out of his doorway with an amused smile on his face.

Embarrassed, you nodded your head and turned back to your door again. "Yep, all good."

"Really? Sounded like a lot of grunting and swearing out here. Thought you might be having sex in the hallway." He laughed to himself and then even harder when your face flushed red. "I'm Dieter by the way."

You introduced yourself and knocked on your door. "Your new neighbour."

"The one who plays loud music and has already set off the smoke alarm twice? That new neighbour?" He sent you a friendly smile that sent an eruption of butterflies rippling through your stomach.

"Yeah, sorry. Walls are thinner here than my last place. I'll be sure to turn it down and stop burning food." You wanted to curse yourself, less than a week in this place and you'd already disturbed your nice, handsome neighbour. Typical.

Dieter just shrugged at you though, obviously unfazed. "You've got good music taste so it's okay. And we've all burned food in our lives. It's understandable." He briefly turned away from you to mumble at something or someone in his flat.

You finally managed to unlock your door without Dieter's brown gaze piercing into your soul and pushed it open, throwing your bag down to the floor in annoyance. You didn't want to be rude to him but now was not the most convenient time to be making a first impression due to your sour mood.

"It was nice to meet you." You called to him before rushing into your apartment, even more embarrassed at your swift exit.

"Yeah, you too-" Dieter began to reply but your door had already slammed shut. He let out a sigh and looked down at the puppy whimpering at his feet. "What do you think, Frankster? She's cute. Awkward. But cute."

Frankie just sniffled at his ankle in response, her head suddenly snapping to look in the direction of your apartment.

He frowned at his dog. "What is it?"

That's when he heard an angry scream coming from next door.

"Fuck!"

The word was extended and loud. Loud enough that Dieter was almost positive the whole building had probably heard it. He wanted to laugh but a large part of him was concerned for your well-being. Especially when the next sounds to be heard from your place were sobs.

Uncontrollable sobs.

He debated on whether or not he should check on you, trying to decide if it was appropriate to be so worried about a neighbour he'd met once. But after about ten seconds of deliberating, he decided screw it and pushed Frankie into his flat with his foot and shut his door behind him. Dieter stood at the door of your apartment for a moment with his hand raised in a fist, once again considering if he should check on you. But his heart overtook his brain and he knocked.

When you opened the door it was clear you'd been crying. Your eyes were red and your cheeks stained with tears, yet you gave him the brightest smile you could muster. "Hey, neighbour. What's up?"

He wanted to laugh at you but held back, only letting the tiniest smile show. "Your loud exclamation of a certain word beginning with f is what's up. Are you okay?"

You opened your mouth to give him an easy lie of yeah, you were fine but moving to a new place was a little stressful. Yet the genuine look of worry in his eyes stopped you. You just shook your head at him, paired with a little shrug, not knowing what to say.

Dieter seemed to consider this for a moment. "Do you like dogs?"

"I love dogs." You let out a surprised chuckle, not knowing where that question had come from.

"Wait here." He held up a finger at you before disappearing down the hallway again. You heard his door open and close before he reappeared with the cutest puppy you'd ever seen in his arms. "This is Frankie."

"Oh." You took one look at her before bursting into tears again. This time they were happy. "Oh, she's just the sweetest. Can I hold her please?"

Dieter smiled at your politeness before handing Frankie over to you. "I find her comforting during my bad moments. Thought she could do the same for you."

You offered him a grateful smile before turning all your attention towards the puppy. "Well, aren't you the most adorable thing to ever exist. I know I only met him today but I might just have to steal you away from Dieter if I get the chance."

He watched the two of you with a smile and a pounding heart. He was already enamoured.

When you got back to your building, you opened all doors necessary for Dieter and Frankie, rushed around his apartment to collect some essential items for a sick dog and set up the most comfortable bed possible for her filled with millions of her blankets, cushions and favourite toys.

Dieter watched you walk around his place with ease, knowing where everything was and making yourself at home as you tried to set up what you thought was best for Frankie. It made him love you even more. And now with the added weight of reminiscing on your first meeting, he didn't think he could contain his feelings any longer. It was almost painful not to confess right there as he stood rooted in the middle of his lounge with you flitting around him.

Frankie was well and truly out of it, and probably wouldn't wake until the next morning, so Dieter set her down in the bed you had set up for her before he reached out an arm to stop you as you went to walk past him again.

"Calm down." He smiled at you, the same easy and kind smile that had gotten to you all those years ago. "Sit down for a second, yeah?"

"I'm trying to look after your dog, Dieter." You huffed and gestured at her sleeping form, your heart aching at the cuteness of it. "Someone's gotta be responsible around here since you couldn't stop making sad goo-goo eyes at her."

He grinned at you, thrilled by how your actions reflected how much you loved Frankie. It was one of the many things he loved about you. He brushed a strand of hair away from your face as he shook his head at you. "Wow, who thought the sad cuddler would be the responsible parent out of the two of us."

Your jaw dropped at his words whereas Dieter's just snapped shut, shocked that he'd just let that slip out.

"Parent?" You asked, mouth agape. "Frankie's parent?"

Dieter blushed and looked off to the side, trying to will away the heat in his cheeks. "Well, I guess I've almost always considered you to be Frankie's mom. You spend the most time with her aside from me. You love her a lot, possibly more than me now that I think about it." He laughed to himself and finally looked back down at you to find your eyes filling with tears. "Don't cry. Frankie's out of commission at the moment."

You shook your head at him before throwing your arms around his neck and practically jumping on him, knocking him back a few steps.

"I'm guessing that's a positive reaction then?"

"Yeah, you idiot." You mumbled into his shoulder before pulling away but leaving your arms in their place.

And just like that, tension filled the space between you. It was like the two of you were the only people in the world, just staring into each other's eyes and trying to determine whether the other was feeling the same atmosphere. After several seconds of just gazing at each other, you loosened your arms from around his neck and began to pull away, thinking he would've taken the opportunity to kiss you already if he wanted to.

Dieter's mind, on the other hand, was racing with thoughts. Should he kiss you? Was it too late already? You pulled away, did this mean you didn't want to kiss him? But you looked disappointed. Did that mean you did want to kiss him? He was so confused that he didn't know what to do, weighing up every option in his head.

"I'll-" You cleared your throat and pointed at his door. "I should go."

He didn't reply, all he knew was that he couldn't just let you leave. Not when he was so close to finally just telling you how he felt. So, instead, he placed a hand on your cheek and turned your head to face him, gave you one last look before he leaned in and kissed you, very softly. The kiss was gentle but you felt your knees almost buckle. After years of harbouring a crush on Dieter you were finally kissing him. And it was wonderful.

Once he pulled away, he looked down at you with an almost shy look, unsure of whether what he just did was okay. So he simply asked. "Is this okay?"

"I've been waiting years for you to do that." You confessed with a smile, suddenly lightheaded.

"I've been waiting years to do that." He replied with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around your waist to pull you closer to him. "Wish I'd done it sooner now that you appear to like me back."

You shook your head at him, finding it funny how he couldn't realise that you'd always felt this way. "I'm just glad you've done it now."

"Me too." He pulled you in for another kiss, the two of you breaking away into a fit of giggles when Frankie started snoring in the corner of the room.

"FYI, I only like you for your dog. She's the only appeal you have." You teased him in a desperate attempt to contain your excitement.

"Well... naturally." Dieter shrugged at you before he kissed you once again.

And just like that, the three of you were a family. A sleepy dog, a sad cuddler and a smitten actor.

Poor Steven 😭

Oh, reader caring for him melts my heart and Marc content and calm 😭🥰

Neighbors and Nightmares

Steven Grant x gn!reader (no use of y/n)

Word Count: 1k

Prompt: pulling your lover into your arms, kissing their cheek as you comfort them (requested by anon for my 3k follower celebration!)

Warnings: fluff, neighbor!reader, mention of nightmares, hurt/comfort, kisses, sweetness, pining, brief appearance by Marc too

Notes: Even though this fic is not explicit, my blog still is so please do not read or interact if you are under 18 thank you. Thanks so much for the request anon, I loved this prompt so much!! And it works so well with Steven cause he deserves the world!! I have an update only blog too to stay up to date on when I post @flightlessangelwings-updates​

~

A pained scream woke you up from a peaceful dream and immediately you were on high alert. Without hesitation, you jumped out of bed and rushed to the door as another scream echoed against the wall you shared with your neighbor, Steven Grant. This wasn’t the first time you’d woken up to the sounds of his agony while he slept, but this time seemed more urgent than before. Quickly, you grabbed your keyring, which included the spare key he gave you, and bolted out the door.

“Steven?!” you pounded at his door first. Dread filled your mind as you heard him yell and thrash around inside, “Steven, I’m coming in!” you called through the door as you slid the key in with shaky hands.

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UNS SEBOSOS, HORROROSOS, LADRÕES

podem enfiar esse oscar no cu europeu de vcs eu sabia q eles jamais teriam a coragem de premiar um filme latino

Frankie taking care of her 🥺🥺

They cuddling 🥺🥺

THE NICKNAMES 😭😭😭

I want to hug Frankie desperately!!

Cariña- Part 4

Chapter Summary: Time passes, and both Frankie and his Cariña can’t get what their friend said out of their head.

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Reader

Words: 1162

Chapter Warnings: pure fluff, cuddling, nightmare, comfort

Series Masterlist Here!

Feedback fuels me!

Frankie knew he always had problems asking for help. It never came easily, it was never his first thought when he was struggling.

Unless Y/N was involved.

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do not chastise the dove (11) ✧ steven grant, marc spector, jake lockley

do not chastise the dove ✧ a royal moon knight au | ao3 | pinterest board

pairing: knight!steven grant x fem!princess!reader x knight!marc spector x knight!jake lockley

series summary: you were a princess who would rather be anything but a royal; he was the knight her father forced her to marry—a true match made in hell if there ever was one. but, as the wedding inches closer and closer, it seems that, perhaps, your father had finally done something right by you. 

chapter summary: you are saved. but it’s not over quite yet. 

word count: 2,492

warnings?: vague descriptions of fighting bc i can’t write fight scenes lmao, angsty, a shorter chapter, pet name (dove)

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"I saw her and Billy outside her trailer last night" AND NOTHING HAPPENED, MAX 😭

I can't believe Eddie is behaving as nothing ever happened.

I think that me in y/n's place would be so angry at him. I'm really spiteful so I physically can't act like I didn't have a fight with someone.

Loved the chapter! It's amazing 😍

Posion Running Through My Veins | Part 2

Well, here's part 2. Enjoy because it's gonna be a bumpy ride! Extra-long chapter - technically two chapters combined into one. Hope you like it

A lot is going on and I don't know how I'm gonna end things, but I don't need to think about that until the next part. Oh boi let's get angsty. This is a heavy Billy Hargrove chapter and also the reader is a singer and songwriter. Reader has written most of the original songs that Corroded Coffin play. It's a long one because I felt like rambling and spoiling you all since it will probably be a bit of a wait until the next update. I don't think three parts is going to be long enough.

I'm sorry it's so bad but I needed something to fill between the last chapter and the gig on Friday. It's not kicking off yet but it's going to. I'm so sorry for the angst.

Tag list: Please let me know if you want to be added in the future!

@sidthedollface2, @yaskna, @ancheyew, @samurai-hearts, @bucky-hydra-hoe-barnes,

Song used: This Love by Taylor Swift

Summary: Billy confronts and comforts you after your fight with Eddie. Reader puts her feelings into a song. Tensions continue to brew about who the song is about. Robin and Steve are worried.

Warnings: crying, mentions of trauma. fem!reader, reader uses she/her pronouns, possessive!eddie, eddie muson x reader, billie hargrove x reader, past relationship with billy hargrove, reader basically has a mental breakdown through her music, mentions of injury, violent and hot tempers, sorry for the long descriptive paragraphs i can't help myself, lmk if I've forgotten anything.

Words: 5001

No minors allowed please and thank you

Please do not repost anywhere. I will be posting on my AO3 account and linking it here.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

"Hi Billy"

He let go of your waist and gave you a boyish grin. It was playful and soft. Not many people saw this side to him. Especially after everything that went down.

You breathe an exhausted sigh. This really isn't what you needed right now after the fight. Your emotions still tight inside your chest. Feeling like you were about to spill over at any second.

You walked past him, hoping he'd get the hint that you wanted to be alone. No such luck. Instead, he kept up pace beside you. Eyes trained on you, your face and you saw him frown slightly at the sight of your other hand trying to cover up the bruise on your wrist that was starting to turn black and purple.

"You finally moved out, huh?" he finally asked. It was phrased as a question, but it felt more like a statement. A reflection on what he had missed while he had been under treatment. Maybe he had heard from Max that you had moved out into your own trailer. Maybe they had driven passed your uncle's house, since it was on the way to the trailer park. Or maybe Billy just knew that after everything that went down last summer, you had to get your life sorted and do what was best for you.

"I... yeah" you stumbled over your words. Exhaustion and pain on your shoulders and you were still winded by the swirl of emotions you had felt in the past few hours.

Billy held you gently by the shoulder, noticing the way you bit your lip at discomfort, before dropping his hand. He stopped in front of you. You were now far enough away from Eddie's trailer that you could start to breathe properly again. You looked back and saw the lights still on.

When you turned back to Billy, the bad boy appearance was temporarily dropped, and he pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He took one out and slotted it in his mouth, then offered you the packet. "I still don't smoke" you said, looking up at him, a twinkle in your eyes.

"I know" his smile was so goofy and silly that the cigarette almost falling out of his mouth. Something no one else would ever have the guts to describe Billy Hargrove as. His smile grew as you took one out of the packet without another word, a small smile creeping onto your face.

He reached into his back pocket for his lighter. Black covered with doodles of hot pink flames. "I cannot believe you still have it" you raised your eyebrows at him as you leant towards him to light your cigarette. He cupped his hands around the tip to ensure it was lit. He shrugged, not giving you the satisfaction of an answer as he lit his own. Chuckling, you took a long drag of the cigarette. Coughing slightly as the smoke filled your lungs. "Damn I have not done this in a while" you managed to splutter out, choosing to completely ignore the look of pure amusement on Billy's face.

Both of you sit on the table of the wooden bench just outside your trailer. You breathed deeply. The peaceful silence settling in as the stars started to wake up and take their spotlight next to the moon. This was something you had missed. You loved Eddie with everything you had but every moment with him was loud or talkative. You never had a moment where you could just sit together and be comfortable in each other's silence. But then equally, you couldn't as easily talk about things with Billy. It was always a struggle for him to reveal his true emotions. Even with Neil gone, so much had happened last summer. The things he had done, the things that had happened to him. You knew him opening up would be even rarer than before.

"Your boyfriend give you those bruises?" Billy asked, staring straight ahead of him. Of course he noticed you inwardly groaned to yourself.

"He's not usually like this. We just had a bad fight, that's all." You took another long drag, watching the embers of your cigarette butt float off into the air. Looking down at your wrist you gently smoothed over the bruise, sucking in a sharp breath when you did. It was worse than you had thought. Muttering a "fuck" under your breath, you blinked sharply trying to ignore the pain. Your hand shivering slightly as you brought the cigarette to your lips. You didn't want to even think about the probable bruise Eddie had, in fairness probably accidently, left on your shoulder from the parking lot.

"Was it about me?" he asked, still staring ahead. You couldn't read his emotion from the side. If your brain hadn't been so tired, maybe you would have spotted the direction the conversation was going in. Biting your lip, you had no reason to lie to him. But at the same time the emotions you through you had calmed down, threatened to spill over once again. When you said nothing, he just nodded and let out a deep sigh. "He gets like this a lot when he gets mad?" Billy had a way of making his questions sound more like statements of fact. It made it difficult to argue with him, but it also made you face the ugly truth quicker.

"No, he's not like this usually. It's his dad he-" you cut yourself off, not wishing to tell Billy Eddie's trauma just like that. It wasn't your place. "He just lost his temper alright." Standing up you took the cigarette out of your mouth and stamped it out on the ground, ready to leave this conversation. Running away again you heard your voice inside your head, how typical. Shaking your head slightly you pushed the thoughts to the back of your mind.

"Doll" you let him take hold of your non-bruised wrist. Not with the same painful grip Eddie had had on you, but something gentler but still firm. "You and I both know that shitty fathers aren't an excuse" he looked at you, his icy blue eyes staring into yours.

The unwavering eye contact between someone you know wasn't going to back down, made you finally crack. The first tear fell down and then then the second, and then before you knew it you were crying your eyes out in front of your ex-boyfriend Billy Hargrove. You allowed yourself to lean into his touch as he held you like he did before in the parking lot. Except this time with him sitting down on the bench still, so you could lean into his neck and be engulfed in a tighter hug.

You stayed their crying silently. The fear from the car ride, the flashbacks of Eddie yelling at you and hitting the steering wheel, the pain on your wrist and the feeling of being trapped. It was all too much for you to keep locked away. Even after everything that had happened to you with the Upside Down, almost losing your ex-boyfriend and the fear of it all coming back again. You thought you could handle relationship drama. You certainly could handle everyone else's, even Steve who was trying to date every single girl in the state.

"I'm sorry" your muffled apology, while Billy just held you. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to. He was better at showing his emotions through actions rather than words. He shushed you gently as you kept trying to apologise as you tried to silence your sobs.

You eventually pushed against him, pulling yourself up and out of the hug. You were about to apologise again, but Billy got up from the bench and put his hand on your chin. His thumb gently grazed your lips, in a gentle attempt to stop the apology from escaping. It fucking worked because it took you a heartbeat longer than necessary for your brain to start working again.

"You need sleep, my girl" he let his hold on your chin linger for a little longer and then added, "And if he hurts you again, you let me know" this time his eyes were serious. You looked at him eyes wide, "I won't hurt him, not until he does it after the warning" he smiled at the end and so did you. Part of you thought he was joking but deep down you knew Billy would kill Eddie if things got too out of hand. He was gentler after everything that had gone down, more in control of his actions. But he still had a long way to go. You knew that more than anyone.

You wiped your eyes and smiled a goodbye as you headed into your trailer. Looking back to give him a small barely audible, "See you tomorrow" something that you usually said to Eddie if you couldn't spend the night at his. You didn't think much of it, Billy knew what you meant, and you went inside and locked up. Ready to have a long night sleep, drained from crying and the emotional rollercoaster you'd been on today.

He lit another cigarette with the black and pink lighter and blew smoke up in the air as he stared directly at the trailer you had come from, the lights still on, a figure in the window. Billy smirked and got in his severely beat up car, it roared as he drove away.

Looking out your window one last time as you heard the car speed off, the lights in Eddie's trailer now off.

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The next morning your head felt heavy, like a hangover or a migraine. The only thing pulling you into the present reminding you that the blur of events yesterday wasn't a fever dream was the smell of smoke on your clothes that you slept in, and the bruises still left on your wrist.

The fight and the words that Eddie has said. rushing back to you but you pushed them down. Not having another mental breakdown, you thought to yourself.

You decided doing the only thing you wanted to do after the fight was to write them all down and maybe turn them into a song. You didn't know what to write. You wanted to do a solo gig or maybe join forces with Robin and Steve on stage, but you hadn't gotten around to figuring it all out. Plus, you didn't know how Eddie would feel about being in two bands, and you definitely didn't want to ask him about it right now.

Maybe after Friday?

Tuning your guitar, you realised you still hadn't called Eddie last night when you had gotten in, and he hadn't called you. "Well, whatever" you muttered to yourself, "he can sweat it a bit after yesterday." It's what he deserved you thought to yourself, but you didn't say it out loud. It felt too mean.

The words starting to flow onto the page and suddenly you were putting chords to paper, playing it and then reworking it with the song.

You grimaced as you looked at the time and realised that you had already missed first period. "Fuck!" You groaned shoving your notebook into your bag and your guitar into its case. This was gonna be a fucking awkward day and there was no getting around it. Looking at the sky, it was thankfully overcast which meant you could wear long sleeves, and no one would notice. Well actually you thought to yourself before you smacked yourself into gear and shoved a fresh band t-shirt on and the jeans you were wearing yesterday. Shoving your shoes into your docs you darted out to your car.

Locking the door behind you, you heard a roar of a car engine behind you. You saw Billy in his torn up black car, with somehow a working engine. You hesitated. With his driving you could get to school and not miss too much of second period but at the same time if Eddie saw you pull up... It could get ugly. You looked behind his car and saw that Eddie's van was already gone so you couldn't have asked him for a lift even if it had crossed your mind.

But the decision was made for you when you realised if you were late another time the school would call your folks and that was a situation you did not want.

Billy saw you hesitating at your door and the engine roared louder, as if an invitation to get in.

You gently put your guitar in first and then yourself, sitting your backpack on your lap. "Someone's eager to get to school, or maybe you just missed me so much since yesterday." He winked at you, and you just scowled. You were really not a morning person, and you didn't want to give hm the satisfaction of a response.

"Billy just fucking drive" you rolled your eyes and fastened your seatbelt. Billy just nodded and drove, like a fucking maniac, but you were right. You did get into school before the end of second period.

The drive was silent, you were thankful for that, after the last one didn't go so well. You didn't even ask if Max had already gotten to school, you hoped you hadn't just pinched her ride without even thinking of her.

When you got out the car you gave Billy a quick "Thanks!" Before you dashed in, really hoping that not too many people clocked that you had just gotten a lift to school by Billy Hargrove.

Making it to second period, thankfully it was music so you, Robin and Steve could do fuck all and sit in one of the little music rooms and just chill. The teacher seemed confused that you had brought your own guitar with you but couldn't be bothered to ask so let you three go without a word. "I want to see you perform your creation at the end though!" Mr Bradley called after the three of you basically ran to one of the tiny music rooms.

"Can I copy your notes from Chemistry? I slept in" You asked the room, but it was for Robin. You knew Steve was going to ask the same thing because even though he had been there, he was probably focusing on other things.

"Only if you have a song that you can perform at the end of this class. Because I am not having Mr Bradley fucking harass me after band with 'when are you going to perform the song you've been working on for weeks' okay? I'm not going through that again." Steve walked over with his tambourine ready and your guitar on your lap and Robin being the musical genius she was able to play the everything.

Reaching into your notebook you pulled out the song you were writing. "Yeah, I have a few things" you said, flicking through the pages. A lot of the ones before the one you were writing this morning were mostly for Corroded Coffin, the one this morning was laced with pain and all the emotions you were trying to get rid of. You saw Steve trying to peak over at the words, but you held the book tighter to your chest. Giving you a confused look, since you were never too secretive with these two about what you were writing, you gave a half-hearted excuse of, "it's not completely finished yet."

"Can I tambourine to it though?" Steve here asking the important questions. You nodded before checking back to read over your rush of notes and then gave a hand gesture equivalent to 'I'm not sure?' "I'll just have to incorporate my genius another way then." He moved his hair with his hand dramatically and you chuckled. You could always trust Steve to lighten the mood.

You knew he was trying to cheer you up. Since neither of them had heard from you after you got into Eddie's van yesterday, they assumed it wasn't good. You knew Steve was trying to dance around the question. But Robin wouldn't be able to hold it in for much longer.

And like clockwork, "So what happened last night?" Robin asked. You shrugged, not really wanting to get into it now since you had only just started to feel better. The negative emotions that had finally started to escape you were now slowly burrowing their way back in.

"Hey, what happened? I know that Billy dropped Max off at the trailer park. Did he see you? What's wrong?" Robin further pressed. You knew she wasn't trying to pry; she was just worried about you. You let out a small 'ow' when she placed her hand on your wrist, attempting to comfort you. Shrinking away when she heard your small noise of pain.

"Show me" Steve said instantly, in his parent tone. You knew there was no arguing around this one. You reluctantly pulled up your sleeve to reveal the purple, green and black bruise bound around your wrist. You heard Robin gasp and Steve looked like he was ready to kill someone with the tambourine he was holding.

"Who did this to you?" Steve was standing, pacing around the small room. You shook your head. You really didn't want to talk about this right now. All of the pain and worry seeping back into your mind that you had tried to push away, to write away, it was now coming back. "Wait you said Billy was at the trailer park, right?" He looked at Robin and Robin was wide eye. You continued to shake your head, but Steve ignored it. "You can't defend him forever y/n! He's a dangerous guy! You saw what he did to all those people last summer!" Steve went for the door, and you blocked him instantly. Putting your hands up to try and calm him down. Robin looking in-between you two, clearly struggling with what she should do. "He's dangerous, and he's not going to change! Look at what he did to you!" Steve was now practically yelling, and you were trying desperately to quieten him. "The first thing he does when he gets out of hospital is to try and drive a wedge in your new relationship and physically hurts you." Steve finally put down the tambourine. "I won't stand for it. You don't deserve that." His voice lower but still firm and seething with disappointment and disgust.

He pulled out his car keys and gently tried to remove you from in front of the door. You, still shaking your head, trying to form words in your mouth but all that came out were panicked breaths. "Steve calm down, this isn't helping" Robin pushed Steve out the way and put her hands on your arms. "Look at me, tell me what's wrong. We just want to know what happened." She could see that you were physically trying to stop yourself from shaking, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

You let out a strangled sob as you looked into Robin's eyes. You looked to Steve, seeing the anger was gone he was more concerned for you. Then in a very small voice you managed to stutter out, "It was Eddie" and then you buried your face into your hands.

Robin pulled you into a hug and let you cry into her. She looked at Steve and mouthed 'Eddie?' and Steve nodded. Both of them stunned by the fact that it had been Eddie to injure you like this, not the only guy to match and overpower Steve in a fight.

With no malice, but firmly enough you wiped your tears and your snotty nose on your sleeves, pushing away from Robin. Proceeding to sit back down on the chair you had been previously. You put your guitar on your lap and pulled out your pen and notebook. "Please, can we just focus on music right now. I don't wanna discuss this anymore."

You refused to look at them both and eyes planted on the lyrics you had written this morning, more of them coming to mind. Steve was the first one to pick up his tambourine and went, "So what am I doing again?" and let out his best warm smile. You returned it, yours a little sadder as you strummed your guitar absentmindedly.

Robin carefully sat down on the table behind you, managing to sneak a glance at the words written in your notebook whilst you weren't looking. "We got 15 minutes left and then we are gonna rock Mr Bradley's world!" she said it with a forced laugh. The negative feelings crushing under the weight of Steve and Robin's attempts to abide by your wishes and just have a good time. You loved them with all your heart.

"So, I was thinking if you harmonise with me on this note-"

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You ended up telling Mr Bradley that you would perform the song at lunch time, since you needed a little longer to rehearse and perfect it. It was really because you had a free period before lunch and Steve was making both of you laugh at his tambourine slapping hip swaying additions to his performance. Sometimes it felt good to just pretend to be regular teens at school, take a break from the reality of everything.

You knew performing at lunch time would mean that you would miss seeing Eddie, since you had no classes that overlapped today. But honestly, that's what you needed right now. A bit of space. Collect your thoughts and focus on your music.

You checked the tuning on your guitar one last time before double checking everything was fine with the instruments. Your anxiety getting the better of you and you just needed one thing to go right today. You could see the people start to gather for lunch time. You wondered if Eddie was already there waiting for you at their signature lunch table.

Shaking your head like an etch a sketch, pushing the only important thing to the front of your mind: Robin was on keyboard, bass guitar and backing vocals, Steve was on tambourine, backing vocals and gonna do a cheeky little razzle dazzle. Leaving you on your acoustic guitar and adjusting your mic.

"Well, I'm waiting" Mr Bradley said down below in one of the audience chairs, with a clip board. You sucked in your breath and looked at Robin and Steve. Counting yourself in. Just before you were about to start playing you saw the hellfire kids get to the table. You paused, knowing that Eddie would be on his way soon. Taking a deep exhale, you started playing and Robin and Steve followed suit.

"Clear blue water, high tides came and brought you in" you started singing, your voice wobbly at first until after a couple of beats it sounded more confident, still quiet. You pushed your nerves down. Even after performing at The Hideout so many times in front of your friends and the odd regulars, your anxiety always heated up on stage. It's just me and my friends performing a song in my bedroom was all you thought to yourself as you continued through the verse.

"Skies grew darker, currents swept you out again." you breathed a sigh, "and you were just gone and gone." It felt and sounded so therapeutic to listen to the words you had written down in your state of turmoil and have them sung back to you in a calming, melodic way.

"In silent screams and wildest dreams, I never dreamed of this" you felt the pull on your heart strings as you sang.

It was still only you on the guitar and occasionally Steve's tambourine to keep you in beat. you took a deep breath, ready for the chorus:

"This love is good; this love is bad. This love is alive back from dead, oh" Robin's keyboard joining you with the vocals and it suddenly sounded so beautiful. You never would have guessed that all of this pain could create such a beautiful song.

"These hands had to let it go free and, this love came back to me, oh"

At the exact moment you sung that line, Robin saw Eddie stroll into the cafeteria. She made no indication to you, but she glanced over to Steve, and he gave a subtle nod understanding. Thankfully you were still buried with the music, just focusing on the mic and playing, and nothing else.

Then the second verse began:

"Tossing, turning. Struggling through the night with someone new" and if you had been paying attention it was that exact moment that Eddie clocked that you were performing on stage with Steve and Robin. Steve tried to keep his expression calm, but he noticed Robin almost missing her note on that line.

"In losing grip, on sinking ships. You showed up just in time." You now allowed yourself to get louder, ignoring the bustle of the cafeteria and as it got noisier. You just let yourself sing. Allowing those emotions to flow through and out of you and into this song. Unbeknownst to you, Max came and sat in one of the chairs behind your music teacher with her lunch, shortly followed by El, and then the rest of the hellfire kids. An unreadable expression on all of their faces. Finally, Dustin made his way over and sat next to Max. He looked heavily concerned and kept making sharp eye contact with Steve.

You changed up the chorus after the chorus randomely, almost catching Robin and Steve off guard.

"This love left a permanent mark. This love is glowing in the dark. These hands had to let it go free and, this love came back to me, oh."

You took a deep breath, preparing yourself for the bridge. It felt like you were confessing your feelings for the first time again. Sharing your darkest secrets. But if anyone asked you would say it was just a song and it held no meaning. Even though that wasn't entirely the truth.

"Your kiss. My cheek." You blushed but continued, "I watched, you leave. Your smile. My ghost. I fell to my knees." You almost faltered over that last word, but you powered on.

"When you're young, you just run. But you come back, to what you need." You sung that last note with all the power you could muster.

You continued on with the chorus, finishing on "this love came back to me, oh." Finally opening your eyes and allowing it to focus on the audience. You saw the kids all with their lunch on their laps. But your eyes landed on a fluffy haired individual who was leaning against the wall at the back. His eyes on you and you could see thoughts were ticking over in his mind.

Putting down your guitar, you noticed your music teacher looking pleased with your group. "Now that was worth the wait and all the excuses you kept throwing at me; however, I expect to see this kind of effort in every assignment I have for you three from now on." He got up and you saw on his clipboard he had given you all As for this assignment. With that he left, and you could release a breath you didn't even know you were holding.

Sliding off the stage, you were about to head over to Max. Throughout the song she was watching you as if she were listening to all the lyrics properly. As if she knew something else.

But Steve caught your arm and nodded over at Eddie who was only a few steps in front of you now. "Hey sweetheart" he smiled, his usual warm and silly smile. As if all of yesterday evening, hadn't happened. You gave him a small smile back, not yet ready to forgive him fully. Not until the bruises had at least started to heal.

You thought he was about to apologies again or pull you aside and have a talk with you. But to your surprise, instead, "Let's get my superstar singer of a girlfriend some lunch." And gently put his arm round you, carefully avoiding the place where he had gripped you only 24 hours beforehand.

"Only if you're buying." You let him lead you away from the group back towards the cafeteria, which was now bustling with people.

Steve and Robin were having a mental conversation with each other behind you whilst this exchange was going down.

The hellfire kids, all got up with the remainder of their lunches and followed Eddie back to their usual table. Adam, Gareth and Jeff were probably sat there on their own wondering where everyone else was.

All except Max, you said something to Lucas, and walked over to the duo. Biting the inside of her cheek she glanced back at you, laughing about something that was happening between Eddie and Dustin. The red head turned back to Steve, clearly wanting to say something but was clearly struggling to put it into words.

"C'mon kid, spill" Steve said, placing his tambourine down and sitting on the edge of the stage. Robin also crouching down, to sit next to him.

"You won't tell y/n?" She asked. It was clear whatever she was about to say, it was to be strictly kept between the three of them.

"Yeah, pinky promise or whatever" Steve said holding out his pinky, as to which Robin and Max rolled their eyes. Only Robin indulged him in the pinky pact seal. He gestured to Max to spill. The pact now sealed.

After looking at her shoes and messing with her headphones a little She took another look over her shoulder, double checking whoever she was worried about definitely wasn't there or at least out of earshot. She brought her voice into almost a whisper, leaning closer to Steve and Robin's faces.

"I saw her and Billy outside her trailer last night."

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