You Opened Doe's Kiln, Right?

good things will happen 🧿

things that are meant to be will fall into place 🧿

I loved it, they're so creepy and cute together

Hello, Stranger

Pairing: Eddie Munson x gn!reader, Eddie Munson x you, Eddie Munson x reader

For @lesservillain’s excellent Strange and Spooky Stories Halloween writing event for the prompt: ‘Stranger’

Summary: A stranger comes in to buy weird stuff at odd times, and as the cashier at the local hardware store you’re not quite sure what to make of it…

CW: 18+ (MDNI), fluff, maybe SFW though caution for mature and dark themes and allusions to crime and violence. Flirting, li’l bit of awkwardness, some swearing. Both Eddie and reader are in their 20s. Reader’s gender and appearance are not described, they can be whatever you want. No use of y/n. Time period is not mentioned, and any inaccuracies/inconsistencies about history, equipment, American schooling (I’m not from around these parts) or science are deliberate and artistic oh yes they are. No smut, I thought I’d better assess whether I could string a semi-coherent story together before attempting to add that 😆

WC: ~6.2k

A/N: I love gore, revenge movies, murder shows, true crime, science/biology/forensics and DIY (sort of), so this prompt seemed like a perfect fit. There are tiny Easter eggs from The Equalizer, Breaking Bad, 80s crime TV, The Blacklist and John Wick in here - let me know if you spot any! This is the first ‘proper’ fic I’ve posted so I’d love to know what you think. Comments, reblogs and feedback are hugely appreciated and very welcome!

(Also this is my first attempt at dividers too, I hope they worked, I literally have no idea what I’m doing!)

Yep, you were ‘that’ weird kid. Your friends in Middle School had called you a freak because you brought squirrel tails and chicken feet to show’n’tell.

“But look! If you pull this tendon it makes the claw close! Isn’t that cool?!”

No, apparently that was not cool. Especially when demonstrated against your teacher’s finger...

You’d visit a friend whose father was a doctor, begging to read his medical and pathology text books, and preferring to look at pictures of dissected and diseased organs and spontaneous human combustion over braiding your friend’s hair or talking about boys.

And, apparently, scoring a class-topping 9.5/10 for your rat dissection also wasn’t the social merit badge you thought it might be, even amongst your science-abreast academic peers.

So what if you had a strong constitution. And a love of anatomy and pathology. And then compounded it with a love of true crime, particularly serial killers and forensic methods. Surely there were worse things to be interested in?

By the time you’d finished High School you’d learned to mask your enthusiasm, covering your (apparently, socially unacceptable) fascination for all things ‘gross’ and ‘murderous’ (your friends’ words) by choosing science majors like human anatomy and pathology, criminal behaviour and forensics.

People just thought you were clever, nerdy, a scientist. You never let on that you were itching to actually experience some of these things for yourself, in real time, with your own hands…

You work the evening shift at the sprawling out-of-town homewares store on the road running out of Indianapolis towards a tiny town you’ve never been to (Hawksville? Hawking?). You work a few evenings a week plus alternate Sundays, currently in the gardening, kitchen and hardware department. It wouldn’t be your chosen section of the store (in the short time you’ve been there you’ve had to amass a lot of knowledge about tools. Also, how to politely deflect the regulars’ offers to share details of their new projects, lest you get drawn in to a half-hour discussion about u-bends or rawl plugs), but the hours suit you and fit around your college classes, and the employee discount comes in handy when things in your shitty apartment break down or your roommate carelessly breaks something, again.

The final few hours of your shifts were usually pretty quiet, barring the occasional domestic plumbing emergency, or a bored Hawkins housewife coming in looking for batteries.

You don’t mind spending your evenings amongst the tools and machinery, it gives you a chance to flick through the latest copy of forensic magazine or True Crime, or work on your college assignments.

One thing that does make the slow evenings more entertaining is the unusual clientele. A nerdy-looking guy with a moustache needing releasable cable ties, cooking oil and a large plastic sheet at 9.30pm must have an interesting backstory, right?

You find yourself concocting fantastical vignettes about the oddballs that pass through, giving them the most amusing or disturbing story you can think of as they glide by in the night.

The guy with the cable ties? Too easy. Clearly he’s got a ‘special friend’ and an interesting evening planned. TBH, that’s probably not even fictional. You call him Salacious Scott.

The friendly, rotund lady who regularly comes in for for buckets and sawdust? You know it’s Mrs Henderson, who is trying to go self-sufficient and has recently installed a composting toilet, but you prefer to imagine she’s actually a madam with a ‘specialist interest’ playroom, who you brand Madame Urolagnia.

The paranoid guy with a beard and thick glasses who won’t tell you his name, buys a lot of vodka from the liquor store nearby and comes in for plastic pipe, cladding and those slot-together foam mats for kids? He tells you he’s into martial arts and these make safe weapon facsimiles for training, but you reckon he’s actually some kind of government agent. Your imaginary name for him is Mysterious Murray.

One oddball in particular has caught your attention, and not just because he’s easily the handsomest customer you’ve had in a while.

Wait, no, you didn’t just admit that; you just find him interesting, that’s all.

It was his speed and demeanour that had struck you first, rushing in, hand atop the bandana on his head, gangly legs in ripped jeans looking like they were trying to run in two different directions at once, large, dark eyes wide as he’d frantically looked around the store.

“Uh, rope, I need rope, where’d you keep the rope?”

You’d blurted some instructions and he’d headed off, not looking in your direction.

His leather jacket and swinging chains certainly commanded attention amongst the flannel and blue denim that was usually in your line of sight, and you’d found your eyes following him, catching sight of him moving between the aisles from your position behind the counter.

He’d moved towards you with a sturdy knife, a shovel and 3 rolls of duct tape that he’d collected on his way to the checkout, arms full (he didn’t pick up a basket), when you’d ventured,

“I’d recommend the next brand up, if you want something stronger with better sticking power? It costs a little more, but it’s better quality, so overall you’ll use less”, (silently thanking Mr Wheeler’s recent diatribe on the merits and pitfalls of various brands of adhesive tape, remembering the detail because he’d gone so far as to demonstrate by sticking small pieces of it to your skin. It was a weird interaction for sure, but also oddly informative).

He’d lifted his head to look at you and your eyes had connected for the first time. Your eyes widened, and you think you spotted a slight twitch of a smile at one side of his mouth.

Oh, he’s actually really cute.

“Uh, okay, if you think that’s best”.

He dropped his eyes from yours and, after unceremoniously dumping everything else onto your counter, he’d exchanged the rolls and returned.

You’d both paused, you don’t know for how long, and you’d wondered how someone buying rope could be so captivating. But the spell was broken as you’d both spoke simultaneously:

“Did you find everything you need?”

“I’m kinda in a rush, so…”

You’d both chuckled nervously, and you’d set about ringing up his purchases, noticing that a small smile definitely now graced those previously harried features.

He’d paid with a handful of old, crumpled bills pulled from his jacket, politely declining your offer of a bag, and then he was gone as quick as he came, hurrying out into the night with the swish of the automatic doors and a breeze of parking lot-scented night air.

You didn’t know why anyone would need rope and a shovel at that time on a weeknight, but with this particular guy, who you dubbed The Stranger, you found yourself thinking that you wouldn’t mind finding out.

You’d unintentionally spent the rest of that evening coming up with fantasies about that particular customer, although, unusually for you, quite a few of them hadn’t actually involved what was on his receipt…

When The Stranger next comes in he’s after heavyweight garbage bags, more tape and a saw, but seems in slightly less of a rush.

He pauses at your counter for a few moments, making polite conversation, asking how long you’d been working here, whether you were working late tonight.

Is he trying to… flirt? Surely not…

“Thanks for the tape recommendation by the way, it was a real lifesaver. That stuff’s really good, I definitely have a new favourite!”, gracing you with a broad grin (oh fuck, that was a sight) before he was on his way again.

Another time he bought shears, tarp and a large quantity of painting coveralls.

The next trip involved wire cutters, buckets and a wet’n’dry vacuum.

You begin to enjoy The Stranger coming in buying random shit at odd hours. You can’t quite make him out. He buys a lot of gardening and decorating-type equipment (plus he’s almost single-handedly keeping the cleaning product aisle in business), but he dresses like neither - always in tight, ripped jeans, shredded band tees and his signature leather jacket. You’ve never seen him covered in leaves or dirt, and his clothes have zero paint on them. Those coveralls must do a really good job…

You build up a rapport of sorts with him. There’s always a polite, verging on friendly greeting between you, and you let him know when there’s special offers on tarp and garbage bags, and what days there are deliveries of latex gloves and those painting coveralls he seems to like so much. (Sometimes you’ll even stash a few of the latter for him under the counter if there’s a holiday weekend coming up, knowing Hawkins’ husbands will be out in force and not wanting him to miss out.)

But the ‘fantasy vignette’ and forensically-inclined parts of your brain begin to overlap, and start to tickle your imagination. It’s almost as if each selection of items he buys could be used to either dispatch someone, or dispose of a body. But that’s crazy, right? He seems way too nice to be a serial killer. And mob activity in this part of Indiana? Nah. That wouldn’t happen around here.

Would it?

It’s a quiet Friday night when you next see The Stranger. He’s picked up bolt cutters, pliers, some metal trays, a sledgehammer, a mop, and, most bizarrely of all because you’ve noticed he’s not usually one for personal safety equipment, ear defenders.

Again, he’s basket-less, barely able to contain the items piled up in his arms. They topple as he arrives at your counter, and some end up partially covering your open magazine.

“Shit, I’m really sorry about that.”

“Oh, no problem, honestly. I probably shouldn’t be reading on the clock anyway”, you say, slightly bashful, as you move the crumpled magazine out from underneath his items, smoothing it down. The Stranger’s eyes are locked on your hands, and as they move across the page they reveal a headline about a recently apprehended serial murderer and some photographs of a variety of grisly-looking, bloody weapons.

“That looks… interesting, watcha reading there?”, he remarks, leaning in.

“Oh, this? It’s about a new guy they’ve just caught over in Europe. He’s fascinating, he used such a variety of tools and methods that at first the police didn’t even think to link the crimes. Ingenious, really, when you think about it. So creative!”

You look up, and The Stranger is regarding you with an unreadable expression. Does he think you’re weird, babbling on about this murderer like you admire him? Or is he actually impressed with your enthusiasm?

“Sorry, I’m a true crime buff, it’s a bit of a pet topic of mine. And I’m studying forensics at college, so it’s kind of like schoolwork too.” You chuckle nervously, arms moving in front of your body and shoulders subtly curling in on yourself in embarrassment.

The Stranger seems to sense your discomfort, and shakes his head, making his curls bounce, smiling and chuckling along with you.

“No, yeah, uh, me too with the crime thing, actually. Well, not so much the reading, I’m more of a hear-it-through-the grapevine, hands on kinda guy.”

‘Hands on’? WTF does that mean?

“Oh, cool, coolcoolcool”. Smooth…

As you scan his items your fantasy vignette tickles your brain again.

No, don’t be silly…

You bag everything up this time, insisting it’ll be easier to carry, handing them to him and taking his crumpled bills.

Your curiosity is more than piqued and you can’t hold it in any longer. Feeling bold, you ask, “So, what’s all this for?”

“Huh?”

“The- the stuff. What’re you doin’ with it?”

The Stranger looks at you through his lashes, not speaking.

Shit, you’ve overstepped, he’s gonna leave, find a different store and you’ll never see him again.

“Uh, well, some people I know out near the big city are, er, planning a, uh, party, with a few of their, um, associates, and I think it’s gonna get pretty loud, hence the earphones. I, uh, don’t usually get involved in stuff until later in the evening, y’know, after all the main fun’s over.”

You look a little quizzical.

He thinks for a moment.

“I tidy up, but I sorta make it a bit more fun for everyone. Bring a bit of pizazz to a usually mundane part of the evening. Kinda thing.”

You process for a few moments. The ‘Mob Cleaner’ vignette you’d fantasised about screams loud and long into your cerebrum.

Nerves give way to curiosity, and you brashly ask, “So, what exactly is it that you do?”

“I’m kind of a cleaner, I guess? If someone has a problem that they’ve had dealt with and they wanna make the cleanup more, um, interesting, I’m the guy they call.”

Probing further, you clarify, “So you don’t make the, uh, mess, you just clean it up. Creatively?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

He explains he’s still quite new to the job, and kinda fell into it. His boss and his mentor are both encouraging, saying his USP is truly original (Unique Selling Point, he explains when you look confused), and that he definitely ‘has potential’. He’s learning a lot as he goes, but his enthusiasm seems to be appreciated and he wants to do well.

“All you really need is a strong stomach, imagination and a flair for the dramatic!”

He illustrates his last point by making jazz hands by the sides of his head, offering you a generous smile. Yeah, you can see how that particular part of the job comes easy to him.

“Oh, well, it sounds like fun. I hope you have a very successful evening!”

“Okay, well, thanks again! I’ll see you.”

You watch him leave, noticing in particular how well his jeans fit tonight.

What’s that saying again - I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave…?

You shake your head to rid yourself of the lewd - and crazy, yeah, totally crazy - thoughts you’re having about The Stranger and encourage yourself back into work mode.

As you busy yourself and tidy your counter you notice something small and white on the floor in front, about the size of a credit card. It must’ve fallen out of his jacket as he fumbled for cash.

Cash. Always cash. Never credit card, never cheque, never — anything traceable…

You round the counter and pick it up, thinking you’d save it and return it to him the next time he comes in. It’s a business card. The text is unfussy and clear, but glossy, bold and slightly gothic. It’s a company name above some text and a pager number, but it may well be the most intriguing piece of writing that you’ve ever come across:

E.M. Creative Disposal Services, Apprentice to Mr Kaplan & Associates, For dinner reservations call: (555)-666-6969

It’s another quiet night, but there’s already a couple of people at the counter when The Stranger arrives. Mr Sinclair needs a pipe wrench and a plunger (you don’t envy him his evening), and Mrs Wheeler has come in to buy double-As for the second time this month (although this time she also added gardening gloves and secateurs to pad out her basket. Not that you’d judge either way).

You spot The Stranger’s curls before anything else, bobbing in the fluorescent lights as he comes through the entrance doors. He spots the queue and immediately joins it, glancing towards the counter and visibly brightening when he sees you behind it. He’s carrying the sledgehammer he bought last time. As you start to ring up Mrs Wheeler’s batteries you see him examining the head of the hammer. Frowning slightly, he moistens his thumb with his tongue and rubs at one corner, then polishes the same spot on the front of his jeans.

He reaches the counter, receipt retrieved from a bundle pulled from inside his jacket.

You greet each other with a quiet ‘hey’. He continues, “I, uh, wanted to return this. Can I do that?”

“Yeah, sure, lemme ring it through the till. Can I ask why? Company policy,” you shrug, almost apologetically.

“Sure, uh, well you know that phase ‘using a sledgehammer to crack a nut‘? Turns out a sledgehammer does indeed obliterate the, uh, nuts… Let’s just say it wasn’t really suitable for the project I had in mind. I think I need something…”

Lighter? Easier to aim?

“With a little more finesse?” You venture, eyebrows raised, hoping you haven’t completely misread things.

“Yeah, finesse! I like that”. He beams widely at you tilting his head slightly, revealing the most gorgeous dimples you’ve ever seen, and it’s all you can do to hold on to the edge of the counter while your knees gently fail beneath you.

“Umm, you want some help choosing?”

He readily agrees and you direct him to the hammer section, both of you discussing the merits and disadvantages of various models as you choose ones from the display and encourage him to feel their weight and balance. He seems impressed, clearly not expecting you to be so well-versed in the finer aspects of hardware.

“Y’know, you really know your tools!”

You squeak out a bashful, “Thanks.”

You slip into self-deprecating mode and brush off his compliment, saying, “It comes with the territory I guess. I’ve picked up a lot working here. Plus I just sometimes browse the shelves, thinking of nefarious uses for random household objects.” Hurriedly adding, “For school, of course!”

You cringe a bit, thinking this must make you look like some kind of weirdo, but The Stranger takes it easily in his stride, commenting, “You know, you’d be surprised to learn just how much of a marketable skill that can be.”

You chat some more and he eventually chooses a smaller, less unwieldy hammer, and after he pays you part ways again.

You still desperately want to ask him exactly what he used that other hammer for, what ‘Creative Disposal Services’ actually means, and what the hell have dinner reservations got to do with any of this?

The next night you see The Stranger he saunters in at about 8:30. He has a different energy about him this evening, seeming both more relaxed but also somewhat on edge. He’s not in his usual ratty band tee tonight, you notice, and no leather jacket either. Instead he’s wearing a what looks to be a clean, maybe even pressed, electric blue raglan shirt with black half length sleeves. You spot a crimson guitar pick necklace that you’ve not seen before dangling from a twinkling silver ball chain, resting against his sternum and resplendent against the blue.

Observing his forearms for the first time you notice how attractive - and (oh!) tattooed - they are. Toned and veined, their shape and his mix of tattoos are shown off to perfection by that sleeve length, and a leather and chain bracelet that adorns one powerful-looking wrist. The glint of his chunky silver rings accentuates his large hands that peek out of his jeans pockets as he wanders over to you. He’s still in tight black jeans, but they seem a little… neater than usual. And he’s not in a rush. It’s almost like he’s not working, maybe even making an effort.

You feel a frisson of excitement - could it be that he’s come in just to see you?

Exhibit A, m’lud: Scrubbing up well.

He heads straight for your counter, and you greet each other with your characteristic friendliness.

He spies the hefty text books you’ve spread before you, and leans onto the counter to get a closer look.

“Watcha workin’ on tonight, Doctor Quincy?”

You swallow at the cute nickname, voice cracking slightly as you start to tell him about the assignment you’ve got. It’s about evidential tool marks, and how pathologists can identify what’s been used as a weapon or tool of dismemberment.

The Stranger tries to play down his interest, but his demeanour betrays him as he presses for more details, even asking if he could maybe read the finished piece.

That’s weird, right? People don’t read other people’s science essays for fun. Do they?

But you agree, promising to bring him a copy when it’s done.

The conversation lulls, and The Stranger twists the pad of one of his thumbs against the counter, seemingly a little nervous, though you can’t imagine what about.

To break the silence you slip into work mode, but for some reason drop your voice a couple of octaves and murmur,

“So anyway, what is it that can I help you with, sir?”

Wait, is he blushing?

“Um, oh, uh, I actually don’t have a shopping list today, I was, uh, just gonna browse, I guess.”

He backs away from your counter, giving it a few rhythmic slaps with his fingertips before turning away from you and ambling off into the store. He returns a few moments later with a small hatchet and mid-range fold-out knife, plus two rolls of his now-favourite tape.

“You can never have too many of these, amirite?”

He gives you that dimpled smile again, and you feel your stomach do a full (though anatomically impossible) 360° flip.

Observing his lack of focus and comparatively small selection of items, you wonder if he really needs those things, or whether he’s just picking them up as an excuse to come in to the store. Your chest heats up a little at the thought.

Exhibit B: Small, possibly unnecessary purchase. The evidence is mounting up.

Seeing the hatchet, your eyes light up with enthusiasm as you remember something.

“Hey, we just got some new stock in that I think you might like, y’know, if I’m not overstepping or anything.” You finish with a nervous chuckle.

You smile at him nervously through your lashes, skin heating even more in case this is suddenly all a bit too familiar.

He grins, responding, “Sure, go ahead!”

Your smile broadens and relaxes as you turn away from him and walk to the back shelves, crouching down and retrieving something in your arms.

Standing quickly and turning, you notice his eyes widen and immediately flick up to yours, a slightly alarmed expression on his face.

Exhibit C: Was he checking you out when he thought you wouldn’t notice? (Also, is it getting hot in here?)

With a loud thunk you lay two (frankly, terrifying-looking) multi-tools out on the counter in front of him. One looks like an oversized, overspec-ed Swiss Army knife, and the other could easily pass as a prop from an exorcism-themed horror movie. You over-excitedly explain the features of each, saying, “This one has a hammer and an axe, plus screwdrivers, pliers, a saw, wire cutters, a magnesium rod”, you look up at him quickly and ask, “do you ever need to start fires? Plus, it has…”, you wave your hand dramatically over your favourite part of the item, like you were showing it off on a shopping channel, and stretch out the syllables of the final two words for emphasis, “…a bottle opener…”. You raise your eyebrows and grin widely, like this must surely be the deal breaker.

The Stranger laughs, throwing his head back with deep-throated barks from the centre of his chest, and then he chuckles a little, bringing a strand of hair over his cheek and a curled finger to his lips. You’re slightly distracted by that glimpse of his extended neck (god, you want to gnaw at it), and that laugh? You wish you could’ve recorded it somehow.

You quickly compose yourself and continue, switching to the ’horror prop’ product, “And this one has fewer features, but I like it for its simplicity, robustness and practical charm. It’s an axe, hammer, nail puller and pry bar. And it even has a rubber coated handle, so you can still use it safely even if your hands are wet. For, y’know, whatever reason…” you finish, slightly abashed.

“Aw, Pumpkin, this is the kindest thing anyone’s done for me in a while, thank you.”

Pumpkin. PumpkinPumpkinPumpkin. Exhibit D: A term of endearment!

He takes some time to examine both articles, testing out their various features, hefting them in his (large, strong) hands (stop it!).

“I love them. Y’know what, I can’t decide. I’ll take both. What’s the damage?”

You visibly brighten, a squeak of delight that you hope he didn’t hear inadvertently leaving you as you puff up with both his term of endearment and your ever-growing customer service confidence.

You check whether he’d still like the other items he’d brought to the counter, and apart from the duct tape (“You really can’t have too much of this stuff!”), he allows you to reshelve the rest.

He watches, enthralled, as you wrap his new tools in the store-issue brown paper reverently and carefully, as though you were wrapping an expensive gift in a fancy department store, the pair of you sharing bashful looks and half smiles as you work.

As he hands over the now-unsurprising crumpled bills and takes his change his hand drifts closer to yours, glancing his fingers over your palm and lingering for just a moment. There’s a little hitch in your inhale, and you think you see his ears redden a little.

He gathers up his purchases in his arms carefully and gently, and he backs away from your counter slowly.

“I guess I’ll head out then. Uh, I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, I guess you will, uhh-”

“Eddie. My name’s Eddie.”

“Okay, I guess so, Eddie.” You say his name slowly, like you’re testing out the syllables in your mouth.

You continue speaking, offering your name in reciprocation.

“Yeah, yeah I know your name, it’s kinda on your little badge there.” A tiny nod indicates the plastic rectangle pinned on your apron strap near your left shoulder.

Your cheeks heat again. “Right, of course. Ha!” You inwardly cringe. Well, that could’ve gone better.

He’s still backing away, getting dangerously close to an intricately balanced display of colourful children’s watering cans. You’re about to say something, but he turns just in time, ambling towards the illuminated exit with a mumbled, “Okay, bye then. Thanks again for these…” lifting the packages in his arms, and turning to look over his shoulder a couple more times before he finally reaches the door and disappears into the parking lot.

“Hey, d’you know anything about wood chippers?”

It’s been a week since you’ve seen The Stranger Eddie, and you turn abruptly to find him walking towards your counter.

His question throws you out of your stocktaking zone (you’d been focussing on ordering enough plastic pumpkin-shaped buckets for all of Hawkins’ kids this Halloween), but you quickly slip into customer service mode and ask for more details.

Eddie explains, using mostly his arms, that he needs one that, “throws everything everywhere”. You finally work out that he means the type where you feed stuff into a hopper on one side and the shredded debris is forced out of a raised chute on the other (as opposed to the more gravity-based ones where stuff is fed into the top and simply falls out the bottom).

He’s passing it off as being involved in some avant garde student art project, a performance piece involving feeding a load of wood and, uh, paint, yeah, paint into a wood chipper and having it spray out the other side. He blusters that the students are trying to make a point about climate change, or maybe it’s deforestation, he can’t seem to decide.

He explains that the piece is to be performed indoors, that there’ll be quite a few people present, and that he also needs a large quantity of tarp and coveralls because it was likely to make a huge mess.

This is the clincher. You’re absolutely convinced there is no art project, and what’s go through that chipper is more likely to be a human body. Or, given the amount of effort being gone to, and Eddie’s flair for theatrics, probably more than one.

“What size branches?”

He looks at you, confused. “Huh?”

“The, uh, limbs. What size will you be shredding? Some of the smaller models won’t cope with thick trunks.”

He swallows. His eyes meet yours, and he licks his lips. You can’t help but stare at those full, pink… Look away! Just look away!!

He subtly smirks, slowly moves his hands across the counter, and, gently taking hold of one of your hands in his, loops his other finger and thumb around your wrist.

“Um, definitely thicker than this…” - he extends your arm towards him, and moves his other hand slowly up your skin until he gets to your upper arm - “…and maybe a little thicker than this, too.”

You hope he can’t feel the burning sensation that’s erupted up your arm. You know he can’t possibly hear your racing heartbeat or detect the adrenaline that’s coursing through your veins, but you’re acutely aware of both just the same. You briefly ponder whether you’ll need to get a fire extinguisher from aisle 7.

“Umm, how about I show you what we’ve got?”

Composing yourself, barely, you take him to the large garden implements section, explaining that for larger trunks and limbs he may need something towable.

Under the guise of working out whether various models would be suitable, you take the opportunity to dig a little and find out what kind of vehicle he drives. It’s a van, so roomy, practical for carrying a lot of equipment that needs to be kept out of sight. Well, this all tracks.

Also, your brain helpfully suggests, it could potentially be romantic, a private little hideaway where you and he could… No! Stay on topic, you’re at work for god’s sake!

As you debate the various choices you find you’re occasionally leaning into each other, shoulders and elbows lightly bumping, you stealing glances at his chiselled jawline when you think he isn’t looking.

Eddie eventually decides on a mid-size towable model, and as you arrange for it to be delivered to the collection bay he bids you goodnight and disappears out to his van.

‘Art project’, huh? I don’t think so…

You don’t see Eddie for a couple of weeks after that, and you begin to wonder whether he doesn’t like you. Maybe you went too far, did you bore him? Did you frighten him off? Did he feel pressured into buying those gadgets or the expensive wood chipper?

Maybe he’s finally realised you’re a weirdo, like everyone at school eventually did?

Trying to get out of your funk you steel yourself and ask your department manager, Keith, whether he’d seen an odd, metal-looking guy in the store at all.

“Nah, not recently, but someone like that did come in a few weeks back, asking about when you’d be working. Something about your product knowledge helping him with a job, or whatever. I told him your schedule, I hope that’s ok.”

So you haven’t missed him, and maybe he’s not avoiding you. Good, that’s good. Exhibit E: He’s been asking about you?? Oh fu-

You’re startled out of your reverie by the sound of someone slapping two plastic packets down onto the counter.

“Oh, hi Mrs Wheeler, let me ring those up for you…”

On his next visit it’s clear Eddie is restocking his cleaning supplies, and he’s even deigned to use a small trolley this time to transport the heavy and bulky items.

As well as multi-surface cleaner, mops, cloths and some heavy duty gloves, you notice his trolley also contains numerous bottles of chlorine bleach.

“Big clean-up job tonight, huh?”

“What? Oh, yeah, I guess so. I need to leave the place without any trace of the, uh, performance this time.”

“Depends what you need to clean up, I guess. Y’know, chlorine bleach doesn’t necessarily get rid of everything.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, it’s fascinating, common misconception by the way. Chlorine bleach gets rid of visible stains, so that’s great if your main concern is aesthetics. But you can still detect haemoglobin, if you have access to the right tools and solutions.”

Eddie looks bath engaged and confused.

“A-heema-whatnow?”

You snicker.

“Haemo-, y’know what, never mind. Blood, basically. So actually, oxygen bleach is your best bet if your biggest concern removing all traces of, let’s say, blood and DNA. Whilst it doesn’t necessarily remove all the marks, it does degrade everything biological to the point where it’s undetectable. At least, with the tests we currently have.”

Eddie leans his elbows on the counter, giving you his full attention, resting his cheeks on his knuckles and pushing his dimpled grin up even further. Emboldened, you talk at length about haemoglobin, DNA degradation, specialist chemical solutions and alternative light sources.

He stays there, rapt, until you come to a natural stop. Just before he straightens up he quietly mumbles, still smiling, “Fucking incredible”.

With a deep breath he returns to the aisles to procure both types of bleach, pays and heads out into the night with a cheery, “Wish me luck!”

The cleanup must’ve gone well, because Eddie’s back a few days later and is making conversation.

“Hey, um, I remember reading once about some guy in England, years ago, who, like, melted people. You ever heard of that?”

You contemplate for a moment.

“Oh, d’you mean the Acid Bath Murderer, John Haigh?”

“Acid bath? Yeah, that sounds familiar.”

“Y’know, that’s actually one of my favourite case studies! It was one of the stories that first got me interested in true crime. 1940s England, dude thought he could get away with it if there was no body. Nope, sorry! When I first heard about it I thought it was really inventive, though he actually took the idea from a French guy who’d already done similar. Makes you wonder how many undiscovered dissolved bodies there might’ve been before and since, huh?”

You wax lyrical for a little while on the relative merits and disadvantages of the dissolving of human bodies in acid, even relating an anecdote about how your lab partner once chose the wrong combination of acid and beaker type, finishing with, “Hoo-boy, that was a mess!”

You become a little awkward, aware of how long you’ve been talking and the possibly-disturbingly-creepy level of detail you’ve gone into, though Eddie doesn’t seem to mind and presents somewhat like he’s paying attention in a chem class. Regardless, you decide to change the subject.

“I meant to ask last time, how did that wood chipping project go?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, really good, thanks. Y’know that advice you gave me about the chipper came in real handy. It was quite the show!” He looks gleefully at you, flashing that brilliant smile. A few small fireworks quietly explode in your innards.

“I’m so glad! Did the client like it?”

“Oh yeah, baby, they were thrilled!”

Baby. That’s new. You like it, and you add it to your growing mental filing system labelled ‘Evidence that Eddie might like me’. You can’t even remember what letter you’re up to now, you’re just enjoying stuffing it fuller every time he graces you with another morsel.

“They even gave me a nice bonus, for my ‘theatricality’.” He begins to lift his arms, but stops himself, resisting doing the jazz hands things again, reasoning there’s only so many times he can do an impersonation of a court jester before it puts someone off. “Said they’re gonna recommend me to their buddies too.”

More softly, and a little bashful, looking through his lashes he adds, “Kinda wish you could’ve been there, actually.”

Oh my, is he blushing again?

“Yeah, me too. I’d love to see you work sometime…”

“You would?”

Okay, he’s definitely blushing.

He leans in over your counter, close, so he can say in a low voice,

“Uh, just so we’re on the same page, you know what I do has nothing to do with art projects, right?”

Holding his gaze, and with your voice surprisingly steady, you swallow before confirming, “Yes, Eddie. I know.”

He huffs out a stuttering breath, and the air between you seems to heat.

He lifts one hand and rubs the back of his neck nervously.

“Hey listen, uh, I dunno if this is a little too forward, or weird, or y’know, whatever,” He’s rambling now. It’s adorable.

“I was kinda gonna ask you if you wanted to get milkshakes sometime, but, uh, maybe you’d actually wanna come out on a job with me? I’ve got one coming up on Sunday that I could really use an extra pair of hands on. I could pay you of course, y’know, for your time.”

You want to blurt out that, for him, you’d willingly burn the world and everyone in it for free. Instead, you smile wide, and settle for,

“Well, my tutors are always encouraging us to get real world experience…”

“Great, so I’ll pick you up at the end of your shift?”

“Sure, Eddie. I’ll look forward to it.”

You’re both grinning, stuttering messes.

“Great! Great. Uh, okay then, I guess I’ll see you Sunday?”

As he turns to leave, you stop him with one final question.

“Just one more thing Eddie. Should I bring my own coveralls..?”

If you got this far, thanks so much for reading!!

Comments and reblogs make my world spin, do let me know what you think.

That's so cute ???

one of the things you'd never understand was how goddamn silent bakugou katsuki could be.

he was huge, for one thing, all six-foot-something of iron muscle and sharp angles. the training he had undergone in the past and continued doing to this day made him bulk up—particularly around his upper torso. a small waist led up to thick pecs and wide shoulders with just as wide biceps. he could crush you so easily with one hand alone, his palm big enough to cover nearly your entire face.

he was also so fucking loud at times. that was his entire hero persona—dynamight with the loud explosions that could temporarily deafen anyone who was close enough to them. his entire hero costume was a deadly configuration of grenades and other heavy gear too—things that cluttered and banged together whenever he moved around too much.

you'd seen him stomping around his agency before in his heavyset boots, so you knew he was the type to be big and bold with literally anything he did. he was always barking out orders with that raspy voice of his or yelling at his co-workers whenever they appeared at his agency to bug him for one reason or the other.

katsuki's very presence, personality, was just so. loud. thunderous.

so you didn't fucking understand why he kept sneaking up on you so easily.

it happened more often than you liked to admit. you'd be in the agency's breakroom, grabbing a cup of coffee to help you stay awake for the day when you'd turn around and he'd just—be there. standing silently behind you.

it made you jump every time, a yelp escaping your lips as you'd clutch a hand at your heart and glare up at him as he'd look down at you with a raised eyebrow.

"jeez! don't do that!" you'd scold him, scooting away slightly to put more space between the two of you. that was another thing—he just always seemed to be invading your personal space, intentional or not. "scared the hell out of me."

"'s not my fault y'don't pay attention," he'd grumble before reaching past you to grab one of the protein bars from a cabinet. you'd roll your eyes and walk away with your coffee cradled in your hand, not wanting to put up with him so early in the morning.

sometimes he'd get you while you were tinkering away in his agency's support lab.

in your defense, you tended to get absorbed in your work a lot, your hands fiddling with materials and tools that could be pretty loud or distracting. you didn't always hear when people would enter the lab, but they usually left you alone.

not katsuki, though.

you'd turn around with the intention of reaching for an item on the table behind you only to get startled when your face would come into contact with a broad chest.

fuck him and his steely pecs. nearly broke your goddamn nose.

"bakugou!" you'd screech, jumping back as you'd rub your nose with your eyes scrunched together. you had to force yourself to not tear up with how much it'd stung. "stop doing that!!"

"doin' what?" he'd say as though he wasn't fucking creeping up on you on purpose. and maybe he wasn't, but the amount of times he'd done it was no coincidence. "need my bracers. goin' out on patrol."

"fine, fine," you'd mutter, giving him a suspicious look before you'd stomp away to grab his stuff for him. you didn't like the way he stared at you, with his eyebrows raised as though you were the one acting crazy and not him for silently standing behind you.

but you knew, you fucking knew, that he was experiencing some sick, twisted amusement at seeing your reactions. you just knew. there were a few times where you'd catch him with a smug smirk on his smooth face as you'd leap away from him. the bastard thought it was funny seeing you all jumpy. and it irritated you more than you'd like to admit. but he'd just pretend he wasn't doing it deliberately. asshole.

at one point, you'd considered doing the same to him. but you'd brushed the idea away pretty quickly. his hero senses were honed—he'd be able to tell you were coming from a mile away. and even if you did manage to sneak up on him, you knew he was a pretty tense guy—he'd blow your face up before you could even raise your own brow at him.

so you just decided to do your best to ignore him. which was hard, considering the fact that he was practically everywhere. it made sense, considering it was his own agency, but still. you'd walk into a room sometimes, and he'd just be there. or you'd turn around and he'd be behind you again. it was frustrating!

but what you didn't know... was that katsuki had been trying to work up the courage to ask you to dinner all this time.

for all the villains he fought and strength he had, he just couldn't muster up the words. he'd make it all the way up to you, standing behind you as he tried to get himself to clear his throat and just fucking say the words he needed to say. but he couldn't. and you'd turn around, get startled, then get irritated at him that he just couldn't ask you out.

so for now, he was simply stuck in this endless cycle, hoping that one day, he'd be able to break out of it.

Y/N: "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Jack: "I'm traumatized by my tragic death and my confinement in a vhs tape left me terrified of being alone & forgotten."

Alan: "I was neglected growing up to the point I'll perceive basic human kindness as romantic attraction."

Ren: "I grew up with a warped perception of love and a belief that i needed to change because who i was wasn't good enough."

Peter: "My creator made me self aware and I'm tormented by the reality that I'm trapped here forever away from you."

Y/N: ". . . . . ."

Y/N: "Ok first off ya'll bitches need therapy."

Y/N: "Secondly i was talking to the tv remote. It's not working."

☆. contains: satoru gojo x gn!reader; a meet-cute with a handsome stanger on the bus, fluff!! and a lot of smiles bc that's all i know to write about, he's an office boy in this just for the fun of it + this is for you my love @twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat<33 thank you for this cute little idea this belongs to you!!! wc: 1.5k

the afternoon sun is warm on your skin as you take a second to relax against the bus window. the music booming from your headphones sounds extra crisp today and the shuffle seems to be on your side – only playing the right songs today, letting you completely forget the existence of a skip button.

you can faintly hear the bus doors beep through the music and you hum to yourself, so ready to complete the rest of your errands and to reward yourself with a sweet cup of coffee from your favourite cafe.

your eyes are set on the cars and the traffic on the other side of the window until a body enters your peripheral. turning your head, you go to investigate the motion and what you see almost gives you a brain anerysm.

a man, seemingly your age, panting and heaving with flushed cheeks is staring right back at you. his cheeks are a dark red hue and his eyes are crystal blue – nothing like you've ever seen before. he's grasping onto the pole next to the door as they closely shut behind him and he's smiling.

a smile that most certainly belongs in a museum. he's showing you his teeth and his pretty pink lips and you gulp, suddenly feeling a bit warm yourself. it's a sheepish grin – a bit embarrassed maybe, but bright, oh so bright nonetheless.

a few of his snow white hairs cling to his forehead and his free hand moves to loosen the black tie around his neck, taking in big deep breaths to level his breathing.

the eye contact lasts way longer than it should – especially between complete strangers but it doesn't feel awkward nor weird. the butterflies in your stomach being the main argument here.

the bus jolts as it starts moving forward and his eyes flick away from yours for just a second, scanning the surroundings – and you swear the tips of his ears grow a tad darker when he spots the free spot right across from you. he shuffles past a few other people and plops down, tugging his briefcase onto his lap. from the corner of your eye, you spot a dash of color – pink socks with little bows on them, from underneath his black slacks and you hold back a laugh. he seems to notice your observation and even though he thought he couldn't get any more flustered... he can. he let's out a shy laugh under his breath before locking his eyes onto the ground.

feeling a bit nervous from the interaction yourself, you decide to divert your gaze outside and back to the various cars passing by.

you feel his eyes on you the second they're there – his gaze is not for the weak. it's heavy and it's curious; he takes in your freckles and your outfit, the way your eyes catch the sun and the way you subconciously bop your head to your music. he hugs his briefcase closer to his chest as he feels his heart grow twice in size.

without moving your head, you glance back at him and your eyes meet again. he offers you another bashful grin and you can't help but mirror it, letting the corners of your lips tug upward toward your ears. his only widens even more and a pair of dimples appear. a coo theatens to slip from the back of your throat but you manage to keep it in. he's beautiful. he can't sit still for the life of him – his leg bounces, the rush from the run and the rush from the beautiful stranger running through his body. his fingers dig into the material of his little bag as he tries to keep his excitement down.

for eight minutes, you steal glances of each other. sometimes meeting, sometimes not. the smiles and the butterflies stay. the warmth in both of your cheeks stay until he his eyes widen and he turn to look behind him at the monitor displaying the stops. his head whips to the street outside and he let's out an inaudible gasp before hastily pushing himself onto his feet, his briefcase almost falling in the process. you lean to catch it but he does it before you, rewarding you with a small thank you! anyway.

he stumbles toward the door as he keeps his eyes on you, bumping into another passanger and immediately showering the guy with quiet apologies. you quietly laugh behind your hand and his chest blooms with pride – proud to have made you laugh, even if it's at his own misfortune.

the bus comes to a halt but he finds it hard to leave. you're a stranger but he wants to count the freckles that adorn your face. you're a stranger but he wants to listen to what you listen. you're a stranger but he's already addicted to making you laugh – he doesn't want to leave.

you've turned your whole body toward him in the meanwhile, seemingly just as distraught as he is about your sudden goodbye. your eyes shine so brightly as you stare back at him, pleading to make him promise that you'll see each other again.

the doors beep and he's about to be caught in between them—

"I LIKE YOUR SMILE!"

it comes out so loud that almost the whole entire tram turns around and if you felt warm before – you're burning now. he seems surprised by his own tone as he steps out of the machine, eyes still glued to yours. he's not embarrased and neither are you – this is probably the most romantic thing you've ever experienced in your whole life (and this is only the beginning).

you glance to the front of the bus and spot a red light through the window – the world is on your side. turning your head back, he's still there, standing tall behind the glass doors, one hand clutching the handle of his briefcase while the other twitches beside his body. he's considering just ditching work and breaking through the doors just to spend another moment with you.

he's pulled from his disgustingly romantic thoughts when he sees your lips move. he locks in and tries to mouth along to make sure he understands what you're trying to tell him.

"eye... laai.. k... yu.. s" his eyes squint and his eyebrows furrow as he leans his body closer to the door – you almost hear the confused huh that bursts from his lips. it only makes you laugh even more, head dipping back and your body ripples with warmth.

you hear the bus start up again and you quickly focus back on him, afraid that it'll take off before he gets your message.

to emphasize your words, you try to sign with them. you point to yourself as you mouth the word i, your fingers move into a makeshift heart as you mouth the word like and you point to him—

the bus jolts again and you speed your last movement.

you point to him and then back at your own mouth – smile.

for good measure, the handsome stranger says the words out loud once more and he gets it now! he wants to repeat it back to you but before he can, the bus takes off - leaving him with the sight of you grinning as wave him goodbye.

he watches the machine disappear into the traffic until he feels his phone vibrate in his chest pocket. he pulls it out and unlocks it without ever looking at it, he raises it to his ear as he floats in his little daydream—

"tell me you're at least on your way, gojo." he hears his coworker sigh deeply into the phone, he almost feels it. the stranger shakes his head, letting his white curls flow in the wind as he tries to get back to his day.

"yeah-yeah, i'm literally about to step inside, nanami." another sigh emits from the other side of the call. "by the way, do you want coffee? i know you do. i'll get you something, don't even worry about it."

"how are you going to buy coffee when you're about to step insi-"

the stranger ends the call, cutting of his coworker with a smile. the sun warms his head and his heart as he wonders whether you like coffee too. he feels like the only person in the world in this moment – the birds are singing, the gentle wind is blowing, his coworker will most likely cover for him and the sweet drinks and the pastries he's about to buy will taste divine, he just knows it.

he promises himself that he will take the same bus the tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that – he's gonna see that smile again.

actually on my knees begging for a girl next door blurb with Ellie

like imagine moving into the house next to her’s and her being all grumbly and closed off because she cannot physically face the reader because she’s just a loser lesbian and OMG THE UNKNOWN PINING SUJDJSNSNDB

I NEED HER I CANT-

WHERE IS THE LOVE FOR LOSER GND!ELLIE ⁉️

giggles.. cause like.. yea.

if we r talking modern!ellie, oh god would it be the most cliche shit ever (plz tell me if u want jackson!ellie version cause i’d be happy to do that too. or jus more of this concept) [not edited]

⋆˚✿˖° im talking, ellie looking out from her window in her old house, eyes narrowing as a moving truck pulled into the pretty blue house next door. the neighborhood had been recently taken over by young families, which ellie hated— cause why was she being interrupted in her ‘laying in her bed while blasting music and complaining to herself’ alone time by a bunch of kids screaming outside? either way. she expected another one of these cases.

⋆˚✿˖° but then you popped out, trying to handle three boxes all on your own, cheek pressed against the cardboard as you yelled something ellie couldn’t hear to whoever else was in moving truck. you had glanced over at ellie’s house, maybe even up at her window. and maybe ellie was just dramatic, but she flipped away from that window and face down onto her bed so quickly she was pretty sure it was a new record. because fuck you were pretty.

⋆˚✿˖° and it only got worse later, when el was pulling her hair down from its bun, glancing the sun pressing below the clouds. her fingers moved to close the curtains of her window, and there you were, standing at the window directly across from hers. like— shit straight from a taylor swift music video or something.

⋆˚✿˖° and you, almost as awkward as her, let your hands fall down from their place above your head. you had been putting up shades, but once you caught the gaze of your messy haired neighbor, you smiled at her. fuck, you smiled and waved and ellie just turned away and shut her curtains. you know, like the master at social interactions she was.

⋆˚✿˖° a twin frown painted both your lips at the interaction that night, and at the same time you both huffed out, “god, why’d i do that?”

⋆˚✿˖° nothing really got better from there. not when your family forced you over to ellie’s house with a plate of cookies, your sweet smile the first sight ellie had seen that day as she turned the doorknob to shoo away some girl scout selling something. “we don’t need— oh— oh hi.”

⋆˚✿˖° you looked so fucking pretty. ellie was sure it was fake. maybe she was still in bed dreaming. maybe this was about to turn into one of those really weird s- never mind. you were talking now, and not asking to borrow sugar, so definitely real. “hi! uh— I just, we— i mean, my family, we just wanted to introduce ourselves. and give a gift i guess,” you glance to the plate of wrapped up treats and chuckle lightly. because really, cookies?

⋆˚✿˖° ellie was about red as the shirt she was wearing, stammering a thank you as joel creeped behind her at the door. “you the new neighbors kid?” joel had asked, making ellie clam right up. she backed away from the door, like— just side shuffled out of your view with an awkward wave.

⋆˚✿˖° your eyes followed her, fighting back the odd sense of disappointment that you were no longer staring at the freckled and flushed face of your new neighbor. “uh, yea—yes sir.” you eventually spoke again, offering your grin to joel instead.

⋆˚✿˖° one time joel was doing yard work the same time your family was outside working on the garden. you were fanning your sweating cheek with your hand, the warmth from the sun along with carrying in and out heavy tools was not exactly ideal, and you only felt more heated when ellie came outside the door at the exact moment joel ended up making conversation with your mother.

⋆˚✿˖° “your girl in college?” you could hear him ask, but it was lightly muffled, your attention instead on watching as ellie struggled to bend over and tie her converse against the wall. what an odd way to do it. she was balancing some sort of notebook between arm.. maybe pencils too? did she draw? or maybe write? why couldn’t you stop wondering about it?

⋆˚✿˖° your mom answered joel’s question with some version of the story she always does, gushing about how you were doing so well in school, how she was so proud of you. you didn’t tune back in until joel was speaking again, “ah yea, my — well, ellie, she’s in school too. physics major. but she’s got this thing for astronomy too. kid’s always talking about double majoring.”

⋆˚✿˖° god, she was cute and smart? and her name was ellie? you swore the sun got even hotter at the thought of her talking to you about quantum something-or-other, just nodding along. god you could see it now. a hand in that pretty auburn hair.. mumbling ‘mhm.. whatever you say ellie.’

⋆˚✿˖° then you saw her trip down the stairs on her porch as she looked over. full on hand on the side of the stairs to keep her from eating shit on the rocks there. you sucked your bottom lip between your teeth, stifling a giggle as you wave her way. only to be given a tight lipped smile as she quickly moved away to her car. god. what an odd girl.

⋆˚✿˖° ellie simply lost it the moment she sat in her car, groaning loudly as she slammed her sketch book on her face. “stupid fucking shoes!” she muttered, as if it was the shoes fault for tripping, and not the way she had been intently staring at your face from across the yard. definitely not.

⋆˚✿˖° but really she couldn’t help it, you looked so good, you were wearing shorts, and ellie was happily taking in the sight of skin before that evil fucking creaky porch board got her tumbling down. fuck. she couldn’t ever talk to you again. not ever. she let her head fall to the steering wheel as she went through a million and one ways to simply become invisible and escape any way of running into you. maybe she should become nocturnal.

⋆˚✿˖° but when she let her head fall to the steering wheel, it honked. like a loud, drawn out honk that had you, joel, and your mother’s head turning to the direction of the sound.

⋆˚✿˖° ellie screeched, and you pressed fingers to your lips to contain another smile. you were pretty sure living here was going to be kind of great.

They don't want us to call what's happening in Gaza a genocide not because there's not been an official ruling but because these things don't get set in people's minds via official ruling. Instead it is the oral history that sets an event into place in mass consciousness.

Us calling it what it is - a genocide - means they can't wriggle out of it in years to come. They can't continue to call it a conflict or a war if we cement it in public consciousness as a genocide.

So don't tone down your language. Call it what it is. Make sure the history books know what happened and the genocides that took place in Palestine, Sudan, Congo.

In love with both you and Cloud

omg since requests are open.. can i request a cloud x reader with like.. shy kisses? 🫣 IABSKSN LIKE either one of them gives the other a shy kiss and how would the other respond (if that makes sense)

AaaAAAAAHH omg this idea is so cute and It also fits Cloud so good

Thanks for the request!! <33

Shy kisses ミ★

⋆ ࣪. ℙ𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 ≫ Cloud Strife/Reader

⋆ ࣪. 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 ≫ do not read this if you don't like tooth-rotting fluff, kisses, cheek kisses, yeah that's it, not proofread

⋆ ࣪. 𝔸/ℕ ≫ Cloud giving shy kisses it's so him and this really fits him so good. I seriously need to give him kisses until he forgets about that white haired man.

⋆ ࣪. 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥 ≫ 3.470

He had heard Aerith talking about her misterious partner, how they shared everything; hugs, clothes and even... kisses.

He was a busy man, he had a goal and he was going to accomplish it. He didn't have time for things like that.

But then you stepped into his life with steps full of grace and energy, your personality almost overshadowing his cold and quiet one, talking when he didn't know what to say or dealing with people he knew he would scare off.

He never would tell you this but he was so grateful you did the talking for him because, no matter how hard he tried to be the leader, you did a better job. He paid you off by taking down some enemies anyways.

Something about Aerith's happiness when she was talking about her love experiences made him curious about the whole thing.

What would a kiss feel like?

Would it be so electrifying that time would stop like she had described? Maybe it was a cute and gentle gesture, maybe it was full of passion.

He was lost.

What would a real hug feel like?

He had hugged people before (well, they had hugged him) but it didn't felt right. She said that the first time she had hugged her lover, she felt... what did she call them?

Butterflies.

How could anyone feel those winged insects inside of their stomach? It really amazed him how she explained those kind of feelings. It felt like an ethereal sensation, something that could only happen once.

Deep inside his stubborn mind, he wanted to feel that too.

He wanted to have someone by his side, someone he could talk to for hours without feeling embarrassed. Someone he could lay his head on their thighs while listening to whatever they were talking about.

But he'd rather die than talk about all those feelings.

"Shit"

His mouth opened before he could think, a burning ache lingered on his shoulder. A wipe soaked with alcohol deprived his mind from his daze.

Right... He was still inside his "house", but he wasn't alone, you were sitting by his side. A rushed sorry came out of your mouth, your hands gently wiping a not-so fresh cut from his shoulder.

He remembers your worried face when you both returned from the mission, how you ran towards him while asking him what happened. It really wasn't such a big deal, or so is what he thought, you were just very worried about him.

Well, maybe you were too worried about him, he didn't need someone to clean his wounds up after a long day. But his body told you a completely different story, leaning slightly into your touch and letting you handle him around.

If you had stayed for a little while with him, you'd be sure his head would be resting on your shoulder.

Meanwhile he was thinking about you, did you like him? Tifa always told him about how lucky he was, "a lot of girls like you!" She would say, earning a shrug of his shoulders in response.

He wasn't aware of how handsome he was, blonde hair, piercing mako eyes, sharp jawline, cristal skin... He was so dreamy for most girls. In fact, he thought he was an average guy, not to pretty not too ugly just, normal.

But he was clearly aware of how pretty you were. Everything about you was pretty, from your beautiful eyes and gorgerous hair to your intelligence and your mindset. He loved when you talked, he liked your voice and the way your lips moved.

How would they feel against his?

Pfft- What was he even thinking about, you probably liked another boy, not him. Besides, you were his friend and his partner at work, he figured out you didn't have time for love neither.

"Almost done"

You reassured him, placing some bandages on top of the wound. He now realised how close you two actually were, your breath trickling his neck and your knee touching his own one. What if you liked him?

He brushed off those thoughts, trying to keep his cool, your delicate touch whispering sweetly into his ear not to.

He took quick glances to your concentrated face, careful not to keep much eye contact with you. He didn't want to be weird around you, not when you were treatting him so well. His eyes drawed themselves down to your lips. He remembers the little peck you gave his cheek some months ago, he still feels the warmth of them lingering on it.

"Cloud!"

His head perked up as he searched your face, he was holding a rag in his hands that was full of soap. His other hand held a cup gently, not wanting it to slip off.

He heard the sound of the door closing, two pairs of boots and shoes entering Seventh Heaven. He was backwards, cleaning the dishes like you had asked him to while you were out. He didn't like taking off his gloves and soaking up his hands, but he would do it for you.

You told him about how Tifa wanted you to clean the dishes before you and Barret went to do some chores outside. He knew you weren't just begging him to do them just so you wouldn't soak your hands. You were in a hurry, it was clear and he didn't have to do anything that morning so when you begged for him to do them, he complied without any regrets.

He had to remind himself that he wasn't doing this for AVALANCHE, he was doing this for you. Those weren't some extra hours at work, you had nicely asked him to do it. It wasn't a big deal anyways.

Then he heard you walking towards him, the characteristic clank of your shoes coming closer and closer to him. Barret was there too, but he walked around for a bit before sitting down in a chair.

"Thank you so much"

Your words slided into his pierced ears, he didn't need to look at your face to tell that you had a big smile plastered on your face. And when you placed your hand on his unarmed shoulder he tensed up a bit, his hands stopped rubbing the sponge over the crockery.

He felt your chest pressed against his arm before something soft tickled his cheek. Although it was just a cute little gesture, he melted on spot, mouth slightly agape as his hand instinctively touched the affected area.

His brows were furrowed slightly as he looked at you, hearing your soft giggles when he retrieved his hand, leaving some soap on his face.

Although it wasn't as if you had kissed him on the lips with your arms wrapped around him, it still felt that intimate.

He spent the rest of the day touching his cheek, surprised to have recieved such a gesture from you. He also recalls how Barret shouted "Get a room ya' two", making his embarrassement grow even more.

Aerith also talked about how happy and relaxed she was in the arms of her lover, cuddling with him until the sun went down. She talked about how that relieved all the pent up emotions and stress she had inside of her "kissing him felt almost like touching heaven"

Did it really feel that good?

God he wanted to know, he needed to feel all the things Aerith was talking about. But he couldn't, he didn't have a partner or a really good friend to cuddle with ( or maybe he did but wasn't fucking aware )

But those feelings rested deep inside him, the agravating man with white hair floated on top of them. He needed to get rid of Shinra and the people who had harmed the planet.

"Is it too tight?"

Your voice spoke again, soft as ever. He shook his head lightly, silently telling you that he was alright. His back hit the sofa, sitting with his legs slightly apart while he saw you mimicking his actions.

He should be tired after what had happened today, but something about your company kept him awake.

The appartment had a sad aura enveloping it, maybe it was the fact that it was almost empty. But he didn't care, as long as he had a warm bed and a bathroom he was alright with it. He didn't think he was going to rest there for a while either.

The afternoon beams hit the floor through the window, creating an cozy orange glow, your eyes lingered there for a while, enjoying the pleasant lighting.

Midgar didn't stick out by it's nature or it's beauty, in fact, it was a pretty depressing place with all the pollution and dark lighting. But despite all that, you enjoyed how the sun striked the city by the time afternoon came.

Small details like this often caught his attention, meanwhile he hated how sad this city was because of the Shinra you managed to adore the smallest things. Well, maybe it was because you didn't have other option, you were stuck here with the group just like him.

"Thank you"

Your eyes looked at him, but he was facing the wall in front of you with his arms resting on his thighs. He looked calm, a sight you almost never got to see because of his constant fighting and working to take down Shinra.

You were happy to see him like that, so you told him that it was okay, you were here to help him. He liked the idea of that, having someone by his side when he needed them the most, someone to clean up his wounds, to look after him.

He was the one that did all those things most of the time, worrying about everyone's safety although he didn't say it, he did it. But he didn't want everyone's help, it would be just too much, he wanted you.

Your shoulders were mere inches apart, his breathing slowed down. You were sitting with both of your backs resting against the sofa, the med-kit you used placed next to you. Your clothes were a bit dirtied up thanks to the task the group had to do, you couldn't wait to feel the refreshing water trickling down your skin. You adored showers, you liked them even more after a long tiring day.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Your voice caught him by surprise, he turned his head to see that you were already looking at him.

"Yeah, been through worse"

And it was true, but he always picked his limp body up and fought with all his strenght. He really was a strong and admirable guy, no matter how hard he had fallen he was standing again before the blink of an eye.

He also was really stubborn so he would do anything and everything to pursue his goal, it didn't matter if he ended up worse than he was before and he surely didn't give two shits about what other people told him he should do.

He had a strong mindset, followed by his evident trauma.

He liked your company, you weren't as loud and active as Barret was so he liked it. His mind went back to Aerith, Tifa listened to her and they both daydreamed about her experiences.

"Do you think someone likes me?"

Tifa smiled from her standing position behind the bar top, she had her arms akimbo as she looked at you and Aerith. Both of them looked at eachother and laughed quietly making you furrow your brows.

"What's so funny?"

They glanced at eachother with sly smirks before looking at you.

"You're really oblivious, y/n"

You sent Aerith a confused look, what were they talking about? Did someone actually liked you?

"Wait, what?"

"Oh come on, don't you see how he looks at you?"

To be fair, no you didn't, It could be anyone. Your mind was soon flooded with questions about that misterious guy, maybe he was in your group, maybe it was some boy in Midgar.

As much as you had asked them who was that guy, they chuckled and told you that you should figure it out by yourself. But how? There were a lot of guys around here and you didn't even have a clue about how he looked like.

You had a pretty nice relationship with the girls, they often helped you pick out clothes and Aerith often gave you flowers saying that they look good on you. They made you feel loved and happy, you liked spending time with them.

You often went out to eat with them when you all could and those were your favourite meals no matter what the actual food was. You loved hearing Aerith speak about her past and her relationship with Zack, she picked up the sweetest words and spoke with a soft tone of voice.

"Yeah let's sit over there"

Tifa said while pointing to a table next to a window that faced a sunny stone path, people walked through it, some of them were fast and anxious while others talked and enjoyed their walk.

The ambience there was calm, there weren't many customers at that hour so the whole cafe was envolved in a pleasant silence.

You walked towards the table with a cup filled with warm tea in your hand and some chocolate chip cookies on the other. The aroma made your mouth water, and judging by the looks of your friends they were drooling too. You all had learnt to adore this place, it was small, cozy and they had the best confectionery.

Great for spilling some tea too.

You talked with them for a while about what was happening in Midgar and all the Shinra stuff. Honestly, you were so tired of them, you wished they could just dissapear and leave you alone with your friends. But they didn't, they just reinforced their security after some of your attacks.

You wished you could spend more time with the girls, with Barret, with Cloud.

God you would kill to just talk with him more often, the sound of his voice, how he talked with you. He amazed you, all the stuff Tifa had told you without him knowing increased your curiosity about him. He didn't share too much about his personal life, you wanted to ask him so many questions but he didn't talked too much either so you were kind of shy to talk with him about him.

"How was your first kiss like?"

Aerith's cheeks reddened at the question Tifa had just asked her, but there was a small smile plastered on her face too.

"Well... I didn't kiss him actually, It just kind of happened"

She paused, taking a sip of her own tea as you took a bite from the cookie you had picked up before.

"Our faces got closer and closer until his lips were pressed against mine, it was such a beautiful moment"

"He must've been a great guy"

You replied, breaking the small silence that was formed after what Aerith had said. Tifa nodded her head and the brunette closed her eyes with sigh before looking at you again.

"He was... He was my first love after all"

Another sip was taken from the cup placed on her hands.

"I miss him"

Tifa reassured her, telling her that there were a lot of good guys out there waiting for her. Meanwhile you stared dreamingly into the window, your mouth opening before you could even think about what you were saying.

"I wonder how my first kiss will be like"

You smiled at that memory, you all spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and daydreaming about relationships. Your head leaning against the black haired girl's shoulder as you talked with her about all the love stories you had heard.

"Thank you for everything again y/n"

Your head perked up until you met his side profile, you opened your mouth to speak, fisting your hands and placing them on top of your thighs.

"Don't worry about it, like I told you, I'm here for you"

Your sweet smile ignited something inside of him, it felt ticklish like some sort of fluttering in his belly. Were they... butterflies?

He nodded his head as he stared at you, you looked really pretty with the sun light hitting your face. He wondered if you found him pretty too.

"I'm glad you're fine, don't scare me like that again"

He chuckled as he looked at the floor. He lifted his back off it's resting position on the couch before speaking up again.

"I'll not"

He kept his responses simple as always, he wasn't a talkative one after all. Silence fell over the room, you repositioned yourself too, your hands falling down to rest next to your legs. He looked so good under the orange hues of the descending sun, hell, he always looked good.

"I think I'm gonn-"

Your words were cut off as soon as his lips made contact with your cheek. You quickly looked at him red faced, touching your cheek with wide eyes.

Did... Did Cloud Strife just peck your cheek?

Your mouth opened but no words came out of it, you were going to explode right there. You absolutely didn't expect him to return your cute gesture and make it even cuter. He smirked, his cheeks also getting a bit hot but he shrugged it off.

"What? I'm just doing what yo-"

You didn't know were your sudden move came from but it did. Your hands snatched themselves into his cheekbones, pulling his head towards you before crashing your lips against his.

The kiss was soft but quick, his slightly chapped lips on top of yours. It was really happening, finally you knew what it felt like, finally you both knew. It didn't last long though, you pulled off him saying all kinds of sorry.

"I shouldn't have, god- sorry"

He didn't answer you, instead he shifted himself closer to you on the sofa. He wasn't usually this affective with anyone, anyone but you. He had fallen head over heals for you, he tried to keep those thoughts away but you were just too much for him, too pretty, too good.

He placed his cold hand just bellow your neck and on top of your collarbone, the touch sending shivers up your spine. And before you could look into his eyes, he closed the gap again.

This time the kiss was slower and sweeter, your mouth moved with his as you trailed your hands up until they rested on his shoulders.

You wished time could stop so you could spend an eternity like this with him.

It felt just like Aerith had described... magical. Although it was clear he didn't have any experience in kissing anyone, his lips moving clumsily against yours and forcing a small smile from you, it felt really good.

His hands soon wrapped around your waist, bringing your body closer to his. You melted on spot, the quiet and angry guy that mostly talked shit about how everything was fucked up was kissing you with that mouth so gently.

You both parted from each other to breathe, the biggest and happiest smile plastered on your face as you leaned your forehead with his. You hugged tightly his shoulders, afraid to let go of him and he did too, squeezing your waist even closer to him.

You opted to just stay silent and enjoy the moment, the sky already darkening outside and the people starting to go home from work.

This was really a pleasant sight because this night, you weren't lonely.

Like two magnets would attract each other, you kissed him again, his lips becoming your new source of drug. You could never get tired of kissing him, feeling his lips on top of yours.

Like Aerith said, it kind of just happened and you couldn't be happier for this moment to be like that. Your breathing calmed itself down, enjoying the sound of his own heartbeat slowing down too.

When the kiss ended again you hid your face against his neck, hugging him. His strong arms kept you in place, his head resting on top of yours.

You stayed there for a while, a long while of laughing and kissing each other's faces until the moonlight replaced the sun on his window. You had lost track of time, but you didn't care as long as you were in his arms.

You soon found yourself at his door, ready to leave his house. He followed you, opening the door for you like he had done before, but this time you were leaving.

"So... see you tomorrow"

"Yeah, good night"

A few more words were exchanged before his lips found yours again, kissing you softly on the lips and giving you a last hug before you stepped out the door followed with a "be careful" from him.

He watched as you waved him goodbye through the window, keeping an eye on you. He closed the door with a quiet "thud", when he laid on the bed that night, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.

The next morning you rushed yourself into getting to Seventh Heaven, opening the door with the energy of a dog whose owner had just returned from work.

Marlene was there, drinking a cup of milk that you imagined was her breakfast. You quickly smiled at her with the biggest smile she had seen you show off for months.

Tifa was cleaning some dishes on the sink and Aerith was yawning, sitting in front of her.

You couldn't wait to tell them what had happened the night before with Cloud. And when the brunnete had seen you place your hands on the bar top with a loud sound, she wasn't able to even wish you a goodmorning before you spoke.

"Y'all aren't going to believe this"

TW/CW: horror, stalking, weirdo Ethan, ghostface, mention of puking

Happy Halloween !

(31/10/2023) (2 228 words)

It's a miracle you agreed to go to that stupid party to begin with.

But Ethan insisted so much that you gave up. He told you he needed to tell you something really important. And, well, you've been flirting with him since forever. The hope he was finally going to ask you out was really present.

You terribly want him to ask you out.

It was a Halloween party, so you had to be disguised. Honestly, you are not too fond of these parties. You rather be in your living room partying with your friends, instead of strangers. But Ethan could ask you to jump out of your window that you'd do it.

So you bought a firefighter outfit from the nearest store and went with it. It's enough. Not good or bad, but enough. you had no idea what to wear anyway. It's not sexy, because you're cold, but it's not ugly. You don't think you'll be staying long anyway. As soon as Ethan's here, you kiss him and you leave.

But your plan turned out to fail miserably as you have no damn idea where your man is at.

You've been searching for him for age and the little fun you had completely faded out into the wind.

You've been wandering in the living room and the kitchen for too long. Did Ethan stand you up ? No, he would never do that. You know him. And, not to be mean, but he does not have a lot of people running after him. He's too shy to do the first move. So he won't miss this chance. Well, you hope anyway.

Deciding that you know the living room by heart, you head to a new area of the house, discovering the garage. The car that were previously here, deducing by the tire mark on the ground, was moved. Logical for someone hosting a party like that.

You sit on the workplan. It seems like tools were here before, but removed just like the car. You lay your back on the wall and close your eyes for a minute. When you think about it, you could've also come with your normal clothes. Because there is some disguises here that look just like everyday outfit.

You could have spare some money and not ridiculise yourself with this outrageousely lame firefighter disguise.

When someone push the door open, you're forced to come back to reality. Your hope of finding Ethan standing before you disappear as a Ghostface arrive.

You thought he would head back after seeing you, or at least go sit a little further from you. But he does all he opposite.

He walks up to you without a word and stand still in front of you, right in the middle of the garage. Okay, what is this now.

You feel naive for thinking whoever that was would speak up because he stays dead silent. You're getting uncomfortable. Not because it's Ghostface, but because you're thinking of the person under the mask staring at you so creepily.

Ghostface doesn't scare you, men does.

"Uh hello ?

Ghostface doesn't budge. Maybe he can help you find Ethan ? If you describe him to him, you can try to extract information.

"Well, while you're here. Have you seen my boyfriend ? He's... You know what ? Just forget it." You gave up when he didn't even move. It's like he doesn't hear you.

Plus, you don't even know what Ethan's costume looks like, no need to ask people. It won't work.

How are you going to find him ? It's useless to call for him out loud, he won't hear with the stupidly loud music blasting through the whole house.

"Are you gonna, like, stay here and stare at me ? It's getting awkward."

Ghostface doesn't answer. A sigh leaves your lips. Tired, you take out your phone in order to call Ethan. Of course, because your life always has to be ten times harder for no reason, he never pick up. And the stranger before you seriously start to piss you off.

"Can't you go annoy someone else ? Your costume isn't even fun, or scary, you guys are like twenty to be dressed like that tonight !

What's going on with being Ghostface ? Is it the new mode ? Did you miss something ?

-Do you like scary movies ? His modified robotic voice asks. Damn, some people are really giving their best in their disguise this year. He has to be rich or something to able to buy himself a voice changer.

-You're cringe." Escapes you like a bad reflex.

Who does he thinks he is ? Ain't no way you're feeding his stupid scenario. Ghostface uses his two pointer to draw you a heart in the air. You frown your brows and questions him with your eyes but he doesn't say anything. Did he just flirt with you ? Doesn't your firefighter outfit shows your lack of enjoyment of this night ?

What a shitty night.

You don't want to be the center of attention tonight. The only attention you want is from someone who's not even there.

You jump from the workplan to the ground and leave the place, closely followed by your new pain. Hands in your pocket, you wander without goal nor direction in the hallways of the big house, stumbling upon rooms, closet and just anything and everything.

Your Ghostface was still here, of course. Why would he leave you alone after all ? This asshole doesn't have anything better to do.

You tried to call Ethan several times again but to no avail. You weren't even annoyed anymore, just plainly confused and worried. Did you do something to upset him ? He always answer your calls at the mere second you press the button.

And with the man following you around, your sanity was starting to go low. Stopping suddenly your track, Ghostface hits your back because of him walking so close to you. You turn around, a scowl on your face.

"Will you leave me alone ?"

He draws another heart in the air then point himself and you.

Sighing, you leave the room and almost run to the kitchen in order to grab a new drink. After pushing and squeezing through people all over the living room, you end up at your destination. A group is here, a few Ghostface as well. You roll your eyes and take a can of anything but alcohol, not wanting to get drunk tonight.

All you wanted was Ethan and he was nowhere to be seen.

Seriously, you're here for him and he's not ? He begged you to come, it was his idea ! You try to think of different costumes he could wear. Last year, he wore a cardboard costume of a knight. Maybe this time he's Spiderman ? Something like that. You can definitely see him in a Spiderman costume. Or Ghost from Call of Duty. Fuck, there is like a thousand of different outfit he could wear tonight.

But you know for sure he's not a Ghostface.

Everyone is already dressed as it. Ethan is more nerdy, Ghostface is too bland. There's no personality to it. Of course it can be sexy in a different context. But damn, when there's so much of them, it's just boring. And you doubt Ethan would wear something sexy. You'd love him to, but you can't have everything.

Speaking of it, another of them arrive. He's alone and he lays his weight on the wall at your opposite. Is it him again ? Then, he just completely stop moving, not grabbing a drink. You can't tell if he's looking your way or not, as his mask hide completely his face.

It's possible you're getting paranoid but with this stupid Ghostface following you everywhere, you have some reasons to. Though, maybe it's not him. There is high chance it's not him. There are so many different Ghostface tonight.

But when he raises his hand to wave at you, you just sigh and roll your eyes. That's it, you give up. Throwing your can in the nearest bin, you push yet again everyone to hide in a room. Quickly looking behind you, you can't tell if someone's following you or not. You have to stop in your track to let people get down from the staircase's step to finally go up yourself.

First thing, you rush to the bathroom and lock the door. The music is muffled but still here. A bad headache is already coming your way. You turn on the faucet and throw water at your face after taking a big breath. It's better but you're still alone and bored. Plus, you're hot. So you slide down the zipper and sit your back against the bathtub.

When you think about it, maybe Ethan won't even ask you out. Maybe he just wanted to party with you and told you he had this 'something really important to tell you' just to make you come. Either way, he's not here. You don't know what to think.

You have the umpleasent feeling you wasted your night. Spending it in your bed would have been much better. With or without Ethan.

Maybe he was going to come but changed his mind ? No, Ethan's the nicest guy you've met here. He's not like that. And even if he changed his mind, he would've told you. He's not an asshole.

But then where is he ? Is he already down there ? But how come you don't see him ?

You decide to give up, closing your eyes and trying to ease your mind. Whether he comes or not, it's too late now. You're already here in your stupid disguise.

Your short moment of peace is interrupted by someone knocking and hitting dangerously hard the wooden door, followed by a loud 'Open!'. All you can do is afflict yourself pain by knocking your head on the edge of the bathtub. Why are you here ? You don't deserve that.

Slowly standing up, you unlock the door and immediately get pushed against the wall by an impatient man. You curse, he doesn't even hear, so you leave. In the corridor, your eyes sweep the living room from the interior balcony where there is still no signs of Ethan.

Multiple Ghostface are coming and leaving everywhere but only one catches your attention. He's laying on the wall just in front of the bathroom, as if waiting. You hope it's not him again. He has a hand behind his back, hiding whatever he's holding while the other rises up to wave at you.

Putting your hands in your pocket, you tilt your head to the side when you see him draw another heart with his index, with more difficulty this time as he's only using one hand. Now, you're convinced it's the same Ghostface that you saw earlier. Has he been following you ? Fuck, he has.

Where is Ethan when you need him the most ? You don't have the strength to deal with this guy right now. Smiling fakely, you flip him off and head to the opposite direction. Which is a dead end as Ghostface was placed right before the stair, preventing you from going back to the living room. So you have no other choice but to hide in another room until he leaves you alone.

And that's what you do, you chose a random room and knock on it, hoping there is no one fucking inside. Anxiously waiting for someone to answer, it's when silence fills your ear that you push the door open.

Taking the room in, your blood runs cold. Eyes widening and hands getting sweaty. So shocked that you let the door wide open behind you. They're not real, right ? Before you, a woman is laying on the bed, blood splashed on the sheets and the wall, she is wearing a Coraline outfit. On the ground, two other people in the same state. A man and a woman this time. A devil and a vampire.

They're scarily well done. They look so real. Too real.

You move forward, desperately wanting to be sure. With your pointer, you touch the leg of the woman spread on the bed and feel goosebumps rising on your whole body when it's supple. And warm.

Just like real skin.

A nervous laugh is the only answer you can muster. The music is still going in the living room, so it's fake. They're fake, right ? Yes, yeah of course they are. There is no way something like this could happen right now. In a place where so much people are reunited. It's just a regular decoration of Halloween, of bad taste, but still.

You hope nobody enters while you're here for what you are going to do, as depending on the outline of it, you'll either be fucking creepy or stupidly awkward. Heading to the head of the bed, you touch the hair of the woman on it. It's a blue wig, of course, she's disguised. Wait. She's disguised ? Nobody dress up a mannequin, no ? You remove the hair and realize with horror that real hair are under it.

It can't be, right ? Lastly, you poke her cheek and force open her eye. If it's fake, it's not supposed to have realistic eye. But it's a fucking real and brown eye that stare at your soul when you lift the lid.

Okay, now what the fuck ? It's not funny anymore. Where the fuck is Ethan ? Your breath get stuck in your throat. You are going to throw up if you stay here a minute too long. You need to get the fuck out of here.

You back up slowly but end up stumbling into someone's chest. A scream leave you, you jump in terror and search the head of the guilty who stopped you to flee. But the only thing you're able to see is this fucking Ghostface mask. It's him. You just know it. He's been following you everywhere. You just know it's him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you ?" you yell, feeling your sanity disappear the more you were staying here.

Ghostface tilts his head to the side and the hand he had until now almost hidden behind his back comes up at the front, displaying you the bloody knife he had in hand.

You could have thought it was fake. Only, the blood was dark and drooling on the floor leaving wet red drop on it.

Just like real blood.

He's swinging the weapon from left to right on loop. All the bad words and mean behaviour you could have gave him start to whiplash in your face. If you knew he was a fucking psychopath, you would have drew him a heart too.

"Do you have a boyfriend ?" He asks.

"He's... He's not here yet." You answer partially honest. Now that he was potentially dangerous, you had no problem answering his stupid questions.

"Really ?" Ghostface says, toying with his knife. He was playing with you.

From the corner of your eyes, you're still able to see the corpse of the woman on the bed and you want to puke at the thought of her.

"Are you the one who did this ? You ask in a shaky voice.

-Yeah. Of course. He stays nonchalantly, shrugging.

-Why ?

-Three people, just like us.

For a second, you wonder who's he talking about when saying 'three'. Because you are sure there is only two people here. Does he have allies ? Maybe someone hiding in the room without you knowing ? Fuck, you hope not.

-Three, for you and your two boyfriends.

-I don't have two boyfriends. Hell, you don't even have one to begin with.

-I wouldn't be so sure if I was you.

What does he know about you ? Who is he ? Why is he so sure about it ? What is going on ? There's dead corpses behind you, you need to get the fuck out of here.

You can see people in the corridor but it's like they can't see you. Hell, they probably think he's another Ghostface like there already is.

If you move or scream, you have the feeling he won't hesitate to use his knife against you.

-W-What ? What do you mean ?

The man rises his knife forcing you to shut your eyes in fear. He's tracing forms on your face with it, gliding it to your chin to your lips and then to your cheek.

You don't dare to move even a single muscle, you stopped breathing. You know he probably left bloody marks on your face. The weight on your lips tells you everything. There's blood on it, and it's not yours.

-If I remember correctly, I had something really important to tell you, am I right ?"

What the fuck ?